Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 9780545329750.
(Age 8+) Recommended. After a fascinating introduction to Ripley,
the reader is taken on a fabulous journey of bite size pieces of
information with intriguing photos of some of the strangest things
in the world. It is a book that can be dipped into; no matter what
page you turn to, there is a cluster of amazing facts.
It is divided into different chapters that look at different strange
and wonderful things. Wish you were here has facts about
Mouse Drop Soup and unusual things happening around the world. Nothing
ventured, nothing gained looks at feats like a Chinese
hairdresser cutting hair while he stands on his head and a Dutch
illusionist levitating in front of a crowd. Wonderfully weird
examines flying fish, abnormal creatures and eerie inventions. Get
creative has funky inventions and there are weird and
wonderful animals in Strange Creatures. The photos are
irresistible and the reader just has to read the caption to find out
about them.
This volume is fantastic fun for the whole family and will provide
hours of amusement for everyone reading from cover to cover or just
casually picking it up. It is also a book that is certain to appeal
to reluctant readers.
Pat Pledger
I want my hat back by Jon Klassen
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 978 1 4063 3683 2.
Picture book. Animals. Bear want his hat back and asks many of the
animals in his area if they have seen his hat. On each page he asks
the same question, 'Have you seen my hat?', and usually gets a
similar reply, and then responds, Thank you anyway. This happens
each time he directs the question to the fox, frog, turtle and
snake, but when the asks the rabbit he has a much more complete
response, giving far more detail. Watching listeners will notice too
that the rabbit has a red hat on its head. The bear continues his
search, and when he asks the deer, the animal asks him to describe
the garment and in so doing the bear realises just where he has seen
his hat and returns to retrieve it. A lovely twist at the end will
have the listeners laughing out loud at what the bear does.
A funny story, the humour builds with each page, culminating on the
page that the bear realises where his hat is. What happens after
this is sure to draw smiles and laughs as the bear takes action. A
seemingly simple tale, listeners and readers will enjoy the simple
one lines as the bar asks the questions, and the fulsome replies by
the guilty party. The simple but elegant illustrations add humour as
the bland bear just asks his questions and listens to the responses.
Fran Knight
The fear by Charlie Higson
Penguin, 2011 ISBN 9780 14 132505 7
(Ages: 15+) Dystopia. The third in the series beginning with The
enemy, where all adults in the world die from some horrible
disease, leaving teens under 15 or so to fend for themselves, is
bloodthirsty and violent from beginning to end. The enemy set the
premise with groups of children aggregating together, forming small
pockets of survivors in a London beset with bloody war between
similar groups. Some hole themselves up in supermarkets, holding on
to their realm for the food, barricading themselves in against
attack, some rake over the museums (with access to weapons) and
Buckingham Palace is the target of many. All groups develop various
forms of loose organisation, mainly autocratic. It reads like an
extension of Lord of the flies, where the kids go on unrescued,
combined with the appalling future in The road.
In this book, Dognuts, the leader of a small group who have taken
over the Tower of London as their patch, leads a smaller cohort to
Buckingham Palace to find out what happened to another small group
led by Brooke, who Dognuts admires. Along the way they meet several
other cohorts of children surviving as best they can against the
sickos, the adults who have survived the disease but are horribly
disfigured and have a taste for children. One particularly nasty
sequence involves a huge sicko who takes children as his pets,
eventually killing and eating them.
This is a violent and blood thirsty story of survival, made more
interesting because of the angst that exists between the leaders of
each group as they vie for supremacy. Fans can find out more
information from the website,
and await the fourth in the series, The sacrifice, due out
in 2012. But I can imagine that many will have problems with these
books because of the sustained violence. Higson also writes the
series, Young Bond, which has the young James Bond embroiled
in all sorts of adventures.
Fran Knight
Pan's Whisper by Sue Lawson
Black Dog Books, 2011.
