A and C Black, London, 2012.
Man about the house by C. A. Plaisted. ISBN 978 14081 5654 4.
Breaking the rules by Maxine Linnell. ISBN 978 1 4081 5271 3.
(Ages 11+) Recommended. High interest, low literacy. A companion
series to Wired, and similar to those published by
Barrington Stokes, this series will appeal to kids with lower
literacy levels but wanting something more meaty than the usual
stories written for them. Short stories, in larger print, and wide
margins on the pages make these easier to read than most texts. They
will be very handy to have available for readers, and a box set of
them in the classroom will be useful.
With solid stories written around themes present in their daily
lives, these two stories have a high appeal. Man about the house is the tale of Jeza, broken up about his
father living with a new family and having to be the man about the
house for his mother and sister. he desperately wants his father to
come to the soccer to watch him play and is dreadfully disappointed
when his new baby takes precedence. A neat resolution sees both
parties coming to some understanding of their new roles. Along the
way we see how different families react to break ups, and Jeza's
angst at having to do the jobs around the house allocated to him by
his grandfather, who imposes new responsibilities upon the boy. Breaking the rules follows a scenario familiar to many
students who read the papers and participate in internet awareness
programs, but unfortunately new to many. Mo is at a low point in her
life, moving towns and schools sees her friendless and at odds with
her family. She clicks yes on her computer when a boy named Shadow
asks to be her friend, and pouring out her concerns to him receives
solace in response. He seems to know how she feels and becomes a
shoulder for her to cry on. Eventually they agree to meet and she
catches the tram to Derby.
This is a chilling cautionary tale, readers will think about the
possibilities and traps that Mo could be getting herself into.
Fran Knight
The Queen with the Wobbly Bottom by Phillip Gwynne
Ill. by Bruce Whatley. Little Hare, 2012 ISBN 9781921714597. Hbk. RRP
$24.95.
Turn on the television news in this year of Queen Elizabeth's
diamond jubilee and you will see a very elegant, beautifully dressed
woman; ask a child to draw a picture of a queen and you'll get
someone tall and thin, complete with a cloak and crown - what you
won't get is one with a wobbly bottom!
But that's the problem of the queen in this hilarious story by
Phillip Gwynne which is perfectly illustrated by the master, Bruce
Whatley. Despite being beautiful and clever, and being loved
throughout the land, whenever the queen looked in the mirror, all
she saw when she wiggled her hips was her bottom wobbling like a
raspberry jelly! It distressed the queen so much that she posted a
notice on the palace wall . . .
To whoever can solve the problem of the royal wobble, Her Majesty,
Queen of the Land Offers a thousand gold coins. Predictably, this
brought forth a range of people with a range of solutions which the
queen dutifully tried. But whatever other improvements the pills,
potions and inventions might have achieved, at the end of it all the
queen still had a wobbly bottom.
Each failure brought an increase in the reward, and another round of
hopeful winners. Even offering her own hand in marriage didn't bring
the answer until a most unlikely person came to the palace . . . so
unlikely that the queen had him thrown straight into the dungeon
with all the other pretenders. However, in frustration she weakened
and . . .
This is a funny, quirky tale that quickly made it to the top of Miss
Nearly 6's favourites pile. She laughed all the way through, with
just the occasional comment, 'Perhaps YOU could try that, Grandma',
but it was the ending which delighted her the most. 'Ah, just like
you and Grandad in reverse,' she said, with a sigh of satisfaction.
OUCH!
Definitely one for helping children to learn to love themselves
regardless and to build self-esteem - even if mine got a bit
bruised.
Barbara Braxton
Meet Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 9781742830209.
(Age: Preschool to 6) Recommended. After Mrs Kookaburra tells
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie about the humans who are 'strong as the
wind, swift as the river, fierce as the sun' the gumnut babies are
determined to see one. Before dawn they creep out of bed and go off
on an adventure to find a human and see ('But only in the distance')
a human.
It is wonderful to see the favourite Australian characters of my
childhood, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, appearing again and this book
is a keeper as I am sure it will prove to be a delight for my
grandchildren, just as it was for me.
