Ill. by Naomi Zeuwer. National Library of Australia, 2011. ISBN
9780642277329.
(Age 2-5) Set to the classic rhyme, Ten little ducks went out
one day, Susan Hall delivers an Australian version of this
ever popular little song. But instead of little ducks going out and
about she has 10 Aussie bush babies like the echnida, the wombat,
the koala, dingo and so on going about their business. And rather
than a Mother Duck calling the children home, Mrs Roo rings her
bell.
Children who are familiar with this rhyme, and there will be many,
will adore the fact that Australian animals feature in this
version. It starts out with this rhyme which is printed on a
lift-up circle:
'10 bush babies went out one day,
Into the sun to jump and play.
Mrs Roo rang ding-ding-ding-ding . . . '
When the circular flap is lifted, the rhyme continues:
'But only 9 bush babies ran in.
Baby wombat went home for a nap.'
On the opposite side of the flap is information about wombats and
how long they sleep. This formula is carried on throughout the book,
giving children a wonderful opportunity not only to sing a familiar
tune, but to find out about animals as well. The left-hand page has
all ten animals and Mrs Roo in a red spotted apron, washed in a soft
water colour drawing. As an animal roams off, it goes from the main
picture and children will enjoy counting the animals and noting
which one has left.
Combining the opportunity to learn a new version of a well loved
song and the chance to practise counting backwards from 10 to 1, as
well as having sturdy flaps for eager fingers, this book should
prove to be popular with young children.
Pat Pledger
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 9781742378206.
(Ages: 15+) Juliette is different, her entire life she has tried to
fit in and wished that she could get rid of this curse she has had
for as long as she can remember. She can't touch any other person
because it could kill them and she has killed once before, but she
didn't mean to it was an accident. Now she is locked away where she
can never harm any one. But the Reestablishment have plans for her,
plans that involve using her as a weapon, and after lifetime without
freedom Juliette has discovered a way to fight back and now she has
plans of her own. For the first time in her life her future looks
bright and she may just be able to spend it with the boy she thought
she lost. Shatter Me is amazing. The first sentence of this book just
pulled me in and I had to read it. I felt so sorry for Juliette; she
was lonely growing up because no one would go near her, they were
too afraid to touch her. I would highly recommend it. It has
romance, danger, a controlling society and barely a moment's rest
before it came to the next thing that made me want to keep reading.
I wish the book hadn't finished, but it did, I guess it's a good
thing that it's the beginning of a series that I can't wait to read.
Tahlia Kennewell (student)
Wonder Struck by Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press, 2011. ISBN 978 0 545 02789 2.
Suitable for upper primary to lower middle school and anyone with a love of illustration. Selznick has followed the successful format of his award winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret in this similarly hefty volume. The beautifully rendered pencil drawings occupy more than half the pages and feature the wonderful detailing and close-ups that characterised the previous book. The opening sequence of wolves getting ever closer sets the scene for Ben's story, told mainly in prose, located in a remote Minnesota settlement in the 1970s. He has never known his father and his mother recently died, leaving him to live with relatives. He chances on a small book about museums containing a dedication and a link to a New York bookshop which lead him to run away in search of his father. Interleaved with Ben's story is that of Rose, a deaf girl living in Hoboken in 1923. She loves the silent movies but is kept locked in her room for her own safety. Reflecting the way Rose's life lacks language, her story is told entirely in pictures until both narrative threads converge. While this book is as gorgeous to hold and lovely to behold as the previous book, the written narrative is a little disappointing, and the matter of the drawings not as instantly engaging. However, if the illustration of the 'Cabinets of Wonders' p.403 draws more lost souls to find themselves in the orderliness of museums the book will have done its job.
Sue Speck
T-Wreck-Asaurus by Kyle Mewburn
Ill. Donovan Bixley. Dinosaur Rescue Series. Scholastic, 2011. ISBN:
9781775430193.
What do you do when you are a caveman - or boy - with a brain
that is twice the size of anyone else's? This is the somewhat
perplexing problem of Arg, a cave boy with intelligence surrounded
by Neanderthals. He lives with his mum, dad, sister and pet
dinosaur Krrk-Krrk in a modest cave where he has his own room which
is full of his inventions.
When a scary T-Rex makes its way to Arg's village and threatens his
family and friends, it is up to him to use his superior intelligence
to save the day. When Arg solves the dinosaur's problem, he
discovers a secret place and another even bigger secret about the
dinosaur.
A book full of toilet humour and bodily secretions bound to appeal -
especially to early primary to middle primary boys who may be
reluctant readers. Illustrations compliment the text and
provide further interest and disgusting detail in some parts.
