Ill. by Phil Lesnie. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781921720628
(Age: 7+) Recommended. War, Kindness, Loss. The shepherd tends his
flock with love and care, and marries Cherry, his childhood sweat
heart. When he is called to war, she makes him a greatcoat to keep
him safe, sewn together with love. But it cannot keep him safe and
an enemy soldier stays with him as he dies, taking his greatcoat
from him to return it to his wife.
The bare bones of the story ring of the futility of war, of the
conflict that makes people takes sides, even though they are the
same beneath the uniforms. Love and kindness will prevail despite
what nations do to each other. It is a salutary message in these
times of hatred between groups within our societies and the story
offers hope to the young children who read it.
The circle of life, shown through the making and the return of the
greatcoat and its making and then remaking as a child's toy,
reiterates the theme that life endures, no matter what is thrown up
against it. Again, a positive idea for children to absorb.
Millard's verse, perfectly distills these ideas into a seamless
narrative, evoking sympathy for the soldier called away from his
family to war, to the family left at home, then the soldier from the
opposing forces returning to console the grieving mother and her
child.
The endpapers with their woollen cloth, speaks volumes of the amount
of material needed to clothe soldiers at war, and the needle and
thread in the corner too speaks of the ties that bind us. The soft
watercolour illustrations are evocative of the family and its life
and the life taken away.
Fran Knight
The Bloodhound Boys: The Monster Truck Tremor Dilemma by Andrew Cranna
Walker Books 2014. ISBN 9781922179326
This action packed graphic novel is the second adventure for The
Bloodhound Boys, Rocky Werewolf, Vince Vampire and their sidekick
Snake. They enter a monster truck race along with competitors like
'Evil Knievel Weevils' 'Zombie Slugs' driving 'Spitball' and 'Dwayne
the Brain and his Minion Monkeys'. The prize is a cup of 'truck
blood' (otherwise known as oil) but to win, the competitors have to
race through the bottomless 'Ouch Ravine'. The Bloodhound Boys
survive sabotage, a near death crash and being saved by a pair of
giant underpants, only to encounter their owner. They escape the
giant but nearly starve to death before encountering the earth
eating Worgon consuming everything in its path. The story is
certainly action packed and the dynamic black and white
illustrations keep our attention firmly on the page. The language is
playful including puns and jokes while the underlying message of the
importance of friends and working together is so embedded that
everyone ends up understanding one another better; no bad guys, just
the misunderstood. Primary students ready to expand their reading
will enjoy the clever language while the great illustrations move
the story on to its gripping conclusion. Andrew Cranna is a teacher
and artist based in Sydney and his monsters subtly reinforce a range
of very human values. Rated 9/10 by a nine year old reader, I
enjoyed it too.
Sue Speck
My real children by Jo Walton
Constable & Robinson, 2014. ISBN 9781472119728
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Jo Walton has written a number of
fantasy and sci-fi novels, as well as role-playing scenarios. This
novel, about Patricia/Patsy/Pat/Trish, shows the influence of
role-playing in the plot, but is otherwise a realistic look at the
possible lives of women in the decades from 1930's to this century.
The strongest writing describes the childhood and youth of Patricia
Cowan, a bright and devout little girl who grows up in a sheltered
working class home loving her father and the annual seaside holiday.
The war years bring all that to a close. The loss of loved ones as
well as the deprivation of that time is clearly captured. A
scholarship to Oxford offers a bright future and her engagement to a
talented scholar, Mark, seems to promise happiness as well. At this
point the author suggests two possible futures to Patsy, one as the
wife of a teacher, one as an unmarried teacher herself. As in Lionel
Shriver' Post birthday world this divergence allows an
exploration different lives and social forces. The married Patsy
finds her husband has little interest in sex, which is fortunate as
he does not believe in contraception. She has very painful
experiences in childbirth and several life-threatening miscarriages.
Her husband is a bitter and demeaning man who has no understanding
of or interest in her life. After the four children have grown she
discovers that he is a homosexual and they divorce. She makes a life
for herself as a teacher and a busy committee woman. The unmarried
Patsy becomes a passionate scholar of the Italian Renaissance and
writes guidebooks to Italian cities. She loves a woman and with the
help of a friend they have several children. Her life is successful
and happy, but she suffers from the lack of legal support for single
woman and for gays. The reader is given glimpses of political
and social changes in the backgrounds to both stories. For some
reason the background to the difficult life is as it happened, the
Cuban missile crisis is resolved and so on. However, in the
background to the happier life world events take a dark turn.
