A Lone City series, bk 2. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN
9781406347586
Recommended for 15+ years. In this world some girls are taken from
their homes to be surrogates for the elite. Each year they are sent
to an auction where they are bid on by the rich women from The
Jewel. Violet is a surrogate who has just been caught in bed with
her boyfriend Ash, by The Duchess of the lake. With the help of
Garnet, the Duchess's son, they manage to rescue Ash and her
pregnant friend Raven and escape into the Lone City. It's here that
she learns about a rebellion and how her own powers can help. The
only problem is: what are they and could Violet ever reach her full
potential?
I found The White Rose initially difficult to follow as I
hadn't read the previous book, The Jewel, however the more
the book progressed the easier it was to become absorbed into the
storyline. The first half I found a bit repetitive as it explained
what had happened in the first book, though it soon picked up and
became fast paced with a few shocks and spins into the story line.
The characters interaction with each other was well developed and I
found that I really enjoyed getting to know each of them. The ending
ends with a cliff hanger to which made for an interesting lead up
yet I suspected how it would end, which was a little disappointing.
With all that said and done I am now looking forward to reading the
first book and I'm sure I will enjoy the third book as well.
I am going to recommend this book to the readers who really loved
the Divergent series and also readers who enjoyed Margaret
Atwood's The Handmaid's tale.
Jody Holmes
Big family by Mike Curato
Little Elliot series. Five Mile Press, 2015. ISBN
9781760068455
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Family, Friendship, Loneliness,
Elephants, Mice. When Mouse goes off for a family reunion involving
his parents, grandparents, 15 brothers, 19 sisters, 25 aunts, 28
uncles and 147 cousins, Elliot becomes lonely. The house is quiet
and empty so he wanders off into the city, but here people are too
involved in their own world to notice Little Elliot. He goes to the
seaside, he skates at the skating rink, finally going to the movies,
where he is still alone.
Outside in the snow, he hears his name being called and turns to
find Mouse. He has missed Little Elliot, and has come to fetch him
to his family reunion.
Here he joins in the family fun, being counted as one of the family.
This delightful story of belonging, of family and friendship will
resonate with younger readers as they identify with Little Elliot
being left on his own. They will be heartened when he goes off
trying to find something to do and friends to meet, and buoyed up
when Mouse returns for him, inviting him to be part of his family.
The old fashioned style of illustration and colouring will appeal to
readers as they pick out things which are now so different.
Children will love to comment on how families are made up, and enjoy
recounting the number of aunts and uncles, cousins, brothers and
sisters they all have. Sometimes families are made up of many
different layers and this too could be a point of discussion with a
group of children. But certainly the main theme of belonging, of
being part of a family will be the main focus of any child's
attention.
Fran Knight
Olive of Groves by Katrina Nannestad
Harper Collins Children's Books, 2015. ISBN 9780733333682
(Age: 8-11) Themes: Humour; Boarding school; Friendship; Bullying;
Overcoming difficulties. This enjoyable rollicking tale involving a
young, ordinary girl named Olive, who is enrolled into Mrs Groves'
Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus
Performers almost by accident. It is not a 'standard' educational
establishment in any way. The Principal is afraid of girls; lessons
rarely follow any plan or allow any learning of any sort - except
perhaps for the circus classes for the Acrobatic performers. The
enrolled students are so strange they almost defy description - a
knife thrower, rats that share a bedroom (and friendship) with
Olive, a young student named Frank, whose skill is ironically his
ability as a liar; a poorly sighted moose; and a goose that faints
at the sight of cherries! Olive claims skills as an acrobat that she
does not have, but accidentally discovers. The school also has the
ubiquitous 'Bully' - a pig - who has the Principal in his control,
and who selfishly does everything to upset every other student.
Olive charms her other school mates, and they eventually solve all
their problems using their unique skills in combination.
Because of the eccentric characters, the book is automatically funny
- it is almost like a script for a quirky visual cartoon. Olive has
a virtuous and endearing approach to life and her gentle
friendliness and politeness make her very likeable. The 'bully' is
so extreme in his obnoxious behaviour, that the reader knows
immediately that this is a fantastic tale. This author knows how to
entertain, and Olive of Groves will be enjoyed by young
readers aged 8-11.
