Frances Lincoln, 2011. ISBN 9781847801913/
(Age: 15+) Recommended.When Lia wins 8 million pounds in the
lottery, life starts to change. She begins to wonder whether the
problems that she has with her mother will go away now that she has
enough money to plan to get her own flat. Raf, the gorgeous boy she
has been eying off for months, seems to be interested, but she is a
bit troubled that it may be her money and not her personality he is
interested in. Her sister suddenly becomes popular and Shazia, her
best friend, has been forbidden by her strict father to have
anything to do with her money.
What makes this book stand out for me is the humour. There are lots
of laughs in this amusing take on a 16 year old winning the lottery.
Humour is not often found in books for girls and this is a smile a
page as well as a serious look at wealth and whether it makes you
happy. I especially liked the little asides about whether Raf, the
dark and brooding boy that Lia contrives to sit next to, could be a
vampire or a fallen angel, as all the young girls at Lia's school
believe. The truth of course is much more painful, as Raf has many
real life problems to brood about.
Lia comes across as a very selfish 16-year-old. She argues endlessly
with her mother and the sibling rivalry she feels towards her sister
Natasha is brought out brilliantly. However, as the impact of her
lottery win starts to kick in, with so called friends taking
advantage of her, and a hate Facebook page being put up Lia has to
work out just what is important in life. It's a coming of age novel,
with Lia learning about wealth, what it could do to help poverty
stricken communities and discovering the commitment she has to make
to get a relationship to work. There are also themes of bullying,
teen drinking and sex and the author manages to point out the perils
of these without being didactic.
I liked the advice about how to handle winning the lottery that Lia
wrote at the beginning of each chapter, even though she often didn't
follow it. The information about lottery winners, chances of winning
and just what money can do is cleverly put together at the end of
the book, giving the reader a chance to think about wealth and the
possibility of getting it. In the UK she writes that there is 1 in
13,983,816 chances of winning a jackpot in a standard lottery.
I certainly will be picking up any more books that Keren David
writes. I loved her humour and the real world that she created for
her characters.
Pat Pledger
Diary of a . . . star series by Shamini Flint
Ill. by Sally Heinrich. Allen and Unwin, 2012.
Diary of a Soccer Star. ISBN 978-1-74237-825-1
Diary of a Cricket God. ISBN 978-1-74237-826-8
(Age: 7-10) 9 year Marcus Atkinson writes the diaries and he is
being very sarcastic with the titles. According to Marcus, he is not
a sporting hero but a sporting disaster with no understanding of any
of the rules or skills of the game. Marcus is spurred on by his
father to try different sports. Indifferent to any objections that
Marcus makes, he encourages him with motivating sayings such as
'seize the moment' or 'you are what you believe son'.
Marcus records each sporting disaster in his diary and there are
simple illustrations on every page. Many of the misunderstandings
are a play on words, such as 'duck' in cricket having Marcus
imagining the bird.
Marcus does have some shining moments though and manages to succeed
in the end.
This is light hearted fun and an easy read for 7 to 10 year olds.
Children who have enjoyed The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and books
by Jeff Kinney will be attracted to this series. The diary format
seems to be very popular at the moment and I feel there will be many
more titles to come. The appealing cover will also help this series
be easily recognised by young readers.
Jane Moore
Wash Your Face in Orange Juice and Other Silly Songs by Peter Combe
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN: 9781741699616.
Containing three of South Australian children's entertainer Peter
Combe's decidedly 'silly songs' and filled with Danielle McDonald's
vibrantly coloured comic style illustrations, this book is bound to
take the fancy of a whole new generation of children. The pictures
of the animal characters are simple, bright and appealing. The
songs, Wash Your Face in Orange Juice, Stuck in a Pizza and
Spaghetti Bolognaise are catchy and almost impossible to get out of
your head.
Having been teaching for longer than I care to mention, this music
has virtually always been a part of my career as well as that of the
lives of my own children. With his first album having been released
in 1982, Combe's songs truly have stood the test of time and are
unforgettable. The predecessor to The Wiggles, both use food as a
recurring theme in their music, with much rhyme, rhythm and
repetition, all perfect techniques to keep young children
interested.
