Imagine if, in the course of your daily work, you discovered something so significant that only a handful of people were ever allowed to know where you had been and even they were sworn to secrecy.
This is the story of the discovery of the Wollemi pine, a tree that can grow to over 40 metres tall but whose existence was unknown until just 30 years ago, when Ranger David Noble found a clutch of them growing in a deep gorge in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. A tree so old that it dates back to the dinosaur period and so rare that there were less than 100 in existence at the time. No wonder its location remains a secret so that sightseers can't traipse in and bring in diseases on their shoes, damage the site and perhaps wipe out those remaining so it is gone forever.
Sadly, though, humans aren't the only threat to this ancient species and this is the story not just of the tree but the remarkable efforts that were made to protect the grove and the gorge during one of NSW infamous fire seasons, for surely, something that has descended from a family of trees going back 200 million years, and has survived ice, fire and the passing of many generations deserves to be saved no matter what.
This is another remarkable publication from CSIRO Publishing shining the spotlight on yet another unique Australian creature so that our youngest readers can start to build their awareness and knowledge or the amazing things we share this landscape with, and hopefully, with that knowledge and awareness, become its protectors. Introducing Mia, the schoolgirl daughter of botanist Kate, brings the story right into their realm and when Mia suggests that her class plant a seedling to help conserve the Wollemi, they might be inspired to do the same thing as they explore the story further through the teachers' notes.
In a series of anecdotal stories, we are given a glimpse inside the lives of classmates and school attendees in a USA Middle School. Each story focuses on a separate child, and their stories are loosely linked. But this is a funny collection of insights into the joys and dramas of being a pre-teen. From friends who discuss boogers (bogies); an eclectic group of kids who ‘shake coin’ from others, but whose hearts have been softened and yet scarred because of difficult family circumstances; a skater who prefers to skate out of school and avoid human contact; to the child of the school crossing supervisor who is battling anxiety – all of these anecdotes have humour woven through them. There are some serious issues that are touched on, but the naive humanity of the young participants shines through.
This is a book set within a community of Afro-American students with limited financial resources and their voices reflect the vernacular and dialect permutations and grammar of this community. This may confuse some Australian readers, but exposure to USA television should have prepared them for some of these language oddities. But for some Australian readers in the pre-Secondary years this may create confusion, but it is interesting to see how language becomes distorted in different environments. The stories are easy to read and each one follows a different route from school to home and reveals the personal struggles and joys for each of the characters. I can recommend this book for readers aged 10-13 who enjoy short stories that make them think (a little), but never too much, and who like to laugh at kids their own age. For those who have enjoyed Diary of a Wimpy Kid this is a short story collection with more text, but a light-hearted touch to some quite difficult personal circumstances.
Recommended (for those who can cope with the non-Aussie setting and language use).
Themes School - USA, Friendship, Family, Short stories.
Carolyn Hull
Alight: A story of fire and nature by Sam Lloyd. Illus. by Samantha Metcalfe
We are introduced to five things which will be the focus of this entertaining and informative book about fire and its use in the Australian bush. The Eucalypt tree, the Wallum Banksia, Christmas Bells, Wallum Sedge Frog and Antechinus have the tale of the fire woven around them and their behaviour during a bush fire.
The eucalypt watches over the people lighting a spot fire, knowing it will be controlled by them and necessary for the animals to smell the smoke and find a hiding place, while being a reminder to plants that this means a time for new growth to appear. So the Wallum Banksia divests itself of the seed pods waiting for the fire to open them, the Christmas bells wait for the fire to initiate the splendid bells to appear, dragonflies and damsel-flies shelter amongst the sedges while the frog looks for a place to hide. The antechinus burrows into the tiny tree hollow, and smaller animals, ants and beetles live under the topsoil, protected from the fire, while seeds that have lain dormant for years wait to be germinated by the fire. As the fire passes, it rains, helping the bush to recover and germinate. Fungi begins to grow at the base of the trees, seeds germinate, small animals reappear, larger animals hunt for food, Christmas Bells appear and these attract honeyeaters, bees and ants. The cycle of fire and regrowth has come full circle as the bush recovers.
