Macmillan, 2019, ISBN: 9781760783907.
(Age: 8+) Themes: New school, Friendship, School life, Family life.
The Quest Diaries of Max Crack is Jules Faber's first
children's book. he's the popular illustrator of Ahn Do's Weirdo
series. Written in a diary format with lined pages, filled with
humourous cartoons, action diagrams and funny conversations with
speech bubbles, only child Max is anxious to fit in at his new
school. The stream of consciousness style gives the reader insight
his school and home life. To help him settle in, he's prepared a
Quest, a list of tasks and challenges some harder than others to
fulfil.
Max meets his soon to be best friend when he lands in a flooded
drain and hits his head on a submerged trolley. Frankie comes from a
big, rambunctious family full of older brothers fighting. They speak
in a descriptive new way and welcome Max, who is an only child, into
their home. Frankie and Max's relationship is built on a shared love
of drawing cartoons, after school adventures, practising for the
upcoming Spelling Bee and completing the Quest. He wants to make a
new friend, explore his new town, win a trophy, solve a mystery and
have his photo in the local paper.
Max and Frankie learn to trust and help each other and as all
friends do compete against each other, fall out and then reconnect.
Along the way, there's a search for buried treasure, an epic bike
ride, a chance to earn money by selling copies of their comic book
at the school fete and plenty of joking around. Each boy has a great
sense of humour and love to talk in puns.
Faber's cartoons add humour to the fast-paced action, they are
integral to Max's diary entries. The Quest Diaries of Max Crack
gives the reader insight into the chaotic mind of an eleven year as
he copes with a new town, home and school. Exploring themes of
friendship, acceptance, identity with a dash of mystery and
adventure, this is an engaging addition to the diary genre.
Rhyllis Bignell
Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Unearthed book 2. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN: 9781760292164.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction, Adventure,
Diversity. Fans who were left breathless by the non-stop action in Unearthed
will be delighted to pick up where Mia and Jules off and continue
with their adventures. Helped by a short summary at the beginning of
the book the reader is reminded of what happened in Unearthed and
will plunge into the story, following the pair as they attempt to
get back to earth to warn authorities of the danger that the
Unearthed pose to humanity.
With the hijacking of a spaceship, imprisonment by authorities, a
wild chase across Spain to Prague, a deadly virus attacking whole
cities and Mia and Jules racing for their lives, the reader is in
for a thrilling ride in Undying. There is also some new character
development that makes for a more thoughtful understanding of the
Unearthed. Twists and turns and unexpected plot developments keep
the reader engaged with both the action and the characters and the
authors manage to bring this duology to a satisfying conclusion.
Fans who get tired of long series, but are reluctant to leave much
admired characters, will be happy with the pace and plots in this
series and look forward to anything else these talented authors
write.
Pat Pledger
I need a parrot by Chris McKimmie
Ford St, 2019. ISBN: 9781925804287.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Wants and needs, Humour.
McKinnie's quirky play with words and illustrations will appeal
widely as the boy in the story says simply, I NEED a parrot. Ideas
will stream into the readers' minds as they too ask the question,
what do I need? A parrot is probably the last thing many would admit
to needing, so the question arises, why a parrot? With that question
in mind, the ideas will come thick and fast as the illustrations
show the boy rejecting a parrot hand puppet and a turkey,
questioning a whale in his bath (blue of course) and a shark in his
pool, telling the reader that he already has a bear (although not a
real bear) and a cat. He promises that he will clean its cage, teach
it words, feed it and love it.
Up to this point, the boy is adamant that a parrot is what he needs
and the reader will go along with story but seeing the parrot in a
cage will stop them in their tracks and make them take a breath. The
story changes from a boy's wanting a parrot to the awfulness of a
large bird kept in a cage, where once he had a sky full of blue in
which to fly. And that point is underlined with a page filled with
blue, a huge sky for the bird to fly freely. The boy now says 'Oh',
realising the consequences of his demand. But over the page,
McKinnie brings another bolt of humour, one all readers will
recognise.
