Waiting at the gate by Robyn Caughlan with Jason K Foster
Magabala Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921248 52 8 .
(Ages: 14+) Autobiography. Aboriginal themes. When her sister
sends her a photo of her Irish father, Robyn's hands creep towards
the envelope, taking forever to open it to look at the man
portrayed. Doing so fills her with dread as she remembers the years
of being Dah - Dee's little girl, suffering sexual abuse until he
died when she was 5. This opens this story of rising above the
tragedies that marred her early life, as she struggled with early
motherhood and marriage, abuse at the hands of her partner, running
away, losing her children and then going back to him to be able to
see her kids. All the while her adoptive parents are loyal and
supportive, being a cushion whenever she needed it. It was lovely to
read the sections where they were prominent, with their stability
and love oozing from them and their home, always there ready to
catch Robyn as she fell, giving her renewed courage.
Later Robyn begins to paint, being often the only pupil in her
teacher's class. The story continues as Robyn develops her skills
and becomes an internationally renowned artist, the first Indigenous
artist to be feted in this way. Along the way her spirituality also
develops and this forms part of her renewed vigor with her painting.
What saves this book from being yet another litany of horror and
abuse in one woman's life is the loyalty of her adoptive family,
followed by the love and support she receives from her friends and
supporters, giving her the tenacity to succeed. While overlong, the
story will be one that teens, particularly girls, will read and
share, discussing pitfalls she meets and the alternatives to
accepting a life of abuse and neglect, marvelling at her courage to
overcome all that happens to her.
Fran Knight
Slow down Boris by Andrew Joyner
Penguin Group: Australia , 2012. ISBN: 9780143306702.
Highly recommended as an early chapter book for emerging and
independent readers. Boris embarks on a new adventure as he joins
his class on a trip to Hogg City where they visit the museum, enjoy
lunch in the park and finish with a session at the Road Safety
School.
The Boris stories are easily accessible chapter books with short
sentences setting the scene and clear speech bubbles showing the
characters speaking. As with the previous Boris adventures you
expect that something exciting will happen to Boris, and it does,
ensuring that young readers will enthusiastically read on.
The colourful illustrations enhance the story by clearly showing a
variety of expressions and characters as his classmates wait whilst
Boris extricates himself from a set of shark jaws, a fountain. I
particularly enjoyed the illustrations as Boris, on the smallest
bike, rides around the bike circuit.
Boris of course saves the day and all ends happily as the bus
returns the class to Hogg Bay School.
Slow down Boris is an entertaining read which will delight young
readers and adults alike.
Sue Keane
No return : Captain Scott's race to the pole by Peter Gouldthorpe
Lothian, 2012. ISBN 9780734412799. pbk.
(Ages: 9+) Warmly recommended. Non Fiction. History. The story of
Captain Scott and his journey through the Antarctic to be the first
to reach the South Pole makes fascinating reading as beset by all
sorts of problems, the small group perished, making their names
synonymous with heroism and courage in exploration. Gouldthorpe has
written an excellent overview of the man himself, lured to this part
of the world by previous explorations and then wanting to be the
first to reach the South Pole, on hearing of a Norwegian expedition
setting out as well in 1909.
The voyage from England to Melbourne, then the treacherous voyage
across the Southern Ocean to Cape Evans in Force 10 gales, made them
even more determined. They arrived with three motor sleds, one of
which sank into the ice almost immediately, while one of the 59 men
was almost lost to a pod of killer whales when he inadvertantly
hopped across ice flows coming to a dead end. The men built a hut
and stored their provision to wait out the Antarctic winter before
attempting the walk to the pole in spring. The awful tale of the
trip follows, with the main group dying trying to return after
finding that the Norwegian team had arrived before them.
Two detailed maps are included and the illustrations give a bitingly
cold feel to the story, as we see the men and their horses and
huskies with all their equipment, trudge off. This is an amazing
story told with sufficient detail and superb illustrations to make
it available to a wide audience.
Fran Knight
Ruby Moonlight by Ali Cobby Eckermann
Magabala Books, 2012. ISBN 9781921248511.
