A first time for everything by Tiffiny Hall and Ed Kavalee
Illus. by Anil Tortop. Albert Street Books, 2019. ISBN:
9781760525002.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Exploration,
Parenting, Babies, Families. This book had me laughing out loud
recognising the trials and tribulations of that first year with a
new baby.
Everything seems to go well before he comes along, but the
experience of a first child is daunting and it is shown with love
and humour as the parents grow into their new job. The look on mum's
face as the child is left with her, a mixture of panic and
happiness, of fear and joy, comes across beautifully in the cartoon
like illustrations. Each page reveals another trial, as the parents
tell the reader what has happened, and the illustrations belie the
calmness of the text.
As the pages turn the progress of the child's first year is
revealed, from its first wee across the room, the first poo, the
first time Dad introduces pumpkin, the first outing and so on.
Readers will see the development of the child from a baby to a
toddler, reinforcing the progressive development of skills and
abilities as the child grows.
But humour abounds as the frazzled parents take their new roles
seriously. I love the image of the child in its bassinet in the car,
the first time they take the baby home. And of Mum struggling with
the array of things she must take with her as she wheels the pusher
down the street whistling to herself at a job well done while the
baby has been left behind. Readers will get a thrill out of the
contrast between the illustrations and text, and pore over the
detail of family life shown.
Delicious first moments appear on every page: the first word, the
first outing, the first sleep through and the first birthday, for
the parents a long time coming. Classes will have a lot of fun with
this book, recognising the trauma that occurs in a house with a new
baby, empathising with the new parents, seeing a child's
development, and seeing the first year from three (or four, with the
long suffering dog) different perspectives.
Fran Knight
Akin by Emma Donoghue
Picador, 2019. ISBN: 9781529019971.
(Age: Adolescent - Adult) Recommended. This beautifully written
narrative takes us into the world of Noah Selvagio, an older man
faced with a challenge that is unexpected. His decision to agree to
guardianship of his young great-nephew, Michael, a boy who has no
other living relatives, brings him a joy that we see him realise
only in the last lines of the narrative. Noah had lost his wife and
Michael's parents had struggled with drug use, poverty, and lost
their battle to live. Vibrant, entertaining and beautifully written,
this novel plunges us into the lives of two people, of vastly
different ages and experience, forced together at a difficult time
for both of them.
Yet while this young boy is tough, he resents being handed over to
an old man whom he doesn't know. Noah's struggle to adapt to such a
radical change in his own lifestyle evokes our empathy, given that
he is about to turn 80, and booked to return to the country of his
birth for the first time. He has only a photograph and a few ideas
about his mother's life, and is eager to find a sense of how she
managed, as a young Jewish woman, to escape from France during the
Second World War.
In the quirky inclusion of his late wife's words of wisdom, we read
of Noah imagining her commenting on his actions or telling him what
to do whenever he has a decision to make. When Noah realises, with
her 'help', that it is not sensible to admit to 'aches and pains' to
young people as they would 'write you off', she tells him, he is
convinced that he must be acknowledged as a capable and competent
carer for this street-smart but needy child.
This wonderfully uplifting, rewarding novel is appropriate for both
adolescent and adult readers. Emma Donoghue focuses on both the
challenges and the humorous aspects of aging, the tough outer
persona of youth, and the capacity for human beings to build
resilience, even to developing a loving friendship, even in the most
unlikely and unexpected ways. It is suitable for adult and older
adolescent reading and is a delightfully wry comment on the chance
of an unexpected event radically altering our lives.
Elizabeth Bondar
In the forest by Nancy Bevington
ISBN: 9781925594348.
(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Forests. This is one in a new series
for babies called Can you find? (others are Under the ocean,
At the beach, On the farm). Nancy's previous titles
have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef
series. In this book, each page says 'In the forest there are . . .'
and then shows and names three things found in the forest (trees,
leaves, rabbits, toadstools, butterflies, foxes, waterfalls,
badgers, etc.) New Frontier publishes in the UK as well, hence the
English references. The illustrations are large and the animals are
happy and fun but quite realistically drawn. Each page has a
contrasting background colour. The last page says 'Can you find all
the things in the forest?' and shows all of the illustrations
included within the previous pages. These are simple but impressive
early vocabulary books that encourage parent-child interaction and
positive book experiences for babies.
