Order of darkness series. Simon and Schuster, 2013. ISNN
9780857077356.
(Age:13+) Recommended. Historical. Middle Ages. Crusades. The second
in the series following Changeling, sees the group led by
Luca Vero, a member of the secret Order of Darkness, travelling to
Piccolo, a small fortified seaside village. With him are his friend
and servant, Frieze, Brother Peter who is also a member of the Order
of Darkness as well as Lady Isolde and her companion Ishraq. While
in the town a huge children's crusade arrives, led by the
charismatic speaker, Johann, who believes that the waters will open
for him and give him and his followers a passage to the Holy Land.
The characters are somewhat wooden, their fears and emotions are
glossed over, but it is the historical background that will grab the
reader and keep them reading. Gregory excels at giving the reader
mesmerizing historical information. I followed the children's
crusade with bated breath, fearing for the very young who left
everything to follow Johann on a journey that they believed was
ordained by God. The map of Piccolo at the beginning of the book was
fascinating and serves to ground the reader's mind in the setting.
Superstitions of the Middle Ages and the conditions that people
lived under are very well described. Any reader of this series will
come away with a more detailed knowledge of what life was like in
the Middle Ages. The way women were feared and branded as witches if
they were not under the protection of a father or husband was shown
clearly as once again Isolde and Ishraq have to fight accusations of
witchcraft. Luca struggle to understand why the sea opened up and
then came back and drowned the village and his yearning to know the
real reason behind the storm rather than the superstition of evil
stormbringers is also dealt with adroitly
There is a website
to support the series with teacher's notes, historical background
and character descriptions and Gregory gives an author's note at the
end that puts the novel into historical context. Illustrations
throughout the book add to its readability.
Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this novel as would readers
who enjoyed other books about the children's crusade like Angel
fish by Lili Wilkinson and Crusade by Linda Press
Wulf.
Pat Pledger
The cat, the rat, and the baseball bat Andy Griffiths
Ill. by Terry Denton, (My Readers Level 1) Macmillan, 2013, ISBN
978174613000. Hbk.
(Age 3+) Recommended. Cats and rats are natural enemies and in this
book Andy Griffiths has the rat coming out on top with the help of a
baseball bat.
One of the short stories in the very popular The Cat on the Mat
is Flat, this one is formatted for the beginning reader and is
sure to be just as popular as the original collection of short
stories. The story line is hilarious and the illustrations by Terry
Denton are just fabulous and add a huge amount of hilarity to the
story. Repetition, rhyming words and very short sentences will be a
boon for the beginning reader and the illustrations also give clues
to what is going on.
Others in the series are Ed and Ted and Ted's dog Fred and Andy
G, Terry D, the brave tea-lady and the evil bee. These are
certainly lots of fun and are sure to appeal to the young child who
is venturing out on a quest to learn to read and to everyone else
who enjoys the Griffiths' quirky humour and the alluring
illustrations of Terry Denton. And that includes cat lovers!
Pat Pledger
Plague unclassified: Secrets of the Great Plague revealed by Nick Hunter
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 9781 4081 9217 7.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Non fiction. Plague. Double page spreads
reveal the history, biology, spread and effect of this disease on
the whole world since the Great Plague in London in 1665. From the
rats in London, to the astonishing fact of there still being seven
deaths a year in the USA today, this is a fascinating look at the
disease which caused people to leave their homes if they were not
already boarded up inside. Littered with letters, reports from
diaries, photos from toady and many drawings and illustrations
produced at the time, this book has something for all non fiction
readers, particularly those who like to delve into the more ghoulish
side of history.
London in the 1660's was a closely built city teeming with ships
bringing goods and people from the corners of the world. The Black
Death of the 1340's killed about one in three in Europe and
outbreaks occurred every few years, but London in the 1660's was
very badly hit. Thinking it was caused by rats, these were killed in
their droves, along with the cats. Specialist doctors, known by
their long capes and strange hawk like beaks were able to sell
amazing cures, but people still died. Apart form the facts of the
plague and how it spread with information about what the body
looked like when it was infected other double pages allude to the
appalling size of this calamity. How the bodies are disposed
of, where they are buried, who buries them, who makes the coffins,
who goes to the funeral: all are questions which had to be resolved,
and one diarist noted the stack of coffins in one London street, but
with recent unearthing of mass graves, it is obvious that coffins
were soon not needed given the scale of the problem.
