Bodley Head, 2012. ISBN: 9780370332284. 320 pages.
Recommended for 11+. You often have lots to thank your friends for,
sometimes it's something very specific. In this case, I have to
thank my friend Barb (Braxton) for urging me to read Wonder by R. J.
Palacio.
Middle school is a tough time for most kids as friendships make or
break, as they struggle to come to grips with moving all over the
class, surviving being the smallest in the school pond and facing a
whole spectrum of new challenges. Auggie Pullman faces all these and
more. August has never been to school before - he's been
homeschooled his whole life - because Auggie has a severe facial
deformity, the result of bizarre genetic circumstances. His
challenge is not only to survive the normal melee of middle school
but to show that beyond the extraordinary face is an ordinary boy.
This book made me laugh and made me cry. It made me think about the
way I look at people. It made me think about courage and the
unconditional love which seems to just flow from some people.
Last night my Italian friend was explaining tiramisu to me -he said
it is a dessert with a purpose. The ingredients combine to give the
diner a gastronomic high that will carry them through an evening of
dancing and partying after a typical Italian feast. He said
tiramisu, it literally means 'to lift [one] up'.
As I finished Wonder about an hour after his explanation, I
thought to myself, this is a tiramisu book - it truly lifts me up.
Sue Warren
A very unusual pursuit by Catherine Jinks
City of Orphans, Bk 1. Allen and Unwin, 2013. ISBN
9781743313060.
(Age: 10-15) Highly recommended. Birdie McAdam has a beautiful
voice that Alfred Bunce, the bogler, uses to lure out bogles from
their dens. Bogles have been hiding for centuries and eating
children who come near them. Sarah Pickles, in charge of a gang of
pickpockets, wants them to find what is happening to her missing
children. Edith Eames is an educated upper class woman who wants
them to show her what bogles are for her research into English
folklore. Both will lead Birdie into danger and change her
life.
This is an exciting adventure thriller set in Victorian times.
Jinks has created a very atmospheric background, bringing the seamy
side of Victorian times to life in a way that young readers will be
able to relate to. Life as an orphan is graphically described and
Birdy's efforts not to fall into the clutches of the pickpocket gang
or end up in the workhouse are vividly described. The bogles are
frightening monsters that will thrill the reader. An afterword by
Catherine Jinks gives interesting historical background to the story
about the areas described, the superstitious beliefs of the times
and the workhouses and medical practices
Birdie is a fabulous main character. She is strong and feisty,
intelligent and courageous. I felt compelled to quickly finish this
book to find out what happens to her, whether she is able to lure
out the dangerous bogles and how contact with Edith Eames changes
here. The back story of Sarah Pickles is quite scary. She is a
fearsome woman, who is ruthless with the young pickpockets that she
organises and she wants Birdie as a pickpocket too.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is clever, engrossing and
beautifully written. I can't wait for the next instalment in this
trilogy.
Pat Pledger
Vulgar the Viking and the Rock Cake Raiders by Odin Redbeard
Nosy Crow, 2012. ISBN 978-0-85763-056-8.
(Age 7-10) Recommended. What is wrong with Vikings these days? Why
don't they raid and conquer anymore? Vulgar is bored with his
non-violent Viking days and decides to liven things up by raiding
the bakery for rock cakes.
Things go slightly awry when King Olaf the Unstoppable's daughter,
Princess Freya becomes involved and joins Vulgar in his (very short)
longboat.
This is the first book in the series and is great fun with all of
its gross references and funny escapades.
Illustrations by Sarah Horne add to the comic flavour of the book.
The cover is bright and appealing with young Vulgar brandishing his
wooden sword and Viking scowl. Author Odin Redbeard is a
pseudonym&(surprise!) and a mystery as Nosy Crow claim his
identity must be 'kept a secret'.
This would be an interesting read for 7 to 10 year olds as it is not
too demanding in length and has a larger than normal font.
I am a fan of Nosy Crow publications (check out some of their great
book apps) and I recommend buying this novel for primary school
libraries.
Jane Moore
Survival at 40 C above by Debbie S Miller
Ill. by Jon Van Zyle. A & C Black, 2013. ISBN 9781408190296.
(Age: 7-9) Picture book. Australian environment. Australian animals.
