Allen & Unwin, 2013.
Instalment 1: Catch the Zolt. ISBN 9781742378442.
Instalment 2: Turn off the Lights. ISBN 9781742378435.
Instalment 3: Bring back Cerberus. ISBN 9781742378596.
Instalment 4: Fetch the Treasure Hunter. ISBN 9781742378602.
Instalment 5: Yamashita's Gold. ISBN 9781742378619.
Instalment 6: Take a Life. ISBN 9781742378626.
Since his blasting onto the writing scene with the award-winning Deadly
Unna (1999: Book of the Year - Older Readers) Phillip Gwynne
has proven his ability as an outstanding writer, particularly for
the YA market. In this new series, he sends the reader on a
thrilling ride with all the verve and adrenalin rush of series such
as Conspiracy 365 (Gabrielle Lord) and Alex Rider
(Anthony Horowitz).
Dominic (Dom) Silvagni, is a reasonably typical Gold Coast teenager
- albeit from a very privileged but outwardly normal family. Their
home in the elite gated community of Halcyon Grove is a show piece
and Dom, along with his parents, older sister Miranda and younger
brother Toby lack for nothing. His much loved paternal grandfather
Gus, is close at hand and is Dom's coach - both of them with a
passion for middle distance running - despite Gus' having lost a leg
in a 'shark attack' at a young age. He has also grown up almost next
door to the love of his life, Imogen, who sadly has lost her father
and been left with her slightly unhinged mother.
Dom's regular schoolboy existence at the top notch Gold Coast Boys
Grammar comes unstuck on the night of his fifteenth birthday when
his father, David, and grandfather Gus initiate him into the
Silvagni family inheritance - an ancient debt owed to the
'Ndrangheta' - a Mafia-style organisation from the old country. Each
male child from the Silvagni is required to pay back the debt in six
instalments - or lose a 'pound of flesh'. With each successfully
completed instalment the inner thigh of each Silvagni male is
branded until the mark of repayment is whole. With growing horror
Dom realises that his grandfather's missing leg was not the result
of a shark attack, witnessed by his incomplete branding . . .
becoming acutely aware that this is no joke, but a very dangerous
and deadly serious undertaking.
When presented with the opportunity to review the final Instalment
bk 6, I commented that I had not read the full series - and
fortunately, I was lucky enough to do so. This is definitely a
series to be read in sequence, as we follow Dom's heart-racing
exploits and watch him develop skills, acquire both allies and
enemies and despite all odds, complete seemingly impossible tasks.
Throughout, the reader becomes aware, as does Dom himself, that
there is much more to this deadly challenge than just the Herculean
assignments set. What really happened to Imogen's missing politician
father? Why does Dom's own father insist he has never been to Italy,
nor speaks 'wog' yet is overheard talking fluent Calabrese? Why does
his Californian mother have cosy chats with Roberto, the gardener?
How is it possible that the same taxi driver keeps turning up just
when he has need?
Loaded with all the thrills and spills that will particularly appeal
to teenage boys - fast cars, private jets, an unending number of
useful smartphone apps, heroic action, daring rescues plus more -
and with a knock out ending, this will enthrall readers from 12
years up.
The Debt website
A SMH
interview with Phillip Gwynne about the series.
Instalment 6 Book
Trailer
Sue Warren
The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee
University of Queensland Press, 2013. ISBN 9780702249648.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Rose Lovell has moved from town to
town with her alcoholic father and wonders if life will be different
tin the small sugarcane town where they live in a caravan. When she
meets pretty and popular Pearl Kelly, she feels that she might have
a friend at last. Pearl persuades her to go into the Harvest Parade
and for this she needs a special dress. She finds Edie Baker, a
strange dressmaker who helps her make a dress of midnight blue and
who introduces her to the mountain and the bush nearby. Then
everything changes when a teenage girl disappears.
Foxlee writes in a compelling manner keeping up the suspense until
the very last page. Her plotting is complex and clever. From the
first page the reader knows that someone has gone missing but is
uncertain about who it is. The story progresses on two levels: one
chapter written in italics, tells about the disappearance of the
girl, the next is told from Rose's point of view as she comes to
term with life in the insular country town and befriends Edie the
eccentric dressmaker. Rose doesn't have an easy life, her father's
moods are up and down and she finds it difficult to fit in. The
themes of love and anger, of fitting in and making friends are woven
between the mystery of the girl's disappearance.
