Doubleday, 2011. ISBN 9780857530196.
Highly recommended. Katherine looks after her little brother and sister
after a promise she gave to her mum when Kate was four when the
children were taken from their beds in the darkest hour of the night.
Ten years later Kate and her younger siblings have lived in a string of
orphanages, and all this time Kate kept her promise and watches over
her brother and sister. In a strange twist of fate the children
are sent to a new orphanage where they are the only orphans in the
building and it becomes difficult for Kate to keep her promise. While
investigating their new home, the children stumble onto a book in a
hidden room. This book unlocks the secrets of what happened to them and
who they really are.
This book was stunning. I couldn't put it down. It kept me guessing at
what was next. I felt very sympathetic towards Kate. She acts twice the
age that she really is. Extremely magical and beautifully crafted, a
must have on my book list.
Cecilia Richards (student)
Changing yesterday by Sean McMullen
Ford St Publishing, 2011. ISBN 9781921665370.
(Age 14+) Recommended. The sequel to Before the storm, Changing
yesterday is an exciting continuation of the events in 1901, after
the
group led by Battle Commander Liore, saved Parliament House from a
bomb. The book starts with a scene at Albury railway station where the
Prince is coming to visit and the wicked Lionhearts plan to assassinate
him. However Liore with her futuristic weapon, knows that with the help
of her friends, she can foil their ugly plot and save the world from a
century long war. Meanwhile Daniel is devastated as his girlfriend,
Muriel, has run off to Paris with Fox and Barry the Bag is determined
to steal Liore's gun and sell it to the King.
Much of the action takes place on a luxury liner as Daniel has been
packed off to London to get over his heartbreak and Barry the Bag
carrying Liore's weapon, manages to get a first class ticket on the
same luxury passenger ship. This is a fascinating setting and I learnt
much about the transport of early 20th century, the huge steam engines
and the engineers and stokers who kept them going. The descriptions of
life on a luxury liner, the cabins, meals and entertainment were
reminiscent of scenes on the Titanic and were equally as fascinating.
Daniel comes of age in this story. Even though he is heart broken about
Muriel's desertion, he manages to have a good time with the girls on
board the ship. A feisty new character, Madeline, who wants to be a
detective, is introduced and her story could give rise to a lot of
classroom discussion about the role of women in the early 20th century.
Much of Liore's background is revealed and as the story progresses she
seems to become more human like, even though she is very angry about
Barry's theft of her gun. McMullen has used some clever ideas to help
Liore figure out how to break a time loop and stop the Century War.
I loved the fact that McMullen has very successfully combined steampunk
with Australian history in an action packed story. I believe that this
series is one that should
be on every library shelf. Read a guest blog by Sean with background to
his research here.
Pat Pledger
Sean McMullen, guest blogger
Today we have the pleasure of a guest blog from Sean McMullen, one of a very
few Australian SF authors to
be short-listed for a Hugo and author of Changing yesterday,
the sequel
to the popular Before the storm. Claudia Christian (Star of
Babylon 5
television series) says about Changing yesterday: 'I LOVED this
book! Great characters plus
sizzling action equals a 'Terminator on the Titanic' epic story!'
From Sean: Changing
Yesterday takes
place in 1901, and this setting poses a few problems for both the
plotting and
characters. Unless you look overseas there were no wars going on, and
while the
federation of the Australian colonies into one nation was big news at
the time,
it's not easy to make an adventure out of that. I got around the
adventure
problem by making up an alternate history. I had
Australia's
first parliament being bombed. The roof of the Exhibition Buildings
falls in,
killing most of Australia's
political leaders and some British royals. Germany is accused, and this
starts
a world war that lasts over a century. When the British begin
experimenting
with weapons that could end the world, the cadets Liore and Fox decide
to
travel back through time prevent the war from ever starting. In the
previous
book, Before the Storm, they recruit
four Melbourne
teenagers, Daniel, Emily, Barry and Muriel. They succeed in preventing
the
bombing, and they discover that Germany
was not involved. British terrorists, the Lionhearts, were responsible.
The
Lionhearts think that the founding of Australia
is a sign of the British Empire breaking up,
and they want a war to unify it. Changing
Yesterday is an
extended chase between ships, all the way from Melbourne
to Europe. Daniel is being sent to an English
boarding school, but his ratty little friend Barry ends up on the same
ship.
