Lothian Children's Books, 2023. ISBN: 9780734421975. (Age:Adult, 18+) Recommended for fantasy devotees.
Penny is a young witch living with her mother, grandmother, and sisters in a coven of Thorn witches. Their role in their warped and damaged world is to repair the veil between life and death, as instruments of the Warden, a man whose power plays can only be described as evil. The Thorn witches can only do their job by passing into death themselves, through a process of immolation - ritual burning. A return to life after their journey into Death is possible but fraught with risks, and Penny is looking ahead to her first burning with trepidation. Her coven is also responsible for transforming others in their world into virtual puppets to the Warden - masked and diminished, and sadly less than they were. So much has been damaged in the world of magic and Penny seems to have more power than most to affect a possible repair, but first it seems that she has to rescue someone close to her. Unfortunately though, she places herself in greater danger and makes a risky covenant with a formidable, but intoxicatingly magnetic person existing in Death. What begins with a burning, escalates into something that blazes in intensity and power for Penny and all who exist in Life. There is no turning back.
This is an intense fantasy saga embroiled in the black and sombre environment of witches, dark magic, and death - not a happy place for this reviewer! Despite that, there is the redeeming aspect of characters who love, who display loyalty, who fight for the good of others, and who go to extreme lengths to overthrow authority that does not consider those around them. There is even romance within this dark tale (that almost extends to the erotic at some points, with both same-sex and heterosexual attraction and expression - there is more than one way to burn!). The dark journey into death is also quite confusing and the fantasy world created by Adams is intensely complex, and so this book is only for those with mature fantasy interests - there are no magic wands or fairy dust in this magical world. The plot begins in a very intense way and there is no let-up in the intensity as more and more complexities are woven into Penny’s role as potential rescuer, and in the restoration of her world. There is violence and danger scattered throughout the story, and readers will champion the fearful Penny as she faces up to her role in overcoming what seems to be an awful future. And this is only Book 1! Although I am not a fan of this kind of darkly magical and depressing fantasy, I accept that there will be some who will find Adams’ fantasy story writing craft as compelling and will become trapped within the pages of her Thorn Witch Trilogy as they follow Penny’s journey. This is not a light-hearted or child-friendly fantasy.
Well-known Kamilaroi and Euahlayi author and illustrator Gregg Dreise has brought together his proud knowledge of his own traditional art and culture in this beautiful picture book Circles of Life. In this gentle book readers are taken on a journey alongside two young girls and shown how to create a traditional painting of Gabayindah Guroos or Thank You Circles that are a celebration of the different elements of our world. Using ochre from Mother Earth, sticks and stones, readers are encouraged to create their own Thank You Circle.
The painting begins with a small circle in the centre of the page representing Father Sky. This is followed by circles placed around Father Sky which represent Mother Earth and what she brings. More circles follow representing water and trees, followed by even more dots representing animals. Ancestors who have cared for Country surround the circular formation, followed by Elders and then children. The last layer is perhaps the most poignant, a wish for the children of the future - that they have a sustainable Country to connect with. After the completion of each layer thanks is given for what nature has provided.
Written in careful and reflective verse, surrounded by striking illustrations in bright and bold colours, this book is wonderful introduction to an aspect of traditional art and story. The dramatic endpapers show a handprint amidst many Thank You Circles.
Circles of Life deserves to be read slowly, savouring the words while creating a thoughtful Thank You Circle. This book would be an excellent resource for Harmony Day as it sends a message of being in harmony with the land by connecting to Country, and listening to Songlines through the words of Ancestors and Elders.
Themes First Nations People, Art, Drawing, Country, Connection, Culture, Respect.
Kathryn Beilby
Loki by Melvin Burgess
Hachette, 2022. ISBN: 9781399701549. (Age:Adult)
Trickster god, Loki, details the time of the gods, creation of many of the norse myths and gods and their lives, along with politics, relationships and the god families. Travel through the creation of time and see how it all began, how humans came to be and how the gods spent their time - all through the eyes of Loki. With tricks up his sleeves, Loki is sure to be up to something to annoy the other gods.
