Baen Books, 2010. ISBN 9781439133941.
(Age 15+) Recommended. The latest in the award winning Vorkosigan
series has Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan travelling to Kibou-daini,
a planet obsessed with cheating death. There he attends a conference on
cryo-freezing people while investigating a cryocorp that is trying to
establish itself in the Barrayaran Empire. On Kibou-daini, Miles faces
an attempted kidnapping, drags himself through tunnels full of frozen
bodies and is rescued by a young boy whose mother has been frozen
because of the secrets about the big corporation that she has
uncovered. As usual, Miles embraces the danger whole-heartedly and
strives to weave his way through the conspiracy that unfolds.
Fans of the Vorkosigan series and Lois McMaster Bujold will welcome the
return of Miles. Bujold has created a world in outer space that feels
very credible and Miles flings himself straight into adventures and
situations that are always fascinating. The concept of people hoping to
foil the finality of death by freezing is explored as well as the
prospect of delaying old age.
In depth characterisation is a hallmark of Bujold's writing, and this
book sees Miles several years on with children of his own. He is still
the old impetuous Miles, whose brilliance helps him overcome all sorts
of odds and come up with plans that bewilder those around him. The
young boy Jin, with his love of animals and his sister Mina, are
attractive protagonists; their youth and vulnerability adds to the
attraction of this series for teen readers.
Bujold has the knack of writing witty repartee and funny scenes and I
was dragged along with Miles as he goes from one chaotic adventure to
the next. An unexpected ending could mean a whole new series of
different adventures for Miles and I for one would welcome them.
A bonus to the book is the free CD that comes with it. Not only does it
have interviews and speeches with the author, but you can download
the whole series of books to your e-reader device or computer.
Pat Pledger
Anastasia's secret by Susanne Dunlap
Penguin, 2010. ISBN 9780143203704.
(Age: 14+)Being a Grand Duchess of Russia has left Anastasia
with strict rules about how to behave and even those she is allowed to
talk to. Since she was twelve, Anastasia has had a secret, her friend
Sasha. Sasha shows Anastasia a life outside of the imperial palace she
has grown to known.
Life is good for Anastasia and her family until one day Sasha brings
bad news. Their life is about to be turned upside down.
Based on the mysteries that have surrounded the last days of the
Romanov family, Susanne has done a wonderful job creating this novel
with the use of fiction and factual events. I really like the fact
Susanne has done research into the mystery of the Russia's last
princesses and prince and have put it into her novel as I have learnt
more about the story of Anastasia. I would highly recommend this
book.
Lauren Pfeiffer(Aged 16)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Tom Skinner
New Frontier Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978 1 921042096 The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a modern twist on a classic German
poem which inspired a piece of classical music also called The
Sorcerer's Apprentice. It is also reminiscent of Walt Disney's
Fantasia. It is set in a car and camel wash where we meet Rizwan, the
sorcerer's apprentice, who just wants to cast spells and be noticed by
girls. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a great story to read aloud as it uses
rhyme to weave the spells as well as words like 'uppity', 'lurched' and
'mysterious' (words that may be tricky for young readers). Independent
and young readers will enjoy its colourful and detailed pictures,
showing the antics the young apprentice gets up to as he tries
different spells to impress a girl.
Of course, just like Fantasia, Rizwan gets into all sorts of bother as
he tries to act a little more grown up than he really is and chaos
occurs - brooms do as they please, the soap suds grow and grow.
Highly recommended for teachers to read to their class, it could be
compared to the original poem or Fantasia, and used as a lesson on rhyming
words and writing poems and spells. It could also be used to
introduce classical music as it comes with a CD that has a narration of
the story, background information on the composer, Paul Abraham Dukas,
and a copy of the original piece of music.
Parents will also enjoy reading this story to their children as they
giggle at the pictures together and cast their own magical spells.
Kylie Kempster
Emily's surprising voyage by Sue Purkiss
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781496321821.