Nicole Nelson
On the farm by Nancy Bevington
Can you find? series. New Frontier Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925594362.
(Age: 0-3) Board Book. Themes: Farms. This is one in a new series
for babies called Can you find? (others are Under the ocean,
In the forest, At the beach). Nancy's previous titles
have included the ZenTails and Mad Dog the chef
series. In this book, each page says 'On the farm there is . . . '
and then shows and names three things found on the farm (cows, a
pitchfork, hay, a farmhouse, a scarecrow, a wheelbarrow, a mower
etc. The illustrations are large, happy and fun but quite
realistically drawn. Each page has a contrasting background colour.
The last page says 'Can you find all the things on the farm?' and
shows all of the illustrations included within the previous pages.
These are simple but impressive early vocabulary books that
encourage parent-child interaction and positive book experiences for
babies.
Nicole Nelson
Dad's wishing the rain would come by Martine Miller
Illus. by Fiona Levings. Little Steps Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925545845.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Australia, Outback, Drought,
Family, Survival. The harshness that surrounds the farm house, the
cracked earth, the almost empty dam tell the readers that they are
in drought country, an Australian landscape that is parched and
seriously dry. But it's not only Dad wishing for rain again: it's
all the animals they see in their journey around the farm. The
cattle, eating their hay dropped off over the fence, the chooks
scrapping at the red dirt next to Mum's sparse vegetable garden, the
birds hanging from the trees with outstretched wings, the boy
wanting rain, Mum wanting the sheets to dry without being covered in
dust.
Everyone on the farm wants rain, and by the end of the story when
rain does fall, all the readers will be parched, feeling like one of
the farmers, wishing for rain. The story so often heard on our
continent, tells a familiar tale but told with a background of one
family's anguish and wishing. The whole family is together in
wanting rain, and all for quite different reasons, as all facets of
their lives are impacted by the lack of rain. The illustrations
parallel the concerns of the family, the red dust permeating
everything, the parched looks on all the animals telling the story
of need, the vast horizons showing us the lack of grass, feed and
water. But rain changes the landscape immeasurably, bringing smiles
back onto the faces of the family and the animals, Dad able to hep
Mum plant the next lot of vegetables, all the animals lolling about
in the new green grass which follows the rain.
A timely picture book which will underline the plight of those who
live in the country, may encourage students to think about water and
its lack, a looming problem for the world and its people.
Fran Knight
Invisible boys by Holden Sheppard
Fremantle Press; 2019. ISBN: 9781925815566. 344p; p/b. (Age: 15+) Recommended. Charlie, Zeke and Hammer each struggle to come to grips with their homosexuality in a small, conservative town. Invisible boys is a highly character-driven story, so it's only natural that the characters in the novel are well crafted. Characters are strongly introduced with relatable or familiar elements but ascend beyond stereotypes as the plot progresses into their hidden depths. As the synopsis likely suggests, the novel has a direct, central theme about the struggles of homosexuality in intolerant circumstances. It's not pleasant to read about, but it's an important perspective on privilege. The plot progresses in chunks as each character faces their own different struggles, but they're carefully woven together to keep the pace flowing. The novel is set in the modern day, in the real town of Geraldton, characterised strongly as small, highly religious, and as a result, intolerant. It's a familiar feeling for anyone who's lived in small towns before where everyone knows everyone and everything. The book follows the perspective of each major character, interspersed with grave letters to keep things compelling and tense. The pacing of which characters take focus when, is impeccable, and a continuous tone of dread permeates the entire novel, causing the reader to sympathise with the characters' awful plights. Teacher's notes are available. Vincent Hermann
Hapless hero Henrie by Petra James
Illus. by A. Vi. House of heroes series. Walker Books, 2019.
ISBN: 9781760650834.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure, Gender, Humour.
Twelve-year-old Henrie was totally unexpected, no girl had been born
for over two hundred years into the Melchior family, only boys.
After all the House of Melchior is about heroes and everyone knows
that heroes are boys not girls. Octavia Melchior, head of the House
of Melchior (HoMe) is appalled, how can their family business
proceed with a girl?
This is the premise of the first in this exciting new adventure
series for younger readers. Its 240 pages are sprinkled with asides,
jokes, tips, diagrams, quizzes and illustrations, while the tale
itself is exciting, has a wonderful self deprecating main character
in Henrie and an adventurous side kick, and a cast of not so nice
villains to avoid.
