Reviews

The truth about penguins by Meg McKinlay

Ill. by Mark Jackson. Walker Books Australia, 2012. ISBN 9781 921720772.
(Ages 5+) Re-issued as a paperback. Picture book. The zoo is agog with excitement, as the animals have heard that the penguins are coming. The story does the rounds, going through the zoo from the meercats, to the giraffe, to the otters, the owl, the bats, the anteaters and so on, each adding their own bit of information about what penguins are like and what they do.  All the while, illustrator Mark Jackson draws the penguins to reflect what the animals say about them, adding gaudy beach outfits, suitcases, party hats, all causing laughter from the audience, whether it being read alone or in a group.
The penguins are said to fly south for winter, love pizzas, love wearing jazzy beach wear but don't like putting their feet into the cold water. When the animals start telling stories about the penguins' parenting skills, the zoo keeper calls a halt to all the misinformation and tells them the truth about penguins. But in the background we can see the penguins arriving, and guess who is right?
A very funny look at truths and half truths, this book will cause great delight amongst the audience as kids will giggle about the half truths, calling out what they know, they will giggle with the beautiful drawings of the animals in the zoo, look out for their favourites, marvel at the correct information at the end and then laugh all over again at the last page. What a treat.
Fran Knight

Amazing Grace, an Adventure at Sea by Stephanie Owen Reeder

National Library of Australia, 2011. ISBN 978-0-642-27743-5.
This exciting tale is based on the true story of Grace Bussell,' a 16 year old Western Australian girl, who together with the family stockman Sam Issacs, rescued survivors from the wreck of the steamship Georgette in December 1876.
At the time, Grace's bravery captured the attention of Australia and overseas and she was compared to another famous Grace , Grace Darling who was a young shipwreck heroine from Scotland.
This tale is not well known and deserves to be heard. Author Stephanie Owen Reeder has managed to use available information and created an 'as if you were there' story of real people and time.
You are introduced to some of the passengers of the Georgette and witness the hardships of their voyage and the real danger of a violent sea.
Interspersed throughout the pages are colour drawings, original photographs, newspaper clippings and eyewitness accounts. I found the epilogue describing the continuing lives of the main characters highly interesting. A glossary of terms is helpful.
This would be a great resource in any school library and is especially suitable for upper primary students.
Jane Moore

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Walker Books 2010. ISBN 9781406334340.
(Age: 15+) David Sun and Charlie Nuvola live on opposite sides of the lake but attend the same school. Outwardly they appear to lead very different lives. David is wealthy and indulged, living comfortably with his parents whilst Charlie lives a simple life with his father, a preoccupied academic. However the new school counsellor thinks that both David and Charlie display symptoms of "disassociation" and he has just the cure. Enter Rose, part girl, part robot, purpose built to help people like Charlie and David to reconnect and forge strong human relationships.
This book brings a novel approach to teenage relationships. Rose is a prototype and therefore still experimental. She has a lot to learn before she can resolve the task at hand.  The reader is challenged to consider whether David and Charlie really are "disassociated" or products of a society with a propensity to pathologise every developmental phase.  Is the counsellor genuinely concerned for the welfare of his charges or is there an ulterior motive? This book is an entertaining read for teenagers and perhaps a glimpse of the world to come!
Tina Cain

Various positions by Martha Schabas

Text, 2012. ISBN 9781921758898.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. This first novel by Martha Schabas deals with the difficulty of becoming a ballerina. Georgia, aged 13/14, is selected to attend the best ballet school in Toronto. She is determined to work hard and has talent, so what could go wrong? As the movie Black Swan showed, dancers must have psychological resilience as well as strong bodies. Georgia can push her body but cannot control those around her. Furthermore she is not ready for the nuances of adult sexual relationships. Georgia's parents are drifting towards divorce, and Georgia is shocked to discover that their relationship began when her mother was her father's student. Georgia's friend, Chantal, is overweight, and, on Georgia's advice, starts dieting with near catastrophic results. Georgia discovers her own sexuality and takes inappropriate photos of herself. Her male teacher is brutal in his assessments of his pupils. Georgia, however, believes that he is in love with her and attempts to seduce him by leaving the photographs on his desk. They are discovered and as he is also blamed for Chantal's anorexia, he is forced to resign. Georgia must face what she has done, and start again in another school. The book covers a number of themes, sexual manipulation, eating disorders, teacher-student relationships and the growing awareness of adolescence. Told in the first person and quite simply written, it is convincing and readable. It is recommended for mature readers.
Jenny Hamilton

