Reviews

The heir chronicles by Cinda Williams Chima

Indigo, 2012.
The warrior heir. Book 1. ISBN 9781780620473.
The wizard heir. Book 2. ISBN 9781780620503.
The dragon heir. Book 3. ISBN 9781780620534.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. A reprint of Chima's award winning series (2008 Kirkus Best YA Book of the Year, 2009 Voya Best SF and Fantasy Book of the Year) is a treat for fantasy lovers like me. The books would best be read as a series, starting with book 1, The warrior heir, where the reader is introduced to 16 year old Jack, a normal teenager living in a small Ohio town. The only thing that makes him different is the scar above his heart and the medicine he has to take daily. One day when he misses his medicine, he discovers that he is stronger and faster than all his soccer mates and that he is a member of the Weirlind, a group of magical people who are facing war. Book 2, The wizard heir, follows the adventures of Seph, who is an untrained wizard. When sent to a private school in Maine, he uncovers deadly secrets and becomes involved in the war between the Red and White Rose factions. The dragon heir has two main protagonists: Jason, who steals the Dragonheart, a powerful treasure and Madison Moss who is a danger to her boyfriend Seph, as she leaks the toxic magic that she absorbed in the fight against evil.
Chima deserves the accolades she received for these books. After reading The warrior heir I was thrilled knowing that I had the next two stories to read straight away rather than having to wait impatiently for them.  Her main male teen characters, Jack, Seph and Jason are tough, intelligent and courageous. Each must go through terrible trials but all triumph in different ways. The girls in the story are brave and smart, play vital roles in the fight against evil and the romances are very well done.
Her world building is wonderful. The reader is taken off into the politics of a magical place, where those who have the strongest warrior wield power. A single warrior from each of the warring sides is forced to fight to the death in a gladiator style to win the power to rule. The action is inventive and ranges from Ohio to the wind swept moors of Cumbria in the United Kingdom. With swordplay, wizards living hundreds of years and using mind control, intrigue and strange treasure, I was swept along in Chima's fabulous world.
Each book has an emphasis on a different character. This gives added appeal as Chima explores different relationships and abilities, making a much richer series than is often encountered where the same main characters appear. There is a satisfying conclusion to the three books (although a look at Chima's website gives information about two more books to come).
The clever writing,  inventive setting and great characters of this series should appeal to both boys and girls. Fans of these books will want to go out and immediately find her Seven Realms series.
Pat Pledger

Beast child by Ben Chandler

Random House, 2011. ISBN 978 1 86471 979 6
(Age: 11+) Beast child is the second book in the Voyages of the Flying Dragon series. In this book Missy Clemens and her twin brother Lenis continue to explore their abilities against a background of pursuing the evil mercenary Karasu in an attempt to retrieve the stones that can unlock the powers of the baby dragon Suiteki which has bonded with Lewis who is a Bestia keeper and engineer aboard the airship Hiryu. Missy is the communications officer and is trying to learn how to use the Quillblack a feather that turns into a sword of tremendous power, but which needs great skill to be used effectively and protect the user. The twins are part of a group trying to prevent the spread of the Wastelands and the Demons that infest them.
The book is an intriguing blend of folklore and fantasy, largely based on Japanese heroism, anime and manga.
There is plenty of action and adventure to appeal to those who like fantasy but given the complexity involved it may be more suitable for upper primary and above students. The third book Ebb and Flow will follow on.
David Rayner

Savannah dreams by Lolla Stewart

Ill. by Elaine Russell. Little Hare Books, 2011. ISBN: 9781921714030
(Age: Junior Primary - Lower Primary) Highly recommended. 'From Sunday to Saturday, Savannah and her family go looking for bush tucker. While Savannah's family find fabulous food, Savannah finds only junk. But Savannah sees the world through different eyes, and her imagination helps her to make the greatest catch of all.'
Along the way to discovering some traditional bush tucker, readers will wonder at the items Savannah collects and imagine, as she does, the great barramundi she sees.
The title conveys images similar to African tales, but this is a true Australian story.  A wonderful insight into a traditional lifestyle and the innocence and wonder of a child's imagination. The illustrations remind me of the fabulous work by Bronwyn Bancroft, they are full of colour and life with a uniquely indigenous feel.
A vibrantly illustrated, charming story of an indigenous family and their search for food.
Zana Thiele