Carolyn Hull
Unofficial Minecrafter's adventure series by Winter Morgan
The skeletons strike back, book five. ISBN 9781408869680 Clash of the creepers, book six. ISBN 9781408869697
(Ages: 7-12) These are installments 5 and 6 in the An Unofficial
Gamer's Adventure series of easy novels, based on the popular
computer/device game Minecraft.
Set in the Minecraft world as found in the game, Steve and friends
continue their adventures, fighting off skeletons and creepers and
hunting for treasure. My children, aged 9 and 11 polished off these
two books in under an hour and found them engrossing. It's a fun,
effective way to build on kids' love of the computer game to get
them into reading. Knowledge of the game and the different creatures
involved is a must, as I found it confusing trying to work out what
a 'griefer' is, for example. My children also found there were too
many characters, as the protagonist Steve is joined by a seemingly
unending host of friends and other hangers-on throughout the
stories. That said they are fast paced and well written with sound
adventure plots.
In Clash of the creepers, Steve's friends convince him to
leave the farm even though the treasure map they've been given could
just be a fake. I think it's the mystery and adventure that gets
young readers hooked after just a few pages. Just as players
navigate the dangers of the Minecraft world, so do the characters in
the book. Ultimately the friends decide to use the diamond treasure
to help the village and the baddies even see the error of their
ways. These themes of teamwork and helping others will appeal most
to readers 12 and under.
Jessica Smith
Recipes for Love and Murder: A Tannie Maria Mystery by Sally Andrew
Tannie Maria Mystery bk 1. Text, 2015. ISBN 9781925240092
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Mystery. Recipes. Humour. South
Africa. Tannie Maria loves to cook and writes a recipe column for
her local paper, the Klein Karoo Gazette. When instructed to turn
her column into one that answers problems, she does with a flair,
using common sense advice and terrific recipes as well. One of the
letters is disturbing and when its author is found murdered, Tannie
Maria and her offsider Jessie, a young reporter at the Gazette,
begin to look for clues and run into challenges and danger.
I loved both the setting and the characters in Recipes for love
and murder. Descriptions of the Klein Karoo in South Africa,
its landscape, flora and fauna were skilfully woven into the story
and will have readers looking up the area to find out more about it.
The main character, Tannie Maria immediately gains the reader's
sympathy. The author gives great insight into her personality, using
descriptions of the food and its preparation, and how it impacts on
her and on other people. She has suffered from domestic violence,
and this is a thread all through the book, but she is gradually
regaining her confidence in herself and in men, particularly Henk
Kennemeyer, the policeman who is in charge of the murder
investigation. Armed with some mouth-watering food, Tannie Maria
manages to inveigle her way into the investigation, and her
knowledge of domestic things adds some clues to the mix. Jessie, the
young reporter is also an interesting character, young and eager,
she wants to prove herself and puts herself into great danger as she
does that.
There is much humour in the book that off-sets the darkness of the
domestic violence and murder and this gives the reading experience
an extra zest and really adds to the enjoyment of the book.
Highly addictive, this story is a fabulous combination of murder
mystery, friendship, overcoming grief and regaining confidence as
well as some delicious recipes. I will certainly be trying out the
recipe for Tender Mutton Curry to be found at the back of the books,
with other equally mouth-watering recipes. I can't wait for the next
in the series.
Pat Pledger
Australian Kids through the Years by Tania McCartney
Ill. by Andrew Joyner. National Library of Australia, 2015. ISBN
9780642278593
(Age: 5-10) Recommended. Andrew Joyner's retro style illustrations
and Tania McCartney's fun presentation of information will make this
non-fiction picture book popular with children, teachers and parents
alike. McCartney also wrote the similarly presented An Aussie Year,
which illustrates twelve months in the year of children around
Australia. In Australian Kids through the Years, each double
page spread looks at children's lives, starting with larger blocks
of time (eg. 1800-1840s), and then looking at each decade
individually from the 1950s onwards. For each period, we are
introduced to a 'typical' girl and boy who then feature in the
following double page spread. Through speech bubbles, descriptive
labels within the illustrations and information textboxes, the
spreads tell the reader about the food, games, clothes and
activities that children of that period enjoyed. In the decades from
the 1950s onwards, what children watched on television also becomes
a main topic.
