Ill. by Harry Bliss. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406383577
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Dogs. Responsibility. Family.
Companionship. Divided into nine chapters, this comic styled story
tells of Rosie the dog who lives with George. Each morning, George
cooks himself two eggs and gives Rosie her food in her silver bowl.
But once finished Rosie can see another dog at the bottom of the
bowl, and realises that she is lonely. In chapter two George and
Rosie go for their usual walk in the woods, watching the shapes made
by the clouds. When George points out a dog-like shape, Rosie
becomes excited and George has an idea. The next chapter sees George
take Rosie to a dog park. Here Rosie is somewhat overwhelmed with
the number of dogs and one in particular who comes up to her is much
larger and has a toy in its mouth which it shakes with gusto. In
chapter four a smaller dog drops by, but this dog is a livewire and
jumps rapidly from one spot to another, so putting Rosie off. The
next chapter sees the larger dog shaking the smaller one in its
mouth and in chapter six, Rosie tackles the larger dog, warning it
to drop the little dog, which it does in chapter seven, and the last
two chapters see the problem resolved and the three meet regularly
at the dog park for companionship and play. Even George gets to make
new friends.
A seemingly simple tale of friendship, the story has the trio not
liking each other at first, but when an incident occurs from a
misunderstanding, Rosie stands up for the little dog, resolving the
issue and so making friends. It resonates with the problems of young
children making friends, of being understanding, of resolving issues
with other children and coming to a mutual understanding. The
positive flow of the story will appeal to younger readers who will
see it as a dog story but with overtones of their own attempts to
make friends.
The illustrations are simply adorable and highly appealing to any
reader who picks up the book, while the expressions on the dogs'
faces are wonderful.
Fran Knight
War is over by David Almond
Ill. by David Litchfield. Hodder, 2018. ISBN 9781444946574
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: War, Peace, Conscientious
objectors. As one would expect from an author of the calibre of
David Almond, War is over is a lyrical and confronting story set in
1918. On the back cover it states 'This beautifully illustrated,
moving story commemorates the hundred-year anniversary of the end of
the First World War.' Although the reader might expect a story
glorifying war, Almond has instead melded together many complex
issues about the nature of war, with the dream of peace being the
over-riding theme.
'I am just a child,' says John. 'How can I be at war?' John's mother
works in a munitions factory putting shrapnel into shells; his
father is fighting in the trenches in France and his teacher, a most
unpleasant character, insists that the children too are fighting a
war. But there is a man, Dorothy's Uncle Gordon, who has been forced
to live in the woods and who doesn't believe in the war and insists
that the children in Germany are just like the children where John
lives. John has a strange moment when he glimpses a German boy, Jan,
from Dusseldorf and begins to realise that the German children are
not his enemy.
Beautifully illustrated in black and white and tones of grey, the
munitions factory rears out against a stark background, shells stand
in dangerous rows and then are exploded sending soldiers skywards
with the blast. The white feather from Uncle Gordon stands out,
white against a black page, and in the final pages the reader is
given a sense of hope with a light grey background as seeds of peace
are scattered by John across the German earth.
Although at first glance this short (117 pages) illustrated book may
appear to be for a young audience, the complexity of the themes and
message make it a book that a teacher or caregiver may need to read
with children. It will certainly engender much conversation about
the nature of war, nationalism and hate.
Pat Pledger
The distance between me and the cherry tree by Paola Peretti
Hot Key Books, 2018. ISBN 9781471407550
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Macular Degeneration,
Blindness, Family, Friendship. This poignant tale has Mafalda
charting her loss of sight as her eyes deteriorate. She begins with
her beloved cherry tree, counting the steps as she comes to school,
noting how close she needs to be before she can really see it. She
loves this tree and often climbs into its comforting branches. One
day her glasses fall and she cannot see her way down, but the new
caretaker, Estelle, retrieves her glasses and helps her come back
down. After that Estelle waits for her every day.
Juvenile Macular Degeneration leads to blindness as the macular
develops spots which impairs vision. Initially told she may have
some time before the black spots cover most of her sight, she is
told that it is imminent. She resolves to go and live in the tree
where she feels close to her late Grandmother and Cosimo, a
character from one of her father's favourite novels, to whom she
speaks, using him as a sounding board for her ideas.
