Two tales of twins from Ancient Greece and Rome, retold by Ursula Dubosarsky
Ill. by David Allan. Christmas Press, 2014. ISBN 9780992283844.
(Age: 6-10) Recommended. Folk tales, Romulus and Remus, Artemis and
Apollo. Two well known tales are included in this beautifully
illustrated book, Romulus and Remus, and Artemis and
Apollo. I was surprised on reading these two tales how little
I knew, so this is will be very welcome to child readers, and adults
alike.
Artemis and Apollo, twin children of the god, Zeus, have quite
different abilities, and lead a glorious childhood, and as gods,
Apollo draws the sun across the sky in the morning, and his twin
sister, Artemis brings it back at night. Romulus and Remus too, is a known story of the founding of
Rome, but the detail is not so well known. The tale that Dubosarsky
retells gives us an insight into the distress of three different
sets of parents, the original mother who set them adrift in a basket
on the river, the wolf who found them and brought them up, and the
shepherd and his wife who continued their nurturing. But in leaving
the shepherd family the boys want to make their own path, eventually
founding the great city of Rome.
Allan's illustrations appear like woodcuts, soft colours and
borders, edges and frames all with black outlines. Each page is
different with a varying number of panels, while some pictures
embrace the complete page. However they are placed it is engaging
and draws the eye to the illustration.
This book will be a useful addition to the classroom where myths and
legends are being discussed, or a book at home to read and talk
about myths of the past still told today.
Fran Knight
Celia and Nonna by Victoria Lane and Kayleen West
Ford St Publishing, 2014. ISBN 978925000603 (hardback). ISBN
978192000601 (paperback).
Highly recommended. This is a beautiful picture book and story of
Celia and how she deals with her Nonna having to go to a nursing
home.
Celia loves visiting Nonna's house where she has a special cupboard
with all her books, puzzles and games. Nonna and Celia cook and play
games together and best of all Nonna reads so many bedtime stories
Celia gets mixed up between penguins and fairies.
Sadly Nonna starts to forget little things and then gets locked out
of her house. One day while shopping she feels a little twinge and
realises that she can no longer look after herself. Nonna moves to a
nursing home. Celia can no longer stay overnight, hates the smell of
Nonna's room and has no special drawer for all her things.
How Celia works through her issues and helps Nonna settle into her
new home makes for a delightful and positive story richly
illustrated by Kayleen West.
This is a very special story for younger children about change and
ageing, and lightly touches on the issues of Alzheimer's and
dementia. It shows how imagination can overcome problems and is of
course a wonderful exploration of the special bond between children
and grandparents.
The illustrations are wonderful and enhance the story. I loved the
picture of Nonna and her new friends gathered around the piano for a
sing-along beautifully illustrating how she is indeed settling into
her new life.
I highly recommend Celia and Nonna with its light and deft
touch to what can be a very difficult issue for families.
Michael Jongen
Tiger Stone by Deryn Mansell
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781742032399.
(Age: Middle school) Themes: Asia - Indonesia; Truth and betrayal;
Historical fantasy; Friendship. This novel is bookended by chapters
that introduce a modern day girl from Java, Indonesia, who is about
to leave home to study. Her story is linked to the 14th century
historical fantasy drama that forms the basis for most of the
storyline.The teak-coloured 'tiger eyes' that the modern and
historical central characters share, create a mystical thread that
connect the disparate time settings.
The central story creates a background explaining the unique
coloured eyes and explaining how a young girl deals with family
tragedy and changed circumstances by being required to pretend that
she is mute. Her friendship with a young disabled boy serves to help
her protect her family from illness and her community from bandits
and thieves, with one disguised as a potential suitor for her
cousin. Even though she is essentially voiceless and powerless in
her community, she exercises great wisdom in solving the problems
she faces. This story line is woven within an understanding of
historical Indonesia, with the mythical understandings of the
traditional world of 14th Century Indonesia.
