Reviews

Summer of sabotage by Bob Temple

Raintree, ISBN 978 1406215960.
Recommended for upper primary and those older, who find reading a challenge. A good 'who done it' mystery. The plot is well developed and keeps the reader in suspense until the end. Daniel and Aaron love the water park and spend as much of the summer there as they can. Unaccountable accidents begin to occur and Daniel is sure they are deliberate so he decides to investigate much to his friend Aaron's initial amusement. But when they are forbidden to go to the Park for a week they both spend their time thinking of possible suspects. Is it Gabe, the Water Park's Manager, Mrs Parker or even Janie, the heroine of the Water Park. The language is not complex, has simple sentences and the chapters short and easily read. A useful Glossary, Discussion Questions, Author Information, Writing Prompts and most useful is a double page of water safety suggestions. Typeface and font are very appropriate.
Sue Nosworthy

Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol retold by Martin Howard

Ill. by Carlo Molinari and Chris Gould. Hardie Grant Egmont, 2009.
ISBN 978-192156420-8
This attractively produced picture book version of Dickens' story does not live up to its early promise.
Martin Howard retells Charles Dickens' classic story of mean Ebenezer Scrooge's encounter with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future and his eventual redemption. The book is lavishly illustrated with sliders, flaps, add-ins and a pop up centre depicting the ghost of Christmas present. The text appears in blocks around the brightly coloured illustrations of Victorian London interspersed with panels of extra information, recipes and games. What makes this an uncomfortable format is the density of the text, a lot to read aloud as a story book and confusingly disjointed when constructing a continuous narrative from the parts. A lot of the illustrations depict sinister subjects and sections of the text are quite scary. Unless familiar with the happy ending, readers dipping into the separate parts of the book could be left with a worryingly negative view of what should be a happy time of year.
The pop-ups and extras are not particularly exciting and would make this a fragile book to have in a school library.
Not recommended for readers under 9 years.
Sue Speck

The Odyssey: a Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds

Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7636-4268-6.
This beautifully crafted graphic novel is one of the best I have read. It is the story of Odysseus, thwarted by the god Poseidon in his attempts to return home to his wife and son after the Trojan wars. Monsters and obstacles are put in his way, only to be overcome with the help of the goddess Athena, and the hero has some romantic encounters on the way.  This interpretation of Homer's epic poem is well researched as are the atmospheric pencil and watercolour renderings of life on the Greek islands in the Bronze Age add another dimension to the text.
Well balanced between the carefully chosen dialogue and the visual narrative, each frame effectively communicates the story without the need for extra explanation. The characters are well drawn and easy to identify, the use of soft coloured outlines to distinguish gods from mortals, works well. The reader is able to instantly and vividly recognise the characters' emotions as they struggle through each trial and dynamic viewpoints add to the fast pace.
Following on from Hinds' graphic adaptations of Beowulf and Shakespeare's King Lear and Merchant of Venice, this literate adaptation will have appeal for adults and senior students revisiting the classic text while the skill of the artist makes it accessible to ESL and middle school students looking for a story of adventure and hardships overcome.
Sue Speck

Legend of the Golden Snail by Graeme Base

Puffin, 2010. ISBN 9780670073498.
(Ages: 4-8) Highly recommended. Wilbur is enchanted by a story about a Golden Snail, which takes the shape of a golden galleon when it sails through the Magical Realm. One day it is captured by a Grand Enchanter, who forces it to obey his commands. After sailing it for a 100 years, the Enchanter banishes it to the ends of the earth until a new master comes to claim it. Wilbur decides to find the Golden Snail and he and his faithful cat set off on sailboat, finding some creatures that need rescuing on the way.
Like all good fairy tales, there is a moral to the story. Wilbur sees creatures in distress and instead of leaving them in their misery, he helps them on their way. He waters a butterfly bush that is wilting, releases a crab from a net, and stops earwig pirates from stealing light bulbs from lantern fish. In turn, when Wilbur gets into trouble, these creatures come to his aid.
The language is beautiful, full of alliterations and stunning images. It is a lovely book to read aloud, stimulating the imagination and leaving behind haunting thoughts of good and evil.
The artwork is striking, with beautiful bold pictures, and gorgeous greens, blues and golds. I particularly loved the picture of the 'newly blossomed butterflies' bringing back the wind when Wilbur's boat drifts into the Dreadful Doldrums.
With extras in the book, like a small additional book attached in the front page, and a picture of a snail and crossbones on every page for the curious to find, as well as instructions to go to Base's website, this book will delight children and adults everywhere. It is a keeper!
Pat Pledger