While the actual story is well paced and well written, I would not recommend this for a school library due to the frequent coarse language, which adds nothing to the story, with the narrator of the story, Loki, constantly referring to the reader as ‘arse-born’, which is of the milder of language used. Definitely for readers older than 18 years. The story incorporates norse myth, which would be interesting, but again, it is written in an insulting way to the reader, as though the reader is beneath the narrator’s worth or even beneath the dirt that the narrator walks on. Some readers may enjoy this immensely, others will find it tires quickly. Never having read much Norse mythology, I was looking forward to finding out historical pieces of information in this regard, however this book leads the reader to believe that nothing is based in research, and that the narrator is extremely unreliable, even if the mythology is correct (I have been so discharmed that I have not looked anything up).
Catch a Star, 2024. ISBN: 9781922326867. (Age:1+) Recommended.
One in a number of books in the Who am I? series published by New Frontier, the book about a puppy will have instant appeal to the very young, just learning to hold and open a book. Study board books are great introductions, and combined with am engrossing theme concerning a variety of animals, told simply and surrounded by wonderfully engaging illustrations, younger children will just love the puppy book, being closer to home than the others about animals from far away, and love seeing the difference between a dog, a cat, fish and and themselves, after viewing their image in the mirror after the last flap is lifted. A variety of options are given about a range of animals that children will know. The background detail shows a little of the environment in which these animals live, and a few other animals are included, prodding recognition by the reader. They will love the board book, sturdy and strong, brightly coloured and detailed, giving range to a host of learning about animals that they are able to see in their neighbourhood.
Themes Animals, Difference, Lift the flap, Series, Board book, Dogs.
This narrative is told in two time periods, 1832 and the present time. Constructing this novel, Julie Brooks places her characters in these different times, drawing us into the worlds in which the characters, coming from the same family, live their lives. The story told both in England and the story told in Samoa enables us to be drawn into two very different worlds. Julie Brooks writes a narrative that challenges the reader, where we feel close to the world of the individual character, one who makes decisions without having to gain acceptance of her choices by any other family members.
Prudence Merryfield inherits the family house and property, and she is very strongly determined to live a life that lifts her out of the world into which she was born. Deciding to leave England, her new life begins in a place so different to the English world, and she enjoys her choice, although she must adapt to a new world that is very different to that in which she has lived her life so far. Devon, London, Samoa, Singapore, the South Pacific in its broader sense, is described as we read about Australia, as seen by an Englishwoman who knew little about the world itself.
Overall, we read the narrative that tells of Prudence’s choice of places to live for a time, seeking to be in a world that is not like home, one that challenges her to find a way to live in a totally new world. Essentially, the narrative addresses the idea of ambition, a desire to live in an unknown world, and face how to make choices by one’s self and how they will live and thrive in this different place.
At the heart of this narrative we become aware of the denigration of women in that time, where other family members were adamant in expecting Prudence to marry, which will give her male partner the ownership of the house and land. Prudence realises this and is determined to stay single, deciding that she wished to run her own life, neither to share it with a man, nor to have a man as prime in their relationship. A relative is expecting Prudence to consider marrying a man, and this man will thence run and essentially own the property. Julie Brooks writes of a woman who rejects that kind of life, and thus, taking us into their world, we can see how difficult it was for a woman to be independent, and similarly how a woman would not be considered to own this property once married. If she marries, her inheritance will belong to her male partner, and if she dies, then the property and house will go to a male relative of her father’s.
Eliza, the inheritor, realises that she can find very little information about Prudence. Having disappeared more than 180 years earlier, Prudence has left little for an inheritor to discover. Living in the modern world as she does and having moved into her house, Eliza is appalled at the notion of a woman not being expected, in her time, to own and run a house without a man.
In the summer of 2024, Julie Brooks closes this narrative and leaves us wondering how well Prudence Merryfield lived her life, having left behind a world that would have supported her richly. However, clearly Prudence represents a woman who is determined to make her own life, to choose her place to live and how to make that life count for her. The narrative is brilliant, challenging, richly descriptive of the worlds of this narrative, and intensely memorable.
Themes Women, Inheritance, Social conditions - 19th century.
Elizabeth Bondar
Lionel and me by Corinne Fenton. Illus. by Tracie Grimwood
New Frontier Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922326607. (Age:3+) Highly recommended.
A beautiful relationship exists between a large yellow haired dog called Maverick and his owners, two young children he adores. They do everything together. They sleep together, eat their meals together, go on walks on the beach and most importantly love each other.
That is until Lionel comes into their lives. This small dachshund pup takes over the relationship Maverick has with his owner. Lionel is always asleep, and on Maverick’s bed, he whines and leaves small piles of poo, and must be carried when they go on their walks. Lionel seems to take up much of the family’s time, leaving Maverick left out and alone. One day he eats all of Lionel’s food and is banished to the dog house in the garden.