Traitor's revenge by Andrew Hammond

CRYPT. Headline, 2012. ISBN: 978 0 7553 7822 7.
Strange things are happening in York and London. They're emerging from the shadows and are after something. A voice that seems to becoming from the darkness is being listened too by one man. This is not case for any normal group of counter-intelligence to investigate. This is a case for CRYPT; a group of cunning teenage agents who use their extra sensory perception and high-tech gadgets to investigate crimes that the police cannot solve. CRYPT will need to keep their wits about them to survive, for what's in the shadows want them out of their way.
I loved this book! It shows the reasons to be afraid of the shadows but also the wonders they hide - which I love. The characters are amusing and - despite their age - are strong-minded and wilful. Bex and Jud are my favourite agents and their friendship is amazing to read. The dark corners always held something and were in great detail. Each page held something of importance and was easy to follow. The changes of scenes in the book did not make it confusing but kept it all tied together. It was a page turner to say the least.
Cecilia Richards (student)

Old Possum's books of practical cats by T S Eliot

Ill. by Axel Scheffler. Faber and Faber, 2010. ISBN 978 0 571 25248 0.
Recommended. Poetry. From its introduction about the naming of cats, in which readers are told that cats have three names, one being the ordinary name, one a particular name, and then one that the cat knows himself, to the last poem about Cat Morgan, the pirate cat, there is much to enjoy in this reissue of this very popular book of poetry. First published in 1939, the poems are as fresh as ever, and will be enjoyed by a new audience, enhanced with the colourful illustrations by Axel Sheffler.
From the old Gumbie cat, Jennyanydots, who likes to just sit, Rum Tum Tugger, who always go where he's not expected to go, or the dancing Jellicles, or Old Deuteronomy, each poem plays with words and will capture the imagination of the listeners and readers. Many are very well know, Macavity and Mr Mistoffelees for example, partly from the musical, Cats, but some are not so well known and will be enjoyed over again by the readers as they come across lesser known poems such as Cat Morgan, the pirate cat, and Bustopher Jones, the cat about town. And my favourite, Skimbleshanks, the railway cat, is always worth rereading, while another, The pekes and the pollicles, is one I did not know as well, and so enjoyed reading it until it became familiar.
A great addition to any library.
Fran Knight

August by Bernard Beckett

Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742379753.
(Age: 15+) It is the dying wish of Laurel Dix that her daughter Molly go to live with the famous father that she has been shielded from for sixteen years. Suddenly Molly is catapulted from rural Indiana to begin a new existence in opulent Hollywood Hills with her rich and manic movie star Dad, Brick Berlin. Molly has a warm reception from Brick but her same age step sister, Brooke, does not take kindly to sharing the spot light with an unsophisticated sibling she didn't know existed until five minutes ago!
Molly is overwhelmed coming to terms with the loss of her mother, the scheming and manipulative Brooke and the relentless paparazzi. What follows is a journey of self discovery, fashion and friendship.
The authors are famous for their celebrity blog GoFug Yourself.com and the book is replete with their famous one liners and caustic observations of the superficial world inhabited by the rich and famous. Not to be taken seriously, this book is a fun and light read and soon to be followed by Messy, a sequel to the dramas of Molly Dix and Brooke Berlin.
Tina Cain

