Little, Brown, 2017. ISBN 9781844087648
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. This is a blockbuster, a historical
story of a world in moral disarray, ruled by enormously rich
families, their actions morally bankrupt, driven as they are by lust
for personal gain and power. In fact, lust in all its forms plays a
large role in this story. We read about the sexual romps, the
engorged appetites of the men and the women who pander to their
every need. While the men pursue land, wealth and power, the women
are there to entertain, as courtesans, and to bear children, as
wives. They can, and do, influence the men, however. Yet, this world
is depicted as very much a man's world.
It is a tale wonderfully told, in richly descriptive language. It is
not a light-hearted tale about good families and courageous people.
It is instead a powerful, dark, violent, manipulative and, at times,
despicable story. Yet it is also a wonderful and richly satisfying
book that makes the reader very happy to live in the modern world,
where at least there are strategies and laws that may prevent some
of the megalomaniacal actions that we read about in this history, or
so we hope!
Sarah Dunant has a brilliant grasp of the period, her deep and broad
research enabling her to reconstruct a world of the past, and to
construct it in a strong literary piece that is extraordinarily
detailed. The strength of the novel lies in the detailed retelling
of the times and the historically rich narration of the lives of the
main characters - the famous Borgias and Macchiavellis. When we use
the descriptor, 'Macchiavelian', we speak as if we know what that
means. Yet, after finishing this novel, we find that we may not have
known very much of their lives, and now we see, through a modern
mindset, a sense of the oppression of woman, the demands for sexual
favour, the sometimes terrible deeds such as the slaughtering of
women and children, families and small towns when deemed
'necessary', and we are exposed to truly evil characters. We
discover that most of us would know little about these times and
these families as we are drawn into an appalling world, one of
lechery, devious actions, plotting, evil deeds, and dark secrets.
Dunant makes sure that we know much more by the time we finish
reading this most entertaining historical novel.
Liz Bondar
Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald Snake by Rob Lloyd Jones
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406361445
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Jake Atlas is not your average 12 and
a half year old. His parents are archaeology professors, his sister
is a genius and he is constantly in trouble.
In Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald Snake, the Atlas
family are on vacation in Egypt when Jake's parents go missing just
hours after checking in to the hotel. Jake and his sister, Pan, are
on their own. With Pan's intelligence and Jake's ability to get into
trouble, the siblings soon find themselves in the middle of a huge
adventure. They rob a museum, invade a tomb and nearly die as they
try and save their parents. Imagine Jake and Pan's surprise when
they discover their parents are just like Indiana Jones with the
fighting skills of a ninja! Once upon a time, Mr and Mrs Atlas were
treasure hunters and a mysterious group has now kidnapped them as
they need their skills to find the Tomb of Osiris. With high tech
gadgets and puzzle solving, Pan and Jake race against this
mysterious group to find the tomb and save their parents.
Set in Egypt with pyramids and tombs as the backdrop, readers will
learn about the mysteries of Egypt while enjoying the adventure of a
lifetime. As they read Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald
Snake, readers will be on the edge of their seats as Pan and
Jake match wits with mercenaries and treasure hunters. The events
are exciting and the vocabulary easy to read.
This novel is highly recommended to all readers aged 10+. It would
also be a great read aloud novel for the year 7 classroom as they
study ancient civilisations.
Kylie Kempster
What is poetry? by Michael Rosen
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781844287635
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. What is poetry? gives readers
an insight into the messages and technical elements in poetry. In
chapter 1, author, Michael Rosen, looks at the symbolism, the irony
and the rhythm of poetry. He explains how poetry voices and captures
moments. Each section has a poem and some guiding questions or
comments to get readers thinking about each poem and its elements
and messages. Year 6/7 teachers, in a primary setting, could use
these poems in the class and follow Michael Rosen's comments and
questions by handing the discussion over to the students. Young
writers could also use this chapter to help them write better poems
or to understand their writing better.
Chapter 2 covers all you can do with a poem. The tasks include
reading poems, asking questions, looking for connections and using
poems with an arts curriculum. Michael Rosen offers ideas and
examples.
Chapter 3 looks at the thoughts Michael Rosen has when writing
poetry. The poetry examples could be read by students, they can
comment on possible feelings and then the class could discuss
Rosen's thoughts as read by the teacher.
