Piatkus, 2012.
(Adult) Romance. The first two books in the Inn Boonsboro
Trilogy see Roberts, a best selling author of romance and romantic
suspense novels, return to her well tried formula featuring a
diverse group of young women finding their feet and the love of
their lives.
What makes this series stand out is the setting. There is a historic
Inn at BoonsBoro and it is being renovated. It is owned by Roberts
so of course she has an intimate knowledge of the construction work
and the fittings needed to bring such a place back to its former
glory. The books are a great vehicle for publicizing the Inn as
well, as I am sure that many people would love the opportunity to
stay in one of the rooms that are named after well known love
matches like Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy as well as Roberts' book
characters like Eve and Roake.
Roberts too has a great eye for male characters and the repartee
between the brothers is authentic and often very amusing. All her
characters are rounded out well, the villain in The Next Always
satisfying real and nasty and the little boys are a treat. Add a
paranormal touch in the ghost who haunts the Elizabeth and Darcy
room and Roberts has a winning duo of books that are just right for
a quick, cosy but adult read, as there are sex scenes.
Book 1. The next always. ISBN9780749955366.
Beckett Montgomery is the architect in charge of the renovations of
the historic Inn in BoonsBoro. He is too busy to have much of a
social life but he does have his eye on Clare the young woman who
has arrived back in town and is running a bookshop and looking after
her three children.
Book 2. The last boyfriend. ISBN 9780749955519.
Owen Montgomery is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, often seen
to be inflexible with the way he runs the family's construction
business and the renovations of the Inn BoonsBoro. He has never
quite forgotten Avery McTavish, his first girlfriend, the owner of
the pizza place across from the hotel, and the work on the hotel
gives them time to appreciate each other.
Pat Pledger
The drowned cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
Atom, 2012. ISBN 9781907411113.
(Age 14+) Highly recommended. A companion volume to the award
winning Ship breaker, sees two damaged children, Mahlia and
Mouse, trying to survive in the dystopian world where warring
factions are fighting for the scrap that is left of cities that have
been overtaken by rising sea levels. Mahlia is the daughter of a
drowned city woman and a Chinese peacekeeper, and when the
peacekeepers left, she was abandoned and made an outcast as a
collaborator. Captured by The Army of God, whose soldiers cut her
hand off, she is rescued by a young boy Mouse and together they
escape to a village. Fate overtakes them again, when soldiers come
searching for Tool, the half-man who has been genetically designed
as a weapon of war. When the soldiers take off Mouse, Mahlia has to
face the heartbreaking decision about whether to try and find him or
save herself.
I had to put this down a couple of times as the stark reality of war
and boy soldiers made me feel devastated, but this is an outstanding
book that can be read without reading the first award winning, Ship
Breaker. I think what made me most disturbed but what also
makes this book so life changing is the portrayal of boy soldiers
that Bacigalupi makes. As a reader I was horrified at the behaviour
of the soldiers, thinking that they were adults. Gradually the
reader begins to learn that they are in fact children, the second in
command, probably in his mid to late teens and that they have all
been abandoned and only have their soldier companions as family. The
rituals that they go through to become part of the military group,
the brainwashing about why they are told to act the way they do and
the sheer brutality is heart rending.
This is also a tense, suspenseful book as Mahlia and Tool journey
through the forests and through the waterways of the drowned city in
search of Mouse. The descriptions of what could be Washington; its
streets now canals and its treasures looted are really vivid.
However it is the moral dilemmas that stay in the mind after reading
The drowned cities. The reader knows that there are boy
soldiers and similar situations happening right now in the world,
that peacekeepers have been forced to leave war torn countries and
that everyday some young person is probably faced with the dilemma
of saving themselves or looking after people they love.
An uncompromising, breathtaking book, The drowned cities
changed the way I think. It is not for the faint hearted but I
believe that it is a really important book for all libraries to have
and promote and would be an excellent class set or literature circle
book.
Pat Pledger
The invisible assassin : the Malichea quest by Jim Eldridge
Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781408817193.
