Tom Gates: Everything's amazing (sort of) by Liz Pichon
Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 1407124412.
Recommended for 8-12 years. Tom Gates is back in the third novel of
his adventures. Fans of Tom Gates will love that the format is the
same. Lots of line illustrations, a few sentences on each page and
Tom's eternal struggle with his older sister Delia.
In this novel Tom and his mate Derek enter Rooster the dog into the
local dog show, Tom has a birthday, Granny Mavis still cooks exotic
food combinations and plans are being made for the school disco.
Throughout the book Tom gets in and out of trouble and just tries to
survive as a fifth grader.
These are highly sought after books at my school. They are easy to
read but have an entertaining storyline and great little sketches.
Wimpy Kid readers are particularly keen to read Tom Gates.
Jane Moore
Found: the art of recycling by Lisa Holzl
Walker Books Australia, 2012. ISBN 9781921720130.
Recommended. Reference. Art. Recycling. In this handbook introducing
students to various art styles of the twentieth century and
encouraging them to try them for themselves, the teacher will find
lots of information to share with their classes as well as hints
about how to encourage their students to try their hand at the
styles shown. The idea of recycling is given in its broadest sense
from the cover with many words which advance the idea of recycling,
to the pages inside showing just how many artists have gone about
their work. Using other medium for their work began in the early
1900's with Picasso using newspaper, Duchamp using a bicycle wheel,
while Hausman used part of a wooden model.
Each double page introduces one artist, and after a potted history
of the times, shows one of his or her works which reflects the idea
of using found objects. Picasso is the first represented. A brief
outline of his life and times follows, then an image of a painting
done in 1913 is shown, briefly discussed then set in its time. At
the bottom of the page is given an outline of an activity which
could be done in the classroom, emulating the work by that artist.
For people wanting more information there are references at the back
of the book to other books and websites.
Each of the artists represented here reflects a different style of
work done in the twentieth century, and range from Picasso at the
beginning to Fiona Hall and others born towards the end of the
century. A contents page is followed by a timeline of the major art
movements of the twentieth century from Cubism to Installation art,
and each artist represented fits one of these categories.
The whole is rounded off with a glossary, potted biographical notes
about each of the artists and a detailed index. This is a wonderful
teaching tool for primary classrooms and the look of the book,
presented as a scrapbook with torn paper, newspaper scraps and
sellotape, add to the interest the book will engender.
Fran Knight
Between the lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 1743310927.
Delilah hates school, she would rather pretend she is somewhere
else. That's why she loves books so much. Every time she opens one
she can pretend she is someone else, somewhere else. But there is
one particular book she can't get enough of. It's a lovely fairy
tale she found sitting the library and if anyone knew how much she
had read that book over and over again she'd be a social outcast
forever.
When the main character of the book, a prince named Oliver, starts
talking to Delilah she thinks she must be crazy. Oliver wants to be
free of his story and Delilah will do just about anything to
help him. But after a failed attempt to get a spider out of the book
it looks like Oliver might be permanently stuck.
This book had my eyes glued to the pages until the very end; it was
amazing. This book was definitely a different style for Jodi Picoult
but was still just as good as all of her other books and an amazing
first book for Samantha Van Leer. I would highly recommend this book
to people who like fantasy stories and Jodi Picoult's books.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student)
Clementine Rose and the Surprise Visitor by Jacqueline Harvey
Clementine Rose series, no. 1. Random House Australia, 2012. 128
pages. ISBN 1742755410
(Ages: 7-10) Recommended. 5-year-old Clemmie is different to most
young girls. She was delivered as a baby in the back of a mini-van
in a basket of dinner rolls to Penberthy House, home of Lady
Clarissa. A crumbling old mansion, Penberthy House is run by Lady
Clarissa as a country hotel in order to keep the place in good
repair. However the out of the way town of Penberthy Floss is not
exactly on the tourist trail so it is lucky that Lady Clarissa has a
special knack with winning nearly every competition she enters. As
soon as Lady Clarissa laid eyes on the baby Clementine Rose she knew
that she belonged at Penberthy House with her and the butler Uncle
Digby. So sets the scene for a new series set in this quaint little
village with endearing characters with sweet dispositions and a
crumbling mansion filled with love, warmth and charm.
