Lottie Perkins: Fashion designer by Katrina Nannestad
Ill. by Makoto Koji. ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9780733339080.
(Age: 5-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship. Fashion.
Creativity. Seven year old Lottie Perkins demonstrates her awesome
creativity and flair by becoming a fashion designer, utilising items
from her family wardrobe. The 'success' of her initial items for
herself and her goat eventually leads to a business offer from the
local Pet store. Lottie's nemesis, Harper Dark, though, is
unimpressed and tries hard to bring her down. Fortunately, Lottie
has a faithful best friend in Sam Bell whose encouragement and
support keeps her from ever struggling under the bully's taunts.
Katrina Nannestad delightfully introduces the entertaining
characters with under-stated humour and whimsy. The illustrations by
Makoto Koji are equally fanciful in their simple cartoon style.
There is nothing but delight in this simple easy-to-read early
chapter book, with a page of fashion stickers at the end of the book
to add to the appeal.
Highly recommended for readers aged 5-7.
Carolyn Hull
Lottie Perkins: Pop singer by Katrina Nannestad
Ill. by Makoto Koji. ABC Books, 2018. ISBN 9780733339073.
(Age: 5-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Music. Friendship. Lottie
Perkins is an 'exceptional' child - self-proclaimed! She is quirky
and feisty and manages to demonstrate her awesome singing talents in
a local talent competition despite the challenge from the mean girl,
Harper Dark, and the unfortunate 'goat incident'. With a cute
quirkiness of expression and personality (a Nannestad trademark),
this is a delightful easy read chapter book that will appeal to
early independent readers (especially girls).
Illustrations are in a simple black and white sketch style and are
charming and well-suited to the storyline. The book includes a
sticker page, of limited usefulness, which will appeal to young
readers.
Highly recommended for ages 5-7
Carolyn Hull
A stormy night by Mark Carthew
Ill. by Simon Prescott. Marvin and Marigold. New Frontier
Press, 2019. ISBN 9781925594225
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Fear. Darkness. Families. Mice.
Friendship. The third in the series concerning the two mice, Marvin
and Marigold will bring delighted sighs of recognition from readers
as they explore their fear of the dark together. Marigold's fear of
the dark takes hold when on a dark wintry night the lights go out.
She heads for the space beneath her bed taking her teddy with her.
She hears a loud noise at the window and sees Marvin standing there,
wanting to come in. He snuggles under the bed with Marigold, and
tells her that he has brought a torch.
Told in rhyming pairs of lines, the story will come to life read out
loud, and even more so if snuggled into a dark corner with a torch.
Showing Marigold and Marvin's groundless fear of the dark will allow
readers to talk about their own fear of the dark and laugh about it,
while watching the two mice do something to allay their fears,
subtly showing the readers steps they can take to undermine their
fears.
A funny ending helps lighten the situation, and Prescott's wonderful
illustrations are a foil to the story. His use of large areas of
dark colour reflect the characters' fear of the unknown, and their
eyes are just amazing, large and bold, standing out in the dark,
giving an image of what each is feeling. I love the use of the
endpapers to add depth to the story, and the contrast of the old and
the new characters, each being frightened of the dark will underline
for the readers that they are not alone in their fears.
The theme of friendship permeates the tale as Marvin comes over to
Marigold's house to be with her during the stormy night, and the
theme of looking after each other underpins the whole.
Fran Knight
The assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763698225.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Power, Politics,
War, Propaganda. What a treat to read a unique tale told by two
outstanding people, National Book award winner M.T.Anderson and
Newbery Honoree Eugene Yelchin. The historian elf Brangwain Spurge
is catapulted into the goblin territory on a quest to give their
lord a gift, while at the same time secretly spying on the kingdom.
His host, the archivist goblin Werfel is chosen to look after
Brangwain. While both should have a lot in common, they have no
understanding of each other's culture and soon they are thrown into
chaos that could cause a war between the goblin and elf kingdom.
Yelchin's witty illustrations bring to life the elf Brangwain. The
reader is introduced to him at the very beginning of the book, as he
is thrown into the goblin kingdom. He is shown as a fearful but
determined character, believing that he is on a peace mission. Then
a letter from Lord Ysoret Clivers, of The Order of the Clean Hand,
brings the reader a different interpretation of Brangwain and his
mission. Meanwhile when he arrives in the goblin kingdom, the
narrative of the goblin Werfel also shows a different view to the
illustrations and the reader is tossed back and forward between a
hilarious and critical social commentary and fabulous drawings that
highlight what is going on and how easily the truth can be
distorted.
