Balzer + Bray, 2019. ISBN: 9780062865670. 320p. Hbk.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Mystery, Romance, Social
media. An engrossing story featuring female friendship and a mystery
is sure to engage both fans of suspense and those who like a
romance. Zan is devastated when her best friend Priya ignores her
calls and emails after moving to California. Her social media posts
don't sound like her at all and she can't believe that Priya would
just leave her hanging without saying why. With Logan, the new boy
at school, she begins to investigate what has happened to Priya even
though everyone believes that she should just let go of the past. A
clue in Priya's latest selfie and then a cryptic email make her
continue on her search for her friend.
Zan is the sort of friend that everyone would want. She believes
that she knows Priya so well that she can't be the shallow person
posting comments and selfies and so she decides to try and do
something about it. Logan, who has lots of problems of his own, is a
supportive and helpful friend and the dialogue between the two is
witty and humorous. Family dynamics play an important background
role in the story with Zan's mother giving advice from her therapist
viewpoint, and Zan coming to terms with her father's treatment of
her when her parents split. Loutzenhiser's skilful writing also
gradually brings to light Logan's bad boy background story in a
satisfying way and keeps the reader in suspense wondering whether
Priya has ghosted her friend or whether she is in trouble.
With its themes of social media, relationships and a diverse set of
characters, this light and easy to read story is sure to be popular
and its theme of female friendship is one to recommend.
Pat Pledger
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas Eve by Eric Carle
A lift-the-flap book. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241350249.
12p.
(Age: 1-4) Recommended. Themes: Christmas. What fun to meet the very
hungry caterpillar again, this time haunting a house that is getting
ready to celebrate a snowy Christmas. The reader is encouraged to
lift the flaps following the narrative that is set out in rhymes and
is great to read aloud: It's Christmas Eve
and the moon shines bright,
Who's at home
on this silent night?
In gorgeous bright hues, the reader is introduced to three
inhabitants of the house, a cat, a dog and a mouse, and must lift
the flap to find out which one is behind it. Then after lifting a
beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the final page reveals a
special surprise: Father Christmas, wishing everyone a happy
Christmas. Meanwhile, the reader will also have lots of fun finding
the very hungry caterpillar who is lurking somewhere on each double
spread.
The cover of the book is particularly eye-catching with a background
of gold foil and its gorgeous Christmas tree, surrounded by presents
and decorations. The caterpillar is well camouflaged as well! The
back cover is equally as gorgeous with its gold background and
little cat batting at snowflakes.
This would make a delightful book to have on hand to read before
Christmas.
Pat Pledger
Goodnight, little tough guy by Michael Wagner
Illus. by Tom Jellett. Harper Collins, 2019. ISBN: 9780733339356.
(Ages: 2-6) Highly recommended. Bedtime story. This is the ultimate
bedtime story; a joy to read, soothing to the ear and nourishing for
both adult and child. It reminds us at the end of a hard, busy day
of the extreme busyness of being a kid and of how hard they work
every day at learning and practising new skills. The text has this
assertive, newsreader tone as it says goodnight to all the tough
guys in the world. The use of alliterative language is inspired
here, as it leads the reader to read slowly and enunciate each word,
making for an even stronger text ('The firefighters are fitting in
forty fabulous winks. And the soldiers are slipping silently into
slumberland'). It utilises all the things that kids love to play in
both sports and imaginative play; pirates, lion tamers, wrestlers,
race car drivers, etc. For each we see the tough guys either heading
to sleep or already asleep (often in the middle of their play!). The
illustrations will draw a chuckle from adults and kids alike; two
helmet-clad kids fast asleep in their double pram still clutching
their makeshift steering wheel, the flaked out toddler asleep with
superhero mask and dummy. Tom Jellett's illustrations are always
amazing. He has a way of portraying children and life with kids that
is cartoonish but so realistic. The title uses 'guys' in the modern
non-gendered way, not only portraying both boys and girls but
supporting non-traditional gender roles (including female
footballer, soldier and builder). This is a supremely clever and
wholesome bedtime story that will become a favourite of all the
little tough guys and their storytellers!
Nicole Nelson
The adventures of Anders by Gregory Mackay
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760632076.
