Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN: 9781742379159.
(Age 2-6) Kangaroos hop, birds fly, echidnas shuffle, butterflies
dance, lizards run, fish swim, crabs crawl, goannas climb and frogs
jump . . . each animal moves in its own way. What they must avoid is the
crocodile sleeping on the edge of the water. This simple, repetitive
story builds to the point where each of the animals arrives at the
riverbank.
Throughout the book, the illustrations reflect the indigenous style
of art, with stylised and simplistic animal shapes covered in
patterns and dots. Generally, the colours used are earthy and cool.
The final page of the story provides the translation of the story
into Yanyuwa language.
Suitable for very young children, this could also be used in a
junior primary classroom to 'celebrate animals, verbs and the
brilliant art of Balarinji design studio'.
Jo Schenkel
My sister the Vampire: Star style by Sienna Mercer
Egmont, 2011.ISBN 9781405257008.
This book is one in a series about identical twins Ivy Vega and
Olivia Abbott. The girls have been brought up in separate families
and only discovered each other as teenagers. Despite Ivy being a
publicity shy blood snacking vampire and Olivia an extroverted
vegetarian the girls have plenty of shared adventures.
This book finds Ivy and Olivia taking on Hollywood. Olivia wins a
prized role in an upcoming movie but there's a catch. The director
is adamant that Ivy must also star in the movie much to her horror.
In the meantime Olivia is forced to keep her relationship with
dreamy teen superstar, Jackson Caulfield, under wraps. Jealous vamp
actress, Jessica Phelps, has some ideas of her own.
Vampire stories are all the rage for adolescents although the
vampire association in this story is minimal. Light on meaningful
insights, this novel is probably best suited to younger teens.
Tina Cain
I love Easter by Anna Walker
Scholastic Australia, 2012. ISBN: 9781741696448.
(Age: 3-6) Hard cover. Picture book. Ollie (the curious Zebra) and
the irrepressible Fred (the dog) are back in another seasonal
adventure. I Love Easter explores the Western cultural norms
of Easter. Ollie and Fred visit an Easter fair, make a hat for the
Easter Hat parade, watch chicks and ducks, and hunt for eggs.
Using pen and ink illustrations with plenty of white space, Anna
Walker again shows her talent as both an author and illustrator in
this recommended book for children age 2 to 6. By writing in a
predictable and rhyme filled fashion across all her books, Walker
makes her work accessible and inspiring time and time again.
Young readers will delight in the familiarity of the writing style
and illustrations, with a range of other books by Walker covering
people and events such as Christmas, Birthdays, Grandmothers, Dads,
Mums, Dancing, and Singing.
The books are ideal read alouds for the preschool set, but are also
highly useful for new readers, with a familiar set of characters and
a predictable writing format. All too often, finding books with
authentic yet accessible text is challenging, but Walker's
presentation of the lovely and welcoming Ollie achieves just this.
Many of Walker's books, I Love Easter included, feature
sight words with which many young readers are familiar, and the
pictures correlate with the text, enhancing the use of reading cues.
Moving beyond the books themselves, the I Love series
provides a natural opportunity for extension, inspiring readers to
create I love books of their own. A well timed and enjoyable Easter
read.
Freya Lucas
Trapped by Michael Northrop
Atom, 2011. ISBN 9781907411366.
When it starts to snow on Tuesday morning, all 15 year old Scotty
Weems is concerned about is his basketball game being cancelled.
However, as the snow continues to fall relentlessly and begins to
accumulate at an unthinkable pace, Scotty soon discovers that
missing the game is the least of his worries. Trapped by Michael Northrop is the gripping story of a group
of teenagers who find themselves stuck inside their school during
perhaps the worst blizzard on record in New England. Scotty recounts
the week he and six of his classmates were trapped without adults,
phone reception, heat or power, resulting in the thrilling tale of
their fight for survival. As time progresses and snowfall rises,
frustration grows and friendships are challenged, until a shattering
event paves the way to a crucial decision.
