Reviews

Messy by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN: 9781742379760.
(Age 13+) Recommended. This is a surprisingly funny and entertaining novel. The blurb might suggest that it is simply going to be Gossip Girls meets 90210 but in fact, it is far more engaging and insightful than this would imply. This is largely due to the cynical edge of the main character, Max. At the opening of the story she is a self-confessed misfit at her Mum's prestigious school: she is scornful of most of her wealthy classmates who she judges to be superficial and self-absorbed. None more so than pretty blonde Brooke Berlin, daughter of action hero (and diet obsessed) Brick Berlin.
So it is somewhat surprising that Max should lower her standards and agree to ghost-write Brooke's new blog, which is intended to raise Brooke's celebrity profile. However, Max loves to write and she has a dream of attending NYU over summer to participate in a writing course. Such a dream requires money and unfortunately for Max, Brooke is offering plenty.
The blog entries on Open Brooke are one of the highlights of the book, which is to be expected as the writers are famous for their own celebrity fashion blog. Max writes sharply and perceptively about the world of celebrities and show-business and the results are highly amusing and entertaining.
Although this is the second book featuring some of these characters, the reader does not need to have read Spoiledin order to enjoy Messy. As is to be expected in a teen novel about Hollywood there are plenty of pop references to TV shows, films, celebrities and modern music. Whilst this novel is firmly set in its LA environment, this is a scene that will be familiar to many Aussie teens. And, of course, there is just the right amount of romantic entanglement to keep teen readers satisfied.
All in all, Messy is an entertaining novel which is sure to appeal to teen girls.
Deborah Marshall

First Australians: Plenty Stories (series) by Trish Albert

National Museum of Australia, 2009.
Life at Mulga Bore.
Indigenous sporting heroes.
24/32pp, col ill.
First Australians: Plenty stories is a series of books showing what it means to be an Aboriginal or Toorres Strait Island person in Australia today. Through different modes of storytelling, we are given some of their history and culture through stories, snapshots of people, photographs and a fact file. Each book is colourful, easy to read with large print and wide margins, with a brief but useful index, contents page and glossary. For classes looking for two most accessible books to give their students when researching Aboriginal life today, then these would be most useful.
I was only sent these two, but looking at the National Museum of Australia website, you can see that there are many more. 2 packs are made for primary students with 9 books and teacher notes in each. A teacher resource book and a poster pack can be bought as well. All can be ordered online from the National Museum of Australia.
The first, Indigenous sporting greats, has Nicky Winmar on the cover in what is now a famous photo of him showing his skin to people who were racially abusing him. Inside the book are outlines of a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island sports people, Jerry Jerome, Eddie Gilbert, Sir Doug Nicholls, Evonne Cawley, Cathy Freeman, Michael Long, as well as the front cover person, Nicky Winmar. Each double page gives a potted history of that person, with a small fact file and several photos. Each is informative and tells of the struggles that person had to achieve what they did.The introduction, Against the odds, frames the stories, showing that these people did in fact achieve against the odds, and the final section poses the question about sport being a place where all players can respect one another.
Life at Mulga Bore is part of the upper primary set group of books and has 32 pages, with many more illustrations and information. Mulga Bore is a small community north of Alice Springs, and is home to seven related families of the Anmatyerr group of people. One of their number, Lindsay Bird Mpetyane is a painter, and through the book, we are shown him painting Bush Plum Dreaming. Through this painting we see and hear about his lifestyle, his painting methods, his background and how the community survives. It is a bird's eye view of the strength of a small community and its central figures, and will enrich primary students' understanding of the lives of some Aboriginal people today.
Fran Knight

