Superhero School: The revenge of the green meanie by Alan MacDonald
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408825235
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Alan MacDonald is a master of exciting
stories that lead the young reader through incredible adventures. In
Superhero School, Stan Button dreams of becoming superhero Dangerboy,
taking on evil super villains at every turn. However Stan is just a
regular boy attending the local school; that is until an invitation
arrived to attend an interview at the newly opened Mighty High.
Thinking that Stan might be offered a scholarship to attend, Mrs.
Button was only too happy to take Stan for the interview. When Miss
Marbles began by asking some very strange questions, Mrs. Button
became quite concerned but Stan had a feeling that something was not
as it seemed.
It was not looking particularly promising but then Miss Marbles
asked Stan to start the following week. It soon became apparent to
him that Mighty School was no ordinary school, but one that taught
the skills needed for Superheroes.
But... where there are superheroes there are always super villains... When
the school comes under attack from a Super Meanie, Stan and his
fellow students get the chance to show their super powers. Superhero School is well written and easy to read. Nigel Baines
brings the story to life with his great illustrations. Hopefully
this is just the beginning of another of Alan MacDonald's fun
series, which include The troll trouble series and The history of
warts series.
Lyn Poole
Rescue on Nim's island by Wendy Orr
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743316788.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Conservation, Sustainability, Island
life, Adventure. After the first two successful stories of Nim and
her island (Nim's island, and Nim at sea) it is a
pleasure to read another about this resourceful child living with
her father, Jack on a remote island now a wildlife sanctuary.
Conservation and sustainability are the undeniable themes of this
book, and are woven skillfully into the story. Jack has allowed a
group of scientists on the island to further his research into
biofuel using algae. Nim is surprised that he has said yes to this,
because they remain very strict about the island's location although
in the first two books, the wonderfully ironic Troppo Tours cruise
shop seems to sail by regularly, in one causing the death of Nim's
mother.
But now with two sets of scientists and their children along with
the reappearance of Edmund, the scene is set for some nasty work by
one pair of intruders, with hints about their real agenda coming
early, when Nim finds that they are last minute replacements for an
expected husband and wife team of biologists.
Nim has discovered a new cave system on the island and when the
children explore it, find a fossilised turtle alongside a nursery
colony of bats. She shows the other children and together they fight
to protect the site from the opportunistic pair, putting their own
lives in great peril.
An exciting read, full of the sorts of adventures that will grab the
readers to the end of the tale, this book is one which will
entertain and inform students about conservation and all it entails,
in the tradition of Colin Thiele's environmentally concerned
stories, and would make an excellent read aloud. Two films have been
made using these books.
Fran Knight
Badudu stories by May L. O'Brien
Fremantle Press, 2014. ISBN 9781922089823.
(Age: 6-10) Recommended. Chapter book, Aboriginal themes, Early
learning, Western Australia.
Four short stories, first published by May L. O'Brien in 1994 have
been collected together to contribute to the growing store of
literature about Aboriginal history. In these tales, O'Brien tells
short snappy stories of her time at the Mount Margaret Mission, near
Kalgoorlie where she received her European education. In some
schools it was forbidden to speak their native tongue, but not so
here. She was encouraged to learn English but the children were able
to speak their own languages outside school hours.
In these stories O'Brien tells stories which reflect the
difficulties in learning a new language and its idioms.
The first, Smartie pants, tells of a young boy eager to play
football for the school, but unable to do so until he can understand
more English and so take instructions on the field. He finally
achieves this but is taken aback when someone calls him smartie
pants. Fun is had when the teacher explains this phrase to the team.
Another, Which Jack? is similar in tone where a new boy
without any English at all, brings Jack the boy from his class,
instead of the implement for changing a car tyre.
Each of the four stories is funny, reflects difficulties in learning
a new language and the patience shown by the other children and
staff.
O'Brien attended this school, and so her stories are infused with
the atmosphere and feel of the school and its cohort. The
illustrations add more to the background of the school. The book has
a short biographical piece about O'Brien and the school she
attended, as well as a map, and several pages of the language spoken
and used in the text, Wongi. These are delightful stories stand on
their own, and most useful in a class where Aboriginal
understandings is being discussed.
Fran Knight
Cryptic casebook of Coco Carlomagno and Alberta: The quivering quavers by Ursula Dubosarsky
Puzzles and illustrations by Terry Denton. Allen & Unwin, 2014.