This is a haunting, beautiful and literary story told on many
levels. There is the friendship between Rose and Pearl who is
searching for her long lost Russian father. The odd bookseller who
is teased by Pearl and Rose's relationship with her father and the
young boy who admires her are fully developed. Edie's story is
heart-breaking as well.
The language is lyrical. The descriptions of the Australian bush,
the tall trees, rocky waterfall and sweeping beaches bring this
Queensland area to life and provide an atmospheric background to the
story.
This is a complex, haunting story and I look forward to reading more
from this author.
Pat Pledger
Strike of the Shark by Bear Grylls
Mission Survival bk 6. Doubleday, 2013. ISBN: 9781782950028. Strike of the Shark is the sixth book in Bear Grylls' Mission
Survival Series. It stars Beck Granger, a 14 year old boy
whose parents took him travelling all over the world from a young
age, exposing him to various tribes and cultures from which he
learned an array of survival skills. Prior to this book his parents
had both been killed leaving Beck an orphan under the custody of his
uncle. His many exploits, even since the death of his parents, have
given him some level of world renown as a survival expert.
In this book, Beck travels from Florida out into the waters of the
Bermuda triangle on a cruise ship that is sabotaged, leaving him and
four others stranded in the middle of the ocean. The five come face
to face with shipwreck, isolation, lack of water, shark attack and
the battle between good and evil. The survival themes are strong,
with basic and useful survival tips incorporated into the narrative.
The protagonist (though somewhat extremely larger than life) is a
likable boy with strong moral principles. The plot, especially as
part of a series, is rather far-fetched and the main character
certainly has an unrealistic level of life experience, but the story
should be fairly engaging for a young audience.
The language and structure is simple, though certainly lacks
sophistication and is not particularly well written. It gets off to
a bit of a slow start, though the plot does have several twists and
turns.
The main function of this book would be to capture the interest of
young people who are perhaps not avid readers. In my opinion the
survival tips they have integrated are the novel's best feature.
They encourage children and teens to respect the environment around
them and not take unnecessary risks, but equip them with some basic
principles for how to deal with unforseen circumstances. The
novel promotes values of respect, conservation, understanding of
humanity, morality and determination. It is a worthwhile addition to
a school library, though would likely not be useful as a class text.
Sarah Rose
Christina's Matilda by Edel Wignell and Elizabeth Botte
IP Kidz, 2011. hbk ISBN 9781921479878. ebk ISBN 9781921479885.
This fascinating title by Edel Wignell focusses on the story behind
the story of our unofficial anthem, Waltzing Matilda. As
Wignell asks, why is Paterson's role in the creation of this song so
well-known when that of Christina Macpherson is almost unknown, even
though it is just as vital? Wignell then tells us the story of
Macpherson beginning with an encounter with bushranger Daniel 'Mad'
Morgan at the family home of Peechelbar in Victoria, her childhood
in a large wealthy Melbourne household, and her eventual meeting
with A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson at the home of her brother on a station
on the Diamantina River about 128km from Winton, Queensland.
Evenings were a time for entertainment - Paterson sharing his poetry
and Macpherson playing the piano, including a tune called Craigielee that
she had heard at the Warrnambool Races some time before and which
had stuck in her mind. Paterson was well aware of the plight of many
shearers displaced by the Great Shearers' Strike in 1894 and the
stories accompanying the hardships they endured, and it wasn't long
before he penned the words of Waltzing Matilda to fit the
tune. Wignell then traces the story of the song through to its place
in the Australian identity today, including the work of Richard
Magoffin who relentlessly tracked the song's origins, eventually
being able to identify Christina's contribution in 1983.
The story is accompanied by a variety of illustrations including
paintings and drawings, maps, photos, posters and programs, letters
and sheet music, each adding to the authenticity of the story and
providing insight into the times that inspired the lyrics and the
history of the song. Perhaps the most interesting is a facsimile of
an extract from a letter from Christina which explains how the song
came to be. Each sepia page is bordered with exquisite line drawings
by Elizabeth Botte which enrich and enhance the story.
