Text, 2016. ISBN 9781925355123
(Age: secondary) Recommended. Thriller, Dystopia, Survival, CLimate
change, Virus. After sheltering a girl he finds on the beach, Finn
must work out a way of surviving with another person who relies on
him. But a group of enraged men comes searching for her. 90% of
women have been killed by a virus after climate change has caused
untold damage along the coast. Finn was prepared when he and his
father locked away goods and equipment, and now with both parents
dead, Finn has a safe place. But the girl, Rose, adds another level
of complexity to his survival, and while getting to know her, each
reveals a little of their background and what has happened to
Australia.
A dystopian novel bringing in themes of future climate change,
refugees, survival, the story is a classic thriller, with two people
trying to evade capture by a group of men who resort to appalling
violence to get what they want. Finn unexpectedly finds another
group of survivors, but who can he trust? Some of this group does
not trust him, others see a young man who can work on their farm,
others reveal their humanity, but the extreme views within the group
concern him. Only when Ramage shows up with his gang does Finn take
action and leave, but this time with two more girls in tow.
He returns to find that Rose is missing and with her baby due
anytime, they set out to find her and what happened to her in the
safe place.
A real page turner, the book grabbed me from the start, impelling me
to find out what happens, driven along with the theme of survival
and all it entails living away from any vestige of law and order.
Behind the story is the thread of what has happened to these two
sisters, Rose and Kas, asylum seekers with electronic tags, sold to
the highest bidder to work on people's farms, or worse, treated as
slaves. This part of the story will certainly have readers thinking
about the possibilities of what happens to refugees the world over,
encouraging a more humane approach to their plight. Teacher's
notes are available at the publisher's website.
Fran Knight
The Hello Atlas by Ben Handicott
Ill. by Kenard Pak. Wide Eyed Editions, 2016. ISBN 9781847808493
(Age: Primary) Recommended. Theme: Language; Social Atlas.This is a
language atlas that can be read - but it is also linked to a
child-friendly free downloadable App that 'speaks' basic phrases in
each of the languages that is highlighted in the pictorial Atlas.
The book is organised by Continents, highlighting the array of
languages that are spoken and gives basic information about the
'age' and features of these languages. Following this main page are
picture pages with basic phrases used by each language. (Used in
conjunction with the App, a child could also learn how to pronounce
each phrase as well as see it written - a valuable feature for a
book about language.) Even Antarctica has languages highlighted -
for the researchers and scientists who are stationed there. Note:
Only a small number of Aboriginal languages are highlighted in
Australia, but it does mention that there are more that exist.
The text also indicates where languages are at risk of extinction
and why, and also why it is good to retain an original language. For
children just learning that their own language is not the only one
in use in the world, this book makes a delightful resource,
particularly when used in conjunction with the App (easily
downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.)
Recommended (Particularly as a School Library resource for Primary
Schools)
Carolyn Hull
One half from the east by Nadia Hashimi
HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN 9780062572196
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Afghanistan, Gender roles. The idea of Bacha
Posh is very new to me in the context in which it is presented in
this page turner of a book. Girls who dress as boys in some Muslim
countries have done so to earn money for their families when there
are no men, as presented in Deborah Ellis' book, Parvana
(2002) but in this book it has a different tack, with one of the
youngest girls in the family dressing and behaving as a boy because
the family has no sons, and apart from saving face, the myth is that
if a daughter dresses in this way then their next child will be a
boy.
Obayd learns to love his new role as a boy, playing games, having no
chores to do, going to school, but when his friend, Rahim is taken
out of school and engaged to be married, then Obayd is distraught
because he knows that his friend, another girl like him does not
want this to happen. They have both hoped for a miracle to happen
allowing them to stay male for the rest of their lives. Obayd does
the impossible, visiting twelve year old Rahim in the compound where
she has been sent to marry and knowing of her plight, he then treks
to the mountains to find a rainbow, believing in the old legend that
this will change him for good.
His family is distraught and Obayd's mother does the only thing she
can, she changes his clothes and replaces them with his female
dress. Back to her real name, Obayda is terribly upset, knowing that
being a boy gives her privileges, opportunities and status that
girls will never have and seeing Rahim's plight is frightened
something similar will happen to her.
This is a fascinating story and will give readers the opportunity to
explore their own ideas about gender roles and stereotyping at
length. In a class the discussions would be most fruitful.