But she is beset by problems. Her parents want to move closer to the
school, into an apartment with no stairs, but in doing she will lose
the one thing that Mafalda loves, the view from her window to her
Grandmother's old house across the way.
And Fillipi, a boy in her school wants to be friends, but she cannot
work him out. Mafalda pens a list of things she deems important, and
along the way learns to cross out the ones she finds less so, making
sure that her list is up to date. When she has had enough she
retreats to her tree, determined to live there with her cat, safe in
the arms of her gran and Cosimo, but Estelle's voice helps her
realise what is important, helping her out of the tree and to her
new life.
A most unusual book about losing your sight Mafalda is an engaging
character, full of grit and determination, learning that family and
friends are the best things to have around
you.
Fran Knight
The Raven's Children by Yulia Yakovleva
Puffin, 2018. ISBN 9780241330777
(Age: 11-15+) Recommended. Stalin's Russia is a dark and foreboding
place, where the walls literally have ears and eyes. The imagery is
all about the secret police and the threat of the 'Ravens' taking
the 'enemy' away is always present. People are watching, no one can
be trusted.
Shura lives blissfully unaware in this world with his parents, older
sister Tanya and baby brother Bobka until both his father, mother
and brother are taken away.
Shura decides to find his missing family with his sister and
confront the 'Raven'.
This book combines both historical events and fantasy to tell
Shura's story. It is a harsh and uncaring world seven-year-old Shura
tries to survive and the adults are only there to punish and
incarcerate him.
This is a dark story based on the family experiences of the author.
At times there seems to be no kindness or love in the world and the
reader despairs for Shura and his family. The use of fantasy softens
the story and birds are a constant imagery, often talking to Shura.
At times I found this a difficult book to read and needed breaks
from Shura's world. I feel children will understand that Shura is on
a quest and that he experiences a dark and unfriendly world but they
will not have a historical perspective of this time. The real world
is mixed with fantasy giving the story a dreamlike quality. The
ending offers hope for the future but does not answer all the
questions the book poses.
I recommend this book to 11 to 15+ year olds, especially to students
who have read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Jane Moore
Get Coding 2! by David Whitney
Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406382495
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Subjects: Computer programming, Computer
games. Cover subtitle: Build five computer games using HTML and
JavaScript. Get Coding 2 is an exciting and informative how to guide for
young computer programmers. In the introduction we have the
definition of computer software and hardware and take a look back at
the history of computer games. Parents, older siblings and
grandparents will enjoy sharing their memories of gaming from the
classics like Pac-Man and Mario through to Candy Crush Saga and
Angry Birds.
With colour-coded missions, clear instructions, step-by-step guides,
colourful diagrams and key code skills this is a comprehensive guide
to using HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. Join scientist Professor Ruby
Day and her friends Rusty, Grace and Markus and learn how to develop
games of Noughts and Crosses, Snake, Table Tennis, Endless Runner
and Side-Scrolling Platformer. Each section begins with The
Developer's Dictionary that includes the game's history and skills
for playing. Creatively organised into bite-size boxes, following
the arrows to develop each level, this is a rewarding approach to
learning these skills. After working through a game build, there's a
challenge to change the design of the board or work on developing
other more difficult games.
Duncan Beedie's bold graphics, with lively characters and cute cat
Scratch add excitement to this comprehensive information book.
Colour blocking, hints and tips in speech bubbles and the attention
to detail make David Whitney's second computer programming book a
great tool for young coders keen to increase their skills and
knowledge. In the United Kingdom, Whitney wrote this for the Young
Rewired State global community, children and youth up to 18 to learn
coding and programming, preparing them to become digital citizens.
This is an excellent introductory guide to teach computing skills
for both young and older users.
Rhyllis Bignell
Paddington at St Paul's by Michael Bond
Ill. by R. W. Alley. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9780008272043
Sixty years ago, on October 13, 1958 a small bear with a blue duffle
coat, a red hat, a suitcase and a note pinned to his coat which read
'Please look after this bear' was found by the Brown family at
Paddington Station London. Sent from darkest Peru by his Aunt Lucy
who has gone into a retirement home, the little bear was a stowaway
on a lifeboat where he survived on marmalade until the Browns
renamed him Paddington and took him to their home at 32 Windsor
Gardens near Notting Hill.
