Misfit - One size does not fit all by Charli Howard
Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780241328828
(Age: YA and older) A highly readable memoir style book -
almost reads like fiction and hard to put down.
The book details the journey of British girl, Charli's feelings of
abnormality beginning at age 8 through primary school, boarding
school, university and a modelling career.
This includes obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia, bulimia,
among other mental disorders - all the while keeping the behaviours
'hidden' in Charli's attempts not to be seen as a 'misfit' by her
peers and family.
Social media and model industry expectations, and a sense of not
belonging and wanting to be loved are explored as causes of her
behaviours.
There is only one chapter on Charli finally admitting she needed
help and getting rehabilitation and finding 'happiness'. More on the
recovery process would have been useful in putting perspective on
the memoir and the difficulty of recovering from such major
disorders.
The use of capital letter abbreviations which older adults may not
understand was annoying.
The author on the Dear Reader first page section warns young people
not to read the book if they are susceptible to suggestion or
triggers for depression, OCD, anorexia, etc. I agree and would only
recommend the book for young adults and older.
The modelling industry in particular should read books like this to
be made more aware of (and accept responsibility for) how young
girls' lives are being harmed mentally and physically by the actions
and standards advocated.
Ann Griffin
Rabbit Rescue by Cosentino, Jack Heath
The Mysterious World of Cosentino series. Ill. by James Hart.
Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781742765433
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Magic, Humour. Cosentino, the Grand Illusionist
returns in another exciting whirlwind story, filled with magic,
illusions, rabbit rescues and daring escapes. Cos the magician at
Copperpot Theatre, his friends Locki the padlock, Snuggles his
rabbit and Professor Camouflage master of disguises are always ready
for a new adventure. When Cos calls Matchman up to the stage he's
unimpressed by Cos and his Nonna's magic routines, a watermelon
sliced by a chainsaw and a trick sword pushed through the magicians
heart. Matchman's revenge involves setting the theatre on fire and
Cosentino's skills are needed to save the audience and escape from
the flames.
Meanwhile at royal zoo, the evil two-headed Kings has locked up
nearly all the Magicland rabbits ready for a special feast featuring
rolled roast rabbit on the menu. Snuggles Cos's rabbit friend who
lives in his hat, asks the illusionist and his friends to help
rescue all his furry friends. The king had banned magic in
Coppertown and relocated all of the rabbits to Warren.
Cosentino and his friends conjure up a special plan involving a
disguise, secret tunnels and tricks to sneak into the zoo and
release the rabbits. Rabbit Rescue by Cosentino and Jack Heath is an easy to read
graphic novel filled with fun dialogue, colourful text, bold words
and colourful cartoons, bursting with splashes of orange. Four foam
balls are included with tips on magic tricks as well.
Rhyllis Bignell
White Night by Ellie Marney
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293550
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Rural communities,
Alternative communities, Secrets, White Night. Returning to school,
Bo's year eleven career advisor asks why he is giving up cooking
when he is so talented. But Bo is torn, should he go with what he
really likes and possibly wants to do when leaving school, or stick
with sports, and his father's aim of being a professional player.
Back at home in his close knit family, things are unusually tense:
Mum is seven months pregnant, with Bo having more responsibility,
his parents surprisingly argue, and Dad takes a phone call which
leaves both parents anxious. There is an unaccustomed tension in
this strictly organised house.
Into his world comes Rory, a new girl in the small rural school
where all the students have known each other for years. From an
alternative community, Garden of Eden, she has been home schooled,
and arrives unprepared for fitting in. She and Bo ride their bikes
to school along the same roadway and one day he stops and helps her
with her old bike. He becomes protective of her, deflecting some of
the flak aimed at her because of her willingness in class and odd
clothes and ideas. Things come to a head when several girls,
including Bo's friend, Sprog, put shit in her locker, and Bo, going
to her place on the weekend feels more than friendship.
