Ill. by Matt Ottley. Walker books, 2012. ISBN 9781 921977 72 5.
(Ages: All) Highly recommended. Picture book. Difference.
Walker Books has reprinted dozens of Australian classics, and this
is another superb publication, an award winner, which will intrigue
readers all over again, probably replacing an old well used copy on
the library shelves, while introducing it to younger teachers.
The story of Luke, derided by a teacher and some of the students for
his art which is not confined to the strictures of the teacher, has
huge appeal. There are all sorts of layers here to think about and
discuss: the issue of bullying, people's different ways of seeing
the same thing, imagination, individuality, being true to oneself
amongst others. Luke remains true to his own version of what he
sees, although he cannot explain it, eventually staying away from
school. On this day he visits the local art gallery, and sees for
the first time, the works of others who see things as he does.
Bolstered in his own individual way of seeing things, her returns to
school a much happier student, able to retain his individuality and
belief in himself.
Writing down what I feel about the book underlines to me even more
Nadia Wheatley's consummate skill at portraying Luke and his 'way of
looking' succinctly and precisely. The words I have used seem lame
compared with Wheatley's prose and the way each sentence is
constructed, having a particular place while promoting thought in
the overall story.
The illustrations are pure magic. The incredible image on the first
two pages of the overbearing teacher, his hand reflected largely on
the wall behind them, the group of boys almost cowering under his
influence leads the reader into his derision of Luke's artworks, the
small boy and his work minute under the teacher's looming form on
the next pages. Luke strays from school, taking the tram to the Art
Gallery where he sees things he has never seen before. Colour
becomes more important on each page as Luke's spirit is lifted, the
images themselves are joyous and positive, the people on the bus
home, welcoming and interested. Returning to school sees a return to
the sepia of the first few pages, but then Luke's colour takes over,
and it is the teacher whose image is reduced. The juxtaposition of
full page illustrations, smaller framed illustrations, the way the
print lies on the page, all add to the myriad of talking points this
wonderful book promotes. And this new edition provides editorial
comment from Dr Robyn Morrow, Nadia Wheatley and Matt Ottley, adding
another level of discussion for students, readers, parents and
teachers to digest, think about and consider.
Fran Knight
Literature to support the Australian Curriculum: History by Fran Knight
Pledger Consulting, 2012. ISBN 978 1 876678 26 5.
Highly recommended for all schools. This resource is a God send for
time-poor teachers and school librarians. The Australian Curriculum
for History has delivered us a lot of content without too much
direction on how to teach it, or how to fit everything into a
crowded curriculum. Through using relevant literature teachers will
be able to engage students through stories and also integrate
English and History in interesting ways.
This resource lists and annotates many interesting and available
literature resources in an easy to follow format. It is organised
around year levels and clearly states the History focus for that
year level. There is plenty of room to add your own resources too,
which I found useful. It includes extra information such as
available teacher notes for individual titles.
An essential resource for purchase.
Chris Lloyd
Punchlines by Oliver Phommavanh
Puffin, 2012. ISBN 978014330651. $16194 p
(Ages: 11+) Recommended. Johnny Khamka is in Year Ten, and a member
of the Bad Bugs trio with his two best friends, Jeffro and Razeal.
He has a desperate crush on his now gorgeous, (and taken) childhood
friend Josie, and a desperate need to entertain everyone with his
self deprecating humour. It is this humour that he thinks may win
Josie's heart.
Johnny has grown up watching his dad be an entertaining MC at
Vietnamese and Laotian community events and always wondered why his
dad does not do this as a job. His father's negative reaction to
Johnny entering a local Stand Up Comedy Event is also puzzling to
Johnny. This tension between Johnny and his dad over Johnny's
participation and the resolution of this towards the end of the
novel is particularly well handled by the author.
I have previously really enjoyed reading Thai-riffic and Con-nerd
by the same author and this novel has the same appeal. Johnny is a
very engaging and believable character and the situations he finds
himself in are often laugh out loud moments.
