Ill. by Robert Ingpen. NLA Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9780642278784
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Australian outback, Bush life,
Children in the outback, Pedal wireless, School of the air. In this
sumptuously presented hard cover book, a story is told which
underlines the importance of the Royal Flying Doctor Service to
communities in outback Australia, as well as giving a history of the
development of the radio for station people, showing how important
its use became to them all for communication, school and medical
help.
The book opens with a family sighing for some sort of link to the
outside world. They all love their lives, Dad herding the sheep, Mum
caring for the house and the freedom that their son, Jim has, but
there is something missing. One day a truck arrives with the new
gadget designed to help them all, a pedal wireless. They are shown
how to use it, pedaling the bicycle like wheels, tapping out their
messages then waiting for the voice to come through. Magically they
are at last connected to anyone they wish to speak to. Dad speaks to
the stock agent, Mum to her friends to swap gossip and recipes,
while Jim is told to wait till he is older. But one day he has an
emergency on his hands when Dad falls from his horse and breaks his
leg. Jim must remember the things his parents do with the radio and
call the Flying Doctor Service.
Within a few pages, beautifully illustrated by Ingpen, the reader
learns about the isolation endured by those living so far from town
and city, the dangers of living in such places, the use of the pedal
wireless and the work done by the Flying Doctor. Jane Jolly's brief
words encapsulate the Australian Bush, not a word is superfluous as
she tells her tale. The illustrations cover the fold out pages, give
a wonderful impression of this isolated life.
Readers will gain a great deal of information looking closely at the
drawings, taking in the vastness of the area, the homestead and
outbuildings, the home built air strip, all helped with maps drawn
of the area in the endpapers.
At the end of the story are several pages of information about the
pedal wireless ad its inventor and supporter, two heroes of the
bush, Traeger and Flynn.
The author, Jolly and illustrator, Ingpen also worked together on
the award winning, Tea and sugar Christmas.
Fran Knight
Little bear's first sleep by Lesley Gibbes
Ill. by Lisa Stewart. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781743624012
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Bears, Bed time. A perennial problem for
parents is getting their child to sleep and here the bears about to
hibernate for the winter, have the same problem. In soft feathery
pencil, using basic browns and blacks, the bears are depicted in
their cold grey world as darkness descends.
Mum and Dad know what to do, heading for their cave to snuggle down
together for the winter. But baby bear is not ready at all. He
tosses and turns and wriggles, but he is still awake. He goes
outside and counts his toes in the snow, he strokes his ears like
mum does and then growls softly to himself like dad. Finally he goes
back into the cave and snuggles into his parent's softness and falls
asleep, waking with the spring.
This is a charming tale of family, of things they do together, of
things to do to help you sleep and finally the best thing to do,
snuggling into the warmth of the family.
Young children will thrill to the life cycle of the bear family,
intrigued with the idea of hibernation and the necessity of sleep to
regenerate and restore our bodies, of the closeness of family and
nurture.
Fran Knight
Hotel for the lost by Suzanne Young
Simon Pulse, 2016. ISBN 9781481423014
(Age: 15+) Ghosts. Horror. Audrey Casella is on her way with her
father and brother Daniel to stay with her grandmother, someone she
doesn't know. Her mother has just died, and her father can't cope
with his grief so he is dumping Audrey and Daniel. On the way, they
make an unplanned stop at the Hotel Ruby, where Audrey meets the
handsome Elias and goes uninvited to a party in the hotel's
ballroom. There are strange happenings in the hotel and Audrey will
have to make up her mind whether she can face a future without her
mother, or remain in an in-between place that is very strange.
The author builds up mounting suspense as the reader gets a picture
of the hotel, with its beautiful guests, the weird 13th floor and
strange occurrences. Audrey is attempting to deal with her grief and
getting together with Elias helps with that. She doesn't understand
why she is the only person without an invitation to the dances in
the ball room, and can't figure out the mystery behind the 13th
floor.
Readers who love ghost stories, the thought of life after death and
like a fabulous setting like the Hotel Ruby will enjoy this story.
Pat Pledger
Three dark crowns by Kendare Blake
Macmillan Children's Books, 2016. ISBN 9781509804559
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Like any good fantasy novel, this one
begins with a children's rhyme: 'Three dark Queens are born in a
glen... ' The song, sung by mainlander children while skipping
rope is haunting and hints at what is to come - or what should be to
come.
