Reviews

Dear Dylan by Siobhan Curham

Lone Pine by Susie Brown and Margaret Warner

Ill. by Sebastian Ciaffaglione. Little Hare, 2012 .ISBN 9781921541346.
In 1915, on a Turkish hillside a lone pine stood in a barren wasteland above a fierce battle being waged between the Turks and ANZACs, a conflict that has become part of Australia's history and identity. In 1934, a sapling grown from that lone pine was planted in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia's national capital. In 2012, that tree still stands tall in beautiful, lush surroundings in memory and recognition of the events of 1915.
Lone Pine is the true story of that journey. From a soldier looking for his brother, a mother mourning the loss of her son, a gardener understanding both the significance and the vision, a Duke performing a ceremonial duty we learn of how a tiny pine cone from that solitary tree has become such a symbol in our commemorations. Told in simple prose against a backdrop of muted but magnificent artistry which you can view , the story is both moving and haunting. The soldier's mother plants three seeds but only two saplings survive, just like her sons; fierce storms batter the sapling the day it is planted at the AWM, just as war clouds started rumbling around Europe once again; it survives to stand tall and strong despite the storms it has to weather, just as our hope for peace does. The continuity of life through the pine tree echoes the seasons and cycles of human life.
Jointly written by a teacher librarian and a teacher, there is a real understanding of how to engage the target audience and tell a true story that is not just a recount of an historical event. Accompanying the story are notes about the events it depicts including more information about the tree itself which reinforce the theme of the renewal and continuity of life. As well as the sapling planted at the AWM, its twin was planted as a memorial to the fallen brother in Inverell, and even though this has since been removed because of disease, its son lives on at Inverell High School, planted by the fallen soldier's nephew. Two trees propagated from the pine at the AWM were taken to the Gallipoli Peninsula and planted there by a group of ANZACs in 1990.
There is much more about the tree and its descendants  and teaching notes are available that will take the students well beyond the story of a remarkable tree. With the resurgence of the significance of ANZAC Day in the understanding of our young, and a pilgrimage to the Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove becoming a must-do, life-changing event, the story of the lone pine deserves to be better known, and this wonderful book HAS to be a part of any school library's ANZAC collection.
Barbara Braxton

Red Dirt Diary 2: Blue about love by Katrina Nannestad

ABC Books, 2012. ISBN 978-0-7333-3069-8.
(Age: 9-12) Blue (Trudy Alice) Weston continues her diary writing for another year. Obviously book 1, Red Dirt Diary, being her first collection of thoughts about her life on her family's farm, Hillrose Poo.
Blue is now 12 and has to come to terms with the fact that she is going to be a bridesmaid for beloved teacher, Miss McKenzie. It's not only the girly bridesmaid world she has been unwillingly thrown into but also the fact that she is unhappy Miss McKenzie is going to be married and to someone Blue does not approve of. Her best friend Mat (Matilda Jane) is no help as she can't get enough of the wedding preparations.
Blue's family life on the farm with its odd collection of animals is hilarious. Her twin brothers Wez and Fez continue their death defying acts with their pig chariots and the pigs themselves have a bizarre and comical list of behaviours. I laughed out loud during some of the descriptions of (pig) Gunther's antics with his adopted ducklings.
Although there is plenty of humour in the story, there are many poignant moments of sadness and a great sense of caring and understanding is evident in the small farming community of Hardbake Plains.
The first person diary format appeals to students but unlike Diary of a Wimpy Kid there is much more text and only a scattering of line illustrations. Students who loved books such as Penny Pollard's Diary and Audrey of the Outback will happily move on to this longer text.
Both Red Dirt Diaries have a strong Australian flavour and are suitable for 9 to 12 year olds.
Jane Moore

