Reviews

Handstand by Lisa Stickley

Pavilion, 2016. ISBN 9781843653127
Picture book. Little girls love to do handstands and Edith is no exception. She is teaching herself and each day she gets a little better increasing her upside-downness by a second each day. But each day something interrupts her concentration like the worm who popped up by her hand, the bird who used her hand for target practice and the spider that crawled down her shorts when she rested her legs against a tree. But nevertheless she keeps on practising...
This is an interesting book - its tagline is 'a kind of counting book' which it is as Edith manages an extra handstand and an extra second each day and the words and numbers are included in the illustrations. But it is also intriguing because as she encounters each little creature the creature gives its perspective on how Edith has interrupted it, offering an introduction to getting young readers to see things from another point of view. The worm pops his head above ground and sees 'a giant hand next to my preferred popping up place'. It could spark some discussion and drawing about how little girls and little boys appear to the creatures in their environment. Resilience is also a theme - how we must practise and practise to get better and not be deterred by trivial things like a spider in your knickers.
The appearance of the book is also interesting - harking back to a time when handstand competitions were features of recess and lunch break entertainment for girls of my era, the colours and style give it a definite retro feel. Even the name 'Edith' suggests a bygone time. The illustrations are also what a child the age of the narrator might draw adding to the impression that this is, indeed, a young girl telling her story, but the font, presented in the style of a child of this age might prove tricky for young readers to start with.
Even though this appears to be a counting book at first flick through, there is much more in it that can provide lots of chat between child and adult and even tempt them to try a new skill. I'm sure Miss 10 and Miss Nearly-6's eyes will boggle at the thought of Grandma being the school handstand champion a lifetime ago!!!
Barbara Braxton

My sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760112226
(Age: secondary to adult) Highly recommended. Crime, Thriller, Siblings, Mental health, Psychopathic behaviour. Che has always looked after his much younger sister, Rosa. Their parents are focused on their business, so the two children are taken along with them, this time to live in New York working with their father's long time friend. His children, twins of Rosa's age and a girl about Che's age, are expected to get along, but Che becomes aware that Rosa is pushing the once close twins apart, and manipulating one to be her close friend.
Che is worried. Rosa has shown these traits before, and specialists have diagnosed her as lacking in empathy, a psychopath.
Che has four things on his to do list. One is to look after Rosa, a role given him by the parents when she was born. Next is to find a girlfriend, then to spar and finally to go home to Australia.
Each of the four sections in this thrilling book tackles each of Che's aims in turn.
In looking after Rosa he talks with her often, teaching her how to be more interested, how to talk to people, how to use and decode facial expressions. In doing so, he inadvertently gives her more tools with which to to manipulate people more easily.
Rosa's character is amazing. She is able to wrap most people around her fingers, using her Shirley Temple looks to contrive and deceive.
Che reveals the extent of her ability when she manipulated one girl into killing her pet guinea pig, and so the reader is warned about what else she might be able to do. When Rosa's new friend eats peanut butter even though she has an allergy, Che realises that he must watch Rosa far more carefully as he is convinced that she is behind the event. And so a cat and mouse game evolves.
Meanwhile Che loves to box and finds a girlfriend in the gym he attends. She is bound by her religion, one of her mothers is a minister, and the discussions they have are fascinating, opening up a field not generally discussed in young adult literature. Che has promised that he will not spar but one night does so, only to find that Rosa has brought his parents to the gym. He has told her not to lie, and so she 'innocently' tells her parents of his intentions. The fourth aim on his list becomes less a focus as his relationship with Sid develops, and he becomes more used to New York.
But it is the power play between Rosa and Che that piques the interest of the reader. Tension mounts as Rosa becomes more adept at twisting words, as she and her new friend use a secret language to baffle and exclude, as Che's parents reveal some of what they know.
The climax of the book is shocking, the girl's powers mind boggling, her manipulation of events almost landing Che in jail. The subsequent medical examinations of all three children reveal yet another layer of intrigue and readers will not be able to put this one down. Packed with a huge range of diverse and multi layered characters, many hiding something they know, the atmosphere of the gym, the closeness of the two families, the pressure of Sid's religion, all contrive to make the reader feel claustrophobic, entrapped in this little world, despite being in New York with all it has to offer. Rosa seems to be pulling the strings making everyone dance for her own entertainment.
Larbalestier always enthralls: her original stories weave their way into the readers' minds, grappling with bigger issues that continue to fester long after the last page is read.
Fran Knight

