Reviews

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781619630123
(Age: 11-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Coming of Age; Identity; Growing up; Puberty. Jeans and sports shoes are the attire of choice for Joylin. She is the girl who would prefer to play basketball rather than do anything that her female friends are interested in. Playing basketball with her friend Jake and the other guys is much more fun than anything else. Her attitude towards the girls at school is full of disdain as they swoon in front of the boys, or primp and preen in front of the mirror, until . . . Santiago comes into her field of view. We then see that Joylin is in fact a normal young person about to undergo the transformations that all teens experience in varying ways. But will she lose herself in the process?
This is a lovely story of growing up and the relentless changes that creep up on a young person as puberty impacts life. Joylin's honesty and the journey through the beginnings of desire are delightful in their revelation for a younger reader. (This would make a good Growth and Development read-aloud for a year 6/7 class). There are other characters in the story who are also dealing with identity (Joylin's younger brother Caden, the artistic, non-sporty type, and her friend KeeLee, the Pastor's daughter; and Glory, the 'dressed-up' basketball star, and maybe even, Jake, the reliable friend.)
Written in a Prose Poetry style, this book would be excellent for a reader who struggles with longer text, but who is on the cusp of Middle School life. But it will be equally enjoyed by capable readers because they will recognise the changes that are flowing through the story.
Highly recommended for age 11-14 years
Carolyn Hull

Eric makes a splash by Emily MacKenzie

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408882962
(Age: 4+) Themes: Fear, Overcoming fear, Swimming. Eric is a worrier. He worries about the smallest of things: getting lost in the park, making his boots dirty, splashing in a puddle, what Mum has given him for lunch. So much so that he halts at trying different things or even doing everyday things. His friend, Flora is fearless, and buoys him up when he is worried. She often offers an alternative perspective of whatever they are doing, making him imagine that he is somewhere else or perhaps something else.
So when he pulls back at splashing in the puddles, she asks him to imagine that he is a piglet or a hippo rolling about int he mud. When he is troubled by climbing the frame she suggests that he imagines that he is a spider with legs that attach themselves using their sticky web. But when an invitation comes along for a pool party he is dismayed. Flora must make an extra effort to get him into bathers and to the pool's edge and finally into the water. But when he realises that he can swim he finds that he has another problem to solve: Flora.
This is an easily digested story of overcoming fears, of how friends can help, and will be read eagerly by younger readers, ready to offer their own examples of fears and how to get over them.
Fran Knight

Peg + Cat : The camp problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763699222
(Age: 6+) Peg and Cat can't wait to go to Camp Niniwawa with their friends Ninja Girl, Aki and Richard. But Richard, a space creature, is really homesick. It's a big problem! A little pattern-making in arts and crafts helps him feel better, and so do the coolest counsellors around - the Teens! But Tessa and Jesse are so focussed on the battle of the bunks that Peg gets worried, winning isn't everything, which bunk - the Gophers or the Raccoons - will get to one hundred points first? And what about sportsmanship? Doesn't that count for something?
I was pleasantly surprised with this book and can see it becoming a firm favourite with many children. It will fit nicely into the section of our library that I call 'quick reads'. It is a great book for those that are testing the waters of chapter books. The story line is simple to follow and the benefit of a mix of text and pictures is a bonus. It does discuss the notion of winning at all costs which would offer teachers a chance to chat about this notion. Will certainly be highly sought after. Peg + Cat is the Emmy Award-winning animated TV series.
Suitable for ages 6 and up.
Kathryn Schumacher

There's someone inside your house by Stephanie Perkins

Pan Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781509859801
(Age: 15+) Themes: Horror. Teen slasher. Romance. Makani Young has settled in Nebraska, after leaving behind a dark past. She has made friends with Alex and Darby and has a crush on Ollie, the strange boy who has dyed his hair pink. Then there is a series of shocking murders, starting with the popular Haley, star of the school's drama club. How is Makani involved? Does it have something to do with the secret about her past that she is desperate to keep?
Stephanie Perkins is best known for her romances, Anna and the French kiss,  Isla and the happily ever after, and Lola and the boy next door, all of which are wonderful stories of love. There is certainly a strong element of romance in There's someone inside your house, with Makani and Ollie's growing relationship, but there are also all the elements of a teen slasher movie with some very gruesome murders, culminating in a rather violent chase. At the same time the reader is left wondering just what Makani did to make her leave Hawaii and her ability as a diver far behind.
Perkins is an adept writer, the relationships between the characters are very relatable and the reader is kept in suspense right to the end.
A relatively easy read, this will really appeal to teens who like the horror genre, as it is fast paced, exciting and hard to put down. It is not difficult to see this made into a horror movie and it is one to promote at Halloween!
Pat Pledger