But one day Lionel does something which gains his family’s disapproval and is also sent to the dog house. Here they create a bond of friendship.
This beautiful story will encourage compassion within the audience as they too can recognise times when they have left someone out or been overlooked and isolated themselves.
Strong themes of friendship, acceptance and inclusion are woven through the story and expertly captured by the illustrator, Tracie Grimwood. More can be seen about this diverse illustrator here.
The illustrations are all encompassing, revealing the love that exists between an animal and his humans, while cautioning the readers that love can be tenuous, changeable and must be practised to make sure everyone is included. Readers will quickly understand the hurt that Maverick is feeling being left out of their activities and nowhere is this more heart breaking when Maverick is sent to the dog house. That Grimwood shows that it is raining adds another level of sadness. Detail on each page will ensure eyes will scan what’s happening, taking to heart the meaning of friendship, and including everyone within that circle. Teaching notes are available.
An entertaining story of a battle of wills leads readers to think about their own relationship with these around them: animals and human alike, as the boy in this tale tries all he can to get the cat to see things from his perspective. After all, he is his own special particular private and personal cat.
He lifts the cat up onto his lap, only to have the cat jump off. He dresses the cat in warm clothing and pulls him along in his trolley only to see the cat divest itself of the clothing and jump from the trolley. He makes the cat a bed with its own pillow and little sheet, and sees him again spurn his efforts. He tells the cat that he belongs to him, implying that he should do what the boy wants him to do but the cat responds, using sounds and language, which includes some of the boy’s language. He tells him that he is the me of me, that he likes to walk and talk, and sometimes in the long grass he pretends to be a tiger or a bear, he does all sorts of things; climbs trees and looks for bees, scratches the rugs, cleans himself and sleeps when he wants to sleep. The boy thinks and thinks, resolving that he too is the me of me, he too walks when he wants to walk and talks when he wishes. He does all sorts of things which suit him, which show other people who he is. Both conclude that they are the friends of themselves but also of each other, and that they have boundaries that recognise their independence from each other. But sometimes in the night, the cat might slip onto the boy’s bed cover while he is asleep and sleep on the end of the bed, just like that.
With illustrations reflecting the story using a minimum of colour, the readers will delight in what is laid before them. They will love the boy going to great lengths to get the cat to be his own, and recognise the way the boy goes about trying to win the cat over. The line drawings with blocks of black, red and white against the orange background, make for an arresting view of the child and his relationship with the cat. The boy’s attempts are obvious, as are the cat’s reactions. And the whole is neatly resolved at the end where they come together not only deciding that each is his own being, each having boundaries which should be respected, but coming together to sleep, the cat snuggling onto the end of the bed when he wants to.
The rewilding opens like a thriller with Jagger, a corporate corruption whistleblower, on the run from both the police and his ruthless father’s hitmen. His retreat to the safety of a secret cave remembered from childhood explorations, is disrupted by an encounter with what he at first takes to be a huldra, a wild creature of the forest. But Nia, the feral girl, is real and just as desperate as him, with her own reasons for avoiding the outside world. The two are thrown together, constantly on the alert for danger.
At this point, the novel becomes like an exposition for climate change awareness, but the dying land they move through is not some distant dystopian future but current day Australia with drought, super-storms, megafires, and system collapse. Nia opens Jagger’s eyes to it all. Nia is a committed activist, gutsy and determined. Jagger, in contrast, is a money man, often coming across as an indecisive coward. But in his journey with Nia, he gradually rediscovers the love of nature and good values of his early childhood that his mother tried to instil, values he lost in the consumerist drive of his life in his father’s company.
The climate warnings are not all doom either, along the way the reader finds out about rewilding, sanctuaries, cooking oil for car fuel, ocean cleaning, green buildings, and other positive actions that are taking place across the world.
The rewilding is an unusual mix of genres: thriller, climate treatise, myth, quest, hate-to-love romance; but it absolutely works, and the action holds the reader’s interest until the end. For adult and young adult readers concerned about the environment, it raises awareness but also offers hope.
Easter is here and Cat and Dog find the bunny's basket but there are no eggs in it.
So Cat goes in search of the Easter Bunny, following Dog's somewhat meagre and misleading clues, meaning a lot of creatures with long ears and floppy tails come to celebrate Easter, but none of them is the Easter Bunny. Will Cat ever find who he is looking for?
