Illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Walker Studio, 2019. ISBN:
9781406378429.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Themes; Family breakup, alcohol abuse,
adolescence, siblings, friendship, first love. Louis and his little
brother Truffle live with their mum in a 3rd floor apartment in
Montreal and they visit their dad in the country at weekends. Both
parents are sad, his mother is anxious and Louis tries not to worry
her but Louis' dad is an alcoholic and when drinking Louis watches
him cry for hours. He knows his dad is sad for the life they had
together when they were a happy family; 'I know because I am too'
p.23. Dissipating images of the happy memories fly past the windows
of the bus as the boys travel back to their mother in the city.
Truffle, who is too young to fully understand the situation, sings
and asks Louis repetitive childish questions. Complicating matters
for Louis is that he has a crush on Billie, a brave girl in his
class who stands up to bullies. He spies on her, gathering
information, but lacks the ability to speak to her, worrying that,
like his Dad, he will fail the ones he loves. Encouraged by his
stalwart friend Boris, Louis buys her a gift but fails to pluck up
enough courage to give it to her before the long school break. As
she leaves, the wonderfully supportive, Boris suggests they get some
fries while the black, scribbled out image of Billie riding her bike
away, expresses Louis' feelings of failure eloquently. When Louis
finds an injured raccoon and nurses him back to health he is able to
find purpose and success through his own initiative. Things seem to
be better with an unexpected reconciliation between his parents and
although his dad relapses things do seem to have moved forward with
more clarity about their problems and when school goes back 'As
Boris watches my progress, full of hope for us all, I understand
what I'm doing - putting one foot in front of the other, putting one
word in front of the other' p.151 and he speaks to Billie.
Arsenault's subtle illustrations powerfully evoke the internalised
agonies of adolescence complicated by feelings of impotence in a
fractured family. Using a restricted palate of greys and blues with
splashes of yellow for the happy moments in Louis' life, the sketchy
illustrations have a journal like quality with a number of full or
double page spreads where powerful emotions are expressed. A book
suitable not only for those eight to twelve year old students
struggling with family breakup but also for their friends who could
pick up some tips on how to be supportive.
A layered story subtly told with empathy which will reward repeated
reading. Teacher's
notes are available.
Sue Speck
Once and future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
OneWorld Publications; 2019. 349p; p/b. ISBN: 9781786076540.
(Age: Middle secondary+) In a future where the Mercer
mega-corporation has galaxies under their thumb refugee Ari is
trying to survive when she finds the legendary sword in the stone
during an escape to Earth. Merlin awakens to guide this
reincarnation of King Arthur, but he, along with the reader, will be
surprised by the modern twists on the popular fairy tale.
While the novel uses Arthurian references as a hook, it has more in
common with dystopian fiction like Blade Runner than
romantic legends. Its themes of freedom, individuality and change
are quite relevant in today's unstable political and economic
climate while being presented in a way very palatable to young adult
audiences. Featuring a diverse cast of races and sexual identities,
many marginalised readers can find a hero to identify with.
Due to the diverse cast featured within this book, it would make an
excellent addition to any library and quite suitable for middle
secondary class and above due to the content present. In fact, it
could be used to introduce themes such as refugees, history and
sexual diversity.
Vincent Hermann
Grace's mystery seed by Juliet M. Sampson
Illus. by Karen Erasmus. Ford Street Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925804201.
(Ages: 3-8) Themes: Neighbours, Gardening, Sunflowers. Grace's
neighbour has the best garden in the whole street. It has a veggie
patch, chooks, a fish pond, fruit trees and a friendly neighbour
called Mrs Marino. Grace loves helping Mrs Marino feed the fish and
pick the fruit, but feeding the birds is her favourite job. 'Polly
likes these stripy seeds . . . What are they from?', Grace asks. Mrs
Marino shows Grace where and how to plant the seeds so that they can
see what will grow from them. Grace waits and waits and her seed
starts to sprout, then it has leaves and before 'long it is much
taller than her. Eventually, it has a bud right at the very top and
one sunny day it opens: a sunflower!' Mrs Marino explains to Grace
how sunflowers always turn towards the sun and Grace patiently
watches all day to track its movements.
