Reviews

Basket Cat by Katie Abey

The Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760402303
(Ages: 1 - 4) Board book, homes. Katie Abey, English author and illustrator, has created this bright, bold and glossy board book with textured illustrations (woven baskets, furry cats, patterned wallpaper, and wooden floorboards). The humorous illustrations, showing the cat looking very out of place in a hanging flower basket and dreaming of a basket-weave rocket ship, will amuse young readers. Basket Cat just loves baskets. Basket Cat even dreams about baskets. She makes herself comfortable in any basket she can find, from picnic baskets and flower baskets to washing baskets. But none of them are just hers . . . until one day she wakes up to her very own cosy cat basket. The simplicity of this book (perfect for its target audience) means that the text doesn't tell us everything (e.g., what the cats are dreaming about), leaving opportunities for children to point things out and infer meaning from the illustrations. Young children will be able to relate to this short text about having a place (home, bed, etc.) where you feel comfortable and cosy.
Nicole Nelson

From Burma to Myanmar by Lydia Laube

Wakefield Press, 2015. ISBN 9781743053928
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Lydia Laube has been 5 times to Burma, now called Myanmar, and this book tells of those travels, from the first two trips with her sister, to the most recent solitary journey (at the age of 66, I calculated), on a freight ship, the Buxstar, sailing from Adelaide to Sydney then around the bottom of New Zealand, up through the Torres Strait, past Indonesia to Singapore then overland to Bangkok and a short flight to Yangon.
Lydia often chooses unconventional travel - boats, buses, trains, tuktuks, horse carts and motorbikes - and it seems that half the fun is negotiating transport and time schedules and language misunderstandings. There are many misadventures that I am not sure I could handle as coolly as she seems to. She describes arriving at one train station in Burma in the early hours of the morning -
'there were six men standing in a half circle around me all telling me the train to Yangon left at nine in the morning and that I should wait there until then as there was no taxi. 'No sleeper' they shouted like a Greek chorus.'
She ends up sleeping in the stationmaster's office under their continued observation.
Lydia often finds herself in bizarre circumstances, the lone foreign woman, an object of much curiosity, but she always seems to take everything in her stride with a cool unflappability. One young 'Friend' who commandeers her transport arrangements attempts to extort extra money from her . . .
'He said the taxi driver wanted another five thousand kyat. He could not look me in the eye when he said this so I knew it was a con. He also entered my room, shut the door and lay on the bed to deliver the message, which is not done in polite circles, Burma or anywhere. I paid him the five thousand to get rid of him.'
And that is all she says about it! Nothing seems to unnerve her.
Generally, however, she meets with curiosity, kindness and extraordinary generosity and helpfulness; people she encounters seem willing to go out of their way to help her with accommodation, transport and advice.
In her usual understated way she tells of challenges with plumbing, toilets and strange unidentifiable food that never seems to get the better of her appetite. She clearly loves travelling alone, finding her way without fear, and in the process we share in her adventures and learn about the many treasures of Burma and other out of the way places in the world.
Helen Eddy

Hillary: a biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Karen Blumenthal

Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408873922
(Age: Senior secondary to adult) Recommended. This biography is a very readable linear account of Hillary's life so far. It describes her achievements and her obvious qualities - she's intelligent, driven, and strategic, and now she is a presidential candidate.
She was educated and formed her political opinions during the volatile 1960s. The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jack and Robert Kennedy as well as the Vietnam War and the battle for black equality were significant at this time.
While describing the progression of Hillary's legal career the book gives an insight into inequality in the United States and how that society is fragmented.
Inevitably it arrives at how Hillary met Bill and their contrasting characters - her somewhat dour nature, his charismatic charm, but also his failings. One is left wondering whether Hillary has been helped or hindered by her link with Bill.
Undoubtedly Hillary is a role model to many women, not only in the US but worldwide. Will she be the first female president of the USA? Only time will tell. However no one can doubt her ambition.
Robert McNair