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Usborne, 2016. ISBN 9781409581970
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Scotland, Jacobite Uprising, Adventure. When David Balfour leaves his home in 1751, after his parents' deaths, he is told by the local minister to go to the House of Shaws, there to claim his inheritance. David is baffled, he has no idea of just how he and his family could be related to the laird of this wealthy estate. But going there seals his fate when he meets his avaricious uncle, Ebenezer, the younger, who plots his death. After an unsuccessful attempt to cast David off the derelict tower, he is taken to the port on business and his uncle leaves him to be tied up and thrown into the bowels of the ship. But when the cabin boy dies, David becomes his replacement and here he sees the rescue of a boat containing several people off the Hebrides in Northern Scotland. The survivor is Alan Breck Stewart, a Jacobite with money to take to the Stuarts in their bid for the Scottish throne. David, a Presbyterian Scot from the Lowlands and so supporting George 111, and Jacobite Alan are on opposing sides of the political divide in Scotland, and each is suspicious of the other but circumstances see them cross paths several more times, developing a mutual respect and understanding between them.
A wonderfully adventurous story, Kidnapped was written in 1886 by Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson. This large edition has a brief outline of Stevenson and his work, a glossary which details the words modern readers may not know and an outline of the Jacobite Uprising of 1751. The whole is illustrated with pictures which reflect the times. Although seen as a 'boy's book', I thoroughly enjoyed reading it again. Some may find the language a little old fashioned, but once engrossed, the style matters not a jot. Story is all!
The Guardian's list of 100 Best Books Written in English has Kidnapped listed as number 24, after such worthies as Catch 22 and David Copperfield.
Fran Knight

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

Hodder and Stoughton, 2016. ISBN 9781473628113
(Age: Senior secondary) Themes: Historical fantasy, War, Gender roles, Spies and Espionage, Relationships. If you can get students to pick up this voluminous title and then get them to read though the first 100 pages then they will be in for a good read. The narrative contains a plethora of interesting characters that intersect in a variety of situations.
If students are interested in war, travels, ancient spies and espionage, gender issues, simmering plots and allegiances in a fantasy setting then this is the book for them.
Wendy Rutten

I just couldn't wait to meet you by Kate Ritchie

Ill. by Hannah Sommerville. Penguin, 2016. ISBN 9780857989703
(Age: 4+) Child birth, Pregnancy, Family. When Kate Ritchie was pregnant, she began to talk to her unborn child, because she could not wait to see her child. Impatient, she began to dream of the child, thinking about it everyday and night.
So evolved a text about a woman readying herself for the birth of her first child, eagerly thinking about the years ahead.
She thinks about her bump and what sex it will be, what it would look like, whether it will grow to be and strong, what toys will it like. She muses on whether she will meet its gaze.
The soft illustrations chart the woman and her bump, including little drawings of what the child may be like, until the day arrives with mum and dad delivering the baby. From here the family is shown together, being together at meal times, out in the garden, loving and caring.
For the classroom, books such as these give a strong message of families linked with love and care, how families evolve, how families are created, how families interact. A strong message is given both through the text and illustrations which will be reiterated in the classroom and at home, underlining the value of family in our society.
Fran Knight

The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst

Winner of the Alex Award (2017). Daleina is very young when her village is attacked by spirits and everyone is killed except members of her family. Seeing them in deadly danger, Daleina is able to draw on her magical powers to stop them harming her family but can't do anything to help the rest of the villagers. This ordeal has remained with her and she is determined to fight the spirits of air, water, earth, fire, ice or wood that inhabit her country, Aratay. When she is 15 she goes to the Academy to train to become an heir to the Queen, the only person who is able to stand between the spirits and their destruction of humanity. Ven, an older man, is a champion warrior who has been banished by the Queen and who has spent his time fighting spirits on the outskirts of the kingdom. He chooses Daleina as the person to mentor and together they battle the evil that is threatening to take over the land.
This was a very exciting and engrossing read, which was difficult to put down. Not only did it have adventure and daring, but the world building was intensely interesting, with people living in the tree tops and making journey by flying from one tree to another on zip-lines. The spirits too were well drawn and Daleina's ability to find out their desires created some wonderful visions of flying through clouds and being sucked into the earth.
Durst takes a different tack in The Queen of Blood to the usual romance between the two main characters often found in books, instead Daleina and Ven are both engaged in defending their country, with one being youthful and the other older and experienced. Daleina is a quiet person who stubbornly wants to help her kingdom and works very hard at the Academy to gain the skills that she needs. She makes strong friendships with some of the other aspiring heirs. She is strong enough to undergo the arduous training that Ven insists upon when leaving the Academy, and clever enough to work out ways to overcome the spirits.
The quest and the character building draw the reader in with a fresh and original story and an unexpected and thrilling conclusion will leave the reader desperate for the next in the series, The reluctant Queen.