While it is written in a style and language accessible to a newly
independent reader, its use of primary sources to support the text
would be a great way to introduce the importance of these sorts of
sources to support research and provide evidence, an integral
element of the historical skills strands of the Australian History
Curriculum for Year 7.
This is a resource that needs to be on library shelves and a story
that needs to be known by everyone old enough to sing the song!
Barbara Braxton
Stories for boys by various authors
Ill. by Tony Flowers. Random House Australia, 2013. ISBN
9780857980885.
(Ages: 5-8) Highly recommended. This entertaining compilation
consists of twelve short stories by some of Australia's best-loved
children's authors including Tristan Bancks, David Harding, Bill
Condon, Martin Chatterton, George Ivanoff and Janeen Brian. With a
wide range of subject matter, these stories introduce young readers
to genres including mystery, science fiction, fantasy and adventure.
All the stories are written specifically for junior primary aged
boys, so as expected topics include pirates, dinosaurs, robots and
superheroes.
One common factor throughout the book is humour, with all stories
displaying some enjoyable twists and the element of absurd
imagination which young boys love, but without the toilet humour so
often encountered in writing for this age. There is also just enough
thrills and 'spooky stuff' to keep young suspense fans on the edge
of their seats.
The perfect bedtime reading book, one story per night - if you can
convince your child to stop at just one!
Donella Reed
Call the shots by Don Calame
Candlewick Press, 2012. ISBN 9780763655563.
Recommended for readers 12+. An engagingly written book, Call
the Shots is a humorous story designed to appeal to boys in
lower to middle secondary school. It is the final of a set of three
novels (the other two are Swim the Fly and Beat the Band),
each told from the point of view of a member of three teenage
friends, though it can certainly stand alone.
Coop, the 'brains' of the trio, dreams up an idea of making an ultra
low-budget horror movie to solve a problem for Sean, the unassuming
protagonist, which is to make enough money to build an extension at
Sean's house so he doesn't have to share a bedroom with his
obnoxious twin sister when the family's new baby arrives. This is
the vehicle through which the reader can laugh while gaining
insights into human nature.
There are many different elements in Call the Shots worthy
of discussion - trust, belief in oneself, manipulation, girlfriend
issues, acceptance - which could make this a worthy novel for
classroom discussion. Though clearly written primarily to engage
boys, girls will also enjoy this book. Definitely recommended.
Anne Veitch
Bushland Lullaby by Sally Odgers
Ill. by Lisa Stewart. Scholastic Australia, 2013. ISBN:
9781742831787.
(Ages: 2 - 4) Highly recommended. This beautifully illustrated
picture book introduces young children to a wide variety of native
Australian animals, with some unexpected inclusions. The baby
animals are all sleeping in their natural habitats, and the lyrical,
rhyming verse captures the environment perfectly. There are a number
of words not usually found in picture books, and descriptive phrases
such as 'where eddies dance with winking sun' and 'where breakers
sing when the wind breaks free' provide a glorious expansion of the
usual pre-schoolers vocabulary.
The pastel colours of the illustrations perfectly match the gentle
rhythm of the verses, and I can easily see this becoming a favourite
bedtime story in many households.
Donella Reed
Horse crazy & Horse shy by Bonnie Bryant
The Saddle Club series. Random House Australia, 2013. ISBN:
9780857980632.
(Ages: 7 - 13) Random House have started to re-release the popular
Saddle Club series which consisted of over one hundred titles
published between 1988 and 2001. This book contains the first two
titles written, Horse crazy and Horse shy. While many primary school
aged girls will be familiar with the television series, it is
possible some of them may not realise the show was spawned from the
books, so it's time for a new generation to discover them! The new
covers include pictures from the tv series, so will be instantly
recognisable by fans.
The series begins by introducing the reader to best friends Carole
and Stevie. These 12 year old girls spend all their spare time at
Pine Hollow Stables where they take riding lessons. In Horse Crazy,
new girl Lisa joins the club and learns the hard way that not all
the girls are as friendly as Carole. Primary school girls may find
they can relate to some of the emotions and anxieties faced by Lisa,
while also enjoying the closeness of the friendship of the main
characters. Lisa joins Carole and Stevie, and the threesome lead us
into the second title Horse Shy where they set off on an overnight
trail ride. The girls have a wonderful time, but when they return
tragedy strikes and their friendship is put to the test as Stevie
and Lisa have to try and help Carole heal emotionally.