(Age: 7+) This large book contains the first three graphic novels
about Anders and his friends, by author and illustrator Gregory
Mackay celebrating friendship, adventure and creativity. In the
first, Anders
and the Comet Anders and his classmates are surprised
when their teacher gives them a homework assignment for the school
break. They have to write a report on their holiday activities.
Anders, his cousin Eden and new mate Bernie enjoy family outings,
visiting the zoo and a carnival, exploring the local park, playing
video games and play and craft activities. They make bows and
arrows, build a box cubby, imagine they are in far off lands and
have adventures with the Green Grabber.
The second in this compendium is Anders
and the Volcano, which has the three friends camping
near an extinct volcano. When a new friend, Veronica, joins them
with her own flying beetle, Bernie is reluctant to try, and all
seems to go well until they find themselves in a tricky situation.
The third in this collection, Anders and the Castle has mass
appeal once again, pitting the friends again in a tricky situation
they must join their talents to find a solution. While reading this
funny tale of survival, readers will learn a great deal about
castles, as Mackay illustrates various components of castles,
explaining what each is used for. Keeps, moats, castle walls,
drawbridges, cellars, lots of winding staircases and battlements all
figure within this graphic novel to intrigue and inform the readers.
Anders is a positive role model of how to support, interact and
build friendships. He accepts his friends and their choices they
make without hesitation. He is inclusive and encourages new
friendships with the people he meets wherever the friends go. The
full colour graphic novel incorporates explicit learning with
information given to the readers in all three stories, about comet,
volcanoes and castles. The three stories are broken up into chapters
and presents an easy read for younger readers who are just beginning
the journey into graphic novels.
Fran Knight, Rhyllis Bignell and Annette Mesecke
The most ungrateful girl in the world by Petra James
Illus. by Anna Zobel. Penguin Random House Australia, 2019. ISBN:
9780143793670.
(Age: 8-10). Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Gratitude, Mystery and
suspense, Competition, Manners, Secret service. Ten-year-old Izzy
Winkle seems to be surrounded by people who have talent. She is on
the hunt for her special talent when a flyer for a mysterious
competition floats from a polka dot balloon and into her bedroom
window. Izzy takes it as a symbol and decides to sign up. There is
one problem though, the competition is to find the most ungrateful
girl in the world and Izzy has faultless manners. The reason for her
great manners is her grandmother who is Daphne Du Bois, the
Etiquette Queen of the Southern Hemisphere. Both she and her mother
have been trained from birth to have the best manners, even though
her father seems constantly to try to undermine her grandmother's
efforts.
Izzy uses pure logic to come up with the idea that she could become
ungrateful; they are two sides of the same coin, after all. Little
does Izzy know that there is an evil plot afoot to bring bad manners
to the fore and change the world, one bad mannered girl at a time.
Izzy stumbles through a world of secret agents who ask her to be an
undercover agent for them in order to find out who is behind this
dastardly plot.
With her best friend and genius Katie Skittle by her side, Izzy
plans to do her best at being her worst. She enlists the help of
Horace Unthank, the rudest man in the world to coach her for the
competition. His story of the towns of Thank and Unthank intertwines
with Izzy's to give the story some more interesting twists. Younger
children will enjoy many of the gross details of the people who
lived in the town of Unthank such as their general rudeness, their
snotty noses, matted hair often full of food and clothes splattered
with mud.
The book is written in first person by Izzy and the way she tells
this story is funny and self-deprecating which will appeal to
everyone. I am not sure if every student will find the idea of a
book about manners enticing but it will appeal as a mystery and
suspense story involving a girl who becomes a secret agent. The
suggestions for good and bad manners which appear at the beginning
of each chapter could be used as a discussion starter if the book is
read to a class.
Gabrielle Anderson
Armageddon by Jack Heath
Liars, book 5, Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781742993430.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Espionage, Terrorism, Adventure,
Truth and lies. Jarli and his friends are at the pointy end of the
Liars drama series. The truth App that Jarli created is of limited
help in the face of the threat of total destruction of his home town
- a true Armageddon is possible. The villain, Viper, has yet to be
revealed, Jarli's friend, Doug, is dead (or is he?) and memories
have been lost. Where is truth in the midst of the chaos and can
Jarli save his community and his friends and family from the
devastation? This is another action-packed adventure that reads like
a roller-coaster ride with bumps and spirals and gut-wrenching
uncertainty; the conclusion to the story thread has incredible
drama, villainous plot twists, and adrenaline surges and although
entirely unbelievable is a great teen adventure.