Surviving in the Simpson Desert in the heart of the Australian
continent requires specialised skills by animals and birds alike.
Miller, after three seeks in the desert with a group of scientists
from the University of Sydney, has written a story of the animals
she encountered and speaks of their adaptation to the environment in
which they live in this vibrantly illustrated book.
Informative, interesting, educational, the facts in the book will
interest and inform younger readers, but the layout is something
else. Young readers taught to recognise headings and sub headings,
to use the contents page and index to find the information they
require, to use interactive whiteboards to access information may
find the layout of this book too unwieldy to bother. The whole is
simply like one long essay starting with information about the
desert and then trawling through some of the animals and their
adaptations to the environment and climate in which they live.
Fascinating yes, but it is difficult to use as a non fiction book of
information for class.
After the information is given an author's note, glossary, record
temperatures for the desert, and a list for further reading.
As a book for use at home or as a reader, or extra help in the
classroom where an adult may be around to help the child find the
information they seek, then this has its uses, but as an example of
a modern non fiction book, I found it interesting but a little
disappointing.
Fran Knight
The shape of my heart by Mark Sperring and Alys Paterson
Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN 978 1 4088 2705 5.
(Age: 3+) Picture book. Shapes. An educative look at the shapes in
our environment is shown in this large picture book for younger
listeners. With its bold colours, myriad of images, large print and
simple story line, it is sure to create interest in those children
to whom a book is being read. Children will look at, touch, point to
recognised objects and be introduced to some they do not know. All
is familiar and close by, reprising the closeness of family ties,
companionship, communication and love.
Astute parents and preschool teachers will be able to use the book
to familiarise things within a child's environment and introduce the
words used for the shapes give (I was surprised that this was not
written in), but above all to recreate the love within a family and
friendship group of the child.
A simple premise, showing shapes of different things that children
will come across, ends up with the shape of a heart, extolling the
belief that they are loved.
Fran Knight
The prey by Andrew Fukuda
The hunt, bk 2. Simon & Schuster, 2013. ISBN
9781471117176.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Following the gripping The hunt,
sees Gene and his companions surviving The Vast, travelling over a
waterfall and fighting off the vampire predators that are hunting
them. When they finally find a village of humans high in the
mountains, they think that they are safe, but life there was not
what he expected. There are no young boys; all the girls are
subservient to the elders, who abuse them, and the punishments for
minor infringements are harsh. Gene and Sissy must help each other
to overcome the evil that pervades the settlement and fight off the
invasion of predators.
Once again there is action galore, with the group led by Sissy and
Gene fighting off the vampires in the dark, coming up with daring
ways of escape and looking after each other. The escape scenes are
thrilling and readers will enjoy descriptions of travelling in white
water and hang gliding.
There is great character development alongside the action. Gene
feels great guilt about the girl he left behind, and he questions
what the Scientist, his father, was trying to do. He has to search
his heart to do what is right and he grows in thoughtfulness and
caring for others. Sissy plays an important role too, and there are
a couple of sad moments. Understanding of the vampires grows and
questions of what is best for the group versus the survival of the
individual and power misused are explored.
This was an engrossing read, with plenty of action. It could appeal
to reluctant readers and the cliffhanger ending will ensure that
the next book in the series is read.
Pat Pledger
10 green geckoes by Phillip Gwynne
Ill. by Lloyd Foye. Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781742833454.
(Age: 4+) Warmly recommended. Australian animals. Poetry.
With 10 green geckoes living in the house, accidents are sure to
happen. The first gecko is taken by a mouse, then one falls from the
wall, another goes down the plughole, while another mistakenly eats
a piece of pie. Nine of the little green geckoes come to a sticky
end as they try to survive in their rather alien environment. Small
children will love following the antics of the beautifully
illustrated animals as they meet their fate during the telling of
the ballad. Living in a house means that they come across some
things they would not meet in their natural environment, and the
illustrations show them trying to cope. Counting the frogs as the
story proceeds will enthrall younger readers, and those having it
read to them will love spotting the frogs and the things in the
background.
For older readers, the refrain of 'ten green bottles' will spring
easily to mind, and the listeners could be taught the music to
enable everyone to sing along. In a class, it seems an ideal thing
to do, along with teaching the children about the real environment
this little frog lives in. The possibilities of using this book are
wide as the stanzas lend themselves to a different rhyming sequence
than most poems children would have come across, leading a group to
try out the style for themselves. The gentle humour is enticing and
the ending of the story will draw the readers back to the first page
over and over again.