For inquiring readers, this book answers many questions and gives a
fascinating overview of a time in history long gone, although 200
people a year still die of the plague and a different world plague
still exists.
A glossary of words used has been included, along with a most
useable index, list of websites and further references to read.
Fran Knight
Fairytales for Wilde girls by Allyse Near
Random House Australia, 2013. ISBN 978142758510.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Fairytales retold. Fantasy. Isola
Wilde sees things that other people don't see: a dead girl in a
birdcage in the woods, fairies and brother princes. It isn't until a
ghostly girl appears at her window, threatening her, that her life
goes completely haywire. In the meantime the new boy Edgar who comes to
live next door with his noisy family and Grape her friend are a
distraction from her haunted world. The fairytales from her mother's
French book are a consolation but they are dark and fearsome. She is
in danger of losing everything.
There is nothing 'bubblegum-gothic' (from the blurb) about this
story. It is gothic, dark and compellingly strange. The setting of a
magical wood with fairies and strange rabbit-like creatures is
forbidding and frightening. The fairytale world that Isola inhabits
seems to be real and her brother princes are so well described that
the reader feels that they know them very well indeed. There is
Alejandro, the first prince, a young man who had died young. Ruslana
is a fiery warrior queen, with 'berry-black lips, razor-edged,
capable of severing a limb' (p35) and other equally wonderful
creatures are her companions and friends. Her human companions,
Edgar, Grape and James (her second prince) also come alive on the
page and her romance with Edgar is sensitively portrayed .
However it is Isola herself who keeps the reader glued to the page.
She is full of fantastical wonder, of vivid imaginations and deep
fear. The complex layers that surround her and that are gradually
unpeeled bit by bit leading to a dramatic and somewhat unexpected
climax are beautifully written.
The way the book is set up is also unusual and adds to the reading
experience. Near has written descriptions of the characters under
the heading of Dramatis Personae and these introduce the people
gradually. Short sections are separated by a symbol and there are
evocative portraits of the main characters drawn by Courtney Brims,
who also illustrated the front cover. The writing is clever with a
wonderful combination of reality and fantasy.
Readers who have enjoyed books by Margo Lanagan, Neil Gaiman, Angela
Carter and Holly Black will revel in this original story.
Pat Pledger
The Childhood of Jesus by J. M. Coetzee
Text, 2013. ISBN 9781846557262. 324p
(Age: M15+) Highly recommended. This one's not strictly for
teenage readers, but the haunting new novel from Nobel Laureate,
J.M. Coetzee, has a place in a YA collection especially if
philosophy is on the curriculum.
Simon, a middle-aged man, assumes guardianship of a small boy who
has become separated from his mother aboard a refugee boat. Together
they resettle in an unknown land where only Spanish is
spoken. The pair comply with cordial instructions to
forget their past lives but Simon seems to miss the passion of his
old life. He fulfills his promise to 'find' David's mother,
with mixed results, but he never doubts Ines' arbitrary claim to the
boy.
Ultimately, David is threatened with a reformatory school because he
seems unable to learn mainstream methods. A part of Simon
admits that the sensitive boy may be teaching him. He describes his
doubts about David's 'difference' to Eugenio, his co-worker;
'While I was in hospital with nothing else to do, I tried as a
mental exercise to see the world through David's eyes... put two
apples before him. What does he see? An apple and an apple: not two
apples, not the same apple twice just an apple and an apple.'
The characters wrestle with various big questions using the musings
of many unnamed philosophers. But as with all good literature, there
may not be any simple answers.
Considering the title and presence of Christian symbolism, this
could be a modern nativity story. On an obvious level, it may be a
commentary on the challenges of refugees. Alternative readings
are equally enigmatic. Nevertheless, Cootzee cannot be accused
of using the contrivance of the novel to entertain. Rather the fable
haunts us despite the banal style and we develop a strong trust in
Simon to throw more light on those occasions which are not as they
seem.