Students studying Indonesian or English teachers wanting to connect
texts with Cross-curriculum focus with Asia will add this book to
their reading lists. It is an engaging story, suited to Middle
school readers.
Carolyn Hull
Ned by Andrew Daddo
Stuff happens series. Puffin, 2014. ISBN 9780143308096.
(Age: 8+) Recommended, Humour, Boys stories, School. Another in the
series, Stuff happens, sees Ned, late on his first day at a
new school because his sister left her all important bag in the car
when Mum dropped her off. He is not happy, especially when Mum tells
him that nothing will happen on his first day, and especially not to
him. A guaranteed opener to a day of unusual events.
He finds that he is in the dragonlady's class, Ms Lucas. He is
appalled from the start when she reads the list of names and gets a
few terribly wrong, then coming to his, makes a point of calling him
Nedrick, rather than the abbreviated Ned. Of course the penny drops
when she realises who his brother and sister were, school captain
and sports captain in the past. He hasn't got a chance.
A terrible first day unfolds seeing him sent to the principals
office, having to apologise to Ms Lucas, and then being sat in the
front row. But all comes to a great end when after eating her
cheeseburger and lying about it, he realises there is more to Ms
Lucas than he thinks.
As with Jack, this book is an easy to read, well crafted
story, of a likable character in a very recognisable setting. The
plot is something seen by boys of this age everyday at school, it
has aspects which will touch every child who reads it. And this will
ensure each in the series will be passed from one hand to another by
word of mouth, one of the best ways to get boys to read.
Fran Knight
Summer of Monsters: the scandalous story of Mary Shelley by Tony Thompson
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781742032252.
Highly recommended for adolescent and adult readers.
'He that loves reading has everything within his reach.' William
Godwin.
This is a novel that deals with old issues, from a long past age,
with a great dose of modern story-telling, told in a free and
unfettered style, mimicking the spirit of its age. While enabling us
to comprehend the electric charge of their desire to change their
world, Thompson's characters fit the new genre of gothic literature.
His modernization of language resoundingly seems to echo the voices
and energy, and daring, that these young people showed in a world
where youth was short and life was often hard, and usually brief.
This story is about the emergence of Mary Shelley prior to her
writing of Frankenstein. I would highly recommend reading some of
the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley and some of Lord Byron's writing
would be helpful in understanding these characters. To begin to
understand the blossoming of change in the world of the text, I
would recommend reading some of Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley's
mother's writing as well as that of Mary's father, William Godwin,
an early anarchist, journalist, political philosopher, novelist, and
supporter of utilitarianism.
When we read of the approbation of women of this time, we might well
wonder at the sheer temerity of these women to not just refuse to
fit into their world but to flaunt their refusal publicly. We see
these characters as determined to rise above a definition of
womanhood that cramped and belittled women, in intellect, in
possibility, in lifestyle.
Thompson captures so adroitly this sense of the change in the air of
his characters' times, and yet firmly sets them against the
prejudices and preconceptions of the roles, particularly of women,
in that age. While the male characters are often deliberately
careless of the women's feelings, they do seem to be passionate
about their beliefs. Depicted as rebellious, and aching with love,
Mary is desperate to leave behind punishing rules and behavior.
Somehow Thompson's model of narration enables this old story to be
fresh, new and zinging with an electric charge.
I was captivated by this modernization of an old story and the zest
and pace of the narrative.
(Themes: women's rights; anarchism; romantic poetry (Shelley, Byron,
Coleridge); horror genre; monsters - the idea of the monster within,
or the human capacity to be bad, careless of the lives or feelings
of others, brazenly outrageously badly behaved; social class and
rules for/acceptance of different behaviour).
Liz Bondar
Spud & Charli by Samantha Wheeler
UQP, 2014. ISBN 9780702250187.