(Age 6-10) Recommended. Emily doesn't want to leave England, her home
and her beloved grandmother to sail across the world in the new
iron-hulled steam powered ship SS Great Britain. Her father
insists
however, as he wants to look at Australia for possibilities of
importing wool, or even having his own sheep farm, to supply the needs
of his mill. On board Emily meets Thomas Drew a passenger from
steerage, who has an intriguing pet, and unearths a ghostly secret in
the hold of the huge ship.
Sue Purkiss is a master at threading history with fiction, writing a
captivating story with engaging characters and an engrossing storyline.
The people in the story come alive with the black and white line
drawings by James La Rue, who captures perfectly their characteristics
and mannerisms as well as the difference on board for the first class
travellers and those in steerage. The hardships that poverty-stricken
people face in the workhouses in Great Britain at the time are also
touched on.
Historical information about Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous
engineer who designed the ship and the voyage that SS Great Britain
took can be found at the end of the story, which would be a perfect
companion for children looking at Victorian inventions.
On the CILIP Carnegie Medal longlist 2011, Emily's surprising voyage is
an entertaining and thoughtful historical story for newly independent
readers wanting a chapter book .
Pat Pledger
Plain truth by Jodi Picoult
Allen and Unwin, 2010. YA edition. ISBN 9781742375038.
(Age 14+) Plain truth is a good book, and I can definitely see
why it's an international bestseller.
It is a thrilling tale of how a defense attorney (Ellie Hathaway) turns
the life of her client (Katie Fisher) around after she is a suspect of
murder. According to medics a two-hour old baby boy found on the
Fisher's farm had been breathing and then been suffocated. The dead
child had been hidden in some horse blankets.
A spine-tingling mystery is unfolding and it's up to Ellie Hathaway to
save this poor Amish girl a life in jail but it's hard to prove
anything when Katie says she can't remember anything from that night.
The dialogue in this book is great and you can understand each
character easily. I loved this book. The age group for this book would
probably be for young adults to adults.
It's a good book that anyone over 14 would enjoy, but it's a better
book for mature readers.
I loved this book to the end.
Sarah Filkin, Yr 8
Keepinitreal by Don Henderson
Read by Craig Annis. First Published by Scholastic Australia
2009. Louis Braille Audio 2009. Unabridged. ISBN: 978 1 74212 292 2.
Playing time approximately 4 and three quarter hours.
Stevie doesn't feel too good about himself, he was abandoned in a
dumpster before being taken in by Aunt Peg and Uncle Boff and school
didn't suit him so he helps his Uncle Boff collect cans and bottles
around the streets of Victory Gardens, learning the value of recycling
and business truths like 'keep the overheads down'. He wears a beanie
all the time to conceal his egg shaped head and finds it hard to
respond when Helen, the girl at the recycling centre speaks to
him. Fearless Kid Kabula on the other hand flies through
life with confidence and optimism, executing amazing stunts on his
bike, always 'keepinitreal'. The unlikely pair become involved
with the campaign to save the local greyhound track from demolition and
investigate the local bikie gang who are possibly involved in greyhound
doping. Stevie is the Dale Kerrigan of Victory Gardens and his
first person narrative suits the audio format well. The story has many
parallels with The Castle; family values, social action, greyhounds and
the small world of the poorer side of town. The victory of the little
man here depends on a lottery win but the story is as universal as that
of Stevie's Heroes of Greek mythology, who overcome all odds to set
things right and return to their families. Craig Annis' reading is well
paced and excerpts of this would enhance any classroom study of the
book for middle school students and make a good discussion starter.
Sue Speck
Cloud tea monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham
Ill. by Juan Wijngaard. Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 9781406300925.
Recommended. Tashi lives on a tea plantation and plays with the monkeys
who come out of the surrounding forests. She shares her food with them.
Her mother, who picks tea, becomes very ill and can no longer pick tea
to support herself and her daughter. Tashi tries to pick in her place
but the cruel overseer chases her away. After she tells the monkeys her
story they steal her basket and return with cloud tea.
Based on Himalayan folklore, this story tugs at the heartstrings.
