Ill. by Deidre Copeland. Penguin, 2013. ISBN 9780143569428.
(Age: Adult and mature secondary readers) Published posthumously in
2013 like Janet Frame's novel, In the Memorial Room, The
Mijo Tree is a thought-provoking fable for adults.
Deceptively, it looks like a beautiful hardback children's gift
book, with its illustrated feature borders, minimal written text and
story which follows the eldest mijo seed.
This seed is proud and restless. She chafes at a future in the
valley, growing gradually to supplant her striking mother-tree, and
so beguiles an ill wind to carry her to the hill-top. The wind's
flagging health and the barren vista of their journey add to an
ominous tone which has already been signalled by the seed's
foolhardy vanity and pride. Janet Frame skilfully escalates tension
with the wasted opportunities the seed has to escape a barren fate
and return to her true home.
The writing is poetic and allusive. The seed is warned, 'Why, up on
the hill and over the other side flies the giant bird of thirst and
darkness whose feathers hide the sun.' Personification is also used
to embody the main characters - the seed, the wind and the goat. The
text seems to echo some of Frame's own life and experiences and
students will benefit from reading the 'Afterword' which illuminates
some of the uniquely secret writing of The Mijo Tree.
Joy Lawn
Florentine and Pig and the Spooky Forest Adventure by Eva Katzler
Ill. by Jessica Mikhail. Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408824399.
Highly recommended for 3-6 year olds. Themes: Friendship, Camping,
Cooking, Crafts. This enjoyable picture book is the third adventure
for Florentine and Pig. Each story written for 3-6 year olds blends
a simple tale with craft and cooking activities. They are wonderful
to read aloud and share with this very young audience.
Florentine and Pig are woken from a deep and peaceful sleep by a
noise in the garden, is it the growling prowling Bog Mog monster?
The two young adventurers decide to catch the scary creature armed
with binoculars, a torch, hats, camping gear and of course a
delicious supper (recipes included).
Eva Katzler's descriptive text is engaging, she uses rhyming,
alliteration and imaginative descriptions with large and small font
sizes and styles that move up, down and across the pages. Jessica
Mikhail's complementary mixed media illustrations add humour and
emotion to this picture book. Jess and Laura Tilli's recipes and
craft ideas are great for parents to share family time with their
children. There's Roasty-Toasty Campfire Kebobbles and Twinkly Jam
Jar Lanterns to make and enjoy for a backyard sleepover.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Pearl Quest by Gill Vickery
Dragonchild series. A&C Black, 2014. ISBN 9781472904508.
Highly recommended for children from 7-9 years of age. Suitable for
a class read aloud. Themes: Fantasy, Quest Adventure, Witches,
Magic. RA: 7-9 years. The Pearl Quest is the final fantasy adventure in the Dragonchild
Series. Tia a young girl who has been reared by dragons must recover
the stolen Jewels of Power. In this quest she must find the healing
pearl unfortunately her mother the High Witch Ondine was the thief
who stole this gem.
The Story So Far explains Tia's recovery of the five precious
stones, the emerald, the opal, the topaz, the sapphire and the ruby.
Each has special powers and are kept safe by her DragonBrother Finn.
To thwart the evil witch Tia has to give the dragon her emerald ring
that allows her to talk to her jackdaw Loki and her locket with
family pictures. She travels through the islands and towns to the
island where the High Witch lives in an imposing house. The lake
surrounding the island is filled with beautiful white swans,
swimming and nesting. Tia rescues a swan being attacked by foxes and
gains entry to her mother's home with the swan keeper. When she
meets her mother who of course only sees a Trader girl Tia is upset.
Life at the palace is difficult young Tia is closely guarded and
there seems to be little opportunity to steal the pearl and return
the necklace filled with the six powerful stones to the Dragon King
and Queen. This journey is the most difficult as she encounters the
most powerful magic of all.
Gil Vickery's novel is fast-paced, building the tension, she shows
her understanding of the young reader's need for excitement and
adventure. Mike Love's dark black and white sketches add to the
reader's understanding of Tia's final quest. The author adds a
teaser at the end of the story Tia's journey may continue as she
searches for her father.
Rhyllis Bignell
Alexander Altmann A10567 by Suzy Zail
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922179999.