The hapless hero herself, Henrie, tells the reader how she was taken
from her family at birth by her aunt Ellie who feared for her
future. The Melchiors stick to the old style tradition and their
successful investigative business revolves around the basic tenet
that only boys can be heroes and inherit the business.Henrie has
been kept in the dark about her background but at twelve, she
decides it is time she knew the truth. The arrival of a postcard
sees Henrie taking action to solve her problem, facing off her boy
cousins n the process.
The first in a laugh out loud series for middle school readers.
Fran Knight
Girl Geeks: Making Magic by Alex Miles
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780143795087.
(Age: 9-12 years). Themes: Friendship, Computers, Coding,
Technology, STEM, Drama, Arts, Costume & Design, Problem
Solving. Making Magic by Alex Miles is the fourth book in
the Girl Geeks series. It is written in conjunction with the
Girl Geek Academy - an Australian-based global movement teaching one
million women to learn technology by 2025.
The main characters, Maggie, Evie, Niki and Hamsa, are all best
friends who love computers, coding, gaming and all things
technology-based. With their classmates they are tasked with
creating a SPACE-TACULAR production for the school community after a
class unit of work on SPACE. The students can opt to join the group
which they feel their expertise is best suited to.
Hamsa convinces Maggie to join her in auditioning for the lead role
even though Maggie is known as the Maker and wants to only work on
props and costumes. To everyone's surprise Maggie is given the lead
role but after seeing Hamsa's disappointment, she persuades her
teacher, Ms Atlas, into allowing her to continue with props and
costumes. Hamsa is not given the lead role in the end but another
role as the main robot. During the week of play preparations, Hamsa
and Maggie have a falling out over Hamsa's insistence that Maggie is
too quiet and needs to stand up for herself. Maggie is quietly
confident that she is able to put forward her opinion when it needs
to happen. Their difference of opinion is finally resolved but not
before the two girls learn a valuable lesson in really listening to
each other.
The opening night of the production is not without drama. The stage
manager becomes ill and Maggie takes over the role successfully. She
also cleverly saves a stage-struck Hamsa and encourages her to speak
her lines.
Middle to upper primary readers will enjoy and relate to the
realistic and honest relationships portrayed and appreciate the
technical aspects and use of technology threaded throughout the
story.
Kathryn Beilby
Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
Argyll Productions, 2019. ISBN: 9781614505006. 174p.
(Age: 13-Adult) Recommended. Themes: Magic, Drought, Coming of age.
Oliver is a minor mage with the ability of being able to cast only a
few spells, including the ability of tying shoelaces together and a
pushme pullme spell. He is clever with herbs and helpful in his
village, but when his mother is away, the villagers insist that he
goes on a quest to bring rain to the drought stricken area. On the
way he faces much danger, including being imprisoned by a strange
couple, encountering a ghost and nasty bandits in a dark forest and
meeting the eerie cloud herders who could bring rain.
Ursula Vernon writes as T. Kingfisher for adults and this novella
has caused some controversy as her editor didn't feel it was for
children. It does contain some gory bits - a mage who makes harps
out of the bones and hair of humans who have been murdered, ghuls
who chase Oliver trying to eat him, some vicious and violent fights
and a theme of adults acting in bad ways when under the influence of
a crowd. However Oliver is still only 12 years old and sounds like a
child and his familiar the armadillo is an endearing character.
Kingfisher gives the reader lots to think about, especially the
nature of crowd behaviour and how a clever and influential liar can
influence how people act.
The brevity of Minor Mage, the witty dialogue and intriguing
situations that Oliver and his familiar find themselves in made this
an engrossing, quick read. I think it would be suitable for teens
who don't mind some gory details and adults who enjoy T.
Kingfisher's clever narrative and original ideas will find it a
treat.
Pat Pledger
Step sister by Jennifer Donnelly
Hot Key Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781471407970.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fairy tale retelling,
Stepsisters, Bullying, Redemption, Feminism. I'm very fond of the
retelling of fairy tales and this one kept me reading to finish it
in a couple of sittings. Award winning author Donnelly takes the
reader on an engrossing tour examining what happens to Cinderella's
step family after she leaves to marry the prince. Isabelle, one of
the ugly stepsisters, had cut off her toes in an effort to win the
hand of the prince and now finds it difficult to walk, while the
whole family has been shunned by the villagers who taunt them for
what they did to Cinderella. Meanwhile the Fates have mapped out a
path for Isabelle, one that Chance their rival is determine to
change. Tanaquill, the fairy queen also becomes involved in
Isabelle's life and offers her the chance to find the three missing
pieces of her heart, granting her one wish and hereon her life begin
to change. Isabelle believes that being pretty is the most important
thing that she could wish for and begins a journey to find her
heart, on the way learning that her strengths of bravery and
fearlessness are ones worth having.