Themes Fantasy.

Pat Pledger

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Film tie-in edition. Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760295929
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. With the imminent release of Rachel Perkin's latest film Jasper Jones it seemed a good time to read Craig Silvey's novel, winner of the Indie Book of the Year 2009, ABIA Book of the Year 2010, and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literature Award 2010.
Dubbed Australia's To kill a mockingbird, it does share many of the themes of that novel - a child trying to solve the mysteries of the adult world, the restrained father figure, the feared outcast in the shadowy house, the narrow-minded attitudes of a small country town, entrenched racism and bigotry. But Silvey's book is most definitely Australian, set in a small country town around the time of the Vietnam War. The narrator is 13 year-old Charlie Bucktin, a bookish boy sidelined at school and friends with Vietnamese Jeffrey Lu, struggling against vicious bullying. Jasper Jones of the title is the Aboriginal boy, most despised of all, shunned and distrusted, and immediate suspect for any crime. It is Jasper Jones, that late one night, draws Charlie into a terrible secret . . .
The story immediately draws in the reader and becomes impossible to put down. It is not only the mystery and suspense that keeps the reader going, a highlight is the bizarre humour with which Charlie and Jeffrey grapple with ideas and moral dilemmas. The teenage conversation is so real and very funny, particularly their discussion of superheroes and why Batman is the bravest of them all.
The trust between the central characters is so precious, I became scared as I read along that human frailty was going to lead to some terrible betrayal, but it is not the young friends who are weak, it is the adults who are at the root of all evil. It is this idea of evil and cruelty that he sees in newspaper stories and which he witnesses in his own hometown, that confronts and challenges Charlie - can he be a witness, an observer, and be true to his friends and to himself? When is silence complicit and when do you have to take a stand?
Jasper Jones is a great novel for teenagers and adults alike, and a must for studies of Australian fiction.
Helen Eddy

I'll love you always by Mark Sperring

Ill. by Alison Brown. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408873335
(Age: 1-5) Recommended. Bedtime. Love. This warm and engaging bedtime story is sure to become a favourite with young children and the people who read it to them. When listening children will learn just how much they are loved and that it can last through days, week and beyond. In fact, in conclusion it states:

I'll love you forever, not one second less.
For that is what mummies and daddies do best.

The rhyming narration is perfect to be read aloud and it flows along beautifully. Older children would be able to remember the words and read along as well. In fact, it is a story that I can imagine will be read time and again to reassure both the child and carer that love exists and is very important.
The illustrations are very cute, with the parent mouse and little mouse surrounded by lovely soft colours, blue skies and flowers.
A perfect bedtime story, this book would also be a lovely gift for new parents.
Pat Pledger

A hope more powerful than the sea. The journey of Doaa Al Zamel, written by Melissa Fleming

Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781408708446
(Age: Secondary) Highly recommended. This is a true story that, in this world today, should be read. If we are to understand the wave of refugees fleeing their own beloved countries, leaving behind families who cannot escape, then we need to know what is going on. We need to know what causes such an upheaval in the lives of these people that they leave home in any way they can, hoping to find a place that will accept them, even though they face the unknown.
This is a story of ordinary people, who are not simply greedy, nor just discontented, who love their own country and culture. Yet, deeply disturbed by changes in their world that affect their daily lives, by deprivation, alienation or severe discrimination, they find that they have little choice but to flee. We become aware of the changing world of the family, the Al Zamels, in this story, from the daughter, Doaa, who relates how their daily lives were lived, how the loving family was so central to their lives, describing how they begin to be aware of the social changes that signal upheaval.
Heartrendingly told, this story, of unscrupulous offers promising escape if enough money is paid, reveals that sometimes the refugees are abandoned, left on the shore of an unknown place, or on broken-down old boats that break up in a storm, when they are left to die. Having taken much of their savings, or their borrowings from family, the people who set up the escape so often put the refugees in vastly over-crowded old boats, some of them even lacking crew. Even worse, we read that some of the 'arrangers' kill the desperate families after taking their money, or put them on boats where they are thrown overboard. This is a disturbing story yet one filled with courage and hope, and this hope, we discover, is indeed 'more powerful than the sea'.
Towards the end of her story, Doaa writes of finding a new life, after the warmth of the welcome they received from ordinary families, both in Greece and later in Sweden, that signals the beginning of the healing that will occur. It is an uplifting story, told with passion and inbued with a strong sense of justice.
Liz Bondar

