Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781681191317
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Who would have thought one would set
out to be arrested? But that is exactly what Valor intends to do.
Tyur'ma is a prison for criminal children and no one has escaped
from this frozen facility in over 300 years. But Sasha, Valor's
sister finds herself sent there accused of a crime she did not
commit - or did she? When Valor is arrested, and sent to Tyur'ma,
she begins plotting an escape route from the inside. She used all
resources that she can find and outsmarted both the guards and other
nosey fellow prisoners. In order for the plan to be successful,
alliances must be formed between unlikely allies.
This is a fast-paced fantasy novel that hooked me in from the
beginning to end. Although it is a fiction book I did find myself
thinking at times that parts of it could have been true. Valor was a
strong leading protagonist who grew and rose to all the challenges
that were presented to her. Themes such as bravery, friendship,
perseverance and determination are running strongly throughout the
book. Interestingly all the main characters in the book are strong
female characters whether they be good or bad!
I would recommend this book for children over 10 years as some of
the action in the book can be a little confronting. I would strongly
recommend this book to be added to a library collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
The bad guys episode 6: Alien vs bad guys by Aaron Blabey
The bad guys series. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781760279486
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Aliens. Survival. Adventure. Having
saved the world from the clutches of Marmalade, the guinea pig, the
quintet finds itself in deep space, trapped in a space ship with an
alien at their heels.
The group now known as the Good Guys, squabble about what they
should do. The alien in question has many arms emanating from his
body all ending in a bum (butt). The group is horrified, especially
when the alien lets go. Not a fart but tons of goo which the boys
fall into. But Mr Snake finds an escape pod, and fiddling with the
keypad thinks he has a way out for them all.
So begins another hilarious adventure with the very changed bad
guys. Presented in the now familiar cartoon-like small book, with a
storyboard offering the characters and their escapades, young
readers will chuckle all the way through, following their exploits.
Bums and goo add to the fun of an alien with bums on the end of its
many tentacles, and the horror of being enveloped by its goo, will
draw screams of delight from the target audience. And Mr Shark is
able to use his consummate skill at dressing up to good use. Those
familiar with Blabey's offerings will be in no doubt of the hilarity
inside the easily held book, and cackle right to the end where they
will find that another sequel is in the offering: this time when Mr
Snake fiddling with the controls, launches them into the distant
past complete with dinosaurs. Can hardly wait.
Fran Knight
D-Bot Squad series by Mac Park
Ill. by James Hart. Allen and Unwin, 2017. Deep dive. ISBN 9781760296025
Dinosaurs are back, and on the loose! It's up to D-Bot Squad to
catch them. Hunter and his team dive deep under the sea to catch
five kronosauruses. But soon they become the meat in a giant squid
and krono sandwich... Stack attack. ISBN 9781760296018
Hunter and Charlie have made the best double d-bot, to catch an
argentinosaurus. But they have a new friend to save first!
There are 8 books in the series and they do not have to be read in
order. The series will be a welcome addition to a library or added
to the collection of take home readers. The love children have for
dinosaurs is never ending and this series is no exception.
Marc Park cleverly uses words the children can read independently.
They will certainly serve the purpose of getting even the most
reluctant readers engaged. There are between 70-80 pages per book
and the text is relatively large and with illustrations
interspersed, so the books don't appear too daunting. With the added
appeal of chapters the reader will see themselves as entering the
next stage - the illusive chapter books!
Kathryn Schumacher
Scarface Claw, hold tight! by Lynley Dodd
Penguin Random House, 2017. ISBN 9780143770985
(Age: 2-7) Rhyme. Rough and rugged Scarface Claw, arch-enemy of
Hairy Maclary, is back in another adventure of his very own. As with
all of Lynley Dodd's work this is an absolute joy to read aloud: a
rollicking, fun adventure full of fabulous description and vivid
imagery. In contrast to most of her books in the Hairy Maclary
and Friends series, in which the animals are front and centre,
people are the main action; Scarface is a bit of a bystander. This
gives the story quite a different feel to others in the series. In
fact it may disappoint some of Scarface's fans, who would probably
like to see a little bit more of him and his antics! He is being a
lazy old sleepyhead and is just drifting off to sleep when his
comfortable spot begins to move. Off and away goes the car, with
Scarface on top. Everyone the car passes tries to alert Tom that his
cat is on the roof, but he is oblivious. Boys in the school bus hoot
and whoop and Pete the plumber waves a sock. Even the police officer
starts a chase. Eventually rescued, Scarface is expectedly crotchety
(the illustration of his grumpy face seen through the rear view
mirror is laughable) and is promptly driven home for a treat.