More Bloody Horowitz by Anthony Horowitz

Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4063 2561 4.
Perhaps the author could now have his name spelt as 'Horror' witz with this collection of 12 horror stories aimed at 12+ year olds.
The stories range in topics from the death of author Darren Shan to the modern day tales of selling your daughter on e bay and the T V reality show that provides a very grizzly end for the failed participants. With interesting twists and turns, Horowitz has fun with the genre and provides a variety of bizarre deaths and plots. My Bloody French Exchange is a vampire story with an unexpected outcome and in The Cobra and Power some very unpleasant children come to a very unpleasant end.
The book has an intentional retro 'cheap paperback' feel about it. The cover shows Horowitz's portrait watching a skeletal 'author' with quill and ink composing 'tales of horror', while the two column text on newspaper print quality paper is accompanied by black and white comic style illustrations. For those who need a break from the bloody stories an intermission section containing a 'poem, comment (and) crossword' is provided.
The book ends with a fun 'tongue in cheek' chapter from the chairman of Walker Books, David Lloyd.
For children who want something scary (but not terrifying) this is it. I have seen this book in a larger format and there is even a DS game with the same name!
Jane Moore

Lenobia's Vow by P.C and Kristen Cast

Atom, 2012. ISBN 9781907411199.
Before Zoey knew Lenobia as a professor and the House of Night's horse mistress, she was an ordinary teenage girl . . . but with a lifetime worth of problems. Lenobia's mother sent her on a ship to New Orleans. On the same ship is an evil bishop skilled in Dark magic and he wants her. On her new journey Lenobia hides in the stables away from the Dark bishop and finds herself face-to-face with love. Getting Marked as a vampire turns her world in the opposite direction.
The novella explains Lenobia's background. The book answers why Lenobia doesn't have a partner and explains why she is the House of Night's horse mistress in the House of Night series. The author's writing is thrilling and is a great read. I could not put it down. There are a few touchy scenes that make the book better, just love this novella.
Cecilia Richards (Student)

Love-shy by Lili Wilkinson

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742376233.
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Penny Drummond wants to be a journalist. She is honing her skills on the school's newspaper and decides that she needs a big story, one that is different to the rest in the paper. When she discovers that a boy at her school is posting anonymous messages on a love-shy forum, she makes it her mission to 'find him, fix him, feature-article him. Next stop: Pulitzer Prize.' (Back cover).
Penny is judgmental, bossy and has no close friends. She pushes her way through life at school, not really realising that she is a social misfit. She is not prepared to forgive her mother for leaving home when her dad told her he was gay. She is taken back when Rin the girl next door makes overtures of friendship, and competes madly with Hamish, the editor of the paper. But it is the gorgeous, enigmatic Nick who really appeals to her. The descriptions of Penny gradually learning about relationships are touching, while also often being extremely humourous.
I just loved the quirky language in this book. Wilkinson had me grinning throughout most of it, as Penny wobbles her way through all the boys in her year at school, getting them to answer the most atrocious survey. When she finally finds the boy who is love-shy, he is totally unexpected and Penny discovers that not only does he need some fixing, there might be areas in her life and self that need fixing as well. On the way she gains some empathy for others and learns that she can't always be the best or the first.
Beautifully written humour is rare to find in books for teens and Love-shy has lots of it. Kids who pick up this book, with its quirky heroine, love-shy boy and hints of romance, will be sure to pass it around to their friends.
Pat Pledger

It's a miroocool by Christine Harris

Ill. by Ann James. Little Hare, 2012. ISBN 9781921541018.
(Age: 4-7) Highly recommended. A welcome return of Audrey of the Outback, It's a miroocool! is a delightful picture book that will introduce Audrey to a younger audience, who are certain to want to read more about this fascinating little girl and the country that she lives in.
Audrey has lost a tooth and really hopes that the tooth fairy will be able to visit her. She puts the tooth in a billy of water and then leaves lots of clues for the tooth fairy to follow: An arrow made of stones, a trail of bread crumbs, a note on her cubby, and a dish of water for the fairy to drink. All her careful trails are destroyed and she begins to wonder if the tooth fairy will ever make it to her house.
Harris has used sparse text and realistic dialogue to bring alive her character, the family and the bush setting. It is not difficult to see this lively, little girl in your mind's eye and to imagine the dusty, lonely country that she lives in.
Ann James' illustrations are superb. They complement and expand the text beautifully. I especially like the end papers. They show the red earth, tufts of sage green grass and drought resistant trees, with Audrey prancing towards the farmhouse in the distance on the front one and racing away from her house on the back. The reader just knows that she is a happy, exuberant little girl from the grin on her face.
I loved this wonderful tale of a uniquely Australian tooth fairy and highly recommend it.
Pat Pledger