The ghost at the wedding; a true story by Shirley Walker

Penguin, 2010. ISBN 9780143203292. Louis Braille Audio Book read by Kate Hood.
With an intriguing title, The Ghost at the wedding, sets out to tell a personal story of love and family, during the tumultuous period from 1914 to 1945. It considers both the men who went to war and the women who coped with everything life threw at them. The narrative joins a current flock of fictionalised accounts of real people's lives, attributing to actions and emotions which can be surmised rather than known. This new tradition of biography allows authors to blend historical detail, anecdote and personal memories into a narrative which is not only accessible to a wide readership but also creates a deep understanding of personal experiences of a specific time in history.
This fascinating story illuminates pioneer life in the cane fields of northern New South Wales, the battlefields of Gallipoli, the trenches of France and the struggles of the Kokoda Track. She poignantly describes a series of lives torn apart and melded through the struggles of war. At times, the narrator slips into historian during the narrative, which does jar with the reader but it also lends an unique authenticity to the historical claims of the text. Shirley Walker is telling her family story, but the vast amount of research she has done and the documents she has been able to unearth will leave other genealogists green with envy. She has been able to paint an authentic picture of all the periods and places she describes.
While the title, The ghost at the wedding, describes a particular period in the family's life, in a sense it could also be seen as the proverbial 'elephant in the room' which underpins the whole story - namely, war and its effects on individuals and family. Such difficult topics could be harrowing and while Shirley Walker does not shy from them, neither does she revel in gory details. Each person's story and situation is treated remarkably sensitively, as one might expect from a personal history rather than a racy blockbuster. Shirley Walker is able to bring many skills from her long career in Australian literature to bear in this important piece of social history.
In the tradition of the excellence for which Louis Braille books have come to be known, Kate Hood reads this narrative with clarity and sensitivity. She brings warmth and honesty to this remarkable story.
Diana Warwick

The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Jackie Morris

Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1845079871.
(Age: 0+) Highly recommended. Jackie Morris has carefully chosen 40 well-known and less well-known nursery rhymes and illustrated them in her outstanding style. Included are family favourites such as Baa black sheep, Ride a cock-horse and Hickory dickory dock and unfamiliar ones like The hart and the hare and Jumping Joan.
Most of the rhymes take up a double page spread of beautiful, eye-catching illustrations done in watercolours. The details are so gorgeous that it becomes a book to pore over and revisit time and again. I especially loved All the pretty little horses where mother and baby are pulled along in a tented coach by six magnificent white horses and escorted by 'pretty little horses. Black and bay and dappled and grey'. Another thing that really caught my attention was the size of the animals in relation to the people. Baa baa black sheep for example, has a sheep as large as a camel, carrying skeins of wool in a pack on its back. A touch of humour is added with the sheep dog carrying a ball of wool for its mistress who is knitting as she strides along. Each illustration will stimulate the imagination and leave the reader to dream about beautiful women with long flowing hair, impish boys, and fabulous animals and flowers.
This is book that I believe is very likely to become a classic and highly collectable like the books of the illustrator, Errol le Cain. Most importantly, though, it is a book that is sure to enchant everyone who chants the rhymes and delights in the glorious illustrations.
Pat Pledger