The pictures are rich in detail, filled with people playing, eating
and moving, providing plenty of things to look at and discuss.
Adults will get nostalgic about some of the games, toys, books and
television shows that are named or shown, which this will no doubt
spark rich conversations. Children will love questioning their
parents about some of the things they see on the pages, such as
games that are no longer popular, old technology and customs no
longer followed. They will also delight in recognising things that
have not changed over time. There is so much detail in here that it
invites readers to keep going back and picking out different things
each time. In the back of the book are photographs and images from
the National Library of Australia, which further illustrate each
period.
While there is an acknowledgment in the front of the book that 'For
tens of thousands of years, our first people lived in harmony with
the land', the portion of the book given to Indigenous Australian
children is small. In addition, the one page dedicated to them as
'first children' fails to emphasise how many generations of
Indigenous children lived on this land before European settlement,
and does not provide a year which would help to put this into
perspective. Despite this, the book successfully highlights and
celebrates the cultural diversity of Australian society and shows
how the social fabric of Australia has changed over time.
This is a resource perfect for teachers to use in discussions around
how childhood and life in Australia has changed over time, but will
also be wonderful for parents and children to share and discuss time
after time.
Nicole Nelson
Adelaide's secret world by Elise Hurst
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743313350
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Courage, Loneliness, Friendship, City life.
The soft edged illustrations will thrill the readers as they see the
story of Adelaide finding her partner played out before them.
Adelaide works in a little shop in the city. As the workforce
reduces she is left alone.
She continues to make her little sculptures, but watches as people
come and go outside. At night she sits on the roof watching the
stars, by day she watches ships come into the port, and sees the
quiet ones like her, those who dream alone.
But one day she becomes restless and goes out into the city. When a
storm develops she sees Fox drop his book, and picking it up, runs
after him to return it. She cannot speak to him, but the astute
reader will have noticed the image of the Fox in pages before. She
leaves and returning home the wind swirls her around, and she makes
the courageous step of going back to Fox's house.
A charming story of taking the first step, of making a decision, of
taking a chance, this book will intrigue readers wishing for an end
to Adelaide's loneliness. The illustrations bring the city vividly
to life, with its sky hugging buildings, bridge spans, and swirl of
people, interspersed with small gardens with statues, and people
riding bikes, reading or dancing. Several pages ring with the
loneliness city life can impose on its inhabitants: the arch of
umbrellas, the tall buildings, the small alleyways and the cafe
where people sit alone.
But resolute Adelaide takes a risk, changing her life and that of
Fox for the better, instilling hope in the mind of the reader.
Fran Knight
Alice-Miranda in the Alps by Jacqueline Harvey
Alice-Miranda series. Random House, 2015. ISBN 9780857982742
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Skiing, Adventure, Mystery. Alice-Miranda
always gets into the thick of a mystery where she must use her wits
to untangle the threads and save the day, and this the twelfth
offering of this exciting series, is just that, an easy to read,
enthralling and funny romp through the Swiss Alps. Alice-Miranda and
her friends are at St Moritz, readying themselves for the White Turf
racing event. But an old friend of Alice-Miranda's family, the Baron
turns up after being missing for several months, surprising
Alice-Miranda and her friends. They determine to go to his hotel,
the Grand Hotel Von Zwicky to see what they can do to help as he
seems to be in some difficulties. Dodging criminals in this rather
lovely Swiss village sees Alice-Miranda and friends saving the day.
Another winner in this popular series, the publisher has included a
list of characters to help readers immerse themselves in this
enthralling read of 357 pages! At the end is added the first few
chapters of the very first book, Alice-Miranda at school and
inside the front cover readers will find the covers of each of the
twelve books.
Fran Knight
The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubic
Book Island, 2015. ISBN 9780994109873
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Originally published in French in Canada and
now published in more than 15 countries around the world, this is a
heart-warming tale of an unlikely friendship between an
overall-wearing lion and a bird with a broken wing. There are 40
double pages here, but only around 20 with text. Furthermore, each
contains only one sentence, often only one word. The limited text
means that the illustrations have to do most of the work, and they
do this so well. The artwork is spectacular. It is soft and textural
with an earthy colour palette of browns, blues and greens. In a
minimalist style, Dubic puts onto each page only those elements
which help to tell the story and show the passing of time. There is
a cinematic, silent film quality here; you could just as easily
ignore the text altogether and the artwork would do the job just as
well. High quality paper adds to the earthy feel of this book and
the matte illustrations suit the solidity of the thick pages.
