Book One. Penguin Books Australia. ISBN: 978014356568.
(Teens) Recommended. Leah Giarratano was an experienced clinical
psychologist before she started writing. Her first four novels were
adult crime thrillers, featuring detective Jill Jackson. You may
have seen her as the host of the reality TV program, 'Beyond the
Darklands', which examines the crimes and motives of some of
Australia's most infamous criminals.
Giarratano now puts these experiences to good use in young adult
paranormal crime mysteries. Disharmony, the first in a new series,
sets up the main characters and the mystery, ends on a cliff-hanger,
and whets our appetites for the development of the battle for
humankind.
Most of the narrative focus alternates between Samantha and Luke. We
meet Luke in a juvenile delinquent's facility in Sydney, dealing
with bullying inmates and corrupt officers, and biding his time
until he can escape. He knows little about his biological family and
even less about the role he has to play in the fight between the
everyday world and the paranormal. In far-away Romania, Sam lives
with her adopted gypsy family, earning her way by telling the
fortunes of the 'Gaje' (non rom folk). Although Sam can actually
perceive the real problems, her teacher expects her to play the game
and tell the customers what they want to hear. Apart from her
growing dissatisfaction with this issue, the rest of her life is
happy, especially with the gorgeous Tamas finally seeing her as more
than a younger sister.
With the set up established, the subsequent action brings the two
characters together. Luke meets Zac who helps him escape, but of
course there are many more obstacles to overcome: Danger is
everywhere. Sam is scrutinised by the gypsy king, chased by Asian
thugs, and ultimately realises she will bring harm to her family if
she doesn't leave. These adventures are dealt with in detail, both
descriptively and emotionally. We see the lack of love in Luke's
life contrasted with the protection and security that surrounds
Samantha, and we want them to find each other. Interestingly, the
third narrator, a mysterious creature known only as 'Intellicide',
lets us know early they are siblings, which prevents romance
becoming too much of a focus.
This is an action-packed novel, which should appeal to both males
and females.
Trisha Buckley
Imagine we were by Renee Bennett
Ill. by Claire Richards. Wombat Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1921633 63 8.
(Ages 4-6) Picture book. Love. A rhyming read a loud story, this
will have wide appeal to parents and grandparents with its emphasis
on families and their offspring.
Each double page begins with the same refrain, 'Imagine we were . .
.' and talks about a different animal or insect, going on to
introduce their offspring and ending with how special that baby is
to its parent. It is a lovely concept, repeated for bees, cats,
dogs, hens, horses, cows and finally humans. Each shows the animal
and its offspring, with the noise that animal makes, encouraging the
child to join in with the noise. Each animal then tells how special
its baby is to it until finally the whole ends up with the human
child and parent having a cuddle.
A deft introduction to parent and child in a range of animals, with
an emphasis on bonding and caring for that baby, the book will
introduce sights and sounds to the younger child, encouraging them
to join with the opening refrain in each sequence, predict what the
rhyme will be and say the sounds of the animal and join in with the
cuddles at the end. A treat for all grandparents to share with their
grandchildren or anyone with a spare moment to read and share.
Fran Knight
The Ten series / The 10 series
Pearson, 2009.
The Ten series is an accessible series of information books, which
deals with topics of high interest. The series includes the
sub-series 'Our earth', 'The arts' and 'Leisure'.
There are different authors for different titles:
eg The 10 worst natural disasters (Our earth) by Karen Uhler
- useful for curriculum in Geography, SOSE and HSIE; The 10 most amazing animated movies (The arts) by Sandra
Quan-D'Eramo; The 10 hottest fashion trends (Leisure) by Trish Hurley.
In each 48 page book there are 4 pages of information for the 10
ranked items. A countdown from number 10 to number 1 encourages
anticipation of just which item will be ranked at number 1. The
format provides summary details, boxed information, quotes in the
form of The expert says . . . , Take note, and a Quick fact. There
are large colour photos and some black and photos, too. Each volume
includes Contents, Introduction, Index, Ranking criteria and What do
you think?
Each number 1 is a surprise to me:
eg The 10 worst natural disasters - Yellow River Flood in China,
1931 with approximately 3.5 million deaths;
The 10 most amazing animated movies - Steamboat Willie, 1928, and
what happened to Walt Disney's Oswald the Rabbit, which preceded
this movie;
The 10 hottest fashion trends - Jeans, 1873, whose origins can be
traced back to the 1500s.
