Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 9781408828694.
(Age: Teens) Highly recommended. Science fiction. Ryan Westland,
mysterious foreign student, begins Perran School half way through
term in year eleven, a novelty among the students he quickly becomes
the gossip of the year eleven girls. Claiming to be from America
Ryan is the perfect student and manages to be rebellious
responsibly. Seemingly unaware of his growing fun club Ryan flirts
unashamedly with Eden, a relatively plain vegetarian who lives just
down the road from his house in Penpol Cove. He befriends first her
and then her friends, accompanying her to a beach party for Amy's
birthday; he is particularly interested in Connor, Eden's best
friend, as they each share a passion for astronomy.
As Ryan falls for Eden he becomes less and less private, even
allowing her into his home after she pays an unexpected visit. By
accident Eden takes one of Ryan's books, a book that by all rights
should not exist yet, it is the biography of her best friend, Connor
Penrose's life after discovering the planet Eden. Eden demands an
explanation and Ryan gives her one, putting them both at risk.
Together they must prevent the discovery of Eden (the only life
supporting planet other than earth) in order to save the human race
from its future extinction. After Eden is highly recommended for teenage girls with a
passion for drama and science fiction. Aimed at a young adult
audience the novel is engaging and easy to read as it well written
using colourful descriptions that allow the reader to visualise the
story.
Kayla Gaskell (age eighteen)
How they Met and Other Stories by David Levithan
Text Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9781922147769.
The last review I wrote was for another book written by David
Levithan, the spectacularly moving Two Boys Kissing, and now
I review How They Met and Other Stories.
Upon researching this author, it seems there is a theme of love that
runs through his work, and in my experience reading his work, his
meditation on romance is always fresh and intriguing. I am
particularly glad to see that David Levithan is inclusive of
same-sex relationships in his writing, which are often overlooked in
popular fiction. This work is no exception of this socially aware
approach.
This anthology sets out to chronicle love of all kinds, and the many
other emotions this one can conjure. In doing so, as always,
Levithan is beautifully honest and unpretentious, and it the
truthful nature of this work that makes it so compelling - Mills and
Boon this certainly is not! Here, love is unvarnished,
unglamourised, and presented to us in the messy and wholly
recognizable game that we play in our own realities. We can relate
to the tales of trial and triumph, where we understand and relate to
each character. Rarely has there been such a variety of characters
that I have so profoundly connected with in a book.
This work is, as the title suggests, a collection of short romantic
fiction, but unlike many other writers in this genre, Levithan
strives to and seemingly prides himself on his socially inclusive
approach. And he should be praised for this.
It is refreshing to see written work for young people that is
accessible and avoids the tired and expected trite, cliched
approach. I hope to see more work coming from David Levithan, as in
my eyes he is the most in-touch, and emotionally touching, young
adult fiction author of the moment.
Henry Vaughan (Student)
The Dark by Lemony Snicket
Ill. by Jon Klassen. Orchard Books, 2013. ISBN 9781408330029.
Picture book. Laszlo is afraid of the dark. But he lives in a big
house with a creaky roof, smooth, cold windows and several flights
of stairs so there are many places that dark can hide. But mostly,
dark lives in the basement waiting in a distant corner during the
day and then coming out at night to spread itself against the
windows and doors of Laszlo's house. But Laszlo thought that if he
visited the dark in its room, it wouldn't come and visit him in his
room so each morning he would peek at it in the basement and say
hello. Until one night, it did . . .
The power of this story lies in Snicket's ability to personify the
dark as a real entity as it leads Laszlo on a journey through the
house and down, deep into the basement. It talks to Laszlo as though
it is a real character, and Laszlo's calm response, both expression
and action, helps convey the message that there is nothing to fear.
Then just as the climax is almost reached, Snicket provides an
explanation of the need for creaky roofs and blank windows, almost
as though he is trying to defuse the suspense to make it manageable
for the young reader.
Jon Klassen's illustrations help build up the suspense - a limited
palette, the use of shadow, shade and light, bare walls, uncovered
windows and empty rooms all add to the atmosphere and feed a little
boy's imagination - and, in the words of one reviewer, this is an
'inspired pairing'. This is a perfect example of a picture book
where text and illustrations work so well that each would be
diminshed without the other. The Dark appeared regularly on the best-of lists for 2013,
particularly those in the US, and it is a gentler Snicket at work
than the one we are accustomed to. Both the US and UK
publishers have book trailers and you can listen to an audio
clip by Neil Gaiman.
