The Queen with the wobbly bottom by Phillip Gwynne
Ill. by Bruce Whatley. Little Hare, 2012. ISBN 9781 921714 59 7.
Warmly recommended. Picture book. Humour. A laugh out loud look at
self image where the queen simply has too much time to look in
mirrors! The large round mirror which reflects her size, shows her
something she simply does not want to see, and so she sends far and
wide for someone to fix her problem. A reward attracts some dubious
responses, and as each fails, the person responsible is tossed into
jail. A Beautician tells her that applying a potion will diminish
the size of the royal bottom, an Inventor builds a spectacular
machine, a Bard promises poetry. a Fitness Instructor promises
exercises, all to no avail. But when the Royal Lady-In-Waiting
suggest that the Poet be recalled, she finds that her bottom is
quite forgotten after reading his poems, and all is well.
With the collaboration of two experienced people, Gwynne and
Whatley, the result is a book which can be read and looked at over
and over again, each time rewarding the listener, the reader and the
browser with something new to ponder. Whatley's gentle watercolours
are just lovely to look at, as he sets Gwynne's story in times past
with characters with ruffs around their necks and feathered caps as
well as more modern touches, swimming goggles, a delightful weight
reducing piece of machinery and a kangaroo personal trainer, while a
wobbly jelly turns up in unexpected places.
An ironic look at the beauty industry, readers will see for
themselves how gullible people can be through the eyes of this
lovely very round queen.
Fran Knight
The affair by Lee Child
Bantam Press, 2011. ISBN 978 0 593 06571 6.
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Crime thriller. Another in the series of
stories about anti hero Jack Reacher, a military policeman, this has
Jack going south to the 'armpit of Mississippi' to investigate a
murder near the army base of Fort Kelham, but this time undercover.
His longer than regulation hair along with a stubbly face and old
army clothes give him the perfect look to infiltrate the small town,
Carter Crossing, ask questions and gather information, or so he
thinks. But the local sheriff is an ex Marine MP, so spots him as
soon as she sets eyes on him. With an investigating officer already
installed on the army base, Jack's job gets harder as the hours tick
by, firstly investigating the murder a few nights ago, then being
told it is the third such murder in the last nine months, this time
investigated with more rigour because she is white, and then finding
another body in the woods.
Exciting, brimful of jibes at government departments, Pentagon, army
investigations, black and white relations in the south, poor
housing, and the like, Jack Reacher wears his heart on his sleeve as
he slides between the various defense departments which have shown
an interest in this case. He is warned that this is a suicide job
and to watch his back, but addicted readers will know that this is
grist to his mill. With overtones of much deeper problems within the
army base and its dealings with Kosovo, this is unputdownable as
Jack is pursued by back woods thugs he has managed to antagonise,
back woods militia camping out around the base and the US Army at
every possible level. His solution to several of his problems reek
of 007 power but by the time we are party to the corruption and
nepotism involved, the readers' sympathies oscillate between Reacher
and what is legal.
Lee Child's website has
information and footage about this novel as well as the other Jack
Reacher novels, one of which is at the moment being filmed with Tom
Cruise as Reacher.
Fran Knight
Meet Alice by Davina Bell
Our Australian Girl (series). Penguin, 2012. ISBN 978 0 14 330629 0.
(Ages: 9+) Recommended. Historical. Alice is a ballet student under
the tutelage of Miss Lillibet, who has found that her old teacher is
coming to Perth. She arranges for Alice to dance for him as she is
sure she has talent. When the great man arrives, Alice is home
looking after her younger siblings, and as her teacher has not yet
arrived to take her to the town hall, she leaves the children and
goes alone. Arriving back home, one of the children has fallen into
the river and nearly drowned, causing Alice to regret her tragic
decision and vow never to dance again.
Against this story we see World War One being played out, with their
father in Europe, brother Teddy receiving white feathers in the
mail, the dance teacher being interned because of her German
heritage and Mum working in the bank as the men have all enlisted.