Fran Knight
The giant's necklace by Michael Morpurgo
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406357127
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Coming hot on the heels of my review
of Michael's Such stuff is this absolutely beautiful short
story/novella which is both poignant and thrilling. And of course,
now I also want to know the 'prompt' for this particular story.
A family is on their annual summer holiday on the Cornish coast in
the same cottage in which they always stay. As usual the secluded
little beach is all theirs and for the entire stay, Cherry, the
youngest in the family, has been vigilantly collecting perfect pink
cowrie shells and stringing them into a 'giant's' necklace much to
the amusement of her four older brothers.
On the last day of the holiday Cherry is short of her target by only
about a hundred shells and knows that she can achieve her goal.
Knowing the child is safe on the beach the family go back to pack up
ready for the next morning's departure leaving Cherry with her
fixation.
But when the weather turns bad and the sea turns worse Cherry is cut
off from her usual path home. At first she is frightened but
realises she should be able to climb the cliff to safety. A strange
light from a cave attracts her attention midway and she finds
herself in an old copper mine where two old-fashioned Cornishmen are
working away. They sense her distress, warm her and comfort her and
eventually the younger man leads her to the surface and she is able
to find her way home.
No spoilers here - to find out the twist in the tail/tale you will
have to read it for yourself.
Beautifully presented in a small hardback with stunning
illustrations and delicious glossy pages, this is a treat for the
senses.
Highly recommended for readers from around nine years up.
Sue Warren
A first book of animals by Nicola Davies
Ill. by Petr Horacek. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406359633
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Animals. Poetry. A large format, hard-covered
book filled with glorious illustrations of a vast variety of animals
on our planet, accompanied by poems of varying styles and length,
each of which talk about their habitat will be pored over by younger
readers. They will read the poems out loud or share them with
friends, laughing at the antics of the animals presented, but also
taking in a great deal of information.
Entitled A first book of animals, it is not what most would
expect, a tome with lots of pictures and a catalogue of information
in a non fiction style, with perhaps maps and a fact file. Instead
we find poems of varying length and style, some blank verse, others
with rhyming lines or stanzas, some almost like limericks, but all
readable and accessible for younger readers. The illustrations give
the pages pizzazz with most colourful and engaging pictures,
covering the whole double page. Younger readers will love searching
out the various things in the background of each page against which
the animal is set.
I loved the pages on the zebra and the camel, and can now work out
the difference between the one humped and two humped camel.
The contents pages show the book is divided into five sections: Big
and small, Colours and shape, Animal homes, Animal babies and
Animals in action, and each section contains about a dozen animals to
consider. Younger readers will learn about using a contents page and
be able to select which animal they wish to look at in detail.
Fran Knight
Triple crown by Felix Francis
Jefferson Hinkley Bk 3. Simon and Schuster, 2016. ISBN
9781471155482
(Age: 15+) Crime. Mystery. Horse racing. Jeff Hinkley is back, this
time taking the reader on a ride to the US, behind the scenes in the
American racing industry. Jeff Hinkley has been seconded by the US
Federal Anti-Corruption in Sports Agency (FACSA) as an outsider to
see if he can find the mole in the organisation, who is letting
corrupt trainers know when they will be raided. He is able to set up
some structures for this to happen, but on a raid at the Kentucky
Derby, things go wrong and a trainer is shot dead. Going undercover
as a groom, Jeff faces danger as trainers go for broke, in the hope of
winning the coveted Triple Crown.
The theme of drugs in sport came to the fore in this novel, and it
was fascinating to read how Jeff had to contend with the problem of
new ways of drugging horses. There were a few surprises and some
thrilling action in the last part of the book that kept me reading
to the end.
I have been a big fan of the novels by Dick Francis and enjoyed Refusaland Damage
by Felix Francis, but this one fell a little flat for me. Even
though the information about the American racing scene and life as a
groom was interesting, at times it felt as if it was more important
than the mystery and suspense, for which both Felix and his father
Dick Francis have been known. Nevertheless, as I did really enjoy Damage,
I will pick up any Jeff Hinkley novels in the future, hoping that
there is more character development and a faster paced plot for him
then.
Pat Pledger
Junior illustrated English dictionary and thesaurus by Felicity Brooks
Ill. by Nikki Dyson. Usborne, 2016. ISBN 9781474924481
This new release from Usborne, who are masters at putting together
quality education resources, comes in perfect time for sharing with
parents who are looking for something special for the Christmas
stocking for that between group who are a little old for toys but
not quite ready for all the trappings of being a young adult.
Grandparents will LOVE it as a suggestion!
