Reviews

Turtle Trackers by Samantha Wheeler

UQP, 2018. ISBN 9780702259951
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Ten year old Isaac lives with his widowed mother in a caravan park in seaside Queensland. They are the park caretakers and the huge workload impacts on their lives, ensuring Isaac has very little free time during his holidays. His passion is for the migrating turtle species who arrive on the nearby beaches every year to lay their eggs. These eggs are at risk from marauding dogs, visiting tourists and feral wildlife. Isaac wants to be an official turtle tracker, someone who watches over the turtles and their nests, but his commitments in the caravan park make it impossible for him to fulfil his dream.
To add to the pressure, visiting travel blogger Eddie Eastwood is visiting the caravan park with his unleashed, mischievous dog Bella and it looks as though a poor review will be forthcoming . . . bad news for his Mum and her future employment with the owners of the park, the local council.
Isaac has a strong environmental passion which is evident in the story and the author uses his voice to educate about the importance of protecting turtles and the impact of pollution on the turtle population. Only one in a thousand hatchlings will survive to generate new eggs so it is important to be aware of the necessity of protecting the turtle's future.
Although this book has a strong message to tell, the story entertains and keeps the reader interested in Isaac and his hopes and dreams.
For the reader that wants to learn more about turtles, the author provides further information and links at the end of the novel.
Turtle Trackers reminds me of another of Samantha Wheeler's books Mister Cassowary, which gives an insight into the prehistoric like cassowary, while telling an interesting story about a boy and his family's past.
The bright primary colours on the jacket are appealing and clearly identify the book's focus.
I recommend this novel to 9 to 12 year olds.
Jane Moore

Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer

Candlewick Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763684426
(Age: Mature14+) Being Fishkill focusses on 12-year-old Carmel Fishkill who is named after a highway exit sign her mother, Keely, glimpsed while giving birth in the back seat of a car. Her life is complex and she decides that starting seventh grade in a new school is an opportunity to reshape her image, now that her abusive grandfather is dead, and her drug-addicted mother has vanished. Starting with a name reversal, Carmel becomes the tough girl, Fishkill, but her plan is thrown off course when the more precocious but equally tough Duck-Duck Farina befriends her.
The novel is dark, with moments of lightness, as Fishkill quietly 'fights' to establish an identity that is not based on her dysfunctional family. This narrative is about a search for connections and also enters the realm of the first stages of exploring sexual identity.
For me, as a reader, Fishkill and Duck-Duck seemed much older than their 12 years, and that caused a block in the plausibility of their characters.
There are flashbacks to a disrupted and disturbing life with her mother and grandfather. This is countered with Duck-Duck's mother, Molly. who welcomes her into the home.
There are many twists and turns in this novel which would keep the reader engaged. Emotions and experiences are intense and at times confronting.
I would recommend this for more mature readers of 14 years and up.
Maree Samuel

Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. ISBN 9780544947306
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Philip K. Dick Award (2017). Themes: Dystopian fiction, Science fiction, Murder, Birth control. Years after an environmental disaster has devastated the world, killing millions, the Coast Road in the US has developed a thriving culture, where birth control is mandatory and people must earn a banner if they want to have a child. In Haven, Enid has not only earned a banner but is an Investigator, helping to solve problems and mediate when necessary. When there is a suspected murder in another town she is sent to investigate and uncovers more than she was anticipating.
Bannerless is a sometimes bleak and very different take on a dystopian future, with less emphasis on solving a crime but exploring a society that allowed it to happen. Through a series of flashbacks the reader follows the progress of Enid as she grows from a restless young woman roaming the roads with Dak to a responsible member of her community trusted to obey the laws that allow it to flourish and to enforce them if necessary. People live together in small groups, grow their own food and look after each other, putting the needs of the community before individual needs. Cities no longer exist and much of the technological knowledge that ruled the world before its downfall has disappeared. The Coast Road people managed to salvage what knowledge they thought was most important, birth control being one of the major needs.
Vaughan, better known for her Kitty series, featuring a werewolf, shows off her writing ability in Bannerless, bringing alive a different and unique take on a dystopian future. Its themes of birth control, self sufficiency, sharing and group living, as well as the ethics surrounding the murder of a loner, make it a fascinating and memorable read.
Pat Pledger

