Trans. by Annie Prime. The Red Abbey Chronicles bk 1.
Pushkin Children's Books, 2016. ISBN 9781782690917
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Finlandia Junior Award 2014. Fantasy. Women.
Nuns. Abbeys. After the Hunger Winter, Maresi came to the Red Abbey
to escape death from malnutrition. In the Red Abbey she is safe and
has ample food to eat and a treasure chamber of books to learn from.
Then Jai arrives on a ship. She has scars on her back and has been
cruelly treated by a father who considers his wives and daughters to
be worthless. Jai knows that his honour has been threatened by her
escape and believes that he will pursue her, harming everyone at the
Abbey. Maresi and the other women must call on the powers of the
Mother in all her forms to save Jai and the other women and
children.
This is a gripping story in many ways. The setting of the Red Abbey,
where men are forbidden and women grow strong in body and mind is
beautifully described as are the inhabitants of the island. Maresi
is a wonderfully caring young girl, who looks after the youngest
children, and takes the terror stricken Jai under her wing, helping
her to heal and gain confidence. Sister O looks on Maresi as her
protege and teaches her how to read the stories of the seven women
who originally came to the island. Mother, the nun in charge is wise
and tolerant and other characters are also fully developed so the
the reader gets a great sense of the community spirit that pervades
the Abbey.
Jai's ordeal and the way that women are treated in the society that
she flees has a familiar feel, reminiscent of some modern day
countries. There is a calm sense of underlying feminism, with women
and girls being empowered at the Red Abbey, but it is never
strident, and the themes of friendship, of sacrifice and of terror
and magic are the ones that captivate the reader as the tale of
whether Jai and Maresi can survive the wrath of Jai's father takes
over.
Maresi's story seems complete and comes to a satisfying conclusion,
so it will be interesting to see where the next in the series, Naodel,
takes the reader. Maresi is a book that will appeal to
lovers of fantasy, who want something a little more than a dystopian
quest. Its themes of coming of age, women's rights and community
living could make for a interesting book to discuss in a literature
circle.
Pat Pledger
Hattie helps out by Jane Godwin and Davina Bell
Ill. by Freya Blackwood. Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781743435434
(Ages: 3-7) Highly recommended. The first things that jump out of Hattie
Helps Out are the distinctive and wonderful illustrations of
Freya Blackwood. However, there is much more to commend this book
for than just aesthetics. Children and parents alike will be able to
relate to its warm, gentle and humourous tale. The house is a mess,
there is washing piled up everywhere, the baby is asleep in the
washing basket, mum is exhausted and there are lots of jobs to get
done before Dad's birthday party tonight. Lucky mum has Hattie to
help out. She manages to make place cards and help mum bake the cake
before it is time for her afternoon rest. Mama still has lots to do
but Hattie convinces her to lie down with her for a little while
('Get right in, so we can snuggle up', 'I told you it would be nice.
Just you and me'). Hattie closes her eyes, but sleep doesn't come .
. . Mama however is sound asleep so Hattie decides to get up and
finish all the jobs that need to be done for the party. Needless to
say, Hattie's heart is in the right place but sticky-taping the
biscuits together and decorating the toilet bowl with flowers wasn't
quite what Mama had in mind! When everyone arrives Daddy is most
surprised and when Mama wakes she is so grateful for Hattie's help
('What would I have done without my little girl?')
While this portrays a busy day in Hattie's house there is a very
calm and gentle feel to the story and everything is perfect because
they are all together, despite the messy house. Hattie's character
and dialogue is funny ('I don't have time for a crying baby today .
. . You'll have to sit quietly and wear your party hat') but
believable of children her age who often say the most extraordinary
things!
Nicole Nelson
Near, far by Silvia Borando
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406363180
(Ages: 3-7) Wordless, Perspective, Near and Far, Animals,
Imagination. This is an English translation of a 2013 Italian
publication and part of the Minibombo series (little book
buzzing with a big idea). The website www.minibombo.com has
information, activities and games related to the books that could be
used or adapted for the classroom. The big idea in this book is
perspective. We see bits of an animal from close up: two green
mounds. Children might start guessing now what it is they are
seeing, (grassy hills or the ears of a frog?), then we get another
view zoomed out a little more and we see many spiky ridges. Then it
zooms right out and we see that it is a crocodile and we were
looking at the spiky ridges of its back. Children will love trying
to guess which animal is being shown before they see it in its
entirety and it will encourage and stimulate imagination. It will
also be a challenge for many children to work out which zoomed in
part of the animal was being shown. One of the concepts of the
minibombo books is using simple shapes to create animals and the
books in the series use the same animals (a lot of the animals in
this title are the same as in Now You See Me, Now You Don't).