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Simon and Schuster, 2012.ISBN: 9781416990673.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Second Chance Summer is Matson's second book. Her first, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, dealt with serious issues in a mostly light-hearted way. This time she offers a much more serious look at a topic that seems to be trending in YA books this year: the cancer novel.
Much like John Green's lauded novel, The Fault in Our Stars, Second Chance Summer steers away from sentimentality and cliche, and the conclusion is devastating and confronting. However, instead of the teenagers being the victims, in this book it is a parent who is suffering.
The main character, Taylor's father, is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a poor prognosis. On the back of this news, the family relocate to their lake house for the summer, a place they have not visited for five years. Returning there is doubly traumatic for Taylor. Clearly she must accept her father's chances, and on top of that, the lake house is where she first fell in love. Henry Crosby of course is now her next door neighbour, and for various reasons it is awkward and confusing for both of them.
Matson doesn't rush this story. She doesn't skimp on details. While the family crisis is dealt with in the present, Taylor's personal dramas are provided through flashback as readers are slowly given the reasons for the awkwardness between her and Henry. While these are fairly predictable and minor, it is easy to understand why Taylor behaved as she did. And their journey back to each other is believable and enjoyable.
Dad's story, however, provides much of the heart of the novel. He wants this chance to reconnect with his children, and there are some very moving scenes as he tries to leave his family without too much sadness and trauma. These serious issues-based YA novels are always well received by mature readers, especially girls seeking something akin to the books of Jodie Piccoult. Themes include grief and loss, family relationships, death and dying, and friendship and romance.
Trish Buckley

To Hope and Back by Kathy Kacer

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN: 9 781743 310632.
Recommended. To Hope and Back is truly the kind of book that will keep you up at night, the novel, a powerful biography recounting the journey of two young people and their families aboard the St Louis, tells a compelling tale about the black and white world of Jews during the Holocaust. Free of many of the gory truths of the time this gripping novel is sure to horrify and provoke sympathy in any man woman or child.
Sol and Lisa know that they are lucky. Germany is being thrown into chaos and even at their young ages Sol and Lisa are well aware of the anti-semantic views of the German Government. Years of caution bought their families the time that they needed to scrape together enough to afford a ticket out of the soon to be war-torn country.
Boarders of the St Louis believe that they are leaving Europe for good and travelling to the safety of Cuba and then on to America and Captain Gustav Schroeder is determined that they should never return to Germany to face the inevitable Death Camps. But when politics gets in the way of bringing the St Louis into harbour can the captain succeed in saving his crew?
These true historical events recounted through the life affirming stories of Sol and Lisa are sure to bring even the hardest hearted person to the verge of tears. Kathy Kacer has captured the sense of hopelessness aboard the St Louis and brought it again to life through the power of the written word. I would happily recommend this novel to be read by anyone interested in history and urge teachers to keep in mind that it would be a brilliant point of reference to be used in class regarding the events of the Holocaust.
Kayla Gaskell, (Student,age 16)

Alex and the watermelon boat by Chris McKimmie

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781743310076.
Highly recommended. Picture book. Floods. Although intrigued and fascinated by Chris McKimmie's illustrations and characters, I have never felt sure that I have completely understood the story, but not so this one, and I love it.
His illustrative technique will be well known to most, after nominations for major awards in Australia, with his use of scribbly mixed media ranging from simple line drawings to great swathes of colour, collage and wash. Each page brings with it an amazing array of things to look at, discuss and marvel at.
In various types of print, the story of Alex unfolds as he is warned not to go outside, because the dam has broken its banks. But of course he does, as his favourite stuffed toy, a rabbit, is missing. Slipping into his watermelon boat, Alex glides past all his neighbours desperately trying to cope with the inundation. It will not take long for the reader to realise that this book is about the Brisbane floods of 2011, and readers will be drawn into the book, looking at the way the flood changes the landscape and people's lives.
Each page shows people coping with the crisis, the lady next door at her barbecue, the man in the boat filled to the brim with tinned food, people standing on their rooves, and a whole host of articles floating down the river with Alex. He sails past the emergency services and the lines of traffic, the helicopter overhead, but then the pages darken as Alex becomes lost.
A wonderful tale of overcoming adversity is told as Alex plants a tree for the birds to return, this book will be well used in classes. Children will be able to talk about the floods and what happens in such a disaster using Alex and his watermelon boat as a base from which to start. Kids will love to read of Alex, and perhaps make their own watermelon boat in the classroom, using McKimmie's eclectic  drawings as a model for their own, expressing their own ideas about the flood and its aftermath. But also having a great deal of fun with Alex and his quest.
Fran Knight

