The Ascendance trilogy, 2. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN:
9781407136752.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. In the second in The Ascendance
trilogy, following The
false prince, (ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults
2013), Jaron is now acknowledged as the rightful king but all is not
safe in his kingdom. There is danger on all sides: an attempted
assassination, a traitor in the castle and regents who want him gone
and a steward in his place. The king of Avenia, allied with the
pirates, threatens his borders but his advisors don't believe there
is a threat. Jaron, as gung-ho as ever, decides to go on a journey
to the pirates to try and stop the war that he believes is coming.
In this rumbustious adventure Jaron sets out alone on a seemingly
impossible quest. After some encounters with pirates who are raiding
his people, he makes contacts and eventually reaches the pirates'
stronghold. As you would expect from a book that is set mainly in a
pirates' hide-out, fights, sneers, torture and imprisonment
dominate, with Jarod's smart one-liners easing the tension.
Jarod's personality is what makes this series stand out. He is
witty, often making wry comments that bring a smile to the face. His
audacious nature leads him to surge forward on wild plans that leave
the reader breathless and wondering what he will do next. His
relationships with Imogen and Amarinda develop but romance is not
the focus of this action packed book, rather it is the character
development of Jarod and the fast paced action.
Readers who enjoyed The Ranger's Apprentice series will
delight in finding another teen hero. Other similar books include
the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and Megan Whalen
Turner's series, The Queen's thief about Eugenedes (The
Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia,
A Conspiracy of Kings), as well as The girl of fire and
thorns by Rae Carson.
Pat Pledger
The women in black by Madeleine St John
Text Classics, 2012 (2009). ISBN 9781921922299.
(Age: Secondary). Recommended. Set in the 1950s in Goode's
department store, which resembles David Jones, the women in black
work in the Ladies Cocktail Frocks department. Lesley has just
finished school and is waiting for her results. She re-names herself
'Lisa' to take a temporary job at Goode's during the Christmas rush
and New Year sales. Lisa is intelligent and an avid reader. She
recommends Anna Karenina to co-worker, Fay, who is searching for a
husband but only seems to meet the wrong type of man. The wry humour
is generated from the idiosyncrasies of the characters.
Magda, who presides over the high couture gowns, takes Lisa under
her wing, benignly exposing her to a more continental lifestyle than
Lisa has grown up with on Sydney's north shore. Lisa's changing life
is epitomised by the New Year's Eve party at Magda's Mosman home,
where she meets Hungarian Miklos (who calls himself Michael) who is
her age and seems as Australian as Lisa herself. This chapter could
be particularly interesting for English classes because the writing
style changes to relate the events of the party. They are told in a
breathy rush by Magda, which encapsulates them in time and
perspective.
Teen fashionistas will enjoy Lisa's growing appreciation of clothing
as art and fans of retro will slip comfortably into Australia's
urban past.
Joy Lawn
Welcome home by Christina Booth
Ford St, 2013. ISBN 9781925000085.
(Age: 5+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Whaling.
Environment. A young boy hears the call of the whale, but no
one else can hear it. At night he hears her call, telling him of her
life. She tells him of the good times, and then the bad. She tells
him of her fear and the darkness, and asks why she was sent away,
and whether it is safe to return. All the while the beautiful
illustrations swathe the pages in blues and whites of the animal and
its environment, as we see why the whale has not returned.
Small illustrations surround the whale, images of sailing boats and
crew in longboats, throwing harpoons, the sea littered with many of
these knifing through the water. And the whale asks why. The boy
says sorry to the animal. The next pages show the return of the
whale to give birth to her baby, and people crowding the shores to
watch the majestic animals.
This story is based on the return of the southern right whale to
Tasmania, where until 1900 it was hunted almost to extinction.
The use of crayon and watercolour is stunning, emulating the waves
of the sea, and giving an impressive image of the whale as she
questions the boy about what happened in the past. The spare use of
other colour underlines the feel of the sea and the Tasmanian winter
months, and the boy's warm clothing reflects the time of the year.