Bo is quite taken with the place where she lives; an alternative
community of eleven people, living without plastics, mains water and
electricity, growing all the food they need and recycling all they
can. The ideas they promote seem invigorating to Bo, but his father
warns him about going there, and when he arrives home late one
night, he is banned from visiting Rory and Eden.
Sprog hates the idea of the closure of the skate park, and is
encouraged to talk to the council to change its mind. When this
doesn't happen, the students organise a White Night, a celebration
with a DJ, light and music to raise finds to support the skate
park's renovation, but the night coincides with things happening at
Eden. The meaning of the term White Night is double edged: one as a
celebration involving light and music, the other a mass suicide, as
happened in an alternative community in Guyana in 1979. The reader
is now transfixed as the two ideas come together.
Great characters make this a good read: the setting is beautifully
delineated, minor characters hold their own against the stand out
main ones and the community's secrets are engrossing. I found myself
thinking out loud, 'ring the police' or 'just talk to each other'
several times as I read, so involved was I with some of the issues
the teens of the town had to deal with.
Fran Knight
The secrets at Ocean's Edge by Kali Napier
Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780733637919
This book is gripping from the first words to the end. Releasing
only as much information as we need to know, Napier keeps us
hanging, knowing, like her characters do, only some of the details.
Who is the mother of the 'adopted' daughter, who do they see
themselves as in their relationships, and why are there tensions
between families and other residents of this seaside town in Western
Australia? These questions dominate this narrative set in the 1930s
in Western Australia. Napier slowly releases some answers, often by
inference and rarely do we get more, although we are challenged to
build up our own understanding of what has happened and to whom.
Ironically, it is as if this enigmatic story reflects the lack of
answers experienced by almost all of the characters. Napier
positions us in much the same way, tortured by our need to know and
understand the facts and to grasp why each character responds in the
manner in which they do.
Essentially this is the story of one family whose complex
relationships are rarely revealed and for whom the secrets form
their story. Keeping these is seen as the key to success, especially
when falling wheat prices and simple bad luck force the main family
to seek their fortunes away from the farm. Beginning a new life at a
seaside town, setting up a summer guest house and establishing
themselves as worthy people, challenges them, and their extended
family, to be acceptable members of the local area, the golf club,
the local school, the women's groups and the town.
Little by little we gain a greater understanding of the motivation
and behaviour of each character as Napier implies reasons, suggests
motivation, and allows us to intuit what might be truth. For truth
is very much in question, her implication being that we write our
own stories through what we tell, letting others know only what we
would wish them to know so that we keep ourselves intact, our
'stories' acceptable as truth, and the darker sides of our stories
so often hidden. Tension and confusion underlie this narrative, and
we are drawn into the lives of the protagonists deeply through
bearing this tension as they do, whether it is to tell the truth,
conceal the darker secrets, or to reveal just enough to explain
their behaviour. It is very hard to put this book down.
Elizabeth Bondar
Shoe dog by Phil Knight
Young reader edition. Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781471170119
A memoir of the origins of Nike by its founder Phil Knight (an MBA
graduate and Accountant), it is written in a highly engaging manner.
I was expecting a 'dry' account of the creation of a successful
business but this is a warm, at times humorous, account of his life,
loves, friends, hopes, travels, setbacks as well as successes.
At a time in the early sixties when running was not popular and
running/sports shoes were not generally worn outside track events,
Knight's consuming interest in competitive running and his
admiration for his coach spark the idea for a running shoe.
The memoir details Knight's life from travelling the world post
university and importantly to Japan for a meeting with a Japanese
sport shoe manufacturer to gain the right to exclusively sell its
Tiger sports shoe in the USA. Providing constant feedback and
suggestions to improve the shoe led to its popularity with runners.
Forming a partnership with his coach and taking risks and working
longing hours initially from his bedroom at home, eventually lead to
success.
The memoir would be good case study for Business Studies students as
it covers the cultural differences impacting business dealings as
well as the financial risks and workload associated with
implementing an idea into a successful product.
The Epilogue is a final letter to the reader of this Young Reader
edition. One does not need to be a 'shoe dog' (person passionately
devoted to shoes) to enjoy the book.