The story itself is about a lion who takes care of a bird with a
broken wing when the rest of the flock fly away for the winter. Soon
the pair is enjoying the winter together: reading in front of the
fire, taking sleigh rides and keeping warm out of the snow. Blank
pages help to show the all-encompassing whiteness of the snowy
weather. Soon the warm weather is back and the bird must re-join his
flock. The reader waits anxiously alongside the lion to find out
whether his friend will join him for the winter again.
This is a gentle and emotive tale exploring themes of friendship,
change and loneliness. It is perfect for working with children on
inference and exploring how we can tell a story with pictures alone.
It also lends itself to discussions around seasons and change as the
changing landscape is an integral feature of the book. This is a
wonderful title for one on one sharing as it allows for rich
discussion and up-close appreciation of the illustrations.
Nicole Nelson
The Birthday Party Cake: All about Welcoming Differences with Pickle and Bree by Alison Reynolds
Ill. by Mikki Butterley. The Five Mile Press, 2015. ISBN
9781760067236
(Age:5-8) This is one of the first books in the Pickle and
Bree's Guide to Good Deeds series. Aimed at young school
children who are developing their social skills and learning to
regulate their emotions and behaviours, the series is upfront about
its purpose. Each book features a Guide to Good Deeds at the back,
which provides dot-point tips for children based on the focus theme
of the book (eg. 'Listen to what other people say. Try to understand
what they are saying, even if you don't agree with them').
This instalment is all about recognising and welcoming differences
in ideas and likes and understanding that even friends can be very
different from each other. Pickle, a brown bear, is planning a
birthday party for his panda bear friend, Jason. Bree, his human
best friend, decides to help. She wants to make it the best party
ever, but her ideas of the best party ever are slightly different to
Pickle's ideas. The honey cake he has just baked is overthrown by
Bree because 'everybody knows that chocolate is the best for
birthdays'. Bree declares their favourite bear game 'not a real
birthday party game' and insists they play eye-spy instead. When she
finally realises that Jason is not enjoying his birthday party, Bree
reinstates the honey cake and the game of Bear Bump. This reflects
young children's expectations that their friends will want to play
the same game as they do and is relevant to the issues they have in
their social relationships.
The soft, pastel illustrations give a timeless, gentle feel to the
book and there are textural touches, which provide depth and make
you want to reach out and touch the pages. The characters are cute,
cuddly and well characterised through the illustrations, which will
engage children. The text itself is quite long and may be a
challenge for some younger children; however, it provides lots of
material for discussion. This will be a useful series for teachers
and parents to use as a conversation starter around specific social
skills and challenges.
Nicole Nelson
ABC Dreaming by Warren Brim
Magabala Books, 2015. ISBN 9781922142627
(Age: 3-5) Reminiscent of Bronwyn Bancroft's An Australian ABC
of animals, this book takes the reader through the alphabet
with an Australian creature for every letter. The artwork of Brim, a
celebrated Queensland artist, is the real feature here. Descended
from the Djabugay people, his art is inspired by the Dreaming
stories told to him by his family and his bright hand-coloured
linoprints and acrylic paintings are striking examples of Indigenous
art. Each page provides a large artwork of an animal or a plant,
presented with the name of the creature with the initial upper and
lower-case letter alongside it.
Many of the creatures will be familiar to children (ant, owl,
turtle) but many are less well-known (Ulysses butterfly, quandong
fruit, long-nosed bandicoot). Each of the animals or plants can be
found in the author's rainforest home in Far North Queensland.
Useful for introducing young children to the alphabet, Indigenous
art and native plants and animals, this book is a great resource for
early childhood educators. While its simplicity is more suited to
pre-school children, it could also be a useful resource for teachers
in the early years of school, particularly for work around art
techniques and native flora and fauna.
Nicole Nelson
Trigger Mortis By Anthony Horowitz
Orion Books, 2015. ISBN: 9781409159537
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. This book was read in one sitting, as
it just refused to be let go. The Ian Fleming Estate provided
Anthony Horowitz with original, unpublished writing for this book.