This would be a great introduction to introducing the science
concepts of light and day, day and night, the rotation of the earth
and so forth so that young children begin to understand more and
fear less - another way to support the curriculum beyond the
traditional English perspective.
Barbara Braxton
A very singular guild by Catherine Jinks
City of orphans, bk 3. Allen and Unwin, 2014. ISBN
9781743313091.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Ned Roach is now Alfred's chief
apprentice, luring out child eating bogles with his use of verse, so
that Alfred can kill them. Before working with Alfred he was a
mudlark, scavenging for a living in the mud along the Thames. Now he
is employed alongside of Alfred who has been paid by the London
Sewers Office to rid London of an infestation of bogles. As well as
facing the evil bogles, Ned and his friends, Jem and Birdie, face
deadly danger from an enemy from their past.
In this the final story in the City of Orphans trilogy,
following A very unusual pursuit and A very peculiar
plague, Jinks relates the tale of Ned, who is a very likeable
hero. He is intensely interested in machines and is fascinated by
the steam engines and new machinery that he encounters in his
travels with the employees of the London Sewers Offices and would
love to work with them. However, he is very loyal to Alfred who has
taken him away from the insecurity of scrabbling for a living in the
mudflats, and believes that he must help him to entice the bogles
out even though he is really afraid of them. His loyalty and
steadfastness even when terrified as well as his powerful curiosity
about machines make the story very enjoyable.
The setting of Dickens' London and the beginning of the machine age
are all cleverly mixed with the superstitions of a people who
believe in strange creatures who capture children. Jinks subtly
draws the reader into the life of poor orphans in the 19th century
and will leave them empathizing with the drawbacks of not being able
to read and having to earn a living at a very early age. The
descriptions of London's underground tunnels and sewer systems, the
wickedness of some of the slum dwellers, the contrast with the
wealthy and the frivolity of the actors in the theatres of Drury
Lane bring a wonderful feel to the story.
Beautifully written, Jinks manages to tie up the fates of her
characters in a very satisfying and atmospheric conclusion to an
outstanding series which should grace every library shelf and would
be a great read aloud in the classroom as well.
Pat Pledger
Two trickster tales from Russia, retold by Sophie Masson
Ill. by David Allan. Christmas
Press, 2014. ISBN 9780992283803. Audio book ISBN
9780992283810.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Picture book, Folk tales. The
illustrations in this beautiful book impelled me to open the book to
read, the front cover indicating the style Allan has used to
compliment Masson's words. He uses a combination of black and white,
and sometimes coloured images. For emphasis some images coves a
double page, but more often, images are smaller and framed, with the
frame sitting in front of another image, giving a three dimensional
effect. Panels are used at the top and bottom of the page, and
sometimes down the side, which along with the black outlined
pictures, gives a wood block printing effect harking back to books
of old. The illustrations draw the eye in to look at the detail
encased within the borders, and readers will love the effect given.
The two stories retold by Sophie Masson, one of a girl, Masha,
outsmarting a bear and the other about a preening rooster. In the
first Mash goes out picking berries but soon becomes lost, walking
into a house where porridge sits on the stove. She eat some with her
berries only to find the owner, the Bear comes in and keeps her
there to do his cooking. Eventually she convinces him to take a
basket of pies to her parents and hides inside the basket, she has
become so thin.
In the second tale a fabulous rooster is tricked repeatedly by the
fox. He is always rescued by his friends, the thrush and the cat,
until one day he is almost eaten. The animals trick the fox and she
runs away. Two well told stories made even more interesting with the
stunning illustrations should make a useful addition to the school
library. Christmas Press is a new publisher set up by Sophie Masson,
David Allan and Fiona McDonald in Armidale NSW, more information can
be found at christmaspresspicturebooks.com
My review copy came with a CD for listening to the two stories.
Fran Knight
The Great Fire of London Unclassified by Nick Hunter
Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408193037.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Picture book, Fire, History. Published under
the auspices of the National Archives and filled with an array of
photographic evidence, pictures, maps, drawings, copies of written
documents and many other primary sources, this book will fit the
History curriculum when children study the Modern World within the
curriculum for years seven to nine.
Both the Plague of 1665 and Great Fire in 1666 fire children's
imagination at the sweep of such things four centuries ago. They
will gasp at the lack of communication, lack of equipment to fight
each disaster, lack of knowledge and the unstoppable nature of the
fire, ponder at a conflagration just waiting to happen.
