Unearthed book 1. Allen and Unwin, 2017.
ISBN 9781760292157
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science fiction. Adventure.
The Undying, an alien race, has left behind technology on Gaia, an
abandoned planet, that will save the earth and there is a race to
discover more of it. Jules Addison has come to Gaia as a scholar,
convinced by his father that there is a secret warning contained in
a message that tells of danger to those who uncover it. Meanwhile
Amelia (Mia) Radcliffe has won passage on a space ship because she
is a clever scavenger who just wants to make enough money to save
her sister back on Earth. When the two confront other scavengers
after their equipment, they decide to work together to find out the
secrets that the Undying have left behind.
From then on it is all action as the pair race across the planet
with the scavengers in hot pursuit. They have to pool their
abilities once they reach the hidden temple and the way they work
out the clues and avoid all the obstacles and traps makes for an
exciting read. Told in alternating chapters by Jules and Mia, the
reader gains an in-depth understanding of the character and
motivation of each and can sympathise with both as they work toward
such different goals. They are both intelligent and clever and
gradually see where the other is coming from and gain a measure of
trust. The snappy dialogue between the two is often funny and gives
the reader some relief from the ever present danger and action.
Even before I knew that Unearthed would be made into a film
I found myself agog with the sheer speed and action in the book and
could easily imagine it on the big screen. In fact it reminded me a
lot of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft movies and the story line would
have great appeal to audiences who enjoy the action adventure movie
and book. And the ending is sure to keep the reader waiting
impatiently for the next episode in the story.
Pat Pledger
Nicola Berry series by Liane Moriarty
Pan Macmillan, 2017. Nicola Berry and the petrifying problem with Princess Petronella.
ISBN 9781760554736 Nicola Berry and the shocking trouble on Planet Shobble. ISBN
9781760554743 Nicola Berry and the wicked war on the Planet of Whimsey.
ISBN: 9781760554750
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Space Travel, Competitions.
A trio of funny space travel books about Nicola Berry are
rereleased, after first appearing in 2009. Nicola Berry and the petrifying problem with Princess Petronella
is the first of this three-book outer space adventure series for
young readers written by adult author, Liane Moriarty. Each of the
books is about 200 pages long, with about 40 chapters, making it an
encouraging read for mid to upper primary readers.
Nicola Berry's life is changed completely when an odd looking man
from another planet, Globagaskar, comes to earth on an even odder
mission. This very tall person is on the lookout for someone to
travel back to his planet, where as the Earthling Ambassador, she
will try to convince the very spoilt princess on Globagaskar that
earth is not to be used as a waste disposal dump.
She is not sure that she has the wherewithal to convince the girl,
but off she goes with the blessing of Earth's inhabitants behind
her. And once on Globagaskar her confidence begins to ebb.
Moriarty has developed a fascinating premise, akin to The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) where earth
is to be destroyed to make way for a super highway, and her
characters are bubbling with enthusiasm and self doubt tackling the
huge problem.
The other two in this fine series, Nicola Berry and the shocking
trouble on Planet Shobble and Nicola Berry and the wicked
war on the Planet of Whimsey were also first published in
2009, and have been rereleased as well.
They are just as funny as Nicola and her friends, The Space Brigade,
find themselves in all sorts of trouble, but in using their
considerable cleverness manage to elude their pursuers. Wonderfully
entertaining, hilarious and with lots of jokes about society's hang
ups, the series will be eagerly picked up by new readers.
Fran Knight
Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain! by Tania Lacy
Ill. by Danielle McDonald. Tracy Lacy bk 2. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN
9781760275969
(Age: 8-11) Themes: School Life, Humour, Friendship. Tania Lacy's
high octane character Tracy Lacy returns in Tracy Lacy for
Classy Captain! Time for Tracy to leave the familiarity of
primary school with all of its hideous experiences and humiliating
incidents and start fresh at Northwood High. Of course nothing goes
to plan, her very first day is a disaster, there's an embarrassing
situation at lunchtime, and Tracy inhales a blowfly and expels it in
a large snot tentacle which lands on Year 12 student Lisa Harmes'
uniform. Screaming and pandemonium occurs and Tracy decides to
either move to Latvia or stay at home for the rest of Hell School!