The much anticipated Three dark crowns sets the stage for a
violent battle to the death between three royal sisters on a
backwaters island in Fennbirn. Katherine the poisoner, Arsinoe the
naturalist, and Mirabella the elemental have been pitted against one
another since they were six years old. The triplets of the old
queen, they are destined to destroy one another in order to reign
over the island of Fennbirn. Seeded in tradition, they are separated
and raised to meet their bloody destiny with one of the three most
prominent gifted families; the Arrons, the Milone's, and the
Westwood's. However, it seems that more than one sister is without a
gift. Could Rho's claim that it is the sacrificial year be true?
Could Mirabella, the most talented of the sisters, ascend to the
throne without spilling blood and become the next White-Handed
Queen? She is already the only queen in history to remember her
sisters - the only to refuse to harm them.
I would highly recommend for fantasy lovers twelve and up. Blake's
world building brings you into the Queen's positions, making you
love, hate, and fear with them as the temple's power grows. Can they
survive the Ascension year? Or will their Island home rise up
against them before it is all over?
Kayla Gaskell, 20
Stripes in the forest: The story of the last wild thylacine by Aleesah Darlison
Big Sky Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925275711
Reviewed by Kylie Kempster
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Stripes in the forest is a
mesmerising picture book with a simple message of lost wildlife due
to colonisation. The main character is a female thylacine, an
Australian native mammal. This species was last seen in Australia in
1936. The story sees the female and her pups living in peace until
Europeans arrive and start hunting them. The story is told from the
female's perspective as she hides from the hunters, watches the
hunters, sees her mate die and gives birth to more pups. The last
images show more modern images. Was our female thylacine the last of
her kind?
This simple story is powerful and is a great way to show children
the consequences of settling new areas and countries. The text will
evoke emotions of sadness as the animals run for their life, as a
mate dies and as they lose their home. The final events will evoke
happiness and wonder. This book is highly recommended for all
readers whether being read with an adult or independently (aged 8+).
Kylie Kempster
The Hungry Isle by Emily Rodda
Star of Deltora series bk 4. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN:
9781742991337
(Age: 11-13) Recommended. There are strange undercurrents,
surprising twists, turns, and shock revelations as Emily Rodda's Star
of Deltora series concludes with The Hungry Isle.
Britta is isolated in a stuffy cabin aboard the becalmed ship, far
from her home and family. The power of the magic Staff of Tier has
sensed her presence and has sent the swirling wraiths to watch her
and hundreds of turtles to guide the ship to the Hungry Isle, a
truly dark and evil place. Britta's dreams of winning the Rosalyn
Apprentice contest are fading.
After a near mutiny onboard lead by Crow the bosun, Britta, Jewel,
Sky, Vashti, Captain Hara, Mab and Kay are forced on to the landing
boat. The turtles abandon the ship and it swiftly sails away, and
they turn their attention to the small boat and guide it onward.
Britta's body is shutting down, her mind disturbed by past memories.
Evil awaits, as one of their small group reveals their true colours,
greedily wanting the King of Tier to help them live forever.
Britta's courage, her trader knowledge and her desire to save her
friends determines her decisions as she seals her fate with a kiss.
The little magic Goozli comes to their aid, as does Jewel's secret
weapon as they escape from the tangling vines and strangling
orchids. They board the landing boat, with Captain Hara guiding them
and jewel and Sky rowing, they set forth on the dangerous voyage to
Illica. Fortuitous circumstances occur as the Star of Deltora
rescues them with a different crew and their journey continues to
the Isle of Del. The Hungry Isle begins with great promise and expectations
that all the important plot points will come together in a
satisfying way. With major characters, Sky, Jewel and Vashti
relegated to minor roles and the unexpected character shifts, the
undercurrents of dark malevolence and Britta's introspective amnesia
make this a less satisfying read. Fans will persevere and be
surprised by the conclusion of this series.
Rhyllis Bignell
The mozzie with a sharp snozzie by Irina Goundortseva
Big Sky Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925275773
(Age: 3-5) Irina Goundortseva's colourful picture book explores the
messages of self-acceptance and belief in your own abilities.
A little mosquito loves to watch the beautiful butterflies
fluttering their pretty wings. When the mozzie finally gathers the
courage and asks to join the butterfly group, it is rejected. The
butterflies even call the mozzie names. When the butterflies become
caught in a collector's net, they need the skills of the little
insect to rescue them. Disguised as a butterfly with petal wings,
the mosquito bites the human's hand and the butterflies all escape.