The perfect flower girl by Taghred Chandab

Ill. by Binny Talib. Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 978 1 74237 573 1.
(Ages 7+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. Multicultural Australia. I was initially taken back by this startlingly pink book, but on opening the pages and reading this splendid story, was hooked into finding out more about Lebanese Australians and their customs.
Amani's aunt is to be married, and the little girl will be a flower girl. The process before the wedding is told through the her eyes as the families prepare themselves for the big day. Flower girls, a hen's party the night before, rose petals scattered before the bride and groom, lots of food, a tiered cake, a reception with ribboned chairs, fittings for the bridal clothes . . . it could be any wedding, anywhere, but this is Lebanese Muslim wedding, and the similarities will be familiar to all readers. The differences are not underlined but told as past of the story of Amani, and as such will be easily assimilated by the readers. The illustrator, Talib, has included many things for readers to spot: the range of people at the wedding, for example, not all the women wearing head scarves, the array of food, the fittings at shop where the tailor is Muslim - each page has an image to be scrutinised and discussed along with the text.
Not only am interesting tale, well told, but this book is a wonderful introduction to a class and its look at multicultural Australia, the customs of a range of Australians and their similarities and differences. Information is given at the start of the book about the Lebanese Muslim wedding, and a glossary of terms added which will be a good place to start with the class, learning the names and pronunciations of a new range of words. With an emphasis on multiculturalism in the new curriculum, this will be a must for libraries.
Fran Knight

Red by Libby Gleeson

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781741758535.
(Age: 12+) The young girl, covered in mud is lucky to have escaped a freakish cyclone that hit Sydney. Around her, the landscape is decimated. She is lucky that a young boy, named Peri, has come to her rescue.
Unfortunately, that is where her luck runs out. She can't remember who she is, where she lives or even whether she has a family. Only the name, Jay Martin, is fixed firmly in her head.
Peri decides to call her Red, a reference to her flaming curls. He takes her to a refuge centre for cyclone victims after she promises not to involve the police. He has his own reasons for distrusting them. Red is able to locate someone who knows her and slowly snippets of a former life flutter in her memory.
As Red starts to piece the jigsaw of her life together she isn't rewarded with a sense of comfort or belonging. Instead, she learns that before the cyclone she was entrusted with a grave mission, one that puts her life in real danger. Is she capable of accomplishing the task and how can she tell who the enemy is?
This is a fast paced, thrilling book guaranteed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Once started, it is hard to put down. John Grisham for younger readers!
Tina Cain

Trouble twisters: The monster by Garth Nix and Sean Williams

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN: 9781742373997.
Highly recommended. This is an enchanting new book in the Trouble Twister series, perhaps even more enjoyable than the first one. Jaide and Jack are still living in Portland and learning their trouble twister craft. As you might expect from youngsters who are enthusiastic and curious about exploring their abilities, at times they overstep the mark and take risks. Whilst they mostly work with good intentions, their inability to obey Granny's instructions often leads them further down the path of trouble: but that is half of their name, after all!
One of the delights of this fantasy series is the quality of the writing. Sean Williams and Garth Nix know their craft and their combined narrative skills are a joy to read. A strong sense of place underpins the story and the magical elements are quite complex. Whilst the basic storyline may not be particularly new (Good versus Evil; young people learning about hidden magical talents) part of the joy of this novel is that the characters are credible and engaging. Jack's ability to withstand attacks from 'The Evil' establishes a moral conflict that is set to play out over the series and this adds an extra element of tension and depth to the book.
There is also a playfulness about some of the characters that quite neatly balances the darker elements in the story. The train conductor's weird and witty wordplay is one fine example whilst the twin's rather unusual school teacher, Mr Carver ('call me Heath') is another. Kleo and Ari the dignified and aloof cats again play a significant role in the action whilst Granny X continues to puzzle both the twins and the reader, with her legion of secrets.
This novel is not only a welcome addition to the series but also a fine example of spirited fantasy for younger readers.
Deborah Marshall