Slice by Steven Herrick

Woolshed Press 2010. ISBN 9781864719642.
Recommended for ages 14+. As we have come to expect from the writing of Steven Herrick, Slice, is a witty and enjoyable narrative, with many 'juicy moments' to savour!The story is simply told - more like glimpses of a teenage life, as the title suggests - by Darcy Walker, 16 year old school student carrying a bit of baggage from home; namely parental expectations which haven't really eventuated. Darcy is very likeable though and his relationships with family and friends bring out a good deal of conversational humour which makes for entertaining reading.
Slice has the appeal of previous stories, such as The Spangled Drongo and Tom Jones Saves the World. Attention is focused on his attraction and developing intimacy with Audrey: their conversations are great fun to overhear. Indeed, there are many scenes throughout Slice which read so well out loud.
Light-hearted and honest, with no pretensions, this novel is clever, funny and very readable.
Julie Wells

Mirror by Jeannie Baker

Walker Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-4063-0914-0.
(All ages) Highly recommended. The book starts with the words:
'There are two boys and two families in this book. One family lives in a city in Australia. And one lives in Morocco, North Africa. The lives of the two boys and their families look very different from each other and they are different. But some things connect them, just as some things are the same for all families no matter where they live.'
The book then divides into two books, one opening from the left and one from the right, that are meant to be read simultaneously. The reader is immediately drawn into the everyday world of the two boys and their families. The reader is fascinated by a double page spread for each illustrating their day. The children get up, have a meal and father goes off to work and so on. At the end the two families are united by the beautiful rug that the Moroccan family have woven and which the Western family has purchased. For all the differences between how the two families live, it is the similarities that will draw the reader back to the pages, realising that that it is the love of a family that is what is important, and that love exists no matter where their community or home. As Baker says, 'inwardly we are so alike it could be each other we see when we look in a mirror.'
Of course, as readers who are familiar with Baker's wonderful collages know, it is the illustrations, as well as the thought provoking ideas about culture and love, that make this book stand out. The pictures made from sand and cloth, paper and tin are superb, each one finely detailed and beautiful.
This is an outstanding book, both for how it extends our understanding of the world and another culture, but for the sheer beauty of the illustrations and design. It is sure to be featured in many awards.
Pat Pledger

The unicorn princess by Babette Cole

Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN 978 0747599319.
(Ages 7+) The first in the series, Fetlocks Hall, which tells of a famous riding academy in England where students are hand picked to go as a result of their having very special gifs, unseen by most people. Penny is spotted by her riding teacher as one with just such special gifts and is hand picked to attend the school. Knowing her parents have no spare money for such an undertaking, Penny receives a scholarship and so is derided by some of the smarter more affluent girls in the school. But the kindness of the staff and other students make up for this. She is amazed at the unicorns which stand astride the stairs to the hall, and even more amazed when one of the stone statues winks at her. So begins an unimaginable adventure which sees Penny installed as a Unicorn Princess, one with special powers of flight on her horse, Peach, and given special gifts which she can use to fight those that want to take the place over.
The fantasy story is highly imaginative as Penny finds her wings and solves some of the problems occurring at the Hall, not least of which is the bullying girls. A story young girls will read with pleasure, seeking out those that follow it.
Fran Knight