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Penguin, 2012. ISBN 9780143566113.
(Ages: 15+) Recommended. In the sequel to Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Jessica and Lucius are married (read about the wedding here) and living in his castle in Romania. But life is not necessarily 'happily ever after'. Now known as Princess Antanasia, Jessica is bewildered by the language, customs and expectations of her new family and is increasingly worried that she will not be able to fulfil her role as princess and future queen of the vampire clans. After all she is still a teenager, raised by her vegetarian, animal loving adoptive parents in Pennsylvania, that finds herself the co-ruler of a traditional, feudal and very conservative society. When Lucius is arrested and imprisoned for his alleged role in the murder of his uncle, it is up to Jessica to clear his name. Increasingly plagued and debilitated by vivid hallucinations and dreams, and not knowing whom to trust, she enlists the aid of her American best friend Mindy and Lucius's Italian, peace-loving surfie cousin, Raniero, to help find the real culprit.
The story is told in alternating chapters with Jessica, Lucius, Raniero and Mindy sharing the narrative. I particularly enjoyed Lucius and Raniero's droll correspondence, and the intrepid Mindy with her trusty suitcase full of styling products. The atmosphere is supplied by huge castles, secret tunnels, forbidding pine forests, cemeteries at midnight and the warring vampire families strident calls for revenge.
Jessica's Guide to dating on the dark side is a very popular book amongst our students, and I must admit I enjoyed that book very much - a fresh twist on the vampire/romance genre. This new book does not disappoint and is a very satisfying sequel. Whilst there are secrets to expose and a murder mystery to unravel, this is really a story about the importance of love and friendship, believing in yourself and learning to appreciate people for whom they are; all while trying to prevent the fragile peace between two vampire families descending into a literal blood bath!
A very enjoyable read with darkness, danger and a sly sense of humour that also hits all the right romance buttons.
Great fun for teenage girls.
Alicia Papp

Lola and the boy next door by Stephanie Perkins

Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780143566267.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Lola Nolan is a budding designer. She doesn't believe in fashion, she believes in costumes and the more expressive the better. But beneath her outrageous style she is a devoted friend and daughter who loves her gay parents and wants do the right thing for them but also want them to approve of her boyfriend. She has big plans for her future and everything is perfect in her life until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the house next door. Calliope is a talented figure skater, who has won silver in two world cups and hopes to compete in the Olympics this year, and Cricket is a talented inventor and always has been. When Cricket steps back into Lola's life, she finds herself torn between her boyfriend and the boy she has always loved.
This book is amazing. It felt like the characters were actually real people. I would highly recommend this book especially to people who like to read romances.
Tahlia Kennewell (student)

Editor's note: Selected as one of 2012 Best fiction for young adults by American Library Association

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Doubleday, 2011. ISBN 9780385619264.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Sir Samuel Vimes, Commander of the City Watch, Duke of Ankh-Morpork and Blackboard Monitor, is on an enforced holiday, with his adored wife and son, in the peaceful countryside. It is his idea of hell, and he finds trees, livestock and wildlife slightly disturbing, not to mention his young son's obsession with all things 'poo'. However, his supposedly quiet retreat is interrupted by a murder. The fact that it is a goblin that is murdered, and that most people consider them non-sentient beings and no better than animals, doesn't deter Vimes from investigating. He uncovers systematic corruption, vice and slavery and has to deal with the local aristocracy who believe the law doesn't apply to them. These poor fools have no idea what they are in for, and while Vimes is a cynical sceptic, he holds on to the law for dear life. To him, no one is above or beneath the law.
I am a self confessed Terry Pratchett fan, and I am always excited when a new book is released (this is the 39th Discworld book). I especially enjoy the City Watch books and have watched Sam Vimes evolve as a character over the series. It is always amusing and uplifting to see him overcome his prejudices against non-humans (and humans!) ie. vampires, trolls, golems, orcs, zombies, and now goblins. He has learnt to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, and judges them by what they do, not what they are.
Terry Pratchett is a wonderful, witty and wise story-teller. His books are social commentary, interspersed with humour, farce and extremely funny footnotes.  One day he has Sam giving a gentle dressing down to a bunch of fluttering Jane Austenesque young ladies, the next he is chasing a killer on a steamboat on a raging river. He does rollicking adventure and crime mysteries extremely well. His stories are rich and multilayered, with a large cast of characters and locations. Whilst he is never strident, he pokes mild fun at people's frailties and foibles, but is happy to take a bigger stick to hypocrisy, discrimination and cruelty.
Alicia Papp

