Magabala Books, 2018. ISBN 9781925360981 Our Birds is the ideal book for any bird lover. It is all
about the birds of North East Arnhem Land and uses the photographs
taken by the author who was 12 at the time. Each bird is named in
English and Yolnu - the local Indigenous language - making it a
great way to connect with this ancient culture. It is also the
author's culture.
Readers will learn interesting facts about each bird and view
detailed photographs. Read about the Nerrk and its yellow crest or
the Bilitjpility and its beautiful colours. Did you know the Yolnu
people know when it is the season to hunt for Gurrunatji by
listening for its honk at night? Did you know the Nama' is related
to the pterodactyl?
The facts and personal connections to each bird are easy to read as
well as interesting and educational. Our Birds is a good
read as well as a way to observe Australian birds. It is also
inspirational for all young, budding writers and photographers,
making the book a great model for English and Science lessons.
Kylie Kempster
Clean by Juno Dawson
Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781786540362
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Lexie Volkov is many things, but she is not
a drug addict. Everyone does a little coke now and then, right?
That's normal for rich kids in London.
The first step to getting clean is admitting you have a problem. But
what if you don't have a problem? That's Lexie's question anyway,
after her brother kidnaps her and forces her into rehab on some
remote island. Stuck with a handful of misfits recovering from their
own illnesses and addictions, Lexie must play the game to get back
to her boyfriend, Kurt, and the sweet retreat of heroin. But with
each sober day, Lexie finds her outlook is changing and her
Kurt-centred life is no longer the same when there are girls dealing
with anorexia and eating disorders right beside her, and Brady, a
boy with a mysterious addiction no one talks about. Lexie is no
stranger to therapy and determined to give nothing away - nothing
that matters anyway. They talk about her family and status, but
Lexie carefully avoids school, something Goldstein eventually picks
up on. Something that might explain Lexie's drug habit. With the
death of a patient after drugs were smuggled into the facility Lexie
and Brady are drawn closer together. It seems a relationship is
blooming, or are they simply using one another as a crutch on the
road to recovery? Soon secrets spill out and everything changes.
Kids are always taught (rightly) to "say no to drugs"; however,
there is often an experimentation period and it is important that
they know the consequences of their actions. This is one of the
things which Clean does well. It shows how easy it is to not
know you're suffering from an addiction (be it drugs or otherwise)
and how simple it can be to get caught up in the crowd. I would
recommend this novel for people fourteen and up.
Kayla Gaskell
In search of us by Ava Dellaira
Hot Key Books, 2018. ISBN 9781471406515
(Age: 14+) Recommended. This book tells the story of Marilyn and
Angie, mother and daughter who have only had each other as Angie's
father died before she was born. Marilyn can't talk about Angie's
father without getting sad and teary about it so Angie is reluctant
to ask her mum to talk about him. Angie has always longed to know
more about her father who is African American as she takes after him
in looks rather than her fair skinned mother.
Life in their single parent household is happy, but not without its
struggles and Marilyn spends her days working and spending her free
time with Angie. Angie has a boyfriend Sam and they are well suited
however there is something stopping Angie from telling Sam that she
loves him and it causes tension in their relationship. One day Angie
accidentally finds a photo from years ago of her mum and a boy who
she knows instantly is her father. The image consumes her but she
knows she can't talk to her mother about it and so starts her quest
to find out more.
The story swaps between Marilyn and Angie and it all ties in nicely
to show the reader how a series of events and life paths end up
tying together the pieces of Angie's quest to find out more about
her father, the missing puzzle piece in her life. It is interesting
to see the very different ways Marilyn's mum Sylvie and Marilyn
parent given they were bought up in similar circumstances.
This story explores the relationships and bonds between mothers and
daughters and the way our actions impact others. Other strong
relationship themes in this story are those between families and
those between girlfriend and boyfriend.
I would recommend this story to ages 14+.
Gerri Mills
Dingo by Claire Saxby
Ill. by Tannya Harricks. Nature Storybooks. Walker Books
Australia, 2018. ISBN 9781925381283
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Subjects: Dingoes, Australian animals.
