Ill. by Terry Denton. Macmillan Children's Books, 2017. ISBN
9781509839162
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton have
done it again with another book which is sure to enchant young
readers everywhere. The 91-storey treehouse is the seventh
book in their weird and wonderful treehouse adventures and they have
added another thirteen new levels, including the world's most
powerful whirlpool, a mashed-potato-and-gravy train and a human
pinball machine. Madam Know-it-all is there to tell the fortune of
anyone who asks her a question and when Andy and Terry are asked to
babysit their publisher's three children, they are all off to the
land of Banarnia after going through a wardrobe in a dump. Of course
Andy and Terry are not the best of babysitters and they all have
some amazing adventures, including flying down a cliff and being
stuck in a giant spider web. Not to mention that both Andy and Terry
lose their knowledge and have to have their minds retrained. At the
same time the big red button waits - will it be pushed or not and
what will be the result if it is pushed?
Readers will need no introduction to this fabulous series which is
hilarious. The illustrations are fabulous and children will spend
hours looking at them and laughing. I particularly loved the
alphabet that the children used to teach Andy and Terry how to read
and the number book was just as engaging.
The imaginations of Andy and Terry are wonderful and will stimulate
children to come up with their own weird and wacky storeys to add to
their own treehouses. Both text and illustrations will appeal to
people of all ages. Now wonder this series tops the best seller list
when a new book appears.
Pat Pledger
Stubborn Stanley by Nathaniel Eckstrom
Scholastic Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781760155025
(Age: 3-5) Recommended. Cooperation. Sharing. Recycling. Stanley is
a young inventor who just loves making things. He has put together
the Amazing Spin-o swing from an old Hills hoist and swung his toys
on it. But even though Stanley comes up with amazing things, he is
very stubborn and won't listen to anyone - not for requests to join
in the game or advice that is given. Stanley continues to do
everything by himself until one day he realises that it is not fun
anymore. He needs to come up with a plan to change things and when
he meets Martha, another clever inventor, things begin to look up.
Starting with the front cover, the illustrations clearly depict how
stubborn Stanley is with his arms folded and Keep Out signs
displayed prominently. His name is spelt out with tools like the
pencil, measure and spanner and he is dressed in overalls so
immediately the young reader is brought into his world of measuring
and making. Children will love to see the pictures of his Hills
Hoist swing and the washing machine for his long suffering dog, his
billy cart and space rocket. When he makes a see-saw the
illustrations show a despondent Stanley and it is then that he
finally realises that his inventions weren't fun for him. He tries
to come up with a plan to change things and it isn't until he spots
another invention that he meets Martha, and when they listen to each
other's ideas they have lots of fun together.
Themes of the importance of friends, of sharing and of listening to
each other permeate this book and its bright illustrations and
interesting characters will engage the young child.
Pat Pledger
A perfectly posh pink afternoon tea by Coral Vass
Ill. by Gabriel Evans. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743811689
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Dressing up. Afternoon tea. Humour. Annabelle
Mae and her five friends are a delight, dressing up in all their
pink finery for afternoon tea. They wear oversized hats and long
gloves, rows of pearls and lots of ribbons and lace. They have real
cups and saucers and teaspoons, jelly cake, balloons and sweet
lemonade. Things go along well, they are using their manners and
being ever so polite, but when the boys look over the fence at the
six girls having lots of fun they decide to mess things up. They
turn on the sprinkler and all of a sudden the cups are dropped, the
curls come out of their hair, the ribbons and laces droop, their
finery is ruined. But Annabelle Mae stomps her foot into the mud the
water has made and is so pleased with the result that her five
friends join in. Within a little while all six girls are covered in
mud and dirt and laugh at the fun they are having while the boys are
sitting under a nearby tree drinking their afternoon tea.
Great rollicking rhyming verses carry the story of the tables being
turned. The rhythm is infectious and readers will laugh out loud at
the antics of the groups, trying to outwit each other.
