Ill. by Chris Riddell. Bloomsbury, 2012, 208 pgs., p/b. ISBN
9781408832400.
Recommended for readers 10+. This book is a special 10th Anniversary
edition of Neil Gaiman's modern classic with an introduction by the
author and spine-chilling illustrations by Chris Riddell, adding to
the
spookiness of the story. The lure of a locked door is too much
for Coraline, the bored young girl at the centre of this spooky
tale. Coraline and her parents have just moved into a new flat
in
the South of England and there is something strange about Coraline's
new home. After moving in, Coraline discovers an old door and
asks her mother where the door leads to. Her mother unlocks
the
door to show her it goes nowhere, opening up to a brick wall.
One
day when her mother pops out to the shops and Coraline is bored and
alone, she opens the door to find the brick wall gone so she
enters. She finds herself in what appears to be her own home,
same carpet, same wallpaper and looking at two people who look like
her
mother and father, except their skin is white as paper and they have
black-button eyes. These two people who look like her parents
want Coraline to stay forever.
I really enjoyed the main character, Coraline, because she is
curious,
intelligent and brave and uses her smarts to save herself and
others.
This is a well written short and easy to read story. It is
full
of adventure, twists and surprises. I would recommend
this
book to 10+ as there are some scary parts.
'Sometimes a door is closed for a very good reason'.
Michelle Thomson
Hal Junior: The missing case by Simon Haynes
Bowman Press, 2012. ISBN 978-1-877034-25-1.
(Age: Middle to upper primary) Hal Junior returns in another space
adventure. This time he has to
entertain a visiting VIP's daughter while her father negotiates the
future of Space Station Oberon.
As usual, Hal finds himself in trouble while trying to impress Alex.
Alex has promised to look after her father's briefcase, which holds
important documents pertaining to the space station's future, but
unfortunately this finds its way into the rubbish. Hal and
Alex
become involved with the space station recycling centre and an
aggressive robot that hates to part with his recycling property.
This science fiction story is aimed at middle to upper primary
school
students. As I have stated before Hal Junior books do not have
attractive jackets and I feel that this will influence their appeal
to
children.
Jane Moore
The games: The extraordinary history of the modern Olympics by Carole Wilkinson
Black Dog Books, 2012. ISBN 9781 742032 22 1
(Ages 10+) Recommended. Non fiction. Olympic games. History.
Nine fascinating and informative chapters give the reader a potted
history of the Olympic Games, and introduction breezily outlining
the beginning of the modern games. Each chapter looks at three
Olympics in turn, with an introductory fact file showing the number
of participating countries, the number of male and female athletes
involved, the number of sports played and the medal tally. The
chapter goes on to target the most interesting occurrences during
the games in that particular year, outline fascinating events and
characters and target athletes who have made a difference.
Wilkinson's always lucid style of writing invites the reader to read
for the sake of reading about the Olympics, rather than use this as
a research tool, but either is appropriate. The detailed index makes
this a good research tool for the library and classroom, and the
open chatty style makes it most accessible to any reader.
At each Olympics, events from the past are alluded to by the
journalists searching for something new and interesting to say or
write, the storming of the Jewish athletes at the Munich Games,
Jessie Owens' achievements at the Berlin Games, the breathing
problems at the Mexico City Games, all these are given an airing in
this book, making it a formidable companion read for all those
people fascinated by the games themselves, the athletes in
particular and just lovers of all sport.
And for those groups of boys who frequent the library at lunchtimes
or keep their heads stuck in the Guinness Books of Records,
this is another book from which to gain things to add to their pile
of interesting facts.
Fran Knight
The sugarbag by Nola Turner-Jensen
Ill. by Dub Leffler. Magabala Books, 2012. ISBN 9781921248474
(Ages 4+) Recommended. Picture book. Aboriginal themes. Environment.
Jimmy and Max are out in the bush when a native bee passes by. Jimmy
catches the stingless bee and takes a little bit of stuffing from
Max's toy, attaching it to the back of the bee. He tells Max that
his grandfather has told him about doing this so that they can
follow the bee and find sugarbag or ngarruu or honey. Max thinks
that finding sugarbag is a great idea, and imagines all the sweets
that he will be able to eat. But when the bee goes into a hollow
log, and Jimmy finds some large sticks to pry the log open, many
angry bees erupt from the log. Max hides but Jimmy perseveres,
eventually finding his reward, sweet honey. This is not quite what
Max imagined, but one finger full of the honey convinces him that
this is sugarbag. The boys eat some of what they have found, then
Jimmy puts some on a flat stick and wraps it in bark to take it back
to his grandfather.