Fantastically great women who made History by Kate Pankhurst

Bloomsbury, 2018, ISBN 9781408878897
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Subjects: Women - History, Women - Biography. Fantastically Great Women Who Made History looks at the lives, discoveries and achievements of many important women from Hatshepsut in Ancient Egypt to Russian astronaut Valentin Tereshkova. Kate Pankhurst's has an engaging and unique presentation design, interweaving fun and interesting factual information with stylish cartoon characters, bold coloured text boxes and visually engaging fonts and sizes.
'To make history you need to be brave, bold and believe in yourself - just like the women in this book.' The book begins with Harriet Tubman who helped many runaway slaves escape through the Underground Railroad between 1850 and 1860 in Maryland. Flora Drummond fought for women's equality and for the right to vote in Edwardian England, as did the author's relative Emmeline Pankhurst. Chinese Qiu Jin wrote poems, articles and gave speeches about the unfair treatment of Chinese women, in the late 1800's. She was passionate about the cruel practice of feet binding and encouraged her students to secretly rebel against the old-fashioned government rulers. English inventor Ada Lovelace designed a flying machine in 1828 when she was just twelve, and later worked with Charles Babbage on his Difference Engine.
Pankhurst travels through history, focussing on inspirational women, some famous and others who have made important contributions to women's rights, people's lives and living conditions across the arts, literature, music and world issues. Pankhurst concludes with a challenge 'How will you make history?' Fantastically Great Women who made History is an excellent resource suited to Humanities and Social Sciences from Year 2-Year 9 reflecting on women's influences in the shaping of Australia and the world.
Rhyllis Bignell

Wildcat Run by Sonya Spreen Bates

Ill. by Kasia Charko. Orca Book Publishers, 2018. ISBN 9781554698301
(Age: 6+) Tommy, Jake and Lexie are on the slopes. The cousins have been skiing for a week, but Jake's Dad twisted his knee on the last run and had agreed they could do one more run, provided they stick to the easy levels. Tommy is Jake's little brother, though he's improved a lot, he is less confident than Jake and Lexie. Once they're on the chair lift, it doesn't take much for Lexie to convince her the boys to try Wildcat Run.
The ski trail itself was an old logger's run, unlike its namesake, there haven't been wild cats on the mountain for years . . . until now. What are those tracks? What can they hear near the stream? Jake, Lexie and Tommy are suddenly in a race for their life down the hill, except Lexie has an accident and the trio has to think a bit more laterally.
In this easy read novel, with Jake as the narrator, the reader experiences Jake's ability to lead his cousins to safety, showing survival skills and all the while has a low literacy need. Readers as young as six will easily follow the storyline, so it would also be good as an introduction to narratives or as a read-aloud at bedtime for younger readers. I especially enjoyed the interspersed thought commentary Jake uses to help him problem-solve. For example, " I am a downhill racer, going for another practice run . . . this time I'll get a personal best".
At times the book is similar to Secret Seven or Famous Five where the children have to use logic and smarts to survive a situation. It is also part of a series, where the characters refer back to other adventures they've shared. Those who enjoy adventure will love this quick read.
Clare Thompson

