The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Ill. by LeUyen Pham. The Princess in Black bk 1. Candlewick Press,
2014. ISBN 9780763678883
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. Fantasy. Princesses. Humour. Princess
Magnolia has an alter ego. Everyone believes that she is the perfect
princess, dressed in lovely pink gowns, but when danger threatens
the goats she dons her black outfit and goes to rescue them from the
big blue monster. But will Duchess Wigtower, the nosiest person in
the kingdom, work out her secret?
This is the perfect book for young readers just moving from picture
books to chapter books. The text is relatively short but what makes
it so good is the alliteration - 'You seems so prim and perfect'
says the Duchess to Princess Magnolia - and the humour, which comes
alive in the illustrations. I laughed out loud as I read about
Princess Magnolia's exploits and the expressions on the faces of all
the characters, even the goats, are priceless.
Although it would be great for everyone to realise that even if
girls are dressed in pink and appear to be very proper, they can
also be daring and cunning, the narrative, humour and illustrations
make it a standout read.
Pat Pledger
I wanna be a great big dinosaur! by Heath McKenzie
Scholastic Press, 2015. ISBN 9781743626009
Small boys like to dress up as dinosaurs, GREAT big DINOSAURS!
One small boy has found a dinosaur to show him how he must learn to
roar, stomp and EAT to be a GREAT big DINOSAUR.
Then the dinosaur learns that there is a lot more to EAT than just
meat! And a lot more to being a boy. There's reading and playing
soccer AND playing video games.
Maybe, the dinosaur decides, it would be more fun to be a little
boy!
This book will appeal to all small boys . . . and even girls.
J. Smith
Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
Pan Macmillan, 2014. ISBN 9780330519731
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Horror. Historical fantasy. Carnegie
Medal in Literature Shortlist (2015), British Science Fiction
Association Award Nominee for Best Novel (2014), James Herbert Award
Nominee (2015). When Triss wakes up after she falls into the Grimmer
there is something terribly wrong. She can't remember things and
hoping to find answers in her diary she finds that the pages have
been torn out. Her little sister Pen is terrified of her and she is
so hungry that she is prepared to eat anything, even the doll whose
glass eyes swivel around to look at her. She leaves a trail of
leaves behind her and her tears are like spider webs. She soon
discovers that things are even more terrible than she could have
imagined and she finds herself on a quest for the truth in the
frightening Underbelly of the city, where the evil Architect rules.
This is a very scary and utterly unique horror story set in the
period just after World War 1. Hardinge brings alive the 1920's when
jazz music was considered fast, and returned soldiers were not
themselves. Triss' family have been mourning the death of Sebastian,
killed on the battlefields and the family dynamics are really
detailed. Pen's feelings of jealousy for her sister, the games that
Triss' mother plays to keep Triss close to her and the
self-satisfaction of Piers, Triss' father, all highlight the need
for the family members to find a place for themselves. Although the
reader knows that Triss is not herself; that she has been taken over
by Not-Triss, the changeling is such a complex and caring character
that her search for the truth, her courage and compassion and
longing to stay alive keep momentum of the story going.
And then there the action as Not-Triss jumps from roof-top to
roof-top in pursuit of the Architect, the thrill of the jazz music
and the cakes in the tea-shop, the scare of the giant scissors and a
pervading sense of eeriness and the result is one thrilling read.
This is highly recommended for people who enjoy a story that is
multifaceted and intricate but which also frightens while tugging at
the heartstrings. Readers who liked Neil Gaiman's Coraline
or who like fairy tales retold will enjoy this.
Pat Pledger
Bomb by Sarah Mussi
Hodder Children's Books, 2015. ISBN: 9781444917864
(Age: 14+) I'm Genesis Wainwright. I'm a sixth-form student. I come
from Somerset. My mum is the best mum in the world. I play the
guitar (badly). My best friend is Holly. I'm searching for answers
to the Meaning of Life. I believe in True Love. AND I'M IN LOVE WITH
NAZ. I want to be a performance poet. And I'm crazy about
motorbikes.
Genesis is trying to get over her romance with Naz. She goes on a
blind date and wakes up strapped to a bomb with an earpiece glued in
her ear. This story (told by Genesis) describes a world where an
extremist group is gaining influence across the globe and is using
unwilling participants to wreak havoc, including mass destruction.