The subtlety of the images of the whalers does not overcrowd the
story of the return of the whales to their breeding grounds. It
gives a background, rather than be a treatise on the horrors of
whaling and its results. People reading the book can find out more
for themselves, or read the double page at the end which gives more
details, but the heart of this book is the return. My review copy
came with two pages of information from the author, which I hope
will be available to all.
Fran Knight
Pretty girl by J. C. Burke
Random House Australia, 2013. ISBN 9781741663136.
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Sarah, Tallulah, Paige and Jess were
inseparable friends at boarding school who dreamed of living in the
same college residency when at university. However, once attained,
this dream has turned into a nightmare: first Paige was hospitalised
with a serious head injury after a mysterious fall into the college
swimming pool then Jess died after falling off the laundry roof.
What has gone so terribly, terribly wrong? With this mystery to be
solved, readers are quickly hooked, especially as it appears that
the nightmare may not yet be over.
The story is told in alternating chapters by Sarah (donned 'Sarah
the Sensible' by her friends) and Paige (donned 'Paige the Brave').
Sarah is feeling guilty because she witnessed something when she
rescued Paige from the swimming pool, and as a law student she knows
she should have told the police, every sensible bone in her body
tells her so. Unhappy in her guilt and increasingly unhappy in her
relationship with her boyfriend, Sarah is ready prey for the
handsome and mysterious young man she meets in the laundry, the one
who calls her a 'pretty girl'. Meanwhile, Paige is in rehab, trying
to recover her memory of the days that led up to her accident and
her relationships with two key men in her life: Harry and
Jack.
Whilst Paige is in rehab, she and Sarah can't share their stories
and learn from each other so the reader is in a better position to
join the dots and uncover the mystery well before the girls
themselves. However, rather than detracting from the story, this
framework only adds further tension to J.C. Burke's tale: what
begins as an intriguing read will become a compelling one. It is
rather like watching a horror movie and wanting to scream to the
characters 'No . . . don't do that' knowing full well they can't
hear you. The last few chapters of the novel will simply fly by!
This is a gripping psychological drama, and a rather cautionary
tale, that older girls are sure to enjoy. It also shows the
depth of talent in author, J. C. Burke who constantly surprises with
her themes, setting and genre.
Deborah Marshall
Mortified: Lost in the sands of time by Martin Chatterton
Mort series, bk 3. Random House Australia, 2013. ISBN 9781742758886.
(Age: 9-11) The author Martin Chatterton would probably suggest I
should be mortified that I had not read the first two in the Mort
series. However, I hope to redeem myself thoroughly by
enthusiastically endorsing this hilarious offering of
time-travelling exploits, quirky historical characters, completely
unlikeable villains and very amusing heroes which all combine with a
hugely entertaining plot. Squarely aimed at the 9 years up
crowd, both boys and girls will relish this crazy chase through time
by Mort and his sister Aggie, in their last ditch efforts to attempt
school. While it would be normally unacceptable for children to be
allowed to skive off school, Mort and his family have a convincing
excuse for doing so. They are frevers - a particularly unusual
genetic makeup means that Mort comes from a long . . . longggggggg .
. . line of relatives who live for thousands of years and that being
the case, Mort feels he has quite enough schooling in his own span
of 10 000 years. And after all, having been schooled by such
illustrious teachers as Socrates hardly compares to the prospect of
being forced to attend the local Unk Shire comprehensive, which is
where Education Inspector Trish Molyneux comes in.
At the last moment, just before their imminent departure for the
dreaded school, Mort, Agnetha along with H. G. Wells and Genghis
Khan (cloned copies of figures encountered in past adventures) whisk
off in their Retro 0.2 time machine and career wildly through time
bumping into such historical figures as Queen Victoria, Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, Howard Carter . . . and Tutankhamen, their rather jolly
boy-king friend . . . leading the dread education inspector and her
hapless sidekick on a chase of epic proportions.
Whether read as part of the series or a stand alone, this book will
delight your readers, both boys and girls, of about 9 to 11 years.
