Puffin, 2011. ISBN: 9780143305989.
(Ages 8+) Highly recommended. Ten entertaining stories from one
of Australia's most popular children's authors. My personal favourite
is 'Saving Ms Fosdyke' a story in which teachers are paid huge salaries
and are hero worshipped by the community. To quote, 'Only the smartest,
cleverest, most brilliant, people get to be teachers.'
In some of the other stories lives are saved with a paper clip, an
Australian idiom is misunderstood and two siblings compete about
anything and everything. Gleitzman has an undoubted gift for writing
authentic and funny prose about young people and these stories all
showcase this gift. These imaginative stories would be ideal for
reading aloud.
Chris Lloyd
The Anything Shop by Dawn Meredith
Ill. Lesley Vamos. Wombat Books 2011. ISBN 9781921633515.
(Ages: 6 to 9) Recommended. Dawn Meredith admits to having weird ideas
in her head and this little story does have an odd starting point.
However, the story is a satisfying one, initiating some interesting and
thought-provoking ideas. Ten year-old Charlie is fascinated when he
comes across a new shop which seems to have magically appeared, calling
itself The Anything Shop, and inviting customers in to swap or buy
anything they wish. Could a shop really give Charlie whatever he
wanted? He has to find out. Charlie's inquiry seems to have
been prearranged as Alfred and Meryl, the shop owners, know exactly why
he is there. Charlie swaps those very embarrassing hugs he gets
at home for an amazing cricket bat, which is the answer to all his
dreams of becoming a champion player at school! It is not long before
he realises that 'no hugs at home' cannot be replaced by cricket
prowess; but he is locked into the swap for two years. How can he
get back to what life was like and why do Alfred and Meryl what to take
the joys of childhood away? As Charlie sets out to solve his
dilemma, along with Sam his new friend caught up in the same swindle,
he comes to an understanding of what is really important. There
is plenty of action in this simple, but cleverly told story, and the
interspersing of lively black and white drawings add to its
accessibility.
Julie Wells
Chanukah Lights by Michael J Rosen and Robert Sabuda
Walker, 2011. ISBN: 9780763655334.
(Ages: 5+) Highly recommended. This masterful combination of
Rosen's lyrical poetry and Sabuda's intricate pop-up art work has
created a book which I plan to treasure, hide away carefully and bring
out each year to share with students! It truly is a keepsake book which
reminds one of the trials and oppression of the Jews, as they refused
to relinquish their faith. Each page tells of a different place where
Jews have resided and reflected back upon the miraculous story of the
Temple lamp which burned for eight days. Sabuda includes the lighted
candles of the menorah cleverly within each of his illustrations. Apart
from the candles on each page, the paper-craft is entirely white, with
graduated shades of colour providing the backgrounds. The only
exception is the final page spread, in which the candles are
represented by the gold topped spires of the tall skyscrapers.
Although this book would be a wonderful asset in teaching Jewish
children about their stories and history, it also contains universal
truths, relevant to all who wish for peace, hope, freedom and the
ability to openly express and practice their own beliefs.
Jo Schenkel
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Simon and Schuster, 2011, 9780857205438.
Recommended. Summer 70CE. Jerusalem has fallen to the Romans. Rael, the
young daughter of a Jewish assassin, flees across the desert with a
small group of other Jews seeking the refuge of the fortress Masada.
She arrives pregnant and is set to work in the dovecotes, along with
Shirah, known as the Witch of Moab, her daughters and other refugee
women. The doves are kept as indispensable food, sources of
fertilizer and as messengers. The women's lives are simple but rich
with Judaic tradition and complicated by love intrigues. Others who
have found shelter in Masada include the Essenes, an early form of
Christianity, and some Moabites who worshipped other gods, but who live
together amicably. However, the Roman army's advance is inexorable, and
as supplies within the fortress begin to fail the leaders prepare for
the deaths of all. The book is written in simple poetic prose enriched
by descriptions of the traditions of the Jewish faith. Each section is
presented through the eyes of a different woman, Rael who sees herself
as an outcast, Shirah, the beautiful and powerful 'witch', Revka, who
has lost all in the Roman advance and Aziza who becomes a warrior. The
reader is given a clear view of life as it was for women in Jerusalem
and Masada before the Roman conquest. While some of the earlier
passages seem forced, and some of the romantic elements are
implausible, the writing accumulates in power. The historical research
about the details of everyday life and Judaic traditions is sound, and
a convincing view of the pattern of life at that time is presented.
This novel is recommended for senior readers.
