Reviews

Little Witch: Secrets and Spells by Aleesah Darlison

Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781925520101
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Courtney is going to be stuck in Mixton Bay for her summer holidays. She won't have any friends, TV or pizza as her parents redecorate and ready her unknown grandmother's house for sale. Courtney might not be happy but the trip is also hard on her Dad. He hadn't seen or spoken to Delia, his mother, for a very long time and didn't even attend her funeral.
As Courtney explores the house, she discovers a box labelled with her name. Inside is a spell book, her grandmother's spell book. Courtney is now more excited to be in Mixton Bay and meeting 12 year old surfer, Justice, also helps. Thanks to Justice's friendship with her grandmother, Courtney starts to learn more and more about Delia including the fact that she was a witch and helped people. Throw in a talking cat and Courtney never wants to leave. Now, she just needs to get her Dad to believe and then persuade him and her Mum to stay.
Secrets and Spells is set somewhere in an Australian beachside community. It has just enough intrigue to keep readers reading, giving just a small taste of magic with some funny results. The text is descriptive and easy to read and a great introduction to this first book in a new series. It is highly recommended for readers aged 8+ and will appeal to girls.
Kylie Kempster

The Beast of Hushing Wood by Gabrielle Wang

Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780143309178
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Threads of magical fantasy, Eastern mysticism and mythology weave their magic in this lyrical narrative written and illustrated by Gabrielle Wang.
Ziggy Truegood is a spirited and imaginative eleven-year-old girl who has an elemental connection to the world around her. She lives with her mother in a house surrounded by the dark forest of Hushing Wood. While the townsfolk fear the evil they perceive lurks amongst the thousand-year-old trees, Ziggy enjoys the forest's sensory beauty, finding comfort in the whisper of the stretching branches, the earthy smells and familiar pebbly trails.
Haunted by premonitions of a huge silver beast drowning her on her twelfth birthday, Ziggy seeks guidance to understand her frightening dreams. With the help of her Grandpa Truegood, mute Big Bobby Little and her friend Petal, Ziggy looks for answers. Ziggy's fear increases when she notices a silver animal lurking in the woods at night. Who can unlock the mysteries of why she can see spirit animals and why has the forest become a fearful place?
When strangers Raffi Tazi and his grandfather arrive in town, wearing different clothes, speaking a different language, the townsfolk are concerned. With the aid of a little jade bottle, guidance from her grandfather and the help of her friends, Ziggy rises to meet the challenges her birthday brings.
Gabrielle Wang's imaginative fable, is filled with beautifully crafted descriptions, richly detailed settings and characters that face real issues - a family breakup, physical differences, the feeling of alienation and bullying. The Beast of Hushing Wood is complemented by Wang's intriguing watercolour illustrations of small detailed elements and lively scenes. This novel is just right for dedicated readers who enjoy fables and tales of magical realism.
Rhyllis Bignell

The Giant Jumperee by Julia Donaldson

Ill. by Helen Oxenbury. Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780141363820
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Something is hiding in poor Rabbit's burrow, scaring the forest animals. The creature hiding inside announces 'I'm the Giant Jumperee and I'm scary as can be!' Each of Rabbit's friends offers to help remove the intruder. When Cat slinks up to burrow ready to pounce, he is greeted by the creature's taunting remark - 'I'll squash you like a flea!' Bear offers to knock him down with his big paw however, he is told 'I'll sting you like a bee!' This mysterious animal certainly knows which buttons to press to scare each one away. Mummy Frog stands at the each of the burrow, arms akimbo, eyes wide open, determined to sort out the problem. She's not concerned and challenges the Giant Jumperee to appear on the count of three! Out jumps her Baby Frog, happy to have scared all the animals. Mummy Frog is not amused while Elephant, Rabbit, Bear and Cat lay back in the green grass, laughing at the trick played by the little frog.
Donaldson's uncomplicated story uses rhyme and repetition to delight the young audience. Oxenbury's colourful paintings are delightful; they show the range of emotions each animal feels as the Great Jumperee defeats them. This gentle story is just right for predicting the outcome and engaging a Preschool or kindergarten class.
Rhyllis Bignell