The Byron journals by Daniel Ducrou

Text Publishing. ISBN 9781921656460.
(Ages 15+) This book is about a boy named Andrew, who lives in Adelaide and travels to Byron Bay in NSW for schoolies week. He goes to a party with his brother and his friends and ends up drumming with a band. He meets up with Heidi also from Adelaide.
Andrew goes to live with Heidi and two of her friends (also band members). He gets involved in their drug cultivation scheme. This gives Andrew his excuse he needs t stay away from Adelaide, where his family life is all messed up.
Andrew gets in over his head with the drugs. Heidi becomes unstable from her inner demons and the drugs. Andrew and the band play gigs in NSW where they plan to sell their drug crop. Then there is an almost fatal accident and things start to change for the worst.
The theme of this book is the effects of drugs, also relationships both with the opposite sex and parents. This book is best suited for students in Yr.10 or above.
Lorrain Robertson

The paradise garden by Colin Thompson

Random House Australia, 2010 (1998). ISBN978 1741664195.
Recommended. Picture book. Escaping from the narrow, noise filled streets of his home, Peter finds a garden. It is a wonderful place, peaceful and calm. He contemplates the many new plants and animal life, the forests, the trees and the ponds. He learns to live in this magical place, eating bananas from the trees in the palm house, washing his clothes in the lotus pond and sleeping under the stars. All the way through hints are given of his life before the garden, where he lived a lonely life, torn between his separated parents, living in a house where the neighbours' yelling could be heard and the noise from the street invaded his home.
The illustrations take the eye through the gardens, and as with all of Colin Thompson's wonderful books, there is a myriad of detail to contemplate and admire. Each page is brimming with ideas and framed with drawings which give another element to the story. And on each page Peter can be found. I love the double page spread which shows the gnarled tree trunk spreading across both pages, with little windows, drawers and doors peeping though. Hanging in the tree are many small houses, each with their lights on inside. Ladders and lifts, tunnels and stairways make their way to each of the houses.
The magic of his drawings is paralleled by the story of one boy running away but coming home a wiser person, bringing some of what he found home with him. The last page showing his narrow cottage in a narrow street, but with a green, flower filled garden, shows what he has learnt, and even though things at home may not have changed, he has the ability to take his garden with him.
Thompson's work always fills me with awe. I can imagine kids having a great time looking at the detail and being very aware of the theme of this book.
Fran Knight

The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

Razorbill Penguin, 2010. ISBN 9780141327303.
(Age 12+) This is a first novel by English author Eve Edwards who has a strong interest in Tudor times; this historical romance is obviously very well researched.
The story opens in 1578 when Ellie (Lady Eleanor Rodriguez of San Jaime) first sets eyes upon the young William Lacey. Ellie and her alchemist father are facing the wrath of William's family, upon discovery that the deluded man cannot make gold out of metal after all, yet much of the Lacey's family fortune has been lost in this ridiculous quest. Ellie and her father are dishonourably banished from the court. Four years later Ellie meets William again but this time they fall passionately in love. This is a romance to be tried and tested; family honour is at stake when Ellie is not considered worthy of William's advances.His responsibility is to restore his family's fortune.
The historical backdrop is impressive - war with Spain, conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants, court life and appearances made by Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth I.  Here is splendid historical detail - costumes, foods, conventions - all contained within an interesting narrative.  Young readers of historical novels will enjoy this story, and, as the subject matter is more of a human drama, rather than witchcraft and magic, new readers to the genre should take pleasure in the historical context. Discovering the turmoil in the minds of the young, living at this time, and the need to make imperative decisions for the sake of family and social standing, will highlight the differences with modern society.
This is a well written novel, especially suiting girls in the age group 12+.
Julie Wells

Dragonblood series by Michael Dahl

Ill. by Federico Piatti. Raintree, 2010. Raintree, 2010.
(Age 10+) Suitable for reluctant readers. Each book in this series starts with the words: 'A new Age of dragons is about to begin. The powerful creatures will return to rule the world once more, but this time it will be different. This time, they will have allies who will help them. Around the world some young humans are making a strange discovery. They are learning that they were born with dragon blood - blood that gives them amazing powers.'
Another set of books in the Dragonblood series, this time illustrated by Federico Piatti, will be welcomed by children who want a quick but compelling read. Each book has a small amount of print on the page, with an interesting type face that leads the eye onto words further on the page. The main characters are older adolescents and adults, so older reluctant or less able readers will not feel that they are reading books designed for young children. The stories are interesting and can be read very quickly by the more proficient reader, so will be useful on a spinner of 'Quick reads' in the library or in the classroom. Each book has different facts about the theme of the story, eg The Missing Fang looks at fangs through history, and there are discussion questions and writing prompts.