Zana Thiele
How To Be A Boy edited by Tony Bradman
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1-4063-2131-9.
(Age 13+) Recommended. Being a teenager is often a confusing and
complex stage of life when peer pressure, sexual awakening and
parental expectations become competing influences. Teenage girls
have an abundance of literature to inform them but young boys are
less well served with guidance about the transition into young
adulthood.Tony Bradman hopes this anthology of ten fictional short
stories will correct some of the negative stereotypes of teenage
males and offer a positive and balanced representation of the
contemporary issues that shape their lives.
Is it more important to be street smart than school wise? Is
life a choice between being a bully or being bullied? How do you
cope when your parent's marriage is falling apart or your Mum is
gay? How do you let a girl know that you like her? These are some of
the thought provoking themes sensitively written by established
authors of fiction for boys.
The stories are all short and easy to read and are ideal for
stimulating class discussion. The dilemmas confronting the
characters are very realistic. All these factors will entice
reluctant readers to engage with these stories. How To Be A Boy
is definitely a good read.
Tina Cain
Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson
Simon and Schuster, 2011.
Full of genres such as crime, thriller, mystery and paranormal all
wrapped up into one book and put into the young-adult fiction
category; words that fill your head and keep you wanting to know
what happens next is how I would describe this book. Lila has two
secrets to take to her grave, the first one is her ability and the
other is the love she feels for Alex, her brother's best friend.
Lila's mother was brutally murdered when she was only 12 years old.
Her father, filled with grief, dragged Lila with him all the way to
London. They left her brother to live with his best friend Alex in
the United States (for Lila this was not by choice). While away from
her brother and Alex, with whom she's been in love for as long as
she can remember, Lila discovers that she possesses a unique talent.
She is able to keep her ability secret until one day, in a dark
London alley, two teenagers try to mug her and she uses it to defend
herself. Not knowing what to do, Lila gets on the first plane to
California, where she hopes to find safety with her brother, and of
course, with Alex. But her brother and Alex aren't exactly normal 22
year olds. They are both US Marines, working for the highly-trained,
top-secret 'Unit.' As soon as their enemies find out that Lila is
Jack's sister, she finds herself in even more danger than before.
In my opinion Lila being obsessed with one boy through the whole
book didn't bother me as much as it usually would. Perhaps it was
because the whole thing was spiced up with so much well-written
action. Perhaps it was because Alex truly is her soul-mate. Perhaps
I don't even care about the reason. As a character, Lila is
instantly likeable. I wouldn't say that she's too bright, but she's
not annoyingly stupid either. I ended up caring about all the
characters. Even some I never expected to.
This is one of those stories where all the houses are nice, all the
characters are pretty, and true love really does conquer all, but it
also packs a few surprises and smartly written dialogues. I can only
hope there's a sequel that's just as good. Sarah got my full
attention on this book. She achieved full potential when it comes to
writing a book. Her message was loud and clear. I would recommend
this book to anyone and everyone; it's definitely on my top ten
favourite books of all time.
This book made an amazing impression to me, it was a little bit of
everything thrown into one book and I will not forget it in a hurry,
with loveable characters, amazing detail and a love that between two
people will last forever. I am definitely looking forward to a
sequel I want to know what happens next, wait - I don't just want to
know, I need to know.
Aleisha Leane (Student)
EJ12 Girl Hero - Christmas Crackdown by Susannah McFarlanne
Scholastic/Lemon Fizz Media, 2011. ISBN 978 1 92168 425 8. EJ12 Girl Hero - Christmas Crackdown is a story involving
girl power. A great short novel for girls aged 9+ who are
independent readers. The story also has great role models as the
main characters are 12 year old girls who are spies for the agency
SHINE. SHINE constantly comes up against the evil agency SHADOW and
this instalment is no different. There is no need to read others in
the series to understand the plot or characters and while it is a
predictable plot, there are twists along the way to keep the readers
guessing.
EJ12 is the code name for our main character, Emily Jacks. She is an
agent in SHINE and it is Christmas. As she and her family are
preparing for Christmas, EJ is sent on a mission to solve the
whereabouts of missing diamonds. Along the way she solves codes and
riddles (which even had me thinking), helps her friends and uses
amazing technology to spy and escape - imagine a charm bracelet that
gives you rope, cameras and disguises!
Will EJ and the other agents of SHINE outwit the evil Ms. Glass and
the SHADOW agency or will the diamonds be lost to them forever? More
importantly, will she get home for Christmas Eve dinner with her
family?
Kylie Kempster
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic, 2011.
Take a small, rural American town located near a forest, add a
teenage girl with loving but inattentive parents and a boy of
unknown background and you have the setting for another series in
the werewolf/shape-shifter genre.