The blue cat by Ursula Dubosarsky

Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760292294
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. World War Two, Refugees, School, Family. This beautifully written story of the dislocation of children through war reveals a young girl, Columba, intrigued by the new boy in her school, Ellery, a refugee from Europe who cannot speak. She and her friend, Hilda befriend the lonely boy and the three search Sydney's Luna Park for a lost cat. It is 1942, the Japanese are to the north and rumours about what is going on and what will happen frighten them. First Singapore falls, then Darwin is bombed, each adding a new level of fear within the families and with their teachers. Hilda is a master at passing on the most amazing of stories, insisting they are true. Small things occur in the background, blacking out windows, cars driving without their lights on, water rationing, while pages in the book are devoted to advertisements and government orders and instructions, offering the reader a taste of what life was like during war in Australia.
But the blue cat is like a shadow behind them all, first coming ashore and following the neighbour home, disappearing during the air raid drill and seen by the American soldiers near the shore. The cat parallels the story of Ellery the refugee. Fear stalks them all, and losing Ellery at Luna Park is a trigger for Columba's imagination to soar. She experiences what has happened to Ellery and his family and she when taken home remains in bed for some days. Then the boy, like the cat disappears.
Dubosarsky's silken prose wraps itself around the reader, touching them with the haunted innocence of children, hearing adult concerns but not understanding the adult words. The fear of encroaching war touches them all. And the readers, like the children, see things in episodes, episodes that touch their lives, then move on, people that are there and then not, incidents that loom large, but then fade away.
As with all Dubosarsky's books the background is impeccably portrayed and on her website are links and images of the research behind her book.
Fran Knight

The catawampus cat by Jason Carter Eaton

Ill. by Gus Gordon. Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780143785583
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Cats, Animals, Humour, Difference. An out of alignment cat enters the picture. It leans to one side, and strolls crookedly into the town. As it makes its way through the streets it has a powerful effect on those around it. There are people everywhere. Mr Grouse the grocer tries to straighten the cat. He and his wife haven't spoken nicely for years, but in looking at the cat's lean they notice their lost wedding ring under one of the fruit barrows, and all is put right between them. Bob Long the hairdresser is cutting hair. Looking at the lean of the cat causes him to cut the woman's fringe on an angle, but she loves it. A house painter busy at his boring work watches the cat walk by so putting a zigzag stripe of paint across the mayor's house. But he loves it. Many other things happen which the cat initiates from his askew point of view, encouraging the population of the town to see things differently, to do things differently, to take chances. I love the librarian who takes the wrong book off the shelf, one about building a boat, and then takes to the seas.
The population decides that being catawampus is a good way to be, and set about hanging their town to be out of alignment, while the mayor calls the Tuesday that the cat appeared, a special day each year to celebrate.
The humour in the story is replicated and augmented by the hilarious illustrations. The bemused cat appears on every page, sprinkling his magic on the populace, encouraging them to see things differently, while the endpapers show his journey through the town.
A wonderful story to talk about with early readers, touching on the acceptance of change, of looking at things differently, of seeing things from another's perspective.
And I was surprised to learn that catawampus is an actual word, and worth looking up.
Fran Knight

Sorry to disrupt the peace Patty Yumi Cottrell

Text, 2017. ISBN 9781925498431
(Age: Senior secondary) Recommended. Helen Moran, the first person narrator in this first novel by Patty Yumi Cottrell, lives in a shared apartment in New York. She has a part-time job caring for troubled young people and sees herself as an organised and functioning member of society. However, there are signs that her life is not as controlled as she suggests. As proof of her competency she presents a pamphlet that she wrote purporting to give advice on how to survive in New York. The advice includes stealing, lying and distorting the facts. When her uncle rings with the news that her adoptive brother has committed suicide Helen decides to return to her adoptive parents to investigate his death. Her parents are astounded and uneasy to see her, an odd reaction, it seems. The reader begins to understand that Helen is not what she believes herself to be. As she reminisces about her upbringing she reveals to the reader a difficult and friendless childhood. In her home in Milwaukee her behaviour indicates both euphoria and depression as she swings from mood to mood in her search for information. There is black humour in her extreme actions; she puts the funeral flowers in buckets containing bleach, she eats all the cake intended for the wake, on the way to the funeral, in the car in which her brother killed himself, she gets a flat tyre and has to walk, so missing the funeral. She interrogates her brother's friends in search of clues about his decision to kill himself, but ultimately it is the document that he has left on his computer that gives her answers, and gives the readers more evidence about Helen herself. Her brother felt that he could be of most use to the world by donating his organs; he suggested in his document that he believes Helen to have undiagnosed bipolar disorder. His reasons for dying are not totally convincing but his understanding of his sister seems accurate. Despite her possible disorder Helen is a perceptive commentator on her adoptive parents' lives and the values of both her home town and those she associates with in New York. It is also possible to see the novel as a discussion on the difficulties of being Korean adoptees, in this case their adopting parents offering charity but not a lot of love, it seems. The book is written in deceptively simple prose and so is a quick read but offers rewards to a more sustained look. It does discuss suicide and the difficulties faced by those with mental differences so perhaps should be recommended with care.
Recommended for senior students.
Jenny Hamilton