Author Claire Saxby's Dingo is her fourth beautifully
crafted picture book in the award-winning Nature Storybooks
series from Walker Books. Dingo's familiar two layered text
includes her emotional, sensory narrative and her expository writing
explores the lives of a mother dingo's life with her nine-week old
pups. Each is delineated by a distinctive font allowing the reading
audience to interact and engage with both the story and the
information. Can you see her? From this first sentence, the world of the
mother dingo unfolds. With alliterative phrasing and sensory
expressions - pointed ears twitching, her nose snuffing and tawny
eyes flashing Saxby brings the dingo to life, while the factual text
is written in an easy to read style with information accessible for
younger learners as well.
Mother dingo leaves her den at dusk in search of food for her newly
weaned pups. She passes a mob of kangaroos grazing, then climbs to
the highest rocks, snuffing into the wind, her sense of smell up to
a hundred times better than humans. The night is young and there
is hunting to be done.
Award-winning visual artist Tannya Harricks captures the natural
beauty of the Australian landscape and the wild dingo's habitat with
her expressive oil painting illustrations. The bold broad brush
strokes and richly layered colour palette seamlessly bring Saxby's
descriptions to life. Dingo is both an entertaining and informative non-fiction
narrative exploring the life cycle, diet, habitat, natural
adaptations of this top-order predator. This is an excellent
resource suitable for Early Years' students researching STEM and
HASS topics and for writing information reports.
Rhyllis Bignell
Missing by Sue Whiting
Walker Books, 2018, ISBN 9781760650032
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Missing persons, Panama,
Rainforests, Family Life. Missing is a frank, emotionally
heartfelt teen novel that explores the impact of a mother's
disappearance wreaks on a family. Mackenzie da Luca's is preparing
for her Year 6 graduation, looking forward to her mother, a bat
biologist returning from a trip to Boquete in Panama in time to buy
her a special dress. Each chapter begins with a portent, a moment in
time for Mackenzie, changing from past to present, a place and a
countdown, eg: Now
25 March, Boquete, Panama
Missing 117 days
Whiting's passionate story is driven by an intensity that drives
each character. Mackenzie's father still reeling from his wife's
uncertain fate, drags his daughter from her bed in the early morning
secretly takes them to the airport for a long and arduous journey.
Her Nan is equally determined, she wants closure, a memorial service
to honour her daughter Maggie and for her granddaughter and
son-in-law to move forward in their lives. Theirs is the tragic
reality of the unknown. Dad becomes dangerously ill with typhoid and
Mackenzie and her new friend Carlo are forced to continue to canvas
the townsfolk, searching for anyone who has sighted the missing
biologist. A postcard supposedly sent by her mother and the last
messages and photos from a parade in Boquete help Mackenzie struggle
with her despair. She desperately hangs onto anything to believe
that her mother is still alive; then resourcefully and courageously
journeys up into the mountains and into the dense rainforest in
search of answers.
What a driven narrative, Whiting keeps the tension at a high level
throughout, adding past reminiscences, lighter moments, Carlo's
secret tortilla business, to balance the sadder notes.
Richly descriptive, Whiting bring the town of Boquete, the sights,
sounds, animals and experiences of the jungle and landscape to life.
As we are drawn to the ultimate revelation, there is both a
sensitivity and a reality shown in Mackenzie's emotional
experiences. She has a dogged belief her mum is in the witness
protection program, then explodes with fury when faced with the
truth. Missing is a powerful story, demanding, confronting
at times, one that will resonate long after the reader has finished.
Rhyllis Bignell
Catastrophe Girl : The pie thief mystery by Diane Harding
Little Steps Publishing, 2018, 128 pages; paperback. ISBN
9781925545579
(Age: Lower/Middle Primary) Catrina (or Cat) has secret powers. She
only has to whisper a few magic words and she turns into a super
hero. Her power is in the ability to save people from catastrophic
situations without them noticing that she has even moved, in
lightening quick time. When she finds out there has been a pie thief
at the school canteen, Cat goes into superhero mode to save the day.
But . . . uh - oh! Cat forgets what the magic words are, how can she
save the day without her super powers?
The way this novel follows a very basic structure; beginning,
middle, (containing the complication and solution) and ending would
be good if used for teaching the beginnings of creating a recount.
Parts of the book were quite funny, and increasingly silly as Cat
gets into more and more mess trying to remember the secret words to
make her magic happen.
The novel is broke up into short 2 - 3 page chapters, and is dotted
with clever comic-like illustrations. The number of unbelievable
scenarios Cat finds herself in will entertain a young reader, but
those with a longer attention span will find this one hard to read
as, in parts, it felt like a collection of shorter disjointed
stories collated as one. I felt like I was reading a Year 3 recount.