This is a lovely story based around bush tucker found by Aboriginal
people over Australia. Called sugarbag by the European settlers, it
is called ngarruu by the Widajuri people of northern New South
Wales, and the words of the book point to more than the simple story
of the boys collecting honey. There are under-stories of older
people passing on information and skills, the theme of sharing, of
bush tucker, of family and obligation. And in a country where
obesity is a growing issue, the idea of what sort of sweets are good
for you is another area of discussion which this book promotes.
Books from Magabala are always multi-layered, teaching more that
just story, giving layers of meaning and story to chew upon.
The illustrations are muted and soft, with colours reflecting the
sorts of sweets Max is imagining he will find in the bush. The two
boys are entertainingly drawn, making the eye follow their antics
across the page. The design of the book is noteworthy as the words
move across the page, emulating the trail of the bee and stressing
some of the questions Max has for Jimmy.
Fran Knight
Bubbay, a Christmas adventure by Josie Wowolla Boyle
Ill. by Fern Martins. Magabala Books, 2012. ISBN 1921248726.
(Ages 5+) Recommended. Picture book. Christmas. This is one of the
loveliest Christmas stories I have read. The story is redolent of
the warmth of families and giving of yourself. Aboriginal and
European cultures and stories sit alongside each other in the tale
of a boy out tending his goats. Bubbay is alone and his wish is for
being in a home for Christmas. To this end he wishes upon the stars
on high for a Christmas tree to put presents underneath ready to
give at Christmas. The stars hear him and send down a tree which
needs five things attached for his wish to be realised. He scours
the desert for the five things, a stone, an egg, a seed, a feather
and a shell to decorate his tree. He does this eagerly, with the
help of old Gubarlee, finding that the shell is the hardest thing to
find. The conclusion of the story brings all the themes together,
the Aboriginal boy alone in the desert, Christmas Eve, the need for
family, sharing and helping. The blending of Aboriginal and European
stories is wonderful and will endear the tale to all of its readers.
The illustrations however, make the book difficult to read aloud to
a class, as the pastels blend into each other when viewed further
away. It is a shame, as the book would be well used as a read aloud,
but clever teachers will be able to get around this using technology
I am sure. The background to the naive illustrations sometimes
detracts as well, but readers will love reading about the boy and
his quest, and look for the things mentioned in the text in the
vibrant and colourful illustrations.
Fran Knight
Bushland lullaby by Sally Odgers
Ill. by Lisa Stewart. Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 174283177X.
(Ages 1+) Picture book. Bedtime reading. A gentle story told in
rhyming lines within stanzas, this book is presented to be read by a
parent or sibling at bed time, easing the younger child into sleep.
Each page gives us four poetic lines telling of an Australian animal
settling down to sleep with its parents. In gentle balladic stanzas,
the story is told of the animals and their night time snuggling to
rest after a busy day. Children will love to hear of these animals,
warm in the knowledge that they too are about to go to bed to sleep,
comforted by their parent's closeness. The gentle rhymes are easy to
emulate, encouraging the listener to predict the word that comes
next, possibly offering alternatives to the one given on the page.
The descriptions offered too, underscore the environment and
habitat. The illustrations, using Japanese paper collage techniques
are soft and gentle, paralleling the story being told. They are more
useful for a one to one reading, as they tend to fade on viewing
from a distance, becoming indistinct.
Fran Knight
Australian Origins: Where the people of Australia came from by Victoria Macleay
Trocadero Publishing, 2012. Volume 1: Afghanistan to Italy. ISBN
9780864271266. Volume 2: Japan to Zimbabwe. ISBN 9780864271273.
Among the key inquiry questions for Year 6 in the history strand of
the Australian National Curriculum are these:
1. Who were the people who came to Australia? Why did they come?
2. What contribution have significant individuals and groups made to
the development of Australian society?