From Elijah, the loner with a hidden personality, to Les, the school
bully who may not actually be as bad as he seems, Northrop explores
each character's personality in depth, engendering the reader to
empathize with and relate to each and every one of the trapped
students. This novel not only follows the seven students' bout for
survival, but also covers the countless issues faced by teenagers
every day, such as friendship, bullying, crushes and zits!
Scotty's detailed perspective makes for an exceptional novel, taking
the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotion, until they too feel
trapped in Tattawa Regional High School during the week-long
blizzard. This fast-paced novel contains all the necessities -
action, drama, humour, conflict, even romance, engaging the reader
from the very first page and staying with them long after the very
last!
Lucymarie Silvestri (Student)
Brideshead revisited by Evelyn Waugh (Audio book)
BBC Audio, 2002. Read by Jeremy Irons. 11 hours, 20 mins (10 CDs).
Evelyn Waugh, 1945.
(Ages: 15+) Family and relationships. Anyone who has seen the
excellent television series of this well known book will love this
audio version read by Jeremy Irons. Driving to Canberra last month
his voice filled our car and it was like watching the BBC series all
over again. And we had lots to discuss. The story of Charles Ryder's
infatuation with the Flyte family reflects the disillusionment of
many who have found that what they loved was not what they thought.
Charles is seduced by Sebastian's life of luxury and ease when he
meets him at Oxford in the 1920's. But as Charles becomes more
involved with the family, Sebastian's health deteriorates and his
dependence upon alcohol becomes apparent. Charles is asked by Lady
Flyte to spy upon her son and when he fails to do this, he is
dismissed, and Sebastian banished abroad.
Years later, Charles meets Sebastian's sister, Julia and they become
lovers, Charles moving into the Flyte mansion. Here he is confronted
yet again with their religion and its hold upon the members of the
Flyte family. His love for Julia is compromised by her religion,
especially after the death of her father.
The Catholic religion stamps the behavior of the whole Flyte family,
several members constrained with guilt, and this underline much of
their behaviour towards each other. Despite Sebastian, his father
and Julia separating themselves from it, they all come back to it in
the end. Charles cannot understand this at all, and it is this
argument which finally separates him from Julia, causing the pair
the greatest unhappiness. Each of the characters is selfish, from
Charles' mother going off to the Spanish Civil War, leaving her
husband and infant son, or Charles later leaving his wife and
children to live with Julia, or Lord Flyte leaving his family to
live in Italy with his lover, all are selfish, and despite our
approbation, have qualities we can admire.
It is a wonderful book, audio tape and TV series, and one which
could be paired with many novels which deal with the effect religion
has on a family, or could be compared with The Great Gatsby,
for example, showing a person being overwhelmed by someone else's
wealth and generosity. As a study of life between the wars, too, it
is redolent of the luxury and ease of some classes of people, and
again, the theme of the loss of innocence, and the agony of
disillusionment, comes through it all.
Fran Knight
Skinned by Adam Slater
The Shadowing series. Egmont, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-4052-5364-2
(Age: 11+) Having defeated the first wave of creatures from the
netherworld, the hunter Fetch, with the help of the spirit Jacob and
his dog Doom, Callum Scott continues to battle the next onslaught of
creatures as The Shadowing begins. This time, Callum needs to summon
all of his chime child powers to locate and defeat the witch-like
creature Black Annis who lures, murders and devours children. Aware
of his need to improve his knowledge and skills, Callum employs his
spirit ally Jacob to train him during the night and his new friend,
and supernatural authority, Mellissa to teach him the knowledge he
needs to fulfil his chime child duties. As more mysterious
disappearances of children are reported across England, Callum and
Melissa begin to realise the gateway to the Netherworld is opening
at a faster rate than first thought, and that the Black Annis is not
the only creature that is intent on devastating the world of the
living. A coven of evil creatures is planning something much more
sinister.
Like the first book in The Shadowing series there are quite
gruesome descriptions of the murders of children, which seem more
explicit than the first novel, and are no doubt the aspect of the
book that makes it most attractive to upper primary and lower
secondary school readers. This said, younger readers should be
warned that this imagery could cause nightmares.