I recommend this for your middle school students who are always
asking for funny books and it also ticks boxes for Asian
perspectives. Try it with your older Wimpy Kid fans.
Chris Lloyd
Blood brothers by Carole Wilkinson
Dragonkeeper series. Book four. Black Dog Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1
742031 89 7.
(Ages: 9+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Tao, a novice in a remote
Buddhist Temple, believes he's living according to the precepts of
the Buddha. Then Kai comes into his life and makes life far more
difficult. Kai is a youngster for a dragon but he has seen many
years, 465 to be exact.
Tao is sent by his Abbot to the town of Luoyang, the place of his
birth and his ancestral home, to beg for alms. However Luoyang
has been decimated by war and little is left standing and the
remaining population have nothing left to give. The Han army
is camped outside the town and barbarian raiders are on the move and
it is not a safe time to travel. During one of the battles Kai and
Tao meet Pema, a young girl who has survived by her wits and nerve
since her family was killed. She proves to be a great problem for
Tao who tries desperately to hold on to his vows as a novice monk.
Tao has the attributes of a dragonkeeper and Kai believes he and Tao
are destined to be together. Tao of course cannot be a dragonkeeper
and becomes a monk. For Tao this is vital because he needs to gain
merit to ensure his twin brother Wei gains karma for his next life.
Carol Wilkinson again weaves an engrossing story with the nomad
raiders proving moments of great danger and suspense for all the
main characters. The relationship between Tao and Kai and Tao and
Pema is intriguing and begs the question how will they be
resolved? For those familiar with the Dragonkeeper series, the
character of dragons, their foibles, tingling, gonging speech,
precocious nature and weaknesses will be nothing new, yet
Wilkinson's dragons are always endearing and annoying in almost
equal measure. Her narrative has plenty of twists and turns and
gives an insight into a refreshingly different fantasy world.
Mark Knight
The great and dangerous by Chris Westwood
Frances Lincoln Children's Book, 2012. ISBN 978-1-84780-249-1.
Highly recommended. What a page turner! I just couldn't put this
book down. I was entranced from the very first glimpse of the eerie
cover to the last page.
This novel, set in present day London, is the second in this series.
I hadn't read book number one but was given enough information to
work out the back story.
Ben Harvester works for 'The Ministry of Pandemonium' and he can see
'dead people'. His job is to help the souls of the newly dead find
safe passage to the afterlife. Ben, with his team, work for the
ministry and receive notice of the soon to be dead by a typed list
that gives names, places and how death will occur. No one is allowed
to interfere with the fate of the people listed, just to make sure
their souls are not captured by the enemy, the Lords of Snowdon.
Ben and his friend Becky are in danger themselves. Ben is being
watched and his mother is also at risk. The Dark Lords have a score
to settle with Ben and want to cause him as much pain and grief as
possible.
The plot is well written with Ben telling the story himself, taking
the reader with him on his fast paced adventures into the darker
side of London.
This is a great read for upper primary and older. It's a book that
can be scary and exciting but not terrifying. Readers of Skulduggery
Pleasant would enjoy this stand out series.
A book trailer is available
.
Jane Moore
Dangerous days - The true story of a digger's great escape by Ernest Brough
Angus and Robertson, 2010. ISBN 9780732287511.
Recommended for secondary boys (and girls) who would enjoy this true
story of Ernest Brough's experience in North Africa and Europe in
World War Two. This book has been adapted from his adult novel Dangerous
days: A Diggers Great Escape, published in 2009. Aged 89 when
he co-authored this version, Ernest remembers it all vividly. He was
a nineteen year old country boy from Drouin in Victoria's Gippsland
when he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force. He was
sent to Libya in North Africa, where he became one of the famous
Rats of Tobruk. These were Australians who withstood the German
siege of the town for 242 days giving the Allies time to rebuild
strength to confront Rommel, the German Commander, in the battles of
El Alamein. This was possibly the last war where the 'rules' of war,
eg not shooting an unarmed prisoner, were observed. It was just
before the allied victory here that Ernest was taken prisoner by the
Germans and ended up in a Stalag prisoner of war camp in Austria.
