Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781619639300
(Age: Teens) African Americans. Identity. Love. Friendship.
Student activism. Identical twins Nikki and Maya are in their final
year at Richmond junior high school in a predominantly African
American part of Portland. Their best friend, Essence, lives across
the road and they hang out with three boys, Malachi, Ronnie and
Devin. The friends notice a change in their neighbourhood as more
white people move into the area. Shops are changing hands and being
reopened as cafes and fashion outlets that seem to favour the more
affluent white population. Essence's family have to move out as the
landlord renovates their house and puts it on the market. It is
bought by a white family with two kids of similar age; Nikki
befriends Kate while Maya reluctantly gets to know Tony who is in
their year at school. Kate and Nikki spend their time fashion
shopping and visiting the new cafes much to Maya's annoyance. She
feels her sister is abandoning their old friends and their heritage
and the sisters grow apart. Richmond school is actively trying to
project a more multicultural image which Maya, the student body
president, feels is abandoning the school's African American
heritage and she starts a campaign to celebrate African American
high achievers. She feels there is no point lamenting the negatives
without emphasising the many positives in their community. During
the campaign she grows close to Tony and has to face her own
prejudice and admit to having a white boyfriend.
This is a coming of age story of change, friendship and love
underpinned by a thoughtful examination of African American identity
which is relevant for all cultures trying to make their way in a
changing world without losing what it means to part of their own
community. The first person narrative makes the story very
accessible as do the short, sometimes very short, chapters. A light
touch which will appeal to teens discovering their own identity and
seeking love.
Sue Speck
The butterfly dance by Suzanne Barton
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408864845
(Age: Pre-school - Year 1) Recommended. Caterpillars Dotty and
Stripe are good friends and do everything together. One day, as
caterpillars must, they spin cocoons and begin their journey as
butterflies. How wonderful to rediscover the world as a blue dotty
and a red stripy butterfly. Sadly, they are separated when they join
different butterfly groups that match their own colours. Can they
ever be together as friends again?
This is a delightful story about friendship and following your own
beliefs. Dotty and Stripe learn that their colour and patterns do
not make a difference to their relationship. Although they enjoy the
company of others, they share a bond that makes their companionship
special. Children will understand the importance of 'the special
friend', which is a theme in many pre-school books.
Illustrations show the ideal beautiful world Dotty and Stripe live
in. Collage is used throughout the book and I particularly love the
use of lace for each caterpillar's cocoon. The double page meadow
scene has lots for the child to enjoy and they will delight in
trying to find both butterflies. Suzanne admits to a love of
Japanese prints and papers and this is evident on each page.
Dotty and Stripe are very appealing characters and it is easy to
identify with their problems and emotions. Children will be keen to
see how their difficulties are resolved and will be sad when they
are not together.
I would recommend this picture book to both pre-school children and
reception, year 1 students.
Jane Moore
Yvain - The Knight of the Lion by M.T. Anderson
Ill. by Andrea Offermann. Candlewick Press, 2017 ISBN
9780763659394
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Themes: Chivalry, Knights, honour, medieval.
This graphic novel version of Chretien de Troyes twelfth century
epic poem vividly retells the Arthurian legend of Sir Yvain, who
travels to the magic fountain in the forest of Brocceliande to
avenge the honour of his cousin Sir Calogreante. The knights at the
court of King Arthur love adventure especially if it involves
bravery and chivalry and Yvain wants the glory all to himself. He
succeeds in defeating the owner of the fountain, Sir Esclados,
chasing him into his castle where Escaldos dies but Yvain's horse is
killed and he finds himself on the wrong side of the portcullis. He
is helped to escape detection by a servant, Lunette who remembers
him treating her kindly at King Arthur's court and magically renders
him temporarily invisible. While in hiding he falls in love with the
bereaved Lady Laudine who Lunette contrives to persuade to make a
political decision to marry Yvain on the understanding he will
defend the magic fountain and her lands against all men. When King
Arthur and his men arrive at the fountain Yvain defeats one of his
knights in a joust and then reveals his identity and invites them to
be entertained in the castle. Laudine grants Yvain leave to go on a
year's adventuring with Arthur's court. When he fails to return
after a year Laudine sends a message telling him never to return.
