Ill. by John Kelly. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408858639
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Orphans and orphanages;
Jewellery; Ghosts; Supernatural stories; Mystery and suspense
stories; Ghosts; England - Social life and customs - 19th century.
Calvin Krisp's debut novel, Anyone But Ivy Pocket is a
marvellous multi-faceted gothic tale set in Victorian England. The
feisty protagonist Ivy is a twelve-year-old orphan whose work as a
lady's maid draws her into mystery and mayhem. She is a force to be
reckoned with, overbearing, opinionated and teller of tall tales,
qualities her previous employer Countess Carbuncle is happy to leave
behind as she takes a sudden trip to South America. Foisted into
service for the dying Duchess of Trinity, Ivy Pocket's new
assignment is to carry the mysterious Clock Diamond to England and
place it around the neck of Matilda Butterfield at her twelfth
birthday party. Her reward of £500 seems to be easily within reach,
enough to buy a carriage and a monkey! Unfortunately, a whole
ensemble of crazy characters, ghosts, mysterious hooded creatures
-Locks, and friends with sinister intentions, pursue her. On board
the ship sailing to England, she is befriended by Miss Always a
writer who takes a very close interest in Ivy and the mysterious
Clock Diamond.
Ivy is an enchanting protagonist, lies trip off her tongue; she is
bold, witty and can think on her feet. Krisp's fast-paced narrative
is engagingly alliterative, deliciously descriptive and attention
grabbing. Once you start, you are compelled to keep on reading,
second-guessing just how Ivy Pocket will deal with the next drama.
John Kelly's comical drawings display some of Ivy's most intense
scenes; Matilda Butterfield's cake disaster is a highlight.
With a promise of more books to come, Calvin Krisp's Ivy Pocket will
delight those readers who love mystery, adventure and feisty female
heroes.
Rhyllis Bignell
Theophilus Grey and the traitor's mask by Catherine Jinks
Theophilius Grey series. Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760113612
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. London, Eighteenth Century, George
11, Espionage. We first met Theophilus Grey in Theophilus Grey
and the demon thief, a book set in eighteenth century London
at the time of King George the Second. Philo worked as a linkboy and
along with a group of other homeless orphans, used their skills to
gather information for their master, the Fagan like Garnet Hooke. In
this companion novel, Philo and his crew are paid by the government
to gather intelligence about the Jacobites. Nathaniel Paxton his old
friend also involved in the spying business introduces him to
Caroline Cowley, an actress who takes him under her wing to teach
him the art of disguise and how to play someone convincingly, in
order to gain access to the ringleaders of the Jacobites in London.
Some of the subplots are finely detailed, giving the reader an in
depth look at what London was like for people of the lower orders in
the reign of George the Second. Jinks' research gives insight
especially into the plight of children who had to fend for
themselves in these times.
Into Philo's range comes his old and now ill mentor, Garnet Hooke,
who wants to wreak revenge on Philo for leaving him. But he must
also deal with the rival gang of linkboys whose loyalties lie
elsewhere.
As with Theophilus Grey
and the demon thief, the pace of the story is fast with many
subplots taking the reader along with them as Philo must work out
just who he can trust as his work takes him perilously close to
those accused of treason.
Fran Knight
Blockbusters Guinness World Records 2016 - The Records behind the year's Smash Hits!
Guinness, 2016. ISBN 9781910561461
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Subjects: Reference; Encyclopaedias;
General Knowledge. Blockbusters is another amazing reference
book from the Guinness World Records team, the authority on all
things trivia. Seven fact-filled sections - Movies, Comics and
Books, Tech, Music, TV, Apps and Online, and Toys, there's something
for everyone who enjoys entertainment, reading, collecting and
Cosplay. Star Wars, Frozen, Jurassic World and The
Avengers are movie franchises that have topped the box office,
inspired millions of fans and led to an amazing array of records.
Elsa's CGI hair braid in Frozen was created from 420,00
strands. Candy Crush is the most downloaded app up to the
present day. Peruse facts, records and general knowledge related to
The Simpsons the longest running television sitcom and Doctor
Who the longest running Science-Fiction series.
Throughout the book there are suggestions for setting your own
record, rules, time-limits, recording is all clearly explained.