Barry says he is on a secret mission, but Daniel soon discovers that
Barry has
stolen Liore's weapon from the future. He wants to sell it to the king,
but the
Lionhearts have also learned about the weapon and want to use it to
start their
war. Because Barry has no manners to speak of but is traveling first
class, he
causes some seriously embarrassing incidents. Because Daniel is the
only
teenage boy in first class, he gets a lot of attention from the dozen
or so
girls who are aboard. This leads to a lot more embarrassing incidents,
but it
also meant that I had to know a lot about day-to-day life on a long
voyage in
1901.
A lot of the
research for Changing Yesterday was
done in the usual places, the Internet and libraries, but I also used
another
great source of information: movies. This is not as silly as it sounds.
Titanic was an obvious choice, because
most of Changing Yesterday is set on
passenger liners and the Titanic sailed only eleven years later. Titanic
was also heavily researched,
this can be seen in the 'making of' additional features that came with
the DVD.
Miss Potter was also quite valuable,
because it showed a lot of the restrictions on young people around this
period
- particularly where courtship and class distinction is concerned. The
Illusionist showed all this from yet
another angle.
When you look
at a movie you see more than just the story, however. You get a view of
the
values, manners, morals, fashions and restrictions of the past setting
that has
been written to be accessible for a modern audience. This is important.
If you
write in the exact style of a 1901 author, your work is going to look a
bit
strange and dated to your readers. Well produced movies can give you a
lot of
clues about how to keep today's readers interested.
The internet
was good for filling in some details quickly. For example, some of the
action
took place in Adelaide,
so I needed 1901 photos of the central railway station, the CBD, and
the docks.
All of this was on the internet, but I was surprised to also find
photographs
of Colombo and Port Said in 1901. Some details needed
library research, however, there was no way around it. Digging out
information
on shipboard life took a lot of time, but it was worth it. I discovered
that
the stewards arranged loads of entertainment like concerts, banquets,
dances
and deck games. Some passengers arranged their own entertainment,
however, and
quite a lot of flirting and romance went on.
Overall I
probably did more research for Changing
Yesterday than was needed, but I knew that a lot of teachers were
using Before the Storm to get their students
interested in Australian Federation. This meant that Changing
Yesterday
was liable to end up in school libraries too,
and that was a good incentive to get everything right. Changing
Yesterday was released by Ford Street Publishing on 1 July 2011.
Golden Bat by Sandy Fussell
Samurai Kids Book 6. Walker, 2011. ISBN: 978 1 921529474.
Highly recommended for ages 10 and up. Journeying across the Island of
Cheju, Sensei and the Little Cockroaches are accosted by a group of
pirates who set them a task which is to be fulfilled within eight days.
The nephew of the pirate captain has been kidnapped and the Teacher and
the Samurai Kids are to rescue and return him to his uncle. As a
guarantee that Sensei and the Kids will return, the pirates demand to
keep Mikko until Yuri is safely delivered to the captain. En route,
they meet with a variety of characters, some of whom come to their
assistance when they are most needed, especially when Sensei is
injured. Will they return with Yuri in time?
From the outset, the story captures the attention of the reader and
makes one wish to read without ceasing! Each character is described in
such a way as to provide knowledge of them and their strengths and
weaknesses. There is a certain amount of humour included as we are able
to observe Niya and his relationships with Sensei and also with Kyoko
and Iseul, the healer. Without being moralistic, Fussell manages to add
rules by which everyone should abide by in order to create a better
world. The resolutions to the problems faced by the protagonists are
creative and show integrity, responsibility and social conscience. This
would be a great series for use in upper primary literature circles as
well as reading for pure enjoyment.
Jo Schenkel
Sweet treats by Carolyn Beth Weil
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 978 1 741698978.
(Ages 8+) Recommended. Non fiction. Kids will drool over this well
presented and enticing cook book, and want to borrow it to try some of
the recipes out at home. With full colour and lots of smiling happy
faces, the book entices the reader to read about why the kids are so
happy. And they will find out quickly, as recipe after recipe appears.
Each recipe is set out clearly with illustrations as a guide to both
what to do and what the end product should look like. Each recipe
starts with a list of ingredients, and a list of tools. The
instructions which follow are given clearly in a step by step guide,
numbered to follow the instructions, and each with more information,
making it doubly clear what needs to be done.
So we have recipes for such treats as sweet lemon cupcakes, easy cheesy
pie and ice cream sandwich, all easy to make, with uncomplicated
ingredients and straightforward instructions. In a series called,
Junior Chef, this should make mouth watering borrowing for
students
following the huge number of food shows on television.
Fran Knight
Button boy by Rebecca Young and Sue deGennaro
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 978 1741697971.