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Young teenagers will love the fast paced
action and intrigue depicted in this breathtaking thriller which
opens with the accidental discovery of a buried book. It is revealed
that English monks of the Medieval Order of Malychea dedicated
themselves to the preservation of ancient scientific texts,
originally to prevent Viking invaders from stealing them . Later,
the same Order strove to ensure the survival of these writings in a
world of evolving religious conflict which would have seen them
destroyed as heretical threats to the Church. Interesting historical
facts such as the Inquisition and The Plague are interwoven with
dramatic fiction to create a tantalising suggestion that these books
could have remained hidden throughout many centuries.
Jake Wells is a young publicist for a British government scientific
department and by chance witnesses the horrific consequences of the
unearthing of one of the ancient texts. A complex web of distrustful
relationships and questionable incidents develops as Jake stumbles
over clues and meets a variety of individuals who become involved
and surreptitiously reveal knowledge and information. The question,
as ever, is 'Who can he trust?'
The term 'Rollercoaster adventure' is cliched and worn. It does
however perfectly describe this novel which sees Jake breaking into
a secure scientific facility, escaping from murderous thugs,
avoiding police arrest for crimes committed by others and trying to
evade powerful individuals who work for shadowy organisations which
seem to hold all the cards.
The plot relies on strong female characters who bring the brains,
courage, fast motorbikes and technical skill to support Jake in a
situation which would otherwise overwhelm him. Greedy and powerful
men pose threats at every turn and the exciting adventures which
take place will please and entertain adolescents who enjoy both
mystery and action novels.
Rob Welsh
The Ruffs by Christina Miesen
Aussie bites. Penguin, 2012 ISBN 9780 14 330672 6.
(Ages 7+) Bushrangers. The Ruff family of bushrangers are a weird
lot, each has a particular skill known only to them, but mightily
useful when fighting off the troopers in the gold fields of
Victoria.
Slingshot Daddy is not only accurate with his sling, but he uses
kangaroo pellets with considerable ease; Tough-Spittin' Granny has a
superbly accurate spit;Breathless Bertha smokes cigars, lots of them
and so is always able to make a thick fog very quickly while
Baby-Face Tom, at two years old is the cutest baby ever seen and
could turn the troopers to mush with one look. They are all on the
wanted posters, known for their daring, but one son, Jimmy is called
Jimmy Good-for-Nothing, because he is, well, good for nothing. He
has no useful skills, but when the troopers steal the gold nugget
from Mad Dog Varmit, forcing the family to take drastic action
without success, it is Jimmy's skills at listening and telling
stories that save the day.
A neatly resolved laugh out loud story of bushrangers in Australia's
gold rush era, students who read this will be amused and
enlightened, although the use of the word 'sherriff' annoyed me.
Miesen's light touch will enthrall readers of this excellent series,
and her illustrations will add another level of humour.
Fran Knight
Zero to hero by Seb Goffe
A and C Black, London, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4081 5560 8 Death match by Andy Croft
A and C Black, London, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4081 4263 9
Wired (series)
(Ages 11+) Recommended. Quick reads. Football. Zero to hero concerns young Will, a football lunatic who
spends many hours perfecting his style. But his local team simply
will not look at him, despite their always losing games, because he
does not fit their image of what a soccer player should be. But when
he finally is taken on he must win the notice of all the other
players and the coach before he can prove his worth. This is a
neatly resolved tale of not judging a book by its cover, and giving
people a go, wrapped up in a story of soccer. Death match is quite a different story, going back to Kiev in
1942, a city controlled by the Nazis who had stormed through in
1941, killing many, keeping the rest of the citizens imprisoned and
hungry. Several boys found that the old Kiev soccer team were
working at the local bakery, and hear that they are about to play a
team of Germans. When the boys question why they should play against
such a team, they respond that they haven't got guns and can beat
them in a game, one which will bolster up the townspeople from their
gloom. Alongside this story is a sub plot about the resistance and
those who work with the Nazis, making this a small gem of a
historical novel, being a fascinating tale told against a phenomenal
background.
