Spirit animals. Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743620038
(Age: 8-12) At book six this series is heading towards the final
confrontation between our Greencloak heroes and the evil Devourer,
leader of the Conquerors. Having suffered much, one wonders what
could possibly happen next to the four youngsters before the series
ends and how inventive the writers will be to keep them going until
the final book.
With Meilin and Abeke captured and delivered to General Gar head of
the Conquerors by Shane, Conor, Rollan and Tarik have arrived on
Nilo in search for Cabaro the Lion in an attempt to rescue his
talisman. The journey across Nilo which is mostly desert, is made
more dangerous by the presence of the Conquerors who have already
taken control of much of the island.
A local youngster Irtike whose spirit animal, a naked mole rat, gives
her an ability to sense beneath the earth, joins their quest and
guides them towards the oasis which is the kingdom Cabaro rules
over, and where humans are definitely not welcomed. There are many
dangers they need to overcome with Gerathon accompanying the
Conquerors and an army of ostriches guarding the only entrance to
the oasis only allowing animals entrance through the cliff pass.
Meanwhile Abeke and Meilin plot their escape made possible by a
confrontation between Gar and Drina, Shane's sister. Abeke and Shane
escape on his ship whilst Meilin, who is ashamed that it was through
her that the Greencloaks had been betrayed, opts to remain hidden on
the docks to maximise their chances of reaching the safety of
Greenhaven.
The final confrontation to capture Calabro's talisman is as usual
full of twists and turns, violence and unexpected solutions. This
time unfortunately resulting in the death of Tarik the leader of the
expedition, as well as the elimination of Gerathon and General Gar.
Tarik's memorial service at Greenhaven seems to be the end of the
story but there is another twist, answering some questions, and
leaving the reader ready for the next episode and hopefully the
final chapter in the story.
Sue Keane
Where is galah? by Sally Morgan
Little Hare Press, 2015. ISBN 9781921894466
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Aboriginal themes. Aboriginal stories. Quest.
Australian animals.
In her distinctive style, Morgan shows Dingo searching the bush for
Galah. He can see Emu and hear Kookaburra, he can see Eagle and hear
Frog, but cannot find Galah. Each page repeats the last seeing one
animal and hearing another, but not being able to find Galah. Kids
will love to predict and read along with the pages as they are
turned. It will not take them long to work out the rhythm of the
lines on each page, and as each few sentences talks about hearing an
animal, the noise made by the readers and listeners will be
infectious. Kookaburra, Crocodile, Frog, Mouse as well as Numbat
all have their own noises which the kids will love to replicate,
loudly.
On each colourful page readers will be excited to find a range of
animals almost hidden in the swirls and patterns. They will easily
recognise features of the Australian bush and learn the names of
animals they do not know and laugh knowingly when Dingo is tired of
his search and does what all tired children do.
This is a charming book. I can easily imagine small children
reveling in the features of the animals shown, learning to make the
noise that animal makes and learning something new about the
environments in which they live. Morgan's enchanting imagery begs to
be copied by younger readers with paint, crayon and paper. Their
colourful efforts will make a splash in any classroom or on the
fridge at home.
Fran Knight
Reckless by Danielle Weiler
Ranga Books, 2013. ISBN: 9780987546708
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Sexual scenes. Milly Benton wants it
all to go away. Wants all the nightmares and fears to go. She wants
an end to her parent's grief and all of the questions about how she
is going to spend the rest of her life to go away as well. Her
parents try one last hope of sending Milly away to her annoyingly
helpful aunt and three cousins' home in the country. Milly, bitter
about the way life has been to her, has stopped dreaming of a
beautiful future. Someone from her childhood comes back into her
life, just as broken as she is. Can they help each other overcome
their pasts?
This genre is becoming wildly popular as of late, and they just keep
getting better. It was wonderful to read and really intriguing. It
took me a bit to really get into Reckless as the beginning
really was not something I was interested in but I powered
through and really enjoyed how Danielle Weiler told Milly's life. I
felt sympathetic with the main characters and really loved reading
about how they evolved within the story.
Cecilia Richards
False note by Susannah McFarlane
EJ12 Book 19. Scholastic Australia, 2015. ISBN 9781925206029
(Age: 8-10) Highly recommended. Music and instruments play an
important role in this nineteenth installment of the extremely
popular EJ12 series. Emma Jacks is frustrated, she
desperately wants to write a special song for the passion projects
her schools set annually. Each girl student is tasked with writing,
performing or presenting something they are passionate about and
Emma is trying to write a song that captures each of her friends'
and band members' personalities in the music and lyrics.