Set in Perth, the story is one of the Our Australian Girl
series and so is well supported by a website which
contains information and teacher notes for each of the now 6 stories
of girls in different historical periods in Australia's history. At
the end of this story, as with the others, is a teaser, the first
few pages of the next in this series, Alice and the apple blossom
fair, while information is given about Australia at the time.
Alice is endearing, and girls will identify with her regret at
leaving her siblings, and her adoration of her older brother. Many
issues are touched upon in this the first in the series about Alice,
leading the reader to want to read the next three books.
Fran Knight
The unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
(Mara Dyer: 1) Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9780857073631.
(Age: 15+) Mara Dyer wakes up in hospital with her memory gone. She
can't remember how her boyfriend and her best friend were killed or
why she was left unharmed. Her doctor recommends that she start over
in a new town and a new school. There she meets the mysterious Noah
and strange things begin to happen around her. Can she really see
other people's deaths before they happen?
'My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose
something. A pseudonym.' With this beginning line Hodkin writes a
hook to get the reader involved and questioning whether the heroine
of the story really has a body count that is her responsibility. She
furthers the suspense with the appearance of Noah, who Mara is not
sure she can trust.
A mixture of thriller and paranormal, this book kept me reading to
the end. Sometimes the mixture didn't quite ring true and I was left
wishing that Hodkin had stuck to either one or the other of the
genres, but it was suspenseful enough to keep me reading. Although
Mara's insecurities and self-involvement were annoying at times, her
relationship with her brothers was a highlight of the book. Noah,
the main love interest is an enigma, and I am sure that this aspect
will appeal to teenage girls, to whom this book is aimed.
Ending on a surprising note, the author left me reeling and I will
have to read the next in the series to see where it goes. There is a
website dedicated to the series,
where there is a trailer and the first chapter of the book.
Pat Pledger
Millie's special something by Tania Cox and David Miller
Working Title Press, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921504 38 9
Warmly recommended. Picture book. Collage.
When Millie plays hide and seek with her friends, Reggie comes on
the scene with a different ending for the game, one where he eats
Millie up. But Millie's friends are there to drive Reggie off, using
their special talents to do so. Gus is able to roar effectively and
Lea able to swoop down from above, while Don can scare anyone off
when he stamps his feet. Although grateful, Millie is down hearted
as she has no special talent to use to protect herself. But during
the night when her friends are not there, Reggie returns to play
'dinnertime' with Millie. Turning her back she finds that the animal
is laughing, and turning around realises that it is her feathery
tail that is diverting him from eating her. She has found her
talent.
A gentle story of finding your own talent and overcoming fear is
told through David Miller's wonderful collage illustrations and
Tania Cox's story. Children will thrill to the three dimensional
illustrations and the animals so conveyed, postulating on what they
might represent and trying to make some for themselves.
Fran Knight
These are my hands/These are my feet by Judy Horacek
National Library of Australia. ISBN; 9-780642-277480.
Hard cover picture book. This is a wonderfully vibrant offering from
Judy Horacek, who illustrated the much adored Mem Fox tome Where
is the Green Sheep?. This book, aimed at the under 5's, takes
the reader on a journey of all the things that busy hands and busy
feet do in their day. A hardcover book with sturdy thick pages, this
book makes the ideal transition text from board book to paper.
Horacek has cleverly drawn the toddler twosome in this book in a
very gender neutral fashion, which makes the text relatable for the
little ones, who are more easily able to place themselves within the
story. There are other refreshing touches within the book which
reflect Horacek's desire not to stereotype her toddler characters -
the same hands pick up both a doll and a truck, the feet have shoes
with faces and rainbow laces.
This book really does reflect the reality of life with toddlers -
its vibrant use of colour and movement, the rollicking rhyme of the
text, and the warm familiarity of day to day markers such as bath
time and the bed time tuck in, as well as outdoor and indoor play.