This first instalment in the series sees a surprise visitor, Aunt
Violet, arrive at Penberthy House. Clementine Rose has never met
Aunt Violet but she can tell that Lady Clarissa doesn't like her
very much. Even more strangely Aunt Violet doesn't seem happy to be
at Penberthy House at all. Clementine Rose soon realises that
something fishy is going on. Why is Aunt Violet really here, and
what is she carrying in her mysterious black bag?
The text is interspersed with very few pictures and the text on the
pages is quite dense making it unsuitable for younger readers who
may find the text too long and arduous. However the book could be a
fantastic read aloud novel for younger girls who the character of
5-year-old Clemmie would appeal to. Even though Clementine Rose is
5-years-old the story will still appeal to children above this age
who will appreciate the 'cuteness' of Clemmie and her sweet teacup
pig named Lavender.
In the same vein as her fantastic Alice-Miranda series Jacqueline
Harvey has created a character whose curiosity and sense of
adventure can often get her into trouble and whose loveable traits
will make her a favourite of young girls.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Go Goanna by Justin D'Ath
Mission Fox series, no. 7. Puffin, 2012. ISBN 0143306944
(Ages 7-10) Recommended. Harry and Jordan are twins committed to the
Mission Fox Animal Rescue agency. So when a giant goanna in the back
of Mr Dalby's delivery van is being poked with a broom handle Harry
and Jordan are under oath to step in under rule 1. 'Rescue animals
that are in danger'. Being late for school is one things but
missing the Pet Olympics being held at school would be terrible.
Deciding it is the only option, Harry and Jordan set off to school on
their FoxMobile being pulled by their humongous dog Myrtle and take
the caged lizard with them. When the goanna is accidentally let
loose the school, which is filled with pets of all kinds, turns to
bedlam. It only gets worse when the Principal's son gets stuck up a
tree while trying to rescue his kitten. Can Harry and Jordan use
their animal rescue skills to help him before he falls six meters to
the ground and redeem themselves for ruining the Pet Olympics? Just
when everything is getting back to normal the goanna reappears. Can
Mission Fox perform another wild rescue and get the goanna back to
where it is safe?
These Mission Fox stories are perfect for younger readers and will
appeal equally to boys and girls. The stories will be meaningful to
children as they are set within the real world rather than a fantasy
one and contain fast paced adventure as well as a good dose of
humour. The larger text makes them a great novel for children moving
from beginning reader chapter books into novels with only
intermittent illustrations.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Rumour has it: Girl heart boy by Ali Cronin
Razorbill. Penguin, 2012. ISBN: 9780141340630.
This is not a book I would normally read and I can't say it would be
one I'd read again, however everybody has their favourite themes and
styles and this novel may appeal to others through its complex and
emotional plot centred around the worth of relationships and the
importance of self respect.
Ashley is an open book and while her friends try to settle down and
start relationships all she wants is a good time. But will she sing
a different tune when Dylan shows up with Donna's cousin Marv?
Rediscovering emotions is hard when you've lived a life sheltered
and hidden from pain but what will Ashley do when she is forced to
deal with all of life's problems at once? How is Ashley's sister so
perfect and when did her little sister start to like boys? Her life
is a bomb shell waiting to go off. Rumour has it is an easy to read novel written for teenage
girls and set in the UK based loosely around the themes of fitting
in and learning to respect oneself and others. I would suggest that it
should be read by a middle school age group as these lessons are
important to young adolescents of today.
Kayla Gaskell (Year 11).