Highly recommended, especially for Secondary students. This verse
novel succinctly and poignantly tells the story of sixteen year old
lubra, Ruby, who alone survives the massacre of her family by whites
in South Australia's mid-north. She has an illegal liaison with a
reclusive thirty year old Irish trapper, Jack, and they find solace
in each other. Suspense grips each page as their relationship is
threatened not only by an old aboriginal warrior who wants Ruby but
also by the white racist society out to destroy 'diseased'
aboriginals. Ruby has the spirit guardian, Kuman, to protect her,
but can he save her and Jack from a lynching party?
This tightly written novel has a haunting title to each page-long
poem. Its phrases and images linger in the mind,
'earthen thighs hide a sacred spring', ' life is doomed to
drought' and 'the soft staccato symphony of raindrops'. A white man
is a 'smoking ash ghost.'
Lyrical, accessible and memorable, this page turner captures
Australian history, black and white relationships, aboriginal
spirituality and the beauty and power of the natural world.
Kevyna Gardner
Pole to pole: One man, 20 million steps by Pat Farmer
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742377841. Pole to pole is Pat Farmer's diary of his 21,000 km run from
the North Pole to the South Pole, which he successfully completed
between April 5, 2011 and February 19, 2012. Before this adventure
he was already a highly experienced ultra marathon runner - an
extreme athlete who had been running all his life - and he was
looking for the next challenge.
Pat Farmer was a Federal politician for almost a decade, but tired
of endless meetings talking about ways to improve the world. He
wanted to make a practical difference. At the time of this
extraordinary undertaking he is 49 years old and the devoted single
father of Brooke and Dillon since the death of his wife in 1998. He
is buoyed by running with his children on some sectors of the
journey and he communicates well his heart-warming relationship with
them.
Pat details the complex team effort required to stage such a run
including the preparation, the lengthy training in extreme
conditions and the promotion required for fund-raising. One integral
goal of his run was to raise money for the Red Cross' clean water
and disaster relief campaigns.
There are many joys and charming descriptions of the multitude of
people met along the way in North and South America. There is also a
lot of pain. Each day he fights his way through pain and one of the
hardest tasks each day is getting out of his sleeping bag!
This is a paperback book of 313 pages with many colour and black and
white photos accompanied by Pat's quirky comments. There is a
Contents page, which divides the run into 6 stages. There is no
Index, which is fine, because the book needs to be read as an
adventure rather than as an information book.
This book has been written for an adult audience, but it is suitable
for Biography/Autobiography studies in Years 11-12. The diary format
and information boxes eg Pat's blister fixer, How to
tell a classy hotel, and Nazca Lines, make the book
easy to tackle and thus suitable for a young adult audience.
M. E. Strickland
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Orion, 2012. ISBN 9781409116325.
Like Romeo and Juliet, Eleanor and Park are from two different
worlds, even though they are both sixteen and go to the same school
on the same bus in a mid- western USA city in the 80s. Indeed,
when the overweight, eccentrically-dressed, red haired and socially
inept Eleanor is forced to occupy the vacant seat next to Park it's
hate at first sight. But she shyly reads his comics sideways, and
they gradually realize that not only do they share many musical and
literary tastes, in a school where sport rules, but also they are
deeply drawn to each other.
Meeting with Park away from the bus is problematic for Eleanor as
her step-father rules their home by fear and she would never be
allowed a boy-friend. She protects her four younger siblings in
their impoverished home with its lack of privacy. Park is Korean
with a father who had macho hopes for his 'different' son. These two
misfits can't stop themselves falling into an intense, powerful and
overwhelming first love. But secrets are hard to keep, and once
stepfather, Richie, hears of her relationship, Eleanor's life is in
danger and she and Park must take a huge risk.
Rainbow Rowell captures in minute detail that transforming
all-powerful young love which flourishes despite the odds.
Kevyna Gardner
Sophia the Flame Sister by Amber Castle
Spell Sisters, book 1. Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN:
9780857072474. Sophia the Flame Sister is the first of the Spell Sister
series. The prologue introduces the readers to Niveve, the Lady of
the Lake and Morgana Le Fay and sets the scene for the events which
follow. Sounding familiar? Yes . . . all the elements of a young
Arthur's story with a twist.