Stunning illustrations accompany the story making sure readers will understand the flora and fauna mentioned in the text. The delicate small insects and animals, larger trees plants, and larger animals are all shown with detailed accuracy, ensuring every reader will watch out for them next time they venture into the bush.
The endpapers will grab their attention as they spot things read about in the book, while the glossary will inform and educate the readers. Teacher's notes are available and the author has shared why fire management and healthy fire is so important.
Themes Australian bush, Australian flora and fauna, Fire, Regeneration.
Fran Knight
Palazzo by Danielle Steel
Pan Macmillan, 2023. ISBN: 9781529022421. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary)
The title refers to a Venetian palace owned for centuries by the main character’s family – the Saverios, owners of an Italian haute couture leather goods family business.
The contemporary story focuses on the eldest daughter, in her early twenties, becoming responsible for the business and her younger brother and sister on the sudden death of their parents 15 years earlier. The story basically details the trials and tribulations of Cosimo Saverio’s battle to keep the business and the palazzo in the face of the brother’s treachery.
The romantic element is somewhat predictable and the characters appear somewhat as stereotypes and not always believable.
A book for light reading entertainment with the main theme being dealing with family conflict while maintaining standards and values. The modern day settings of Venice, Rome, Paris add interest as do the comparisons of the family business with Hermes.
Themes Fashion industry - Italy, Leatherwork, Venice, Death, Gambling.
Ann Griffin
Giant-sized butterflies on my first day of school by Justin Roberts. Illus. by Paola Escobar
Putnam, 2023. ISBN: 9780525516446.
When a little girl wakes up on the first day of school, the butterflies in her stomach feel positively giant-sized! She really wants her mom to stay with her, on this first day. As she and her mother make their way to school, her mother explains how the butterflies are a good thing. Everyone gets them (including parents) and they are a sign of something exciting happening - that we're about to learn and grow from a new experience and they can help us through it. So with the butterflies as her guide, the girl soars into her first day.
As little ones' thoughts turn to the next big step in their lives - moving from preschool to big school - it is natural that there are going to be nerves and anxiety as the transition will be daunting for many. So this is another one to add to that collection to share to reassure them that their feelings are natural but they can be managed if they look through a positive lens. Even though it is American, it carries the universal message that everyone shares a fear of the unknown to some degree and that, in itself, can bring peace and calm. It also reassures them that they are old enough and brave enough to take this step, and it will only be a short time with new and familiar friends before their butterflies have disappeared.
Barbara Braxton
The Disney Book New Edition. A Celebration of the World of Disney: Centenary Edition by Jim Fanning and Tracey Miller-Zarneke
Dorling Kindersley, 2023. ISBN: 9780241573686.
On October 16, 1923, two brothers began a company that has brought immeasurable joy to millions of people throughout the world for a century! Those brothers were Walt Disney and Roy Disney and their company was known as the Disney Brothers Studio.
At a time when black-and-white silent films were state of the art, Walt Disney had a vision to create "a novel entertainment that was uniquely engaging" and for the Disney name to represent quality. Nearly 50 years since his death in December 1966, one wonders if he could ever have imagined that company being what it is today. From a young lad who loved to draw cartoons that appeared to move as he flipped the pages quickly, to his first animated image in 1927 - a rabbit named Oswald - and his belief that "cartoon animation offers a medium of story telling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages around the world" the name Disney has become synonymous with family entertainment that is engaging and enchanting with memories and moments that last long after a particular feature has ended. How many of us of a certain generation recall that special time at 6.30 on a Sunday evening, curling up in front of the television to see whether we would go to Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Adventureland or Main Street USA for the next hour? How many of today's children view a trip to Disneyland as their must-have life experience?