This is not a book that should be read independently from the other
books in the series, as there are details and characterisation that
are well presented earlier in the series, and not enough is given in
this easily read finale to recommend it as a stand-alone book. But
everyone who has started the series will clamour for the opportunity
to discover Armageddon. Jack Heath certainly knows how to
enthrall young readers who love action-adventure in a technology
rich world.
Recommended for readers aged 12+
Carolyn Hull
Australian sea life by Matt Chun
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2019. ISBN: 9781760504694. 36pp, hbk.
Even though Australia is surrounded by ocean, not everyone has the
chance to visit it regularly and even fewer have had the opportunity
to explore it as a scuba diver and really see the diversity of life
under the waves. (Believe me, it is a fascinating world and even
more diverse at night.) So in this companion to the 2019 CBCA
shortlisted Australian birds, Matt Chun has taken his
talents beneath the surface to give us a peek at what is in the
waters that enclose us.
From the Great White Shark to the Dugong to the Weedy Sea Dragon,
readers can explore and discover pictorial and textual descriptions
of familiar and not-so creatures that are part of our natural
seascape. The attention to detail is again superb, and while most
children won't recognise as many of the species as they might have
in Australian birds, this is the perfect time, with summer and beach
holidays around the corner, to pique their curiosity, raise their
awareness and inspire thoughts of conservation.
If Australian birds inspired your class to be involved in
this year's Aussie Bird Count later this month, then perhaps there
could be an in-school project to identify the marine creatures the
students discover over summer.
If we are to protect our planet and its inhabitants, knowing about
them first so they are valued is essential and this is the perfect
starter.
Barbara Braxton
Give me back my bones! by Kim Norman
Illus. by Bob Kolar. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406384932. 40pp.,
hbk.
A stormy night and the fast-flowing ocean current has uncovered and
scattered the pirate's skeleton all over the seabed and he is
desperate to put himself back together. And with clever language and
a rollicking rhyme, young readers not only help the pirate gather
himself but also learn how their own skeletons go together and the
correct names for all the bones. Help me find my head bone,
my pillowed-on-the-bed-bone,
the pirate's flag-of-dread-bone,
I'm scouting out my skull.
But as he comes together, a danger even greater than storms and
currents is lurking. Will this be his last hurrah?
From the scattered bones on the front endpaper to the complete
skeleton on the back, this is engaging, entertaining and educational
and little ones will love to have it over and over, soon chanting
the rhymes for themselves. Lots of fun and lots of learning, the
ideal way to introduce the body's anatomy, find their own bones and
the potential for the children to try to piece the body parts
together for themselves.
Barbara Braxton
All of the factors of why I love tractors by Davina Bell
Illus. by Jenny Lovlie. Little Hare, 2019. ISBN: 9781760501457.
32pp., hbk.
Frankie McGee is very excited because today's the day he goes to the
library with his mother and he can borrow another book about
tractors - his favourite thing in the whole world. And no matter how
much his mum tries to persuade him to borrow something else - cars,
planes, cranes, trains - he is determined and launches into a list
of all the factors of why he loves tractors.
Told in a rollicking rhyme that moves both the story and the text
along at a great rate, this is the most delightful book that will
appeal to a lot of little boys, particularly those in rural areas
who are able to tell their John Deeres from their Massey Fergusons.
But it is the last four lines that are the best and which should put
a smile on any parent's (or teacher librarian's) face . . . "See, Mama?" I say as we check our books out.
"I like books - that's what matters. Not what they're about.
And don't worry," I add. "I know this one by heart.
I can read it to you - all the way from the start."
Reading really is a super power!
Barbara Braxton
Wolf girl by Ahn Do
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760525095.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Wolves, Adventure, Survival.
When Dad crashes the car in their effort to flee the city and the
bombs, he tells her to run and not look back, they will follow her.
She does so, realising after a while that she is alone. No one has
followed her, least of all her family. But a dog appears from the
bush, an orange pup, and he is soon one of four dogs that track
about with her, hunting with her, snuggling up for warmth at night,
watching out for danger. The group, a chihuahua, a labrador, a
greyhound and the pup team up to survive in the forest, initially
living on what Gwen has in her backpack, finding food foraging in
the forest and when Gwen masters a slingshot, eating small game.