The story of his escape with two others and their hair-raising
journey on foot to Croatia is indeed a thrilling story. They
experienced life on the road with the Yugoslav partisans before
pulling a plane out of the mud to fly to Italy. That he survived so
much is more than lucky - it was a miracle. Boys today would be
amazed to learn of the hardships, bravery, resourcefulness, mateship
and stoic endurance of Ernest and his compatriots. Ernest is honest
about living with the legacy of the war and he ends with his
reflections on war and its effects.
There is also a very useful Readers' Notes containing information on
World War Two, Australia's role in it, the structure of the AIF, the
North African campaign, major figures of the war, the Yugoslav
partisans and a Timeline of World War Two.
Kevyna Gardner
Playful Poppy by Susannah McFarlane
Ill. by Lachlan Creagh. Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978 1 74283 050 6.
Organised Oliver by Susannah McFarlane
Ill. by Lachlan Creagh. Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978 174283 049 0
(Ages 4+)Little Mates series. Alphabet books, Australian animals.
Poppy the platypus and her four friends, each named, Pete,
Penny, Patrick and Piper all spend their time lazing by the pond,
but not Poppy, she likes to spend her time pretending. All the
things she likes start with 'p', so the young reader and listener
can have a great time thinking up more 'p' words to include in the
story as well as using the illustrations to predict the 'p' word on
the page. The party at the end is full of 'p' things to do: pin the
tail on the potoroo, pass the parcel and so on, inviting the readers
again to work out how many 'p' words they can think of. This is yet
another in the series of Little Mates, offering a little,
hand sized book of simple stories of Australian animals from A to Z. Organised Oliver is another in the series, with Oliver
Octopus as the main character. Ordering objects is his passion and
he ropes in his friends, Oona, Orlando, Oscar and Olivia to help
with with this immense task.
Small children will love this series of Australian animals, and join
in with finding things which begin with the nominated letter as well
as follow the bright illustrations with glee.
Fran Knight
Inn Boonsboro Trilogy by Nora Roberts
Piatkus, 2012.
(Adult) Romance. The first two books in the Inn Boonsboro
Trilogy see Roberts, a best selling author of romance and romantic
suspense novels, return to her well tried formula featuring a
diverse group of young women finding their feet and the love of
their lives.
What makes this series stand out is the setting. There is a historic
Inn at BoonsBoro and it is being renovated. It is owned by Roberts
so of course she has an intimate knowledge of the construction work
and the fittings needed to bring such a place back to its former
glory. The books are a great vehicle for publicizing the Inn as
well, as I am sure that many people would love the opportunity to
stay in one of the rooms that are named after well known love
matches like Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy as well as Roberts' book
characters like Eve and Roake.
Roberts too has a great eye for male characters and the repartee
between the brothers is authentic and often very amusing. All her
characters are rounded out well, the villain in The Next Always
satisfying real and nasty and the little boys are a treat. Add a
paranormal touch in the ghost who haunts the Elizabeth and Darcy
room and Roberts has a winning duo of books that are just right for
a quick, cosy but adult read, as there are sex scenes.
Book 1. The next always. ISBN9780749955366.
Beckett Montgomery is the architect in charge of the renovations of
the historic Inn in BoonsBoro. He is too busy to have much of a
social life but he does have his eye on Clare the young woman who
has arrived back in town and is running a bookshop and looking after
her three children.
Book 2. The last boyfriend. ISBN 9780749955519.
Owen Montgomery is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, often seen
to be inflexible with the way he runs the family's construction
business and the renovations of the Inn BoonsBoro. He has never
quite forgotten Avery McTavish, his first girlfriend, the owner of
the pizza place across from the hotel, and the work on the hotel
gives them time to appreciate each other.