This is a lovely story that indirectly explains the life cycle of a
seed and different elements of caring for a plant. It is perfect for
classes exploring plant life and is a simple activity that children
can emulate themselves. Grace's excitement and fascination with
watching her plant grow is infectious and will definitely incite
other children to become more curious about gardening. The writing
and illustrations are simple but pleasant and the story itself is
well-written and a cheerful read-aloud.
Nicole Nelson
General knowledge genius by Peter Chrisp et al.
DK, 2019. ISBN: 9780241336243.
Highly recommended. Themes: General Knowledge; Transport; Science;
Natural world; Geography; History; Culture. This is another
brilliant DK publication! Written as both a collection of
information and also a General knowledge quiz, this will definitely
appeal to young readers who enjoying collecting information and
finding out about the world and challenging themselves in a general
knowledge quiz on each page. (The general knowledge challenge is
even levelled with three levels of difficulty.) Information is
presented with DK's usual clarity and in very small packages of text
of several sentences length, in combination with clear pictures and
headings and excellent graphic design presentation that is colourful
and visually exciting. With an array of topics covered including
Transport, Chemistry, Geology, Living things, Art and History, there
is something to learn on each page. I can imagine that this book
will appeal to the same readers who love picking up a Guinness World
Records book to meander through the snippets of detail. The visual
appeal and the limited text will enable reluctant readers to engage
and enjoy this book as well. This is a great book for the library
shelves or as a gift for a young reader.
Highly recommended.
Carolyn Hull
Young dark emu by Bruce Pascoe
Magabala, 2019. ISBN: 9781925360844.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Aboriginal themes, Aboriginal
agriculture, Aboriginal aquaculture. Coming across a reference to
Aboriginal agriculture sent Bruce Pascoe into researching a little
known area of Australian history. Saddled with the usual notion
taught in schools and believed by mainstream Australia, that
Aboriginal people were nomadic hunters and gatherers, Pascoe began
to look at diaries, recollections and illustrations by early
European settlers and explorers with different eyes. He came across
many examples of agriculture - sowing crops, harvesting, then
storing food, aquaculture and fish traps, of using fire and
constructing wells. And of villages where many families lived. Not
always sedentary many would have had two residences, taking into
account seasonal crops, sacred sites and their use of fire.
Pascoe published his significant findings in the book, Dark
emu (Magabala Books, 2014) and a radio interview with
ABC's Fran Kelly can be heard here.
Young dark emu is a version of his research rewritten for a
younger audience and a copy should be in every school, read and
discussed. It overturns the accepted view of Aboriginal life in
Australia prior to colonisation and shows how these people used the
land and its resources with knowledge, expertise and care.
Pascoe quotes explorers like Mitchell and Sturt who came across
villages where huts were constructed with mud caked over the
outside, where large groups of people lived, and fields with crops,
usually yam and grasses (it is estimated Aboriginal people
cultivated 140 different grasses). When Sturt and his men staggered
over the last sandhill of what is now Sturt's Stony Desert, they
were amazed to find an Aboriginal village where the men came out
with containers of water for the dehydrated explorers and their
horses. They were shown one of the huts to sleep in for the night
and given some wood with which to build a fire.
Many people have heard of the Brewarrina fish traps in northern New
South Wales, said to be the oldest human construction in the world.
Early colonists were amazed at how these worked, allowing juvenile
fish to escape while catching the older fish, enough for all. Fish
traps were also evident along the Murray and one extensive fish trap
along with a village was destroyed at Port Fairy in Victoria by
early settlers.
The evidence mounts up in Pascoe's book, divided into six chapters
about Aboriginal use of the land: Agriculture, Aquaculture, Home,
Food Storage and Fire, then Sacred Places. In his first chapter,
Pascoe tells us about the land grab that saw the colonisers take
over Aboriginal territory, ruining their crops, replacing the
animals with sheep, so destroying the land tilled by generations and
causing widespread starvation and consequently a reliance on
European food. Pascoe's compelling retelling of Australia's history
is beautifully illustrated with documents and images from the past,
all acknowledged in the Picture Credits at the end, along with a
detailed Index, Acknowledgements, Bibliography and information about
the author, Bruce Pascoe.
Pascoe likens our understanding of Aboriginal history to the image
of an emu in the night sky. Aboriginal people see the emu, a dark
space between the stars, whereas Europeans see the stars and the
shapes made by them. It is time we took a different perspective and
sought out those dark spaces to reassess our view of Australia prior
to colonisation and this book is the first step to that better
understanding.