Sue Warren
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Miles Vorkosigan bk 14. Baen Books, 2012. ISBN 9781451639155.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2013),
Locus Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction (2013). Captain Ivan
Vorpatril is happy as a staff officer to a Barrayaran admiral, far
away from his mother and his volatile cousin, Miles Vorkosigan. That
is until he is approached by a Barrayaran intelligence officer to go
undercover and protect a very attractive young woman, Tej Arqua, who
may be on the hit list of a criminal gang. Ivan is more than happy
to help a damsel in distress, particularly one that he finds as
attractive as Tej. Danger and adventure follow them both.
This book moves away from Miles Vorkosigan as the main character and
instead concentrates on Ivan, who has often appeared as a secondary
character in the space opera series. There is more to Ivan than just
a pretty face. He is able to outwit the villains, who are all as
nasty as usual and solve the mystery without the help of Miles.
Bujold's books are characterised by humour and excitement and a
mixture of genres that keep the reader coming back for more as each
book is different, but all are characterised with clever writing,
smart people, fun and romance. There is always great character
development, ideas to make the reader think like themes of loyalty
and betrayal and love. The reader discovers all these and more in Captain
Vorpatril's Alliance and the importance or necessity of
ambition is also subtly examined. In addition the mystery is
thrilling and the romance is enthralling.
I first read this as an ARC ebook from Baen, as I couldn't wait for
the final copy to come out. I was so pleased that I did as it is
another of Bujold's feel good books that the author does so well.
The Miles Vorkosigan series is one that would be enjoyed by
senior students who enjoy well written space opera stories.
Pat Pledger
The house of the cats : and other tales from Europe by Maggie Pearson
A & C Black, 2013. ISBN 9781408180075.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Folk tales. Humour. For those students who
like to read a variety of folk tales then this is a most diverse
collection. Collected from across different European countries, many
are a little like some heard before, but most are new to me, and
several are variations upon themes. But all are fascinating, give
life lessons and are funny to boot.
Several stand out. One from Germany, Mannikin Spannalong, I
have not heard before. When a young woman, intent on making her own
way in the world, calls at a house for shelter she finds a long
bearded wizened old man who demands that she feed him, put him to
bed and comb his beard. When he becomes a young man released from a
spell, readers will expect love to bloom. But not so, she wants to
succeed and so he leaves, and she uses the hair from his beard to
spin and so sell and make money.
Belgium's The traveller from Paradise and The Mandrake
child from the Czeck Republic are two of the more interesting
cautionary tales, while The Pope's mule from France was
fascinating, set in Avignon, from where the Papacy ruled in late
Medieval times. The story will make readers laugh out loud.
All 28 stories are short, to the point and will excite the
imaginations of the readers. This is a neat addition to an area of
the library that often contains few new books.
Fran Knight
Two little bears by Suzi Moore
Ill. by Nicola O'Byrne. Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781408836941.
(Age: 3+) Picture book. Bears. Companionship. Baby bear sleeps in
the warm den with his mother, but wakes, wanting to go outside.
Similarly a snow bear wakes and wants to venture outside, but both
bears are told that it is still winter and they must sleep the long
cold nights until spring. When spring finally arrives the bears take
in their new surroundings, the smaller bears learning fast how to
make use of their environment with their parents showing them how.
In crisp rhyming lines, we see the bears stand by the river,
spying each other across the water, each wondering what the other
one is.
They come together, hiding, smiling, running and working out that
two bears are better than one.
The repetition of the first stanzas rounds off the tale as the two
bears once again, get into their den for the long winter sleep.
The soft water colour illustrations readily show the young
bears, getting up to the sorts of things all small children do,
exploring their environment and meeting new friends.
This would be a good introduction to friendship and companionship,
the fun in having a friend to do things with, and also teach about
the different bears that are in the world, and what their habits
are, making them need to sleep for the winter long. A great read
aloud, the gentle rhyming lines will be eagerly repeated by the
children listening to the tale.
Fran Knight
The Glass trilogy by Maria V. Snyder
Storm glass. Harlequin Teen, 2010. ISBN 9781921685552.
Sea glass. Mira Ink, 2013. ISBN 9781848452473.
Spy glass. Mira Ink, 2013. ISBN 9781848452497.
(Age 15+) Paranormal. Magic. Opal Cowen who appeared in the
acclaimed Study series, has her own spin off series here.
