Walker Books, 2018, ISBN 9781760650759
(Ages: 9-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Moving House, Country Life,
Birds, Individuality. Finch by Penny Matthews is a
beautifully written coming of age novel, weaving themes of
individuality, self-perception, family hardship, the rigours of
country life with an emotional environmental message. Her main
character Audrey's journey is poignant, sensitively portrayed and
her voice will resonate with readers stepping into their teenage
years, filled with uncertainty, questioning friendships and fitting
in with their peers.
Moving to a hobby farm in the country fills Audrey with dread, she
fears the unknown, a new school, making friends and settling into an
unfamiliar environment. Her father and younger sister's excitement
and acceptance of the change is at odds with her mother's feelings
and her own. Her mother had been the breadwinner in the city working
as a legal secretary and isn't excited by their tree change. Chloe
calls her older sister 'Nerd Girl'; she's quieter, more interested
in studying birds researching their scientific names and features
and caring for her pet finches, than all things girly.
Late at night Audrey observes a little dog moving through their
property, and no-one else notices him. She asks their old neighbour
Mavis about the mysterious dog but she has no knowledge of the small
animal. While Chloe loves the new school and quickly makes friends,
Audrey is more cautious. Her Year 7 teacher Mr Scardino welcomes
her; he shares her passion for natural sciences and humorously
encourages her to try fitting in to rural life.
While her school and home life have its ups and downs, Audrey's
forays into the surrounding bush brings her joy. She loves looking
for and identifying native birds, and this leads her to discover a
secret cave and a teenage boy who owns Snowy the dog. She finds a
connection with Finch, who loves nature and has made his home here
away from the dramas of life with his uncle.
When a heavy downpour floods the creek and cave, Audrey is worried
and she reveals her friend's secret home and raises the alarm. The
authorities unsuccessfully search for Finch and Snowy. Common
threads and conversations with Mavis unravel to reveal secret
connections. Through this difficult time, Audrey discovers an inner
core of strength and a previously unknown sense of purpose.
Penny Matthews Finch is a rich and rewarding story, filled
with hope, tinged with mystery and realistic characters that will
resonate with middle school readers. She captures the heart of rural
life, the reality of families struggling to find purpose and pulling
together when times are tough.
Rhyllis Bignell
The prince and the witch and the thief and the bears by Alastair Chisholm
Ill. by Jez Tuya. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406365139
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Witches, Bears, Bed time story,
Family, Bed time. Going to bed one night, Jamie is determined that
tonight's story will be different. No more reading from a book, but
a made-up story full of witches, and knights and bears and of course
a prince and a thief to make it all the more interesting. So Dad
decides, why not, and proceeds to make up a story, one that Jamies
interrupts often with a particular slant that he wants included.
Dad starts off as all good bed time stories do, with "once upon a
time" but from there, Jamie interrupts with questions and
suggestions that Dad must include in his narrative. So the prince
rides to the rescue of the princess in the tower, put there by the
wicked witch. He must scale great cliffs with his horse on his back
to succeed where others might fail, he must free the girl, and as
the witch falls to her death, Jamie intercedes on her behalf and the
story is changed again.
Readers will laugh out loud at the story as it goes meandering along
with the changes that Jamie makes to make it more palatable, and
include all the characters he wants to hear about. Readers will
recognise many of the stock situations always fun in fairy tales but
laugh when they are reversed, making the tale one of a kind. Kids
will try this out for themselves, changing a tale well known into
something different and including more characters, and like Jamie
and his Dad, shelve some of them, in this case, the bears, for
another night.
A funny tale full of interest and enhanced with the hilarious
illustrations which flesh out the characters, enabling readers to
link the story to the images. And the slant given to the witch will
please many.
