Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408880975
"Norman had always been perfectly normal. That was until the day he
grew a pair of wings!
He had imagined growing taller or even growing a beard like his dad,
but not growing a pair of wings!
Norman is very surprised to have wings suddenly - and he has the
most fun ever trying them out high in the sky. But then he has to go
in for dinner. What will his parents think? What will everyone else
think? Norman feels the safest plan is to cover his wings with a big
coat.
But hiding the thing that makes you different can prove tricky and
upsetting." The coat became a burden, even an embarrassment and
Norman began to resent the wings until he realised it was the coat
making him unhappy, not the wings. After all, no-one else has wings,
so why him? Can he find the courage to discard the coat? What does
he discover when he does? In this poignant story about being
different, Percival has set the text against striking backgrounds of
various shades of grey depicting normal and dull while giving Norman
bright colour and light so that his feelings of being unique are
highlighted physically as well as emotionally. He has also chosen to
depict a diversity of characters, each unique in their own way and
each of whom accept Norman as normal, so really, what does "normal'
mean?
For a wonderful part of their lives, children don't see difference
and they just love who they are but then awareness starts to develop
and they start to see themselves with new and often unkind eyes.
They want nothing more than to be the same as their peers, to not
stand out, to be normal and anything that makes them unique, whether
it is skin colour, wearing spectacles, being an only child or
growing a set of wings, becomes a burden that they would rather not
carry. But the freedom when the coat is shed...
Accepting and celebrating who we are and what we are, especially
those things that make us special and unique is so important for our
mental health and at last, we are starting to understand that the
self-talk and messages we give ourselves as we interpret our
interactions and experiences as a child can have an incredible
impact on the well-being of our older selves. The more children can
encounter books like Perfectly Norman and discuss them so
they understand that there is no 'normal' or 'perfect' the healthier
they will be. It is our responsibility as teacher librarians,
teachers and other significant adults in their lives to make sure
they meet lots of Normans and not only grow to love their own wings
but to use them to fly!
Barbara Braxton
Tintinnabula by Margo Lanagan and Rovina Cai
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2017. ISBN 9781742975252
(Age: 10+) Recommended. In this picture book for older readers,
Margo Lanagan takes a young woman on a journey to Tintinabula in
times of stress and distress. In wild times and in wartime,
in times of fear and illness, I go
to Tintinnabula, where soft rains fall.
Tintinnabula is a story about moving from discomfort to peace,
from violence and uncertainty to a still, sure place.
It reminds us that our best friend in hard times
can often be ourselves. (Back cover)
The reader is carried along with the young woman in the story as she
flees the vision of monsters in a red background. She moves through
windswept trees, past ruins and devastated lands until she finally
reaches a quiet place where the grass is green and silver rains
fall. The term Tintinabula means small tinkling bells and the young
woman follows their sound to find that final good place that she
needs.
Rovina Cai has produced memorable illustrations which swirl and
twirl, brilliantly showing in reds the fear and need of the woman as
she tries to find a peaceful spot to rest from the violence that
surrounds her. This locale is depicted in greens and pale yellows,
and the end paper finally has a glow of brighter yellow, leaving the
reader with the notion that things can be brighter.
The idea that people in trouble can find a peaceful place within
themselves is one that will resonate with readers and will be a
comfort to those who are having problems, be they ones of mental
illness or of war and violence. The ideas are complex and the book
would be best suited to adults and teens or used by an adult with
upper primary children.
Pat Pledger
A tangled tale of tagliatelle by Yves Stening
Ill. by Nigel Buchanan. Dinner Detectives series.
PublishCreative books, 2017. ISBN 9780648008712
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Humour, Pasta, Italy, Marco Polo.
Clementine and her little brother, Aksel love food, and when a new
girl, Sophia, moves into the street, they play football with her.
She asks them to lunch and once inside her house, find that her
father is making pasta.
When the children ask where pasta comes from this gives rise to the
Dinner Detectives sleuthing the answer. In a bright and breezy
style, the story of pasta coming to Italy and being developed as the
food for which Italy is known unfolds.
From the funny map of Italy, showing its resemblance to a boot, with
the main town of Bologna clearly shown, the story of Marco Polo and
his eventful journey to China hundreds of years ago is told. One of
the things he brought back to Italy, were the noodles eaten by the
Chinese people. Once back home in Italy, the idea of noodles took on
a life of its own, and the basic pasta was expanded from the plain
long strings to all different shapes and sizes.