And all this history and wonder is encapsulated in this new centenary edition of The Disney Book, a glossy tome incorporating beautiful art and artefacts from The Walt Disney Company's vast historical collections, with a decade by decade illustrated timeline spanning 12 pages offering an incredible archive of all that the name Disney conjures up.
Updated from the 90th anniversary version, it includes all that has been achieved between 2012-2023 making it the most comprehensive collector's item for Disney fans as well as those with an interest in animation, film-making, children's entertainment or aspirations of being the new Disney, themselves.
For me, this is 256 pages of memories of childhood - mine, my son's, and my granddaughters' - so this will have a special place in our family library.
Known for her YA fiction (see Beyond Evie, 2011), in this award-winning novella Rebecca Burton instead frames her story as an adult looking back on memories of adolescence, in the 1980s. It is Frankie’s voice, remembering as a 14 year-old watching her older sister Justine succumb to anorexia, and trying to find her own sense of self amongst it all. The angst of that period in life will resonate with adults and younger readers alike.
The language is pared back, there are comments and silences, a feeling of so much unsaid. Frankie is always on the edge of crying, unable to express the turmoil within. She is trying to understand what is happening in her family while at the same time dealing with her own sense of grief and insufficiency. When Justine goes into the Eating Disorders Unit, and tosses out an invitation to Frankie to visit, she doesn’t know if it’s a genuine invitation or not, but it becomes a way to fill her holiday time after her best friend Narelle deserts her, moving on with a job and new friends. The time Frankie shares with Justine braiding her hair become a reassuring memory of affection, amidst the aching loneliness she feels.
Frankie seeks out anorexia survivor stories with their uplifting endings. But that is not every anorexic person’s story. Life can be more complicated. Burton’s novella brilliantly captures the frictions within a family, and the unresolved awkwardness between mother, elder daughter and younger daughter. For me, having grown up with two anorexic friends at different times, the heartache in this story just resonates with so much authenticity. I am sure it will have a readership in the YA section as well as for adults.
Rebecca Burton’s Ravenous girls is a well-deserving winner of the inaugural 20/40 Publishing Prize awarded by Finlay Lloyd, 2023.
Themes Anorexia, Loneliness, Sadness, Identity.
Helen Eddy
In my blood it runs by Dujuan Hoosan, Margaret Anderson and Carol Turner
Pan Macmillan, 2023. ISBN: 9781761263774. (Age:10-Adult) Highly recommended.
The book In My Blood It Runs, is based on the award -winning film of the same name. The book begins with the story of the rainbow serpent forming the land and the water around the area of Mparntwe (Alice Springs). This is 10 year old Dujuan’s story, his journey through some very challenging times and unjust experiences, and the story of those that chose to guide him along the way. Dujuan has Ngangkere (healing power) which does not work so well in town but is strong out bush. He is a spirited child who struggles with the school system and escapes to a life of petty crime on the streets but is eventually sent to live with his father to learn the ways and history of his Ancestors. Throughout In My Blood It Runs the language of the Arrernte people is shared and as well as ways of culture. Dujuan voices his thoughts about school, the prejudiced justice system, colonialism, his joy at being with family and his love of Country. The bold and colourful illustrations by Blak Douglas are dramatic with a modern edge and perfectly complement with the words.
This is an honest and heartfelt account of Dujuan Hoosan who was the youngest person at 12 to address the Human Rights Council at the United Nations. At the UN, he asks the leaders 'to support Australia to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10-14 years…allow his peoples to control their own education systems…First Nations languages to be taught in schools.'
Themes First Nations people, First Nations Language and Culture, Injustice, Care of Country, Family, Colonialism.
Kathryn Beilby
Strangely enough: Short stories for strange times by Gillian Hagenus, ed.
MidnightSun Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 9781922858313. (Age:Adult young adult) Recommended.