Yvain goes a little mad at his failure, hating himself for his
disloyal behaviour and he wanders aimlessly in the wilderness until
he rescues a lion from a dragon regaining some self-esteem and
finding a loyal companion in the lion. The rest of the story
involves brave deeds, chivalry, magic and monsters as Yvain fights
to regain his honour and his lady as an anonymous knight fighting
for the good of others.
It is a ripping tale of the age of chivalry where men are warlike
and women clever and politically astute. The images graphically
convey the action and we are immersed in the medieval world. The
rhythms of storytelling and poetry are conveyed in the pictures,
some reminiscent of illuminated texts and the Bayeux tapestry. The
edition I reviewed was let down by the cover, a swirl with a red
blob which conveyed no clue to the story and its setting. The author
and the illustrator notes at the end of the book are insightful and
I got a lot more out of the book on a second reading. Recommended
for middle school fans of King Arthur and a rewarding read for
senior students from non English speaking backgrounds.
Sue Speck
How to outsmart a billion robot bees by Paul Tobin
Genius factor bk 2.Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017 ISBN
9781408881804
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. How to Outsmart a Billion Robot
Bees starts with a bee attack. Delphine and her friends are
under attack. To escape, the girls run into the street but the bees
seem to want Delphine. A few pages in and readers will already be
laughing. Delphine is then kidnapped. Next, she is rescued by her
genius friend Nate. This book seems to be on fast forward, there is
so much happening and it is very fast paced. The two friends are
then chased by The Red Tea Society (and it is not even lunch time
yet!). We then read about a car chase and Nate explains some of his
more unusual inventions. Before you know it, a wetsuit is flying and
saving the day. Keep reading to find out why The Red Tea Society is
after Delphine and Nate. Why does Delphine need to argue with a
talking car? Can you really make friends with a robot bee? How to Outsmart a Billion Robot Bees is the second in the
series following How to
capture an invisible cat and it is recommended that
readers read the series in order. This is an extremely busy and
active story. It will keep independent readers engaged and giggling
at the antics.
Kylie Kempster
Horizon by Scott Westerfeld
Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9781743817605
(Ages 11+ - Middle School) A group of Tech Savvy teens are heading
to Tokyo for a Robotics competition when their plane crashes
somewhere in the ice and snow of the arctic. While they mourn their
mentor, trying to find remaining passengers and scavenge what they
can from the plane, they group together to realise that of the 500
plus people onboard there are only 8 survivors. They also find
themselves in the middle of a hostile jungle with flora and fauna
which does not want them there.
The first in a 7 part multi-author series, Horizon sets the
scene for a multi-perspective story of survival which borrows
aspects of many stories before it. There is some good character
development, but characters are also cliched stereotypes ie the
bossy one, the reluctant scaredy one etc. As the teenagers learn
survival skills, they also learn that working together and
cooperation will be key elements in finding their way home. The more
they explore, the more questions they have. Westerfeld gives readers
only a taste of what is to come in further stories. The story is a fast-paced adventure
with some very technical sci fi elements.
Clare Thompson
Butterfly we're expecting you! by Libby Hathorn
Ill. by Lisa Stewart. Lothian Children's Books, 2017. ISBN
9780734416995
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Written by Libby Hathorn and beautifully
illustrated by Lisa Stewart, Butterfly We're Expecting You
is an adventure for children as they explore backyards finding an
array of creatures.
In the story a brother and sister explore the area around their
house and speak to each of the creatures that they find.
With its textural front cover and illustrations expanding across
whole pages, this is a delightful and gentle story that will make
children get outside and explore for themselves.
