Bloomsbury, 2012. 240 pages. ISBN 9781408817209.
(Age: 14+) The Deadly Game is the second book in The Malichea Quest
series by Jim Eldridge, and offers readers murder, mystery, and
legendary references to blend the mix. In the first book The
Invisible Assassin, Jake Wells is a nineteen-year-old young man who
finds himself at the centre of a murder, and makes a discovery that
links to an ancient Order.
Now, in his second book The Deadly Game, young Jake just wants his
girlfriend Lauren safely back home in England. Instead, she is in
far away New Zealand with a new identity, and all because of some
hidden books relating to the Order of Malichea. As if this is not
enough, the head of the Department of Science has summonsed Jake to
his office and warns him against continuing his quest to find the
ancient books. Jake is left wondering why the government is trying
to prevent his search, and with feelings of disquiet, returns to his
flat only to discover someone has broken in, and left behind a
package.
This prompts Jake to make a bold decision that he hopes will result
in bringing his girlfriend home. However, with powerful forces at
work, he is beginning to wonder who he can trust. Will he locate the
books before the Watchers stop him? Will Jake's quest run smoothly,
or is Lauren doomed to exile in New Zealand forever? The Deadly Game offers young adult readers an entertaining plot.
While the main character is nineteen-years-old, this book would suit
a younger audience.
Jim Eldridge is a prolific author, and scriptwriter, having
published over eighty books. The Deadly Game could be included in a
school library for young readers aged 14+.
Colleen Tuovinen
Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
Doubleday Childrens, 2012. ISBN 9780552567640.
(Age: 14+) Aria Rose is the daughter of one of the ruling families
in Mystic City engaged to Thomas, the son of the rival ruling
family. With an upcoming election, their marriage is the perfect way
to unite the humans against mystics, humans with magical powers who
are drained of their powers. The only problem with the engagement,
is that Aria has overdosed on Sic, a mystic-infused drug causing her
to forget her entire relationship with Thomas.
As Aria pieces her memory together, she meets Hunter, a handsome
rebel mystic who she's instantly attracted to. She uncovers a
political battle between her family and the mystics, and finds that
everything may not be as it seems as her family will do anything to
win the election.
I quite enjoyed the lies and the deception within Mystic City, and
it was interesting following Aria's story as she unveiled her
memories. You find that her memory loss is very targeted towards her
relationship with Thomas, and the real secrets behind her Sic
overdose are really easy to spot from a mile away. There were enough
elements of the story to keep me going however, such as her
star-crossed romance with Hunter and the rebel mystics. The mystics
were very Xmen-like, with each having their different powers.
The author has a whimsical, romantic way of writing that really
brings this world alive in your head. His vivid descriptions paint
the struggle between the cast out mystics and how they are using
their powers for a rebellion. Aria is also a strong heroine, smart,
determined and courageous. Reading about how her family treats her
is quite shocking, such as how her ruthless father continually puts
a gun to her head.
The political struggle is fairly typical of all the dystopians of
late, such as Matched, Hunger Games, Divergent. There are also
elements of Romeo and Juliet here. If you enjoy those other stories,
chances are you'll enjoy this as well.
Jeann Wong
Editor's note: Book trailer is available.
Bumper book of pets and other animals by Lex Hirst
RSPCA. Random House Australia, 2012. ISBN 9781742757117.
With Christmas rapidly closing in, and the prospect that Santa will
deliver more than one puppy, kitten, or other little live creature,
this may be the perfect book to show students on their first day
back next year. Fully endorsed by the RSPCA, it is replete
with facts about cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, rats,
mice, ferrets, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish as well as
farmyard animals and other wildlife. Each chapter includes
information about housing, health and happiness, and diet, and
includes some fascinating facts such as despite ferrets having a
sweet tooth, they can't digest sweet treats.
I deliberately skipped over the chapter about snakes and axolotls,
both of which give me the creeps despite Mr 6's fascination with
them, but learned that there is a difference between the chooks that
lay and those that go on the table. My two, Steggles and
Ingham, are safe!