(Age: 12+) Pan (real name is Pandora) is put into yet another foster
home. She is a teenage rebel who hates everything and doesn't trust
anyone. She keeps having strange flashbacks and bits of memory
floating into her mind, but she can't make sense of them. When she
starts at a new school, she instantly becomes an outsider and a
freak, to everyone but Hunter, a kind and charismatic boy who seems
to understand her. But is he worth breaking her ultimate rule:
'Never trust anyone'? Pan's Whisper is written pretty well and overall it's an
interesting book. I think the novel would lose some of its appeal
the second time around though because of the numerous plot twists
and mysteries involving the memories. The best feature of this book
is that it has a good pace, convincing dialogue, and interesting
characters.
This is a good read for a lazy afternoon, but it'll struggle to
engage readers a second time around.
I recommend this book.
Rebecca Adams (Student)
No return : Captain Scott's race to the pole by Peter Gouldthorpe
Lothian, 2011.
(Ages: 9+) Warmly recommended. Non Fiction. History. The story of
Captain Scott and his journey through the Antarctic to be the first
to reach the South Pole makes fascinating reading as beset by all
sorts of problems, the small group perished, making their names
synonymous with heroism and courage in exploration. Gouldthorpe has
written an excellent overview of the man himself, lured to this part
of the world by previous explorations and then wanting to be the
first to reach the South Pole, on hearing of a Norwegian expedition
setting out as well in 1909.
The voyage from England to Melbourne, then the treacherous voyage
across the Southern Ocean to Cape Evans in Force 10 gales, made them
even more determined. They arrived with three motor sleds, one of
which sank into the ice almost immediately, while one of the 59 men
was almost lost to a pod of killer whales when he inadvertantly
hopped across ice flows coming to a dead end. The men built a hut
and stored their provision to wait out the Antarctic winter before
attempting the walk to the pole in spring. The awful tale of the
trip follows, with the main group dying trying to return after
finding that the Norwegian team had arrived before them.
Two detailed maps are included and the illustrations give a bitingly
cold feel to the story, as we see the men and their horses and
huskies with all their equipment, trudge off. This is an
amazing story told with sufficient detail and superb illustrations
to make it available to a wide audience.
Fran Knight
The filth licker by Cristy Burne
Ill. by Siku. Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2011. ISBN
9781847801364.
(Ages 8-12) Recommended. This is the second title in the Takeshita
Demons series featuring Miku Takeshita, a young Japanese girl now
living in London. It is the night before school camp, and Miku has a
bad feeling. Her best friend Cait is acting strangely, and there's
been a nasty smell around which seems to be getting stronger each
day. So on the way to camp, when a boy from her class suddenly
breaks out in a stinking rash which seems to be causing his skin to
rot, Miku knows there are Japanese demons at work. Her fears prove
true when a strange wind blows out their bonfire, and Miku knows
they have awakened a new evil. Now Miku must decide whether to trust
the advice of the Filth Licker who lives in the boys' toilets, and
trek through the dark forest in the middle of the night to confront
the demon before it reaches the camp. But which of her friends can
she trust when there is a shape-shifter at work? And what form will
the evil take on? And why is the food at camp so disgusting?
A range of wonderful demons and monsters from Japanese mythology are
introduced to the reader in a humorous and sometimes slightly
repulsive story which has enough suspense to keep you turning the
pages. Not too frightening for young readers, filled with likeable
characters and great Manga style illustrations.
Donella Reed
BOM! went the bear by Nicki Greenberg
Allen and Unwin, 2011, ISBN 9781 74237 671 4
(Ages 4+) Picture book. Bear is proud of his ability with his drum
and loudly plays it around the forest, but when some of the other
animals come along displaying their talents with various
instruments, bear becomes more and more put out, until he walks off
again banging his own drum, leaving the other animals behind him.