In the title The 10 worst natural disasters I noted 2 errors in the
editing:
Contents - the description of the Mount Pelee volcano on page 3
'We thought...' on page 46.
However, they do not detract greatly from the overall quality of
these publications.
This series was originally published 3 years ago in 2009. It is a
highly suitable series for Middle school students, but I enjoyed
reading the titles, too. These books would have broad appeal to all
readers, who like to browse amazing facts and events in the
non-fiction genre.
Margaret Strickland
The Invaders by John Flanagan
Brotherband Book 2. Random House, 2012. ISBN: 978 1 74166 450 8.
Highly recommended for ages 10+. Following the conclusion of the
first adventure of Hal and the Brotherband, in which Hal and the
Herons were victorious in the Skandian competition and the
subsequent loss of the priceless artefact, the Andomal, the Herons
escape and endeavour to follow Zavac and the pirate ship the Raven
to retrieve the bounty. When they find a safe anchorage, boredom
sets in and the boys begin to fight amongst themselves. With a
slight nudge from Thorn, Hal realises he has allowed the Herons to
become lazy and lose the skills which they had learnt in training.
Quickly, he recruits the ex-Maktig to take over the preparation of
the team to enhance their battle skills.
When the inevitable reunion with Zavac occurs, not only have the
Herons abilities greatly improved, Hal has completed yet another
invention to help them with their sea battle. The town of Limmat,
with its rich emerald mines, becomes the scene of a major battle
between the pirates, the Herons and the townspeople. Thanks to the
arrival of another Skandian ship, the battle becomes somewhat more
evenly weighted and new friendships forged.
Flanagan writes with a modern voice, yet the ancient setting and
characters seem totally engaging and acceptable. With the adult
characters deferring to a young protagonist, the young reader would
undoubtedly relate to the Heron team. Friendship, teamwork, creative
problem solving, acceptance of differences and preconceptions are
all themes which could be brought out in class if the book were to
be used as a text for upper primary or lower secondary students.
This is another enjoyable read which follows Flanagan's winning
formula.
Jo Schenkel
The Silver Door by Emily Rodda
Omnibus, 2012. ISBN: 9781862919136
Highly recommended for ages 10+. Having defeated Olt and freed Dorne
from the sorcerer's tyranny, Rye, the young boy from Weld, does not
stay to celebrate. Instead, he rushes first to Fleet, in the Fell
Zone, to allow Faene, his brother Dirk's sweetheart, the chance to
visit her parents' grave. Rye, Dirk and Faene are accompanied by
Rye's friend Sonia. The four travel, aided by the nine magical
powers housed in a small brown bag, given to Rye by the Fellan
Edelle, all the while searching for Sholto, Rye's other brother. As
the quest continues, the group faces many challenges which they must
strive to overcome. The Silver Door is the second title in this trilogy, thereby
allowing the action to being almost immediately. With each new
series she writes, Rodda manages to create new worlds and characters
that immediately draw her readers in and keep them engaged
throughout. The excitement and danger caused by the skimmers keeps
one reading eagerly to reach the resolution of the tale. As is
typical of novels which recount 'the hero's journey', Rye begins as
the reluctant hero but gradually takes charge of his situation and
develops the skills and confidence necessary in a leader. Despite
his older brother's inclusion in the adventure, Rye continues to be
the person to whom the others defer and he proves himself to be
equal to his title of leader. Relationships within the group are not
always smooth or without issue, thereby making it more believable.
I now eagerly await the journey via the Wooden Door to reach the
final installment of Rye's adventures.
Jo Schenkel
Florentine and Pig have a very lovely picnic by Eva Katzler
Ill. by Jess Mikhail. Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781408824375.
(Age 5+) Recommended. Florentine and her friend Pig decide to have a
picnic as it is such a lovely day. Florentine made up a list of all
the marvelous things that they would make to eat, including apple
and carrot muffins with sunshine lemon icing. When they found
that they had no apples, Pig looked through his telescope at
the apple tree and discovered three of the 'biggest, reddest,
juiciest and crunchiest apples' at the top of the tree. What an
adventure Pig had getting those apples! Then the pair got to work
making their delicious picnic fare.
Children love going on picnics and the description of preparing the
feast for the occasion is sure to win them over as readers. The
narrative flows along easily, with internal rhymes and alliteration
adding to the enjoyment of the words and the ease of reading it
aloud. The change in the size of the print to emphasis what is
happening is also an appealing device to help beginning readers to
work out what is happening.