In order to survive the barbaric cruelty and suffering of the
Auschwitz - Birkenau combined labour and extermination camp, 14 year
old Alexander deliberately avoids friendship and tries to suppress
his emotional responses to the horrors surrounding him. Known only
by his number, personal identity is erased and humanity almost
destroyed in the unspeakable conditions which have seen his family
torn apart and his sister executed.
When slave labourers are selected for specialised tasks, the odds of
survival increase slightly yet Alex has no trade skills to offer
until the call is made for stable hands to care for horses kept for
the amusement of SS officers. Having grown up on a farm, Alex is
familiar with equestrian care and training and counts himself lucky
to be selected until he is ordered to tame a wild stallion newly
acquired by the brutal camp commandant Rudolf Hoss. With prisoners
being viciously beaten and murdered for trifling mistakes and
misfortunes beyond their control, Alex is fully aware that his life
hangs in the balance every second of the day and to fail in his task
means certain death.
The unbearable suffering, fear and tension felt by the prisoners is
narrated without restraint but is also cleverly presented
symbolically in the behaviour of the terrified horse which has been
torn away from familiar surrounds and hurled into a cruel and
unfeeling environment. In a world of misery and pain, Alex refuses
to contribute to suffering by 'breaking' the horse using domination
and control. Instead he builds a gentle, protective relationship
with the animal and comes to accept the kindness offered by fellow
inmate Isidor whilst allowing mutual trust to develop. Simple acts
of humanity performed at great risk by prisoners and from unexpected
quarters are important features of this tale.
Suzy Zail's own father survived the camps but this book is based
upon the personal experiences of Fred Steiner, a Holocaust museum
guide who told her of his years caring for horses at Auschwitz.
Readers will of course be confronted and moved by this novel which
is largely faithful to history in its depiction of Commander Hoss
and the terrible atrocities which occurred within the concentration
camps.
Rob Welsh
Blood Ties by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
Spirit Animals Book 3. Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9780545599733.
Highly recommended. The once peaceful land of Erdas is being
threatened by the Conquerors. Four young heroes, Conor, Abeke,
Meilin and Rollan, have been gifted with a rare and special ability
to call forth their own special animal, to help them in their fight
against this evil. Unfortunately, the Conquerers have have developed
an unnatural away to force animals to bond with humans, making them
very powerful.
I really enjoyed this book, even though it was book 3 in a series I
had never read, it can easily be read as a stand alone. Though I
have to say, after finishing the book I was keen to locate and read
the others in the series. I would highly recommend the book to
students, especially those with an interest in animals, and
adventure.
First we meet Meilin, as she battles her way through an ancient
bamboo maze, helped by her spirit animal, a panda called Jhi.
Impatient, angry and headstrong, she has left her three spirit
animal friends behind, to save her homeland.
We meet the others, as they struggle together through enemy occupied
territory, trying to avoid capture. Eventually, they all come
together.
The story places the characters in situations where trust and
friendships are tested, where self doubts and conflict arise and
where eventually the youngsters learn that working together makes
them stronger than trying to work alone. It's a great demonstration
of young people from different cultures and backgrounds trying to
work out their differences for the greater good.
The story culminates in a big battle, with some devastating losses,
and finishes with a very touching moment. I don't want to give the
ending away, but I'm looking forward to book 4 when it comes out.
Tiffany Boyer
Urban Outlaws by Peter Jay Black
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408851418.
Recommended for readers from 10 to 14 years, both boys and girls who
loved action adventure novels. Peter Jay Black's novel introduces
Jack, Charlie, Obi, Wren and Slink, five young vigilantes who have
chosen to live as Urban Outlaws, like Robin Hood. Through a variety
of unfortunate circumstances, these talented kids aged between ten
and fifteen have banded together and use their myriad of
high-techskills, athleticisim and brilliant minds to steal from
wealthy criminals and share the spoils with the poor and needy.
Their home base in London is deep underground in an abandoned World
War 2 bunker where they have resourcefully set up their living
quarters, surveillance equipment and monitoring devices. Jack, the
leader thinks on his feet and with his friends utilising their
specialist skills they steal a large amount of money from Benito Del
Sarto, one of the country's biggest dealers of illegal arms. As they
are undertaking this secret mission, they stumble across a quantum
computer Proteus and struggle to gain control of this super threat.