McKimmie's humour packs a wallop: lulled into the voice of the hero,
going along with his well rehearsed reasons and promises to persuade
his parents about the inclusion of a parrot in the household, the
aim of the story changes to more of an environmental one, where the
parrot's needs, not the boy's, are paramount.
It makes for a thrilling read, laughing along with the recognisable
wheedlings of a child in wanting something, then pushed into the
thought for something other than themselves, children will question
the need of a parrot in their lives. The idea of a parrot, or any
pet bird in particular, is brought into question with the series of
cages shown throughout the story.
McKimmie's illustrative style is most distinctive, and readers will
recognise the images he uses, a multiplicity of techniques including
collage, paint, pencils and gouache, with ease, recalling other books
they have read.
The images build a domestic background against which the boy pleads
his case, his face looking directly at the reader, forming a bond.
Laugh out loud illustrations will evoke comment as the theme changes
in the book, pushing the readers to give more thought to their
requests.
Fran Knight
The music makers by Meredith Costain and Danielle McDonald
Olivia's Secret Scribbles book 8. Scholastic, 2019, ISBN:
9781760660048.
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Themes: Musical instruments, Diaries, School.
Olivia loves to share her special thoughts and record her school
life in her secret diary, scribbling, sharing her feelings and
drawing her activities. After The Music Makers give a special
performance at the school assembly, they share their musical
instruments with Olivia's class. When Bethany suggests their Year 2
class perform a musical item at next week's assembly, all the
students come up with lots of fun ideas. Mr. Platt their teacher
suggests they play a recorder song, but that doesn't work out.
With a little creative planning, Olivia comes up with an exciting
concept: create new musical instruments by reusing and upcycling
things from home and school. With everyone on board, some of her
class research ideas on the computer and Olivia seeks help from Mr.
Snarski in the library. To add to the excitement and creativity,
there's a little mystery when their instruments are sabotaged at
night. What a special super-duper performance, each class member has
a special role, even Mr. Platt helps create a unique sound wall! The music makers is Meredith Costain's delightful eighth book
in the popular series, filled with bright bubbly characters, plenty
of creativity, teamwork and fun. Splashes of purple bring a
liveliness, with Danielle McDonald capturing the excitement, the
preparations and the unique musical instruments.
Rhyllis Bignell
Misrule by Jodi McAlister
Valentine book 3. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143793465. pbk,
404 pgs.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: Paranormal, Fairies, Murder,
Diversity. Fans of the Valentine series will be thrilled with this stunning conclusion. It is
best to read the series in order (Valentine, Ironheart
and Misrule) as each book continues immediately after the
other one with the story of Pearl Linford and Finn Blacklin taking
centre stage. Pearl is all alone. Finn is a captive back in
Fairyland and there has been a gory murder in her neighbourhood.
Pearl is determined to find out what is happening and to come up
with a plan to rescue Finn depending on a fairy holiday called
Misrule. Misrule is not for the faint hearted. There is plenty of gore
and rather scary moments to give the reader breathtaking chills as
Pearl struggles with the machinations of the fairies, not knowing
who she can trust and what to do. However as fans of the first two
books will be very aware, Pearl is no swooning heroine, but
strong, intelligent and resilient and with the help of friends and
occasional allies, attempts to thwart the Fairy Prince's plans and
rescue the love of her life.
Without giving away too much of the plot, it is enough to say that
the action is fast paced, the characters are well developed and the
combination of normal life with a Fairy Court all make for a
gripping read. And the snarky narration by Pearl will also keep the
reader engaged with the plot.
Fans of Holly Black will love this series and I look forward to
reading any future books by the author.
Pat Pledger
The butterfly garden by Michael Torres
Illus. by Fern Martins. Magabala Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781925936995.
(Age: 2-5) Themes: Board book, Caterpillars. The butterfly garden
is a fun and cheeky introduction to the life cycle of a caterpillar.