Readers will love the colour filled, boisterous illustrations with
the girls beginning totally in pink and ending up in brown, while
the boys takeover what is left of the posh afternoon tea.
Fran Knight
Grover and Squeak's farm adventure by Claire Garth
Ill. by Johannes Leak. Grover McBane rescue dog series.
Piccolo Nero, 2017. ISBN 9781863959469
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Rescue dogs. Working dogs. Farming. Author
Claire Garth is the General Manager of the Sydney Dog and Cats Home
and she has based her junior novel series on her rescued dog Grover.
Written from the dog's point of view, readers quickly develop a
fondness for this slightly insecure dog, who loves new adventures.
He was rescued from a horrible Man with Big Boots and he now lives
happily with Annie and Dave. He loves his new job as Office Dog at
the shelter.
After a run-in with the mean cat next door, Mr Tibbles, Grover and
new friend Squeak, a kelpie puppy, settle on the back seat for a drive
into the country. Poor Grover is a little confused at first; is
Squeak joining their family, or are they both going to be a farm
dogs?
Fun and games occur when Grover and Squeak meet Rusty, Rex and
Steve the farm dogs responsible for rounding up Farmer John's sheep.
They trick unsuspecting Grover by leaving him with the job of
herding all the woolly creatures into the barn before dark. Luckily,
Barbara the sheep can communicate with him and he is able to
complete his task. Grover and Squeak's farm adventure is a delightful story to
read aloud to younger classes. This chapter book is perfect for
young animal lovers who will enjoy Johannes Leak's detailed sketches
of the dogs and their farm experiences.
Rhyllis Bignell
Funniest Dad in the world by Ed Allen
Ill. by Louis Shea. Scholastic Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781743817506
(Age 3-6) Highly recommended. Fathers. Humour. Ideal for Father's
Day, this very funny picture book will delight emerging readers and
littlies who listen to it being read aloud. Three baby creatures, an
emu, a frog and a rhinoceros, all think that their dad is the
funniest dad in the world. Each insists that their dad tells the
funniest jokes, while riding a unicycle and juggling pizzas and on
each double page spread they try to outdo each other with extremely
funny incidents.
The narrative is hilarious and each incident is outrageous. Starting
with just one line, "My dad's the funniest in the world because . .
." each time the little animal comes up with a new reason that it
has the funniest dad, this is added on and repeated until almost at
the end, where there are twelve lines that the young reader or
listener will easily be able to remember. Then there is a delicious
and unexpected twist at the end to further intrigue the reader.
The illustrations are also riotously funny. I especially loved the
rhinoceros, in a Hawaiian style shirt, riding a unicycle and
juggling pizzas and the drawing of the emu blowing a bubble out of
his nose, while high fiving a monkey, being tickled by a crocodile
on top of a whale is have everyone in stitches.
At the back there is a cardboard stencil trophy "To my funniest dad
in the world", which could be used by an individual child or copied
for more than one user.
Any father who has this book read to him will be hugely entertained
and children will have so much fun with the narrative and the
illustrations.
Pat Pledger
A thousand hugs from Daddy by Anna Pignataro
Scholastic Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781760276973
(Age: 2-5) Highly recommended. Another beautifully illustrated book
just in time for Father's Day A Thousand Hugs from Daddy is
a gentle and warm tribute to the love between a father and his
child: In your arms it's safe and snug,
you always give a thousand hugs.
And I'm as happy as can be -
one hug is not enough for me!
The story starts with a loving polar bear and his little child
crawling out of an igloo and beginning the day doing everything
together. The love and care that Daddy shows will give any child
reading this or listening to it, feelings of security and happiness.
Daddy is always able to find the little bear when it is hiding and
can help surmount any obstacle, all the while giving hugs for being
brave and travelling far and wide. Then of course there is one very
special hug for bedtime, making it an ideal book to read aloud when
putting a child to bed.