With London built cheek by jowl, the small but tall wooden houses
needed only a spark, and when a bakery in Pudding Lane was not quite
dowsed for the night, the fire began. The Mayor of London, refused
to pull down the houses which would have halted the fire for fear of
being blamed for the loss of the buildings, and so the fire spread
taking in the churches, waterfront, St Paul's and much more, until
over the three days, over three quarters of the city was lost. With
no fire insurance, people simply had to start again.
I loved reading every page, looking at every photograph and map,
along with the primary source material, comparing this fire with the
ones that have destroyed parts of Australia recently.
Kids in upper primary and lower secondary will enjoy reading of this
time in Britain's history along with the last part of the book
dedicated to its rise from the ashes to become what it is today.
A sound glossary matched with a compact index and further resources
to peruse, make this a must for libraries.
Fran Knight
Fools' gold by Philippa Gregory
Order of Darkness, bk 3. Simon and Schuster, 2014. ISBN
9780857077394.
(Age 14+) Recommended. Historical. Counterfeiting. Philosopher's
stone. Luca's master directs him to go to Venice to investigate a
gold coin counterfeiting scheme. Together with his companions
Isolde, Ishraq, Frieze and Brother Peter, they arrive in Venice at
Carnival time. The city is aglow with masked revellers and
speculators are frantically buying up gold coins. Isolde's brother
has set men on her trail and Venice has its own laws that make it a
dangerous place to be. When the group meet the Alchemist and
discover that he plans to create the Philosopher's Stone and with
the flood of gold coins appearing in Venice, it looks as if there is
even more danger than they had imagined.
In this, the third in the Order of Darkness series,
following Changeling and Stormbringers, once again
provides an impeccable and fascinating glimpse into history. Her
descriptions of Venice, its canals, palaces and churches and the
celebrations of the Carnival provide a beguiling background to the
mystery surrounding the appearance of gold coins into the financial
world of the traders. The Alchemist and his assistant are strange
figures and their laboratory and what is in it make for an gripping
insight into the Middle Ages belief that ordinary objects could be
turned into gold and that the Philosopher's Stone could give
immortality.
The romantic interest between Isolde and Luca is ramped up in this
book although both seem to realise that their circumstances will
make their love for each other difficult to sustain in the world
they live in. Luca is the son of a farmer who has been taken into
slavery on the galleys, and is also bound to the Church, while
Isolde is a lady of quality.
With a website to
support the series and an author note at the end of the novel about
Medieval Venice, the role of Jewish moneylenders and alchemy,
readers will have much historical information to feast on.
Pat Pledger
Australian and world records 2014 by Jennifer Corr Morse
Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781743622094.
(Age: 8+) Australian and world records is a companion volume
to Scholastic's annual Book of World Records. The global
publisher's decision to produce a title with an Australian focus
enables children to learn about records that may not be recognised
internationally but will open their eyes to aspects of life in their
own country.
The first quarter of the book is devoted to Australian records. Both
this section and the international section that follows, have a
significant emphasis on sporting achievements. The remaining topics
are money, pop culture and nature. While the mix may not satisfy
readers accustomed to the broader range of similar titles, many
children will enjoy this pared-down version because of its
user-friendly format. With few exceptions, there is only one entry
to a page. Large photographs, informative text and graphs of top
record holders in each category, may encourage readers to
investigate the information instead of skipping from picture to
picture. Alliteration and word play in the headings helps to make
this title a rewarding reading experience. Some of the records, such
as those for the largest animals, have remained unchanged for
understandable reasons, but others have been updated to the year of
publication. The font is relatively small but clear and while there
is no index, the brief table of contents is serviceable.
Jennifer Corr Morse and her Australian co-authors have created more
than a collection of superlatives with pictures. Australian and
World Records 2014 is an interesting and occasionally
thought-provoking book, that is tailor-made for young readers who
are keen to extend their general knowledge and curious about the
world in which they live.
Elizabeth Bor
King Pig by Nick Bland
Scholastic Press, 2013. ISBN 9781742834955.
King Pig thinks he is just that - an autocratic leader who can get
the sheep to do anything they want. But while he could make them do
such things as strap boards on their backs so he has a ramp into his
sheep-free palace or pull down the branch of the apple tree so he
could pick the fruit, and scrub his castle he just couldn't make
them like him. No matter how loudly he shouted, they didn't listen
properly; no matter how hard he tried to get their attention, the
more they ignored him. Viewing himself in the mirror one day, he
decided that a fancier set of clothes might be the answer. So he
invited them into his castle and there they set to work.