Sophie Scott goes south by Alison Lester

Penguin Viking, 2012. ISBN 978 0 670 88068 3.
(Ages 7+) Highly recommended. Antarctica. Alison Lester has again used her considerable skills to present a story about Antarctica, bringing in themes of conservation and environment, alongside a neatly told story of young Sophie, accompanying her father, the captain of the Aurora Australia, on a trip to Mawson Station. Here he will replenish supplies, pick up some scientists returning to Australia, and leave behind some staying for the winter.
In exquisite double page spreads, we see the ship getting ready for the voyage, text on the left hand side with drawings, paintings or photographs on the right. Each double page renders information about the trip in Sophie's nine year old voice, and the reader hears of the icebergs, the animals and birds, life aboard the ship and the dangers which may accrue on such an expedition. The balance of information is wonderful, enough to whet a child's interest, to inform, and make the student want to search for more, without the whole being overwhelming. I love the small snippets of information dotted around the page, the diary format of the tale, the arrangement of the photographs, drawings and information on each page, the beautiful array of photographs and paintings, all combining to give a wonderful presentation of the place Alison visited in 2005.
The text on the verso is broken up by drawings and bits of information. Drawings of an iceberg, for example, shows the reader just how much is below the water line, or a growler, an iceberg which is totally underwater, or photos of the different sorts of ice seen from the ship, and drawings of the clothes Sophie must wear to keep warm will fascinate all readers.
A class would have a great deal of fun with this book, not only reading it as a story, but using details in their units of work on conservation, environment or sustainability, using some of the ideas expressed by Alison Lester. I can well imagine kids using the paper cutout figures as Alison shows in the first few pages, or trying different artistic techniques shown by her in revealing different aspects of the voyage, or designing their own stamps. The possibilities are endless with this fabulous book, designed not just for kids, but all who pick it up, and retaining people's interest as they read it all over again.
Fran Knight

Black heart by Holly Black

The Word Spy, an activity book by Ursula Dubosarsky

Illustrated by Tohby Riddle. Puffin Books, 2012. ISBN: 978014 306139.
The Word Spy, an Activity Book, by Ursula Dubosarsky, is absolutely delightful.I found myself tempted to do the activities in a book that just begs to be read and 'dealt with'. Dubosarsky has created a colourful book that looks interesting from the cover alone and Tohby Riddle's illustrations support this vibrant book.
Following a quirkily illustrated page of James Joyce's dedication to his own work about embedded riddles that will keep 'professors busy', we turn the page to find an address to 'Word Spies' that resembles an old buried treasure map. With many silhouettes of sleuths in many disguise and postures, wearing mackintoshes, or shining torches into dark holes, one page with an old, metal doorway that begs to be opened, or black question marks holding up hot-air balloons, this book promises fun.
There are Magic Doorways, chapters promising Words and Pictures, Word Games with Letters and Numbers, and many others. It is, itself, a treasure chest. Dubosarsky includes Hints before you start, and this is interesting too! She closes this wonderful book with the The Final Doorway, a maze map, and even more, a certificate to be filled out on completion, and very useful blank note pages for working out the puzzles.
This is an out-of-the-ordinary book for young thinkers, and I'm sure that many parents, or grandparents, would be delighted to spend some special time working on the puzzles.
Liz Bondar

Frost by Wendy Delsol

Candlewick Press, 2011. ISBN 9780763653866.
(Age: 13+) In this sequel to Stork, Katla Leblanc has to employ all her energy, determination and courage to save her boyfriend, Jack Frost. Katla is finally settling into life in Minnesota and when Jack uses his weather making ability to give her snow for a white Christmas she is dismayed when a snowstorm of epic proportions brings disaster and the attention of environmental scientist Brigid Fonnkona. Brigid is beautiful, intelligent and really interested in Jack, who begins to help her out with her research into the environment and gradually falls under her spell. But the mesmerising Brigid is not what she seems and when Jack goes missing above the Arctic Circle, Katla has to use all her skill and bravery to find him.
Delsol has used the traditional story of The Snow Queen as a basis for this engrossing story. Katla becomes involved in the school play, which is based on this myth, and soon her personal life begins to sound like the old story. It is the author's clever combination of myth and a contemporary heroine that makes both Stork and Frost stand out as enjoyable reads. Delsol has a deft hand with dialogue and often had me chuckling over the things that Katla says and the way that she deals with the elderly Stork society, which takes a backseat in this story.
Katla's quick mind and inventive spirit shine throughout the story and Delsol fleshes out all her main and secondary characters in a way that involves the reader, who learns more about her pregnant mother and estranged father, as well as her elderly grandfather.
There is plenty of action in Frost, particularly when Katla goes to Greenland and discovers that the Snow Queen has imprisoned Jack. The conclusion leaves the story wide open with a terrible dilemma for Katla to resolve in the next book in the series, which I look forward to.
Pat Pledger

