Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9781780620008
(Age: 13+) Recommended. 'I am Pluto. Silent. Inaccessible.
Billions of miles away from everything I thought I knew.'
Did you, as a child, look around and wonder if you belonged in your
family? Are you a person who thought they must have been adopted?
Tess has just read that her father, Jack, is not really her father.
Not only that, but he was revolted by his first sight of her.
Tess is an introverted 15 year old and her already uncomfortable
world has been turned upside down. Now she is looking through eyes
that see everything Jack and her mother do as somehow sinister and
deceitful. She begins a mute protest, refusing to speak to anyone.
Her once strong, and mutually strengthening relationship with her
friend Isabel is the first casualty of this decision.
Tess' relationship with her Grandmother is touching and genuinely
caring. It also serves as another lens through which Tess examines
her parents and relatives.
Tess has been ruthlessly bullied at school, and on the internet.
Being mute escalates the bullying and Tess survives this torment by
relying on Mr Goldfish. Mr Goldfish acts as confidante and ally. The
challenges to Tess' thinking and decisions are generated by Mr
Goldfish and at times prevent her immaturity and naivety overtaking
her. He helps her understand that people are not always as they
appear, even when you think you know them really well.
This book sensitively probes the intensity of the teenage years
through the themes of friendship, family relationship, bullying and
body image. The bullying is unfortunately not addressed or resolved
in this story. The characters are believable and there is humour
provided by Mr Goldfish that serves to break the tension.
Linda Guthrie
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney
Puffin Books, 2015. ISBN 9780143309000
(Age: 7-12) The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are still as
popular as ever and the new title (number 10 in the series), Old
School will please DOWK fans.
As usual Greg has many misadventures and mishaps. His Mum has
convinced the town to unplug and be electronics free, his granddad
has moved into Greg's bedroom and Greg has to share with his little
brother Manny, his lemonade stall has problems and volunteering in
the community has it's drawbacks.
Despite his original misgivings, Greg ends up going on camp to
Hardscrabble Farm. Life at the camp involves a variety of unpleasant
activities and experiences but the biggest issue is the camp story
of Silas Scratch, an undead farmer who couldn't be killed. The
constant fear of his appearance impacts on all the campers, but Greg
is determined to discover more about this scary character.
I laughed out loud at several parts of this story, the little
brother Manny with his 'no pants' antics, the not to be crossed girl
scouts and the grandfather driving the car were very funny.
The amusing storyline and simple cartoon illustrations are still a
hit and the book appeals to confident and less independent readers
alike.
I recommend this book to the many old and new fans of DOWK and
suggest that readers from 7 to 12 years will enjoy this novel.
You can hear Jeff Kinney talk about his book here.
Jane Moore
Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman
Lady Helen bk. 1. Angus & Robertson, 2015. ISBN
9780732296094
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Regency period. Paranormal. Lady
Helen Wrexhall is a young woman, about to be presented to Queen
Charlotte and ready to be launched in Regency society and into the
marriage mart. She is haunted by the memory of her mother who was
tainted by the reputation of being a traitor, and when she meets the
dark and dangerous Lord Carlston, she finds it very difficult to
believe that she has another destiny that of a member of the Dark
Days Club, fighting demons and rescuing people.
Goodman's research into the Regency period provides a fascinating
background to the story of Lady Helen, just making her debut, and
seeking a suitable man to marry. Marriage was the only way that a
woman could secure her future and the lack of independence and
economic power that were the lot of women was graphically described.
Lady Helen, although very intelligent, remains a Regency lady,
shopping, riding in the Park and looking over prospective suitors.
The customs, the shops, the clothes, and many real characters like
Beau Brummell, Lord Byron and the Regent himself too, are all
vividly described and make compelling reading for anyone who is
interested in this period of history. An especially interesting
aspect was the relationship between Lady Helen and the many servants
in the house, including Darby her ladies' maid and young Berta who
goes missing.
I loved the combination of Regency setting and paranormal
excitement. As more of the demonic world is revealed and Lady
Helen's acquaintance with the dark Lord Carlston grows, she is
plunged into great danger and sees first-hand what the demons in her
world get up to. She has inherited powers and a secret duty and has
to decide whether she will become part of the Dark Days Club and
ostracised by the ton, or marry a Duke and become a matron leading
high society.
It was a great read, one that lovers of the Regency period, and
authors like Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen and Mary Robinette Kowal
are sure to enjoy. I am eagerly looking forward to the next in the
series.
Pat Pledger
Friday Barnes: No rules by R. A. Spratt
Random House Australia Children's, 2016. ISBN 9780857987013
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Problem-solving; Detective story;
School mystery; Humour. Friday Barnes is a student wonder - with
amazing problem-solving and detective skills. However her fashion
skills are suspect!
