Reviews

I don't want to be small by Laura Ellen Anderson

Bloomsbury 2019. ISBN: 9781408894064.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Size, Difference, Body image. With the word 'small' in large letters on the front cover and a small boy measuring himself with a frazzled look on his face, children picking up this book will know it's about a boy who is displeased about his size.
In rhyming lines, the boy tells us of his problem, being so small that his friends forget him, or that he is not allowed to go on the bigger rides at the fair. He is so cross that he throws his bear up into the air and it becomes stuck on a higher branch of the tree. Now he is really cross that he is short, because no matter what he does, he cannot reach his bear. He tries a long stick and stands on a box. He ties his socks together to make a rope, even eats all his greens and then gets into a flower to to see if he can grow quickly like a plant. But nothing works.
A taller girl comes by and offers to help get the teddy out of the tree, but even she is not tall enough. They have an idea, and the boy gets onto her shoulders with just enough reach to get the bear. Together they have solved the problem and worked out how he can be taller. A story promoting satisfaction with what you are, of loving who and what you are, will be a great discussion starter in schools, where body image is often talked of. A charming tale too of supporting each other, of two people able to solve a problem together, will also initiate discussion. The funny illustrations, like those in her first book, I don't want curly hair (2017) will cause readers to laugh out loud while reading.
Fran Knight

Good girl, bad girl by Michael Robotham

Cyrus Haven book 1. Hachette Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9780733638053.
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Themes: Mystery, Thriller, Murder, Child abuse, Forensic psychologists, Truth. A riveting psychological thriller, Good girl, bad girl will keep the reader engrossed for all 405 pages of secrets, lies, murder and investigation. Two plots intertwine with twists and surprises, keeping the reader guessing to the end. A little girl has been found in a secret room. Unidentified, she will give no name or age and is put into care. She is given a name Evie Cormac and when she wants to be declared an adult, Cyrus Haven is brought in to access whether she should go free. Does she have the ability to tell if someone is lying? Meanwhile, Cyrus is also involved in the case of the murder of Jodie Sheehan, a champion figure skater, who appears to be popular and open. As the investigation continues secrets begin to emerge and danger stalks both Cyrus and Evie.
Robotham is a master at writing suspense novels with enough surprises for even the most experienced mystery aficionado who is kept asking questions about both Evie and Jodie's murder right until the end of the book. His characters are fascinating. Cyrus has had an awful experience in his childhood and Evie's dark experiences as a child link them together, and the reader will be fascinated, continually wondering why she is silent about the reason for being in the secret room. Lenny, the detective in charge of Jodie's murder, is also a character that the reader will want to see more of in future books.
It is easy to see why Robotham is a bestselling author. His complex and clever narratives flow quickly, his characters are flawed and dark and the suspense is incredible. Readers will be happy to see future books starring Cyrus Haven and may hope to see Evie and Lenny as well.
Pat Pledger

Shoelaces are impossible by Ed Allen and Nathaniel Eckstrom

Scholastic, 2018 ISBN: 9781760154950.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Procedures, Caterpillars, Shoelaces, Instructions. Caterpillar really wants to be able to tie his shoelaces. And understandably, as there are so many pairs of shoes on his numerous legs. He can do all sorts of things really well. He can count, walk a tightrope, fly a kite and play the drums, but all he really wants to do in the world is tap dance, and he cannot possibly do that when all of his shoelaces are untied.
His friend Rabbit offers to help. He keeps saying that all he needs to do is practise and keep practising as he shows Caterpillar the procedure of how to tie his shoelaces. The routine is told simply and shown in Eckstrom's funny illustrations, enabling a child to follow the instructions with a smile on their face. The looks on Caterpillar's face as he tries each of the instructions will encourage a child to follow his attempts.
Caterpillar is at first disgruntled with his lack of success but with Rabbit's encouragement keeps practising until he gets it right. This is a neat little story, told simply to encourage children to attempt to tie their own shoelaces. With funny illustrations any child would be delighted to try to tie their own, prompted by Caterpillar.
Fran Knight