To discover whether this works and if there is any way this arrogant
pig can make friends, you need to read this brilliant book by one of
Australia's most popular authors. And you need to read the pictures
as well as the words because the two not only work perfectly in
harmony to tell the surface story, but they also tell a story of
their own about power and bullying, making friends, arrogance and
humility, do clothes maketh the man? - all great discussion starters
that will help children reflect on the sorts of qualities that are
shared and valued by friends.
Nick Bland has that unique gift of being able to tell a tale within
a tale without being overtly didactic. The story can stand alone as
entertainment without delving deeper and his appealing illustrations
inject humour that tickle the fancy of even the youngest audience.
With a growing body of work to his name, Nick is becoming a
well-known name amongst our younger readers and new stories are
greeted with delight and appeal across the board because of the
levels at which each can be read.
Barbara Braxton
The spotty dotty lady by Josie Boyle
Ill. by Fern Martins. Magabala Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922142108.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Loneliness, Aboriginal themes. A lady
living alone has no friends beside her flowers and plants in the
garden. One day she notices a different plant growing amongst those
she knows and watches it as it grows. The spotty bud grows quickly,
until one day it flowers with big, wonderful, spotty, dotty flowers.
So taken with these that she decides to paint her kitchenware with
spots, and she keeps on going until her whole kitchen is a maze of
coloured dots and spots. And she does not stop there. She soon
covers her whole house with spots and dots, causing a small
sensation in the street.
The postie tells the neighbours and they tell their friends, so soon
everyone in the street is outside her house. They soon begin to
bring things for her to paint, and after that of course, they stay
for a cup of tea. Soon the Spotty, Dotty Lady has many friends and
when they hold a party at her place it becomes the happiest street
in town.
A lovely tale of friendship developing out of the environment,
reinforces the relationship between the natural world and people, an
enduring theme amongst Aboriginal stories. But this modern tale has
significance for us all.
Fran Knight
The day the crayons quit by Drew Daywalt
Ill. by Oliver Jeffers. HarperCollins Children's Books, 2013. ISBN
9780007513758.
One day, in class, Duncan went to take out his crayons and found a
stack of letters with his name on them. Each letter was from a
different-coloured crayon explaining why they didn't want to work
anymore. Red feels overworked, constantly colouring in fire engines,
apples and strawberries, even working in the holidays colouring
Santas and Valentine hearts. Black is bored with just being used for
outlines and craves things such as black beach balls while poor
peach has had all the paper peeled off and is too embarrassed to
leave the box! So Duncan decides to do something about it . . .and ends
up making all the crayons happy! The Day the Crayons Quit has consistently appeared on all the
best-reads and must-haves lists that appeared at the end of 2013 and
with good reason. It is delightfully original and has many layers to
it, with each audience being able to take something from it at their
level, whether it be 'What other things could Duncan colour purple?'
to investigating whether it's OK to have an orange whale. I'm very
much reminded of Flowers are
Red by Harry Chapin. There are lessons to be learned
about stereotyping - something we strive to make students aware of
but modern literature doesn't readily allow it because authors
strive to avoid it! You could also use it to explore emotions and
feelings and how we can tactfully express that things are making us
unhappy. So just as the crayons express why they are unhappy,
perhaps this could be a model for each child to express why they are
happy. Because this book has received such acclaim, there are many
suggestions for how it might be used online accessible by a search.
Each letter is written 'by' a crayon using a font that might make
this story difficult for the emerging reader to read alone, but it
is a perfect read-aloud for many ages! Jeffers' illustrations have
an authenticity about them - they look like they have been drawn and
coloured by young children and the credits suggest that there has
been significant input, either physical or intellectual, from them.
And this provides another level to the book - my experience is that
children start to believe that their drawings are not worthy because
they don't have the realism they see around them or the
professionalism of book illustrators, so seeing pictures that look
just like theirs in such a popular book validates their efforts and
hopefully encourages them to keep drawing.
I borrowed this book from my public library because I wanted to see
what the fuss was about, but it is now on my to-buy list so I can
share it with Miss Nearly 3 and Miss 7 because it will appeal to
both. That's the greatest accolade I can offer.
Barbara Braxton
Australia's Greatest People & their Achievements by Linsay Knight
Random House Australia Children's, 2013. ISBN 9780857980205.
Recommended for Middle/Upper Primary. Here is one of those very
useful books which can earn a place on the library shelves or for an
award prize with equal ease.
Very attractively packaged and with loads of information on people
from both historical and contemporary times, it's a perfect book for
dipping into or for students to find the first 'kick off' for a
biographical research project.
As well as both brief and fuller informational text, quotes, break
out boxes and quick fact pages are interspersed throughout. Broken
up into sections from Pioneering Australians to the Arts to Science
to Social Justice and more, this covers a wide range of both well
known Australian achievers as well as those not so well known -
something I found particularly interesting.
