On the first day of school by P. Crumble and Dean Rankine
Scholastic, 2019. ISBN: 9781742999807.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Music, Rhyming story, First day of
school, Friendship, Families. With a CD (sung by Penny McNamee) in a
slip cover inside the front cover, and rhyming lines taking up each
page, what reader will not sing along as the story builds with the
things a child will encounter at school. All told with a laugh out
loud set of illustrations detailing what is going on in the text and
more, children will love having this read aloud to them, or have the
CD on to sing along with, or learn sections to be able to sing out
loud themselves. The book and CD lend themselves to a variety of
uses in the classroom for those first days at a school, where
perhaps some children are a little nervous.
At the end of each refrain is the line, 'raise your hand if you have
to do a wee' which will not only cause lots of laughs from the
audience, but also underline the importance of telling someone if
you do need to go to the toilet.
A plethora of activities await the new children: show and tell,
playing with paints, eating lunch, singing out loud, story time and
finally packing up to go home, while many rules within the classroom
are given: no calling out, wear hats outside, listen for the bell
and don't pick your nose. Each double page adds to the developing
list of things done in school, and will allay those concerns that
some new students may have.
Children will love learning the sequence of the activities,
predicting what one will come next when they sing along with adults,
just like in a Kim's Game where a number of things are learnt and
recalled.
Fran Knight
Finding Kerra by Rosanne Hawke
Beyond Borders series. Rhiza Press, 2018. ISBN:
9781925563474.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: Staton life, Outback,
Pakistan, Women. Beyond Borders is a Young Adult series about Jamie
Richards' life in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Australia. The four
novels are: Dear Pakistan (2016), The War Within
(2016), Liana's Dance (2017) and Finding Kerra
(2018).
The quartet, following Jaime's journey from Pakistan to Australia,
fitting into a country so alien to her, then returning to Pakistan
only to find she no longer feels safe in the land of her childhood.
Jaime is kidnapped and held by terrorists in book two. In the third
of the series, Jaime tells the story of her friend, Liana, as she
tries to help children kidnapped from her school. The fourth book in
the series has Jaime back in Australia, and tells of her time spent
on a station in the outback.
Jaime meets Blake at school and opens up to him about her past. He
invites her to spend some time on his family's staton for the
holidays, a quiet place where she can be at peace. But as soon as
she arrives, she feels tension in the air between her host and his
son, between Blake and his sister, Kerra, while the young girl from
the next station seems hostile to her. Jaime cooks and watches over
Kerra, and as the weeks unfold she learns more about Kerra and the
secrets she holds.
Hawke uses her background in Pakistan with absolute surety. The
story has flashes of the three preceding novels showing the lasting
effects of the trauma suffered by Jaime, but at the same time, Jaime
recalls the wonderful stories from the land of her childhood and is
able to tell them to Kerra, a soothing time for this troubled child.
Kerra seems to take stories to heart, and often asks Jaime to tell
her again of Liana.
It is through these stories that Kerra develops the courage to
finally tell her brother that she wants him to be just that, a
loving brother, bringing their distant relationship to a head,
making this a fitting concluding story to this wonderful quartet.
Hawke's stay at a northern cattle station brings a background of
truth to the tale of this dislocated girl, looking after another
just as disoriented as herself. I love the way Hawke brings in
touches of the Aboriginal, Afghan and Cornish heritage of this
state, using them to tie together a modern story.
Fran Knight
Limelight by Solli Raphael
Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780143793762.
(Age: Upper primary, Lower secondary) Recommended. Limelight
gives great insights into how to create and perform poems by a
young, passionate poet, Solli Raphael.
Solli is a thirteen-year-old slam poet. Slam poetry is a form of
performance poetry. The poet performs in a competition with other
poets and five random audience members rate the poetry on a scale of
0 to 10.
When he was only 12, Solli was the youngest winner of the
'Australian Poetry Slam' held at the Sydney Opera House every year.
His poems are powerful and have a strong message of social equality
and environmental protection.
Part 1 of the book deals with the art of poetry writing and
performing, while part 2 contains over 30 original poems.