Younger readers will be drawn to the wonderful illustrations and
follow the story eagerly to see what will happen to the pair as they
gradually become friends, realising that they are being manipulated
by more powerful beings and blunder through danger and adventure.
Older readers will be drawn to the satire and thought provoking
ideas about history, politics, power and the nature of war. A discussion
guide is available and will help highlight major ideas in the
book, while the humour and unreliable narration will leave a lasting
memory for anyone who picks up this handsome hardcover book.
Pat Pledger
Flat cat by Hiawyn Oram
Ill. by Gwen Millward. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN 9781406371543
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Cats, Friendship. Jimi-My-Jim lives
in an apartment in a big city with his owner, Sophie. She loves him
dearly and spoils him woefully with only the best of treats and
toys. He responds by doing exactly what she wants him to do. But she
leaves him home when she and her mother go out. Jimi can only look
out of the window and watch the cat across the road with some envy.
And after a while he loses his fullness and becomes flat. One day
Sophie and her mother leave in a hurry and forget to take the house
keys. Jimi collects the keys and lets himself out of the apartment,
heading straight across the road for the cat he sees from the
window. They have a wonderful time together: she takes him to meet
other cats, listen to music and roam the big city, things he has
never done or seen before. So excited is he with his new friends and
experiences that he takes them all home to the apartment and there
they have a wild time, making music, singing and dancing. But Sophie
and her parents return to the dismay of all, the new found friends
escaping by any means they can. Jumi is admonished but Sophie
realises why he did what he did. She knows that she has smothered
her cat and resolves to find a solution, as the apartment building
does not allow cat flaps. The situation is resolved to the happiness
of all.
Illustrator Millward draws a wonderful Jimi with a wistful look upon
his face, peering out longingly into the freedom offered by
'outside'. Her multiplicity of cats is a delight on every page and
children will adore the cats having a wonderful time in the
apartment before the adults return.
Fran Knight
Ellie Engineer - The next level by Jackson Pearce
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN: 9781547601097
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Engineering, Friends. Ellie is an enthusiastic
engineer; she wears her tool belt all the time and loves to solve
problems and come up with creative solutions. She draws up the
plans, finds innovative resources to use and enjoys sharing her
ideas with her friends, Kit and Toby. Ellie's first attempt at
building an elevator with a pulley and ropes unfortunately ended in
disaster. With 24 bread and butter pickle jars balanced on a
tabletop, they tried to pull them up to the treehouse when the
tabletop slipped and pickles, juice and shattered glass fell on the
back lawn.
Ellie's parents decide she needs to help Mrs Curran, their elderly
neighbour, as a penalty for the pickle incident. Ellie proudly wears
her toolbelt expecting to do engineering jobs for Mrs Curran,
however on the first day she spends two hours putting invoices into
envelopes. As the week progresses Ellie uses her skills to mend some
broken cupboards, build a dolly to transport doll-making supplies
and create another elevator to take the supplies upstairs. Mrs
Curran has old-fashioned ideas assuming that only boys can be
engineers and only girls play with dolls. She gives Toby credit for
all the engineering projects and doesn't reward him with a doll like
Ellie and Kit are given for their work. Can Ellie help their elderly
neighbour when she needs it most and will Ellie's engineering skills
make a difference?
Jackson Pearce's Ellie Engineer - The Next Level is a
delightful, funny, illustrated junior novel filled with creative,
STEM-powered projects. There are sketches of Ellie's designs,
examples of pulleys, levers, wheels and axles and the forces needed
to build them. Without being didactic, the story looks at
stereotyping, not making assumptions and valuing each other's
abilities and interests.
This series is just right for a class novel for Years 2-3
introducing engineering concepts and encouraging young engineers to
design their own projects.
Rhyllis Bignell
A good night for shooting zombies by Jaco Jacobs
One World, 2018. ISBN 9781786074508
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure. Martin aka 'Clucky', is a
quirky 13 year old mathematician and heir to his father's egg business.
Vusi owns a dog who likes to bite chickens. Confronting your
neighbour about his murderous dog is not a great start, but
friendship follows as Clucky sees that Vusi is recovering from
treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Clucky is persuaded to help Vusi
make a Zombie film, in which they will both star. When school chum
Chris, spots them filming one day, she quickly becomes the female
lead in Vusi's film.