Fran Knight
The lost treasure by Cosentino and Jack Heath
The Mysterious World of Cosentino series book 3, Scholastic,
2018 ISBN 9781742994154
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Magicians, Adventure. Cosentino, the Grand
Illusionist returns in another entertaining story, filled with
magic, illusions, underwater adventure and daring escapes. Cos is
the master of illusions. He's about to be "tied up, sealed in a
glass ball and lowered into the ocean". Whilst the water pours in,
he will have to undo his shackles, escape from his straitjacket,
undo the padlocks, break out and swim to the surface.
Disaster strikes when the evil King of Diamonds activates his giant
magnet to search the sea for his lost treasure. Cos is sent tumbling
to the ocean floor trapped in his sealed glass ball. With the help
of secret lock-picks he rips his straitjacket and prepares to swim
to the surface. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Locki (the large padlock)
who are Cos's best friends contend with killer whales and the King's
giant magnet. Cos is given a magic underwater breathing device and
is able to use his special magic to rescue his trapped friends.
This undersea adventure is filled with plenty of magic, help from
new friend Captain Anchor, a chase by the King's submarine and
frantic help from Locki and Priscilla. The lost treasure
concludes with the secrets to the Magic Rope trick for budding
magicians to try.
Black, white and turquoise cartoon illustrations add drama to this
easy-to-read novel for ages 7-9.
Rhyllis Bignell
Wonders of the World by Isobel Otter
Ill. by Margaux Carpenter. Little Tiger, 2018. ISBN 9781848577251
The sub-title of this book is An interactive tour of marvels and
monuments and indeed, that it what it is from cover to cover
as it explores the wonders of both the ancient and the modern world.
More than 2000 years ago, Antipater of Sidon, a Greek writer
identified seven must-see sites of the small world around Greece
(world exploration was limited and the Mediterranean was seen as the
centre of a flat world) and these became known as the "Seven Wonders
of the Ancient World", still referred to in books and quiz shows as
such. However, in 2000 AD a new list was compiled from the popular
votes from a list of 200 man-made landmarks and these are considered
to be the seven wonders of the modern world.
All 14 are explored in this colourful, interactive lift-the-flap
book beginning with a world map showing their locations and whether
they are ancient or modern selections. Each has an illustration of
the building, an introduction to it and then several pertinent facts
that are often hidden under a flap or other device demanding
interaction.
While Australia has no entry in the man-made wonders, it does
feature in the list of natural wonders on the final endpapers, which
are presided over by a magnificent pop-up Paricutin Volcano, the
youngest volcano in the world.
As well as perhaps laying the seeds for future travel, this is one
of those books that groups of young boys love to pore over and
discuss, a behaviour that appears to be crucial to their reading
development as they seek to discover the wonderful and the weird and
out-do each other with their discoveries. It is worth having in your
collection for that alone!
Barbara Braxton
Jake Atlas and the hunt for the feathered god by Rob Lloyd Jones
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406377712
(Age: 10+) Recommended. "Jake Atlas and his family are on the run,
hunted by international police while chasing the mysterious People
of the Snake to stop them from hiding the secret history of
humankind. But when the family's friend, Sami, is poisoned, the
People of the Snake force the Atlases to work for them in exchange
for a cure." (Publisher)
This is a great adventure novel - Indiana Jones for children. Once
you start reading you want to know what happens next. Jake seems to
find himself in trouble for not thinking on a number of occasions
throughout the book. He has to work with his twin sister Pan and his
parents to help save a friend of theirs. During the story Jake finds
out interesting things about his parents and the double life they
have been leading. Jake desperately wants to be part of that world;
treasure hunting seems so glamourous.
During the course of the book Jake starts to realise that his
actions affect the people around him and he starts to see that his
parents do have his best interests at heart.
This is a great adventure novel and would appeal to adventure loving
kids, particularly boys.
I recommend this novel to children 10+
Karen Colliver
The case of the missing marquess by Nancy Springer
An Enola Holmes mystery. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN
9781760637385
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Mystery. Sherlock Holmes.
Missing persons. Enola Holmes' mother has disappeared on her
birthday without word or clue. Her much older brothers (Mycroft and
Sherlock Holmes) attempt to ascertain where she has gone.