Each of these books is very short, some 60 pages with large clear
print and wide margins and a few drawings to break up the pages.
Similar to the Lightning Strikes series, these will be
eagerly selected by students wanting something quick and easy or a
book which aims at their lower literacy level, or to a classroom
teacher wanting a set of books to have for their students to fill in
spare moments or build a lesson round.
Fran Knight
Making Connections, a Blackline Master Book 4
Rigby, Harcourt Education. ISBN: 9780731236459.
This workbook contains chapters on such interesting topics as the
making of polar fleece, how bionic ears work, how cyclones destroy
places, and all of it is well-written. It follows current
expectations of sound educational practice, outlining skills to be
covered and strategies that will enable the students to learn.
It works through a tiered system of teacher control, shared control
and lastly student control, in introduction, practice and
application.It references other linked texts, with applications that
provide connections to learning. Making Connections, Teacher's Resource Book 4, (with answers)
by Kay Kovalevs and Alison Dewsbury, with a Teacher's CD-ROM
included, by Rigby, Harcourt Education. ISBN: 978073127258
This support text explains pathways to tackling each topic, practice
blackline masters, and expected answers. It would be most
helpful as a guide and a useful resource to the student text.
These are good resources for schools (or indeed for parents if they
should wish to work with their children at home), and could be
useful additions to student education. They could well be more than
support texts if a teacher or school should want to buy them as a
series.
Liz Bondar
Mountain wolf by Rosanne Hawke
Angus and Robertson, 2012. ISBN 978 0 732293871.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Pakistan earthquake. Child slavery.
An earthquake in the hills of Pakistan ruins the life of Razaq, the
son of a family of sheep herders living in a small community.
With all his family dead, Razaq must find his way to the city and
his Uncle Javaid for help.
After talking to some Aid workers, he finds his uncle's wife's aunt,
and being a dutiful Muslim boy, helps her with with food and
shelter. Dazed by what has happened she thinks he is her son, and
when a man offers to get him a job in the city, she complies and
sends Razaq with him. This is the first time Razaq is sold, and each
sale brings a further degradation in his life, but he remains
hopeful that he will find his uncle. His journey takes him to the
slums of Rawalpindi where he is befriended by several children
living on the trash heaps. But he is soon found and returned to the
last person who bought him, and beaten for escaping. He is sold on
to Mrs Mumtaz and here to his horror, he is trained to be a masseuse
but told to offer extras. When he is disobedient he is locked in his
room, receiving food from the eunuch, Bilal, who discloses how he
came to be cut.
Chapters from the perspective of his uncle, show the two are coming
closer together, and reveal the enormity of the problem within these
cities as he scours government departments, church groups, aid
workers and street people for information about his nephew.
This story of a boy being sold from one hand to another, finally
ending up as a male prostitute, gives an immensely human face to the
stories heard on nightly news programs. These skim the surface,
while this book gives an informed and layered tale of children in
need being used by those who should care for them. Rosanne Hawke
sends a clear message that both Islamic and Christian teachings
expect children to be protected. She shows that a few take advantage
of their vulnerability, instead of keeping them safe.
This is one extraordinary book. Every sentence breathes the essence
of life in the Muslim world: no reader can miss the references to
close knit families, or the obligation family members owe to each
other, often looking for their relative long after hope is almost
lost.
But Rosanne Hawke also paints the seamier side of life particularly
well. Sensing that a child is to be raped, I was amazed at how she
was able to show this without making it lewd, managing to inform
while at the same time making the reader cry out with fear for the
child, and keep reading, hoping that something good would happen.
She does not hold back on what happens to Razaq in the brothel, nor
what happens to the other children there, one of whom, the young
girl, Tahira, becomes dear to him.
This is an important book for secondary students to read. Not only
do they get a particularly good story, well told, but they will
learn much about a society that is often villified in our press. In
Razaq and the other children he meets along the way we see what
happens to children in war or a disaster where protection for the
vulnerable is ignored. And this could apply to any children,
anywhere.