Parents and children alike will smile to see themselves and their
routines reflected on the pages within, which is a sure sign of a
winning toddler picture book, in my opinion.
The clever 'upside down'(or tete-beche for the lovers of the
technical terms!) aspect of the book is a great introduction to
conventions of print, such as identifying the cover, and
re-inforcing that English is read from left to right, top to bottom.
The book also sparked off discussion over dust jackets - why are
they there, what are they called, what do they do, and no, you
haven't broken the book.
A cheery read for toddlers everywhere.
Freya Lucas
Pink by Janet A. Holmes and Jonathan Bentley
Little Hare Books, 2011. ISBN 9781921541797.
(Age: 5-7) Lily is the main character in this story. She not
only loves the colour pink but also likes to share things.
Even though she likes to share, she has no-one to share with; she is
lonely.
Lily likes certain things but has no-one to share with. She
finds no fun playing by herself. She asks different animals to play
with her but they all have different excuses or mannerisms.
Until she meets a pig who also happens to be pink! He enjoys
playing games with her and sharing!
All the things Lily likes are in different shades of pink, including
the pig! This is an easy story to read where children will
learn about how nice it is to share - the beginning of
friendship. A very pink picture book that 5-7 year olds will
enjoy.
Janet Cassidy
The Killables by Gemma Malley
Hodder and Stoughton, 2012. ISBN 9781 444 7227 2
(Ages: 12+) Recommended. Dystopian future. Elvie comes home from
work and finds the Brother waiting. He informs her that her dreams
are not those of an evil person but of the City and its protection,
but after he leaves, her mother tells her never to upset them again,
having the Brother come to their house is embarrassing, making her
workmates and neighbours suspicious. After all, suspicion of being
evil, of having any evil thoughts could mean that she is
reclassified, denying services given by the System.
We are in a dystopian world, one where evil can surreptitiously
enter one's mind and body, and so everyone must be on the lookout
for its presence. There are hints that the world before descended
into chaos, the Horrors are now far behind them, but strict
adherence to the rules of the Great Leader must be observed.
But we know that Evie has these thoughts, she thinks about things
which would cause concern if known, and worse, she believes herself
to be evil. We follow her one night as she meets a boy in the tree
on the green, the brother of the boy she is betrothed to marry,
Raffy, a boy who needs watching. But one night, Lucas comes to Evie
with the strangest of stories, and impels her and Raffy to leave the
confines of the City walls.
As with the wonderful Declaration trilogy, Malloy has
created a believable future where a small group of zealots has
imposed their beliefs on the populace and keeps them docile through
the New Baptism, the removal of the amygdala when they join the
community or are born into it. Anyone deemed evil is relegated to a
K class and never heard of again. An absolutely engrossing first
story of The Killables series.
Fran Knight
The book of blood and shadow by Robin Wasserman
Atom, 2012. ISBN 9871907411441.
Without a doubt, Robin Wasserman's Da Vinci Code for teens
is as addictive and mysterious as its first line; 'I should probably
start with the blood'. Wasserman cleverly dangles a carrot in front
her readers . . . What blood? Whose blood? . . . so that they
willingly follow from beginning to end.
Just one night, and Nora Kane's world was no more . . . as if
darkness had consumed life as she knew it and left, trailing in its
wake, a never-ending nightmare; her best friend confined within the
walls of a mental asylum, her boyfriend gone without a trace (let
alone a goodbye) and Chris . . . dead at her boyfriend's hands.
Suddenly, Nora, a high school student, is handed a puzzle like none
other to solve; not only does her boyfriend's fate rest with it but
it's also . . . in Latin?
This cleverly written historical mystery follows Nora's journey as
she traces 'the blood' overseas to the sinister streets of Prague,
where its roots, she discovers, date far back to the 1500's. Soon,
Nora finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old battle for the
Lumen Dei, a divine device said to connect man and God. In the wrong
hands, the world's fate is compromised . . .