Jess Mikhail's illustrations in soft pastel water colours are
delightful. Lots of little details like the patterns on Florentine's
clothes and the green striped sweater that Pig is wearing, the wall
paper and the pots and pans, make for a visual feast.
To top off a great picture book are a collection of recipes and
craft created by BBC TV's Jess and Laura Tilli. I can't wait to make
Cheddar cheese and pumpkin seed bites and Green pea picnic-time
tarts with my grandchildren when they visit!
Pat Pledger
Brumby Mountain by Karen Wood
Diamond Spirit series. Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742378633.
(Ages: 13+) Jess and her friends love horses, so when Luke brings
home four brumbies that had been horribly mistreated by brumby
runners, Jess and Luke agreed something had to be done so with Mrs
Arnold and Grace they go to Mathews' Flat to find out who is running
the brumbies.
Luke was born in Mathews Flat and recently went looking for his
father only to find that he had died of cancer six months earlier
and that everything his father owned had been left to him. He now
owned a property in Mathews' Flat right next to the mountain where
the brumbies lived.
When they get to Mathews' Flat Luke reconnects with his past and for
the first time Jess fears that she might lose him.
I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting and kept me glued to
the page till the end. It made me feel sorry for the horses and want
to see them stop the brumby runners. I would definitely recommend
this book especially to people who love horses, and even if you're
not too keen on book about horses I would still recommend that you
read this because I'm not too keen on them and I loved this book.
Although I would also recommend reading the rest of the series first
because I haven't and I was a bit confused at times.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student)
Promote reading edited by Pat Pledger
Pledger Consulting, 2012. ISBN 9781876678272.
Highly recommended. This is a must-have book for all school
libraries, both primary and secondary. It provides a terrific blend
of practical and theoretical approaches which can be used in the
library and in classrooms to promote reading. Helpful hints for
displays and book reviews are provided as well as a range of
activities. Some of these activities are easy to organise (such as a
graffiti wall) whilst others may take longer to prepare but would be
equally engaging (such as book spine poetry and book speed dating).
Some could be used all year round whilst others pertain to special
events (such as Book Week). There are several suggestions for
collaboration between library staff and classroom teachers (such as
Literature circles or Readers Cup events). The inclusion of
strategies that make use of free Web 2 tools (such as QR codes,
Wordle and Glogster) is particularly welcome as such tools are not
only attractive to students but also beneficial to the library
budget. Fortunately, source material, samples of work and relevant
links to websites are provided throughout, which makes this an
extremely useful text for library teams.
Contributors to this text come from a number of Australian states,
from private and public school sectors and from both primary and
secondary schools, so a range of experience and relevance is
ensured. Longer articles provide a solid theoretical basis for the
promotion of reading and the attached bibliographies provide a
wealth of opportunity for further study, or may be useful for
library advocacy. Two fascinating articles are based on action
research projects which focus on boys and reading. Whilst both
projects were based in American schools this does not detract from
their relevance to Australian school libraries, rather it indicates
the universal nature of some reading issues.
The contents page is organised in a logical and clear manner and the
index is equally useful. All in all, this book is not only a
wonderful resource for those working within school libraries it is
also a testament to the creativity and knowledge to be found within
the library profession.
Deborah Marshall
Doctor Proctor's fart powder: The end of the world Maybe by Jo Nesbo
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 978-0-85707-389-1.
(Age 8-11) Recommended. This is the third book in the Doctor
Proctor Fart Powder series and any title that contains the
word fart will have an appeal to the younger audience. Jo Nesbo is
certainly having fun writing these stories, a far cry from his dark
murders.
Doctor Proctor has invented a fart powder which when swallowed can
give the consumer a rocket type lift off which comes in handy when
you need to escape or arrive somewhere very fast. The diminutive red
headed Nilly and trombone playing Lisa are the Doctor's friends.
They work as a team trying to solve the puzzle of the invasion of
the fearful moon chameleons, creatures that can take on any shape
and love to eat humans.
The story is set in Oslo, Norway and contains lots of local
references and funny word play such as the Norovision Choral
Throwdown, (Eurovision) BABA (ABBA) and De Beetels (The Beatles).
I'm not sure children will understand all of these but it won't
affect their enjoyment of the book.
It is a long read, 458 pages and I lost interest well before the end
of the story but I am not the intended audience.
The books have bright and eye-catching covers and will appeal to
children 8 to 11 years old who have reading stamina.