This is the fourth book in the Friday Barnes Series, and at the
beginning of the book she is deported to Switzerland and spends a
period of time in the no-man's land of the Airport in a citizen-less
state. Her detective skills and ability to read clues help her to
solve a diplomatic mystery. During this time away from her
peculiarly run school, Highcrest Academy, a series of unusual and
potentially disastrous events occur that have need of her remarkable
detective skills. She returns to Highcrest in time to assist the
famously good-looking Ian in clearing his name, to prevent the new
Deputy Principal from introducing a new pedagogy of freedom and to
assist the headmaster in restoring his school to its normal state of
disorder.
This is another book that understands a younger reader's demand for
adventure, mystery and young heroines. The adults in this book have
a Dahl-esque incompetence needing the wisdom of the young Friday
Barnes. It includes a series of mysteries and moves along at a
rollicking pace, rarely bogging down in detail. [R. A. Spratt has
written for Television, and the fast-paced, science themes would
appeal to a reading audience that has grown up with TV
entertainment.]
Recommended for readers aged 10+. This child-detective is aged 12,
and the beginnings of romance are hinting their arrival. A young
High School reader will still enjoy the implied quirky humour of
this book.
Carolyn Hull
Wilf the mighty worrier battles a pirate by Georgia Pritchett
Ill. by Jamie Littler. Quercus Books, 2015. ISBN 9781848669079
(Age:7-8) Recommended. Themes: Worry, Pirates, Boys, Adventure,
Humourous Stories. Young Wilf comes from a long line of worriers;
his family tree includes Norman the Neurotic, Annie the Anxious and
Freddie the Fretful. His current set of worries focuses on the
actions of Alan his evil next-door neighbour - who comes from a long
line of evil doers. Alan determines to follow in the footsteps of
pirate Long John Alan a distant relative. When Wilf enquires about
the necessary equipment - a ship, a parrot and an eye-patch, the
whole kerfuffle begins.
Anxiety and worry are Wilf's constant companions, even playing with
his best friend Stuart the woodlouse, knitting, whistling and
constantly referring to his new self-help leaflet do not really
help. Things take a turn for the worse when Alan begins to build a
pirate ship in his front yard. In seventeen days with a little help
from Kevin Phillips the dog, the vessel is complete and the worst
pirate in the world is ready to set sail. Wilf, Dot his baby sister
and Stuart unfortunately become stowaways on board trying to find
Dot's stolen bucket and spade . . .
Crazy scenes with an array of quirky characters, ably accompanied by
Jamie Littler's cartoon illustrations take the reader on an
action-filled adventure. Kerfuffle after kerfuffle occurs, with
several false finishes, Wilf learns to think fast, bringing the
story to a big finale. Has Wilf learned his lesson, has he stopped
worrying, no? Georgia Pritchett promises more adventures to come.
Rhyllis Bignell
Australia to Z by Armin Greder
Allen & Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760113186
(Age: all) Highly recommended. Australia, Racism, Icons. The image
of the globe with a magnifying glass being held over the continent
of Australia, warns us that this is not the usual A-Z of Australia,
with its koalas and Opera House but an acerbic positioning, a
sharper view of the cultural icons of Australia. And with these
cultural symbols under such a spotlight we are forced to look at
them in a different way, to look at things we hold dear with
questioning eyes.
Greder uses his black edged illustrative technique to great effect,
making many images standing out against the white background, with
seemingly few deft strokes encompassing all that needs to be said.
The first two, A and B herald the tone of the book, as A is
Aborigine showing a lone figure standing on the headland watching
the approach of a sailing ship, and B is Boat People, with a small
boat of refugees crossing the expansive ocean. What a contrast. Two
different groups of people approaching Australia for quite different
reasons. And anyone seeing these images will question Australia's
attitude to the three groups today.
To point out only a few amongst the smorgasbord of razor edged
images is difficult. Many made me stop in my tracks, N, Nationalism
shows a large, booted male individual caped in an Australian flag,
reminiscent of the Cronulla riots ten years ago, and R, Rupert shows
the eyeless man whose influence over the land of his birth seems
never ending.
No matter what the image created, each impels the reader to think
more about what is shown, from Yakka for hard work, Vegemite with a
child eating the stuff that visitors are always enjoined to try,
Waltzing Matilda, with the swaggie' s hat in the middle of the
billabong. Several are laugh out loud, Esky, Gold Coast, Ikea, for
example, while others bring a lump to the throat, Digger, Pokies,
Kangaroo.