While the book may have limited scope and children might not want to
go back for repeated readings, it is a useful concept book for
teachers working on perspective and near/far. It could be used as a
starting point for perspective activities and artwork and to kick
start discussions about how different people can see different
things when looking at the same thing.
Nicole Nelson
Hacks for Minecrafters series by Megan Miller
Bloomsbury, 2015 Hacks For Minecrafters: Combat/Builder. ISBN 9781408869635 Hacks for minecrafters: Master builder. ISBN 9781408869628 Hacks for Minecrafters: The Unofficial Guide to Tips and Tricks
That Other Guides Won't Teach You. ISBN 9781632204400
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Gaming, Survival, Building. These
books would be enjoyed by all people who enjoy playing computer
games and in particular Minecraft. The three books are about 'Hacks
and Tips', 'Combat' and 'Building' in Minecraft. The books have tips
from: how to build glass domes, to how many times you have to hit a
creeper with an iron sword to kill it.
The books are titled Hacks For Minecrafters yet after
reading all three I discovered that there is only one hack between
all the books, and that hack is common knowledge to most PC
Minecrafters. Although there are no hacks in the books almost every
piece of information they contain is very helpful. I may not be an
avid Minecrafter but I found the books very interesting. These books
would not make very good gifts but for people new to Minecraft they
would be very helpful given the amount of information they contain.
I would recommend the books for people who play Minecraft at about
9-12 year olds. For those who struggle to read, they may be a little
difficult as they contain a few complex words.
Reuben Schumacher (Student, aged 13)
Now you see me, now you don't by Silvia Borando
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406364217
(Ages: 2-7) Wordless, Camouflage/Visibility, Colour, Animals. This
is an English translation of a 2013 Italian publication and part of
the Minibombo series (little book buzzing with a big idea).
The website has information,
activities and games related to the books that could be used or
adapted for the classroom. The big idea in this book is colour and
camouflage/visibility. There are the same animals and configuration
on each page, with the landscape and colour of the background
changing each time (green grass, orange autumn leaves, blue sky,
etc.). So on each page one or more of the animals is camouflaged
with the background (blue bird blends in with the blue sky, grey
mouse with the stony ground, etc.) and only their eyes or other
differently coloured features can be seen. The animals are not all
naturally coloured and life-like or this concept wouldn't work. They
are all block colours and there is a purple elephant and a pink
rabbit. Most of the others are their general colour (eg. green
crocodile, brown bear and grey mouse). The book will encourage
conversations about what animal cannot be seen on each page and why.
There is no other text so it relies on children and parents to talk
about and interact with the book. This is a useful resource for
teachers to use when discussing colour and the concept of
camouflage. It could be used as a starting point for camouflage
activities and artwork. The last spread also provides for great
discussion as the background is black and now none of the animals
(except for their eyes) can be seen. There is also a chameleon that
is only seen on the first page.
Nicole Nelson
Bear make den by Jane Godwin and Michael Wagner
Ill. by Andrew Joyner. Allen and Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760110017
(Ages: 3-6) Recommended. Andrew Joyner's superb illustrations make
this immediately appealing and the story does not disappoint. The
bear on the cover immediately comes across as loveable and
hardworking, depicted working away in his blue overalls with a
satisfied grin. He sure is a competent DIY bear - painting, sewing,
building, baking, he can do it all. The country feel of the book,
owing to the red and white check cloth of the spine, the forest
setting and the simplistic 'caveman' language used throughout the
book ('Bear make den, den good, den done') works perfectly with this
gentle, simple story. It all starts with bear reading a book called
'How Make Den'. He finds a cave, shovels out some dirt and is pretty
satisfied . . . until he realises he is sitting on the ground! 'Den
not done.' So he constructs a table and some chairs out of a log.