Jane Moore
Farmer John's tractor by Sally Sutton
Illustrated by Robyn Belton. Walker Books Australia. ISBN:
9781921150944.
Farmer John's tractor lies locked in the shed, rusty yet trusty, and
orangey red . . .
So begins a story with beautiful cadence, touching simplicity,
gorgeously soft illustrations, and a powerful, yet subtle message.
It's winter, and the rains come, filling the river and blocking the
drains. The banks burst, and the river is in flood. Mum, Dad and the
girls are trying to cross the river, and they become stranded.
Various vehicles try and come to the rescue - the jeep comes, but
rolls on its side. The tow truck comes, but gets stuck in the muck.
The girls are frightened, the water is rising, and STILL, Farmer
John's tractor lies locked in the shed.
The fire engine comes, and proves just as useless - the little girls
are now standing on the roof of the car, where they start to shake
and quake and sob - just when it seems like all is lost, aid comes
from an unlikely corner, and all is well again.
I read this book to a reluctant four year old. It was a joy to watch
his face as I read - he was really drawn in to the plot of the
story, and the suspense was palpable. The illustrations are
magnificent, and really support the story.
A beautiful book, with a wonderful message - sometimes the quiet,
unassuming, and unlikely hero is the one that saves the day.
Freya Lucas
Archie's letter by Martin Flanagan
Ill. by Ainsley Walters. Scholastic, 2012 ISBN 978 0 9807948 7 8.
(Ages 10+) Warmly recommended. War. There is a huge range of books
about Australians at war coming out, probably being printed in time
for the 100th Anzac Day in 1915. Many are about the Anzacs and the
beginning of the legend, some about other theatres of war, telling
stories from personal perspectives and a few are about animals in
war.
This book relates to the Prisoners on War held by the Japanese after
the Fall of Singapore in 1942. Many men were transported to camps
and some sent to Burma where they slaved over the building of the
Burma Railway to enable Japan to service their troops. Thousands
died along this line, many were Asian slave labour but 2,500 were
Australian troops. This book attempts to reveal some of what the men
suffered, first in the POW camps, where Weary Dunlop was the medical
officer, then onto the Burma Railway and finally in a POW camp in
Japan.
Martin Flanagan's father, Archie, wrote a poem about his experiences
in the Middle East and this is reproduced along with strong
illustrations depicting the scenes described and photographs of the
Flanagan family.
This little book gives a personal face to the stories student have
heard about Changi, Weary Dunlop, Burma Railway and POW camps. Its
brief outline of where Archie went allows students to see where many
Australians fought and died close to Australia, defending this
country against the southern drive by the Japanese.
This book will be a useful supplement to student reading about the
war, giving a personal perspective which will draw the students in.
Archie's letter at the end of the book will be especially poignant
to the readers.
Fran Knight
Fever by Lauren DeStefano
The Chemical Garden Trilogy, Book 2. Simon and Schuster.
ISBN: 9781442409071.
(Age: Older teens) Fever starts very strongly, following
immediately on from Wither. Rhine and Gabriel are on the
run, and must rely on their wits to avoid being recaptured.
DeStafano's dystopian world is depicted in two contrasting
landscapes: inside buildings, tents, and structures where there is a
clear sense of being trapped, with threats of violence and worse,
and outside, which is described in beautiful lyrical language
portraying nature and freedom. There seems not to be anything in
between.
Unfortunately, as the story progresses, the plot loses focus. A
predictable pattern follows in which the two lovers are captured,
exploited and drugged, and attempt escape (with the help of
sympathetic minor characters who for reasons of their own, put their
lives at risk). Then there is further capture, separation, and more
drugs and experimentation. Interestingly, the first person, present
tense narrative doesn't allow readers to connect with Rhine. She
remains distant and cold, but considering she is often drugged and
partly unconscious, this isn't surprising.
Rhine's desire to find her brother Rowan was a dominant feature of
the first book, however in this one, he's almost completely
forgotten. Gabriel, the love interest, doesn't seem to have any
distinct personality traits apart from being totally in love with
Rhine. The evil character, Vaughan, is menacing, and Lyndon still
seems weak and clueless.
Although once again the novel ends in a cliff-hanger, the lead-up is
mostly low key. There are some revelations, but it's not
heart-thumping stuff. Overall this book was disappointing. While
Gideon and Rhine are in captivity they are fed drugs and made to
'perform' for voyeurs, however the majority of the action is only
hinted at. It's definitely for older teens. Themes include dystopian
futures, diseases, love, and family.