The soft water colour palette used by Pignataro is beautiful and
soothing. Often set against a pale blue background, with a tiny boat
emblem repeated on it, the two bears merge beautifully into the
snow, with just their caps and scarves helping to make them stand
out. Young readers will enjoy looking carefully at the pictures,
finding the little boat and talking about the happy and loving
expressions on the bears' faces.
This is a celebration of the tenderness and devotion of a father for
his child.
Pat Pledger
Sea by Sarah Driver
The Huntress series. Egmont, 2017. ISBN 9781405284677
(Age: 9-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Adventure stories,
Sailing Ships, Tribes and tribal systems, Families. We rove! We rove to trade, to meet, for the restlessness in our
bones; we rove at one with the sea!
The intricately designed, foil embossed cover with scrolling waves
and shiny fish encircling the title, the detailed map of the island
kingdom of Trianukka and the cutaway of the sailing ship Huntress
entice the reader into Sarah Driver's lyrical fantasy adventure.
Spirited hero Mouse lives aboard The Huntress with her
one-eyed grandma Wren, the ship's captain and her younger brother
Sparrow. Their tribe worship the majestic whales who protect them
and come when summoned by Sparrow's singing to help defeat the
bloodthirsty attacks from the flying terrodyls. They are on a voyage
to the great Tribe-Meet, and Mouse, who celebrates her thirteenth
moon, is her grandma's apprentice training to take over as Captain
of the Huntress. Their father, Da has disappeared and he has left
Mouse with a special quest to find the sea opals and restore them.
This is a complex and exciting story, set in an icy bleak world with
scary undersea creatures, and dangerous attacks from the Fangtooth
Tribe and their polar dogs. Trouble and danger ramp up when Grandma
Wren unfortunately allows Stag, a long-lost tribe member to rejoin
their crew. Mouse's resilience and courage is repeatedly tested as
the crew face serious threats from all sides.
Sarah Driver's debut novel is beautifully crafted with fast-paced
narrative, elemental forces driving their journey, good and evil
fantastical creatures and lyrical music her brother sings to the
whales. Her creative language is delightful to read: Mouse's heart
skip-skitters when she's in danger but she keeps her spine
arrow-straight and she is not afraid to face down a land-lurker
with iron-hard eyes. There are fun visual details added
throughout, shadowy whales, black merwraiths diving, moon-sparks
twinkling and terrodyl beasts soaring. Sea is the first in The Huntress trilogy and readers
who enjoy a challenging fantasy adventure will look forward to Sky.
Rhyllis Bignell
The tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond
Ill. by Alex T. Smith. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406358070
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Perception, Schools, Angels,
Education. When grumpy bus driver, Bert, finds an angel in his top
pocket, he takes him home to his wife, Betty and together they name
the little fellow, Angelino. Betty, a cook a the local school, takes
the angel to enroll him at the school, but the school at the moment
is in some disarray. Their head teacher is on leave because of his
nerves, and has been replaced by Acting Head Teacher, Mrs Mole,
anxious to be seen to be doing well. Angelino is a hit with the kids
at school, but not with Mrs Mole, who sees the angel causing some
relaxing of the straight lines and hands up approach she wants.
Into the mix comes a mysterious stranger, set on getting the angel
for himself, ready to sell him to the highest bidder: a bishop,
soccer team or artist.
A chaotic story ensues, with the angel getting bigger as he eats
custard from the school canteen, learning to say a few apparently
meaningless sentences, endearing himself to all those who see him,
except perhaps Mrs Mole. A few side remarks about education, a
smattering of lessons about grammar, with lots of funny situations
make this a quirky read which children will heartily enjoy: the
story of an angel who makes a difference in people's lives.
When Angelino is kidnapped by two almost men with troubled pasts, he
is able to endear himself to them, and when found by trio of
students from the school, Betty and Bert decide that all the
kidnappers need is some good parenting, so take them home as well.