They put all their considerable resources to find her but cannot
solve the mystery between them. Sherlock Holmes returns to London to
continue his search, but his older brother decides that the solution
for Enola is to place her into a ladies' boarding school and all
that goes with this in the Victorian era. Enola is not pleased with
this solution and plans to escape to make her own life and find her
mother in her own way.
Enola travels to London where she puts her skills of deduction to
work to attempt to solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance
and, along the way, solves the mystery of the kidnapping of the
young Viscount Tewksbury. The pace of the story speeds up as she
confronts murderous villains and then continues to elude her shrewd
(and famous) older brothers.
Enola's independent spirit doesn't fit into the Victorian era in
which she has been born and she develops into an independent
character fulfilling dreams and offering her deductive services to
others. The novel supports the discussion of women's rights and the
Suffragette movement in a similar way to the story in Mary
Poppins, not a major part of the story but enough to spur the
reader to find out more about the era. The book is written in first
person which adds to the tension and excitement. The description of
London in the 1880's is convincing and paints a picture of the
poverty of the ordinary people who lived in the streets at this
time.
This is a great start to an interesting series of books that will
appeal to a wide variety of children aged 10-14. There are plans in
place to make the books into a movie series.
Highly recommended for Upper Primary.
Gabrielle Anderson
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Ill. by Jim Kay. Harry Potter, book 1. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN
9781526602381.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Orphans. Wizards.
Magic. Good and evil. Harry Potter needs no introduction: the
enormous popularity of all the books as well as the films, has made
him into a household name. This is the first book in the series,
introducing Harry, the lonely orphan who has been forced to live in
a cupboard under the stairs by his unsympathetic aunt and uncle and
tells the story of his time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry.
People revisiting the Harry Potter books will be entranced
with the beautiful illustrations by Jim Kay, the talented Kate
Greenaway Medal winner, in this paperback edition (the hardback
version came out in 2015). He has kept the familiar image that
everyone has of Harry Potter from the films, complete with glasses
and dark hair, but added much to his expressions and gestures.
Pictures dot the pages, some on a full page, set in dark tones, as
Harry and his friends fight the evil at Hogwarts. More colourful,
smaller drawings complement the narrative and give the reader a
picture of what is going on in the text. J.K.
Rowling has said: "Seeing Jim Kay's illustrations moved me
profoundly. I love his interpretation of Harry Potter's world, and I
feel honoured and grateful that he has lent his talent to it".
This illustrated edition in paperback is beautifully presented and
could become a collector's delight. As well as a book to be
treasured by older readers, I can see it being used as a read aloud,
introducing Harry Potter to the 7-8 year olds, who will be entranced
with both the story and the illustrations. Bloomsbury has a page with
information about J.K. Rowling, games, discussion guides and a Harry
Potter night.
Pat Pledger
Me and my fear by Francesca Sanna
Flying Eye Books, 2018. ISBN 9781911171539
(Age: 6+) Themes: Fear. Anxiety. Friends. With mental ill-health an
issue for many children, a number of books promoting well being for
children have been released. In the past it has been rare to see a
character feeling anxious or depressed, and if they did exist in the
book, were a minor or secondary character. But now as the issue has
become more well known and recognised as a major concern amongst
younger people, there are more books around which encourage children
to talk about their fears, and see for themselves that they are not
alone. I wrote an article published in The Literature Base about
well being, and included a long list of books that will help
children reach out. (The Literature Base Volume 27, Number 3, August
2016) Me and my fear addresses the concern of keeping the fear
secret. In this book, the child is almost content with her fear,
illustrated as a small blob of white like a small animal that
sometimes cocoons the girl, sometimes almost smothers her. They do
everything together, the fear alienating her from her friends and
family. When she sits in the playground the fear tells her that no
one likes her, when she sits in the library the fear tells her he
doesn't like it here. She becomes more lonely but then a boy talks
to her and they begin to do things together, making the fear
smaller. The fear is still there but it is smaller and she realises
that many of the children have a fear as well.
