Puffin, 2017. ISBN 9780141375182
"This book is about worms. (I can only draw worms.) "
And so that's just what we are presented with. Bright hot-pink worms
(except for one yellow one because he lost his pen) that mix and
mingle and get to know each other and have adventures, all of which
the reader has to imagine because the author can only draw worms.
Set on white page juxtaposed with some really bright backgrounds the
reader is drawn in, but while the blurb suggests that the book is
"hilarious" and guaranteed to have children howling with laughter" I
think there is a gap between the age of the reader that it visually
appeals to and that able to grasp the humour.
It's different, it's quirky, it's definitely bright and young
readers will love to join in the counting aspect as Mabbitt brings
this most humble creature to life, encouraging them to use their
imagination to fill in all the missing illustrations because he can
only draw worms.
Barbara Braxton
All too much by Jo Cotterill
Hopewell High series. Bloomsbury Education, 2017. ISBN
9781472934079
(Age: 12+) In this, the first of the Hopewell High series, we follow
the story of Samira. Sammy (as her friends all her) is an Iranian
student who has come to the UK to study. She has a great group of
friends who are all in the same year level, but she likes to study
and her friends are far too occupied with boys and mascara.
Though the girls spend most out of class time in The Nest (their
living quarters), there is room for more detail but the author
doesn't deliver. Also lacking is any recognition of what it must be
like to be an international student and teenager away from her
family in school - surely an underlying stressor in the midst of the
other goings-on.
In this High Interest Low Literacy novel, Sammy begins to feel the
pressure of being an A student and the embarrassment of her father
calling to find out how her French Test went. With a lot on her
plate already, Sammy is invited to join the quiz team and is excited
that she is the youngest student to be asked. As the pressure
builds, the novel begins to focus on Samira's coping strategies and
touches briefly on the subject of non-suicidal self-injury
(self-harming) and cutting. While Sammy learns different ways to
deal with her stress, this is not explicitly explored. Somehow it
seems too much like a blanket is thrown over the problem itself and
the solutions that seem to 'fix it' are unlikely to be a fix for
someone who is a chronic cutter or is more adept at hiding it. While
it covers the issue of cutting, there is no real resolution in
place.
Clare Thompson
Publisher's note: Bloomsbury High Low books encourage and support
reading practice by providing pacy, age-appropriate stories for
struggling and reluctant readers, those with dyslexia, or those with
English as an additional language. Printed on tinted paper and with
a dyslexia friendly font, they are aimed at readers aged 12+ and
have a manageable length (80 pages) and reading age (9+). They are
produced in association with reading experts at CatchUp, a UK
charity which aims to address underachievement caused by literacy
and numeracy difficulties.
Stage fright by Jo Cotterill
Hopewell High series. Bloomsbury Education, 2017. ISBN
9781472934130
(Age: 12+) In the second Hopewell High series, we follow the
story of Alice, a talented singer and actor in the school play at
her boarding school. Alice is supported by her friends who are all
in the same year level, and spend most out of class time in The Nest
(their living quarters) or practicing for the school play. As the
dress rehearsal draws nearer, Alice becomes more and more prone to
panic attacks, of which she has a history.
In this High Interest Low Literacy novel, Alice begins to feel
overwhelmed by the pressure of the play. Already stressed about
remembering lines, her Mum confides that things are not right at
home. Alice seeks counselling and is encouraged to talk to an adult.
Her panic disorder is not explicitly explored.
In the back of the book, there is a quiz, in which readers could
check their understanding of the novel. The resource also has UK
reference websites in the back pages, including Childline.
Clare Thompson
Publisher's note: Bloomsbury High Low books encourage and support
reading practice by providing pacy, age-appropriate stories for
struggling and reluctant readers, those with dyslexia, or those with
English as an additional language. Printed on tinted paper and with
a dyslexia friendly font, they are aimed at readers aged 12+ and
have a manageable length (80 pages) and reading age (9+). They are
produced in association with reading experts at CatchUp, a UK
charity which aims to address underachievement caused by literacy
and numeracy difficulties.
Our race for reconciliation by Anita Heiss
My Australian Story. Scholastic Australia, 2017. ISBN
9781760276119
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. This is one of the best books I have
read this year. Author, Anita Heiss, is a member of the Wiradjuri
nation of Central NSW. Her language and ability to be a story teller
make the text more authentic having lived many of the emotions and
themes portrayed in the book. The historical notes at the back of
the book also give a brief insight into the events that have
affected the indigenous communities since European settlement.