ISBN 9781743319512.
(Age: Middle primary and adults) Highly recommended. This is a new
to me series by the ever reliable Ursula Dubosarsky. This is a funny
mystery when Alberta receives a coded letter from Coco to come to
fly to South America and help him solve a mystery. La Bella
Cucharita the stupendous guinea pig opera star is about to return to
the stage for the first time since a disaster earlier in her career.
A series of threatening coded notes have been received by her and
Coco is puzzled by their meaning.
In a scenario familiar to readers of an old fashioned mystery and
with the swagger of Cary Grant in a Hitchcock film, Coco and
Alberta, must solve the mystery before the diva hits the fourth
quaver. In the meantime a series of daring jewel thieves are
thrilling the guinea pigs of Buenos Aires
Readers are invited to help solve the puzzle with lots of clues
being provided. The beautifully illustrated pictures capture the
scenes and provide further visual clues. As well we learn a few
words of Spanish. This is an enjoyable and visual read on so many
levels. Terry Denton's illustrations will draw the visual readers in
and the puzzles and codes are sure to engage.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Alberta may be the word spy! Ursula
Dubosarsky's books are always a treat. It is delightful to be able
to highly recommend this book for middle school primary years and
adults of all ages.
Michael Jongen
The Last Apprentice: The Painted War by Imogen Rossi
Hot Keys Books, 2014. ISBN 9781471402616.
Recommended by readers 12+. Imogen Rossi's A Painted War,
the conclusion to The Last Apprentice series illustrates a
Renaissance like no other. With magical paintings and a
paintbrush-turned-key, this novel puts a spin to a classic historic
moment of time. But did it fulfil my need for a book that was going
to keep me on my toes? This book unfortunately didn't hit the mark
with me. Although the concept was well thought out and original, it
had lost its spark. A Painted War is a classic tale about
good vs. evil and the struggle of faith when things are looking
down.
The story is set in the magical city of La Luminosa whose evil city
sister, Oscurita is threatening to invade. Kooky and sharp heroine
Bianca knows of Oscurita and the secrets that lie there but only a
few have faith in her and believe that there could be such a thing.
Forced to watch Oscurita's Duchess, Edita trick Duchess Catriona of
La Luminosa into a faux friendship, Bianca must find a way to save
Duchess Catriona and her beloved La Luminosa. With evil lurking in
every crevice and the clock ticking, Bianca and her band of devoted
friends need to solve the mystery at hand before its too late.
An element of this novel that I dearly enjoyed was the friendship
and the loyalty, faith and dependability that came with the package.
The tight bond between Bianca and her companions is unmistakably
rich in love.
Teaching this novel to a class is recommended as it will provide
lessons on the morals of loyalty, faith and trust. On top of that it
also offers up a twist on the Renaissance era that is much loved by
loyal history fans. Older readers whom thoroughly enjoyed this tale
would also enjoy Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden as it
is solely based on history.
Samantha May (Student)
Ciao EJ! by Susannah McFarlane
EJ12 bk 18. LemonFizz Media, 2014. ISBN 9781921931666.
Recommended for readers from 8-10 years of age. Emma Jack's
eighteenth mystery adventure takes the SHINE Stars off to Italy.
Famous statues are mysteriously being targeted, stained with black
paint and the combined skills of the team are needed to
investigate the problem.
This novel has all the elements the fans love. There's EJ12's
expertise in cracking codes, new charms for their bracelets with
special powers, an evil mastermind with a wicked plan and a team of
talented girls whose goal is to defeat the enemy.
EJ12's charm bracelet equips her for a variety of challenges, she
confidently rides a Vespa scooter through Roman traffic, guides her
gondola through the canals of Venice and uses special treats to
befriend some angry animals. Contessa Carini and her evil Shadow
agents cause havoc in the major Italian cities of Rome, Venice and
Florence as they search for the five special keys needed to open the
treasure. Emma's friends are also keeping a secret from her and
collaborating with her enemy Nema.
Susannah McFarlane continues the excitement and adventure with this
great addition to the EJ12 series.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Graveyard Book volume 1 by Neil Gaiman
Graphic adaptation by P. Craig Russell. Ill. by Kevin Nowlan, P.
Craig Russell, Tony Harris, Scott Hampton, Galen Showman, Jill
Thompson, Stephen B. Scott. Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN: 9781408858998.