Deborah Robins
My life as an alphabet by Barry Jonsberg
Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781743310977
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Family. Death. Humour. Candice's life
is unsettling. Her parents are distant, both from her and each
other, since the death of her sibling, Frances (Sky). At school she
is a loner, clever, quick witted, but derided by the others as a
geek. When Douglas Benson enrolls in her school and sits next to
her, she finds a soulmate. He thinks he is from another dimension
and spends his time trying to find ways of returning but has some
apposite comments to make about Candice and her family. She
decides that she must act before the family completely falls apart
and so begins a campaign of things which turn out most unusually.
This is a wonderful read; at times poignant, mostly very funny,
telling of the relationships within schools, certainly redolent of
the trauma a family goes through when a child dies. But the humour
is astounding. I found myself laughing out loud as Candice begins
her path of bringing her family back together again. When she falls
into the harbour to ensure that her father and estranged uncle both
dive in to rescue her, it could not go more wrong, the whole episode
reading like the script of a TV farce. Her perceived outcome brings
far different results, but undaunted she keeps trying.
Told in the style of an autobiography, a task set by the beloved
teacher, the whole is divided into chapters using the alphabet as
the headings. Each chapter reveals another aspect of her life, and
we are readily drawn into her life and her attempts to set things right.
A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging read with marvellously
sympathetic characters, the book is a joy to read.
Fran Knight
Because of Low by Abbi Glines
Because of Low by Abbi Glines
Simon & Schuster, 2013. ISBN 9781471117534.
(Age: 18+) With all the talk about the trend for publishing what is
termed as New Adult, a genre 'with protagonists in the 18-25 age
bracket' (Wikipedia), I was interested to pick up Because of Low
by Abbi Glines. There is a red sticker on the front of the cover
that states that the book is 'definitely saucy. How hot do you like
it?' and that, with the statement 'Abbi Glines writes hot guys who
leap off the page - or at least you wish they would' - Tammara
Webber, should give a very strong hint to the content of the book
and certainly put it in the new adult age range for me. There are
certainly hot guys and sexual scenes.
In Because of Low, Marcus Hardy has come home to Sea Breeze
because his family is in chaos. His father is having an affair with
a much younger woman and his mother is devastated. He rooms with
Cage, a player who picks up different girls all the time. When
Willow, 'Low', comes running to Cage to stay the night because her
sister has kicked her out, Marcus is very attracted to her. The
story then proceeds with the development of Marcus and Low's
relationship and some shocking revelations that force Marcus to
reassess what he believes.
Two others by Abbi Glines across my desk are While it lasts
and Just for now, both in the 'Definitely saucy' category.
I'm certain that teens are flocking to read these, but in my
opinion, their content makes them unsuitable for a school library.
Pat Pledger
Car-sized crabs by Anna Claybourne
Bloomsbury, 2013.
(Age: 7+) Recommended. Picture book. Animals. Non fiction. There is
so much to like about this informative and colourful picture book,
that I don't know where to start. The front cover shows a Japanese
spider crab, and with the subtitle And other animal giants
the reader knows that they are in for an array of gigantic animals.
Opening the book they will find information about a variety of land
animals (elephants, rhinoceros, hippos, polar bears... ), sea
animals (giant crab, various sharks, squid, jellyfish... ), birds
(condor, albatross, penguins... ), slimy things (anaconda, dragons,
frogs... ) and creepy crawlies (weta, wasp, landsnail... ).
All are gigantic, and the double page spread devoted to each will
intrigue the readers further. My eye was first drawn to the size
scale at the bottom of each page, showing how big each creature is
compared to the size of a man. This gives an immediate appreciation
of the difference in size and why the creature is included in the
book. On the page is a sequence of photographs showing the animal in
all its glory, and in its habitat, while the informative and lucid
text outlines the things readers would want to know. A 'did you
know' circle is on each page giving a fact that is a little out of
the ordinary, while other small snippets of facts are given around
the colourful page.
