Ill. by Vivienne To. Allen & Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760290221
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Sloths. Family. Amy's family is the
fastest in the world, they do everything at breakneck speed. They do
everything so quickly there is never enough time to sit and talk.
They walk, shop and eat tea quickly. But one day Amy brings home a
sloth. The sloth is warned that this is a very fast family, but he
just lives at his own pace. He has a leisurely bath, then he sits
down at the table and eats very slowly, so slowly in fact that Amy
has time to tell him about her day, while Mum and Dad are being busy
around her. The illustrations reflect their busyness, with both
parents rushing through their exercises, their work, their eating
and housework all at speed. Children will laugh out loud at the
methods they use to make use of every minute of the day. Amy and the
sloth do things so slowly that Mum and Dad begin to talk to them
about their day, to talk to the neighbours, to pat the cat and look
at the moon. They eventually slow down to the sloth's pace of life,
taking time themselves
They begin to do things together as a family, and the illustrations
again reflect the things that families do, modeling this for the
reader.
When at the end the sloth moves in with the speedy family next door,
Amy and her family know that the sloth will have the same effect on
them, making them slow down too.
This wonderful story is welcome in a class where children's lives
are filled to the brim with things to do. The book will encourage
them to take time out and smell the roses, and astute teachers and
parents will take time to do just that.
Fran Knight
Shoot-out at the Rock by Jane Smith
Tommy Bell Bushranger Boy Book 1. Big Sky Publishing, August
2016. ISBN 9781925275940
(Age: 7+) Tommy Bell is a young boy who has trouble at school, most
of which he makes for himself. At the beginning of the book, he is
kept in at lunchtime because he failed a history test on the Gold
Rush days. This led to him missing out on buying a doughnut at the
tuckshop, which led to him kicking another boy who stole and was
eating a doughnut, which led to the necessity of running away and
'wagging school' for the rest of the day.
Tommy is sent to his grandparents' farm for the school holidays by
his parents who say the change will help him. Tommy finds an old
bushranger's hat and once he pops it on, he is swept back into Gold
Rush times. Face-to-face with the dangerous Frank Gardiner and his
mates 'Flash Jack' and Ben Hall, Tommy learns about the value of
true friendship and about how it feels to be part of one of the most
famous robberies in Australia's history.
This fast-paced book would be fantastic for young reluctant readers
(aged 7 and up), particularly boys. The time travel is gripping and
makes for an easy read, while at the same time learning about
Australian history. This would work well with a unit about The Gold
Rushes or discussions around mateship, integrity and choice.
Kathryn Schumacher
What the ladybird heard on holiday by Julia Donaldson
Ill. by Lydia Monks. Macmillan Children's Books, 2017. ISBN
9781509837328
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Crime. Ladybirds. Zoos. London. With the two
previous books What the ladybird heard and What
the ladybird heard next, warmly praised, our hero, the
ladybird going on holiday and stopping another crime will be equally
well received.
Ladybird is taking a well deserved holiday. She is in London, and
readers will be able to point out the well-known features of this
city as she flies overhead. But her destination is London Zoo, and
while there she overhears the two crooks, Lanky Len and Hefty Hugh,
plotting a new plan of thievery. They intend to steal a monkey from
the zoo and train him to get into the Queen's bedroom and steal her
crown. But the ladybird hatches an even craftier plan to foil them.
She rounds up support from many of the zoo animals, a tiger,
elephant, monkeys, crocodile and camel, along with the two corgis
who live at the Palace, to foil the plan being executed by these two
scoundrels.
Told in wonderful rhyming pairs of lines, the book begs to be read
aloud, with encouragement given to the reader to emulate the animals
in the verse. Readers will love predicting the next rhyming word,
and learning some of the lines to read along or read themselves. The
illustrations too will delight and intrigue as children will
recognise the attractions of this city, as well as the animals
placed in the zoo, amongst the colourful range of things shown on
each adventure filled page. Finding the ladybird will also be a
source of enquiry for younger readers.
Glitter is used on each page enhancing the tactile experience for
younger readers already excited by the verse, colour and adventure
filled pages.