The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight

Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780008115067
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. For a girl who didn't leave her house for three weeks, a road trip to save her best friend is almost too much - thankfully the anxiety-ridden Wylie is much better in an emergency than at home. Despite beginning like a typical YA drama, McCreight's novel quickly progresses into something more sinister.
Cassie is missing. No one knows where she is. Her mum suspects that she's taken off. Cassie hasn't been the same since she started dating Jasper and got accepted into the 'Rainbow Coalition'. While Wylie has tried to be a good friend and keep Cassie safe, Cassie refused to listen - now she's missing and Wylie is worrying whether she could have kept Cassie around had they been speaking. Already blaming Jasper, Wylie is shocked when he shows up claiming that Cassie has sent him. Soon enough Wylie too receives a mysterious text from Cassie, pleading for help and providing directions to an unknown location. What choice does Wylie have but to fly to her friend's rescue? But leaving the house is a bigger deal than just walking out the front door - with anxiety so crippling she had to switch to homeschooling and a father who is keeping a big secret. Soon Wylie, Cassie, and Jasper will learn that they are part of something bigger than just Cassie going off the rails. She was kidnapped 'for her own safety'; will they be able to save her before she becomes just another missing person?
A fast-paced mystery thriller with elements of speculative fiction, this novel is both easy to read and engrossing. I finished the book in a single sitting, continually promising myself 'just one more chapter'. Well written, The Outliers explores the importance of honesty and loyalty in friendships - without a prominent romantic sub-plot for Wylie, there is nothing to distract her from her battle with anxiety, and her desire to keep her friends safe. I would highly recommend this novel for readers over the age of fourteen who enjoy mystery with a hint of speculative fiction.
Kayla Gaskell (University student aged 20)

Was not me! by Shannon Horsfall

Angus and Robertson, 2016. ISBN 9781460752463
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Humour. Rhyme. Excuses. Blame. Infectious rhyming lines along with hilarious illustrations will have readers readily beguiled by this insightful story. The narrator's twin is called Not Me, and he is the one to blame whenever something untoward occurs. Not Me is the call every time a mess is made or the bathroom flooded after a game of pirates, or the leaves litter the garden after Not Me swings from the grapevine. Not Me is to blame and the cheeky lad seems to get away with the results of his mayhem, hiding behind Mum's legs and smiling at his brother. Unfortunately no one else can see Not Me. He leaves a trail of debris through the house, crayon on the walls, a messy bathroom, biscuits on the floor, wrecking his bed after using it as a trampoline and finally swinging from the chandelier. It is this adventure that makes him realise just who Not Me really is as he swings past the mirror, and the laughter from the readers will drown out the teacher's voice as he gets to the end of the story.
Young readers will read it over again, noticing that Not Me is hiding on most pages, the reader often only seeing his disappearing leg or head, and taking note of the many messes he leaves behind. The stripe t-shirt stands out on each page and his bespectacled face contrasts with the bemused smile on Not Me's face.
Readers will love comparing Not me's brother's behaviour and excuses with their own, and ponder their impact upon their household, especially their long suffering mother. And I love the layout of each page and the font used.
Fran Knight