Any child reading this book will learn the story of pasta and its
association with Italy and they will want to try the recipe for
themselves, handily included at the end of the book. Through the
book, readers will see how pasta is made as Sophia's father uses his
pasta machine. They will see the different types of pasta and be
able to learn their names, and be intrigued by the journey of Marco
Polo.
This is the second in the series called Dinner Detectives,
the first being, A
fearsome beast and a dumpling feastby the same
authors.
Fran Knight
The cute friend by Kim Kane
Ill. by Jon Davis. Ginger Green, Playdate queen series.
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2017. ISBN 9781760129613
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. Themes: Friendship. Problem solving. Ginger
Green is the playdate queen but runs into trouble when she spends
time playing with new school friend Daya. They get on well but when
they go into the kitchen they find that baby of the family remains
nude while everyone else is clothed, the reason Ginger thinks Daya
is cute, becomes obvious. Daya's smallness is pointed out as each of
the girls liken her to the baby's size and stature, wanting to lift
her as they would the baby. Daya is unimpressed. This happens
several more times, Daya's size and therefore cuteness being
commented upon until she takes a stand. Ginger is a most
resourceful young girl and runs to her room to bring out her dolls
and plays with Daya and her dolls until the problem is smoothed
over.
This is a gently humorous story that will appeal to children who are
just moving from picture books to chapter books. The dilemma of a
misunderstanding looms large until the problem is solved neatly and
in a way that would give children hints on how to handle difficult
social situations. Readers who enjoyed this will be happy to find
other books about Ginger Green and will delight in the cute
illustrations of the little foxes in clothes (except for one!)
Fran Knight
Sky by Ondine Sherman
The Author People, 2017. ISBN 9781925399189
(Age: 14+) Everything happens so fast for Sky after the death of her
mother. She leaves her home and friends in the city to live in the
country with an aunt and uncle she barely knows and suffers the
anguish of trying to fit in at a new school.
When Sky moved to the country, she wanted to fit in, to belong and
find a place. This meant sacrificing and putting on hold some of her
beliefs until she could find her personal comfort zone, in both her
new family and at school. When she began to feel that life was
settling into a rhythm she could cope with, Sky becomes overwhelmed
by challenging emotions at the same time as taking a stand against
animal cruelty.
I tried to empathise with her because losing your sole parent and
leaving your childhood home and friends is horrendous, but I found
the character that Ondine Sherman had created emotionally
under-developed. The character was not written with enough realism
for me so I felt Sky's erratic moments were too far-fetched to make
the story an enjoyable and believable read.
All this being said, Ondine Sherman has a comfortable and easy
writing style and there are important messages Ondine wants to share
about family, coming of age, standing up for what we believe in and
love . . . love of yourself, love of family and the awkwardness of
young romance.
This book will open your eyes to the lengths businesses will go in
making profit but unfortunately I felt that the author had a point
to make and was forcing me to accept this point of view instead of
letting the story help the reader come to the same realisation.
Ondine Sherman is a dedicated to the protection of animals and
passionate about promoting respect and compassion for all creatures.
In Sky, Ondine has woven special mention of one of
Australia's leading animal protection groups, Voiceless, founded by
Ondine and her father in 2004; and Franimals, Ondine's social-media
platform, a popular community for animal-loving teens across the
world. For extension activities there are teachers'
resources at Allen and Unwin.
Sharon Smith
Koala Bare by Jackie French
Ill. by Matt Shanks. Angus and Robertson, 2017. ISBN 9781460751619
(Age: 4-9) Koala Bare is the latest book from the excellent
author of the Diary of a Wombat series, Jackie French. It
follows the tale of a koala who is trying its best to convince the
bird (that I figure is on the committee for the provision of actual
bears) that it is actually NOT a bear - like most people thought.
Each page shows another type of bear and why Koalas don't fit into
the category. I love the illustrations by Matt Shanks, he uses water
colours that stand out on the white background and draw your eye
into the funny happenings of the bears around them (I personally
like the fishing polar bear and the panda bear at the bamboo
restaurant).
The rhyme is nice and short, and uses coloured and enlarged text to
enable the reader to add sounds, tone and expression to the story.
This book could very easily be used as the centrepiece for learning
around bears/animals/Australian animals, habitats, homophones, text
types and rhyming. I think it would be a wonderful resource for a
reception class to use and study.
This book could also be read to children up to the age of 8 or 9.
Overall this is another great title in the Jackie French collection
that will be on the shelves of many libraries and in many homes in
the near future!