When the Year 7 Class Coordinator Mr Master announces there will be
a vote for a boy and girl class captain for the whole year level,
Tracy decides it is her time to shine. Her rival and arch-enemy from
primary school Victoria Fuller is there to thwart Tracy's dreams.
She shares Tracy's dreadful art drawing from her early days at
school, her rainbow pony Oomphoff who farts rainbows with the other
Year 7s. Poor Tracy Lacy is disgraced again. With her loyal friends
Ag and Ponky's support she bounces from one disaster to the next.
She even scores her Daily Working stats - Mood, Sucky Moments,
Unsucky Moments, and 'TRA-LA-FO-CLA-CA' or Tracy Lacy for Class
Captain moments.
Tania Lacy's over-the-top character Tracy Lacy's distinctive voice,
side thoughts and side-side thoughts with her unusual family and
laugh out loud school incidents make this an amusing novel. Danielle
McDonald's expressive caricatures add humour and liveliness to
Tracy's diary entries. With flourishes, starry borders, bold sized
text and an array of fonts, Tracy Lacy for Classy Captain is
a visually exciting novel. Themes of self-acceptance, resilience,
loyalty, puberty, coping with the transition to high school, family
life, making the right choices are included.
With a large dash of comedy and some cringe-worthy moments this
novel is just right for preteen readers both girls and boys.
Rhyllis Bignell
That inevitable Victorian thing by E.K. Johnston
Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2017. ISBN 9780735231597
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Alternative British Empire,
Diversity, Romance, Duty. Genetics. Readers will find themselves in
a very different political and scientific world when they encounter
Victoria-Margaret, a direct descendant of Queen Victoria who has
travelled incognito to Toronto to be presented as a debutante at her
cousin's ball. She is excited to have the opportunity to shed the
trappings of royalty and meet people as a normal young woman.
Helena, too has been invited to the debutante ball. She is the
daughter of a pre-eminent geneticist, and as her mother's daughter
must present a happy face even when uncertain in the social whirl of
tea parties and dances. August Callaghan is also in Toronto for the
ball and is overjoyed to be meeting Helena again, hoping to cement
their childhood attachment, even though he is frantic about the bad
decisions he has made about his family's shipping empire which is
under siege from pirates. The three discover an unusual bond, which
will fascinate the reader.
E.K. Johnston is an author who is not afraid to take risks and write
very original and thought provoking books. Her first book, The
Story of Owen : dragon slayer of Trondheim (2015 YALSA Best
Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten), 2015 William C. Morris YA Debut
Award Nominee) grabbed my attention and I have followed this author
with interest since then. Her story of an empire that has been built
on making diverse genetic royal marriages instead of the princes and
princesses marrying white royalty from Europe is unique and raises
lots of questions about what the world would be like now if Queen
Victoria has made those decisions. Throughout the book are snippets
of conversations that Victoria-Margaret has on the net with the
partner that has been chosen for her as genetically compatible and
Helena too finds a partner who suits her genetic profile.
This is a novel that will challenge readers as they follow the well
described characters of Margaret, Helena and August who must make
some difficult decisions about their sexual orientation and duty as
they come of age.
Pat Pledger
Rain fall by Ella West
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760296834
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Murder. Crime. Thriller. New Zealand.
Coal mining. Rodeos. Horses. Living in Westport on the south island
of New Zealand, where rain is measured in metres, Annie is stuck at
home one afternoon when the police surround the neighbouring
property; the owner, Pete, having fired at the local police station
the night before. Without warning the house blows up, shattering
Annie's windows, and muffling their eardrums, but Annie's first
thought is for her horse, Blue, fractious at loud noises. She takes
him for a ride on the beach, and there meets Jack, the son of the
detective sent to the area to help with the search for a missing
body. The idea that her neighbour, Pete, was involved with any of
this is puzzling, the reclusive young man still grieving for his
mother who recently died.
The crime thriller that follows is taught and involving, set in the
most inhospitable of places where it never seems to stop raining.