A mirror is held up to our society, pointing out things about us
which are hard to digest, but necessarily need to be discussed,
especially when our National Anthem forms an appendix underlining
the difference between some of our icons and the words we sing at
occasions of importance. We all know the words parrot fashion, but
reading them shows the divide between what we sing and what actually
happens.
This is a brilliant piece of theatre, one which classes can unpick,
discuss and debate, looking at the icons presented from a fresh
perspective, reading our national anthem with greater care, and
pondering how we can be changed for the better.
Fran Knight
The reluctant jillaroo by Kaz Delaney
Allen & Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781925266061
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Horses, Riding school, Twins, Romance,
Mystery. Hearing Harper fall over her skateboard with a sickening
crack, Heidi knows that all her dreams have fallen apart. Due to go
to jillaroo school the very next day, Harper is in surgery and
together the girls plot for Heidi to take her place at the school
out west. It is Hayley's chance to excel and gain points towards a
scholarship to the prestigious agriculture college at Tamworth, her
dream school, so they switch. As twins no one will notice, but Heidi
is a surfer, not a rider, so disaster looms for Heidi as she gets
off the bus and spies her surroundings at Winmaroo.
She has ridden before but is certainly not as proficient as her
sister so she is relieved when given a quiet horse for the ten days.
But onto the scene comes Trent a school friend of Hayley's and with
Chaz being very protective and Vee asking questions she is not sure
she can pull it off.
And that is before they begin the course.
And with the constant patter of tiny feet along the rafters, and the
green python wrapped around the beams, not to mention the
possibility of snakes, Heidi's first night is one of trepidation.
It is clear form the start that Vee is hiding something, she seems
diffident and unsure, but the two strike up a friendship. Trent on
the other hand questions Hayley and she is on her guard, especially
after ringing her sister and finding out that he is he biggest rival
and she didn't know he would be there.
And Chaz, well Chaz is a person of interest, a handsome intriguing
young man who seems to like her.
A gently funny story about sticking up for your sister, of getting
yourself into a perilous situation without thought for you own
safety but only caring that your sister gets her dream school, this
novel has broad appeal. Heidi is determined but full of questions,
dogged but unsure, watchful and anxious.
We are looking over her shoulder as she learns the skills of the
jillaroo trade, milking the cows, fencing, drafting, drenching, line
dancing, and everything to do with horse care and riding.
When more things are stolen, one of the girls, Vee, is suspected and
removed from the camp. But Heidi is not convinced that she is the
thief and sets a trap to find the real one. Her investigations and
the final exposing of her real identity brings the story to an
exciting and unexpected conclusion.
An involving and easily absorbed story about life on a station,
peppered with romance and mystery, but also very funny episodes, not
least of which are because the twins have swapped places, this will
appeal to middle school readers, particularly girls.
Fran Knight
My mum has depression by Nina Mitchell
Ill. by Piet van Rosmalen. Self-published: www.nutsaboutnina.com.au (to
buy copies of this book)
Recommended. Themes: Mental Illness; Depression. This sensitive
picture book gives an insight into depression for a young child and
his mother. Using appropriate metaphor the mother explains to her
child what depression feels like for her. Then she explains some of
the small ways that her child can help her. The child's perspective
is only briefly touched on, 'I love it when Mum smiles'. But this in
itself speaks volumes. The reminder at the end of the book is that
whatever the circumstances, his mother is still his mother, is part
of the gentle therapy of the book.
The Illustrations are delightful with clever use of bright colours.
The Mother's depression is indicated with sombre tones, but hopeful
and bright colours are never far away when the child is present.
This clever symbolic use of colour keeps the book hopeful.
This would make a good resource for School Counsellors or Pastoral
Care Workers as it would open up discussion with young children
about depression and could perhaps be used to explore a child's
feelings and emotions in response. A young family struggling with
depression might also find it useful in sharing their own responses.
Carolyn Hull
The ghost by the billabong by Jackie French
Matilda series. Angus & Robertson, 2015. ISBN
9780732295295
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Historical novel, 1960's Australia,
Man on the moon. Choosing subject headings is very difficult as
French crams so much into her historical novels: hints about the
growing equality of women, attitudes in the 60's to domestic
violence, opposition to war, the imminent landing on the moon, the
tracking station in Canberra . . . the list goes on. Reading any of
these books beginning with A waltz for Matilda is like
reading a great sprawling romance covering generations of
characters, all with some relationship with each other and the land,
believable characters set against an impeccably researched
background. And I love them all.