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 look at ways to start writing poems as well as
the technical elements. Michael Rosen offers ideas that would help
guide the teaching program.
This book could be used as part of an author study. Students could
investigate Michael Rosen's poetry as well as other poets. It is
highly recommended for young writers aged 11+ and for teachers to
plan and prepare different poetry investigations.
Kylie Kempster
Down the line by Michael Panckridge
Legends series. Ford Street Publishing, 2017. ISBN
9781925272635
(Age: Middle and upper primary) Recommended. This is the third story
in the Legends series, with each book concentrating on a
different sport. The eight sports narratives feature surfing,
cricket, tennis, football, soccer, basketball, athletics and
swimming. Down the Line focuses on tennis.
The stories concentrate on the same characters and we follow them as
they compete in each sport to try to win 'The Legend' school trophy.
Mitchell Grey has been successful in the first legend trials but now
he must compete against his own friends as well as Travis Fisk, an
unlikeable bully. The stories follow both boy and girl competitors
and there are lots of descriptions of the games, scoreboard results,
statistics, maps and quizzes. All the scores and results of the
tennis competition and the overall competition are given at the end
of the novel.
Michael Panckridge uses his stories to highlight friendship, fair
play and bullying.
This book would appeal to students who play or are interested in
sport. They would enjoy reading the scores and trying the quizzes.
It is advertised as a series for reluctant readers aged 8 to 14
years, with 'current, kid-friendly vocabulary and language'. I
showed this book to a very sports focussed year 6 girl and she said
she was strongly interested in reading the novel. The books have
been reissued in more modern jackets and the Down the Line
cover appeals to both girls and boys as there is a photograph of
both. Michael provides teacher's
notes and black line masters.
Jane Moore
Mr Postmouse goes on holiday by Marianne Dubuc
Book Island, 2017. ISBN 9781911496045
(Age: 3-5) Mr Postmouse goes on Holiday continues the mouse
family's adventures, begun in Here
comes Mr Postmouse as they travel by camel, hot air
balloon and cruise ship to deliver parcels and visit with family and
friends around the world.
Marianne Dubuc's lively illustrations are entertaining, filled with
small detailed scenes just right for investigation and discovery.
Similar in style to Richard Scarry's picture books, there are
cutaway diagrams of plants, buildings and landscapes. Her background
colour palette of earth and sky tones and careful placement of the
main characters encourages development of directional tracking and
anticipating the story text.
The story is a simple narrative, translated from Canadian French to
English by Greet Pauwelijn.
This large picture book is suitable for sharing one to one, but is
difficult to access for a larger group reading.
Rhyllis Bignell
Darkmouth by Shane Hegarty
Harper Collins, 2017. ISBN 9780007545612
(Age:11+) Highly recommended. Darkmouth is the first book in
a fantasy adventure series of the same name. Boys and girls of all
ages will be instantly hooked on the reluctant anti-hero and his
rite of passage to become the 43rd Legend Hunter of Darkmouth. Finn
is dreading his "Completion" deadline on his 13th birthday, when he
takes over from his dad - Hugo the Great - perhaps the most
successful Legend hunter of them all. Finn's predicament is
demonstrated by his inability to defeat a Minotaur in the opening
chapters, despite having him in his Desiccator's sights. Of course,
Dad comes to his rescue yet again.
The seaside town has more than its fair share of monsters entering
Darkmouth via an increasing number of portals. There seems to be an
invasion afoot just as Hugo is offered a place on the esteemed
Council of Twelve. Friendless, as his father's inept successor, Finn
begins to rise to his destiny with the arrival of Emmie - daughter
of Steve, an equally inexperienced Legend Hunter.
Broonie, the messenger of the evil Gantura, is reanimated by Finn to
deliver a prophesy of the rise of an army of Legends and the fall of
the last Legend Hunter's child. Gantrua is the leader of the
Fomorians of Irish myth - hideous giants who inhabit the 'Infested
Side'. How will Finn, aided by Emmie, defend Darkmouth without his
father?
Shane Hegarty is an Irish journalist of some note yet the novel
borders on high fantasy. Though we have many ordinary reference
points in the town, the "Infested Side", where the Legends live,
would sate the imaginations of fans of Ransom Riggs, Rick Riordan or
Terry Pratchett.