Jo Schenkel
The reckoning: a strange angels novel by Lili St Crow
Razorbill, 2011. ISBN 9781921518942.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. The fifth and last book in the Strange
Angels series sees Dru off to the Appalachian Mountains to the home
where she had lived with her grandmother. It is a place where she
believes her best friend Graves and the broken wulf, Ash will be
safe. She has fought off deadly zombies and jealous djamphirs, and
there is to be one last battle and one big decision for Dru.
This has been an exciting and gripping paranormal series, which is
much better than many of the vampire books that currently abound. As
ever Lili St. Crow's world building is excellent. I loved the scenes
in the mountains and the vivid descriptions are outstanding.
Dru continues to be a driven, caring heroine who looks out her
friends. As a reader her feisty, strong character carried me along,
as did her deep feelings for the things that she has lost and the
nightmares that she is facing. In this final book she has come of
age and is now a beautiful svetocha, and one who finally has to make
a choice between her two potential suitors, Christophe and Graves.
Teens who have followed this love triangle will be surprised by the
outcome of the romance, but I think more thoughtful readers will
love the ending, as I did.
I can't wait to read any future books that Lili St Crow writes. She
is definitely my favourite author of paranormal stories.
Pat Pledger
The dead I know by Scot Gardner
Allen and Unwin 2011. ISBN 9781742373843.
(Age: Secondary) Recommended. This book is unusual in that it deals
with death, not usually a topic dealt with in society. More
specifically, it touches upon the funeral industry and the disposal
of the dead. It does this sensitively and respectfully and this is
one of the strengths of the book.
Aaron Rowe has dreams and sleepwalks. He often wakes up in
unexpected places and doesn't know how he got there. He lives with
his Mam in a caravan and is bullied by another resident of the
caravan park. Aaron's life begins to change when he starts a
job as an assistant to a funeral director. Through the care and
understanding of John Barton, Aaron begins to take hold of his life
and to confront his dreams and sleepwalking. At the same time, he
has to deal with his Mam's descent in dementia.
This book can be read and enjoyed on many levels. Aaron is a
likeable character who has a lot to deal with. Ultimately the dreams
and sleepwalking are resolved and Aaron is able to deal with the
problems in his life realistically and satisfactorily. His Mam's
dementia is explained as all the parts of the puzzles in the book
fit together. I particularly like this book and would recommend it
to secondary students.
David Rayner
Nanny Piggins and the pursuit of justice by R.A. Spratt
Random House, 2012. ISBN: 9781864718164.
Highly recommended for ages 8 and up. When Nanny Piggins is taken to
court for tight rope walking between two buildings, in a quest for
chocolate cake, she is ordered to complete five thousand hours of
community service. She accepts her punishment in good grace and
first visits the Golden Willows Retirement Home to 'talk' to the
residents whose television has broken down. Naturally, the
irrepressible Sarah Piggins takes it upon herself to entertain them
in her own inimitable style with unexpected consequences. Later, she
displays her exceptional skills as a fortune teller, the driver of
the school bus and an agony aunt. Along the way, she battles memory
loss and a challenge to her accomplishment as 'The World's Greatest
Flying Pig'.
Each chapter in the book could exist as a stand-alone episode with
Spratt's writing incorporating entertaining situations and
vocabulary which is aimed at competent readers. The author has a
quirky sense of humour and her descriptions of the settings and
characters made me chortle loudly on occasion, particularly as she
describes libraries and librarians! This title would make a
thoroughly entertaining novel to use as a read aloud in class,
holding plenty of appeal to boys and girls alike. Spratt has created
a winning recipe in this series and each book has managed to engage
the reader with Nanny Piggins being the adult with whom every child
would love to live. I find her lack of rules and flouting of
authority to be especially amusing, and I imagine most children
would agree.
Jo Schenkel
Fearless in love by Colin Thompson
Ill. by Sarah Davis. ABC Books, 2012. ISBN 9780 7333 2951 7.
(Ages: 5+) Picture book. Animals. Fearless has been told by his
mother 'life is much nicer if you love everyone', and so he sets out
to do this when he arrives at his new home. But his idea of love is
definitely not the same as his owners, as he causes mayhem and
mischief throughout the house. He loved his new bed so much that he
eats it, and his mother's lovely orange jumper is just the thing to
chew to bits, while chewing socks, slippers, homework also makes
them cross. But when he chews up the lottery tickets, he is banished
to the garden.