With so many thesauri and dictionaries on the market for this age
group, there has to be a point of difference to make a new one stand
out and having seen and used so many over my 40+ years of teaching,
it's hard to think what that might be. However, Usborne have
discovered it - scattered throughout the 480 pages amongst the 6000+
words are text boxes with all sorts of information about the words
including spelling tips, word families, word origins and so on - each
of which helps the child build their vocabulary and their knowledge
of how words and English work so they can build on what they know to
be even more proficient. There are explanations about the s/z
conflict in British and American English as well as things like the
t/ed endings and who uses which. (Australian standards use 't' but
either is acceptable where there is a choice and the context and
meaning is not changed).
There is a comprehensive 'how to' introductory section which
explains the features and layout of the book including how to use a
dictionary generally, the different word classes such as nouns,
adjectives and verbs and links to further explanations, activities
and games for both the dictionary and the thesaurus which will
extend the user's knowledge and skills even further. In between the
dictionary and thesaurus sections are pages about how to make
plurals, and prefixes and suffixes, all serving to make this more
than just a word finder. The plentiful, colourful illustrations are
really useful and would serve someone learning English for the first
time very well, particularly older students who prefer something a
little more grown-up than basic alphabet books.
If you are looking for a new class set of this sort of reference
text for the library, this one really deserves serious consideration
- in the meantime, this copy will find its way to Miss
Almost-Year-5. It will be the perfect present for her.
Barbara Braxton
The great sock secret by Susan Whelan
Ill. by Gwyneth Jones. EK Books, 2016. ISBN 9781925335248
It is one of the great mysteries of our times. Ever since washing
machines were automated and readily available, pairs of socks have
been forever separated, never to meet their match again. And Sarah's
house is no different - there is a basket full of odd socks and her
mum is on a mission to find their partners.
But Sarah knows where they are - the fairy families that live in her
house are masters at repurposing them for all sorts of fun and games
- and she is desperate that her mother not discover the truth. She
even suggests that they take Max the puppy for a walk instead but
her mother is not to be deterred or distracted and so the great sock
hunt begins. However, even though she searches high and low, in
cupboards, behind doors, in the bathroom, under the furniture, and
in brother Thomas's bedroom, her mother's eyes are not as sharp as
Sarah's and she does not see what is really happening with the
socks. But when she is satisfied with the two she does find Sarah
breathes a sigh of relief - until her mother suggests that they now
start searching for lost pens...
This is an utterly charming story from the team that created the
outstanding Don't
think about purple elephants that reminded me of The
borrowers by Mary Norton (and which would be a great
read-together serial as a follow-on.) Like Sarah, the reader has to
have sharp eyes to find what has happened to the socks because so
much of the story is in the wonderful illustrations - a trait of
perfect picture books in my opinion.
Young children will take great delight in seeing what adults can't
as they try to spot all the fairies as well as suggesting what else
they might use the socks for. Maybe that is where all the missing
socks in their homes have disappeared to - watch them go searching
but don't let them tell! Miss 5 loved this - we read it over and
over during a recent visit and there was something new to discover
each time! And yes, The borrowers will be the next family
serial.
Barbara Braxton
Year's best young adult speculative fiction 2015 ed. by Julia Rios and Alisa Krasnostein
Kaleidoscope, 2016. ISBN 9781922101501
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Short stories. Diversity. What an amazing
collection! The editors have gathered together what they consider
the best short stories for young adults in 2015 and they have
certainly succeeded in their goal. The stories are diverse with teen
characters and cover themes such as genetic engineering, end of the
world, horror, space travel and dystopias and are written by many
well-known and less well known (to me) authors.
This is an excellent collection to dip into and most readers will
find something that appeals to them. One that stood out for me was Bucket
list found in the locker of Maddie Price, Age 14, written two
weeks before the great uplifting of all mankind by Erica L.
Satifka. This was quite heart rending for the reader, finding out
what Maddie considered to be most important in the short time that
she had before being taken into the Sing. Readers will be left
wondering why people were taken into the Sing and will continue to
speculate about this long after finishing the story. Another story
that was quite frightening was The birds of Azalea Street by
Nova Ren Suma. This tale of abuse is told in a matter of fact voice
by a teenaged girl and the story will bring shudders to its readers.
