Angus and Robertson, 2016. ISBN 9781460751633
(Age: 11+) Recommended. Emma Freedman is a radio personality and
2015 winner of Dancing with the Stars... and now author. She has
written a very likable dance school story that can be recommended to
young female readers aged 11+ with absolute confidence.
April, the character around whom the story spins gracefully, is
charming and is entering her teenage and high school years with
elegance and maturity. Above all though, she is a dancer. She has
given years to the discipline of ballet, and with her two close
friends, has become a talented devotee of dance. But with the
changes that high school has brought, there are other changes on the
horizon - parties, new friends, more challenging times at school.
Will ballet remain her first love or is there something else that
will inspire her passions, or distract her from her artistic
discipline? Being secretive or being honest become choices that
challenge relationships at school, ballet school and particularly at
home. Will she destroy everything by making the wrong choice?
What I loved about this story is the way Freedman shows that family
and friendship are complimentary and not in competition. The respect
shown to those in authority and peers is overwhelmingly positive.
Even the 'mean girls' and 'wayward boys' that are part of the story
give the central characters opportunities to show there are positive
ways to live. This is a wholesome and refreshingly simple tale set
within the disciplined and well-mannered community of those who love
to dance. Be prepared to be inspired by their commitment.
Carolyn Hull
One step by Andrew Daddo
Penguin Random House, 2016. ISBN 9780143573616
(Age: 15+) Adolescence. Bullying. Suicide. This book is an
uncomfortable read on many levels. Being inside the mind of a young
pubescent male with pimples is a difficult place to be. But added to
that it is peppered with multitudinous poor choices, rampaging
hormones, fickle friends, romantic inclinations, bad jokes and a
family that makes his life embarrassingly difficult (as all families
are for teenagers); this is a place that is intrinsically
uncomfortable. When Dylan becomes the butt of everyone's humour and
taunts after a bullying incident and his own lack of wisdom in the
moments afterwards, the story begins to spiral downwards in a
terrifying dive from the high tower (Dylan's sport of choice). And
the degree of difficulty is high, but the landing is far from
pretty!
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. The messiness and
insecurity of teenage life and the difficulties of being the one who
becomes the target for everyone's jests and the difficulties of
navigating friendships and girls when you are not confident is raw
and painful (despite the author's humour in presentation). In fact
as the book progresses, it is obvious that this is not a fun, Diary
of a wimpy kid clone, but rather a serious descent into the
grim issues that confront some teens. As a consequence, the list of
Help and Counselling services in Australia is included at the end of
the book. It is also what makes this book hard to put into the hands
of teenagers. It points out how easily life can turn ugly for some
young people, when they are at the mercy of others. I am not sure
that this book is helpful in presenting a picture of hope.
This is hard to recommend without the highest level of caution, and
definitely not to someone who is already struggling with their own
self-esteem, bullying or mental health issues. Do not conclude that
this is a comedic exploration of teenage life; language and modes of
expression are also vulgar in places.
Carolyn Hull
Breaking the boundaries: Australian activists tell their stories edited by Yvonne Allen and Joy Noble
Wakefield Press, 2016. ISBN 9781743054185
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Editors and activists Yvonne Allen and Joy
Noble have collected the personal stories of forty-five Australians
who have campaigned for change. Breaking the boundaries provides a
fascinating insight into their lives. The causes they have espoused
include conservation, climate change, Indigenous disadvantage,
support for refugees, overseas aid, fundraising for medical
research, the decriminalisation of sex work, disability awareness,
voluntary euthanasia, the acceptance of transgender people, food
security and pacifism. The age and backgrounds of the activists are
as diverse as their campaigns. Some embraced activism as school
students while others decided to make a difference after retirement.
Their reasons for choosing such a challenging path are revealing and
their practical advice about how to campaign effectively is drawn
from experience. Remarkably, despite the difficulties, not one
expressed regret and several found humour in their experiences.
Above all, the stories reveal humanity and determination.
While some of the information in Breaking the boundaries is
available on the Internet, online sources are unlikely to have the
impact of first-person narratives. Each feature-length story
provides readers with an insight into the unique voice, point of
view and experience of its narrator, and ends with a brief
biographical note written by the editors. Many readers will enjoy
reading the book from cover to cover in order to immerse themselves
in the variety of ways in which individual Australians have pursued
their causes. However, others might have preferred the inclusion of
an index to facilitate selective reading and study.