Lauren Fountain
M is for mutiny: History by alphabet by John Dickson
Ill. by Bern Emmerichs. Berbay Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9780994384119
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Themes: Australian history. Aboriginal
themes. First Fleet. A different view of Australia's history is
presented in this intriguingly illustrated picture book, with
information to hold readers' attention and drawings that will make
the eye linger on each page.
An alphabet book, the first double page entitled, 'A for
Acknowledgement', is devoted to the first people who lived in this
land. Following is 'B for Banks the Botanist' who accompanied
Captain Cook in his explorations of the southern lands. The text
gives information about this scientist and his place in our history
while the illustrations shows some of the plants he is known for,
adapting the local Aboriginal name for their classification. And 'C
is for Captain Cook', while 'F is for First Fleet', 'M for Mutiny',
'R for Rum Rebellion', 'S for Sheep', so offering few surprises with
information given about known events in Australia's early history.
Where this departs from the expected is the emphasis given on how
the indigenous people were affected by this incursion. So we have 'L
for Land Rights', 'Q for Questionable Acts', 'T for Terra Nulius',
'U for Uproar', and 'Y for Yemmerawanne', while several of the other
pages include information about Australia's Indigenous population.
An alphabet book trying to achieve a 'history by alphabet' is by
necessity very selective, having only 26 headings to use, but this
book has selected a number of events normally not included in
history books, so offering a differing view of our past, one which
readers will recognise alongside learning something new.
Told in a chatty style, each paragraph is enough to engage and
delight while offering snippets of funny information kids love to
read.
References to other events, for example Mabo, gives readers
something more to research, while some themes - Women, Crime and
punishment, Treatment of the Indigenous people - will impel readers
onto to fields beyond this book.
The startling illustrations were developed by painting onto ceramic
tiles which are then photographed. The detail is astounding and
infectiously fascinating, the detail quite extraordinary, making
this a book to pore over. The naive style is reminiscent of early
pottery. The endpapers list all the people of the First Fleet, some
named, most left with a number, underlining the lack of importance
given these people by those who sent them to Australia. In a
classroom, it would be fun to envisage what the students would have
included as their letters.
Fran Knight
My magical life by Zach King
Puffin Books, 2017. ISBN 9780141387574
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. My magical life is a new
series by author Zach King and he also just happens to be the star
of the book. Zach is 11 years old and comes from a magical family.
The opening pages of the book are like a photo album, showing
colourful, cartoon style pictures of the characters you will meet
throughout the story. Zach is in year 7 but is homeschooled. He has
the chance to attend public school when his parents realise he might
not have magic like the rest of his family. They hope a change of
scenery might help Zach find his special magic object and then his
magic.
When a magic trick at school brings Zach to the forefront of
popularity, his path crosses mean girl Tricia. Zach doesn't even
know how he did it but it is all over social media. Thankfully, Zach
makes quick friends with Aaron and together they try and use Zach's
magic to become more popular. When Zach discovers two caps that help
him channel his magic, hilarious moments and detentions occur. Can
Zach get back at Tricia and teach her a lesson? What does a locker
full of chocolate pudding and an alligator in the principal's office
got to do with it all? My magical life is an excellent mix of drama and comedy. It
is a novel with comic style images and readers will related to
Zach's issues and life at school. They will get a laugh out of
Zach's antics and the text will engage readers throughout the story.
Zach is a great role model for children - a bit naughty, a good son,
a good friend and all about being supportive to everyone. My
magical life is highly recommended for boys aged 9+ but will
be enjoyed by all readers.
Kylie Kempster
Agent Nomad: Deadly magic by Skye Melki-Wegner
Random House Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780143780403
(Age: 14+) Deadly magic is the second book in the riveting
Agent Nomad series by Australian author Skye Melki-Wegner.
I was impressed by Skye Melki-Wegner's first book in this series,
confident that the next book would see the author honing her writing
skills. In the first of the series, The eleventh hour, my
enjoyment was minutely affected by the momentum of the story and
the minimal character development. These downfalls were not evident
in this second book. Deadly magic provides more insight into
the characters and skilful technique in allowing events to build the
story.
Our feisty and independent protagonist, Natalie Palladino, is nearly
16 years old now, and she has found a growing strength in her role
as Nomad, a rare witness in the world of magical secret agents known
as HELIX.
After the exciting adventure and personal discoveries of the London
mission in The eleventh hour Nomad, Riff, Phoenix and Orbit
are itching to leave training behind and go out into the field
again. Their chance comes when all the cadets are sent to New
Zealand for their annual camp and our team is put in charge of
investigating a mysterious death with strict instructions to not get
involved. After solving ingenious clues, the cadets find
communication with their senior supervisors compromised and, being
isolated from help, they now have crucial decisions to make.