'Music is like a code - but one that the heart cracks rather than
the head,' Miss Nevlin, Emma's music teacher wisely encourages
her. Just as she tidies up her music sheets, her mobile phone pings
and she's summoned for her next mission. At mission headquarters,
EJ12 needs to solve a coded musical clue sent by the evil Shadow
Agency.
Evil Alice Noir has mysteriously broken out of prison and is
orchestrating an involved plot with priceless violins from the
Sydney Conservatorium of Music. EJ12 is ready with her fellow SHINE
Agents to travel across Sydney using zippy scooters and fast
jet-skis. This mission calls for special agents C1 and C2 trained
cockatoos to assist in reconnaissance. There are covert meetings in
cafes, disappearing violinists, self-playing violins, hypnotised
audiences and a special concert to perform at the Opera House.
Susannah McFarlane's ever popular EJ12 series continues to deliver
all the elements the fans love - fast-paced action, mysteries to
unravel, twisted plots, codes to solve with supportive friends all
working together to fight the evil in the world.
Rhyllis Bignell
Alfie's lost sharkie by Anna Walker
Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781742839929
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Bedtime. At bedtime, Alfie looks through his
toy box, throwing out all of his toys, searching for Sharkie. He
cannot find his one and only toy which must go to bed with him. So
he searches the house, he looks through the garden even climbing up
into the tree, but with no luck. When bath time comes around, he is
still searching, and when the toy is not there he continues
searching the house, under the bed, in the toy box, under the bookcase, offering the oddest of suggestions to Mum about where Sharkie
could be.
Long suffering Mum reminds him to clean his teeth and get one toy to
take to bed. Children will love the following page showing Alfie not
with one toy but all of his toys, and once in bed he finds Sharkie.
All is well, and Mum bids him goodnight, but there is one more twist
to the tale.
A laugh out loud story, children and adults alike will recognise the
child making excuses about going to bed, and being focussed on one
last thing to do before getting into bed. Parents will recognise Mum
offering calm, quiet suggestions in the background, all the while
reminding him of where he needs to be. The illustrations are just
wonderful, with collage and ink being used in their preparation to
great effect. I love the wallpaper, a different type for each room,
and kids will love looking at the detail presented on each page.
This is a great read aloud, and I can imagine different children
taking Mum's and Alfie's parts to present as a small play as their
conversation is presented in different fonts.
Fran Knight
Dreams of freedom by Amnesty International
Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2015. ISBN 9781847804532
Highly recommended for students from 6 and above. Filled with
thought provoking quotes and wonderfully diverse art works, this is
a stunning sequel to the title on human rights, We are All Born
Free. As stated on the dust jacket, 'This unique collection of
powerful words from champions of freedom today and throughout
history is published in association with Amnesty International. The
book introduces children to the words of Nelson Mandela, the Dalai
Lama, Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai, among many others, and is
beautifully illustrated by world-renowned artists including Chris
Riddell, Ros Asquith, Roger Mello, Jackie Morris, Barroux, Peter Sis
and Mordicai Gerstein.' Michael Morpurgo's foreword highlights the
importance of freedom of speech and liberty and describes the role
of Amnesty as being to 'remind us that vigilance is vital, that the
fight for justice must go on. It is the good fight and one in which
all of us must be involved.' Dreams of freedom is perfect
vehicle by which children can be introduced to the concepts of
freedom of expression in both artistic pursuits and individuality,
the ability to dream, experience childhood, education, liberty and
freedom through equality, without slavery and fear and be prompted
to action.
As with the previous book, We are All Born Free, this title
contains a broad variety of quotes from modern and historic voices,
each selected to perfectly illustrate the central importance of
freedom in our lives. The artists' styles are hugely varied, ranging
from collage to watercolour, indigenous Australian art to Asian,
cartoon style to the realism of the cat watching over the caged
bird. Sadly, the Barroux image brings to mind the Charlie Hedbo
killings and the deaths of political satirist cartoonists. Rather
than detract from the message, the dramatically different colours
and techniques blend together to create a masterful title, lending
itself to so many uses within the classroom. Whether discussing
civics and citizenship, human rights or freedom, both this title and
its predecessor are a must have for every classroom or school
library.
