Allen and Unwin, 2011. ISBN 9781741758818.
(Age 13+) Recommended. I love a good mystery and when I read the
blurb on the back of The Shattering I knew that I was going
to read something different. Keri has a plan for what to do if a
member of her family was murdered. 'It went:
1. Find the killer.
2. Make sure that they were guilty.
3. Destroy them. Completely.'
Keri's older has committed suicide and Keri is devastated. She just
can't believe that Jake would do that. When Janna and rich boy
Sione, who have also lost brothers through suicide, come up with a
theory that young boys are being murdered she is all too ready to
accept it. Together they start researching and a pattern that
indicated foul play, begins to emerge. But what happens when they
get too close to the truth?
The idyllic setting of Summerton, in the South Island of New
Zealand, provides a beautiful but occasionally sinister background
as Keri and her friends investigate the increasingly frightening
events that unfold. Why does no one ever leave Summerton? How does
it survive when other coastal towns face financial disaster?
Healey's first book, Guardian of the dead was a fantasy, but
in this one, although she has some paranormal elements, including
witchcraft, she concentrates very successfully on the murder
mystery. Janna has dabbled in witchcraft, but the local coven
wouldn't accept her. When she suggests that magic may play a part in
the mystery, Keri is sceptical, but is willing to search out the
truth.
An array of characters and descriptions of family life enrich this
novel. Healey portrays a family almost coming apart from the stress
of a suicide: Keri's mother is over-protective and can't bear to
face Christmas. Keri copes by having a plan for every eventuality
even though she knows objectively that that can't work. Sione has
lived in the shadow of his brother and is struggling to emerge and
Janna opts for a high profile to hide any inadequacies.
Woven throughout the mystery story are the themes of suicide, living
in a sibling's shadow and grief. These and other teen issues are
handled well by Healey who is certainly an author whose work I will
continue to seek out. Links to information about suicide are given
at the end.
It is recommended for teens who like mysteries with authentic
characters and plenty of suspense.
Pat Pledger
The mole hunt by Paul Collins
The Maximus Black Files. Book 1. Ford St, 2011. ISBN: 9781921665264.
(Age 13+) Highly recommended. Wow, what a high speed, action packed
science fiction adventure story! Maximus Black is handsome, highly
intelligent and out to bring RIM down and take over the world.
Anneke
Longshadow is a brilliant RIM operator who is determined to find the
mole in the organisation, before he does irreparable damage.
Together
they speed across the universe in a spate of high action chases that
take the breath away. Combine that with a lot of high tech gadgets,
wicked weapons and intriguing disguise programs, and the book is a
winner. (A longer synosopsis of the plot, written by Paul, can be
read here.)
It's a pleasure to read a novel by an Australian author that is full
of
action, adventure and intriguing characters. I was swept along by
the
competition between Maximus Black and Anneke. Although I knew that
Maximus was the baddie, Collins managed, with skilful
characterisation,
to make him into a strangely likeable character and I can't wait for
the next two installments in the series to find out about his
motivation for taking over the world. Anneke is a wonderful
character,
and I just loved her strength and fighting powers.
Readers who enjoyed the Alex Rider series will be happy to find
another
book to go on with. Older teens who liked the television show,
Dexter,
will also enjoy this portrayal of a seriously flawed but compelling
character as he manipulates the world around him. I also think that
this would be a good choice to be promoted for reluctant readers,
especially boys, but girls will love it too, as Anneke Longshadow is
a
great character.
A blog
post by Paul, who talks about his journey as a writer is also
available.
Pat Pledger
Trash by Andy Mulligan
David Fickling Books, 2011. ISBN 978038561902 8
(Ages 12+) Highly recommended. Thriller. When two boys find a
wallet with a key, some money and a letter on their morning trawl
through the rubbish heap called Behala, they are stunned. Not the
usual
shuppa, paper filled with shit, or the leavings of the city, the
rotting food, rags and paper, but money. They seek out Rat, who they
know will be able to hide their find while they work out what to do.
They are the lowest of the low, the poorest of people, the ones who
reuse rubbish for a living Illiterate, relying on food and a
smattering
of education from the local Catholic priest, they are emaciated,
smelly
and fast.