Zombie Swap by Zack Zombie

Diary of a Minecraft Zombie bk. 4. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9780986444166
(Age: 7+) This popular fan fiction series is presented as Zombie's diary and in this junior novel, he has swapped bodies with his friend Steve the Villager. This sets the scene for much awkwardness at school and home, for many new and difficult situations and of course, plenty of gross humour. Zombie discovers what it is like to be a human; there are problems with wearing clothes, using the SHA-WUR, what is SO-AP and how to use a TA-WOOL. Zombies normally do not spend a lot of time cleaning their bodies, they have holes in their faces and bodies and love to smell and be filthy.
Human school is a very scary place, Steve is a very popular guy and Zombie finds it hard to fit in, andn know what to do, what to say and how to act. His normal life is opposite. Steve has to live with the Zombies, Creepers, Skeletons and Slimes of Minecraft, and try to fit in as well. There are plenty of difficult situations for Zombie, luckily, Steve's friend Alex is there to guide him through the pitfalls. He even competes in the PVP Death Match Tournament with his new human friend Eli, and together they learn how to rely on each other and defeat the other team.
Zombie Swap is another humorous addition to the series, just right for Minecraft fans who enjoy reading about their favourite characters and their zany lives.
Rhyllis Bignell

Rose Ravensthorpe Investigates: Black Cats and Butlers by Janine Beacham

The dragon with a chocolate heart by Stephanie Burgis

Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408880319
(Age: 9-12) Highly recommended. The dragon with a chocolate heart is a wonderfully woven fantasy adventure that should come with a warning - needs to be read while drinking hot chocolate and sampling a large box of delicious chocolates! Stephanie Burgis combines the world of dragons, the forces of magic and brings a feisty hero to life. She sets her novel in traditional old world town - Drachenburg - where chocolate houses vie for royal favour.
Aventurine is a young dragon desperate to escape her boring family life. When she leaves her family caverns filled with golden treasure to search for her own dinner, the young dragon is tempted by a cup of sweet smelling hot cocoa from a mysterious food mage. In an instant, she changes from a colourful scaly dragon into a wingless human girl. Aventurine learns to adapt to her human body and sets off down the mountain into town. She meets scoundrels and townsfolk out for their own good and runs away from the first couple who just want an unpaid servant.
After some twists and turns, she meets young Silke who help her with suitable clothing and she finds a job as apprentice chocolatier at the Chocolate Heart. Her passion for chocolate and her love of finding the perfect flavours is beneficial for the business.
Burgis writes a rich and engaging fantasy narrative, filled with delicious sweet descriptions and cups of special hot chocolate to delight the royal family. Her setting amongst the delights and dramas of life in Drachenburg with all the behind-the-scenes details of the chocolate shop, the secret recipes, spicy touches, and the well-rounded characters add to the warmth of the story. How can the feisty young girl save the town from the attacking dragons who happen to be her own family?
The dragon with a chocolate heart explores the themes of acceptance, courage, resilience and making the right choices, a wonderful story for fantasy fans and just right for Middle Primary students.
Rhyllis Bignell