Fran Knight
Max's divorce earthquake by Rachel Brace
Illus. by Angela Perrini. Little Steps, 2019. ISBN: 9781925839142.
(Ages: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Divorce, Emotions, Families,
Change. Divorce can be a very difficult time for all in a family and
this book, written by a psychologist who assists families during
separations, will truly assist parents to help their children cope
with the complex feelings they may experience during a divorce.
The analogy of an earthquake is a very clever device in this story
and shows the level of disturbance that divorce can bring to a
child's life in a clear and enlightening way.
The story shows how the parents in this child's life spend time
talking and explaining the many feelings Max is expressing and that
they don't judge him but support him to identify and cope with them.
The physical changes to Max's everyday life are woven through the
story. The two homes he lives in, where he leaves his things, who is
picking them up from school, what his parents will say to each other
when they meet, are all impacting on his life. He expresses his
worries through the story and shows how they minimize towards the
end. It was very satisfying to see that Max realizes that his life
will settle down and that his parents will always love him, even
though his family life has changed dramatically.
The wonderful illustrations for this book done by Italian-born
Angela Perrini, capture the mood of each page to perfection. The
simple water-colour based pictures show us how rocky Max's world is
at the beginning and show the calmness that transcends towards the
end of the book as he works through his emotions and comes to
realise that even though his life has changed dramatically he can
still feel the love that envelopes him from his family (like the
blanket shown in the last illustration).
I would recommend this book for every school and library as it would
be a must read for parents and caregivers struggling to talk to
their children about a separation or divorce. A book trailer
is available.
Gabrielle Anderson
A dream of Italy by Nicky Pellegrino
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9781869713836.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) This is a book about choice, hope
and change. The young mayor of Montenello, a small hill town in
Italy, is unhappy with the decreasing population of his town, and
concerned about its many vacant homes. He dreams up a way that he
hopes will make his town vibrant once more, not just with tourists,
but by attracting new residents. He persuades the council to make an
unexpected, unusual and ultimately precarious choice: to use the
internet to find international buyers for the old houses that have
been abandoned, or whose absent owners no longer want them.
As the cost is minimal - each house, large or small, will cost one
euro - he hopes to persuade people who like Italy that it might be a
great choice to live there once they have seen how beautiful it is,
and restored their new homes. Of course, the owners have to agree to
the scheme - if he can find them. The town councilors are unsure
about his plan, but he persists. Happily, they find that they have a
number of applicants, and must choose the ones that seem to be the
best potential buyers. After contacting the chosen ones to arrange
accommodation and to let them know how the scheme will work, they
wait, with hope and a little trepidation.
As the first set of buyers arrive, they meet the mayor to see and
discuss the property that he has chosen for each of them. They are
charmed, as he had hoped, by the beauty of the views, the quirkiness
of the old town and its buildings, and persuaded that, although this
quiet town has seen more vibrant days, it is still very attractive.
There is a particularly fine restaurant, the hotel is warmly
welcoming, and there are beautiful views and interesting walks. Some
adjustments need to be made with the arrangements, and some houses
need a great deal of work, but, as the mayor had hoped, the new
owners fall in love with his town, enjoying the food, the people and
the spectacular views.
This is a delightful book about an interesting modern situation, and
the narrative is made all the more vibrant by the variety of
characters and the charming mayor. The narrative develops smoothly,
captivating the reader with the description of the characters, the
views and the old buildings, and as well, the interactions of the
old and new residents, who are similarly drawn to this special
place.
Elizabeth Bondar
The Dentist of Darkness by David O'Connell
The Dundoodle Mysteries bk. 2. Bloomsbury Children's books,
2019. ISBN: 9781408887080.
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Themes: Mystery, Dentists,
Confectionary, Dragons, magic, friendship. Archie McBudge has a life
that most children would dream of. He owns a Confectionary Factory
and has magical powers! But for Archie all he really wants is a
summer holiday relaxing with his friends and testing, or even
inventing, new sweets in the factory.
But it seems he has been summoned by the Wyrdie Tree, the source of
all the magic in the town of Dundoodle to save it from dying. He has
been told he has magical powers, but he has yet to work out how to
make his wyrdworking powers work.