Lizard's tale by Weng Wai Chan

Text Publishing, 2019. ISBN: 9781925603910.
(Age: 9-13) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Singapore - History, Spies, Stealing, Secrecy. A fabulous adventure story, Lizard's tale brings to life the Singapore of 1940, on the brink of war. Desperate to make some money for rent and food, 12 year old orphan Lizard steals a mysterious box from an English man staying in Raffles Hotel. Inside is a strange book and dangerous people are after it. His friend Lili is hiding secrets and his Uncle Archie has disappeared. He finds himself embroiled in the dangers of espionage. Who can he trust?
I enjoyed this action packed spy story immensely. Lizard and Lili are courageous and resilient children who are prepared to take risks for what they believe in. Their friends are equally brave and daring. The smells and sights of Singapore are vividly described and it is easy to imagine the opulence of Raffles Hotel and its wealthy British occupants, as well as the streets and homes of the everyday inhabitants of Singapore.
Middle grade readers are sure to enjoy the sights and sounds of Asia as they follow Lizard and Lili's escapades, while evading the Japanese spies. The humour and exciting encounters in Lizard's tale would also make it a great class read aloud. I can imagine a class wanting to try curry puffs after hearing this story, and desiring to know more about Singapore of the 1940s and today. It would also make a very effective literature circle or class text.
There is a glossary of words (Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay, Japanese, Hindi and Hokkien) at the back that truly shows the multicultural nature of Singapore and the author's note sets it firmly in its historical context.
Teacher's notes are available.
Pat Pledger

Bear out there by Jacob Grant

Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781526607416.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship, Difference. Bear just loves being at home, where he can spend the day cleaning his house and then sit in an easy arm chair reading a book and having a nice cup of tea. His friend, Spider, on the other hand, loves the outdoors. He makes kites and needs to go out into the wind to fly them. But one day his kite is lost. He asks Bear to help him find the kite. Bear is not sure, he tells Spider that although he wants to help him find his kite, he does not like the forest. He does not like the dirty ground or the prickly plants and pesky bugs, but he still goes with Spider on his quest. The forest with its noise does not appeal to Bear and when it starts to rain he is even less happy. He determines that he will go back home to his easy chair and cup of tea, but seeing Spider's dejected look, decides that he will keep looking. When the sun comes out he finds the kite in the tree and all is well. Bear goes back home to his warm bath, easy chair and cup of tea, while Spider flies his kite, outside with Bear looking on. The two friends could not be more different: readers will see that being a bear and a spider are two quite different animals, and not only are they different in what they are, but also in their habits and what they like to do. But friendship overcomes their difference.
This charming tale, following on from the equally engrossing Bear's scare (2018) when the fastidious Bear finds a cobweb in his house, is accompanied by bold brightly coloured illustrations, pared back to the basics, but with enough difference to ensure readers will hunt out the detail as they turn to each new page with a different layout from the one before.
Fran Knight

The great toy rescue by Yvette Poshoglian

Vincent and the Grandest Hotel on Earth by Lisa Nicol

Puffin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760890681.
(Age: 9-13) Highly recommended. Themes: Hotels, Hopes and dreams, Friendship, Family, Fantasy. Vincent is the epitome of ordinary and yet his ordinary life is transformed in a moment the first time he uses his late Grandfather's shoe-shine equipment and then is offered a job that goes beyond his wildest dreams. The Grandest Hotel on Earth opens up possibilities, friendship opportunities and reveals all sorts of solutions to the problems and concerns of the Hotel's patrons, and perhaps even Vincent's problems too. The hope it offers to Vincent is of a reprieve from his own family concerns. Since the arrival of his younger brother their world has been battered with the distress of a child with tantrum-wielding, egg-eating and non-verbal chaos, and the whole family is weighted with the burden. The Hotel itself is anything but ordinary. The rooms are magical in the way they meet the needs of those who stay (reminiscent of the worlds of Disneyland and The magic faraway tree, and the rooms are never the same for each visitor) and the staff are equally restorative in their approach, as is the theme-park-like experience. It is indeed the Grandest Hotel! The wonders of the experience go beyond ordinary, but Vincent may have created a problem by being too curious and a friendship may be at risk.
This book is delightful, with magical moments and human restoration, and the development of the wonderful young boy, Vincent, and his growing friendship with the young girl left in charge of her family's Hotel. This book explores the transformation of ordinary into extraordinary and reveals some wonderful quirky characters and experiences. The hint of a 'co-writer' mentioned in the early part of the book, is a nod to the inspiration for the author Lisa Nicol and his input is revealed in a Post-word at the end of the book. This book is funny in a subtle, understated way, but there is also a poignant reminder that not all of life is easy. The Hotel, though, seems to have a solution, and reading this book will be uplifting and rewarding for young readers and they too will want to stay at The Grandest Hotel on Earth. Teacher's notes are available.
Carolyn Hull