While the length and simplicity of the sentences would be good for a
student who is on a lower reading level, the text was not
complicated enough to appeal to most 7/8 year olds. It is the
beginning of a series, so those who enjoy it can read more about
Catastrophe Girl in 2018.
Clare Thompson
Stratification by Ilsa Evans
Harbour Publishing House, 2018. ISBN 9781922134356
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Stratification reads like a
cross between The hunger games, The crossing, and The
handmaid's tale, with a bit of fantasy thrown in.
A nuclear conflict has resulted in the destruction of most of the
world, the only survivors being those who sheltered beneath the
shield, a device constructed by a paranoid billionaire, a
billionaire who fancied himself a god. Everyone under the shield,
once of age, by law, must spend a year travelling. However, this
isn't the case for Grady Pryndot, who, as much as she'd love to,
won't be leaving her home town of Kale. Set to become the next Seer,
Grady is too important to risk, and must continue her lessons with
the demi-god Rainus.
But plans change with an unexpected collection and the revelation of
Grady's gift. By mistake, Grady's friend Layton is taken, and, in a
moment, everything changes. Rainus and Pryn are now desperate to get
Grady and the other young people away before anyone learns that
Layton isn't gifted. Grady's prayers for travel have been granted,
but at what cost? Distressed at Layton's removal, Grady is
determined to go after her friend and keep her safe from the god's
wrath. With the help of Dex, Mia, and Maddox, she must make it to
Harbourtown to rescue Layton, and remain unnoticed. But what will
happen when Grady enters the lion's den? Why was it so important
that she stay safe and hidden in Kale? And who is Koel and why is he
looking at her as if he recognises her?
In some places terrifying, in others, adventurous, this YA dystopia
is engrossing. It discusses problems with a power-centred world and
introduces Marxist ideas within a fantasy context. I would highly
recommend the novel to people twelve and up who enjoy dystopia.
Kayla Gaskell
Nganga: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words and phrases by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson
Black Dog Books, 2018. ISBN 9781921977015
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Nganga is translated as 'to see and
understand'. The book presents an alphabetical list of words and
phrases to do with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture or
related issues. Many are words encountered in everyday life but
perhaps without being able to give a good explanation - for example,
the difference between Aboriginal, aborigine, and Indigenous.
The book explains words such as songlines, sorry business,
cleverman, skin names, moiety and totem but also provides historical
context for colonialism, assimilation, Aboriginal Protection Board,
NAIDOC, terra nullius and native title. Do you know what a waddy is,
or a yidaki, or a scar tree? The explanations are concise and easy
to understand, and the print is well-spaced so is suitable for
younger as well as older readers.
It is a simple little book, easy to pick up and read something
interesting, or as a reference for school studies. It includes 'see'
references for related terms. I would recommend this book for all
school libraries, particularly as we celebrate National Reconciliation Week,
or NAIDOC Week, but also as a useful reference for Aboriginal
perspectives across the curriculum.
Helen Eddy
The incredible Oik the crab by James Nott
Little Steps Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925545302
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Oik the crab lives on the Great
Barrier Reef and he is cheeky. Actually, Oik is rude! He teases a
sea slug, is rude to a clownfish and ignores a lionfish. Oik's mum
and dad are not happy. They remind Oik to be kind to the other sea
creatures or he will not have any friends. Before you know it, Oik
insults a seahorse and makes a threat. Mother crab is shocked and
Oik is grounded. It is time for the adult crabs to migrate and Oik
is left on his own. His mum and dad hope this will make Oik change.
A freak accident causes Oik to lose an arm. Will this accident help
Oik see how mean he has been? Will it help him change his behaviour?
The incredible Oik the crab is a lovely story about treating
others well. Each chapter sees Oik changing and becoming a better
crab. Readers will see other sea creatures wanting to help Oik
instead of avoid him. The story also informs readers of the repair
and action needed to support the health of the Great Barrier Reef. The incredible Oik the crab is packed full of positive themes
and ideas. It is a great first chapter book and its large format,
hard cover and colourful illustrations make it a rather special
addition to any library. It would make an excellent read aloud or
bedtime story, offering many discussion points including how to
treat others, believing in yourself and everyone is responsible for
the environment in a small or large way. The descriptive language
and character descriptions would also be good for reading in the
classroom during Child protection lessons, Health, Science,
Geography or English. This story is highly recommended for readers
aged 4+ with an adult and independent readers aged 8+.