Skye Melki-Wegner cultivates the teen topics that were touched on in
The eleventh hour. We see how the team has further developed
their skills in collaboration, not just within their own close-knit
group but by allowing others to influence and guide their choices. A
fast read with gripping adventure and compelling friendships. Once
again there is a twist to the plot I did not see coming and I look
forward to the next instalment.
Sharon Smith
Undercover princess by Connie Glynn
Rosewood Chronicles book 1. Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780141387567
(Age: 11-14) Themes: Fantasy. Boarding school. Princesses. Connie
Glynn's debut novel Undercover princess takes inspiration
from her love of Disney princesses and their stories. She shares
this on her popular Noodlerella vlog and YouTube channel. This
fantasy adventure story uses recognisable Young Adult literary
tropes, well-known character types and settings, typical plot
points and twists, and the prescient struggle of good and evil. Her
familiar settings include an elite boarding school with its secret
magical qualities and the old bakery where the orphan protagonist
lives with her uncaring stepmother. Of course, there is a defiant
princess from the magical kingdom of Maradova, who rebels against
her royal destiny allowing Lottie to fulfil her dream of being a
princess.
Lottie Pumpkin has studied incredibly hard to win a bursary to
prestigious Rosewood Hall in spite of her difficult home life.
Before her death, Lottie's mother has instilled in her a sense of
self worth, with the mantra "I will be kind, I will be brave, I
will be unstoppable." Meanwhile Princess Eleanor (Ellie) Wolfson of
Maradova, finally has been allowed to leave her own country and
attend the same school, in fact she is Lottie's roommate. Following
a huge mix-up, Lottie takes on her royal role allowing Ellie to
enjoy a normal life. There are the familiar highs and low of school
life, friendships, bullying, secret messages to solve, as well as a
quick trip to Maradova for Lottie to take on the role of portman, or
undercover princess.
The text ranges from simplistic to extremely expressive, while the
characters need more depth and back-story. Several scenes are
somewhat confronting and more suited to a teen audience. This novel
is the first in the Rosewood Chronicles series written for
young teen fans that enjoy the fantasy genre.
Rhyllis Bignell
Don't spew in your space suit by Tim Miller and Matt Stanton
HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780733334672
(Age: 5+) Don't spew in your space suit' is another bodily function
picture book by Tim Miller and Matt Stanton (who also bring us the There
is a monster... who farts series) that is sure to
delight young children who thrive on all things gross! The book
follows the story of an astronaut who is looking for life on Mars
but unfortunately has a queasy tummy and doesn't take too well to
space travel. The rhyme is fairly easy to follow, and makes for a
good read aloud story - especially as there are often responses of
'yuk!' 'Eewww!' from the audience. I read this book to a group of
reception boys. Their reviews range from "I think this book is
funny, because it makes me laugh" and "It was pretty good, and I
liked the bit where he had to wipe vomit off the windscreen" to
"The book was silly, and the pictures and words were silly and I
didn't like it". The majority of children who I read this book to
thought it was hilarious, disgusting and good to listen to. Not for
those weak of stomach, or in a bad mood!
Overall it gets 3/5 for its disgusting yet funny theme, and its
bright and engaging illustrations. Best read to children who will
understand the concepts of spew, space travel and aliens - 5 years
and above.
Lauren Fountain
Mrs White and the Red Desert by Josie Wowolla Boyle
Ill. by Maggie Prewett. Magabala Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925360578
(Age: 3-7) Highly recommended. Themes: Aboriginal life, Culture and
identity, Australia - Social life and customs. Magabala Books
continues to publish an excellent range of indigenous stories,
perfectly suited 'to providing an opportunity for all young
Australians to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures'.
ACARA. Mrs White and the Red Desert is an engaging and
colourful story reminiscing about the author's childhood. They lived
in the red, sandy desert 'in a corrugated iron house that was wavy
and buckled and bent just like our grandmothers hair.' The children
played in mud and drew in the rich red sand. She remembers
higgledy-piggledy houses and gardens, the hot winds blowing through
the nail holes and wooden shutters.
This is a gorgeous sensory story, the changing weather having an
effect on her family, the rain's soft pitter-patter on the tin roof
and cold night winds racing through their house. Josie Wowolla
Boyle's imagination turns to humour when the early morning crows
clatter across the rood dressed for shopping.
Mrs White their teacher expresses concern when the children's
homework is handed up, each page is grubby and covered in red dust.