In the garden, the birds help him see the error of his ways, and
when a bunch of earth is tossed near him, another dog emerges
from the garden next door. Fearless now realises what real love is.
All the while of course, the sheepish, endearing dog looks out at
the reader with big sloppy brown eyes, and simply impels the reader
to keep reading. The disarming illustrations are a treat and add
another dimension to Thompson's lovely story of finding your place
in the world. This is a charming companion story to that of Fearless,
produced by the same team in 2009.
Fran Knight
The scary solo by Sally Rippin
Hey Jack! series. Hardie Grant Egmont. ISBN: 9781742971261.
Age: First chapter book readers (6-8). Hey Jack is the
spin off series of Billie B Brown and takes the same easy
chapter book format with large print and illustrations on most
pages. Readers of the Billie series will already be familiar with
Jack as Billie's best friend and next door neighbour and will now be
able to see the world from the perspective of the somewhat shy yet
aspiring Jack. In this instalment we follow Jack on an emotional
rollercoaster of jittery, nervous, scared, angry, jealous, sad,
grumpy, excited and proud feelings.
The journey begins with Jack wanting to sing a solo in the school
concert but during try outs he gets nervous and his best friend
Billy gets the solo instead of him. Jack has to deal with all the
emotions that arise because of this but then when the night of the
concert comes and Billy is hit with an attack of nervousness Jack
knows exactly how his friend is feeling and is able to help her out.
The main themes of this story are about being with a good friend and
recognising and dealing with emotions. I would like to think that
the Hey Jack series would appeal to both young boys and
girls, especially with girl fans of Billie B Brown already being
familiar with the lovable character of Jack.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Foxly's Feast by Owen Davey
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2010. ISBN 9781921690594.
Foxly's tummy is rumbling and he needs to find something to eat.
Maybe he will find it in the barnyard or the duck pond. Perhaps even
in the duck pond. Are the farm animals in danger? Is Little Owl to
be the secret ingredient for his dinner? Or does this fox have a
funny fetish that makes this fantastic feast a little different?
Miss 5 loved the suspense built up in this story and laughed out
loud at the end. It gave us a great idea and we searched for
pictures in magazines and made piles of what Foxly would pick and
what he wouldn't. As a chef's daughter, she continued the
conversation with her dad and learned all sorts of new things and
new words like carnivore, herbivore, omnivore, carnivorous and
vegetarian. A talented teacher could take what we did and turn it
into an engaging set of lessons.
Loved it.
Barbara Braxton
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9780857074577.
(Ages 15+) Recommended. High school student Nikki Beckett has been
missing for six months, but to her 100 years has passed. She had
fallen under the spell of the charismatic Immortal Cole, whose race
uses humans as Forfeits, taking them to their realm of Everneath and
feeding on their emotions. Nikki inexplicably survived the usually
fatal experience. Because of this unusual situation, she is
given six months reprieve back on the surface. Before leaving she is
presented with two choices; become an Immortal and help the amoral
and ambitious Cole take-over the realm of Everneath, or be consigned
to the never ending darkness of the Tunnels, held captive by the
terrifying Shades.
Bereft of any real sensation or feeling, except for the image of the
boy she left behind, can Nikki change her destiny and overcome the
power of the elite Immortals? Her only hope lies in
unravelling their secrets, and the clue lies in re-engaging with her
former life and Jack, the boy she loved. To further complicate
matters, Cole has followed her back and uses his ability to control
others emotions to force her hand and stack the odds in his favour.
This is a modern twist of the Persephone/Hades myth, as well as
having echoes of Orpheus and Eurydice. The Immortals have always
been with us, using and manipulating humans to suit their own
nefarious purposes. But as Nikki struggles to regains her sense of
self and with the steadfast Jack at her side, there may be cause for
hope.
This is a very engaging book, told in a series of flashbacks to the
time before Nikki met Cole, and to the present aftermath of that
experience. It is an exceedingly enjoyable race against time, with
twists and turns, a fascinating premise and interesting characters;
very mysterious and chilling. It is also a reflection on the price
that some people are prepared to pay for power. I very much
look forward to the next book in this series.