The illustrations are bright and vivid and the butterflies feature
bleeding tie-dyed colours that highlight the powdery nature of their
wings. White and green backgrounds and yellow detail are used to
great effect, making the sparse illustrations really pop off the
page. There are also some interesting and effective techniques used
to create a sense of movement and the passing of time. Another page
uses an extreme close up of the kookaburra to show the caterpillar's
reflection in his eyes. The story itself is about a hungry
kookaburra eyeing off a fat caterpillar. 'That's my brother. You
can't eat him' says a nearby butterfly. The kookaburra won't believe
it; they look nothing alike! 'He will soon' says the butterfly, and
they watch as the caterpillar wriggles off to build a cocoon and
crawl inside. The kookaburra thinks he is being tricked so he waits
and waits and to his surprise out comes a handsome (a nice change
from beautiful) butterfly. There is a nod to dreaming stories here
as well, with the ending explaining how the kookaburra got its
laugh. This is a great concept and the illustrations are fantastic
but unfortunately the text falls just a little flat.
Nicole Nelson
Game on by Alex Miles
Girl Geeks book 2. Penguin, 2019, ISBN: 9780143795063.
(Age: 9+) Themes: Skateboarding, Gaming, Friendship. Alex Miles in
collaboration with the Australian Girl Geek Academy presents her
second junior novel Game on in the series Girl Geeks.
This series is written for girls who love online gaming,
skateboarding and stories about friendship and loyalty.
Niki, Maggie, Hamsa and Eve developed their friendship through
developing a computing project for their class. Niki who loves
online gaming invites the girls to attend a LAN party on the
weekend. TrickiNicki is her online persona and she enjoys gaming
with her guy friends, Felix, Max and Archie as Team Jupiter. She is
fearless and loves competing. The Castle Capture Cup is an upcoming
national televised esport event with a competition open to young
gamers. Niki is super excited to enter her name for selection in the
competition. She even coaches her friend Maggie giving her gaming
tips and strategies.
An unfortunate skateboarding accident resulting in a broken thumb
stops Niki from participating in the competition. Her friends rally
around her and work together to find a solution, even
though Niki is angry and unappreciative. Even Eleni her beautiful
older sister steps up to help. With her close circle of friends
working together, there are some surprises and plenty of excitement
at the Castle Capture Cup event.
Alex Miles explores themes of loyalty, stereotypes, friendship,
school and family life in Game on. The Girl Geeks
series is written to encourage girls to learn and embrace computing,
gaming and technology. The books are written in conjunction with The
Girl Geek Academy which aims to empower one million girls and women
in these fields by 2025.
Rhyllis Bignell
The adventures of Anders by Gregory Mackay
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760632076.
(Age: Junior readers) Highly recommended. Anders is a very appealing
hyperactive yet easily scared squirrel who makes friends easily and
has a lot of adventures. The first story in this compilation finds
Anders at school on the last day of term. The colourful comic style
frames are filled with detail, easily identified characters with no
emphasis on whether they are boy or girl, and interesting points of
view. Bernie (an elephant) is a new student in the class and Anders
befriends him. They walk home together through the woods and hear
noises that might be 'the Green Grabber' the older kids talk about.
The chapter ends with what looks like an alien nearby, in a
laboratory with a strange aircraft on the roof. The holidays start
for Anders playing at home then at cousin Eden's house. They play on
the trampoline and then with a bow and arrow Eden has made. Anders
makes one too, to hunt the Green Grabber and Eden offers to help
build a cubby in the woods. The next day Anders goes to play with
Bernie in his cardboard box hideout and they design their cubby.
They decide to check out the clearing in the woods but emerge in a
world of the imagination (wavy lines around the panels make this
clear) They cross a desert, requiring a trip to the fridge for ice
blocks, and enter some rubbery tubes eventually to pop out into the
reality of the clearing in the wood. They collect stuff to build
their cubby but the next day it is all gone. While looking for it
they come across strange footprints leading to a building in the
woods, when the Green Grabber comes they are very scared but Eden
meets him and finds out that he is really Dr Larsen who is building
a giant telescope at the observatory where Anders' dad works. He
offers to help them with their cubby. Each chapter develops a new
adventure as the holidays progress including one where Anders finds
a large beetle which he names Skip. Skip clings to Anders' back and
flies with him so their adventures get more wide ranging. Scattered
through the chapters are opportunities for learning about things
like comets and aircraft and volcanoes but mostly the adventures are
about having fun with your friends.