Ann Griffin
Other Worlds: Perfect World by George Ivanoff
Penguin Random House Australia, 2018. ISBN 9780143786191
(Age: Primary 8+) Keegan finds a junk shop running an errand for his
Mum. In one of the cupboards inside he finds a computer chip which
he feels drawn to. The store curator tells him it is key to another
world. She also warns him that once he goes in he might not come
out. Naturally he opens the cupboard, touches the key and goes
through the doorway.
In this science-fiction story, Keegan then finds himself in "Perfect
World" where humans are cloned in groups of 5 and everything and
everyone that doesn't fit the rules are quickly disposed of. The
concept of "The Refuse" was interesting: that clones with
imperfections were disposed of into the sewage tunnels. Keegan
befriends several of the clones who decide to revolt and in the
midst of a mini-revolution he meets characters who are key in
helping him get home.
While this novel explores new concepts of digital tech science
fiction, it also fits the mold of many alternate world stories
before it. Perfect World reminded me of a Doctor Who
episode; it was fast paced and cinematic moving but at the same time
was quite a short book and felt a bit rushed in parts.
Children aged from about 8 will enjoy the novel, particularly those
who are into sci-fi. From the look of things, there are several
others in the series coming out this year featuring a new character,
different world and a different key in each one.
Clare Thompson
I'm a duck by Eve Bunting
Ill. by Will Hillenbrand. Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763680329
(Age: 4+) Themes: Fear, Overcoming fear. In simple rhyming lines,
Bunting tells the tale of a duck, which when an egg, rolls into the
pond. Mother duck rescues her errant egg, but when it hatches, the
resulting duckling is afraid to go into the water.
The story of how the duck overcomes its fears takes up the rest of
the story, as other pond animals support the duckling in its
attempts to take the plunge, giving a range of different advice.
The owl, the frog, and its siblings all offer suggestions, but in
the end it is the duckling which does something about its concerns.
In simple rhyme, useful for introducing younger children to the idea
of rhyme, and soft pastel like illustrations, the story the readers
will have no difficulty understanding the message of the story and
be able to share stories of their own fears and how they overcame
them.
Fran Knight
Bird to bird by Claire Saxby
Ill. by Wayne Harris. Black Dog Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925381122
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Birds, Trees, Convicts. In
following the life of just one tree, Saxby and Harris reveal the
European settlement of Australia, as the wood from the tree is used
to build ships that are used to bring the convicts to Sydney, then
reused to make a loom, reused again as part of a settler's hut, and
then a part of the now derelict hut is fashioned by a wood turner.
In the beginning the tree grows from a seedling born out of a seed
dropped by a bird flying overhead. The wood turner at the end
fashions his piece of wood into a bird, completing the circle of
life for the tree, bringing the story back to its roots.
Readers will eagerly follow the story of the tree from the seedling
to the bird being used by children at the end. The bold
illustrations show the tree as a seedling, growing to an enormous
tree in the forest, used by birds until it is felled by woodsmen.
They take the tree to the hungry city where ships are built and beds
made in the ships for the convicts on their journey across the seas
to Australia. Here the wood becomes a loom to fashion the wool, and
when this is no longer used, it makes the roof of a settlers hut,
until it is used by the wood turner to fashion a bird.
The sparse text reminds the readers of the uses to which just one
tree can be put, and reflect the cyclic nature of life. The
wonderful illustrations reference early Australian paintings,
particularly of Sydney Harbour, and the style Harris uses recalls
for me the techniques of impressionist painters such as van Gogh and
Georges Seurat.
The book extols the virtue of recycling, of reusing resources,
showing a perspective of Australia's history through the wood used
to bring people here, but then reused many times to get the most
from it. A gentle story of Australia's beginnings is given a broader
scope through the illustrations showing Australia through time;
beginning with the convict ships arriving on Sydney's shore to the
building of looms to prepare cloth, the settlers' huts miles from
the city, then back to the place it started, the harbour where
children play with the last product of the original tree.