Editor's note: Explicit content warning on back cover.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Raven Cycle Book One. Scholastic Books, 2012. ISBN: 97814077134611.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. The Raven Boys is a clever, appealing book which combines
genres most effectively. The third person narrative revolves around
Blue, a 17 year old girl who lives with her mother and aunts outside
Henrietta, a small town in Georgia. We are thrown straight into the
drama, finding out immediately that Blue's psychic family have been
telling her constantly she will kill her one true love. Blue has
lived with this knowledge, this curse, this burden since she was 7,
so when her mother's half-sister shows up and claims this is the
year Blue falls in love, Blue barely reacts.
From this great start, the book settles into a fairly conventional
mystery. Blue becomes involved with four boys from the local
boarding school, a private elite place which houses some of the
wealthiest boys in the South. They are on the trail of a famous
Welsh king, buried somewhere in the US, who, tradition has it, will
offer a boon to the person or people who free his spirit. At times
the story of Glendowner bogs down the narrative, and Stiefvater has
to balance the fine line between adding details to create tension
and atmosphere, and going on too long. I never felt overwhelmed with
the wheres and whys of the myths and legends of Glendowner, and I
hope young people can get through these sections, because The Raven
Boys is an excellent tale of mystery and adventure.
The four Aglionby boys - Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah - are
distinct individuals. We are allowed into both Gansey's and Adam's
thoughts (as well as Blue's), and their motives and secrets are
complex and messy. The romantic elements are downplayed, but I'm
sure they'll become more important in the next book. Ronan is the
most complicated character. He's angry with good reason, but he's
there when the boys need him. His last line is a shocker which sets
up the next book. A side issue of Adam's family situation seems more
suited to a contemporary novel, but it works well here, especially
as it contrasts nicely with the wealth and opportunity of the other
boys. Adam has the most to gain and the most to lose, so his
narrative arc offers the most emotional pay-off.
This is great storytelling, with lots of twists and turns, and
although it reads smoothly it's dense with ideas and issues. Highly
recommended. Themes include power and responsibility, wealth,
family, domestic abuse, psychic phenomena, murder and betrayal,
corruption, grief, loss, and romance.
Trisha Buckley
Deadly Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9780857072115.
Mackenzie and Amy were best friends, that was until Amy was murdered
but she wasn't murdered by a human. Lupine Syndrome has been
spreading and the werewolf attacks have increased with more and more
of those infected struggling to control their blood lust. Now the
trackers have come to the town of hemlock to track down Amy's
killer. Mackenzie wants nothing more than to know who killed Amy but
she refuses to work with the trackers so she decides to investigate
by herself. However the more Mackenzie learns about Amy's death the
more secrets she discovers about hemlock. Secrets that could be
dangerous. Secrets that could change her life forever.
There are so many books about werewolves it's not funny, but I would
have to say this probably my favourite. I would recommend Deadly
Hemlock, as the town Hemlock has quite a lot of surprises for anyone
who reads this book.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student)
Vanguard Prime: Goldrush by Steven Lochran
Puffin, 2012. ISBN 978-0-14-330689-4.
(Age: 10+) Sam Lee was an ordinary boy . . . until he discovered his
super powers and joins Vanguard Prime the super hero team. As the
newbie he must learn play his part and is given special protective
clothing and a name 'Goldrush' to make him identifiable as a
superhero.
He is the youngest member and must learn how to react to dangerous
situations and to control his special powers.
He is put to the test earlier that expected when evil powerful
prisoners escape and have to be captured.
This is a high action novel with lots of fighting and good versus
evil confrontations. This might especially appeal to children 10+
who enjoy computer games.
The author, Steven Lochran has made two music videos to accompany
his book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGrorS6sd0g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuTUUDiMjl4
Jane Moore
Hedgehog's magic tricks by Ruth Paul
Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921977 68 8
(Ages 3+) Picture book. Magic. Hedgehog practises his magic tricks
on
his friends, the rabbit, mouse, and the duckling. His attempts to
make
these animals disappear seems destined to end in failure as each is
still there when the cloth is removed.