These two books from Trocadero's series The National Identity
are perfect resources for helping students research the answers to
these questions, so they not only have a sound understanding of the
multi-national makeup of our population, but also a solid basis for
the more specialised studies undertaken in history in later years.
Arranged in alphabetical order, there are clear and easily readable
details about each country, its relationship to Australia and a
brief national history which puts the immigration patterns into
context. The information is in easily readable chunks accompanied by
a map, photos and a flag. There's even a pie graph that shows the
number and proportion of each nationality within the overall
population - apparently there are currently 544,171 New Zealand-born
people here, of which I am one! Kiwis are the second largest source
for immigration after those from the UK, which is not surprising.
Because my natural instinct was to look up the stats for my origins,
it would make sense to use these resources in a similar way with
your students. Ask them, 'Were you (or your parents) the first
person from ____ to come to live in Australia?' Given the answer is
probably 'No,' this would provide an opportunity for them to
kickstart their research using these resources and then lead into a
deeper investigation of the history of their home country and why
people choose to migrate. The influence of war is powerful. From
this, a parallel study of the plight of refugees and the
contemporary issue of asylum seekers and 'boat people' could ensue,
as well as comparing how Australians have treated migrants in the
past, such as the shunning of the Chinese during the gold rush, the
White Australia policy, the impact of European immigration after the
war, the current requirements for entry and so on. It would help
students understand how the past influences the present and perhaps
help answer that perennial question about why we need to study
history. Students might then read Marsden's Home and Away
and investigate which country they might flee to, or, if they are
leaving in more convivial circumstances, which country they might go
to and its requirements for entry, work permits and so forth. Is the
grass greener? For a more mathematical slant, students could use the
stats to build a graph of the makeup of Australia's population (an
authentic task for learning pie graphs); perhaps compare it to the
makeup of the school's population and suggest reasons for any
differences such as the tendency for some groups to choose to live
near each other and the implications for this; and then investigate
the wealth of information that is available on the website of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Australian Origins is just one in a number of series being published
by Trocadero as it works to provide current, relevant resources to
support the history curriculum. Others include Asia-Pacific
Relations; Asia-Pacific Timelines; Australia Year by Year;
Australian Decades; Defending Australia; Linking the Nation;
and The National Identity (which would also support the Year
6 curriculum). To see the complete list (as well as what's planned)
go to http://www.trocadero.com.au/
and to find those that will meet the needs of a particular year
group go to http://www.intbooks.com.au/pdf-pages/history.php.
As the implementation of the Australian National Curriculum is
rolled out across the country, these are some excellent resources
purposely produced to support it.
Barbara Braxton
All I ever wanted by Vikki Wakefield
All I ever wanted by Vikki Wakefield
Text Publishing, 2011. ISBN 1921758309.
(Ages 13+) Recommended. Contemporary novel. Mim is a few days shy of
her 17th birthday in the last few weeks of the summer holidays
before returning to school. Her rules are in tatters. She would
never involve herself in the drug scene like her now incarcerated
brothers, and yet she has picked up a parcel for her mother, and had
it stolen from her on her way home. Stuck in a suburb where living
in a half house means you hear what goes on next door, or the
neighbours constantly fighting, avoiding the witch a few doors down
and crossing the road when nearing the large snarling dog, means
that the aspirations of her family and friends are narrow, and she
wants more. She has written her rules on the wall of the local
abandoned tower, and strives to adhere to them. But this summer, the
hot dry summer, things have changed. Her best friend, Tahnee has
lost her virginity, and taken up with a loser, willing to have sex
with him in his car, get drunk at parties in the park, and deride
her friend for her needing to finish school and go places rather
than be stuck in this suburb for the rest of her life, stuck like
her mother.
Mim must get the parcel back, and so goes to great lengths to
retrieve it, eventually enlisting the help of the local dealer, who
seems to know all about it. The person who stole it from her is the
boy from across the way, in a new development, one who would usually
not even give her the time of day. In trying to force him to give
back her package, she becomes friendly with his sister, and the two
surprisingly become friends.
A fascinating look at one girl's dreams for her future, determined
not to make the mistakes of her family, and wanting a way out of a
suburb which will, if it can, entrap her into the same cycle of
poverty, makes this is an absorbing read. Mim is a great character,
guarding her rules almost fanatically but forced to bend them
somewhat according to changed circumstances this summer. How she
does make the break and keep truthful to her rules will keep all
readers hooked. And in the end, Oscar Wilde's quote comes to the
fore, 'Who, being loved, is poor?' as Mim finds that there is more
to her family and neighbours than she has realised.