Little ones will delight in this new story for the Easter season, and once they realise the pattern, will have fun predicting just which creature Cat might have brought to the party this time, as they apply their existing knowledge of creature features to match the illustrations, while learning the importance of trying to be as precise as they can.
Themes Easter, Easter Bunny.
Barbara Braxton
How to avoid being eaten by sharks and other advice by John Larkin. Illus. by Chrissie Krebs
What is the best way to avoid being eaten by a shark? Is the Earth really flat? How to translate Parent speak, How to pass a creative writing test, and How to avoid being abducted by aliens are the five chapters of this nonfiction book by John Larkin. The important questions and mysteries of life are presented as a narrative woven with facts in this amusing book. Each chapter presents the facts and figures of each topic with handy hints, advice and trivia, all combined with some full page black and white, comic style illustrations and smaller sketches across the page.
Larkin also uses examples from his childhood to bring to life the chapter about Parent speak and uses examples from his writing life which will interest many young aspiring writers. The language used is more suited to more advanced readers, as is the style of the book which is more like a wordy novel than many of the more recent nonfiction offerings that contain more illustration and fact bubbles/boxes to engage reluctant readers. The page about Idioms at the back of the book will be a valuable discussion starter for many classrooms. I felt the chapter about creative writing seemed an odd inclusion, especially in the middle section of the book. It will be useful as a tool to teach some creative writing in classrooms and give children a helpful guide to story writing, but could well have formed the basis for a book all on its own.
Themes General knowledge, Sharks, Unexplained phenomena, Aliens.
Gabrielle Anderson
Where's Wally? The great games speed search by Martin Handford
Where’s Wally? The Great Games Speed Search is the second book in the new competitive format for the legion of fans of Where’s Wally. This hardcover book with strong cardboard pages conveniently folds flat so that two competitors facing each other have equal chance to find Wally in the fastest time. There is also the opportunity to play solo.
The first competitive double page is a competition to find either Wally or Wenda and their friends. Both scenes look the same at first glance but subtle differences begin to appear. The second competition has the player also finding dragon silhouettes as well as the usual crew. The next two double pages have incredibly busy drawings, one of which are sketches and the other, an underwater scene. All of the 11 activities presented are both clever and complex but have the odd clue and hint thrown in. This latest book will keep obsessed Where’s Wally fans entertained for hours.
Kathryn Beilby
Pearly and Pig and the Island of Secrets by Sue Whiting
Pearly and Pig and the Island of Secrets, written by Sue Whiting, is the latest instalment in the Pearly and Pig series. This is a delightful junior fiction novel that will captivate young readers with its exciting plot and endearing characters.
In this third book of the series, we join Pearly and her trusty companion, Pig, on another thrilling adventure as they embark on a quest to become true 'adventurologists'. Set on the mysterious, uninhabited Mammut Island, just off the coast of Iceland, Pearly finds herself winched down from a helicopter by her mum and grandma with only five days' worth of supplies to complete a series of tasks independently. However, what begins as a seemingly straightforward mission quickly takes a suspenseful turn when Pearly discovers the presence of unknown individuals on the island, and she is unsure of their intentions.
Pearly is desperate to prove to her family that she is brave and up to the challenges set and she really doesn’t want to alert her family about anything. She sets about trying to complete her adventure tasks but find it very unsettling with all the other things going on at the island. Even the puffins seem concerned.
Adamant that she can complete all these tasks and give this new challenge the best shot ever, Pearly and Pig help each other work through their worries. They have the most beautiful bond and can even communicate with each other in pig language.
A highly engaging and enchanting novel that moves at a brisk pace, readers will be eagerly flipping through the pages to uncover the mysteries and adventures. This story will appeal to anyone who enjoys adventure, mystery and prehistoric life, while intertwined with valuable lessons about courage, friendship, and the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. With its engaging storyline and lovable characters, this book is sure to captivate young readers and leave them eagerly seeking other books in the series.
Maya’s Dance is ultimately two stories running parallel; the major story being the incredible journey of survival for Maya Schulze and the minor story being about Kate Young, a journalist living with her own heartache who listens to Maya’s story in 1995 and shares it with others.
Author Helen Signy was inspired by the story of Lucie Pollak-Langford, who survived horrific conditions as a Jewish slave worker in a Nazi-run Polish labour camp in Sawin. Much of this story has been written from testimonies, interviews and the self-published memoir of Lucie before her passing in Sydney 2021.