Jenny Hamilton
Wild whiskers and tender tales by Ute Wegmann with Dr Anthony Helman
Wakefield Press, 2011, S.A. Wild whiskers and tender tales, sub-titled Close encounters
with
Australian wildlife rescue and conservation, is a fascinating
behind-the-scenes look at the altruistic and hard-working individuals
who care for our injured wildlife.
The main author entry is for Ute Wegmann, who is the photographer. Ms
Wegmann has a very impressive and lengthy pedigree, so to speak, both
as an animal photographer (Burke's Backyard Magazine, Dog's Life
Magazine, Black and White), and in the wider commercial world (Luxury
Homes, Australian House and Garden, Australian HiFi Magazine, Iron Man
etc). The benefits of this professional expertise are immediately
apparent in the extremely high quality photographs - beautiful to look
at, informative and expressive, varied settings, and nicely
framed. A wide variety of rescued wildlife is covered, including
the Greater Bilby, Flatback Turtle, Platypus, Carpet Python, Swamp
Wallaby and many others. We read about the situation in which the
animal was found, and interesting information is provided about the
particular carer.
The book contains a significant amount of text, written by Dr Anthony
Helman, who has the added author entry. [I must declare an interest
here, as Dr Helman is my brother, but rest assured, I would not be
writing about the book in the first place if I did not think it
warranted a favourable review!] The writing takes an interesting
lateral approach to the study of wildlife, as we approach the topic
firstly through the circumstances of the animal's rescue and their
carer, and the focus then broadens out to a wider look at the animal's
particular behaviour and ecology. This is done in a humorous and
accessible manner, for example the section on Milsom the platypus:
The platypus was such a surprise to naturalists who received the first
specimens sent back to England that they thought someone had played an
elaborate hoax by stitching together the bill and webbed feet of a duck
to the body of a mammal!
This exerpt brings me to the only point of caution I would make about
Wild whiskers and tender tales, which is that although the
pictures and layout appeal
to a wide age range, the literacy, font size and text presentation
would be more suited to secondary than primary readers.
Peter J Helman
Battle Files: Air by Mac Park
Boy vs Beast. Border Files.
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 978 1 92193 108 6.
(Age: Late junior and middle primary boys) Well recommended. The
challenge is to win a Border Guard Wing Badge award. Kai Masters sets a
challenging pace as each page unfolds the tasks to be undertaken in
order to win a badge. He of course achieves this easily. This novel
titled Air, details the environment to be encountered, the
amazing yet
familiar beasts to be overcome, the weapons to fight with and the
strategies needed to win.& Reminiscent of the computer games so
popular with young boys, this book sets out to challenge the reader to
join the game. Intended to attract boys who can read and are fascinated
with science fiction, the novel leaves no stone unturned in the fine
detail of each beast, its evolution, weaknesses, and the best way to
catch it with 'top tips'. It's a visual feast, cleverly set out with
differing fonts to engage the young reader and black and white detailed
illustrations which say it all! Font is large and easy to read
with short, sharp sentences. The setting out is clear and strong. The
invented language is amazing in itself. The Aquamaxitor, as the
name suggests 'takes in water through its mouth. It stores this water
in the bones of its wings. Then it blasts the water from its wings'
p38. The illustrations leave nothing out. There are many in the
series and young readers will keenly want to win all the badges.
Sue Nosworthy
Edsel Grizzler: Ghostly shadows by James Roy
UQP, 2011. ISBN: 978 0 7022 3881 9.
Having missed their train back to Verdada, Edsel and Jacq are digging a
hole under the city of Widen, without fully understanding why they are
doing so. With their water rations about to be consumed, they find a
beacon which they believe may help them find their way out of the
tunnel. By unraveling a jumper, hand knitted by Jacq's Gran, the pair
leave behind a trail of wool to help them find their way back to their
starting point. Journeying through the tunnel, they have some unnerving
experiences in which they find it difficult to identify fact from
fiction. When they meet an old friend, they believe they will be saved
but not everything is as straightforward as they might hope.
Despite the adventure, interesting characters, settings, inventions and
twists and turns in the plot, I found this a difficult title to read .
. . due mostly to the fact that I have not yet read the first two books
of the trilogy! Whilst some series seem to contain predominantly 'stand
alone' titles, this did not. Having read the final book, I am now keen
to read the previous books to learn more about the journey and
characters in the series and make more sense of the events herein. With
the themes of loyalty, friendship and the desire to atone for one's
wrongs, this book has some positive aspects. I plan to revisit the
series as a whole as it certainly seemed to be another entertaining and
thought provoking read.
Jo Schenkel
Vicious little darlings by Katherine Easer
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-59990-628-7.
(Age: 15+) Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer is a
magical
novel that will keep you spell bound till the last minute. The main
character Sarah Weaver is looking for a place in an all-girls collage
when she befriends two very strange characters: Agnes, a control
freak who is very protective of Maddy, and Maddy, a beautiful
blonde who always gets what she wants.