In bold large print, the simple tale is told over the pages of
pastel
coloured illustrations showing the animals int heir environment. The
book is easy to hold and will intrigue younger readers trying books
out
for themselves.
The idea of magic and trickery, of abracadabra, the customs of
magicians, with their top hats, cane and stage props could all be
discussed using this book as an opener.
Fran Knight
Horrible Harriet's inheritance by Leigh Hobbs
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781741149852.
148 Pages
Ages: 7-11 Recommended. Horrible Harriet is back in all her
narcissistic glory and this time in a novel written in her very own
words. Her self-absorbed thoughts are met by the reader with
jaw-dropping horror and laughter at the ridiculousness of it all.
The scene for the story is set with a word of warning by H.H's lowly
assistant Leigh Hobbs and an introduction by Miss Horrible Harriet
herself complete with a sample of her insightful poetry.
School holidays has arrived and Horrible Harriet is busy working on
a brilliant poem in her tower room when she is rudely interrupted by
Fred the postman nervously knocking at the front door. Harriet is
not hugely surprised to discover in a letter addressed to 'Her Royal
Highness Miss Horrible Harriet' that she may well be a long lost
member of the royal family. The only catch is that in order to claim
her inheritance (including a stately home on the coast) she needs to
fill in the missing names of her royal ancestors on her family tree.
Thinking the obvious place to start looking for clues would be her
photo album Harriet recounts her happy childhood in words and
pictures with hilarity provided through the disparate illustrations
and captions. Finding no success in this venture Harriet recalls a
similarly humorous class trip to the museum in which she felt very
at home with the royals who strangely enough all resembled her. If
this is not proof enough the next day a chest arrives filled with
yet more evidence.
So Horrible Harriet sets about proving her obvious royalty to the
Palace, preparing the school for her unfortunate departure (the
teachers in the cellar were working on her holiday homework and
needed to be fed after all) and journeys to her stately home on the
coast. Leigh Hobbs is a master at making each and every page
deliciously inviting to the eye with each page filled with
illustrations, interesting fonts and textures and a writing style
which can't help but put a smile on a readers face. The section of
the book which details Harriet's ideas of what her royal life will
be like is hilarious in its self-importance as is her annotations of
the photos of her royal ancestors. Mr Chicken fans will be delighted
that he also makes a cameo performance.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Geronimo Stilton saves the Olympics by Geronimo Stilton
Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novel series, no. 10. Papercutz, 2012. 50
pages. ISBN 9781597073196.
(Ages: 7-10) The Pirate Cats have travelled back in time to compete
in the first modern Olympics, back in 1894 in Athens. I's up to
Geronimo and his team to prevent the Cats from winning the prizes
and changing the outcome of the first modern games. But what
Geronimo and his friends don't know is that the Pirate Cats have
taken back to 1894 modern gadgets that will make it near impossible
for them to be defeated in the Olympic events. How can they possibly
stop them without changing the course of history?
The historical notes peppered throughout the graphic novel are a
bonus and the subject and concept of the text will appeal to young
children of both genders. Regular readers will recognise the
characters from other Geronimo Stilton books however the series does
not need to be read in order and the characters and the roles they
play are easy enough to pick up through reading a single book alone.
The humour of the characters, especially as it plays on their
identities as mice and cats gives the book an added dimension which
will be familiar to fans of the series. The illustrations in their
coloured form are aesthetically pleasing and the text is easy to
read and not too complex. This is a classic good versus bad comic
with themes which appeal to younger readers and characters who have
clearly defined traits and qualities which make it somewhat humorous
and overall fun to read. Children who struggle with large blocks of
text or enjoy visual reading will appreciate the sparse text and
colourful pages.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Malice by Gabrielle Lord
Conspiracy 365 (series). Scholastic, 2012. ISBN 9781 74283 362 8.