Tashi's generosity with the monkeys is repaid in full when they help
her out by picking tea high up in the clouds. The plight of the tea
pickers when disaster looms and the overseer's cruelty in ignoring his
workers' needs is depicted in beautiful language. The magical
resolution will be reassuring to young readers.
Beautifully illustrated by Juan Wijngaard, each full-page picture
is luminous and filled with vivid detail that adds to the story and the
reader's understanding of the characters and events. Additional
evocative black and white illustrations are interspersed on the pages
of print. Cloud tea monkeys is a beautiful book that deserves a place on library
shelves.
Pat Pledger
Cherry Crush: the chocolate box girls by Cathy Cassidy
Puffin, 2010. ISBN: 978 0141335094.
(Age 10+) Recommended. Cherry's story telling abilities see her labeled
as a liar by her classmates and by her teachers as having an 'active
imagination'. Not having made real friends at her old school, Cherry is
delighted by the prospect of moving to Somerset to be part of a real
family with her dad's new girlfriend, Charlotte, and her four
daughters. Their plan is to continue running Charlotte's B&B whilst
her dad, who has given up working at McBean's Chocolate Factory, is
hoping to start his own chocolate business. Things never quite work out
perfectly, however, and although the three younger sisters, Coco and
twins Skye and Summer, are accepting of Cherry, Honey is less than
welcoming. To complicate matters even more, Honey's boyfriend Shay
Fletcher is somewhat too welcoming of Cherry for her liking.
Cathy Cassidy has the happy knack of providing her stories with all of
the essential elements for girls in primary school, friendship, family,
pets, boys and conflicting emotions as the protagonist settles into new
surroundings. The new ingredient in this story is chocolate! This
series will undoubtedly gather many new Cassidy fans as this first
title provides an entertaining and engrossing tale. Girls are also
likely to enjoy visiting her brightly coloured and well maintained
website in which she encourages her readers to read, write, daydream
and commit 'random acts of kindness'.
Jo Schenkel
Blackout by Robert Swindells
Corgi Books, 2011.
(Ages 9+) Recommended. Swindells is on top form with this fast
moving World War Two adventure of spies, robbery, enemy aircraft and
pesky kids who nearly perish in their attempts to solve a mystery.
There is more than a touch of the Enid Blyton's in Blackout and
this is
why it works so well. Robert Swindells knows exactly how to entice
young readers into the thrill of a gripping mystery with plenty of
action, larger than life villains and feisty, intrepid children in
mortal danger.
War has just been declared and the youngsters of the sleepy Welsh town
of Golfodd are on the lookout for spies. A couple of mysterious
visitors attract the children's attention but these villains are
robbers not spies, and they plan to steal the Golfodd Hoard - a
collection of ancient Roman coins that are the pride of the town.
As the story develops the children find themselves trapped in a mine,
alone and desperate as no one knows their plight. Meanwhile, a
German pilot crash lands nearby and hears their cries. Will he rescue
them and risk certain capture, or escape and leave them to their fate? Blackout offers plenty of learning opportunities for upper
juniors - it
works well as a showcase for plot construction of mystery and adventure
stories. One of the characters, a hack reporter, could be ably assisted
by pupils in writing up the story of the Golfodd Hoard. With an
introduction to the period of World War Two, this novel will also
generate plenty of interest and should attract reluctant readers too.
Well worth buying to support topic boxes and to promote an enjoyable
reading experience.
Claire Larson
Miko's Magic Number by Ruth Brown
Walker, 2010. ISBN 9781406317893.
(Age: 5-8) Readers are invited to roll-up, spin the wheel and choose a
number with Miko, the circus mouse, to see if the outcome is a trick or
magic. Miko holds 10 brightly coloured balloons with the numbers 1 to
10 printed on them. By picking a number and turning the wheel, children
learn to do simple addition and subtraction, but more importantly, they
may become engrossed in the idea of numbers and how they work. I
was fascinated by the mathematical concept in the book and had to try a
number of times to make sure that the number was magic.