Most importantly, it has a 10-point checklist of questions that
should be answered to ensure that getting a pet is a viable and
sustainable choice for the family.
Written in easy non-technical language and illustrated with a wide
range of photographs that break up the text into manageable chunks,
this would be an excellent addition to one of the most popular
sections of the collection. In the meantime, have a look at
the RSPCA's site especially for kids, World of Animal Welfare
http://www.woaw.org.au/. There is a wealth of resources there
for the under-8s right through to lesson plans for teachers!
Barbara Braxton
Flock by Wendy Delsol
Book 3. Candlewick, 2012. Hbk. ISBN 9780763660109
(Age 13+) Recommended. Katla has comes to terms with her
supernatural abilities (Stork) and survived her adventure in Iceland
(Frost), but she is left with a terrible burden, she has been
tricked into promising to give her baby sister to the water queen.
Marik, a merman in disguise has come to town to ensure that that
happens and Jinky, a shaman in the making has accompanied him. Katla
hasn't confided her fears to her boyfriend Jack and she is facing a
menacing future alone.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy, particularly its setting and
Nordic mythology. Katla has a sharp tongue and the dialogue in the
book is a delight, giving many humorous moments for the reader to
savour. Each of the books has been written really well and it is not
hard to imagine the small town, the cold, and the dangers facing
Katla. Because it is firmly embedded in reality, with high school,
jobs, family problems and boyfriends featuring strongly, it is not
hard to accept the supernatural aspects of the story. I was
fascinated by the stories of the Norse gods and loved the way the
author entwined them into this adventure/romance paranormal story.
I couldn't imagine just how the author was going to bring this story
to a conclusion, but she does just that with a most gripping, if
slightly sad, ending that ultimately made me think about the choices
that heroes and heroines have to make in the name of love and duty.
I was sad to see the end of this gripping series and look forward to
the next book from Wendy Delsol who writes beautiful and funny
prose.
Pat Pledger
Looking for Rex by Jan Ormerod
Ill. by Carol Thompson. Little Hare, 2012. Hbk. ISBN 9781921541483.
Gramps now lives on his own, and mum thinks he should have a cat for
company. But cats make Gramps feel grumpy and itchy. Dad thinks
Gramps should get out more - perhaps go ballroom dancing again - but
Gramps knows that would make him miss Granny Rose even more. But the
children have another solution - they think Gramps should have a dog
although whether it is for him or them is questionable!
But Gramps agrees on so the hunt for Rex begins. But it is one thing
to agree to getting a dog; quite another to find one that suits. All
week they look, even on the weekend but nothing is just right. Will
there ever be just the right one for Gramps? Will he still be as
enthusiastic as he was at the beginning of the search?
The combination of Ormerod and Thompson have produced a
heart-warming picture book that tells about anticipation and
compromise, and shows us that there is much to be considered about
getting a pet - that cute little puppy may grown up to be more than
is expected! Miss 6 loved it and now understands why she can't have
a puppy just now because it would be unfair to the puppy. Santa will
pop something else into her sack, this year at least.
Warm, loving stories about families and pets are always popular with
our younger clients, so this one is perfect for hooking them on
reading early in the year.
Barbara Braxton
Following Grandfather by Rosemary Wells
Ill. by Christopher Denise. Candlewick Press, 2012, ISBN 9780763650698.
(Ages: 7+) Recommended. Death. Not a theme that often appears
in children's books, this reminds us all that memories are what keep
people alive after they have died. Jennie is often with her
grandfather, and hears wonderful stories from him about coming to
America, setting up business in Boston, building up a restaurant,
marrying and having offspring. When the time came he passed on the
running of the restaurant to Jennie's parents and they were so busy
that it was he who cared for Jennie. This meant often going to the
beach where they would look a the shells washed up on the beach,
Grandfather telling stories about the Titanic and how one mouse came
to be saved. He tells her stories about setting up his restaurant in
Boston, its growing popularity and then the need for others to take
it over.