This graphic version of the very popular Graveyard Book
covers the first half of the story with different illustrators for
each chapter. The story opens with the murder of a family in their
home by a mysterious intruder. The sole survivor, the youngest
child, wanders out of the house and into a nearby graveyard where
the resident ghosts take him in and name him Nobody, Bod for short.
They keep him safe with the help of Silas, who inhabits the space
between life and death and can bring the boy food from the outside
world. Bod explores his world within the graveyard and has
adventures involving Ghouls, ancient Sleers and a young witch but in
the background there is always the sinister 'Jack' whose task of
annihilating the family is unfinished. The story has adapted very
well to a graphic novel format as each chapter finds the boy two
years older and the episodic adventures are complete in themselves.
The dramatic supernatural beings lend themselves to vivid images and
the graveyard environment is well imagined and consistent. Fans of
Manga will find the supernatural beings owe something to this style,
especially the Indigo Man, and the different graphic styles add
another dimension to the story. Sometimes the text on dark
backgrounds and near the book's gutter is hard to read but it is
mostly clear and easy to follow. Fans of Neil Gaiman's work will not
be disappointed and this graphic adaptation will make the story
accessible to a wide audience.
Sue Speck
The sequin star by Belinda Murrell
Random House Australia, 2014. ISBN 9780857982056.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Belinda Murrell is an accomplished
Australian writer of teen fiction and the Lulu Bell series for
younger readers. The Sequin Star is one of several stories that she
has written that involve a journey back in time for the young
heroine.
In The Sequin Star Claire, while clasping her grandmother's small
brooch, is catapulted back to 1932. Stranded in a place and time
that is unfamiliar to her, Claire takes on a job with the Sterling
Brothers Circus and befriends young performers Rosina and Jem. Even
though she is desperate to find a way to return to her own time,
Claire is fascinated by the people she meets and thoroughly enjoys
being part of the circus family. As it becomes obvious that a young
man, Kit Hunter, is besotted with Rosina, Claire watches on with
apprehension. After all, Kit Hunter is destined to become her
grandfather and she worries that Rosina may become more than a
friend to Kit.
Kit is the son of a very wealthy businessman in Sydney and young
Rosina is quite flattered by the attention. Kit invites the trio to
the opening of the newly constructed Sydney Harbour bridge and then
later to a ball at his family home. When Kit disappears in
mysterious circumstances and a ransom note is discovered, Claire,
Rosina and Jem become desperately worried and frantically try to
find him.
Time travel always makes for a fascinating storyline and when
Belinda skillfully adds the dimension of actual historical events,
she delivers a truly wonderful story. Her depiction of Australia
during the Great Depression years is illuminating as she portrays
the extent of poverty experienced by many families. The young
reader, as well as Claire, also learns of Australia's brush with
communism and the formation of the New Guard by Colonel Eric
Campbell. This is a great read for those young girls who still want
to believe in magic!
Lyn Poole
Billy is a dragon series by Nick Falk
Ill. by Tony Flowers. Random House Australia Children's, 2014.
Billy is a Dragon: Shadow Shifter. ISBN: ISBN 9780857983152.
Billy is a Dragon: Eaten Alive. ISBN: 9780857983176.
Billy is back with two more exciting adventures for newly
independent readers. When Billy was bitten by a lizard at his local
petshop something totally weird happened. Billy became a
were-dragon! At times just a normal boy and at other times - look
out! A real fire breathing dragon able to take on all comers.
Billy's third adventure, Shape Shifter, sees his annoying teenage
sister kidnapped by werewolves. Their leader's evil plan is to seize
Billy's powers but with the help of his assorted, somewhat odd,
were-friends - Benny the were-hamster, a couple of were-chickens -
and of course, his best friend, Jeannie - Billy is ready to rescue
Becky. He knows he can trounce that arch-enemy, Scratchhook,
the Shadow Shifter and makes no apologies for singed fur.
In the fourth exciting story, Uncle Chunk comes to visit- which is
really strange because Billy's family has not seen him for years. So
why is he suddenly reappearing and why is that he seems to know all
about Billy's secret? To add to all this, the nasty Miss Hicks (yet
another werewolf) is back at school, Scratchhook is still pursuing
Billy and it's getting more and more difficult to know exactly who
to trust. Billy discovers that his family are just as
much his real support as his were-friends and when Dad refuses to be
bullied by Uncle Chunk any longer and Billy's dragonish secret is
revealed to his parents, he knows that he can do anything.