(Ages 10+) Recommended. Biggles and Famous Five, eat your hearts
out, here is an adventure series which will draw even the most
reluctant reader in, with all the panache of a 1950's cinematic
thriller, enticing kids to boo and hiss at the villains and cheer
when the heroes inevitably outsmart their captors. I loved this
book, which continues the series onspiracy 365, full of well drawn
but cliched bad eggs and noble country folk willing to help our
heroes.
When Winter goes with her friends, Cal and Ryan to the house she has
inherited, they find local people singularly unhelpful, but the post
she received giving the cryptic information that she had 30 days
before the Drowner came, impels them into action. Searching reveals
an entrance to the caves below, the scene of a shipwreck nearby and
possibly holding the treasure from the ship. But others are after
the same treasure. So becomes a game of cat and mouse as the bad
eggs try to scare the trio out of the house with easily seen through
attempts and then use much stronger force and the threat of death to
get their way.
A heart stopping episode at the end of the book will have all
readers, like me, wondering how they will escape alive and I even
thought for a mad minute that Lord was going to include a death.
Relief was longed for as the teens escaped their captors and were
able to restore the next door farm to its original condition.
A great series of books, Revenge and Malice continue the Conspiracy
365 series, and these will be followed with a new trilogy called New
Black Ops in 2013.
Fran Knight
The Ghost at the Point by Charlotte Calder
Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 978-1-921977-73-2.
(Age: Upper primary) Highly recommended. Dorrie lives with her
beloved
grandfather, known as Gah. Everything is going well until Gah falls
from a ladder and is hospitalized. Dorrie decides she doesn't want
to
stay with other relatives or friends and through some story telling
manages to stay alone in their semi isolated home near the sea.
This story is set in the 1930's so modern telephones or any outside
contact is non-existent.
Plucky 12 year old Dorrie manages to look after the farm and the
animals but she can't help thinking about the ghost stories she has
heard earlier and some unusual things have been occurring around the
house to keep her on edge.
The 'ghost' turns out to be a young shipwreck survivor who becomes
important in helping Dorrie with less spectral problems, the
suspicious
Mr. and Mrs. Crickle who are supposedly researching local history.
Add some buried treasure and an exciting ending with lots of twists
and
you have a great read.
The plot, the believable characters and the depression years in
which
it was set captivated me. A great piece of writing and I would
highly
recommend this book to upper primary students.
Jane Moore
Crusher by Niall Leonard
Doubleday, 2012. ISBN 9780 857 53209 1.
(Ages: 14+) Crime fiction. Coming home from his brain dead job at a
take away chicken joint in London, Finn finds his house is quiet and
the curtains pulled across.Feeling uneasy he finds his father's body
slumped over the table, blood damp across his bashed in head.
Calling in the police means he is the main suspect, and he takes it
into his head to investigate the murder himself. There follows an
easy to read crime fiction thriller, following his steps to uncover
the murderer.
His father, really a stepfather, was an out of work actor, and
wanted to write a novel about London's underworld. His need to
investigate characters as fully as he could may have meant that he
had got too close to McGovern, the underworld boss, so that is the
first place Finn starts to look. In an impulsive move, Finn gets
inside the man's house and from there the reader's nerves will
tingle as Finn tries to avoid McGovern and the policemen who are
convinced he is their murderer. A number of characters seem to want
to help Finn but he is wary, feeling that they possibly know more
than they are letting on.
This is such an easy read, jumping so easily from one event to
another without much subtlety, that young readers will be entranced.
Cliched situations and characters abound, but are most acceptable in
this easily digested story. For younger secondary readers, it will
introduce the reader to the genre, one becoming more prevalent in
the young adult market, and for those more used to this genre, this
will be a few hours of easy escapism as Finn strolls around
situations others would not dare enter.
Leonard's background as a screenwriter comes thorough as many
episodes are very filmic, the settings minutely detailed and the
characters easy to recognise, with a little sex thrown into the mix.
Fran Knight