West evokes the setting with ease, informing us of of the coal
mining that underpins the community, Annie's father a train driver
who take the coal south to Greymouth, where it is taken by other
drivers across the ranges to Christchurch. But the worldwide
downturn in coal production is seeing the demise of the town and its
population, and layered within the story are varying points of view
about coal, tree felling, rodeos and isolation.
West's writing is compelling, far better that the adult thriller I
recently put aside in disgust, after being lured by the idea of 'a
bidding war' for its publication. Readers can breath in West's
atmospheric, if soggy setting, she peoples her novel with credible
players, and makes their interaction absolutely believable. The
climax builds steadily, drawing the reader into this small world and
its undercurrents, as Annie and Jack follow a light, headed into the
mountains.
This is a terrific crime story, and would make a good class text
with its layering of themes and ideas, smart central characters and
stunning setting. I was excited to see this new book
by New Zealand author, Ella West after reading Night
vision (2014) and was just as absorbed reading it from
cover to cover in one sitting.
Fran Knight
The Susie K Files by Shamini Flint
Ill. by Sally Heinrich. Allen & Unwin, 2017.
Life of the party. ISBN 978176029 6681
Game changer. ISBN 9781760296698
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: School. Difference.
Fitting in. Problem solving. Susie K is a problem solver, she loves
all things science and despite Mum's best efforts at pushing Susie
to fit in, she just does not. So mesmerised by her problem solving
efforts she actually keeps a filing cabinet of her attempts to solve
problems, each file containing the problem, the experiments she
carries out to explore the problem and her attempts to solve it. A
few examples are given at the start of the story to explain just
what she does. She would love a pet but is highly allergic to them
so solves the problem by getting a goldfish. George becomes her
confidante through the stories. Sally Heinrich's cute line
illustrations underline the humour in the text adding another level
of fun for the reader.
But as children read they will discover Susie's main problem, that
of fitting in. All readers will sympathise with Susie as it is a
universal problem that scans all ages and types of people.
The second in the series, Game changer will entreat younger readers
as Susie must solve a major problem with Sports Day coming up at
school. Being a devoted scientist and problem solver, sports does
not figure into her realm of skills; she is hopeless at them all, so
must do something to change this state of affairs.
Funny, wittily illustrated with an engaging main character, this
series is sure to please middle primary people.
Fran Knight
Star Wars: What is a droid? by Lisa Stock
Star Wars: DK readers level 1. DK 2017. ISBN 9780241301272
(Age: 6+) Star Wars. Droids. Space. The first in a series of readers
produced by DK, concerning the series Star Wars, this book
uses a format that is readily accessible to newly confident readers.
The book is 24 pages long and is divided into twelve sections of two
pages each with colourful illustrations and between twenty and
thirty words on each double page spread. The subject matter is
appealing to younger readers, the format is easy to use, and the
whole has an index and contents page teaching new readers skills of
using a non fiction book. The first of four, What is a droid?,
Blast off!, Rey to the rescue and The adventures
of BB-8, this one tells the reader the difference between good
and bad droids, then talks about several individually. C-3P0 and
R2-D2 take up the next four pages and will be easily recognised by
readers, and after this follows a range of droids used in the series
of films. I had no idea there were so many! After this is a two page quiz
and a glossary, making a complete book for young readers to absorb
and test themselves. The text does not play down to early readers,
and the illustrations add to the fun of the book. Early readers will
love recognising the droids they have seen in the films, and enjoy
the quiz at the end.
Fran Knight
Championship dash by Michael Panckridge
Big Bash League book 6. Penguin Random House, 2017. ISBN
9780143782292
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Themes: Cricket; Overcoming difficulty.
The Kangaroo Flat Galahs are a team of junior cricketers who come
from a small but supportive community and have to battle uphill in
order to make a mark in the regional competition against the
Edenhope Eagles. They are desperately under skilled and don't even
have a full team - even if you count Fatty Bumbar, the coach's bull
mastiff. But then a mystery cricketer revitalises their team.
