Ginger Green, Play Date Queen series. Hardie Grant Egmont,
2016. ISBN 9781760127701
(Age: 5-7) Highly recommended. Friends. Who hasn't faced the
difficulty of having a new friend visit, and being unsure of what to
do and talk about? In The new friend, Ginger has invited
Skye over to play. She met Skye at ballet class and being the queen
of play dates immediately wanted her to visit to play. But there is
a problem - Skye doesn't want her dad to leave and it is rather
difficult trying to play when he is around. What can Ginger do?
Another in this delightful series explores the notion of what it
takes to become comfortable with a new friend. Ginger tries lots of
different activities but it is not until she remembers the one thing
that both she and Skye have in common that her new friend feels at
ease and begins to have fun and is willing to let her dad go home.
Short chapters, large font and amusing illustrations make this a
very appealing book for newly emerging readers to tackle by
themselves. The joys and trials of making new friends is explored in
a very enlightening way and readers are sure to realise that when
they have friends over, they need to find something in common so
that their friends will enjoy their play date.
Pat Pledger
Zoo ball by Aleesah Darlison
Ill. by Australian children. Wombat Books, 2016. ISBN 9781925139433
Ned loves his big, bright bouncing ball. So much so, that he takes
it to the zoo and even though his parents warn him not to bounce it,
he just can't help himself. Everywhere he goes he bounces it, right
into the kangaroos starting a wonderful adventure for the animals as
they get in on the game and send it from one to the other, from
kangaroo to lion, to penguins to pelican, from tiger to toucan and
tapir too. Even into Ellie Elephant's poo!! Ned, his mum, dad, Aunt
Lucy and the zookeeper follow, trying to retrieve it but they are
always one step behind and all the while the ball is continuing its
journey giving animals and crowd alike fun and joy. Then Ned has an
idea.
This is a joyful story that bounces along in rhyming text providing
as much fun for the reader as it does for the zoo creatures. But the
unique feature is its illustrations. Wombat Books invited children
all over Australia to submit drawings to accompany the story to
provide them with an introduction to the world of illustrating and
the opportunity to be published professionally. Now, twenty aspiring
illustrators have their work included and acknowledged in a story
that will be very popular with young readers. Even the cover is by a
young illustrator, Alyssa Teoh, who also has an illustration in the
book.
However, as well as inspiring those who were successful to continue,
this book will also inspire other young artists. Sadly, children are
often only exposed to the 'perfect' artwork of adults and never
believe their own is quite good enough. We have all heard the
plaintive questions, 'Do you like mine, Miss?' and 'Is this good
enough?' as they seek reassurance for their efforts so this is an
excellent book to celebrate the beauty and worthiness of children's
art. It should be on hand to show them what can be achieved even by
children. That what they produce is valid, valued and valuable. One
of the young artists said, 'I entered the Zoo Ball Challenge
following Aleesah Darlison's visit to our primary school at the
beginning of 2014,' she said. 'Aleesah was really passionate about
her writing and I am really passionate about my drawing. I thought
immediately that this was the challenge for me.'
Aleesah's passion for writing comes through every story she writes
and to be able to inspire our students to read, write and draw as
she does, is a special gift to be treasured. You can read more about
how the project evolved in an interview with Aleesah on Kids'
Book Review. I hope this book is really successful so that
Wombat Books are inspired to host a similar challenge in future.
Barbara Braxton
Desert Lake by Pamela Freeman
Ill. by Liz Anelli. Nature Storybooks series. Walker Books, 2016.
ISBN 9781921529436
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, Desert, South
Australia, Animals. Within the realm of this wonderful series, a
story is told in which every word is true, set alongside a text
which gives the non fiction detail. This template has worked with
other books in this series, Big red kangaroo, Python
and Emu. And here the same format is used again to show the
reader the amazing life of a desert lake in South Australia, known
as Kati Thanda or Lake Eyre.
The story sited at the top of each page tells of the coming rains
which invigorate the eggs laid beneath the dry crust of the lake,
while at the bottom of each page in a different font, we read the
detail, that the rains only come every ten years or so, that the
eggs are buried deep in the earth often years before. Over the page
we learn that the rain falls many kilometres away that it takes a
long time to trickle south to the lake, that the water makes the
eggs quickly turn into tadpoles then frogs, ready to mate and die
before the desert takes over again. Thousands of birds fly north,
lizards come along to the water's edge, and each drinks and eats
until the desert begins to take over again. Plants grow, seed and
die and the water begins to dry up.