Kylie Kempster
Please don't cry by Natalie Mooney
Little Steps Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781925545678
(Age: 0-5) Highly recommended. Please don't cry is a
lullaby, great for reading to young children at bedtime. The rhyming
text is calming and the illustrations are bright and detailed.
Children and their carers can see how different families get their
children ready for bed. They can also look at all of the different
types of beds that can be used when it is time for sleep.
The rhyming text of Please con't cry creates a soothing
rhythm and children and their parents could sing the lullaby
together. What a great bedtime routine! The rhythm of the text is
reminiscent of other lullabies, making it a lovely keepsake book and
maybe even a new tradition.
Each illustration is a wealth of new vocabulary for children. They
can be encouraged to describe places to sleep, dragons and dinosaurs
and more. They can discuss the feelings of each child in each
picture. This story will help create a magical bedtime routine and
is highly recommended for children from birth to 5 years. The
rhyming pattern could also be investigated in early primary as
children learn about words that rhyme.
Kylie Kempster
Peat Island, dreaming and desecration by Adrian Mitchell
Wakefield Press, 2018. ISBN 9781743055502
(Age: Adult) This is a sorry story of the history of the institution
for the mentally ill, on Peat Island, in the lower Hawkesbury, just
north of Sydney. Mitchell begins his account with the dispersal of
the Darkinjung people, original inhabitants of the island, and then
describes how this place of beauty became a place of ugliness - a
holding place, originally for alcoholics and drunks, and then for
the handicapped and mentally ill, identified under the Mental
Defectives Act, 1926. The concept behind the act was grounded in the
theory of eugenics - weeding out from society the subnormal, the
people who weakened the moral and political fibre of the nation.
The institution included children, and it is horrible to contemplate
what happened to them. Mitchell collects what is available of the
evidence on record, and presents it for us to fit together for
ourselves the stories behind the sparse words that are collected -
the caging of a child, drownings, deaths, filth, disease, tortuous
removal of fingernails. People were locked together with no
possibility of freedom, hidden away from view on an island only
approached by boat.
Whilst some of the plans for the island were well intentioned, not
many came to fruition, and no-one was held accountable for what went
on there. The people were forgotten inmates.
Over years policies change, and Peat Island eventually became a
happier place. In recording the history, the book reveals many of
the dilemmas that are still argued today, of institutional treatment
vs community programs, and how to best care for people with
disabilities or mental issues.
Helen Eddy
The Invasion by Peadar O'Guilin
The Grey Land Book 2. David Fickling Books, 2018. ISBN
9781910989647
(Age: Young Adult) Recommended. In this world, teenagers are trained
for the most horrible three seconds of their lives, the Call. When
Called you must survive three minutes in the Sidhe's territory, the
enemy of Ireland. Beautiful and distorted beings capable of molding
you into whatever they so desire, so don't get caught. They all come
back from the Call of course, but not always alive or in the same
physical state they left in. And there is one rule you must always
remember, don't make a deal with the enemy. Or you are a traitor to
the Nation. After they thought the danger was over, Nessa and Anto
thought they would finally be able to live a happy and quiet life.
But with the Side invasion becoming more and more prominent, the
government starts tracking down suspected traitors to the Nation.
Nessa is one of them. Nessa and Anto are denied their happy reunion,
and the only thing keeping them going is the thought of seeing each
other again. Nessa must fight against being branded as a traitor and
survive while trying to stop the invasion of Ireland. While Anto is
shipped off to join a militia made to stop the magic of the Sidhe
from spreading.
Will Nessa be able to survive long enough to see Anto again, and
will Anto be able to find her?
This story is a compelling sequel to the first book in this series The
Call. In the first few chapters it does well to recap the
story so far and set up the events that will follow. Each chapter is
also split into three character's perspectives, which made the flow
of the story suspenseful and engaging. The world that Peadar has
created is a modern-day Ireland being attacked by the Sidhe enemy.
And the interactions between the real world and the Sidhe are action
packed and fast paced. There was never a dull moment, and it kept me
on my feet the whole time trying to guess what's going to happen
next.
I would recommend this to young adults readers and above.
