Castle Glower series bk. 5. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN
9781408878248
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Saturdays at Sea is the fifth and
final instalment of the wonderful, fantastical Castle Glower
series! Fans of Jessica Day George's imaginative stories will be sad
to reach the conclusion and with two more days to go - Sunday and
Monday there are opportunities for a return to Castle Glower and a
wedding or two to take place.
Written like a three act play, the story is firstly set in the
flamboyant and exquisite Royal Palace of Grath and the picturesque
seaside kingdom. The royal family and their entourage including
their magnificent griffins visit the Kingdom of Grath for the
upcoming wedding of Lilah and Lulath. They are also there to build
the ship from pieces from all the kingdoms including magical pieces
from the Castle Glower. Initially the ship builder Master Cathan
refuses to use the other materials until Celie speaks up; she
understand the reasons why the enchanted item need including.
The Grathian royal family are obsessed with customs; they change
clothes continually, have hundreds of dogs, a multitude of beautiful
rooms and speak in a rather poetic way. While the Castle Glower
family are used to a different style of talking and dressing, they
realise they must be accommodating for the sake of the engaged
couple. When Grathian Prince Orlath returns from his sea adventures
with his pet monkey, things begin to change. Celie, Pogue and Rolf
assist the prince with the shipbuilding and Celie's feelings of
missing Castle Glower are eased.
Lilah's quest to find the lost village of the unicorns directs the
second act of the story. After the wonderful festivities of the
betrothal celebrations, The Ship is ready for the maiden voyage.
This enchanted vessel determines its own course and there is nothing
to stop it. With Queen Celina's magic and her clever planning, they
are able to survive. Their time aboard the speeding ship proves
interesting. Magical places, mystical islands, trading ports,
overcoming dangerous conditions and griffin rides make the second
and third acts exciting.
Jessica Day George's fantasy series is an exciting and engaging read
that leaves fans wanting to read about Celie and Pogue's future and
witness the spectacle of Lilah and Lulath's wedding.
Rhyllis Bignell
Snot Chocolate by Morris Gleitzman
Puffin Books, 2016. ISBN 9780143309222
The blurb reads, "Stop your mum picking her nose, read the secret
diary of a dog, catch a bus and then let it go, discover how one
slice of toast can make you the most popular person in school, start
wearing a crown and give up eating pig-nostril gruel, use a wrecking
ball to defeat a bully, show your big sister the very scary secret
in your wardrobe, unleash the awesome power of chips, live in a
house that gets wiped clean more often than a bottom."
But there is so much more to this collection of short stories from a
master storyteller who seamlessly switches between the poignancy of
Two weeks with the Queen, the gaiety of Toad Rage and
the seriousness and sincerity of the Once series. Gleitzman
himself says, "Nine stories, and I've made them different lengths
because different parents have different ideas about how long a
person should be allowed to read before turning the lights out."
With a title designed to attract that reader who loves to makes sure
parents and teachers have a stomach-churning moment when they see
it, nevertheless there are serious undertones to each as the central
character of each tries to grapple with a big problem affecting
family or friends using a thought process and logic that are
particular to that age group. Creativity is alive and well in
children - until the formality and seriousness of school try to
quell it.
Along with Give Peas a Chance and Pizza Cake, these
stories which give the author "a break from the stiff neck and stiff
brain you sometimes get writing book-length stories" might seem a
long way from the stories Gleitzman commonly crafts and which he is
so valued for, but as he says, he would "hate to forget that in
stories a laugh can have a teardrop as a very close neighbour."
However, despite the sombre notes this is a collection that will
keep those newly independent readers, particularly boys, reading and
help them transition to the next phase of their reading journey -
which will probably be a Gleitzman novel - as they show that even
short stories with wicked titles can have great, credible characters
and a depth of plot that makes reading so worthwhile.
Parents, teachers and teacher librarians are blessed to have such a
gifted writer as Gleitzman on their side.