The story is full of action (car chases, helicopter surveillance,
motor bike chases and police snipers) and is running to a time
limit. The bomb is set to detonate later that day, so the action
runs at break neck speed keeping the reader involved and turning the
pages.
The quotations appearing regularly throughout the writing (for
example, 'Life is a string: you just don't know how long it is.')
give the reader some sense of the character of Naz, and why Genesis
cares for him.
The premise of the book, and the accompanying Book
Trailer could initiate interesting discussions related to
current response to the rise of extremists in society.
Linda Guthrie
I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson<br>
Walker Books, 2015. ISBN: 9781406326499
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Noah and Jude are twins, like two
halves living separate roles in the same life.
(PORTRAIT, SELF-PORTRAIT: Twins: Noah Looking in a Mirror, Jude out
of It)
At the age of 13 their passion for art is travelling in
different directions and the stage is set for misunderstandings,
jealousies and guilt to carve a ravine between the twins and disrupt
their relationships with family and self.
'Every time Grandma S. read Jude's and my palms, she'd tell us that
we have enough jealousy in our lines to ruin our lives ten times
over.'
Their perspectives develop in separate storylines, each told by a
twin. The secrets seep out, in writing that is both poetic and
entrancing, to reveal anguish about sexuality and betrayals that
affect all characters in this book.
(SELF-PORTRAIT: The Boy Hiding Inside the Boy Hiding Inside the Boy)
This is a story about love. The crushing, profoundly moving, and
sometimes destructive power of love between adults, family and
siblings in this story emanates from one man.
'He was the kind of man who walks into a room and all the walls fall
down.'
This book is difficult to put down. Each chapter pulls the reader
on, eager to understand the complexity of the characters and enjoy
the language that evokes tears and laughter.
Linda Guthrie.
Editor's note; This book won Michael L. Printz Award 2015, and was
on YALSA 2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults
Off the page by Samantha Van Leer and Jodi Picoult<br>
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743439982
What if the fairy-tale ending was only the beginning? 16 year old
girl, Delilah and fairy-tale Prince Oliver have finally got the
chance to be together. This would be fine if Oliver didn't happen to
be a character from a fairy tale book. The only way he could live in
Delilah's world is if he changed places with a regular person. After
outsider, Edgar agrees to switch places with Oliver, all think they
have finally had their dreams come true.
The real test comes when the new school year starts, Delilah fears
that Oliver won't fit into school life, but Oliver is an instant hit
and is amazed how wonderful high school life really is.
The characters from Oliver's book seem to be fitting in with the new
plot lines that Edgar has written, or so it seems. But slowly
someone or something doesn't like the changes and wants things to go
back to normal. This is when the magical world and real world
collide.
This young fiction, is easy to follow when talking about both
worlds. The characters are loveable and easy to relate to. Off
the page isn't the normal style of Jodi Picoult, however a
reader with a good imagination could quite easily love this new
style of Picoult teaming up with her daughter. If you love Meg
Cabolt or Sara Dressen this enchanted love story will keep you
entertained.
Jody Holmes
Reckoning by Barry Jonsberg<br>
Pandora Jones bk 3. Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN
9781743318133.
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Dystopian fiction. Friendship.
Adventure. The final in the Pandora Jones trilogy, following
Admission and Deception, Reckoning brings this
dystopian series to a satisfying ending. Pandora Jones knows what
has happened but she seems unable to do anything about the story
that The School has circulated about what has happened. She knows
that a virus has been sent out into the world and that she must do
something about it. She also knows that she can't do it without the
help of her friends and that she must persuade them to believe in
her and what she knows has happened.
Pandora is a great heroine and an intelligent leader. With Jen in
particular beside her, she gets her group, all using their own
particular talents, to work out a plan to save the world. There is
action galore as the friends take on The School and the Professor in
their bid to escape and get their message out before it is too late.
This series has a wonderful mix of diverse characters, friendship,
loyalty and adventure that ensures it will be enjoyed by its
readers. It is refreshing to find a series that doesn't rely on a
love triangle for its impetus and that has a plausible plot at its
centre.