The editors hope that their book will prompt others to take action.
Those who are willing to take up causes will not lack inspiration
after reading Breaking the boundaries.
Elizabeth Bor
I spy Dad! by Janeen Brian
Ill. by Chantal Stewart. New Frontier Publishing, 2016. ISBN
9781925059649
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Fathers, Father's Day. First published
in 2010, this book along with I spy Mum! is a wonderful
story to read anytime, but has more resonance around those days
remembering fathers and mothers.
A young girl plays a game of I Spy, looking at the variety
of fathers that are about the place, but wondering what hers will
be. In rhyming lines, Janeen Brian outlines the variety of fathers
and their interaction with their offspring and this delightful tale
is beautifully complemented with the soft water colour drawings,
evoking movement, colour and laughter. Children will love looking at
the variety of fathers and the things they do with their children,
reminding them of what they do with their dads. Love oozes from each
page both with the words and illustrations.
The child see a splashing dad, a crashing dad, a dashing dad, dads
of all ages, sizes and backgrounds, doing all kinds of things that a
dad might do. Where will hers be? A diverse range of fathers is
shown, including some from different ethnic groups but all showing
the joy that comes from doing things with their children.
The rhyme and rhythm in the text are perfect for reading aloud, and
the positioning of the lines on a white background enhances its
ability to be read by beginning readers, while the rhyming lines
encourage the reader to predict the next word.
For classes it makes a wonderful introduction to talking about
fathers and families, and how each family is different but the same.
Fran Knight
Where's Dad hiding? by Ed Allen
Ill. by Anil Tortop. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760273859
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Fathers, Father's Day, Family. The little
bear searches for his father in all sorts of places. He searches the
woods, looks out into the fields, under the water, on the beach, in
the bus, on the toy shelf, but he is no where to be seen.
But reading this aloud with a group of children will have them
calling out as they can see Dad hiding on each page.
'There he is' will be heard as each page is turned in this funny,
involving story of searching for father. The hide and seek game
which all children love is reprised within this story as Dad finds
ingenious ways of staying hidden. Under the water he is in a clam
shell, in the field he is on an electricity line with the birds, on
the beach he is hiding in the sand castle. Each page is a delight of
suspense and recognition for the reader. They will love searching
for the Dad and marveling at how well hidden he is. And they will
cheer when he is finally found, but then the next question is,
'Where is mum?'
I love the use of endpapers to show the little bear at first
covering his eyes as hide and seek begins, and at the end, showing
joy at finding his father.
Fran Knight
Grandpa is great by Laine Mitchell
Ill. by Alison Edgson. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760276638
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Father's Day, Grandfathers, Family. With
Father's Day just around the corner, it is good to see a book
extolling the virtues of grandfathers as well. In this rhyming story
each page depicts an animal with its grandfather, doing all sorts of
activities. Gardening with a bucket and spade (meerkats), kicking
around a football (ostrich), reading comics (penguins) or playing
trains (bears) each older animal and his grandchildren play and
frolic, are active and sometimes quiet and restful, play with toys
or just watch the television together, but what ever they do,
Grandpa is number one.
The soft illustrations add zest, movement and colour to the text,
encouraging the readers to talk about the things they do with their
grandfather and sharing their family's experiences with the class or
friends. The easy rhyming lines encourage children to predict the
rhyming word and say the lines themselves when they have had it read
out loud a few times.
The humour in the illustrations will add another layer of interest
to the sharing of the story be it read aloud or shared in a small
group or just one to one.
Fran Knight
Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham
Walker Books 2016. ISBN 9781406365825
(Age: 10+ Highly recommended. This is perhaps one of the best books
for adolescent girls I have read in a long time. I really wish I'd
read it growing up. Dealing with issues ranging from racism,
religion, bullying, body-image, sexuality, and the public and
private sphere, this is highly likely to appeal to a wide audience
of young women who are struggling to find a place in the world. Moonlight Dreamers follows four lonely girls as they are
brought together by a secret society, The Moonlight Dreamers, and
their shared love of Oscar Wilde and his writing. The society is all
about encouraging their dreams and supporting one another to achieve
them. Amber is an outcast, an Oscar Wilde nerd, she's got two dads
and the girls at school are trying to teach her that there's
something wrong with that. Maali is a shy, introverted photographer
who is terrible at talking to boys. Sky's world is being turned
upside down by her father meeting another woman, and more than
anything she wants to perform her poetry. Rose, the only non-oddball
of the group, is being pressured by her mother into a modelling
career she hates - all she wants to do is see her father in America
and bake. Each girl feels like she's being pressured from all sides,
and only in coming together do they learn that they are no alone,
and find the strength to face their problems.