She is a talented glassmaker who can trap magic inside glass and has
invented a glass gadget that allows long distance communication.
When members of the Stormdancers clan who control the violent storms
that invade the storm are killed, Opal has to fix their glass orbs
quickly before more catastrophe occurs. The three books chronicle
Opal's adventures as she is kidnapped trying to rescue the handsome
Stormdancer Kade and come to grips with the blood magic and glass
magic that she possesses and the power that could be unleashed if
the evil Warpers gained it.
I loved the Study series so was happy to read Opal's story
and to make acquaintance with some of my favourite characters again.
Yelena, Valik, Janco and Ari are secondary characters but it was
good to see how they had fared in the world where politics and
magicians abounded. Opal has to face some serious danger, including
torture, and make some difficult decisions about the young men in
her life. I have to say that I found the romance in these books not
as riveting as in the Study series as Opal vacillates
between three young men and her final decision is one that was a bit
difficult to come to grips with. However the adventure and the world
building made up for this. Snyder apparently had glass making
classes and this background adds authenticity to the descriptions of
the beautiful glass objects that were made. The addition of magic to
glass objects was a unique idea and the political machinations to
gain control of the glass magic formed a satisfying plot line
throughout the three books.
This series will be enjoyed by those readers who liked the Study
series and who enjoy adventure, romance and thrills in their
paranormal novels.
Pat Pledger
First Victory 1914: HMAS Sydney's hunt for the German raider Emden by Mike Carlton
Heinemann, 2013. ISBN 9781742757636
(Age: 15+) Recommended. This book and the events it describes,
coincides with the 100th anniversary of the first Royal Australian
Navy entry to Sydney Harbour, when the battle cruiser HMAS Australia,
and the cruisers Melbourne, Sydney and Encounter plus other ships
sailed into the harbour for the first time. One year later, the First
World War broke out and the RAN immediately sought action against
the Germans on the high seas and occupied territory to Australia's
north. As part of the German naval strategy, the Kaiser's cruiser
SMS Emden, acted as a lone raider and for 4 months she
captured and sank allied merchant ships. Mike Carlton's book covers
these events and the first victory by Australia's navy, within the
context of the outbreak of the Great War and the daily lives of
individuals caught up in the conflict.
I enjoyed this book because the author's enthusiasm for the history
of the naval engagement between the Sydney and the Emden,
wasn't limited just to naval tactics. The reader was able to derive
a clear picture of the broader nature of the war but at the same
time, understand its effects on individuals. If read by senior high
school students, they would gain a clear understanding of
Australia's early involvement in the First World War.
Mike Carlton is a well regarded journalist and his depth of
scholarship is evident his insights into the spirit of the times,
the lives of the sailors and their families. It is an absorbing
tale. The book includes excellent maps, photographs, postscript and
appendices.
Paul Pledger
The story of a new name by Elena Ferrante
Trans. by Ann Goldstein. Text, 2013. ISBN 9781922147684.
(Age: Senior secondary) Highly recommended. The Story of a new
name is the second volume in the series that began with My
Brilliant friend. It is an absorbing continuation of the story
of two girls' lives and their friendship, and of the city, Napoli,
where they live. In this volume Lila is now a married woman, having
decided that her future will not be served by continuing her
education. Elena, or Lenu, stays on at school, and disciplines
herself to put many hours into her study. She envies Lila her new
wealth, but knows that Lila's tempestuous and brilliant spirit will
not find happiness with her wealthy but unimaginative husband. She
also feels that Lila will thwart her in romance, which happens when
Lila and Nino, who Lenu loves, have an affair resulting in a child
and Lila's abandonment. Lenu recognizes too that Lila is a true
creative spirit who can achieve many things despite her lack of
education. The sinister Solara brothers also recognize Lila's
potential and are determined that she will not escape from the
control they exercise over her husband and family. Lenu scores high
grades in her final exams at school and wins a scholarship to a
university in Pisa, where she learns to eradicate signs of Napoli
from her speech and her manners. She graduates, having written a
thesis on the Aeneid, and becomes engaged to a promising classicist,
the son of influential academics. However, she understands that this
learning has nothing to do with her, with her poor family and her
harried but malicious mother, with the violence of the streets and
homes of Napoli, or with her friend who has always seemed to
understand how life works. In desperation Lenu writes a novel that
is based on their lives and that reveals the desperate and sordid
struggle that most of the people she grew up with experience. Lila
has by now recognized that wealth is no answer, but poverty too
cramps the spirit; to support her child she takes work in a sausage
making factory, work that is brutal and damaging. When Lenu, knowing
that her novel owes much to Lila, finds her Lila is pleased about
Lenu's success but has herself found a new goal. The volume ends
with the launch of Lenu's novel and re-entry of an unexpected
character.