She takes the group back to the cars, finding that she and her pack
are the only living things about and they stay at the cars, using
them for shelter, trekking out from the cars each day in the search
for food and answers. Suitcases left strewn across the road give
Gwen new clothes. Warm blankets and sleeping bags are found, food,
matches and books are put to good use. The books give Gwen some
survival techniques while the dogs collect wood for the fire, and
the dogs develop their hunting skills. After a year or so, Gwen sees
that her puppy has grown, out stretching all the other dogs,
becoming stealthier in its hunting, wary of the other dogs. He is a
wolf, but one that stays with Gwen as she survives.
An exciting series of books has Gwen at the centre, alone in a
forest, with only a group of dogs as companions. But what
companions! Readers will be delighted as they become a close knit
pack, each relying on the other to survive, the wolf's skills
becoming honed as he learns from the others, particularly the last
dog to arrive, the mastiff, Brutus.
Ahn Do includes a host of information about survival, the things
that Gwen needs to be aware of and give thought to, and this makes
Gwen's story highly readable, with the next in the series looked
for. Scroll down here for a book
trailer.
Fran Knight
The girl in the mirror by Jenny Blackford
Eagle Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780648194521.
This is a story set in two different times, where two girls find
each other through a modern mirror. Their lives are so different,
and it is this difference that reveals new worlds for each of them,
that enhances their ideas, and cements a 'friendship' that crosses
the centuries. Beautifully written and particularly aimed at
adolescent readers, this novel transcends the science-fiction genre
becoming equally acceptable as a light-hearted story on the world of
women and a modern and vibrant text on the differences in the world
of women, on change and adaptation to the vastly different worlds in
which these young women live.
The structure of the novel is the narrative told through the two
voices, the alternating chapters told by each girl. When the two
young women 'find' each other they are surprised but begin to 'chat'
via the long mirror that has stayed in the same house over the
centuries. Clarissa is shocked when she sees a girl in the mirror
dressed in a 'scandalously short skirt' that shows her knees. In the
next chapter Maddy is stunned to see a girl in a long dress whom she
thinks is a ghost, but when they begin to speak to one another,
Maddy realizes that this is a 'real' girl, albeit from a different
era, speaking to her. Both initially unsettled by the appearance of
the other, they begin to 'speak' regularly, discussing their lives
with a fascination that is gripping for both characters.
Difference in the two eras is a dominant aspect of this narrative,
and it is their revelation and discussion of the changes over time,
and the historical oppression of women in the past, that entertain
the reader. In exploring how the human and technological worlds have
evolved, and what this has meant for women particularly, the novel
is a definitive text on difference, change and the way in which we
humans have managed our reality over the centuries. Enjoyable and
revelatory, this novel is most suitable for adolescent reading and
interesting for adult reading too.
Elizabeth Bondar
Disgusting McGrossface by Rove McManus
Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9781760665357. hbk.
(Age: 4-8 Recommended. Themes: Monsters, Habits, Mythical creatures,
Personal hygiene. The child who tells this story has a very fertile
imagination and uses it to go into amazing detail to explain to his
parents that there is a monster at work who has left muddy
footprints in the house. Young readers will empathize with the main
character who is trying to hide the fact that he has made the mess.
It is highly entertaining for young children who will love the
revolting things included in the story.
The monster's lifestyle forms the detail in this story, from the
fact that he doesn't bathe to his collections of snot-filled
tissues, dirty undies and ear wax statues. Young children find the
gross details hilarious, however as an adult I would have left a few
of them out because I think some may have been added to pad out the
book; but it is written for children and it will entertain a class
when read aloud. When I first received this book to review my
immediate reaction was to wonder why publishers continue to support
celebrities whose books are not usually as good as some others by
lesser known authors. In fact, on my first reading I was not a fan
of the book at all but after reading it to a class and to a young
child I changed my opinion and could see how the book appeals to
children but not all adults.
The illustrations, also done by McManus, are colourful and full of
fabulous detail. The use of bold text throughout will assist those
reading it to emphasize certain important words and make the reading
more enjoyable. The rhyming works well but I would recommend reading
it through a few times to get the rhythm to work when reading aloud.
All in all, a grossly enjoyable read.