Fans of the series will recognise familiar characters and scenes
within the illustrations and many people will identify with having a
cat deciding to sleep somewhere inappropriate. There are plenty of
brilliant and uniquely Lynley Dodd passages ('Everyone pointed and
hollered and waved, they hooted and tooted and ranted and raved')
and her fans will not be disappointed, but it really is a shame that
we do not see more of Scarface as he is such a fun character.
Nicole Nelson
The amazing monster DeTeCToScOPe by Graeme Base
PenguinViking, 2017. ISBN 9780670079308
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Monsters, Childhood fears, Interactive
story, Rhyming story. What fun will be had by lucky children given
this as a present or those in a classroom where they are encouraged
to handle the book with care. It certainly warrants lots of looking,
reading, and interaction, and will make readers laugh out loud at
the way Base incorporates his monsters into the most ordinary of
household appliances. From the bathroom to the bedroom, laundry and
the kitchen, monsters lurk everywhere, and the plucky dog with his
newly purchased machine can scope them out. Readers will be able to
use the viewfinder to move the perspective of the picture to uncover
the monsters lurking inside. Many will recognise monsters they have
dreaded, particularly under their beds, as they read along. For
those with a meticulous eye, looking at the background of each
double page will intrigue and delight as all sorts of things are
included. But in the end the dog realises that his machine just will
not do, so he turns and confronts the monsters, which surprisingly,
melt away.
Children will be able to articulate what monsters they fear and
where they are to be found in their house, while reading this book
about the monsters lurking inside and out. Base has used his
considerable illustrative and design skill to reflect the fears of
children as the dog tramps through the house in search of the many
monsters. Each double page is different, exciting and enticing, the
mechanics of the turning wheel inviting to little fingers simply
wanting to know what will happen when they turn the viewfinder. Most
of the pages are shown through the dog's perspective: looking at the
dolls in the sister's room or looking into the kitchen, but several
take a different slant as the dog looks out into the road towards
the garbage truck, or Base shows a different view of the bathroom
from the ceiling. All adds interest and variety sure to captivate
the readers.
Base is well known to audiences for his unusual offerings since My
grandma lives in Gooligulch (1983) but it was Animalia
in 1986 that announced him as an award winning artist, winning many
prestigious awards. I loved The last king of Angkor Wat
(2014) and this new book is sure to be a favourite as well, having
parallels to Truck dogs (2003), which holds number one spot
with me.
Fran Knight
First day at Skeleton school by Sam Lloyd
Bloomsbury 2017. ISBN 9781408868829
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Monsters, School, Rhyming story. At night
time Skeleton school opens its doors for the mini monsters, needing
tuition with their newly found skills. Welcomed by Mr Bones the
teacher, readers must cross over the moat into the ghostly castle
and attend morning assembly where the singing is other worldly. In
the library the witch flies up on her broom only to have the cat
fall to the ground after attempting a loop de loop. Next dance class
is a bit jangly with the skeletons all dancing together, while the
ghosts move up and down the staircase learning to float and at
lunchtime the zombies cook up a meal to be savoured.
In rhyming stanzas the story moves along, taking the reader through
a familiar scenario, a school, but with ghostly apparitions popping
out of all doors and windows, sitting in rows for assembly, drifting
down the stairs, working in the science laboratory or playing in the
garden.
Kids will love the range of things depicted, at assembly the whole
range is lined up in rows for eager readers to pick out. They will
laugh out loud at each page, littered with ghostly imaginings, a
three headed librarian, a dancing skeleton reading a book called Rattling
Rhymes, the beetle burgers being offered by the zombies,
Frankenstein's head being used as a ball at playtime.
Bright illustrations fill each page with a mine of things to delve
into, small drawings will catch the eyes of eager readers as they
learn of the range of monsters that exist in our imaginations and
literature. All good fun for Halloween.
Fran Knight
Scary hairy party by Claire Freedman
Ill. by Sue Hendra. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408867174
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Halloween, Monsters, Party, Rhyming story. In
four line stanzas, the story unfolds of a group of animals invited
to Monster's house at 3 pm. They must all dress up to go to the
party, and go to Raymond's hair salon to make themselves perfect.
But here they run into problems, Raymond makes their hair look
fabulous, but accidents happen that mess up their hairstyles. Bella
the sheep looks lovely until Raymond uses so much hair spray that
her hair becomes very frizzy. Leo the lion is up next and his mane
is fabulous until Raymond unscrews a pot of gloop and it goes
everywhere, including over Leo's new hairdo. The others sit there
wondering what will happen, and sure enough Raymond mixes up the
dyes and the last three get technicolour hair. All is in chaos, but
when the group gets to the party a neat twist sees them fit in very
well.