This bumper book of 445 pages includes three stories, two of which
have been published previously. First time independent readers will
enjoy the challenge of reading this themselves. The captions are
short and the language accessible, the pictures support the text but
add to it considerably. The short, contained chapters make this a
good bedtime read and junior readers will still find enough to
absorb them in this highly recommended book. Teacher's tips and a
book trailer are available from the publisher's website.
Sue Speck
Dr Seuss's Horse Museum by Dr. Seuss, illus. by Andrew Joyner
Puffin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241425725.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Themes: Art history. With the words,
'A canter through art history' on the front cover the reader is well
aware of the topic of the book and will discover what art is and how
artists have represented horses though the ages. The book is based
on a manuscript and notes by Dr Seuss that was recently uncovered,
and Andrew Joyner has brought together iconic figures from Dr
Seuss's book as well as his own engaging illustrations.
A definition of what is art is given right at the beginning and the
young reader is told to look at some of the different ways that
artists have represented horses in their work. They are instructed
to Look it over
Think it over.
Talk it over.
From then on the book explores work from prehistoric times, and
ancient Chinese culture and many, many artists like Picasso, Manet,
Magritte, Pollock and names that aren't as familiar, Katsushika
Hokusai, Marino Marini, and Rosa Bonheur. As the children look at
the paintings they also learn about the kind of art they represent,
like Realism, Impressionism, and Surrealism. There is plenty of
humour in the illustrations to keep the young reader engaged and
older readers who have an interest in art will be fascinated by this
easy to understand tour through art history, instantly recognising
some of the more famous horse paintings and being intrigued by
others.
The back of the book contains images of the works and information
about the artists, with the time period that the artist was alive.
Notes from the publisher discuss Dr. Seuss' lifetime interest in art
and Andrew Joyner's approach to illustrating the book. Teacher's
notes are available to download.
This would be an excellent addition to any library and would make a
fabulous gift for any child who is interested in art.
Pat Pledger
Theodore the unsure by Pip Smith
Illus. by Beau Wylie. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781760661861.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Lions, Hair, Decision making. Unsure
Theo has been made King of the Whole Animal Kingdom. He lives in the
grasslands of Africa. But he is indecisive and worried that he
should be king. He cannot make up his mind about anything. Breakfast
can take hours as he tries to make a choice between ostrich eggs and
camel milk.
But one very hot summer when the one tree on the savannah is
wilting, and all the animals are very hot, his mane begins to grow
and grow. It grew so much that he has to make a decision about
cutting his hair as it is now unmanageable.
He asked his advisor, Babs for help, and Babs scours the earth
canvassing opinions, and tallying the results. And everyone has an
opinion! But the results are decidedly No.
But Theodore thinks about the poor cold polar bears and the
shivering penguins while his hair simply grows longer and longer in
the sweltering heat.
So he makes a decision, one that helps a variety of animals and
keeps him in place as the King of the Whole African Kingdom.
Children will laugh out loud at the trials of Theodore never being
able to make a decision. His procrastination is very recognisable as
he teeters between the rights and wrongs of what to do.
The efforts Babs goes to help make that decision are very funny and
parody the interviews, questionnaires and surveys that seem part of
our daily lives.
The illustrations are a delight, with the most amazing looks on
Theodore's face, reflecting his indecision and worry about making up
his mind. And I love the endpapers, surveying the savannah in the
hot bright daytime, then the same place at night, two hipos absorbed
in reading their books by lamplight under the stars.
Fran Knight
Hasina by Michelle Aung Thin
Through my eyes series. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN:
9781760637286.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended, Myanmar, Rohingya, Islam, Buddhism,
Survival. Through my eyes, a series of marvellous books set
in contemporary war zones where children live in peril, offers a new
book, Hasina, set in Myanmar. Here the Rohingya are refugees
in their own country, many spilling into neighbouring Bangladesh to
avoid the bloody raids by government forces. The noise of
helicopters cuts though the reader when on page one, Hasina is
transfixed by their attack, only taking shelter when her aunt Rukia
pulls her inside. Her aunt and cousin have left their own southern
village in search of shelter after riots four years go, the Buddhist
Burmese turning against their Muslim neighbours.