Maya, a Jewish girl from Prague in the Czech Republic, loved to dance and this was her whole life until she was 17 when her family was cruelly transported to Poland. While they were not sent to a death camp, their time at Sawin was really about being worked to death building irrigation channels for the Nazi regime. Five hundred Jewish people were marched into the camp in 1942 and one year later only 38 remained. During that time, the prisoners were starved, beaten and forced to live and work under inhumane conditions.
For Maya, now suffering from bouts of dementia, retelling Kate her story opens up so many memories, mainly full of despair but also of joy when a young Polish engineer enters Maya’s life. Maya chooses to dance in a camp concert, and it is there that Jan Novak sets his eyes and heart on her. Jan becomes central to Maya’s survival and engineers her escape to safety. In 1995, Maya firmly believes Jan is still alive and in telling her story and with Kate’s help, she hopes to find him.
This fictitious story, with its many twists and turns especially towards the end of the story, will leave the reader in awe of Maya’s instincts for survival, her resilience and the joy she now finds in the everyday. The growing friendship that develops between Kate and Maya is a lifeline for both characters and fills a void that they may not have realised they needed.
Maya’s Dance is a highly engaging read that also comes with an important Author’s Note that provides further background information for the story.
Esme in the Limelight is the latest companion book to the Aster books with Esme featuring in the previous books as the teen who runs the milk bar frequented by Aster, Xavier and Indigo. This raw and deeply sensitive story begins with Esme drowning in damaging thoughts and her own lack of belief in herself.
Fifteen year old Esme Rogers is in Year 9 part time. She struggles with mental health and negative self-talk and the important relationships in her life are strained and causing great pain. Esme is either invisible to her parents or the cause of their greatest disappointments. Her sister Ro is the wonder child, a high achiever, popular but struggling with her own demons. Aster, Xavier and Indigo are all part of Esme’s life but she is pushing them away due to her feelings of worthlessness. And Amy, the one person whom Esme trusted and was befriended by, has left without a word. Added to this is the news that her safe place, the milk bar, is to be sold. Esme also dreams of being in the school musical but refuses to risk auditioning and watches as those around her excitedly take part.
Esme’s thoughts finally leave her battered, bruised and broken.
As the story progresses, the reader is given hope that Esme will be okay. Aster, Xavier and Indigo rally around as well as her new friends Erika and Aiden, her sister Ro opens up about her own struggles and the local community provides unexpected support.
Author Kate Gordon has written intensely of the anguish suffered by Esme. The heart breaking honesty of Esme’s words, often expressed through poetry, and her evolving story has many messages that may resonate with mature young readers and adults.
We choose the people we let into our lives. We choose the voices we listen to, and those we shut out --- even if that voice is, occasionally, the mean voice in our heads, telling us we’re worthless. We choose how we tell our own story. p192.
Break, created by author-illustrator Kayla Miller, is the sixth book in the very popular graphic novel series, Click. Once again, Miller cleverly delves into relevant social issues and delicately navigates the complexities of family dynamics, divorce and forgiveness; through the eyes of its main character, Olive.
Olive is set to spend her upcoming school holiday at her father's new apartment, and she is dreading it. The story unfolds with comic style pastel illustrations that capture both the tender moments and the emotional turmoil Olive experiences. While all her other friends seem excited about their holiday plans, Olive struggles to find joy amidst her feelings of hurt and resentment. Her brother Goober is super excited and has activities planned for the whole time, yet Olive is really conflicted with her feelings. So, rather than embracing the opportunity to reunite with her father, Olive withdraws and finds comfort in her phone, using it as a distraction to avoid confronting her emotions.
As Olive's holiday progresses, however, she begins to feel the weight of her loneliness and the strain of her unresolved feelings. Can Olive turn things around, or will her efforts be too little too late?
Through authentic and relatable storytelling, Miller explores Olive's journey of self-discovery as she learns to navigate the complexities of her family situation and confront her own emotions.
Break is more than just a graphic novel; it's a heartfelt exploration of the social issues faced by children growing up in divorced families. Through Olive's experiences, readers are reminded of the importance of communication, empathy and forgiveness in overcoming difficult relationships and finding healing.
With its beautiful illustrations and compelling narrative, Break is a must-read for readers of all ages. Miller's ability to tackle sensitive topics with grace and sensitivity makes this graphic novel a powerful and impactful addition to any library.