Pat Pledger
The drowned cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
Atom, 2012. ISBN 9781907411113.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. A companion volume to the award
winning Ship breaker, sees two damaged children, Mahlia and
Mouse, trying to survive in the dystopian world where warring
factions are fighting for the scrap that is left of cities that have
been overtaken by rising sea levels. Mahlia is the daughter of a
drowned city woman and a Chinese peacekeeper, and when the
peacekeepers left, she was abandoned and made an outcast as a
collaborator. Captured by The Army of God, whose soldiers cut her
hand off, she is rescued by a young boy Mouse and together they
escape to a village. Fate overtakes them again, when soldiers come
searching for Tool, the half-man who has been genetically designed
as a weapon of war. When the soldiers take off Mouse, Mahlia has to
face the heartbreaking decision about whether to try and find him or
save herself.
I had to put this down a couple of times as the stark reality of war
and boy soldiers made me feel devastated, but this is an outstanding
book that can be read without reading the first award winning, Ship
Breaker. I think what made me most disturbed but what also
makes this book so life changing is the portrayal of boy soldiers
that Bacigalupi makes. As a reader I was horrified at the behaviour
of the soldiers, thinking that they were adults. Gradually the
reader begins to learn that they are in fact children, the second in
command, probably in his mid to late teens and that they have all
been abandoned and only have their soldier companions as family. The
rituals that they go through to become part of the military group,
the brainwashing about why they are told to act the way they do and
the sheer brutality is heart rending.
This is also a tense, suspenseful book as Mahlia and Tool journey
through the forests and through the waterways of the drowned city in
search of Mouse. The descriptions of what could be Washington; its
streets now canals and its treasures looted are really vivid.
However it is the moral dilemmas that stay in the mind after reading
The drowned cities. The reader knows that there are boy
soldiers and similar situations happening right now in the world,
that peacekeepers have been forced to leave war torn countries and
that everyday some young person is probably faced with the dilemma
of saving themselves or looking after people they love.
An uncompromising, breathtaking book, The drowned cities
changed the way I think. It is not for the faint hearted but I
believe that it is a really important book for all libraries to have
and promote and would be an excellent class set or literature circle
book.
Pat Pledger
The invisible assassin : the Malichea quest by Jim Eldridge
Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781408817193.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Young teenagers will love the fast paced
action and intrigue depicted in this breathtaking thriller which
opens with the accidental discovery of a buried book. It is revealed
that English monks of the Medieval Order of Malychea dedicated
themselves to the preservation of ancient scientific texts,
originally to prevent Viking invaders from stealing them . Later,
the same Order strove to ensure the survival of these writings in a
world of evolving religious conflict which would have seen them
destroyed as heretical threats to the Church. Interesting historical
facts such as the Inquisition and The Plague are interwoven with
dramatic fiction to create a tantalising suggestion that these books
could have remained hidden throughout many centuries.
Jake Wells is a young publicist for a British government scientific
department and by chance witnesses the horrific consequences of the
unearthing of one of the ancient texts. A complex web of distrustful
relationships and questionable incidents develops as Jake stumbles
over clues and meets a variety of individuals who become involved
and surreptitiously reveal knowledge and information. The question,
as ever, is 'Who can he trust?'
The term 'Rollercoaster adventure' is cliched and worn. It does
however perfectly describe this novel which sees Jake breaking into
a secure scientific facility, escaping from murderous thugs,
avoiding police arrest for crimes committed by others and trying to
evade powerful individuals who work for shadowy organisations which
seem to hold all the cards.
The plot relies on strong female characters who bring the brains,
courage, fast motorbikes and technical skill to support Jake in a
situation which would otherwise overwhelm him. Greedy and powerful
men pose threats at every turn and the exciting adventures which
take place will please and entertain adolescents who enjoy both
mystery and action novels.
Rob Welsh
The Ruffs by Christina Miesen
Aussie bites. Penguin, 2012 ISBN 9780 14 330672 6.
(Ages 7+) Bushrangers. The Ruff family of bushrangers are a weird
lot, each has a particular skill known only to them, but mightily
useful when fighting off the troopers in the gold fields of
Victoria.