Fran Knight
M is for mates
Department of Veteran's Affairs and the Australian War Memorial,
2009. ISBN 978 1 877007 39 2.
(Ages: 7+) Highly recommended. Animals in war. Subtitled, Animals in
wartime from Ajax to Zep, this alphabet book will keep many readers
involved and intrigued. For the classroom however, it is
exceptional, giving loads of information about the group of animals
on the page, plus photos, pictures, maps, riddles and questions to
ponder. A number of the letters are used for specific animal
groupings, eg Koalas and Kangaroos, Insects, Horses and Dogs, while
others are used for general headings such as Uniform, Explosives,
Jungle and so on.
But whatever page is dipped into this brightly produced, award
winning book, it holds fascinating information, well set out and
designed.
I love the Insect page, for example, with paragraphs about the
insects which invaded our troops from Egypt to Rwanda, New Guinea to
Gallipoli. The various methods of ridding both themselves and their
uniforms of the uninvited guests is engrossing. Many animals and
birds are shown on the M is for mascots and mates pages, where a
kitten, kangaroo, donkey, duck and even a possum are shown with the
soldiers. And N stands for Navy cats, a double page to themselves.
Possibly one of the saddest pages is that for Q. Standing for
quarantine, it reminds us that many animals did not make it home,
the quarantine laws making it impossible. So most of the horses,
admired for their courage and bravery in South Africa and Palestine
were left behind, as were the tracking dogs in Vietnam. Happily now,
animals are brought back to Australia when their job is done.
This excellent book has a double page map in the centre which shows
where animals served overseas, and the whole book is served by an
informative glossary, list of websites for further reading and a
crossword and list of questions. And the time line which runs across
the bottom of every page is most helpful.
Fran Knight
Disharmony: The telling by Leah Giarratano
Book One. Penguin Books Australia. ISBN: 978014356568.
(Teens) Recommended. Leah Giarratano was an experienced clinical
psychologist before she started writing. Her first four novels were
adult crime thrillers, featuring detective Jill Jackson. You may
have seen her as the host of the reality TV program, 'Beyond the
Darklands', which examines the crimes and motives of some of
Australia's most infamous criminals.
Giarratano now puts these experiences to good use in young adult
paranormal crime mysteries. Disharmony, the first in a new series,
sets up the main characters and the mystery, ends on a cliff-hanger,
and whets our appetites for the development of the battle for
humankind.
Most of the narrative focus alternates between Samantha and Luke. We
meet Luke in a juvenile delinquent's facility in Sydney, dealing
with bullying inmates and corrupt officers, and biding his time
until he can escape. He knows little about his biological family and
even less about the role he has to play in the fight between the
everyday world and the paranormal. In far-away Romania, Sam lives
with her adopted gypsy family, earning her way by telling the
fortunes of the 'Gaje' (non rom folk). Although Sam can actually
perceive the real problems, her teacher expects her to play the game
and tell the customers what they want to hear. Apart from her
growing dissatisfaction with this issue, the rest of her life is
happy, especially with the gorgeous Tamas finally seeing her as more
than a younger sister.
With the set up established, the subsequent action brings the two
characters together. Luke meets Zac who helps him escape, but of
course there are many more obstacles to overcome: Danger is
everywhere. Sam is scrutinised by the gypsy king, chased by Asian
thugs, and ultimately realises she will bring harm to her family if
she doesn't leave. These adventures are dealt with in detail, both
descriptively and emotionally. We see the lack of love in Luke's
life contrasted with the protection and security that surrounds
Samantha, and we want them to find each other. Interestingly, the
third narrator, a mysterious creature known only as 'Intellicide',
lets us know early they are siblings, which prevents romance
becoming too much of a focus.
This is an action-packed novel, which should appeal to both males
and females.
Trisha Buckley
Imagine we were by Renee Bennett
Ill. by Claire Richards. Wombat Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1921633 63 8.
(Ages 4-6) Picture book. Love. A rhyming read a loud story, this
will have wide appeal to parents and grandparents with its emphasis
on families and their offspring.
Each double page begins with the same refrain, 'Imagine we were . .