This action-packed novel asks the reader to suspend belief and fully
engage in the outlaws' fight against evil. Every chapter is full of
heroic action with the aid of high tech gadgets this makes for a
fast-paced story. The characters are relatable, each has a skill set
needed for the completion of the adventure. Their life underground
requires resourcefulness and they support each other as a unique
group of friends who have come from traumatic circumstances.
There is a website
for additional information.
Rhyllis Bignell
The girl from Hard Times Hill by Emma Barnes
Flash Backs series. Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781472904430.
(Age: 10+) Recommended, Historical novel, Post World War Two. The
series Flash Backs is producing some quick read historical
novels which not only tell a good story in less than one hundred
pages, have lively interesting characters and are set in a time
relevant to today's readers. The night run by Bali Rai told the story of one boy's bid for
freedom the evening of the Amritsar massacre in India in 1919.
The girl from Hard Times Hill tells of Megan after the war in Wales
where she has been told by the teacher that she can aim for the
Eleven Plus exam and so get into the local grammar school. She is
torn between wanting to do something more than girls did in past
generations, and her friendship with a girl in her class who
despises those who go to grammar school. Her father accepts a job in
Newcastle, but when the family finds she may get into grammar
school, stays put. But Dad has to sell food door to door to make a
living, so things need to change.
The background, just after the end of World War Two in Britain is
most convincing. Barnes has insinuated much information into the few
pages, and built a credible story about a young girl in the midst of
change.
Fran Knight
Hard Nuts of History: Ancient Greece by Tracey Turner
A & C Black, 2014. ISBN 9781472905628.
(All ages) This is a great book. I recommend it for kids of all ages
because it is really fun. Even though it is recommended for ages
7-9, my 11 year old daughter saw the book and read it with great
interest and amusement. The illustrations make you laugh and make
you want to read the book even before you know what it's about.
With only 64 pages, an easy to follow layout, simple language, and
the the 'Hard Nut Rating' and 'Hardometer', even reluctant readers
will give it a go. It is filled with things kids find interesting
like ancient curses, monsters and tales of bravery, cunning and
ruthlessness.
So if you want your kids to learn about some of the most interesting
men and women of Ancient Greece, this is a great place to start.
Tiffany Boyer
First book of diggers and dumpers by Isabel Thomas
Bloomsbury Transport Collection, A&CBlack, 2014. ISBN
9781408194584.
Recommended for readers from 5-7 years. Subjects: Heavy machinery,
Transport.
The Bloomsbury Transport Collection includes four non-fiction books
for children who are interested in emergency vehicles, bikes and
motorbikes, ships and boats and in heavy machinery - diggers and
dumpers.
Each page or two page spread is centred around a technical
illustration of one type of machine with clearly labelled machine
parts, a simple introduction and easy to read information in text
boxes. Thirty different machines from excavators, augers, dumpers,
backhoe loaders to refuse compactors are covered in this book.
A safety precaution on the Index page reminds the reader to have an
adult accompany them to look at the machines and not venture onto a
building site alone. At the back there is a Spotter's Guide include
for the enthusiast to record sightings of all this machinery. This
is a great addition to the library or personal collection of an
equipment and transport fan.
Rhyllis Bignell
Intruder by Christine Bongers
Woolshed Press, 2014. ISBN 9780857983763.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Kat Jones is woken up by an intruder
looming over her bed. Her father Jimmy, works nights and she is
alone in the house. She screams and is saved by her neighbour,
Edwina, the one woman who Kat intensely dislikes because she
believes that Edwina betrayed her mother when she was dying from
cancer. Kat's father insists that either she goes and spends the
nights next door with the woman she hates or accepts Hercules, a very
ugly dog, to guard her. Even though she is terrified of dogs, she
decides that that is her only option. Then she meets Al, a new boy
in the neighbourhood, at the dog exercise park and things begin to
look up.
Although from the title and the opening chapters, this book would
appear to be a thriller, it is much more than that. It is a
complex and exciting story about the relationships that
people have and the secrets that they keep from one another. It is
the story of a difficult and grieving young girl coming of age and
gradually beginning to understand what is happening around her. It
is filled with intriguing characters whose actions and personalities
keep the reader wondering about their motivations right until the
end of the story. Why does Jimmy, Kat's father work at nights when
it could mean that Social Services could take her from him when they
find out that she was alone? Why does Kat hate Edwina so much? Why
was Al, who is such a likeable character, forced to leave his last
school? Who is the intruder? Gradually things are revealed by
Bongers until the final unforeseen unveiling of many of the
mysteries that are so absorbing.