The title of the book comes from one of the featured poems,
'Limelight' about performing poetry onstage and trying to make a
difference to the world. He is challenging his audience to be a
gamechanger. Seize this moment, live it and own it, and if you leave the
'um' till the end of the moment, you might just create
enough momentum.
To take flight to great heights on a stage to speak your
truth in the limelight.
'Australian Air' is Solli's most famous poem which has been seen 3.5
million times on Facebook. It is an inspiring poem of speaking up
and making changes to society.
You can watch Solli perform this poem on YouTube.
Solli is the 'gamechanger' he speaks of. An inspiring young man who
can successfully talk to the world but in particular to his own
generation.
I recommend this book to upper primary and lower secondary students.
Jane Moore
Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein: Based on a true story by Jennifer Roy with Ali Fadhil
Oneworld Publications, 2018. ISBN 9781786074669.
(Age: Upper primary, Lower secondary) Recommended. An intriguing
title, combining two seemingly unconnected topics. Ali is an
eleven-year boy who lives in Iraq during 1991, a time when the
country was bombed by the Americans. President Saddam Hussein has
invaded Kuwait and the US and allies launch Operation Desert Storm
to force him out. That means the people of Kuwait must experience
the onslaught of the bombing raids, starvation and death.
All of this is seen and described through the eyes of Ali who lives
with his brothers, sister and mother while his father is away
serving as a medic.
Mixed up with the horrors of war, are the day to day survival
strategies his family must practise such as taking shelter and
surviving on meagre food supplies. He deals with problems with his
brothers, bullies in the street as well as witnessing the horror of
a public execution.
Ali loves his Superman comics, his Atari game, soccer and American
shows (from which he has learnt English) and wants nothing more than
his father to return safely and life to go back to normal.
This novel is based on a true story and Ali Fadhil, the joint author
and protagonist of the story, eventually migrates to the USA after
participating in the trial of Saddam Hussein as a young man.
This is a time in history that the young readers of this book may
not know but it gives a child's eye look into the experiences of
real people on the ground surviving war.
The cover has a pixelated Atari screen style of illustration showing
Ali surrounded by bombs and soccer balls, wryly mimicking the
comments made by Americans, calling the nightly bombings 'the video
game war'.
I recommend this book to upper primary, lower secondary students.
Jane Moore
The unbelievably scary thing that happened in Huggabie Falls by Adam Cece
Text Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925773019.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Huggabie Falls is not your normal town, in
fact it is very unusual indeed. There are witches, invisible
families, pirates and people who travel to other dimensions, just to
name a few of the odd goings on.
In this novel, the second of the Huggabie Falls Trilogy, we
follow Kipp Kindle, Tobias Treachery and Cymphany Chan as they try
to uncover the reason for the scary happenings occurring throughout
their town.
Everyone has their own particular fear, which ranges from a violent
piano throwing brussel sprout with a Scottish accent to an angry
teddy bear seeking revenge.
Terrified people are leaving Huggabie Falls in droves. Kipp, Tobias
and Cymphany need to discover what is going on and this leads them
to two very suspicious characters, the top-hatted scientist and a
very recognisable assistant.
This is a wacky and humorous book and the author often addresses the
reader directly. He admonishes anyone who hasn't read book 1 (sorry
Adam, that was me too) but in doing so he cleverly gives us more
background information on the town and the people. His constant
interruptions to the story are a fun part of the book and children
will enjoy these silly diversions.
The book's jacket is boldly coloured and the cartoon style
illustrations by Andrew Weldon add to the appeal of the novel. There
are black and white illustrations scattered throughout the pages
too.
I recommend this book to children from 8 to 12 years and look
forward to number 3 in the trilogy.
There is a book
trailer available for book 1, The
extremely weird thing that happened in Huggabie Falls,
that introduces the main characters and the Huggabie Falls
craziness.
Jane Moore
Puppy pandemonium by Belinda Murrell
Pippa's Island book 5. Random House Australia, 2018. ISBN
9780143793267.
(Age: 8-10) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship. Jealousy. Moving
house. Pets.