I was most intrigued with the giant weta, as I am about to go to New
Zealand. On the double page for this insect is a man's hand with the
insect resting on top. This gives an immediate awareness of its
size, and will draw gasps of appreciation from the readers. On the
same page is a smaller picture of the animal, showing where it
lives, while the text outlines its habitat, habits, what it eats and
how New Zealanders treat the animal. In the fact box is information
about its scientific name and what it means, while another paragraph
gives its dimensions (10 cms long, a span of 20 cms, and weighing as
much as three mice! ). A world map showing where all these creatures
reside, a most useful index and fascinating glossary complete this
informative and attractive book.
Fran Knight
The midnight dress by Karen Foxlee
University of Queensland Press, 2013. ISBN 9780702249648
(Ages: Upper secondary-adult) Highly recommended. Crime. Queensland.
Rose and her father are drifters. They arrive in a North Queensland
cane town a few weeks before the Harvest Festival. When Rose
eventually enrolls at the local school she meets up with an unlikely
friend, Pearl.
Rose is prickly, self-contained and doesn't make or seek to make
friends. Initially she doesn't want anything to do with the harvest
dance or the parade and certainly won't get a dress made. Pearl gets
under her skin and she meets Edie an old woman who is a dress maker.
No one goes to Edie anymore. She lives in an old rambling
Queenslander that is falling down around her ears. The rainforest is
encroaching on Edie's property and even her house and the mountain
and Edie seem to have a connection.
Edie is another self-contained person. She has had to be because the
community has shunned her for years. She agrees to organise Rose's
dress as long as she sews it by hand. Edie knows just the dress for
her and fossicks around the rooms for the materials she needs. While
she teaches Rose the stitches and techniques she tells Rose her
history, and about the special hut up the mountain her parents
built.
The narrative is interspersed by the narrative of a detective from
Cairns there to investigate a missing girl. Karen Foxlee weaves an
evocative tale with the North Queensland weather and landscape as an
important player. It's in this environment that the people come to
life reflecting small town attitudes and unique personalities. A
great read, good characters and gripping finale.
Mark Knight
The little fairy sister by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and Grenbry Outhwaite
National Library of Australia, 2013 (A. & C. Black, London,
1929) ISBN 9780642277725
(Age: 7-adult) Warmly recommended. Picture book, Australian Fairy
Tales. Nostalgia. It is always astonishing to open a book
that has been reprinted from long ago, and see that font and be
transported back to your own childhood where books were few,
borrowed from the local library or given at Christmas.
In my grandmother's cabinet was this book, and I would take it out
and carefully read it as a child. The story has long been forgotten
but not that font.
In reprinting this book, from the Marcie Muir collection at the
National Library, a new generation will be introduced to these
stories first published in 1929. Marcie Muir, an avid collector and
bibliographer of Australian books for children, accumulated over
7000 books, including 86 editions of Norman Lindsay's The magic
pudding and this collection was acquired by the National Library
after her death in 2007. An introduction by Stephanie Owen Reader
relates a brief history of the Outhwaites, particularly Ida and her
place in the history of Australian children's literature.
The little fairy sister introduces us to a young girl, Bridget,
whose sister, Nancy, has died. She longs to see her again in the
Country of the Fairies where she resides. When Mother and Father are
going out for the afternoon, they leave Bridget sleeping in her
hammock under the tree. She hears Nancy's voice and the two go off
into the Country of the Fairies, until she wakes. While there she
meets many of her sister's companions, Lizard, Kookaburra, Merman
and Tree-man. This delicate, ethereal story and its accompanying
enchanting illustrations, will entice new readers of the genre,
easily outdoing many of the generic fairy stories finding their way
onto the market. That it was written so long ago and included
Australian animals is to be noted, as this was a time when all
things Australian were cherished, but this movement it seems gave
way to all things American as the latter half of the twentieth
century ensued.
Fran Knight
Dandelion by Galvin Scott Davis
Dandelion by Galvin Scott Davis
Ill. by Anthony Ishinjerro. Random House, 2013. ISBN 9780857981028.
Hbk, RRP$A19.95
Benjamin Brewster did not like school. Every morning he counted the
nine hundred and seventy-two steps that it took him to get there.