Dog lovers will enjoy the training of Hercules, the very ugly but
loveable dog. Herc gradually wins Kat over and helps to allay her
deep-set fear of dogs, making readers come to the realisation that
some fears can be overcome with patience and help. Al too provides
Kat with a new look at what is happening around her and helps her to
face things with a new maturity as she and her father begin to come
to grips with her mother's death. Kat has to learn to move on from
the past and find a way to live happily with the people who love
her.
Big themes like death, friendship, parenting, bullying and intruders
are dealt with sensitively in this compelling book. Readers who
enjoy it could move onto books by Fiona Wood and Cath Crowley.
Pat Pledger
Mr Chicken lands on London by Leigh Hobbs
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743315927
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Travel. London. Humour. Mr Chicken
lands in London with a list of places he wants to visit. The large,
yellow, ovoid figure of Mr Chicken graces each page as we see him at
various sights around the city. He lands, of course, hanging from a
Union Jack parachute and checks in at the Savoy Hotel where he
enjoys his breakfast in bed, contemplating his list. From there he
ventures to an amazing array of known sights: Buckingham Palace for
tea with the Queen, a ride on the red bus, and the Underground; he
climbs Nelson's Column and perches on top, visits the National
Gallery and the London Eye, each time making a grand entrance amid
the crowds of tourists. He perches on top of the Eros statue in
Piccadilly Square and then retires to his hotel room for an
afternoon nap. Starting again he has dinner in the crypt at St
Martin's in the Field, goes to the Opera, and leaves early to get to
Big Ben in time to climb the stairs and be inside the clock when it
strikes nine fifteen, his eyes being the clock hands.
After his full English breakfast he sheds a tear saying goodbye from
Waterloo Bridge and heads off in his balloon, promising to return.
Following Mr Chicken through London, as with Paris, allows the
reader to assimilate the main attractions of these cities, while
engaged in a humorous story of the affable Mr Chicken. He meanders
through the crowds to see the things he has on his list, taking the
readers with him on his travels.
Younger readers will get to know the tourist sights and the look of
a great city with its hordes of people, network of transport
facilities and maze of streets and buildings. They will enjoy the
fact of making a list, and sticking to that list to get everything
done within the time allowed. They will be able to discuss the
things needed to have an enjoyable holiday.
The illustrations are just wonderful, showing this oversized tourist
enjoying himself while taking up so much room. The drawings of
London's main attractions are a delight and the endpapers add
another dimension to the story, with a map at the start and thank
you letters and postcards at the end. All will add meaning to the
story to discuss with readers.
And with the other title, Mr Chicken goes to Paris, a treat
is in store for the readers. A fascinating video
clip about the development of Mr Chicken can also be viewed.
Fran Knight
Only the animals by Ceridwen Dovey
Hamish Hamilton, 2014. ISBN 9781926428581.
Recommended for discerning readers - older students and adults. This
is possibly one of the most unusual and intriguing books I've ever
read. It is a collection of short stories told from the point of
view of various animals recounting their interactions with humans.
Ten different animals from mussel to elephant to tortoise reveal the
best and worst of their human 'owners'.
For example, imagine for a moment that you are a tortoise - the type
kept as backyard pets - quite often in British or European
gardens. And then, further, imagine that you as the tortoise,
move next door and find that you are now the tortoise of Leo
Tolstoy's family home. Tolstoy you say? Yes indeed, and after a
time, carved into your shell the great man's words 'I love many
things, I love all people'. And then, even later, you - the
tortoise - are packed up and sent to one Virginia Woolf in England.
Virginia loved animals and kept quite a menagerie as a young girl.
Delighted with the receipt of this interesting animal, Virginia
speaks often about the book she is writing about Elizabeth Browning
and her little companion dog Flush. And then following the
London Blitz, you - this extraordinary tortoise, come to live with
George Orwell and observe him working on his novel 'Animal Farm: a
fairy story'.
This book has been described as 'playful and poignant' and so I
found it. I loved the Jack Kerouac style mussel story particularly!
For those of us who believe that all sentient beings have a
meaningful life, it is a truly enlightening read.
Not for your average reader - but for those who are looking for
something quite unique and thought-provoking this is indeed a
worthwhile escape into another world.
