The amateurs bk. 1. Hot Key Books, 2016. ISBN 9781471405266
(Age: 15+) Some strong language. Mystery. Alcohol. Parties. Aerin's
sister Helena had been brutally murdered years before and when a
group of young people who belong to an online forum, Case not
closed, turn up on her doorstep offering to investigate the murder,
things begin to get out of hand. The amateur sleuths, Seneca, Maddy,
Madison and Brett all have different talents and together they begin
to unravel the truth.
This was quite a suspenseful plot and very intriguing to begin with.
I enjoyed the idea of the amateurs having a go at solving the crime
and having more success than the police had originally. Seneca was
the most interesting and well fleshed out character, but the others
were often immature and not very likeable. The romances between the
main characters didn't really jell and I found the constant partying
and some sexual innuendos off-putting. As the action progressed, the
country club scene and the wealth of the participants began to
become tiresome, but this may well appeal to a teen audience.
There were a succession of suspects, many red herrings and a
surprise ending which will lead to a second in the series.
Pat Pledger
The cranky ballerina by Elise Gravel
Katherine Tegan Books, 2016. ISBN 9780062351241
Ada does not look forward to weekends, particularly Saturdays,
because Saturday is ballet day and she HATES ballet. Her
leotard is too tight and her tutu too itchy and as for the moves she
is forced to do and practise and practise... as she says,
'Arabesques are GROTESQUE.' As for pirouettes - well! Even with her
little monster sidekick who tries to offer support and
encouragement, she just doesn't like it. For Ada, it is definitely
NOT a case of 'practice makes perfect'.
But one Saturday morning when she is trying to please Miss Pointy
she pirouettes right out the door and into a whole new world, one
where she fits perfectly.
Across the world, Saturday mornings see young girls and boys going
off to do things like ballet and music and sport and so on because
their parents think they should, or they should enjoy them or the
parents are reliving their dreams, but how many are like Ada and
have no aptitude or passion for the activity? Many were the
freezing mornings I cycled many miles to piano lessons thinking of
excuses for not having practised until my long-suffering teacher
told my mum she was wasting her money. Based on the creator's one
disastrous attempt at ballet when she was four, this story will
resonate with those whose abilities, talents and interests lie
beyond those that they are expected to do.
The illustrations are very expressive - even the youngest non-reader
can tell that this is a story about an unhappy child who seems to
have a permanent scowl and for all their apparent simplicity, the
feelings of Miss Pointy and the other girls are very obvious.
With a predominantly gentle colour scheme, lime greens and bright
reds punctuate Ada's discomfort along with speech bubbles and
onomatopoeia giving it a fast pace that will encourage young readers
to read it for themselves independently without much trouble. The
final page is perfect.
Barbara Braxton
Literature to Support the Science Curriculum Foundation - 7 by Fran Knight and Pat Pledger
Pledger Consulting, 2016. ISBN 97801876678470
Teacher reference. Primary School. Highly recommended. Literature
to Support the Science Curriculum Foundation - 7 is a
collection of fiction and some non-fiction books linked to the
Australian Science curriculum. Teachers and librarians will have, at
their fingertips, a collection of relevant texts for each year level
as well as each Science strand. This book is a great way to make
sure English and Science curriculums are well linked. Each book is
matched to a year level and a Science strand and they have a brief
synopsis of the story. Teachers can check if the books are in their
school library or have their librarian order them in. The books
could be used as a class novel, to make sure the class has a
selection of themed books or to guide students to borrow age
appropriate texts.
Highly recommended for all primary schools. This book is supportive
of South Australia where year 7 students are still in primary
school.
Editor's note: It is available here.
Kylie Kempster
Zombiefied! Outbreak by C M Gray
Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780733334238
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Zombiefied! Outbreak is book
three in the series and finds our main character, Ben, facing yet
another challenge. Since becoming a half zombie, Ben has had many
adventures and has been getting use to his new strength and infrared
vision. Unfortunately, Ben's brother is missing and zombie hunters
think Ben has attacked him. Ben is tricked into an underground room
where he discovers the hunters are his best friend's parents! What a
plot twist. Will Sophie defy her parents' orders and set him free?