Alicia Papp
The lion sleeps tonight by Solomon Linda
Ill. by Shane Devries. Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 9781 74169 807 7.
(Ages: All) Picture book. Music. Sing along. This song, originally
called Mbube (Zulu for Lion), then Wimoweh, was
penned in the 1920's, finally being recorded by the songwriter
Solomon Linda and his band, The Evening Birds in 1939. Since then it
has been recorded over and over again, becoming a hit in the 1960's
for British band, The Tokens, the single getting to number one.
Since then it has been covered by, amongst others, The Stylistics,
Ladysmith and R.E.M., and more recently the Soweto Gospel Choir. It
is a perennial favourite known to everyone, particularly after its
use in the Walt Disney film, The Lion King in 1994.
The catchy words and easy feel good tune will be a treat for classes
to sing along, dance, clap their hands and listen. The CD in the
cover gives the music and the song, then the song without the music,
so allowing a variety of uses within the classroom. The hard cover
book contains the outline of the words, although many are repeated
on the CD so teachers will be advised to plan ahead.
If the song is well known, the illustrations certainly will be soon.
The wonderful, exotic, colourful illustrations by emerging artist,
Shane Devries will thrill the book's audience. The animals splash
across the pages, small dramas are hidden amongst the leaves of the
forest, humour abounds, and colour and movement are paramount. The
publisher has cleverly shown Devries' initial drawings in the end
papers, giving readers a look at how an illustrator perfects his
drawings, showing them in their infancy before colour is applied.
It is great to see another of Devries' work after loving Wang
Wang and Funi (by Phil Cummings) which was published last
year.
A long list of authors for the song is included, Solomon Linda being
the writer of both music and words, then Luigi Creatore translating
the words into English, while Hugo Peretti and George David Weiss
were also involved with the initial work for The Tokens. It is good
to see all acknowledged for their work.
Fran Knight
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 9781406318159.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Suzume is a shadow weaver and since
her fourteenth birthday she has been anyone except herself, that was
the day her father and cousin Aimi died. Her fathers oldest friend,
Terayama-san, took her mother and her into his home after the deaths
of their family but they could not tell anyone who they were, if
they did they would all be killed. Suzume was sad about what had
happened and it was worse that her mother didn't seem care.
Eventually Suzume's mother married Terayama-san, and that made
things worse and when Suzume learns Terayama-san's secret she will
stop at nothing to get revenge.
Suzume's life was hard and sad and through the book she
changed as things got better and worse for her. It was that made her
and the story seem more real. At the beginning she was a sweet,
kind, innocent girl, but after the deaths of her father and Aimi she
began to change and as she grew she became a completely different
person and no one really saw the real her anymore not even herself.
Only one person saw through her disguise and he loved her. Shadows on the moon is set in a fairytale Japan and is sort
of like Cinderella but full of hate and revenge. I really enjoyed it
and loved getting to see Suzume change through the book, but this
book was also very sad. I really felt sorry for Suzume; she suffered
so much but it made her stronger and she never gave up. I would
highly recommend this book. It is a great twist to a well known
children's fairytale and even if you don't like Cinderella give this
book a chance as you may like it.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student, Year 10)
Last Breath by Rachel Caine
Penguin, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-921880-10-0.
(Age: 14+) Last Breath by Rachel Caine is number eleven in the Morganville
series and it is a fantastic
novel.
Unlike most of Rachel Caine's other Morganville novels she writes
this novel from not just Claire's perspective, but Eve's, Michael's,
Shane's and Amelie's also. The thrilling happenings in this novel
push forward a new light in the ever bright Morganville novels.
There are countless turns of events, and so many genres of surprises
that so far this makes it the hardest book to stop reading in my
bookshelf, as it's addictive and beautifully easy to get into. Even
if you haven't read another book in the Morganville series, besides dropping a few hints of past happenings it is so easy to delve
into. Even though it's book eleven, not getting caught in the story
is the least of your worries.