Fran Knight
Saints for all occasions by Courtney Sullivan
Fleet, 2017. ISBN 9781844089383
(Age: Senior secondary - Adults) Immigration. Families. Siblings.
Irish/Americans. Catholic faith. Nuns. This family saga opens in
2009 with Nora Rafferty rushing to hospital to find her 50 year old
eldest son Patrick has died in a car accident. One of the first
things she does is to phone her estranged sister to let her share
the grief. Nora and her sister Teresa left their small Irish village
in the mid-1950s to join Nora's fiance Charlie in Boston. Nora is
quiet, careful and protective of her younger, more outgoing sister
and they settle in with other catholic Irish from their area. They
find work and Teresa is also able to study to become a teacher.
Teresa loves the new life, especially the freedom to go to dances
and meet boys but she soon falls pregnant to a married man. Nora
devises a plan where she and Charlie marry and pretend she is
pregnant while Teresa goes to a Catholic home for unwed mothers.
Instead of having to give up the baby, Patrick, to strangers, Nora
and Charlie adopt him as their own and allow Teresa to live with
them and have contact with her baby. It doesn't work out and Teresa
leaves, goes to New York and gets a job teaching then eventually
joins a cloistered order of nuns. Nora and Charlie go on to have
three more children; she is strict with them but always has a soft
spot for Patrick whose adoption is kept a secret, as is the
existence of Teresa. The story switches between the preparations for
the funeral, as the siblings reflect on their relationship with
their brother and mother, interleaved with chapters going back
looking at the family and convent life in the 60s and 70s.
Books about immigrant Irish in America are not new and there are
echoes of Brooklyn to be found; but this is carefully
constructed without melodrama looking at the interplay of culture
and religion in generational change with people doing their best to
live with the decisions they have made, never sure if they were
right or wrong. Nora and Teresa make very different decisions in
their lives but religion has helped sustain them both. It starts
well but develops at a slower pace, more a book for adults but
senior students could compare it with other Irish immigrant
experiences like Angela's ashes or Brooklyn.
Sue Speck
Chase by Linwood Barclay
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781510102194
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Chase, written by famous adult
crime author, Linwood Barclay, is a thrilling adventure full of
secrets, danger and of course running. The book is action-packed
with loads of suspense and a major plot twist, which meant it was
impossible to put down as the tension built up. An on-edge novel, it
was exciting from the start when Chipper, an experimental
cyborg-like dog, escapes 'The Institute' before he is run over by
Jeff, who is driving underage. Jeff, an orphan, and his friend
Emily, nurse Chipper back to health in the woods. But when they plug
Chipper into a computer, it becomes apparent that this is not a
random meeting and the new friends are in a world of trouble.
At the beginning you get to know the characters and become one with
them as they face life or death. The friends launch into an endless
adventure of cat and mouse, always looking behind them. The newborn
friendship will be put to the test. Chase keeps you guessing
what will happen to the strong friendship between man and dog. The
author's words captivate you until you turn the last page and will
leave you breathless and wanting more till the very end. Overall,
everyone can enjoy this, not just kids and teens - adults too!
Cara F. (Student)
Convergence by Marita Smith
Harbour Publishing House 2017. ISBN 9781922134158
(Age: 13+) Convergence is a blend of the scientific and the
spiritual in face of environmental disaster. It follows the story of
Robyn Greene and her discovery of an ancient gene that can enable
humans to communicate with animals. However, her findings are soon
stolen by MRI, a shady organisation who claim that Robyn is one of
their scientists, despite her never having heard of them. With the
help of Kate and Kara, Robyn's best friends, Robyn and the
gene-mutant she uncovers, Fletcher, are able to evade the MRI who
come to collect them and murder Fletcher's parents. Meanwhile, the
other researchers, Derek, Catherine, Terrance, and Xiaofang, are in
the dark. Each has some crackpot theory about the possibility of
communication between humans and animals - a crackpot theory that,
this time, turns out to be correct. Robyn is determined to find and
warn them of the MRI's malicious intentions. Everything happens so
quickly and it doesn't even occur to Robyn that they might not be
surprised at all to find they've been used. One of them might even
be the mastermind behind it all. Could any of them be so callous to
work with the murderous MRI? And why is it only now that this
ancient gene is rediscovered? Where does it come from and what is
its purpose? Only those with the gene can reveal that to Fletcher
and the others with convergence.