Each double page has another animal or group of animals playing a
musical instrument, the pages filled with lively colourful
illustrations, sure to entice younger readers. One page has a group
of frogs playing the xylophone, with the words, Frogs play the
xylophone, Plank, plunk, plink, while the drawings show several
frogs hopping across a xylophone in some disarray, another has the
Lizard on a zither with a zink - a zink zink, with a hapless lizard
trying to play this uncommon instrument. Each double page
invites the reader to join with the rhyming lines, and learn from
the illustrations what these instruments are.
All in all a fun filled book with plenty to laugh about in the
illustrations and rhymes, this book will be well used in pre school
and early childhood groups where the teacher encourages students to
join in. And watch out for the changes in bear's face as he sees
what is happening around him. I just love his confident look on the
first page, becoming less and less confident as the pages are
turned.
Fran Knight
The Not-So-Goblin Boy by Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 978 1 921720 15 4.
(Age: 10+) The Not-So-Goblin Boy is well and truly aimed at
kids but especially boys! As an adult, I kept thinking 'eww' and
'gross' as I read the story of Samuel, the only human in a goblin
world, because of all the talk about farts. How do goblins greet
each other? They fart! How to they rob each other? They fart! What
are they most proud of? Their farts! Goblins are also expected to be
sneaky, lie and are generally gross. Unfortunately for me, the more
I read it, the more I enjoyed it and started giggling at the
different events and comments.
As the only human in this world, Samuel struggles to prove himself
as a good goblin and make his parents proud. He uncovers secrets
about his parents and is 'kidnapped' by goblin pirates. All of a
sudden, he is facing a future where he can actually be himself - a
human - in a dangerous goblin world whose leader is called The Grand
Stinker. He is enlisted to help find out who is the spy in the
Goblin World but will they be able to uncover the truth in time?
Boys aged 10+ will thoroughly enjoy the 'grossness' that is the
world of goblins but the author (a young Indigenous author,
excellent for our children to be exposed to) has also managed to
create a whole new world with some amazing inventions. One of the
ways to prove yourself a good goblin is to invent crazy machines
like goggles that detect radiation, bracelets that make you teleport
and the fart forcer that makes anyone you point at, fart
uncontrollably (of course)!
Kylie Kempster
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Penguin, 2011. ISBN 978-1-921518-881. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead is a novel for teens who love
fantasy and mystery. This novel is a spin off from the Vampire
Academy series so any reader who likes those will also like these.
This is also a series of novels; it is possible to read this book by
itself without reading the other novels but it's probably most
recommended to read the others as it probably might make more sense.
The main character, Sydney Sage is chosen to take up an alchemist
role in Palm Springs, California to protect a Vampire Princess, Jill
Dragomir, a Moroi, who is a type of vampire that is basically like a
human except the need for blood every now and again. She is fearful
of harm from rogue vampire assassins while her sister (Queen of the
Moroi, Lissa Dragomir) changes some laws. Sydney is woken from her
bed in the middle of the night, scared that she would have to go to
a re-education centre and finds herself being placed under strict
eyes in Palm Springs for a chance to prove herself and regain
the trust of her mentors, the Alchemists, after a situation that
could have cost Sydney the trust of the Alchemists with Rose
Hathaway, a dhampir, one of the protectors of the Moroi.
After being placed in the desert under the strict eye of Keith
(another Alchemist) it is now Sydney's duty to protect Jill from any
danger that befalls her, while re-doing year 12 at Amberwood Prep
school (being close to and protecting 15 year old Jill gets easier
when she's attending her freshman year at Amberwood).
The ending of this novel is wrapped in a huge mystery that will
affect both Keith and Sydney plus not to mention all the Alchemists.
This was a brilliantly plotted novel with mysterious turns in all
the right places.
Sarah Filkin (Student)
The Witch Hunter Chronicles: The army of the undead by Stuart Daly
Random House, 2011. ISBN: 9781742750552.
(Age 12+) Recommended. This, the second book in the Witch Hunter
Chronicles, follows the adventures of 16 year old Jakob von
Drachenfels. In the first novel, The Scourge of Jericho,
Jakob joins the Hexenjager (an order of witch hunters in 1600's
Germany) under false pretences. Having barely survived his first
encounter in a witch infested castle, in this the second novel, he
is part of a team racing across Europe and the Ottoman Empire to
prevent The Watchers (fallen angels) from destroying the Tablet of
Breaking and bringing about the end of the world.