The story at the top of the page in larger font, uses a heavier font
to accentuate some of the words, like Rain falls, or emerge, and so
on, underlining the events which are happening at the lake. The
smaller font at the bottom of the page reads more like a text, but
one so interesting that it dovetails the words above, giving them a
wider meaning.
The illustrations are luminous, giving an image of that outback
place with its variety and colour for all readers to pore over. On
every page closer inspection is called for if only to look for the
range of flora and fauna included on that page. Small hints are
given of man's footprint on the land, a farmhouse and train line, a
windmill and train, but the overwhelming theme is of the natural
world in all of its glory, reviving with the intermittent rains,
bringing the once dry lake back to life, only to have it all gone
with months, if not weeks. The sheer amazement at this occurrence in
the north of South Australia is given full reign in this book, and
it will appeal to anyone opening its pages.
Fran Knight
The crazy friend by Kim Kane and Jon Davis
Ginger Green, Play Date Queen series. Hardie Grant Egmont,
2016. ISBN 9781760127718
(Age: 5-7) Highly recommended. Lots of fun in this book for emerging
readers! Ginger Green just loves having her friends over for a play
date, but sometimes things can become difficult. Today she is
playing with Maisy but Maisy is crazy! She is noisy and runs all
over the house; she sheds her clothes and races around nude but
worst of all she climbs onto the roof with mum's car keys. How will
Ginger cope with Maisy's bad behaviour?
This is a story that all children will relate to as the chances are
that a friend who seemed fine at school can be rather different when
they come around for a play date. The dilemma for a child is how to
persuade a friend to play by the rules that operate in their
household and also to play safely and not put anyone or anything at
risk. Ginger manages to get her friend off the roof and to find an
activity that will keep them both active and happy. This could
engender lots of discussion about playing safely and treating other
people's home in a respectful manner.
This aside, the story is a great one with lots of humour, easy
chapters, big font and the illustrations of little foxes by Jon
Davis are a delight. It will be perfect as a book for newly
independent readers.
Pat Pledger
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, rewritten by Terry Deary
Shakespeare Tales series. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN
9781472917775
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Shakespeare, Elizabethan times. As
with Macbeth, this story is told through the eyes of Molly,
a servant with a troupe of players who tour England presenting
Shakespeare's plays to whatever audience comes along. One of the
actors, Richard Armin, is the fool employed in many of the plays.
Molly tells us that Shakespeare even wrote comic scenes in some of
the sadder plays to include Armin. But she and Armin do not like
each other and he treats her badly.
The background tale of Molly and her place within the troupe is
lively and informative and will give readers an idea of just how
children their age survived in these perilous times. This book is
set in a Nottingham Market and readers will see for themselves the
lifestyles of the people in the town in Elizabethan times.
Against Molly's story is that of A Midsummer Night's Dream,
with a precis of the play given between Molly's tale. Deary gives
the reader a brief but satisfyingly ample outline of the tale with
the fairy Oberon making his wife love the first person she sees when
she wakes after being given a love potion. The comedy has her seeing
a donkey while the other characters, Hermia, Demetrius, Helena and
Lysander are also given the love potion and much confusion arises as
two of these people are supposed to marry each other and two are
planning to elope. Confusion ensues from all directions, but is it
all a dream?
The series of books now includes four plays, Macbeth, A
Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth
Night, designed to bring Shakespeare to a new audience.
Fran Knight
Invisible mending by Mike Ladd
Wakefield Press, 2016. ISBN 9781743054079
(Age: 16+) Commencing with wry observations about Adelaide and
touching recollections of the lives of everyday people, Mike Ladd
tells his stories in both poetry and prose.
Warmth, compassion and affection are evident in short stories and
poems which reveal a lot of cynicism and even anger, sometimes
tempered by a humour which prompts the reader to giggle.
As someone who is reluctant to spend time deciphering hidden meaning
in unstructured poetry, I found the verse unpretentious, with a
clear message. Often the poems contain simple observation, but are
written in a way that the average reader can understand and
appreciate the theme.
I identified with the characters in the short stories very much. The
personal account of his family's friendship with a young refugee is
very touching for so many reasons, but mainly because the writer
emphasises that whilst these people are all around us, few of us try
to get to know them.
Men depicted having hospital treatment were drawn with great realism
and poignancy. I can imagine the writer mentally writing the piece
whilst sitting in the ward with his desperately suffering father,
over an extended period.
The style and theme of the works take an abrupt change as the author
writes about his life overseas in Malaysia and Chile. His experience
and knowledge give an insight on a range of topics. I particularly
liked the depiction of a smuggling operation with a calm
acknowledgement of what prompted various individuals, without
attempting to excuse the behaviour.