Australia's history rolls past your eyes, and amongst the history,
family dramas, fights and reconciliations, births and deaths, French
blends some of the ballads that used to be far more well known: The
man from Snowy River, Waltzing Matilda, Clancy of
the Overflow, The road to Gundagai and My country.
The multi layered relationships between the protagonists are
developed over many years and the length of the books needed to make
these believable take the readers on their journey, keeping them
reading to the end.
In The ghost at the billabong, we meet again Matilda, now in
her eighties, nursing her dying husband, Tommy. Into their house
comes a stray, a girl called Jed who says she is Tommy's great grand
daughter. Matilda tells her to leave, having had free loaders make
such claims before, but she relents and Jed is taken to stay with
her daughter in law, Nancy who cares for disabled children on the
weekend.
Here Jed learns to shake off some of her past hurt, gain their trust
and prove she is who she says she is. A tall order, but a story that
is so well plotted and told that it takes you willingly with it to
the conclusion.
While Jed learns more about the family, they have investigators
checking her story and although Jed reveals some of her past, most
is a closed and scary book. With Tommy's unwavering interest in the
work being done by the tracking stations in Australia for the
upcoming landing on the moon, Jed treks to Canberra and finds work
at Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station reporting back to Tommy on
weekends. The weaving of the moon landing through the story will
fascinate the readers, especially the little known work done in
Australia.
And if five is not enough, then French has said there will be number
six and even another in her notes at the end of this absorbing read.
I have relished them all for their reminders of times past and
intriguing mysteries, but above all the credible story of a broad
acre family reflecting so much of what has happened in Australia
since Federation.
Fran Knight
I'll wait, Mr Panda by Steve Antony
Hodder Children's Books, 2016. ISBN 9781444916669
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Panda, Penguins, Good manners,
Patience. When Mr Panda strikes a pose in the kitchen with frilly
apron, large cooking bowl, wooden spoon and chef's hat perched
cheekily atop his head, the readers will know he is about to cook
something special. The other animals know as well, and crowd in
wanting to know just what he is cooking. Each animal that comes
along asks him the same question, and gets a similar response. They
are told to wait. But none does, stalking off airily. Not so
Penguin. A small voice from the bottom of the page assures Mr Panda
that he will wait, and wait he does.
Each delightful page renders a similar image, that of animals
pestering Mr Panda for a response, but he telling them to wait.
Children reading the story will be very familiar with that response
from an older sibling, parent or teacher and laugh uproariously
seeing it happen to others as well.
They will laugh again when Penguin's patience is rewarded and the
cake baked and given to him for being so patient. A lesson learnt.
The other animals, a llama, an armadillo, several rabbits and a
crane can only look on from the first endpaper as Penguin eats his
cake covered with hundreds and thousands on the last endpaper.
Each image of Mr Panda shows him baking his cake and astute readers
will notice some of his chosen ingredients. Apart from initiating
discussions about good manners and being patient, this book will
also encourage children to try their hands at making a cake,
recognising the various stages Mr Panda goes through with his cake
baking.
Fran Knight
Harry's secret by Anita Heiss
Scholastic Australia, 2015. ISBN 9781760152024
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Subjects: Children's Secrets, Drawing,
Friendship, Family Life. Eleven-year-old Harry loves to skateboard.
He's won the King of Cowra Skate Park two years in a row, sharing
the title with his best mate Gav. His friends love footy, fishing
and camping. Gav has definite opinions about what is cool and teases
kids who are doing nerdy things like reading. Harry has a secret
talent, he loves to draw, and sketch everyday life, scenes at the
skate park, and caricatures of his mates, special friend
Lucy-Lowanna and even the relief teacher Mrs. Bee embellished with
stripy antenna. No one else knows about his abilities, especially
his Dad, who is a man's man, a carpenter who loves football and
fishing as well.
Harry finds every opportunity to draw, at the pool, at the river,
even camping on the weekend. Unfortunately, his drawings suffer a
variety of fates, burnt in the campfire, carried away by a magpie or
swept away by the wind. On the night of the NRL Grand Final, there's
a big family and friends barbecue in their backyard. However, Harry
hides out in his bedroom contemplating the local paper's
announcement of an art competition. Of course, he decides to enter.
Two months later, after a fun-filled family Christmas, January 10th
finally arrives and the mysterious winner is announced - who is HB?
Anita Heiss's junior novel celebrates the everyday lives of
Aboriginal kids living in Cowra, their friendships, love of sports,
family relationships and deadly weekend activities. This story
explores the development of a sense of identity and self-confidence,
the concerns related to peer pressure and the realisation that all
talents need to be encouraged.