We are introduced to Mel Gordon, an avid Cathy Freeman fan, twin
sister to an aspiring cricketer and a lover of Seinfeld. It's 2000
and the Olympics are going to be held in Sydney. Mel is beside
herself when she finds out her local hero is coming to visit her
school. If this is not exciting enough, she then finds out her
family are heading to Sydney on a holiday. We meet a number of
interesting family members along the way which is a great example of
the extended families experienced by many indigenous people. The
trip becomes much more meaningful when they participate in the
'People's Walk for Reconciliation' across Sydney Harbour Bridge for
national 'Sorry Day'. Deep cultural memories and emotions are
stirred up especially for Mel's Nana Flora who was removed from her
family during The Stolen Generation.
Throughout the book, Mel's sense of identity strengthens, despite
experiencing the normal insecurities and worries tweens face these
days. This book is a great addition to the school library with clear
themes including individuality, commitment to culture and the
powerful message of acknowledgement and healing of indigenous issues
in Australia's history. This book could be read independently by
students aged 10 and up and would make an excellent read aloud text.
Kathryn Schumacher
The fall by Tristan Bancks
Random House, 2017. ISBN 9780143783053
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Crime, Disability, Single parent
families, Aboriginal themes. Recuperating from an operation to
lengthen his leg, Sam is staying with the father who left before he
was born. Sam has idelised him in comics that he writes but talking
to him is difficult and when he walks out of his tiny apartment to
get milk, Sam is left alone with the dog, Magic. Hearing noises in
the apartment above he looks out of the window to see a person
falling to the ground five stories below. He struggles down the
stairs, only to find that the body has disappeared and the man who
saw him watching over the balcony is nearby. Sam retreats, hiding in
a cupboard beneath the stairs willing his father to return, but
hearing instead someone trashing his apartment. He has read his
father's articles about crime scenes and carefully gathers evidence.
When his father does eventually return, he promises to stay at home
while he is out at work, but Sam looks for more evidence, talking to
the girl in the flat above, and eventually seeking help at the
police station. There he recognises the man he saw standing by the
body but this time in a police uniform and again he retreats.
This fast paced involving story of one boy trying desperately to be
a help to his father, a crime journalist, reflects that basic need
in us all, to belong. My heart ached for Sam, craving his father's
approval, thinking he is a help but putting his own life at risk to
gather evidence. His dad, Harry is equally conflicted, and manages
to say 'I love you' even if through the closed door.
The seamier side of city life is well defined and Sam's relationship
with mum even via text messages, strongly depicted. Readers will
readily recognise the problems Sam has with both parents and the
bullies at school, and urge him on in his efforts to solve the
crime. When Sam and his father are kidnapped by the murderer, things
move along very quickly, until a resolution occurs which will
satisfy all readers, bringing together father and son for the first
time. I loved this tale and those in early secondary school will eat
it up.
Fran Knight
The secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton
Flying Eye Books, 2017. ISBN 9781911171256
(Age: 5 - 8) Recommended. Sea. Marine life. Persistence. Out in the
sea lies Black Rock, a large strange mass that is said to destroy
any boat that comes near it. Erin loves to watch the water looking
at the fish, and longs to go out on the fishing boat with her
mother. She often hides on board but her dog Archie would sniff her,
until one day she came up with a cunning plan and managed to stay
hidden. But then disaster strikes in the fog and she gets swept off
the boat and sinks down, down into the ocean, where the Black Rock
is lurking, a home to a myriad of sea creatures. Then she uncovers
Rock Rock's secret - but will she be able to convince the villagers
not to destroy it.
On an initial read, this may prove to be a strange story that
doesn't quite make sense, but a second closer perusal will have the
reader discovering that this is a picture book where you have to
both read the text and look very carefully at the pictures to find
out what is going on. This makes it a most challenging, interesting,
and thought provoking read.
The illustrations are fascinating, with dark foreboding colours for
the rock and the sea while the sea creatures and machinery, boats
and people are brightly coloured. The marine life that is pictured
as Erin falls deep into the sea is beautifully drawn, but it is the
double page spread that the reader has to turn sideways to discover
what Rock Rock is, that will most delight the reader.
Erin is an irresistible heroine, brave and clever. She manages to
outwit her mother and her dog to stay on board the fishing boat and
is courageous enough to climb out an upper storey window to go and
rescue the Black Rock.
This is a picture book that will reward readers who pay attention to
details and who delight in adventure stories.