I would highly recommend this novel for any girl aged ten and up,
particularly if they too resonate with this quote: 'Yes I am a
dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way my
moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the
rest of the world.' - Oscar Wilde.
Kayla Gaskell, University student, aged 20
Lily the Elf: The sleepover by Anna Branford
Ill. by Lisa Coutts. Walker Books Australia, 2016. ISBN
9781925381146
(Age: 5+) Recommended. When Lily's cousin Fern comes to stay for a
sleepover, Lily finds that all the preparations that she has made to
ensure a happy visit don't interest Fern at all. She was sure that
Fern would like cheesy acorn pie and play lots of games but Fern
doesn't like anything that Lily suggests and it is not until she
realises that Fern is homesick that she comes up with a suggestion
that makes them both happy.
Branford has deftly described the fears that are part of young
children's lives. A sleepover is a big event and even when there has
been a lot of preparation, it is easy for it to go wrong. With
compassion for her cousin's feelings, Lily is able to use her
problem solving skills to come up with a solution that makes the
pair feel happy. Lily's grandmother is a lovely character as well,
sympathetic and understanding.
The black and white illustrations by Lisa Coutts bring the emotions
of the characters alive and help support the easy text in the simple
sentences. Large font, short sentences and short chapters make this
a well supported text for emerging readers. Classroom activities for
the series can be found here.
Pat Pledger
The Island House by Posie Graeme-Evans
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9780731815081
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Historical fantasy. For lovers of history
and fantasy, Posie Graeme-Evans takes the reader to an isolated
island off the Scottish coast. Freya Dane is a young archaeologist
who has been left an island and house by the father that she barely
knows. When she arrives she discovers that her father has unearthed
many treasures from the past, Pagan, Christian and Viking. But it is
when she meets Daniel Boyle from the mainland that she begins to
have visions of the past - a past when a young Pict girl Signy is
left on the island with Bear, a Viking boy after a raid, and brought
up by the Christian community there. The tale of Signy's life
interweaves with the modern story of Freya as she uncovers what has
happened in the past.
Although rather slow in parts, the historical aspects of this story
are fascinating as Evans explores the religious beliefs of the
Pagans, Christians and Vikings and their rituals and their struggle
for dominance. The island of Findmar had been settled by monks and
nuns and their rigid set of beliefs is contrasted with Signy's
ceremonies in the standing stones on the island. Signy is torn
between what she has been brought up to believe and what the
Christians tell her and after tragedy strikes, decides to become a
nun. But things do not go well. Told in alternating chapters,
Freya's actions gradually uncover the secrets of the past after she
and Daniel both have vivid visions that show what has happened to
the young girl and her Viking love.
Descriptions of violence and mayhem, narrow minded monks, Viking
boats and a heart-wrenching love story between Bear and Signy and a
slow burning modern day romance will keep the reader absorbed in the
story.
Pat Pledger
So wrong by Michael Wagner and Wayne Bryant
Billy Goat Books, 2016. ISBN 9780994251756
Highly recommended. Having a problem reaching those reluctant
readers? Well I guess we all have at times. So how to solve the
problem is the question.
Put a fiendishly naughty author and illustrator together and watch
them create what can only be described as outrageously subversive
humorous writing that fools kids into thinking they are not
seriously reading! So wrong is less a book than a collection of snack-sized
craziness which will fool any reader into wanting more of this
reading thing.
There are short stories which it would be reasonable to say include
the universal appeal of toilet humour to a fairly high degree. My
favourite is definitely 'The veree hungree caterpooper'. There are
some fantastically hilarious satirical advertisements - the Parental
Attitude Adjuster would be a highly sought after product.
Interspersed throughout are some dubious snippets of life advice
from a reputedly successful Life Coach for Kids. And of course the
pages are lavishly illustrated with a huge variety of visual jokes
as well.