Fran Knight
One very tired wombat by Renee Treml
Random House, 2012. ISBN 978 1 74275 578 6.
(Ages 4+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Australian animals.
Being a nocturnal animal, all wombat wants to do is sleep. But the
other animals in this environment have different ideas to him. His
peace and quiet is plundered consistently through this delightful
book, with the story following his night of efforts to sleep. This
counting book told in rhyming couplets, will enthrall younger
readers as they recognise the animals which come along keeping
wombat awake, learning to read the rhyming sentences aloud with a
teacher or parent.
The tired wombat is interrupted by two curious curlews, then three
furtive frogmouths and four peaceful pigeons and so on, until at the
end of the book, the wombat is able to disperse them all, and in
doing so, is able to curl up and go to sleep, or can he? The ending
will bring smiles to all who read this charming book full of poetry,
alliteration and fun.
The bold black and white illustrations, sometimes contrasted with
single colour backgrounds are lively and amusing, giving a cheeky
look to the well known Australian animals, including penguins,
magpies, galahs and kookaburras. Listeners will love the rhymes, so
much so that they will want to predict the final rhyming words, and
learn the rhymes themselves. The alliteration is infectious, so many
readers and listeners will add other words to the line, using the
same starting letter.
As a wonderful book simply to read or a book to introduce Australian
animals to a class, or the life of a wombat, or look at rhyme and
alliteration, this book has a wide number of uses, apart from the
obvious one of being just a great read aloud.
Fran Knight
The man from the land of Fandango by Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar
Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2012. ISBN 9781847802200.
(Age 4+) Recommended. A wonderful verse story from Margaret Mahy and
beautifully illustrated by Polly Dunbar, The man from the land of
Fandango is a joy to read aloud and peruse. Two young children paint
the man form the land of Fandango who comes alive bringing bingles
and bangles and bounces and coming to make a call.
The story of the man from Fandango is told with verve by Mahy, a
master at using beautifully and evocative language to stir the
imagination:
'The man from the land of Fandango
Is given to dancing and dreams,
He comes in at the door like a somersault star
And he juggles with junkets and jam in a jar
And custards and caramel creams.'
This book is a joy to read aloud and will extend both the
imagination and the vocabulary of any child who listens to it.
Dunbar's colourful illustrations have a life of their own and really
enhance and complement the story. The man from Fandango is pictured
as a jolly red cheeked plump man who skps and plays a horn. The
children have happy expressions on their faces that make the
reader smile. I especially liked the contrasts that Dunbar made in
her illustrations of the animals. The picture of the dancing bison,
who had a mythical type head and in contrast wore red high heels and
a red bow on her tail is a favourite. The dancing bears had neckties
and little hats and huge kangaroos fluttered their eyes with long
eyelashes.
Margaret Mahy has brought immense joy to children through the years
with her wonderful stories and The man from the land of Fandango
is one that is a keeper.
Pat Pledger
Beyond courage: The untold story of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport
Candlewick Press, 2012. ISBN 9780763629762.
(Age: 14+) Doreen Rappaport's themes are resistance and survival.
Despite her Jewish upbringing and numerous books and films about the
Holocaust, she felt that her knowledge of the subject was limited
and
embarked on years of research. The result may surprise those who
assume
that there is nothing new to say about this event.
The structure of the book emphasises the immense scope of the
tragedy
by relating stories of young people across Europe who resisted
entrapment, and by leaving accounts of those in concentration camps
until last. Each section begins with an explanation of one of the
machineries of genocide, from the introduction of discriminatory
laws
to the confinement and murder of Jews in ghettoes and camps. The
narrative ranges from dramatic escapes to determined attempts to
maintain meaningful lives in desperate situations. Equally moving,
are
accounts of non-Jewish people who were also targeted for elimination
and forced labour, or who risked their own lives to save the lives
of
others.
Readers are taken into the experiences of people whose names and
photographs personalise the statistics. The author's focus on
courage
ensures that her grim subject matter is also inspiring.