The Fizz series by Lesley Gibbes

Ill. by Stephen Michael King. A police dog adventure series. Allen and Unwin, 2016.
Fizz and the show dog jewel thief. ISBN 9781760112882
Fizz and the handbag dognapper. ISBN 9781760112899
(Ages: 7+) Highly recommended. Dogs. Police. Adventure. This wonderful series, full of fun and humour, with laugh out loud illustrations will tantalise younger readers. The first two in the series, Police dog tryouts and Police academy rescue showed the perseverance of Fizz, a fluffy lap dog and his efforts to achieve his dream, that of being a police dog.
Now that he has passed his training, he is about to take up his first position at the Sunnyvale City Police Station where his rival, Amadeus, is also employed, ready as always to bully and intimidate Fizz. Fizz and the show dog jewel thief has a jewel thief causing concern at the Pemberley Show Dog Trials, and Fizz is sent as an undercover dog. Much fun follows as Fizz must do something he has avoided all his life, that of being made ready for a show at the Gorgeous Groomers Show Dog Salon. Some great action ensues as our hero achieves his goal and even Amadeus steps in to help, working with Fizz rather than against him.
Fizz and the handbag dognapper has poor old Fizz yet again being an undercover dog, this time posing as a handbag dog in a celebrity's handbag, complete with tracking collar, ready to be dognapped and then followed by the police to attempt a rescue.
This series is perfect for the early reader, someone who has just managed chapter books. There are eight chapters in each book, each about five pages long with many funny illustrations to ease the way. The humour is infectious and will delight the readers and being about a dog will win hearts.
Fran Knight

What could it be? Exploring the imaginative world of shapes by Sally Fawcett

EK Books, 2016. ISBN 9781925335026
Picture book. Shapes. Western Australian teacher Sally Fawcett has created this wonderful picture book that explores the everyday 2D shapes that even very young children recognise from their early morning television experiences, encouraging the reader to find them not only in the stunning illustrations but also in their own environment.
Using repetitive text, rhyme and rhythm she invites the young reader to not only be more perceptive but also to use their imaginations, encouraging them to look more closely and think more carefully. There are circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, ovals, and octagons everywhere, both natural and man-made, that, after sharing the book, makes the urge to go on a shape-walk around the home, classroom or school irresistible. Digital cameras make the 'collection' of shapes so easy these days and there are plenty of apps that will help you turn the photos into a captioned book written by the students that can be read again and again.
As well as that there are all sorts of ideas available at http://whatcoulditbe.ekbooks.com.au/ which include the opportunity for children to upload their own artworks.
This is another interactive book that invites input from the reader and takes them on a journey through their imagination. As well as being perfect for early childhood, it's also great for those learning English for the first time as they learn our words for shapes and colours but can then extend their observations at their own level.
Barbara Braxton

You know me well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Text, 2016. ISBN 9781925355529
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. LGBT, Same sex relationships, San Francisco, Pride Week. When Mark goes to a gay club at the beginning of Pride Week in San Francisco, he is amazed to find a girl he knows there. She like him, is love struck, she for a girl she has not even met, he for the boy he came with but who is now with someone else.
Kate has had a date set up for her with a girl she has been fierce to get to know, but baulks at the last minute and runs away. She finds herself in a gay bar where Mark has watched the boy he loves going off with a stranger. Kate and Mark know each other vaguely from school, and they connect. Kate is at a crossroad. She has felt for a while that her friends are not as they were, that they are all growing apart. Kate and Mark both feel despondent and create a story about what happened to them that night, while Kate's friend uploads some of her art works and the pictures go viral, to such an extent that a gallery contacts her with the idea of a showing.
Pride Week is the impetus for some major changes in their lives not least of which is their growing friendship and ability to know each other well.
Each section of the book is headed with the day it is set, making the reader keep a chronology of overlapping events in their heads, and with alternate chapters written from the point of view of Kate and Mark, the story flows through Pride Week, taking the reader with it.
It is a classic tale of finding out who you are and where you belong, of trying out new experiences, of being brave, of reaching out to friends, of developing new relationships. The voices of Kate and Mark are excruciatingly real, revealing their deep fears of exposing themselves, of expressing their innermost thoughts. While both teens are mostly comfortable with their sexuality they reflect the concern of all teens in being themselves, of not following what others want, of treading their own path. I find Levithan does this so convincingly. In telling a tale of LGBT kids, he also tells a story that could reflect any kid and this ensures he will be read by everyone.
Fran Knight