As always, the delightful drawings of the little gumnuts, the
friendly lizard, Ragged Blossom and the Australian bush, draw the
reader in and make the experience a magical adventure. I
particularly loved the scene where nuts and blossoms were dancing
under the glowing lanterns. The long-lashed blossoms are just
gorgeous and the delicate greens of the gum leaves and the beautiful
browns of the branches bring the trees to life. And of course, who
could ever forget the little gumnuts, with their rosy cheeks, gumnut
hats and leaf clothes?
The book has a sturdy cover and beautiful endpapers of
blossoms, nuts, flowers and insects. The text is stimulating
enough for the newly emerging reader to try and a delight to
read aloud. Its conclusion, 'And so began the adventures of
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie',will leave the reader eagerly
awaiting more books with May Gibbs' marvellous illustrations and
stories.
Pat Pledger
The Ice-Cream War by Edwina Howard
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978-1-86291-956-3.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. As the title suggests this book is about ice
cream and a supply war that follows but to me one of the most
outstanding and humorous character in the novel is the Shetland Pony
and you should buy this book just to read about him.
My own experiences with Shetland ponies range from the famous Norman
Thewell cartoons and my sister's pony named Tony (not a very
inventive name I know). The pony in this book is Hoppy and he bears
all the characteristics of your average pony. He is devious, single
minded and not at all prone to accepting orders. How can something
so cute, be so conniving!
Hoppy becomes involved in this story when the main character Jake,
teams up with friend Jeremy in a money making scheme to sell ice
cream during the school holidays. This is in direct competition to
Uncle Sunny, sunny by name but not by nature. His unhygienic ice
cream van delivers lots of special extras with the children's
orders, such as mouse poo and bugs. He considers Jake and Jeremy's
Hoppy - driven ice cream cart an act of war and reacts accordingly.
This is a hilarious book by a first time writer. Jake and Jeremy
have to contend with a lot of underhanded tricks by Uncle Sunny and
his young helpers, as well as deal with the unpredictable behaviour
of Hoppy. The pony has a great scene at the end of the novel that
made me laugh out loud.
There is plenty of fun and action in this book and it will appeal to
students from 9+ years. Boys in particular will love the humour.
Teachers' notes are available
.
Jane Moore
172 hours on the moon by Johan Harstad
Atom 2012, ISBN 978 1 9074 1151 9. 172 hours on the moon is about three teenagers: Mia, Midori
and Antoine who are selected by an International Lottery to make a
trip to the moon. The idea is a publicity stunt by NASA to revive
interest in space travel and to encourage funding to support it.
There is however another motive which unfolds as the story
progresses.It is clear from the beginning that there is not going to
be a happy ending: 'three of them will go on the trip of a lifetime.
Only one will come back.'The format follows each of the teenagers as
they are chosen, trained and finally arrive on the moon. Chapters
are short and this moves the story along but also allows the author
to drop in hints that all is not what it seems and this builds up
the tension.After the disaster on the moon only one teenager returns
and it is here that the author produces the final twist.
I think secondary students who like science fiction and suspense
would find this a compelling read.The characters are fleshed out
enough to be interesting and the interaction would appeal to the
intended audience and the final twist certainly is unexpected and
leaves the reader with a great sense of unease.
David Rayner
Maisy goes to the city by Lucy Cousins
Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1 4063 3830 0
(Age: Pre school) Warmly recommended. Picture book. A Maisy
First Experience Book, this tale has Maisy and her friends
leaving their home, catching the bus to the city to meet their friend
Dotty. She has just moved to the city and is keen to show them her
new surroundings, the traffic, tall buildings, the number of people
walking along the pavement, and the shops. When they go to the toy
shop, they must cross the road using the traffic lights, and once
inside have a choice between using the lift or the escalator. Maisy
pays for her purchases but realises that her friends are not with
her. An announcement is made and they are reunited. They then go to
the square where they have coffee and listen to the music being
played. Travelling home to Dotty's house means going on the
underground and finding their correct line, but while riding in the
carriage is a squash, but they all have had an enjoyable day.
This is a lovely take of being in the city, referencing everything
children would need to know while there with their parents. A
teacher or parent would make good use of this little book in
describing to a child what life in the city is like, talking about
the things they may not know about or may have to deal with while in
a different place. The gentle story with its subtle hints of getting
lost or being overwhelmed with the goods in a shop will be talking
points for a child and their parent, or a teacher and the class.