The extensive bibliography and meticulously recorded source notes
are
the hallmark of an accomplished historian but the sub-title
threatens
the book's credibility. Although some previously unpublished oral
histories have been included, calling the whole book 'the untold
story'
overlooks long standing records of Jewish resistance. The author's
principal premise that Jews did not go 'like sheep to the
slaughter',
remains an important issue. However, over sixty years and several
more
genocides later, her stories also highlight the terrible dilemmas
which
confront everyone living under repressive, totalitarian regimes as
well
as humanity's failure to learn from history. & Beyond courage has been written in an accessible narrative
style
by an
award winning author who understands the raw power of documentation
and
personal testimony. Readers can ponder for themselves, the insights
gained from the events it chronicles.
Elizabeth Bor
Nellie's greatest wish by Penny Matthews
Ill. by Lucia Masciullo. Puffin Books, 2012. ISBN 978 0 1 4 330626
0.
(Ages 8+) Recommended. Australian History. The fourth in the series
about Nellie, an Irish immigrant to South Australia in 1850, has the
girl returning to Adelaide after a fruitless trip to The Burra,
looking for her former employer, Mrs Thompson, with whom she hoped
to find work. But she finds that they have gone, and so she sets out
on the long road back to the town she came from, but this time on
foot. With her shoes falling apart, sick from worry over her friend,
Mary, who she left in an infirmary, Nellie's life looks up when a
kindly farming family give her a bed for the night. They then find a
ride to Adelaide the following day so Nellie arrives back in the
town, eager to find Mary. But the news she receives is not good, and
destitute she finds shelter in the burnt out wreck of the hotel
where she once worked.
This series about Nellie, gives an incredible amount of detail about
the plight of poor female immigrants who came to South Australia in
the expectation of work during the nineteenth century. Many were
sent to the Servant'[s Depot, an institution set up where girls could
go and meet prospective employers, although these were scarce as
Nellie soon found.
This is one of the six books about girls in Australia set in
different times in our history. Each captures the life and times
well, giving younger students a thrilling story set against a
credible backdrop.
The series is well supported by a website with
activities and research assignments, fun stuff and teacher notes.
Fran Knight
The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting
Headline, 2012. ISBN 9780755389155.
(Ages: 15+) Violet has a strange ability to sense the echoes of dead
bodies and the imprints on their killers. Feeling shunned her whole
life due to her ability, she's recently joined a special
investigative
team of teenagers with powers to solve crimes. Will Violet feel like
she finally belongs? The Last Echo is the third in The Body Finder series which
delves into
Violet's struggles in fitting with a new group, a looming love
triangle
with her boyfriend Jay and the mysterious Rafe, and a serial killer
on
the loose dubbed 'the girlfriend collector'.
It interchanges Violet's thoughts with chilling chapters from the
serial killers perspective. I found these brief interludes
incredibly
disturbing and creepy, and a breather from all the teen drama
occupying
Violets life. The girlfriend collector is not someone everyone can
stomach, as he's incredibly twisted and dark. He kidnaps girls he
fancies from afar, and hides them in a dark room. The novel doesn't
only describe the crime, but delves into the mind of a serial
killer,
which probably makes it suitable for more mature young adult
readers.
Much of the book is melodramatic, with the central focus being
Violet's
insecurities and fitting in with the team instead of the compelling
murder mystery within the book. While Violet isn't a particular
strong
heroine, she is a character that many teenagers could probably
relate
to, even with her strange powers.
While parts of novel are suspenseful and thrilling, other parts are
frustrating and slow moving. When you just want to find out about
how
the killer will be caught, you have Violet mulling over her feelings
between two boys. If you're looking for a bit of a thrill with some
romance and drama thrown in, The Last Echo is for you.
Jeann Wong
Travelling suitcases (DVD series)
BookLinks and Queensland Government production, 2009. DVD. 10 mins
each.
This is a series of DVDs about Australian authors and illustrators,
exposing their working lives to the viewers. Each author/illustrator
introduces him/herself, then takes the reader through their writing
and
illustrating, from the initial impetus and ideas, to the research
and
then the work. Each DVD is a brief but interest filled introduction
to
the artist and his/her work.