Sean Williams in Noah No-one and the infinity machine
explores the idea of replication of people as his young protagonist,
Noah, tries out the machine that could turn a person into data,
finding on the journey a way to stop the bullying who had been
giving him a hard time at school. In For sale: Fantasy Coffin
(Ababuo need not apply) by Chesya Burke, a little girl is
chosen to protect the people of Ghana and would love to have a
coffin, but knows that she will never be buried in Ghana soil. These
four are just a small representation of the quality of the tales all
of which were thought provoking and left me thinking long after I
had read them.
The Summation: YA in 2015 at the beginning of the collection, gives
a really good outline of the works that were important in 2015, and
could prove to be most enlightening for readers who want to pursue
excellent reading in speculative fiction. At the end of the book,
there is a short biography of each of the authors, with lists of
their works which readers may wish to look for and read.
Pat Pledger
Willy and the cloud by Anthony Browne
Walker, 2016. ISBN 9781406366969
(Age 4+) Highly recommended. One of my favourite authors, Anthony
Browne, has done it again with another wonderful book starring
Willy. This time Willy has a dark cloud that seems to be following
him, no matter what he does to try and get rid of it. When he goes
to the park, everyone else is sitting in the sun and enjoying
themselves but he shivers under the cloud feeling miserable. The
cloud follows him home and he is very unhappy. He tries to work out
how to make it leave, but nothing works until he comes up with a
solution to banish it and he can then be happy.
Browne's signature illustrations are as captivating as ever. The
misery on Willy's face will ensure that readers will empathise with
Willy as he does his best to overcome his unhappiness. The drama of
the moment when Willy shouts at the cloud and makes it go away with
resonate with readers, who will be thrilled to find that Willy can
be happy in the rain and the sun.
This is sure to be a perfect book to discuss feelings with children
at home and in the classroom. It could lead to an understanding that
everyone can feel depressed, anxious and lonely and Willy has one
solution to make his cloud go away. Children may be able to come up
with other ways of combating depression and loneliness. Willy and the cloud is a keeper.
Pat Pledger
When we go camping by Sally Sutton
Ill. by Cat Chapman. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781921977787
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Camping. Holidays. Everyone who has ever
been camping will relate to this amusing and informative picture
book that shows a family on holiday. The whole family, including
grandparents and pets, set out on a camping holiday. All the trials
and tribulations of setting up a campsite are shown in humorous
detail. The family members have to put up the tents, and try to
avoid tripping on the guy ropes; they place their sleeping bags
inside the tent on the floor and lay down to rest. When all is
organised off the children go to have lots of fun at the campsite,
swimming, playing with other kids and boiling a billy. They even
have to face the long-drop toilet that stinks!
Each double page spread has three lines of verse, with rhyming words
and lots of repetition and then a version of the phrase 'smacketty
tappetty bopp-io' to suit the picture. Children will have lots of
fun trying to guess the words in each of the phrases. The rhymes and
onomatopoeia make it ideal to read aloud and independent readers
will have a ball finding things to look at on the pages.
The narrative is accompanied by charming pictures by Cat Chapman
that not only complement the text but add to it. The grandparents
are seen sitting under an umbrella, a little dog appears on most
pages and has lots of fun with the children and the bush and beach
background is beautifully illustrated in soft pastel colours.
Sally Sutton has written other excellent books, including Roadworks
and Farmer
John's tractor and this lives up to the high expectations that
I had of this author.
Pat Pledger
Granny's place by Allison Paterson
Ill. by Shane McGrath. Big Sky Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925275629
Themes: Grandparents, Family, Change, Australian Social History. For
anyone who has had a Grandparent who lives in the country or on a
farm or whose grandparents have a house that retains historical
accoutrements, rather than a collection of 21st Century
mass-produced decor, this book will create links to their personal
past. The illustrator has depicted delightful images that speak of
social history and life before mass production. The Granny in this
book lives initially in a charming house with simple possessions and
it has strong appeal for the child remembering holidays there. When
Granny moves to the city because of a loss in her life (a fact very
gently mentioned for the sake of younger readers), her new home is
still a historical snapshot of the 1960s/70s. The child who visits
remembers with fondness her visits to Granny's Place.
This book is essentially a virtual time capsule of life from
previous generations, and it is perhaps a child's parents (or even
grandparents!) who will recognise the features illustrated. The
essence of the story is that it isn't the architecture, furnishings
or surroundings that make Granny's place special - but rather Granny
herself.
With the occasional clumsy sentence structure that would complicate
a read-aloud experience, the true hero in this book is the
illustrations that open the window to the past. (I had moments of
reverie myself!) Teachers may be able to use these illustrations to
discuss how life has changed over the generations. For example the
pantry on Granny's farm includes a Fowler's Vacola Preserving Unit,
and no cans or packets!