A delightful read all the way to the end, Almond always manages to
disarm the reader, attaching them to a story which swerves into
fantasy and yet we want to believe that such things can happen, that
Bert and Betty can get a new son, that the kidnappers can be
parented back to being good citizens, that the acting head can be
rehabilitated into a teacher of children not of department policy.
The vision of the department heads squirreling themselves away in an
office with the shades drawn and a no entry notice on the door,
making policies about the school without seeing one child is
hilarious and should make every school administrator rethink their
purpose.
Fran Knight
Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard
Angus and Robertson, 2017. ISBN 9780008244521
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Dogs, Utra marathon, Running,
Companionship, Non fiction. Subtitled: The true story of one
little dog's big journey, this book will have kids and adults
reading it from cover to cover. It begins in the Gobi Desert, where
runner and author, Dion is about to run the Utra marathon across the
155 miles of desert in six days. With heat of sometime 140 degrees,
and little shade, the race is grueling. Dion has not raced for some
months because of an injury and is unsure about how he will cope
with this one. But in the crowd is a little dog and it seems to take
a liking to Dion. The first leg sees the little dog running all the
way with him, keeping at his side across the desert. That night, it
snuffles up against Dion to sleep and it is named Gobi. The dog
remains with Dion throughout the whole marathon, and seems to act as
a talisman for Dion to keep on going. When the race finishes, Dion
is unsure of what to do, and leaves her with one of the volunteers.
Back in Edinburgh he and his wife decide to bring her home, but find
that the dog has escaped. With the help of crowd funding, Dion
travels back to China and with the help of a large number of
volunteers again, finds the little dog. The story then becomes one
of finding the correct authorities to sign the papers to get her
home.
This heart warming read will enthrall its readers, following the
course of action taken by Dion in rescuing his dog. Heart in the
mouth situations occur in which the reader is unsure whether the dog
will be found, but a look at the photos in the middle of the book,
will satisfy readers that the dog does indeed get home to Edinburgh.
Along the way we learn much about Ultra Marathons and what impels
people to run these, and life in China some 1800 miles west of
Beijing, a different world from the one we usually see in books, and
we are shown the power of the Internet and crowd funding, a mind
boggling tool in our modern era.
Fran Knight
The undercurrent by Paula Weston
Text, 2017. ISBN 9781925498233
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Science fiction. Julianne De Marchi
is different - she has the ability to use an electrical current
under her skin to light a fire or hurt someone. But she doesn't
understand her power and doesn't know how to control it. When she
goes off in search of job, she doesn't realise that Ryan Walsh is
following her and when there is a huge explosion in the building,
they have to help each other to get out. Why is an experimental
military unit taking interest in her and her former activist mother
and how will they evade the danger?
The novel opens with a stirring scene as Jules tries to enter the
Pax Federation building and from then on the action is intense with
Jules and Ryan making a dangerous escape from the building and Jules
and her mother having to go into hiding. Jules is a great character
who has to come to grips with an amazing power. Ryan is engaging as
the ex-footballer whose knee was injured and who has joined the
experimental unit, getting help for it. All the adults are fully
fleshed out: Angie her mother once campaigned against
bio-engineering and big business, but suddenly stopped, and the
Major is an enigmatic but powerful person.
Big themes like bio-engineering, genetically modified food and what
it does to small farmers trying to hold onto their land like Ryan's
parents and brother, and the power of big companies to manipulate
the government all get a fascinating treatment here and the reader
will be swept along questioning the role of government in addressing
environment and economic threats. However it is the plot and the idea
of an electric current zinging along in Jules body that makes it a
stand-out read.
This is a book that readers will want to finish in one sitting as I
did. It is a fantastic stand-alone novel, suitable for literature
circles or as a class novel. Teacher's
notes are available online.