Fran Knight
The taste of blue light by Lydia Ruffles
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781444936742
(Age: Senior secondary, Adult) The title, and the enigmatic opening
words, of Lydia Ruffles' stunning modern-world masterpiece plunge us
into a disturbed young woman's life. The protagonist states that she
'is determined to 'find the old Lux' and 'sew' herself into that
person she used to be. The closing words of this narrative are apt.
Lux cannot understand why her life, at the elite Artists' boarding
school in the verdant countryside of England, is causing her such
angst. Even though she is medicated to help keep this new sensation
of absolute terror at bay, she can still hardly sleep and life seems
too hard to endure. Yet everyone, including her parents, who live
far away in Hong Kong, continues to support her, even through her
sometimes outrageous moods and actions. This situation is deeply
puzzling for the reader.
Drugs, sex, anxiety and sleeplessness take their toll as her skewed
brain responds to the world by translating everything into colour
- in the physical senses, in food, emotions and in her interactions
with others. Colour defines her world so dramatically, enabling her
to just keep going. Terror, violent and inexplicable, stops her
sleeping. Anxiety rules every moment of every day yet she is
supported so gently by everyone, by kindness and understanding. In a
masterful literary stroke, we discover that only Lux and the reader
are 'in the dark' about her situation. We are drawn into her
gradually dawning memories of her experience, emotionally and with a
powerful, shared angst.
Sitting firmly in the modern world that has experienced violent
attacks and murders, in a country that is desperate to retain its
culture of decency, kindness and non-violence, Ruffles' revelation
of the assault on peace alert us to her challenge. She seeks to
remind us that we must work to preserve our world, to survive
violence and terror, and infers that this will only be achieved
through kindness, goodness, acceptance of others, in all their
differences, and love. This powerful modern novel is suitable for
older high school students and adults.
Elizabeth Bondar
The Curse in the Candlelight by Sophie Cleverly
Scarlet and Ivy book 5. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN
9780008218300
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Mystery, Boarding Schools, Twins,
Bullying. Fourteen year old identical twins Scarlet and Ivy return
for a new year at Rookwood School leaving their distant father and
evil stepmother behind. Eager to catch up with their friend Ariadne
and take Miss Finch's ballet classes, the twins are happy to be
back. As the school assembles for the first day's instructions, a
dark-haired new student Ebony McCloud makes a grand entrance into
the school hall. She has a mysterious presence about her, defiantly
flouting the school rules and soon draws younger students into her
group.
Sophie Cleverley layers this mystery plot with curious clues along
the way; characters have hidden agendas and a presence of evil
directs the actions. She balances this junior novel with familiar
lessons, favourite teachers and every day activities. When Ariadne's
archenemy Muriel Witherspoon joins Rookwood Academy she appears to
have changed her bullying ways however Scarlet and Ivy are not
convinced about her motives. When the celebrations on All Hallows
Eve go terribly wrong, the twins work together to save Ariadne and
expose the real prankster. Told from the sisters' alternate points
of view, Scarlet and Ivy's new term proves to be filled with
mystery, magic, secret escapades and growing friendships. The Curse in the Candlelight is the fifth novel in this
exciting series. Each novel reveals more about the main characters
and their friends' home lives. The mysteries and different ways the
twins work together to solve them make these novels just right for
readers from 9-12 years.