Lucy Cousin's bold, outlined drawings will be familiar to many
children and delight those new to this lovely series.
Fran Knight
Storm by Brigid Kemmerer
Elementals. Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781743310663.
(Age 14+) Paranormal. Becca Chandler is having a hard time. Her
boyfriend has spread lies about her to the whole school and then she
is confronted with the sight of Chris Merrick being beaten up in a
parking lot. Chris is different to the boys that she knows and after
helping to rescue him she finds that he and his brothers are
Elementals. Chris can control water, and his brothers can control
fire, wind and earth. Then there is Hunter, a mysterious boy who
keeps popping up. Can he be trusted?
I really enjoyed this novel on two levels. The paranormal aspects of
the Merrick brothers' powers was interesting, and the fact that they
were in danger kept me glued to the page. Kemmerer's dialogue
sounded very authentic and brought the relationships between the
brothers alive for me. They argued and fought just as many family
members do, but were steadfast in their loyalty to each other.
However, it was Becca's back-story that fascinated me the most. She
had to go to school, day after day, knowing that vicious lies had
been told about her and fighting off the advances and comments of
other boys who thought she was easy. Her plight and the decisions
she had to make about her reputation added a depth to what could
have been an ordinary paranormal story. Teens will relate to Becca's
story and will be forced to think about reputations and how they can
be made.
There was plenty of action and suspense to keep the story going and
the inevitable love triangle of Becca, Chris and Hunter was handled
adroitly, and left the reader wondering what was going to happen.
This was an entertaining read and I know that I will pick up the
next volume in the series when it is published.
Pat Pledger
Boy vs Beast by Mac Park
Scholastic, 2012.
No. 13. Torlavasaur. ISBN 978-1-92168-463-0.
No. 14. Chillterratan. ISBN 978-1-92168-464-7.
Beasts and man shared the world but after many battles the world was
divided into two, man was given Earth and the beasts were given
Beastium. One border wall divides the two domains and it is the job
of the border guards is to stop the beasts from breaking through the
wall.
Beasts have escaped from an experimental compound know as the
Outlands and have entered Beastium as mega mutants. Kai Masters who
was a young border guard and is now a captain can engage the help of
a team of other border guards. In Torlavasaur, Kai has Jay
Armstrong's help to fight the battling beasts, while in
Chillterratan, he is aided by Will Rutter.
This series is directly aimed at young boys who are becoming
independent readers. It uses their love of computer games and
trading cards to promote the stories. The simple sentence structure
and large print aid their understanding of the text. Black and white
illustrations and word art are scattered throughout the book and the
battle scene is described in all its glory in a 4 page graphic novel
style. The book jackets are highly appealing for their intended
audience. There is enough action, special equipment and monsters to
keep the reader happy. The aim of this series to get boys into
books, to be a fun read.
The author/s' name Mac Park, is a mash up of the names of the two
women who write this series, Susannah McFarlane and Louise Park.
Check out the very impressive website where you can even create your
beast at http://www.boyvsbeast.com/
A book trailer is available.
Jane Moore
Promote Reading: Activities and strategies to motivate reading ed. by Pat Pledger
Pledger Consulting, 2012. ISBN 978 1 876678 27 2.
Highly recommended. This is a great resource for any library from
R-12 with a plethora of ideas for promoting reading. Ideas include
displays, working one on one with students, literacy programs, group
or class activities and organising special events. There are
template examples and digital resources ideas. The suggested
weblinks throughout are another great resource.
Contents include; general ideas to promote reading; Finding the
right book for the reader; Talking about books; Book reviews; Book
clubs; Children's Choice Awards; Literature units; Competitions;
Digital and online fiction ideas; Posters; Book Week and Boys and
reading.
Our library loved the idea of 'Pee and Read' and have already
started promoting this way (you will have to buy a copy to find out
all about it!). I also plan to look at the ideas for giving book
talks so that I can re-invent the book chats I give.
This title is sure to motivate your creative juices so that students
are encouraged to READ!
A very timely publication to coincide with the National Year of
Reading. So if you are running out of ideas grab a copy soon.
Wendy Rutten
Editor's note: The book can be purchased here.