Adam Fitzgerald
Gorilla Grab by Jackie French
Animal Rescue. Scholastic Australia, 2012. ISBN 9781741698497.
Leo is an unusual young boy who can talk to animals. This makes him
the perfect friend for Moz, who along with her Gran, is dedicated to
saving wildlife. On this adventure their mission is to vaccinate
endangered gorillas from the flu. It is a dangerous trip because
they can't be sure the gorillas will be welcoming and the poachers
don't want anyone interfering with their plans.
This is a simple adventure story for the pre teen complete with
exciting inventions and gadgetry. There are some topical
environmental messages included giving the book an educational
angle.
Tina Cain
The children of the king by Sonya Hartnett
Penguin, 2012. ISBN 9781742535012.
(Ages 10+) Highly recommended. World War Two. From the vantage of
her first class carriage, Cecily watches the evacuees being loaded
onto the train. She feels for them in her own selfish way, wondering
what she can do, whether to take an evacuee into her uncle's house,
where they are to stay for the duration of the war, safe from the
bombings in London. She talks her family into her scheme, and
chooses one of the younger children, left sitting on the floor,
overlooked by the others as they file out. But Cecily, wanting a
demure, grateful sort of child, is sorely mistaken in her choice.
May Bright is not afraid of anything, and often challenges and many
times ignores the rules Cecily demands she obey.
One morning, May is nowhere to be seen, and Cecily, disappointed
again at May's independence, finds her heading off into the
scrubland around the Hall, plate in hand. Catching up, she finds
that May is taking food to a pair of brothers hiding in the ruined
castle beyond the woods, and so goes too. Here the girls find an odd
pair of boys whom they assume to be escaped evacuees, but the reader
can detect something much stranger. They meet several times over the
next few weeks, May realising who they may be and encouraging them
to escape their confines.
The plight of the two boys is paralleled by the story Uncle
Peregrine tells each night after tea, concerning the castle on his
land. He relates the story of the two princes in the tower,
imprisoned by their uncle, the Duke, later King Richard 111. The
boys' freedom and ability to grow up is restricted by their uncle,
while their lives are cut short just as they approach their manhood.
Their story is paralleled again by that of Cecily's brother, Jeremy,
treated as a child by those about him, particularly his mother,
hamstrung by his 14 years, cut off from the reality of war, a war in
which he feels he should play a part. He feels he is old enough to
kill, but his later experiences in London show him that he has
become a man through his compassion and bravery, his courage and
nobility in saving lives not destroying them.
Opening the pages of a new novel by Sonya Hartnett fills me with
excitement and trepidation. I was there from the start, with the
rather obnoxious Cecily and her disappointed older brother, Jeremy,
the evacuee May and Uncle Peregrine, telling the story of the castle
on his grounds. Power and its misuse dominate the story, as we hear
of the bombings of London, the grasping of power by Hitler in trying
to intimidate the Londoners, the power of Heloise over her son,
Jeremy, the randomness of May's being chosen by Cecily and her
thwarted attempts at gaining the upper hand over May. All is
reflected by the story of the two boys in the tower, the appalling
misuse of power by their uncle, whose need for power drives him to
kill all those in this way.
Hartnett is never simple, there are always levels of meaning and
understandings in her stories which provoke thought for days if not
weeks after the book has been read and reread, discussed and pored
over. At every level this is a breathtaking book.
Fran Knight
The Lavender Keeper by Fiona McIntosh
Michael Joseph, 2012. 9781921518416
(Age: Senior students - Adults) Set in the last years of the German
occupation of France, The Lavender Keeper is the story of
the romance between Luc, a once wealthy lavender grower from
Provence, and Lisette, a British spy sent to Paris to work with the
French Underground. Part 1 is set in Provence, July, 1942. Luc's
lavender is ready to be harvested; the reader is introduced to his
village, the traditions of the harvest and Luc's adopting family who
have returned unexpectedly from Paris. They are Jews looking for
safety but are betrayed by a French collaborator in the village.
Wanting revenge, Luc becomes a maquis, a member of the underground.