Along with the companion book Australia's Greatest Inventions
& Innovations, this comprehensive text would be a very
useful addition to primary school libraries in particular.
Sue Warren
Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri
Ill. by Jesse Joshua Watson. Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN
9780763664534.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. When Cole's mother decides that she can no
longer deal with him, she leaves him in the mean streets of
Philadelphia with the father that he has never met. To his horror,
there is a horse in the house, and a stable full of horses nearby.
He never dreamt that there were black cowboys. Soon he is mucking
out the stables rather than skipping school and getting into
trouble. When the City decides that the stables should be shut down,
Cole knows that it is time to fight back and save his father's way
of life.
This clever and moving story comes from the 2011 Coretta Scott King
Author Award Honor winner, whose ability to write a compassionate
look at a young boy and his father getting to know each other for
the first time is inspirational. It has been inspired by the real
life urban black horsemen of North Philadelphia and the
Brooklyn-Queens area, and a picture from Life magazine and
information at the back of the book give added information.
Although the background is intriguing, it is the portrayal of father
and son getting together, that is at the heart of the story. Cole is
on the verge of getting into bad company and truanting from school
when his mother decides she can't cope with him anymore. Cole's
father has kept the stables going believing that looking after
horses will keep the local kids away from danger but has no idea
about how to act like a father. Together they get to know each other
and their fight against the closure of the stables brings them
together.
The setting and the real life background of the ghetto cowboys makes
this an exceptionally interesting book to read and I really enjoyed
Cole's journey as he began to know his father. It would make a great
read aloud and provides a fascinating alternative for those who
enjoy books about horses.
Pat Pledger
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781619631847.
(Age 10+) Recommended. Based on the legend East of the sun, west
of the moon, the Lass, who doesn't have a name, agrees to go
away with a great white bear to his castle when he promises her
family treasure to make them rich. But of course the bear is not
what he appears to be and his castle is made of ice. She is
determined to find out what is happening when servants begin to
disappear and sets out on a gruelling journey to rescue the bear
when he disappears.
Jessica Day George has chosen to expand the fairy story, keeping
faithfully to its origins, but giving it a very likeable heroine who
grabs the reader's attention right from the beginning. Any reader
could easily identify with the young girl whose mother has refused
to name her and whose sad older brother, returned from mysterious
adventures at sea, seems to be her only friend. When she frees a
white reindeer trapped in the woods, it rewards her with a name and
the ability to hear what animals are saying. The Lass cares deeply
for her family and cannot refuse the large white bear's request to
stay with him for a year in his castle. She is an intrepid girl
whose naive curiosity leads to dire consequences, but also gives her
the inspiration to find a solution to the spell that has been cast
on the bear.
The bitter cold and the isolation of their home in woods, often deep
in snow, is beautifully described. The grim poverty of her family
and the desperate straits that they find themselves in provide a
fitting background to the story. The addition of the heart broken
brother Hans Peter and his link to the ice castle is a fascinating
one and gives an extra dimension to the story.
This is a well written, timeless tale that is sure to please readers
who enjoy retellings of fairy tales.
Pat Pledger
Mabel and me: best of friends by Mark Sperring and Sarah Warburton
HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN 9780007468362.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Picture book, Friendship. When her friend,
the mouse tells Mabel that she is her best of friends, Mabel asks
the simple question Why? Stuck for an answer, the pair is
interrupted by a French photographer asking to take their
photographs. He asks Mabel if he can take her photo as well as the
little creature with her. Mouse thinks he is talking to her and
calling Mabel a little creature and so is cross on her behalf,
saying that they will go to the photo booth instead. There their
feet are seen by a passing ballerina who tells Mabel that her feet
are just right for learning to dance, but not the hairy feet of her
companion. Mouse again takes umbrage and thinks the ballerina is
referring to Mabel's feet and storms off. The confusion is resolved
when Mabel explains what has really been meant by the two, but the
mouse is stunned that now she knows why she likes Mabel. Its because
of the crazy things she says.
Surrounded by whimsical illustrations, the story moves along with a
variety of fonts and font sizes, a large pallet of colour and
fascinating buildings and interiors. Every page is stacked with
humour, be it in the illustrations, the background or the words. A
lovely treat for discussions on friendship and working together,
this book will be well used in the classroom and home, the front
cover inviting a reader to pick it up. For an adult presenting the
notion of irony with children, this is a most suitable example.
Fran Knight