And so began a great series of adventures culminating in this final
addition, completed before Bond's death in June 2017 and issued to
celebrate the 60th anniversary of Paddington's arrival.
Also being released are anniversary editions of the main Paddington
Bear series, each of which has a number of chapters which work
either as a continuing story or a stand-alone episode, making them
perfect as read-alouds to get the child used to the concept of the
continuing characters in novels or read-alones for the newly
independent reader.
With more than 35 million copies sold worldwide, translated into 40
languages, television and features movies, Paddington Bear is
arguably one of the most favourite bears in the world. To have the
stories republished, an exquisite gift
edition of the first story with the original illustrations by
Peggy Fortnum, and this final chapter is indeed a fitting
anniversary gift to introduce a new generation to this series
inspired by a lone teddy that Bond saw on a shelf in a London toy
store and the children who were evacuated from English cities during
World War II.
Barbara Braxton
Wildcard by Marie Lu
Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780241342435
(Age: Teens) Recommended. Sci-fi. Fantasy. Emika Chen
barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now she can
no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, the one
person she thought was on her side - Hideo Tanaka.
His plan: to wipe out all crime on earth by ending the free will of
its citizens.
Emika is determined to put a stop to him, but she soon finds a new
threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a
bounty on her head, and her sole chance for survival lies with the
ruthless Zero.
But his protection comes at a price.
Caught in a web of betrayal, just how far will Emika go to take down
the man she loves? Wildcard takes place immediately after the events of Warcross,
so it is crucial to read Warcross first to become familiar
with the world Emika inhabits and her predicament as she discovered
Hideo's betrayal. Lu uses the futuristic setting to skilfully
criticize love in all its forms, familial, romantic, and friendship,
revealing the lengths people go to for the people they love through
the actions of Hideo, Emika, and various other characters. Not only
does Lu analyse love, she also explores ethical issues such as
mankind's right to free will and the consequences of removing this
ability, as well as 'the greater good'. She highlights the way
society perceives people as definitively good or bad and suggests
that 'evil' people tend to operate in morally grey areas, while a
single evil or good act does not define a person. While the
supporting characters' personalities and motives were better
expounded upon in Wildcard, there was a disconnect from
Emika, the main character. Emika's actions did not drive the plot;
rather, her role was a reactionary one as secrets were revealed and
events happened around her despite her best efforts to prevent them,
which slowed the overall pacing of the story, despite the whirlwind
action sequences. However, the complexity of the characters and the
layers of deceit Emika faced created an engrossing story which
allowed the exploration of the aforementioned themes. Lu's writing
style and descriptions shine in writing the connections between
people and this book truly showcases her abilities. Wildcard is a well-written novel critiquing the ethical
issues present and emerging in society, providing great food for
thought as well as a good read.
Stephanie Lam (Student)
Why I love summer by Michael Wagner
Ill. by Tom Jellett. Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780143783749
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Family life. Summer. Beach. A delightful
story of an Australian family sharing their summer holidays will
appeal to everyone as they wait for the end of the last term at
school before the long break for summer. All the fun of summer is
shown in the glorious illustrations: backyard cricket, bbqs,
swimming in the local pool, the sprinkler on the back lawn, and
sharing the days with the neighbourhood families. Reminiscent of
days gone by, the book represents a nostalgic look at when every
household had loads of children to play with and no screens to
divert their interest and attention. The book promotes a lifestyle
full of the outdoors, interacting with others, playing in the
backyard and street, until the family moves to the beach for their
holiday. The same outdoor fun continues, but here the family widens
to include aunts and uncles, cousins and friends, all piled around
the groaning, food laden table.
All the way through the emphasis is on family, the adults playing
with their children, the group doing things together, reinforcing
the place parents hold in their children's lives. Food plays a
prominent part in their days, the tables are always covered with
food, the bbq plate seems to hold enough for the whole
neighbourhood, the shop down the road has an endless supply of ice
cream, while people coming to the caravan at the beach walk in with
plates of food and an esky.