James de la Rue's sparse illustrations are perfect aids to our
imagination, but the premise and the character development makes the
battle between man and monsters deliciously dynamic. Hailed by Eoin
Colfer as "the next big thing," the film rights were sold in 2015
for a six figure sum. But first boys and girls, you need to devour
this series in print to appreciate the origins of this epic of
cinematic proportions. Official
trailer. There is a prequel to the series here.
Deborah Robins
Worlds explode by Shane Hegarty
ISBN: 9780007545674.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. The second book in the quirky,
action-packed Darkmouth series, finds Finn still 11 months away from
becoming a fully-fledged Legend Hunter upon his 13th Birthday. A
prologue outlines the previous events for those who haven't read the
first book in the series. When Hugo does not return from the land of
behemoths, it falls on poor Finn to defend Darkmouth. Yet his quest
to find his father on the 'Infested Side' means that he must battle
monsters and discover more long lost family members than he
bargained on.
The history of previous skirmishes on the Infested Side, is
documented in a sub-text called 'The Chronicles of the Sky's
Collapse'. It runs parallel to Finn's search for the map and his
father. The journey through another realm filled with monstrous
'Legends' takes a mammoth 400 pages and might put tweens off -
hopefully long enough so that the diehard fans of Darkmouth bk. 1
can get their hands on it in the school library!
Not wishing to dampen desires to experience it for ourselves, the
language and the subject matter are still to easily managed in the
middle school although the sequel is more demanding in many ways. Darkmouth bk 3 : Chaos Descends will be much awaited. Meanwhile,
devotees can view the trailer
and even immerse themselves in all things Darkmouth by watching a
dozen or more explainer animations on the Darkmouth youtube channel.
There is a prequel to the series here.
Deborah Robins
Rock pool secrets by Narelle Oliver
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781922179357
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Sea, Animals, Rock pools, Camouflage.
This beautifully illustrated book gives younger readers an taste of
what to expect when they look into a rock pool at the beach.
Oliver's linocut prints wonderfully extol the virtues of the rock
pool and its inhabitants as children eagerly seek out the animals
hidden on each page, the excitement mounting as they lift the flaps
to discover more secrets.
With her sparse text, Oliver introduces the animal and gives clues
as to how it hides, so encouraging the child to pick it out. The
rich colours of the sea and rock pools will delight the eye, the
scampering of some of the animals, protected by their camouflage
almost heard as the page is turned. Looking for the animal in the
seaweed or on the rocks, or hidden by the cloud of ink will entice
readers to look for these themselves when they are at the beach and
be more aware of what is around them.
Oliver includes an array of animals: anemone, hermit crab, decorator
crab, shrimp, shellfish, octopus, sea slug, Goby fish and Turban sea
snail. Each is shown in its habitat, and two pages at the end of the
book give more details about each of them, while the glorious double
page before, has open out flaps which reveal the whole vista of the
rock pool with all of the animals mentioned. Children will adore
having the things they learnt as they read this book, reiterated in
the form of a game to end the book. Classroom
ideas are available.
Fran Knight
A letter from Italy by Pamela Hart
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9780733637544
(Age: Senior secondary) Recommended. This richly detailed novel, a war-time
story, takes us back to an Italy that few of us would know, or even
dream of, so different is the Venice painted by Pamela Hart in her
powerful narrative of the 1914 - 1918 War as told by an Australian
war correspondent. Hart explores just how strong a woman had to be
at this time to compete with men in such a traditionally male
dominion. Neither retiring nor shy, she is clearly intending to
fulfill her role as well as, or better than a man, despite the male
correspondents who demean her role. In fact, her courage,
determination and intelligence are at the heart of her strength, and
it is on these that she will draw in the dark days of a city on the
edge of that terrible war.
Newly married to a serving Australian officer, the young woman is
left alone when her husband is sent away and she hears nothing from
him. The crucial element of danger becomes more evident as she
becomes aware of the enemy's moving closer to the city, and of the
nature of the attacks that she discovers. As she pursues
intelligence regarding specific war incidents, we are aware of this
as a critical point in her career. Supported by new friends, she is
determined to pursue a particular inquiry. The depth of her growing
understanding of various incidents encourages her to pursue the
story of one specific attack, and so to reveal the real story. It is
her pursuit of truth and her determination to write the truth, that
gain her a strong reputation in the world of war-time reporting.
This is a story that grows better as the narrative progresses. It is
about goodness and bravery, decency and treachery, love and hatred.