Donnelly confronts society's view of what a young woman should be
like as Isabelle meets danger, and with daring and cunning overcome
much adversity. Her descriptions of how Isabelle was ridiculed for
her 'ugly' appearance and her fierce fighting ability and Tavi, her
sister, for her intelligence and scholarly interests will resonate
with readers who will relish the girls' gradual transformation from
a pair trying to be beautiful and fit a mould into doing what they
do best, even if it is not what their mother or many men judge fit
for young women.
Although a fairly lengthy book, (469 pages), short chapters and
snappy dialogue make this an easy to read story and the reader will
quickly identify with Isabelle as she struggles with how she has
behaved with Ella, her sorrow about losing Felix and her horse Nero
and her triumphant coming of age.
Pat Pledger
Africa Day by Chi Mary Kalu
Illus. by Jelena Jordanovic-Lewis. Little Steps Publishing, 2019.
ISBN: 9781925839197.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Africa, African food and
culture, Community, Family. Brisbane based lawyer, Chi Mary Jalu has
written a book about a special market day focussing on African food,
music and dance which will make readers' mouths water and feet beg
to move. A boy and his mother leave home early with baskets ready
for the special market day. Walking along some of the market stalls
they breathe in the smells and tastes of African food: fried buns,
jollof rice, bean pudding and Ethiopian coffee. They move on to a
jewelry stall where Mum buys some wooden beads and a bracelet. Next
is bag stall, full of cane and rattan baskets and bags. Then a
material stall where mum buys some shirts and lengths of fabric.
They watch some dancers, jugglers and fire breathers, and they move
on to the singers and musicians engaging the crowd with their lively
music, dressed in traditional costume. The music captivates Mum and
her son who dance until the stalls are taken down and packed away
and it is time for home.
A fabulous time has been spent at Africa Day at the market, and
readers will have joined in the fun of the day, learnt some things
about African culture, had their tastes tingled by the food offered,
and learnt a few African words. A book to encourage diversity and
harmony, Africa Day is full of verve and vigour, wonderfully
evocative illustrations cover every page, full of life, colour and
movement, encompassing the splendour of this continent across the
Indian Ocean. I love the endpapers with the range of African fabric
designs, repeated on the title page, and the happy, laughing faces
on all the participants at the market.
Fran Knight
The Girlhoods by Hilary Rogers
Girltopia, book 3. Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9781742994604.
(Age: 10-12). Highly recommended. Themes: Girls, Friendship,
Political power, Epidemics. The third book in the Girltopia
series, following Girltopia
and Boss
girl, this novel brings the story of Clara and her friends to
an explosive and exciting end. In this series all the males in
Melbourne have been struck down by a mysterious sleeping virus and
the place has been renamed Girltopia. Clara, the main character, and
her friends have joined a group called The Girlhoods who are working
to find out how and why the virus was released, which they all
suspect was no accident.
The girls have all come to appreciate the freedom of having a female
only society but it is hard work caring for the males who have been
struck down with the virus and the restrictions at the border mean
some foods and other commodities are hard to come by. They are all
proud of how everyone has stepped up to reorganize society to fill
in where the males were, and this has created a feeling that some do
not want the males to be cured as they are enjoying their newfound
power.
Clara's mother has been jailed just as she is about to release the
cure for the virus, so Clara needs to work with her friends to get
it from the Lab and to those who can release it. Clara needs to sort
out which adults to trust, particularly as some seem so nice but try
to stop her as they believe the world needs to see that women are
better leaders than men.
I have read this series with my twelve-year-old granddaughter and we
have both thoroughly enjoyed all the books. There have been great
opportunities to talk about social media and its effect on people
who over-use it. The adage that 'it's not my business what others
think of me' is a sub-theme in this story and by the end of the book
Clara feels more confident because she has realized she has stopped
worrying about what others think of her. A great book for class
discussion on these topics.