The moral of the story is to be comfortable with who you are.
Different use of font sizes and easy to read text placed on a white
background make this picture book suited to young readers. The soft
watercolour and ink illustrations are bright and lively. This
gender-neutral story is appealing to read to kindergarten and
preschool children.
Rhyllis Bignell
The adventures of Pipi the pink monkey by Carlo Collodi
Retold and expanded by Alessandro Gallenzi and ill. by Axel
Scheffler. Alma Books, Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781847495594
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. What's that I hear you ask? Carlo
Collodi? You mean the Italian guy who wrote Pinocchio? Yep, that's
the one I mean. And no, I didn't know he wrote anything else either!
By the way, if you have never read the original story but
are only familiar with the contemporarised versions (like Disney)
you should!
For the first time ever Collodi's 'other' story for children has
been translated into English and has also been tweaked by Alessandro
Gallenzi. Alessandro is the co-founder of Alma Books (Alma
being the Spanish for 'soul'). This independent publishing company
produces around seventy titles a year, many of them translations of
classics in languages other than English.
Aside from the fascination of all of this (and I do mean
fascination) the story of Pipi is quite charming. With definite
overtones of the world's most famous marionette, Pipi is very
different to his brothers not only in his silky pink fur but also
because he is the naughty one.
From stealing a peasant's pipe to losing his tail while tormenting
an old blind crocodile to meeting a little boy named Alfred and then
being captured by an infamous brigand, Pipi adventure's are
thrilling.
And just as the Fairy with the Turquoise Hair (you know D's Blue
Fairy) promised Pinocchio that he could become a real boy, the
rabbit with the turquoise fur makes good on the promise that Pipi
will regain his beautiful tail, if only he keeps his word.
I truly love that I can hear Collodi's turn of phrase and expression
in this translation. The story is followed by a wealth of extra
material for readers with a glossary of monkey language,
biographical information about the author including a letter to his
child readers, details of the characters and even other 'literary'
apes/monkeys.
All in all this is a delightfully different addition to any primary
library collection. Not least of all because the message it provides
to young readers holds just as true today as it did in 19th century
Italy.
Highly recommended for readers from around 8 years upwards.
Sue Warren
Everything is changed by Nova Weetman
University of Queensland Press, 2016. ISBN 9780702254161
(Age: YA) Highly recommended. Themes: Choices; Friendship; Guilt;
Regret. This is brilliantly written! Right from the opening chapter
we know how the story ends . . . but how did it all come to this
devastating place. This is a powerful YA novel of friendship
destroyed by a reckless moment of teenage thoughtlessness. The power
of the novel is in the construction, or rather, deconstruction of
the circumstances. Guilt drips from the pages, marring what was once
good, simple and full of hope. Weetman has essentially told the
story by exposing the consequences of a simple action committed by a
pair of friends as they simply enjoy each other's company with no
thoughts beyond the moment, but an action that has lethal
consequences. And the reader desperately wants it all to be
different for the young teens and the girlfriend innocently caught
in the middle. We watch the unravelling as the initial event is
reconstructed back to its source, knowing always that there is no
happy ending (or technically, beginning). The pages weep with 'if
only' moments.
Weetman's portrayal of young male friendship undergoing change
brought on by maturing, girlfriends, new horizons and school
scenarios would have been worthy on its own, but her addition of the
foreboding of the horror of the defining action in their lives, with
its impact on their families, relationships and future lifts this
book into a different plane. This is so cleverly written and the
plot is so well managed (in its reverse chronology) that it is worth
reading for this feature alone. But it is certainly worth reading
too for its portrayal of the impact of one unwise moment. Get it
into the hands of young male readers who will perhaps recognise in
their own lives the small actions that could equally have
significant impacts on their future. (There is some coarse
language).
Carolyn Hull
Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760154271
(Age 3-7) Highly recommended. No one loves Christmas more than Pig.
PIG!
How he loved Christmas!
He'd chortle with glee -
'The presents! The presents!
For ME! ME! ME!'
And what he really likes about Christmas is presents. He has written
a list and has asked for a lot as anyone reading this deliciously
funny book will find out. Aaron Blabey's wonderful rhyming story is
a fabulous read aloud that will have its listeners chortling
non-stop as Pig, the greedy little dog, dressed in his Santa suit,
first makes up his incredibly long list of presents and then bites
Santa on the bum when he doesn't receive them all.