Bright and breezy, colourful illustrations accompany this rhyming
story, with lots on each page to intrigue and delight younger
readers. They will have fun predicting the rhyming words and
noticing all the things used by a hairdresser. And with Halloween
coming along, a mildly scary story to share with younger readers.
Fran Knight
Snowdrift and other stories by Georgette Heyer
Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2017. ISBN 9781492650461
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Regency romance. Short stories. Originally
published as Pistols for two, Snowdrift and other
stories contains three brand new stories that previously
haven't been in a collection. These three stories, Pursuit,
Runaway match and Incident on the Bath Road, make a
delightful addition for readers who love the work of Georgette
Heyer.
All the stories felt very familiar to me and indeed many could be
described as precursors to the full length novels. I have been a fan
of the author since the very first time I read a book by her when I
was a teen. She is an author that I come back to repeatedly whenever
I need a feel-good read because her witty dialogue, sparkling
characters and charming atmosphere always lift my spirits.
In this collection, I was happy to be re-united with Pistols for
two as Heyer is so able to convey the jealousies and strong
friendship of the youths who had suddenly found that the annoying
little playmate from their childhood had grown into a beauty. Pursuit,
one of the new stories, also was a hit with me, as I enjoyed the
romance between the older couple, the Earl of Shane and Mary
Fairfax, the governess and have always had a soft spot for the young
woman who falls in love with a military man.
I particularly enjoyed the foreword by Heyer's official biographer,
Jennifer Kloester, as she describes the importance of the women's
magazines as places for authors to be published.
Heyer brings to life all the romance of a bygone era and her
wonderful characters will linger in the memory. She is truly the
queen of the Regency romance.
Pat Pledger
Exchange of heart by Darren Groth
Random House, 2017. ISBN 9780143781578
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Assisted living, Exchange program,
Disability, Death, Grieving, Mental health. When Munro lands in
Australia and goes to his new home in Brisbane ready for a six month
exchange, the reader is aware that he has problems, as he argues
with a voice in his head he calls Coyote. His new family is
welcoming, and their son, Rowan takes him to school the next day
where he must fit into the year eleven cohort, wear the uniform, and
obey the school rules. A part of the school's routine is a fifty
hour volunteer program in which he is expected to participate. From
the start, we realise that Munro is harbouring guilt about his
sister's death. Evie died suddenly a year before and Munro is still
grieving, while his parents have set up a foundation to raise money
and awareness about Down's Syndrome. Munro has on line face time
with his family and friends back home and fits into the friendship
group of Rowan. His relationships in the first few weeks getting to
know Rowan's friends and finding a place within the school are
uneasy and several times he meets the counsellor to discuss his
progress. His placement is at Fair Go, am assisted living complex,
and here Munro becomes a living partner, someone to walk with the
group he is assigned to. They elect to have him as their partner,
and plan out a series of excursions to show him their city. In this
way Groth is able to tell us about the group as Munro sits with them
on the bus and each choses the tour each week, their choice
revealing something of them to the reader.
Munro subtly changes over the weeks he spends with these people.
Coyote's voice disappears while he is at Fair Go, he comes to look
forward to his time there, even missing school on Wednesday
afternoons to be with one of the boys, the sleeper, Shah, to play
chess. He becomes involved with their lives and issues as he begins
to reveal what happened to Evie and how much she was part of his
life.
With some humour, Groth reveals some of the prejudice these people
are subject to, both from society and sometimes within their own
families. Some situations will cause the reader to stop and think
about their own attitudes, while some are heart breaking.
The story of Munro's acceptance of his sister's death is engrossing,
as Groth reveals the effects of her death on the whole family, all
grieving in their own way.
His being sent to Australia is a strategy to have him resolve his
issues and start afresh, but in going to the assisted living program
he finds a new path with his whole family, one which remembers Evie
in the best way possible.
This is a memorable read.