Barbara Braxton
The summer seaside kitchen by Jenny Colgan
Little, Brown, 2017. ISBN 9780751564808
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Romance. Scotland. Environment. This is the
first book that I have read by Jenny Colgan, a Sunday Times top ten
bestselling author, and I found it immensely enjoyable. Flora is
living in London, trying to cope with her job and city living and
crushing on her boss, Joel. When she is asked to go back to Mure,
the isolated Scottish island where she grew up and where people
refuse to forget her past, she is uncertain but knows that she can't
refuse. Her firm's rich client wants to stop a wind farm spoiling
his view and her boss thinks that she can influence what happens on
the island with her insider knowledge of people and their
motivations.
Arriving back home, Flora has much to contend with - her father
seems to have grown smaller and more introverted and her three
brothers aren't very happy. Soon she finds herself immersed in
family life and the discovery of her mother's recipe books leads to
a love of cooking and also the opening of a little shop on the
harbour.
Although essentially a romance, Colgan keeps the reader guessing
about who Flora will end up with and the background of the island's
politics and personalities play an important part in Flora's
realisation of where she wants her future to lead.
The wonderful setting of a quiet Scottish island adds interest as
its inhabitants struggle to keep their young people on the island
and try to ensure that the millionaire building a resort actually
employs some of the islanders.
This is a feel good book, peopled with relatable characters and
events. Its warmth and uplifting plot made it very readable. I will
certainly follow this author in the future when I want to enjoy a
good escapist romance.
Pat Pledger
Alice-Miranda holds the key by Jacqueline Harvey
Alice-Miranda series bk 15. Random House, 2017. ISBN
9780143780700
(Age: 8+) Recommended. In popular author Jacqueline Harvey's new
novel Alice-Miranda holds the key, she creatively weaves the
familiar stories of school, village and home life and the annual
garden party at Highton Hall with puzzling new characters,
situations and mysteries to solve. Who holds the key - the runaway
girl, the new neighbour who is causing problems or the saboteur
involved in industrial espionage? The family grocery empire,
Kennington's, is under threat as hundreds of people have fallen ill
after eating products made at their factory.
After sharing their picnic lunch with friends, Millie and
Alice-Miranda race their ponies through the woods back to the
Academy. When Alice-Miranda is knocked off her pony and is injured,
Millie's quick thinking and first aid save the day. After a few days
in hospital, she is sent home to Highton Hall before the end of term
to recuperate. Here everyone is in the midst of cleaning and busy
preparations for the annual garden party. The young girl senses the
worry and concern of her parents, caught up in the investigations
surrounding the factory sabotage. Even Mrs. Oliver their cook and
Kennington's food scientist is involved in solving the dilemma.
Interwoven into Alice-Miranda's story is the tale of a very unhappy
girl, Francesca Compton-Hall. Chessie has been placed as a boarder
at Bodlington School for Girls by her recently remarried mother. Her
decision to run away from school and travel to Bedford Manor, where
her mother is frantically trying to update her new ancestral home
proves to play a pivotal part. Her discovery leads Alice-Miranda on
the path to solving the huge problems facing her family business.
The tightly woven threads of the mystery, the cast of potential
criminals and the carefully placed clues build the tension and
excitement, as the villagers, family, friends, and Highton Hall
staff prepare for the marvellous annual garden party. Of course,
Alice-Miranda's insight and intuition prove vital to solving the
mystery of the sabotage and save her family from ruin. Alice-Miranda holds the key is a wonderful addition to the
series. Author Jacqueline Harvey's creative narratives will appeal
to a wide audience, with wonderfully appealing characters, continued
friendships, supportive families, special celebrations and a frisson
of drama and mysteries to solve.