Allunga seems to come out of nowhere, but her gentle manner and her
amazing cricket skills combine to instil hope and success in the
ragtag team as they make their way to the State T20 championships to
represent their region of Western Australia. With star cameo
appearances from the real T20 stars, this is a wonderful book for
young readers who love cricket. Ironically I read this book while
the T20 competition was in play, and I felt genuinely impressed in
the way some basic cricket skills were communicated within an
appealing story for young readers. I will be recommending this to
both male and female readers who enjoy sport, or who just enjoy a
story where the central characters need to face difficulty and work
together in order to have any hope of success. It has real
heart-warming qualities.
Carolyn Hull
The Polar Bear Explorers' Club by Alex Bell
Ill. by Tomislav Tomic. Faber and Faber, 2017. ISBN 9780571332540
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Explorers and exploration.
Stella Starflake Pearl was saved as a young child from the Icelands,
an unexplored land and adopted by her rescuer Felix. This pale white
girl lives in a beautiful mansion with a polar bear, unicorns, pygmy
dinosaurs and mean Aunt Agatha who wants to send Stella off to
boarding school. Her one desire is to be an explorer, a navigator
and sail away with her father on his next expedition. He is a member
of the Polar Bear Explorer's Club that bans women from embarking on
their adventures, much to Stella's disgust. She is surprised and
delighted when Felix relents and the very next day, Stella and her
unicorn Magic set sail aboard The Bold Adventurer.
Stella is feisty and fearless. She soon befriends Shay the captain's
son and wolf whisperer and Beanie who is studying to be a medic.
They are handicapped by the Ocean Squid Explorers Club who are
accompanying them especially Ethan, a self-centred boy who dislikes
Stella, Beanie, and Shay. The fast-paced adventure includes an
ingenious escape from a collapsing ice bridge, navigating
subterranean caves and tunnels, problems with wolves and a herd of
woolly mammoths. With the young explorers separated from the others,
they learn to deal with the extremely cold conditions by relying on
each other's abilities.
Tomic's black and white sketches are styled to look like 19th
century drawings recorded by explorers. As the four young explorers
journey across the ice and snow, we see the daring sleigh ride
across the ice bridge, the magnificent sparkling castle rising in
front of them and the opulent entrance to the Polar Bear Explorers'
Club. Alex Bell's magical world captures the imagination, her
settings are detailed, her narrative lyrical, with her magical
creatures and humans filled with both wonder and danger. Read aloud
to a middle primary class, this fantasy promises to keep the
students engaged, and there are more adventures ahead for Stella and
her friends.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Wolf, the Duck and the Mouse by Mac Barnett
Ill. by Jon Klassen. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406377798
(Age 4-10) Highly recommended. This is a modern day humourous pour
quoi or origin fable that explains why wolves howl at the moon. A
mouse gets swallowed by a wolf and in the belly of the beast meets a
duck. "I may have been swallowed, but I have no intention of being
eaten", the duck declares over a fine breakfast of bread and jam.
So, does duck want to get back to the outside? Of course not: down
here is no need to worry about being gobbled up! The two new friends
feast, dance and feast some more but all this ruckus is giving the
wolf a stomach ache, making him the perfect target for a hunter. "We
must fight. We must try. Tonight we ride to defend our home",
declares the mouse. So scare away the hunter they do, and are in
exchange for their help the wolf grants them a favour (gobbling them
up again, of course!), thereby resigning himself to a lifetime of
howling at the moon in pain ("Oh woe! Oh woe!).
While definitely a quirky tale, this never seems to stray to the
ridiculous. The friendship formed between the duck and the mouse is
endearing and the way they save the wolf and live (somewhat)
harmoniously with it in the end is pleasing and chortle-worthy.
Jon Klassen's illustrations are fantastic, especially when mouse and
duck are dining at a long dining table dressed in their Sunday best,
white top hats over their eyes and red wine spilling from their
raised glasses. Their charge (brandishing hockey sticks and kitchen
utensils) to scare away the hunter is also spectacular. Washed out
browns and greys lend the book a sombre feel but despite its macabre
subject matter it is really rather upbeat and the inside of the wolf
is warm and homey (walnut brown tones). Both the illustrations and
the language have an olden day, fairy tale feel (the hunter's
tobacco pipe, record player, "flagon" of wine, duck wears a nightcap
to bed, "Oh woe, oh shame", "I fear this is the end").