Pat Pledger
The eagle inside by Jack Manning Bancroft<br>
Ill. by Bronwyn Bancroft. Little Hare Books, 2015. ISBN
9781742974699
Highly recommended. Themes: Resilience; Overcoming obstacles;
Bullying; Doubt. This is a book for those who doubt their abilities
and hear the voices of those who put them down too loudly. It is a
delightful simple tale with birds as the central characters. The
little honeyeater enters a school contest with the encouragement of
the Eagle who sees his inner strength despite the disparaging
comments from other birds.
The illustrations by Bronwyn Bancroft are beautiful and her
colourful style, influenced by her Aboriginal heritage, is perfect
for this tale of hope and growth and rising above the negative
voices. Both author and illustrator have created a superb book full
of life and colour. The publishers too should be commended for
producing a well bound book that should grace every Library shelf,
but would also make a wonderful gift for a child.
Carolyn Hull
Chu's day at the beach by Neil Gaiman and Adam Rex<br>
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408864357
(Age: Junior primary) Recommended. Seaside, Animals, Sneezing. When
Chu sneezes, everyone knows about it because the results of the
sneeze makes big changes in the world around him. The first page
warns of the ferocity of Chu's sneeze, so it is no surprise when he
and his family go to the beach that he has quite an impact. This is
the third book in the series about Chu, a baby panda with his panda
family, charmingly illustrated by Adam Rex. The first two, Chu's
day, and Chu's first day at school introduced the
little fellow to the audience. An endearing black eyed baby peers
out from the pages, ensuring the readers follow his exploits.
This story sees the family going to the beach on a hot sunny day.
Chu's mother settles down to read a book while Chu's dad paddles in
the water. But Chu, eating his ice cream takes off his glasses and
has the most enormous of sneezes. It causes the water to roll back
exposing the fish beneath. The gap in the sea means that some
animals cannot go back to their own home, while others look sad at
what is happening. The people on the beach urge Chu to sneeze again
reversing what he has done, and some funny ways of inducing his
sneeze are used, until the snail crawls up and reminds Chu about the
effect of the sun.
This is a lovely story of being at the beach with all the things
children experience there. It will initiate stories about days at
the beach from some children and will spark others' interest. There
is lots for readers to find on each page to remind them of what they
may see at the beach, and Rex has included a few surprises.
Discussion about the role of sneezing could emanate from this book,
allowing a classroom to discuss manners.
Fran Knight
The guy, the girl, the artist and his ex by Gabrielle Williams
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743319550
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Relationships, Single parent,
Artists, Art theft, Mental illness. Williams has used the theft of a
Picasso, The Weeping Woman, from the National Gallery of Victoria in
1986 as the peg to display the intertwined lives of four people, one
making her way to a party at Guy's place in South Yarra when his
parents are away for the weekend. Guy is persuaded by his friends to
hold a party and the reader knows that the outcome will be quite
different from that expected.
In the meantime, the artist, Luke, an arrogant, self opinionated man
who has made it on the art scene in Melbourne, has hooked up with
two others, a disgruntled struggling artist, Dipper, who works at
the National Gallery of Victoria, and an older man, Real, an art
dealer with dangerous ideas about people being shocked into giving
more funding to The Arts. Together the three achieve the impossible
and steal the painting.
Luke's ex, a young woman called Penny left with his child, struggles
to stop herself being the demanding ex, the crying rejected lover,
the one who will do anything to get him back. She has taken a flat
in a building owned by a family whose sister has been brought to
Australia from South America after the drowning of her son and the
subsequent abandonment by her husband. She is convinced she is
cursed. Her daughter, Rafi babysits Penny's baby but one night when
Rafi is asked to go to a party by her best friend, asks her mother
to look after the baby.
The stage is set for a shocking incident which brings all the groups
together.
This is an amazing story. I was simply gobsmacked by the author's
ability making this frightening incident such a core piece of the
story, her handling of it made me immediately reread it to make sure
I had all the facts in my head before proceeding. I was absolutely
sure that there could be no coming back after such a thing happening
and read on with anticipation to see how it was all resolved.