Rhyllis Bignell
Millie loves ants by Jackie French
Ill. by Sue deGennaro. Angus & Robertson, 2017. ISBN
9781460751787
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Echidnas. Ants. Australian animals. Verse
story. Families. Millie the echidna just loves ants and the narrator
of the story follows her everywhere, as she enjoys finding ants to
eat in the most amazing of places around the house and garden. In
rhyming lines, French tells how the echidna finds ants amongst the
gnomes in the garden, under the bath, in the kitchen and the shed,
in her bed and on her picnic, in hollow trees where they make nests
of leaves. French follows the ants too as they busy themselves
gathering all sorts of foods to take into their nests beneath the
ground. Always followed by the echidna of course, as the girl
follows Millie trying to work out exactly why she eats so many.
Finally we all find out when the last page is revealed. The charming
story follows the trail of ants followed by the hungry echidna,
showing the reader how one is dependent upon the other, and showing
each animal as it stores food. In a classroom this could be a
starting point for discussions about animals and their behaviour.
This new book about echidnas sits well alongside French's wonderful
books about wombats and both are part of an expanding group of books
about Australian animals. DeGennaro's illustrations are very
different from those usually seen in French's books, and readers
will love looking at the detail on each page.
Fran Knight
I'm Australian too by Mem Fox
Ill. by Ronojoy Ghosh. Scholastic (Omnibus) 2017. ISBN 9781760276218
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Refugees, Inclusivity,
Multiculturalism, Verse. In rhyming stanzas Mem Fox outlines to
small children the range of people who make up Australia. The verses
rhyme easily and could be readily leant by children after hearing it
only once, enabling them to join in. The statement at the end of
each verse underlines its impact stressing the inclusion of each of
the groups of people she writes about.
But it is the last several verses that knock a punch.
In the first part of the book, each of the verses has ended with the
refrain, 'I'm Australian too'. They tell of the Australian born, the
English, Irish, Aborigines, those with Greek or Italian backgrounds,
with hints about why some have come to live here.
Then we hear of the Lebanese, Afghanis and Syrians and Somalis, all
here after fleeing war. And each verse ends with the refrain, 'I'm
Australian too'.
Each page gives many points of discussion for younger readers, the
illustrations adding another level of interest and information. But
the last several pages highlight a different group of people.
Here the readers meet a young refugee, 'not Australian yet' but
hoping to become an Australian, to line in a place which opens doors
to strangers and where hearts are mended, beneath the Southern Star.
The bright illustrations will appeal to all readers as they
recognise iconic places within Australia: the Melbourne tram, the
Sydney Harbour Bridge, Adelaide's Elder rotunda, the Ghan train as
well as the ordinary things Australians expect to be able to do,
lazing at the beach or by a pool, out on a cattle station, eating
pasta, watching fireworks, catching a bus, all without having to run
from war, seeing their homes and families disintegrate.
My initial thoughts about the word, 'too' in the title, were
overwhelmed by the heartening message in the book, that we are all
Australians, no matter where we have come from. There are those who
wish to be, and by implication through the illustration, we are not
treating them with the fairness implicit in our anthem. This little
book will arouse much thought, discussion and introspection.
Fran Knight
Little Chicken Chickabee by Janeen Brian and Danny Snell
Raising Literacy Australia, 2016. ISBN 9780994385338
Crickle, scratch, crackle, hatch - four little chicks pop from their
eggs of proud Mother Hen. Each one cheeps as expected except for
Number 4 who says, "Chickabee." This startles Mother Hen and the
other chicks who insist that "Cheep" is right and "Chickabee" is
not. But Little Chicken is not deterred and goes off to see the
world. However, she finds that even the other farm animals insist
that chickens say "Cheep" not "Chickabee" although when Little
Chicken challenges them, they have no real reason why not.
Showing amazing resilience, Little Chicken knows that while
"Chickabee" might be different, it is right for her and regardless
of the sound she makes, she is still a chicken. Even when her
brothers and sisters reject her again, she has the courage to go
back into the world and this time she meets different things that
make different sounds which bring her joy and comfort. And then she
meets a pig . . .