Pat Pledger
The world's worst children 2 by David Walliams
Ill. by Tony Ross. HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008259679
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. One thing is an absolute given in our
library. David Walliams' books are rarely re-shelved. They are
snatched up from the returns trolley with the speed of a striking
mongoose or tussled over in the actual returns line up. Walliams has
a legion of followers and has fast become the contemporary Roald
Dahl with his knack of preposterous stories and outrageous
characters.
This follow up to the first World's Worst Children brings
his readers ten more particularly horrid kids and will produce as
much laughter as the previous.
Imagine having a baby so huge and so hungry that it will eat
anything and everything - and by everything, I mean the cat, his
parents, helicopters - yes, ANYTHING! Or perhaps you'd rather meet
Gruesome Griselda who prefers to stand out from the other girls at
her exclusive school, the well-groomed polite ones, by being
exceedingly grubby and rude. Then there's Cruel Clarissa who seems
to be just perfect particularly with her passion for all things pink
but is really a very calculating kitty tormentor. These are but a
few of the beastly children to whom readers will flock.
With super colourful illustrations jam-packed throughout and some of
the most creative use of font/type I have ever seen, there is no
doubt that this one is also destined never to be shelved. If I only
I could be bribed. I could make a fortune for holding out for the
highest bidder as the first borrower - sigh.
Highly recommended for subversive boys and girls from around 7 years
old upwards.
Sue Warren
Egg by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow, 2017. ISBN 9780062408723
Four eggs - one pink, one yellow, one blue, one green. Crack. Crack
Crack. Three hatch and release their little ones - but the green one
does not. Waiting, waiting, waiting . . . Listening, listening,
listening . . . Peck. Peck. Peck. Until finally . . . But what
emerges is not what is expected. And as the birds fly away in
surprise it is left alone, sad and miserable. Until . . .
Described as "a graphic novel for pre-schoolers", Caldecott
Medallist Kevin Henkes has woven a magnificent story with the
minimum of words and some seemingly simple illustrations. Using the
softest pastel palette, simple lines and shading he conveys so much
emotion and action that even the very youngest reader will be able
to sit and tell the story to themselves and their teddies without
having to know one word of the sparse text. They will enjoy
predicting what might be in that final egg and be surprised when the
secret is discovered. Could that really be inside an egg? Are birds
the only things that hatch from eggs? They will also empathise with
the surprise when it is left alone and lonely, perhaps able to
express their own feelings when they have been in a similar
situation. A perfect opportunity to build a word wall of synonyms
for 'sad". Inviting them to retell the story will encourage them to
organise and order their thoughts, begin to understand sequence is
important, and use their own words and language skills to express
what happened - critical elements in developing early reading
skills. And of course, this story is the perfect lead-in to the
classic tale of The Ugly Duckling.
Brilliant for littlies but older children could gain a lot from
looking at the techniques used to produce so much from so little.
Barbara Braxton
Where's Wally? : the totally essential travel collection by Martin Handford
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406375718
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Picture puzzles. Where's Wally? :
the totally essential travel collection collects together all
seven of the Where's Wally books : Where's Wally, Where's
Wally now?, Where's Wally? 3 : the fantastic journey,
Where's Wally in Hollywood, Where's Wally the Wonder Book,
Where's Wally the great picture hunt and Where's Wally
the incredible paper chase. As well there are six postcards to
colour in.
Fans of the Where's Wally books will be delighted to see all
seven book collected together and travellers young and old will love
spending time trying to find Wally as he goes on many adventures.
Before the start of each of Wally's adventures, there is a checklist
of other things to find, as well as searching out Wally in the
pages, so hours could be spent just going through any one of the
stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed just opening the pages at random and trying to
find Wally - one real challenge was 'Where's Wally the musical',
where there are literally hundreds of Wally look alikes in the
chorus lines. And then there's the 'Land of Woofs', where Woof has
to be found among a myriad of dogs in striped coats. He is the only
one with five red stripes on his tail!
As the title suggests this would be a fabulous book to give as a
present to anybody embarking on a long trip.
Pat Pledger
The Summon Stone by Ian Irvine
Orbit, 2016. ISBN 9780356505206
(Age 13+) Recommended. Fantasy. The Summon Stone is the
first book of a new trilogy The Gates of Good and Evil by
Ian Irvine. This trilogy is the fourth quartet/trilogy of Three
Worlds Cycle series.
Ian Irvine has set this fantasy story on the planet Santhenar, the
least powerful but the most populous of the three worlds and the
home of the old human peoples. The Summon Stone is located somewhere
on this planet and is a gate between worlds.