Shockwave by Jack Heath

Countdown to danger series bk. 2. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760159634
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Adventure, Dangerous Situations, Decision Making. Jack Heath's new series Countdown to danger delivers action-packed adventures, fast-paced plots and involves the reader in making difficult moral decisions. In Shockwave, you've chosen to leave your Karina Bay Surf Camp buddies and head down to the beach to catch a late afternoon wave. Images of crocodiles and sharks are ever present when a speedboat with a mysterious woman lands on the beach. Your first choice is to take on the role of Seth or Leah. The time is ticking down, do you save your friends, help Harrison the camp leader, defuse the bomb, save yourself, hide from the villains or defuse the bomb?
There are twelve opportunities to survive and unluckily many ways to end your life - falling down a deep chasm, detonating the bomb and even a zombie attack. Whenever this happens there is another opportunity, the book tells the reader another page to return to and the adventure continues. There are moral questions presented as well: do you save Harrison the camp leader, believe Agent Stacey and help save the others, steer the hovercraft to the oil platform or save yourself? How important is being honest, saving your friends and stopping a bomb blast?
This thrilling first person narrative delivers an amazing array of settings, bombed beaches, crocodile infested rivers, scary deep chasms and demands amazing ingenuity making a hot air balloon made from a tent and skill - standing on the back of a twenty-metre shark!
Rhyllis Bignell

Star struck by Jenny McLachlan

Alyzon Whitestarr by Isobelle Carmody

Ford Street, 2016. ISBN 9781925272185
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Alyzon feels like she doesn't fit in her family. She doesn't have her mother's artistic ability or her father's musical ability like her brother or sisters. She is just Alyzon. One day while holding her baby brother, the car boot falls onto her head knocking her unconscious. After being in a coma for a month she awakens with new sensations. She can smell feelings, her hearing and sight are heightened and being touched let her see other people's memories. At school she becomes friends with Gilly because she is drawn to her seaside smell, but the boy she has had a crush on for years smells like rancid rubbish. With these new heightened senses she uncovers dark family secrets and hidden ambitions that threaten to her family.
I have loved Isobelle Carmody's other books and was excited to read this one. I found the story line interesting and easy to follow but was frustrated with the interaction some of the characters had with Alyzon. However as the story progressed it is explained why these characters seemed so one dimensional. The way Carmody used Alyzon's new abilities to describe the characters gives the reader a new way through smells to bring them to life. This book could have been better with a sequel as it left many loose ends. It is a good story about good winning over evil and how a person can stand up to evil by staying true to themselves.
Jody Holmes

Flight of the honey bee by Raymond Huber

Ill. by Brian Lovelock. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781925126266
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Bees, Environment, Honey. Scout's day spent searching for a new pasture from which to collect nectar to take back to the hive, ends happily when she finds a swathe of blue flowers. Through her flight she must avoid obstacles: strong wind, a hungry blackbird, a sudden rain storm, complete with hail stones and when arriving back at the hive, she finds that a wasp is trying to get in to eat the nectar and the eggs.
During her flight pollen in the flowers is attracted to her body and she then takes this to other flowers, where pollination occurs. She drinks the nectar from the flowers, using the tip of her tongue, shaped like a small spoon. Once back at the hive, she dances, giving instructions to the rest of her family about the place where these flowers are. They then go out to bring back more nectar.
All the features of a bee and its part in the pollination of plants is given in this amazing book, where every word is redolent with meaning.
One in the acclaimed Walker Nature Storybooks series, this like the others presents a story which is filled with information, so insinuated within the tale that the reader assimilates these facts readily. The story sits alongside a non fiction text, usually towards the bottom of each page. Both texts add to the knowledge of the reader, both compliment each other and are fascinating to read. The reader is involved in Scout's story as she avoids threats and searches for the flowers, while taking in the facts given about the bees and the hive.
As with others in this wonderful series, a brief index is given at the back of the book alongside information about the author and illustrator, with a small piece about the importance of bees and what we can do to help them survive.
The vivacious water colour and pencil illustrations serve the story well, giving all readers, young and old, a firm understanding of the look of the honey bee and making it so endearing without giving it human characteristics, as the story is followed.
Excellent teacher notes are given on the Walker Books website.
Fran Knight