This is a rollicking, historical action adventure that runs at
breakneck speed. It is a cross between The Three Musketeers,
Tomb Raider with a big nod to Indiana Jones. Full of
sword fights, zombies, evil angels, traitors and booby trapped lost
temples, there is much that teenage boys especially will enjoy.
There is a fair bit of gore, and horrifying deaths, and the death
rate does take its toll on young Jakob. He sees many of his friends
and allies brutally killed in front of him, and then witness the
terrible indignity they suffer, when they are raised from the dead
by The Watchers. Former friends are now zombies and deadly enemies
and he is faced with the dilemma of having to destroy those he loved
and respected. Considering the amount of hardship and terror Jakob
faces, he shows fortitude to continue on the quest with the
determination that the deaths will not be in vain.
The author is a history teacher, and this shows in the attention to
detail, historical notes, lists of weapons and a bibliography at the
end of the book. There is also the sense that the author is having
fun with twisting events of the past to suit his story. There is
even a Leonardo da Vinci inspired submarine - and more booby traps
than all the Indiana Jones movies combined.
I can imagine that this series will be popular with ages 12+
particularly, but not exclusively, for boys.
Alicia Papp
BOOOM! by Alan Macdonald
Ill. by Mark Beech. Bloomsbury, 2011.
Recommended for ages 7-9. This short chapter book Booom! is
the fourth instalment in the entertaining Iggy the Urk series.
Set in the Stone Age the series is focused around the tribe of Urks
(it is safer - and easier on the cooking!) and their continued and
humorous discovery of the world around them. In the midst of the
daft tribe is the intelligent Iggy whose realism and ideas for
change and innovation are met with incredulousness. Nothing could be
better than what we have now! If we go too far we will fall off the
edge of the world! If it is raining in the valley it is raining all
over the world! The hilarious banter between the reluctant and
unworldly Urks and the imaginative Iggy is fantastic. Also fabulous
are the Quentin Blake-like illustrations by Mark Beech.
This book does not require reading of the previous Iggy books and
will draw children into a time when knowledge of the world was
limited, when volcanoes were mysterious and called 'Old Grumbly',
when the properties of water were unknown and the idea of boats or
'floaters' were ridiculed. In Booom! the likable hero Iggy
is left to once again lead his foolish tribe out of trouble and is
also bestowed with an unexpected responsibility, no doubt signalling
many more comical Iggy adventures to be had in the future. This is a
fast-paced reading experience that will please anybody possessing a
sense of humour and an imagination!
Nicole Smith-Forrest
Star League: Monkey Business by H. J. Harper
Ill. Nahum Ziersch. Random House Australia, 2011. ISBN
9781864718606.
(Ages: 7 to 10) This title is one of a series that promises to be
popular with younger readers. Each adventure in Star League
can be read alone and features a different one of this
crime-fighting group taking the heroic lead. In Monkey Business
Leigh, the animancer, discovers that Aunt Petunia, star of the
television show Le Nice Pets, has master-minded the means of
training animals to be obedient to her underhand commands the world
over. The repercussions are enormous when animal numbers in homes,
sanctuaries and zoos are considered. There is plenty of action in
this imaginative story, often overly exaggerated, but, with some
interesting plot lines, the reader is sure to stay with the
narrative to discover the ending. Black and white cartoon drawings,
depicting plenty of action, work well with the text as they
introduce each new chapter. The writing style is simple but it
creates a clear picture of the characters interacting with the
setting. Character development is lacking but the story with
its twists and turns ensures that we read on, especially with the
addition of a bit of fun and fantasy.
Julie Wells
Even my ears are smiling by Michael Rosen
Ill. by Babette Cole. Bloomsbury, 2011 ISBN 9781 4088 0297 7.