Individual and group challenges include book dominoes, setting the
fastest time to build a Lego Millenium Falcon Microfighter or
organising the largest crowd of Minions in one location. At the 2012
Hulkathon in Castleblayney Ireland, 574 fans set a new record
dressed up in green costumes, purple pants and black wigs. Blockbusters' use of bold graphics adds to the broad audience
appeal of the book. Bright, layered 2D boxes of facts are splashed
across the colourful backgrounds with cartoon characters playfully
placed amongst the photos of record holders and their memorabilia
collections. A great present or addition to a class or school
library.
Rhyllis Bignell
Beyond magenta: transgender kids speak out by Susan Kuklin
Candlewick Press, 2014. ISBN 9780763673680
(Age: 12+) Recommended. LGBT, Transgender, Bullying, Coming out,
Families. Interviews with six transgender and gender neutral teens
are presented in this handsomely produced, well illustrated book. I
found it most enlightening about some kids in our world who do not
feel comfortable with the role given them at birth and so do
something about it. Their bravery shines through as they go through
the steps of changing or at least adapting themselves, some through
surgery, others through drugs. Their bravery in taking these steps
is doubly impressive in allowing their stories to be told, along
with series of photographs which show their transformations. These
will create interest but it is the stories of these young people
that will captivate the reader.
All felt from an early age that they were not like others, and this
often meant they were different at school, leading to exclusion and
bullying from the rest of their cohort. Christina, in the second
story tells of how she was always picked last for a team, how at her
Catholic boy's school, she was teased and as a result told others
that she was gay, not transgender. Even as an adult she has been
picked out for derision by people who question her looks. She is
saving for a vagina.
Mariah in the third story, the child of an Italian migrant whom she
has never seen and a Black woman, was raised by her grandmother.
Going to kindergarten and school raised people's ire from the start,
as she only dressed as a girl. This resulted in unwelcome attention
from government agencies and she was taken from her family and
placed in care. Several placements later she developed problems
which required medication but after her mother died she tried to
stop. A placement in Philadelphia saw her being able to talk to a
supportive therapist and for the first time was able to write down
what she felt. With hormone therapy she was able to stop the male
growth spurt when she turned sixteen and is now working out how to
tell people about what she is.
Cameron the boy on the front cover tells his story next. He is
transgender and takes testosterone, but revels in his male and
femaleness. He discusses the whole issue of sexuality and gender
from his perspective, concluding that life is an adventure that he
is part of.
Each story is different and yet has similar characteristics. Each
teen feels different from a young age and struggles to cope with how
society sees them, including their parents. Each takes medication to
help, but each story is also quite different in how people and
family have reacted and certainly in how they feel in themselves.
Cameron is cool abut his sexuality from the start, whereas Christina
still goes through anxiety, and Mariah feels that she is at the
beginning of her transition, and wants to help out other people in
the same situation by telling her story.
A range of labels: trans, nonbinary, intersexual, transsexual, pan
sexual, gender neutral, gay and queer used help underline the need
some have for a label, but above all else, these kids need to be
labelled brave, and treated just as everyone else, kids coming to
terms with their sexuality.
Fran Knight
Iris and the tiger by Leanne Hall
Text, 2016. ISBN 97819252240795
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Mystery, Spain, Surrealism, Art.
Arriving in Spain to stay with her great aunt, a person she has
never seen before, Iris is surprised when a man in uniform picks her
up from the airport. She tries to question him on the long drive
home, but concludes he doesn't understand English. She has been
given instructions from her parents, eager to have some of the vast
wealth from Aunt Ursula, and sees herself as a spy with a list of
questions to answer.
But the drive into the mansion grounds is unsettling. The forest
seems dark and mysterious and full of secrets, and meeting Aunt
Ursula does nothing to allay her misgivings. There follows a day of
eventful happenings, she seems trapped in a surreal painting, with
things not really what they seem, and things happening which should
not be happening. The sunflowers around the tennis court play
tennis, the statue in the park points in the direction she needs to
go, she finds boots which impel her to put them on, all is
mysterious and reminded me of Dali. I half expected Aunt Ursula to
have a chop on her shoulder.
Meeting Jordi, the son of the caretaker changes her perspective on
things. He takes her into the woods to show her some of the magical
aspects of the forest, and they notice people with surveying
equipment close to the property.
A magical series of events sees Iris change her mind about her
parent's involvement with the future of the property and she becomes
much closer to her aunt, with the prospect of returning each year.