There is certainly a very obvious talking point in these about not
judging by looks alone, as well as that our parents love us even if
we are were-dragons, which teachers could explore after a
read-aloud.
Lots of illustrations and funky fonts especially for onomatopoeia,
good sized text and plenty of action, these are two more great
stories for both boys and girls from about 6 and up to add to your
shelves.
Visit the author and illustrator webpages and
read excerpts
here at Random House.
Sue Warren
Every word by Ellie Marney
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743316511.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Crime, Thriller, Melbourne, London,
Sherlock Holmes. When Rachel Watts hears her boyfriend, Mycroft has
boarded a plane for London, accompanying the forensic investigator,
Dr Walsh, she is devastated. She knows that he has been distracted
by the news of a recent carjacking in London, where the conservator
at the Bodlean Library in Oxford has been killed, but she has no
idea how much this has absorbed him until Angela tells her he has
gone. She is gutted. If he had told her they were over as a couple,
she could have accepted this and then helped him through the
investigation, but just to jet off leaves her distraught. She
decides to go with Alicia to London and without much ado, books a
ticket, grabs her backpack and goes. She has never been on a plane
before and no one knows she it coming to London, let alone leaving
Melbourne.
As with the first in this series, Every breath, the pace is non
stop, the characters credible and well formed, the plot sparkling
and the story inventive. That it gives a nod to the Sherlock Holmes
mysteries gives another level of entertainment in this wholly
satisfying mystery.
But in London, a copy of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays has
been stolen and the murder of the conservator is part of the plot,
so the brains of Mycroft and Watts are stretched as they help the
investigative team and Dr Walsh, and with the added level of the
death seven years before of Mycroft's parents in a similar way, the
thriller moves along very quickly. Being kidnapped by the Colonel
means torture to get to the bottom of the hereabouts of the Folio,
but the plucky duo survive all means of extracting information,
eventually turning the tables on their kidnappers with deadly
results.
This is a heart stopping read, and entwined with unrequited love, a
sexual longing which is never quite realised, the book will be a
hit.
Fran Knight
Are you seeing me? by Darren Groth
Woolshed Press, 2014. ISBN 978857984739
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Disability. Cancer. Twins. Journeys.
Canada. Using their inheritance for a trip to Vancouver with her
twin brother, Justine opens her father's diary to read on the plane.
Her brother is in his seat on the other side of the aisle, and as
she reads, we hear of the moments that built up in their parent's
lives, causing her mother to leave when they were five.
From the opening pages we see for ourselves the strain of caring for
Perry, his inability to get past the security gates, his carrying a
seismic monitor everywhere, his awkwardness with people. Justine has
a patter which she trots out to new people about Perry, and even
Perry reprises it on occasion to explain his behaviour.
On their trip, the big questions eat away at them both. Their father
had investigated sheltered accommodation for Perry before he died,
and Perry feels that he must be able to give Justine her own life,
and wants her to tell him she will cope without him. Justine on the
other hand thinks Perry wants to be independent, but neither can be
truly honest about how they feel.
Perry's literal view of life is sometimes very funny, often
poignant, and sometimes hits a cord with people he is dealing with.
I reread the sequences at the security gates at the airport and the
boat trip on the lake to further understand Perry and his view of
the world. He eventually plans to disappear for a while, which from
his perspective, will scare Justine for a while, but make her
realise that she can live without him and that he can cope on his
own.
When they meet their mother in Seattle, tension builds. An
earthquake lands Justine in hospital, and events move along quickly
as Perry's ability to cope with this situation saves her life.
I loved this tale of the journey taken by these two marvellous
characters. Perry is never given a label, he is as he is, and his
part of the story is a knockout. The book is divided into several
sections, three from Perry's point of view, three from Justine's and
all interspersed with dad's diary. Justine's boyfriend, Marc, is
concerned about their trip and causes Justine's anger to boil over,
while her mother too gives an edge to Justine's feelings. Through it
all is the love shared by the twins, forced to look out for each
other by their mother's desertion and later, their father's death.
This would be a great class set for middle secondary kids. Extensive
teacher notes can be found at the publisher's
website.
