Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781471173721
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Themes: Mental illness. Friendship.
Homosexuality. Diversity. Gayle Forman the author of the bestselling
If I
stay and the sequel Where
she went among others, has done it again. I have lost my
way is a powerful, memorable and engrossing stand-alone story
that delves into the lives of three young people, all who have
problems. Freya, on the verge of becoming a star, has lost her voice
while recording her first album, Harun is running away from his
boyfriend, too afraid to come out to his family and Nathaniel has
come to New York totally alone. When Freya falls on Nathaniel in the
park and this is witnessed by Harun, the three unite and while
taking Nathaniel to the hospital the reader finds out their stories.
All have lost their way.
The book is written from different points of view and the reader
gets to know each character in depth and is able to sympathise with
their crises and with their backgrounds. Freya has not only lost her
voice, she has lost her sister who she once sang with and her father
who has returned to Ethiopia to live. Harun has been so successfully
in hiding his sexuality that he is being sent off to meet his bride
and Nathaniel, that brave boy, has lost his grandmother and his
father, who he has cared for over many years.
This is an unforgettable story. Each character is so well described
that you feel you know them very well and can relate to their
problems and applaud their strengths. The power of friendship shines
through this book and will be a beacon for readers who see how
friends who are there for you can make a huge difference. Other
themes like mental health, children who are left to be the main
carers of adults, manipulation by the music industry and suicide all
make it a book not to be missed.
An article from Publishers
Weekly notes that Forman had lost her own way before writing
this compelling story. She had started seven projects, none of which
satisfied her and finally decided to face her problem by writing
about it. This article also links to a recording of A
little white dress, a song that resonates for Freya in the
story.
This is a very satisfying and uplifting story, sure to become a firm
favourite for many readers.
Pat Pledger
Nobody real by Steven Camden
HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9780008168384
(Age: Older teens and young adults) Recommended. What an unusual
style for a novel, loaded with great imagery and poetry.
I found this novel difficult to understand at first as I was
challenged with following who was narrating at different times. Once
I started to recognize how the different fonts related to different
characters and scenarios, it became easier to follow.
It has a very unique storyline of imaginary friends and growing up
in a society where young people are expected to follow the usual
'future paths' - school, university, university debt, work; where
imaginary friends are not only real to the creator, but real in
another world. The creativity and 'make believe' of artists and
authors perhaps are fueled by not only their imagination but also by
the strength that they feel from someone 'not real'.
The overall story is relate-able to today's young people - full of
references to up-to-date technology and the way that young people
use these in their social interactions. The issue of broken
families, abandonment and surviving with guilt and grief, lends this
novel to perhaps help readers and others to gain perspectives and
empathy for people who experience these very real issues.
The characters are realistic and I felt that I could easily depict
various 'real' people that I know as the characters. Thor and the
other 'non real' people, are also very realistic with their thoughts
and reactions. The only 'unreal' aspect of the imaginary people are
their descriptions (bear) and their super powers (flying). They
suffer, feel and react just as real people would which makes them
more credible as 'imaginary FRIENDS'. No friend wants to be
forgotten and just fade away from the memory of someone who is dear
to them.
Steven Camden as an author, has been brilliant in his ability to add
poetry in a teen novel which enhances the important focal points and
which (I think) promotes the power and beauty of poetry as a
literary creative art form.
Maria Burford
Go Go and the silver shoes by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker
Penguin Viking, 2018. ISBN 9780143785521
When all your clothes are the hand-me-downs from your three wild
brothers, it is important to make the most of what you have. Even
though they were fourth-hand, Go Go had a knack for making them
interesting and wore them proudly even if "friends" like Annabelle
made unkind comments. And when the only new things you get are your
knickers and sneakers, then it is especially important to choose the
most beautiful you can find. So when Go Go chose a pair of silver
sneakers that sparkled in the sun she wore them everywhere. She
loved them and was so proud of them, even if they were a bit big to
last longer. But disaster struck the day the family went on a picnic
and while Go Go and her brothers were having an adventure down
through the rocks in the river, one of the precious shoes is lost.
Go Go is heartbroken and very cross as her mum points out that
perhaps she should have worn older shoes that day.
But undeterred and despite her brothers' suggestions for what she
could do with the remaining shoe, Go Go is determined to wear it
still - even if it means teaming it with an odd shoe and facing the
jeers of Annabelle. This is a decision that leads to an unexpected
friendship as both Go Go and the lost shoe have their own journeys
to make.