Keeper of the realms: Crow's Revenge by Marcus Alexander

Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780141339771.
(Ages 13+) Charlie Keeper is a 13 year old girl, living with her senile grandmother in her strange family home in London. Her parents have been missing for nearly 7 years, and her guardian, the cruel lawyer Mr Crow, takes advantage of her grandmother's confused state and Charlie's own lack of power to mistreat her and embezzle the family funds. One day while exploring her odd house (it appears larger on the inside), she comes across Jensen who is a Treman from Bellania, a world that exists on an alternate plane to the earth, but is accessible via a portal in her house. He disappears through a door, but Charlie is unable to follow him.
When the mysterious and evil Bane enters the house and threatens Crow with terrible consequences if he does not help him acquire the pendant that Charlie wears, a mad chase through the house ensues, which sees Charlie transported through the portal into Bellania. There the real adventure begins as she races against time to save her parents, free Bellania from Bane's malevolent grip, and awaken her Keeper powers.
When the blurb on the back of a book compares it to The Wizard of Oz, The Narnia Chronicles, Lemony Snickett and JK Rowling, it has a lot to live up to. Whilst the premise is appealing, and I really wanted to like this book, to me it doesn't deliver on its potential. It has none of the real freshness or sparkle of these books, but is rather derivative, clumsy and laboured. In its favour, it is good to have a young female protagonist as the hero in this genre, there are some interesting characters and narrow escapes, and I'm sure that most younger readers will enjoy Charlie's antics and adventures. Whilst I found Charlies temper tantrums and foot stamping aggravating, to be fair she is confronted with many dreadful situations and is increasingly worried about the fate of her Gran back in London as well her missing parents.
It is not giving away anything to say that this book ends with a cliff hanger - it is the first of a projected three book series - however, it failed to capture my imagination or leave me wanting more.
Alicia Papp

Stuck by Charlotte Calder

Ill. by Mark Jackson. Walker Books, 2012. ISBN 978 1 921720 58 1.
(Ages 4-6) Picture book. A charming story of a kite getting stuck in a tree will have kids laughing out loud as they watch and enjoy the antics of the family and friends trying different methods of getting the kite down. Sticks, a boomerang, a rock, a cricket bat amongst other things are thrown up at the kite, but all fail to dislodge the toy. By the time everyone has tried their luck, the tree is full of the things thrown. In the end the cat races up the tree following a bird, and dislodges all the things so that everything falls back down. But of course, now the cat is stuck.
A warm picture book, with delightful illustrations, this book will find a place in school libraries and classrooms as it shows children trying things out for themselves, solving a problem they have. The clever illustrations which use graphite and water colour, show different perspectives, which could be discussed with the students. Sometime the picture is of a view looking up at the tree, sometimes the view is from the tree to the ground, giving quite a different view of the children.
This is a new edition in paperback, and a slightly different cover.
Fran Knight

Me and you by Niccolo Ammaniti

Trans. by Kylee Doust. Text, 2012. ISBN 9781921758775.
(Ages: 14+) Recommended. The Italian author Niccolo Ammaniti is able to present both the innocence and egotism of children and the dark, threatening worlds they may inhabit in a convincing and gripping way. In this novel Me and you, the voice of fourteen-year-old Lorenzo is believable and persuasive. He describes himself as uninterested in, at best, and as frightened by, at worst, the world of his peers, and he gives way to rages. His psychiatrist describes him as someone who cannot empathise with others, except his parents. Lorenzo learns to survive by using Batesian mimicry, pretending to be as his classmates are, boorish, loud and disruptive. However, Lorenzo creates trouble for himself when he overhears a group of friends planning a skiing trip. Lorenzo is a good skier and imagines being part of the group. He tells his mother that he has been invited along. Trapped in his lie by his mother's happiness Lorenzo consequently plans to spend the week hiding in a cellar, in the dark with his computer, cans of drink and food. All seems to be proceeding well until his sojourn is interrupted by his half-sister Olivia who Lorenzo is forced to realize is an addict suffering frighteningly painful withdrawal symptoms. Her desperate need and his ability to help her bring about a change in Lorenzo, symbolized by a story he invents about a robot, created to unfeelingly destroy, that learns to live and breed like sea turtles. Lorenzo realizes that he can change his behaviour and learn to become a friend to others. The outcome for Olivia is not so positive. As in Ammaniti's earlier work I'm not scared the resolution is shocking. The novel is simply written but thematically rich. The world of Lorenzo is created with acute observations and details. Me and you compares well with other novels written from the point-of-view of main characters with a difficulty in relating to others. This is recommended for secondary readers.
Jenny Hamilton