Again, he is chuffed until he realises the dining chairs are
uncomfortable for sleeping on. And so it continues . . . .a bed, a
lamp, an oven, a game to play, art, and finally . . . friends! At
its heart, this is a simple and fun story about what truly makes a
house a home. The whole story is leading up to this as bear makes a
bunk bed, a two seater couch with lamps on either side, two dining
chairs, a huge cake too big for one, a chess game for two, etc.
The simplistic language is perfect; it sets the speed of the book as
bear quickly works to build things for his den and is all that is
required to tell the story. In fact, you could just as easily read
the story from the pictures alone, as bear's mannerisms and facial
expressions perfectly portray what he is thinking and feeling. This
is perfect for sharing and independent reading. Children will also
love guessing what bear is going to do next.
Nicole Nelson
Hour of the bees by Lindsay Eagar
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406368154
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Identity; Memory; Family and memory
loss; Death and dying; Relationships. Carol (short for Carolina) is
about to enter Junior High School in New Mexico, USA. Her life is
sent into a spin at the start of her summer holidays with the news
that they are to spend the entire break at the desert ranch
belonging to her grandfather (with rattlesnakes and dust and heat).
This is not just a family holiday, it is her family's responsibility
to prepare the house and sheep ranch for her grandfather's move into
a secure retirement home. Her grandfather Serge (Sergio) is
struggling with illness and advancing dementia, and his ebb and flow
as a reliable independent farmer and teller of tales of his past is
deeply connected to the desert-like drought affected landscape. Into
this environment, with its harsh reality, Carol reluctantly connects
to her history and her roots. The grumpy Serge, and the stories he
tells of his past is woven together with an almost mystical story of
a tree that has powers of restoration. Bees that are bearers of hope
of the breaking of the drought also appear in the stories and into
Carol's environment. She changes from a reluctant child forced to
spend a busy holiday 'working' to unpack a life's possessions, to a
mature keeper of memories of the past and an advocate for her dying
grandfather. Her view of the family home of her father changes to
respect, and affects her choices in life-altering ways and changes
her view of her identity.
Although Carol is the principal character of this story, her blended
family and their quirks and interactions are also important. Their
actions and reactions speak of love, but also the way that families
sometimes can sometimes 'rub each other up the wrong way'. Love is
not always easy, and Serge's stories reveal this too. The Central
narrative is woven together with Serge's 'memory mystical stories'
and consequently there is a quality of the unbelievable about some
aspects of the tale. This is woven together with the influence of
the Mexican background of the family. (For Australian readers, the
environment of New Mexico is not unlike our Outback experience.)
Recommended for Aged 12+
Carolyn Hull
A tale of two beasts by Fiona Roberton
Hachette, 2016. ISBN 9781444916737
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Point of view, Animals, Pets. Prefaced with a
quote from Mark Twain ('there are two sides to every story, then
there is the truth') this two handed story will be such a treat for
younger readers who are the centre of their own existence. This book
will encourage them to see that there are two sides to every story,
that everyone's version is from their own perspective, that not
everyone tells a story which includes someone else's point of view.
A tall order, but exceptionally well done in this offering from
Fiona Roberton.
A young girl finds an animal in the forest hanging upside down from
a branch. Assuming it is in need of help she takes it home, washes
it, feeds it, dresses it in a hat and scarf and lays it down in a
box with her stuffed toy. She attaches a lead and takes it for a
walk, and introduces the animal to her friends. Children reading it
will be encouraged by the girl's care and love of the foundling
animal and be saddened when it jumps through the window and runs
away.
But this is only the first part of the tale.
The second half of the book, shows the opposite side of the coin:
the animal tells the tale of being taken by a strange beast who
feeds it inappropriate food, dresses it in hot clothing and lies it
down when all it wants to do is hang from a tree. It cannot wait to
escape and get back to its own environment.
Readers will see a different perspective of the same story, and
ponder the different points of view. The book will be enjoyed by a
range of children, and is able to be used in the classroom when
discussing points of view with a large dose of humour.
Fran Knight
Chip by Kylie Howarth
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760400736
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Seaside, Seagulls, Food. Chip the seagull
just loves chips. He dives for them, picks them up off the beach,
rustles for them in bins and hassles customers at the fish and chip
takeaway van by the shore. He eats 'fat chips, skinny chips, crunchy
little bits of chips and even spicy chilli-dipped chips'. This cute
little line is repeated through the story begging children to learn
and repeat it themselves. But in being forward in winning his treats
he falls foul of the owner of the van, Joe, who puts up a sign to
tell his customers not to feed the gulls, and shoos the gulls away.