Along the way Iris learns to take more control of her own life,
making friends with Jordi and the unusual girl from the next estate,
and shrugging off the bullying behaviour of some whom she meets. I
loved the story and its anti development perspective, while the
magic of the forests and the mansion where Aunt Ursula lives is
simply beguiling.
Fran Knight
Teresa: A new Australian by Deborah Abela
New Australian series. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781742990941
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Teresa is part of the New
Australian series, a collection of books about immigrants to
Australia and the issues they face. In this novel, we meet Teresa, a
young girl from war-torn Malta, who in 1949, after suffering through
three years of German bombings, migrates to Australia with her family.
Leaving behind everything they know for a better life is both
stressful and exciting but Teresa is brave (and a whiz at
remembering her multiplication table).
On the boat for Australia, Teresa becomes friends with an English
orphan named Anna. They help each other through the experiences of a
long ocean crossing but are soon separated in Australia. Life in a
new country is not what Teresa expected. There are wonderful and
abundant new foods to try but also racist comments from people they
don't even know. Teresa hears words she has never heard before and
is scared by the attitudes of some people. Thankfully, she does meet
some lovely people and it is her friendship with Albert, an
Australian soldier, who saves her from the bullying of boys from
school. Another change sees her hardworking parents leave Teresa at
a convent while they work hard and build a new house for them all.
It is at the convent that Anna comes back into Teresa's life and
another chapter begins. Teresa is an excellent novel for exposing children to the lives of
an immigrant family and the hardships they faced because of war. It
explains the negative experiences in a light manner while describing
the hurt and confusion they also cause. The story also shows the
strength, determination and sacrifices families had to make for
their survival. This is highly recommended for independent readers
aged 9+. It was also interesting to read the information about the
author and her mention of her Nanna Teresa. This hints at a personal
link to the story and makes the events more possible, believable and
real.
Kylie Kempster
Inherit midnight by Kate Kae Myers
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781619639362
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Myers brings to life a wonderful
lesson in the importance of family history. Describing a set of
challenges created to find the most worthy heir to the VanDemere
fortune, Avery's grandmother shows her cunning as her challenges
about family history not only show her who is the most worthy, but
act to draw the family together through a gruelling set of
challenges which reveal more and more about her heir's
characteristics.
After escaping from St. Frederick's, a prison-like boarding school,
Avery becomes an unwilling participant in her grandmother's heritage
and inheritance game. Being an only child and the result of a family
scandal, all Avery ever wanted was to escape the VanDemere's
constant degradation of her. With the help of Riley Tate, the
lawyer's son who came to fetch her, Avery discovers that to avoid
returning to the school she must participate in the competition. Mr.
Tate gives her the added motivation she needs by revealing that her
mother, the Croatian nanny, is alive and well. In order to get the
letters that her mother had been sending, Avery must win the
competition and retain Mr. Tate's law firm. With Riley as chaperone
Avery travels across three continents to complete seven challenges.
Together they explore diamond mines and re-enact family history to
prove she has all the treasured traits associated with the VanDemere
name. Avery has both advantages and disadvantages in the
competition; she lives in the family mansion, but she is the most
despised of all her cousins. With each determined to inherit the
fortune and knock her out if they can, the game is, for Avery, also
a test of survival.
I would highly recommend for lovers of the adventure-quest tale,
twelve and up. More than anything this is about a struggle against
the odds, will Avery come out on top, proving herself better than
her uncles and cousins? Or will she fail on the very first test and
be sent back to the horrors of St. Frederick's? The novel is well
written and completely engrossing from start to finish.
Kayla Gaskell
Are you sitting comfortably? by Leigh Hodgkinson
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408864821
(Ages: 3-6) Reading. Books. Leigh Hogkinson's distinctive patterned
illustrations take centre stage in this story about a young book
lover searching for the perfect place to sit and read. On each page
he is sitting on a chair, but the chair itself and the page
background changes. The colour palette on each page also changes,
with the background and the chair showing similar patterns and
tones. The boy wants somewhere not too buzzy or too fuzzy, without
hoots or giant stomping boots, not too grimey or slimey and not too
hot or cold. Eventually he decides that it doesn't matter where he
sits, any chair is fine, because 'A book is best anywhere...
A book is best when you SHARE'
Varied fonts and font size add emphasis to the reading and makes the
words look interesting and appealing to young readers.