Slingshot Daddy is not only accurate with his sling, but he uses
kangaroo pellets with considerable ease; Tough-Spittin' Granny has a
superbly accurate spit;Breathless Bertha smokes cigars, lots of them
and so is always able to make a thick fog very quickly while
Baby-Face Tom, at two years old is the cutest baby ever seen and
could turn the troopers to mush with one look. They are all on the
wanted posters, known for their daring, but one son, Jimmy is called
Jimmy Good-for-Nothing, because he is, well, good for nothing. He
has no useful skills, but when the troopers steal the gold nugget
from Mad Dog Varmit, forcing the family to take drastic action
without success, it is Jimmy's skills at listening and telling
stories that save the day.
A neatly resolved laugh out loud story of bushrangers in Australia's
gold rush era, students who read this will be amused and
enlightened, although the use of the word 'sherriff' annoyed me.
Miesen's light touch will enthrall readers of this excellent series,
and her illustrations will add another level of humour.
Fran Knight
Zero to hero by Seb Goffe
A and C Black, London, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4081 5560 8 Death match by Andy Croft
A and C Black, London, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4081 4263 9
Wired (series)
(Ages 11+) Recommended. Quick reads. Football. Zero to hero concerns young Will, a football lunatic who
spends many hours perfecting his style. But his local team simply
will not look at him, despite their always losing games, because he
does not fit their image of what a soccer player should be. But when
he finally is taken on he must win the notice of all the other
players and the coach before he can prove his worth. This is a
neatly resolved tale of not judging a book by its cover, and giving
people a go, wrapped up in a story of soccer. Death match is quite a different story, going back to Kiev in
1942, a city controlled by the Nazis who had stormed through in
1941, killing many, keeping the rest of the citizens imprisoned and
hungry. Several boys found that the old Kiev soccer team were
working at the local bakery, and hear that they are about to play a
team of Germans. When the boys question why they should play against
such a team, they respond that they haven't got guns and can beat
them in a game, one which will bolster up the townspeople from their
gloom. Alongside this story is a sub plot about the resistance and
those who work with the Nazis, making this a small gem of a
historical novel, being a fascinating tale told against a phenomenal
background.
Each of these books is very short, some 60 pages with large clear
print and wide margins and a few drawings to break up the pages.
Similar to the Lightning Strikes series, these will be
eagerly selected by students wanting something quick and easy or a
book which aims at their lower literacy level, or to a classroom
teacher wanting a set of books to have for their students to fill in
spare moments or build a lesson round.
Fran Knight
Making Connections, a Blackline Master Book 4
Rigby, Harcourt Education. ISBN: 9780731236459.
This workbook contains chapters on such interesting topics as the
making of polar fleece, how bionic ears work, how cyclones destroy
places, and all of it is well-written. It follows current
expectations of sound educational practice, outlining skills to be
covered and strategies that will enable the students to learn.
It works through a tiered system of teacher control, shared control
and lastly student control, in introduction, practice and
application.It references other linked texts, with applications that
provide connections to learning. Making Connections, Teacher's Resource Book 4, (with answers)
by Kay Kovalevs and Alison Dewsbury, with a Teacher's CD-ROM
included, by Rigby, Harcourt Education. ISBN: 978073127258
This support text explains pathways to tackling each topic, practice
blackline masters, and expected answers. It would be most
helpful as a guide and a useful resource to the student text.
These are good resources for schools (or indeed for parents if they
should wish to work with their children at home), and could be
useful additions to student education. They could well be more than
support texts if a teacher or school should want to buy them as a
series.
Liz Bondar
Mountain wolf by Rosanne Hawke
Angus and Robertson, 2012. ISBN 978 0 732293871.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Pakistan earthquake. Child slavery.
An earthquake in the hills of Pakistan ruins the life of Razaq, the
son of a family of sheep herders living in a small community.
With all his family dead, Razaq must find his way to the city and
his Uncle Javaid for help.
