Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781408851586.
(Age: Year 10+) The eyecatching cover of Brian Conaghan's novel
displays the warning 'Contains very strong language. Not for younger
readers' but the language comes from 16 year old Dylan Mint's
spontaneous Tourette syndrome outbursts and does not seem offensive.
Like all teenagers he is concerned with friendship, fashion and sex
and he encounters bullying, racism and prejudice, just more so as he
attends a special school and his father is absent. When Mint
overhears a conversation between his mother and a doctor implying he
will die in a few months' time, he makes a list of things to do
before he dies. The list includes getting his dad home from the war,
finding a new best friend for his autistic buddy Amir and 'having
real sexual intercourse with a girl'. Mint is funny, loyal and his
struggles with life are poignant and engaging as he and his friends
negotiate adolescence. But other than the feisty object of Mint's
affections, Michelle Molloy, they all seem much younger and more
credulous than fits their assigned ages. Like The Black Balloon,
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece and M.J. Hyland's Carry
Me Down, we are given some insight into the lives of families
whose paths in life differ from the norm. Suitable for year 10
students onwards, with a warning about the language.
Sue Speck
Kitten Kaboodle: Mission one: The Catier emerald by Eileen O'Hely
Ill. by Heath McKenzie. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781921529931.
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Chapter book, Humour, Animals, Crime. Misty
is walking down a dark alley when surprised by a gang of ferocious
dogs. Kitten Kaboodle comes to the rescue. After all a pampered
kitten is not match for Tyson, Boxer, Bruiser, Rasputin and Goliath.
So begins the funny adventures of Kitten Kaboodle, called into
action when the members of DOG are out attacking cats. His mission
is to infiltrate their headquarters and find out what they are up
to. In the middle of his discussion with his boss, they are
interrupted by an emergency call, and Kaboodle readies himself for
the task. In doing so he follows a group of kidnapped kittens to
where the DOGS are training them to be cat burglars. Fun and mayhem
occur.
The humour of the text is underlined by the charming McKenzie
drawings which are found on most pages. The chapters are short and
in large print, most suitable for an able first time independent
reader. The descriptions of the things Kaboodle gets up to, compared
with the way he is treated at home by his doting owner, will cause
whoops of delight from the readers.
The array of equipment used by Kaboodle will intrigue the reader, as
will the adventure he finds himself in.
A second in this new series, Mission two: the lightning opal
follows soon.
Fran Knight
The Jeweller of Rassylon by Peter Cooper
Tales of the Blue Jade series, bk 3. Omnibus Books, 2013.
ISBN 9781862919440.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Dillen, along with his trustworthy
companions, Koto and Tajni, are on a quest to capture the brilliant
blue jade. To obtain the fantastic jewel, they must seek the advice
of a demon that lives in the mountains, and that is if they are even
able to see him in the first place.
But they are not alone, as there are many others who are desperately
hunting for the jewel. And as their quest continues, one question
remains: will they even be able to reach it alive?
Having read the second novel in the Tales of The Blue Jade
series (The
Mapmaker's Apprentice), I can reliably inform you that The
Jeweller of Rassylon is more of the same, and that that is not
a problem in the slightest:
Cooper simply gives us more of the fun, fantasy adventure style that
was so enjoyable in his last book.
Fantasy action/adventure novels like The Jeweller of Rassylon
are common for this age range (upper primary students), and as far
as the plot goes, there's nothing particularly new or unique there.
But the strength of this novel relies on its characters, and they
are undoubtedly excellent and relatable.
It's also nice to see strong female characters in this novel, as
that makes it relatable to a much wider range of younger readers.
The writing style is simple, with little violence or blood, which
makes the book both easy to read and fast-paced.
Filled with action, mystery, excitement, adventure, and a healthy
dose of magic, The Jeweller of Rassylon is an enjoyable
novel that younger readers will likely love and older readers will
also enjoy.
I recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams
The Incredible Here and Now by Felicity Castagna
Giramondo Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781922146366.
Recommended age: 13+. The summer that Michael turns fifteen, his
beloved brother Dom is killed in a car accident. But this is not a
novel that dwells on grief; it is a novel about Michael's growth as
a teenager, and a novel that lets us into the highly intricate world
of Michael's life. Told through a series of short vignettes
describing Michael's world as he sees it - the local McDonalds, the
endless parties, the bustle of the crowded, noisy apartment block
where he and his family live - The Incredible Here and Now
deals with the struggles of Michael's life in the year after Dom is
killed.