Part 2 begins in London a year later. Lisette is trained to work as
a British spy in Paris. She is parachuted into Provence, from where
Luc helps smuggle her into Paris, despite an encounter with the
Gestapo. Parts 3 and 4 are set in German occupied Paris.
Conveniently, both Luc and Lisette have mixed German and French
heritage which enables them to work for the occupying forces.
Inconveniently, for the mission, they fall in love. Even more
inconveniently, Lisette also forms an attachment with a high ranking
German officer, Markus Kilian. When she suspects that Marcus is
involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler she encourages his
attentions so that she can collect information for London. Marcus is
an honourable soldier, however, and refuses to reveal information or
to endanger her in any way. Luc has become a driver for the Germans
and is forced to watch the relationship flourish. The assassination
plot fails, the allies, led by the French forces under de Gaulle,
reenter Paris and Markus engineers his own death, leaving Luc and
Lisette to each other. The author captures the atmosphere in wartime
Paris and London well, and the early scenes in Provence set on the
lavender farm are believable and interesting. The attitudes towards
the Germans are more nuanced than in many depictions of the same
time. Unfortunately, the language used to describe their love is as
cliqued as the plot device of the romance. However, the book is set
in a fascinating time in history and the dilemmas and privations of
the time are acknowledged.
Jenny Hamilton
There was an old lady who swallowed a thong by P. Crumble
Ill. by Louis Shea. Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 9781742831633.
This is an Australian twist on a traditional favourite. It's set at
the beach in summer and the old lady is so engrossed in her book
that she doesn't realise that her grandchildren have put a little
something extra in her sandwich. What follows is an ocean-oriented
version of I know an old lady who swallowed a fly that
introduces the children to a variety of creatures found near the
seaside.
The bright colourful illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to
this quirky rendition and the audience will delight in finding a
host of things included in them as they join in the telling.
I don't why she swallowed the thong - that's gotta be wrong!
Barbara Braxton
Violet Mackerel's natural habitat by Anna Branford
Ill. by Sarah Davis. Walker Books ISBN 9781921529191.
(Age 6-10) Recommended. Another in the award winning books about
Violet Mackerel is a treat for readers. Bored while her mother has
tea with a friend in a big food court, Violet lets her imagination
roam when she sees a sparrow. She decides that the sparrow gets
enough food in the court yard but probably needs something for its
nest, so she unravels the thread on the hem of her skirt so that the
bird can use it to line its nest. Then she comes up with the Theory
of helping small things: ' If you do something to help a small
thing, then that small thing might find a way of helping you', and
sure enough the sparrow does help. When her sister Nicola has to do
a project for Natural science she begins to learn about natural
habits and where is the best place for animals and insects to live.
This is a delightful book that would be most useful when introducing
a class to natural habitats and life cycles. Violet learns a
valuable lesson when she finds a ladybird in the yarrow patch and
puts it in a jar. When she helps Nicola make a chart showing the
life cycle of a ladybird she discovers how long a ladybird is likely
to live, as well as the life spans of other animals. St the end of
the book the author includes detailed but easy instructions for
keeping a ladybird in a jar, for an hour at the most, before
releasing it to its natural habitat.
Not only is there a science theme in this book, with its vivid
descriptions of life cycles and natural habitats, but helpfulness
and cooperation are also featured strongly. Illustrations by Sarah
Davis complement the story and bring the characters alive.
All the books in this series are well worth having in a library.
Activities and downloads are available at the site for the series.
Pat Pledger
The fabulous girls' book: Discover the secret of being fabulous by Veena Bhairo-Smith
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 9781741699128.
(Ages: 7-12) This book is full of tips and ideas for girls to be
fabulous. They range from ideas on how to make love-heart clips,
tiaras and an antique silver trinket box to doing your own pedicure
in a professional way.
The article on how to make afternoon tea intrigued me, and it had a
lovely recipe for strawberry shortcake. The pedicure article was
also informative as was the one on making a skirt from a pillow
case, which could also have been adapted to making a skirt from a
piece of trendy material. The article on writing your first novel
would also appeal to thoughtful would-be authors. How to be your own
personal trainer described exercises that would tone the body to
make it look good.