Chip has an idea, and collects the other gulls together to do
something spectacular. It is so absorbing that their display is
responsible for keeping customers at Joe's food van and the two work
together to make it work. A neat resolution will satisfy the readers
immensely. Chip the seagull with the bright red neck kerchief stands
out in the crowd of gulls as he orchestrates their surprise display.
The illustrations beautifully reflect the seaside and all that it
means to kids and their families, and many will recall family
excursions and holidays to the beach when reading this book.
Fran Knight
Magrit by Lee Battersby
Ill. by Amy Daoud. Walker Books Australia, 2016. ISBN 9781925081343
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Magrit lives in an old cemetery with her
friend and mentor Master Puppet whom she constructed from old bones.
When a stork passes through one night, it drops an unusual bundle in
to the abandoned cemetery. Magrit is very curious however Master
Puppet warns her that it is ugly and will only result in bad news.
Despite the warnings she discovers a baby which she decides to keep
for herself. She names him Bugrat and loves him like a brother, but
why is Master Puppet being so weird and who does that strange voice
belong to?
I found this short book quite easy to follow along. I did find some
of the story lines predictable but there were still a few surprises
in store especially for a younger reader. It is written superbly
taking it from a simple children's story into something more
descriptive. The story is slightly dark and beautifully packaged.
The characters have been given personalities who are mysterious and
intriguing that you will want to know more. Magrit has
plenty of soul, sadness, despair, and hope. It's a delightfully dark
fairy tale, full of Battersby's whimsy and charm. Because of the
very slightly scary theme I would recommend it for 10 year olds and
above and anyone who loved Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.
Jody Holmes
We're going on an egg hunt by Laura Hughes
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408870112
(Ages: 0-5) Lift-the-flap book, Counting, Easter. The bunnies are
going on an egg hunt. They're going to find them all. And they're
REALLY excited. As is obvious from the title, this is a twist on the
classic We're going on a bear hunt, only here the hunt is
for eggs. A family of bunnies living on a farm traipse through
paddocks filled with lambs, chicks, bees and ducks on their hunt for
Easter eggs. The Easter association with spring and new life is
emphasised as the bunnies trek through natural environments filled
with plants, flowers, insects, birds and animals. This book contains
many small flaps, most of them hiding Easter eggs that children can
find as they journey with the bunnies. The hidden eggs are numbered
from 1 - 10 so that children can count along with each one they find.
The wolf hiding behind the tenth egg is reminiscent of Wile E Coyote
as he has set up a giant Easter egg and hides behind it to trick the
bunnies into coming close. Moreover, just like Wile E Coyote, the
wolf's plan fails and he ends up with the door to the bunnies' cosy
cottage humourously slammed in his face.
The book itself is visually appealing with shiny foil detail on the
cover and a gloss finish. Thick card pages and flaps make it hardy
for young children. The busy, colourful illustrations are great and
if children look closely they will be able to spot the wolf
following the bunnies all around the farm. This is a shameless
celebration of chocolate Easter eggs and the hunt that young
children love about Easter. 'Hooray for Easter Day! . . . It's
Easter eggs for tea!'.
Nicole Nelson
Animal alphabet: Learn your letters by Jeannette Rowe
The Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760068837
(Ages: 3-5) This is part of the Giggle School range of
preschool and early learning activity books for parents to use with
young children. This is one of the first in the series - the other
is Count on me. The books contain big, bright distinctive
illustrations by Jeannette Rowe and were developed in consultation
with an international education consultant. In the back of each book
are some fantastic quick tips for parents about ways to support
their child's early learning. This one starts by showing the whole
alphabet, then looks at capital and lower case letters and names and
sounds of letters before telling the reader that letters can make
words. The text is appropriately simple and contains age-appropriate
activities on each page (saying letter names, saying letter sounds,
colouring, finding letters in words, writing their name).