Adults reading this to their kids or a class will have fond memories
of holidays at the beach, and for many a caravan at the beach is
still a top holiday, while others now go further afield. This will
make a fabulous read aloud, and a great introduction to the idea of
holidays and who goes where, and what is taken with them as a matter
of priority.
Jellett's wonderful illustrations will bring smiles to the faces of
all who read of this family holiday, checking out the detail he
includes, rather like a Where's Wally illustration with lots
of things to find. His humour lies in the small things that people
do, their everyday lives and interactions with others around them. I
love the unadorned image of Dad and his son looking at the beach
when they arrive at their caravan site. It speaks volumes about the
relationship between father and son, and the following page
contrasts the same scene as the families descend onto the beach for
the day. What a shock.
A joyous celebration of families and holidays together.
Fran Knight
Total quack up ed. by Sally Rippin and Adrian Beck
Penguin, 2018, ISBN 9780143794905
(Age: 7-10) Themes: Humour. Short stories. Total quack up is
a fabulous, humorous collection of short stories written by some of
the best Australian children's authors. Authors and editors Sally
Rippin and Adrian Beck have gathered these tales to help support the
Dymocks Children's Charities raising money to promote children's
literacy initiatives.
Deborah Abela's 'How to be a superhero' starts the collection
with an eight-year-old girl Ann Small who has big ambitions. She
wants to be named Arabella von Champion, a superhero destined for
greatness. Unfortunately for this brave youngster who wants to fly,
a cape is of little help when jumping off the garage roof! Tristan
Banks writes of the plight of the World's Worst Junior Football
Team: the Kings Bay Pigs are proud of their record amount of losses.
With Nan as their coach handing out scones at halftime and their
boar mascot Jeffrey, Banks plays up the porcine jokes and adds a
surprise ending.
Jacqueline Harvey's writes about the pandemonium of pet-sitting and
R A Spratt brings the story of Pigeralla to life. Matt Stanton's
story of Summer the hippopotamus who just wants to swim at the beach
closed because of a shark sighting is another fun tale. Young writer
Ella Wallace won the Kid's WB competition and Total quack up
concludes with her fun story 'Who blocked up the dunny?'
One note of concern is the inclusion of parent's physical rebukes of
their children. James Foley's sketches add to the fun and
excitement. Slapstick antics, gross body humour and plenty of
silliness make each story just right to read aloud, to share with a
family or middle primary class.
Rhyllis Bignell
Blade of shattered hope by James Dashner
13th Reality series. Scholastic, 2018 (Originally published:
2008. ISBN 9781742998381
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure. Science fiction.
Fantasy. Challenge. This is the third book in the 13th Reality
series and all books are equally compelling. Atticus Higginbottom
(aka Tick) is plunged again into the need to harness his knowledge
of Quantum Physics and his incredible personal force linked to the
Chi'karda (the force that controls quantum physics) to rescue the
world and his family from certain disaster and from Mistress Jane
(his nemesis from a previous book). And he may even be needed to
prevent total annihilation! After meeting the Haunce and coming face
to face with all the energy and memory of lives and memories past
and present, he realises that much depends on him. With considerable
help from his friends on the side of the good of all realities, Tick
must face the challenge head on, and there are no guarantees that he
will survive. With earthquakes of stupendous magnitude and
destruction and strange creatures to contend with, everything about
this book reeks of tension. Tick's comrade for good, Sato, makes a
return in this book and must play a pivotal role in rescuing the
innocents who were to be potential instruments in Mistress Jane's
plans to reimagine the realities.
James Dashner certainly knows how to write an exciting science
fiction fantasy. Young readers will be keen to read the next book in
the series too as there is still more to be done! The elements of
science are woven through the narrative, with genetic recombination
and Quantum physics part of this book in the 13th Reality
series. But this story will also appeal to lovers of pure fantasy eg
the Harry Potter series and Tolkien's work because there are
similar features with youthful characters having to be the rescuing
heroes, harnessing powerful elements and overcoming great adversity
along the way.
Highly recommended for readers aged 12+
Carolyn Hull
Elbow Grease by John Cena
Ill. by Howard McWilliam. Penguin Random House, 2018. ISBN
9781524773502
(Age: 4-8) Themes: Monster trucks. Persistence. Determination.