Bird builds a nest by Martin Jenkins

A Science Storybook about Forces. Ill. by Richard Jones. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406355130
(Ages: 3-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Forces, Push and Pull. In the front matter we are given a brief introduction to forces: "This is a book about forces. A force is something that makes an object move, stop moving or change direction. We can apply a force by pushing or pulling". The collage-like illustrations using earthy colours are beautiful, depicting flowers and trees from the endpapers and throughout. The narrative story itself is distinguished from the information by different and larger type. The story can be read alone but it also works very well when read alongside the informative text. The explanations are clear and easy for even the smallest children to understand. We are introduced to Bird and follow her through the day as she builds her nest in preparation for laying her eggs. First, she is hungry so she needs to pull a worm out of the ground. The small text reads, "Bird is getting ready to pull the worm. When you pull something, you are applying a force towards you".
The illustrations support the explanation perfectly and allow young children to tell the story using pictures alone (we see bird straining to pull a large, strong worm and struggling to pick up heavy and long twigs). It is made clear that some things are possible for Bird based on her size and strength ("Bird can carry: this quite large twig or two medium-sized twigs or three or four small twigs") and some tasks are not possible or difficult (it shows Bird exerting force on the actual nest that she is building as she moves around it pushing it with her body). These are things that children can actually relate to (pushing things with their body, the ability to pick up things of different weights, sizes and strengths). The book also touches on gravity and might lead to discussions about how things can be a similar size but different weights (she can carry many feathers and dried grass at once because they are very light).
This is a really clever introduction to forces for those beginning to understand the world around them and developing their scientific vocabulary. The conversational tone is gentle and calm. At the end of the book, there is an idea for an easy experiment using a ball of clay and a ping-pong ball, which will be suitable for classrooms and homes alike.
Nicole Nelson

P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry Jones

HarperCollins, 2018. IBSN 9781460754931
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Themes: Teen romance. Grief. Friendship. Mental illness. Family. In a small coastal country town lives 17-year-old Gwendolyn P. Pearson, a young lady who is still struggling with the sudden death of her young brother and her mother that occurred several years ago. She lives with her stepmother, older stepbrother, Tyrone, younger half-sister, Evie, and her dad who refuses to talk about her mother, and is too distant to ever hold a proper conversation with her. After an incident at the cafe where Gwen works with her best friend Loretta, Gwen is left flooded with memories of her mother's and brother's death. She tries to piece scattered memories of her mother together and grasp onto the fading memories of her brother and this leaves Gwen unsettled and full of sleepless nights. She tries to gain clarity by running along the beach but all she can do is remember the stories her mother told her, about mermaids existing and the white caps in the water being mermaids. Now whenever she sees the whitecaps she longs to believe it's her brother and mother waiting to see her again one day even though that is too good to be true. However, when two new city kids, Ben and his twin sister Amber, move into town things within their high school change causing minor disturbances, revelations and possible romance.
P is for Pearl is a slow paced novel; the type of book you can pick up, read a few chapters of, put down and read another book then come back to it, remembering where you left off. This novel would suit slow but persistent readers, that enjoy semi depressing novels. Similar books to P is for Pearl would be Girl in pieces by Kathleen Glasgow and Small spaces by Sarah Epstein.
Emily V. (Student)

Can I touch your hair? by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

Carolrhoda Books, 2018. ISBN 9781512404425
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. This book is a collection of poems written by Irene who is white and Charles who is black. These poems delve into the differences related to race, mistakes, friendship even hair.
Can I touch your hair? is written like a school project with two students who don't know each other having to work together on a poem project. By the end of the book they start to look beyond their differences and look at what they have in common.
It could be used as a teaching tool for a poetry project helping people to get to know each other, to encourage people to look at others' points of view on everyday things like hair, shoes, beach and church.
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for 10+.
Karen Colliver

Paris Syndrome by Lisa Walker

HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9781460755242
(Age: Adolescent) This seemingly light-hearted story, as adolescent fiction, touches on important aspects of the decisions of young people who are becoming aware of themselves and their role in the world. Covering fantasy, dreams, sexual awakening and love, Walker takes us into the lives of a young woman, Happy (Happiness) Glass, who is obsessed with all things French. The "Paris Syndrome" dominates her life, and when all things French are part of her city's celebrations, she finds herself caught up in more than she had expected.
Lisa Walker captures the angst of adolescence in a well-constructed and believable narrative, with adults in that world offering gentle support and wise guidance for the young woman. Happy faces more than just the light-hearted world of adolescence as she seeks to enjoy life at the same time as she is faced with the risks of letting down her guard, revealing who she really is to someone who may or may not like her for this. Wisdom is there in plenty, from wonderfully crafted interactions with older family and friends, particularly Professor Tanaka, whose wisdom and kindness enable Happy to come to terms with herself. This is a good text both for adolescent reading, and for those who work with adolescents.
Elizabeth Bondar