How to hang a witch by Adriana Mather

Before I let you go by Kelly Rimmer

Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780733639173
(Age: Senior secondary +)This is a stunning modern narrative evoking some of the hardest issues that humans face. With a 2am phone call, Annie is plunged back into her troubled sister's life, realizing that she is being called upon to help once more as she listens to her sister's despair. Kelly Rimmer has written this gripping story with an eye both on the past, and how it can so deeply and negatively effect one's future, while setting her story very much in the present. Annie is a successful young doctor, working in the same hospital as her partner, also a doctor, and planning to marry in the near future. Her sister's call not only evokes dark and disturbing memories of their childhood, but also forces her, and her partner, to respond beyond their expectations.
Stories of drug dependency are always going to evoke a sense of helplessness when a person is asked to respond to the care and needs of a family member, but this time, with a baby coming to her heroin-addicted sister, Lexie, Annie must be involved. The strong familial bond will be enough, Rimmer hints, early in the narrative, but she also raises the concerns of Annie's husband-to-be, her workplace, and quite simply, the time she will have to take off work to care for her sister and baby.
This novel is set in the USA, but shares the common story with the modern world of drug addiction and dysfunctional families. Rimmer extends her story back to the terrible events and cataclysmic effects of things that happened in childhood. When these are inconceivably bad, abusive and lastingly disturbing to the characters, then the writer is challenged to find a solution that makes sense to the reader. So we see that Rimmer carefully reveal the details of the past that explain the present, and suggests the best possibility for the future, evoking both deep familial love, forgiveness and tenderness that heal when life has handed too much to one with a broken spirit.
This is a riveting and beautifully crafted story, with the tragic and terrible events of the past acknowledged for their effect on the characters, yet evoking our empathy through descriptions of the deep love, support and care that families, at their best, engender. Rimmer deals with important and distressing issues so deftly that the novel is utterly captivating, while being 'heartachingly' sad. It would be acceptable for senior secondary reading but not for younger readers.
Elizabeth Bondar

Guinness World Records: Science and Stuff

Guinness World Records, 2018, ISBN 9781910561638
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Subjects: Science - Records, Earth Science, Robotics, Science Experiments. Guinness World Records: Science and Stuff is a big, bold dive into an amazing array of scientific records, from around the world, under the earth and into the sky. Catchy titles, fun facts and figures, close-up photos all engage the reader in an amazing array of scientific endeavours, amazing animals, robotics and Mad Science. Why go to Mars, what does Usain Bolt eat, what makes burps so loud are all big questions people want answered. The Guinness World Records team take us deep into the ocean to learn about octopus intelligence, into space to explore travel to Mars and hygiene and toileting on the International Space Station. With section of unusual animals, investigating science careers from dino-poop collection to becoming a pyrotechnician, there's something for everyone.
Mad professor Burnaby Q Orbax, and his lab assistant Sweet Pepper Klopek present ten cool experiments to try at home including the familiar Mentos and soda car, creating superslime and making a marshmallow catapult. Science is presented in a crazy, fun, exciting way capturing the interest of a wide reading audience. Of course there are the grossest, weirdest, most unusual and bizarre facts presented in a bright, bold format, layered photographs, double-page spreads packed with colourful text. There are backgrounds that pop and information written with an easy to read style.
Guinness World Records: Science and Stuff is an excellent resource for STEM teachers, a fabulous addition to a classroom or school library and for a scientifically minded reader from eight to eighty.
Rhyllis Bignell