.' and talks about a different animal or insect, going on to
introduce their offspring and ending with how special that baby is
to its parent. It is a lovely concept, repeated for bees, cats,
dogs, hens, horses, cows and finally humans. Each shows the animal
and its offspring, with the noise that animal makes, encouraging the
child to join in with the noise. Each animal then tells how special
its baby is to it until finally the whole ends up with the human
child and parent having a cuddle.
A deft introduction to parent and child in a range of animals, with
an emphasis on bonding and caring for that baby, the book will
introduce sights and sounds to the younger child, encouraging them
to join with the opening refrain in each sequence, predict what the
rhyme will be and say the sounds of the animal and join in with the
cuddles at the end. A treat for all grandparents to share with their
grandchildren or anyone with a spare moment to read and share.
Fran Knight
The Ten series / The 10 series
Pearson, 2009.
The Ten series is an accessible series of information books, which
deals with topics of high interest. The series includes the
sub-series 'Our earth', 'The arts' and 'Leisure'.
There are different authors for different titles:
eg The 10 worst natural disasters (Our earth) by Karen Uhler
- useful for curriculum in Geography, SOSE and HSIE; The 10 most amazing animated movies (The arts) by Sandra
Quan-D'Eramo; The 10 hottest fashion trends (Leisure) by Trish Hurley.
In each 48 page book there are 4 pages of information for the 10
ranked items. A countdown from number 10 to number 1 encourages
anticipation of just which item will be ranked at number 1. The
format provides summary details, boxed information, quotes in the
form of The expert says . . . , Take note, and a Quick fact. There
are large colour photos and some black and photos, too. Each volume
includes Contents, Introduction, Index, Ranking criteria and What do
you think?
Each number 1 is a surprise to me:
eg The 10 worst natural disasters - Yellow River Flood in China,
1931 with approximately 3.5 million deaths;
The 10 most amazing animated movies - Steamboat Willie, 1928, and
what happened to Walt Disney's Oswald the Rabbit, which preceded
this movie;
The 10 hottest fashion trends - Jeans, 1873, whose origins can be
traced back to the 1500s.
In the title The 10 worst natural disasters I noted 2 errors in the
editing:
Contents - the description of the Mount Pelee volcano on page 3
'We thought...' on page 46.
However, they do not detract greatly from the overall quality of
these publications.
This series was originally published 3 years ago in 2009. It is a
highly suitable series for Middle school students, but I enjoyed
reading the titles, too. These books would have broad appeal to all
readers, who like to browse amazing facts and events in the
non-fiction genre.
Margaret Strickland
The Invaders by John Flanagan
Brotherband Book 2. Random House, 2012. ISBN: 978 1 74166 450 8.
Highly recommended for ages 10+. Following the conclusion of the
first adventure of Hal and the Brotherband, in which Hal and the
Herons were victorious in the Skandian competition and the
subsequent loss of the priceless artefact, the Andomal, the Herons
escape and endeavour to follow Zavac and the pirate ship the Raven
to retrieve the bounty. When they find a safe anchorage, boredom
sets in and the boys begin to fight amongst themselves. With a
slight nudge from Thorn, Hal realises he has allowed the Herons to
become lazy and lose the skills which they had learnt in training.
Quickly, he recruits the ex-Maktig to take over the preparation of
the team to enhance their battle skills.
When the inevitable reunion with Zavac occurs, not only have the
Herons abilities greatly improved, Hal has completed yet another
invention to help them with their sea battle. The town of Limmat,
with its rich emerald mines, becomes the scene of a major battle
between the pirates, the Herons and the townspeople. Thanks to the
arrival of another Skandian ship, the battle becomes somewhat more
evenly weighted and new friendships forged.
Flanagan writes with a modern voice, yet the ancient setting and
characters seem totally engaging and acceptable. With the adult
characters deferring to a young protagonist, the young reader would
undoubtedly relate to the Heron team. Friendship, teamwork, creative
problem solving, acceptance of differences and preconceptions are
all themes which could be brought out in class if the book were to
be used as a text for upper primary or lower secondary students.