Jo Schenkel
Caravan Fran by Cheryl Orsini
Lothian, 2015. ISBN 9780734416131
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Holidays, Friendship, Caravans, Journeys,
Maps, Safety. Three friends, Dave, Sam and Joe, set off on their
holidays with Caravan Fran in tow. They must first pack their
caravan with all the things they need, then drive off. But along the
way their dog, Ray falls into the river. Sam dives in to rescue him
but they drift off, and Joe grabs the canoe from the top of the van
to paddle after them.
While Dave drives off to their destination, readers will love
following their antics as the car and van follow the road, and the
dog and Ray swim down the river with Sam following in the canoe. All
three friends are working hard at saving the dog.
The soft watercolour and gouche illustrations work well with this
entertaining story of friendship and holidays. Children will
love looking at all the detail included in the pictures on each
page, and marvel at the journey taken by the group. Caravan Fran
holds up well, stuffed full of their necessaries and she looks very
contented once they all reach the beach and their things can be
spread out. The pictures of the van and its insides are enticing,
and the range of things that come out of the van to make their life
more comfortable on their holiday is incredible. Readers will take
the opportunity to talk of their family holidays, what they see and
any adventures they had. Teachers will take the opportunity to talk
of the safety measures needed when holidaying as well as using the
book to introduce the idea of maps.
Fran Knight
Witch Wars by Sibeal Pounder
Ill. by Laura Ellen Anderson. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408852651
What's not to like about crazy fairies and equally eccentric witches
making silly spells, living in Ritzy City where almost anything is
possible, fashion reigns and wide brimmed black hats are standard
attire. Add to the mix the detailed illustrations which bring Ritzy
City and its well dressed inhabitants to life, readers with a sense
of humour and everyone is a winner.
Tiga Whicabim leads an unhappy life as the ward of the evil Miss
Heks, but is more than surprised to meet Fran the Fabulous Fairy
whilst hiding out in the garden shed. She is even more surprised
when she finds herself below the drains in Ritzy City, Sinkville.
Not only that but she has been entered in the Witch Wars, a
competition to become Top Witch.
Who nominated her and how she will win when she has no idea about
how things work or how to cast spells is Tiga's first question,
however Fran is more concerned with getting the show on the road,
because Witch Wars is a Brollywood TV show broadcast live by fairy
camera operators of dubious quality.
After meeting the other contestants Tiga becomes firm friends with
the kindly Peggy, who like Tiga seems the least likely to win and
Fluffanora who swaps her fabulous dress for Tiga's jeans. There are
riddle clues to decipher which take them all over Sinkville meeting
an amazing variety of eccentric witches and fairies, all the while
trying to beat Felicity Bat who is happy to cheat and sacrifice her
friend Lizzie Beast in her quest to be named Top Witch.
This is a romp through an alternate world where everything from
underwater beauty parlours to shoes that turn into luxury
alternatives to tents is possible. Friendship and helping others
wins out in the end as Peggy is named Top Witch.
This is Sibeal Pounder's debut novel, but I am sure this is not the
last we will see of the Ritzy City crew.
Sue Keane
Wolves of Witchwood by Kate Forsyth
The Impossible Quest, bk 2. Scholastic Press Australia, 2014. ISBN
9781743624074
(Age: 9-12) The Impossible Quest series began with Escape
from Wolfhaven Castle in which the main characters are
introduced. This title begins where the last book left off so the
reader, new to the series is immediately plunged into the action
with little background information, though it won't take long to be
immersed in the story.
The four main characters, Tom, Quinn, Elanor and Sebastian are on
the run after escaping from Lord Mortlake and his army of Bog Men,
who they have discovered, is responsible for capturing their home
Wolfhaven Castle. With the aid of the Unicorn they liberated from
Frostwick Castle, they head deeper and deeper into Witchwood,
seeking sanctuary in a grove of Hawthorn trees. There they meet
Wilda the witch of Witchwood and seek her help to find the Griffin,
one of the other magical creatures essential to the success of their
quest.
Escaping Lord Mortlake again, with the help of some of Wilda's magic
the children continue their quest, only to meet the wolves of
Witchwood and their pack leader and protector, the wild man who had
originally warned Tom of the danger to Wolfhaven, Tom's father. With
his help they again head off to find the Griffin, not only gaining a
feather but a useful assistant in their effort to free Wolfhaven
Castle.