Fran Knight
Nevermoor : The trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Lothian, 2017. ISBN 9780734418074
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Adventure. Sorcery. Good and
evil. Mystery. Jessica Townsend's debut novel unveils the
mystifying, magical world of Nevermoor filled with 'Wunder',
extraordinary larger than life characters and gothic drama. The
countdown is on. Cursed child Morrigan Crow, born at midnight on
Eventide, is destined to die on her twelfth birthday. Unfortunately,
time speeds up and her life is to be cut short a year early. While
her distant family, her father Chancellor Crow, her stepmother and
grandmother tolerate the child and pay for her misdeeds, Morrigan is
resigned to her fate. Fortuitously, she receives two last minute
bids for her to study under two different mentors. Mysterious
Jupiter North rescues the terrified child and they travel far away
to Nevermoor, a magical city protected from the Hunt. North
nominates her as a candidate to become a pupil at an elite school
for the smartest and most talented students.
Life in Nevermoor is intriguing. Morrigan resides at the amazing
Deucalion Hotel with fantastical rooms, including the sensory Smoke
Room and an ever-changing bedroom filled with amazing decor.
Fenestra the talking Magnificat, is the larger than life housekeeper
who provides guidance for the young girl. Morrigan finds friends who
help her understand the four challenging trials she has to compete
in. From five hundred children, the elders of the Wundrous Society
will accept only nine candidates. The trial of Morrigan Crow compellingly delivers the
quintessential fantasy in a beautifully crafted world. In this
coming of age story, Morrigan is a survivor who shows determination,
courage and resilience, questioning her life, her destiny, and her
talents. Townsend builds her layered plot, with poignant and
descriptive language, with colourful characters, magical places
filled with light and shade and emotional heights and depths. She
explores the themes of political unrest, bureaucratic power and the
impact of the energy crisis. Transportation takes on a creative
twist: Octavia the mechanical spider carries them across the border,
and there is dragon-riding in the trials and flying with magical
umbrellas. Townsend takes the reader on an exciting journey and
leaves us wanting so much more; where to next for Morrigan?
Rhyllis Bignell
Gecko by Raymond Huber
Ill. by Brian Lovelock. Nature storybooks. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN
9781925126556
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Geckos. Australian animals.
Environment. In this magnificent series of books called Nature
Storybooks from Walker, in which every word on the page is
true, comes another outing in the form of a gecko.
Each page has text written in two fonts. One is the story of the
gecko, and the other is an information text, usually at the bottom
of the page. Children can read a story of a gecko, and be fascinated
by its everyday existence, finding food and avoiding capture by a
predator, then read more information given in the factual text
beneath. And augmented with lustrous illustrations, reading this
book is a treat.
Through the story Huber tells us how the gecko survives during the
day, licking its skin and eyes with its long tongue, lying in the
sun to keep warm, using its camouflage to avoid the hawk, finding a
cockroach to eat and defending its territory from an intruder. Each
time something happens in the story, information is given in the
different font to explain the theme: so we hear what camouflage
means or how the gecko uses its tongue, or why the tail dropping is
important.
All is informative, visually interesting and inventive as the story
weaves its way through the gecko's day. At the end of the book is a
page with more information, then it is rounded off with an index,
helping younger readers with new skills at research and recovering
information. This is a wonderful addition to a fascinating series,
well produced, thoughtfully written and informative. I am sure
younger readers will love it, so entranced with the cover image that
they will not hesitate in picking it up from the shelf.
Fran Knight
The snow angel by Lauren St John
Zephyr, 2017. ISBN 9781786695895
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Orphans. Poverty. Family. Miracles.
Friendship. Overcoming difficulty. Resilience. The snow angel;
is a wonderful, magical mix of African culture, sadness, dreams,
grief, resilience and the awful sobering realities of poverty and
homelessness - but despite this sad litany of ideas, it is filled
with bright moments of love and optimism. This is both a fantasy
tale with a light dusting of imagined mystery and a sobering expose
of the reality of modern Africa. The central character, Makena,
experiences the highs of living out her dreams within a loving
family and then the horrors that no child should ever have to
experience, after tragic circumstances swamp her life. Woven into
this tragedy is the vision of the 'snow angel' - a magical illusion
that appears and silently offers hope. Makena also meets an amazing
friend and a rescuer that are just what she needs. Even though there
are incredibly bleak and heart-breaking aspects to this story, it is
ultimately a story of hope for Makena. (But a mature reader will
also realise that there are many unnamed characters in the story
that will not experience this same hopeful ending.)
Lauren St John has written this book with understanding of the
Kenyan setting that comes from her own experience of life in Africa
as a child. She also peppers lightly the telling of this dramatic
tale with some profound quotes and pearls of wisdom, as well as a
glimpse of how those in poverty can retain joy in their lives,
despite the hardships they face. There are some chronology leaps as
the story unfolds that may confuse some young readers initially, but
the story is compelling and worth promoting.