The town sees the arrival of a new threat to his factory in a creepy
looking Dentist who seems determined to rid Dundoodle of all sweet
things and ruin the upcoming festivities of Unquiet night (a summer
version of Halloween). It seems the townspeople are being taken over
by his influence, but Archie and his friends soon discover he is not
the only enemy in their path - the Mirk is back and is determined to
take the magic from the Wyrdie tree when it is at its most
vulnerable on Unquiet Night. Archie and his friends face many
exciting adventures and near misses in this story, and they need to
work together to come up with some imaginative solutions if they are
to save the Tree and defeat their enemies.
The book is easy to read and would be great to read to a class as it
has plenty of action and danger as well as interesting information
about a quirky place that will appeal to children who love fantasy.
This is David O'Connell's second book in this series, a follow up to
The Chocolate Factory Ghost where the town of Dundoodle is
first introduced. This book has a short introduction to the first
book at the end. There is also a map to show the places around
Dundoodle that are mentioned in this adventure and this assists
readers to follow the children's adventures.
Gabrielle Anderson
Amazing Transport: Journey through the history of transport by Tom Jackson
Illus. by Chris Mould. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408889770.
(Age: 7-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Transport History;
Aeroplanes; Land transport; Ships. In the sky, sea, outer space and
on land, humans have developed ways to get around other than by
using their own strength. This book details the history of multiple
types of transport over time and gives details of the significant or
revolutionary changes that have led to the forms of transport that
we know today. Filled with little snippets of information that make
fascinating reading, this book will appeal to those who find the
gathering of detail when they read an appealing activity. Everything
from the velocipede, dirigible, Bugatti Veyron, Hippomobile to the
USS Enterprise is explained in its place in history. (Note: the only
Australian contributions to this history is the Road Train.) With no
index, this would not be a source to direct children to in order to
locate specific information, but this is more a book for
entertainment than it is for information.
The power of this book is the presentation, which will appeal to
young readers who love cartoon illustrations that convey intricate
detail (almost a cross between Where's Wally and Diary
of a Wimpy Kid). The cartoon-like fine line detail still
conveys information but it is so appealing that it will win many to
spend considerable time searching for new or humorous
representations. At the beginning of each transport chapter is a
double-page time-line conveyed in conventional manner at the bottom
of the page, but the rest of the double page is filled with the
black and white quirky meanderings of the history of that mode of
transport. Even as an adult reader, I was impressed at the artistic
and amusing quality of these pages. The information double page
which follows is divided into small bites of information and each is
clearly written with enough (but not too much) detail for a young
reader, and there are also small descriptive cartoon illustrations.
The front cover has an absolutely winning visual appeal - stark
black and white cartoon style, with fluoro orange title and yellow
additional information. This book will be chosen because of its
cover alone, it would benefit from front-facing display!
Highly recommended for young readers aged 7 - 12.
Carolyn Hull
Eco Rangers: Pelican in peril by Candice Lemon-Scott
New Frontier, 2019. ISBN: 9781925594522. 101p.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Eco Rangers is a colourful
new mystery and conservation series. In Pelican in peril, we
meet twelve year olds, Ebony and Jay, who like nothing better than
exploring their local environment together on their bikes. On a
routine ride to the beach, they discover both a nasty oil slick and
a pelican covered in oil. The desperate children take Poseidon, to
the conservation centre, where Dr Bat and Dr Tan are so impressed
with their handling of the large bird, they are dubbed
'Eco Rangers'.
Cleaning up Poseidon to save him, is a steep learning curve but they
soon master that and begin searching for an explanation for the
disaster. The local media issue an apology for the spill from the
cruise ship at the dock, but Ebony and Jay are suspicious when they
overhear the Cruise manager talking about barrels of waste. Finding
oil barrels in the dunes supports their suspicions and they board
the ship to investigate the oil leak story.
Of course things don't go as planned and they wind up in deep
trouble before being rescued - and not by the adults this time!
Melding together narrative and information writing, middle school
readers can make logical connections about the author's intention in
plotting this informative adventure. Teacher's
notes are available.
Young readers who are interested in the environment will learn how
they can participate in conserving nature and wildlife. Candice
Lemon-Scott's second book in the series, Microbat mayhem, is
also currently available. Given the author's background as a trained
wildlife carer, our two Eco Rangers are bound to meet new animal
friends and learn more about their environment - all while
collaborating to solve another mystery!