This is another enjoyable read which follows Flanagan's winning
formula.
Jo Schenkel
The Silver Door by Emily Rodda
Omnibus, 2012. ISBN: 9781862919136
Highly recommended for ages 10+. Having defeated Olt and freed Dorne
from the sorcerer's tyranny, Rye, the young boy from Weld, does not
stay to celebrate. Instead, he rushes first to Fleet, in the Fell
Zone, to allow Faene, his brother Dirk's sweetheart, the chance to
visit her parents' grave. Rye, Dirk and Faene are accompanied by
Rye's friend Sonia. The four travel, aided by the nine magical
powers housed in a small brown bag, given to Rye by the Fellan
Edelle, all the while searching for Sholto, Rye's other brother. As
the quest continues, the group faces many challenges which they must
strive to overcome. The Silver Door is the second title in this trilogy, thereby
allowing the action to being almost immediately. With each new
series she writes, Rodda manages to create new worlds and characters
that immediately draw her readers in and keep them engaged
throughout. The excitement and danger caused by the skimmers keeps
one reading eagerly to reach the resolution of the tale. As is
typical of novels which recount 'the hero's journey', Rye begins as
the reluctant hero but gradually takes charge of his situation and
develops the skills and confidence necessary in a leader. Despite
his older brother's inclusion in the adventure, Rye continues to be
the person to whom the others defer and he proves himself to be
equal to his title of leader. Relationships within the group are not
always smooth or without issue, thereby making it more believable.
I now eagerly await the journey via the Wooden Door to reach the
final installment of Rye's adventures.
Jo Schenkel
Florentine and Pig have a very lovely picnic by Eva Katzler
Ill. by Jess Mikhail. Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 9781408824375.
(Age 5+) Recommended. Florentine and her friend Pig decide to have a
picnic as it is such a lovely day. Florentine made up a list of all
the marvelous things that they would make to eat, including apple
and carrot muffins with sunshine lemon icing. When they found
that they had no apples, Pig looked through his telescope at
the apple tree and discovered three of the 'biggest, reddest,
juiciest and crunchiest apples' at the top of the tree. What an
adventure Pig had getting those apples! Then the pair got to work
making their delicious picnic fare.
Children love going on picnics and the description of preparing the
feast for the occasion is sure to win them over as readers. The
narrative flows along easily, with internal rhymes and alliteration
adding to the enjoyment of the words and the ease of reading it
aloud. The change in the size of the print to emphasis what is
happening is also an appealing device to help beginning readers to
work out what is happening.
Jess Mikhail's illustrations in soft pastel water colours are
delightful. Lots of little details like the patterns on Florentine's
clothes and the green striped sweater that Pig is wearing, the wall
paper and the pots and pans, make for a visual feast.
To top off a great picture book are a collection of recipes and
craft created by BBC TV's Jess and Laura Tilli. I can't wait to make
Cheddar cheese and pumpkin seed bites and Green pea picnic-time
tarts with my grandchildren when they visit!
Pat Pledger
Brumby Mountain by Karen Wood
Diamond Spirit series. Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742378633.
(Ages: 13+) Jess and her friends love horses, so when Luke brings
home four brumbies that had been horribly mistreated by brumby
runners, Jess and Luke agreed something had to be done so with Mrs
Arnold and Grace they go to Mathews' Flat to find out who is running
the brumbies.
Luke was born in Mathews Flat and recently went looking for his
father only to find that he had died of cancer six months earlier
and that everything his father owned had been left to him. He now
owned a property in Mathews' Flat right next to the mountain where
the brumbies lived.
When they get to Mathews' Flat Luke reconnects with his past and for
the first time Jess fears that she might lose him.
I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting and kept me glued to
the page till the end. It made me feel sorry for the horses and want
to see them stop the brumby runners. I would definitely recommend
this book especially to people who love horses, and even if you're
not too keen on book about horses I would still recommend that you
read this because I'm not too keen on them and I loved this book.
Although I would also recommend reading the rest of the series first
because I haven't and I was a bit confused at times.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student)