101 things you thought you knew about the Titanic . . . but didn't by Tim Maltin

Wakefield Press, 2010. ISBN 978 186254 9234.
The 14th April 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the night when Titanic struck an iceberg off Newfoundland and sank with the loss of over 1500 people.
The vessel and the disaster which befell her still captivate our imagination after so many years and this marvellous book helps us to understand the myriad factors which converged to culminate in this catastrophic event.
Providing 101 entries ranging from great importance to minor interest, the book seeks to inform, explain and clarify historical details which have been clouded by time or misinterpreted after repetition and hearsay. Relying upon a range of historical documents, the most important being the U.S. and British investigations into the sinking, the author has sought to address a variety of commonly known facts, a few distorted myths and some complete falsehoods which are associated with this terrible disaster.
The appeal of this book is not restricted to those who are obsessed with the topic who probably don't need to read it anyway. The details provided are historically interesting to anyone remotely aware of the disaster and it is written in such a way that it may be consulted as a reference or read from cover to cover, depending upon the reader's level of commitment.
I found the testimonies to be interesting, the engineering details illuminating and the logical examination of science and evidence to be compelling. Sadly, for some reason, no maps, diagrams or plans have been included and this detracts markedly from the book's intention of educating the reader concerning the details of the incident. Some aspects, particularly the vessel's layout and navigational manoeuvres on the night are simply impossible to visualise from the text.
Examination and sensible analysis of source material by the author makes this an engaging book which is extremely balanced and reserved in its treatment of those who have been depicted in history as incompetent, cowardly or villainous. Perhaps the most famous fact, that too few life boats existed to carry the ship's complement - is presented so calmly with reference to engineering principles, crew numbers and remarkable safety statistics for trans-Atlantic crossings that the reader is left satisfied that this was in fact completely reasonable.
I encourage others to read this book to be similarly surprised by other details.
Rob Welsh

Sword girl series by Frances Watts

Ill. by Gregory Rogers. Allen and Unwin, 2012.
(Age: 6-9) Recommended. I enjoyed these two chapter books for newly independent readers. Tommy (short for Thomasina) becomes the Keeper of the Swords. She is a very likeable character, who is caring, clever and a problem solver.
Set in a castle in medieval times, there is plenty of incidental information for the young reader about life in a castle, the work of the Smith who makes the swords and armour and the food that people of that time ate, including things like eels. Cures of time, like using pigeon droppings to help cure a cold will delight the young reader. Tommy also visits a medieval village and this is described as well, and augmented by the delicious illustrations by Gregory Rogers. His drawings of the main characters, the cat, Lil and their surroundings add greatly to the reader's understanding of the story and are often funny as well. I loved the character of Lil the cat that came through so well from the pictures of her. She has a gorgeous curved tail and delightful expression.
The books are also laced with humour, especially around the crocodiddle who lives in the moat, but there is a serious note about bullying too. Add the talking cat, Lil, and old swords that also talk, adventure and action and you have a winning series for newly independent readers, both boys and girls to enjoy.
The secret of the swords. ISBN 9781742377285. Introduces Tommy, short for Thomasina, and tells how she foiled the thrust of the wooden sword of Reynard, the bully who was terrorising a cat. When she polishes the old swords, she finds that she can lift one of the swords belonging to the voice of Jasper Swan, which is light enough for her to handle. When Sir Walter's sword is stolen she is forced to use her wits and her new found friends to find it.
The poison plot. ISBN 9781742377936. Tommy overhears a dastardly plot to poison Sir Walter and take over his castle. She uses all her intelligence and help from her friends to foil the plot.
Pat Pledger