But the prophetic 'The End of the World' film lands them in a bit of
strife - first with an overprotective nurse and concerned parents
but more worryingly with a gang of local thieves who store their
booty in the old shed, serving as their movie studio.
It's not a long read to find out whether the film gets finished and
the bad guys get caught. The first person narration is hard-hitting
and compelling. Events hurtle along in Vusi's desperation to finish
the film, punctuated by Martin's ongoing and sometimes hilarious
hardships both at school and at home.
Jaco Jacobs first published this title in 2015, in his native
Afrikaans. 2018 saw a movie version as well as this English
translation by Kobus Geldenhuys, which is illustrated by Jim
Tierney. With over 140 Afrikaans children's novels to his credit,
this edition and perhaps a second copy to read simultaneously with a
mate, will definitely not gather dust on our school
library shelves.
Deborah Robins
Ten terrible dinosaurs by Paul Stickland
Macmillan Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781509835522
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Dinosaurs. Prediction. Rhyme.
Counting. Humour. From ten down to one, the text of this wonderfully
inviting romp with a whole lot of dinosaurs will enthral readers as
they count the number of animals on each page, attempt to recognsie
which is which, predict the next number, and be highly amused at the
antics of these beautiful, bright creatures.
Along with the republication of Dinosaur roar! (1993) Ten
terrible dinosaurs (1997) makes a great companion piece and
both will be eagerly read and borrowed from the school library. Ten
terrible dinosaurs is a terrific offering to young readers,
the illustrations looming large on each page, the dinosaur's
characteristics easy to spot, movement splashing across the page
just the impetus needed to get the readers up and dancing. The ten
animals on the first page are standing neatly in a line but over the
page they begin to mess about, losing one of their number, dancing
causes another to leave and so on until only one is left on the
page. So tired is he after all the movement that he lies down and
sleeps, snoring until the rest reappear, waking him with their
roars.
Young children will adore this being read out loud to them, joining
in with the movement, prediction and fun of the tale, calling out
how many dinosaurs are left on the next page, roaring with the ten
at the end. What wonderful mayhem will occur when reading this book.
And paired with Dinosaurs roar!, the classroom will be
dinosaur heaven. Republished in conjunction with the Natural History
Museum, London.
Fran Knight
Treasure of the golden skull by Chris Priestley
Maudlin Towers Book 2. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408873106
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Boarding school. Pirates. Treasure. Monsters.
Chris Priestley's Treasure of the golden skull is a dark
tale, set in a very gloomy English boarding school, Maudlin Towers,
which is threatened with foreclosure. The author conjures up a
fast-paced story, adding a dash of magic, time travel, a treasure
hunt and a pirate invasion. There's a gothic air to Priestley's
black and white illustrations reminiscent of Ronald Searle's St.
Trinian's, with caricatures of boys in old-style uniforms and a
motley crew of pirates who invade the school.
Sponge and Mildew return for another drama-filled story, determined
to find the treasure supposedly stored away by Reverend Brimstone.
The finances are needed to pay for the repairs to the school
building. The two boys believe they'll be sent to different schools
if the governors shut Maudlin Towers, so they plan a rescue mission.
This involves a swarm of pirates calling themselves teachers and an
odd new boy, whose surname is Newboy and who has strange powers to
get everyone to do exactly what he says. There's also a strange
teacher with tattoos and a beard, a sad English teacher pining for
her long-lost love and clues hidden in some unusual places for the
boys to discover. Treasure of the golden skull is silly, a little irreverent,
quintessentially English and humorous with witty dialogue and filled
with funny new words. 'How are you ever going to detectivate? Finlay
Feathering wouldn't let a bit of biscuitlessness bother him,' Mildew
tells Sponge in the staff graveyard.
Readers from ages 9-12 will enjoy this spooky story and relate to
the slightly madcap antics of the two protagonists.
Rhyllis Bignell
Sage Cookson's snow day by Sally Murphy
New Frontier Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925594423
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure. Cooking. Sage
Cookson is the child of TV cooking stars and their celebrity life
takes her to places a little out of the ordinary for a normal school
child. Fortunately, she has a very understanding friend and a mobile
phone to share her experiences. Her latest trip is to the snowfields
where her parents are preparing a show with their long-time friend,
Juliet, a renowned pastry chef. Juliet's son, Kyle, is usually there
to entertain Sage, however on this visit Kyle seems out of sorts and
a little 'cold' in his welcome and when he goes missing there is
some real drama. But this time it is not Sage who is centre stage.