My trip to the supermarket: Activity and sticker book by Samantha Meredith

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2018. ISBN 9781408883686
(Age: 4+) Recommended. "Work your way around the supermarket and discover all the amazing things you can buy! Find your way through the maze of aisles to the checkout counter, count how many loaves of bread are in the baker 's basket, help the shop assistant stack the empty shelves and much more." (Publisher)
This activity book has a selection of activities to maintain interest. The stickers are bright and of a variety of sizes to match the page they are designed for.
It could be used to talk about shopping and the sorts of things you get when you go to the supermarket.
I recommend this book for 4+.
Karen Colliver

What the Fluffy Bunny said to the Growly Bear by P. Crumble

Ill. by Chris Saunders. Koala Books, 2018. ISBN 9781742761084
(Ages: 3-7) Rhyming Book. This is about a funny game of Chinese whispers and while amusing it doesn't quite hit the mark. "There's a surprise birthday party for Zebra. Wear a hat! Bring a cake! Pass it on." Each time the message is wrongly remembered with humorous results ("Wear a rat!", "Bring a snake!", etc). Young children will like the silliness of the concept as well as one of the last pages where all the animals turn up to the party (wearing meerkats, rats and acrobats and carrying snakes, shakes and rakes) but the final page tries to be a bit too clever and will probably go over their heads. It might even take adults a couple of reads to get the joke. This is a nice idea but lacks oomph at the end. In addition, the illustrations are disappointingly sparse and blandly coloured and the style seems inconsistent.
Nicole Nelson

Flamingo boy by Michael Morpurgo

HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9780008134648
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: World War Two, Gypsies, Nazis, Bullying, Flamingoes, Animals, Trust, Vincent van Gogh. At the end of his final year at school, Vincent dons a backpack and walks though the Camargue in Southern France, once the home of Vincent the name on the painting which has always been in his bedroom. Suddenly ill, he is befriended by a woman and man who share a house: Lorenzo is a seemingly simple man, devoted to his animals, and the woman, Zia, once a gypsy, cares for him as a lifelong friend would.
One night Zia begins her story, allowing Vincent to see what lies beneath their friendship, how they came to share a house, and the tale of how they survived the war.
Morpurgo layers story upon story in this mesmerising account, as he rounds out each of the main characters, filling in their backgrounds as we read. Each story is intimate and revealing, reflecting the way we should all behave in the face of tyranny and injustice.
Zia's family owns a carousel which they play each year in the local town. Lorenzo loves to ride the horse on the carousel and the two families grow closer. Zia hates school where she is bullied for being a gypeo, and Lorenzo's mother offers to teach her at the farm. When the Nazis take over the area, the gypsy family moves to the farm, a place of safety away from prying eyes, as gypsies are one of the groups sent to prison camps.
Here Lorenzo shows Zia his hospital shed where he cares for injured animals, especially the flamingo a familiar sight in the Camargue as they nest there every year. But people stealing the flamingo eggs are stopped by Lorenzo and his father, and in retaliation tell the authorities where the gypsy family is hiding.
This is yet another masterful story from Morpurgo, giving the readers a revealing tale of World War Two, making it more intimate by placing it within a small community, wrapping it with environmental concerns, reflecting the schemes of the Nazi invaders, but tempering it with sympathy shown by the man in charge.
Readers will recognise the bullying which occurs on many levels: the children as they taunt the 'flamingo boy', and Zia, the gypsy girl, the Jewish teacher removed from the school, the townspeople informing on the family hiding at the farm and the Nazi thugs who take the family from the farm, showing readers how easy it is to denigrate others.
Zia and Lorenzo are still friends and Morpurgo ties the story together with Vincent van Gogh, the name he started with, who killed himself because he was so alone. Morpurgo makes his point with composure in this highly readable book.
This novel is most suitable for middle school readers, and teachers wanting a novel to initiate discussion around the idea of bullying in all of its forms, from Nazism to that found in the community and classroom.
Fran Knight