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Horses, Horse riding, Bats, Hendra Virus,
Imagination. Thanks to Uncle Ralph's surprise birthday money, Charli
Priestly's dreams are about to come true, a week at riding camp, a
week to learn all the skills needed to win the gymkhana, a week of
fun and adventure. Unfortunately for wildly imaginative Charli there
are several major obstacles in the way. Her show-off bunkmate
Mikaela already an accomplished rider, picks Razz the beautiful
palomino and she is left with Spud the huge retired racehorse.
Charli is constantly worried, about the hundreds of bats flying
around at night, the spread of the Hendra virus, spiders and getting
injured.
When Charli overhears part of a conversation between the camp's
owner and a neighbouring farmer her overactive imagination takes
control. This leads to a disastrous set of events, she loses Spud
and the gymkhana is cancelled. It is up to Charli to turn things
around.
A junior novel for readers from 7-9 years who enjoy adventure
stories.
Rhyllis Bignell
Howzat! by Mike Lefroy
Ill. by Liz Amelli. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922077646.
Starting in England, the children are playing cricket on a warm
summer's day. The game is then followed in rhyming stanzas around
the world, taking in a range of other countries, New Zealand,
Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and South Africa, where
cricket is played, and some like the USA, where it is in its
infancy. Other places children may not have heard of, Antigua
and Barbuda, Bangladesh and Kenya for example. Each is given a
double page spread showing a range of things which are recognisably
part of that country. Each double page has that country's flag
somewhere and some animals and flora are there to be searched for.
Looking for hints about each country, takes on a version of Where's
Wally, which will engross readers.
A nice touch are the endpapers which include a map of where the book
travels, the name of that country (at the last endpaper) and its
flag, encouraging the possibility of a class quiz.
I really enjoyed reading this book with its zany illustrations,
showing how cricket is played around the world, showcasing different
aspects of the countries where it is played and teasing the reader
into looking more closely at the illustrations to find all that is
hidden therein.
Classes will be able to use this as a springboard to looking at
other countries of the world, map work, and what brings countries
closer together.
Fran Knight
A Question of Magic by E.D. Baker
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408839294.
(Age: 10+) Themes: Magic, Fantasy. Author E. D. Baker's A Question
of Magic is a complex retelling of the Baba Yaga story. Serafina
receives a letter from her great-aunt with special instructions on
how she can collect her inheritance. Her destiny is to become the
next Baba Yaga, when someone asks her a question she must answer it
truthfully and every time she does she grows older. She is trapped
in a magical cottage that moves on chicken legs, lives with an
ageless talking cat and a variety of skulls and bones. Her life
becomes difficult when she is kidnapped and travels to the nearby
kingdoms meeting fairies, nymphs, giants and kings, who all want to
profit from Fina's special ability.
She is a passive protagonist who isn't able to stand up to the
constant dramas in her life, her only desire is to escape, return to
her village, marry Alek the blacksmith's son and live happily ever
after.
This fantasy novel is suited for competent readers from 10 years of
age.
Rhyllis Bignell
Found and made: the art of recycling by Lisa Holzl
Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922179098.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Non Fiction, Recycling, Art. An introduction
followed by a chapter on what to collect for your recycling kit, is
followed by eleven chapters, each outlining a different art project
made from recycled materials. Subtitled, Activities to turn your
trash into treasure, any child, parent or teacher will expect
lots of ideas inside. They will not be disappointed.
From how to make a bird using gift wrapping, wire and buttons, to
making a funny face using a bottle, feathers, paperclips and bottle
tops, each activity is designed to reuse scrap material found in any
home or classroom.
All lashed together with lots of imagination using the recycling kit
made at the start, filled with oodles of trash, this treasure box of
a book will be the starting point for many projects.
I love the idea of the collage picture, and the self portrait using
string, and the circular weaving, all recycling common bits and
pieces. These will be great wet afternoon activities or activities
made to encourage kids to use their imagination with material once
thrown out, reminding them that the resources of the world should be
reused not disposed of. Called upcycling, the recycling of materials
is given a sound base.
The whole is attractively presented and rounded off with several
pages of tips, including how to make your own glue, a glossary,
bibliography and detailed index.