Picture book. Banjo loved collecting buttons, but in so doing missed
out on making friends at school and at home, so intent was he on
searching for buttons. He collected so many that his mother sewed them
onto his jumper. Each morning as he walked along the street, he found
people with a button missing on their coat or cardigan or jumper, and
so gave up some of his buttons for them to use. This happened so often,
that soon he was without any buttons for himself. Stepping out into the
street he wondered what he would collect now and soon discovered that
he was collecting friends, the best thing of all.
Cute illustrations paralleling the story will delight students as they
read this book. The text follows some of the illustrations taking the
eye across the page in an unusual way, and the repetition of what he
does each day will lead readers to predict what is coming and join in.
Fran Knight
I love my baby brother by Anna Walker
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 9781741698930.
(Preschool). Ollie has a new baby brother. His mother is busy and
he has nothing to do so he shows the baby a bumblebee toy and how to
blow a raspberry. But best of all is hiding under the sheet and waiting
for Mum to tickle their feet!
A very simple story with few words on each page, I love my baby brother
brings to life the games that a young child can play with a baby. When
the baby is very young he can blow raspberries, when he is old enough
to sit up in a high chair he can follow a game of trains. He can have
lots of fun using his imagination.
The illustration are simple and evocative. All the family look like
toys with stripes and Ollie could be either a boy or girl. Every child
will recognise the toys that are scattered around and the very messy
baby eating in his high chair.
I am sending this to my granddaughter who has a new baby brother. I
think it will give her lots of ideas about playing with a younger
sibling, and the joy that can bring.
Pat Pledger
Falling Apart by Jacqueline Wilson
Text, 2011. ISBN 9781921656958.
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Tina's life is falling apart. Home is
awful, school is just as bad, and, more than anything, how can she go
on without Simon? She decides to commit suicide by overdosing on
medication, and she succeeds, to a point. Her drug-induced state brings
back vivid memories of how she first met Simon and how she fell in love
with him, only to have her heart broken. This is the story of Falling
Apart.
Honestly, it's hard to believe this book ever went out of print. It is
heartbreakingly honest, sad and funny at turns, and in my eyes, far
better and more realistic than any other romance novel I've ever read
(Yes, it's better than Twilight). It's very hard not to like and
sympathise for the main character, Tina, because the author is so
honest and true with Tina's emotions. All the characters are actually
very well planned out. The dialogue is also excellent for all the
characters.
One thing I have to mention is the form of the book. It's different to
many other books because it is in present tense, but in third person.
Sometimes this wouldn't work, but here it does, and to good effect.
This is a sad, moving story about a young girl who has gone through
much grief in her life and decides to commit suicide. Although not one
for the younger readers, it is worth a read for anyone else.
I highly recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams
Tarzan : the Greystoke legacy by Andy Briggs
Faber, 2011. ISBN 978 0 571272389.
Andy Briggs' contemporary Tarzan story shows a great deal of loyalty to
the vision and style of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The original Tarzan
of
the apes was published nearly one hundred years ago, yet one is
immediately aware when reading this new episode that very little change
was necessary in the setting. The early Tarzan was way ahead of his
time in recognising and resisting the threat posed by European
exploitation of Africa's rain forests. Today jungles are being cleared
and animals threatened at an alarming rate, hence it is natural that
Briggs calls upon this true eco warrior to defend his animal friends in
the same valiant tradition.
Briggs establishes Tarzan in modern times with the death of his wealthy
parents in an air crash in the Congo whilst striving to protect the
ecology of the region. Tarzan is then raised by a band of gorillas with
whom he establishes bonds and rudimentary communication.
The character Jane finds herself in the forbidding jungle when her
financially desperate father organises an illegal logging operation.
This in itself enrages Tarzan, but so too does the presence of greater
threats from local poachers and heavily armed warlords who have fled
neighbouring Rwanda.
The inclusion of these plausible and realistic elements enabled Briggs
to create a story with some depth which will educate young readers
concerning the environmental destruction, social problems and political
upheaval within the region.
Whilst the narrative appeared to labour in the first few chapters, the
story gathers pace as the various characters and groups interact. The
hero Tarzan must apply ingenuity, strength, courage and animal
communication to defeat the most evil of enemies and for the purpose of
the narrative, the despoliation of the forest by loggers is considered
a lesser threat. Whilst protecting Jane from a range of hazards, Tarzan
is able to educate her regarding the environmental impact of her
father's timber operation. This contrasts with his ferocious attacks
upon the armed brigands and the reader is made aware of Tarzan's innate
intelligence compared with Jane's intellectual development prompted by
her exposure to ecology and experience with him.