Pippa's family are so close to moving into their new apartment above
the island Beach Shack Cafe managed by Pippa's mother; but the
builders still have a lot to do. Pippa has made the best of living
squashed into a caravan with her siblings, but her good humour is
wearing thin. Her best friends keep her sane, but for no real reason
the jealousy she feels when one friend receives some awesome new
clothes, starts to eat at her. Her desire for a new pair of bathers
from the surf shop seems to be unsettling her every moment. Being
stretched financially is the family norm, and a discussion with the
friendly barista in the cafe leads to Pippa beginning her own
business - as a dog walker. Eventually, friendship and family,
combined with hard work, give her what she needs to find joy again.
Belinda Murrell writes a charming tale filled with friendship
moments and simple plot complications that will be enjoyed by young
female readers. The dog-walking venture adds a touch of humour as
the dogs display their enthusiasm and lack of cooperation. Woven in
and under the interactions within Pippa's friendship group, known as
the Sassy Sisters, are the adult care and concern for others that is
a wonderful model for young readers. A gentle, careful reflection
about the small things that can unsettle us becomes a very readable
story about life and growing up.
Highly recommended for readers aged 8-10.
Carolyn Hull
Amelia Chamelia and the birthday party by Laura Sieveking
Ill. by Alyssa Bermudez. Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN
9780143791669.
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Themes: Birthdays. Magic. Camouflage. Amelia
is about to turn 8 and the birthday party she has planned will be
spectacular. Her Dad has told her that turning 8 will be
magical, but what will this mean? When her party invitations are
thrust into dangerous territory by a sudden gust of wind and the
'mean boys' at school present a problem for their retrieval, Amelia
discovers a magical skill that transforms her life. Her magical
talent of transformation is also used at her party to solve a
mystery . . . but should she tell her friends and will they even
believe her?
This is an undemanding but enjoyable tale for young female readers
that are beginning to explore easy fiction chapter books. The
problems explored are entirely appropriate for young readers, and
the magical solutions demonstrate a simple creative fantasy.
Inoffensive and charming.
Recommended for readers aged 6-8.
Carolyn Hull
Zenobia by Morten Durr and Lars Horneman
UQP, 2018. ISBN: 9780702260254.
(Age: All) Recommended for all ages, a useful stimulus to discussion
of refugee issues. Could worry younger readers.Themes: Refugees,
Children in war, boat people, migration. The opening page of this
graphic novel is divided into three uneven frames; in the middle we
see the gently curving horizon with the sky above. Below, alone in
the ocean is an overloaded boat, every inch occupied by people. The
following pages zoom in on the people, so tightly packed that the
deck is not visible. We see a little girl, alone, surrounded by
adult men. Then the sea gets rough and the people are thrown from
the boat, clutching babies and meagre possessions and our little
girl is thrown into the sea. The first words come as she sinks, 'it
is big and empty here'. 'No-one can find me here.' We find out her
name is Amina and we enter her memories of happier times, playing
hide and seek with her mother and cooking before they one day went
to town and never came back. She had to be brave like Zenobia, a
beautiful warrior Queen of Syria who never gave up. An uncle takes
her to try and escape the war torn country but there is not enough
money for them both so she is alone when the boat sinks.
Beautifully produced and powerfully composed the colours instantly
transport us into the blue of the ocean or the brown of the ruined
Syrian villages. The impact of the deceptively simple story is
graphic and should worry us all. Like the Child Soldiers of Africa,
the tragic plight of children in conflict told through books like
this will reach into our hearts unmediated by words. We anticipate a
last minute rescue but that ending is withheld.
Sue Speck
That's not what happened by Kody Keplinger
Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781444933628.