During Sarah's first day at the all-girls college, she meets her
room-mate Maddy. Maddy is kind, caring and loves her friends. Her
best friend, Agnes is like a sister to her and is at her beck and call.
During her period at the college, Sarah gets asked to move off campus
with Agnes and Maddy. Living in a small town where there is hardly any
suitable men to be with, she meets Reed, a cute artistic intellectual
who loves Sarah deeply. Sarah wants to spend all her time with
him but Maddy disapproves, more drama occurs in the solution to this
problem.
A dramatic ending makes this book truly desirable to read. Perfect
for people who love drama, romance and thrill. Age wise, this book
would be more suited to fifteen year olds onwards, not a tween novel. A
brilliant plot with a brilliant ending.
Sarah Filkin (Student)
Hal Junior : The Secret Signal by Simon Haynes
Simon Haynes, 2011. ISBN: 9781877034077.
(Age: Suitable for 9 -12 year olds) Set in the future, Hal Junior lives
in a space station with his scientist mother and his dad who cleans air
filters. The story begins with Hal trying to retrieve his homework from
the space station recycling hatch with help from his clever friend,
Stephen 'Stinky' Binn. Unfortunately Hal, who often gets into trouble
despite his best intentions, has a near miss catastrophe trying to
solve his homework dilemma. Hal has the ability to attract mayhem and
has been described as a 'Dennis the Menace' in space. Yet it is Hal who
discovers a sinister plot that would affect the whole space ship.
Simon Haynes has written a fun science fiction book for primary aged
students. It has an exciting plot, humour and a likeable main
character. I am not a Sci Fi fan but I enjoyed reading Hal's adventures
and did laugh at some of his antics.
The book also contains small line drawings and some funny visual jokes.
Simon Haynes has published other science fiction books for teens /
adults but this is his first venture into children's fiction. The book
has been self published and lacks the cover appeal and paper quality of
mainstream publishers but is worth reading.
Jane Moore
Kill all enemies by Melvin Burgess
Penguin, 2011. ISBN 978 0 141 33564 3. Kill all enemies is the story of three teenagers, Billie, Rob
and Chris
all of whom have a number of problems. Billie is considered
violent, Rob is thought to be a bully and Chris is lazy and not
interested in school. However as the story progresses you learn
more about each of them and what has caused them to appear this
way. Each chapter is headed by one of the characters and helps in
the development of how we see them. All is not what it seems with
any of them, clues are given along the way and this helps build up a
larger picture of the three main characters. There is plenty of
violence and strong language but it is hard not to become involved in
the story. Each of the characters is flawed but have their
redeeming features as well. Rob is fiercely protective of his younger
brother and mother, Billie is trying to be calmer and to allow people
to help her while Chris has dyslexia and goes to great lengths to
disguise the problems that this causes him.
They all meet in the course of the story and their interaction is one
of the key elements of the story along with dysfunctional families and
all the normal problems of adolescence and growing up.
I liked the book, it had a ring of authenticity and their problems were
not glossed over, but the story came to a satisfying conclusion.
Supposedly based on real life experiences I would think older teenagers
would be able to identify with the characters and their problems and
perhaps learn from them.
David Rayner
The luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker
Candlewick Press, 2011. ISBN 9780763650667.
(Ages 8-12) Recommended. Set in a small town in Iowa in 1929,
twelve-year-old Tugs Button has always just accepted her lot in life,
being part of a family which seems quite proud of its misfortunes. But
then popular and coordinated Aggie Millhouse asks her not only to be
her partner in the Independence Day picnic three-legged race, but also
invites her to her birthday party. Tugs wonders if perhaps you have to
make your own luck, and after winning two blue ribbons and a camera at
the picnic, begins to have more confidence to do so. When a stranger
arrives in town claiming to be a newspaperman and taking money from
many of the townsfolk, Tugs is the only person who seems to think his
story does not add up. But will anybody listen to her? After all, she's
just a scruffy Button in an old pair of overalls.
Tugs is a very likeable character who finds out much about herself by
examining how her family and the rest of the town views her. While some
of the language and the historical American small-town setting may
leave younger readers a little bewildered, the characters and mystery
of the story will appeal to many upper primary students, especially
those who sometimes feel trapped by their own circumstances.
Donella Reed
Just right by Birdie Black
Ill. by Rosalind Beardshaw. Noisy Crow. 2011. ISBN 978 0 85763 030 8.