This is an engrossing novel. It is perceptive about the nature of
families in such situations, about the limits of parental care and
about the every-day violence that is inflicted on children and
wives. It is perceptive, too, about the role of education, and how
it is a beacon promising change and a better life, but how it
doesn't always relate to the reality of students' lives. Lenu
doesn't fit in to Napoli any more but where does she fit? She has
learning but not the contacts or culture required for a university
lecturer. The novel is also perceptive about the small-time crooks
who run the streets and businesses, and who are experts in terror
and extortion. The main theme is that of the nuanced friendship
between the two young women and it clearly shows that push and pull
that exists between friends who have lived through childhood
together and had the same ambitions, but whose lives deviate in
adulthood. It is highly recommended for senior readers.
Jenny Hamilton
Hugless Douglas finds a hug! by David Melling
Hodder, 2013. ISBN 9781444912678.
(Age: 2+) Picture book, Puppet, Love. The fifth in the series about
Hugless Douglas, has Douglas waking in the morning and trying to
find his first hug for the day. He asks a variety of beings, sheep,
an owl and rabbits, but all have a reason not to hug the bear.
Eventually they all try to find Douglas a hug, and it happens.
Douglas is a glove puppet in this rendition of his tale, and so the
parent or sibling reading the book to a smaller child will use the
glove puppet to read the story. Easy to handle, the glove puppet is
cute and endearing, and the arms will be able to give a small child
a hug at the end of the book.
Neatly resolved, the illustrations are bright and imaginative,
entreating a child to look more closely at what is offered on each
page. The robust nature of the board pages will ensure that this book
is long lasting, and the glove puppet too is quite robust.
An interactive book for the kindergarten or home, the emphasis on
love and hugs will make this a favourite amongst small children.
Fran Knight
Allies & Assassins by Justin Somper
Atom, 2013. ISBN 9780349001906.
(Age: 11-14) Justin Somper can always be relied upon to create
something with a unique feel about it, for example his hugely
entertaining Vampirates books. Allies & Assassins
follows in this vein. It is sort of a cross between Fantasy and CSI.
Prince Jared is second in line to the throne of Archenfield and
never expects to be ruler until his brother Prince Anders is found
dead in his bed. The assassin is thought to be from a neighbouring
kingdom and the suspect is quickly caught and beheaded. However
Asta, the physician's niece and apprentice has some reservations and
persuades Prince Jared that there is some doubt and together they
set out to get at the truth. The fast paced story looks at a day by
day account of the next week, as the death toll mounts and various
suspects examined, until at last the truth is revealed. Short
chapters and the day by day format keep interest high and the
characters are filled out enough to make them interesting with the
hint of a romance between Asta and Prince Jared.
I am sure that upper primary/middle school readers would enjoy the
beguiling mixture of this story and look forward to the next book in
the series.
David Rayner
Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
The Lynburn Legacy Book 2. Simon & Schuster Childrens Books,
2013. ISBN 9780857078094.
(Age: 14+) Paranormal, magic, mystery, romance, identity.
This is the sequel to Unspoken in the new series from Sarah
Rees Brennan, who previously gave us the most amazing Demon Lexicon
trilogy. To briefly recap, Unspoken is a mystery story in
which the protagonist Kami Glass, part journalist, part
miss-bossy-boots, sets out to discover who is trying to take over
her beautifully named village, Sorry-in-the-Vale. We discover early
that she speaks constantly to a voice in her head, a boy named
Jared, who has spoken back for as long as she can remember. Of
course it shouldn't surprise us that the alarming, almost mystical
events at the village coincide with the arrival of two gorgeous
cousins, one of whom turns out to be the elusive Jared. But in
person, he isn't quite the boy Kami thought. The story moves quickly
into a paranormal mode and the ending is so shocking and
heart-breaking, that I almost couldn't force myself to read the next
one.