Book of blood and shadow by Robin Wasserman

Atom, 2012. ISBN 9871907411441.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. With her thriller in the genre of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Wasserman takes the reader on a roller coaster ride with Nora after she finds her best friend Chris murdered,  his girlfriend Adriane in a catatonic state and her beloved Max not to be found. Nora believes that Max is innocent of the murder and is determined to find him. Following clues found in ancient letters, she sets out on a trail of blood and adventure with the enigmatic Eli closely following her.
This is a hefty read at 432 pages and is littered with letters and poetry written in Latin, which had to be translated by Nora, allusions to historical figures in the Renaissance like Kepler, a German astronomer, and codes and ciphers that needed to be worked out. It is not a book that I could read in one sitting, rather it is one that I had to ponder about before the mysteries and characters called me back to continue reading the next section.
A complex trail of letters and poetry brings to life Elizabeth Jane Weston and her life in Prague, in a time when astronomers and scientists believed in alchemy and where she laboured to bring to life the Lumen Deii, a strange machine that would connect man with God. As Nora translates her letters, she becomes increasingly entwined in what happened to Elizabeth and it is this connection that keeps the reader involved in the complicated plot.
The relationships in the book are also engrossing. I enjoyed reading about teenagers who are highly intelligent and capable of being research assistants to a History professor. Although Nora is naive about the relationships in her life, she is loyal to her friends even when she is not sure whom she can trust. She is the one who cracks the codes and finds the clues and directs the search for Max. It is a relief to read a book where the love interest is not the most important aspect but rather fits in with the action and needs of the characters.
There is also action galore in this book, as Nora travels to Prague where she and her companions become the target of religious sects who are determined to gain hold of the Lumen Dei.
Wasserman very skilfully weaves the action, relationships and a fabulous setting to make a wonderful thriller.
Pat Pledger

The future of us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-85707-607-6.
The Future of us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler is a brilliantly put together novel that is set in 1995, with hardly any of the modern technology we have today. The storyline centres on Josh and Emma, the main characters. These two have been friends and neighbours since they were little but their friendship suddenly withered in the teen years when Josh misinterprets Emma's body language; they then find it quite awkward to be close friends and drift apart. One day Josh brings around an AOL CD that he has received in the mail. He decides to give it to Emma because his parents don't agree with the internet. They try out the mysterious disk on Emma's brand new computer when it connects to Facebook, a social networking site, fifteen years in the future! They then discover that what they change in their everyday lives affects them big time in their future. Emma becomes super distressed about her future, recklessly changing things every day, which in doing so changed a countless amount off people's futures too, ending up in a very moral ending for the readers and the characters alike.
This novel is great for teens and almost anyone. The first person chapter switching, differing between the two main characters' personal thoughts and feelings is brilliant, giving both Josh and Emma's view on the pressing matters. It is a fantastic novel with many twists and turns throughout the story, great for light and quick reading or even an English assignment at school, it's just that good.
Sarah Filkin (Student, Yr 10)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles Bk 1. Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780141340135.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Cinder, written by Marissa Meyer, is the first book of the Lunar Chronicles. There are themes presented within the text but one stands out in particular: Romance thriller. I know at the moment we are surrounded by millions of novels about forbidden love and vampires killing one another, but Cinder is worth every minute of the time you spend swooning over the prince and/or killer vampire in other novels.
Cinder is based on the original Cinderella story. You know the one, her ugly step sisters take away Cinderella's pretty dresses and force her to wear rags and become their servant.
Cinder is a gifted mechanic in New Beijing; she is also a cyborg who lives with her step mother and stepsisters. But when her stepsister suddenly falls ill to the deadly plague Cinder is in a race against time to find a cure, but falling in love with Prince Kai was not part of the plan and she is caught between her duty to save her sister and the freedom she has always longed for. Throughout her violent struggles and desires Cinder must uncover the mysteries that surround her past in order to protect the Earth's future.
I thoroughly enjoyed Marissa's writing techniques and her astounding plot that kept you on edge the entire time. I was gripped from the very first sentence and spent every free minute reading it. I encourage many other teenage girls to read Cinder and fall in love with the plot and characters as I did. Happy reading!
Justine Harrison (student)