This easy read series by renowned writer Sally Murphy is very
accessible for young readers aged 7-10; there is not a lot of text
nor complexity, but there is interest and excitement. The lovely
interactions between friends and family members are also quite
delightful... a game of 'Spotto' on the trip to the snow is an
episode in domestic dynamics with comfortable warmth and
familiarity. There are also respectful friendships and manners
demonstrated. Readers will want to follow Sage in other books in the
series as she embarks on each new adventure.
Highly recommended for ages 7-10
(Suitable for struggling readers at the 'older' end of this scale as
Sage herself is aged 10, but the text is not complex.)
Carolyn Hull
What monster? by Liz Pichon
Tom Gates book 15. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN: 9781407179865
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: School life, Families, Music
festivals. Tom and Derek stop in at the newsagents on the way to
school attracted by the headline 'Angry Squirrel Throws Nuts'.
Whilst trying to read the newspaper article, they stop to pat a
sausage dog, chat to the nice lady owner and inform her about the
secret way to sneak into school when they are late. Nothing is
happenstance, the sausage dog is involved in the mysterious
disappearance of classmate Marcus' lunches. There's also a rather
strict new supply teacher ready to take on Tom's class when Mr.
Fullerman's leaves for a special teacher conference. There's
excitement at school with the announcement of the school play 'Jack
and the Beanstalk.' Time to make props and audition for special
roles, and Tom's pleased with to play a monster.
At home, older sister Delia's going to the sold-out Music Festival
Oakchella, while poor Tom who'd love to attend, is foisted on his
cousins for the weekend because Mum and Dad are also busy. There are
chalk drawings in the playground, special traps to catch the food
thief, excitement over play rehearsals as Tom records all his
experiences, dramas and everyday life both in drawing and
observations.
Tom Gates's fifteenth instalment by award-winning author Liz Pichon
is another fun addition, with plenty of action at home and school.
Her illustrations sketches and cartoon doodles sprawl across the
pages, text and font styles change adding to the excitement of
reading the narrative. Tom's running commentary on his school and
home life is always humorous, his love for music and food shine
through. There's a Where's Wally (Tom) drawing at the
conclusion with lots of familiar characters enjoying the music
festival.
The Tom Gates series is perfect for reluctant readers who enjoy
stories told through visual representation.
Rhyllis Bignell
Learn with Ruby Red Shoes series by Kate Knapp
Harper Collins Publishers, 2018. ABC Alphabet Book. ISBN: 9781460756904 123 Counting Book. ISBN: 9781460756911
(Ages: 1-5) Recommended. Rhyming Books, Counting, Alphabet. 'Ruby
Red Shoes is a white hare who loves to learn. Hop along with Ruby
and her chickens as they learn . . . ' These small books pack a big
punch with their gorgeous and intricate illustrations. They have an
old- world feel which makes them warm and wholesome. Even if you are
not familiar with the other Ruby Red Shoes books you will probably
recognise the style of the illustrations from Kate Knapp's Twigseeds
range of cards and stationery. They are delicate with detailed
patterns that give each page an incredible depth and richness. They
are also beautifully written.
In ABC there is no theme to the words used for each letter
of the alphabet, ranging from angels to eggs to ice to stairs and
yellow. However, they are all about things that are warm or
comforting (a yummy breakfast to start us on our way, the home where
you feel blessed, ice- skating with friends on a winter's night,
comforting jam on toast and cosy pyjamas that keep you warm through
the night). The randomness makes it interesting to turn each page
and there is no set pattern to the text either; some pages are long,
some are short. The focus letter of each page is in a large capital.
In 123 each number from one to twelve has a double page
spread. One page has the number as a figure, as a number and
pictures of the thing being counted (e.g., one Ruby Red Shoes). The
opposite page has a short rhyme such as 'Two is for us. That's me
and you. One plus one is equal to two. Two of anything is also a
pair, like the shiny red shoes that I love to wear'. Again,
everything is warm and comforting: washing flapping on the line as
Ruby lies down for a nap on the lawn, warm, ripe peaches being
picked from the tree and buttons holding together a warm jacket to
keep out the chill. The last pages show all the number words and
digits and there is also a counting activity.