Carolyn Hull
La la la by Kate DiCamillo
Ill. by Jaime Kim. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406378009
(Age: 4+) Voice. Singing. Loneliness. The young girl on the front
cover loves to sing, but wants to share her singing with someone
else. She is hesitant, looking longingly at her front door, and
eventually moves through the door into the world outside. Here it is
golden and light filled, and she moves through this environment,
singing, trying to attract someone else. She goes back inside, but
the swirling leaves call her again and she moves outside into the
darker space. She sings again, to no avail, but sees the large white
circle of the moon shining. She tries to climb to the moon, singing
all the while, but still there is no one there.
Disappointed yet again, she retreats to her house, her small voice
singing the words to herself, but this time she hears them come back
to her as someone responds.
Author Kate DiCamillo is well known for her stories of children not
usually seen in children's books. Because of Winn-Dixie is a
superb story of one girl's school year as she is forced to go to an
integrated school after a law change. Raymie
Nightingale looks at a child for whom winning a
competition is the epitome. In these books, favourites of mine, I
can see hints of the child in La la la: all children are
hesitant, unsure of what to make of their situation, trying to find
a friend in a world that seems hostile.
In La la la, the world eventually becomes less hostile, and
she finds a friend.
Children will love filling in the story, adding words to this almost
wordless picture book, as they see the child striving to take charge
of her situation. Many will recognise themselves in this story, the
hesitation at meeting new people, the loneliness of not making an
effort to go outside, striving to be part of someone else's life, of
finding a friend. Kim's illustrations reflect her feelings of being
alone as a child, being hesitant and timid. The pictured girl is a
small figure on a large white page, emphasising her aloneness for
most of the story. A story of hope.
Fran Knight
I want to be in a scary story by Sean Taylor
Ill. by Jean Jullien. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406363463
(Age: 3-7) Recommended. Little Monster wants to be in a scary story.
He asks the author to help him but as the story is constructed from
Little Monster's requests, he gets too scared and wants changes to
the plot.
Eventually the monster wants a funny story but the author has his
own fun by putting in a few surprises. In the end, the big
revelation for the reader is made by Little Monster himself.
This is an entertaining book and younger children love the stories
that seem to be written in front of them. Press
here by Herve Tullet and The
book with no pictures by B J Novak both have that
interactive feel and are hugely popular in my school library.
I think children will relate to monster's fear of being scared and
laugh at the tricks that are played on both the monster and the
narrator or reader.
The pictures are bold and brightly coloured and the font is coloured
purple when the (purple) monster speaks, making it easier for
children to understand who is talking. The monster is cute and looks
young and his facial expressions in the illustrations make it clear
when he is scared or anxious about what is coming up next.
I enjoyed this humorous picture book and I am sure younger children
will be delighted with it too.
I recommend this book for 3 to 7 year olds.
Jane Moore
Wilder country by Mark Smith
Text, 2017. ISBN 9781925498530
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Dystopian fiction, Survival, Violence. At
the end of The road to winter (2016) Finn has created a
place of safety for himself and Rose, away from the Wilder people,
those out to kill him and take Rose into servitude. The disease that
swept the world has left pockets of thugs in control, roaming the
countryside in search of women and food. Finn and Rose seem safe,
but then she dies in childbirth and the baby is taken by its father,
Ramage, the leader of the Wilders, Finn needs to reassess their
situation. He and Rose's sister, Kas and a young child, Willow,
pressed into his arms by her parents who knew their time was running
out, have survived all winter but now must find out what has
happened outside and find the baby, something they promised Rose.
This breathtaking survival story does not let up. Kas, Finn and
Willow meet others on the road, but are unsure of how much to say or
who to trust. They come across several Wilders at Ray's place, but
he is nowhere to be seen and when one attempts to rape Kas, she
deals with him. They move on, back to the farm where Willow's
parents live, but find them in chains, working for Ramage and his
motley crew. A deadly stalemate ensues.
With all the excitement of a multi layered thriller, Wilder
country will grab the attention of those who read it. A
survival story, a road novel, post apocalyptic in its scope, the
story will be eagerly read by those who love the genre heralded by
John Marsden's series, Tomorrow when the war began, and
recreated in many forms since.
The evil is so evil that I had to stop reading and put the book
aside, the creepy atmosphere created by Smith is one that takes hold
of the reader as they proceed. Teens will love it, and see parallels
to what is happening in some places around the world. That it is set
in Australia makes it more relevant and readers may ponder the
impact of such a situation in their own backyard. And like all good
dystopian novels, the last few sentences leaves it open for a
sequel.
Fran Knight