Recommended for older students but with a warning about post
traumatic sensitivities. Themes: gun violence, trauma and anxiety,
post-traumatic stress, faith, loss, personal accounts. It is three
years since a shooter at the small, strongly Christian, Virgil
County High School killed nine; Leanne (Lee) Bauer is one of the six
witnesses who survived the shooting. Lee's best friend Sarah was
shot while they were hiding in a toilet cubicle and died holding her
hand. Lee, like the others was traumatised by the event and its
aftermath of media frenzy and their stories have become 'tangled
into a knot of fact and fiction' p2. She is troubled by the false
story attached to Sarah about a cross necklace and her refusal to
deny her faith when questioned about it by the shooter. When Sarah's
parents announce they are going to publish a book about their
daughter's brave sacrifice, Lee realises she must tell the true
story even if it is not one people want to hear. As a tribute to the
nine victims she asks the other five survivors to write their true
recollections of each victim and how they died that day. She makes a
considered choice to keep the shooter's name out of it. 'This was
the one thing that wasn't about him or why he did it. This was about
everyone else and the damage he had done.' p 19. Four of the
survivors meet and communicate regularly, the only people who truly
understand the traumatising effect of the shooting, but one, Kellie
Gaynor left the district. Lee finds it difficult to trace her and
discovers that while she was recovering from the trauma Kellie was
bullied and called a liar after claiming the necklace as her own.
Even though it means revisiting the event Lee is determined to tell
the truth and in doing so put the record straight before the
survivors leave the school taking their stories with them. In asking
for their stories Lee discovers more about each of the survivors and
how they have coped, ranging from reinforcing Christian belief to
advocating for gun control and she gains strength from them.
We all have a right to tell our own story, except when we are not
here to tell it. The stories told by the survivors about the victims
allow different points of view and appear on pages edged in black.
Their own stories are about struggling to survive as damaged victims
after an unthinkable event that seems to be happening too often in
America.
Sue Speck
Dinosaur roar! by Paul Strickland
Ill. by Henrietta Strickland. 25th Anniversary edition. Macmillan
Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781509885398.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Dinosaurs, Humour, Verse, Rhyme,
Prediction, Comparisons. Celebrating twenty five years since its
first publication, Dinosaur roar! continues to intrigue, delight and
scare those small children who pick it up to read. All children
thrill at the idea of dinosaurs, and learn their names quickly and
easily, recognising their size, shape, colours and behaviour with
accuracy.
In this book, each double page has several different dinosaurs
pictured with the simplest text across the bottom of each page,
telling the reader something about the animal. The opening pages,
dinosaur roar and dinosaur squeak show a large toothed animal
filling most of the left hand side page, while the next page has a
much smaller animal. Each animal depicted will have the audience
enthralled as they look at its fierce mouth and teeth, its scaly
skin, long legs and clawed feet, prompting them to recognise the
animal shown. They will also readily understand the differences
between each animal and the words used to describe them. Turning the
page is another noisy dinosaur with dinosaur fierce across the page
and on the next a larger animal cowers, with the words, dinosaur
meek. Children will love seeing the difference between the size of
the animals and their fierceness, and understand the difference
between the two opposing words presented on each page, while having
fun predicting the rhyming word.
The images will delight younger readers, enjoying the humour,
predicting the rhymes, and reprising all the animals on the last two
double pages where their dietary needs are shown. Included in the
endpaper is a fold out poster of the whole book which when put up
will further extend the wonder of the book.
The illustrations are wonderful, full of fun, filling the pages with
colour and movement, depicting these amazing animals with gusto. I
love the slimy dinosaur, its hide dripping with slime and goo from
its environment, prompting readers to ask where it lives. This is a
wonderful book, subtly revealing information about dinosaurs and
prompting discussion and research. Republished in conjunction with
the Natural History Museum, London.
Fran Knight
The Rift by Rachael Craw
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781760650025.
Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Fitting in. When Meg
Archer returns to Black Water Island after being away for nine
years, she discovers that the Island is facing danger from the Rift.
Her mother had taken her to the mainland after an accident had left
her and her friend Cal scarred and traumatised. Cal is now a Ranger
and trying very hard to fit in with the elite group who have guarded
the Old Herd from the Rift for generations. When it opens, death
follows and both Cal and Meg have a role to play in protecting the
Island and the Old Herd.
Fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Garth Nix will relish this offering
from Craw whose world building is unforgettable. Black Island has a
mixture of real world buildings and people who carry on daily
activities that are familiar, while there is a barracks of highly
trained Rangers who guard the sacred deer. Ley lines cross the
island and myths and legends abound about the nature of the Rift and
the Old Herd.