This really is a timeless tale that despite its uniqueness seems
somehow familiar. It will appeal to old, young and probably everyone
in between.
Nicole Nelson
I'll keep you safe by Peter May
Quercus, 2018. ISBN 9781784294946
(Age: Adult) Although a murder mystery, I'll keep you safe is also very
much a love story. Niamh and Ruairidh Macfarlane are a husband and
wife team, successful fabric weavers from Scotland, who are now much
sought after in the Paris fashion world. But Niamh has just received
an email saying that her husband is having an affair with fashion
designer Irina Petrov. Is that the explanation for his recent air of
distraction, and the secret messages he seems to be getting? When
from the window she sees Ruairidh leave their hotel to meet Irina in
the courtyard below, she rushes downstairs to see them departing in
Irina's car. Running to follow them she sees the car explode in a
ball of fire, both occupants killed instantly.
Looking back over their life together, Niamh tries to understand
what has happened. Is her husband still her one true love, the man
who promised to always keep her safe? Their lives have been
intertwined since they met as children when they were first brought
together by a moment of danger, and there have been moments since
then, when their friendship has been tested, but in her heart Niamh
has always known that Ruairidh was the only person she wanted to
spend her life with.
Lieutenant Sylvie Braque has the task of solving the crime,
following the leads thrown up by family feuds, broken friendships,
and the competitive fashion industry. An underlying theme throughout
the novel, is the question of values, how does one balance love,
duty, and family ties? Is it only when confronted with death that
each person is forced to work out what their true values are?
The setting for all this is the wild and brooding world of bog
marshes, sea spray and storm ravaged cliffs - the Isle of Lewis, in
Scotland, is a stark contrast to the fashion world of Paris. Connecting
it all is the Dark Web, where a killer can be hired to destroy with
a car bomb. The reader is compelled to read until the last page to
find out just what happened between Niamh and Ruairidh.
Helen Eddy
Meet the Flying Doctors by George Ivanoff
Ill. by Ben Wood. Penguin Random House Australia, 2016. ISBN
9781408876787
(Age 7+) Recommended. Most Australians have heard of the Royal
Flying Doctor Service and many owe their lives to its support.
Meet the Flying Doctors by George Ivanoff and Ben Wood will help
children to appreciate the organisation by explaining how it was
formed. The title is one in the Meet series, which aims to
introduce younger readers to people who have played significant
roles in Australia's history.
The story is told by a young, fictional narrator who explains why he
believes that his life has been saved by the Reverend John Flynn.
This device enables the author to begin with a kitchen table
discussion about the man on the $20 note, and end with the
narrator's journey to hospital by plane. Between these two events is
a straightforward telling of Flynn's arrival in the outback, and his
determination to create an aerial medical service after reading
about the death of an injured stockman. Ivanoff has explained the
steps taken by most of those involved in helping Flynn to realise
his dream. Alfred Traeger, inventor of the pedal-powered radio, is
not mentioned in the text but his achievement is included in a
detailed timeline at the end of the book. The timeline appears to
have been written for adults, who can use it to answer questions or
provide additional information in a classroom. A map of Australia
marks air base locations but does not name them. Information about
current technology has been incorporated into the narrative. The
text is written in a medium-sized font. Sentences are short and
clearly written. Wood's engaging illustrations reproduce the colours
of the outback in soft shades of ochre and green. Like aerial
photographs, two of the pictures represent the landscape from a
pilot's point of view.
Younger readers, who read or share Meet the Flying Doctors,
can enjoy learning about a remarkable aspect of Australian history.
Elizabeth Bor
Funny kid stand up by Matt Stanton
HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780733335983
(Age: 7+ years) Highly recommended. Max Walbert is the boy who can
make others laugh, the funny kid. Only . . . he's lost his funny. On
the eve of Redhill's local talent quest, Max pulls a prank on his
new teacher, but nobody laughs. By the time the auditions come
around, Max has managed to put a lot of people off side, including
the other entrants. His best friend Hugo remains on his side, but
after a few poor life choices of late, Hugo is now angling to be
Max's life coach. Begrudgingly and after being spectacularly heckled
by a clown named Tumbles, Max accepts that to win the talent quest
he is going to have to find some new material. But then his grandpa
goes missing from the nursing home, and Max suddenly has a lot more
serious matters to consider; especially when he is the one who
discovers that his Grandpa has been kidnapped.