Overall, this is short and simple, the rhyme is pleasing to the ear
and the illustrations, featuring a cast of beautifully coloured
animals, are quite striking. Book lovers will enjoy sharing this
book about the joy of sharing a book! A perfect bedtime story.
Nicole Nelson
There is a tribe of kids by Lane Smith
Two Hoots (Pan Macmillan), 2016. ISBN 9781509812882
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Wordplay. Curiosity. Belonging. Adventure.
Readers will be introduced to the words which signify a group of
things through this imaginative and joyous book about finding where
you belong. From the title page, readers will see the plural for a
group of kid goats, tribe, and be encouraged to think about why this
word suits the animal so well, although it also suggests another
group which children may understand. As the young girl leaves the
kids, she sees a penguin and this small motif at the bottom of the
page heralds the animal that is overleaf. And sure enough, a group
of penguins is called a colony. This delightful way of introducing
the group word for many things in our plant and animal world will
encourage thought and discussion amongst the readers. So we see a
smack of jellyfish, an unkindness of ravens, a bed of clams, a turn
of turtles amongst the twenty or so phrases, coming in full circle
to a tribe of kids at the end, with not a goat in sight. Readers
will ponder too, the use of past tense on all pages except the last.
An enigma to get their teeth into.
Children will delight in seeing the words and what makes up these
groups and see for themselves where they belong. The wonderful
illustrations keep pace with the writing as each scene is depicted
using mixed media: coloured pencil, oil and acrylic paint as well as
digital imaging creating a mottled appearance to the pages. Each
page will cause sighs and wonder from the audience as the images
appear before their eyes. I can imagine a class trying out some of
the methods themselves, using different group words after reading
the book.
Fran Knight
The Special Ones by Em Bailey
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2016. ISBN 9781742976280
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Cults. Abduction. Coming of age.
Thriller. Esther is one of the Special Ones, four teens who live in
an isolated farmhouse and who aren't allowed to leave. They are
watched by an unseen man, who knows their every movement and who
punishes them for the slightest transgression from their allotted
roles. He broadcasts their lives to an eager following on the
outside and they are forced to give advice that fits in with the
personalities that have been given them. Will there ever be a chance
for Esther to escape, or will she be renewed as others have before
her?
This is a highly addictive read that will keep the readers glued to
the page as they follow the fortunes of the four teens, the Special
Ones. The story is narrated first in Esther's voice and the reader
will find that a compelling one as she paints a horrific picture of
how she and the other Special Ones have to behave in their non-toxic
life. At the same time the reader is kept in suspense about what has
happened to the children who have been sent away to be renewed and
there is always the question mark hanging over Harry - why is he
free to bring back new victims to replace those sent away? In the
latter part of the book, the narration is in the voice of the man
who holds them in the farmhouse, and it is a frightening portrayal
of someone who appears to be very normal but who really is insane.
The portrayal of Esther's character was a highlight. The reader is
taken through her life as a young teen who is forbidden to leave the
house - the verandah is as far as she is allowed to go - to the
formidable young woman who is determined to find the other children
who have been sent away for renewal. Bailey clearly brings to life
what it could be like for a victim to return home and face the
endless media and questioning, but Esther manages to stay true to
what she believes in.
This was a very clever, scary and challenging book that is sure to
be popular with teen readers.
Pat Pledger
My mum's special secret by Sally Morgan
Ill. by Ambelin Kwaymullina. Omnibus Books, 2016. ISBN 9781742991368
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended, Australian animals, Aboriginal themes,
Parents, and parenting, Kookaburra
An absolutely delightful rhythmical story of the love between a baby
bird and its mother is told with bright gouache illustrations
reinvesting the special bond between mother and child with a
singular importance. Each page has the baby bird asking his mother a
question, one which is answered on the next page. Children will love
listening to the warm-hearted story being read to them and learn to
predict the questions and answers as each uses the same format.
'Will we see the stars? Mum'
for example, is followed by
'My mum shows me the stars
through the leaves,
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle'
Each one line question of five or six words is ended with the word,
Mum, and the response is always one long sentence followed by three
words describing the object, begging the child to repeat those words
as they are read out. In this way the repetition becomes easy for
children to follow and practice for themselves.