This collection of Australian short stories for strange times was quite appropriate to be reading at Halloween, the ideas behind some in Strangely Enough are truly strange. For tricks, try the puzzling appearance of the giant crocodile headed god of the Nile, inhabiting the wastewater system of a modern city in Mathew Hooton’s 'Visions of the Afterlife', or the manifestations of dream simulacra existing in Marian Matta’s 'Those Forgotten Dreams'. For a treat try the clever transition from owner to owned in Deborah Frenkel’s 'Cat/Lady', or the very trippy 'Noodles at 8' by Shaeden Berry. Victoria Griffin’s 'The Builder/Dreamer' channels Tom Waits’ 1999 recording 'What’s He Building' introducing modern surveillance into the paranoid mix, to protect corporate market dominance from a possible innovation, and for something completely different there is Mycelium Bride. R.T. Wenzel immerses us with Sister Agnes in the moist dark world of fungi, whose 'thready rasping voices slid in her ear and wormed through her brain', whose vocation is clear as she thinks about those tumescent fruiting bodies and tendrils that wrap her safe and tight.
After each story there is a short piece about the author and often a link to other works. None of the stories are very long, most about 10 pages and there will be something to pique the interest of the most jaded reader. Selected stories might make a good study of the form for senior students or a read aloud treat for Halloween.
Caleb Finn, a young Melbourne writer is perhaps better known in social media circles, as a prolific creator across numerous platforms where he posts short horror, comedy, lip-sync and vlog videos.
His first book is a series of ten short ‘horror’ stories with a modern twist, for the 21st C teenager. Finn uses a variety of different styles; email, phone log, police interview and chat messages with redacted text, to give the stories a very contemporary feel.
The stories are connected by the appearance of the mysteriously menacing Bowler Hat Man who silently witnesses the characters’ often fatal predicaments as they appear and reappear in various situations and relationships. Emails relating to the Anomaly Restriction Committee also link the stories as they search for the anomalies in the stories; characters who are able to slip between time and place, drawing the reader with them.
Often the children become victims in bizarre circumstances; 'Wet Paint' sees Sarah pursued by shape-shifting figures that morph in and out of the newly painted walls. In 'Happy Birthday', a twin makes a life-altering birthday wish that she lives to regret. Several stories focus on families fractured in strange unexplained situations. Murderous mannequins, body-invading aliens, a jealous doppelganger and people condemned to live in Truman Show-like movie sets populate the stories.
Unfortunately, and surprisingly from an author who appears to be so in touch with a younger audience, the dialogue and interior monologues sometimes come across as stilted and not the natural speech of teens. It will be interesting to see if teenage readers are put off by this, or accept and overlook it, based perhaps on the connection they already feel towards a social media star.
Content warning, and helpline resources have been included, with Finn expressing his hope that the stories will ‘encourage younger readers to face their fears and persevere through confronting situations’, although hopefully no-one will ever experience situations quite as horrific as those in this book.
Typical of many Vietnamese refugee families who settled in the America, the Nguyen family worked hard to build a better life. For Jade that means her mother has had to work particularly hard to provide for the three children after their father returned to Vietnam and left them without support. When he proposes to pay for Jade’s college fees if she comes to Vietnam to work on marketing a French colonial B&B he has been restoring, she feels she can’t refuse. Her mother and brother stay with family while Jade and her little sister Lily stay with their father in Da Lat. Nhá Hoa, or Flower House is appropriately named, a grand house surrounded by vegetation and oppressively hot and humid. In spite of all the restoration work it smells of damp, food rots easily and there are insects everywhere. Jade starts to have sleep paralysis while haunted by the oppressive house and the ghost of a beautiful bride who warns her not to eat. Assisting Jade in creating web marketing for the house is Florence, her dad’s business partner’s niece. Jade is immediately attracted to Florence and they become close, working together to figure out the house’s secrets and extricate them from the horrors it has in store. Jade describes herself as a bisexual, stubborn overachiever who suffers from anxiety but she has many issues, uncertain of her sexuality having betrayed her best friend, she is struggling with her identity, Vietnamese but unable to speak the language, a refugee from a colonized, war-torn country she knows little about, responsible for her little sister and wary of her father. Add to this cultural displacement, generational trauma, racism, colonialism, parasitism, ghosts and a haunted house and the story becomes a little dense and overwhelming. Then there are the multiple plots, the house’s story, uncovering past deaths and atrocities, the greedy developer couple, the family dynamics, the haunting and fake haunting and the parasitism. It really needs a series of books to tease out the best of this writing, by the end of the book I felt bogged down.