All were written in point form and were easy to read and follow. The
illustrations were also cute.
I was disappointed that the book did not present much in the way of
tips to becoming a great leader or sportsperson. Instead it
concentrated mainly on the rather stereotypical view of being
fabulous for a girl: cooking, handicrafts and looking good.
Pat Pledger
Hop, skip and jump, Maisy! by Lucy Cousins
Walker, 2012. ISBN: 9781406333725.
Maisy's day is full of activity as she bends, stretches, hops,
jumps, chases, races and kicks a ball. Her healthy lunch looks
delicious and builds here energy before an afternoon of
skateboarding, leapfrogging, skipping, balancing and somersaulting.
No wonder she is ready for bed at night!
Each of the Maisy books is an enchanting offering, filled with
illustrations of a much stylised mouse taking part in all of the
activities any young child would enjoy. This is a special offering
for other reasons as well. This hardcover book contains tabs to pull
and cogs to turn, giving the effect of movement and activity. Is
addition, the left hand side of most pages is devoted to providing a
question for the reader. It asks which animals are capable of moving
in the same manner as Maisy is demonstrating throughout the story.
Hence, it fits the series 'A Maisy First Science Book.'
This title would support Junior Primary or pre-school units of work
with a focus on not just animals and how they move but also on
activity and healthy eating.
Jo Schenkel
Pure by Julianna Baggott
Headline, 2012. ISBN 9780755385492.
Recommended for Young Adult - Adult readers. Enter the
post-apocalyptic world of Pressia Belize and hold on tight for a
rollercoaster ride through the dark and disturbing world she
inhabits. The life of the two main protagonists is examined
throughout the book. We flip flop between Pressia and Partridge -
Pressia residing in the world with a doll head fused to her hand
after the Detonations. Patridge resides in the Dome - an area
protected from the Detonations by nanobots and nanotechnologies that
allowed them to be unaffected.
I was taken out of my comfort zone reading this book as it examines
the depths of human misery taking the reader through despair to
utter desolation. Extraordinary imagery woven beautifully by
Julianna Baggott allows the reader to almost be there in the book
with the characters. Patridge's journey to the outer world is
painful and draws the reader in.
Dark themes and death pervade the book but the characters are real
and likeable. It is addictive reading once you get your head around
what is happening. Elements of the story are plausible and I
personally think that is what makes it so disturbing. Although the
main characters are mostly teenagers it is not your usual book full
of teen angst - it is gritty and dangerous. Pure is extremely dark and the world created by Julianna
Baggott is grotesque. But behind these images which you cannot avoid
is a story of hope, perseverance and survival. I would recommend it
for older readers and adults as I believe that younger readers would
find it a very disturbing read.
Elaine Grottick
The Grimstones: Mortimer Revealed by Asphyxia
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN: 9781742376899.
Martha Grimstone is determined to find out more about her father
Mortimer whose death, when she was a baby, dominates the household
and causes her mother Velvetta to spend much of her time in the
crypt weeping over him.
This is the second of the secret diaries of Martha Grimstone who
lives in a broken down gothic ancestral home with her Grandfather,
who mixes potions to heal the local villagers and creates spells to
calm the weather in the valley, Aunt Gertrude who runs the household
and oversees Martha's lessons, Mother, Velvetta, who spends all her
time making fine garments for the locals when not in the crypt and
baby brother Crumpet who is a magical child and the subject of the
first diary.
Martha and Crumpet create a potion in Grandfather's apothecary and
use the doll house on the landing, which is a replica of the
Grimstone house, to recreate the events of the night Mortimer died.
Subsequently Martha develops a greater understanding of her family
and why her grandfather has refused her pleas to learn magic. It
also results in her discovering her special talent and how it
contributes to the wellbeing of the valley.
This is not a normal family but Martha's need for love and
understanding is universal. The picture illustrations from The
Grimstones Puppet Show add to the gothic feel of the story and the
references at the end direct the curious to Youtube to see them
perform.
Many who read this story will find a kindred spirit in Martha, as
they also strive to have their own adventures and find their own
talents.
Sue Keane