A book to share with a class which will create much discussion.
Fran Knight
Here comes Stinkbug! by Tobhy Riddle
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523527
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Insects. Environment. Stinkbug is a
little put out when his friends ask him not to stink as much as he
does. After all he is a stinkbug and that's what stinkbugs do. Slug,
ladybird, beetle and bumblebee all find his presence rather smelly
and ask the slug to suggest that stinkbug tries to curb his smell.
Stinkbug thinks long and hard about this, eventually asking the
Leopard Slug not to be so slimy. He responds that being slimy is
what he needs to get around. Stinkbug tries very hard not to be
smelly and it seems to be working because the spider becomes
friendly. But stinkbug becomes aware that perhaps the spider has
serious designs on eating him. This makes the stinkbug stink even
smellier, driving the spider away. So the use for his smell becomes
obvious to the reader. It is a defensive mechanism, designed to help
the stinkbug survive in a hostile environment.
Readers will love reading about the insects and particularly
stinkbug as they come to terms with why the stinkbug stinks. Readers
will see a range of insects and be able to discuss with older people
the reason these insects are designed as they are, perhaps using the
internet to find out the defensive mechanisms used by each of them.
Riddle has used watercolour, pencil and some collage to create his
visual effects of the insects glowing against large swathes of white
background. They stand out, enabling readers to see their
characteristics, perhaps checking them against a more detailed image
from the internet. Readers will wonder at the mechanism the insect
uses to deter his enemies, and laugh at the efforts of his friends
trying to change the way he is, asking them to ponder what makes me,
me and what they can do if someone asks them to change something
about them.
Fran Knight
LEGO Star Wars ideas book: More than 200 games, activities, and building ideas by DK Publishing
DK Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9780241314258
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Themes: Lego. Star Wars. Inventions. A
fantastic book to give as a gift to young Lego and Star Wars
aficionados or to have in a Maker Space, this LEGO Star Wars
ideas book will keep children occupied for many hours with the
over 200 ideas that it contains for using Lego bricks that they may
already own. The contents page contains all 200 activities and is
organised under the headings of "Recreate", "Expand", "Challenge",
and "Use it". There is a further double page spread that asks the
question "What will you do today?" And includes questions like "What
are you in the mood for?" and "How much time do you have?" and then
gives suggestions for what to make.
It follows the themes of "Rethink, Rebuild and Recycle", giving the
user lots of alternatives of things to make at differing levels of
difficulty. There are activities like building Han's
electrobinoculars, make a mosaic, recreate the Star Wars characters
and even make a pencil holder shaped like a Jedi. One I liked was
"Be a Lego Portrait Artist", which showed how to make Queen Amidala
and General Grievous.
The index is also handy, and a skim through this would give readers
ideas about individual things that they could make, for example, the
entry for Han Solo, gives the page numbers for a 8-bit figure,
electrobinoculars and lucky dice.
The book itself is a sturdy, colourful product, with a thick hard
cover and should stand up to some hard use. Each of the projects is
well illustrated with excellent photos which would give a lot of
guidance to the person making the selected building.
Pat Pledger
A different boy by Paul Jennings
Ill. by Geoff Kelly. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523503
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Themes: Orphans, Migration, Family.
Before Anton's father died he told his son that if he was ever in a
bad deal, to "get out of it and move on". And so Anton does, in many
situations in this book which will bring shivers to the hearts of
many readers. When Anton's mother dies he is sent to an orphanage
that is Dickensian in its treatment of its inmates. But Anton's
father's words ring in his ears, and he walks out, headed for the
ship he sees in the distance, about to leave England's shores for
Australia, the land of warmth and sunshine that he craves. He cannot
find a way to get onto the ship but a teenage boy standing by the
gangplank takes him as his friend and the steward thinking they are
traveling together hurries the pair onto the ship. Here he stays on
deck and once it becomes dark, another steward takes him down stairs
back to the woman and boy he met on the gangway and there he is
befriended.