There is so much to love about this story - as the grandmother of
one who never wears matching socks and is so unaffected by a need to
be trendy, I love Go Go's independence and confidence in creating
her own style and being a bit different; as one who grew up in the
middle of eight boys (all but one cousins), I love that she is me
50+ years ago and all the memories that evokes; and I love Anna
Walker's illustrations that are so subtle and detailed and tell a
story of their own. And I love the ending - you just never know
where or how lasting friendships are going to happen. From its
sparkly cover to its stunning endpages, this is a unique story that
had me enthralled to the end.
So many will identify with Go Go and draw strength and confidence
from her independence and ability to get to the nub of what being a
child is about without all the frills and fripperies.
Barbara Braxton
Lyla: Through my eyes by Fleur Beale
Through My Eyes Natural Disaster Zones series. Allen and
Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760113780
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Earthquakes; Disasters;
Mental Health; Resilience; Loss and grief; Overcoming difficulties.
This series is an amazing chance to step inside a disaster zone
(something that no one really seeks) and to develop empathy for
those who have really experienced the circumstances of that
disaster.
We walk alongside Lyla, a Christchurch teen, who survives the horror
of having her city and her life shaken violently. Her amazing story
of resilience and fortitude, and the incredible responses to what
was a truly horrifying piece of New Zealand's recent history is both
challenging and honest. The horrors of the original ground-shaking
horrors, the initial damage and the liquefaction, when even the
'sold ground' was no longer to be trusted as secure, are brilliantly
related. Lyla and her family must make so many adjustments, while
experiencing the repeated uncertainty of after-shocks and building
destruction. The honesty of this book is such that we recognise the
need for support to those who have experienced great trauma, even
when they seem 'to be holding it all together'.
This is a book that is full of great characters who are adjusting to
change and the cracks that have opened up as great chasms in their
life. With no control over what they are experiencing and with such
incredible change that most of us would have no idea how to find any
sense of normal, these characters are quite inspiring. Fleur Beale
has written this in very compelling way, showing great understanding
of the circumstances and of teens in general, and there is humour
and personality in every chapter despite the awfulness of the quake
zone and the struggles of the main character.
Recommended highly to young readers aged 13+.
Note: mental health issues are discussed . . . not surprisingly
considering the circumstances.
Carolyn Hull
Dig, dump, roll by Sally Sutton
Ill. by Brian Lovelock. Roadworks series. Walker Books,
2018. ISBN 9781760650056
(Ages: 2-5) Themes: Construction vehicles. This new instalment in
the Roadworks series (Roadworks, Demolition
and Construction) will delight young lovers of big vehicles.
An eye-catching front cover with black and yellow construction tape
and large, bold, heavy text matches the theme of the book, as do the
bitumen endpapers. Each page gives the sound the machine makes (eg.
"Crash-a-rumble smash-a-grumble") and some clues (picture clue as
well as a clue about what it does), asking "What's at work?". The
featured machines, all favourites of small children, are bulldozer,
digger, dump truck, roller, concrete mixer and builders. As we find
out at the end, a school is being built, "just for you". This does
seem a little strange when the interested audience will mainly be
pre-schoolers. In addition, the sounds are a little odd and when
said aloud they don't particularly sound like the machine they are
trying to emulate. The repeated rhyme "What's at work? Here's a
clue: it will . . . for you" is great and young ones will love
joining in with the simple refrain (e.g. "Digger, Digger, Coming
through!".
Quite realistic, detailed pictures show the machines in profile,
making it easy to compare and contrast the features of each. The
last page showing labelled pictures of the machines is a fantastic
feature as it uses proper terminology such as boom, swing gate and
piston, although this could be a bit more detailed for this age
group.
Nicole Nelson
The story of Tantrum O'Furrily by Cressida Cowell
Ill. by Mark Nicholas. Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9781444933802
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Cats. Survival. Stories.
Cautionary tales. When Tantrum pads across the roofs in search of
food with her three hungry kittens in tow, they ask for a story. So
she tells them a story about Smallpaw, a pampered kitten living
comfortably in a house where no stories are told. She has a lovely
bed but each night after her tea, she presses her nose at the window
and wonders what it is like outside. Mrs Worrykin, her owner, has
told her that outside is full of dangerous stray cats, bad cats that
fight with each other and with dogs. Smallpaw tries hard to be a
good cat, but she is bored, so one night when the cat flap is left
unlatched, she creeps outside. There a fox talks to her, encouraging
her to take another step and hear his story. She comes closer until
he leaps upon her telling her he will eat her. Suddenly another cat
comes out of the gloom and fights off the fox. The stray cat tells
her that she can write her own story, all it takes is courage.