Reading The Incredible Here and Now feels more like flicking
through an old family photo album rather than reading an actual
novel. Each chapter is like a snapshot: with each vignette we gain
another glimpse into the world and character of Michael. This
structure is quite unique, and actually very interesting to read, as
we gain a thorough understanding of the characters and get attached
to them. These characters are also, in general, quite realistic, and
several feel like the sort of characters that surround us in our own
lives.
The writing style is fairly simple, yet appropriate, as the novel is
told in first person perspective from Michael's point of view, and
this language style suits his character. His world is vividly
described in luscious detail, which enables the readers to create a
lush portrait of this world in their own minds.
All that said, The Incredible Here and Now fails to create
the 'wow' factor of a truly great novel: it is an interesting and
detailed examination into grief and adolescence, and a fantastic
description of a somewhat broken world, but that's about as far as
it goes.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy by Karen Foxlee
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2014. ISBN 9780385753548.
Highly recommended for readers from 8-12 and classes from Year 4-6.
Themes: Resilience, Fairy tales - retelling, Grief, Magic,
Adventure. Karen Foxlee's novel for readers aged from 8-12 is a
rich, imaginative retelling of Andersen's The Snow Queen.
The Marvellous Boy is a ten year old child who has been frozen in
time by wizards, who take his name and make him eternally young.
After being the much-loved friend of the King for years, he is
locked away in a bare room by the wicked new Queen. The whole land
is frozen under her evil magical spell and time is desperately
running out to save the boy's life.
A rescuer is needed and she arrives three days before Christmas.
Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard is a curious eleven year old girl
who thinks scientifically, doesn't believe in magic and is
struggling to cope with the loss of her mother. When her father
takes a job organising a collection of old swords in the palace
museum Ophelia sets out to explore the strange and exotic rooms
filled with dinosaurs, dresses, teapots, lost spoons, relics and
paintings. Meanwhile the Queen takes her older sister Alice and is
preparing her for an unfortunate fate.
Ophelia has an inner strength. Although outwardly messy, reliant on
her asthma's inhaler, uncaring about her dishevelled appearance, she
questions everything she is told. At first she doesn't believe the
boy's story and is unwilling to save him; when belief and
circumstances change she begins the race against time to find the
hidden sword and free the boy.
Each chapter begins with a trope that tells of the exciting
adventures ahead. Karen Foxlee's lyrical style of writing, depth of
descriptive imagery and relatable main character make this a
wonderful story for a class novel, for sharing at home or for
readers who love fantasy and adventure. Personally it was a book I
loved reading and will promote at school.
Rhyllis Bignell
Skateboard Stars by Felicity Carter
Ill. by Louis Shea. Double trouble Book 2. Scholastic
Australia, 2014. ISBN: 9781742838571.
(Age: 6-7) Themes: Twins, Skateboarding, Television Shows. Felicity
Carter's Skateboard Stars series is written for young
readers who are just beginning to engage in chapter books. Her
characters are relatable and skateboarding is a popular sport. Louis
Shea's humorous illustrations add fun to this junior novel.
Tommy and Coop are identical seven-year old twins. They are
pranksters who thoroughly enjoy playing tricks on their family, poor
Mum's hair turns a brilliant blue after a shower. The twins also
love skateboarding and practising tricks at the skate park. When
they hear that their favourite skate board star Jed Michaels is
coming to town and holding a competition, they can't wait. They need
to come up with a sneaky plan to win because only one contestant can
be appear on Jed's television show.
Rhyllis Bignell
Hold on tight by Sara Acton
Scholastic Press, 2013. ISBN 9781742833491.
What would happen if you were light as a leaf and the wind swept you
up and blew you through the sky? In this delightful book, Sara Acton
explores that idea. 'Hold on tight to my hand today. You wouldn't
want to blow away. Would you?' says mother to daughter as they are
out for a walk on a windy autumn day. 'Would I?' thinks the little
girl and her imagination starts to envisage just what might happen.
For if you were light as a leaf, you could share cherry buns and a
cup of tea with a bird in a tree, or chase a fairy floating along
all light and airy . . . the possibilities are only limited by your
imagination. But what if it started to rain?
Written in rhyming couplets, and accompanied by whimsical
watercolours this is a delightful story from Sara Acton, 2012 winner
of Children's Book Council of Australia Crichton Award for new
illustrators for Ben and Duck. With the seasons
turning and all the perennial studies of the changes of autumn
showing up in teachers' planning, this would be a great book to add
to the collection. It offers so much scope. I can envisage a mural
where each child has drawn themselves astride a leaf they have
created with a couplet of their adventure written on it. This is a
book that may well be on the CBCA Notables list.