For The School for the Misguided was a place for ne'er-do-wells and
bullies and Benjamin Brewster was in their sights, their fists and
their feet. No matter how hard and how often he wished his school
would disappear, it never did, and neither did those inside. Until
one day Benjamin picks up a dandelion clock and blows on it... and
wishes on the tiny seeds as they drift away. And even though some
wishes don't come true, miracles happen and Benjamin finds a way
through.
Bullying is and always has been a major problem in schools - as many
as one in six children is bullied each week in Australian schools
and at least 20% are subjected to cyber-bullying. Few families are
left untouched. But in this book, which began life as a computer app
in response to the author's son being bullied, written in rhyming
text, there is a message of hope touched with tenderness. Drawn
without a face so that every child could be him, Benjamin takes the
reader to a place where creativity and imagination triumph. And
while it might not stop the bullies, it is a strategy to make things
a little easier.
There are often queries on teacher librarian networks for resources
to accompany particular topics, and, without doubt, those to address
bullying have to be the most common. Here, in this charming book of
love and tenderness, is a must-have for your collection. Brendan
Brewster might be the hero of this story but Galvin Scott Jones has
stood up to be the hero for his son - the least we can do is be the
hero for all the other victims. Two thumbs-up but only because I
don't have any more thumbs.
Barbara Braxton
Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer
Elemental 3. Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN 9781743310762
(Age 14+) Recommended. Paranormal. Hunter is a loner unsure of who
he can trust and what he should do. Everything around him seems to
be hostile. His grandfather is out to get him, his mother won't
stand up for him and he doesn't know if he can trust the Merrick
brothers. Then there is Kate, the new girl at school. Does she have
an agenda too?
I love this series mostly because of the way Kemmerer manages to
combine lots of action with stacks of emotion and some soul
searching about what is right and wrong for both Hunter and Kate.
Hunter is such a complex character and in this novel the author
brings him to the fore, exploring the anger that he is holding in
and the dilemmas that he is facing about whether he should be loyal
to the Guides or to the Merricks. His sense of what is right is
constantly tested but with all his flaws, the reader is more than
willing to go along on his journey. And what a journey! His
grandfather hits him and kicks him out, his mother refuses to stand
up for him and Kate the hot girl seems to be a player, flirting with
all the boys and kissing Silver, the Guide who is out to get him and
the Merricks. Michael the oldest brother is a steadfast rock amongst
all the uncertainty but Hunter certainly all his powers and beliefs
tested in Spirit as Calla the bad girl from the 2nd book in the
series, Spark, threatens death and destruction.
Kate Sullivan is another of Kemmerer's feisty girls, who is
confident and strong, but she too has doubts about what she is
doing. The romance between the two is difficult and tense and some
heart breaking scenes are so memorable.
Kemmerer is a brave author who is prepared to look at issues that
face teens, like death, bullying, love, homelessness and family
relations, all within a paranormal action packed setting that is
thrilling to read. There were tears, action, romance and angst in
Spirit and I am still reeling from the intensity of some of the
unexpected things that happen in this book. Spirit is
definitely one for fans of the Elemental series and is sure to
please lovers of the paranormal.
Pat Pledger
Marlo can fly by Robert Vescio
Ill. by Sandra Temple. Wombat Books, 2013. ISBN 9781921632419.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Being different. Marlo
the magpie would rather stay on the ground than fly. She tries out
slithering like a snake, and hopping like a kangaroo, while the
other birds and animals question her decision. She remains as she
is, trying different things and not wanting to fly until one day she
decides that she wants to see her mother, but as she is in the sky,
Marlo must fly to meet her.
A story about daring to be different, but also needing to conform,
the book will be the start of many conversations in the classroom
and at home about what it means to be different and why sometimes
you need to do as others expect you to. And of course, striving to
gain a skill that you might not have been able to do before.
The illustrations of Australian animals are inviting, and will serve
to encourage younger readers to watch out for these animals and
recognise them when they come across them in other spheres. The
strong black and white of the magpie dominates many of the pages,
contrasting with the softer shades of the other animals illustrated,
crocodile, kookaburra, koala, kangaroo and snake.