This is a charming story about difference, resilience, courage and
perseverance and how these can lead to friendships, even unexpected
ones. Beautifully illustrated by Danny Snell, this story works on so
many levels. It would be a great read for classes early in this 2017
school year as new groups of children come together and learn about
each other while even younger ones will enjoy joining in with the
fabulous noises like rankety tankety, sticketty-stackety and
flippety-flappity as they learn the sorts of things that are found
on a farm.
Given the trend throughout the world towards convention and
conservatism and an expectation that everyone will fit the same
mould and be legislated or bullied into doing so, Little Chicken
could be a role model for little people that it is OK to be
different and that no one is alone in their difference.
Barbara Braxton
Big Bash League series by Michael Panckridge
Penguin Random House Australia, 2016. Switch Hit Showdown. ISBN 9780143782193 Captain's Clash. ISBN 9780143782216 Double Delivery. ISBN 9780143782230 Bowling Blitz. ISBN 9780143782254
(Age: Independent readers) With the cricket season well under
way this is a series that will appeal to all fans of the format,
both boys and girls. Each book is a separate entity focusing on fans
of two of the teams in the league - Switch Hit Showdown
features the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades; Captains'
Clash is Sydney Sixes and Sydney Thunder; Double Delivery
is Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat and Bowling Blitz,
the Perth Scorchers and Adelaide Strikers. Each has passionate
cricketers involved in a local competition and having to find a way
to work together to overcome obstacles.
Panckridge, well known for his sports adventure books, has cleverly
included players of both genders in the stories acknowledging that
cricket is not a male-only sport and the WBBL and our national
women's cricket team the Southern Stars are gaining a much higher
profile and respect as their success grows.
Written for independent readers, each book includes tips about the
focus skill - batting, all-rounder, fielding and bowling as well as
a profile of the two teams. Double Delivery even has instructions
for Dice Cricket that can be played when you can't get outdoors.
A great series for those who love their sport and demand to read
about it.
Barbara Braxton
This is my song by Richard Yaxley
Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781760276140
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Jews. Holocaust. Czeck Republic. Canada.
Music. In the 1940's Rafael Ullman is sent to Terezin, a Jewish
ghetto, with his family. His father was a professor in German
Literature at Prague University but this did not save him from the
fate of many Jews in Europe during World War Two.
This story is told by Rafael as an older man as he lies dying. He
has not told much of his story in the past. But we hear of the
privations suffered in the ghetto before they are sent to Auschwitz.
Through it all, it is music which keeps Rafael alive, as he becomes
a member of one of the orchestras set up in the camp.
No reader can be unaffected by a tale set in Nazi Germany, and it is
with some easing of the emotional drain that the next two sections
of the story are set in Canada and Australia, as another generation
lives on. In Canada we meet lonely Anna Ullman, Rafael's daughter,
and then in present time, the grandson, Joe Hawker, in Australia.
Music links the three generations as they find their way in a world
devoid of stability. Anna was not allowed music in the home and she
and her mother secretly played Beethoven's Fifth Symphony when
Rafael was out of the way. Only when he dies in Australia, does his
grandson, Joe, see the tattooed number on his arm. Joe is learning
singing and feels that his voice is robotic, but finding out more
about his grandfather and then finding a song written by him and his
friend in the ghetto, inspires him to sing with love and
compassion.
Fran Knight
I'm going to eat this ant by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408869901
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Ants. Anteater. Food. Cooking.
Anteater is hungry. He is sick of licking up wriggly, squirmy ants,
but he is hungry. He puts all of his efforts into just one ant - the
trouble is that it is the wrong ant. This ant is cunning and ties
the anteater in knots avoiding being licked into his mouth. This
very funny look at the contest between an anteater and his quarry
will have kids rolling in the aisles as they watch the contest
between the eater and the (usually) eaten.