Forever, the third and final book in Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves
of Mersey Falls series, concludes the story of Grace and Sam,
two teenagers who have been attacked by wolves and carry the
'disease' that turns them into wolves when winter's cold arrives.
The plot is driven by both action and drama, with occasional
surprises and emotional tension and with reflection by the
characters on themes such as the qualities that make us human, human
frailty, friendship, loyalty and love. By the third book the romance
between Grace and Sam becomes repetitive, but this is balanced by
the development of the relationship between bad-boy Cole and Isabel.
Stiefvater's writing has developed since writing the first book of
the series, Shiver. The prose is concise, poetic and
flowing. She nicely captures the intensity and purity of first
teenage love. Each chapter is written from a different character's
point of view, which can occasionally be confusing, but also
presents the author with the opportunity to consider the themes from
different and often unique perspectives. Forever is most definitely a continuation of the Wolves
of Mersey Falls Series and ideally read as one of a series.
Read on its own the storyline is quite confusing with many gaps and
unanswered questions. Forever is an engaging read for early to middle teens.
Kiera James
Between by Jessica Warman
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9781742970226
(Ages 14+) Elizabeth Valchar (Liz) is pretty, popular and perfect
she also has just about everything she could possibly want. But on
the morning of her eighteenth birthday everything changes, she wakes
up because of a constant thumping on the side of her families yacht,
that she had her birthday party on the night before. At first she
thinks it's just a fish stuck between the yacht and the dock, but
when she goes to free it what she finds is terrifying, because stuck
where she thought there would be a fish is her dead body! She is
desperate to find out what happened the night before at her birthday
party, to know how she died, but she has forgotten so much of her
life. Soon after she dies she is joined by Alex Berg who died the
year before, Alex was never one of the popular kids; to Liz and her
group he was no one. Together they try to uncover the mysteries of
what happened the night Liz died and who killed Alex. As she learns
more about the what happened leading up to the time of her death she
learns that no one least of all herself is innocent and everyone has
their secrets.
I would highly recommend this book, as it is absolutely amazing. I
started reading and couldn't put it down and when I did all I wanted
to do was pick it up and start reading it again. It is a ghost
story, a murder mystery and a love story mixed together, and with
the past and the present together throughout the book you learn more
of Liz's past as she does and see her and Alex become friends even
after how she treated him.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student)
The Considine Curse by Gareth P. Jones
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 9781408811511.
(Age 15+) Having previously enjoyed The Thornthwaite Inheritance
by the same author I was looking forward to reading this novel,
hoping it would have the same mix of humour and gothic themes. The
action starts with the return of 14 year old Mariel and her mother
to England from Australia for the funeral of Mariel's grandmother.
Mariel is introduced to her uncles, their wives, and her very
strange cousins. Lily and Amelia seem friendly but Oberon and
Elspeth are threatening and sinister. Mariel soon realises that
there is something very strange going on and is quickly in real
danger and afraid for her life.
Her mother is portrayed as a very ineffective woman and the lack of
help she gives to Mariel is quite unbelievable. The tone of the book
turns very nasty and the ending is very gruesome and morally
questionable. Of real concern is the cover image which would lead
potential purchasers and readers to think this would be a book
suitable for 9 -12 year olds. This is not a book that I would buy
for a school library.
Chris Lloyd
Bobo my superdog by Michael Salmon
Ford Street, 2011. ISBN: 978 1921665394.
Bobo is 'a very spoiled Shichon (Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise cross) who
lives with author Michael Salmon in Melbourne'. He spends half of
his life in much the same manner as other indulged pooches, residing
in his own elaborate doghouse, filled with cushions, eating at the
dining table, watching TV, going for walks and enjoying his own
personal possum patrol. Plagued by the cheeky cats from next door
and forced to attend Miss Tiggy's Puppy Training School, Bobo merely
tolerates these indignities. His secret life, however, revolves
around being a Super Hero crime fighter, able to assist with any
major emergency, whilst still making it home each night for dinner.
Although somewhat text heavy, this is an entertaining picture book
illustrated in Salmon's easily recognisable manner. With brightly
coloured cartoon style characters, the author's humour becomes
evident through the illustrations. For example, the line 'If he sees
any cheeky possums playing in the trees' is accompanied by the
depiction of a band of possums playing musical instruments amongst
the foliage. His transformation to Super-Bo is accompanied by an
illustration of a galah, feathers flying, looking distressed as the
dog flies past. Many other touches of humour abound, such as a
placard on the moon stating 'Moon. Keep Off!' and a great, green
slimy creature emerging from the river being covered by the contents
of a large can of Bubble-O detergent. For anyone who enjoys reading
imaginative tales of adventure, this is the perfect title.