Kookaburras love to laugh by Laura and Philip Bunting

Omnibus (Scholastic), 2018. ISBN 9781742769660
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Kookaburras, Australian animals, Humour, Difference. When one kookaburra begins to laugh, the other kookaburras cannot help themselves. They all join in. They laugh when it is rainy and when it is sunny and when it is windy. It is what they do. But one is different. He is the one kooka in the borough who does not join in. He has always been different, and it makes the others a little nervous. Day after day they try to get him to join in: they play jokes, they dress up, they do pranks, but all to no avail, he decides to leave. But in doing so he comes to see that all flocks have their flaws. Some are too quick, some too loud, some are greedy and some are just mean. But when he is about to give up, he finds a groups which seems to suit his purposes. But something is not quite right.
Meanwhile the other kookaburras miss him and decide that when he returns, they will try to be a little more serious, but when he does come back it is he who begins to tell jokes and does some other things which cause laughter. They have all learnt to get along even though they are different.
Readers will cackle and guffaw at the words, and ask that it be read out loud, kooing and kaaing like the kookaburras as it is read to them over again. The wonderful illustrations by Philip Bunting are perfectly suited to the text, showing the kookaburra on each page, a few deft changes altering the mood of each event.
Fran Knight

Libby in the middle by Gwyneth Rees

Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408852774
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Family life, Sisters, Moving House, Secrecy, Adolescence. Libby in the Middle is a realistic family story, centred around twelve-year-old Libby, her fractured relationship with her older sister Bella and her interactions with much younger Grace. Gwyneth Rees explores the impact of bullying on sixteen year old Bella and the consequent relocation of the family to dad's childhood home. This layered story explores sibling rivalry, there's secrets new and old that come to light and relationships are tested. Told from twelve year old middle sister Libby's point of view, her experiences, mixed emotions about moving and her fractured relationship with Bella is realistically portrayed. Libby also has a cute younger sister, Grace the baby of the family, who seems to have more of their parents' love and attention. Libby is definitely stuck in the middle.
Although dad doesn't want to return to the country, his sister Thecla overturns his decision by offering to pay for the girls' attendance at a private school near the village. Bella is furious about this decision and sneakily plans that Sam her boyfriend follows them and tries to find work as a mechanic. Hiding Sam, finding a place for him to stay, taking food and money from Aunt Thecla lead to arguments between Bella and Libby.
When Libby makes a new friend Tansy in the village whose father is linked to Aunt Thecla and her own dad's past, Libby begins to uncover hidden truths. Libby is a relatable protagonist, thoughtful, lacking in confidence, seeking the truth at all costs and beginning to find her way into her teenage years.
Libby in the Middle explores family dynamics and how the past can influence the present.
Rhyllis Bignell

Bird to Bird by Claire Saxby and Wayne Harris

Black Dog Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925381122
(Age: 4+) Recommended. This is the journey of a tree from seed to what the timber is made into.
A bird drops a seed, the seed starts to grow, the tree is cut down. The timber is taken to the city and then used to make beds on a convict ship, once the ship has finished its journey the timber is used again and again in different places, ending up carved into a bird. The very animal that started its journey in the first place.
This book can be used to discuss how things change with time, and how some things can be used over and over for different purposes. It can be linked to reusing items not throwing them away after just one use.
I recommend this book for 4+
Karen Colliver

The Lily and the Rose by Jackie French

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Pan Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781760555313
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Who doesn't want to be a superhero? Nova despises the Renegades that failed to save her family during the age of anarchy. Taken in by her uncle, the notorious Ace Anarchy, just before The Battle for Gatlon, Nova was raised with the ideals of the anarchists, however neither she, nor her alias Nightmare, were ever quite right for the anarchists. Having retreated underground with the survivors, Nova is thrust back into the fray when a plan to kill Captain Chromium leads the renegades directly to their hiding place. A new plan must now be set in motion, one which her uncle would have approved of - going undercover into enemy territory. Nova must become a Renegade to discover how they can be overthrown and how she can keep her anarchist family safe. However, being a Renegade means adopting a whole new world-view. Can Nova maintain her anarchist roots in spite of the comradery of the Renegades and the particular attentions of Captain Chromium's son, Adrian?
In a world where there are prodigies who can use their powers for good (joining the Renegades) or evil, social structures are threatened as the people go from anarchy to a reliance on superheros. Exploring ideas of loyalty, friendship, and open-mindedness, Nova discovers that no one side is entirely right or entirely wrong. I would highly recommend for fans of superhero or dystopian fiction aged twelve and up. I am certainly looking forward to the sequel!
Kayla Gaskell, 22