It begins with a lightness that seems typical of a romantic novel.
Yet this is not its outcome, as Hart draws us into the narrative and
leaves us with a sense of recognition of decency, of good character,
loyalty, friendship - in this case evidently emblematic of the
elusive quality at the heart of a strong narrative.
I would recommend this novel for senior students. Its initial
romantic tone, that makes it see to be a lighthearted romance, is
misleading. I found that, as the reality of the strength, talent,
determination and decency of Australia's first female war
correspondent is revealed, the novel gained in strength and
credibility.
Elizabeth Bondar
Hotaka by John Heffernan
Through my eyes: Disaster zone series. Allen and Unwin, 2017.
ISBN 9781760113766
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Tsunami. Japan. Hope. Friendship.
Grief and loss. Corruption. This is a story of disaster and hope
seen through the eyes of the young boy, Hotaka. In March 2011 a
massive earthquake generates a devastating tsunami that destroys
major coastline districts in Japan. John Heffernan places us with
Hotaka to experience this horrific natural disaster with huge
impacts; we feel the horror of the shaking ground and see the ocean
wave claim huge sections of Hotaka's home community. With
indiscriminate fury and unbelievable power this wave consumes
buildings and local residents who have no hope against the ferocity
of the tsunami's energy. The dramatic retelling of this part of
Japan's history has incredible loss and trauma woven into the life
and experience of Hotaka, but we also see the impact in his
community of the incredible grief, greed and sense of loss that
follows in the recovery period. However the central thrust of this
story is that there is also incredible strength revealed in the
survivors. The Japanese respectful response to those in authority,
traditional Bunraku puppetry, Kendo martial arts and traditional
Shaman and Buddhist beliefs are also revealed within the context of
the story.
The essence of this story is of the power of the youthful voices
that speak out against corruption, and also give hope back to their
community through the planning of a festival event that will restore
a positive spirit to their lives. This is a compelling narrative and
revealing of the Japanese people's journey following this enormous
disaster and their capacity to recover. It is also a story of
friendship and restoration in the lives of individuals.
(Note: Although the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant destruction is
part of the story of Hotaka's friend, it does not become the prime
focus of this story.)
Carolyn Hull
The Bench Warmers by David Lawrence
Ill. by James Hart. Ball Stars series. Random House, 2017.
ISBN 9780143781639
(Age: 7-9) Basketball Australia has collaborated with author David
Lawrence to promote this sport in a fun and positive way. This
junior novel introduces the Bench Warmers the new basketball team at
Robdale Primary School.
When Danny Davis and his family move to their new home, his Dad
coaxes him out of his computer gaming world and introduces him to
basketball and Danny's life changes. Soon, his Mum and Dad begin to
worry that shooting hoops is taking over his life. Luckily, for
Danny, he teams up with another new student Crystal and instantly
becomes friends. They are both placed in 6W with Miss Wright who is
also nervous about her first day of teaching.
Danny, Crystal, Angie, Omyr, Leanne and Cody form the Bench Warmers
team and practice hard to win the lunchtime basketball games.
Self-centered Greg McGuffin, a basketball hotshot and class member,
taunts the new team and makes their lives difficult. Miss Take, the
principal, gives poor Miss Wright the job of coaching the basketball
team. When things do not go to plan, the principal takes over as
coach (she is clueless about the game) and they have to train
themselves. The Bench Warmers is filled with basketball moves, techniques
and funny commentary and sportsmanship as the team learn to work
together supporting each other's abilities and differences. Miss
Take's character is more caricature; she is self-obsessed and does
not really reflect any positive qualities.
This is a fun, easy to read novel for basketball fans.
Rhyllis Bignell
Running from the tiger by Aleesah Darlison
Empowering Resources, 2017. ISBN 9780994501066
(Age: Mature readers 11+) Running from the tiger explores
the power of friendship, trust and courage as a counterpoint to the
darker themes of domestic violence, child abuse and the dynamics of
families in crisis.
Eleven-year-old Ebony's lonely life is filled with school, chores,
minding her little sisters and treading carefully around her father.
Her dad is the tiger, an alcoholic gambler who rules his family
through physical and emotional abuse. Ebony's mother is heavily
pregnant and she relies on her oldest daughter to help around the
house. She makes excuses for her husband as he suffered a difficult
childhood as well. Ebony even steps in and takes the punishment
instead of her little sisters, and she bears the scars of her dad's
rage. Darlison uses strong statements, short clipped phrases and the
analogy of the powerful cat to heighten the story's difficult
scenes.