After talking to some Aid workers, he finds his uncle's wife's aunt,
and being a dutiful Muslim boy, helps her with with food and
shelter. Dazed by what has happened she thinks he is her son, and
when a man offers to get him a job in the city, she complies and
sends Razaq with him. This is the first time Razaq is sold, and each
sale brings a further degradation in his life, but he remains
hopeful that he will find his uncle. His journey takes him to the
slums of Rawalpindi where he is befriended by several children
living on the trash heaps. But he is soon found and returned to the
last person who bought him, and beaten for escaping. He is sold on
to Mrs Mumtaz and here to his horror, he is trained to be a masseuse
but told to offer extras. When he is disobedient he is locked in his
room, receiving food from the eunuch, Bilal, who discloses how he
came to be cut.
Chapters from the perspective of his uncle, show the two are coming
closer together, and reveal the enormity of the problem within these
cities as he scours government departments, church groups, aid
workers and street people for information about his nephew.
This story of a boy being sold from one hand to another, finally
ending up as a male prostitute, gives an immensely human face to the
stories heard on nightly news programs. These skim the surface,
while this book gives an informed and layered tale of children in
need being used by those who should care for them. Rosanne Hawke
sends a clear message that both Islamic and Christian teachings
expect children to be protected. She shows that a few take advantage
of their vulnerability, instead of keeping them safe.
This is one extraordinary book. Every sentence breathes the essence
of life in the Muslim world: no reader can miss the references to
close knit families, or the obligation family members owe to each
other, often looking for their relative long after hope is almost
lost.
But Rosanne Hawke also paints the seamier side of life particularly
well. Sensing that a child is to be raped, I was amazed at how she
was able to show this without making it lewd, managing to inform
while at the same time making the reader cry out with fear for the
child, and keep reading, hoping that something good would happen.
She does not hold back on what happens to Razaq in the brothel, nor
what happens to the other children there, one of whom, the young
girl, Tahira, becomes dear to him.
This is an important book for secondary students to read. Not only
do they get a particularly good story, well told, but they will
learn much about a society that is often villified in our press. In
Razaq and the other children he meets along the way we see what
happens to children in war or a disaster where protection for the
vulnerable is ignored. And this could apply to any children,
anywhere.
Fran Knight
M is for mates
Department of Veteran's Affairs and the Australian War Memorial,
2009. ISBN 978 1 877007 39 2.
(Ages: 7+) Highly recommended. Animals in war. Subtitled, Animals in
wartime from Ajax to Zep, this alphabet book will keep many readers
involved and intrigued. For the classroom however, it is
exceptional, giving loads of information about the group of animals
on the page, plus photos, pictures, maps, riddles and questions to
ponder. A number of the letters are used for specific animal
groupings, eg Koalas and Kangaroos, Insects, Horses and Dogs, while
others are used for general headings such as Uniform, Explosives,
Jungle and so on.
But whatever page is dipped into this brightly produced, award
winning book, it holds fascinating information, well set out and
designed.
I love the Insect page, for example, with paragraphs about the
insects which invaded our troops from Egypt to Rwanda, New Guinea to
Gallipoli. The various methods of ridding both themselves and their
uniforms of the uninvited guests is engrossing. Many animals and
birds are shown on the M is for mascots and mates pages, where a
kitten, kangaroo, donkey, duck and even a possum are shown with the
soldiers. And N stands for Navy cats, a double page to themselves.
Possibly one of the saddest pages is that for Q. Standing for
quarantine, it reminds us that many animals did not make it home,
the quarantine laws making it impossible. So most of the horses,
admired for their courage and bravery in South Africa and Palestine
were left behind, as were the tracking dogs in Vietnam. Happily now,
animals are brought back to Australia when their job is done.
This excellent book has a double page map in the centre which shows
where animals served overseas, and the whole book is served by an
informative glossary, list of websites for further reading and a
crossword and list of questions. And the time line which runs across
the bottom of every page is most helpful.
Fran Knight