Fran Knight
Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy by Ed Hawkins
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408169964.
(Ages: 15 - Adult) Recommended. Non-Fiction. Recount. Deceit.
Biographical. Ed Hawkins is a sports journalist who for many years
conversed with some of the world's most infamous bookkeepers and
illegal gamblers via the social networking website, Twitter. At
first the relationships were innocent enough; they mainly discussed
statistics, weather conditions and their opinions on the upcoming
matches outcomes. This, however, all changed in 2011 when Ed
watched one of the world's most anticipated matches. It was between
Pakistan and India, a match following the recent 2008 Mumbai
terrorist attacks, an attack on Indian soil carried out by a group
of Pakistani terrorists. Patriotism was at an all time high and the
estimated worldwide-televised viewings were 1 billion. As world cup
semi-finals went this one was indescribable. Unfortunately, this
match was tainted with illegal match fixing and Ed was notified with
a message from a bookie explaining there was a script that the
players were following. He watched in awe as the match of the
century was beautifully choreographed. From that day he decided to
meet up in person with some of the world's most notorious
bookkeepers, gamblers, punters, fixers and players, exposing them.
Throughout his journey he meets with them, is taught on how the
business works, learns of the perks (easy money) and the
disadvantages (attempted murder and blackmail) and in some cases
gets to know them outside of work.
Hawkins uses vivid imagery to capture the detail of when he is
addressing the tension between the two neighbouring nations of
Pakistan and India and how it was in fact more than just an average
game. His comparison with the game and the famous George Orwell
quote that 'Sport is war minus the guns' brings a sense of urgency
and patriotism between the two nations and makes the reader realise
there is so much more to Cricket than the game.
I thought this was an effective attempt in appealing and catering to
a reader who may not be the biggest fan of sport. Unfortunately some
of the terminology and the repetition of it is quite difficult to
understand and makes comprehension of the story a bit of a struggle.
Flipping back and forth from the glossary gets quite tedious and
interrupts the flow of reading. This book is an entertaining ride
and is a must have for all fans of the sport, but can also cater to
others who despise cricket. The meeting with the criminals, giving
them a voice and having them explain how the world of illegal
gambling works is interesting as you get a first hand idea, which in
my opinion reminisces The Wolf of Wall Street. It has
changed how I look at cricket forever.
Corey Joyce (Student)
Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan
Piatkus, 2014. ISBN 9780349401911.
(Age: Adult) This paranormal romance, one of many by Christine
Feehan set in the world of the Carpathians and Lycans, with rogue
vampires, werewolves and humans with special powers, is a
stand-alone story but fits in easily with the twenty or more other Dark
series.
It is competently written, fast paced, up-market Mills and Boon, and
written for an adult audience. While being a fine example of
escapist literature, because the romance dips into some
descriptively explicit lovemaking, it is not one for a school
library.
Anne Veitch
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. The Voodoo Vultures from Venus by Dav Pilkey
Ill. by Dan Santat. Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9780545630115.
(Ages 7-10) Recommended. Aficionados of the Captain Underpants
books will lap up this full coloured graphic novel featuring the
inimitable mouse Ricky Ricotta and his amazing Mighty Robot.
Ricky and his Robot are banned from watching TV, having arrived late
for dinner for the third time in a week. Fortunately they were
honest and obeyed the ban as Victor Von Vulture and his Voodoo
Vulture army, currently residing on Venus, decided to relocate to
Earth, where the food was better, and chose that night to send a
message to all TV screens hypnotising the town's residents.
Ricky and his Mighty Robot realized something was amiss when there
was no food in the house, and later discover that all the mice at
school were carrying food straight from the cafeteria to the middle
of town muttering 'Obey the Voodoo Vultures.'
Ricky decides he must save the town and destroy the Voodoo Schmoodoo
2000, the remote control keeping everyone in Victor's power. With
the help of his Mighty Robot, some hot peppers from Mexico and a
feather Rick prevails the Voodoo Vultures return to Venus and Victor
is sent to jail.