Kayla Raphael
The King with dirty feet by Sally Pomme Clayton
Ill. by Rhiannon Sanderson. Otto-Barry, 2018. ISBN 9781910959237
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fable, India, Problem solving.
When the king decides to take a bath, everyone is impressed, because
this is a task he rarely undertakes. He cleans his teeth, scrubs his
body and washes his hair but when he gets out of the river his feet
remain dusty and dirty. He is appalled, and tells his servant, Gabu,
that he must find a way of allowing his feet to retain their
cleanliness on pain of death. he has three days to solve the king's
problem, before he loses his head.
Gabu tries several different ways of keeping the dust in the country
down, but to no avail, it takes an old cobbler to come up with an
idea, one that the population takes to with relish.
This is a charring take on an old Indian folktale called The King
and the cobbler, and has been rewritten many times.
The bold illustrations using mixed media and photoshop will entrance
younger readers as their eyes dance across the scenes of Indian
life, with its array of animals, people and houses. Readers will
love working out what other things the king can do to keep his feet
clean, remarking on how clean their own feet are and what they do to
wash them.
Apart from the beautifully resolved folktale and the problem solving
idea it contains, the book could well be used in a class where
personal hygiene is under discussion, the story lending itself to an
awareness of the children's feet.
Fran Knight
Messy Weird! by Ahn Do
Ill. by Jules Faber. WeirDo book 10. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN
9781742768045
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Moving House, Family Life, Humour. Messy
Weird continues the fun and craziness of the Do family's life.
They have moved into an awesome but messy house with a wild jungle
of a backyard. 'It's bananas,' comments Weir as there are boxes
everywhere and loads of cleaning up to do. Banana yellow is the
colour focus, with bright yellow backgrounds, a fun lenticular cover
and creative and colourful font sizes and styles. The yellow text
blends into the white pages making it difficult to access for
readers with vision difficulties.
With Mother's Day only a few days away, Weir comes up with a
fantastic idea. With his friends Bella and Henry they offer to clean
up the house and yard for pocket money to buy special presents for
their mothers. Early next morning with Dad, Mum and his siblings out
shopping, Grandpa is left in charge of the eager cleaners. Of course
he immediately falls asleep in his recliner and the trio are left to
do the washing. With a whole box of washing powder added, they set
the dial to Disgustingly Filthy and move on to the vacuuming. Every
task they undertake results in problems and all three children
discover just how much work is involved in housework. Ahn Do's
humourous cartoons show the fun and problems Bella, Henry and Weir
encounter, bubbles everywhere whilst washing the dishes, Bella's
topiary bird, Grandpa's slide on the slippery dip and the discovery
of directions to pirate treasure.
Along the way there are plenty of jokes, laughs, ideas for drawing
and a near explosion from the soapsuds in the washing machine. The Weirdo
series are just right for readers beginning chapter books and for
reluctant readers. This is another winner for Ahn Do, fans of the Weirdo
series will find Messy Weird entertaining.
Rhyllis Bignell
Carmichael's journey by Shelly Fussell
Ill. by Samantha Metcalfe. Little Steps Publishing, 2018. ISBN
9781925545692
(Age: 4+) Themes: Environment, Conservation, Native birds,
Cockatoos, Loss of habitat. An earnest look at the plight of the
Carnaby's Cockatoo is revealed in this picture book telling of its
reduced habitat. We follow the birth of a young chick, secure in its
nest in the tall trees, having its mother stay with it while its
father goes away for food. But we learn that his journey takes
longer and longer to find the food for his family, and when
Carmichael and his parents leave for the summer to go to their
traditional feeding grounds by the sea, they fill up on nuts and
seeds and grasses. But on their return to where Carmichael was born
they find that their trees have been chopped down, the land is clear
of woods, other birds are looking for a foothold. The family, now
only two after the male is hit by a truck, eventually finds a place
to stay but the lesson is there for all readers to absorb, that we
are destroying the habitat of these magnificent birds. Throughout
the story, embedded in the text, are facts which children will love
to pick up about the cockatoos, their habitat and habits.
The end of the book has a dedication to the volunteers who look out
for these animals, and play a place in rescuing them, and the last
page gives the reader a more scientific outline to the plight of the
Carnaby's Cockatoo.
The illustrations show the cockatoos in their environment using an
almost naive style, but the drawings of the people are not as
successfully depicted.
Fran Knight