Robin Wasserman ingenuously incorporates flashbacks from the past
into The Book of Blood and Shadow so that the storyline
becomes incredibly complex; readers are kept on their toes.
Countless suspicious and mysterious characters appear throughout her
novel . . . it is unpredictable and compelling until the very last
page.
Emilia Corbo (Student)
Stefan's Diaries Volume 4: The Ripper by L.J. Smith
Harper Teen, 2011. ISBN 978006211393.
(Ages: 14+) This is the fourth book in a spin off book series from
the television series The Vampire Diaries. Stefan is a young
vampire living in Victorian England on an isolated property, where
he is working as a groundskeeper. When he reads about the murders
being committed in London by a man dubbed The Ripper he is worried
that the murderer may be his estranged brother and fellow vampire
Damon.
After his arrival in London he meets up with not only his brother
but other new vampires and their callous and evil behavior means
that his attempts to save another young women being murdered are
ultimately futile. The storyline is not resolved at the end of the
book as there is another novel that continues the diaries of Stefan.
Not having read any of the other books in the series or watched the
TV show I did find parts of the plot hard to follow as it switched
between the present and past events. The book is short and easy to
read and I am sure that fans of the other books will be keen to
follow the progress of the handsome Stefan. A Year 9 girl assured me
that the first in this series was the only book she had finished
since Year 5.
Chris Lloyd
Ruffy and me by David Trumbull and Adam Carruthers
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 978 1 86291 875 7.
Picture book, Travel. A world map will be needed in the classroom
for this book about the travels of the narrator and his dog, Ruffy,
on an emu through Australia, a dragon through China, a train through
India, a London bus in England, and a motorbike through America. The
antics are non stop fun as the pair of rhyming lines finishes with
the count of: 'One two three' on each double page. A counting book
with a difference, each double page has three things to find,
directed by the thing mentioned in the rhyming couplet.
The exuberant illustrations on each double page will draw the
readers' attention as they scurry to locate the plethora of things
represented, and locate the three as directed from the rhyme. The
last double page will be a point of interest as the readers find the
things spoken of in the story and work out whether it was all a
dream based on the toys he already had.
Fran Knight
Fluff and Billy do everything together by Nicola Killen
Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9781405254250.
Fluff and Billy are two penguins who do everything together -
climbing, sliding, screaming, splashing - everything. Whatever Fluff
does, Billy copies. And it's starting to aggravate Fluff, especially
after he gets a snowball in the chest. So begins a time of them not
talking to each other, until . . .
This is a delightful story with simple but enchanting illustrations
that will engage the youngest child as a read-aloud. Miss 9-months
loved the rhythm and laughed at the pictures, but now Miss 5 has
started school and is beginning to read, I'm looking from another
perspective as well. This book has power as a beginning reader
because of its repetitive text which is made very predictable by the
illustrations. Within the space of one read-along she was able to
read it for herself, giving her a huge boost of confidence and
independence.
When I was in a school situation I had grab bags that parents could
borrow for a week. Inside were seven books that were just right for
bedtime reading including at least one for little people to share
with their parents. It gave them such a sense of empowerment to read
a 'real book' not just a take-home reader. Fluff and Billy would be
perfect for this, and even if not in a grab bag, it would be on the
Recommended Reads table for my beginning readers to borrow. What an
amazing lesson they would learn about what the library has to offer
them. It's not just for the big kids!
Barbara Braxton
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Indigo, 2011. ISBN 9781780621234.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. It is the year 2073 and Eric, a
journalist, travels to the secretive island of Blessed, where it is
rumoured that no one ever grows old, but where children are never
born. When he arrives on the island, he is captivated by its wild
beauty, but is aware of strange happenings. Here he meets the
beautiful Merle and falls in love.
With the use of seven interlinked stories, Sedgwick brings to life
different times on the island, all joined with the common theme of
love and sacrifice. Sedgwick is a master of prose and his sparsely
written stories echo through the ages tales of soul mates and Kings
who must be ritually killed to ensure that the people keep living.