Sue Warren
Operation pink elephant by Stephen Dando-Collins
Caesar the war dog Bk 3, Random House Australia Children's,
2014. ISBN 9780857981684
Everyone's favourite canine hero, Caesar, is back and off on another
serious mission with his buddy, Ben.
The Global Rapid Reaction Responders (GRRR) are shocked to find out
that their friend Lucky, who is currently working for the Tanzanian
Government as a wildlife ranger, has been kidnapped by notorious
elephant poachers. These evil men, led by a particularly vile
'General', not only show a complete lack of compassion and morals
regarding the elephants but also intimidate local villagers, kidnap
children and force them to train as 'soldiers' and treat the
wildlife rangers with contempt and violence.
It is up to the GRRR team to track down these nefarious wrong-doers
and rescue Lucky and save the elephants. Ben and Caesar execute a
risky parachute jump into a rough sea to meet up with the rest of
team on HMAS Canberra and the adventure begins. On landing in
Tanzania the team begin to put together clues and set upon the trail
of poachers. Caesar's expert nose is really going to be the
advantage to Ben and his team as they track down their good friend
and the illegal cargo of ivory.
These are terrific books for boys who are not so keen to read. They
are fast-paced, with a vocabulary that is not too demanding. There
is enough action and suspense to sustain the thirst for adventure
without being disturbingly graphic. Stephen Dando-Collins has an
effective connection with his readership and it has been my
observation that when I suggest one of his titles to my boys, they
are keen for more when they have finished.
Visit the author's website.
Sue Warren
The Queen's hat by Steve Antony
Hachette Children's Books, 2014. ISBN 978144491941.
(Ages: 5+) Recommended. Picture book, Queen, London, Humour. A
blustering wind takes the hat from the Queen, as she sets off on a
visit to the new Royal personage at Kensington Palace. The Queen's
men, resplendent in their tall fur hats, busbies, and bright red
uniforms, chase the hat with Her Majesty as it flies over some of
the famous landmarks in London. Their numbers swell on each page.
They clamber over the lion statue, they run through London Zoo,
becoming entangled with several animals, while the Queen slides down
the back of a giraffe, they take the Tube, then fly around the
London Eye, Tower Bridge and Big Ben, until they all make it safely,
landing in the gardens at Kensington Palace, the hat falling upon
the baby in its pusher.
Great fun will be had by all who read this very funny book and the
delicious illustrations engender much laughter. The sight of the
Queen chasing her hat, dressed in the most mundane of clothes,
followed by the ant-like guardsmen, will cause children to laugh out
loud. That they are getting a small peek into some of the famous
sights of London will also intrigue and set readers questioning
about London and what people go there to see. The most famous
drawcard for London tourism is of course, the Royal Family, so here
is a book which introduces several members, introducing the idea to
younger readers. The lines of running guardsmen across the
front covers is repeated inside both endpapers, and children will
have fun spotting the Queen, her hat and the Royal Corgi amongst the
uniformed men.
Two other book which have recently appeared, Shhh! Don't wake
the royal baby and Happy birthday, royal baby by
Martha Mumford (Bloomsbury) will add to the fun in the classroom
where these books are read.
Fran Knight
Pig the pug by Aaron Blabey
Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 978743624777.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Sharing. Selfishness.
Humour. Verse. In rhyming stanzas Blabey describes the dog, Pig, as
it gathers all its toys to itself, its blazing eyes daring poor old
Trevor to come any closer. Trevor the sausage dog has had the
temerity to suggest that Pig share his toys, but rather than do
that, Pig builds a tower of his toys, eventually making one so tall
that it topples over and he falls from the open window.
This funny scenario is underlined by the tightly controlled stanzas,
each begging to be read aloud, the words rolling off the tongue with
a flowing sound. Pig's bulging eyes flash across the pages as he
gathers all to himself, defying the request from Trevor. But we all
know that he will come to a sticky end, and the humour in the moral
towards the end is hilarious, as is the result for Pig.
The acrylic and pen artwork reflects the ideas perfectly, as bold
colours are drawn across the pages, with often just the dogs' faces
peering up at us from the flat pages. These two dogs live together
and should share, but the audience is ready for a tale that shows
what happens when that does not occur. From the front cover with
Pig staring defiantly at the reader, to the last page of the book,
with Pig cocooned and immobile, the book is a treat for all readers.
Whether they be at home with parents reading to them, or in a class
where sharing is under discussion, the book is superb.
Fran Knight