But one day he is there no more. The funeral is attended by many
mice from all over the city, but Jennie cannot cope with the idea of
his death. She still sees him, and follows those who look like him,
sometimes about to speak to them until she realises that it is not
her grandfather. At the beach one day she is swept out to sea, but
strong arms bring her back to shore and acceptance.
A lovely story about memories of those who have died, the way they
can still stay with you when they have gone, of remembering the
stories they have told you and using those stories to remember that
person; this will be a popular book within classrooms where death is
to be discussed, or where a death has occurred in someone's family
and a discussion needs to be initiated. Many children will recall
the objects that remind them of a relative who has gone, and so
bring a personal note to the reading of the story.
Fran Knight
Lies, knives, and girls in red dresses by Ron Koertge
Ill. by Andrea Dezso. Candlewick, 2012. ISBN 9780763644062.
(Age: 16+) Recommended, but not for the faint hearted. Fairy tales
retold. Some adult themes.
Koertge has a funny, provoking retelling of 23 familiar and not so
familiar fairy tales, which are not for the faint hearted or for the
young. This excerpt from Bluebeard is a good example of the humour,
style and nature of his free verse:
Yes it's blue and Yes it tickles and Yes
he's had a lot of wives
and nobody knows what happened to them
but he's fun at the party and omigod
that castle!
Most of the fairy tales are about two pages in length, written in
free prose and often with controversial and adult themes. They are
illustrated by Andrea Dezso in thick black ink, often in horrifying
images, which bring another dimension to the story. An example of
this is The robber bridegroom which I was not familiar with.
A miller's daughter is engaged to a guy she barely knows and follows
him through the woods. There she is horrified to see him and his
friends argue about who gets to eat the toes of a dead girl.
Koertge's verse was satirical and very funny, and the bridegroom
gets his just deserts. The miller's daughter "finds men
untrustworthy now. She prefers to live alone and teach Feminist
Theory & Practice at the local community college." However,
after reading the story I went back to the pictures which show a
body being dismembered and are quite disturbing.
Once I started the book, I found that I had to continually return as
Koertge's satire and dark humour were very compelling. Modern
touches like parties, a GPS and the speech in Red Riding Hood,
Home at last, Tells her Mother what happened (Like, where to
even start. So, okay - at the beginning. Right.) make it relevant to
today's older teens.
There is controversial subject matter, like drugs, dismemberment and
sexual undertones, scattered throughout the book, and the humour and
unconventional nature of the subject matter would probably make it
perfect for the older reluctant reader, both male and female.
However it is not for everyone and school librarians should read it
first to make sure that it is suitable for the clientele in their
schools.
Pat Pledger
Feathers in the wind by Sally Grindley
Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781 4088 1947 0.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Animals. Endangered species. Written with the
auspices of the London Zoo, this is the second book by Grindley that
I have read showcasing a family where mum is an international vet,
called to places where animals are in danger. This time it is
Northern India, where an entrenched local custom is about to take
place. An annual kite festival in itself does not sound ominous, but
when many kites are fitted with strings embedded with glass that can
cut other people's kits to shreds, then there is danger for the
local dwindling vulture population.
Joe and Aesha travel with their parents to India, and are warned
that they will not be involved with their mother's work of rescue,
but will be shown how to fly a kite ready to take part in the
festival. This they do, but things happen to make them the centre of
the attention in rescuing a vulture they find, damaged by the glass
laden kite strings.
As with Pawprints in the snow (2010) the story is simply
told, but the relationships between children and adults are neatly
told and the background fascinating and informative. Grindley makes
learning about these endangered animals an easy exercise with her
thrilling stories.
Fran Knight
Tree - A little story about big things by Danny Parker
Ill. by Matt Ottley. Little Hare, 2012. Hbk. ISBN 9781921714412.
Highly recommended. 'A sapling grows in the shelter of an older tree, where he is happy
and safe. One day a violent storm destroys everything the sapling
knows, and he suddenly finds himself unprotected and alone. But as
the sapling grows, he gradually discovers that every end is a new
beginning.'