An example which outlines the extent of each DVD is that of
Michael Gerard Bauer. He wrote the Ishmael series and in the DVD
gives
a wholly personal account of his life, inviting the student into his
house and the two areas in his house where he works. He displays the
range of objects (pictures and found objects) that spark an interest
and then lead into a story. For example the Ishmael books began when
he
was looking at a picture of Captain Ahab from the novel, Moby
Dick.
The
opening line of this story is 'Call me Ishmael', so Michael began to
think of the opposite, 'Don't call me Ishmael' and the story grew
from
there. He tells more about the writing process and this leads to the
editing and publishing process as he sits in one for his studies.
This series of DVDs accompanied the Travelling Suitcase Project,
where
suitcases were packed full of information about the
authors/illustrators, Kerry Argent, Michael Gerard Bauer, Gregory
Rogers, Narelle Oliver and James Moloney. Each suitcase included
display ideas, the author's published books, interesting items from
the
author's writing and illustrating life, and drafts and story boards.
Booklinks, along with the Queensland Writer's Centre and the Ipswich
Children's Literature Festival, produced these suitcases with a
grant
from CBC which allowed schools to borrow them for free.
(The website at www.booklinks.org.au/TravelSuitcases.html
gives more information
about this series of DVDs, along with an order form).
For an introduction to the work of these people, these DVDs are a
short, energetic and engaging way to introduce these authors and
their
work, either as a study in the classroom, or simply to give students
a
wider view of that person, or help students with ideas for their own
writing or illustrative work. I can imagine these being used in
English
or Art classes, as well as in the library to great effect.
Fran Knight
A Little Fact, A Lot of Fiction by Deborah Abela
www.deborahabela.com
I am a coward.
I always have been, but I'm a coward who loves to be told scary
stories. Not a good fit, I know, but one that has kept me glued to
spooky takes over many, many years. From Bloody Mary, to the Flying
Dutchman and those spooky disappearances that have occurred over the
Bermuda Triangle, I loved them all and I guess from a young age it
wasn't about knowing had had occurred but the delicious possibility of
what could have happened.
For a writer, the idea of what if is a constant question, swooping
around in our heads like unruly magpies. It's how we operate every day
and fashion stories from a tiny miniscule idea. We look, we ponder, we
ponder some more and the beginnings of an entire novel emerge from
those wonderful lovely two words. It thrills and terrifies me even
after having written twenty novels.
Writers often start from a point of reality and fascination, and
meander or sometimes run from there to create their stories. My novel
Grimsdon began with my frustration about the reluctance to
believe the
science of climate change and became a book about flooded cities and
brave kids fighting sea monsters and evil harbour lords. Max Remy
started from real adventures I'd had, a love of cartoons from my TV
producing days and Mel Brooks' ever funny, Get Smart. The Ghost
Club
series was inspired by my love of Charles Dickens, which led me to the
discovery that he had set up his own Ghost Club in England in 1862. A
club that still exists today.
For Dickens, it began because of a belief in ghosts, of which he said
he saw plenty, but also from his enjoyment of the fact that not
everything in the world could be empirically explained.
This is one of the joys of writing . . . the possibility of what could
happen
next and where your characters could end up? There is a lovely moment
in writing where, instead of me directing the characters, they begin to
move by themselves. They talk and have conversations I'd never
anticipated, they may adopt a stance or attitude or share a belief with
another character that seems to come from them and not me. Peter Carey
calls this the osteopathic click, when all your hard work and thought
that has gone into a character creates a person who feels real and
fleshy, with all their faults and flares.
I borrow from people, too, to help create my characters until they come
into their own. It takes time and patience, throwing ideas and
sometimes characters out who just aren't working.
So from that group of men who came together to discuss ghosts, came my
discovery of them almost 150 years later and the question of . . . what
if I
created my own club that believed in ghosts and two of the youngest
catchers were kids? 11-year-old twins, Angeline and Edgar Usher and
together with a series of misfit characters they help to keep the world
free from pesky and sometimes bad tempered ghosts.
'You can pick on me all you like and tell everyone you know that I'm
weird, but what my family does is no more surprising than someone's mum
who's an accountant or dad who's a fireman. One fixes numbers, the
other fixes fires, our family fixes problems with ghosts.' Angeline
Usher to bully Travis from Ghost Club The Haunted School.
Small scribblings, a series of what ifs and another novel comes to
life.