With a Flip-O-rama section, reminiscent of the Captain
Underpants books, encouraging readers to animate the final
fight sequence and add sound effects, I am sure this book will prove
popular with our reluctant readers.
Sue Keane
Lucky by David Mackintosh
HarperCollins Children's Books, 2014. ISBN 9780007463039.
(Age: 4+) Recommended, Picture book, Family, Surprises. When Mum
tells the boys there will be a surprise at dinner tonight, they
cannot wait. Leo and his brother discuss things that have been
surprises in the past, and think about what tonight's surprise might
be. In the waiting room at the doctor's Leo finds a brochure about
Hawaii, and while they think about a trip and all it would bring,
the older boy jumps to the conclusion that maybe the family has won
a trip to this holiday destination. Both boys are very excited,
their imaginations running away with them as they ponder what their
holiday in Hawaii will be like. He tells someone in his class who
tells someone else, who tells someone else, and eventually the whole
school has heard about it, and the head teacher gives the school ten
minutes of extra play time.
When they get home - disappointment. The surprise is a pizza for
tea. But their parents cleverly work out a way of bringing Hawaii
into the picture.
Redolent of family life, with the children taking imaginative leaps
to conclusions beyond their wildest dreams, the details of the
conversations between the family members are beautifully paralleled
in the drawings of family life, and all who read it will share those
experiences. Macintosh's illustrations are imaginative and clever,
using a range of techniques and media to create the images of a
family and their daily routines. Each page reminds us outings with
the family, meals with the family, the everyday things that families
do.
Fran Knight
Jack by Tony Wilson
Stuff happens series. Puffin, 2014. ISBN 9780143308225.
(Ages: 8+) Recommended. Boys' stories, School and home, Humour.
Stories about boys, aimed at boys and containing real life stories
of their school and home life are rare. Even rarer are those that
have readily identifiable characters and situations, and engage,
amuse and inform. But here they are. Four stories in this brand new
series, Stuff happens, are aimed straight at these boys,
those who want a scenario they are familiar with, with kids their
own age in scraps and situations which are familiar, with outcomes
that really happen. Jack and his friends decide to play a tag game
during break on the oval. But this ends with a tackle which the
school has forbidden and Jack breaks his arm. His friend Fadi was
the first one to jump on him, and gets the blame. To avoid any
consequences, Jack and the others lie to the teacher about what they
were doing, and Fadi receives all the blame. But conscience is a
wonderful thing and eventually it gets the better of Jack.
This is a wonderfully realistic story of a group of friends playing
at school, and the consequences of lying.
Fran Knight
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Ill. by Robert Ingpen. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922244048.
(Ages: 8 to adult) Recommended. Classic. Responsibility, Family.
Pinocchio began its life as a serial published weekly in the
Giornale per i Bambini in 1881. The episodes were published together
as The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1883. This explains the
suspenseful ending and episodic nature of the chapters. It is this
story that is reprinted using the 1926 translation by Carol Chiesa.
The story is well known but perhaps many will be more familiar with
the Disney version, in which the character of Pinocchio is softened
and more sympathetic. Collodi's protagonist is far less likable.
From the very beginning, even as a lump of wood Pinocchio is
selfish, demanding and disobedient.
Collodi takes a moral stance stressing the importance of study, hard
work and respect for parents. Many try to give advice to Pinocchio;
Geppetto, the cricket and the azure haired fairy but Pinocchio is
persuaded to take the easy way with no responsibility and no hard
work.
Eventually through many mishaps and life threatening experiences
Pinocchio makes decisions that are unselfish and returns the love
and loyalty that has been shown him.
This lavishly illustrated hard cover edition will make a valuable
addition to any child's library. A school in which classic stories
are read and shared will also find it hard to keep this on the
library shelves. Robert Ingpen's illustrations are detailed and
richly coloured adding to the drama and excitement of this
children's classic.
Mark Knight