Pat Pledger
How does my home work? by Chris Butterworth
Ill. by Lucia Gaggiotti. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406363784
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. STEM. Home appliances. Electricity.
All the things we do not think about in the home: how does a switch
turn on the light, how does the fridge work, where does the gas come
from to keep us warm, where does the waste water go, how does it get
to the house, and so on, are questions answered in this easily
understood hymn to the house and what happens inside its walls. A
double page is devoted to each new idea. The first tells us about
the things we do each day without thinking about it, while over the
page a double page image of the plan of a house shows the services
in and out: the electricity, gas, water in and water out. Further on
we have a double page showing where our electricity comes from,
discussing turbines, coal and nuclear power, solar, wind and water
power. Further over and we see where the water we use in the house
comes from and how it gets to the house, followed by a look at where
water is used in the house and what happens after it is used.
Another double page shows the treatment of used water and what
happens to it.
Each page is clear and well illustrated with a simple but not
simplistic text. A double page at the end of the book shows how
energy can be saved within the house, and this is followed by a
brief index and websites for more information. All in all a
wonderfully informative and clearly presented book on the basic
services which come to us everyday in our house.
Fran Knight
Bad mermaids by Sibeal Pounder
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408877128
(Ages 8-11) Mermaids. Adventure. Fantasy. Author Sibeal
Pounder's new fantasy series explores the world of mermaids and
their adventures in the Hidden Lagoon. When Arabella Cod, Queen of
the Mermaids is captured, it is up to Beattie Shelton and twins Mimi
and Zelda Swish to rescue her. These young friends have enjoyed a
short summer break living in the human world with real legs.
However, after only two weeks they receive a mysterious crabagram
and have to return home. Their underwater kingdom is swarming with
biting piranhas and a new leader has taken control. With the aid of
a talking seahorse called Steve, Beattie, Mimi and Zelda investigate
the kidnapping, search for clues to the queen's whereabouts and try
to free the residents of the lagoon from the evil invaders.
Travelling in their Clamarado 7, the young mermaids follow Arabella
Cod's diary entries to each of the last places she visited. Each
location is beautifully unique. Hammerhead Heights is a huge
underwater canyon filled with thousands of mermaids swimming with
their special shark tails. Here they enjoy fishy fare at Jawella's
and soon eliminate Ray Ramona as a possible captor of their queen.
With piranhas patrolling the waters and mermaids limited in the
places they can swim freely, careful planning and teamwork is
needed. Bad mermaids is an enchanting junior novel, with colourful
underwater characters, beautiful shell costumes, fancy tails and
delicious fishy menus. There are fun articles from the Mermaids'
newspaper, 'Clamzine', and rival reports from the enemies' point of
view. Sibeal Pounder's descriptive language, fun puns, alliteration
and imaginative descriptions make Bad mermaids a fun story
to read for ages 8-11.
Rhyllis Bignell
The anti-boredom book of brilliant outdoor things to do by Andy Seed
Ill. by Scott Garrett. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408870099
Gardening. Crafts. Cooking. Games. Holidays. Summertime fun in the
garden, you can build a tipi, create a den with a fence, sheets and
chairs, build a bug trap or create a beautiful water rainbow. With
step-by-step instructions, stuff you need and plenty of tips, young
readers can create a perfect picnic or a special treasure hunt.
Spinners, snappers, paper plate Frisbees, giant bubble wands even
making gloop, there are so many easy things to make indoors. With
easy to source materials and a little imagination, there are plenty
of things to create indoors or outdoors.
There are so many places to explore and see outside, castles to
explore, go bird watching, tracking animals or observe shooting
stars in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Safety measures are
included throughout, telling an adult and asking for advice is
important.
Andy Seed's anti-boredom activity book is packed full of games,
indoor and outdoor fun, recipes to cook, something special for every
season. Thirty-seven exciting challenges are included as well, at an
easy, harder or tough level; try going for a night walk, sleeping
under the stars or flying a kite. Scott Garrett's fun cartoon
illustrations add excitement to this activity book; look for the
farm horse playing table tennis and the gardener doing the splits.