The sisters Saint-Claire by Carlie Gibson and Tamsin Ainslie

Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760291563
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Cooking. Siblings. Markets. Rhyming tale. A wonderful rhyming story about five mouse sisters, Harriet, Violet, Minette, Beatrice and Cecile, living with their parents, Odette and Pierre in France. The youngest mouse, Cecile is a wonderful cook, and the siblings love going to the market on Sunday, knowing that when they return Cecile will have cooked them a tasty array of treats. But one Sunday she asks to go with them. The girls all offer reasons for her to stay at home and cook, but her parents tell them that it is time for Cecile to see the world. She cooks before they go, setting up a stall at the market for the day. But no one buys her pies. By the end of the day when other stalls are empty and the bunting is being taken down, the Queen arrives with great fanfare. She loves Cecile's pies and tells her that she will return every week just for her pies. From that day on, Cecile takes her place at the market every week, with her family helping with the sales.
This wonderful story will be read aloud by one and all, as the readers relish getting their tongues around the names of the the pies Cecile makes. The inventive rhymes and word puns will make many readers giggle as they take in the array of words offered. I loved the inclusion of French words recognising that some French words are now very much part of our speech.
Readers will delight in this family of mice, the food words, the market and the French background, offering a view of a different way of life.
The soft pastel illustrations are a delight, reflecting the French town in which they live: the small streets, cafes, the Sunday market and the clothing. The mice prance their way across the pages, entrancing all who read of Cecile's growing independence.
Fran Knight

Bee and me by Alison Jay

Old Barn Books 2016. ISBN 9781910646052
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Bees. Wordless picture book. Environment. A wordless picture book which shows the significance of bees in our cities through a young girl reviving a bee she finds in her apartment.
When the bee flies into her apartment high above the city streets she revives it with sugary water then reads all she can about bees, to ensure that it survives. This happened to the author, Alison Jay, and she uses this event to begin her picture book, but from there she has her heroine and the bee begin a fantastic journey. Together the two fly out over the city and its surrounding parks and gardens, eventually alighting in a meadow where the bee cavorts in the flowers. The girl sees what the bee really likes and makes a windowsill garden in her apartment. The boy in the flat above looks down at what she is doing and the two share the garden, attracting lot of bees.
This is a beautifully understated book encouraging children to use their eyes and see the insect world about them, encouraging them to see the relationship between these and the environment. The magnificent pictures are full of life, colour and detail, and encourage children to look closely at what is going on. The deceptive simplicity encourages deeper thought by the reader, while the unusual nostalgic feel of the illustrations creates a magical undertone.
Fran Knight

Whisper to me by Nick Lake

Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408853863
A complex, absorbing and gripping read for senior secondary students. ALA Best fiction for young adults 2017. Themes: Mental illness, schizophrenia, hearing voices, family trauma, friendship, love. Cassie is a bright senior student who reads widely and particularly likes the Greek myths, partly because of her namesake, Cassandra who was condemned by the gods to foresee true prophesies about the future that no one believed, and partly because she spends a lot of time in the library, a sanctuary from social isolation and bullying at school. Her Dad an ex-Navy SEAL who now runs a pizza restaurant, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, not only from his war experiences but also from the violent death of Cassie's mother. When Cassie discovers a severed foot on the beach, a possible victim of a local serial killer, she starts to hear a voice which will not leave her alone. On one level she recognizes a link to the buildup of traumatic events in her life, but she is unable to ignore it, blaming and punishing her. The voice becomes all-consuming further isolating her from her dad and others, filling her summer holiday days with punishing tasks and abusive comments. Then two boys arrive to rent a room over their garage while working summer jobs at the New Jersey beach. Cass is attracted to one but at this critical moment the voice forces her to self-harm and she ends up in hospital diagnosed with psychotic dissociation and possible schizophrenia. Medication makes the voice go away but it strips her of vitality. When she meets vivacious, charismatic, bipolar Paris in the hospital it is as if she is thrown a lifeline. Their friendship develops and Cassie learns about her voice in a support group. It is not an easy trip and there are no answers but she works hard to understand her situation and regain some control. At the same time she is falling in love for the first time but she can't bring herself to be honest about her condition and ends up breaking his heart. The narrative is a letter to the unnamed 'you', finally telling him the truth and in doing so, examining the cracks in their lives and moving forward in spite of them. There is much that we never know in this novel but we gain tremendous insight into how we cope when the unthinkable happens. The author's note asserts that in spite of mental illness life can get better and with help it will. He goes on to list organisations in the USA and UK. The equivalent in Australia are: https://www.mindaustralia.org.au/ and http://hvna.net.au/
Sue Speck