The majority of the book follows an alphabet picture book concept
showing each letter of the alphabet and some animals that begin with
that letter. On the bottom of each of these pages, it shows how the
letters are formed and has some dotted letters for the child to
trace. The child also has to write the letter to finish one of the
animals' names. (eg. -iger). All of the animals on these pages are
already coloured, which means there is not much for the child to do.
Interspersed with these pages are a few other activities, most of
which involve colouring and tracing, good for developing fine-motor
coordination. There is only one page (alternative letter sounds and
blends, eg. Gi for giraffe) that seems inappropriate for the target
level of the book.
A marketing point of these activity books is that they are
full-colour, but this seems somewhat wasteful for books that may be
used once and then discarded. However, if used well by parents, this
could be a worthwhile tool (able to be used more than once),
especially for letter and sound identification and letter formation.
Nicole Nelson
Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den by Aimee Carter
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408858011
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den is a
novel that is rich with the themes of fantasy and mystery as young,
shy Simon reveals a shocking truth about his family members and his
own heritage. Simon believes he is an ordinary if somewhat lonely 14
year old boy who is bullied at school and has no real best friend.
His mother travels for work and as a result, Simon lives with his
gruff uncle. Simon is shocked when he finds he can talk to the
pigeons on the street, his resident mouse Felix and every creature
he comes across. But when rats and pigeons swarm and fight one
another on the sidewalk, when his fly-away mother suddenly appears
out of nowhere, when a Golden Eagle shows up outside his window
talking of danger and when a new student sticks up for him at
school, Simon knows that something isn't right. Suddenly, the life
of Simon Thorn isn't as ordinary as he copes to make sense of the
new world that has been shown to him and as he weighs the words of
strangers whom could be new allies or new enemies.
This fantasy novel by Aimee Carter is packed with action and
mystery, the exciting plot takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride
of emotions and theories as the characters aren't always like what
they appear to be. This novel is well suited for younger teens (12+)
and lovers of fantasy and action.
Overall, Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den was a magnetic read
and was impossible to put down.
Sarah Filkin (University student)
Archie no ordinary sloth by Heath McKenzie
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760067892
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Animals, South America, Difference. What a
delight, a cute sloth hanging about with his peers and families, but
finding it hard to fit into the sloth like demeanour of the rest. He
aches to try new things, to branch out, to swing from the trees. But
not so the rest of the group: they prefer to do what sloths do -
hang about, laze over the branches, sleep all day long and night
time too. They become annoyed at the noise he makes, waking them
from their slumber, and are disturbed by his antics, so tell him to
go away.
So Archie goes off to find others like him. In so doing, he
discovers that his difference is most useful to his clan and he
saves the day.
What a perfect opportunity for a teacher or parent to talk about the
word sloth, and see what it means, and talk of how language is
intertwined. While a wonderful time could be had by all the animal
lovers in the class looking at a map of South America to see where
Archie and his cohort live, and discuss what other animals actually
do live side by side with a sloth, particularly in this year of the
Rio Olympic Games, where stress will be put upon all things South
American. And of course, the opportunity to talk about difference
presents itself to anyone who reads beneath the words and
illustrations.
Fran Knight
All that is lost between us by Sara Foster
Simon and Schuster, 2016. ISBN 9781925184785
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Seventeen year old Georgia Turner is
isolating herself from her friends and family because she has a
secret she has been keeping but is desperate to tell her cousin and
best friend, Sophia. Anya, Georgia's mother is the school
psychologist but no matter what she tries, Georgia pushes her away.
If only she could have the back up from her husband, Callum, but
that relationship has become distant and isn't like when the
children were younger. Zac, Georgia's younger brother is worried
about his sister after she is involved in an accident. He stumbles
across Georgia's secret and is determined to help keep it for her.
When Georgia's secret is revealed on social media the twists and
turns of everyone's secrets begin to unravel. Can this tragedy bring
the Turner family back to a whole family unit once more?
This is the fourth book from Sara Foster, with the previous 3 all
reaching into the top 8 Australian good reads. The story is told
from the point of view of the Turner family so you get both sides of
the story and feel empathy for the characters. The mystery element
was compelling and I found it hard to put the book aside. At times
it is fast paced and at other times you are able to sit back and
enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Lake District. Foster brings
attention to the hazards of Social Media and how it can impact not
just the individual but a whole community.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers who are
15 years and above.
Jody Holmes