I was left feeling that this author has a great affection for the
world, despite being disappointed and sometimes distraught by the
behaviour of people. It was delightful to read his short story about
an impromptu catch up with a son who had been travelling and
surviving on nothing in South America for two years. I found it
affirming that the father was interested in alternate perspectives
and was open to learning from the younger man whilst trying to cope
with compressed time in a slightly surreal environment, unfamiliar
and undesirable to both of them.
Most readers will find something they enjoy in this eclectic book.
Rob Welsh
Fenn Halflin and the Fearzero by Francesca Armour-Chelu
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406363128
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. In Fenn Halflin's world, the sea has
been taking over for as long as he has been alive and before. The
landborn, who are lead by Terra Firma, hunt and banish the seaborn
from the land, keeping the safe, land areas for themselves. They
kidnap children to be slaves and to build walls around the land.
Fenn is 13 and has been hidden by his grandfather, hidden from Terra
Firma who are always looking for boys. Unknown to Fenn, he is the
lost child of two resistance leaders who were killed by Terra Firma.
One night, the warship is seen and Fenn's grandfather organises for
Fenn to leave. They are separated. Fenn is smuggled out on a ship
but halfway through the journey, fear encourages the captain to
abandon Fenn in a shanty town located in the middle of the sea and
from which, escape is impossible. Will Fenn and his new friend
escape this place of despair. A place where food is scarce and you
have to fight to survive. Fenn Halflin and the Fearzero is the first in a series about
the end of the world. The heroes are all children, showing readers
you can make changes and be brave no matter your age. The writing is
suspenseful in places, making it highly engaging. The author uses
descriptive writing to immerse the reader in the happenings in this
watery and scary world. Highly recommended for boys aged 10+ but
anyone who likes an adventure story will definitely be hanging out
for the next instalment.
Kylie Kempster
Macbeth by William Shakespeare, rewritten by Terry Deary
Shakespeare Tales series. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN
9781472917805
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Shakespeare, Macbeth, Elizabethan
times. In this lively series, a character is introduced who becomes
a narrator presenting the play within the confines of that person's
life and times. With Macbeth we meet potgirl, Mary as she cleans up
the blood on the stage after another performance of Macbeth. She
tells us about the pig's blood used for the killing scenes, and
between her talk about her life and work, the author presents the
play.
Mary is a sympathetic character, a young girl taken into the harsh
service of a tavern owner, a person who treats her badly, yelling at
her in front of customers, beating her when she does things wrong,
and paying her very little. She must take the jug of ale around to
the customers while they stand in the yard watching the play, and
she learns the play well. She talks to some of the actors, showing
the reader how these men exist going form town to town, and she
meets William Shakespeare. After one particularly nasty scolding
from her employer she hides in one of the stage baskets and gets
away, joining the troupe.
All the while the play is going on, and we read a summary of the
plot and characters in text designed for the younger reader. The
story is well written for a younger audience and the series will add
to the growing interest in Shakespeare's plays for this
audience. At the end of each book is given several pages of lively
information about the play.
Fran Knight
Circle by Jeannie Baker
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406338010
(Age: all) Highly recommended. Natural world. Birds. Inter
relationship. Environment. The circle of life is reprised on every
page in this beautiful new book from illustrator/author Jennie
Baker. Her story of the godwits, the birds which amazingly wing
their way from Alaska to Australia and back each year, will stun the
readers. The story itself is a powerful reminder that we are all
interrelated, that what humans do has an impact upon the rest of the
planet, and from the perspective of this one small bird, that our
interference with the coastline seriously degrades their habitat.
Linked with her glorious collage illustrations the book reflects the
environment in which we all live and makes a spine tingling
imperative that we do much more to protect it.
The life cycle of the godwit is shown through one bird, one with
white splashes on his wings, and we follow him throughout the book.
He flies from Alaska to Australia, a journey of 11,000 kilometres
and on the return journey he finds a mate, they build a nest
together and raise their chicks. Each arm of their journey is
fraught with danger as their environment is degraded, places they
once stopped to rest are gone, buildings dot the coastlines, land
clearance has put their feeding places at risk and foxes search for
their chicks.
Every page greets the inquiring reader, intriguing them with hints
of just how each picture is made, astonishing them with information
about this amazing bird, revealing just how we have made the
environment so difficult for these birds to survive. Each page
impels the reader to stop and think about why our earth is now in
such great peril. Our interconnection is repeated throughout the
book, no reader can miss the powerful message being offered.