There are moments of horror and deep sadness as the story unfolds.
As I read I became fascinated by the story of the island. The
beautiful dragon orchid is a key to understanding what is happening.
It has enormous power to extend the life span but its use has
devastating effect on the fertility of the people on the island.
The mixture of ancient lore, of blood sacrifice and eternal love has
an intensity to it that made the book very difficult to put down. It
is dark and thrilling and I was often appalled at the violence of
the sacrifice, the picture of the knife poised above the victim on
the altar staying with me well after I finished reading. The idea of
eternal love is beautifully explored and Sedgwick manages to
maintain the fear that the lovers will never be reunited.
A fantasy that is adult in its treatment, this book will be relished
by readers who have read previous books by Sedgwick or who want a
literate, almost Gothic like story to thrill.
Pat Pledger
Lone Pine by Susie Brown and Margaret Warner
Ill. by Sebastian Ciaffaglione. Little Hare, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921541
34 6.
Warmly recommended. Picture book, ANZAC. A story not well known
about the Lone Pine Battle at Gallipoli during World War One, is
told through the tale of the pine tree which stands in the gardens
at the War Memorial in Canberra.
One young man, searching for his brother's body after the Battle of
Lone Pine, came across a branch with a pine cone still attached.
Sending this back to his mother in Australia, she raised three small
trees from the cone, two doing well, and one withering and dying,
just like her three sons. In 1930, one of the two surviving trees
was put on the train and sent to Canberra where the new War Memorial
was being built, and the other planted at the Inverell Park as a
memorial to her dead son. In 1934 the Duke of Gloucester planted the
tree in the gardens at the War Memorial, and there it stands today
as a testament to the courage of the Australian troops at the Battle
of Lone Pine.
This moving story will be well used at ANZAC Day in schools as it
reminds us all of the sacrifice made by the families of Australia,
in sending heir sons to fight a losing battle at Gallipoli. The
bareness of the battlefield, stripped of its trees for shelter, is
recalled when veterans took back trees grown from the seeds of the
Lone Pine at Canberra to Turkey to remind us of the area so
devastated by war nearly 100 years ago. The evocative illustrations
concentrate the eye onto one scene on each double page spread. They
are uncluttered, at times almost bare, tugging an emotional response
from the reader, and telling a story through the images presented.
At the end of the book is an outline of the family involved, giving
another layer to the story, and a brief summary of what happened to
the pine trees that were grown from the boy's seeds. For
those wanting to read a story on ANZAC Day which is a little
different from the norm, then this will fit the bill perfectly. It
is not well know, it portrays all that is significant about ANZAC
Day to Australians, and tells how families were affected by the war.
That it is true adds another layer of meaning and discussion with
classes. For those lucky enough to live in Canberra, a trip to the
amazing War Memorial will be that much richer.
Fran Knight
Sister Madge's book of nuns by Doug MacLeod and Craig Smith
Working Title Press, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921504 43 3.
Recommended. Picture book. Poetry. Humour. First published in 1986,
this welcome reissue will set classes a rhyming all over again, as
teachers read the poems aloud, students read them to themselves or
to friends, and parents read them to their children before sleep.
What a treat is in store for those not familiar with MacLeod's
irreverent rhymes and Smith's detailed funny illustrations (for
Adelaide people, look out for references to Adelaide buildings and
sights). From Sister Bossy, used to telling all the other nuns what
to do, until faced with an angel to whom she offered no compassion,
to Sister Isobel getting rid of most of her students while at the
zoo (Adelaide, of course) to Sister Brock, the builder, each poem is
hilarious, involving and minutely illustrated.
I love Sister Poppy with her penchant for collecting the Women's
Weekly, and adore Sister Flo in her vegetable garden, and aspire to
be part of Sister Stephanie's gang. But most of all I love reading
these poems aloud and can now replace my old tattered copy with a
brand new one.
Fran Knight