The Merdrun people are a cruel race and are gathering in the void
between worlds awaiting the awakening of the Summon Stone, which
will enable a gate to be opened between the void and Santhenar. The
Merdrun intend to kill every inhabitant of Santhenar and make the
planet their own. The Summon Stone is evil and, as it slowly
awakens, begins to corrupt most of the inhabitants of Santhenar.
Four inhabitants of Santhenar are fighting to destroy the Summon
Stone and stop the Merdrun from invading their planet. The four are
Llian, a master chronicler and a storyteller; his partner Karen, a
triun and a sensitive; Whelm, a student storyteller mentored by
Llian; and Ariel, a crippled girl of 15 years, who is training
herself to be a perfumer.
The characters feel like real people, grow and change with each new
situation they find themselves facing, and display courage and
resilience in confronting their cunning and cruel enemies. The Summon Stone is a new series by Ian Irving but is based
on the worlds and their inhabitants from his previous books of the Three
Worlds Cycle series. However, if you have not read any of the
books of the Three Worlds Cycle series, there is not
sufficient information in the text or the glossary in the back of
the book for the reader to feel they have enough important
information for an understanding of what is happening.
If you have read other books of the Three Worlds Cycle
series written by Ian Irving and enjoyed them, you will like this
new series.
Glen Avery
Peas and quiet by Gabrielle Tozer
Ill. by Sue deGennaro. Angus and Robertson, 2018. ISBN 9781460752395
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Friendship. Getting along. With her lovely
watercolour and coloured pencil illustrations, Sue deGennaro has
beautifully realised the story presented by Tozer. Her understated,
almost muted colours enliven the two little peas as they trip up in
their friendship and learn to solve their problem. Pip and Pop are
two peas in the pea pod, so alike its hard to tell them apart. They
do everything together, but one thing aggravates Pip and another
annoys Pop. Pip loves to sing while she does the dishes, her off key
voice rising if Pop dares question her singing. But Pop has his own
discomforting habit: he snores. One day Pop has had enough of the
singing. He packs his bag and leaves. They say some hurtful things
to each other, but Pip soon learns that life apart is life alone.
She can sing to her heart's content, and cook all she likes, but
when it comes to eating what she cooks, she thinks it better to have
someone there. She wonders if Pop is alright, looking wistfully out
of the kitchen window. One day a parcel is delivered to the door,
and when it is opened, Pop jumps out of the box. He apologises for
his grumpiness hoping Pip will let him in. She suppresses a smile
and welcomes him back and they solve their problem with an ingenious
solution.
Readers will love listening to the lovely rhymes of this tale,
predicting the rhyming words at the end of each verse, and learning
some of the verses to say aloud with the reader. They will adore the
pictures of Pip and Pop in their checked and spotty pants, and love
picking out all the detail which deGennaro includes in her
meticulous drawings. This charming story stands alone but is also a
useful story to lead children into discussions about friendship and
getting along together. And of course, the underlying idiom or
simile, 'like two peas in a pod' could be used to discuss those
figures of speech, including puns as reflected in the title.
Fran Knight
D-Bot Squad series by Mac Park
Ill. by James Hart. Allen and Unwin, 2017. Sky high. ISBN 9781760295981 Double trouble. ISBN 9781760295998
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Dinosaurs. Robots. Adventure
Stories. Susannah McFarlane and Louise Park authors of the popular
series Zac Power have written an exciting new series perfect
for young readers. D-Bot Squad takes place in a world filled with
dinosaurs, high-tech gadgets and young riders who rescue and
teleport these creatures back to safety.
In Sky high Hunter Marks is learning to ride his dino-bot,
mastering the controls in windy conditions. He is part of the D-Bot
Squad whose mission is to catch robotic dinosaurs that have escaped
from a secret island. After being dive-bombed by seagulls and a dip
in the sea, the young rider captures the pterodactyl and teleports
it back to base. Unfortunately, when Hunter decides to ignore
mission control and go after a second animal, he is caught in the
claws of a flying Quetzalcoatlus and he needs to be rescued himself.
Double trouble continues Hunter's story, he is being held in
the clutches of the flying dinosaur as it flies high above the sea.
How can he escape? Charlie and her d-bot fly in to save Hunter, in a
daring rescue. Teamwork is needed to capture this dinosaur and
teleport this animal to safety.
Easy to read text, short paragraphs, engaging font styles and sizes
are interspersed with a combination of graphic novel spreads to
engage and encourage the development of reading and visual literacy.
These D-Bot Squad novels are just right for reluctant readers and
for children beginning to read chapter books. After sharing these
fun stories, Early Years students can research the dinosaurs
included, develop their own project cards, then design and create
their own dinobots.