Set in the circus ring with performing mice, this story will bring
alive the joys of counting and using numbers. Ruth Brown has drawn Miko
as a gorgeous little mouse with a yellow and pink ruff around his neck
and a cute little hat topped with a pomp-pom on his head. The
ringmaster has a curly moustache and flowing cape and all the mice are
wonderful little athletes, performing acrobatic tricks and even walking
on a tightrope. Spotlights bring the reader's attention to the mice and
a beautiful yellow watercolour forms the background to the big ring.
Not only has this book an idea that will appeal to the imagination and
quality illustrations, but the novelty aspects will also attract
children. The book appears to be very sturdy with thick
paper used throughout. The wheel and peepholes, as well as the flaps,
should stand up well under use by inquisitive children.
Nominated for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal longlist 2011, this book
is not only educational but a lot of fun to read and think about.
Pat Pledger
Wasted by Nicola Morgan
Walker Books, 2010. ISBN: 9781406321951.
Highly recommended. Jack allows his actions to be ruled by the toss of
a coin, never mind
the risks. This brings him a singer by the name of Jess. One reckless
night their options run out. Now it's the readers turn to play the
game. Spin a coin, catch it. Place it on the back of your other hand.
Life or death for someone, heads or tails?
The plot of this novel is well melded together, compelling you to read
it cover to cover. Each tiny part is intricately connected to the rest
of the story. It has a completely realistic plot that tells the story
of some past, present and future teenagers with similar or the same
sort of lives. There are two endings to this story, so I warn you that
it would be better not to read both or you will not get the same effect
of reading it.
The setting of this story seems to be in England,
however it does not actually state it anywhere. Most of the book is set
in either Jack's or Jess's house with some high school, beach, pub and
club scenes. The characters are teenagers of the current era and their
families, people you would come across in day to day life. Also quite
nice people too!
The main theme is about taking control of your life
and not just floating through it. There are minor themes as well that
stand out: music, love, alcohol, leaving high school, luck, death and
drink spiking. This novel does go a little way into the meaning of
life.
The author uses a medium level of imagery to tell the story with
a medium level of symbolism. It is written in a high sentence-level
style which suits the nature of this story. I believe that the target
audience of this book is 17-19 year olds, however it could be enjoyed
by those who are up to 25 years old. I would rate this book 10/10
stars.
Amelia Kelly (17 years old)
Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
David Fickling Books, 2011.
(Age 13+) Highly Recommended. It's always a treat to
discover a new author and even more exciting to find that they are a
prodigious talent you've somehow missed - all those previously
published novels to look forward to!
From Half Brother's first page I knew I was in safe hands;
Kenneth
Oppel is a virtuoso who sails his readers expertly through the choppy
waters of an exciting, thought provoking and moving story.
Set in Canada during the early 1970s, Ben's parents are scientists and
as part of a university experiment they adopt a chimp to see if they
can teach him American Sign Language. Zan joins the family when he is
just a few weeks old and, like every new baby, turns the family's lives
upside down. Ben's initial uncertainty at sharing his home with a chimp
turns into acceptance and then love as Ben realises that Zan has become
his brother. At first Project Zan is a huge success and Zan learns to
sign. Their ability to communicate with each other simply strengthens
the bond between Ben and Zan.
Unfortunately, a year later the project is under threat and Zan must go
and live in a compound where he is at risk of being sent to a
laboratory. However, the bond between brothers is strong and Ben will
risk everything in his desire to protect his brother. To complicate
things even further, Ben also embarks on his first love affair and
Project Zan runs hand in hand with Project Jennifer - his own private
scheme to secure the girl of his dreams. But can you manage a love
affair the way you organise a science project?
This is an outstanding novel which is never didactic but will make
readers think. With consummate skill Oppel combines the day to day life
of school, friendships and family with overarching themes that concern
us all - the meaning of life, the ethics of humanising animals, the
debate about animal experiments and Ben's own tricky relationship with
his father.
With touches of humour and raw emotion this is a sure winner for those
who demand a story they can get their teeth into. I'm now off to get my
hands on everything else Oppel has written!
Claire Larson
Spike and Ali Enson by Malaika Rose Stanley
Tamarind, 2010.