Barbara Braxton
Plague Island by Justin D'Ath
The Lost World Circus, Book 4. Penguin, 2014. ISBN:
9780143307303.
Highly recommended for readers from 8+. Themes: Circuses, Adventure,
Dystopian World, Animals. Justin D'Ath's Lost World Circus
books are set in the near future, in a dystopian world over-run by
ghost rats where nearly every bird and animal has been killed by the
virulent rat flu. Captain Noah's has saved the last of their kind in
a concerted effort to stop total extinction, keeping them at his
Lost World Circus. Each book in the series focuses on the saving of
a different species.
The main character Colt possesses superhuman strength received when
he overcame a ghost rat bite and his mother the circus vet saved him
with a dose of cow vaccine. He has become Superclown and his
strength requires that he constantly keeps up his food intake, this
time he is forced to eat rat food! His friend Birdy a young Asian
girl and circus acrobat is taken hostage in this adventure and Colt
sets out to search for her and rescue the last regent firebirds in
the world stolen by thieves working for a foreign billionaire.
This adventure is fast-paced with a kidnapping, birdnapping, a wild
flight on a sea plane, an uninhabited island, a strange colony of
ghost rats and fight off the evil thieves.
Justin D'Ath is an author who really meets the needs of readers,
with relatable characters with superhuman powers, short fast-paced
chapters and the themes of the fight of good versus evil and the
plight of animal extinction this series is a winner. Great for older
reluctant readers.
Rhyllis Bignell
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Text Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781922079183.
(Age: Adult and mature secondary readers). Even though Eleanor
Catton's The Luminaries is a very deserving winner of the
2014 Man Booker Prize, my preference from the short list is Ruth
Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being. The structure is as sophisticated
and revolutionary as that of the winner - and structure is paramount
in both.
Quantum physics is enlisted in A Tale for the Time Being to
reinforce the theme of time and its fluidity. Schrodinger's Cat
makes an appearance and this famous experiment is also explained in
one of the appendices. The title gives another clue as to the
importance of time in this novel and Proust's book, A la
recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time) plays
an integral part in the plot.
One of two major narrators, Japanese teen Nao, has written a diary
which is found washed up from the ocean by Canadian/Japanese author,
Ruth. There is a commonality between the character and actual
author, Ruth. Nao hasn't coped with her family's ignominious return
to Japan from the United States. He father tries to kill himself,
she is bullied at school, prostitutes herself at the French maid
cafe and is also planning her own suicide. Ruth becomes concerned
about Nao's safety and the story metafictively unites seemingly
impossible, overlapping worlds. Words and pages disappear, time
bends.
The narrative is set soon after the Fukushima nuclear power-station
meltdown, and the earlier tragedy of World War II's reluctant
kamikaze pilots is juxtaposed with this. Japanese content and words
are further explored with helpful footnotes, which also makes this
novel of interest to senior students exploring Asian literature. The
book was written for adult readers so some explicit scenes need a
closer look by individual schools before offering this brilliant,
and ultimately hopeful, novel to students.
Joy Lawn
The Spotty Dotty Lady by Josie Wowolla Boyle and Fern Martins
Magabala Books, 2014. ISBN 9781922142108.
Highly recommended for younger readers. At a time in our society
when many vulnerable people are living isolated and lonely
existences, The Spotty Dotty Lady is a story which gently
promotes compassion for younger readers and examines the way in
which nature and emotion/s are interconnected.
This second collaboration between Josie Wowolla Boyle (West
Australian singer, storyteller and artist) and Fern Martins
(sculptor, printmaker, artist in pencil, pastel and watercolour) is
a vibrant explosion of watercolour illustrations which will easily
capture young people.
A sad and lonely lady discovers a very unusual flower bud in her
garden and is intrigued by it. She carefully waters the plant with
its fat spotty bud and soon more appear. She is so taken with the
gorgeous spots she begins to transform her entire house, beginning
with her teacup, by painting colourful dots all over. As the spotty
buds unfold to reveal even more gorgeous spotty flowers, her dot
painting takes over her entire house, as she imagines each dot to be
a special friend. When the postie comes along and is delighted by
the now spotty house, he cheerfully spreads the word all around the
neighbourhood and suddenly people from all up and down the street
are coming to see the happy looking house and meet the owner. They
don't just stay and look however, soon they are asking the Spotty
Dotty Lady to paint their own teacups - and stay to drink tea out of
them. No longer the sad and lonely Spotty Dotty Lady, her actions
transform the entire street as it becomes the happiest place to live
for all.