Keely Coard
Chook Doolan: Let's do Diwali! by James Roy
Ill. by Lucinda Gifford. Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925381597
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Festivals. Anxiety. Bravery.
Friendship. Chook is paired with Praj to research a festival and
give a talk and they decide to investigate the Hindu festival
Diwali, especially as Praj and his family are going to the
festivities. They invite Chook to go along but he is nervous in big
crowds. However Praj and his family make him feel comfortable and
give him a deep red kurta to wear. Initially he is worried but he
overcomes his fears and he has a wonderful time, eating delicious
food and watching the fireworks.
Written in short chapters with its large font and easy sentences,
this is ideal for the emerging reader. The information given about
Diwali, the clothes worn and the food and celebrations is quite
detailed and any child reading this will gain an excellent insight
into the Hindu festivals and the customs surrounding it.
This is highly recommended for its focus on the fears that young
children can have when facing new experiences and the friendship and
help that Praj and his family offer is inspiring.
Pat Pledger
Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman
Ill. by Divya Srinivasan. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408879238
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Speech. India. Cinnamon was a princess
who didn't talk. Her parents the Rajah and the Rani were determined
to find someone who could teach her to speak and offered a mango
grove, a portrait of the Rani's aunt, a parrot and a beautiful room
in the palace to the person who was successful. But no one was able
to get her to speak. Then one day a fierce and hug man-eating tiger
appeared at the palace and said that he was there to teach the
girl-cub how to talk. She was left in the room with him and there
she experienced pain, fear and love. It was love that woke
Cinnamon's voice and she told her parents that she had nothing to
say before but now the tiger has told her of love and the world she
has decided to go away with him.
This is a witty and fascinating story told by the award winning
Gaiman. The illustrations are outstanding. The palace of the Rajah
and Rani is depicted beautifully with peacocks strolling in the
gardens and swans floating in the lily pond. The saris of the women
are in gorgeous purples and greens Cinnamon comes alive with pearl
eyes, beautiful hair and nose ring beautifully drawn. The colours
are pastel and soft until the tiger comes along with his bold black
and orange stripes, wide mouth and sharp teeth, terrifying enough to
make the reader fear for Cinnamon and wonder just who he will eat.
Perfect for reading aloud, this fabulous tale is sure to become a
favourite with children who will be enthralled by the idea of a
talking, man eating tiger who can teach about love and entice a
princess to leave with him.
Pat Pledger
Really weird by Anh Do
Weirdo 8. Scholastic Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781760276768
(Age: 8-12) Highly recommended. Superb! Anh makes Weir Do feel like
your best pal. He has, as always, brought his many readers another
thoroughly entertaining read in this, the 8th book in the series
about the highly likeable Weir Do.
Oink-a-Doodle-Doooo! From pigs that aspire to be roosters, or run
away to join the ballet (pigs in tutus), or Poppy knitting a mini
beanie for Brian, the cactus, all Anh's usual appealing characters
are here, including Bella, Grandma Do, Henry, Mullet and Wendy, who
all keep the reader tickled and smiling until the last page is
all-too-soon reached.
With wonderfully simple sketched illustrations, Really weird
is carefully crafted, delightfully droll and should definitely
appeal even to the most reluctant reader in the 8-12 years bracket.
Joan Kerr-Smith
Double take! a new look at opposites by Susan Hood
Ill. by Jay Fleck. Walker Studio, 2015. ISBN 9781406377293
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Opposites. Perspective. Points of
view. More than a look at opposites, this interesting picture book
is also a challenge for the reader to ponder and delve into what an
opposite really means and to think about different points of view.
Hood has written an engaging, thought provoking text in rhyme,
looking not just at what a simple opposite can mean but how it
relates to who wants to know and the perspective of the person
asking: Who knows what's BIG
unless there's SMALL?
Does SHORT mean a thing
except next to TALL?