Like many adventure tales, the reader must forgive certain details,
such as a flimsy construct which explains why Tarzan can speak basic
English and his super-human demonstrations of physical strength and
athleticism. This story does have substance, offering valuable insights
on various topics regarding a continent of which many young people will
have limited knowledge. Readers will be captivated by the Tarzan
character as so many have in the past and will be enlightened whilst
being entertained.
Rob Welsh
Night monkey day monkey by Julia Donaldson
Ill. by Lucy Richards. Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9780749748937.
(Ages 3-6) Recommended. Another intriguing book from Julia Donaldson,
the author of Gruffalo, this one tells the tale of two monkeys,
one
that sleeps during the day, another who sleeps at night. Each monkey
has a different perspective on night and day, but when each one
explains what is misunderstood, they become best friends. They often
have breakfast (Day monkey) and tea (Night monkey) at dawn, chatting
about what has happened.
This is a clever book that clearly illustrates the difference between
night and day. With amusing examples, Donaldson show what comes out at
night like owls, bats and fireflies, and what comes at during the day
like butterflies and parrots. Shadows, which can be clearly seen during
the daytime but disappear at night, are introduced in a delightful way
that is sure to fascinate young children.
This is a great little story to read aloud. Both internal word and line
endings rhymes make it fun to listen to and it could be a good story
for the beginning reader to try.
Lucy Edwards' illustrations are bright and colourful and bring both day
and night to life. Details against the deep blue of the night allow the
reader to discover what is happening. Night is contrasted beautifully
against the paler blue of daytime.
This book is one I will keep for my grandchildren to enjoy over and
over again.
Pat Pledger
Give Me Four Reasons by Lizzie Wilcock
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2011. ISBN 9781921541827.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Paige is a quiet, shy girl who never
attracts much attention. On the last day of school, she discovers no
one has written in her yearbook apart from her three best friends, and
as a result she starts to feel lonely and invisible to everyone. She
also has some family troubles in the holidays, and no one seems to
care. When she gets back to school after the holidays, she accidentally
falls in with the popular crowd and she struggles to remain the quiet,
kind person she always thought she'd be. Give Me Four Reasons is a very nice book. It has lots of good
messages
in it, such as trying to stay true to yourself and the importance of
family. The plot is complicated without becoming overly ridiculous and
the characters are well-developed and believable. Little bits of humour
are strung throughout to give this at-times-sad book a lighter edge.
It's quite suitable for kids moving from primary school to high school,
with good advice on surviving the transition, good advice on coping
with the new environment and people, and good advice on friendships.
Sometimes this book will come across as very dramatic, such as the last
few chapters, and there is a small problem with the ending, because
everything seems to tie together too perfectly. Everything is concluded
too neatly. Apart from those few small flaws, this is certainly worth a
read. Give Me Four Reasons is a lovely book with great characters and
a
good plot. Younger readers, especially girls, would definitely like it.
I highly recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 978 1 407121 12 3.
Reviewed by
This is an excellent sequel to Lament and continues the
relationship
between James and Deirdre as they both embark on life at Thornking-Ash
School of Music.
Each chapter is a reflection from one of three main characters - Nuala,
a faerie obsessed with James, James or Deirdre (Dee). Although Deirdre
is part of the main story it is text messages she writes but doesn't
send to James that give us an insight in to the concerns she has and
her ongoing relationship with the faeries. James is trying to deal with
the constant presence of Nuala, the concerns he has for Dee and
day-to-day life at school and his interactions with Mr Sullivan his
English teacher.
In the chapters that contain Nuala's reflections an extract of a poem
titled 'Golden Tongue: Poems of Steven Slaughter' is given providing a
link with the faerie world and insight into her thinking.
As the characters lives intertwine and the influence and effect of the
faeries becomes greater so does the danger for James and the people
around him. Interestingly the involvement of minor characters initially
proves to be important and significant as the story develops. James is
forced to make a difficult choice between Nuala and Dee and the reader
is kept guessing as to the final outcome until almost the last
page of the story.
Tracy Glover
What happened to goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780141337791.
(Age 13+) Recommended. Sarah Dessen has the happy knack of writing
about people that come alive on the page. Mclean, the product of a
bitter divorce, is moving from one town to another with her father as
he sets up restaurants. In each new place she reinvents herself as
Elizabeth, Eliza, Lizbeth and Beth, until she is not sure just who the
real Mclean is. But when she arrives in Lakeview, she discovers the boy
next door and begins to make friends. Will Dave be able to see the real
Mclean or just one of her many inventions?