The communication between mother and her offspring, reinforce the
maternal bond with a child, and reflect what parenting is about to
the listener and reader. The last four pages add a little piquant to
the mix as the format changes, encouraging the child to see the
deeply reciprocal nature of the relationship between mother and
child.
And of course the luminous illustrations teach the reader about the
life of the kookaburra: where it lives, what it eats and how it
survives in the Australian bush, giving another level of learning to
this lovely book.
Fran Knight
Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard
Chicken House, 2016. ISBN 9781910002704
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Darkus Cuttle's dad is missing. He
has to live with his uncle, change schools, make new friends and
work out why he can understand a huge rhinoceros beetle who has
become his friend by chance. Thanks to this beetle (he names him
Baxter) rescuing Darkus from some bullies, Darkus becomes Beetle
Boy. Darkus knows his dad would never leave him so sets out with
some help from his uncle and a lot of help from his new friends,
Virginia and Bertolt, to find out what happened. Who knew it would
lead to some amazing bugs and an amazing adventure.
Darkus encounters Lucretia Cutter, an avid bug collector and fashion
designer as well as the antagonist for this story. She is willing to
pay for the deaths of the amazing bugs Darkus has found and while he
is trying to save them, uncovers another secret or two. Who is this
Lucretia Cutter and does she know Darkus's dad? Was that a claw
instead of a foot? Did Lucretia just try and shoot him? Does
Lucretia hold the key to his dad's disappearance? Beetle Boy is a wonderful story full of hope, adventure and
total belief in one's father as well as oneself. The author has
captured the everyday issues of a young boy who dares to be
different and not conform to the expectations of the bullies while
creating a wonderful mystery and adventure for any reader who loves
bugs. It is highly recommended for readers aged 10+ but will
especially appeal to boys.
Kylie Kempster
Australian Bushrangers series by Jane Smith
Big Sky Publishing, 2014 Captain Thunderbolt. ISBN 9781922132574 Ben Hall. ISBN 9781922132697 Captain Starlight. ISBN 9781922132710 Frank Gardiner. ISBN 9781922132673 Captain Moonlite. ISBN 9781922132581
Themes: Bushrangers; Australian History. This series is written in a
simple style with some sidebar excerpts to fill in detail. The index
would enable the text to be used by young students for research, but
the books in this series are easy to read from cover to cover and
could even become teacher-shared texts during a unit of work on
early Australian History during the mid-1800s. Inferences about what
life was like during this period could also be made (in connection
with Year 5 Australian Curriculum History content.) Captain Thunderbolt
This short biography and detail of the exploits of 'Captain
Thunderbolt' (Frederick Wordsworth Ward) gives an overview of his
life and his career on the wrong side of the law. Thunderbolt is
represented as a 'gentleman' rogue who enjoyed support from the
wider public despite his attempts to improve his own circumstances
by thieving. Smith gives brief accounts of the chronology of his
life and deeds and the book includes some evidence of Primary
sources for the historical account. Ben Hall
Ben Hall, another 'gentleman' bushranger, who despite being the
child of ex-convicts, appeared to have a more promising future until
he met up with the notorious bushranger Frank Gardiner. This book
details the robberies of Ben Hall and the changing faces in his gang
in the 1860s. The circumstances that led to his notoriety and the
ultimate outcome of his life of crime are well detailed by the
author, with sketches, primary sources and photographs used to
illustrate the text. Captain Starlight
This book focuses on two bushrangers, Frank Pearson and Harry
Readford, who might potentially have inspired the character Captain
Starlight from the Rolf Boldrewood book Robbery Under Arms
(published in 1888 after first appearing as a serial in a Sydney
newspaper). Both bushrangers were well read, and may have been
successful if they had not sought an 'easier' route by breaking the
law and attempting to make easy money via criminal means. Although
the author does not speculate about society at the time, it is
apparent from their crimes, that the two 'Captain Starlight'
characters sought to exploit the wide and poorly policed areas of
New South Wales and Queensland in the 1800s. The legal system also
was well exploited by these lawbreakers. The author has made brief
comparisons between Pearson and Readford, but has also indicated how
they pursued their crime path in some detail. Frank Gardiner
Frank Gardiner was notorious, leading a life of crime that involved
theft, highway robbery and attacks on the police who came to arrest
him. Mid-19th century life was tough in the rural regions of NSW,
and even those who were attempting to live honestly were tempted to
make their way by illegal means. The police were not well-respected