Wrestler and actor John Cena wants this new book series to inspire
children to persevere and believe in themselves. The series features
five monster truck brothers, with this first book focussing on Elbow
Grease, the littlest of the pack. We are introduced to the five
monster trucks on the opening pages and their appearance and
dialogue help to define their unique characteristics. It is nice to
see their mechanic is a young woman, a welcome departure from the
usual image of car sports being a male-only zone. Flash is all about
speed, Pinball is intelligent and strategic, Tank is big and tough
and Crash is courageous. Elbow Grease doesn't have any of these
obvious characteristics but he remains optimistic and cheery because
he has gumption and never, ever gives up. What also makes him
different from his brothers is that he is an electric, rather than a
petrol truck. When Elbow Grease shares his dream, of one day being a
monster truck star his brothers laugh and jeer: 'You're too slow';
'You're too small'; 'Your technique and experience are insufficient
...' Determined to prove them wrong Elbow Grease zooms off to the
Grand Prix by himself. He is 'bashed and smashed and even caught on
fire a little bit, but still - HE KEPT ON GOING!' He doesn't come in
first place but he does finish and all his brothers are there to see
him cross the finish line. The other trucks then realise that they
can only learn new skills if they stick at it; 'a little Elbow
Grease goes a long way!'
There are many speech bubbles showing the dialogue of the trucks,
which help children to understand their individual personalities,
but these are sometimes disjointed from the main text and make the
pages very busy. In addition, some people may be uncomfortable with
how Elbow Grease calls the other trucks 'jalopies', a word which
many children may be unfamiliar with, but is clearly meant as an
insult. There is a nice message here, albeit much too overt, and
young kids who like monster trucks will love the illustrations.
However, it is hard to preach not to stereotype and to broaden your
skills when you have stereotyped your characters by name and given
them a fairly one=dimensional existence. The story and the
production lack a little finesse.
Nicole Nelson
Wisp by Zana Fraillon
Ill. by Grahame Baker-Smith. Lothian, 2018. ISBN 9780734418043
(Age: all) Recommended. Themes: Hope, Courage. Subtitled A story
of hope, this tale of finding hope within the soulless
confines of a refugee camp will melt the hardest of hearts. Idris is
a young boy who has spent his entire life in such a camp, where hope
has been eaten away by the years spent behind wire fences.
Adult memories have been erased by time, eroded by the lack of hope.
They are alone. One day a wisp flies in at Idris' feet. He picks it
up and wipes the dust from it, holding it in his hands. He takes it
to an old man who in holding the wisp, recalls things from his past.
The simple word, once, recalling for him memories that had been lost
within the confines of the refugee camp. The following night he
takes the wisp to a woman whose memories come flooding back, and in
this way, Idris releases memories throughout the camp, becoming
aware of his own sense of wanting to know. Born in the camp, he has
nothing to remember, but in holding the wisp he learns the promise
of a future, he learns to hope.
This poignant story will tug at readers' emotions as they see a
young child, one amongst many, confined in a camp without hope. The
wisp he picks up creates a need within him in hoping that his future
will hold something more.
The darkly overwhelming illustrations depict the bleak campsite: the
rows of tents and makeshift shelters a stark contrast to Idris'
hopes at the end of the book, the shadowy people becoming lighter
with hope, the cupped hands speaking for the child and his hope for
the future.
This is indeed a story of hope, one that will resonate with all
readers who stop to remember the twenty million refugees around the
world.
Fran Knight
Secret Guardians by Lian Tanner
The Rogues book 2. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293536
(Age: 9-13) Recommended. Themes: Good and Evil, Witches and
Warlocks, Fantasy. Lian Tanner's exciting fantasy adventure series
continues with Secret Guardians. She builds a world where
evil forces are ever present, danger lurks in the forest and magical
talents are needed to traverse the difficult times ahead. Her
detailed narrative takes us into challenging places with child
slaves imprisoned in the salt mines and the Stronghold, a fortress
where the malevolent Harshman draws strength from the blood of his
felled victims.
