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
World War 1 : The story behind the war that shook the world by Nick Hunter
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781526600882
(Age: Younger readers) Recommended. Themes: World War 1. Produced in
conjunction with the UK National Archives, this Bloomsbury
publication creates a simple overview of the First World War for
younger readers. Giving a simple explanation of the reasons for the
war, and the events and places that are now part of our
consciousness from this terrible time in history, this is a book for
young readers to explain the detail of the Great War. Each double
page includes pictures from the Archives and also images of relics
from the era, with a particular focus on the British experience.
(There is a small mention of Australia's involvement at Gallipoli.)
This book is written in an easy-to-read magazine style, with short
excerpts of information and multiple pictures with clear captions
and is easily consumed from cover to cover, or as a quick reference
book. The index would enable young readers to search for information
as required for school tasks.
Carolyn Hull
Me and my fear by Francesca Sanna
Flying Eye Books, 2018. ISBN 9781911171539
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: Anxiety; Living with fear;
Overcoming fear; Migrants. Me and My Fear is a delightful
picture book, particularly for children who struggle with anxiety.
The central character is a small girl who has a small companion
called Fear, who stays close to her. This is normally a comfortable
relationship, almost a friendship, when Fear is small. However, when
she moves to a new country and a new school where she understands
very little, Fear grows enormously and really disrupts her life. A
small boy's overtures of friendship arrests the disharmony in her
life and sets her on a more normal companionship with Fear again.
She also discovers that the boy has his own 'Fear' companion, as do
all her classmates.
With a simple colour palette and naive illustrations, with Fear
represented as a white blob-like creature, the overall presentation
is immediately accessible for all children. Fear is not conveyed
with any fear-inducing qualities, a clever representation
considering the topic. The power of the story is in the
representation of the psychological struggle with fear and how its
influence can grow and overtake a life. The author confesses to her
own struggles with anxiety in the Author's Note at the end of the
book. The great feature of this book is its reassurance that most
people carry fears, and they can even be a recognised and
comfortable companion, but also that there is hope for those who
need to deal with this sometimes-disruptive and intrusive influence.
This would make a good book to keep in a Counsellor's office.
Highly recommended, to begin a discussion about coping with Anxiety.
Carolyn Hull
Let sleeping dragons lie by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Have Sword, Will Travel book 2. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN
9781743439937
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Swords, Good versus
evil, Dragons. Odo and Eleanor are off on another exciting adventure
with their magical swords Biter and Runnel. When they help a blind
man and an aging knight fight off a bilewolf attack, they discover
that Egda is the king who abdicated when he became blind and the
warrior Hundred is his protector. They are off to try and stop his
sister, the regent from taking over the throne. Joining the pair,
Odo and Eleanor travel across the land meeting dangerous obstacles
and fighting off evil in the hope that they can reach the castle
before Prince Kendryk loses every chance of becoming king.
Written with very humorous dialogue, especially from the magical
swords, Let Sleeping Dragons Lie is a delight from start to finish.
Under the supervision of Hundred, Odo and Eleanor hone their
fighting skills, and learn how to become knights. Their ability to
fight and to plan is put to the test as they face strange
inventions, travel dark underground passages, and cross dangerous
waters. There is a little mystery to solve - why is Prince Kendryk
trying to finish a mural and why is it so important?
One of the outstanding characters in the book is the little bat,
Tip, who spells out messages from the prince to Odo and gives
warning of danger ahead. He joins an array of well developed
characters, including the magical swords that make this book a joy
to read.
With Biter, Odo's talking sword, determined to chase the evil
Falconstone sword that is killing people in the kingdom, readers
know that they are in for another treat in the next episode of the Have
sword, will travel series.
Pat Pledger
Noni the pony rescues a joey by Alison Lester
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293123
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Horses, Australian animals,
Environment, Habitat. Noni the pony rescues a joey will
captivate its audience, already thrilled at the first book about Noni
the pony (2010) and Noni the pony goes to the beach
(2014). All the right ingredients are brought together, Noni, of
course, with her two friends, Coco and Dave, and an array of
Australian animals for young children to recognise and name while
they have this rhyming story read to them. They will thrill at
predicting the word to end each line, and work with Noni and her
friends as they try to find the joey's parents.
Lester entrances her readers with a story of loss, but as Noni asks
each animal she meets, the joey finds her mob, and along the way
small pieces of information are given teaching the audience some of
the habits of these animals. So many of the animals are asleep,
being nocturnal, the koala and her joey asleep because of their poor
diet, the echidna is digging, the father emu is looking after his
chicks, and finally as evening falls the other wallabies come out to
graze, and the joey is reunited with the family.
Lester's recognisable illustrative technique will delight younger
readers as they will be able to find other books by this prolific
Australian author in the library.
The range of animals that live in Waratah Bay will intrigue readers
as they note the echidna, possum, quoll, koala, wallaby, goanna,
emu, wombat and platypus, and feel impelled to find out more about
these Australian animals and their habitat and habits, perhaps
looking for them in their own neighbourhood or seeking them out at
the zoo.
Fran Knight