because they represented the authority of the government which was a
target for many who had come to hate taxes and their impoverished
existence, and the added influence of convict heritage may have had
its own impacts. Into this environment, the well-spoken and affable
Gardiner (aka Christie) was easily able to draw a collection of the
disaffected and pursue a career of crime. This book details his
pursuits and explores why he was respected and protected by many of
the local citizens of NSW despite his illegal activities. This is an
interesting stand-alone book, but together with the rest of the
series gives an insight into early life in the colony. Captain Moonlite
Andrew George Scott became known as 'Captain Moonlite', who despite
coming from a good family and having a religious background, ended
up on the wrong side of the law. Scott was educated and had
prospects for a career in the developing colony (after migrating
from Ireland via New Zealand). A hold-up in the local bank
implicated Scott and a pathway of lies and deceit revealed Scott as
a complicated man with a tendency to performance. The web of
intrigue tightened around him and his prison experiences impacted
his life. He had a complicated and high view of his own opinions (he
would defend himself in court with dramatic fervour and went on a
speaking tour to promote prison reform) and was also able to
convince others to follow his instructions. Although a 'gentleman',
he was not as amiable in his approach as other bushrangers in this
series and there could also be some conjecture about his mental
stability and his possible homosexuality. The fact that jobs were
hard to find for those who had served jail sentences created a
desperation that led to his short-lived bushranging career which
ended on the gallows. This book reveals a complex character and a
complicated set of circumstances and although the social context is
not examined in detail, gives hints about how bushranging became a
choice for Captain Moonlite and his less well-known companions. This
is perhaps less likely to be used as a read-aloud text for Year 5
students as part of the Australian Curriculum - the behaviour of
Captain Moonlite is harder to fathom for a younger audience.
Carolyn Hull
Where's the starfish? by Barroux
Egmont, 2016. ISBN 9781405280082
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Hide and seek. Oceans. Fish.
Pollution. A seemingly simple game of find the starfish, the
clownfish and the jellyfish amongst the double pages bright with
different colours, shapes and varieties of fish, soon turns into a
subtle look at the pollution in our oceans as the fish, big and
small, find that their habitat is being crowded out by the litter
clogging their world. It starts small, with a bottle and can on the
sea floor, but as each page is turned the mound of discarded rubbish
grows, the number of fish lessens, until finally most of the fish
have gone. Children will laugh at the ingenious solution reached by
the whale to rid the sea floor of human rubbish, putting it back in
their corner of the world, leaving their environment free. And they
will be made more aware of the sort of rubbish that is tipped into
the sea, or finds its way there through unthinking human activity.
They will love spotting the fish, especially the three mentioned, as
they keep turning up on most pages, and they will like looking at
the variety and scope of the rubbish found in the sea.
Barroux found inspiration for the story when on one of his dives, he
saw a plastic bag that he thought was a jellyfish. His illustrations
will enthrall younger readers, using the Where's Wally style
of search to get them hooked. A teacher could use this technique
asking the children to find the three fish, starfish, jellyfish and
clownfish, then spread the search wider to search for a telephone, a
TV set, a washing machine and so on. And what a wonderful mobile
could be made in the class using this story as its base.
Fran Knight
Nathalia Buttface and the totally embarrassing bridesmaid disaster by Nigel Smith
HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN 9780008167097
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. If the title Nathalia Buttface and
the totally embarrassing bridesmaid disaster doesn't make you
laugh then the hilarious events in the first 50 pages will! Nathalia
doesn't want to be a bridesmaid in her stupid cousin's, who she
really doesn't know, wedding and is trying hard to be removed as a
bridesmaid. The humungous fairy dress is only one terrible part of
the whole thing but worse is yet to come - meeting the other
bridesmaids, going to the day spa, someone losing their hairpiece
and getting a promotion to 2nd bridesmaid! Nathalia Buttface is as hilarious as it is descriptive.
Highly recommended for girls aged 9+. Every word leaves a funny
image in your mind as you read about Nathalia's antics. Meet the
bridegroom and his big personality. Watch Dad, the unorganised,
organise a wedding. Can Nathalia, as the 2nd bridesmaid, uninvite
uncle Ernie without hurting his feelings? How will Darius,
Nathalia's best friend, get her out of this crazy wedding? Will
Nathalia make it to the big day?
Kylie Kempster