It's Mad magazine meets Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton...
Both Michael Wagner and Wayne Bryant were reluctant readers
themselves and decided that they would partner up to create the sort
of book (and indeed series) they would have liked to read as kids.
It won't be just your reluctant readers queuing up for this one -
it's going to be a hit with every kid who likes to laugh at general
silliness and a bit of naughtiness.
Check out the Billy Goat
Books website. Highly recommended for all readers who snort
out loud laughing.
Sue Warren
The genius factor: How to capture an invisible cat by Paul Tobin
Ill. by Thierry Lafontaine. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781619638402
(Age: 9+) Nate Bannister is a socially awkward, sixth grade student
with a brilliant creative mind, with an amazing IQ, tested at school
and confirmed by professionals. He is an amazing inventor, and has a
mechanical nose, a self-driving car and has accelerated his dog
Bosper and he now is able to talk.
Every Friday the 13th, Nate undertakes three not-so-smart things,
just to make his not-so-normal life even more interesting. On this
occasion, he has taught Maths to a caterpillar, mailed a love-letter
and rather unfortunately changed Piston his cat into a super-sized
invisible pet. Delphine, one of the students in his class and
afterschool dog walker, observes Nate's differences. After a chance
encounter at the dog park, Nate invites Delphine over to his house
and they become embroiled in a crazy race to capture Piston the
enormous cat who has escaped the backyard and is likely to destroy
everything in town.
Nate's ability to drive the family car is an asset; he's mailed six
special messages that need to be found quickly because when combined
they form conjoined molecules that provide the formula for reversing
Piston's size issues. Added to these dramas, the Red Death Tea
Society and its leader Sir Jakob Maculte are determined to foil Nate
and Delphine's mission before Saturday the 14th.
Simple black and white illustrations drawn by Thierry Lafontaine
focus on some of Nate's craziest ideas - anti-gravity cloth tinfoil,
Sir William the robot gull and pill bottles filled with survival
pills. The reader needs to accept without question the craziness of
Nate's life, and step on board for a wild ride.
Rhyllis Bignell
Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes
HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN 9780008175399
(Age: 12+) As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of
Hearts, Dinah's days are filled with boring lessons and endless
royal duties, and the constant humiliations at the hands of her
father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is
visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, and the love of her
life. When a stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as
everything she's ever wanted threatens to crumble down around her.
As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody
events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls
of Wonderland. Dinah now must run for her life before she loses her
own head to a clever and faceless foe.
Ok, when I first started reading this book I thought that it was
going to be a cliched story of Alice in Wonderland, I
recognised traits among the characters from the original e.g. Harris
as the white rabbit, George as the mad hatter. Dinah's character
frustrated me to no end. She was a whingey and a spoilt brat.
However, as the story continued, the character grew some depth. As
the king's character started to untangle, the story became
engrossing. The writing of the story was relaxed allowing a younger
audience to easily follow along. My problem was I was waiting for
the characters to evolve into the characters in Alice in
Wonderland but once certain events happened Dinah and her
family and friends all stood by themselves. There are another 2
books to follow on from this one and I am excited to be able to read
them.
Jody Holmes
Neffy and the feathered dinosaurs by Joe Lillington
Flying Eye Books, 2016. ISBN 9781909263895
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Dinosaurs. A factual picture book,
this fascinating look at a young Microraptor, Neffy, as she takes
her first flight, will delight both children and any adult who
happens to pick it up. Each double page spread of the book is
divided into three sections. At the top of the page is the fiction
story of Neffy who is just learning to fly. This is illustrated in
bold colours and gives the reader a good idea of what the little
microraptor would look like. Then there is some information about
the dinosaur herself. As the fiction story continues, Neffy has many
adventures in her quest to soar into the air. She crashes into a
sinosauropteryx, and there is information given about this dinosaur,
its weight, size, diet, habitat, family, location and when it lives.
This format continues as Neffy encounters a troodon, gallimimus, and
many other dinosaurs, all vividly illustrated. Finally she manages
to fly and finds the sky is full of other flying creatures.
This makes for a very entertaining and illuminating read. Young
children will be very interested in the fiction story of Neffy and
will want to cheer her along in her quest to learn how to fly. All
children (and adults) will be fascinated by the facts that are given
about each dinosaur, especially the little anecdotes about how they
were found and what they ate. An example is the deinonychus 'who had
a strong curved toe claw to hold down prey and them them alive'.