While these events are occurring, a teacher is also watching Ben's
every move. Why does he seem to be everywhere Ben is? Does he have a
secret? Is he a zombie hunter or is he the Lurker (the zombie who is
very human and turns humans into zombies)? It is a race to find
Ben's brother and keep Sophie's parents safe. Zombiefied! Outbreak is a quick moving, hilarious tale. At a
time when zombies are popular, the story is an age appropriate and
engaging version for younger readers. The text is easy to read, the
characters are quirky, the events are funny and there is something
for everyone in the book. It is highly recommended to readers aged
7+ and will make a great addition to a school or class library. The
novel is also recommended for older students who want to read
popular fiction but are limited with their decoding skills.
Kylie Kempster
King baby by Kate Beaton
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406371758
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Babies, Family, Humour. No-one will be
able to hold back tears of laughter as the baby in this story is
shown at the centre of all that goes on within the family. We all
have experience of how a baby disrupts the orderly routine of the
household, and how it becomes the centre of everyone's attention,
but this wonderful picture book shows this with infectious wit and
humour. The proud parents show off their offspring to all visitors
in the first double page. They are all entranced, taking photos,
gurgling, cooing, holding, watching and kissing. But then it starts.
The demands come thick and fast: feed me, burp me, carry me and
change me, until the parents are exhausted, surrounded now not by
the neat, orderly house but a mess comprised of a load of baby
detritus.
I love the way the seemingly simple illustrations detail the baby's
moods and behaviors : aggression, boredom, smugness, contentment,
demanding and so on, all with a stroke of the pen for his mouth. His
crown is firmly stuck on his head as he goes from one development
stage to the next, despite his weary parents, but another story is
growing in the background in the last few pages, designed to knock
the crown from his head. I laughed out loud, with sniggers of
recognition at a baby's unfailing self centredness. This is a joy.
And an excellent read aloud and sharing story for younger readers
and adults alike.
Fran Knight
Scarlett and Ivy: The Dance in the Dark by Sophie Cleverly
Harper Collins Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9780007589227
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Scarlett and Ivy: The Dance in
the Dark is book 3 in the series. It refers back to the events
from book 1 and 2 so they are not needed to understand this story
but book sets are always good to read from the beginning. Scarlett and Ivy: The Dance in the Dark finds Scarlett and
Ivy, twin sisters, back at their boarding school Rookwood
after the evil principal has been removed. Everyone is hoping things
will get back to normal until the ballet teacher mysteriously
disappears, a strange (almost threatening) message is left on a
board, the horses are let out and a student is pushed from a window.
What is going on at Rookwood School? Are the girls and other
students safe or has the terror started again? Who is the Mistress
Zelda and what does her suspicious behaviour have to do with it all?
Can Scarlett, Ivy and their best friend Ariadne get to the bottom of
another mystery before someone else is injured? Scarlett and Ivy: The Dance in the Dark is an easy to read
novel with a quick moving storyline. It is also easy to follow and
easy to find favourite characters. The characters are a mixture of
different personalities and the subplots make the story interesting.
Readers will also cheer for Ivy as Penny (the bully of the story)
picks on her. They will cheer for Scarlett who just wants to protect
everyone. They will wonder who is behind all of the troubles but can
they read the clues and pick the instigator? The themes are well
suited to readers aged 10+ and is highly recommended for girls.
Kylie Kempster
Skyfire by Michael Adams
The Seven Signs series. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781743628010
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Adventure, Series, Awards, Thriller. When
seven young people win a DARE Award and are invited to join the
group, they find themselves enlisted to seek out the seven symbols
that predict what could mean the end of the world. The seven books
in this series offers the search for each of the symbols in turn,
with various characters involved in a cliff hanger of a tale. Each
book is less than 200 pages, told in short chapters, each about
different people within the group, and each involving high risk
behaviour and thrills.