Dead Wings by Michael Dahl. ISBN: 978 1 40621 536 6
Dragon Cowboy by Michael Dahl. ISBN: 978 1 40621 537 3
The Girl who Breathed Fire by Michael Dahl. ISBN: 978 1 40621 535 9
Eye of the Monster by Michael Dahl. ISBN: 978 1 40621 538 0
Wings Above the Waves by Michael Dahl. ISBN: 978 1 40621 534 2
The Missing Fang by Michael Dahl. ISBN: 978 1 40621 533 5
Pat Pledger

April Underhill, tooth fairy by Bob Graham

The pig's knickers by Jonathan Emmet and Vanessa Cabban

Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 978 1406316247.
Picture book. When Pig grumbles about being plain and ordinary, a pair of knickers flies into her face, blown from the clothesline at the farm. She is delighted, and tries them on, feeling that they make her special. Being the prefect colour and the right size, she parades them around the farm, asking the other animals what they think. Politely they all tell her that she looks amazing, astonishing and astounding.  She is overwhelmed with delight. That night she washes her knickers and hangs them out to dry, only to find them gone in the morning. She is devastated. When she cries to her friends, they all tell her that it was not the knickers that made her astounding, but herself. A twist at the end will leave classes laughing.
A delightful story about being yourself, and the very specialness of each child, this story will be a great way of introducing the ideas around what makes a person unique. Kids will love the drawing of the pig with the knickers and then the other piece of underwear she finds. They will delight at the animals trying to help her see that she does not need anything else to make her special, and will giggle with the goat who so decidedly ate the knickers, whistling to itself in the background. Readers will love the looks on the animals' faces as they try to convince the pig that she is indeed special.
I loved the uncompromising use of language, new words for readers to get their mouths around and assimilate into their own vocabulary.
Fran Knight

The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher by Doug MacLeod

Penguin Books, 2010. ISBN 9780143203919, p/b, 303pp.
Highly recommended (for ages 14+). The title and cover of this novel are major attractions - one cannot resist picking it off the shelf and checking it out! Once the story begins, there is no thought of putting the book back on the shelf! Doug MacLeod has the reader hooked from the first page. Set in England in 1828, the opening pages take the reader at night to a ghostly cemetery where Thomas Timewell is digging up the corpse of his grandfather, buried only that day. He has good reason for doing this but is interrupted by the appearance of 'professional' body-snatcher. This is Plenitude and he offers to help Thomas with this grisly task.
There is much to discover about Plenitude and his life, and he has some amazing colleagues. Weaving through Thomas' story are fantastic characters as well - we meet his disoriented mother, the alcoholic housekeeper Mrs Greenough, his worldly 14 year old adopted brother John, his insecure school friend Charlie Callow, his obsessive teacher Mr Atkins, and the author of some ghastly popular fiction Mr Wilks who is not what he seems.
This is a clever black comedy full of gruesome and outrageous adventures.
Wildly imagined, the story keeps us reading! We are shown much of English society at the time - London at night, the prison system, class inequality and the publishing industry, plus plenty of body-snatching!  MacLeod's story is somewhat gross and confronting at times, but he cleverly balances this with humour and a strong sense of the importance of family, loyalty and friendship.
I invite you to check out Doug MacLeod's website too - it is a beauty.
This book should have a wide teenage audience - adults will love it too.
Julie Wells

Hopscotch: Golden Scarab by Ian Trevaskis

Walker Books; 2010.
(Age 10-13) This is the second book in the Hopscotch series where the adventurous Hannah and Jake are sucked into a game and are taken to an ancient civilization. In the first book they are transported back to Ancient Greece. In this edition they travel back to Ancient Egypt. Reminiscent of a young Indiana Jones this is a great series that has some historical knowledge of the times of the Pharaoh's and tomb raiders.  We learn early on that they have lost the device that takes them home which adds further complexity to the story. A great read for year 5-7 who are looking for a new quest to follow.
Wendy Rutten