The Queen with the wobbly bottom by Phillip Gwynne

Ill. by Bruce Whatley. Little Hare, 2012. ISBN 9781 921714 59 7.
Warmly recommended. Picture book. Humour. A laugh out loud look at self image where the queen simply has too much time to look in mirrors! The large round mirror which reflects her size, shows her something she simply does not want to see, and so she sends far and wide for someone to fix her problem. A reward attracts some dubious responses, and as each fails, the person responsible is tossed into jail. A Beautician tells her that applying a potion will diminish the size of the royal bottom, an Inventor builds a spectacular machine, a Bard promises poetry. a Fitness Instructor promises exercises, all to no avail. But when the Royal Lady-In-Waiting suggest that the Poet be recalled, she finds that her bottom is quite forgotten after reading his poems, and all is well.
With the collaboration of two experienced people, Gwynne and Whatley, the result is a book which can be read and looked at over and over again, each time rewarding the listener, the reader and the browser with something new to ponder. Whatley's gentle watercolours are just lovely to look at, as he sets Gwynne's story in times past with characters with ruffs around their necks and feathered caps as well as more modern touches, swimming goggles, a delightful weight reducing piece of machinery and a kangaroo personal trainer, while a wobbly jelly turns up in unexpected places.
An ironic look at the beauty industry, readers will see for themselves how gullible people can be through the eyes of this lovely very round queen.
Fran Knight

The affair by Lee Child

Bantam Press, 2011. ISBN 978 0 593 06571 6.
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Crime thriller. Another in the series of stories about anti hero Jack Reacher, a military policeman, this has Jack going south to the 'armpit of Mississippi' to investigate a murder near the army base of Fort Kelham, but this time undercover. His longer than regulation hair along with a stubbly face and old army clothes give him the perfect look to infiltrate the small town, Carter Crossing, ask questions and gather information, or so he thinks. But the local sheriff is an ex Marine MP, so spots him as soon as she sets eyes on him. With an investigating officer already installed on the army base, Jack's job gets harder as the hours tick by, firstly investigating the murder a few nights ago, then being told it is the third such murder in the last nine months, this time investigated with more rigour because she is white, and then finding another body in the woods.
Exciting, brimful of jibes at government departments, Pentagon, army investigations, black and white relations in the south, poor housing, and the like, Jack Reacher wears his heart on his sleeve as he slides between the various defense departments which have shown an interest in this case. He is warned that this is a suicide job and to watch his back, but addicted readers will know that this is grist to his mill. With overtones of much deeper problems within the army base and its dealings with Kosovo, this is unputdownable as Jack is pursued by back woods thugs he has managed to antagonise, back woods militia camping out around the base and the US Army at every possible level. His solution to several of his problems reek of 007 power but by the time we are party to the corruption and nepotism involved, the readers' sympathies oscillate between Reacher and what is legal.
Lee Child's website has information and footage about this novel as well as the other Jack Reacher novels, one of which is at the moment being filmed with Tom Cruise as Reacher.
Fran Knight

Meet Alice by Davina Bell

Our Australian Girl (series). Penguin, 2012. ISBN 978 0 14 330629 0.
(Ages: 9+) Recommended. Historical. Alice is a ballet student under the tutelage of Miss Lillibet, who has found that her old teacher is coming to Perth. She arranges for Alice to dance for him as she is sure she has talent. When the great man arrives, Alice is home looking after her younger siblings, and as her teacher has not yet arrived to take her to the town hall, she leaves the children and goes alone. Arriving back home, one of the children has fallen into the river and nearly drowned, causing Alice to regret her tragic decision and vow never to dance again.
Against this story we see World War One being played out, with their father in Europe, brother Teddy receiving white feathers in the mail, the dance teacher being interned because of her German heritage and Mum working in the bank as the men have all enlisted.  
Set in Perth, the story is one of the Our Australian Girl series and so is well supported by a website which contains information and teacher notes for each of the now 6 stories of girls in different historical periods in Australia's history. At the end of this story, as with the others, is a teaser, the first few pages of the next in this series, Alice and the apple blossom fair, while information is given about Australia at the time.
Alice is endearing, and girls will identify with her regret at leaving her siblings, and her adoration of her older brother. Many issues are touched upon in this the first in the series about Alice, leading the reader to want to read the next three books.
Fran Knight

The unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

(Mara Dyer: 1) Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9780857073631.
(Age: 15+) Mara Dyer wakes up in hospital with her memory gone. She can't remember how her boyfriend and her best friend were killed or why she was left unharmed. Her doctor recommends that she start over in a new town and a new school. There she meets the mysterious Noah and strange things begin to happen around her. Can she really see other people's deaths before they happen?
'My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something. A pseudonym.' With this beginning line Hodkin writes a hook to get the reader involved and questioning whether the heroine of the story really has a body count that is her responsibility. She furthers the suspense with the appearance of Noah, who Mara is not sure she can trust.
A mixture of thriller and paranormal, this book kept me reading to the end. Sometimes the mixture didn't quite ring true and I was left wishing that Hodkin had stuck to either one or the other of the genres, but it was suspenseful enough to keep me reading. Although Mara's insecurities and self-involvement were annoying at times, her relationship with her brothers was a highlight of the book. Noah, the main love interest is an enigma, and I am sure that this aspect will appeal to teenage girls, to whom this book is aimed.
Ending on a surprising note, the author left me reeling and I will have to read the next in the series to see where it goes. There is a website dedicated to the series, where there is a trailer and the first chapter of the book.
Pat Pledger

Millie's special something by Tania Cox and David Miller

Working Title Press, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921504 38 9
Warmly recommended. Picture book. Collage.
When Millie plays hide and seek with her friends, Reggie comes on the scene with a different ending for the game, one where he eats Millie up. But Millie's friends are there to drive Reggie off, using their special talents to do so. Gus is able to roar effectively and Lea able to swoop down from above, while Don can scare anyone off when he stamps his feet. Although grateful, Millie is down hearted as she has no special talent to use to protect herself. But during the night when her friends are not there, Reggie returns to play 'dinnertime' with Millie. Turning her back she finds that the animal is laughing, and turning around realises that it is her feathery tail that is diverting him from eating her. She has found her talent.
A gentle story of finding your own talent and overcoming fear is told through David Miller's wonderful collage illustrations and Tania Cox's story. Children will thrill to the three dimensional illustrations and the animals so conveyed, postulating on what they might represent and trying to make some for themselves.
Fran Knight

These are my hands/These are my feet by Judy Horacek

National Library of Australia. ISBN; 9-780642-277480.
Hard cover picture book. This is a wonderfully vibrant offering from Judy Horacek, who illustrated the much adored Mem Fox tome Where is the Green Sheep?. This book, aimed at the under 5's, takes the reader on a journey of all the things that busy hands and busy feet do in their day. A hardcover book with sturdy thick pages, this book makes the ideal transition text from board book to paper.
Horacek has cleverly drawn the toddler twosome in this book in a very gender neutral fashion, which makes the text relatable for the little ones, who are more easily able to place themselves within the story. There are other refreshing touches within the book which reflect Horacek's desire not to stereotype her toddler characters - the same hands pick up both a doll and a truck, the feet have shoes with faces and rainbow laces.
This book really does reflect the reality of life with toddlers - its vibrant use of colour and movement, the rollicking rhyme of the text, and the warm familiarity of day to day markers such as bath time and the bed time tuck in, as well as outdoor and indoor play. Parents and children alike will smile to see themselves and their routines reflected on the pages within, which is a sure sign of a winning toddler picture book, in my opinion.
The clever 'upside down'(or tete-beche for the lovers of the technical terms!) aspect of the book is a great introduction to conventions of print, such as identifying the cover, and re-inforcing that English is read from left to right, top to bottom. The book also sparked off discussion over dust jackets - why are they there, what are they called, what do they do, and no, you haven't broken the book.
A cheery read for toddlers everywhere.
Freya Lucas