The series, very plot driven and almost formulaic, is exciting and
page turning as the seven young people are all chosen to represent
as wide a group as possible, with several girls, a few from non
Anglo backgrounds, a couple who are more than they appear and some
from a different background. The mix is interesting and sure to
create a broad appeal, ensuring the reader wants to know what
happens to those characters they bond with but also intrigued about
how all seven will survive the thrills and spills as the story
unravels. This is a fast paced set of thrillers, engineered to grab
the reader's attentions from the start, devised to create a need
within the reader to buy or borrow the next books as they come out.
There is a website which invites participation, and enables children
to interact with the story and devise their own symbol, with the
possibility of winning prizes.
The second in the series is called Carnage and the remaining
books will follow over the next few months.
Fran Knight
Blue and other colours with Henri Matisse
Phaidon, 2016. ISBN 9780714871325
(Age: 2-6) Recommended. Board book, Matisse, Art, Colour. A board
book full of reproductions of Matisse's work with scissors, done
when he was old and arthritic, sitting in bed with painted paper and
a pair of scissors is offered to encourage younger children to
recognise colours through the medium of an artist's work. It is a
lovely book to hold and look at each page in turn. The text draws
the reader onto the next page, a child wondering what the words will
say as they explain the colours on each page. Some pages reflect one
colour, then another colour is added, then several colours are
shown, then the book comes back to one, adding a subtle level of
excitement for the reader. Reading aloud with a group of children
will encourage their colour recognition, involvement in an artist's
world and the possibility of trying the technique themselves. The
last double page shows a whole range of colours inviting the reader
to recognise and point to each in turn, the last page has a potted
history of Matisse and his work for the adult to read out to the
child and incorporate in the use of the book, while inside the front
cover is a list of all the works shown in the book with their
details. This is one of a series of board books published by
Phaidon, First Concepts with Fine Artists. Fran Knight
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Wild and wacky edition 2017 by Ripley's Entertainment Inc.
Scholastic, 2916. ISBN 9781338113242
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Crazy facts. Humour. The latest edition of
Ripley's believe it or not looks at crazy facts, and really weird
wonders of the world. It is sure to be an absolute winner with
people of all ages who like to read about strange and wonderful
things and often get a laugh or a sense of amazement about what goes
on in the world. The cover with its vivid face set in a lettuce leaf
and with a pickle protruding from the mouth will be enough to entice
the reader to open up the book and see what is inside.
There is an easy to read and enticing Contents page, with the
headings Extra-ODD-inary Legacy, Entertaining Enterprises, Bend over
backwards, Bizarre World, Funky Fauna, Cross your fingers, and
Culture Collection. An index is also available for those who want to
go back to a particular occurrence. The Extra-ODD-inary Legacy gives
an overview of the Ripley world and how it began, with pictures of
the different spots around the world where Ripley worlds can be
found. The reader is then off to read about the wonderful things
that have been gathered together. I was particularly intrigued by
the little girl who invented ZolliPops, tooth friendly treats and
the creation of cardboard shoes. The picture of a giant African
tortoise being taken for a walk, dressed in a pink outfit also
brought a smile to my face while the photo of the elephant selfie
was amazing.
Interspersed throughout the book are quizzes, which when answered
will send the reader off to sections that may interest them, another
way of browsing according to what the reader may want to read. The
photos are so vivid and interesting that they make the reader want
to read the captions and find out about the wild and wacky things
that are going.
This will appeal not only to reluctant readers but anyone who picks
it up and would make a great addition to a classroom or library and
will give individuals the chance to talk about strange things.
Pat Pledger
How to build a billy cart and other fun stuff by Rob Palmer
Scholastic Australia, 2016. ISBN 9781743625743
(Age: 8+) Recommended. DIY projects. This fun book has 16 DIY
projects to make. Authored by former Better Homes and Gardens star
Rob Palmer, this will have immediate appeal to anyone who likes to
build things. The Contents page is extensive, with a How to use this
book, Tool Box, Kids' Tool Box and Safety sections. It is then
divided up into Toy, Backyard Games, Rainy Day Activities and Tips
and Techniques.