Deborah Robins
Fabio the Flamingo Detective: Mystery on the Ostrich Express by Laura James
Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408889343. 119p.
(Age: 9+) Themes: Crime. Fabio and Gilbert are running late for
their trip to Hotel Royale on the Ostrich Express, but not before a
visit to Alfonso the jeweller to fix a broken watch. When the
Laloozee Ruby necklace is stolen from Alfonso's courier Zazie aboard
the train, Fabio and Gilbert are fated to solve the case. Readers
can look forward to some classic features of crime writing -
abandoned mines, hostages tied to the tracks and a desperate dash on
a handcart.
This is a very 'loud' book! Emily Fox's illustrations and feature
pages appear shaded with neon highlighter pens in contrast to the
noir genre. A flamingo detective is of course flamboyant, but his
clumsy side-kick Gilbert, a giraffe, is much less so.
Feminists might take exception to female villains being foxes and
leopards while the male heroes are mild mannered herbivores and
birds - with the exception of the hyena henchmen of Janice the Claw.
Mystery on the Ostrich Express is old-fashioned in many ways.
Not that many first chapter book readers have heard of Murder on
the Orient Express, or will mistake Fabio for Inspector
Poirot. Yet the literary influences will hopefully one day connect
young readers to one of the best of bygone crime classics. The
publisher appends a sample chapter of the precursor, The
case of the missing hippo in addition to miniaturised
covers of the author's The adventures of Pug series. Sample
chapters and fun activity packs for many of Laura James' books can
be downloaded on the author's site.
Deborah Robins
Raising readers: How to nurture a child's love of books by Megan Daley
UQP, 2019. ISBN: 9780702262579. 244pp., pbk.
(Teacher reference, Parents) In the early days of European
settlement in this country, establishing schools became a priority
particularly for those with a religious bent because they believed
it was imperative that the emerging generation of children be able
to read and understand The Bible and thus not follow their parents'
errant ways. That was a school's key purpose. Decades and
generations on and while society has changed, and schools themselves
are almost unrecognisable from those early institutions, the
expectation that a child primarily attends so they can learn to read
has not.
Right from preschool children are tested on their literacy
development and judged according to it, underlining the importance
that is still placed on being able to read and write. Five year olds
head off on their first day of 'big school' fully expecting to be
able to read by the time they come home and are often disappointed
that they cannot. However, research and experience has shown that
schools alone cannot be the child's primary teachers in this
critical endeavour. It is a partnership between home and school and
those who make the best readers are those whose roots in reading
extend back to birth. Indeed, author Mem Fox has stated that the
illiteracy problem in this country could be solved if children just
heard 1000 stories before they come to school (which can be achieved
in three years with a favourite, a familiar and a first-read as the
regular bedtime routine) and the concept of the 'million
word gap' is not new.
So this book from Megan Daley, a respected, qualified teacher
librarian (we must have qualifications in both teaching and
librarianship), which explores how parents can help to raise readers
is a valuable contribution to the lives of new parents, particularly
in these days of the screen being a dominant feature in children's
lives. For those who can read it is hard to remember not being
able to do so; for those who can't read or don't like to it is
tricky to overcome the personal prejudices that already exist, so to
have a 'manual' that helps explain some of the best practices and
what underlies them is eye-opening.
While there have been a number of books on this sort of topic in the
past, many have been written by either authors of children's books
or university lecturers. This one is by a practising teacher
librarian who is in touch with what is happening both in and out of
school as Megan has two daughters. She examines the place of the
school library in the child's reading journey while at the same time
encouraging parents to attend book launches; getting involved in
Book Week while setting up a book-themed bedroom; explaining the
most popular genres of young readers while offering tips to host
book parties and be 'best book-givers'. Interspersed with the
user-friendly text are comments from some of Australia's favourite
children's authors as well as suggestions for books to support the
young reader as they grow their literacy skills.
For the teacher and the teacher librarian, this is a refreshing read
with lots of tried-and-true and new ideas and perspectives in
amongst the host of academic and professional reading we have to do;
to parents it's a simple explanation of the what, why and how of
raising a reader so both child and parent fulfil their expectations.
One to encourage staff to read and to include and promote in your
parent library.
Barbara Braxton
A spanner in the works: The extraordinary life of Alice Anderson by Loretta Smith
Hachette Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9780733642104. 384 pg., paperback.