The target audience of this novel are teens to adult, written in a
fast pace with flashes of every emotion on call. The characters in
this novel are easy to relate to. Rachel has given them such
realistic emotions and thoughts that I often pull out of this novel
thinking, 'Hmm, I wonder what mischievous Myrnin is up to, what will
he do next', or in times of thrill, after hours I find myself
wondering what is going to happen to a certain character, feeling
his or her emotions as my own. The plot is fool-proof and has so
many unexpected twists that I believe even the most skeptic readers
will be hooked.
The story centres on Claire Danvers. Claire and her friends all live
together in one of Morganville's founder homes, The Glass House. It
starts with the average happenings in Morganville, average business
etc. But, everyone finds it a tad strange when vampires from all
over town start to go missing, shops start to shut and the cracks in
Amelie's exquisitely controlled armour start to show. It gets worse
when a stranger from a small orbital town appears with nothing but
an envelope directed to the Founder of Morganville, Amelie. Things
start to get out of hand when Claire starts seeing a person that
she's never seen before and after a glimpse, can hardly remember
what she saw. And everything goes downhill when the vamps start to
worry.
Buckle up and enjoy this thrilling tale of events that is
Morganville.
Sarah Filkin, Year 10
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Random House Australia, 2012. ISBN 9780370332291.
(Ages: 10+) Warmly recommended. With a face that through some
of his younger years he keeps hidden from others with a helmet,
August is home schooled, partly because the countless operations on
his facial deformities necessitating weeks away for school, but also
because of the need for the family to protect him from prying eyes
and cruel comments. His face is lop sided, his ears jut out badly,
he has some difficulty eating and his eyes are a little odd. In a
society obsessed with appearance, his looks draw comments, and
sometimes shock and derision.
But when he approaches middle school, the family decides that he
needs to go to school, and so he is set along a path that forces him
to deal with bullying and cruel laughter, but also companionship and
friendship, support and encouragement.
His first year at middle school is beset with problems. The staff,
in an attempt to ease this clever boy into their school, ask some to
befriend him, causing problems later on Some obviously avoid him,
and when an incident occurs which causes some to take sides, the
nastier group within the school set out to alienate him even
further. But several kids shine through in their friendship with
Auggie and it is them who help the lad cope with the bullying that
he receives.
At a school camp, a group from another school take exception to this
oddly faced boy and in setting him apart for some more violent
treatment, incur the wrath of many of the others at Auggie's school,
suddenly protective of him.
With chapters given from Auggie's point of view, alongside chapters
giving his sister's perspective, his friend, Jack, his sister's
friend, Miranda and several others of his group, the story builds to
a climax, with each set of chapters filling in the background to one
boy's life.
This is a warm, sensitive and engrossing read. We are astounded at
Auggie's matte of fact way in dealing with the others in the school,
disheartened when some bully him, alarmed when his friend, Jack
reveals why he is friendly and cheered by the support shown by the
others in his year at the school camp. At some points the story is a
little overstated, but the whole is an enlightening, warm hearted
story of one boy coping in his first year at school, carrying a
disability many would find alarming.
For middle school readers this will prove a story to make them think
about our society's stress on how we look, and of how they react to
someone's disability, and above all of acceptance and friendship and
courage.
Fran Knight
Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng
Walker, 2011. ISBN: 9781406337730.
Recommended for ages 6 and up. Although Suhaila has never met her
grandmother, her mother tells her how special she had been and that
the older woman would have been happy to 'wrap her arms around the
whole world'. One evening, a ladder appears at the child's window
with Grandma Annie on the bottom rung. Together, the two climb the
ladder directly to the moon. When the child becomes cold, her
Grandmother's lap grows 'wider than the biggest crater' and Suhaila
leaps into her arms to allow her Grandmother to support and warm
her. As they watch, listen and feel what is happening on Earth, the
two attract a multitude of people from different countries and
faiths, each with his or her own experiences or challenges. The
cycle of life is played out before their very eyes, with Suhaila
developing a deeper understanding as she watches and helps.
This moving and stunningly illustrated book contains deep and
profound messages. As a book for the very young child, much would
undoubtedly be lost. Older children would be more able to learn from
the story as they read of the troubles in the world and realise the
importance of accepting cultural differences and working together to
overcome war and create peace, through a genuine love of others.
Jo Schenkel