Fran Knight
They found a cave by Nan Chauncy
Text Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781922147196.
Originally published in 1948, this story involves four English
children who are sent to live with their Aunt on a farm in the
Tasmanian wilderness, to remove them from the danger of the Second
World War. Cherry and her brothers Nigel, Brickenden and little
Nippy work around the farm and befriend the brave and resourceful
Tas, the son of Mrs. Pinner who is employed by their Aunt Jandie.
When Jandie leaves the farm for medical treatment over an extended
period, Mrs Pinner and her partner are left in charge and soon
commence to mistreat the children. The children decide to run away
and do so with the help and guidance of Tas who jumps at the chance
to escape his mother and step father.
Knowing the bush intimately, Tas leads the group, accompanied by a
herd of goats to a secret cave on a mountain plateau where they live
a rough but exhilarating existence ungoverned by adults.
The story is a little implausible given that the children thrive for
several months in the harsh Tasmanian climate sustained by the
goats, living off the land and the booty from occasional raids on
the farm. The story is pitched at primary level and junior readers
will enjoy envisaging themselves in this situation, surviving
independently and hiding out from adults. The conversational
language echoes Enid Blyton's and is so dated and twee that the
story is spoiled for contemporary readers. Gender roles are
similarly presented, with Cherry assigned all the cooking,
housekeeping and mothering of Nippy. Retro artwork on the book's
cover will not appeal to modern children.
I feel compelled to warn that the story contains language and
concepts which will cause cultural offence to some readers. The
problem with this content is that it is simply presented in a way
which is faithful to the era, in the sense that these views would
have been held and the terms used without consideration of their
impact. This differs markedly to fictional literature in which
characters having racist attitudes and using offensive terms are
depicted, yet these elements are usually presented in a way which
illustrates the folly of these views and the social harm caused,
before leading to a more constructive resolution.
John Marsden points to the author's great respect for Indigenous
Tasmanians in his introduction and the utterances of Chauncey's
child characters are more ignorant than they are deliberately
racist. Whilst acknowledging the reality of the era and that
revisionist or sanitised versions of history are false, it is
difficult to imagine all young readers for whom this is intended
being discerning enough to independently reconcile the attitudes and
language in the context of history. I recommend that teachers and
librarians read this novel carefully.
Rob Welsh
Wildlife by Fiona Wood
Pan Macmillan, 2013, ISBN 9781742612317.
(Age 15+) Highly recommended. Coming of age. Wood brings back Lou
from Six impossible things in this wonderful adolescent
novel that explores friendship, love and fitting in. Crowthorne
Grammar has an outdoor education camp for a term and Lou as the new
girl, grieving over the death of her boyfriend, rooms with five
other girls. Close living is inevitable and she becomes intrigued
with the drama between best friends, Sibylla and Holly, that unfolds
over the course of the camp. Sibylla has arrived at the camp with
the school buzzing about the 20 metre billboard that has her face
plastered over it and finds that Ben Capaldi, the most popular boy
at the camp, is interested in her. Holly seems to be encouraging the
romance but her actions don't show evidence of being loyal to
Sibylla and then there is Michael, who has been Sibylla's best
friend forever. Lou has to decide whether she will become involved
in the relationships that are undermining Sibylla's self confidence.
Very clever writing brings to life what happens when teens are all
living together in an outdoor education setting. I loved the
character of Lou, her grief not overcoming her ability to make wry
observations about what is happening around her. Holly was perfectly
portrayed as the nasty friend and Sibylla as the laid back girl who
was prepared to forgive her. Michael as the complete nerd who can
run, but who is a misfit, is a beautifully rounded character, while
readers will recognise Ben Capaldi, the smart popular boy who seems
to have everything. The romance between Sibylla and Ben is handled
sensitively and will give teens some pause for thought about
beginning first sexual relationships. Some hints about sexual safety
are also thrown in with advice from Sibylla's mother who is a
counsellor.
The themes of first love, grief, friendship and fitting in are all
wonderfully explored against a background of becoming fit, running
and solo hiking in the wilderness. This is quality fiction that
teens will love and would be an excellent literature circle book or
class text for older teens.
Pat Pledger