The Towers of Illica by Emily Rodda

Star of Deltora series bk. 3. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781742990644
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Britta's dangerous journey continues as The Star of Deltora sails through dangerous waters, surrounded by a ghostly presence. This is the most important trade, her final opportunity to defeat the other contestants and win the Rosalyn Contest. Aboard the ship, Britta senses constant dangers, there are enemies on board who wish her harm, putting her life in danger, hiding key books that explain the secrets of Illica, how to trade and discover the wealth of the island. Her memories of playing with Captain Gripp's model ship as a child are extremely useful, as she hides her two Moons purchases in the cargo hold. After a fierce storm where Britta is pushed overboard and a daring rescue by Sky and Jewel, she realises that she does have friends on board.
The mysterious island of Illica is dominated by three towers, each of the contestants must stay a night with the secretive families who inhabit these towers and complete their final trades. Of course, all is not as it seems. After a bath in the bathhouse and a visit to Suli the Needle, Britta is appropriately dressed and nearly ready for the evening's adventures. However, when Jewel and Britta choose to follow Sky who mysteriously disappears into a cave in the cliffs, they are plunged once more into danger.
Britta is a strong female protagonist; she is brave, fearless, although a little foolhardy at times, she makes some decisions rashly and others thoughtfully. Rodda builds intrigue with plot twists, the ever present wraiths, hints of a new island - The Isle of Jade and glimpses of Britta's father's tortured existence on the Island of Tier. The Towers of Illica ends with more questions than answers, truly Britta's journey seems to be even more dangerous than before.
Rhyllis Bignell

The dog emergency by Sally Morgan

Ill. by Craig Smith. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781742991351
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Brothers Ryan and Dillon live in a small country town with only one main street surrounded by cattle stations. On their way home the boys discover a dirty, dusty cattle dog with a broken leg. They want to rescue the injured animal, but they know Mum would be very cross with them if they brought it home on their billycart. She is missing their old dog Buster, who passed away the week before. There's no vet in their small town and all medical emergencies for people are seen by Murray the nurse at the nursing post.
This easy to read story is just right for the reader ready to engage with chapter books. The plot explores the plight of the dog and the interesting way the brothers raise money to pay for the vet's bill - painting Uncle Wilf's shed purple. Will the boys be able to keep Dusty the cattle dog or will Max Henry take him home to the station?
Sally Morgan's characters are down to earth; she understands family relationships, Mum's grief over losing Buster and the need for the boys to have a new pet - it is a big decision. Craig Smith's illustrations bring the country people to life, Aunty Jo's joey's pouch, eating a meal by the wood stove, even Farmer Max's appearance.
Rhyllis Bignell

Stripes in the forest by Aleesah Darlison

Ill. by Shane McGrath. Big Sky Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925275704
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Thylacine, Tasmanian tiger, Extinction. A moving tale of the demise of the Tasmanian tiger, the last of which died in captivity in Hobart Zoo in 1936, is told here through the eyes of one of the last animals in the wild. A female, she describes her environment, and how she survives, finding a mate and having cubs. All seem quite idyllic in the Tasmanian forests, but in the background hunters can be seen. She looks on as they build semi permanent shacks and surround them with pelts from a variety of animals shot and killed in the wilderness. As the story moves on she and her mate hide in the forest, their stripes used to great advantage. But nothing can stop the hunters and her mate is killed. She and her cubs retreat further away from the men but the reader knows that her species shortly becomes extinct.
A page of information at the end of the book acquaints readers with the facts about this once widespread animal and will elicit despair as the children realise that extinction means forever and they will never get to see this amazing animal.
Several of the illustrations are standouts. The one where the men shoot their guns in the middle of the book is very moving as it predicts the annihilation of this species, and the lovely endpapers with their image of the partly concealed thylacine form a beautiful set of book ends to a story all Australians should know well.
Fran Knight