But when the men come at night, murder in their eyes, Hasina, her
brother Araf and cousin Ghadiya escape into the Rakhine forest,
returning to the village days later where they are confronted by a
quiet ruin, houses burnt down, their families gone.
The story of their survival is gripping and real, readers taking in
the reasons for this conflict, nationalism mixed with greed,
religion mixed with past grievances, power struggles taking
precedence over conflict resolution and peace.
Michelle Aung Thin was born in Myanmar, in the year of the military
coup and left with her parents when she was an infant. She grew up
in Canada, has worked there and in London, now living in Australia.
Series editor and series creator Lyn White has extensive experience
as a primary classroom teacher, teacher-librarian and EAL teacher.
Her work with refugee children motivated her to create the acclaimed
Through My Eyes series of books set in contemporary war
zones. Lyn also created and edited the Through My Eyes - Natural
Disaster Zones series that pays tribute to the courage and
resilience of children who are often the most vulnerable in
post-disaster situations. Lyn continues to teach EAL and is an
education consultant and conference presenter. (Allen and
Unwin series website)
Fran Knight
Funny Kid Slapstick by Matt Stanton
Funny Kid book 5. HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9780733339486.
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Funny Kid Slapstick by Matt Stanton is Book 5
in what seems to be a very funny series. The main character Max has
the ability to make anyone laugh, especially when times are grim. He
really is the Funny Kid and I think, a very loveable character.
In this book, Max and his friends have been forced by their teacher
Miss Sweet (who definitely isn't!) to join the ice-hockey team. They
aren't the best team, they are younger than their rivals the Redhill
Rhinos, and they have Mr Armstrong for a coach (who hates Max). It
seems that things may not be very funny at all, but in actual fact
Max still made us laugh!
My 9 year old son scored this book first and really enjoyed it. He
isn't a huge fan of reading in general, and for him to read an
entire book in a reasonable amount of time IT HAS TO BE GREAT! He
started reading and every night continued until the end. He said his
favourite part was the whole thing,'but I really really loved the
pictures! They are so funny and good for the story'.
I must agree with him. I enjoyed Matt Stanton's style of writing, I
liked how he asks questions of the reader to engage them and I also
picked up on the level of literacy required for this book (and I am
guessing the series). I think that purposefully he has written using
words that are familiar and easy to decipher meaning that struggling
or disengaged readers will feel a sense of confidence when sitting
with this Book. My favourite part, as is my son's, is the pictures.
They are simple black line drawn cartoon characters but my goodness
they add SO much to the story! Their facial expressions are spot on,
they are well placed within the story and do not obstruct the reader
too much.
If the reader enjoys Diary of a Wimpy Kid then they will
love this series. It would be best given to readers 8+, and
especially those who are not confident or a little behind their
peers.
A great book, and I would suggest series!
Lauren Fountain
Mr Walker and the perfect mess by Jess Black
Illus. by Sara Acton. Random House. Australia. ISBN: 9780143793113.
77p hardback.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Family, Independent Reader. Mr
Walker and his hotel family scramble to deliver an important
function under the marquee whilst continuing regular services to
guests. To make matters worse the staff need to organise a surprise
farewell gift for their beloved groundskeeper, Josephine. Everything
was more or less going to plan until the heat wave caused a power
failure, followed by a thunder storm. During the blackout, Henry and
the others make good use of Mr Walker's problem solving skills.
Our hero, introduced to us in The
Tales of Mr Walker, is a real-life labrador who is the
ambassador for Guide Dogs Australia at the Park Hyatt hotel in
Melbourne. Out of all Jess Black's characters, none are more
charming than Mr Walker, for whom one master or one nuclear family
is not enough.
Every adventure is made special by both Sara Acton's stylized
rendering of Mr Walker and the hard cover, which is as solid and
safe in our arms as a half grown puppy. Mr Walker is young at heart
but exemplifies persistence and grace, instinctively bringing out
the best in Jess Black's human characters and readers.