Rhyllis Bignell
Alcheringa Snow by Toni Cary
Little Steps Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9780980723724
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Picture book. Alcheringa Snow
is told from the perspective of Francine, a French Pyrenees dog. She
is a huge mountain dog who dreams of climbing mountains. Francine is
a dreamer and so are her friends. There is Banjo the green and
golden bell frog who dreams of riding a snowboard. Readers can learn
about how this type of frog spends the winter. Then there is shy
Colin the copperhead snake who dreams of the coming spring. Find out
where Colin sleeps when it is cold and when it is hot. Anna and Amy
are echidnas and they dream of ants. The two wombats dream of eating
grass all year round. Keep reading to find out about the dreams of
magpies, cockatoos, wallabies and kangaroos. Alcheringa Snow is a gorgeous picture book for readers of any
age. The pictures are detailed real-life paintings that will invoke
lots of conversation even before the words are read. The descriptive
vocabulary is ideal for independent readers due to the great
adjectives and descriptions of the animal's antics. Younger readers
will enjoy this book as a read-a-loud before bed or even in the
classroom. The story would make a great addition to any English
program or descriptive writing unit. Alcheringa Snow would
also be good in a Science program based on Biological Sciences and
the study of Australian animals.
It is highly recommended for all readers.
Kylie Kempster
Landscape with invisible hand by M. T. Anderson
Candlewick, 2017. ISBN 9780763699505
(Age: Middle secondary - Adult) This small novel captures perhaps
some of the less-voiced anxieties about what exists in deep space
that might threaten us. Not the simple man-in-the-moon idea, but
something deeper and far more catastrophic for earth. Anderson
places us in a recognizable world except for the fact of our unseen
and obviously unrecognizable 'overlords' being from 'other' places,
not human and not just machines, but intelligent, demanding and
frightening "Vuvvs" that demand obedience, recognition and
submission.
In this novel the characters are placed in a world from which they
can instantaneously visit other planets or modules that hover in
space. Earth appears to be somewhat ragged, down-at-heel and much
lesser than we might think of ourselves. Poor, abandoned by their
father and husband, the families of Adam and his girlfriend, Chloe,
struggle to survive financially and fear what might happen if they
fail all together.
This is a book without a sense of great hope or change, yet it deals
with human beings struggling to survive mentally and physically in a
world that appears to be disadvantaged by its being an underling of
a greater spatial world empire, and by its down-at heel state. Human
beings are lesser and the characters try to reach the standards of
behaviour and work expected by the 'others', the overlords. Human
characteristics valuable and appropriate to us seem lesser, and the
characters in this short novel are good people and offer us some
hope, but not a lot, in this imagined world.
This is a strong and brave modern novel that addresses the idea of
our perhaps not being alone, nor being in fact superior, or
protected by any higher beings, living on the edge and in tension,
on this planet in the universe that we inhabit. It is coldly
challenging, blunt and suitable for middle secondary to higher
secondary, and adult, reading.
Elizabeth Bondar
Parvana a graphic novel by Deborah Ellis, adapted from the film by Norah Twomey
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760631970
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Graphic novel. Themes: Afghanistan,
Refugees, Taliban, Extremism, Survival. From the highly acclaimed
and awarded novel, Parvana, comes this pared down version
presented in a graphic novel format, destined to entrance another
generation of readers who will seek out the original stories once
they have finished the graphic version.
Every page is replete with the horror of living under religious
extremism; the rules imposed upon the population of Kabul in which
Parvana and her family live are part of the fabric of the story and
its illustrations. In dark, threatening browns, reds and blacks, the
ever present threat of arbitrary rule is made real. Parvana's father
has lost his job as a teacher, now selling his skills in the market,
there to be questioned by an ex pupil, scathing of education and
learning. He is questioned too about Parvana, a girl, being allowed
outside or having part of her face exposed, but when he is taken to
prison, the family loses all contact with the outside world. As
women are not allowed in the street alone, Parvana dresses as a boy
to earn money to support her family.
The appalling regime and its impact are seen on every page as
Parvana tries to earn money to help her father get out of prison.
The usual rule of law has broken down, allowing men to use their
power to further impose their wills upon women. Small touches of
humanity shine through the gloom, as Parvana finds a school friend
doing the same as she, when she reads the letters of illiterate
people willing to pay money to find out about their families, and
where someone helps Parvana in her search for her father.
But in the end although Parvana finds her father and her family have
escaped the brutal man who would use them, the future is bleak.