Recommended for students thirteen and up who have a passion for
science and environmental disaster. Smith imbues the text with a
strong message about taking care of the environment to prevent
disaster, showing in particular, the effect of human pollution on
the world's oceans.
Kayla Gaskell, 21
Ella saw the tree by Robert Vescio
Big Sky Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781925520378
Picture book. Highly recommended. When you can't see the trees right
in front of you what else are you missing?
This is a well illustrated book, the pictures help you to believe
that Ella is doing all of the things she is imagining. Until one day
Ella notices the tree in her back yard, it has always been there but
she has not noticed it before. Ella is worried about the tree, and
mum helps her to stop and look at what is happening now, to see what
is right in front of her.
This is a lovely story about living in the moment and appreciating
what we have right in front of us.
Karen Colliver
Big stink by Mac Park
Ill. by James Hart. D-Bot Squad , book 4. Allen & Unwin,
2017. ISBN 9781760296001
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Hunter and his friend Charlie continue on
their adventures in Big stink. Hunter has been bailed up by
a stegosaurus, who makes the most enormous farts, so much so that he
can hardly breathe. His D-Bot has been wrecked by the dinosaur and
things look grim for him until Charlie comes along. She is clever
and brave and reminds Hunter that often it is good to work together
as a team, which is exactly what these intrepid dinosaur hunters do.
Like the others in the series, there are six short chapters with
large print and interesting vocabulary to keep the emerging reader
entertained. The cliffhanger ending will ensure that the next book
in the series is grabbed as soon as it is available, but it is
possible to read Big stink as a stand alone for any reader
who comes into the series late. Illustrations by James Hart are
amusing and informative and complement the text.
This is a great series for both boys and girls to enjoy. Other books
reviewed are Sky high
and Dino trouble and Dino
hunter.
Pat Pledger
Guff by Aaron Blabey
Penguin Books Australia, 2017. ISBN 9780670077175
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Friendship. Stuffed toys. Looking rather
worse for wear on the front cover, Guff the much loved stuffed
animal toy is the constant companion of his owner. She takes him
everywhere, from bed to an outing on the bus, to the toilet, on her
bike and at the seaside. He stays in the car when she is at school,
but she is happy knowing that he is waiting for her. When she leaves
him on the bus Mum must stop the driver to retrieve him. When Guff
falls into the water, it is Mum who must climb in after him. Long
suffering Mum has the most delightful expressions on her face,
showing that she is not as enamoured with Guff as her daughter is.
Now and again Mum needs to put him in the washing machine and her
face again says it all, and will draw laughter from the readers.
Blabey is able to squeeze humour from the simplest expressions, ones
that the readers, young and old, will instantly recognise and
understand.
When Guff goes missing, Mum makes posters to hang around the street
asking for his return, but of course he is only lost within the
house. His owner imagines all the most dire reasons for his
disappearance, but when he turns up, all is smiles again.
A delicious tale of friendship and love, brimming with humour.
Fran Knight
Aliens, ghosts and vanishings: Strange and possibly true Australian stories by Stella Tarakson
Ill. by Richard Morden. Random House Australia, 2016. ISBN
9781925324969
Australia really is a 'story country' and the tales, tall and true
that have been collected in this volume prove just how rich and
diverse this nation is. Even our unofficial national anthem focuses
on a ghost so why wouldn't there be a wealth of stories about
mythical creatures, mysterious locations, haunted places, UFO
sightings, bizarre disappearances and strange happenings?
From bunyips and yowies to Azaria Chamberlain and the disappearance
of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, this is a collection that will
absorb the lover of the weird, wonderful and utterly mysterious,
some familiar and others not so. Ostensibly for those 10 and over,
its clear format, short chapters and abundant illustrations will
appeal to any independent reader who is interested in finding out
more about the strange and unusual that this country has on offer.