The circle motif is repeated throughout the book with the curvature
of the earth shown in many of the illustrations. The reader cannot
escape the image of the reserve where the boy watches the birds at
the beginning of the book, compared with the reserve at the end:
degraded, overused, with industry encroaching on its borders.
Readers will easily spot the impact of man on this environment, the
lights of the city seen from on high as the birds fly north, the
increasing rubbish seen on the beach, the degradation of the
waterfront, the number of buildings seen in the background, planes
in the sky. Further inspection of each wonderful image will enhance
the readers' interpretation and awe. And readers will ponder the
image of the boy, at first disabled and in a wheelchair, dreaming of
flying, at the end leaving his crutches behind and running onto the
beach, and later still dreaming of flying with his crutches beneath
his bed. The bird and the boy have been on impressive journeys,
causing the reader to stop and speculate on each of them, and
wondering how the boy, a bird watcher, can use his knowledge to make
a change. This book throws the question back on the reader, and will
create much discussion in classrooms and libraries.
Fran Knight
Editor's note: Teacher's notes
are available at the publisher's website.
Three by Justin D'Ath
Ford Street Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925272277
(Age: 11-14) Sunday Balewo is sixteen, a keen soccer player and in
love with Holly Parr. His father is also President for Life of an
African nation, Zantugi.
But everything changes dramatically when Sunday's parents are killed
in a coup and Sunday himself is being targeted, not by a guerrilla
but by a baboon, a trained animal wearing a suicide vest.
Even though Sunday escapes the immediate attack, the baboon and its
handlers are determined to track him down. He must find somewhere to
hide and someone to help him. Anyone breaking the curfew at night is
in danger of being shot, which makes Sunday's plight even more
hazardous.
Just as in D'Ath's Extreme Adventure series, the plot is
fast paced, unpredictable and full of suspense. Some of the facts we
discover about the baboon, and some twists in the plot are less than
credible but entertainment is the main focus here. Upper Primary and
Lower Secondary students of both sexes will enjoy this story and
empathise with Sunday.
Thelma Harvey
Jimmy Cook discovers third grade by Kate and Jol Temple
Ill. by Jon Foye. Allen & Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760291938
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Humour. Australian history. School.
Jimmy Cook becomes a butt of jokes in class when he insists that he
is related to Captain James Cook, despite the man having no known
descendants. This does not deter Jimmy however and he is sure that
he must go on an adventure just like his forebear, this time to
Hawaii where Captain Cook was killed, as Jimmy firmly believes that
the place needs a dose of law and order.
History Week at school gives him another forum for discussing the
Captain, and he does this at length, going to such extremes as
dressing his hair in the same way and wearing a tricorn hat. Luckily
a certain brand of cereal has a competition running which sees Jimmy
collecting all the coupons he can with the help of his friends, in
order to win first prize, a trip to Hawaii. But one hitch is that
his enemy in class, Alice, is also collecting the coupons so they are
rivals. There follows a funny story of Jimmy and his ambition often
thwarted by Alice, but the rivalry which exists in third grade is
well drawn, and the accompanying wonderful illustrations which dot
the pages are a treat. I particularly love the inventory of Captain
Cook's things adding much interest to the behind the scenes history
of such a voyage of exploration. Learning history at this sort of
pace is most infectious and I hope we will see more of Jimmy Cook.
Fran Knight
The furball strikes back by Aaron Blabey
The bad guys, episode 3. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760157265
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Animals, Adventure, Heroism.
Subtitled, The furball strikes back, readers who laughed
their way through Episode 2 with the break in at the Sunnyside
Chicken Farm, will know that the owner, Doctor Rupert Marmalade,
will be wreaking revenge upon our heroes. Led by Mr Wolf, the three
other friends, Mr Snake, Mr Piranha and Legs have gone along with
his plans of shrugging off their bad guy images by doing good deeds.
So far this has not gone well, but releasing the chickens from the
Stalag type chicken farm has at least gained them a host of friends,
if only of the chicken variety.
But Doctor Marmalade is out for revenge and tricks them into coming
to his lair where he captures them and ties them up, not knowing
that Mr Piranha is still outside.
Blabey's graphic novel style, giving the story in short easily
digested chapters full of laugh out loud cartoon images, will have
readers grabbing this book from the shelf. The pages are full of
movement as the characters pit their strengths against those of
Doctor Marmalade, and the various styles used by comic writers shine
out. Pages change from whole page illustrations to those where three
or four lines of pictures are used while different fonts and font
sizes are used, and some faces peer out at the reader with an
intimate gaze. It adds up to a wholly fascinating story which
furthers the adventures of the four heroes to the great enjoyment of
the readers.