This lovely picture book would be a marvellous starting point for
many discussions around ideas such as empathy, communities,
connectedness as well as inspiration for Nature and Art activities.
Sue Warren
Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass by Meg Medina
Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN 9780763658595.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Bullying. Coming of age. 2013 Cybils
Awards YA fiction. YALSA 2014 Best
Fiction for Young Adults. YALSA 2014 Quick
Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Piddy Sanchez has
just moved to a new school when she gets a message that Yaqui
Delgardo wants to kick her ass. She doesn't know Yaqui and certainly
has done nothing to provoke her, but she is stuck in this new school
and can't do anything about it. If she reports it she believes that
the bullying will escalate and meanwhile her grades are going down
the drain, her best friend has left the neighbourhood and is busy
happily fitting into a new school and her mother refuses to tell her
anything about the father that abandoned her.
At first Piddy tends to disregard the threats because she has enough
to cope with and is really more interested in finding out about her
missing father, especially after she overhears a conversation about
him at the salon where she works at the weekends. However the
bullying escalates and she finds that she can't bear to go to
classes. Her school work really suffers, she begins to get detention
and finally she starts to skip school altogether. This doesn't help
as Yaqui and her cohort finally corner her in a shocking incident
away from school.
This is a realistic portrayal of bullying. The reader follows
Piddy's downward spiral, sympathising with her confusion about what
to do, and knowing that often reporting the bully doesn't help.
Readers who have been bullied will recognise what is happening and
others will gain a deeper understanding of what it is like to be
bullied and how often the person who is being bullied does nothing
warrant that treatment. Sometimes bystanders have to stand up and
report what is going on. Sometimes as Joey says the victim might
have to 'Run if you have to'. Pg. 227.
Although the theme of bullying is central to the story, Medina's
crisp and often funny dialogue and Piddy's relationship with her
aunt Lila lifts the story. The characters around Piddy, her aunt,
mother, the women in the salon, her friend Rob and the young man
Joey, who finally leaves an abusive home, are all fully developed
and realistic.
This is a heart-warming story with a wonderful young woman at its
centre whose trials will clutch at your heartstrings.
Pat Pledger
Midnight by Mark Greenwood
Ill. by Frane Lessac. Walker Books, 2014. ISBN 9781921977718.
(Age: 7+) Recommended. War. Animals. Grief. The very successful
husband and wife team of Greenwood and Lessac has written another
enthralling picture book, this time based on a true story of a young
man taking his horse to World War One. The horse, Midnight does not
return, but Guy, the rider does, escaping spinal damage by a
whisker.
Midnight was born on a property well known for its quarter milers.
The black horse with its star blaze is Guy's horse and when World
War One begins he joins up, taken to Cairo on the troop carriers,
only to find that he is deployed to Gallipoli, his horse left
behind. But when the Anzacs are evacuated, Guy is reunited with
Midnight and together they rides with the eight hundred to take
Beersheba, a battle well known in Australian military history. A
bullet downs Guy and when picked up by the stretcher bearers,
Midnight stays behind.
A story of World War One which involves animals is not uncommon, in
the growing realisation that many animals have taken part in wars
over the years. A number of books, picture books and non fiction
books have been written redressing this omission, and a list can be
found in The Literature Base in 2013. What makes this one stand out
is the detail of war in such a place as Palestine. A browse through
Wikipedia's page
reflects the inhospitable nature of this area of the Middle East,
and gives more information about this battle. Details in Lessac's
gouache illustrations reflect the situation the Light Horse found
itself in, and it is one battle that needs to be remembered. Teacher's notes are available.
Fran Knight
Last Stand of Dead Men by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant bk 8. HarperCollins, 2013. ISBN:
9780007489220.
(Age: Secondary) As stated on the front cover, 'No one is safe'.
When war is declared between the Sanctuaries, Skulduggery and
Valkyrie need to team up with the remaining Dead Men to protect
against total destruction. Their foes and allies seem to be an ever
changing assortment of characters with good and evil often being
difficult to distinguish from one another. Finally, some of the
characters who seemed merely to act as light relief in previous
titles come to the fore and prove they have another side to their
natures and display some greater depth of character. With Darquesse
set to rise, what does Valkyrie's future hold?