Her visit to the children's desert house proves enlightening, the
house is cleaned, the table set and their homework cleaned with
slices of bread, however only grandmother is watching the skies. Mrs
White in her pristine clothes and hat is caught in the wild
sandstorm and everything inside and outside the house is covered in
red dust, even their teacher.
Josie Wowolla Boyle's beautiful evocative story includes gorgeous
imagery and rich language and Maggie Prewett's vibrant watercolour
illustrations perfectly build the sense of place and drama. Earthy
tones with bold sweeps of red and white add depth to this childhood
memory. Mrs White and the Red Desert is a wonderful book to
share with a young audience, my Reception History classes delighted
in the alliterative text and vibrant images of the crows on the roof
decked out in hats and high heels. A perfect picture book to inspire
art lessons, to encourage children to write stories of their own
childhood and to explore the concepts of aboriginal heritage and
connection to country.
Rhyllis Bignell
Under the cold bright lights by Garry Disher
Text Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925498882
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Mystery and suspense. Alan Auhl works
for the cold case department, after retiring from Homicide years
before. He lives in a large old house with a random selection of
boarders and people who need his help. At work he juggles an
assortment of cases, including the body that was buried under a
concrete slab and the death of John Elphick, whose daughters are
convinced that he was murdered, as well as investigating the slick
doctor whose wives have a habit of dying. At home he is supporting a
woman who has fled with her 10 year old daughter from domestic
violence and who is facing the Family Court in a fight to limit her
estranged husband's access to her daughter.
The reader is taken on a breath taking ride as Auhl juggles all
these complex cases as well as his feelings for his ex-wife and the
taunts at work about being old and putting up with the nickname of
Retread. He just gets on with the job. Disher captures the attention
of the reader with a description of a snake in the backyard of a
young couple and the subsequent revelation of a skeleton under the
concrete where the snake has taken refuge. The other cases are just
as complicated and Disher manages to keep all the plots interesting,
with many twists and turns and some surprises as well about the way
some of the villains meet their come-uppance.
This is a stand-alone novel, but I hope that Disher continues to
write about the unforgettable Alan Auhl. His characters, vivid prose
and settings are wonderful.
Pat Pledger
Zombie's Birthday Apocalypse by Zack Zombie
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie book 9. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN
9781743818350
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Zombies, Friendship, Birthdays. The popular fan
fiction series continues with Zack Zombie's preparations for his
epic thirteenth birthday party. His birthday falls on Halloween
making it an extra special celebration. With his plans to host a
Larry Snotter party, Zombie realises that he needs to find a job to
finance his expensive costume. On Tuesday when he tries to find his
human friend Steve to discuss his party, he has disappeared. As he
checks out the nearby woods, Zack observes a strange occurrence
amongst the other villagers who are walking around with large
pumpkin heads.
With his neighbourhood preparing scary Halloween decorations in
their front yard, Zack helps Old Man Jenkins with his old Zombie
horse. Mr Jenkins' old bones keep falling apart and he offers him a
job grooming the horse. With a competition for the scariest costume
at school, talk of a Zombie Apocalypse, the mob villagers
disappearing and trying to organise his birthday party, Zack is
keeps busy. The final scenes of saving the mob of pumpkin head
villagers using the school oval sprinklers and Ursula the Witch's
potion prove exciting for Zack and his friends. Zombie's Birthday Apocalypse is a fun junior novel, packed
full of familiar characters, Minecraft images and the strange lives
of Zack, his family and friends. Humour, grossness, body jokes and
plenty of Minecraft activities are just right for the fans of this
popular series.
Rhyllis Bignell
Terrortide by Michael Adams
The Seven Signs book 6. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743628065
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure; Danger; Sydney,
Australia; Futuristic adventure. Book 6 in the Seven Signs series is
as terror and suspense-filled as the previous five books in the
series. The young DARE award winners are yet again plunged into
horrific circumstances as they race to save the World from the
actions of the Gamemaster. This unknown and mysterious figure has
sent more images to solve via their hi-tech futuristic communication
devices, and impels all of the seven teens into more
life-threatening scenarios - this time with Sydney, Australia as the
potential target. With one catastrophe leading immediately into
another, it is not surprising that they author ends this penultimate
book of the episodic series on a cliff-hanger ending (or perhaps
more accurately - hanging on by our fingernails).
Readers will be desperate to find out what comes next (very clever
marketing strategy!) and solving the ultimate puzzle as to who is
behind this reprehensible series of awful events, and to see whether
the young teens can be heroic yet again and save the world from
destruction. Or is it too late?
Recommended to adventure junkies aged 13+.
Carolyn Hull