Magic and good fortune, suspicion and arguments, danger and daring
are all elements of this story. The Bog Men are relentless and
disgusting antagonists, Lord and Lady Mortlake are suitably evil and
the children, whilst bound together, have their own strengths and
weaknesses, characteristics the reader will recognise and empathise
with. The magic elements require some leaps of faith, for example
Sylvan, the wooden talisman which 'talks' to Quinn albeit in
riddles, Wilda's magic and the legendary powers purported to belong
to the Unicorn and Griffin's feather, though what would a fantasy
story be without a bit of magic.
Sue Keane
I'm a hungry dinosaur by Janeen Brian
Ill. by Ann James. Puffin, 2015. ISBN 9780670078103
Highly recommended. Humour. Rhyming text. Read aloud. With the
successful, I'm a dirty dinosaur still ringing in people's
ears, I'm a hungry dinosaur growls at a new and excited
audience as the dinosaur works his way through mixing the
ingredients, putting it into the oven, watching it cook, taking it
out, icing it and then eating it. He gets dirtier as he goes,
anticipating the thrill of the eating as he mixes, waiting patiently
as he watches it rise in the oven, then using his oven mitts to take
it out and ice it. Eating it is an even messier affair and one piece
leads to another and another, until finally he resolves to make
another cake.
Along the way every four rhyming lines are followed by a repeated
refrain, using a list of words to do with the action preceding them.
Children will love learning the refrain to read along with the
adult, and take delight in the rhyme and rhythm of each set of words
as well as predicting what word might come next. Their involvement
in the words will have them eager to listen again and again. I love
the exploration of the process in making a cake, each step following
the other in sequence, giving the model for telling a story in its
correct order. The words are all accessible to a younger audience,
and Ann James' delicious illustrations, made not only with magic
pencil and watercolour, but also chocolate icing, hundreds and
thousands and flour add to the fun of the reading.
Fran Knight
Blue moon by Tricia Oktober
Ford St Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781925000870
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Dreams. Cats. Fantasy.
As the cat kneads its dream mat, a web of wonders is produced, and
cat closes her eyes and drifts away. On opening them she finds
herself in a fantastic garden and spotting all things about cats
will keep the readers glued to the pages as they turn. The place of
dreams is made of catnip and milkweed, it has all sorts of
possibilities, painting a portrait, going to a ball, swimming
beneath the ocean, being the queen.
Each adventure is full of possibilities as the cat dreams of this
wonderful place.
Children will love to recognise the situations presented and share
their dreams.
Oktober's dream-like pictures perfectly suit the story, as readers
will love finding the small things hidden on each page and recognise
the many animals shown, following the meerkat on his journey as
well.
All sorts of cats form all sorts of stories can be spotted by the
astute readers, Puss in Boots, the Cat and the Fiddle, the Cheshire
Cat amongst others. And this will give rise to a different
discussion within the classroom or at home, about some of the
classic stories which involve cats.
Tricia Oktober has won many awards for her illustrations and is the
illustrator of several of my favourite books: The bush tail,
a story set in Papua New Guinea, Drought and Bush babies.
Fran Knight
Frances the royal family fairy by Daisy Meadows
Rainbow magic series. Orchard Books, 2015. ISBN 9781408339381
For readers from 6-8 years. Delicate, shiny leaf invitations have
arrived from Fairyland and Kirsty and Rachel are very excited. A
second royal baby has arrived at the palace and the girls are
preparing for a new adventure. Frances the royal family fairy whisks
them off to Fairyland in a sprinkling of fairy dust. She is the
fairy in charge of the two royal children and with the help of a
magic rubber duck helps them play and laugh together.
Just after all the fairies had presented the baby with gifts of
laughter and sports, the Royal Ceremony is interrupted by the
appearance of mischievous Jack Frost. In a flash he grabs the magic
rubber duck and disappears. Queen Titiana asks Kirsty and Rachel to
travel to the Ice Palace and retrieve the stolen toy. Unfortunately,
Jack Frost's spell creates a new villain, Jilly Chilly, and the
girls and fairies need to use their initiative to snatch the rubber
ducky from Jilly.
The Rainbow magic royal fairies are a magical series for
fairy lovers.
Rhyllis Bignell
New Boy by Nick Earls
Puffin, 2015. ISBN 9780143308393
(Age: 9-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Immigration, School life,
Family, Friendship, South Africa - social life and conditions.
Australia - social life and conditions, Bullying, Racism.