Having read and reviewed the Skulduggery titles from the
beginning, what started out as a humorous (if somewhat black) series
has now become perhaps better suited to secondary readers rather
than primary students. As with the characters in the Harry
Potter books, Valkyrie has aged throughout this series. Now,
with an 18 year old protagonist, Landy has tailored his books to
suit older readers with much violence and bloodshed throughout this
title. True devotees of the series will be distraught at some of the
murder and mayhem which has occurred in this title and may be afraid
for their favourite characters in the final volume. Having skimmed
through many reviews written by fans, many seem to be filled with
dread as to what the outcome of the supposed last book of the series
may be. Personally, I found this to be a tome which was difficult to
get involved with initially (largely due to it containing 600 pages
of text, no longer double spaced or as easily accessible) but which
finally managed to get me involved by the time I'd read a third of
the book. Now, I wish the final book was already complete, just so
that I could read it without having lost the gist of the story
before its release. Skulduggery fans will undoubtedly love
and devour this title as much as they have the previous books.
Jo Schenkel
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Ill. by Rae Smith, Egmont, 2013. ISBN: 9781405267960.
Highly recommended for ages 8+. At the age of six months, the young
colt, Joey, is parted from his mother. She is purchased at auction
as a highly sought after working farm horse while he is far more
difficult to sell. His new owner is inclined to become cruel when
drunk, and promises to 'break' Joey. Luckily, the horse is cared for
and trained by Albert, the farmer's son. Their relationship grows
until, desperate for money, the farmer agrees to sell the horse to
the army, thus beginning Joey's transformation from farm horse to
war horse.
In typical Morpurgo style, the author manages to immerse the reader
in the world in which the tale was set. He ensures that we are
invested in the lives of the main characters, constantly hoping for
positive resolutions to the situations in which they find
themselves.
For some reason, this is one of the few Morpurgo books I had not
previously read. Perhaps the theme or front cover of the original
novel had put me off. Nonetheless, having agreed to review this
beautifully illustrated version, I am so grateful I have finally
read the book. From the powerful and haunting images on the dust
jacket and front cover, to the drawings liberally scattered
throughout the book and the combination of images and twists in the
text, this is as rewarding a tale as any of his other titles. I am
now eagerly awaiting the opportunity to teach another war unit to a
middle or upper primary task, and I plan to look at different
perspectives. With the horse as the narrator, I am expecting my
students to become as involved in this tale as I have been. Another
masterful Morpurgo!
Jo Schenkel
The impossible knife of memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Text, 2014. ISBN 9781922182227.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Memory. Hayley's veteran father has had great trouble overcoming the
feelings that he has had since coming back from war. Together they
had travelled the country in his truck, while he home-schooled her,
but he has finally decided that she should spend her last year at
school and they have settled down in the house that had belonged to
her grandmother. It is an opportunity for Hayley to have a normal
life, but as she struggles with school and makes friends with Finn,
she finds that she has flashbacks of memory that threaten to destroy
everything. Her father too is struggling with flashbacks and Hayley
lives with the fear of him harming himself or others.
Anderson has written a powerful and poignant novel about the effects
of war on soldiers, the way that they try to cope and the impact
that it has on the family and friends left behind. Hayley had hoped
that settling down would help her father deal with his PTSD, but he
is unable to hold a job, has terrible nightmares and even blackouts.
In vivid language, she describes just what it is like to remember
the awful things that happen during war while helping the reader to
understand what it is like to live with someone who has such
dreadful memories. As Hayley begins to realise that she has
suppressed many memories from her childhood: Gracie the girl who
lived down the road, a grandmother who loved her and a stepmother
who left, the reader is left pondering the nature of memory and how
it can be distorted by people who are struggling to survive.
Hayley's plight with trying to help her father, her struggle to fit
into school, her sarcastic remarks to teachers and her tenuous
relationship with Finn, who appears to be very easy-going, are all
portrayed brilliantly for the reader. As Hayley gets to know Finn
and her friend Gracie better, she realises that things can be tough
for many kids - Gracie's family is going through a nasty divorce and
Finn's sister is a drug addict, whose attempts at rehab have broken
up the family and used up all their money. However there is hope
that things will become better if only trust can be established and
help accepted. Hayley's loyalty to her father is tried and she needs
to find forgiveness for the abandonment by Trish when she was young.
This is an outstanding novel with tough themes that are relevant to
teens. It is also a compulsive read. Teacher's
notes are available.
Pat Pledger