Yoga babies by Fearne Cotton

Ill. by Sheena Dempsey. New Frontier, 2018. ISBN 9781925594072
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Yoga babies by Fearne Cotton is a gorgeous story which follows the daily routines and lives of some very cute little people and their families. Each page shows a different family and how a different Yoga pose has been incorporated into their day. The pictures are beautiful and really entice the reader into the book, with great colour, movement and spacing.
I have read this about 20 times to my 3 year old since receiving it to review- she really loves it! We love the rhythm each page brings and she is able to 'read' with me and say the last rhyming word of the sentence. I have also watched her go from having no interest in Yoga (and not knowing about it at all) to wanting to try the poses and copy the children in the story. This book has lived next to her bed and has certainly become a firm favourite in our night time routine. I especially love the page where the mum has had a bad day and then uses Yoga as a way to calm down and reset for the rest of the day.
This book would also be a great addition to an early childhood classroom, through its easy introduction to Yoga and simple, realistic prompts within the story. An educator could read the book at an appropriate wind down time, thus engaging the students with the poses and hopefully allowing for a more relaxed group.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, both for the fun rhythmic story and the beautiful, colour filled illustrations. 5 out of 5 from myself and Miss 3!
Lauren Fountain

Splish, Splash, Ducky! by Lucy Cousins

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406376791
(Ages: 1-3) Themes: Rain, Rhyming Books. Lucy Cousins (Maisy) brings her distinctive style to a new picture book about a duckling and the joys of a rainy day. She uses the same bold black outlines and vivid colours that have made her such a standout in the world of toddler books. As in most of her books, animals, birds and flowers are abundant and there is minimal background detail or fuss. Also true to her past form, it has good rhythm and sounds great read aloud. It uses simple and short rhymes with a repeated "quack, quack, quack", which children will love joining in with. Duckling loves playing out in the rain with his friends ("Into the pond to play with the swans", "We shake our feathers in the rainy weather") but when the rain stops he is feeling sad and heads off to find his dad. This is a great change from the numerous books that use a mother figure as the go-to parent. Dad makes him see that the sun can also be fun, especially for some other creatures. There are lots of action words (hop, squirm, hug, swim, shake) and water sound words (drip, drop, plip, plop, splash, splish) and young children will be able to relate this to their own experiences with the rain and how it feels and sounds. This is simple, cheerful and vibrant and will be a hit with the toddler crowd, especially those who are fans of the Maisy books.
Nicole Nelson

Rain Fall by Ella West

Allen and Unwin, 2018, ISBN 9781760296834
(Age: 14+) Themes: Adolescence, Mystery, Murder, Coal Mining - New Zealand.
"I'm not running late like I usually am. Maybe that's why I look in the river, maybe that's why I stop when I see it. A dark-coloured raincoat, the arms spread wide, floating, hood-first down the river."
Set against the backdrop of a small New Zealand coal mining community, this elemental adolescent story is centred around fifteen year old Annie and her observations of rural life. Rain is a constant force throughout, driving the action, the body in the raincoat floats past Annie as she cycles to her basketball game. West's description of rain, water, weather sets up the moody tone of Rain Fall.
When her neighbour's house explodes and he's not found in the wreckage, Annie searches for his hiding place. Riding her horse Blue down to the rain soaked beach, she notices and scuffs out Pete's footprints in the sand. Annie is an observer; she listens in to conversations and watches out for the strangers who seem to be after Pete.
A murder investigation brings a new police detective and his seventeen year old son to Westport. Seventeen year old Jack Robertson a professional rodeo competitor watches as Annie and her chestnut horse hide the evidence of Pete's escape. Annie and Jack secretly meet at the rain-soaked beach, riding their horses and share stories about their lives. Jack probes her about her missing neighbour and slowly they uncover the truth behind the raincoat in the river. They begin a romantic relationship after she learns the truth about Jack's supposed girlfriend in the US. When her father's job driving the coal trains through the mountains is threatened, Annie's family is forced to face up to some hard truths. Annie's determination to find Pete, leads to a desperate confrontation in rugged bushland. Pete, Jack and Annie are forced to flee from the armed men who have been chasing Pete. They want the cache of hidden explosives to continue their criminal activities.
Rain Fall by Ella West looks at the environmental impact of coal mining in New Zealand and the ongoing dilemmas faced by the unemployed men and women. This emotive novel deals with violence and murder and is suited to more mature teenage readers.
Rhyllis Bignell