I always enjoy Dessen's books and usually devour them in one or two
sittings as I did this one. Mclean is a very intelligent girl who has
the ability to take on any role that she wants, from perfect student to
popular girl. I found it fascinating to think about Mclean trying on
some many different personas and worried that she would lose herself in
the many moves. However Dave the boy next door and the people she meets
make her think about herself and who she really is. She has to make up
her mind whether this will one place where she does say goodbye to the
people she knows, or just leaves them in the lurch as she has in other
places.
Dessen explores the fallout of a divorce in a moving way. Mclean has a
loving relationship with her father, whom she has elected to live with,
even though it is disruptive of her schooling. She hates the high
profile of her parent's divorce and refuses to have anything to do with
her mother or her new sibling.
A journey of self discovery and coming of age, What happened to goodbye
will join Dessen's other books, as a favourite for girls who like
contemporary books, with issues that touch the heart and a touch of
romance.
Pat Pledger
Pearson Picture Books series by various authors
Pearson, 2011.
(Age 5-7) Pearson Picture Books are a series of readers aimed at Grade
2. The stories were all interesting and well illustrated with pictures
that would appeal to young children. They are also suitable for the
library and would be ideal to send home with children who are just
beginning to read as the number of words is fairly limited and there is
lots of repetition to help children learn new words. The books
have hardbacks, so are very study and would hold up to a lot of
handling. I enjoyed all the stories.
Cat and Rat Fall Out by Geraldine McCaughrean.
Ill. by Klaas Verplancke. Pearson, 2011. ISBN 978 1 44254 819 0.
'This is a story from Africa. It tells us why cats and rats are not the
best of friends.' This is the best of the group as one would expect
from an author of McCaughren's calibre. It also contains more
vocabulary.
Jasmine's Duck by Jane Wood
Ill by Barbara Vagnozzi. Pearson, 2011. ISBN 978 1 44254 785 8.
Jasmine's spots a little duck in the park and thinks it's ill.
Jolly hungry Jack by Carrie Weston
Ill. by Nick Schon. Pearson, 2011. ISBN 978 1 44254 783 4.
Jack is hungry andimagines all the things that he could eat for dinner.
Lion's Lunch by Hiawyn Oram
Ill. by Woody. Pearson, 2011. ISBN: 978 1 44254 7957.
An amusing story of a crafty lion who lured animals into his cave for
lunch.
No running by Alison Hawes
Ill. by Michael Reid. Pearson, 2011. ISBN: 978 1 44254 787 2.
Bill gets into trouble for running and splashing at the pool, but there
is one time when he does the right thing.
Robby in the river by Judy Waite
Ill. by Judy Brown. Pearson, 2011. ISBN' 978 1 44254 791 9.
Robby the dog has fun in the river until he finds the bank too slippery
to climb out. It is up to Lucy to help him out.
Pat Pledger
Pig boy by J. C. Burke
Woolshed Press, 2011. ISBN 978 1741663129.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Expelled from school on his 18th
birthday, Damon needs a gun. Hearing that the Pigman's assistant has
been sacked for doing drugs, he searches out this reclusive Yugoslavian
man to suggest that he be taken on. At least, he thinks, he will learn
how to use a gun. While working for this strange bullish man he learns
more than he bargained for, he learns about himself. First though, he
needs to apply for his shooter's license, a feat in itself, allowing
for the incident in year 10 in which he was found with a gun near a
girl's dormitory on a school camp. But this is just one of the things
Damon must do. His list includes many things and when the police later
discover his lists, they tie threads together; many lists of kids and
adults he would prefer dead, lists of those who have bullied him, the
list of things to do to learn to use a gun, the gun in his wardrobe and
finally, the liaison with the Pigman.
Through his sometime wandering account of his life thus far, we hear
Damon explain just why some of these things have happened, why his home
town, Strathven, has turned against him and why he is viewed with
suspicion, even by his own mother and his best friend.
Tied together with amazingly real accounts of catching and killing
pigs, then long slow nights spent around a campfire, the story is taut
and captivating, as we learn to trust the big Yugoslav, Miro, as does
Damon, seeing in him the father he has never had, a mentor who can see
more than he realises, because he has been there before him. Miro, a
refugee from the Balkan war of the 90's, reveals pieces of himself
toDamon, strengthening all the time the argument that war is not the
way to solve problems, that taking to arms is no solution.
The novel leads us to think, as do the police, the community and
Damon's mother, that he is planning a school massacre, like the one on
his favourite computer game, and he is thrown into jail.
A page turner which leads the reader to a thought provoking non
conclusion, the tale of the long term effects of bullying, exacerbated
by poor parenting skills and a community which has turned a blind eye
to the bullying behaviour of its wealthier members, this is a telling
story with a rich background enticing young adult readers, especially
boys to read to the end.
Fran Knight