Nick Earl's family migrated from Northern Ireland to Australia when
he was nine. In New Boy, his insightful writing draws
inspiration from his family's experiences and from his involvement
with the refugee community in Queensland. Herschelle's mother and
father's decision to leave behind the problems and difficulties of
living in Cape Town for a new life in Brisbane is made without
consulting him. The catalyst was an incident with knife-wielding
black boys. He's in the popular crowd at school, captain of the
school hockey team and is surrounded by lots of family and friends.
On his first day at One Mile Creek State School, everything seems so
different, he's assigned a nerdy kid Max as a buddy to show him
around. He's learnt Aussie slang phrases and is prepared to speak to
the other kids, unfortunately they aren't the ones his classmates
use. Herschelle's day quickly goes downhill from his introduction to
the class, to being placed with the nerds, not pre-ordering his
lunch and finally having to wear spare clothes from lost property
for PE. He's the new boy from Planet Hersch, Population One.
Misconceptions about his skin colour, why is he white and not black
and lifestyle in South Africa are emotional topics. After PE, Harvey
asks about all the cars having flame throwers fitted under them and
is there barbwire on all the outside walls of the homes?
Embarrassment, language misconceptions - Mum just brings a plate to
the school fashion parade, racism, bullying and trying to fit in are
realistically portrayed.
Nick Earl's opens up the reader's eyes to the challenges faced by
new arrivals, both in school and in the community. This is an
eye-opening story to share with a class to explore the issues of
tolerance, acceptance and racism.
Rhyllis Bignell
Every move by Ellie Marney
The Every series, Bk 3. Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743318539
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Sherlock Holmes, Crime,
Investigation. Page turning, highly readable and most entertaining,
the story of Rachel Watts and Mycroft continues as their
investigations into the deaths of his parents eight years ago brings
them to the brink of being killed themselves. After the thrilling
episode in Britain in Every word, where the two were
kidnapped and tortured, this has them back in Melbourne, the scene
of the first of this engrossing trilogy, Every breath. DS
Pickup reacquaints himself when two murders are committed, the
victims being look a likes for Rachel and Mycroft. Wild is still
following their movements and when Mycroft's eighteenth birthday
comes around, his aunt gives him a letter from his parents, one they
hoped would never be opened. With Mycroft realising what danger they
are in, the letter reveals more leads to untangle, and they must
decide whether they follow them.
A ripening relationship between Rachel and Mycroft is interrupted by
the presence of Harris, a friend of Rachel's brother, Mike, recently
come to Melbourne from the country town where they all lived. He
helps Rachel overcome her nightmares and fears following her
torture, and his interest in her sees some three way conflict adding
sauce to the story. Mycroft's letter contains clues as to who
murdered his parents, so Rachel takes it into her hands to force
this person into the open with dire results. Results which mean the
three must dampen their differences and work together to survive.
This is a highly engrossing crime fiction series for young adults,
one I was sorry to see end, but I will look forward to any new books
by this new author.
Fran Knight
This is Captain Cook by Tania McCartney
Ill. by Christina Booth. NLA Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9780642278692
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Historical, School, Adventure, School play.
Miss Batts' class puts on a play, with all the classmates taking
part in the presentation of his adventures around the world. It
begins with James Cook being born and raised on a farm where he was
surrounded with small animals before going to a seaport where he
worked in a shop. He loved the sea and eventually was taken aboard a
ship and later he became a sailor with the Royal Navy. He equitted
himself so well, that he was promoted and given tasks to do by the
British Government.
All of this is simply played out by the students taking banners
across the stage, or chickens or small rowing boats, showing what
part each of these had in James' life. Readers will laugh out loud
at the antics played by some class members, and the small
disturbances amongst the audience which of course consists of many
family members.
The charming illustrations reveal the flourishes of a class
production with wheels on the bottom of the ship, paper hats for the
Captain, seagulls hanging from the ceiling, children crying in the
audience and a pesky chicken which wants to be on stage. All adds
humour to this delightful story of Captain Cook for the younger
reader.
Captain Cook then sailed south for Tahiti and his secret orders were
to find the Great Southern Land. This he did planting a flag on what
is now Australia, in New South Wales.
The story published by the National Library of Australia, showcases
some of the archival material about Cook held in its collection in
Canberra.
This is a great first read for younger children about one of the
giants of Australia's history, and could well be used as an
introduction to more work about him or looking at archival material
kept in libraries, or as a model for acting out historical plays
within the classroom, or to look at another giant and reduce the
information down to its bare bones, as McCartney has done so well
here.
Fran Knight