When the police swarm over Behala asking if anyone has found
something,
they are quiet, it's never a good idea to be mixed up with the
authorities. But Gaudo's mother calls out that the boys have found
something and almost swallows her words. The boys try to explain
that
it was nothing, but they become targets, and one is taken by the
police
and brutally questioned.
The boys begin to realise that they have found something quite
significant, and so begin to piece together the information they
have
about the wallet and its contents. Furtively, using their skills
learnt
on the streets, they collect what is in the locker belonging to the
key
they found, from there they seek out the owner of the letter, a man
in
jail, near death. They find that he was the servant to a wealthy
embezzling senator who lost a great deal of money, and the boys work
through the clues given to finally unravel the mystery of where the
money was hidden.
A fascinating story of the boys using their learnt skills surviving
in
this the poorest of places, to outwit the authorities and find the
hidden money, ensuring their own futures, will have kids eagerly
reading to the end. Along the way they will learn of how some other
children in the world live, those on the streets in Manila, a
stunning
contrast to the wealth of that place, and the ease in which we live.
Fran Knight
Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 9781408811313.
(Age 13+) Recommended. Harvey is the author of the Drake Chronicles,
one of my favourite paranormal series, so I was intrigued to find
that she had written a ghost story set in Victorian times. I
discovered that this talented author can transfer her writing skills
to another period and type of book to make a very engrossing read.
'Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts but they believe in
her'. (Back cover). Daughter of a fraudulent medium, Violet knows
all about the tricks that make credulous people believe in spirits.
When she is visited by the ghost of a drowned girl at the house of
the wealthy Lord Jasper, a Spiritualist, she is at first
disbelieving and then determined to find the girl's murderer. Colin,
the boy her mother took in when he was orphaned, is around to help.
Part ghost story and part murder mystery, with a hint of romance
thrown in, Haunting Violet is a compulsive read that I finished in
one sitting. I felt I was really familiar with the historical period
of the late 1880's by the time I was finished the book. The
inflexible class structure, belief that loved ones wanted to
communicate from beyond death, the plight of women and the fear of
poverty provided a colourful background to the story. Harvey
described lots of interesting snippets about the obsession that many
Victorians had with reaching out to the spirits of their loved ones
using seances. The stigma of illegitimacy touches Violet and the
heart wrenching treatment she receives from both her father and her
suitor as well as society reflects the rigid attitudes of the times.
Violet, however, is a resilient girl, who is conscious of her own
worth and is determined to do the right thing regardless of what
other people think of her. She accepts that she does have unique
gifts and puts them to good use to discover the murderer, while
fighting her mother's wishes to exploit her.
The murder mystery aspect is also handled really well, with lots of
red herrings thrown in to misled the reader. Harvey has the happy
knack of being able to write prose that is humorous as well, so I
had many chuckles as I read this book.
This is a book that will be enjoyed by those who enjoy a mix of
mystery, ghosts and humour.
Pat Pledger
Thyla by Kate Gordon
Random House Australia, 2011. ISBN 9781864718812.
(Age 13+) Recommended. Tessa was found in a cave in the bush, dirty,
ragged and with her memory gone. 'My name is Tessa. I am strong. I
am brave. I do not cry. These are the only things I know for
certain.'(Back cover). Connolly, a policewoman found her a place in
a boarding school. Connolly's daughter, Cat, had disappeared from
there and Tessa is convinced that there is a connection between Cat
and herself. As her memory gradually comes back and the strange
stripes on her back begin to darken, Tessa begins to make
connections with the cruel mysteries that have brought her to this
place.
Gordon has made a fascinating foray into the paranormal fantasy
genre. Her Australian setting of the mountains and bush in Tasmania,
of thylacines and convicts, gives it a unique flavour and will
certainly appeal to readers who enjoy the vampire story. I started
this book thinking that it may be about the adventures and feelings
of a feral girl found in the wilderness, but Gordon gave me many
surprises as she led me on a exciting read of people with incredible
powers in a fight against evil predators. To say more would spoil
the story!
Gordon's use of Australian history made this an original story that
kept me reading. I loved the information about the Female Factory in
Hobart and the plight of women in convict times. I also loved the
descriptions of the cliques in the modern boarding school and how
girls can manipulate and bully. But most of all I enjoyed Tessa's
coming of age as she discovers who she is and what she is capable
of. There is a slight hint of romance, which no doubt will be
explored more in Vulpi, the next in the series.