(Ages 4-7) Picture book. Humour. Christmas. An absolutely delightful
story about giving a gift for Christmas has the king buying a large
roll of beautiful red cloth for the dressmakers to make his wife a
lovely cloak. The leftover cloth is then left by one of the maids on
the doorstep where it is picked up by a kitchen maid. She uses some of
it to make a jacket for her daughter, then leaves the scraps on her
doorstep. Badger, spying the red cloth takes it home to make a red hat
for his father. The scraps again are picked up and mittens are made for
the squirrel's wife. The last little piece is found by the mouse and
she finds it just right to make a scarf for Billy. Each present is
wrapped or not, and left under the tree in each of the households, and
on Christmas morning each is opened and appreciated. A beautiful double
page spread at the end of the book shows all the givers and recipients
proudly displaying their gift as they skate on the frozen lake.
This charming book shows the range of gifts given for Christmas and
will elicit responses from the students listening or reading it
themselves about what they receive and give for Christmas. That each
piece of leftover cloth is used by the characters, makes a telling
reminder that the giving of a gift is not about its monetary value but
the impetus behind the giving of the gift. This book will be a valued
inclusion in the Christmas stories used in classrooms and by parents at
this time of the year, when discussing what the children will give for
Christmas. It is a humorous look at what is important about giving, and
incidentally a tale about recycling and making the best use of an
object.
Fran Knight
Fury by Elizabeth Miles
Simon and Schuster, 2011. ISBN: 978 0 85707 486 7.
(Age : 14+) Recommended. Em loves the winter holidays. And this year,
things are really looking up: the guy she's been into for months has
finally noticed her. But if she starts something with him, there's no
turning back. Because he's going out with her best friend.
On the other side of town, Chase's home life is stressful and his
social life unravelling. But that's nothing compared to what's really
haunting him. For Chase has done something cruel - something the
perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it's only a matter of
time before he's exposed.
Mistakes can be deadly. And three beautiful, mysterious girls are about
to make them pay . . .
A very interesting book that puts a spin on why people have unexpected
accidents. It show that when you do something wrong in your life, be
quick to apologise and always tell the truth. Miles captured me with
her writing skills and I was sucked into the story in no time at
all. A moving story that will truly make you think about the
things you have done and whether they were really worth it or if they
should have never been done.
Taylor Oxenham (Student)
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Kingkiller Chronicles: Day Two. Orion, 2011.
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. He was once the most powerful wizard,
feared swordsman and famed dragon slayer of his or any time. A man of
myth and legend, Kvothe disappeared without warning. Now a quiet
inn-keeper he wishes to live out his days in peace and pass on the
knowledge of his life to those around him. Only his friend and
assistant; Bast is aware of Kvothe's true identity. Believing that
Kvothe is still the man he once was Bast wishes to wake Kvothe from his
life of monotony. When a scribe passing through town recognises Kvothe
he asks to record his story. Kvothe wanting to set the record straight
agrees and begins telling the scribe his story, in three parts over
three days.
In the space of two books Rothfuss has staked claim as one of the
premier fantasy writers in recent years. The Wise Man's Fear
surpasses
its predecessor The Name of the Wind in most if not all areas.
Substantially longer at 994 pages, many readers may choose to neglect
it due to its sheer bulk. But upon reading the first few pages, setting
the book down is the last thing on the reader's mind. The writing is
detailed but never dull, the characters engaging and relatable.
The plot employs elements of action, drama, comedy and romance,
ensuring that readers of all styles will be engrossed. The ending
leaves the reader aching for the next instalment and if it is anything
like The Wise Man's Fear it will be well worth the wait.
An original storyline, detailed characters and an engaging writing
style make The Wise Man's Fear one of the better fantasy books
to hit
the shelves in recent years. Some readers may be deterred by its length
but those who pick this book up will not be disappointed.
I highly recommend this book .
Michael Adams
What Comes After by Steve Watkins
Candlewick Press, 2011. ISBN 9780763642501.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. Newly orphaned 16 year old Iris is
forced to leave her home in Maine and live with unknown relatives in
North Carolina. As an animal and vegetarian she is horrified by the way
her callous aunt and cousin treat the animals on their small farmlet.
When intervening to save the lives of two of the animals she is
savagely beaten by her cousin on the orders of her aunt and both aunt
and cousin end up in the county gaol.
This results in her being fostered and is a new beginning for Iris as
she realises that that she must be the one to redeem her life and that
there will be no fairytale ending for her. This novel is beautifully
written and despite its negative subject matter it has a strong message
of hope and resilience. All the characters are believable and
there are some engaging secondary characters.
Fans of Cynthia Voigt's writing will particularly enjoy the novel and it
would be an interesting suggestion for girls you would like to move on
from the Jenny Downham books.
Chris Lloyd