Rhyllis Bignell
The names they gave us by Emery Lord
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408877814
(Age: 14+) Recommended. A coming of age story about summer camp and
girlhood - a high school senior and bible camp graduate becomes a
counsellor at a camp for young disadvantaged children. When Lucy
Hansson's mother's cancer returns despite all of Lucy's prayers and
bargains with God, she begins to act out in response to her
faltering faith. Her equally devout boyfriend, Lucas, dumps her. Her
mother wants to spare Lucy the worst of her cancer treatment and
asks her to work at the summer camp she herself attended as a
troubled teen.
At camp Daybreak Lucy sees how the less fortunate live and becomes
protective of her young charges. The extraordinary camaraderie
between counsellors is a bonus. At camp, Lucy learns about her
mother's past and she falls for Jones. Henry Jones not only shares
her love of music, but unlike her ex-boyfriend Lucas, he can truly
connect with her emotionally.
The summer lurches from one drama to another as the minor characters
are fleshed out through a gambit of themes - child abuse, bullying,
intolerance, anxiety, death, teenage pregnancy and more. Daybreak
distracts Lucy from the tragedy unfolding in her own perfect
Christian family - but ironically exposes their dark secrets.
Through this unforgettable narrative, Lucy stays true to her
identity but develops a newfound understanding of both human frailty
and boundless spirit. Readers will soar and cry with Lucy and her
fellow counsellors. Perhaps some will even feel inspired to search
for happiness, not in self-absorption but in the service of others.
Deborah Robins
The darkest dark by Chris Hadfield
Ill. by Terry and Eric Fran. Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781509824090
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Space, Astronauts, Fear of the dark,
Overcoming fear, Canada, Aspirations. Canadian astronaut Chris
Hadfield has put his considerable background experience in space to
pen am exciting picture book based partly on his childhood. The boy
Chris is an astronaut, building space ships from what ever he finds
around the house, chasing aliens away, flying to Mars in his bath.
His imagination is wild, but when it comes to going to bed his
imagination grows even wilder, imagining all sorts of aliens and
monsters in his bedroom. His parents try all sorts of techniques to
overcome his fears, but to no avail; he still ends up in their bed
at all times of the night. Astute readers will notice the calendar,
July 1969, and be aware that on several days during this momentous
month, two men landed on the moon. Chris and his family are invited
next door to watch the moon landing on their neighbour's television.
And watching this Chris sees the darkness of space, and resolves not
to be afraid again, but to do everything in his power to become what
he wants to be.
The superb illustrations done in pencil, then coloured digitally,
are stunning, reflecting the Canadian hinterland with its pine
cabins and forests, lakes and star filled skies. The images showing
the space capsule, Apollo 11, are absorbing and will be pored over
by younger readers.
For classes looking at space and the moon landing, rockets and
science this book will be a wonderful introduction to that work, as
well as being a platform for talking about fears and overcoming
those fears.
Hadfield wrote this book with journalist and author, Kate Fillion,
and the Fan brothers worked on the illustrations together. Readers
will be encouraged reading the extra information Hadfield adds at
the end, displaying photos of his youth and time as an astronaut and
telling the readers how he made his dream come true.
Fran Knight
Release by Patrick Ness
Walker Books 2017. ISBN 9781406331172
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Adam Thorn has always liked boys. At
seventeen he has had two boyfriends and four sexual partners. But
despite being comfortable enough with himself, he is not comfortable
being open about himself with his family, who are deeply religious
and anti-gay. This is the crux of a number of problems - many of
which drive Adam to keep his sexuality away from his family as much
as possible.
It was meant to be the best day. Adam has a tight schedule but he's
looking forward to the evening and Enzo's going away party. But
first - chores. He must stay on his parent's good side otherwise
they will change their minds about the 'gathering'. Things start to
go downhill from the beginning. When Adam's brother, Marty, goes to
him for advice, Marty accuses him of not knowing what real love is.
This in mind, on the day Adam is planning to have sex with Linus and
farewell Enzo, his ex-in-denial, Adam starts to wonder if something
is wrong with him and whether he might just not deserve love.
Meanwhile, not so far away, the spirit of a dead girl merges with
the spirit of the lake to get revenge on her murderous boyfriend.
While it can be said that this is a coming out narrative, Ness
produces a book that shows the uncertainty and fear in which many
people hold coming out to their families. It is an easy and
engrossing read and I would recommend for teenagers sixteen and up.
Kayla Gaskell, 21