After that Smallpaw is allowed outside and a saucer of milk is left
for her, but she only drinks half, leaving some for the brave cat
that saved her.
With that, Tantrum climbs down and shows her kittens the saucer of
milk, half full, left for them.
This delightful fable of good and bad, a cautionary tale encouraging
children to see beyond the words, would be a great read a loud,
children joining in with the conversations between the fox and the
cat, or between the cats when the kitten is rescued, and calling out
when the fox attacks.
With the wonderfully ingenious illustrations washing across each
page, the brush making sweeps of colour evoking movement, children
will be entranced as they see the animals that make up the story and
recognsie danger when they see it. This modern fable tells us all
that being aware of the dangers is good, but these fears cannot rule
our lives, it takes courage to take that first step.
Fran Knight
How to be a fashion designer by Lesley Ware
Ill. by Tiki Papier. DK, 2018. ISBN 9781465467614
The world of fashion, with its perceived glamour and glitz, always
appeals to a certain number of students who care about what they
wear and have the ability to make the proverbial sack look good.
Sadly though, enduring emphasis on body image continues despite all
that is done to combat it and many soon realise they don't have "the
look" to be a top model and turn away. But in this
easy-to-read manual other avenues in fashion are explored,
particularly those of the designer and the stylist. "While
designers create their clothes, stylists know how to put them
together."
Using themed double-spreads students are taken through the basic
steps with typical DK layout pizzazz, illustrations galore, tips and
challenges that encourage them to start designing now. The
last 20 pages offer opportunities to design a t-shirt, trousers,
skirt, hat, shoes and accessories with outlines already provided so
new knowledge can be applied immediately as the reader learns about
colour, texture, patterns and shape while being encouraged to be
inspired by the event and the environment. Recycling and upstyling
are explored so not only is waste minimised but even those with few
dollars do not need to be deterred.
Ware believes that those who can "speak up with fashion" have the
courage to speak up in other ways too so as teachers we should look
to those who dare to be different as being more than clothes
horses. A close-to-home example is a student I taught a few
years ago who always made the compulsory school uniform a personal
statement, who was a whizz at design puzzles like tangrams and who,
at 17, starred in a local show in a country town and then six months
later in 2017, had her designs on the catwalk
in Vancouver and more recently, Nassau in the Bahamas! Her story
alone should give students confidence to continue.
Written to support a STEAM curriculum, the suggestions in this book
offer an entire term's curriculum for those with this sort of
interest but even those who aren't particularly interested in
fashion can learn how to step out with a bit more style to give
themselves a confidence boost.
Barbara Braxton
O horsey by Christopher Barnett
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 9781743055212
(Age: Adult) Once described as 'The greatest Australian poet you've
never heard of' (The Conversation, 2013), Chrisopher Barnett is a poet from
Adelaide who has lived in France since 1990. His previous work When
they came/ for you: elegies/ of resistance which received
critical acclaim, was about the violent and political death of
Turkish American activist Furkan Dogan.
Angleo Loukakis describes Barnett's latest work O horsey as
a "work of raw, brutal power", "a battle for the soul, for
survival":
"All the while the sense is of one standing alongside the teller,
listening as he proclaims what the edge of life and the threat of
the void ahead most utterly feels like".
There are references to the Maralinga bombs, nuclear weapons, war
and death, as the words of the poet describe devastation and ruin.
He cries in out despair, longing, hope, to the beautiful ebony horse
- the cover shows the divinely bred immortal horse of Greek
mythology. The words of the poem are powerful and intone with many
emotions - well suited to performance poetry, and to repeated
readings, to gradually add layers of understanding.
Helen Eddy
The walkabout orchestra by Chloe Perernau
Quarto, 2018. ISBN 9781786030795
The orchestra have an important concert to play - but all the
musicians have gone walkabout! But each has sent a postcard to
the Maestro saying where they are. So the challenge for the reader
is to help him and his faithful assistant find them using the clues
in those postcards.
From Reykjavik to Rio young readers will enjoy this search-and-find
tour of the world that introduces them to the instruments of the
orchestra as they test their powers of observation using the
pictures of each in the introductory pages as a starting point.