The main character Gwen is a feisty Guinevere who would prefer to be
out with the boys, one of whom is Arthur, than learn to curtsey and
be a lady. Her adventures begin when, with her cousin Flora, she
ventures deep in to the magical forest arriving at the Lake. Here
she is charged with saving Avalon by rescuing the Spell Sisters who
have been captured and hidden in various parts of the kingdom by the
ambitious Morgana.
With touches of magic and bravery this is a story young girls will
enjoy. Gwen and Flora are engaging characters and Morgana bad enough
that she leaves the reader wondering what the next adventure will
bring. This is helped by a sneak peek chapter for the next book at
the end to whet the reader's appetite.
This series will appeal to the girls who have read the Rainbow
Fairies and are looking for a different sort of magic. The
parallels with the stories of a young Arthur may be missed on this
age group, but as an adult it is nice to think that maybe Guinevere
had an adventurous childhood.
Sue Keane
Boris on show by Andrew Joyner
Puffin Books, 2012. ISBN 9780143306696
(Age: Early reader) Warmly recommended. Humour. Into the Hogg's Bay
Show, Boris enters a whole host of things, a large pumpkin, some
lemons, a piece of his artwork, a photograph, and some eggs, even
his cat, Lion. But best of all, he spends time making a carrot
cake. He collects the carrots from the garden from under the nose of
Frank the sheep, who loves eating them.
Boris and his family go to the show, confident that Boris will win a
prize, but when the children are high up in the ferris wheel, they
see Frank lurking outside the cake judging tent. All will be lost if
Frank gets inside, so the children act. Boris saves the day however,
and although he does not win a prize, his photo is in the paper as
the hero of the show.
Another in the charming series of stories about Boris the pig, is
presented in this tale of submitting entries for the local show, and
then saving the day with some quick thinking. The subtlety of the
selfless act by Boris will not be lost on the readers, as they
ponder his win. The lively story with its cheerful illustrations
will be sought out by early readers, eager for a new chapter book,
and with the recipe for carrot cake at the end no one will be able
to resist trying it out. at home or in the classroom.
Fran Knight
The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
Jonathan Cape, 2011. ISBN 9780224093620.
Recommended for Senior students. Aged eleven the boy Michael is sent
to England from Sri Lanka on the liner the Oronsay to reunite with
his mother. As an adult the narrator, now a novelist, (Ondaatje
claims that the book is fictional although it uses the 'colour and
locations' of autobiography) looks back on the voyage that became in
more ways than one a rite of passage. Also travelling on the boat
are a diverse range of characters, youngish women in search of
husbands, failed musicians, entertainers, thieves, children going to
England for school, rich old men looking for health and a manacled
prisoner.
Michael is allocated a dining table so far from the Captain's that
it is nicknamed the 'Cat's table' by fellow diners, who include a
mysterious tailor, Miss Lasqueti, with Foreign Office connections
and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. Cassius, Michael and
Ramadhin make the ship theirs; they invade the lifeboats, lurk on
deck late at night when the prisoner is exercised and are used by a
thief to break into cabins. Although Ramadhin is constrained by
asthma Michael and Cassius are indomitable. In one terrifying
incident they chain themselves to the deck during a turbulent storm,
and have to weather the Captain's rage as a result.
The adult Michael realizes that the voyage took him from his safe
and idyllic childhood in Sri Lanka to the more turbulent years of
adult life. The author takes the reader forward in time to
Ramadhin's mysterious death, to Michael's marriage to his sister and
to the success of Cassius as a painter. We are then returned to the
voyage and the disastrous escape of the prisoner, which has been
contrived by the entertainers and in which the tailor and Miss
Lasqueti are implicit. The three children see death and understand
culpability, then land and go back to school. As an adult Michael
remembers and tries to make sense of the experience. The Jamesian
theme of innocence and experience is strongly established, the novel
being at its best in the descriptions of the boys' lives and
observations on the liner. The adult experiences are less
convincing, and the prisoner's story is melodramatic. However, the
novel would make an interesting comparison with texts dealing with
the themes of growing up and adolescence.
Jenny Hamilton
Golden Stranger by Karen Wood
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742378589.