(Ages: 4+) Recommended. Poetry. A lovely hard cover book full of
poetry, and illustrated by Babette Cole will find a place in
libraries for readers wanting to read these out loud or play along,
or sing or read together or simply listen to the accompanying CD
read by Michael Rosen.
All good fun, with simple lines and rhyme, the poems are short and
funny, redolent of everyday life for young children. So catching a
bus, or jumping on dad, or having a bath, or looking at photos of
relatives are all grist for the mill for Rosen's talent at making an
easily digested poem for young children which will have them smiling
when they recognise familiar situations and themes.
I loved The Pancake Maker with its rhymes with the words pancake and
maker running through the two pages. Listening to Rosen's reading
adds to the fun of it as he gives spaces and breath stops that are
not obvious on the written page. Or the lovely, I've had this Shirt,
with its reminders of things that are loved and kept for years and
years and years. Some poems spread over several pages, where some
are just a few lines, but most being a handy page long, enough to
read and talk about and read again in class. And I can imagine kids
at home or in the classroom or library wanting the CD played over
and over again, so be prepared.
Adding to the fun is a small 4 lined poem at the bottom of the page
every now and again beginning with the lines, Down behind the
dustbin . . . These give a lovely model for children writing
their own poems, using the form given by Rosen.
Fran Knight
Bleeding hearts by Alyxandra Harvey
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 9781408814970.
(Age: 14+) The fourth in the Drake Chronicles, Bleeding hearts
continues the story of the Drake family's fight against the
Hel-Blar. A new character, Christabel, is introduced. She is Lucy's
cousin and has come from the city to live with her relations when
her mother is taken into rehab. She has to adjust to living in
Violet Hill, a small country town, after big city living. She is
amazed that Lucy's parents are so strict about curfews and going out
at night and knows that there is something mysterious going on that
Lucy and the Drake brothers know about. She is also fascinated by
Connor Drake, who is unlike her usual attraction to bad boys. He is
a clever nerd with computers and very sweet as well! Unbeknown to
Christabel, there is a deadly infestation of vampires threatening
everyone in Violet Hill and when she is kidnapped, the Drakes are
forced into action.
Once again Harvey has created characters who come alive on the
pages. This book combines two stories in one. Not only does the
story of Christabel and Connor unfold, but Lucy's feisty character
comes to the fore as does her romance with Nicholas.
There is plenty of action for the Drakes when fighting and tracking
Christabel's kidnappers; a new type of vampire is introduced and the
vampire hunters from the Helios-Ra school actively pursue the
Hel-Blar. The excitement continues throughout the book, with lots of
dangerous fights and thrilling times. This was certainly a book that
I held my attention throughout and that I finished in a couple of
sessions. Bleeding hearts is not as easily read as a stand alone as the
second and third in the series, but the characters and action are
enough to ensure that readers new to the series will seek out all
the books. A desperate cliff hanger as a conclusion will also ensure
that they eagerly await the next in the series.
Pat Pledger
Olympic and world records 2012 by Keir Radnedge
Scholastic, 2011. ISBN 9781741699821.
With the Olympic Games coming up this volume will be a welcome
addition to information about the Olympics. It is divided into
chapters featuring the sports that are contested in the Games. The
first chapter examines the history and heritage of the Olympic
Games, where they have been held; famous firsts including facts such
as a Chinese Australian teenager's vision of a united world which
led to the Closing Ceremony being one where all athletes mingle
together. It gives a worldview of the Olympics with information
about athletes from all over the world and from different times.
The book contains numerous photos, which range from early historical
ones to modern day ones. Each photo has a snippet of information
about how the different sports began and fascinating details about
many athletes. It is ideal for browsing as each section has
fascinating material arranged in box like sections, often with a
photo accompanying it, and with bold headings to entice the
reader. It is certainly not a book that has to be read from
cover to cover but is ideal for dipping into. Reluctant readers will
enjoy the easy to read layout and enticing information.
Pat Pledger