Sometimes darkly funny, some times confronting, Williams seems to
take the readers along her path with ease. I was never in doubt
about any of their motives. I loved Penny with her thought bubbles
about being independent but then so dependent on any scrap thrown
her by the appalling Luke: Rafi, trying so hard to study with a
mother beset by strange behaviours: Dipper's angst and Luke's
cavalier attitude to everything. All the characters are most
recognisable, the mother with her descent into mental illness
convinced that the horse headed woman has followed her from South
America, the men with motives which superficially seem altruistic,
but with an ulterior motive, and Guy, so easily led by peer
pressure.
The novel is divided into three sections, before the party, the
party and the aftermath and the chapters are from the perspectives
of each of the four title characters.
I can see this as a class set as it brings in so many issues begging
to be discussed: mental illness, peer pressure, single parenthood,
relationships, art funding, and the role of art galleries.
Fran Knight
I am Henry Finch by Alexis Deacon
Ill. by Vivienne Schwarz. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781406357134
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Independence, Imagination, Freedom,
Breaking out of the mold, Trying something new. Henry Finch lives
with the other finches, in a huge flock of finches. Each morning
they greet each other with good morning, in the evening good
evening, and so on. Not a change occurs to their routine except when
the beast appears and they all warn each other and fly to the top of
the tree. But Henry one day has a thought. And with that thought, I
am Henry Finch, and ponders whether other finches ever have a
thought as he does. With this thought he feels destined for
greatness and when the beast next appears dives straight at him,
saying how great he is. The beast eats him.
Inside the beast, he listens to what the beast sounds like and
listens to the beast's thoughts. His thoughts all revolve around
eating, and when he says that he would now go and get some, Henry
cries out No. Through his thoughts Henry convinces the beast to
become a vegetarian. Startled, the beast opens his mouth and out
pops Henry and several other things the beast has recently eaten.
All the finches welcome Henry back and he tells them about his
adventures. They decide to fly off as well, and then come back.
This is an amazing story around using your imagination, about trying
things out, about thinking things through, about experience. For
those people wanting to be more philosophical, then Descarte's 'I
think, therefore I am' could be discussed. But it is certainly a
plea for thinking outside the box. And the illustrations compliment
the ideas with panache. The use of a fingerprint for all the finches
is just enticing, and readers will love seeing the squiggles added
to make each finch look birdlike. And clamour to try out this style
of illustration for themselves.
Fran Knight
The Wild Beyond by Piers Torday<br>
Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9781848668485
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Themes: Dystopian World, Human and
Animal Communication, Fantasy, Good and Evil, Quests. Reading Ages:
11-13. "This city, this island, this world - it's our home. If it's
dying, we have to find the cure."
Piers Torday's The Wild Beyond dystopian fantasy concludes
with this fast-paced novel. This is an amazing action-packed
adventure that takes, Kester, Polly, Aida and their animal
companions across the World's Seas to find the Iris, a DNA
depository for all extinct flora and fauna. Kester's ability to talk
to the animals left in their world, leads him to learn a secret from
the last whale. Together forever is the motto, that carries the
three friends through their arduous journey. Before they leave, they
encounter wicked Auntie Fenella, whose evil actions include
disabling their ship and returning the group to the mastermind
Selwyn Stone. While the rest of the survivors left after the
flooding and destruction of their city are herded into a spaceship
bound for a distant planet, their small group needs to escape and
find a solution to their problem. With the help of a straggly flock
of birds and three amazing dolphins they travel for days in a small
glass boat to the island of Faraway.
There are so many difficulties to face, thirst and hunger,
dehydration, loss of friends, fire, the evil Cullers trying to kill
them, betrayal, near-drowning, attacks by giant stinging jellyfish,
at times their quest seems impossible. Their animal friends provide
support, guidance and comedy relief.
This novel is richly complex, multilayered with strong characters'
who show bravery, resilience, perseverance and ingenuity who work
together to save their world from destruction. There are powerful
environmental messages throughout, caring for animals, plants and
the environment.
Rhyllis Bignell
A week without Tuesday by Angelica Banks<br>
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760110376.