This second novel takes place immediately after a magical escape
from the Stronghold. Disguised as a travelling troupe of actors,
Lord Rump, granddaughter Duckling, Pummel the farm boy and Arms
Mistress Krieg have fled with one-legged Otte the real heir of the
kingdom. Pummel and Duckling are learning to use their magical
gifts, the power of the wind and the raashk, the secret cover of
invisibility. Old Lady Skint and her henchman are on their trail
determined to capture them and claim the reward for the return of
the Young Margrave. They trade in human flesh, selling children and
adults to work in the salt mines,
The oppressive conditions the children are forced to endure, hard
labour, little food or water, even sleeping underground is
confronting. Duckling, Pummel and Otte learn to rely on each other
and help the others. Sooli a SAAF girl, leads and protects the
youngsters, she too has magical powers and is quietly plotting an
escape. Plots and subplots, tests and trials, friends choosing their
own paths, ghosts in the hidden tunnels and dreams foretelling the
future heighten the tension and drive the pace. For comic relief,
Frow Cat and Otte's talking chicken assist with their plans and help
with their plans. Secret Guardians delivers strong and quirky characters,
learning to make their way in this magical world. Tanner's junior
novel is suited to confident readers who will discover how the fight
of good and evil occurs in this magical kingdom.
Rhyllis Bignell
Open road summer by Emery Lord
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408898703
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Romance fans will appreciate this summer
road trip with three seemingly privileged teenagers. Country music
and fame is the backdrop to exploring more than one kind of
relationship - Emery Lord combines every girl's fantasy.
Reagan O'Neill's first bad-boy relationship was an act of rebellion.
A survivor, she seeks healing by accompanying her best friend on her
concert tour of the USA, for the summer break. Lilah Montgomery (Dee
to her friends) is a rising Country and Western performer, who
according to the media, is the girlfriend of her support act, Matt
Finch - still only nineteen himself.
Reagan is slowly but surely attracted to Matt. Not only is Matt
Finch attractive but he is equally as famous and talented as Dee.
While Reagan takes incisive photographs of their exciting summer bus
tour, Dee and Matt write their feelings into their song lyrics - an
interesting device but a source of angst for Reagan. Despite
focusing on Dee, who is grieving her own break-up and the price of
her fame, the predictable love-hate banter between Reagan and Matt
builds slowly to a sweet surrender to his charms. Almost
immediately, Matt is set-up to fail, but he is determined to win
Reagan back.
After Lord's more recent, The
Names they Gave Us, we could be disappointed that Open
Road Summer is a formulaic romance by comparison, but Open
Road Summer actually predates The Names they Gave Us
as a new edition of Emery Lord's debut novel. To be fair, Lord
weaves in a few meaty realities - losing one's parents, valuing
life-long friendships over casual hook-ups, not making bad choices,
giving step-parents a chance, the price of fame and even the more
topical problem of fake news. This won't be your favourite Emily
Lord read, but it is more than just a beguiling daydream of love and
fame.
Deborah Robins
Australia remembers by Allison Paterson
Big Sky, 2018. ISBN 9781925675788
As the centenary of the silencing of the guns of World War I
approaches, and once again our attention turns to remembering
Gallipoli, the Western Front and all those who have been part of our
armed services in whatever capacity, this new book from the author
of ANZAC Sons explores the concept of commemoration - what
it is, how we do it and why it is so important.
There would be few towns in Australia that do not have a war
memorial, one that becomes the focal point for commemorations on
April 25 and November 11 each year. But many of our young students
do not realise the significance of this place so this book which
explains the background of conflict, the history and meaning of
ANZAC Day, the significance of the elements of the ceremonies, and
the role of Australia service people in war and peace since they
were first called to support the 'mother country' in 1914 with
simple accessible text, coloured photos, and an appealing layout
will be a wonderful addition to your library's collection.
With a Table of Contents, glossary, index and bibliography it is a
wonderful model for those learning about using the cues and clues to
find the information they want, but what set this book apart are the
frequent quotes about its various topics that have been collected
from children who are the age of its target audience, offering their
own insights into what these events mean for them. There are also
questions to ponder and activities to do, all in all making this a
superb contribution to the collection that has been produced over
the last few years to commemorate what was arguably, the making of
this nation.
Barbara Braxton