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Ill. by Keith Thompson. (Leviathan Series). Penguin Viking, 2011. ISBN 9780 6 70 07305 4
(Age: 12 - Adult) Goliath, the last in the Leviathan trilogy, is a steampunk story set during WWI. For those who are still coming to terms with this relatively new genre, it has been described as the future as Victorians would have imagined it. In fact many steampunk books are set in or near the Victorian era. Think fantastic inventions of machines, gears and cogs.
Book 3 continues the adventures of Prince Alek, who is striving to reclaim his Austrian throne and Deryn a girl who masquerades as a boy so she can be in the British Air Service.
The story reflects WWI history but contains its own fantastical creatures, machines and events. The world is divided into 2 sides, the Clankers and their machinery and Darwinists who use living fabricated beasts.
At the beginning of the book Deryn and Alek are aboard the Leviathan, an airship best described as a cross between a whale and a zeppelin. The ship has been ordered to pick up a scientist, Mr Tesla who claims to have a secret weapon, 'Goliath' that can destroy a whole city and stop the war.
There are battles, lots of fighting action, intrigue as well as the drama of the continuing affections between Deryn and Alek. The wonderful illustrations by Keith Thompson add a whole other dimension to Westerfeld's invented world. They helped me gain a greater understanding of the unusual machines and a better grasp of the action.
I enjoyed reading this last book in the trilogy more than book 2 but after some internet researching, I know there are many fans of the whole series. Deryn is a strong female character (even if she pretends to be a boy) and the main feature of the book covers. Will these books have equal appeal to both genders with its mixture of fighting and romance? I am unsure but I would definitely recommend these books from 12 year olds up to adults.
A wonderful book trailer is available to help with promoting this series.
Jane Moore

Are we there yet? by Alison Lester

Penguin, 2002. ISBN 978 0670880676.
(Ages: 4+) Highly recommended. Picture book. The National Year of Reading, 2012, has chosen this picture books as its focus for reading and book activities in Australia in 2012, and rightly so. It is an amazing book, considered a classic, detailing the exploits of a family and their trip around Australia in their family 4 wheel drive. With the refrain of 'are we there yet' common to everyone, everywhere, the family hits the grey nomad trail, one increasingly covered by younger families as well. A map at the start helps set the scene as the family packs up grandpa's old camper trailer with everything they think they will need for the three month trip.
A small Australian map every few pages acquaints the reader about how far they have gone and reinforces the position of the places they have stopped at. From The Cooroong to Uluru, Wave Rock to Sydney Harbour Bridge, the sights and sounds of Australia are presented in Alison Lester's beautiful illustrations and economical words. What better introduction to the Australian scenery could we hope for? I can imagine every classroom using this book as an introduction to any unit of work based around Australia, its land and its people.
The glowing pictures of various places around Australia are set against the family's trials and adventures, with the group pictured in their various costumes suited to the climate they are travelling through. The whole is presented with warmth and humour, underlining the vastness of the land through which the family moves, and also its friendliness and comraderie.
Fran Knight

The name of the star by Maureen Johnson

Eli the good by Silas House

Candlewick, 2011. ISBN: 9780763652883.
Set in the United States, in the summer of 1976, this is a novel about the ongoing impact of the Vietnam war for returned veterans and their families. Told through the eyes of ten year old Eli, the novel opens with 'The first true day of summer for me began with a scream . . . ' pg 4. It is his father screaming in his sleep after travelling back to Vietnam in his dreams.
Eli's Mum is a science teacher whose love for her husband and family makes a big difference in their lives. Eli's older sister Josie is at the difficult teenage stage. She is always complaining, even about her adoring boyfriend Charles. She has an ongoing dispute with her mother about wearing shorts that have an American flag printed on them.
Eli's Aunt Nell arrives with her records and record player to live with the family. Nell's participation in an anti Vietnam protest and the publicity it received is a source of ongoing tension with her brother. Eli overhears that Aunt Nell has cancer and this secret adds to the poignancy of her time with the family.
 Eli's best friend is Edie, the girl next door, and it is with her that he secretly reads the letters his father wrote to his mother from Vietnam. The other secret that Edie discovers is that his sister Josie has a different father to him.
So while this novel is set in a particular time and place, the United States in the 70's; the themes of teenage angst, family conflict, war, betrayal and ultimately the difference that love and committment can make are themes that are universal. A good read.
Jenny Brisbane