Thousands are killed in various missile blasts, and a number of the
main characters die from cancers. The stories are brought together
in the nursing home where Patricia, now with dementia, ends her
years remembering both versions of her life. Both stories move
quickly and are successful in capturing the social milieux of those
years and the diverging roles of women. The novel could be compared
with the Post birthday world, and On Chesil beach by
Ian McEwan.
Jenny Hamilton
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puertolas
Random House Australia. Vintage Australia, 2014. ISBN: 9780857983503
(Age: Suitable for senior students and adults) As you may guess by
the rather unusual title, this is a rather difficult book to define
except to say that it is wildly hilarious, totally improbable and a
fabulous read. If you mashed up some Monty Python, some Borat and
some Mel Brooks and turned them all into some kind of Marx Brothers
escapade, you'd be getting close.
I've been reading this for the past week while supervising exams and
so on at the end of the term and found it perfect for shorter
periods of time - reading a chapter or two in a sitting.
To give you some idea of the crazy plot, we start with a very bogus
Indian fakir arriving in Paris with a counterfeit 100 pound note and a
borrowed suit because he wants to buy a new bed of nails - which he
had seen in an Ikea catalogue back in his home village. His plan is
to be in Paris for 24 hours only - just long enough to buy the bed
and go home. After misguidedly hoaxing a Gypsy cab driver with his
fake money, he ends up in Ikea fascinated by its offerings - which
for him include a smart Parisienne woman who buys him lunch and
indicates she would also love dessert - of a kind. He declines this
overture - regretfully and not without some deliberation but is
intent on his mission. Having no actual money he certainly can''t
afford a hotel so decides to stay the night in the bedding
department at Ikea. Cue ensuing chaos as the Gypsy cab driver alerts
Ikea staff to the possibility of a bogus Indian in their store and
Asjatashatru, the fakir, leaping into a wardrobe to evade night
staff and the game is on.
The story unravels with the wily Indian being transported - one way
or another all over Europe at a pace that takes his (and the
reader's) breath away. Along the way meeting friends and foes,
having uncanny good fortune and some narrow escapes, the Indian
finds himself examining his life, his misdeeds, his growing feelings
of love for his Parisienne Marie and the 'universal desire to seek a
better life'.
A rollicking romp of laughs all the way.
Sue Warren
Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day by Judith Viorst
Ill. by Ray Cruz. Simon and Schuster, 2014. ISBN 9781471122873
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Picture book, Family life, Bad hair
days. This is one of those books that is still on the shelves even
though it looks like a dog's breakfast, with turned down corners,
pages missing, scribble over some or it, and simply well used and
loved, because it has been a favourite since being first published
forty years ago. Alexander wakes to find that the gum in his mouth
last night is now in his hair, the skateboard is under his feet as
he gets out of bed, and he has dropped his jumper into the sink. He
knows it's going to be one of those days. And yes, as we read all
the things that could possibly go wrong, do. He is forced to sit
between the children in the back seat, he forgets the number sixteen
in maths class, his best friends tells him he is now his third best
friend, and Mum forgets to add dessert to his lunch box. And on it
goes, a long list of things that go wrong, ruining Alexander's day,
but enabling the readers to laugh out loud at his perception of his
bad day.
Readers will love hearing of the things that go wrong in Alexander's
day, sharing stories of their own bad days, laughing with their
class members at their misfortunes, recognising the things that
happen to Alexander. It will remind children that everyone has bad
days, and short of emigrating, there is little that can be done,
except grin and bear it, knowing that the day will end and tomorrow
will be much better.
The first edition has been republished, but Alexander has been
rendered in colour, making him stand out within the detailed line
drawings. Children will love comparing the old and new editions and
wonder at what will be in the film, as this publication is a film
tie-in.
Fran Knight
The wombats at the zoo by Roland Harvey
Allen & Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743319048
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Zoos, Animals, Wombats. The twelve students
in a class known as the Wombats go to the zoo with their teachers,
Mrs Nott and Miss Anabel. The endpapers show the reader the
children's favourite animals with the reasons the animals are so
well liked while adding a few extra bits of information such as
collective nouns, the scariest animal and their task for the day.
Each outline reveals some of the children's characteristics. I
particularly liked Ava with her predilecton with the apostrophe,
exposing its misuse which will be enlightening for some and
hilarious for others.