Jo Schenkel
The Shadow Girl by John Larkin
Random House, 2011. ISBN 9781864718751.
(Age: 15+) It is often said that everyone has a story to tell and
John Larkin must have felt likewise when, on a school visit, he
encountered a homeless girl determined to continue her education.
Her extraordinary resilience inspired him to write The Shadow
Girl, a fictional biography that follows the experiences of a
thirteen year old forced to flee home to escape from her uncle's
sexual advances and brutality.
This book is more than a story about street kids. It is a gripping,
sophisticated, thriller complete with murder, mystery, terrifying
chases and heart stopping subterfuge. Sexual abuse, adultery,
violence, drug use and bulimia are also among the topics raised in
this book. However, despite the dark subject matter, Larkin manages
to leave the reader energised and uplifted. Woven into this fast
paced mix are themes of friendship, humour, questions of fate and
destiny and the will to survive. Confronting and captivating at
every level, this book is a page turner.
This is an excellent book that even the reluctant reader will find
hard to put down. The characters are sensitively drawn and add to
the richness of the plot but they are all secondary to the powerful
protagonist. She is a self sufficient, solitary individual and
accordingly, the story rests with her. Her journey challenges readers
to contemplate those values that really contribute to a meaningful
life.
Tina Cain
It's not summer without you by Jenny Han
Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780141330556.
(Age 14+) Romance. Belly (short for Isabel) has always lived for her
summers at the beach. But this year it is different. Conrad is
ignoring her since his mother's illness and she has stopped
communicating with Jeremiah. When Jeremiah calls her to tell her
that Conrad has disappeared days before vital exams, she goes with
him to the beach house to see if they can find him.
In this sequel to The summer I turned pretty, Belly narrates
the journey that she has gone through since last summer. A typical
teen, she often seems selfish, as she describes the grief that
everyone is experiencing about Susannah's illness. She is still
obsessed with dour Conrad, even though it seems that his mother is
the one who is pushing the romance and who wants him to take her to
the prom. Jeremiah, too, although seeing other girls, seems to
continue to have feelings for Belly. At times I found the fact that
at least 3 boys were interested in her a bit difficult to imagine,
as she doesn't come across as having an attractive personality or
being the best friend available. There were times when I really
wanted to tell Belly to get over herself, but the elements of
romance and the teary moments during the book kept me going, and she
did seem to be growing up a bit by the end of the book.
When I finished this I felt that I had been left up in the air and
read the ending several times, trying to make sense of it. It wasn't
until I went to Jenny Han's website
that I realised that there is a third book to come, so no doubt
Belly's dilemma about who she really loves will be resolved in that.
Girls will enjoy the romance and the popular eternal love triangle
of two boys and one girl in both The summer I turned pretty
and It's not summer without you, and will grab We'll
always have summer when it is published.
Pat Pledger.
Gilbert the Great by Jane Clarke
Ill. Charles Fuge. Simon and Schuster, 2011. ISBN: 9780857072238.
'From the time Gilbert the Great White Shark was a tiny pup, Raymond
the Remora stuck to him like glue.' A true friendship is suddenly
shattered when one morning Gilbert wakes to discover his best friend
Raymond is gone.
Gilbert's mum does all she can to help her son recover from the loss
of his friend, as do all his other friends, but Gilbert is sad as he
recalls the good time he spent with a friend now gone.
Beautifully illustrated, Gilbert's sorrow is clearly shown on his
toothy face. It is only when his mum suggest a junk food snack
at the wreck when we see Gilbert's smile slowly appear, and widen
when he discovers a Remora in need of a shark friend.
A sweet story of friendships lost and found. This board book
would appeal to younger readers.
Zana Thiele
The Fear by Charlie Higson
Penguin Books 2011. ISBN 978 014 132505 7. The Fear is the third book in the series The Enemy. In the
series, everyone over 14 has either died or turned into a zombie
that is only interested in eating either children or anything else
they can get hold of, including each other. There is plenty of
action if you like fight scenes, cannibalism and violence. I found
the gore disturbing but especially the way the children are
dehumanised and used as toys and amusements before being killed and
eaten in quite horrific ways.
It is hard to identify with the characters as they are killed off
almost with total indifference. The author seems more
concerned with gore and violence than in characterisation and
telling a story. I found the character, the Collector,
particularly unpleasant in a book full of unpleasant characters and
situations. The description of his death was horrible.
Yes, I know it's a horror story but it was so unremittingly grim
that I could not get involved. There are echoes of Lord of the
Flies and other post-apocalyptic stories but this one seemed more
determined to shock rather than anything else. I would have
some serious concerns about putting it in a school library.
David Rayner