Ebony is a loner at school; she does not have any close friends
until Teena and her family move into town. The girls become close,
sharing a love for dragons and athletics. Teena has secrets as well;
her mother has passed away and her Dad moves them from place to
place, finding difficulty managing their finances and family life
without his wife. Teena's strength helps Ebony to confront her
father and finally stand up to him.
Darlison's novel is suitable for a more mature reader. It was
written to inform and empower victims, to create an empathetic
understanding and contacts for help are included at the end.
Ebony's gripping story is one of triumph over tragedy.
Rhyllis Bignell
Hero by Jennifer Li Shotz
HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN 9780062652218
Hero, a retired search-and-rescue dog, is not prepared for a stray
puppy to come into his life. But when he and twelve-year-old Ben
find Scout injured and afraid, the new addition leads them down an
unexpected and dangerous path. When Scout goes missing, it's up to
Hero to use his search-and-rescue skills to find Scout and bring him
home.
This is a compelling story about the bond between a boy and his dogs
and the lessons Ben has to learn about sorting out priorities as he
promises that he will keep up his schoolwork and grades if he is
allowed to keep the puppy, Scout. But it's hard when you have
friends and baseball also vying for your time.
More for the independent reader, nevertheless it would make a great
read-aloud to a class or younger person who loves dogs, with just the
right amount of tension and a happy ending.
Barbara Braxton
Henrietta the greatest go-getter by Martine Murray
Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760112417
Childhood. Imagination. I wouldn't be surprised if Martine
Murray has used Whimsy and Miss Chief to help her in this bizarrely
creative romp through the childhood excursions of imaginative play.
With word permutations and positional wizardry, text floats in and
out of reason in the world of Henrietta. This is actually a
rebinding of three of Henrietta's tales, each as odd as the other,
and deliberately quirky. Henrietta presents as a three or four year
old, who is not bound by reasonable or logical interpretations of
the world, and her excursions to places such as the Wide Wide Long
Cool Coast of the Lost Socks demonstrate that there is no reason why
we have to be bound by rules of normality. Were it not for the fact
that I remember my daughter telling me equally bizarre stories in
her early years of 'creative bedtime narratives', I might have
discarded this book as a nonsense. It does have an odd quirkiness
for an adult reader. I wonder though will young children understand
the vagaries of someone else's odd imaginative expeditions and
flights of fancy, or is this an adult interpretation of where a
young child might travel in the dreamy half-light of imagination?
It is difficult to know what the target audience is for this book.
Although the central character is quite young (pre-school age
probably), the format and presentation with deliberately odd line
drawings in a naive style and with floating and varied text
formatting would be more suited to an older more independent reader.
One hopes they would still remember their own eccentricities as
their imagination took flight.
Recommend this to a child with the oddest of imaginations!
Carolyn Hull
Highest mountain deepest ocean: a pictorial compendium of natural wonders ill. by Page Tsou
Five Mile Press, 2017. ISBN 9781760406387
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Lists, Comparisons, natural world. Akin to a
Guinness Book of Records or books of lists (which I love)
this book will encourage avid readers of facts to delve deeper into
the book, as they are assailed with information about the largest
animals or the tallest trees, the highest mountains and the longest
animal migration. Each double page has a range of illustrations with
information about each thing represented. I was fascinated by the
page of biggest storms. The sepia style of illustrations gives the
page an old fashioned, woodblock look which reflects the time scale
of storms represented. So we have a range of storms given: ice
storms, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, hailstorms, lightning storms
and sonic storms. Details are given about each type of storm with
information about one of the most severe storm in that category. I
can imagines lots of readers being drawn into each page, relishing
the information given and poring over the pictures.
The old fashioned style is used throughout the book by illustrator,
Page Tsou, to wonderful effect.
The endpapers are visually exciting showing the flight of a bird
over the double page, a thrilling introduction and ending to the
large format book. So to find out which is the fastest animals, or
the longest living, the highest mountain, the deepest burrowing
animal or the distance from the earth to the moon, this is the dip
in book to read.
Like many of these sorts of books, it will be hidden on the non
fiction shelves, so needs promoting to readers.
Fran Knight