This could be an important book for young adults struggling with similar identity issues, couching it in a horror story might make it more appealing and lovers of gothic horror will find much to enjoy.
Black Inc, 2023. ISBN: 9781760642730. (Age:Senior secondary, Adult) Highly recommended.
‘It’s ghastly’ was the comment of one of Marr’s acknowledged early readers of his latest book, and she is right, it is ghastly, but sadly it is a truthful account of this country’s history, a history that most Australians either refuse to acknowledge or are ignorant about. David Marr’s book is a thoroughly, meticulously, researched history which he embarked on after discovering his own family’s involvement in the brutal annihilation of Aboriginal people in order to facilitate the theft of land. Tracing the story of the Uhr family, on his mother’s side, he reveals life in early colonial Australia, and the invasion by sheep, led by vigilante squatters who did not hesitate to kill the native inhabitants in their way. It is a story of massacres and poisonings, a determined annihilation of the original inhabitants.
Two of Marr’s ancestors were officers in the Native Police, a military garrison which recruited black troops, led by white officers, to undertake the search and massacre of Aboriginal groups, beginning in New South Wales, then extending to Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Western Australia. It was the old Imperial strategy of ‘divide and conquer’. Aboriginal people did not have a sense of themselves as one nation. Recruiters made sure to collect men outside of their traditional country and offered them plentiful food, women, some pay, status, and a sense of adventure. The job of the Native Police was to track and kill. In their reports the term ‘dispersal’ was a known euphemism for murdering any Aboriginal group, even as they slept. This is despite laws made in London guarding the rights of Aborigines to live, hunt and fish on their lands. The Native Police openly operated outside the law, with their services highly sought after in the outreaches of the colonies.
Shockingly, Marr recognises in the language of the colonies, the same arguments presented today in the lead-up to the 2023 referendum, the idea that the Aboriginal peoples are owed nothing, they are undeserving of special treatment. Why should they have special rights?
Exposing the history of Australia’s beginnings is not about imposing a sense of guilt. Marr himself says he does not feel guilt, he did not commit these crimes. It is about acknowledging the harsh history of this country, and feeling some empathy for the people who were so cruelly dispossessed. It is about truth telling and treating the original inhabitants with respect; seeking ‘makarrata’, a form of reconciliation with our past. The Uluru Statement from the Heart was a very generous offer to come together. Unfortunately it has been rejected by the majority of Australian people today.
Killing for country is a detailed account of early Australian history, exhaustive and unflinching in its determination to uncover the truth. For those not quite ready for tackling the book, there is an interesting discussion of its content in an interview with David Marr, in an Uncommon Sense podcast, on Soundcloud.
Themes Australian history, Native Police, Massacres, Genocide, Truth telling.
Impossible Creatures is a book that will stay with the reader long after it has been finished and shared with their friends.
Katherine Rundell is a true storyteller and this book did not disappoint, in fact it blew me away. The story begins in two places, written by the two protagonists, Christopher who is visiting his grandfather in the Scottish highlands and Mal, who lives in a hidden Archipelago, where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder. When the two meet in Christopher’s world they must embark on a journey that will see them face the future together if they are to overcome a murderer pursuing Mal, the loss of her world and the quest for ultimate power and greed.
Along the way they meet an array of characters who help and hinder them but they realise they are stronger together and fight to save both of their worlds against almost impossible odds. Mal is a brave, dynamic girl who has lost everything, while Christopher is kindhearted and has always been an empath with animals, much to the annoyance of his father.