Readers will ponder long after this is read about how they would
survive, and about how all those children still under the rule of
these fanatics are faring. A film made of the Parvana books,
called The Breadwinner received an Academy Award nomination
for Best Animated Feature in 2018, and it is on this film that this
graphic novel is based.
Fran Knight
Lintang and the Forbidden Island by Tamara Moss
Random House, 2018. ISBN 9780143783459
(Age: 9-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure stories, Pirates,
Fantasy, Seafaring adventures. Lintang and the Forbidden Island
continues the gripping story of a feisty young adventurer on her
quest to find Captain Shafira and re-join her friends on board the Winda.
Tamara Moss creatively balances the elements of mystery, exploration
and detailed imaginary creatures in this fantasy world.
Lintang's life changes dramatically just on her thirteenth birthday;
all her plans are thwarted as their island is taken over by the
United Regions. Fortuitously Captain Moon arrives with an
apprenticeship offer for Lintang because of her previous experiences
aboard the Winda battling the mythies. Life on Captain
Moon's ship is regimented and dull, her one job is to watch and
stoke the fire.
After a daring escape through a marketplace, the sea captain
captures her and reveals his special plan. There is a bounty on
Captain Shafira's head and Lintang needs to be secretly returned to
the Winda. Each of Lintang's lessons aboard provide her with
the skills need to survive in the dangerous world ruled by the
Vierzan's and inhabited by the fierce mythical creatures. She is
given her own sword and taught how to fight, Eire tests her to the
limits of her endurance and Zazi teaches her the ways of their
ancestors. The Mythie guidebook entries introduce the dangerous
beings they need to fight as their journey progresses. The
fast-paced action sees Lintang, Captain Shafira and the crew
fighting their enemies on both sea and land.
Lintang's friends, Bayani, the pixie Pelita and the crew come alive
in Moss's detailed and descriptive narrative novel. Rich with
mythology, she continues to explore this magical world, explaining
the existence of the Mythies. Her protagonist's personal growth in
confidence is very relatable, from a lack of self-assurance, Lintang
learns resilience, shows determination and reliance on her friends.
What adventures await this feisty young hero? Read both of Lintang's
stories to students in the middle primary and they will be
captivated.
Rhyllis Bignell
Bad Dad by David Walliams
HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008254339
(Age: Middle - Upper primary) Recommended. "Dads come in all sorts
of shapes and sizes. There are fat ones and thin ones, tall ones and
short ones. There are silly ones and serious ones, loud ones and
quiet ones. Of course there are good dads. And there are bad dads .
. . "
Here, David Walliams has created a dad who, despite his failings,
loves his son Frank immensely. Whilst racing Queenie, his old Mini
emblazoned with the Union Jack, Dad has an accident and loses not
just his leg but his title as "King of the Track". With Frank
sleeping by his dad's hospital bed, mum finally walks out and leaves
dad for another man. Eventually dad loses his job, along with his
celebrity status, and falls into a depression. On Frank's eleventh
birthday, dad gives him an amazing racing set and the pair spend
many hours playing with it together. Soon thereafter, hard-faced
debt collectors appear at the door and take everything Frank and dad
still owns.
With Auntie Flip as a baby-sitter, Frank leaves the house one night
to follow his dad on what he knows is an extraordinary outing. He
witnesses Dad acting as the driver in a bank robbery, in order to
pay off his debts. Thus begins an incredible adventure for the pair,
culminating in Frank being able to fulfil one of his lifelong
dreams. The addition of some hilarious characters, including the
Reverend Judith the local vicar, lead to some unexpected twists and
turns in the plot.
My first ever David Walliams book, this has convinced me that the
comparisons to Roald Dahl are not without some substance. This was
an entertaining, easy read and has explained the students' eagerness
to devour each new Walliams title as it is released. Double spaced
print, font which changes to highlight various words or parts of the
text, and a liberal smattering of cartoon style illustrations, make
this novel eminently accessible to boys and girls in the middle to
upper years of primary school. I'm sure this won't be the last
Walliams book I will read either, as it's a great romp.
Jo Schenkel