Trisha Buckley
Kill you last by Todd Strasser
Thrillogy series. Walker, 2012. ISBN 9781406329940.
(Age 14+) Recommended. Crime. Mystery. Thriller. Reluctant readers.
A finalist in the 2012 Edgar awards, this book got me out of the
dystopian doldrums and into a fast moving, engrossing mystery.
Shelby's father is a photographer who takes shots of teens who want
to be models. When three teenagers go missing and the only link
between them is the fact that her father took their photos, Shelby
investigates to help clear her father. With the help of Roman, her
best friend, and Whit a journalist student at a nearby college, she
starts to uncover secrets, secrets that she would prefer not to
know.
This is an action packed novel. Strasser builds up the tension as
Shelby begins to get e-mails asking her if she knew the truth about
her father and finally one that that threatens to kill her last. As
Shelby gets closer to the truth she believes that she can't trust
anyone, not even her best friend. She is also uncertain about Whit
and whether he is interested in her or in following his journalistic
instincts and getting a scoop. There are plenty of red herrings
scattered throughout the book and it was not until the final pages
that I guessed who the murderer was.
One of Shelby's big fears about whether or not her father murdered
the missing girls is the fact that she knows her father is sleazy.
He makes inappropriate remarks about her friends and their bodies
and loves to photograph young girls. There is a subtle message in
the background to girls to be sure not to be taken in by
photographers and handsome boys who say that they can give you a
beautiful portfolio of photos to help you make it as a model.
Having her father under suspicion for murder forces Shelby to grow
up and face reality. She tells her story in the first person and I
grew to like her determination to find out the truth and willingness
to acknowledge that wrongdoing must be punished even if she loves
the person who is doing it.
Teens will love the technology, the text messages, use of Blackberry
and iPads and anonymous e-mails that help to create a scary mood in
the book. There are two other books in the Thrillogy series, Wish
you were dead and Blood on my hands. Judging by Kill
you last, which was quick read, with short chapters and plenty
of action, this series would appeal to reluctant readers.
Pat Pledger
Spitting image by James Roy
Lightning Strikes series. Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 9781921977497.
(Age: 11+) Recommended. High interest, low literacy. When
Charlie and his sister, Helen are taken to the zoo for the day, they
are most disappointed to find the zoo is a farm zoo, chosen mainly
for their baby sister, not them. Dragging themselves around the farm
looking at the sheep, the pigs, the alpacas and the milking
demonstration is not quite what they bargained for. Helen takes many
photos and decides to climb up on the alpaca's railing to get a
better photo, so falling into its enclosure. The farmer tells them
off, opening the gate for her, but she jumps the fence instead.
Later, they see the alpaca out of its enclosure and try to help
round it up to take it back home, lest they get into any more
trouble with the farmer. There follows a very funny adventure trying
to get the animal to do as they want, with an annoying younger child
with a camera trailing them, and discovering there is more than one
alpaca out of its enclosure.
All is neatly resolved however, and the reader will be doubly
intrigued with the information gently included in the story. Another
superior story within the Lightning Strikes series for those with
less able literacy levels and those wanting a quick read, with a
good story and well rounded characters.
Fran Knight
I love my ABC and I love my 123 by Anna Walker
Scholastic, 2012.
ISBN: 9781742831510 (I love my ABC)
ISBN: 9781742831527 (I love my 123)
These sturdy board books make the perfect introduction to the world
of Ollie, the zebra, who is the hero of many books by Anna Walker.
These simple books, with vibrant colours and cheerful illustrations,
are a lovely way to introduce literacy and numeracy to the under
2's.
In I love my ABC, Walker presents Ollie walking through the
pages, with each page featuring both upper and lower case letters,
and Ollie interacting with something beginning with that letter. The
selections are simple and predictable, with the usual minor quibbles
of some of the letters not lining up with their phonemic friends (i
for ice cream, x for xylophone). The text encourages interaction
between the reader and the readee - identifying pictures and naming
letters and sounds.
In I love my 123, Walker again uses Ollie to introduce
concepts of 1 to 1 correspondence. Ollie walks from 1 to 10, with
each page featuring the allocated number of objects, the numeral,
and the text for the noun group. The white pages really allow the
rich colours to soar, and the grey text supports this.
At the end of the story, Ollie is shown frollicking in the garden,
with all the objects from the story, which is a lovely touch.
Babies and toddlers will delight in Ollie's adventures, and learning
to count is a bonus!
Freya Lucas