Anteater imagines all the different ways he can eat this ant: in a
sandwich, sucked up through a straw, simmering in a soup, stir
fried, or in a sorbet. But the ant has other ideas. While anteater
is dreaming up the different ways of eating the ant, his long tongue
has been wrapped around a tree, making it an excellent bridge for
the ant and his friends.
Boldly outlined but spare drawings give a good impression of the
antics behind the words, and small differences in the way the eyes
are drawn for both creatures tells the readers lots about what they
are thinking, adding to the laughs for the readers.
They will learn lots about the two animals and the story will have
them seeking out more information, while the list of ways the ant
will be cooked will find favour (flavour) amongst the readers.
Fran Knight
Echoes in death by J.D. Robb
In death bk 44. Little, Brown, 2017. ISBN 9780349410869
(Age: Adult) Murder. Fans of J.D. Robb will be thrilled with the
44th book in this series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her
cohort of helpers, including gorgeous husband Roarke. Eve and Roarke
are on their way home one night when a young woman stumbles into the
street in front of them. She has been attacked and her attacker
looked like the devil.
Investigating, Eve discovers other attacks have occurred, all with a
violent rape and burglary but this time the attack has resulted in
murder. It is clear that the man behind the masks is becoming more
violent and it is imperative that Eve finds him before more people
are murdered. Eve and Peabody and the rest of her team, ably
supported by Roarke, gets to grips with the backgrounds of the
wealthy people who are being targeted, and the reader easily gets
caught up in the police work involved in solving the crimes.
Witty repartee between Eve and Peabody gives a lift to the often
dark moments in the book, and the steady and deep relationship
between Eve and Roarke is as satisfying as ever. A theme of domestic
violence and how it affects women pervades the book and gives the
plot depth and complexity.
Books in the In depth series are always rewarding reads and
ones that fans know they will enjoy.
Pat Pledger
Eddie Frogbert by Sue deGennaro
Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781760276782
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Frogs, Achievement, Endeavor. Eddie is
the only frog that doesn't like to swim. He avoids going to the pool
with the other frogs and watches on as they dive from the tower. He
does at least try to emulate his fellow frogs, climbing the ladder
to the diving board, but turning back at the last moment. But one
day he spies a competition for diving. He desperately wants to win,
so he hatches a plan. At his drawing board he maps out the steps he
will take to overcome his fears. He tries little jumps at a time,
hopping over a stone, a snail, a log and then a bench. He uses
roller skates and a spring and then balloons to give hims the spring
he needs to jump from the board. On the day of the competition, he
keeps bouncy thoughts in his head and climbs the diving board with
all eyes on him. Success comes because of his attitude and
preparation.
DeGennaro's lively illustrations will appeal to younger readers, the
soft pallet of colours contrasting with Eddie's fierce determination
to overcome his fear. The humour in the illustrations will appeal to
the reader. They will recognise Eddie's fear and attempts to thwart
it, but the humour shown with the group of frogs and their antics,
softens the anxiety Eddie feels.
Subtitled, A big leap for a little frog, readers will enjoy
the word play throughout the text, having fun with words and their
meanings.
Fran Knight
Wrestling Trolls: The final countdown by Jim Eldridge
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471402692
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. The Final Countdown is book 6
in the series that sees Jack, a half troll and a prince, travelling
with his friends, a talking horse and a phoenix. They follow the
wrestling matches around the country and are quite famous for their
wrestling skills. This book is 2 stories in one. In the first story,
Jack receives a message for help from his grandfather. Despite being
a rather unkind person, Jack decides he needs to help his
grandfather. On arrival in the town, near where Jack's grandfather
is being held, villagers try to stop Jack and his friends. Luckily,
Jack gets to the castle but it is not his grandfather who is there
to meet him. Jack has been tricked by the wizard named Wazza. Wazza
is waiting for Jack and he wants Jack's ring. How will Jack get
himself out of this mess?