Maisy goes swimming by Lucy Cousins

Walker, 2017. ISBN 9781406374049.
(Ages: 3-5) Illustrator and author Lucy Cousins first created her Maisy Mouse character in 1990 and her picture books continue to be much loved family favourites to share with youngsters all over the world.
Walker Books have published the delightful interactive story of Maisy goes swimming as a 25th anniversary celebration. Now a new generation of toddlers can help Maisy get ready for swimming at the pool. The young mouse is dressed for winter in many layers of clothes and she needs to put on her bathing suit. First, her blue hat and scarf come off, next her big brown boots and red coat. Each spread show the ever-patient mouse waiting for our help, as we lift, slide and open the sturdy flaps. Next comes more colourful layers, grey cardigan, green trousers, until at last we pull down her orange bloomers! At last, it is time for Maisy's colourful striped swimsuit and she is ready for the pool.
Maisy goes swimming is an entertaining book to share with a young child, to prepare them for swimming lesson and to stimulate their engagement with picture books, developing their pre-reading and motor skills.
Rhyllis Bignell

Agent Nomad: The eleventh hour by Skye Melki-Wegner

Random House Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780143780151
(Age: 14+) The eleventh hour is the first book in the new Agent Nomad series by Skye Melki-Wegner. At 15 years old a genetic anomaly has given Natalie Palladino the ability to manipulate a source of power called quintessence. But Natalie is not your average sorcerer; she is a rare and hunted witness who can see the quintessences of other sorcerers, thus bearing witness to the magic others have performed or are about to perform.
After spending her early years travelling the world with her mother Natalie was sent to live with her father in the small town of Hollingvale on the Mornington Peninsular in Victoria. Then, hauled from an average teenage student life into the world of secret agents known as HELIX, Natalie Palladino reinvents herself as Nomad and we travel with Nomad on a fast paced adventure as HELIX endeavours to protect Nomad and innocents from the Inductors.
Excitedly, I applauded the female protagonist, Natalie, who appears to be unsure of herself to start, but her character develops into an independent, feisty and strong individual. Drawing on Natalie's experiences as she tries to empathise with the people around her and anticipate what impact her choices will have on others, the author offers insight into friendships; not only the components of what makes a person your friend but also how to be a friend to others.
Skye Melki-Wegner makes an attempt to explore important teen issues such as developing skills in teamwork, maintaining friendship, valuing your own self-worth and personal sacrifice which will encourage the reader to think about how their own perspectives and actions can enhance and confuse their relationships.
Written in a simple yet engaging style I still felt that the momentum of the story was forced through each key moment, hurrying to explain history during a crucial event and skimming over important character development.
All this being said, I was very impressed with the finale when Natalie and her team want to prevent a sorcerous bomb from exploding but cannot see a solution... I did not see this twist coming nor the secrets revealed about her parents! You will have to read The eleventh hour to find out more. For readers aged 14 and up.
Sharon Smith (Children's and Youth services Librarian Riverina Regional Library)

Princess Cora and the crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz

Ill. by Brian Floca. Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN 9780763648220
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. Princesses and royalty. Independence. Identity. Fantasy. Childhood. Fairy tale. In a classic fairy tale style with a princess, talking animal and a little bit of implicit magic, combined with some grit from a frustrated princess comes this charming tale. Princess Cora begins life impressing her parents with her blue eyes and pink toes, but almost immediately they are concerned for her royal role and her life is bound up with responsibilities that are dull as dirty bathwater. Cora endures her princess 'training' for some time until her polite frustration leads to a letter to an unseen fairy godmother. The solution to her woes is a crocodile!! With a little bit of 'changing places' magic, Princess Cora discovers some freedom and the joys of childhood while the crocodile metes out some reptilian payback for Cora's royal training regimen. Ultimately there is some happiness for all, in the manner of all good fairy tales. Hidden beneath the charming fairy tale plot is a little bit of a 'moral' for the adults in a child's life - allow children to be children before 'training' them for their adult roles. And a child reader will see a compliant child who learns to speak up and explore her independence, while still showing respect.
The illustrations by Brian Floca (a Caldecott medallist) are delightful and complement the text sympathetically. This is a lovely transition text between a picture book and an early chapter book.
Recommended for aged 5-8 years, it would make a lovely shared read-aloud text for an adult and child.
Carolyn Hull