There is a range of projects that will have appeal to all children
and do it yourself enthusiasts, from the billy cart illustrated
beautifully on the front cover to the stables that go with the hobby
farm. I was particularly taken with the Dragon Shelf and the Fairy
House. There are some other very appealing projects too, like the
Skittles that would be great to take away on holidays and the box
kite.
Each project is set out very clearly with a plan, a description of
the parts needed and then step by step instructions.
This is a book that would make a wonderful present for the child who
has a parent who likes to make things. Together they would have a
lot of fun as well as having a variety of interesting projects to
choose from.
Pat Pledger
The Gobbledygook and the Scribbledynoodle by Justine Clarke and Arthur Baysting
Ill. by Tom Jellett. Penguin Viking, 2016. ISBN 9780670079223
Picture book. Look! Look! It's the Gobbledygook!
He's reading his favourite mon-story book.
Comfortable in the library and using his best book-reading manners
that he learned in The
Gobbledygook is Eating a Book, the Gobbledygook is enjoying
exploring his favourite book, whispering the quiet words, shouting
the loud ones and making up those he doesn't know (just like
real-life early readers). But when one of the monsters jumps right
out of the book and begins to scribble all over the books the
Gobbledygook is very distressed. While the Scribbledynoodle takes
notice when it is told that it should not draw on the books, it then
takes to drawing on everything else in the library - the walls, the
shelves, even the librarian - until the Gobbledygook and his friend
escort it outside. And there it teaches them that there are pictures
in many more places than a book. Clouds, rainbows, puddles and snail
trails all have their own kind of pictorial magic with the day (and
the story) ending in peeking 'at the pictures we dream in our
sleep."
This is a wonderful romp in rhyme for young readers who will delight
in its tongue-twisting words, fast pace, crazy ideas and bright,
colourful pictures. Even though the Gobbledygook is a monster with
big teeth and even bigger feet, he's not one that will scare them
and you can just hear the oohs and ahs as they see the destruction
that the Scribbledynoodle causes. Even though they are young THEY
know better and will delight in telling the adult reader so. But
they will be pleased that instead of the Scribbledynoodle being in
BIG trouble, it gets redirected and through the kindness of the
Gobbledygook and his friend, it not only makes new friends but shows
them important things too. The children will be on their way outside
to see if they can see an elephant's bum in the clouds! But they
will also look at the colours, shapes and patterns in nature with
new eyes, perhaps getting inspiration for their own drawings.
This is "a magnificent, magical, colourful doodle of a day in the
life of a Scribbledynoodle". which will go from first-read to
favourite very quickly!
Barbara Braxton
Classic nursery rhymes introduced by Chris Riddell
Ill. by Dorothy M Wheeler. Bloomsbury Education, 2016. ISBN
9781472932389
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Nursery rhymes. Nostalgia. This stunning
re-release of a book of English nursery rhymes, was first published
when World War One was raging. Apparently a chance discovery in
company archives exposed the original book which is now presented
with its original illustrations by Dorothy Muriel Wheeler
(1891-1966). Wheeler is best known for her illustrations for the
books of Enid Blyton, but she also produced postcards and a series of
cards, particularly featuring fairies, and illustrated books by Anne
MacDonald. First published by A. & C. Black (bought by
Bloomsbury in 2000) in 1916 as a music book, the nursery rhymes
featured were selected and edited by L. Edna Walter, and the
harmonies were written by Lucy E. Broadwood.
The watercolours accompanying the text in the new edition which
features an introduction from Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell,
have been restored giving the classic rhymes included in this volume
a new life while the musical arrangements created by Lucy E.
Broadwood have been kept for this new edition.
This lovely presentation of a book first published one hundred years
ago, will make any Gran happy as she recalls nursery rhymes of her
childhood and can present them to a new generation. The book
includes some old favourites, 'Little Jack Horner', 'Jack
and Jill' and 'Humpty Dumpty' and with its stunning
illustrations, redolent of books from long ago, the book is aimed at
the Christmas market.