(Age: Middle and upper primary) Well recommended. A fantasy for the
young, appealing to writers who love to think their stories are
precious and original. This is a continuation of the stories of
Tuesday McGillycuddy and Vivienne Small and has delightful and
appealing references to the many genres of stories. Tuesday
McGillycuddy's Mother is a famous author and with her daughter
Tuesday write prolifically. The writers' world is in chaos as many
writers have disappeared, so Tuesday and her dog Baxterr (who has
wings when needed), go for an walk in the park and by a piece of
twine find themselves 'there' with Vivienne Small, a creature of the
fantasy world.
The plot becomes complicated as Tuesday tries to sort out all the
worlds which are colliding with each other and causing havoc. The
Librarian, who keeps a copy of all the writer's books is pivotal in
helping Tuesday solve the problem that's disrupting the normal
world. It's a delightful, imaginative and exciting journey for
Tuesday and the writers she meets. Humour is rich with Miss Digby,
who is Tuesday's Mother's Assistant and lives in the real world.
It's where lovers of fantasy will be enchanted with the many
illusions to their imaginative thoughts.
Well recommended for Middle and Upper Primary students, mainly
girls.
Sue Nosworthy
Ten by Shamini Flint<br>
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760112264
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Girls' Soccer, Family Life, Sports,
Soccer, Resilience. Ten year old Maya sits in her dark living room
watching her favourite football team Brazil play in the 1986 World
Cup Quarter Final. She scrutinises every move, imagines she is there
on the pitch shooting a goal. Maya lives in a small Malaysian town
Kuantan with her parents, her old Indian grandmother Amamma and
older brother Rajiv and she's never played soccer. Life at home is
difficult, Mum and Dad constantly quarrel. Her mother is Indian and
her father is English, Maya attends a Catholic school, where she
feels she doesn't fit in.
When Maya is given a football by her mum, she begins to train and
perseveres despite all the roadblocks. She has to fight stereotypes
and prejudice - girls don't play football, from her family and
friends. Insights into a different way of life, Malaysian customs,
Indian weddings, food and ways of living provide an interesting
background to Maya's story. She gathers a team of misfits and
together they learn the skills and techniques to play in a real
match.
This is a multi-layered story, while Maya is busy with her football,
her father leaves the family and returns to England, the family is
torn apart. The ending is a surprising one showing Maya's
resourcefulness, perseverance and ingenuity.
Shamini Flint's junior novel is a great read for 9-12 year olds.
Rhyllis Bignell
Do you remember? by Kelly O'Gara and Anna McNeil
Wombat Books, 2015. ISBN 9781925139242
"Do you remember how much we loved each other?" is a strange way to
start a story because you would think that two talking to each other
would not forget that. But it is the perfect beginning for this
gentle, insightful reflection of that special relationship between
grandparent and grandchild. Beautifully and softly illustrated using
mice as characters, it explores a situation that so many of our
students are facing as their grandparents and great-grandparents get
older, and forgetfulness and dementia start to take over.
"Do you remember when you started hiding things in strange places?"
"Do you remember when you flooded your house?" "Do you remember when
you were cross?... You'd never spoken to me like that before. Did I
do something wrong?" Such a common experience for so many, but this
story has a beautiful twist. Because while Grandma Mouse can't
remember, Grandchild can and so she starts to paint pictures of
Grandma's stories so that even if Grandma has forgotten, the
memories won't be lost entirely. As gradually the grandchild becomes
the 'adult' it doesn't really matter that Grandma can't remember
because they create new memories and the love that binds them
together is the strongest memory of all.
When memory fades to the point where even a child is not recognised,
it can be very confronting and difficult to cope with as an adult
who understands what is happening on an intellectual level if not an
emotional one. Thus it is even more difficult for a child who
interprets the loss as personal rejection and banishment and even
lack of love. Sharing Do you remember? would be a wonderful
way for a parent to help a child understand what is happening and
the pointers about what dementia is and how a child can interact
with the sufferer regardless are so useful. Little children often
fear those who are ageing, especially when they have to move into
assisted care and sometimes the visits stop and the relationship
wanes - but this book which also gives guidance for parents about
how to handle the situation could be the pathway to keeping the love
flowing. Helping our children understand by being upfront with them
is the greatest gift we can give them and their grandparents.
Speaking from personal experience based on my own grandchildren and
their Great Gran, O'Gara and McNeil have nailed it.
Barbara Braxton