Turning point by Michael Veitch

Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9780733640551.
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Non-fiction. Michael Veitch has thoroughly researched the background to the battle for Milne Bay in 1942, a momentous battle in New Guinea, and the first land defeat of the powerful Japanese forces as they advanced towards Australia. Veitch asserts that it was at Milne Bay that the myth of Japanese invincibility was smashed forever. Australian infantry and air force, and American engineers and anti-aircraft gunners worked together in the most horrendous of conditions - mud, rain, mosquitoes and disease, not to mention the impenetrable jungle, all made life unbearable for the soldiers. The Allies had set up air strips, rolling out new steel matting for runways, only to continually battle mud that seeped up through holes in the matting to create a slippery mud sluice that plastered the aircraft. Nevertheless Milne Bay became a base for the Kittyhawks providing essential firepower and cover for the men on the ground.
Veitch includes the stories of the many larger than life personalities, Australians from all walks of life, who fought heroically and determinedly to prevent the advance of the Japanese. We also learn about 'silent Cyril', Major General Cyril Clowes, the calm and cautious strategic thinker determined not to make useless sacrifice of men, who ultimately led a successful campaign, but received little recognition in later years.
Milne Bay was also the scene of Japanese war crimes, the mutilation and killing of prisoners and helpless Papuan natives, leading to a hardening of attitude of the Australians towards their enemy.
In many ways a significant event in the history of Australia's participation in World War II, this book brings to life the people and the formidable situations they endured - making it a commendable resource for students of the history of the war in the Pacific, as well as an engrossing read for the general reader.
Helen Eddy

Baa baa blue sheep by Tony Wilson

Illus. by Laura Wood. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781760666446.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Counting, Colours, Sheep. Before the pages are opened all readers will have the nursery rhyme, Baa baa black sheep, running through their heads. And this funny turn on the well known rhyme will have children reading along, smiles on their faces as they recognise the different hues used for the wool, and the clever rhymes used by the writer. And reading the story they will notice the repetition of the refrain, the colours used and the numbers counting back from nine to three.
Two people are arguing over the bags of wool. A well dressed master pipes up that he wants all the nine bags of blue wool, because he is 'a blue kind of guy'. But the dame also wants the bags, and in the end they fight over them only to see the bags of wool roll into a ditch. Next comes the purple wool. The dame wants the eight bags but the master disagrees so they fight and the purple wool is torn apart. Then the red wool is fought over, and the yellow and the green, until finally the little boy who lived down the lane puts a halt to the proceedings and they work out a compromise.
I loved the way this rhyme uses the original Baa baa black sheep, and readers will recognise elements of the original nursery rhyme as they read this.
Recognition of rhyming words, prediction of words that rhyme, laughing along with the reading out loud, a shoo-in to talk about nursery rhymes that are well known and perhaps even some attempts at turning a well known rhyme around, will all emanate from this cute tale.
The digital illustrations cleverly reflect what is happening in the text, and readers will love searching out the parallels between this tale and the original Baa baa black sheep.
The endpapers with their balls of differently coloured wool will initiate some talk about wool, sheep and knitting and perhaps encourage some classes to try knitting or any wool crafts for themselves.
Fran Knight

Movie time! by Anh Do

Illus. by Dan McGuiness. Hot Dog 6. Scholastic, 2019, ISBN: 9781742997872.
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Films, Play, Movie making, Friends. Hot Dog and his best friends, Kev the cat and Lizzie the lizard, return for another fun adventure in Movie time! They love playing cops and robbers especially when Kev's loot bag is filled with muffins. After the game, they grab an icecream and notice some special posters, 'Actors Wanted - a Hero Ninja, a Brave Ballerina and a Volcano Monster' with try-outs soon and free food as an incentive. The new movie called 'The Volcano Monster' sounds thrilling, Hotdog thinks he's perfect for the ninja (with a little practice), Kev wishes to star as the ballerina (lots of practice needed) and Lizzie wants to be the volcano monster (she's afraid of heights, though).
With only a week until the auditions, the friends need to practise their skills and train really hard, if they want to stand out from the others keen to be in the movie. What great friends they are, encouraging, guiding, helping and creating challenges to hone their skills. Hot Dog's ninja chopping skills create a perfectly sliced fruit platter, although leaping over a wobbly line of tree trunks with spiky porcupine obstacles proves a little tricky. Kev looks gorgeous in his tutu, but his spins and leaps need finesse. Hot Dog's especially helpful adding a layer of rubber to Lizzie's shoes at each training session to help her overcome her fear.
At the auditions, the friends try their best and are given special roles, which come in very handy when the real volcano erupts!
Books in Anh Do's Hot Dog series are jam-packed with humour, slap-stick comedy, cheesy jokes and loads of fun. He focuses on friendship, teamwork and caring for others, while creative and imaginative play is encouraged. Some of the animals' actions need to come with a word of caution, especially the volcano rescue and dealing with the lava and flying rocks.
Dan McGuiness continues to capture the humour, fun and crazy actions of the characters. The brussel sprout icecream, Lizzie's unusual practice volcano and the spiky porcupines add excitement. Red is the predominant colour, making the illustrations stand out, bold key words, and differing text styles and sizes make this another easy to read story for readers from six and great for hi-lo readers as well.
Rhyllis Bignell