With its accessibility and Australian setting, it should make a good
contrast to all the American paranormal romances that are around at
the moment. It is certainly worth having on the library shelf or
using in the classroom.
Pat Pledger
Super diaper baby 2: The invasion of the potty snatchers by Dav Pilkey
Scholastic 2011. ISBN 9780 54511 533 6.
(Ages 8+) Humour. By the author of the Captain Underpants series,
now
numbering 12 and just as popular as when the first appeared, a
younger
version has been published to tempt the lower primary aged students,
using a comic style format. With its emphasis on poo/bum/toilet
jokes
the book is designed to please that range of kids and make them
yearn
for more.
Dr Dilbert Dinkle the antihero, started out as an ordinary evil
person,
but he woke finding himself transformed into a puddle or pee and so
vowed to demolish every toilet in town. From this inviting yet very
strange premise the story begins, with our heroes, Super Diaper Baby
and Diaper Dog hot on the trail of the toilet smashers. A page
turner,
with clearly written script and invitingly funny illustrations, kids
will love following the antics of Dr Dinkle as he tries every
scenario
to demolish every toile that he and his crazy cat, Petey, can find.
Kids who loved the Captain Underpants series will find much to love
in
this new series, using the graphic novel style to grab kids'
attention.
Fran Knight
The encyclopedia of my immaturity by Klutz
Scholastic Australia, 2011. ISBN 9781591749233.
(7-11) Recommended.This book is more of an activity book than
a reading book but is still fun to read the writing that is there
with lots of quirky and cheeky activities that parents would
probably not what their kids to do in real life, such as defacing
pictures etc (but nothing too bad). It's filled with fun activities
to keep children happy through the school holidays or on weekends.
Although most of the activities were fun and I enjoyed doing them, I
did find that parts of the book were not very interesting and it
sort of felt like schoolwork. It was also a bit childish in parts
because it was written by adults trying to relate to kids, which
doesn't always work. Also, some of the terms used are very
'American', such as Candy Corn and bouncy house which I found a bit
annoying, and at first I was not sure what they meant, but apart
from that it is good.
I think that the pictures are interesting and explain the activities
very well. I feel that the authors have created this book to
entertain you and get you thinking about silly situations while
encouraging kids to express their thoughts in writing. I would
definitely recommend this book to my friends.
Jessica Marnie (Student)
The Scourge of Jericho by Stuart Daly
The Witch Hunter Chronicles. Random House Australia, 2011. ISBN
9781742750521.
(Ages 13+) In 1666 the Scourge of Jericho has been found after over
100
years of being missing and Jakob von Drachenfels is in the group
going
to retrieve it. He has always wanted to be part of the Hexenjager, a
group of Witch Hunters in the Holy Roman Empire, but when he does
get
in it is because of lies on a letter of introduction from his uncle
that he forged. Now he is on his way to Schloss Kriegsberg, a castle
in
the foothills or the Harz Mountains deep in the heart of witch
country.
The castle is home to the Blood Countess, hundreds of witches and is
the lying place of the Scourge of Jericho. Jakob is terrified. He
has
never used a gun or a sword. The only things he has learnt with a
sword
were from a book he brought and the closest he has been to a battle
field is reading books with battles in them yet on his first
encounter
with witches he takes down three.
This book was great, just when you think it is finished and they are
safe something else will happen that yet again puts their lives in
danger. I would recommend it to people who like books about witch
hunting with heaps of twists. There are a lot of things in this book
based on real things eg. the Blood Countess in this book is also
known
as Countess Gretchen Karus. She is completely fictional but is based
on
the real-life Countess, Elizabeth Bathory.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student)
Mary Hoffman, guest blogger
It is a thrill to have Mary
Hoffman, author of the new historical book David, as
the ReadPlus guest blogger. I loved her Stravaganza sequence and Stravaganza:
City of Secrets was nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Troubadour
was another favourite and it was nominated for the 2010 Carnegie
Medal and shortlisted for the Costa Book Award. The
Falconer's Knot was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award
and winner of the French Prix Polar Jeunesse 2009.