Children from about seven or eight will find the style of this book
very easy to read.
This novel is for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tom
Gates and similar. It took me a little while to work out that
the speech used by comic pictures in the book was part of the text
and not separate from it, but kids familiar with this style would
pick it up straight away. From the outset, the novel will have
readers laughing out loud. Max's narrative, for a book about a kid
who is unfunny, is definitely fun to read. Author Matt Stanton is
definitely creating a reputation for himself in comedic prose,
including upcoming titles in the Funny Kid series, Fart
Monster series and This is a Ball series.
This book comes highly recommended for middle Primary years students
and also for reluctant readers.
Clare Thompson
Witch snitch by Sibeal Pounder
Witch Wars series. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408892046
(Age: 9-10) Recommended. Sibeal Pounder's Witch Snitch : The
Inside scoop on the witches of ritzy city is another addition
to the popular Witch Wars series. This book is all about
Tiga's first Witchoween, which is a celebration of how wonderful
witches are if you were wondering, and her entry into the film world
when she is asked to help make a documentary about the most
interesting witches in Sinkville. There are 18 fantastic,
interesting witches for them to interview and each one for their own
special reasons. One develops the bestselling mouldy jam cat food
with a hint of fairy flavour, another the owner of a secret cafe and
another who has a museum dedicated to mermaids and owns over 100
pairs of mermaid -print leggings. All interviews scenarios are
funny, and filled with problems to be solved by Tiga and her crew.
Although it is part of a series I found that it was a good
standalone book as the book is full of character profiles, craft and
cooking activities and fun facts about the witches of the Witch Wars
fame. Dedicated fans of this series or newcomers could easily follow
the ideas and create their own Witch Wars party as intended by the
author.
This book is quite girly, in that there is a lot of talk of fashion,
style and fairies, plus the majority of the characters are female.
It would be ideal for a reader who struggles with the jump to longer
chapter books as the illustrations and activities provide a nice
interlude and distraction if needed.
I particularly enjoyed the funny character names such as Fluffanora,
Sluggfey and Melodie McDamp! I think young readers will find the
humour in these names.
Sibeal Pounder's writing is lively and interesting, keeping readers
entertained and hooked to the story. I have not read any of the
other Witch Wars stories, however if they are written in the same
way then I feel that this would be wonderful series for readers
around 9/10 years old.
Lauren Fountain
The Getaway by Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 12. Penguin, 2017. ISBN
9780143782797
(Age: 7-12) Recommended. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway
is the 12th book in the long standing, award winning series by Jeff
Kinney. Just as in book 9 The long haul, this story depicts
the Heffley family going on vacation. The structure of the book is
the same as the previous titles, written in a diary style and filled
with the line drawn pictures that are synonymous with this series.
As usual there are many struggles and issues that Greg and his
family face. From the beginning there are problems and it is easy to
see that this is not going to be the relaxing Christmas break that
they had hoped for.
The issues include a fear of flying, navigating unknown and
interesting local animals, annoying parents, and stomach troubles to
name a few! Most of these would be very real to children when on
holidays and I think that this book, even though it is total
fiction, deals with them in a funny way and shows that even after
all sorts of incidents and problems you can still enjoy a holiday
with your family.
It is over 200 pages long, however it is an easy read with the
pictures adding interest and especially humour to the story. It is
written for primary school aged children and it fits this criteria
perfectly. The topics are relevant, it is very funny and the
illustrations mean that even children who are not confident readers
will find enjoyment in the series. There was not as much toilet
based humour as in the previous books I have read, but the tropical
paradise holiday craziness makes up for that.
This is the 4th book of this series that I have read and I can see
why so many children love it. I recommend this book to children aged
7-12, especially readers who may struggle with longer chapter books
as the pictures break up the text very nicely. I give it 4/5.
Lauren Fountain