As well as the stories themselves, there are pages with extra
information, and some of the sources the author used for her research
are included for those who wish to investigate further. Identified
as a Notable Book in the 2017 Eve Pownall Award for Information
Books, I know a couple of young readers who are going to be having
to do scissors-paper-rock to see who reads this one first.
Barbara Braxton
The Beach Shack Cafe by Belinda Murrell
Pippa's Island series, book 1. Penguin, 2017. ISBN
9780143783671
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Moving house, Islands,
Family life, School stories, Restaurants and cafes. Belinda
Murrell's enjoyable new series Pippa's Island celebrates
family, friendship and food, with the idyllic setting of Kira Island
providing wonderful opportunities for new experiences. Pippa
Hamilton and her family have left everything familiar behind in
London, their home, friends, schools, even their pet goldfish and
moved half way across the world. This island is where her mother
grew up and now Grandpa and Mimi are happy helping their
grandchildren settle in. Mum is busy renovating the old boatshed
into a bookshop cafe with an apartment upstairs. Pippa, her brother
Harry and younger sister Bella have to face the challenges ahead of
them, including sharing the cramped old caravan in their
grandparent's backyard.
Pippa's arrival in Mrs Marshall's fifth grade class causes some
problems, especially with Olivia who is usually top in Maths tests
and becomes jealous of her. Soon the newcomer forms friends with
'eco-warrior Meg, boho-chick Charlie, and fashionista and cupcake
baker Cici.' Pippa's quick thinking about their group project,
designing a quest game set in Africa draws the girls together; each
has useful skills to help in the construction and designing. Dance
lessons and kayaking in the bay prove challenging for Pippa, these
lessons are nothing like her activities in her London school, The Beach Shack Cafe is a rewarding read; Belinda Murrell's
novel portrays a cast of realistic characters facing the
difficulties and rewards of family and school life. As the community
draws together to make the opening of the bookshop cafe The Beach
Shack a success, this is a time of making new memories and delight
in new friendships and relationships. This is a fabulous
introduction to the Pippa's Island series and Book 2
promises more fun and adventures for the Sassy Sisters, Pippa, Meg,
Charlie and Cici.
Rhyllis Bignell
The girl who drank the moon by Kelly Barnhill
Algonquin Young Readers, 2016. ISBN 9781616205676 (hardback) ISBN
9781848126473 (Paperback)
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Locus Awards 2017. Newbery
Medal (2017), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee
(2018), Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction
and Fantasy (2016). Every year a tiny baby is left in the forest as
an offering to the witch. The people of the Protectorate believe
that this is the only way to keep the witch from terrorizing their
town. But the reader soon discovers that the witch Xan, is not evil,
instead she collects up the abandoned baby, fills it with some
starlight and takes it to the other side of the forest where as a
Star Child it is loved and wanted. One year Xan takes a baby and
instead of the little girl being filled with starlight, she
accidentally is fed with moonlight and becomes enmagicked. Xan
decides to keep Luna the baby and together with her friends, Glerk
from the Bog and Fyrian, a tiny dragon, brings her up, but as her
magic grows wild, Xan is forced to lock it away until her 13th
birthday. As Luna approaches her 13th birthday, she finds that she
must protect her friends.
This is a beautifully woven story with fully realised characters,
from the witch Zan, who is loving and wise, to the sinister Sisters
in the tower and the elders of the town. I loved the little dragon
Fyrian whose personality brought many smiles to my face and worried
along side Luna's mother as she went mad with grief at the loss of
her daughter. The rich descriptions and the intrigue of the Elders
and the Tower will leave the reader breathless as they follow the
many characters who have been affected by the ghastly practice of
leaving a baby as a sacrifice.
As the many awards testify, The Girl Who Drank the Moon is
an outstanding fantasy and a must for every library. It would also
be a stunning read aloud in the classroom.