In both narratives, Rees Brennan uses snark like some authors use
cliches - often and without fear. But unlike the cliche-card
carriers, she is also witty and clever. Kami is a delight. She is
fearless and a bit reckless, but also loyal and true. Her best
friend Angela dislikes people intensely, and her brother Rusty, a
laconic martial arts black belt, are just two of the secondary
characters developed fully and sensitively. The cousins Ash and
Jared are suitably enigmatic, and we don't blame Kami for being
suspicious and cautious.
In Untold, Kami and her little band of scoobies are still
battling the evil villain who tries to 'persuade' the village to
return to the 'old ways'. This basically amounts to the villagers
being offered luck and good fortune in return for a blood sacrifice,
which allows the magicians to harness their power. When I put it
like this, it all sounds a little far-fetched, but honestly what
magic story doesn't? For about half the novel Kami and Jared are
kept apart, but eventually they find their way back to each other
(be patient dear reader). It won't surprise you to hear that all the
way they are dealing with threats, conflict, and murder attempts.
The overwhelming concern is that their side just isn't powerful to
take on the might of the other. This situation is not really
conducive to tender romantic moments, but there is one, and it is
perfect.
Once again, we are left with a horrible cliff-hanger, but I believe
with all of my optimistic little heart that Rees Brennan will find a
way to make it all end happy-ever-after. This is not my favourite
series ever, but I do like that it is original, extremely witty, and
that it offers a range of positive representations of both ethnic
groups and sexual orientations. These are much needed in YA fiction.
Trisha Buckley
The pure gold baby by Margaret Drabble
Text, 2013. ISBN 9781922147516.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. In Margaret Drabble's latest novel, The
pure gold baby, the central concern is the relationship
between Jess, a single mother, and her daughter Anna, the pure gold
baby who is always happy but has an intellectual disability. Told by
the first person narrator, one of Jess's friends, the story begins
when Jess, an anthropologist, sees children with SHSF (either fused
fingers or toes) playing near an African lake. She responds to them
with tenderness, and comes to believe that this sight is a
preparation for her own child's disability. Anna is a beautiful and
sweet tempered baby, but does not develop as other children do. She
cannot learn how to read or write, and as her baby friends grow she
becomes more dependent on her mother and her mother's friends. Jess
develops professionally, writes and studies, and maintains her
friendships, even marrying, but increasingly the central
relationship of her life is with her daughter. Drabble demonstrates
the dilemma facing all parents of permanently dependent children.
Should Jess put Anna into care? Should she live in sheltered
accommodation? Jess tries a boarding school for her daughter but
eventually both she and Anna are happier when Anna returns home.
Jess eventually visits Africa again, with Anna, and realizes that
her quiet days at home with Anna are what she now needs most. The
passing of years allows Drabble to deal with another theme, the
changing social milieu. Suburbs change, attitudes to child raising
change, and, most importantly, beliefs about how to deal with
disability and mental illness change. As an anthropologist Jess is
aware of and studies the attitudes of those who try to improve the
lives of others. Missionaries and psychiatrists and their theories
about how best to deal with questions of treatment and care are of
interest to her. Treatments have changed quite significantly since
Anna's birth in the sixties, and there seems to be no one answer.
Jess also maintains contact with those who do not live mainstream
lives, perhaps as models for Anna's future. Drabble's final theme is
that of mortality, of how our values change as we age, and of how
particularly difficult such a process is for a parent with a
dependent and disabled child. Written in measured sentences the book
is easy to read and insightful about both the process of raising a
disabled child, and the role of memory and hope in all lives.
Drabble deals with what happens in her characters' lives but also
tries to give an understanding about why they make the choices they
do. It is recommended for older readers.
Jenny Hamilton