And of course, Episode 4 is coming as zombie kittens make their
presence felt.
Fran Knight
WeirDo: Crazy Weird by Anh Do
Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760159085
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Weir Do visits the dentist and
discovers he needs braces. How embarrassing! Will he ever open his
mouth again? Mum can't make him and his pets keep running away from
him. How will he ever get through a day at the fun fair with his
friends? Worse yet, the girls he likes keeps on wanting to talk to
him. There is no way Weir Do wants her to see his teeth! WeirDo - Crazy Weird is book 6 in the WeirDo
collection and is highly entertaining. The author has the right mix
of silly events, black and white images and a variety of fonts to
help create an engaging story. It features short bursts of text,
making it a great first novel for budding readers. Highly
recommended for boys aged 7+ but girls will enjoy it as well. The
book is also very supportive of more reluctant readers thanks to the
short text, interesting illustrations and quick moving storyline.
Kylie Kempster
Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
Harper Collins 2016. ISBN 9780008126360
(Age: 14+) Is there anything worse than imperfection? In a world
that champions perfection should your flaws be laid bare for the
world to see? With a system that is inherently flawed - how can it
be overthrown? From within? Or from without, could the Flawed rise
up and begin a revolution? How? Who would lead them?
When the system fails and you become the most flawed person in
existence what do you do? Sentenced to five brands (foot, hand,
heart, head, and tongue) for the simple act of compassion towards
another human being, Celestine North finds herself the reluctant
emblem of a revolution she never had any intention of fighting. She
put her trust in one man, her boyfriend's father, Judge Crevan. A
fearsome man, but a man just the same. With Crevan and her family
pressuring her to lie in the courts when she is on trial for being
flawed, Celestine begins to question a system that would judge her
flawed for simply helping an old, sick man who just happened to be
flawed. Even though he was flawed, he, like Judge Crevan, was just a
man. For her compassion and her honesty Celestine's life is forever
changed - she can never go back to her life of utter perfection. Her
dreams, her plans, and her future are all ruined-forever.
Sitting in the same class as Veronica Roth's Divergent
series, Flawed is certainly recommended for girls aged
fourteen and up who like dystopians. While the first few chapters
are questionable, the book improves and mellows out into an easy
read with a great and terrifying concept. Certainly something to
make the reader appreciate our society.
Kayla Gaskell (University student)
The girl who raced Fairyland all the way home by Catherynne M. Valente
Atom, 2016. ISBN 9781472112835
Recommended for fantasy lovers. Fantasy. Adventure. Fairies.
Magical world. This is unlike anything I have read before, although
there is an essence of Alice and a looking-glass world, a
hint of a crossover with a Wardrobe world, and a dose of psychedelic
fairy-tale adventure within its idiosyncratic style. My desire is to
write a review that reveals a little of the cloudburst that has
occurred within me as I read. This is a book with a magical
maelstrom of characters that are woven in a kaleidoscope of fantasy
magic, adventure and mystery, mixed with a pandemic of
inscrutability. The windstorm of characterisation of features and
follies is at first very difficult to follow, and the ultimate
fantasy 'Race' to sort out who deserves to be the current reigning
Royal takes the reader to places that no one knows or can fathom.
The confusion of plot and characters at first floored this reader -
it was hard to create a mental image of all that was exploding onto
the page in this unique fantasy creation. However the idiosyncrasies
and inherent humour of the language used, and the quirks of
expression were so unique that they had an irresistible charm that
created a desire to keep reading. (I am not so sure that this would
be enough for some younger readers, who would find the worlds and
wordsmithery confusing.) Note the following early descriptive
example to describe the world in which we find the central
character, September.
'A vast and hungry country takes tea somewhat differently than you
and I. Fairyland's teatime consisted of a dollop of rain in the
Autumn Provinces, a particular delicate icing of clouds over the
Painted Forest, a healthy squeeze of blazing sun in the Hourglass
Desert, and a fresh, green wind blowing wild through the streets and
alleyways and secret corners of Pandemonium.' (p2)
The winner in this incredibly unique telling is the language use;
metaphor, simile, word-play, personification and a general licking
of alliteration at every turn. The characters are also given
exceptional features, costumes and skills by the author Valente, who
obviously has a very verdant imagination. Each chapter has a
Dickens-like preamble to guide the reader into the next panoply of
wonder.
This can be recommended to those who love fantasy deeply, but who
also are inspired by words and wordplay. It might be confusing for
those who lack persistence or who devour books in small bites! This
is the last of the Fairyland series... but the first I have
read. It may be that those who already love this world would not be as
likely to be confused.
Carolyn Hull