Literature to Support the Australian Curriculum: History by Fran Knight
Pledger Consulting, 2012. ISBN 978-1-876678-26-5.
Highly recommended. The Australian Curriculum has teachers and
teacher librarians all over the country busy implementing the new
syllabus in their own schools. The history curriculum has been a
focus for purchasing new nonfiction and fiction resources during
2012 and many teacher librarians have trialled the units.
Book sellers are cleverly packaging their resources into boxes
according to the year level of the history curriculum, to help with
purchasing and while this is helpful it still involves a lengthy
process of previewing and selecting for teacher librarians. Some of
the resources are great, with inspiring ideas and starting points
for designing units that sit well with your school and students, but
some are just collections of tedious worksheets that will kill an
interest in any topic.
What was missing was a detailed bibliography of literature to
support the teaching of history in schools until this publication
came along. For me it was a 'just in time' discovery as I had
started to collate my own literature list. Stories make a time in
history come alive for students, a 'walk in their shoes' type of
experience and this bibliography cites some excellent resources.
The book is divided into year levels from foundation year to year 10
and lists books in author order providing an annotation and extra
information when applicable, such as teaching notes available on the
internet. There is an excellent range of books to please most
reading abilities and interests.
A large amount of the books would be in print with others available
in most libraries. The list is up to date and includes such titles
such as the Our Australian Girl titles, a popular series
currently being read aloud by two of the teachers in my school and
inspiring great student interest in the year 4 and 5 units. It is
these types of experiences that will help develop a love of history
and Fran's book is a must have purchase for every school library.
Jane Moore
Editor's note: The book can be purchased here.
A forest by Marc Martin
Penguin Viking, 2012. ISBN 9780 570 07645 1.
Picture book. Sustainability. A deft introduction to the ideas
behind Sustainability, one of the focusses of the new Australian
Curriculum, this picture book shows the destruction caused by man to
a forest, and by implication, the whole world. The cycle of
destruction is turned upon man for his stupidity leading to the
forest's regeneration.
From the start, a few trees are cut down, man taking enough to live
upon, but then he becomes greedy and begins to cut more and more,
leading to the rise of tall cities, overwhelming the land once
covered by the forests. As a result, the rains are heavier and
denude the cities, causing them to be swept away, and eventually the
forest returns.
Each page is a delight for small children to search out the
different sort of trees rendered in water colour, pencil and ink.
They will not help but be anxious when the trees are cut down,
leading the way for buildings to be erected over the now barren
land. Cities rise from the places where the forests once were, and
turning the pages readers will be struck by the use of water colour
to give a haunting impression of the denuding of the cities in grey,
green and dreary rain clouds. The symmetry of the book is hypnotic,
leading the reader to ponder a brighter future where forests again
reign supreme.
This book would make a great introduction to the topic of
sustainability in the classroom, and could be well compared with
treats such as those produced by Jeannie Baker.
Fran Knight
Drive by by Jim Carrington
Bloomsbury 2012. ISBN 978 1 4088 2278 4.
(Age: Teens) Recommended. Johnny and his friends are returning home
from the park on a hot summer's day messing around and kicking a
football which accidentally lands in the house of an old lady who
punctures it before returning it.
Later the boys have their revenge when they shoot her with water
pistols as they ride past her open car window. After they
learn she has had a heart attack and she dies, Johnny feels
extremely guilty as it was his idea. He wants to confess but
his friends are not so sure. Things go rapidly downhill from
there as Johnny finds it increasingly difficult to deal with the
guilt. It is all complicated by his meeting up with a girl
that he is attracted to, but who turns out to be the old lady's
granddaughter.
Johnny is an essentially decent person, so the consequences of his
prank weigh heavily on him. The author manages to convey this
without preaching and the relationship between him and the
granddaughter is convincingly done.Whilst giving a balanced
view of the realities of the situation the author manages to resolve
it satisfactorily and believably. This allows the story to end
positively but does not diminish the issues involved.
Recommended for teenage readers who will identify with many of the
issues raised such as taking responsibility for your actions.