Maybe a fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee

Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406372892
(Age: Upper primary - lower secondary) Highly recommended. Even if this story had been written by one author, readers would marvel at the skill and craftsmanship of the writing. Instead it is a collaboration, all the more impressive for that because: a singular voice rings out across the book; there are no stylistic fluctuations along the way; and the narrative development is seamless. This is despite being a complicated story, with several threads weaving through. The central story is about Jules coming to terms with the tragic and pointless death of her sister; this is the second tragedy her family suffers and she and her Dad stay strong to support each other. Other stories intertwine with this: Sam, the school friend, hopeful for the return of the long-unseen catamount; his older brother, Elk, returned from Afghanistan, but mourning a best friend who didn't; the rambling yearling bear that brings out the local hunters; the dangers and mysteries of the Slip, where the river disappears into an underground cauldron for a while, and the legendary but unfound Grotto, both of which hold resolutions to these interlacing stories. But these resolutions don't come so simply and comfortably. Like weft across braiding threads the tale of Senna is thrown; Senna, the vixen of three kits born just as Sylvie disappears; Senna of a mythical fox world, a Kennen with connection to the human world. And her connection is Jules. The fabric shimmers and tightens as these stories intersect and move to a compelling conclusion that answers the question in the title. Because of the implied middle school readership of the book it is important to mention not a spoiler but an alert: perhaps this story goes one tragedy too far. The ending is traumatic, with an achingly-sad last chapter that is hard to bear. Other choices could have been made that would have been uplifting and hopeful and still been satisfying. With that one caution this extraordinary book is highly recommended for upper primary and lower secondary readers.
Kerry Neary

Wing Jones by Katherine Webber

Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406369090
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Wing Jones is a confronting novel about the aftermath of a car accident caused by drink-driving. Focusing on the family of the person responsible, it gives insight on the difficulties faced not only by the perpetrator, but the family and friends of the perpetrator.
A world where you are a nobody and your big brother is a somebody is always going to be difficult to navigate, let alone having both Ghana and Chinese heritage in a school with a mostly white population. Wing Jones is unlucky enough to be all of above - an outsider to anything considered vaguely normal by her peers. As bad as that is it all gets worse when her brilliant brother comes crashing down from the pedestal she's placed him on and the police come to the door with grim expressions for the second time in her life.
As the news of Marcus' drunk driving spreads, the school is engulfed by grief. From hero to villain in one night, Marcus' sister and best friend, Aaron, bear the brunt of it alone. Marcus is trapped in the hospital and they don't know if he'll ever wake up to face the two charges of vehicular manslaughter to his name. Swamped by her older brother's guilt and encouraged by her spirit animals, Wing must learn a new way to cope before the weight of Marcus' guilt breaks her. She starts to run - an act she'd avoiding since childhood - and she's good. With Aaron's help and the slim glimmer of hope that her athletics will help Marcus, Wing joins the track team and shocks not only her classmates, but her mother and Grannies too.
Dealing with issues surrounding drink driving, bullying, and racism, this coming of age story is highly recommended to people thirteen and up.
Kayla Gaskell, university student

Stepping stones by Margriet Ruurs

Ill. by Nazar Ali Badr. UQP, 2017. ISBN 9780702259739
(Age: 5 - Adult) Recommended. Refugees, Syria, Arabic, Sculpture. A worthy addition to the range of books about refugees with which to engage children, Stepping stones, will delight younger readers with its parallel text in Arabic, its amazing illustrations and concise story, best read aloud. With others like Out (Angela George, 2016) Teacup (Rebecca Young, 2016), Suri's wall (Lucy Estela, 2016), Flight (Nadia Wheatley, 2015) and My two blankets (Irena Kobald, 2014), a class set of books about refugees would be the richer for their inclusion, allowing children to pick out and read several books, or work with a class using these books to reflect the story of refugees today.
Stepping stones is unique however in its depiction of the people fleeing their homes. The illustrator, Nizar Ali Badr, a sculptor, works from his home in Latakia in Syria, and the author, having seen one of his stone pictures on the internet was propelled into writing a story to match the image. It would be intriguing to present the images to a group of children to write their own story, they are so graphic and detailed, that I am sure they will understand the story without hesitation.
Canadian author Ruurs, presents the story of this family whose love holds them together, finally finding a place of refuge where they are welcomed. Canada stands like a beacon of humanity in our world today.
The parallel text in Arabic is beautiful, the calligraphy a standout and will intrigue children as they look at the wonderful script, wanting to know more. I can imagine classes using this book as part of a discussion about refugees, allowing children to read it for themselves and share it with others, along with the stories depicted above. I can imagine children trying out the stone images for themselves, or trying to write script in Arabic. All their efforts will bring them to a closer understanding of the issue of refugees through one child's story.
Fran Knight