With busy pages that test the eye (although not quite as busy as Where's
Wally?) this book encourages readers to examine the details in
things rather than just glancing quickly at them and moving on. To
add to the mix there is a little yellow bird on each double-spread
with his own quest that adds a further challenge. All eventually
come together in a concert hall with some interesting audience
members, and for those who just can't find them, an answer key is
provided.
While this ostensibly introduces children to the instruments of the
orchestra, it works better as a search-and-find book which is much
more fun and informative.
A great addition for those who have pored over Where's Wally
and who are looking for a new challenge in that collaborative
reading activity that is so important to emerging readers,
particularly boys.
Barbara Braxton
The last peach by Gus Gordon
Viking, 2018. ISBN 9780670078912
As summer draws to a close, a delicious golden peach hangs in front
of the two bugs, tantalising them with its perfection. But which of
them should eat it? Indeed, should it be eaten at all? Should it
remain beautiful and perfect or should they satisfy their hunger?
Discussing the problem and examining the pros and cons, the story is
told entirely in dialogue and illustrated using mixed media,
particularly paper collage, making the pictures as diverse as the
bugs' dilemma.
It is ideal for encouraging students how to look at the many sides
of a situation because even the simplest set of circumstances can
have many perspectives and possible solutions, and perhaps even
examining motive and bias. Does the bug that tells them it's
probably "all stinky and rotten on the inside" covet it for himself?
This is an intriguing read with a most unexpected outcome that will
encourage lots of discussion and debate.
Barbara Braxton
The great Shelby Holmes meets her match by Elizabeth Eulberg
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408871492
(Age: 8-10) Recommended. Themes: Detective stories, School stories,
Juvenile Diabetes. Feisty nine-year-old girl detective Shelby Holmes
returns to solve a new mystery and confront an old enemy. With her
friend and mystery-solving partner John Watson they are ready to
face new challenges. Both are attending a new school - the Harlem
Academy of the Arts, in the same year level because Shelby's 'brain
attic', her knowledge and deductive abilities have helped her skip
two grades.
John has experienced new schools and different places and as an army
kid, and is confident about their fitting in, however he's concerned
about Shelby's unique style, her lack of reading social cues and
bluntly pointing out everyone's secrets which causes problems.
Shelby delves into the background of the mysterious new teacher Mr.
Crosby and his missing heirloom watch. They face problems caused by
Shelby's nemesis Moira who hacks the school director's email, steals
Mr. Johnson's watch and locks Shelby and John up in a basement
boiler room. Here, John who has juvenile diabetes suffers a medical
incident and Shelby desperately and creatively finds someone to help
him.
Eulberg includes numerous references to the original Sherlock Holmes
stories, which may be beyond her reading audience's background
knowledge. Interestingly, she includes descriptions of the white
students' skin tones as a point of reference. Matt Robertson's
cartoon drawings are entertaining: there's Shelby's unique
hairstyle, smoke bombs exploding and eyes appearing from the
darkness. Shelby Holmes meets her match has themes of friendship,
solving mysteries and overcoming worry and anxiety, and is an
enjoyable novel suited to ages 8-10.
Rhyllis Bignell
Count with Little Fish by Lucy Cousins
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406374193
(Ages: 0-3) Themes: Counting, Fish, Board Book, Rhyming. This is a Little
Fish Book, featuring the same titular fish from Where is
Little Fish and Hooray for Fish. It counts from 1 to
10 using a variety of fish (fin-fin fish, funny fish, etc.) and is
tactile and visually appealing. Shiny illustrations are smooth to
the touch and everything is patterned with spots and stripes of
varying vibrant design. Both the colours and the tone of the book
are bold and cheerful. Playful illustrations encourage discussion
about shape, size, colour, pattern, and fish body parts (big, small,
long, short, spotty, stripy, sharp teeth, long fins etc) and the
last page encourages further discussion ("How many new fish have you
found?). This final page also shows all the fish from the book so
helps children with recall and reflection. Large numerals, which
have the written word underneath, assist with number recognition.
The numerals are eye-catching because they are patterned the same as
the fish on that page. Visual appeal and a nice rhythm ("One little
fish swimming in the sea, Two twin fin-fin fish, as pretty as can
be") makes this a simple but effective first counting book.