If ever there were a picture book that proves that picture books are
not just for the very young and those learning to read, then this is
it. If we take the text alone, then it could be just a story
about a tree but, in company with the most amazing, sensitive
illustrations by Matt Ottley, this story becomes an allegory for so
much more about life. It's about growing up and being
nurtured, about being protected and sheltered to the point of not
being able to shine alone, and about being resilient and standing
strong in the face of what seems like disaster.; It's about
finding the inner courage we don't know we have until it is called
upon, and about things coming full circle.
The story (from a new author whose nursing history is apparent in
the sensitivity of the storyline, illustrations (marvel at the fact
that the artist is colour blind) and design (be sure to take the
dust jacket off and open it out) of this book are a wonderful
example of a symbiotic relationship that has worked to perfection.
IMO, this is a definite contender for the CBCA Book of the Year
Award, and I can't give it higher praise than that.
Barbara Braxton
Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Faber Children's Books, 2012. ISBN 9780571282890.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Sixteen-year-old Adelice is a Spinster.
This means she can weave time and matter, but she is more talented
than most girls her age. Since a young age, her parents have forced
her to hide her talent, because the girls who are best at weaving
time and matter are taken from their families and forced to join The
Guild, where they look after the day-to-day matters of the world.
They live a secluded, lonely life and are never allowed to see their
families again. Everyone at The Guild has secrets, but Adelice is
about to uncover the deadliest one of all.
Crewell fits comfortably into the popular genre of teenage dystopian
fiction. It has futuristic technology, an oppressive government and
a whole differently styled world. It's fairly well-written, and the
world and characters are well-developed, with a realistic, though
fantasy style about them. Although the book may be slow to start
with, as it delves into more action it becomes more exciting.
It's an interesting, futuristic dystopian novel, with a
highly-developed world and characters.
I recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
Fever by Lauren DeStefano
(Age: 14+) What if you know exactly when you would die? After fleeing from her forced marriage, 17 year old Rhine Ellery starts the long journey home in hope to be reunited with her twin brother. But the journey might be longer than expected, as Rhine and her fellow escapee and lover, Gabriel, stumbles onto a twisted carnival where all is not what it seems. The bizarre ringmaster plans to turn Rhine into her star attraction while Rhine's sinister father-in-law, Vaughn, is determine to bring her back to the mansion by any means necessary. But in a world where time is precious and women die at 20 while men die at 25, can Rhine and Gabriel escape the ringmaster and Vaughn in time? This novel follows on from Lauren DeStefano's first book, Wither, where DNA technology has been used to cure all diseases in the first generations but at a great cost . . . all children from the first generations die at a premature age. While the human race struggles for survival, the rest of the world is dying around them, while they come up with a possible cure. Fever has the same easy flow as the first book while being fast pace, keeping its readers capture until the very end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in biological science or just looking for a great book to read. I can't wait for the final instalment of The Chemical Garden Trilogy and well done to DeStefano for writing such a wonderful trilogy. Lauren Pfeiffer (18 years old)
Barefoot kids by Steve Hawke
Fremantle Press, 2007. ISBN 978 1920731533.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Environment, Aboriginal themes.
Written after living in the Kimberley for 15 years, Hawke has
created a telling story of life for kids in the remote north west
Western Australia. A family group along with a few friends have
formed a local band, the Barefoot Kids, which plays in the
pubs and clubs. They get to hear of the local developer pushing
through plans for a resort at nearly Eagle Beach. This is an area
many people know and love, some more so than others as they are the
custodians of this particular piece of land, and have been given the
task of looking after it for the next generations.
The story builds up as the developer and the local community, lead
by the kids, tries to stop the plans for the resort going ahead,
clash. Involved within this story is another of a stolen black pearl
which has a bearing on the fate of the land being sought by the
developer.
Rather neatly resolved, Barefoot kids is nevertheless a fascinating
story about Aboriginal people's struggles for their land, alongside
the non indigenous populations who see that the future of this pristine
site is at risk. The environment is beautifully presented, the
issues at stake tellingly told and the characters well developed,
making this a good read which will enable its readers to have a
sound grasp of the issues involved.