Rhyllis Bignell
Tom Gates: Top of the class (nearly) by Liz Pichon
Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781760155285
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Themes: Humour; School; Friendship.
Tom Gates is up to his usual mayhem in this latest book from Liz
Pichon. His tendencies to get into trouble deliberately and by
accident are evident again in Book 9 of the Tom Gates
series. With the help of his friends, he misses out on being in
serious trouble with his teacher, but is seriously at risk from the
school bully. Tom is charmingly disarming as he draws and doodles
his way into and out of trouble before the Big School Test and the
School Council elections. The chance of being top of the Class is a
dream, but the after school Catch-up Class might help if only he can
avoid getting into more trouble with his teachers!
Those children who have been charmed by Tom Gates (and his quirky
cartoon illustrations - thanks to Liz Pichon) will be enamoured with
this latest adventure. The school and family dilemmas are simple and
age appropriate and a sense of fun is infused throughout the book.
Liz Pichon has totally targeted her audience again with a winning
formula for success. They will love this humourous journey into
Tom's life and misadventures.
Carolyn Hull
300 minutes of danger by Jack Heath
Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781760154035
Recommended. 300 Minutes of Danger is an action book written
by Jack Heath. The book consists of 10 short stories each taking
place in dangerous situations.
Each short story takes place during a 30 minute time span and all of
the individual stories weave in and out of each other. The stories
are all interconnected by character point of view or plotline, and
they all take place somewhere that has been affected by the deadly
'flyrus'.
A thing I found interesting about the book was the fact that each
story has a timer along the edge of the pages that counts down from
30 minutes. I think that this countdown is to signify the length of
each story and gives the reader an indication of how much time is in
each story.
The centre point of a lot of the stories in the book is the
'flyrus', which is a virus of epidemic proportions. I personally
feel it helped make the individual stories feel like a whole book
and it was a driving factor of a lot of the smaller stories.
I feel that the plot felt disconnected at times and there were a
couple of stories where the end of one could have fed the beginning
of another. Overall the stories were very connected showing what
happened from different characters' perspectives or showing the
aftermath of one story affecting another.
I found that the book was an enjoyable and easy read, which kept the
reader wanting to see what happens next. The format of the short
stories broke the book up in to quick, but nonetheless exciting
reads and I feel that any kid who is fond of action stories would
probably enjoy this.
Jake D. (Year 8 student)
Inbetween days by Vikki Wakefield
Text, 2015. ISBN: 9781922182364
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. It is almost impossible to put this
book down. The characters are so well developed the reader feels as
if they know them personally, and cannot help but care about them
deeply.
This is a book about relationships and growing into an acceptance of
self. Every character in this gritty and richly drawn story has a
part to play in exploring the sense of self, the perception of the
value of women, and acceptance of difference.
Jacklin Bates (known as Jack) is 17 years old. She compares herself
to others and judges herself to be lesser. Jack has dropped out of
school and moved out of home to live with her sister, Trudy. The
scenes between Jack and her sister are riveting and evocatively
portray the love/hate relationship that siblings can bring out in
the very best of us.
Jack lives in small town. The description of this town is haunting
in creating a sense of suffocation and inevitability that is
possible in a small country town bypassed by not only by a highway,
but the rest of the world.
The great work of this book is in the gradual release of information
that has the reader always sure they know what is going on, only to
find (as in life) that there is often something else going on behind
the scenes. And through it all the reader is always looking for the
best to happen for the characters. This book will give the reader
many moments to relate to and many a pause for thought.
Linda Guthrie
The Lost Kingdom by Nicholas and Alison Lochel
Zarkora bk 2. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780734416445
(Age: 10+) The Lost Kingdom follows the Fyrelit Tragedy
and is the second in the four-book Zarkora series. The main
characters, Neleik and Ervine continue their quest to rescue their
sister, Skye. Accompanied by Princess Kyia and Uncle T'shink they
commence the final leg of their journey to the kingdom of Lo'rin to
outwit the evil Versalos.
This book begins slowly as the reader is reminded of the events of
the first book in detail. The story as it unfolds is described
elaborately. The twists and turns see the group encountering old
foes and being rescued by unexpected champions. The Fyrelit family
holds a dark secret, and this becomes clear to Neleik and Ervine as
their lives are held in the balance in Lo'rin in a battle of good
against evil. The epilogue sets the scene for the third book The
Mark of the Jackal revealing Versalos as a pawn of a much greater
enemy.
For Middle Primary readers who can't resist a book that begins with
a map, this is an exciting read with lots of adventure to keep the
reader involved. For adult readers the romance between Neleik and
princess Kyia may seem overly intense given her age of thirteen.
Linda Guthrie