The illustrations done in a retro style by Jay Fleck are evocative
and add much to the text. The one on the back of the book with the
blurb was particularly engaging showing a tall flower in a small pot
with a bird looking at it and a short flower in a big pot with a
mouse looking at it. Another that caught my eye was the elephant
lifting a large weight that contrasted with the boy trying to lift a
small one: Who's STRONG
and who's WEAK
is hardly perplexing
Then the reader turns the page to see a double page spread with a
giant whale and the text: But STRONG can look WEAK
when a new champ is flexing.
The use of different styles of print to highlight the point being
made also adds to the fun of the book and would lead to easy
emphasis when reading aloud.
This would be a very useful book to have in the classroom, and its
easy rhythm and fun illustrations will engage both readers and
listeners.
Pat Pledger
Where's Wally? The totally essential travel collection by Martin Handford
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406375718
(Age: 7+) Recommended. For thirty years, British illustrator Martin
Handford's Where's Wally books have delighted fans of all
ages. From the original Where's
Wally to The wonder book, his Hollywood
adventures and The
incredible paper chase, these popular seek and find
puzzle books are now available in one handy travel compendium. With
a flexible sturdy cover and a stretchy elastic bookmark, this is
perfect for a young explorer to take on a long journey, plane ride
or car trip. Six postcards tucked into the front and back pocket are
included, ready to colour in and send via snail mail to someone
special at home.
Each double page spread contains the familiar detailed settings with
hundreds of colourful people and animals busily engaged in a vast
array of activities. Wally with his red-and-white striped shirt,
bobble hat and glasses is sometimes hard to find amongst all the
other cast of characters dressed in similar colours. Two checklists
are included for each of the seven books. These add to the fun of
finding Wanda, Woof and lots of crazy people and animals hidden on a
space station, performing in the Wally Musical or fighting with the
Battling Monks. Where's Wally? The totally essential travel collection is a
wonderful way to introduce historical events, inspire creativity and
engage with a real book instead of a screen.
Rhyllis Bignell
Cowboy Pug: the dog who rode for glory by Laura James
Ill. by Eglantine Ceulemans. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408866382
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Humour. Dogs. Cowboys. Horses. Fear.
Following on the success of Captain
Pug the dog who sailed the seas by Laura James comes Cowboy Pug
the dog who rode for glory. Here the reader finds the long suffering
Pug dressed up in a cowboy hat and bandana, forced to trail behind
Lady Miranda as she goes off horse-trading. They find a very
tall horse Lady Miranda names Horsey and off they ride, meeting
Frank on the way and being carried off in a horse trailer to the
local horse show.
Cowboy Pug is a most reluctant hero. He would much prefer to lounge
in his chair, having snacks and dozing, to adventuring with Lady
Miranda. However when circumstances force him to be brave, he rises
to the occasion and saves the day.
Beautifully illustrated in reds, yellows and greys, the reader will
delight in the expression of fear on Pug's face and long suffering
on Horsey's face. The scene when they gallop around the show jumping
ring is brilliant. Lady Miranda is depicted as an impetuous young
girl and the two footmen Running Footman Will and Running Footman
Liam, who carry the sedan chair are hilarious.
The newly independent reader will sympathise with Pug as he is
forced into uncomfortable situations by Lady Miranda and
circumstances, cheer as he overcomes his fears and look forward to
the next in the series, Safari Pug.
Pat Pledger
Where is the very hungry caterpillar? by Eric Carle
Picture Puffin UK, 2017. ISBN 9780141374352
The world was first introduced to the very hungry caterpillar as he
munched his way through a menu of goodies almost 50 years ago! Now
he is back, hiding somewhere under the flaps waiting to be
discovered by little fingers.
With the bold colours and readily recognisable illustrations of the
wondrous Eric Carle who has a gift of turning the mundane into the
extraordinary, it's time for little ones to have even more fun with
the little caterpillar that so many of them already know and love.