Here is a thought provoking article from Mary on versatility:
Michelangelo was immensely versatile - a sculptor, painter and
architect - he even wrote poetry! That was not considered so unusual
in Renaissance Florence, where Lorenzo de'Medici, Michelangelo's
patron, known as 'the Magnificent,' had set the bar pretty high.
More importantly, the arts as we know them had not separated out
into the distinctive disciplines we recognise today. Indeed the
terms 'artist' and 'work of art' had not been invented. Leonardo da
Vinci was another versatile man of what we now call 'genius,' who
might be engaged on a painting one day and designing fortifications
the next.
The more specialised the separate branches of the arts have become,
the less likely is it that anyone will excel in more than one. I've
tried to think of twenty-first century examples and failed. But in
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries they were not so unusual:
William Morris was a writer, painter and designer; John Ruskin a
critic and an artist too; David Jones a poet and painter; Wyndham
Lewis a painter and novelist; Mervyn Peake an artist as well as a
fantasy writer. Just a handful of names and all male, but it's hard
to think of anyone so versatile across the arts today. (Oh, but
Philip Pullman and J.K.Rowling can both draw - rather well).
At some point in the history of European culture, and specifically
British culture, a mistrust of too much versatility crept in: a
horror of dilettantism, leading to that most ungenerous of
appellations - 'Jack-of-all-trades, master of none'. We are supposed
to learn how to do one thing and stick at it. Hence the focus on
'specialising' in schools by taking 3 or 4 A levels, as opposed to
the European system of the Baccalaureat.
Would a Michelangelo or Leonardo be welcome among us today? Or would
he or she suffer from 'Tall Poppy Syndrome' - a desire by other
people to cut the outstanding down to the same size as everyone
else? I remember this happening to Kenneth Branagh, the actor, when
he started his own theatre company as director and dared to write
his autobiography in his twenties.
Even within the small cultural subsection that is children's
literature, I have noticed a mistrust of those who don't stick to
one genre or age-group. They often have to use pseudonyms,
especially if they are prolific. Whereas my heroine and role-model
is Margaret Mahy, a writer who excels in picture books, junior
fiction and wonderful teenage novels like The Changeover and is as
at home in poetry as prose. Dammit, she even wrote a reading scheme
and made it funny and memorable!
I interviewed her once and praised her for her versatility. She said
that if she was lucky, when she had an idea, it brought with it a
sense of the length and genre that it would fit into - a marvellous
answer.
I think versatility will make a come back; it's no good being a
one-trick pony in a recession. People will have to turn their hands
to lots of things and the world might end up being a better place
for it.
Mary Hoffman
One small island by Alison Lester and Coral Tulloch
Penguin, 2011. ISBN 978 0 670 072363.
(Ages 8+) Highly recommended. Picture book. Environment. A
stunning portrayal of the Southern Aurora greets the reader as they
pick up this inviting book, containing information about Macquarie
Island while telling the story of the place and how it has survived
the
ravages of our invasion.
The endpapers welcome the readers with a beautiful map alongside the
factual tale of the island's history from tis geological past to the
present day.
Opening and ending with a stunning vista of this isolated island
from
the perspective of the albatross, the book implores us to help save
this precious place, and so all such places. Each double page spread
separated by these endpapers alternates between pages seemingly from
a
note book with snippets of hand written information gathered in the
field, with drawings and sketches of things seen, and paintings that
fill the double page, with a single clear message. About half way
through the book, for example, is a double page of information about
the penguin oil industry taken from accounts at the time, with
drawings
of the places this was carried out, pictures of the penguins and of
the
ships involved in the trade. A gruesome read. Following that is a
double page of penguins resting on their rocky shore, albatross in
the
deep grey sky, and seals beside them on the beach, with the
information
that the island became a wildlife sanctuary in 1933. The comparison
between the two double pages will entreat readers to stop and give
thought to the scale of that announcement and what it meant for the
island. Other pages are similarly comparable. One about the arrival
of
people on its shores, and the next the destruction caused by the
cats
brought with them. Another showing the range of new wonders to be
found
on the island, the next the settlement by the sealers, with blood
along
the beach.