Ships in the Field by Susanne Gervay and Anna Pignataro

Ford Street Publishing, 2012. ISBN 9781921665233.
This is a very special book written by Susanne Gervay, one of my favourite authors and illustrated by Anna Pignataro, one of my favourite illustrators. It is a celebration of Australia's multicultural heritage with both author and illustrator drawing on their family's history of being post-war European refugees to create a story that demonstrates the amazing resilience and hope of the human spirit regardless of the trials it encounters. Told through the eyes of a child, it touches on many emotions from the sadness of memories too raw to have many layers to soften them, to the joy and excitement of a new life as a family in a new place, while stopping, momentarily, at the happy spots of what has been and anticipating what is yet to come.
This is such a magical blend of words and pictures that there is something most of us will relate to. For me, it's the phrase 'ships in the field'. For one with a distinctive Kiwi accent (even after all these years), getting it wrong is something I'm used to although no one has corrected me as beautifully and tactfully as the little girl does to help her father.
It would be the perfect starter or accompaniment to any investigation of what it means to be Australian, because that is what we all are, and opens the door to enable our students understand that they and their families have a past, a present and a future.
Barbara Braxton

Nancy Bentley the first Australian female sailor by Tracey Hawkins

New Frontier Publishing. 2011. ISBN 9781921042768
Suitable for children up to 8 years. This picture book is set in Tasmania. It relates the true story of an incident in the life of Nancy Bentley. Following a snake bite Nancy needed a doctor urgently. Her desperate father decided that the closest doctor was the ship's surgeon on board the HMAS Sydney at nearby Port Arthur. So, her father put her into a row boat to get her treated as quickly as possible.
The rules at the time did not allow women on board, and the Captain had to officially enlist Nancy into the RAN. Thus, aged 6 years old in 1920, Nancy became the 'first Australian female sailor'. Following her recovery Nancy was awarded a Good Conduct Medal and taken on a short voyage to Hobart to the movies as a special treat. Did Nancy really sail from Port Arthur to Hobart on the HMAS Sydney without her parents?.
Although this story is told in a narrative form, the language is formal. At times the story seems disjointed. On one page the ship is heading out to sea and on the next page it has arrived in Hobart.
There is an old-fashioned cover and stylised, naive illustrations. They are uninspiring but quite suited to an 'olde world', quaint story such as this. There are interesting endpapers covered in a variety of documents related to Nancy's story. At the back of the book we find a more formal biography of Nancy's life and a copy of her RAN Certificate of Service.
It is a curious narrative. I am unsure of the motivation for telling Nancy's story. She seems to be an ordinary girl. And this incident would surely have had little influence on Australian naval or feminist history.
Margaret Strickland

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Bloomsbury, 2012. ISBN 13579108642.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Shorty is a teenage gangster from the violent slums of Site Soley where survival is a daily challenge. Now he lies trapped beneath the rubble of a hospital following the Haitian earthquake, afraid that he will be entombed forever. Alone in the darkness Shorty reflects upon the events in his life that have shaped his destiny.  His wandering mind becomes possessed by the thoughts of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Haitian rebel who forced the French out of Haiti two hundred years ago. Both of them seek freedom but it will take strength and the courage of self belief to achieve it.
This is a story of two Haitis, the past and the present, compellingly intertwined. The political history of Haiti and its battle to be free from colonial power runs parallel to the story of modern Haiti. The slums, gang warfare and violence are a reality of day to day existence and evoke the passion to be free from oppression. L'Oeuverture channels this passion through Shorty.
This is an excellent book for the sophisticated reader. The author is able to tell the story of Haiti's history in an exciting and innovative way. It is a very satisfying page turner and the two stories of past and present are equally gripping and informative.
Tina Cain

Assault by Brian Falkner

Recon Team Angel. Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 9781921720543.
(Suited for: 13+) Recommended. In the year 2030 humanity is at war with an advanced alien race. The stage for this battle: Earth. For nearly two decades the world has only just managed to hold off the invaders but there is still hope. Recon Team Angel, a global team of multi-national, multi-purpose teenage soldiers has been in training and now the time has come to strike. Sent on a classified behind enemy lines infiltration mission not even they know the purpose of their objective. What they will find will not only shock them but will prove crucial if mankind is to survive the war.
The author immediately attempts to engage the reader with a short introduction and a glossary defining the military slang that is used throughout the story. This achieves its objective well but from there on in, the interest of the reader falls away. Although the bulk of the book is well written there are several chapters or segments which do little to appeal to the reader. This lack in consistency is what prevents this book from becoming a great read, rather than being just a good one. The climax at the ending is one the reader will enjoy but it is left too late.
Older readers will find themselves losing interest and struggling to really appreciate the book while the military jargon and action will entice the younger ones. Overall Assault is a good science fiction book that amidst several slow dull passages has the potential to be an enjoyable read.
I recommend this book.
Michael Adams