The horses didn't come home by Pamela Rushby

Angus and Robertson, 2012. ISBN 9780 7323 9354 3.
(Ages: 12+) Highly recommended. WW1. The Battle at Beersheba, dubbed the last great cavalry charge in history, occurred on October 31 1917, when the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade charged over 6 kilometres to take the Turkish held town. The horses had already been ridden for 2 days to get there and needed rest and water. What happened to them afterwards is the climax of Pamela Rushby's absorbing book.
She presents the story of Laura and Harry in alternate chapters, giving the reader a different point of view of the war, one from the home front, with Laura at school in Brisbane, knitting socks for soldiers, and sending letters to her brother, and the other from her brother Harry, part of the Light Horse Brigade, training in Egypt before being sent to fight in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the Middle East. Harry's letters include those from Bunty, Laura's horse, written by Harry for his sister.
When Harry joined the regiment, part of the reason behind his enlistment was to be able to take his own horse, but on the departure day, his horse fell lame, and so Laura bravely gave him her beloved horse, Bunty, a waler, a tough Australian breed of horse.
So, incredibly the reader has three points of view, and Rushby cleverly entwines us into the story of Bunty and others like him as the tale unfolds. We know from the start that horses did not go home with their riders, so the tale has more than a twinge of sadness all the way through.
The descriptions of the battles in which Harry and his friend, Jack, take part are most effectively told, and reflect both the writing skill and wide ranging research of the writer. The end of the book includes a glossary of terms used in the novel, author's notes which includes a background to the Sino-Palestine Campaign, and a bibliography, all of which is of immeasurable use. The map at the start of the book too is most useful.
When we hear so much about Anzac which to many means only Gallipoli and Anzac Cove, it is salutary to read of other campaigns in which Australians have taken part, and this one, reflecting as it does on the treatment of the horses taken overseas, will bring all of the readers up short, widening their perspective and knowledge of Australia's involvement in war.
Fran Knight

Doodleday by Ross Collins

Gullane Children's Books, 2012. ISBN 9781862338470.
(Age Pre-school-6) Recommended. Harvey's mother leaves him with a warning not to doodle on Doodle Day, but Harvey has a stash of pencils hidden and decides that doodling is just what he want to do. To his surprise his doodle of a fly comes to life and takes over the kitchen. He then tries to get rid of the fly by drawing a spider who wasn't interested in flies but attacked his dad and so on, until in desperation he calls on his mother to help him out.
This is a very appealing and humorous story that will appeal to both young and old. Collins' text is well written and amusing and will keep a young reader engrossed as well as being lots of fun for the pre-school set to listen to. Harvey is an engaging little boy who is determined to prove his independence from his mother, but it is his mum who he calls on to fix things up. She proves to be up to the task and manages to finally contain the chaos with some quick thinking action.
The illustrations are just great. Harvey is drawn with spiky hair, while Mum has fantastic pointy-toed boots. There are lots of details to pore over and to enjoy. The combination of watercolour figures and background and Harvey's crayon doodling works really well and will stimulate the imagination of young children. They could have lots of fun drawing doodles of their own and working out what would be needed to fix up the resulting chaos if their doodles came to life.
I really liked the ending and was left wondering just what mischief Harvey would get up to next Doodle Day.
Pat Pledger

Boggle Hunters: Game On by Sophie Masson

Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978-1-74169-851-0.
(Age: 9-13) Recommended. You can tell from the powerful front cover that Boggles are evil therefore pursuing them must be a dangerous activity. Jenny and her parents are Boggle Hunters and they hunt in a shadowy world unseen by most humans. The Greys, an evil faery race send the Boggles to cause havoc and are responsible for many problems in the world, ranging from machine failure to the mass destruction of crops and the electronic age has become the new medium for Boggle attacks. Fortunately Boggle Hunters are assisted by the Fays, a faery tribe that helps to protect humans.
Jenny and her family live in England and she is to be visited by cousin Sam from Australia, who has no inkling of the families real occupation as hunters, but Sam become obsessed with a computer game called Grim's Castle which leads him into the dangerous Grey world.
Sophie Masson has cleverly woven together the modern and the faery worlds into a gripping story that simultaneously follows both Jenny and her quest to help her parents, with Sam's computer adventures, until they combine in a gripping ending, with a few twists and disclosures along the way.
This is a fantasy book, full of mystery and adventure. A great read for 9 to 13 year olds.
A book trailer is available .
Jane Moore