Harvey's wonderfully detailed illustrations allow the readers to
discover the students' personalities, quirks and abilities as they
find their way into the exhibits of the animals they like. Double
page spreads are devoted to each of the twelve students, with an
illustration of their favourite exhibition space for their animal,
and funny details of what happens there, along with information
about the animal and the students. A list of the information each
child collects is given, while now and again, one of the students
writes a poem of their experiences.
Reading aloud each page and thoroughly exploring the minutiae of the
illustrations will keep readers amused for some time, and along the
way learn some interesting facts about the animals, models for their
own poetry writing and a few hints about what to do and not to do
when going to the zoo.
Fran Knight
Funny homes by Dr Mark Norman
Black Dog Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922179982
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Animals, Habitat. The habitats of two dozen
animals ranging from rock wallabies to crabs, cactus wrens and
moles, a ray and a sea cucumber, each is given a spectacular
photograph to show its environment as well as its place of
residence, and a paragraph of information suggesting why it lives in
such a place.
So we see the sloth, hanging from its favourite branches in the tree
tops by its amazing claw, so well adapted that it has difficulty
walking on the ground, or the oxpeckker, a bird which lives on the
zebra's back, picking off the fleas, or the two animals without eyes
that lives far beneath the surface of the ocean. Readers will love
reading of these odd creatures finding a home which suits them best.
And the stunning photographs will draw them to look more closely at
the animal and its place of residence.
At the end are two pages with information about eleven of the
animals mentioned, giving their correct name and where they are to
be found in the world, followed by a brief glossary and serviceable
index.
The third in the series by Dr Mark Norman, this book follows Funny
bums and Funny faces, and will be eagerly sought out in libraries
and classrooms where animals are under discussion. Dr Mark Norman is
a marine biologist who works at the University of Melbourne and
Museum Victoria, and has won significant acclaim for his books for
younger readers. The Great Barrier Reef book : solar powered won the Environment
Award for Children's Literature from the Wilderness Society in 2010,
amongst others.
Fran Knight
River Boy by Elizabeth Frankel
Ill. by Garry Duncan. Jane Curry Publishing, 2014. ISBN:
9781922190864
Recommended. Picture book. Themes: Sustainability; Environmental
change; Australia - Geography; Family Relationships. The River Boy
is taken for a camping trek on the River Murray in a tinnie, camping
on the river banks and living from the produce that the river
harbours. His grandfather shares the changes that have occurred over
time and the delights of living carefully in partnership with the
River that is the lifeblood of Australia. The boy's connection to
the river grows as his grandfather shares his own love of the place.
The absolute delight of this wonderful picture book is in the
illustrations by Garry Duncan. The boy and his grandfather are
realistic drawings superimposed on the stunning impressions of the
River Murray, shown with an incredibly accurate portrayal of the
changing light and colours. These illustrations take this reviewer
on her own memory journey down the Murray. They are spectacular.
This book is recommended.
Carolyn Hull
Winterkill by Kate A. Boorman
Faber & Faber, 2014. ISBN 9780571313693
(Age: 12+) In a past world not unlike to ours, Emmeline carries a
burden and a title that has stuck with her since the day of her
birth. Winterkill is coming and while the walls surrounding her
village are supposed to make her safe, Emmeline can't help but feel
apprehensive about those around her. Feeling like an outcast,
Emmeline trudges through her not so eventful life until one day, she
hears whispers from the trees in the woods and at that moment, her
life will never be normal again. So when Emmeline begins to discover
secrets hidden within the woods, will she risk it all to find out
about her history?
Kate A. Boorman's Winterkill delivered a creative plot and
an intriguing mystery into one novel. When reading the book, my liking
for the main heroine, Emmeline grew as she was a character that I
could admire and relate to. The writing is of good quality, with
great imagery and similes included throughout, especially from a
first-time author. But did this book fulfil my desire for story that
will leave me wanting more? Sadly, it did not hit the mark with me
regardless of the imaginative plot.
An aspect of this tale that I did enjoy was the surprising plot
twist nearing the conclusion as well as the secrets and hidden
agendas. The author delivers well-written characters that I either
loved to hate or simply liked.
Samantha May
Romeo & Juliet retold by Jim Pipe
Ill. by Penko Gelev. Graffex series. Book House, 2014. ISBN :
9781906714406
If, as I have just experienced, you have students who struggle with
Shakespeare, this series could prove a valuable complement to your
collection. My Year 10 boys have just done a unit on Romeo &
Juliet and while we steered clear of reading the play in full,
instead selecting passages, watching the film, live performance from
Grin & Tonic and so on, many still had some problems.