This story will captivate its reader and they will be left wanting and waiting for the next two books in the trilogy. It is a story that is hard to define in terms of genre and age range but fits with the Narnia series and His Dark Materials in terms of action, adventure and the grim realities of life. Younger readers would benefit from having this read with them so that they can talk about some of the harsher storylines and I would recommend that parents are aware of the story before letting their younger readers start.
This is a book that will appeal to the upper primary, early secondary readers of fantasy and relationship stories. It is a book that will be a favourite read for some and push others out of their comfort zone. I would hesitate to use this as a read aloud or class novel as some readers will need time to process some aspects of the story and this shouldn’t be rushed.
From one of the Australian queens of the verse novel comes this touching story of the special relationship between Maddie and her cat, Narelle. Told from alternating perspectives, first Narelle, then Maddie and then back and forth, the reader is treated to the very different ways the world is viewed by both, but also to how they interact and how precious they are to each other. Narelle is a stereotypical standoffish cat who believes that she is the centre of the universe: 'My people have placed my throne just so, where the morning sunlight can worship and stroke me as I recline on my velvet cushion waiting for my local (and not so loyal) subjects to come and worship.' Narelle explains how her view of the world is different to that of a human; 'And they do not see the midnight dreams that disturb My Maddie, making her toss and turn in bed. But I see it all.' When Maddie introduces herself she admits that her family all think Narelle is a family pet but 'I know- and Narelle knows, too - that she is mine... She might be a cat but she is my best friend too and, suddenly, my only friend.' Her friendship group has fallen apart and now she feels isolated and targeted by their bullying.
Narelle's chapters provide a lovely peaceful interlude to the horrible experience that Maddie is undergoing at school. Her family, distracted by daily routines and the normal business of life are blind to Maddie's inner turmoil. And Maddie is quite sure they are too busy to want to hear about her problems. Maddie's experiences will resonate with so many children and their friendship struggles and their reluctance to talk with their trusted adults about what is happening for them. Only Narelle, with her silence and warm body, can comfort Maddie in her time of need. Eventually, with Narelle's help, Maddie does turn to her mum and her world starts to brighten. But always Narelle is there, a steady warm presence as she navigates the ups and downs of life.
Beautiful black and white illustrations are scattered throughout the short novel, which is perfect for independent or shared reading.
Themes Cats, Family Relationships, Friendship.
Nicole Nelson
Mama’s sleeping scarf by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writing as Nwa Grace-James. Illus. by Joelle Avelino
When Mama reads Chino a story at night, she allows her daughter to play with her sleeping scarf. It is so soft. She loves the feel of the scarf that Mama wears at night to keep her hair soft and nice. Going to work the next day she leaves her scarf with her daughter, letting her play with it until she returns. Papa in the kitchen makes her a smoothie, and a little spilt on Mama’s scarf. Papa dabs at it, making it clean again. She goes out into the garden where Grandpa is walking, getting his exercise for the day. Grandma is reading the paper, and Chino plays peek a boo with her using the scarf. She puts the scarf around CHino’s head just like Mama. When Mama comes home she sees the scarf and reminds Chino that she will need the scarf to sleep. Chino has had a day of imaginative play with her family, using her scarf.
At tea time, Chino is not very happy about the vegetables on her plate, until Grandma points out that the green vegetables are just like the green circles on Mama’s scarf and the red is just like the red vegetables. So eating vegetables is not such a chore.
When it is time for Chino to go to bed, she gives up Mama’s scarf and says goodnight to all her family.
This is a wonderful look at the essence of the family, everyone being part of Chino’s day of imagination, using the simplest of things: Mama’s scarf. The everyday is given centre stage as Chino connects with her family through the day. The colours red and green are give prominence and the tricky stage of rejecting vegetables is told with a neat solution for families to emulate.
The green and red scarf flows over most of the pages, a prominent part of Chino’s world. The wonderful illustrations underscore family life, showing them all doing things together through the day, Mama goes off to work while Papa, Grandma and Grandpa are at home with Chino and her pet rabbit.