In the second story, Jack and his group of friends head to Veto
castle to help the orcs. The orcs are being kicked out of their
kingdom by a mean troll who has claimed the throne. Ironically, Veto
castle and the surrounding land is Jack's kingdom. He just doesn't
want it. Jack's friends Dunk and Big Rock are arrested by the troll
guard. To free them and save the orcs, Jack must wrestle the new
king. Unfortunately, Jack's ring has been stolen. This ring helps
him turn into a troll. How will he beat a troll in a wrestling match
without it? The Wresting Troll stories are fun and entertaining and
highly recommended for readers aged 7+. The characters are quirky
and the adventure moves quickly. They are easy to read and new
readers don't have to read them in order as each story is separate
from the previous one. The wrestling troll theme is a great way to
engage reluctant readers who are wrestling fans.
Kylie Kempster
Seven days of you by Cecilia Vinesse
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781510200395
(Age: 13+) Seven days of you is a beautiful story about
Sophia's last week in Tokyo before her big move back to the United
States. This move was always planned and Sophia and her sister were
accustomed to flying back and forth between their mother and their
father throughout their childhoods. But this move was different for
Sophia, from the first instant that she set foot in Tokyo a couple
of years before, she knew that she'd find some sort of a home here.
Through the years, Sophia became friends with Mika and David and
they were the anchors within her life in Tokyo, lasting up until the
week Sophia is set to leave. Mika's old best friend James is set to
return from an American Boarding school exactly seven days before
Sophia departs. After some complications at the last time they saw
each other, Sophia is less than pleased to be seeing him again.
Through some significant events within the lives of all the friends,
enemies become allies and best friends become distant strangers. How
much will change in the last seven days leading up to Sophia's
flight from Japan, and who will still be there for Sophia when she
needs it the most? Seven days of you really captures the poetry of everyday life
as Cecilia Vinesse writes the story of Sophia's last week in Tokyo
so vibrantly and with so much emotion that the reader can imagine
the city streets. The characters that Vinesse has created are all
individual, each have a unique personality and take on life that
allows readers to be able to relate with the novel. Seven days
of you is aimed for a young adult audience (13+) as the
characters struggle with the concepts of love, friendship, loss and
family. Seven days of you is a sweet and memorable story
that imparts the importance of relationships and friendships that
are made in unexpected circumstances.
Sarah Filkin
The apprentice witch by James Nicol
Chicken House, 2017. ISBN 9781910655153
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. When we doubt ourselves we lose
confidence. When others seem to succeed more than us we doubt
ourselves. Arianwyn doubts her abilities as a witch. Her school
enemy, Gimma, has berated Arianwyn throughout school and now
Arianwyn has failed her witch evaluation while Gimma has succeeded.
Arianwyn is still an apprentice but thanks to her grandmother's
position in the community, Arianwyn has a chance to develop her
skills and face re-evaluation when she is ready. Arianwyn is sent to
Lull, a small village, on the outskirts of The Great Woods. The town
hasn't had their own witch for many years and she has a lot to do.
Arianwyn's self doubt doesn't lend itself to a successful first week
but over the months her confidence improves and her skills are
evident. The arrival of Gimma seems positive but will Arianwyn be
able to overcome the past? Will she remember to not let Gimma get
under her skin? Why does Arianwyn keep seeing a forbidden glyph?
Arianwyn will develop an amazing friendship, courage and will put
others before herself despite the danger and possible disaster. The apprentice witch is a lovely story of courage,
friendship, a passion for a calling and building confidence and
belief in yourself. Watch Arianwyn develop, creating an amazing role
model for young girls as she reminds us all to believe in ourselves.
This story is easy to read and has adventure, magic and funny
moments. The magical events are descriptive, creating great images
in your mind as you read. These descriptive moments would be great
read out loud in the classroom and are great models for developing
writers. This book is highly recommended for readers aged 9+.
Kylie Kempster