Fran Knight
Tyrannosaurus in the Veggie Patch by Nick Falk and Tony Flowers
Saurus Street, no 1. Random House, 2013. ISBN 9781742756554.
Recommended for 6-8 year olds. This new series follows the
adventures of dinosaur-loving Jack, Charlie his dog and his best
friend Toby, a scientific whizz kid.
When Jack wishes on a shooting star for his very own dinosaur, he
doesn't expect his wish to come true. The very next morning a live
and hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex appears in Mum's veggie patch. This
leads to lots of trouble-filled adventures, as he tries to hide the
dinosaur and has to return him to the Cretaceous era.
The crazy fonts emphasizing words and phrases are becoming common
with many series books now and add to the pace of reading. Grey
black pen and ink illustrations add dimension to the text. This is a
great read for boys from 6-8 years old who love dinosaurs, crazy
science - time machines and adventures.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Romance Diaries - Ruby by Jenna Austen
The Romance Diaries - Ruby by Jenna Austen
Harper Collins Publishers, 2013. ISBN 978073333152 7. The Romance Diaries - Ruby is aimed at girls aged 12 years+.
It is an easy to read, diary-style story involving the lives of the
main character, Ruby, and her friends. Even though the female
characters are teenagers and it mainly focuses on their
relationships, the language used is definitely not aimed at older
readers and provides a positive insight into the relationships many
girls will one day experience.
Ruby is about 16 years of age and is tired of seeing her friend,
Bella, heartbroken after failing romances. An avid romantic novel
reader and budding writing, Ruby devises a plan to help choose the
perfect partner for Bella. Her first match-making attempt seems
successful and when Ruby meets Will she decides he is perfect for
Bella. Unbeknownst to Ruby, Bella has match-making plans of her own
and when Ruby receives flowers and anonymous emails she begins to
understand what it feels like to be in love. Will Ruby realise she
is more than a match-maker and is about to become a main character
in her own romantic story? The Romance Diaries - Ruby is aimed at more independent
readers and is highly recommended to any girl who is a bit of a
romantic at heart! Even I was cheering Ruby on in her pursuit of
happiness!
The author, Jenna Austen, incorporates teenage-style language,
references to modern texts, like Twilight and easily engages
readers in the lives of Ruby and her friends.
Kylie Kempster
A Pterodactyl Stole My Homework by Nick Falk and Tony Flowers
Saursus Street series. Random House, 2013. ISBN 978 1 74275 656 1.
(Age: 8-10) Recommended. Sam is in a predicament. A pterodactyl has
stolen his homework and his mother doesn't believe him! Would you?
How will he get it back? Saursus Street: A Pterodactyl Stole My Homework is a funny
adventure story featuring eight year old Sam and his older brother,
Nathan. It is aimed at independent readers aged 8-10 years and is
especially good for readers who love dinosaurs. I would highly
recommend this book for those boys who aren't big on reading as they
will enjoy the adventure and fun. The language used is easy to read
and understand too.
It is the second book in the series but readers won't need to read
the first one to help them understand the story.
The chapters are short, helping the story move along quickly, and
the use of different fonts to emphasise words is reminiscent of Geronimo
Stilton books.
Readers will giggle at the antics of Sam as he hunts down his
homework. He is harassed by his horrible teacher, threatened with
boarding school and loses his pants! Will Team Dinosaur (Sam and his
brother) find the stolen homework and discover why a pterodactyl is
busy stealing all over town?
Kylie Kempster
The kill order by James Dashner
Chicken House, 2013. ISBN 9781908435590.
(Age: 14+) A prequel to the Maze Runner trilogy, The kill
order is the story of what happened before the Maze was built
and WICKED was formed. The earth was devastated by solar flares,
cities were flooded and people fled to higher ground. Mark and Trina
managed to escape New York City accompanying Alec, an experienced
ex-soldier and a group of teens.
This was a very exciting book that was hard to put down. Dashner's
description of the devastation caused by the sun, the resulting
tsumanis and the sheer terror of trying to escape death is riveting.