Jack and the beanstalk by Matt Ottley

Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781760660581.
(Age: all) Highly recommended. Themes: Classic tales, Fairytale, Giants. The classic tale of Jack and the beanstalk has been retold and illustrated by award winning author/illustrator Matt Ottley. The first page shows an impoverished family, thin and ragged, with a poor cow so starved that its ribs are obvious, having to make a decision about their most precious possession. From there the illustrations cover the pages as they tell the tale of Jack and his cow going to the market. Children will sympathise with the decision that has to be made, wondering what they would do in Jack's place. Along the way to town, Jack is waylaid by an old man who exchanges three magical beans for the cow. Jack's mother is incensed and throws the beans out of the window, sending him to bed. But the beans are magical and a beanstalk grows up into the sky. Climbing the beanstalk, Jack finds he is in the giant's grip and must escape doing so with the giant's magic singing harp and golden egg laying hen.
A well known fairytale, Jack and the beanstalk has been revisited many times since it first appeared as The story of Jack Spriggins and the enchanted bean in 1734. The story was published in 1807 as the The History of Jack and the beanstalk, and then Joseph Jacobs included the most well known version in his English Fairy Tales in 1890.
A story of a poor boy winning against a huge giant will always win friends as readers pit themselves against the giant, willing Jack to succeed and return home with something good for his mother. His poor family is enriched by the fabulous hen and can enjoy the music played by the harp. The giant is a nasty giant, eating Englishmen so deserves to fall from the beanstalk. His refrain will cheer the hearts of the readers as they practise the small poem, repeating it as the giant comes into the story.
Ottley portrays his characters with a great deal of humour. I love the images in the giant's house of necessity looming over the tiny Jack, the giants' feet and hands, large, gnarled and lumpy coming out at the reader. Readers will love looking at the detail included by Ottley, the shadows, the cow's eyes and eyelashes, the castle, the giantess' thongs, the bones under the table and the bright green endpapers, and ask for the story to be read again.
Fran Knight

The Good Son by Pierre-Jacques Ober

Illus. by Jules Ober and Felicity Coonan. Candlewick Studio, 2019. ISBN: 9781536204827.
(Age: Upper primary +) Highly recommended. Themes: War, Patriotism, military history, toy soldiers. A story from the First World War told in miniature as the sub-title suggests this beautiful picture book re-creates realistic scenes from the First World War using miniature soldiers. Also it tells the story of the little soldiers in the Great War, caught up in a conflict where they joined as patriots, to make their families proud but as the war progressed it became clear they were pawns in a larger game. The monochrome images of the war torn countryside and the narrative ribbon stating the bleak facts about WW1 bring us to young Pierre, locked up in a barn. What unfolds is his story from when the world had colour, with emphasis on the red white and blue of the French flag. He joined up to stop the Germans, and marched through the beautiful countryside dreaming of glory but when they finally saw battle 'we won . . . it was terrible.' Pierre has a friend, Gilbert, who stands by him throughout. When the Colonel comes and tells Pierre he will be shot for desertion it is Gilbert who brings him food and companionship. His commanding officer is sympathetic but tells Pierre morale is low so he is to be made an example of to deter others from walking away. Pierre's crime? To slip away for three days to be with his mother over Christmas. He writes a letter to his mother recounting an incident where he was commended for bravery he felt he didn't earn, whereas he is to be shot for desertion for wanting to spend two days with his mother. He promises to wear the socks she gave him 'Maman those were the best two days of the war.' Gilbert comes before dawn bringing food and comfort and he talks of a younger brother killed in the first week of the war. Gilbert promises to deliver the letter to Pierre's mother.
In a note from the author we learn that the idea of using WW1 figurines to create a series of images was originally a gift for his father's 80th birthday and the centenary of the start of WW1. The project 'developed into an homage to all the men who fulfilled their patriotic duty unprepared for the horror unleashed upon them'.
A highly recommended but harrowing story that would make an excellent history teaching aid for upper primary or middle school students, younger students might need to read this with a grandparent or adult.
Sue Speck