(Ages 8-12) Recommended. This is a fun read, ideal for competent but
reluctant readers. Spike's baby brother, Ali is a nightmare; he takes
up all their parents' attention and produces a phenomenal quantity of
vile smelling waste products - from both ends! Then there's the small
matter of the suspicious glint in his eyes, the hint of scales and the
greenish tinge to his skin. In fact, Spike is convinced that his baby
brother is an alien.
Spike decides to take his fears to the UFO Notification Centre, where
the wacky boss TJ Hoppermann takes Spike's concerns seriously and
promises to investigate. Hopperman tests Ali's 'waste products' with
shocking results. Ali is indeed an alien and the story hits the
press. With the house surrounded by Paparazzi, Spikes's parents
finally reveal the truth about his brother.
At first I thought this would be a run of the mill story about sibling
rivalry, but it's far more imaginative than that. With a fast moving
narrative and unexpected plot twists, this is an ideal story to tempt
reluctant readers. The illustrations are lively and humorous, the
chapters short, with plenty of dialogue and an abundance of cliff
hangers, and the dramatic conclusion leaves room for a sequel. Great
fun.
Claire Larson
Three things about Daisy Blue by Kate Gordon
(Girlfriend Fiction, 20). Allen and Unwin, 2010.
(Age 12+) Daisy Blue is very unhappy. She is forced to go to Bali with
her mother, but she wants to stay behind with her friends. Paulina
Gifford is also going to Bali, and when her mother asks her to keep an
eye on Daisy, the strait-laced Paulina is in for a shock. Both the
girls keep a diary describing their life changing moments on beautiful
Bali.
Daisy calls her diary Angelina and writes a constant stream of
complaints about the possible lack of Diet Coke in Bali; missing out on
her favourite TV show and having her mother make pointed remarks about
how thin she is. Paulina on the other hand is looking forward to
learning about the religious customs on the island and trying the local
cuisine.
The Girlfriends Fiction series is made up of quality, easy to read
books with themes that will appeal to teenage girls, and this is no
exception. Daisy's desire to be thin, her mishap with alcohol and her
obsession with pink will resonate with readers, while others will be
drawn to Paulina, the nerd. Both girls make a journey of
self-discovery, learning about themselves and others, especially about
Cody, a gorgeous young film-maker and Wayan, a Balinese student who
wants to help others as a doctor.
The device of using diary entries show the difference between the two
girls and highlights how their attitudes to each other change and how
they cope with their problems. Daisy's entries are particularly
humorous and provide a light touch to the story, which does however
touch on some serious themes. Daisy's preoccupation with becoming thin
enough to attract Robbie Chandler 'who only goes out with skinny girls'
(pg. 5.) is central to the story. Paulina's attempts to always be the
good girl, as well as the themes of getting on with parents and making
friends, provide some thought-provoking ideas for young readers to
think about.
I enjoyed this book and believe it would make a welcome addition to
libraries.
Pat Pledger
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Hush, Hush 2. Simon and Schuster, 2010.
(Age 14+) The second in the series, following Hush, Hush, sees
Nora
Grey trying to come to grips with her life. Her gorgeous bad-boy
guardian angel, Patch, is not paying her as much attention as she would
like. Instead he seems to be making a play for her archrival Marcie
Millar. And then there is Scott Parnell, a boy that Nora's mother seems
to think would be perfect for her. Add some danger in her search for
her father's murderer, and Nora's life is in turmoil.
Much of the book was taken up with Nora's insecurities about her
relationship with Patch, and this grew a bit tedious after a while.
However teenage girls will like the paranormal romance and will be more
tolerant of Nora's doubts, jealousy and break-ups. I
would have liked more action and less angst, especially as Patch was
portrayed in a very unappealing light. Nora, too, seemed to loose the
strength that made her an appealing heroine in Hush, Hush,
which was a
disappointment. The end is a thrilling cliffhanger with surprise
characters and no doubt I will be compelled to pick up the next in the
series to see
what happens!
Pat Pledger