The humour is infectious and the illustrations are wonderful. Pig
looks incredible in his Santa suit, Santa himself is fat and
goggle-eyed, and Trevor quietly waits behind the scenes.
Of course there is a thread of not being greedy and having good
manners but it is delivered in such a funny way that children who
listen to the story or read it for themselves will be able to get
the message without feeling that it is taught to them.
This is definitely one to add to the Christmas collection of books.
Pat Pledger
An eagle in the snow by Michael Morpurgo
Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780008134150
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. War, Historical fiction, Blitz, War
at home, World War One, World War Two. On the train traveling from
bombed out Coventry to London where Barney and his mother will catch
the train to Cornwall to stay with her sister, they are dogged by
German planes and take shelter in a tunnel. Here their companion in
the carriage tells them a story about a friend, one who showed great
courage during World War One, a man he calls Billy.
Thus Morpurgo, an iconic story teller relates the story of a real
decorated soldier, Henry Tandey, through a fictional tale fleshing
out the details and making it accessible to a younger audience.
Through Barney, Morpurgo tells his story from a distance, wanting
the listener to make up their own minds about this person, but at
the same time, using the eyes of a frightened ten year old, having
witnessed the horrors of Coventry when it was flattened in 1940. He
saw his whole street demolished, his neighbours scrabbling at the
rubble in the hope that someone was still alive, and was with his
grandfather when he found his working companion, his horse, dead.
The man in the carriage tells the story in the dark of the tunnel,
interrupted spasmodically by guards checking the passengers, and
Barney is entranced.
Billy was heroic, receiving awards for his bravery and in 1918,
leading two other men in an attack on a German post, overcoming and
taking twelve men prisoner. Billy's bravery was pushed by one
thought, to get the war over as soon as possible. He hated the
killing and waste of life, so when one German soldier refused to put
down his gun, Billy told the others not to shoot him, but let him go
home. But years later, when sitting watching the news footage in a
cinema, Billy sees who that soldier became: the new Fascist leader
of Germany, Hitler.
Morpurgo's story follows that of Henry Tandey in the main, showing
why this man was so brave but also showing the results of his good
turn which had dire consequences. In Morpurgo's hands the bare bones
of Tandey's life, becomes engrossing and rich, enabling young
readers to look at the idea of bravery, of the choices people make,
of the long term effects of war.
This is historical fiction at its very best.
Fran Knight
Replica by Lauren Oliver
Hodder and Stoughton, 2016. ISBN 9781473614963
(Age: Young adult) Recommended for lovers of Sci-fi fantasy
adventure (with a dose of romance). Themes: Cloning, Science
Fiction, Power and Corruption, Friendship, Identity. On cover: Two
girls, Two stories, One Epic Novel. Lauren Oliver has created
a back-to-back Sci-Fi fantasy story told from the perspective of the
female protagonists and presented as 2 separate books, inverted in
the same cover. Rather than an integrated story with both
perspectives interspersed into the narrative, it is two distinct and
separate stories telling about the same events, but giving the
different slants and histories of those involved. Lyra lives as a
scientific test subject in a facility hidden from the world because
of the unscrupulous scientific investigations into cloning and
biological warfare. Her status in this environment is only a little
higher than a lab rat. Her personal attempts to make sense of her
world reveal her as more than a test animal. Gemma is her rescuer,
but her own history implicates her family in the inappropriately
named facility, 'Haven', which is far from a haven! Set in the
Florida swamplands, the environment itself adds to the mire of the
circumstances of the Replicas.
Although the stories could be read in any order, Lyra's story gives
the reader a contextual understanding of the scientific world at
Haven and the horror of living life as a disposable 'Replica'. Power
and a moral vacuum pervade the story with corruption reaching
fatally into many lives. Gemma's life is almost easy in comparison,
even though she deals with daily bullying and problems with the
all-too-perfect mean girl 'clones' that seem to be a part of every
high school experience and has suffered major health issues all her
life, and lives in an overly protective parental environment as a
consequence. However, her attempts to make sense of who she is,
links her to Lyra. Into this amazing Science Fiction adventure and
mystery is woven friendship and romantic interests, with first
kisses and awakening interests in the opposite gender, as well as
murder and corruption. Other teen issues involving peer
relationships, parent-child concerns, friendship and the American
'Spring Break' expectations also appear.