With likable and mostly realistic characters, and of course plenty
of horses, the series is sure to be as popular as it was the first
time around.
Donella Reed
Belmont Hill : Showdown by Remy Lacroix
Random House Australia, 2013. ISBN: 9780857981349.
(Age: Teens) Showdown is the first book in Remy Lacroix's new
Belmont Hill series, which aims to bring the drama and intrigue of
the 90s Sweet Valley High series to the modern, Australian teenager.
Piper Houston is a wealthy, beautiful teenager, used to getting her
way at home and at school. Commencing her final year of high school,
she is the leader of an exclusive and popular clique of girls whose
looks, fashion and attitudes make them the school's social elite.
Soon after the novel begins, we are introduced to Alex Carter as she
and her mother move into the Houston mansion. Alex's mum has just
married Piper's dad, and Piper is less than happy about the arrival
of her new step-sister. As the novel progresses, Hollywood glam
clashes with grunge rock chick, in a fight for friends, boys and
status. Showdown has been written to engage and entertain teenage readers,
and while it does that, it offers little else. Unlike its film
counterparts Mean Girls and Clueless, this novel's moral message is
almost non-existent. As a series it seems to be shaping up to be
somewhat like television's The OC: Teenage girls living unrealistic
and unattainable lives, with more money than sense.
In terms of language and written style, I felt that this got off to
a rather grating start but improved a lot as the novel progressed.
Language is simple, though the frequent name-dropping of designer
brands became tiresome, as did the fairly regular and rather
unnecessary use of mild coarse language.
It is the type of novel that may engage reluctant readers, but
beyond its potential to get teenagers reading (which is certainly
valuable), Showdown seems to offer little more than superficial
entertainment. Hopefully subsequent novels in the series will be
able to bring more to the table.
Sarah Rose
10 Funny Sheep by Ed Allen
Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781742836379.
Highly recommended. 10 Funny Sheep is a lovely counting book with
beautiful, colourful pictures. It is reminiscent of songs such as
Ten Bears in the Bed and Three Monkeys Bouncing on the Bed, showing
children how to count backwards as they read through the
story.
Kylie Kempster
The night itself by Zoe Marriott
The Name of the Blade : Book 1. Walker Books, 2013. ISBN
9781406342383.
(Age: Middle secondary) Recommended. Unprepared 'ordinary' girl has
responsibility thrust upon her, awesome power to wield (if only she
knew how to unlock it!) in a build-up to confrontation with the evil
forces of the Underworld. This is the scenario for The Night
Itself, the first of a trilogy written by Zoe Marriott, who
already has a number of young adult fantasy books to her name.
This latest novel is a very competently written urban fantasy set in
contemporary London, and draws its inspiration from Japanese
mythology. The heroine is almost sixteen-year-old Mio Yamato, London
born and bred, whose professional parents have embraced Western
culture, leaving Mio's grounding in Japanese martial art and
folklore to her grandfather. Mio inherits the family's heirloom, an
ancient samurai sword imbued with mystery and power, which she is
not supposed to touch until she turns sixteen.
Recommended for middle secondary students, this book is definitely
worth purchasing for the library shelves.
Anne Veitch
Firelight of Heaven by Lizbeth Klein
Bethloria Book 1. Wombat Books, 2013. ISBN 9781921632471.
Highly recommended for any fantasy fan aged 11+. Fantasy fans beware
- highly addictive! Firelight of Heaven is the story of a
land taken over by an evil king and its last hope is 2 teenage
humans and an elf. Of course, like all good stories, it is only book
1! Firelight of Heaven follows Dougray and Robbie of Bethloria
who unwittingly become the heroes in a world that is being destroyed
by war and losing its young men to the war. There is an underlying
mystery that these 2 boys might be more than they seem! Are they of
royal blood and destined to overthrow the evil king? The boys are
put the test as they travel through a new world, befriend an elf and
are chased by weird and scary creatures.
The text is descriptive but easy to read and the story is easy to
follow. Belle, the elf, is a strong female character and the boys
show an emotional side and a protective side.
Kylie Kempster
Teardrop by Lauren Kate
Doubleday, 2013. ISBN: 9780857532275.