Craw's characters too are really memorable and the reader will
easily sympathise with Cal's difficulties of fitting in with Rangers
who have been born to the task, while he has come from humble
fisherman beginnings. He has been given the Rift sight, but
struggles with knowing what to do, while not helped by Sargent,
Meg's father and a very hard task master. Meg on the other hand has
spent her life on the mainland, training to be as fit as possible in
the hope that she could become a Ranger and join her father, even
against her mother's wishes. The slow burning relationship between
the pair will satisfy fans who enjoy some romance. However what will
keep the reader engrossed is the complex plot, the action and the
coming of age story of both Cal and Meg as they struggle to keep the
herd safe from the hunters who want them for a new drug.
This was a stunning, original stand-alone story with a gripping
narrative, strange world and heroic characters. Fans of The rift
will, like me, want to discover other books by Rachael Craw.
Pat Pledger
All are welcome by Alexandra Penfold
Ill. by Suzanne Kaufman. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN 9781526604071
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Diversity. Schools. Families.
Community. Told in four line stanzas where the first three lines
rhyme, the verse rolls easily off the tongue and the repeated last
line ensure children will catch on quickly and repeat the last line
together with the reader. That last line, 'All are welcome', sets
the tone for the book as it shows in both text and illustrations the
variety of children, families and adults that are involved in our
schools. The author based this story on her daughter's school in
Seattle, USA, where diversity and community are celebrated, and she
designed a poster to celebrate just that, taking it further with
this book.
Each page brims with inclusiveness and being involved, no matter
where you come from, or what you eat, how you dress or pray. The
classroom is shown with a large number of flags across the
blackboard and a world map to indicate the origins of many of the
students, but it matters not: they all play and eat together, go
home at night with their families, sleep in a bed then return to
school the next day. The diversity of families too is included, the
illustrations making it clear that everyone is the same, they are
all in a family caring for their kids.
The illustrations reinforce the similarities of us all: the
classroom routines, the playtime, going home after school, eating
dinner then getting ready for bed. The illustrations serve to link
all children together, and students will love spying out the
similarities and smattering of differences between their schools and
those in the USA, and have a go at saying all the versions of
'welcome' in other languages on the last double page in the book.
Fran Knight
Albert Einstein by Wil Mara
Ill. by Charlotte Agar. Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN
9780241322918.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Albert Einstein is perhaps best known as a
remarkable scientist, but he was also a complex human being. He was
a brilliant but rebellious student, a patent clerk whose theories
about physics and cosmology transformed our understanding of the
universe, a Nobel Prize winner, an activist for peace and a refugee
from Fascism. Einstein was a pacifist but his warning about Hitler's
plan to develop an atomic bomb contributed to the American
government's decision to create nuclear weapons.
Wil Mara has incorporated the elements of Einstein' life into an
engaging and informative narrative that interweaves the scientist's
personal life and experiences with explanations of scientific
concepts and political turmoil. Mara's writing is particularly
effective when providing insights into Einstein's state of mind,
whether it was his childhood loneliness, his lifelong curiosity, his
passion for music or his determined opposition to racism and armed
conflict. The breakdown of Einstein's first marriage and the regret
he felt after atomic bombs were dropped on Japan are described with
directness and sensitivity.
Short, well-constructed sentences and a large font facilitate
reading by a younger audience. Text boxes which explain scientific
theories and historical events, photographs and hand-drawn
illustrations add to the reader's understanding without intruding on
the narrative. The family tree, timeline, list of characters,
glossary and index are useful keys to the text. However, a list of
selected references or a brief explanation of the author's research
process might have enhanced the book's credibility.
The mark of an effective biography may be its ability to reveal that
someone who is celebrated for his extraordinary achievements can
also experience doubts and setbacks. If so, then Wil Mara's
biography of Albert Einstein has succeeded in explaining the complex
man behind the famous name.