Using Mark's dreams to retell what has happened, Dashner brings to
life what it would be like to live after an apocalypse. Mark's
narration is thrilling and the action is non stop, so much so that
there is little time for deep characterisation. The group battles
the bergs that send down darts full of a fatal virus that makes
people go mad before they die. They battle a cult of mad people, and
the baddies who have sent the bergs. There is little relief from the
violence of the clashes, which were very graphic and all too real
and which I found to be quite disturbing.
Readers who enjoyed the Maze Runner trilogy as I did (review),
will want to find out how it all began; however The kill order
is not for the faint hearted.
Pat Pledger
Daizy Star, Ooh la la! by Cathy Cassidy
Puffin, 2012. ISBN 978-0-14-133744-9.
Recommended for primary aged students. This is the fourth book about
Daizy Star, a primary school aged girl who is searching for a way to
shine. As the title suggests Daisy is off to Paris on a school trip
with her friends. Daizy is still trying to discover her special
skills and abilities and desperately wants to earn a star in her
class before the end of the school year. Along the way she has
problems with her Dad who dresses as a giant squirrel, annoying boys
and French art. Daizy Star, Ooh la la! is an easy and fun read and deals with
many of the issues young girls face, such as friendship, school and
family. These books are very popular with middle, upper primary aged
girls at my school.
Cathy Cassidy has written 20 books for girls but Daizy Star
is aimed at the pre-teen girl.
For more information on the Daizy Star books go to the author's site.
Jane Moore
The Brain Sucker by Glenn Wood
Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 978-1-921977-63-3.
Recommended for 9 to 12 year old students. What if your heart was so
black, that you wanted to destroy all the goodness in the world?
Lester Smythe is one such man. He has invented a brain-sucking
machine to remove all kindness from people. When Lester uses the
machine on 13 year old Callum's grandmother, Callum and his
friends decide to track him down and stop his evil ways.
Callum does not let his wheelchair restrict him and with the help of
Sophie's inventions he begins a quest to return his grandmother to
her considerate and gentle self. Even Jinx, his accident-prone
friend becomes part of the action.
This is a great tale for middle primary students and creates some
interesting discussion points about people's behaviour.
Are the rude actions of people in the city part of their kindness
being removed by the brain sucker or just modern life?
You can hear Glenn Wood read the beginning of his book here.
Jane Moore
Tom Gates - Genius Ideas (mostly) by L. Pichon
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978 1407 13450 5.
(Age: 10+) This book is a light-hearted story, told from young Tom's
point of view. A point of view that is hilarious at times, and by
page 22, the reader will have met a crazy looking sister and a dad
in tight blue bicycling shorts! Embarrassing!
The author, L. Pichon, uses descriptive text and black and white
illustrations to keep the reader engaged and the easy to read
language will keep any 10year+, independent reader happy. It is
aimed at boys but girls who have enjoyed books like The Loser
List and Diary of a Wimpy Kid will enjoy this comical
look at the events in Tom's life. Tom Gates - Genius Ideas mostly is almost like a diary, with Tom
offering his opinions on his daily activities. He faces the same
problems faced by many children which will help readers relate to
Tom's character. To me, the main theme of the story is how Tom sees
the world and how he'll survive what is going on rather than a
definite plot with a resolution. It is this point of view and the
crazy illustrations that made it a pleasure to read, even for me.
(Kids will love the instructions on how to make a paper banger and
the bug flipbook, another bonus!)
Kylie Kempster
Girl's best friend by Leslie Margolis
A Maggie Brooklyn Mystery. Bloomsbury, 2010.
Recommended for primary aged students. Maggie has a secret life.
Unknown to her parents, Maggie is a dog walker after school. Not
only does she have to keep this a secret from her family but a
mystery needs to be solved. Dogs are disappearing and Maggie thinks
she may be on the trail of a dog napper. She becomes involved with
her ex best friend's missing dog and discovers that her secret
crush, Milo seems to be part of the problem.
This book has a lot of appeal for primary aged girls - a good
mystery, animals, issues with friends and boy trouble.
Lots of clues are revealed along the way and many of the characters
are potential suspects in the dognapping saga.
The other book available in this series is Vanishing Acts.
Leslie Margolis has a great website
with book trailers.
Jane Moore
Bodley Head, 2012. ISBN: 9780370332284. 320 pages. 