(Age: 14+) Horse enthusiast, Shara Wilson, is looking forward to
term break from boarding school when she will return home to
Coachwood River. She enjoys watching the local rodeo but is angry
when she learns that there will be a wild horse race at the event.
She is even more upset when she learns that the aptly named Conneman
brothers, who are responsible for staging the race, have a history
of cruelty and neglect to their animals.
Shara and her friends decide to disrupt the event but their
behaviour gets them offside with family. After breaking a promise
not to cause any more trouble, Mr Wilson takes the drastic step of
taking away Shara's beloved horses Rocko and Goldie, a beautiful
colt that has escaped from the Connemans. To make matters worse,
Corey, the boy that she has a crush on, has ended up with a severe
head injury trying to keep her out of trouble.
Shara can't believe that she is being punished for trying to protect
horses from brutal treatment while the perpetrators are able to
carry on unscathed. She and her friends are challenged to come up
with a more constructive way of protesting, something that will get
the community on their side. Golden Stranger is the fifth book in the Diamond Spirit
series which feature Shara and her friends. It is a good dramatic
read with a dash of romance and lots of horse talk for the lovers of
all things equine.
Tina Cain
Animal Rescue: Tiger Tangle by Jackie French
Scholastic Press, 2012. ISBN: 9781742833835.
Recommended for the 7+ reader. Jackie French continues to sell her
environmental message this time focussing on captive animals used as
a promotion tool.
Glam Rock, pop star, performs with a Siberian Tiger on stage and
according to his publicity supports a breeding program at his
wildlife park to save Siberian tigers from extinction.
Leo, with his ability to communicate with animals, learns that this
is far from the truth and with Mozz decides to rescue the frightened
animal.
With elements of Mission Impossible and Mozz's amazing machines the
children break into Glam's penthouse apartment via the air
conditioning system and of course are caught in the act.
The series could also be used as a tool in an integrated unit on
Conservation. The ethics of using animals for publicity is touched
on and could be used as a great conversation starter when
investigating animal and environmental conservation.
Sue Keane
Ophelia Wild, Secret Spy by Elena de Roo
Illustrated by Tracy Duncan. Walker Books, 2012. 79pp.
(Ages: 7-10) Recommended. Ophelia Wild, Secret Spy and her trusty
assistant Albert are set up to solve all the toughest cases from
their tree-house headquarters and they demonstrate their skills in
cooperation, respect and persistence in this gem of an easy reading
book.
Divided into three quite distinct chapters which are essentially
narrative poems, this book delights young and old by its simple
portrayal of good-will, friendship and how cleverness and ingenuity
can overcome thuggish unkindness. Written completely in verse the
three sections follow Ophelia and Albert as they outsmart the
bullyboy gang, not once but twice, and solve a mystery involving a
cat, an elderly man and some missing false teeth.
Elena de Roo has done a fantastic job with the flow and rhythm of
the text. It never seems forced and follows a wonderful narrative
flow that makes it easy and delightful to read. Not only is this a
fabulous book to read aloud but one which when reading it alone it
seems impossible (for me anyway) to not add the rhythm and
expression that the text seems to demand. The large black and white
illustrations which adorn every page add to the playful and bubbly
nature of the story.
The 'bully' theme is quite a major one in this book and is
quite stereotypical in its portrayal of bullies as beanie-wearing,
spiky-haired, courage-in-numbers types. Assistant Albert is also a
stereotypical intelligent book-reading child with oversized glasses.
The lack of grey area or depth of character seems unimportant
however, in a story focused on beautiful themes of community,
friendship and strength over adversity in a simplified manner.
This is the first Ophelia Wild book and I am hopeful that it won't
be the last.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
Simon and Schuster, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-85707-284-9.
Two passionate teenagers. One Prize. Who will win?
Set in the present time this novel is about the choices people make
and life changing decisions which impact on your friends and family.
The illegitimate child of an opera singer and a good for nothing
play boy, Carmen Bianchi has had anything but a normal life. Her
friend and mentor Heidi, is the only relief from the hours of
constant practice and performance of being a musical prodigy.