Mr Walker demonstrates his expansiveness and service by being a
valuable member of Henry Reeves' staff and the stalwart of the
Hotel. Mr Walker and the Perfect Mess, is another life
lesson from Mr Walker that will embrace younger readers, most of
whom love stories about dogs. Let's be honest, we each want to be
the person, Mr Walker believes us to be. Activities
for the series are available.
Destined to be in demand, titles in the series include: Mr
Walker and the Dessert Delight, Mr
Walker Gets the Inside Scoop and Mr
Walker Braves the Night.
Deborah Robins
Dumazi and the big yellow lion by Valanga Khoza
Illus. by Matt Ottley. Scholastic 2019. ISBN: 9781742994116.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fable, Lions, Africa, Folk
tale. When Dumazi walks from her village to the waterhole, a
calabash on her head she hears a lion bemoaning its fate in the
bushes. He has been caught by a hunter's rope trap and cannot get
out. He promises Dumazi that if she releases him he will not eat
her. She releases him only to find that he intends to break his
promise. She takes him to see some other animals to see what they
say about the lion eating her, but each that she sees, has their own
reason for telling the lion to go ahead and eat her. The giraffe
recalls that Dumazi is a human and humans are responsible for
setting things on fire and building fences which have restricted the
animal's jungle home. She asks the elephant, and the elephant shows
her his half sawn off tusk, taken by poachers, so tells the lion to
go ahead and eat her. But the monkey derides the lion, saying he
will tell all the animals that the lion was caught in a rope trap
and laugh at him. He then cleverly gets the lion to show hm the rope
trap and how he was caught, so entangling himself again. The clever
monkey slips back into the jungle warning the lion not to make
promises he cannot keep, and deploring his behaviour towards Dumazi
who saved his life.
This wonderful tale full of the sights and sounds of Africa, will be
adored by all readers, intrigued with the brave Dumazi wanting to
release the lion but cautious lest it try to eat her. Her solution
of finding what other animals think reveals the problems humans have
brought to this land, and the cleverness of the monkey in trapping
the lion over again will bring gales of laughter from the audience.
Ottley's wonderful illustrations depict a broad sweep of Africa,
with smaller animals and insects at Dumazi's feet. The drawing of
the lion completely helpless in the path of the stampeding buffalo
will evoke sympathy in the reader, despite his duplicitous behaviour
towards the Zulu girl. Ottley creates images from a different
perspective, uses shadows to create interest and drama, and enfolds
much of the book in a glorious sun shiney golden hue. I loved every
page. Fran Knight
The Unlisted by Justine Flynn and Chris Kunz
Lothian, 2019. ISBN: 9780734419552.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Action thriller, Brainwashing,
Dissent, Families. What a roller-coaster ride, The Unlisted
is a great read and also an ABC TV/Netflix tie-in! Dru Sharma hates
the dentist and persuades his twin brother Kal to take his place
when he is supposed to have a compulsory school dental check-up.
When Kal begins to show signs of super strength and their friend Tim
goes missing, Dru realises that something is terribly wrong. The
Infinity Group is aiming to take over the thoughts and actions of
kids everywhere and it's only the Unlisted who can withstand the
brainwashing. Can Dru and his companions keep out of danger and stop
the spread of Infinity Group's control?
This is an action packed novel that has everything that the
adrenaline junkie reader could wish for - the short chapters and
cliff hanger endings that push the reader to continue on, dangerous
situations, villains, mystery and surprises. In addition the main
characters are likeable and their family is a hoot, with a
grandmother who rules the roost and feeds them well and an aunt who
might be part of Infinity Group's conspiracy. The Unlisted will have immediate appeal with its dark cover
showing the twins and an Unlisted group deep underground and its TV
tie-in. Reluctant readers may be drawn to it, and readers who enjoy
an action suspense story will be eagerly waiting to grab the next
books in the series. Reading notes at the conclusion of the book are
a welcome addition.
Pat Pledger