This book reacquaints the reader with M, Moneypenny, Pussy Galore
and a range of dastardly villains guaranteed to keep you on the edge
of your seat.
007 is in a deadly mission against the Soviet organisation SMERSH
and Korean Jason Sin. He must enter a Grand Prix race and save the
American Space Program. The stage is set for action at its most
thrilling.
The story is fast paced and so well written the reader is almost
pulled along from one heart stopping event to the next. Horowitz has
spared no effort in providing authentic detail for Grand Prix racing
and the massacre at No Gun Ri. He also relates the inner thoughts of
007 in such a natural way the reader almost feels the thoughts are
their own.
An interesting inclusion in this story is the tension where 007 is
deciding whether to dispatch a character. His 007 status explained,
he makes a decision the reader is at first confronted by. The James
Bond in this book is a man of Ian Fleming's times who is challenged
by the sensibilities of the modern world. It makes great reading.
Linda Guthrie
Zarkora: The Fyrelit Tragedy by Nicholas Lochel and Alison Lochel
Lothian, 2015. ISBN 9780734416421
(Age: 10+) Recommended. The Fyrelit Tragedy is the first in
the four-book Zarkora series. This book is written by a
brother and sister team who write well together. The beginning pages
of the book are overly peppered with adjectives, however the story
settles in to be a well told and captivating read. There is a
charming mix of the fantasy elements such as sailing boats and
swords and steampunk elements such as machines that use fuel.
The main characters, Neleik and Ervine inhabit a fantasy land of
dragons, ogres, princesses and quests. Their sister, Skye, is
kidnapped in mysterious circumstances and so begins their quest to
rescue her. They must venture into lands they have never known
before and call upon the kindness of strangers to help them on their
way.
The story is action packed and has all the elements a young fantasy
reader could wish for - intrepid heroes, truly evil villains, loyal
friends, magic swords and just a hint of romance. The challenges and
riddles within the story are interesting and have the reader
puzzling to solve them before the answer is revealed.
Linda Guthrie
The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence
Hodder & Stoughton, 2015. ISBN 9781444764628
(Age: Adult) Highly recommended. 'You have a choice about what you
put into the public domain.'
This book is really difficult to put down. It tells Abby's story
from her perspective as Abby spirals into a manic episode following
finding her neighbour dead in the flat next door.
Abby is inspired in her mania - brilliant ideas and fashion choices
emanate from the page as she describes her adventures. Is it
possible for the reader to identify the point where Abby tips into
madness? The writing is compelling and there is a very real sense
that the writer has first-hand experience with this mental illness.
The author's note at the end of the book put this in perspective and
adds an authenticity to the writing.
Abby's very supportive psychiatrist plays a key role in rescuing
Abby as she plummets into depression. It is while undergoing
treatment in hospital that Abby meets Melody Black and the
significance of the title of the book becomes clear.
Another key aspect of the book is the development of the
relationships in Abby's life. The incredible resilience and caring
of the family and loved ones standing by Abby throughout her episode
and the mysteriously satisfying remote relationship with poet
Miranda Frost are detailed with humour.
Linda Guthrie
Azizi and the Little Blue Bird by Laila Koubaa and Mattias De Leeuw
Book Island, 2015. ISBN 9780994109866
(Age: 5-12) Recommended. Picture book. Azizi lives in a country
dominated by two greedy rulers. They feast and feast and expand with
both food and power. They have captured all the blue birds in the
land and have locked them up in their palace.
Azizi feels he and his people are shrinking while the rulers expand.
One night an escaped blue bird visits Azizi and together with a
trail of threaded flowers they embark on a plan to free both the
birds and people.
This story can be enjoyed both as a modern fairy tale, or as a
symbol of people power overthrowing a cruel regime. According to the
website the events in
this book are based on a true incident: 'in 2010/2011 when,
during the Arab Spring the internet was censored and/or shut down
during the uprisings, in an attempt to prevent protests from
spreading over the region. The little blue birds - have you already
guessed it?- refer to Twitter. '
The author is Dutch and the original text has been translated by
David Colmer.
This is a large format picture book and the illustrations by Mattias
De Leeuw fill each page with strong lines and bold colour.
I recommend this book for primary school libraries and children from
5 to 12 will enjoy this story at its many levels.
Jane Moore