Elizabeth Bor
Eve and the Kraken hunt by Jess Black
Ill. by Celeste Hulme. Keeper of the Crystals book 8. New
Frontier, 2018. ISBN 9781925594430.
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Fantasy. Dragons. Octopus. Jess Black's Keeper
of the Crystals series are fun beginning chapter books with a
dash of fantasy, adventure and an environmental message. Friends Eve
and Oscar have uncovered the special secret power of crystals and in
each story, they travel into a different and dangerous world to help
with a crisis.
The friends are staying at Marigold Beach with Eve's grandmother
Sylvie. The children love to explore the beach and rock pools as
Ingvar the dragon flies in the sky. Eve's discovered an endangered
octopus who has been hiding under an outcrop. Oscar and Eve have a
lively discussion about the creature's appearance and habitat. Just
as she reaches down to touch the purple body, she feels a familiar
sensation, grabs the octopus crystal and Oscar's hand. Surrounded by
the dragon's wings they are transported into another world, on board
a ship hunting for the mysterious sea monster the Kraken.
Eve lands on the deck and tries to blend in with the tough looking
crew who are busy unwinding coils of rope. She observes six sailors
preparing to fire large crossbows into the sea to kill the feared
monster. Luckily, Eve is knocked down the stairs into the dark
sailors' sleeping quarters by Leif a young deckhand. As the ship
suddenly lists to one side Eve and Leif run up to the deck, Eve
senses the giant animal's feelings and rushes to help it.
Jess Black's beautiful descriptions of the huge octopus, the way it
rescues both Oscar and Leif and the compassion shown by Eve is
heart-warming. Young readers will enjoy the final chapters and the
unique way Selsiod the octopus forms new friendships. Celeste Homes'
sketches are delightful chapter headings. Eve and the Kraken hunt is another engaging chapter book for
young readers who enjoy fantasy and animal stories.
Rhyllis Bignell
The chaos of now by Erin Lange
Faber and Faber, 2018. ISBN: 9780571317479.
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Suicide, Bullying,
Cyberbullying, Schools, Power, Monitoring. A disturbing opening page
will ensure young adults read to the last page, so incensed at the
suicide that they will want to see the bullies brought to justice.
That Jordan was being bullied was not a secret, but his response
shocked the school into placing cybermonitors on the computing
system to stop such things happening again. Eli is amazed at this
response by the school; all done without consultation or getting to
the main problem. Lip service is given to making people aware,
having anti bullying signs around the school and a gratuitous
memorial service for Jordan after 12 months has elapsed. It makes
Eli sick, but he has problems of his own with his father bringing
home a woman to live in the house, and a nasty run in with one of
the school bullies, Malcolm.
A computer nerd, Eli is a coder, one of a small group of people for
whom the binary system is a language he can speak without fear, able
to hack into the school's computer system with ease, at one stage
hacking into the local police system, with disastrous consequences.
Two other geeks seek him out. They were friends of Jordan and had
planned to enter and win a computer hacking competition which would
bring them to the attention of corporations and the possibility of
work in an area they know well. With Jordan gone, Eli is their next
choice. But they are not just interested in winning a competition.
They want to heap revenge upon those students who bullied Jordan,
and they use their computer skills to achieve this.
This is an up to the minute look at the skills of the millenials,
able to use computers for their own ends, stretching the notions of
morality confining earlier users of technology, seeing possibilities
and uses beyond those proposed by their teachers. This is a most
unsettling look at the problem of cyber bullying, where the skills
of those perpetrators outstrip those of the monitors and Eli and his
friends represent those who are willing to use their skills to bring
down those who would bully. But have they turned into bullies
themselves? In posting some of the videos they illegally access
online, exposing one as a drug cheat, another as a racist another
dressing in his mother's clothes for a video, the question arises
about who is bullying who? Eli at first sees himself as exposing
wrong, but in doing this he becomes a vigilante, one who is outside
the law, taking the law into his own hands.
The line between right and wrong, black and white becomes very
blurred and makes for a read which will make people think about the
consequences of cyber bullying and how to deal with it. Readers will
want to know how Eli comes out of this, after all he and the others
have committed criminal acts.
Fran Knight