They too have secrets and in return for his friendship with her
special son, the woman gives Anton a place within her family. Anton
is relieved that all he has to do is care for the special boy and
takes him around the ship pointing out features he will need to
know. But an event happens which shows the bravery of the boy and
all ends happily, although as usual with a twist on the last page
that will have readers nodding with recognition.
This engrossing tale of friendship, of secrets, of longing to be
part of a family, will bring a few tears to the eyes of the most
hard-hearted of readers, as they recognise the need within us all to
belong. And along the way, the importance of learning to read.
A wonderful read aloud, this little book (102 pages) will engender
much discussion in the classroom about migration, sea travel,
orphanages and reading. Jennings tells a beautiful story with
panache: its brevity and empathy engaging all of his readers in a
story they can recognise, but one that will also surprise them.
Fran Knight
Code of honor by Erin Hunter
Bravelands series, book 2. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN
9781460756287
(Age: 9-14) Recommended. Themes: African animals. Lions, Baboons,
Elephants, Quests, Survival. Code of Honor is the second
book in the Bravelands series from the creative Erin Hunter
team (Clarissa Hutton and Gillian Philip), well-known for their
popular Spirit Animals and Wings of Fire books. The
African savannah comes alive with beautiful descriptive imagery, as
the forces of nature test the wildlife to their limits. The plot
masterfully weaves a tale of murder, treachery and the fight for
survival. The interwoven narrative is told from three different
viewpoints, Thorn Middleleaf a young baboon, Fearless the lion cub
and Sky the elephant.
When the Great Mother elephant who wisely ruled the Bravelands is
murdered and her body left in the waterhole, trouble unfolds. As the
Great Flock, the Strider elephant herd, Brightforest baboon troop
and other animals gather here, all are questioning who is best to
take on the leadership. The Great Mother didn't have time to train a
successor and pass on the Great Spirit's voice. As the torrential
rain pours, Stronghide the rhino steps forward to claim the role.
Sky from the Strider elephant herd slips away with her cousin Moon
to search for answers in the Plain of Our Ancestors, taking a
fragment of her Great Mother grandmother's tusk along with her.
Meanwhile, the Brightforest baboon troop leader Stinger restructures
the group, causing problems which young Thorn realises is really a
devious plot to dominate his troop and stir up trouble in the
Bravelands. Attacks by the marauding green monkeys and vervet
monkeys drives the troop into dangerous paths as they search for
shelter.
Titan leader of Titan pride also plans for complete control of the
Bravelands by killing a large amount of predators, breaking the code
of only killing to survive. Disillusioned and forgotten cub Fearless
seeks advice from his friend Stinger the baboon.
Each of the protagonists show courage and resilience as they search
for the truth and stand up for what is right. Code of Honor
delivers exciting action, high levels of drama,
and convincing characters who are multi-dimensional. The savannah
setting, the natural environment, the drought and floods and animal
habitats are richly and realistically portrayed. The themes are
dark, treachery, murder, deceit, destruction and survival, with
complex conspiracies and intrigue. The misuse of power and its
consequences are an overarching theme. Fans will be keen to read the
third novel in the series, after the cliffhanger ending.
Rhyllis Bignell
Yours troolie, Alice Toolie by Kate and Jol Temple
Ill. by Grace West. Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523756
(Age: 8-10) Themes: School life, Letter writing, Friendship.
From the authors of the Captain Jimmy Cook Discovers series
comes another singularly silly, fun and unique junior novel. Alice
Toolie is Jimmy's third-grade nemesis; she's a famous Yootootuber,
popular class member who loves unicorns, glitter and ballet. When
Jimmy finds Alice's secret diary in the library and reads some
unpleasant comments about himself, a massive fight occurs. Ms Fennel
their class teacher intervenes and both students have to apologise
and write letters to each other for the whole term.