Gabrielle Anderson
Timothy the worm by Helen Reynolds
Illus. by Natasha Hagarty. Little Steps Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9781925839036.
(Age: 4+) Worms, Recycling. Timothy the worm has lived all his life
in a compost bin at the bottom of the garden, where the gardener
keeps him happy, piling his garden scrapes into the bin. One day
adventurous Timothy decides to leave his comfortable bin and explore
the world outside. In so doing he finds there are faeries in the
garden, and a red eyed creature tells him that he watches over the
faeries in the garden, and gives him permission to be there as well,
offering to help him meet his friends. Timothy spends the day with
the faeries and other creatures that live in the garden and when he
goes back home to his compost bin, he has a lot to tell the other
worms who live there with him.
Some of the offerings from this bespoke publishing house (Little
Steps) have been impressive with their illustrations, layout, design
and text. But Timothy the worm fails to meet the same standard. The
author has missed the opportunity to focus on Timothy and his
composting role, while the layout intrudes with a larger amount of
text than usual in a picture book, and offered in a small font.
For a class looking at the role of composting or of worms this may
prove a useful introduction to the theme, and will encourage readers
to look further for more information.
Fran Knight
A different land by Paul Jennings
Illus. by Geoff Kelly. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760528720.
128 pg.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Resilience, Migration,
Courage, Loneliness, Humour. Standing on the platform watching a
steam train pull away but with no one there to meet them, Mum (Pat),
her son Christopher and Anton, the boy from the boat are concerned
that they have come all this way for nothing. Applying for any job
she could meant getting out of the migrant camp and this one could
not have been more isolated. 1500 miles and greeted by a grizzled
man expecting to pick up another man to help in his hotel,
dumbfounded that Pat is a woman and with two young boys in tow. But
with no where else to go, they are bundled into his truck and in
paths cut into the forest, drive to his hotel, a run down, dirt
floored, building smelling of barbecue and with little in the way of
the comforts they were hoping for.
In telling this story, Jennings is recalling the concerns of all
migrants, as they come to a new land, full of hopes that may be
dashed, fear lurking beneath the surface, but resilient enough to
see their decision through. Pat is determined to make their move
work, and bolsters up the two boys when confronted with things like
the camp stretchers, snakes, wild boar and long drop toilets.
Jennings has included many things which will make his audience laugh
out loud, but a loving family and a welcoming lot of isolated people
ready to accept a new family in their midst gives the story an
emotional edge. Readers will recognise courage and resilience in the
dreams of the new migrants, reflecting the feelings Jennings and his
family had when arriving in Australia as 'ten pound poms'.
A companion piece to the two 'different' stories, A different
dog and A different boy, themes unite the stories and
the last of the three will draw a wide, appreciative audience,
loving the life and death adventure Christopher finds himself part
of and equally delighted by the black and white illustrations
accompanying the text setting the scene for the readers. Scroll down
the page for teacher's
tips from the publisher.
Fran Knight
Return of the Temujai by John Flanagan
Brotherband, book 8. Random House, 2019. ISBN: 9780143785941.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Themes: Action; Adventure; Conflict;
Teamwork. John Flanagan writes with an amazing flair for tension and
action-adventure stories for young adults who have grown up on
video-game conflict. In this, his 24th book since the original
successful Ranger's Apprentice series began and the 8th book
of the side-shoot Brotherband series, there is action
aplenty with risks taken and plans and strategies employed to defeat
the advancing Temujai - the war-hungry nation of horse-riding
archers. The Brotherband, usually sea-faring but also well-trained
land-based fighters, are required to assess the defences of their
Skandian countrymen. After an attack in a mountain strong-hold, and
then in what seems to be an impossible up-river and against-the-odds
sortie, the small band of misfit 'brothers' led by their youthful
leader, Hal, are required to change the course of the threatening
Temujai. The multi-faceted nature of their combat skills makes them
a formidable defence team, but they are a quirky bunch of
individuals!
This book is action from beginning to end, and yet there is warmth
in the relationships between the ship-based Brotherband (which
includes one female warrior) that tempers the adrenaline and
ferocity of the conflict. This gentle warmth, trust and
companionship makes this (or any book in the series) a book to
recommend for male and female readers. The pace and tension of the
story, with the intelligence of strategy as the characters are
required to overcome adversity and fight to survive, will be loved
by many readers.
Carolyn Hull