Fran Knight
Plenty by Ananda Braxton-Smith
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781742032429.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Journeys. Moving house. Refugees. When ten
year old Maddy is told by her parents that they are moving to the
small country town called Plenty because her grandmother is becoming
less able to cope by herself, she is furious. Her best friend,
Sophie-Rose and she have always done everything together, even
sharing their birthdays every year in their back yard, sleeping in a
tent and watching the stars.
Maddy knows stories about the stars, the Greek names for some of the
constellations and Aboriginal stories about the movement of the
stars.
But leaving Melbourne is not what she expected, and her behaviour
over the next little while reflects that. But as she comes to know
her grandmother better, and goes out into the scrub with her looking
at the native orchids which grandma and her friends propagate and
plant, she develops more understanding about her parents'
decision. At school she meets Grace a refugee from Sudan,
learning her story of moving. And she hears her grandmother's story,
of being forced out of their home in Cyprus, of moving to Australia,
and comes to realise that her mother's odd behaviour has been shaped
by her own trauma at being forced to move...
This is a many-layered story of refugees, of finding a place to call
home, a place of safety. Through the stories Maddy hears, she is
better able to accept her change and dislocation, as well as learn
more about her own family.
Fran Knight
Warrior heroes: The viking's revenge by Benjamin Hulme-Cross
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781472904492.
Recommended.(Age 10+ for good readers; or 13+ for those who struggle
to read. Will be enjoyed by male readers, does not patronise young
readers.) Vikings. Quest fiction. Adventure. Historical fiction.
Time travel.
This is the first book I have read in the Warrior heroes
series, and I can see that they will be immediately enjoyed by male
readers (as an easy read) and could easily be promoted to young male
readers who would normally avoid reading or who struggle with
reading. The two main characters are time travellers who are tasked
with the restoration of problems of long-dead warriors from various
cultural backgrounds by the ghost of their great-grandfather. The
haunting of the Warrior Museum by these trapped ghost warriors
creates the impetus for the time travel adventures. Fortunately one
of the brothers was an avid keeper of information on the warriors
which aids them in their own survival as they travel to lands far
removed from their own modern existence. His brother is more prone
to action first and thinking later, a trait which gets them both
into trouble.
This book is set during the time of the Vikings and involves the
restoration of a mighty fighting sword lost by the Viking ghost
warrior. The author throws the reader immediately into the action
after the brief introduction. The two young adventurers end up
captured and then in conflict, rewriting history and rescuing a
community with sword, axe and bow and arrow fights. The fights are
integral to an understanding of the Viking culture as well as being
appealing to a masculine readership! Also valuable to the reader are
the notes, from the younger of the time travellers that were taken
during his discussions with his great-grandfather and his visits to
the Warrior Museum. This information about the Vikings is integral
to understanding the background to the warriors and their life and
adds a great non-fiction interlude to the drama of the quest.
Carolyn Hull
Construction by Sally Sutton
Ill. by Brian Lovelock. Walker Books Australia, 2014. ISBN 9781922077301
Young readers will love this onomatopoeic picture book that takes
them on a journey filled with construction as a library is being
built. From the award-winning duo Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock,
this book is filled with bold visuals and rhyming text. If children
love anything to do with machinery and tools, then they are sure to
be interested in this book. The book ends with facts about
construction machinery and tools to introduce readers to non-fiction
features of texts. A great book to read aloud; the sound words will
entice young readers to join in.
Stephanie Bell
Oi frog! by Kes Gray
Ill. by Jim Field. Hachette, 2014. ISBN 9781444910865.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Picture book. Rhyming words. Animals. Idioms.
'The cat sat on the mat' is a very familiar refrain, and in this
book, Kes Gray takes that wellknown phrase a little further,
applying a rhyming word to a multitude of animals, in response to a
frog not wanting to sit on a log because it is splintery. The frog
challenges the cat about each animal including lions, goats,
weasels, moles and gorillas. Each line is hilariously reflected in
the wittily detailed illustrations by Jim Field. Watch out for the
gloriously unhappy gorilla on a pillar, or the wonderful gathering
of foxes sitting on boxes, and the large family of gophers sitting
on a sofa, while the stork on a fork, the understandably unsafe
looking seal on a wheel and the full mouthed ape sitting on grapes
all add to the humour of the story.
The endpapers add more fun as Field has given the reader
an array of zany frogs to look at.
A fun way to look at rhyming words and add to the presence of poetry
in the home or classroom, as well as just a very funny book to share
and read out loud.
Fran Knight