David Rayner
Wired Up series by various authors
A and C Black, London, 2012. Kidnap by Chris Powling. ISBN 978 1 4081 4260 8. Seconds out by Dan Tunstall. ISBN 978 1 4081 5270 6. Petrify by Beth Chambers. ISBN 978 1 40821 5268 6.
(Ages 11+) Recommended. High interest, low literacy. Kidnap by Chris Powling is a straight forward story of two
rich kids being tutored with a third child, the son of the handyman
at their mansion. When kidnappers take all three, including their
teacher, Adam is disparaging of Leo, the third child, and watches
him for hints that he is in league with the kidnappers. After the
teacher is killed, the three are taken to the top of an apartment
building, where they wait for the money to be delivered. A neat
story of not judging people by their wealth is shown here as Adam
learns to reappraise Leo.
In Seconds out, 15 year old Andy is in trouble again,using
his fists to prove he is the hard man amongst the year 10s. When the
principal tells him to go to the local boxing club, he is at first
hesitant. After having the wind knocked out of him by a much weaker
student at the club, he storms out but but talking to the boy at
school shows him that not all take it so personally. A deft story
about self image and keeping up appearances, this story shows us a
lad at the crossroads, and taking steps not to follow in his
father's footsteps. Petrify too, will cause its readers to watch their backs as
new boy, Josh tries to prove that he is not scared by the story of
the witch in the community. The story revolves around it drinking
blood, and when scary things happen, Josh and his friends need to be
on their guard.
A companion series to Wired (A and C Black), and similar to
Lightning Strikes (Barrington Stokes), this series will
appeal to kids with lower literacy levels but wanting something more
meaty than the usual stories written for them. They will be very
handy to have available for readers, and a box set of them in the
classroom will be useful.
Fran Knight
Mike the Knight: Meet Mike!
Simon and Schuster. 2012. ISBN;978-0-85707-680-9.
No doubt spurred on by the phenomenally successful cartoon (shown in
Australia on the ABC network), Simon and Schuster have released the
book Mike the Knight; Meet Mike! For those not in the know,
Mike is a gallant and chivalrous young knight in training, who lives
in Glendragon. Whilst his father, the King, is away fighting the
good fight, young Mike is the man of the castle, who aspires to 'be
a knight, do it right'.
Along with his two favourite dragon companions, Sparkie and Squirt,
and armed with his Big Book for Little Knights in Training, there is
no problem to big or too small for Mike. Galloping from one
adventure to another with his trusty steed, Galahad the Great, Mike
is a helpful and determined young knight.
This is a bold and bright book, perfectly pitched to the preschool
set. Anything which encourages young men (and women) to be helpful
and brave and adventurous gets a big thumbs up from me. The text is
friendly and approachable, and will be sure to appeal to fans of the
show and their parents and caregivers alike. The illustrations are
perfectly matched to the television program, which ensures that
consistency which small children find so comforting. For a
commercial spin off, the writing is good, and this is an enjoyable
book to read aloud.
Freya Lucas
The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN:9781847388759. Hardcover.
Highly recommended. Princess Sue is a feisty, Converse wearing, cluey princess. Sitting
in her tower lamenting the slowness of her long awaited Prince, Sue
is someone who knows the score. Once Prince Charming shows up, Sue
is all set for her adventure to begin.
Riding off on the back of his horse, Sue is heard to cry 'Whoopee!
At last I'm freed! Today I start my happy end'. You can imagine
then, her disappointment when she finds out that her prince charming
wants her to be little more than a decorative castle ornament,
sitting up in a tall tower, wearing pretty dresses and leaving all
the adventuring to the Prince.
As you can imagine, Sue is not satisfied with this turn of events,
and she soon sets things right, achieving a non traditional happily
ever after.
When I was a young girl, I was given a copy of The Paperbag
Princess to review. This book is along a similar vein of
wonderful and interesting 'self rescuing princesses', and it makes a
refreshing change from the traditional variety of simpering and
delicate waifs.
This is a great book for younger and older readers alike - in our
house, it sparked off some fascinating discussions about gender
stereotyping and the roles of male and female characters in
traditional stories.
The illustrations are simply stunning, and they support the story so
well. Vibrant and colourful, the pictures leap off the page and
carry the reader beyond the story and into the world of Princess
Sue.
A highly recommended addition to any school or personal library
collection.
Freya Lucas