Those who enjoyed Lauren Oliver's other books, and also Scott
Westerfeld's Uglies series will enjoy this book.
Carolyn Hull
by James Brown and Richard Platt
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781406370843
(Age: 8+) Information, Non fiction. 'From cloud classification to
Roman numerals, an essential miscellany of fascinating facts for
curious minds', reads the sub title on the front cover of this over
sized hard cover volume, reflecting a style of books from the past.
Opening the covers reinforces that supposition, but an inquisitive
child will linger over the miscellany of facts displayed here. The
table of contents includes a wide variety of topics, The periodic
table, Human skeleton, Phases of the moon, Music notation, Rivers
and Knots. Each topic has a monochromatic double page devoted to it
with one page of information and one page containing a diagram. The
text is clear and the stylish diagrams well presented, both sure to
attract the attention of inquisitive eyes. Even though children have
access to the internet, some will also be attracted to this book
full of wonder and interest as it presents such a diverse range of
information, and could be used as a reference tool as well as a book
of curiousities to satisfy eager minds. The stylised illustrations
reflect much detail as the eye is drawn into the myriad of
intricacies shown on each page. I enjoyed dipping into the pages.
One that caught my eye was Impossible shapes, which shows the sorts
of shapes that look as if they should be right as the mind tries to
justify them but on closer inspection he reader can see why they
trick the eye. Another page celebrates all the different types of
pencils and brushes, while another shows the phases of the moon.
Lots of interesting facts for those kids who love delving into
things with an alert mind.
Fran Knight
Elegy by Jane Abbott
Random House, 2016. ISBN 9780143781592
(Age: 14+) Set in Kincasey, a small, outback Victorian town, the
reincarnations of Prometheus and Persephone meet once again, but
this time as Michael and Cait. Step-siblings, they are constantly at
each other's throats, much to the exasperation of Cait's brother
Gabe. But everything changes when Jenny, a city girl, catches
Michael's eye at a party. Michael has always been unusually gifted.
Some think he's a magician. Others would just call him a weirdo.
He's always been harmless - until Todd Casey tries to lay a claim on
Jenny. Michael is galvanised into an action he barely understands
and, without laying a hand on Casey, Casey's arm is broken. Michael
falls into a coma, unlocking a strange new power and only Cait knows
what to do - because she's done so countless times before. As
history starts to repeat itself - the eternal punishment of the pair
- Gabe and Jenny are both too close and too far away driving them
closer together.
Although Abbot has a great concept, I found the book was difficult
to read and didn't really enjoy it. Being familiar with a variety of
mythology allowed me as a reader to catch onto the story quite
quickly, but it also had the added disadvantage of leaving me
completely bewildered by the confounding array of stories claimed by
the reincarnated main characters.
Aimed at a young adult audience of fourteen and up, this novel deals
with issues of fitting in, bullying, sex, and alcohol.
Kayla Gaskell, 20.
The four legendary kingdoms by Matthew Reilly
Jack West Jr. bk 4. Macmillan, 2016. ISBN 9781743534953
(Age: Secondary) Recommended. Fantasy. Jack West is called into Pine
Gap, the secret US base in outback Australia where he is told about
a runaway galaxy hurtling through space coming straight for Earth
and the Milky Way Galaxy. Jack West's adopted daughter Lily, Alby
and Sky Monster and his two dogs are kidnapped and taken to a remote
and secret location where Jack must fight to the death in a
restaging of the Tasks of Hercules. Under the auspices of Hades, King
of the Underworld, Jack and fifteen others are pitted against one
another and only one will survive. Jack is at a disadvantage because
he is one of the few who doesn't actually realise why he is there.
Others have been training and have been well prepared for the
contest.
Each contestant has a group of hostages to ensure that they give
their all. Each contest becomes more difficult and dangerous as each
stage proceeds.
The winner of each contest gains a golden orb which when placed in
its correct position within the arena, transmits signals to the
rogue galaxy, which proves there is still intelligent life on earth.
The odds are stacked against Jack with Hades' own son being one of
the contestants, and who is able to gain unfair advantages in his
father's realm.
Jack's knowledge of the ancient world and its myths and legends
proves invaluable, giving him the leverage he needs to overcome his
opponents despite all odds.
The readers of Reilly's books involving the heroic Jack West will be
familiar with the engaging cast of characters and the lengths they
go to survive and be more than satisfied that the ending sets up
another book to follow.
Mark Knight