Twinkle twinkle little star illustrated by Matt Shanks

Scholastic Australia, 2017. ISBN 9781760158668
(Age: 3-5) Nursery rhyme. The familiar Twinkle twinkle little star is illustrated in beautiful watercolours by Matt Shanks. Although the first few lines of the rhyme will be remembered by the reader, the rhyme in its entirety is given in this book, giving it an added dimension of interest.
The illustrations tell a parallel story to the traditional rhyme. Set against a vivid purple/pink night sky the reader finds an owl sitting on a tree limb and reading a book with a star on the cover. There is a satchel full of books with stars on the covers and as the rhyme progresses, the reader follows the owl as it delivers books, via a parachute first to sheep in a bare brown paddock, then to birds wading in a lake, onwards to wombats, tunnelling away and travelling in the dark. Finally it finds a little person peering through a telescope at the night sky and returns home to its own little owlets to read to them.
This is an intriguing and enjoyable picture book which allows the reader to retell the story of Twinkle twinkle little star as well as having fun following the owl delivering books. New items of interest and different ideas will be found each time it is read.
Pat Pledger

Shockwave by Peter Jay Black

Urban Outlaws bk 5. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408851517
Peter Jay Black's Urban Outlaws series finishes in a taut and deadly race; the pace is even more frenetic, with the five friends pushed to their limits as their health deteriorates from the effects of by the deadly Medusa virus. Shockwave begins directly after the volatile ending of Counterstrike; Hector's men have infiltrated their underground hideout and quickly set about destroying their home, possessions and equipment. Jack and Charlie narrowly escape while young Obi is captured.
With each member suffering from the cold-like symptoms of the deadly virus, they must return to The Facility and search for the antidote. Hector is one-step ahead of them as they slowly make their way across London dressed in clothing bank outfits and The Facility is destroyed by fire. Noble their adult friend's warehouse is torched as well. As they discuss their circumstances standing near the London Eye, henchmen from a rival gang capture them and take them to their headquarters based in an old warehouse. Wheelchair-bound Tayla is the tough leader of a large gang of children and teenagers trained to pickpockets and steal goods. Tayla hates the outlaws and instructs her cronies to kill them. Of course, with some quick thinking, they talk their way out of the situation, setting up a heist plan with the promise of a rich reward.
The mission is deadly; the evil Del Sarto family are holding the whole of London to ransom as they prepare to infiltrate the waterways of London with the virus. Jack, Charlie, Wren and Slink jump off bridges, set technological traps, traverse London, survive being shot, engage in battles, using their resourcefulness and ingenuity to complete their final mission.
Peter Jay Black keeps up the rapid pace until the very end, life and death dramas, moral decisions and the interconnection and the reliance on each other in the face of adversity, make this a grand series finale.
Rhyllis Bignell

Magpie murders by Anthony Horowitz

Orion Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781409158370
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Mystery. Horowitz is a best-selling author and creator of many TV shows and in Magpie Murders he showcases his talent with a homage to vintage crime novels in this novel within a novel. Editor Susan Ryeland is given Alan Conway's latest manuscript featuring Atticus Pund, a detective very similar to Hercule Poirot, but the last chapters are missing. Then the author dies in suspicious circumstances and Susan finds herself in the middle of a real life murder while trying to find the missing chapters.
Horowitz very cleverly gathers together two stories, that of Atticus Pund's latest investigation in the manuscript and that of the circumstances surrounding Alan Conway's death. There are many nods to vintage Agatha Christie and village murders which mystery fans will recognise and really enjoy. At the same time the reader's attention is constantly grabbed by the two interweaving stories, as well as the characters in the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery within a mystery, and what was particularly good was the surprising denouement at its conclusion. I look forward to more crime stories from this very talented author.
Pat Pledger