(Age: 15+) Teardrop by Lauren Kate is a story about an older
teen by the name of Eureka who tragically loses her mother in a
freak accident. Eureka has to endure her father's new (and
irritating) wife Rhoda and the alienating stares of the people she
once called friends after her attempt at joining her mother in the
afterlife. Forced to go and see one of many therapists, failing to
meet her track coach's standards, missing her mother constantly and
having her father grow distant doesn't do much to sway the suicidal
thoughts in Eureka's head. The only things that pull her back from
the plunge and making detailed plans are her twin step-siblings and
two of her closest friends who resemble a beacon of light in her
dark world. Strange things start to happen as a mysterious boy named
Ander smashes into her car and magically keeps reappearing and
disappearing both from her life and her mind.
This novel is so unique in how it's written; all the characters are
so realistic and relatable that you almost feel like you know them
when you put the book down. This book has a seriously unexpected
plot and it unravels from this simple, straightforward world to a
whole other sea of mysteries and secrecies that are slowly revealed.
It is definitely not as it appears. Teardrop is well suited
for an older audience due to some action scenes, romantic and
violent themes and that younger readers may not understand or may
find a touch squeamish. Overall, this has got to be a must have for
readers who love mystery.
Sarah Filkin (Student)
Never eighteen by Megan Bostic
Definitions, 2012. ISBN 9780547550763.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Cancer. Death. An American book which has a
similar theme to Before I die, is Never Eighteen by
Megan Bostic. Austin asks his best friend, Kaylee to take him to a
few places one Saturday. He asks an older woman who he seems to know
well, to ring her daughter. He sees a boy he has not seen for a
while, and listens to his story about why he has dropped out of
life, then visits an old girlfriend he knows is being beaten by her
current boyfriend. He offers advice. He calls on a boy he bullied
many years before to apologise. The reader realises he has a list of
people whose lives he feels he can put back on track.
He has a list of people he wants to see before he dies, making sure
that things unsaid will be said, ensuring that their lives can be
improved. But he has only a few months to live. He wants his parents
to get back together, he knows that still care for each other, but
are unable to communicate. He wants his mother to talk to her
mother, estranged since his parents' split. He wants above all to
tell Kaylee that he loves her. In the background we hear of Austin's
bout with cancer, as he comes to the decision not to have any more
chemotherapy. He wants to be alive for his last few months, not
doped and in pain. Never Eighteen does not have the emotional depth of The
Fault in our Stars, or Before I die, but is
nevertheless a gripping read, and has been well received.
Fran Knight
The road to Gundagai by Jackie French
Matilda saga, book 3. Angus & Robertson, 2013. ISBN
9780732297220.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Australian history, Depression. After her parents have been drowned at sea, Blue goes to
hospital when a fire destroys her house and all of its contents. Her
aunts take her from the hospital before she has recovered from the
dreadful injuries the fire wrought on her body. But she does not get
any better: her hair is falling out, she vomits all her food,
retches at the thought of it, and so stays alone in her room. Her
only friend is Mah, the Chinese girl who worked for her parents on
their farm, and whose warning saved her from being incinerated.
Blue sees a circus pass her window and decides she must go and see
it, and does, although during the Big Top main event her aunts sweep
in and take her home, locking her in the room. The dwarf and fortune
teller from the circus steal her from the room, telling her she is
being poisoned and that the fire was deliberately lit.
So begins this adventure story like no other, jam packed with events
straight from a Girls Own Annual, but set against such a detailed
and exact background it defuses any questioning. French's love of
history shines through, her knowledge of the minutae of people's
lives is telling as we hear of the Depression and its affects
on people particularly in rural Victoria and then New South Wales,
as well as details of the circus and the travelers, the clothing,
housing and food of the times.
But she surprises us even further, as this becomes a murder
investigation, a crime novel with a strong sense of setting, one
that readers will read over and over again.
The character of Blue is marvelous. The injuries caused by the fire
and then her aunts' intervention are shocking, and all readers will
sympathise with her, wondering as I did, about her lack of movement
and feeling the pain when she moves unexpectedly. Her bravery and
courage is paramount, her willingness to overcome obstacles
laudable, her need to feel attractive most appealing to the target
audience. It is her story that carries the book: readers will want
to know how she survives and what becomes of her, who is trying to
keep her under wraps, and just what do these people want.
Fran Knight