The guardian of lies by Kate Furnivall

Simon and Schuster, 2019. ISBN: 9781471172328.
(Age: 16+) Historical fiction. Furnivall's novel is set in 1950s France during the Cold War. American air bases are being established around the country to protect Europe from the growing threat of the Soviet Union. France is divided between those who view the American presence as a necessary protection against the reach of Communism, and those who resent American capitalism and the development of nuclear weapons.
Wanting to follow in the path of her elder brother Andre, Eloise had applied to become a secret agent with both the French Intelligence Service and the American CIA but following rejection by both, she embarks on detective work in an agency run by Clarisse Favre. Eloise's detective skills are turned to her personal life after her faulty decisions see her brother crippled in a car smash and she learns that her father has sold part of their precious family property to the American air base in the south. The burning questions are: Who tried to kill her brother? And why would her father part with the land that he loves?
Returning to her home in the Camargue, Eloise is drawn into a tangled web where it becomes hard to work out who can be trusted and who is an enemy. Someone is leaking top secret information about the American secret weapons to Soviet Intelligence, the MGB. And someone is determined to stop Eloise from finding out what is going on. Caught in the lies and deception, there seems to be only one person she can turn to - her childhood friend Leon Roussell, now the local police officer, but how much can she tell him without endangering members of her family?
Eloise is a strong determined woman, extremely resourceful and well trained by her brother to consider the evidence . . . and then to also consider the impossible. But as she gradually uncovers the secrets, she knows that she herself is drawing closer and closer to danger.
Readers will find themselves carried along with the fast moving plot, wanting to know who is the spy and who the counter-spy, but also ultimately which world view one should trust.
Helen Eddy

The happy unicorn by Sally Odgers and Adele K Thomas

Pearl book 4. Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781760664275.
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Unicorns, Magic, Ogres. Pretty in pink, Sally Odgers continues her delightful magical series in The Happy Unicorn. With bright colourful pages, borders and magical words, this is another easy to read and share story, just right for young unicorn fans.
Sometimes Pearl has problems with her magic, instead of stopping the rain, it may turn pink or even create a towel that helps for a short while. Tweet the Firebird and Olive the Ogre enjoy the pink rain, it makes them happy. Olive's busing practising her loudest roars for the upcoming Ogrefest. Pearl and Tweet want to attend, and with a little help from Olive and Granny Ogma's ogre-lotion mixed from mud and leaves, they are disguised as ogres.
Pearl's talent is flicking her tail and stomping her hooves, while Tweet the Firebird can compete in the fire lighting competition with the flick of her tail. The Ogrefest is loads of fun; ogres from all over the valley gather to sing, roar and share piles of snacks. Each day is filled with laughter and fun, contests, activities and plenty of eating. Pearl wishes she could use her magic to help her friend Olive win, but that's not allowed, until the gobble-uns invade the festival. When their stinky magic fills the air, Pearl's had enough, she stamps and stomps, swishes her tail and down comes the magic pink rain which washes the gobble-uns clean and clears the air. What a wonderful outcome and a special conclusion to a difficult situation!
Sally Odgers continues to explore the themes of problem solving, valuing friends and believing in yourself. Adele K Thomas' fun, pink, grey and black pictures showcase both Pearl's magical world and add sparkle to the enchanting story. The Happy Unicorn is just right for readers venturing into early chapter stories.
Rhyllis Bignell

The last Balfour by Cait Duggan

Harper Collins 2019. ISBN: 9781460757017.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Cait Duggan's first novel follows the witch hunt phenomenon of 19th century Scotland. With rich imagery and a cast of interesting characters, this novel is a welcome escape from reality. Incorporating spells and songs from historical texts as well as charms and pagan traditions, Duggan pays homage to the healers of old and those who were persecuted in the Scottish witch trials.
Iona is only fourteen when her aunt Grizzle is convicted of being a witch and burned at the stake. Her powers have not yet come in yet her sister is unconcerned with the danger they are both facing. Blinded by her love for her husband, Gregor, Ishbel refuses to act until it's too late. Under her aunt's instructions, Iona must set off through the forest for Edinburgh with little more than her wits and a family jewel. With a witch-finder in hot pursuit she must let go of all that is dear to her, even the neighbour's boy, Daziel, who has returned from his studies to help her. Making new friends along the way, Iona must come into her magic and gather all of her courage in order to survive. But will that be enough?
The novel explores Iona and Ishbel's strenuous relationship following Ishbel's marriage and subsequent infatuation with someone her sister cannot stand. Dealing with issues of trust, secrecy, betrayal, and the power of intent, The last Balfour tells us to be careful who to trust and why.
Highly recommended to young people twelve and up, particularly those interested in Scottish history, witchcraft, and the supernatural. Teacher's notes are available.
Kayla Gaskell