And as well as recognising the familiar foods from the original
story and perhaps even being able to read the words for them because
of that, they can also learn what other tiny creatures inhabit the
world beneath their feet and maybe tread a little more gently on
this earth.
This ticks all the boxes about helping our first readers to
understand the basic concepts about print that are so vital to their
reading success, particularly making connections between this new
story and the one they know as they learn to carry that knowledge
and apply it to a new situation. Brilliant from what might appear to
be a humble board book!
Barbara Braxton
Storm whale by Sarah Brennan
Ill. by Jane Tanner. Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760293642
(Age: Primary middle years) Hardcover, 32 pages. Themes: Whales-
fiction, Conservation, Siblings. Bleak was the day and the wind whipped down when my sisters and I
walked to town . . .
Sarah Brennan's narrative verse is a powerful, driven story of three
sisters who try to rescue a whale stranded on a windswept beach. Her
beautifully evocative phrases filled with alliteration and colourful
descriptions are crisp and clipped. They need to be read aloud. She
builds the tension driving the story forward as the three sisters
battle the elements to save the stranded whale - scarred old
mariner, beached in hell, far from the cradling ocean swell.
Brennan's memories of Tasmania summer holidays on wet and windy
beaches provided the inspiration for Storm Whale.
The story celebrates the close bond of sisterhood as each draws
strength from the other, to frantically keep the whale bathed in
seawater. They show resilience and dogged determination fighting an
epic struggle in the stormy conditions. Without any adult
intervention, they finally return home, nearly defeated, unsure
about the large mammal's fate. They find comfort in each other,
wrapped in warm blankets by the glowing fire and wait for the
morning unsure of the outcome. Their freedom to explore the
storm-ravaged beach on their own and search for the whale, without a
parent, might be confronting to some readers.
Jane Tanner's powerful illustrations, changing from pencil sketches
to sweeping painted scenes powerfully enhance Brennan's emotional
tale. From hope to near despondence, her textured paintings bring to
life the sisters' elemental fight against the driving rain. She
creates the moodiness, the contrast of darkness and light, of cold
and warmth perfectly depicting Brennan's story. Storm Whale is an ideal picture book for older readers who
enjoy rhyming narratives. The rich, emotive language and wonderful
illustrations are suitable for Middle Years classes studying styles
of poetry, identifying how language choices and imagery build
emotional connection and engagement with this story.
Rhyllis Bignell
One of us is lying by Karen M. McManus
Penguin, 2017. ISBN 9780141375632
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Mystery. Five students are sent to detention
for having a phone in class. Only four walk out. One of them lies
dead from anaphylactic shock, having drunk water that was
contaminated by peanut oil. All of them have secrets that they
wanted hidden from Simon, the dead boy who had a vicious gossip app
that was followed avidly by everyone in the school. And his death
wasn't an accident - who is telling lies and who is the murderer?
McManus has written a very suspenseful, high interest mystery with
all the ingredients that readers could wish for to maintain their
interest. The four student suspects' characters and secrets are
gradually revealed as each gives their story in separate chapters,
showing their strengths and weaknesses and their perspective on what
has happened. Bronwyn is the brain and normally wouldn't break a
rule; Addy is the homecoming princess, who clings to Jake, Mr
Popular; Nate is the bad boy on probation for dealing drugs and
Cooper is the all-star athlete. When it is revealed that Simon
intended to reveal their secrets they all become suspects and as the
police focus on one and then another, their secrets are revealed and
they decide to gang together to get to the truth.
Seasoned mystery readers may not be confused by the many red
herrings and work out the end, or at least part of it, but the novel
is engrossing and the suspense continues to build right to the very
end. The characters are well rounded and not just the stereotypes
that could be expected from the brain, the jock, the bad boy and the
princess, and the plot is twisted enough to keep most readers
totally enthralled.
This was a quick read and it is easy to see it being produced as a
movie. It has all the elements to attract teens, a theme of the
problems of social media, a little romance and a strongly plotted
mystery.
Pat Pledger