There are many other often amusing and entertaining snippets about
the different dinosaurs that will hold the attention of both a
reader and a child who is listening to the book being read aloud.
All the information is based on what palaeontologists have found out
about the dinosaurs from ancient fossils and the book also shows how
the scientific evidence changes as more discoveries are made.
At the end of the book there is a double page spread showing the
size of different dinosaurs, there is an author's note about how the
story is told, and a glossary explains some of the vocabulary used
in the book. The end papers show a map of Earth during the
Cretaceous period.
The illustrations in bold blacks, dark greens and vivid blues add
another dimension to the story and information. The faces of the
dinosaurs are fabulous and will certainly engage the reader.
This book is a keeper. Children who are interested in dinosaurs will
absolutely love it and parents and teachers will find that it is a
wonderful resource for discussion and information.
Pat Pledger
Counterstrike by Peter Jay Black
Urban Outlaws series bk. 4. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408851494
(Age: 10-14) Recommended. The Urban Outlaws Jack, Charlie, Obi, Wren
and Slink, return in Counterstrike and undertake their most
difficult mission fraught with danger. They need all their high-tech
skills, athleticism, to rely on other underground gangs and trust in
fifteen-year-old Jack their leader's abilities to carry out this
mission in such a short amount of time. Their enemy Hector and his
evil gang is just as determined to find the Medusa weapon locked
deep underground in the Facility. This by far their most difficult
mission for the outlaws as Jack is stretched almost to breaking
point and one of their team is injured.
Twists and turns abound as each team member draws on their own
skills and expertise to plan their break in to the Facility and make
their way to the fifth underground level. Charlie confronts her deep
grief as she returns to her father's auto workshop, the scene of his
murder. Here she uses her amazing mechanical skills to engineer a
dual driver Ford Escort needed to fool the guards at the Facility.
Computer espionage, hacking, viruses and accessing supercomputers
seems easy to Obi and Noble their only adult friend and rescuer.
These five young vigilantes have moved on from their previous Random
Acts of Kindness, stealing from the rich and helping the poor to
survive. Only once does the action slow as they deliver pet lunch
boxes to a rescue dogs' home.
Peter Jay Black understands the reading audience, clever dialogue,
great teenage camaraderie, high-tech equipment, amazing physical
abilities and realistic characters and yes, he leaves us with a
cliff-hanger. How are the Urban Outlaws going to solve their most
difficult dilemma?
Rhyllis Bignell
When friendship followed me home by Paul Griffin
Text Publishing, 2016. ISBN 9781925355499
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Cancer, Death and Dying, Families,
Orphans, Friendship. Sixty five year old Tess, a speech therapist,
adopts one of her clients, Ben and takes him home, giving him
something he has never experienced before - a loving mother. One day
a scruffy little dog follows him and joins his new family. Ben has
lived most of his twelve years in foster homes and friendship and
home are two things always out of his reach until now. But the dog
introduces him to both. A rainbow girl at the local library who
wears crazy colours and wigs over her chemo induced bald head
challenges his view of things around him. Her mother, the librarian,
allows him to bring Flip the dog into the library encouraging him to
do a dog obedience class with Flip, leading to their participation
in a reading program.
But Tess dies and Ben is alone again, although this time taken in by
Tess' sister and her partner, Leo. But things do not work out with
Leo, and Ben finds that he and Flip are alone again, this time,
homeless. But his new friends seek him out and take him home.
A wonderfully emotive story about finding one's place the story of
Ben and his dog, Flip and their friend, Halley, will more than
satisfy upper primary and lower secondary readers. Halley is a
wonderful character, full of concern for her new friend, as she
makes up a story, The Magic Box, which they write together,
her leading him along to accept a future without her, but along the
way, finding a home.
Readers will gain some understanding of what life with cancer is
like as Halley goes from one round of chemotherapy to another,
finally refusing the last experimental drug. And they will certainly
understand the importance of one close friend, one who will clean up
the sick and rub her back as she vomits into the toilet. Ben is so
conditioned to seeing things are always his fault that he finds it
difficult to accept the home her parents offer him. This is a heart
wrenching read so be warned. Teacher's
notes are available.
Fran Knight