Fran Knight
Hotdog! by Anh Do
Ill. by Dan McGuiness. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760279004
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Humour. Animals. Poo. Hotdog, a super low
sausage dog has abilities quite different from those shown by his
friends. Lizzie the lizard is able to blend into the background so
much so that people cannot see her. She is most unlike Kevin the
cat, a master of disguises, who uses a variety of costumes to trick
people. Watch out for his dairy cow costume, complete with udder.
Together the three friends find a baby bird. It cannot speak and so
cannot tell the trio where it lives. But the group works out where
it belongs and set about returning it to its mum.
The journey the three friends take will involve early readers in
this easy to read chapter book. Filled with McGuiness' funny cartoon
like drawings, readers will find humour wherever they look, reveling
in the depiction of the trio and their lost bird. Their skills at a
range of things, changing nappies, karate and following a trail,
lead the trio and the bird to their destination, and all is good.
Designed with younger readers in mind, some pages are in cartoon
style, others have some words picked out in a different colour, some
words have a whole page to themselves. Numbers are often used and
each chapter is only a few pages long. All endearing to the early
chapter book reader, and combined with Anh Do's writing, makes this
one of those books which will always be borrowed and well thumbed.
Fran Knight
Timing the machine by Gary Crew
Ill. by Paul O'Sullivan. Harbour Publishing, 2016. ISBN
9781922134530
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Fantasy. Future. Science fiction. Time
travel. When Enoch becomes lost in the museum, he is at a loss to
even remember who he is, let alone why he is there, who his teacher
is, and how he was separated from his class. He questions himself as
he tries to find his way, stumbling over things in his path.
Bleeding, he begins to even question his own humanity, as he
continues to stagger on through the place. Mixed with time travel, H
G Wells' The Time Machine which the class is studying, a
museum full of strange offerings, Enoch's journey will intrigue all
readers. They, like him, will struggle to find out where he is and why
he is there. Sometimes there appears to be someone else in the room,
sometimes his hands become automated, sometimes he climbs large
staircases finding something at the top of the stairs that may
unravel the mystery. All lead the reader on, wanting to know about
the journey Enoch is taking. The mystical language, full of what if's
and why's, never offering an answer, will delight younger readers,
while O'Sullivan's illustrations will carry the reader into the
story, offering clues and hints, about what is going on.
This is a marvellously intriguing book, with writing that charms and
insinuates, complimented with illustrations that sometimes defy the
imagination, but always take the reader further along into a fantasy
world where time is immaterial and time travel an option.
I love the Escher style staircase, the hands that move with metallic
parts, the soaring Gothic building, the rolls of film on every few
pages that tell part of the story of Enoch looking for an answer. He
doesn't get an answer and neither do we, but the journey is
fascinating, and well worth the travel.
A sequel to The
visions of Ichabod X, which was shortlisted for the
Australian Book Designer's Award in 2016.
Fran Knight
Little Owl's egg by Debi Gliori
Ill. by Alison Brown. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408853795
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Little Owl is surprised and a little jealous
when Mother Owl announces there is a new baby owl inside the egg
Mummy has lain. He wants to remain Little Owl and is scared there
won't be enough of his mother's love to share with a new baby as
well.
Clever Mummy decides a walk in the woods with the egg safely in its
nest pusher will help. Little Owl is adamant: 'I'm your baby owl.
You don't need a new one'. Mummy pretends the egg will hatch
into an array of different creatures. Is it wiggly worm crawling
underground, a chocolate egg, a penguin eating a fish on the
freezing ice or a baby crocodile? Each suggestion is met with a
negative response from Little Owl, not a baby crocodile, until Mummy
suggests an elephant, and Little Owl loves the idea of water fights!
There's the suggestion of a dragon, much to Mummy's horror and a
wonderful imaginary creature who eats eighty legged snort beans and
green tubers. As they return to their home in the tree, Little Owl
contemplates all the suggestions and comes to an important
realisation that a baby owl may be the best thing of all.
Alison Brown's charming creatures take on human characteristics and
show a range of emotions as Mummy Owl and Little Owl venture through
the green woodland. Her paintings delightfully depict Debi Gliori's
humourous narrative and fantastic story. A story to share before a
new sibling arrives.
Rhyllis Bignell