Each invites the reader to think further, to give thought to the
fate
of places such as this and hence to the wider world under threat
from
our encroachment. The last few pages tell the reader of some of the
projects underway limiting the destruction caused, and the results
of
this, while the end comes back to the albatross in the sky looking
down
on an island somewhat different from the one at the start. A
timeline,
glossary and another map with climate statistics rounds off a
spectacular book, a homage to Macquarie Island that will be sought
after by teachers and students to use as part of their discussions
about their environment, sustainability, conservation and
rehabilitation.
Fran Knight
The comet box by Adrian Stirling
Penguin, 2011. ISBN 978 0 14 320610 1.
(Ages 12+) Recommended. Life in the 1980's is stunningly recreated
for
this story of suburban life, surmounted by routine and expectations
adhered to, of problems hidden under the carpet and never spoken of,
of
boys wanting more than the life being offered. Andrew and his
nuclear
family live in the outer suburbs, where the fields ver the road are
being remodelled for a new suburb and supermarket, the trees torn
down,
large tracts of land reshaped, and tunnels dug for huge cement
pipes.
It is the year of Halley's Comet, and Andrew's teacher asks the
students to make a wish and place it in the Comet Box in the room,
to
be reveled next year. Andrew steals the box, wanting to know the
secrets of his classmates and finds things about many of them that
he
has never noticed before.
But one day, after a loud argument at home, his sister, Amelia,
disappears, and this changes the way people speak to him and his
family, and the way the family operates. Loaded down with a lack og
knowledge of what is happening within his family, Andrew seeks
refuge
with his best friend, Romeo, and together they become aware of other
things in their suburb which have been kept secret.
A story overflowing with the sights and sounds of suburban
Australia,
languishing under its own vision of Nirvana, the veneer of
respectability and contentment is eroded away by the ugliness
underneath. Andrew is not told anything, he must work things out for
himself, adding pieces of information together to eventually
understand
why his sister disappeared and why when brought home by the police,
she
runs off again. All the while the comet is drawing closer, and the
secrets Andrew knows about his classmates must be returned to the
box
before anyone knows. The comet signifies change in the community,
and
while many of the issues which the children see as important to them
remained unresolved, Andrew's family at least brings things to the
surface.
Fran Knight
The grasshopper's run by Siddhartha Sarma
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 978 1 408809402.
When the Japanese army invades India in 1944, self obsessed and
deranged Colonel Mori orders the wholesale slaughter of the entire
population of an innocent and unsuspecting village. Justifying the
massacre on the pretext that the village could be hiding units of
the British Army, Mori is in reality driven by vicious cruelty and a
lust for military power and recognition.
Uti, a village youth who survives the initial attack, lies in wait
and kills soldiers before being subdued and then horrendously
tortured.
Siddhartha Sarma then introduces the character Gojen who has been
Uti's close companion throughout his life, to the degree that they
considered themselves brothers, having shared tribal ceremonies,
education and family interaction.
As a gifted sportsman and academic, Gojen has enjoyed great success
whilst studying at a European college in Bengal and is not troubled
by any sense of inequality amongst his Colonial peers.
When he learns of the village's fate and the death of his soul
brother, Gojen returns home traumatised and seeks to assist in
avenging Ut's death by providing information gathered from British
Military Intelligence. The boy practices target shooting and the
reader appreciates that he is an accomplished long distance marksman
who naturally desires to apply his skills against the Japanese.
Gojen's father is relatively wealthy as an indigenous noble and
forbids his son to join the foray into a battleground where the
defending British are frantically mustering reinforcements against
the seemingly unstoppable Japanese might.
Defying his father, Gojen sneaks out and joins other villagers
intent on seeking revenge. The journey to find Mori is slow and many
cultural relationships and local references are introduced, making
the narrative difficult to follow for those unfamiliar with Indian
social history.
In the turmoil of battle, the story gathers pace and the reader
understands that the local Indians act in spite of, rather than in
support of, the British who they still regard as an occupying force,
albeit a more benign and constructive one compared with the
Japanese.
Gojen wrestles with his own fear and Uti's spirit as events unfold.
Rob Welsh
Share by Anthea Simmons and Georgie Birkett
Random House Australia, 2011. ISBN 978 1742750996.