These are sweet and timeless little books that are sure to be
treasured and passed down.
Nicole Nelson
Hedgehog Howdedo by Lynley Dodd
Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780143773023
(Ages: 1-4) Board book, Hedgehogs, Hibernation, Counting Book,
Rhyming book. This is a previously published title (2000) from the
creator of Hairy Maclary. It is winter and the garden is
full of hibernating hedgehogs. 'There's one beneath the Pizza plant,
two are on a ledge, I even saw three white ones in a hole behind the
hedge'. Our narrator, the young girl whose garden the hedgehogs are
all sleeping in, 'can't think WHAT will happen, in just a month or
two, to the horde of hibernators in this hedgehog howdedo'.
While we don't have hedgehogs or many hibernating animals in
Australia, young children will enjoy learning about hedgehogs and
what they get up to in the winter. The rhyme is simple and sweet,
and is a refreshing change from most counting books as it stops at
eight and does not have a predictable text pattern. The
illustrations are in Lynley Dodd's distinctive style and portray a
real sense of the quiet and still nature of winter.
Nicole Nelson
Comet's cross-country crime by Sally Sutton
Ill. by Kirsten Richards. Miniwings book 5. Scholastic, 2018,
ISBN: 9781775434870.
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Horses, Running, Theft. Six magical mini-horses
bring fun, excitement and a little bit of naughtiness into their
owners' lives. Told from Sophia's point of view, she describes her
Five-Point Race-Training Master Plan for preparing for their school
cross-country race. The Miniwings listened as the girls discuss
their goal to win the race and receive 'Glorious Victory' even
though Grace from the Red Team will be running with her magic shoes.
Sophia pushes Clara a bit hard on their first day of fitness
training and she fakes a twisted ankle.
Of course, the Miniwings horses all try to assist the girls with
their training, but it is Comet who comes up with a special plan to
help Clara and Sophia achieve their goal on race day. When Mr Jones
the kind caretaker explains that he's marked the course with orange
markers to help the runners find their way, Comet comes up with a
tricky plan to confuse the rest of the teams. Grace Rocketer's magic
shoes mysteriously disappear as well and she blames Sophia.
There are eerie noises, a monster chasing them, confused runners
trying to find the race track, and lots of things to contend with
along the way. Clara and Sophie's final decision shows a positive
attitude and brings about a special victory in the girls'
cross-country race.
Kirsten Richards' whimsical creatures, fun cartoon characters,
quirky pastel paint and ink drawings fly, swirl and frame Sally
Sutton's entertaining story told from Sophia's point of view.
There's a dictionary of Miniwing-ese to explain all of the unique
words they use to communicate. Comet's Cross-Country Crime is an easy-to read beginning
chapter book filled with horses and fun.
Rhyllis Bignell
Lady Helen and the Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman
Lady Helen book 3. Angus and Robertson, 2018. ISBN
9780732296117.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. After devouring the first two books
in the series (Lady
Helen and the Dark Days Club and Lady
Helen and the dark days pact) the final in the trilogy set in
beautiful Bath does not disappoint with its thrilling mysteries and
heart rending romance. Helen is in the midst of preparing for her
wedding to the Duke of Selburn, while at the same time struggling to
learn to control her powers with Lord Carlston as part of the Grand
Reclaimer, in order to overcome the Grand Deceiver. Lady Helen
believes that Carlston's wife is still alive and must supress her
illicit feelings for him, knowing that she could love the Duke of
Selburn who is devoted to her.
Anyone who likes the Regency period will be fascinated with the
gorgeous setting. Bath of 1812 is described in detail as is the
country mansion belonging to the Duke of Selburn and the manners of
the time. The slow burning romance between Helen and Carlston is
fraught with difficulties, not least the engagement of Helen to
Selburn, and Goodman kept the tension of this going right to the end
of the book - it was virtually impossible to predict if it could be
resolved or to predict just who the Great Deceiver was! And there is
action galore as Helen and Carlston join together as the Grand
Reclaimer in the final fight against the dark powers that have been
unleashed.
An inventive, highly addictive series, part historical and part dark
fantasy, this series will appeal to lovers of the Regency period, as
well as those who enjoy books by Georgette Heyer and the The
Glamourist histories by Mary Robinette Kowal.
I can't wait to see what Alison Goodman writes next!
Pat Pledger