Gabrielle Anderson
Little Puggle's song by Vikki Conley
New Frontier, 2019. ISBN: 9781912076345. Little Puggle's Song by Vikki Conley is pretty picture book
that tells the story of Puggle (a baby echidna) and how he cannot
find his voice.
It follows a fairly familiar storyline where the main character
wants to be like everyone else, but is lacking a key feature.
In this instance, Puggle wants to sing just like his friends Little
Blue, Fancy Crest, Brown feather and Long tail, join the bush choir
and sing the welcome song for the baby emu due to be born at any
moment. Sadly he just doesn't seem to have his own song, so watches
intently from the side lines.
In the final moments we see Puggle find his place, front and centre,
and join the choir!
Overall I thought the story was similar to many I had read before,
however it has an Australian twist and some interesting points of
conversation along the way. I liked how Puggle called his friends
different names to their correct ones (Brown Feather in stead of
Kookaburra), and the description of the animals songs throughout the
book. Whilst reading the book the students tried to imitate the
sounds and also made their own noises.
I really liked the soft, pretty painted illustrations. Helene
Magisson's technique brings just the right amount of life into the
animals (especially the final choir scene), and shows the plant
variety and colours of the Australian bush.
My only issue is the ending (spoiler alert!). I expected to see the
choir singing and then a cute baby emu, given a funny nickname by
Puggle. Instead it's just Mrs and Mr Emu waiting for the eggs to
hatch - I was a little disappointed! I feel that maybe one more page
with the babies would have rounded it off nicely.
A good story that may be used for discussions about patience and
perseverance, or even Australian animals and their individual songs.
Teacher's
notes are available.
Lauren Fountain
The very hungry caterpillar's Australian friends by Eric Carle
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241401583.
(Age: 2-5) Highly recommended. Lift-the-flap board book. Themes:
Australian animals. A beautifully illustrated lift the flap book
will delight young children, as they explore the seaside and
landscape of Australia searching to see what lives behind the flap.
With Eric Carle's signature bright colours and the very hungry
caterpillar to be found, little children will have lots of fun
searching for the crawling hermit crab and fishing pelican by the
sea, a drifting seahorse, swimming turtle and dolphin at the coral
reef and a snapping crocodile and platypus along the river. In the
outback are lizards, kangaroos and snakes parrots, a jumping frog
and the very hungry caterpillar in the rainforest.
The language will extend the vocabulary of the young child, with
phrases like 'waves tumble, roll and fall' and the rhymes will
encourage the guessing of what comes next in the narrative.
The book is very strong and well made, with solid flaps that should
withstand much use from little fingers. This is a book that will
make an ideal companion to The very hungry caterpillar, and
children will have lots of incidental fun learning about Australian
animals and where they live.
Pat Pledger
The ANZAC billy by Claire Saxby
Illus. by Mark Jackson and Heather Potter. Black Dog Books, 2019.
ISBN: 9781925126815.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: Anzac, Christmas, Home, War. A
little known event during World War One was the sending of billy
cans from Australia to Gallipoli for the Anzacs during their first
Christmas overseas. Families filled the billy cans with gifts, some
practical, some edible, some from wives and mothers and some from
the children, but all designed to bring comfort and a whiff of home
to those soldiers sent so far away.
The soft edged pencil and watercolour illustrations suit the
ambience of the story, of children and families finding just the
right thing to pack in the can for their father, husband and son
overseas. Without being overly sentimental, sentiment is there, and
readers will respond with a sigh at seeing the contrast between home
and the men on the ships as they set sail. Home is the focus of most
of the book, showing the family getting on with their daily tasks,
waiting for news from the war. Filling the billy shows each of them
has a role to play as they chose what to put in the tin.
The home images are fabulous, showing a world more than one hundred
years ago, a vastly different wold from the one our readers inhabit,
and classes will have a great deal to discuss, looking at the
pictures and working out what everything is for, contrasting the
clothes that they wear, the things put into the tin, a world away
from the things our readers give and receive for Christmas.
Another chapter of the story of Australia's involvement in World War
One has been revealed for younger readers enabling them to see how
far war reaches, and the attempts by many to send comfort to those
fighting on a foreign field.
There are websites, particularly that of the Australian
War Memorial, and VeteransSA,
that give more information about this event as well as resources
on the net to use with the book. There are teacher
notes.
Fran Knight