Trell by Dick Lehr

The turnkey by Allison Rushby

Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925126921
(Age: middle school) Recommended. Themes: Cemeteries, Death, World War Two, Adventure, Churchill, Supernatural, Bravery. Flossie Birdwhistle died twelve years ago and is now the turnkey at Highgate Cemetery in London. It is her job to ensure the dead are truly resting, that their souls are contentedly asleep. But it is World War Two and nightly bomb raids cause damage, unsettling some of those souls within her jurisdiction. When she spies a mysterious German Officer carrying a strange object she must investigate, fearful of what he is about. She enlists the help of Ada, the turnkey from Tower Hamlets Cemetery, dead a hundred years, but now her friend.
This highly original story intrigued me from the start, offering a dead girl as the hero, set against the upheaval of World War Two, showing the results of bomb damage rarely shown.
In keeping the departed resting Flossie goes to some lengths to make sure they are happy and content but the mysterious man in an SS uniform worries her. When the Turnkey from Brompton Cemetery turns up with nearly one hundred recently departed Chelsea Pensioners woken by the sound of war overhead she puts them to work. They are sent to places all over London to watch and report back.
They find him in the War Rooms beneath London, actually listening to the war maneuvers being planned by Churchill and his entourage. Flossie goes to the Invalid Cemetery in Berlin and there meets the curator, a young frightened girl who eventually gives her information about the SS officer.
Flossie is deeply concerned, it is the same man who captained the German warship which bombed her father's ship in 1915, leaving her fatherless, a man to be feared. His crystal ball holds his soul and that of others, a relic from the Mayan civilisation, and as feared today as then, allowing him to instruct the living.
With escapades through the Magnificent Seven, the seven great inner city cemeteries of London, travels to Berlin, the War Rooms, British Library reading rooms and helped by a pod of Chelsea Pensioners, courageous Flossie is able to piece together the machinations of the German Officer and thwart his plans to take over London and use the cemeteries as building spaces for the new Nazi headquarters.
This is an exciting and very different read, one which held me to the end. Not a ghost story as such, the supernatural elements form the background against which a very determined young woman fights for her country.
Fran Knight

Miss Match: The truth about destiny by Crystal Cestari

Quercus Children's Books 2018. ISBN 9781784299149
(Age: 10-14) The Truth About Destiny is a haphazard collection of mythology and teenage drama drawn together though the main character's ability to see a person's soul-mate. In a word where magic is commonly accepted, Amber's matchmaking ability adds another layer of complexity to her already complicated adolescent life. I would recommend for girls between the ages of ten and fourteen.
When Amber's arch enemy Ivy arrives at her house asking for help Amber doesn't know what to do. Ivy has never looked so desperate before in her life. She's worried about her sister, Iris, who intends to renounce her legs and join her girlfriend in the sea. Amber uses her gift to see that Iris has found her match, but things are only just starting to get complicated as Iris reveals the witch who will turn her from siren to mermaid, Victoria, a corrupt witch who tried and failed to kill Amber. With the new danger realised, Amber must enlist the help of her mother to ensure that Iris's transformation goes as planned.
Finding your place in the word is always difficult. But more so when you have one foot in the supernatural and another in the mortal world. Amber's ability as a match-maker sets her apart from the crowd, but still it's not enough to fully be part of the supernatural world either. She walks a fine line working in her mother's wiccan shop, a supernatural restaurant catering to all kinds of beings, and a plain old mortal bakery. Going between must be hard, but Amber isn't the only one. Her best friend, Amani, gets visions of the future and they deal with the school siren on a regular basis.
Kayla Gaskell, 22