At first their letters are niggly, Alice calls Jimmy a
privacy-stealing robber and Jimmy replies, "If we were in the olden
days, like before the Titanic sank, when there were cavemen, our
families would be at war because you said that". As the letters
continue both Alice and Jimmy begin to share more humorously about
their interests, family life and dramas. They team up to solve the
problem of the mysterious ghost in the Level 2 girls' toilets who
repeatedly sings a song from Annie the musical. This unfortunately
leads to an incident with extremely expensive smelly cheese in the
ghost bait jar which reappears right in the middle of the school
fete.
Alice and Jimmy become a dynamic duo fund-raising - selling water
instead of lemonade because of the school rules - no sugar week, no
citrus and no plastic. Dog washing proves problematic as it involves
a cat and they finally sell a wonderful array of jars of slime at
the school fete. Their letter closings are expressive, resonating
with the incidents or actions mentioned in the letter, from "Yours
truly, Alice Toolie", "Yours Figuratively", "Yours invincibly" to
"Yours wide awake".
Grace West's cartoons add sparkle to this letter-book that is
jam-packed with emojis, doodles, ghosts and sketches of the main
characters. Yours truly, Alice Toolie is an engaging junior
novel suited to readers from 8-10. Writing letters has become a lost
art; using these examples, explore this form of communication with
Middle Primary classes as an alternative to emailing.
Rhyllis Bignell
Empty by Andrew Pratly
Ill. by Angel McMullan. Little Steps, 2018. ISBN 9781925117837
(Age: 5+) Themes: Depression, Mental Health, Friendship, Music. Many
people have periods in their lives where things are not working out
as well as is expected. There may be periods of loneliness, or
having no friends, or feeling inadequate or anxious. Addressing this
issue has seen a number of books published recently giving children
the opportunity to talk about their feelings and while this is most
admirable, it requires some understanding from the adults presenting
the book.
The bleakness of the opening pages struck a cord with me as I
watched the child staring into the mirror all alone. She feels
empty. Everyone she turns to tells her pretty well to get over it,
until she hears some music played by a young boy in a boat. From
then on their friendship blossoms as the music becomes a platform of
understanding, a bridge between two lonely people. The old Irish
proverb at the end makes a neat rounding off to the story, 'There
are good ships, and wood ships, ships that sail the sea, but the
best ships are friendships, may they always be' and explains why the
illustrator has chosen a sea theme for her wonderful drawings.
I love the architectural endpapers showing a lighthouse, a symbol
perhaps for the beam of light that is offered by friendship, and the
watercolour images of the children against the seaside setting.
My article in The Literature Base in 2016 has a long list of
picture books tackling the theme of mental health with children and
will complement the usefulness of Empty.
Fran Knight
The dog with seven names by Dianne Wolfer
Random House, 2018. ISBN 9780143787457
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Themes: Dogs, Loyalty, World War Two,
Northern Australia. Born the runt of the litter on a cattle station
in northern Western Australia, Princess' only hope is to be loved by
the station boss' daughter. She thrives with the attention given her
by Elsie but when war looms over the north and Darwin is bombed by
the Japanese in 1942, most of the family moves south, leaving
Princess with one of the drovers on his way to enlist in Darwin. But
partway through their journey disaster strikes and Stan is hit by a
falling branch. Her next journey sees her aboard a Royal Flying
Doctor Aircraft and from her vantage point she is able to offer
comfort to the wounded.
So Wolfer tells a wonderful historical novel set in the Norther
Territory during World War Two, through the eyes of this little dog,
Princess. Children reading the story will thrill with the
expectation that Princess and her owner will eventually be reunited,
after seven new names, and along the way see some extraordinary
sights of what it was like during the northern air raids during
World War Two.
An historical novel with a difference, told from the perspective of
a little dog, the book is enchanting, drawing all readers into the
plight of the animal left with virtual strangers as his owner moves
south.
Wolfer's historical novels are well worth the read, creating a
believable scenario, likeable characters told within a setting at
once familiar yet different and interesting.
Fran Knight