Pat Pledger
The hired girl by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press, 2015. ISBN 9781406361407 (hardback) ISBN
9781406365931 (paperback)
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. A beautiful tale of adventure, love,
courage and religion. Set in 1911, Joan decides to begin a diary
documenting her life at Steeple Farm where she lives with her
abusive father and three unsympathetic brothers. Fourteen and
motherless, Joan is expected to do 'women's work' - cleaning,
cooking and washing the boys' clothes, day in and day out. A lover
of literature, her only friends are the strong female protagonists
of the books given to her by Miss Chandler, a teacher that Joan
greatly admires. Inspired by these women, Joan stands up to her
father, only for him to retaliate by burning the books she holds so
dear. Upon losing her most precious possessions, Joan decides that
she has had enough of this miserable life and, with all of the inner
strength she can muster, packs up her remaining few belongings, and
takes off on an adventure; determined to reinvent herself. She heads
to Baltimore, where she seeks work as a hired girl. Along the way
she finds hope, love, and a new meaning of family; and discovers
more about herself and the world as each day passes. Relatable,
empowering and beautifully written; this is not a novel that you
will easily forget. Joan's determination and perseverance makes her
a heroine whose heart-warming tale inspires all who read it. A
stunning story for book lovers everywhere - the type of novel that
makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea and let yourself be
transported into another world.
Daniella Chiarolli (university student)
Editor's note : Boston Globe-Horn Book Award fiction honor book, 2016 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, YALSA Best fiction for young adults 2016
When the world is full of friends by Gillian Shields
Ill. by Anna Currey. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408849668
(Age: 1-4) Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Working together 'When
the world is full of friends, the fun and laughter never ends'.
Author Gillian Shields and illustrator Anna Currey celebrate
friendship and creativity in this gentle story When the World is
full of friends. From a pastel yellow background, little
Albert the rabbit hops across the grass to begin the tale. Tom,
Flossie and Pipkin love to escape from their little thatched cottage
into the green meadow ready to play. Each one has special
characteristics, Albert the oldest is the most active, he loves to
run and race. Young Tom enjoys dressing up, in his pirate, monster
and Prince costumes he acts out plays for his whole family. Sister
Flossie is creative, she loves to be inventive, making and painting
windmills, forts and pretty umbrellas. Baby Flossie loves playing on
his blankie in the sunshine.
When a family of squirrels appear on the opposite side of the
riverbank, each of the rabbit's special abilities are needed to work
together and find a way across the river to meet their new friends.
Currey's delightful ink and watercolour paintings add liveliness to
this easy to read story celebrating family and friends.
Rhyllis Bignell
Through the gate by Sally Fawcett
EK Books, 2017. ISBN 9781925335415
As she looks through the gate of her new house, the little girl is
feeling really despondent because it is anything but new. All she
could see were the drooping roof, the peeling paint, and the
crumbling steps. As she sits on the step pondering all the changes
of a new house, a new town and a new school she sees nothing bright
in her future. But gradually, slowly, one step at a time things
begin to change - and so does she.
This is a familiar story for many children who are uprooted from
their comfort zone that has been told on so many different levels
that it is quite brilliant.
Firstly there is the concept - as the house is slowly restored to
something smart and vibrant so does her mood and her willingness to
look beyond her untied shoelaces, gradually lifting her head to the
possibility and potential that surrounds her. Then there is the text
itself - carefully chosen vocabulary that reflects the girl's moods,
changing with each step forward that she takes in settling into her
new environment. This is accompanied by illustrations that have an
increasing use of colour and detail, climaxing in full-colour
spreads as the future becomes clearer. And throughout, the changes
are reflected in the life of the little bird that first appears on
the front endpaper as a lonely soul with a forlorn twig and ends on
the back endpaper showing all the riches of life.
This is a story about nothing staying the same; about even the most
dismal day waking to a sunrise soon; about how our moods and
feelings can colour our world; and cliches like 'light at the end of
the tunnel'; 'some days are diamonds and some days are stones' and
'without rain there can be no rainbows.' While younger readers may
engage on a more superficial level at spotting the changes to the
house and the bird's business, older readers may be able to dig
deeper and look at the more philosophical ideas that underpin the
story as well as learning about looking for the positive, managing
emotions and expectations, and developing strategies that will help
them deal with new, tough or confusing situations, physical or
emotional. Some might even like to share such occasions and how they
coped perhaps sending a message to other classmates that they are
not alone and not on their own.
Change can be challenging but time can take care of things.
Extensive teaching
notes are available.
Barbara Braxton