Told in the first person the story follows Carmen as she prepares
for the prestigious Guarneri, a classical music prize held once
every four years for violinists worldwide, but is this really what
Carmen wants? Her mother and Yuri have driven her for years
encouraging her to reach utter musical perfection but is that really
possible with Inderal? Is using Inderal fair on the other
competitors? Seeds of doubt worm their way into Carmen's mind in the
weeks before the competition causing Carmen to think of the Guarneri
as an elusive dream, something that she'd never be able to hold so
long as Jeremy King is her competition. Virtuosity is a compelling novel about love, loss and
freedom. An involving novel, I would recommend it to those who
enjoyed reading The Last Song and the movie Raise your
Voice. Jessica Martinez did a wonderful job describing the
joys and triumphs that come with being a musician and the ups and
downs of just being a teenager and rounded off her novel nicely as a
story of hope and freedom.
Kayla Gaskell, age 16.
Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr
Harper Collins Children's Books, 2012. ISBN 9780007456864.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. For fans of Melissa Marr (bestselling author
of the Wicked Lovely series), this collection of short
stories will be a delight. It includes twelve original short stories
written by Melissa Marr, some themed around the world of Wicked
Lovely, and some completely new to the reader. Faery Tales and Nightmares consists of twelve short stories,
however there are too many to review here, so these are some of my
favourites. Where Nightmares Walk: Nothing more than a page and a half,
this nevertheless is a spooky intro to the novel. Winter's Kiss: This tells the story of a princess cursed with
icy breath, and a snow bear that sees it as a gift. It reads like a
very interesting, traditional fairy tale. Love Struck: An interesting love story and fairy tale about
selkies. A complex storyline, but quite sweet and beautiful. The Art Of Waiting: The story of a town that is incased in
snow and ice each winter, but melts to beauty in the spring. A man
and his daughter come to the town, and the townspeople wait to see
if they, like so many others, will leave. Interesting and amusing,
this reads much like a poem. Flesh For Comfort: A disturbing story about a girl willing to
do anything for beauty. Easily the most unsettling out of the
non-Wicked Lovely themed stories. The Sleeping Girl And The Summer King: This story was the
original inspiration for the Wicked Lovely series.
One extra point to make is the design of the whole novel. The cover
is exquisite and each story has a small illustration beforehand,
making it all beautiful to look at.
While all the stories are interesting and very well written, the
short story Winter's Kiss is the standout here.
I recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams
More or less : democracy and new media ed. by Helen Sykes
Future Leaders, 2012. ISBN 9780980332070.
(Senior secondary: Adult) Future leaders is an organisation which
seeks to foster and promote leadership by young Australians and
their latest publication is a collection of essays which guide
consideration of the nature and role of new media in Democratic
society. The second half of the book contains examples of creative
writing pieces submitted by senior secondary students.
Contributions by prominent Australians and academics form chapters
which are distinct and unrelated beyond the common theme of media.
The observations are often complex and sometimes expressed in lofty
terms, to the point that some contributors could be considered self
- indulgent. Other writers employ ordinary language to convey worthy
and thought provoking points of view and because the works stand
alone, the reader can be selective.
Whilst many secondary students will reject this work as too
challenging or because they are disinterested in the topic, others
will benefit from the opportunity to consider concepts and ideas
which they might not readily encounter in their regular sphere. This
is a notion touched upon by some of the writers when referring to
the standard and style of news / current affairs appearing on
television and radio or the staggering political bias perpetuated by
suffocating and dominating media ownership. Agenda driven or
erroneous material available on websites and blogs and the capacity
to reduce serious matters to puerile catch cries or to convert inane
or unimportant incidents to 'news' in online updates, sound grabs or
tweets is also revealed. Populist movements, regarded as powerful
and just or alternatively naive and ineffective, (depending upon
one's point of view) also come under scrutiny.
This book offers many insights on topics such as the balance of
freedom of information against personal privacy and security,
questioning whether we are becoming more ignorant when access to
information has never been greater and consideration of the
principle that exchange of ideas is vital in healthy democracies. If
nothing else is gained however, students will understand that they
must be discerning in what they read, see and hear, to appreciate
who is behind the presentation and to what extent they are being
manipulated.
Rob Welsh
Editor's note: A free copy of this book is available for every
secondary school. Contact Dr Helen Sykes at Future Leaders: helen@futureleaders.com.au