(Note: valuable as an Australian Curriculum History resource for
Year 1: Present and Past Family Life)
Carolyn Hull
Colours of Australia by Bronwyn Bancroft
Little Hare, 2016. ISBN 9781742976914
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Award winning Indigenous artist,
author and illustrator Bronwyn Bancroft celebrates the vibrant hues
of the landscape, the earth, sea and sky in her new picture book Colours
of Australia. How richly rewarding to read and discover each
new setting, beautifully captured in both word and paint. Her words
are crisp, clear, and evocative, so carefully chosen to compliment
her unique artistic style. Indigo - Streaks of cloud across the evening sky
Find rest on a bed of mountains
Against a vivid, bold striped background, these purple and azure
mountains filled with a myriad of dots reach up to touch the sky.
There is a harmony, a fluidity of line, tone upon tone of colour
that holds your gaze. After reading the descriptive phrase, take the
time to discover 'the raindrops falling, the black shadows on the
water and the full moon poised against the night sky.' Tactile
exploration, the need to touch the pages, to follow the lines and
explore the ways Bronwyn has interpreted the settings, creates
meaning and memories for the younger reader. Colours of Australia makes a wonderful gift for an overseas
visitor, with dot-paintings that truly bring our country to life.
This is a must-have resource for schools for Visual Arts, English
and HASS lessons, for students to gain respect, explore the visual
artworks of Aboriginal Peoples, and develop their own artwork and
texts.
Rhyllis Bignell
Goodnight everyone by Chris Haughton
Walker, 2016. ISBN 9781406352320
(Age: 6 months - 6) Highly recommended.
'No dreamer is ever too small, no dream is ever too big'.
Chris Haughton's Goodnight Everyone is a simply told bedtime
story, starting with a small yawn, that grows bigger and bigger
until all the forest creatures fall asleep. Each turn of the page
reveals the mice, hares, deer even Great Big Bear, and they are
covered up and almost tucked into bed by the movement of the page.
Of course Little Bear will not give, however all the animals are too
tired and he too falls fast asleep.
Haughton's mastery of colour saturation, shape manipulation,
composition and layout are key elements. Multi-layered digital
images in vibrant, rainbow tones encapsulate and enliven this
bedtime story. Engagement with the actions from small yawns, to
gentle snores and a goodnight kiss opens up the simple, soothing
narrative to a young baby.
The front and endpapers show the Southern and Northern night skies
with the planets in order from the sun. The Little Bear and Big Bear
constellations are highlighted and their shapes transform into the
main characters. As the story is shared, look for the dandelion seed
blown by one of the mice; it floats through the pages like the
circle of life.
The easy to recite responsive text and bold illustrations make Goodnight
Everyone by Chris Haughton a fantastic picture book for
families to share. He writes about the inspiration for the book here.
Rhyllis Bignell
Ottoline and the Purple Fox by Chris Riddell
Ottoline, book 4. Macmillan Children's Books, 2016. ISBN
9781447277927
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Ottoline and the Purple Fox is a
dazzling new story from UK's Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell. It
was the first that I had read about Ottoline, but I had no problems
with the characters or the plot as it read beautifully as a
stand-alone story. Fans of Ottoline will no doubt be thrilled to
read another story about this independent little girl and the
strange hairy Mr Munroe. In this story the pair meet a purple fox
who takes them on an urban safari where they discover all the
animals who live in the city. While Ottoline takes notes about the
animals, Mr Munroe is intrigued by the poems left on the lamp post
and they both want to help the lonely poet find true love. The pair
organise a dinner party for all their friends and hope to help out
the anonymous poet.
This is a whimsical, humorous story that delights the senses with
its wacky ideas and fabulous illustrations. Ottoline is a wonderful
girl and the introduction of a new friend, Myrrh, who looks just
like Ottoline adds a twist that has the reader thinking about where
she fits into Ottoline's life. The purple fox grabs the reader's
attention and the journey through the city that he takes Ottoline
and Mr Munroe on is fascinating as various animals are shown in
amazing habitats.
Each page has something for the reader to linger over and smile
about and young readers will be pleased to be sent to other pages
for more information. There is a nod to the stories about Goth Girl
by Riddell - a subtle hint to the reader that there are other books
by this author! At the back is a fancy dress fortune teller that
children will love to make and use.
This is a series that is a feast for the imagination for all ages
and will richly reward those who are prepared to spend time perusing
the illustrations.
Pat Pledger