General Biography. I loved reading about the life of Alice Anderson
and her families hardships growing up in Australia from 1897 and
into the 1920s. The adventurous life that Alice had was amazing.
The first half of the book was about Alice being a toddler and
growing up in Victoria and how they survived the hardships they
encountered. I still can't believe how her mother and siblings put
up with their father and let him continue doing what he did still
surprises me. This was probably the norm back then.
I think the book is a great read to learn about Australian history
and how people lived. Major world events were mentioned and how
these affected members of the family and others and the way they
lived dealing with them. And yes there was name dropping of people
that the family knew like Monash, the war great and a few
politicians and what these people were like before they made a name
for themselves.
The second half of the book was about her achievements in the
motoring world and how she made her career and a name for herself.
And of course establishing the garage girls in that era was not an
easy thing to do.
I think this book is a great tool to use in schools for the
appreciation of what females had to go through in a male dominated
era: Not only the journey of families but also the way females were
treated in the academic and medical world and how they had to make a
mark in their field.
A great book that I'm happy to have on my shelf and share with
friends.
Maria Komninos
The jacket by Sue-Ellen Pashley
Illus. by Thea Baker. Black Dog Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781925381788.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Clothing, Sharing, Family,
Love. A beloved jacket being handed on to the next person as it
becomes too small, is a theme repeated in many families, but is here
told with such sympathy and endearment that all those who read it
will sigh with recognition and delight.
The jacket is soft as dandelion fluff, warm like the afternoon sun,
comforting as a Teddy's hug, and with four dazzling buttons down the
front. The girl wears it everywhere, and when it is too small for
her it is passed down to her younger sister. She loves it just as
much, wearing it to all sorts of places, even the beach. When it
becomes too small for her it becomes a doll's jacket, and then when
the girls go to school, it lies lost and remains forlorn under the
wardrobe. But here the cat finds it, just the thing for her newborn
kittens and the girls snuggle them into the warmth of the old
jacket. One by one the kittens go to their new homes, and the jacket
is again under threat as Mum wants to put it in the ragbag. But the
girls are sad, so instead she remakes it for her third child, and
the jacket is still warm and soft and comforting.
This beautiful story about precious things being recycled, about the
love within a family will elicit sighs from the audience as it is
read out loud. They will easily recognise the importance of some
items within the family, sharing stories of the precious things
passed on from one child to another, and see the value of recycling
goods.
The stunning illustrations underscore the warmth and family
closeness of the story. Using collage, Baker has beautifully
presented the children at play, the jacket always in the centre of
the image. Kids will love recognising the various things she has
used to create her illustrations and want to try it for themselves
after the book is read. Activities can be found in Walker's
Storytime kit.
Fran Knight
Diary of an awesome friendly kid: Rowley Jefferson's journal by Jeff Kinney
Puffin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760892517. 217p.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Rowley Jefferson, the Wimpy Kid's sidekick,
narrates this first book in the Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid
spin-off series, showing us another side to Greg, aka Wimpy Kid. In
Rowley Jefferson's Journal, Greg does not react well to sharing the
limelight with Rowley. Almost immediately, he badgers Rowley to
become his biographer because Wimpy Kid doesn't have any biographies
- only autobiographies! Rowley agrees, 'After all, one day Greg will
be rich and famous, and everyone will want to know his life's
story.' But Rowley isn't a good choice because he selects events
that show that his friendship with Greg is largely one-sided,
resulting in Rowley being manipulated by his mate for his own gain
or amusement. It is a relationship perhaps peculiar to Rowley but
nonetheless the author has crafted a friendship dialectic that
demonstrates the unique experience and perception of someone, which
perhaps others don't or cannot share.
Wimpy Kid and Rowley have certainly matured with this new
perspective on their childhood. The Wimpy Kid series is
lauded as one of the most widespread first chapter book series for
boys. The themes of friendship and character development are
relevant to middle school conflicts and thus fertile affective
material for educators in addition to deconstructing the genre.
Thanks to Rowley, middle school readers will be finding out a lot
sooner than most kids, that things (and people) are not always what
they seem.
Visit the website
to sample this amusing dark spin-off. Doubtless, this fresh
illustrated novel, sprinkled with more typical childhood
misfortunes, is sure to be another blockbuster for creator, Jeff
Kinney.
Deborah Robins