I took this slim graphic volume in for them to look at, and several
commented that they now understood a particular part or made notes
using the book.
Firstly, the graphic format breaks the play down in a storyboard
type format which is easy to follow. Secondly, while the 'speech' is
still Shakespearean, there are footnotes to 'translate' into modern
day language. This running glossary is probably the most beneficial
aspect of this version. Additionally there are several pages at the
back with information about Shakespeare, his work and his times plus
an index. A useful page as a frontispiece, pictures the characters
with their names and relationship to Romeo and Juliet.
The only disconcerting note for me is the illustrator's tendency to
have the characters look like muddy-faced trolls - Juliet is far
from attractive as she scowls with her troll-face to swallow her
potion. In fact, they all look very unpleasant - whether they are
the good guys or not!
That being said I think this would be very handy for those students
who need a simplified version and visual connection to help them
grasp the main ideas and themes of Shakespeare. Others in this
series included A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Julius
Caesar and The Merchant of Venice. There are also
other classic stories published in the same format - see the
publisher's page here.
Sue Warren
The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2014. ISBN 9781742978307
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Melissa Keil has written a lively
narrative of a vibrant community in country Victoria. She has set
her heroine as a feisty, intelligent, artistic young woman who is
torn between keeping things as they are in her home town, and
leaving to study in Melbourne. This tension informs the action but
there is a second challenge to the people of the small community!
In an online post, Original Ned predicts the end of the world and
the centre of the co-ordinates for its implosion is Alba's town. The
arrival of hundreds of doomsday 'followers' creates havoc in the
town, but also enlivens the townspeople's businesses and lives.
Keil's protagonist is quirky, deeply concerned for everyone's
well-being, loyal, artistic, and relishing the possibilities of life
after Year 12. The disruption of this is the core of the narrative,
and we witness her challenges, discovering whether she is ultimately
still attracted to the third member of their primary school trilogy,
Daniel, currently starring in a hit television show. Grady, the
other 'third', seems to be waiting for Alba to really 'see' him, and
this awakening is watched avidly by all of their young friends, and
her mother.
Delightfully true to the vernacular of her characters, yet able to
capture and retain an audience of any age, Keil's writing is
wonderfully uplifting, touching as it does on adolescent angst, how
to find out who you are, and how to find out if someone actually
does really love you. Writing with an honesty and attention to
detail, capturing a warm sense of the goodness of the characters,
particularly the lovely Alba, who, after all, is the 'cinnamon girl'
of her comic strip, Keil has written an uplifting story that leaves
the reader with a deep sense of well-being.
Coming-of-age novel, fairly sophisticated interactions, and language
appropriate for 14, years and older. Not limited to adolescent
readers!
Liz Bondar
The Monster who ate Australia by Michael Salmon
Ford Street, 2014. Hb. ISBN 9781925000542. pbk. ISBN 9781925000559.
(Age: Pre-school - Yr 3) 'The boggabri is an extremely rare
Australian mammal. Like its cousin the bunyip, it eats a lot and is
very shy. But, unlike the bunyip, it has peculiar teeth that grow
longer each day. To keep them trimmed, the boggabri chews rocks and
other hard objects . . .'
Burra the boggabri lives peacefully at Uluru with nearby Kata Tjuta
providing nice tasty rocks to eat that kept his teeth in shape. But
as the tourists come in threatening his peace of mind and food
supply, he is driven out looking for new fodder. And so begins his
quirky journey around Australia, beginning with eating the America's
Cup in Perth and continuing on to some of the nation's most
recognisable man-made landmarks, unaware of the havoc he creates.
Finally trapped in the thick gooey mud at the bottom of Sydney
Harbour, trapped and placed on display in the elephant house at
Taronga Zoo, Burra is viewed by many more tourists than those he ran
away from . . .
This is the 30th anniversary edition of this Michael Salmon classic
and it maintains all the appeal of the original as it takes its
readers on a journey around Australia, introducing them to places,
familiar and new. Michael Salmon recently visited Miss 8's school
and she was so excited and engaged that she still tells me about it.
You can imagine her thrill when she discovered that I had a
collection of his books right here on the shelf and she spent hours
reading them and immersing herself in the illustrations that are
such an integral part of the stories, a reaction I often see when I
suggest his stories to younger readers. Then I showed her his website
which has always been my inspiration, and kerpow!!! My next surprise
is to take her to the statue of Burra's cousin, Alexander Bunyip,
who now stands outside the Gungahlin Library in Canberra after
having eaten all the other city landmarks in The Monster that ate
Canberra in 1972!