The creative design and placement of the text boxes, silhouettes and
shadows, backgrounds and borders makes this a fun to explore
information book. The anti-boredom book of brilliant outdoor
things to do is just right for a family to motivate their
creativity and engagement with the world around them.
Rhyllis Bignell
Tell it to the moon by Siobhan Curham
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406366150
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Tell it to the moon is an
incredibly hopeful story about friendship and supporting one another
through the tough times. I would highly recommend this for people
aged twelve and up as it reinforces the importance of surrounding
yourself with the right kind of people. Following on from the
previous novel, The
Moonlight dreamers we follow the girls as they overcome new
obstacles and discover new dreams to be fulfilled.
Amber's ambition of visiting the grave of her beloved writer has
been fulfilled, but what will come next for her budding writing
career? She's experiencing writers block, back to being bullied at
school, and her identity comes down as she tries to contact her
birth mother. Amber doesn't know what to do next, she feels like
much less of a moonlight dreamer than ever before. Maali is still
searching for her soulmate but her romantic prayers change course as
her father's health deteriorates. Her father is now haggard and
having trouble even standing upright. There is something badly wrong
and yet Maali and the doctors don't know what. Sky's life is rocked
by her Dad's determination to send her to school. Her first time in
secondary school, and just ahead the GCSE are looming, however she
soon learns that not to let her fear of school swallow up her dreams
when she meets a fellow poet, Leon, who encourages her dreams.
Rose's world is coming apart at the seams, finally having recovered
from the topless photo scandal, she has finally found the courage to
accept her sexuality. But with that comes a whole new world of ups
and downs as her crush, the lovely Francesca, reveals her boyfriend
at the very moment Rose intends to come out.
It seems that times will continue to be tough for the moonlight
dreamers as they deal with problems within their family,
relationships, school, and religious beliefs. The girls must band
together and in doing so demonstrate the importance and strength of
their friendship, as well as continue to achieve their dreams.
Kayla Gaskell, 21
Sparrow by Scot Gardner
Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760294472
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Survival. Juvenile detention.
Escapes. Homelessness. Sparrow is a 16 year old boy who doesn't
speak. He has been accused of murdering his brother and sent to
juvenile detention. On a trip home after a boot camp, the boat is
wrecked and he finds himself fighting for his life in shark and
crocodile infested waters as he swims for shore and freedom. Can he
survive the physical problems on the isolated Kimberley coast as
well as the mental issues that have kept him from speaking for
years?
The reader is kept in suspense as Gardner describes in alternative
chapters Sparrow's life as a homeless boy, living in the ceiling of
a toilet and getting food in exchange for putting out chairs at
local restaurants and his life as a survivor in the bush. Gradually
Sparrow's background unfolds. He is determined not to become a
'ghost boy', drinking and becoming a criminal, like his brother, and
he is helped out by an old man who helps him learn to swim and a
friendly cafe owner. His self-sufficiency and survival skills help
him out in the bush as he finds water and shelter and manages to
help a girl who was also stranded. Sparrow must not only survive the
physical obstacles but he also has to find the emotional courage to
overcome the problems that have brought about his mutism.
Gardner's story will bring home the plight of homeless children who
have no voice and very few people who will advocate for them. There
are glimpses of hopefulness with the old man who teaches him how to
swim and new foster parents who stand up for him.
I read this in one sitting, thrilled by the survival aspects of
Sparrow's ordeal, and appalled by the life that he was leading on
the streets. Fans of Hatchet will be interested to contrast
survival in the hot Australian bush with survival in the cold
regions. This would make an excellent class novel or literature
circle book. There are extensive teachers'
notes by Ananda Braxton-Smith at the publisher's website.
Pat Pledger