(Ages 3-5) A board book for the very young is aimed
specifically at teaching younger children to share. The young girl
and
her baby sibling are separate entities at the start of this tale, as
the girl tells us how she loves her fluffy teddy, and her books of
animals and her puzzle, but so does the baby and so mum's voice off
page calls out that she must share her things, despite what happens
to
them as a result. Many children will identify with the young girl
dismayed at her younger sibling's messing her things, and identify
the
voice calling out for them to share. After a few pages, the girl
asks
her mother whether she should share, changing the premise for the
story. So the two begin to share things, her drink and her paints
and
her bath, and the girl begins to lessen her resistance to her
sibling's
interference.
At the end, the two are in bed together, and the baby asks the girl
to
share his bed, with the pair sharing their mother's hugs at the end.
This is a wholly delightful little tale, teaching the idea of
sharing,
and making it easier for the adult reading the book to the children
to
introduce the idea of sharing and pointing out the ways of sharing
that
can happen in a family.
Fran Knight
How I stole Johnny Depp's alien girlfriend by Gary Ghislain
Chronicle, 2011. ISBN 9780811874601.
(Age 12+) Recommended. David meets Zelda when she becomes a patient
of his father, a renowned psychiatrist, looking after troubled
youth. Zelda, who believes she comes from the planet Vahalal, is on
a quest for the perfect mate and the picture she shows David is one
of Johnny Depp. David, immediately smitten by her green eyes and
mean ways, follows her on a frantic chase to find Johnny, jumping
across the rooftops of Paris, stealing his mother's clothes and
going to a weird shrine which would take then to Vahalal, if the
tattoo key is used.
This is an absolute scream of a book. I was hooked from the moment I
started reading it and laughed my way through the smart dialogue and
action packed adventure. Ghislain takes a hilarious look at male
celebrities with such comments as 'Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Robert
freaking Pattinson! I don't care. We will abduct every single
Hollywood stud if it will bring us back to Vahalal'. He also makes
some very funny observations about how girls get hooked by celebrity
looks and the impact of designer clothes and furnishing of the
wealthy. David's mother is a very high powered woman whose designer
clothes, in particular, a little bikini, proves too much of a
temptation for Zelda the warrior woman. David trails behind her,
trying to pick up the pieces at his mother's beautifully appointed
apartment, and finally enlists the aid of his stepsister Malou in
their quest to track down the elusive Johnny Depp.
David is no pushover. Zelda may come from a planet where men are not
valued at all but David is smitten and is determined to get the girl
and he takes the reader on a wonderful romp while he tries to figure
out how he can do that. There are over the top ideas and action in
this book, but it so amusing, fast paced and engrossing that I was
happy to accept even the most improbable things and just enjoy the
ride. I also loved the setting, first in the countryside of France
and then in the wonderful city of Paris.
I think that it would make an excellent suggestion for reluctant
readers, who are after something fairly short and easy to access,
while eager readers who are after something different and amusing
will really enjoy it.
Pat Pledger
Olivia's first term: Stage school by Lyn Gardner
Nosy Crow, 2011. ISBN 9780857630162.
(Age 11+) Recommended. Olivia and her younger sister Alicia, who is
known as Eel,
are free spirits. Their childhood so far has been spent as
members of a circus family. Their father Jack is a famous
highwire walker, and Olivia joins him in the performance. Tragedy
had struck several years earlier when the girls mother died in an
accident, and tragedy strikes again when Jack is injured. Jack's
only option is to place the girls with their maternal grandmother -
a
woman who blames him for taking her only daughter away. Olivia
and Eel discover their grandmother runs a well known and highly
regarded performance school called Swan Academy. While Eel
embraces the school and all it has to offer, Olivia pines for her
old
life and her father. Olivia's first term is a delightful story with believeable
characters. Olivia's strong personality is displayed in various
situations, and her angst at being away from her father is clearly
presented. The secondary characters have been fleshed out enough
for the reader to feel a connection with them. There is the
'typical' group of characters which are often found in books aimed
for
this market. The mean girl is a bully and a showoff, but because
of her good looks and wealth is fawned over by the other students.
Gardner also has the poor but talented girl trying hard to fit in,
and
willing to do almost anything to achieve popularity. Olivia's
first term explores the issues of family, loss, harrassment,
bullying
and ostracism. This book would appeal to upper primary students,
although Gardner at times uses quite sophisticated language, which
may
mean it was intended for an older age group.
Sharon Kretschmer