Michael Salmon's stories and artworks have delighted children for 40
years and I'm thrilled that publishers are re-releasing titles like
The Monster who ate Australia so that yet another generation can
enjoy them.
Barbara Braxton
Sacrifice by Brigid Kemmerer
Elementals Bk 5. Allen and Unwin, 2014. ISBN 9781743318621
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Paranormal. Earth. Fire. Air. Water.
Michael Merrick has been looking after his brothers for years after
the death of his parents. He is an Elemental, who has the power to
control Earth, but who can also destroy if he doesn't get it right.
He has needed to be the steady brother, the one in charge, the one
who takes care of things. Hannah his girlfriend, is a single mum,
and her job as a firefighter puts her at risk as well. When an
Elemental Guide comes to town hoping to kill the Merricks, Michael
is put under enormous pressure.
Michael has been my favourite of the brothers in this very good
series. His sense of responsibility and fairness, his ability to
help and communicate with his siblings has made him a standout
character and Sacrifice is his story as well as the final in
the series. The reader is taken on a roller coaster ride as the
unknown Guide creates havoc and death all around the Merricks, who
are separated by the chaos. Michael seems to lose everything, but
still manages to retain his sense of justice and right under very
difficult circumstances. Hannah's sense of self too is tried as she
watches what is happening around Michael, and her relationship with
her father becomes even more difficult as he carries out his job as
Fire Marshal. Michael gradually comes to realise that the people
around him are there to help and that it is not always his job to be
strong. Sacrifice is a very poignant final book in the series and its
title says it all. Michael has sacrificed his life as a young man,
giving up what others would have had: study, college, a job, parties
and girlfriends, all to look after his brothers. But others make
sacrifices too, and there are a few tears to be shed in this book as
Kemmerer brings the series to a close.
Fans of the previous books won't be disappointed. I read this is a
single sitting and was engrossed for all of it.
Pat Pledger
Once upon a Dork: Tales from a not-so-fabulous life by Rachel Renee Russell
Dork Diaries Bk 8. Simon & Schuster, 2014. ISBN 9781471122781
(Age: 8-11) Nikki Maxwell is back in the eighth installment of this
much-loved series, a fan favourite right across the globe. Nikki
records her life openly and at times is a little too honest, her
diary is filled with cartoons, exclamations, emoticons and funny
incidents.
Nikki attracts trouble. Imagine Brianna her sister's lunch - a
peanut butter, jelly and pickle sandwich adhered to her new sweater
on display on the first day of school. Even Sassy Sasha perfume
can't remove the smell. When Nikki's class play Dodgeball for P.E.
class of course she is the target, Mackenzie the mean girl, hits her
hard in the face. Instead of waking up in a familiar
environment, Nikki has a wild dream all her friends, classmates, her
crush Brandon and Mackenzie have turned into fairy tale creatures.
As Nikki travels through Fairy Tale Land she encounters all the
Rogues, Renegades and Regals. She meets characters from the Wizard
of Oz, hinders Goldilocks, is chased by the bears and attends
Cinderella's ball - of course Brandon is the handsome prince.
Some of the funniest scenes are Nikki's encounters with Rapunzel,
Snow White and Sleeping Beauty who are tired of being
princesses and want to escape their fairy tale lives.
Rachel Renee Russell has created a likeable character whose crazy
family, friends and school life provide great enjoyment for fans
from 8-11.
Rhyllis Bignell
Grug the Superhero by Ted Prior
Simon & Schuster, 2014. ISBN: 9781925030501
Highly recommended for 1-5 year olds and fans!Ted Prior's Grug
series has been a much loved part of early childhood reading since
1979, now parents and grandparents can share a new Grug adventure
with their young ones.
When Grug wakes up, he decides he wants to be a superhero. Using his
imagination he makes a stick sword and a simple cape and mask. Cara
his best friend dresses up as well, making their costumes from
scraps of material and yarn. Superheroes need a super car and the
friends make over the Grugmobile, turning it into the Zoom Zoom Car.
Cara informs Grug that superheroes need to save someone, so the
friends zoom off to look for someone who needs help. Unfortunately
the Zoom Zoom Car zooms them down the slope and into a tree. Who
needs to be rescued now?
A great new addition to the Grug series, simple, colorful
illustrations, easy to read text and an activity that families could
participate in together, making superhero costumes and building a
simple go kart.
Rhyllis Bignell