Fran Knight
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
Bloomsbury Childrens, 2012. ISBN 9781408828205.
(Age: Mature secondary - adult) Highly recommended. Shortlisted for
the Man Booker Prize and now embraced by young adult readers, Pigeon
English pays homage to a young boy who author, Stephen Kelman,
heard about on the London news. This boy was stabbed and killed.
Kelman lived on a similar rough estate and has crafted an authentic,
chilling story from a melange of his experiences and a fictional
young protagonist. Eleven year old Harri is an exquisitely developed
character - we discover his honorable yet boyish personality and
background in expertly unfolded increments. He is an ingenue in
spite of his tough environment. He loves and protects his family,
takes God seriously, and his speech hints at his background.
Harri and his friend, Dean, act as detectives to find the dead boy's
killer. They observe others on the estate through Harri's new
binoculars, ask questions and take fingerprints with Sellotape. No
one expects that the police will have any success in such a place.
Life at school and on the estate provides rich, although often
hard-to-stomach, verisimilitude. Young boys spit and mess around;
older boys play much harder games. Harri likes beautiful Poppy and
becomes her boyfriend. He is relieved he doesn't have to kiss her
after practising with his older sister's hard-as-nails friend,
Miquita, or burn her like Miquita's boyfriend does to her. He just
has to be himself and make Poppy laugh to keep her happy. Moments of
humour, as well as the joyful depiction of Harri, especially when he
runs, keep much of the book hopeful.
The writing style expresses the grittiness, as well as the uplifting
qualities of this novel. Parts in italics show a pigeon's 'bird's
eye'perspective. Harri and the pigeon seem to share a bond. This
element increases the value of the novel for close study in senior
English classes. Pigeon English is one of the most
unforgettable, although shocking, YA novels of the year.
Joy Lawn
Editor: The back cover states explicit content.
Puberty Blues by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette
Text, 2012. ISBN 9781742759289 Puberty Blues is a book about how far teenagers will go to
fit in. Deb and Sue, the main characters, don't once do anything
because they actually want to; everything they do is in order to be
popular. Every move they make, from sunbaking, to smoking, to sex
and drugs, is done in order to fit in. The characters don't once
question whether they want to do something: if it will make them
more popular, they do it, like robots on autopilot. If you like a
book which shocks and disturbs you, Puberty Blues is for
you. Or if you think that your peer group is pretty mean when it
comes to peer pressure, have a read of this, it'll make your group
look like pussy cats. There is a big part of me, in fact it's the
part that goes from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, that
wishes I'd never read this book, but sadly I'm sure there are a lot
of teens out there who will relate to it and feel less alone in
their soul-destroying struggle to become, or stay, popular. To these
teenagers I say, popularity isn't worth it. If your group is mean,
don't read this book, just don't hang out with them. Popularity
isn't worth ruining the rest of your life for.
Rachel Brabin
Editor's note: Puberty blues was first published over 30 year ago. Text
Roald Dahl's marvellous joke book
Ill. by Quentin Blake. Puffin, 2012. ISBN 9780141450355.
(Age: 7+) Humour. For those kids for whom Roald Dahl is the ant's
pants, or for those just wanting to read out or learn to say a pile
of very funny jokes (for middle primary people that is) then this
will be a hit.
'What did the bee say to the other bee? It's none of your buzzness!'
And another 110 pages or so of similar jokes to get the kids
laughing in the library, at home or in the classroom.
The jokes will introduce kids to the idea of puns, and word play
with ease, and an astute teacher or parent will be able to use this
book to augment lessons and play time with language extension
work. The last few pages will give an extra treat to Dahl's fans,
with a list of his favourite things along with a 'passport' which
shows his characteristics.
And 'why are witches good at English? Because they are brilliant at
spelling.'
For those wanting a look at some of his other books, there is a list
of his published work in the front of the book which is exhausting
and references to books like The BFG at the back. A treat for his
fans.
Fran Knight