Nicole Nelson
Missing by Sue Whiting
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781760650032
(Age: 12-16) Highly recommended. Themes: Missing Persons; Mystery;
Family; South America; Bats. Mackenzie's (Kenzie) life is in free
fall because her mother is missing. Kenzie's father and her Nan
appear to be either falling apart or hiding something from her. When
clues appear to point in confusing directions, Kenzie ends up with
secrets that she can tell no one. Not even her Sketchbook can reveal
what she thinks she knows, but it does give her opportunity to draw
what her mother loves - bats! A sudden trip with her father to a
remote South American location takes her to the place where her
mother was last seen. Confusion and isolation in Panama do not help
her solve her secrets and the mystery of her missing mother.
It is written in an interesting chronology with chapters detailing
present day events interspersed with the history of what had
happened in her life immediately after her mother's disappearance.
This disparate time setting slowly reconnects, as the history
catches up to the present. This is a sad and tense story revealing
the challenges for those left behind in a missing person case. In
addition there is the intrigue of the scientific interest in bats
and the South American setting, in combination with a desperate but
likeable teen coming to terms with significant issues in her life
and finding her place and friends in a new school. This is
compelling and emotionally charged, and will be appreciated by
readers wanting something that is not formulaic, with some mystery.
Carolyn Hull
Yay! It's Library Day by Aleesah Darlison
Ill. by Australian children. Wombat Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925563238
(Ages: 3-6) Themes: Books, Libraries, Reading. Illustrated by
children from around Australia, Yay! It's Library Day
reminds readers of the importance of libraries and books. Oliver and
Ivy visit the library with Dad and on follows all the adventures
they have from the comfort of the giant library chair. Off they go,
gasping "in horror at the pirate captain's motley crew", hearing
tales of "giant creatures swimming in oceans cold and deep" and
entering into "lands where dragons breathe fire and smoke".
The name of each child illustrator is next to the page number. There
is a nice assortment of different illustration styles, some
fantastic, some not as great (despite there being over 600 entries
for Wombat Books to choose from).
Overall, this is a nice little romp through the worlds we can enter
through books and a reminder to children that they too could be an
illustrator (this is the second book that Wombat has done in this
style so there may be more to come).
The end sums up the joys of reading: "Today we were heroes, today we
were kings. Today books taught us so many things." This could prompt
discussions about favourite places to visit in books or students
could even work together to compile a similar book. While this
concept feels familiar (exploring the worlds we explore through
reading) I cannot name a comparable title. A nice one to share on
special library appreciation days and during Book Week.
Nicole Nelson
Message in a sock by Kaye Baillie
Ill. by Narelda Joy. MidnightSun, 2018. ISBN 9781925227383
Highly recommended. Picture book. One hundred years ago and
Australian soldiers are fighting in the waterlogged, mud-filled,
rat-infested trenches of the Western Front and almost as great an
issue as the enemy's bullets is trench foot
where the feet literally rot from being constantly cold and wet. So
the call goes out for 150 000 pairs of socks and the women and girls
left back home start knitting.
Click clack click clack click clack - no matter where you go,
needles are working and socks are rolling off them - long woollen
ones that go up to the knees for added protection and silk knitted
into the heels to make them extra strong. Tammy's father is one of
those away fighting and her mother one of those at home knitting.
Day and night, whenever her hands aren't doing something else, they
are knitting. Tammy's job is to wash the socks before they are sent
away and into each of the ten pairs her mummy knits, she places a
special message to her daddy.
"Dear Daddy, Bless your poor feet. Every stitch is made with love to
help bring you safely home. From Tammy". Then the socks are wrapped
in special paper and taken to join all the other pairs about to be
shipped.
Will her daddy get a pair of socks knitted by Mummy with their
special message?
Based on a true exchange between Lance Corporal A. McDougall and a
young girl, Message in a sock is another touching and
intriguing story that helps put a human face on World War I making
it easier for young children to understand this nation-shaping
conflict and why the commemoration of its centenary is so important.
Told by Tammy herself, young girls can put themselves in her place
and imagine what it would be like to have their father in mortal
danger each day, far away in an unimaginable place and how even
something as seemingly insignificant as putting a message in a sock
can have such an enormous impact. The tiniest stone thrown into a
small pond can still make a ripple that spreads ever outwards.
With its muted colours but detailed pictures that contain so much
interest, this is another unique story from a time long ago that,
like the impact of Tammy's message in a sock, has the ripple effect
of impacting understanding and perhaps lives. An essential in your
ANZAC Day collection.
Barbara Braxton
