Random House Australia, 2009.
Just as the university year comes to the end, and Aubrey's loyal friend
George is (remarkably) making sixes during a game of cricket, an
ensorcelled storm cloud concealing enemy forces causes massive
disruption, dropping a magically enhanced depth charge right over the
game. Aubrey would be dead except for the appearance of Kiefer, a
suspicious character, who gifts him a Beccaria cage. This device
brings Aubrey peace from the debilitating effects of his past brush
with death Magic. (Or does it?)
Aubrey tries to assassinate his cousin the Prince whilst ensorcelled.
The dastardly Dr Tremaine again seems to be the source of this and
other unfolding events. So Aubrey and George travel to Holmland by
train, on a mission to thwart Dr Tremaine. Aubrey is pushed out of the
train by a member of an ancient secret group, only to fall into the
hands of another rebel group.
The redoubtable Caroline joins them in their searches after an attempt
is made to kill Mrs Fitzwilliam. Caroline, George and Aubrey are pulled
into the half world of Dr Tremaine's comatose sister Sylvia. Just when
they think they have solved the problem by containing Dr Tremaine in a
pearl (too easy to be true), everything falls apart and war with
Holmland seems inevitable.
Michael Pryor presents a world strangely parallel to our own at the
politically unstable time just before the Great War. The only
difference is that magic is a normal part of life, and Aubrey is adept
with magic as others might be with languages or maths.
Secondary students who like adventure with a bit of magic will enjoy
this exciting, eventful book.
S. Whittaker
Alive in the death zone by Lincoln Hall
Louis Braille Audio, Melbourne, 2009. (Random House Australia, 2008).
ISBN 978 1742123622. 3 CDs, 3 hours.
(Ages 12+) Non fiction. The introduction is breathtaking in
telling, succinctly what finding
his body on Mount Everest did for his rescuers, and the audience
captured, the story of how and why Lincoln Hall was on Mount Everest in
a position no other person has survived, came about. At high school in
Canberra a new physical education teacher, Norman Booth, taught rock
climbing skills, and took Lincoln and his friend Ralph to rocks in the
area, and places outside the Canberra region to climb. These included
the Warrumbungle Ranges, where the experience spurred him on toe climb
far afield. At university he joined the mountaineering club which
increased his skills and interest, and a group went to India to climb a
glacier in the Himalayas. This was the routine over the next number of
years, culminating in an attempt at climbing Mount Everest in 1987
which ended with him deciding never to attempt this again. Then he was
the photographer on a climb of a lesser mountain, but spying Everest in
the distance enticed him to try again, so in 2006, he found himself
back at Everest.
It is this story of what happened on Everest that is well known, but
listening to it on the CD is involving to a degree I hadn't expected.
David Tredinnick reads the story as if he was there. He draws the
listener in with his deliberately slow, deep tones. His reading is well
modulated and each word clearly enunciated so that all meaning behind
the words is revealed. His reading when telling us information, why
oxygen is lessened once you climb, or the importance of altitude, is
pointedly different from the voice used in telling the story, clearly
indicating that this information is important and has an impact on the
rest of the story.
Subtitled, Mount Everest Survival, this story is thrilling in
its
exposition, enticing in its information about a place very few of the
listeners have any knowledge or experience of and informative in the
range of facts given. We hear of the range of mountains in the world,
and their ranking and the first time each was climbed, the equipment
and how it is used, as well as the perils of climbing at such an
altitude. An amazing story, told with verve, will entrance all
listeners.
Fran Knight
Halo by Zizou Corder
Puffin, 2010.
(Age: 10+). Recommended. (Age 10-14) Highly recommended. Kyllarus, a
centaur, finds a tiny baby with a turtle shell strapped to her back
crawling along a beach. The baby has a tattoo on her forehead and is
wearing an owl amulet. He takes her home to his family, who name her
Halosydne, 'saved by the sea', and lovingly bring her up as a family
member. Disaster strikes when she is swimming with her centaur brother,
Arko. She is captured by fishermen and sold into slavery. She manages
to escape and tries to survive by cutting her hair and pretending to a
boy. However more misfortune befalls her and she is captured by a group
of Spartan boys, led by Leonidas. After a series of exciting
adventures, including going to see the Delphic Oracle, living in Athens
in Pericles' house and training to be a doctor and warrior, she
discovers the truth of her origins.
An exciting adventure story, with lots of action, the setting in
Ancient Greece makes this book stand out. I was gripped by the
descriptions of the Spartan community and the terrible trials the young
boys went through to become warriors. Greek religious beliefs were
described in an easy to understand way and Halo's trip to consult the
Delphic Oracle was fascinating. When Halo discovers that her uncle is
Pericles, who believes in the rights of man, I was fascinated by the
descriptions of medicine in Ancient Greece and the way that women were
treated.
Corder, a mother and daughter writing team, managed to remind me of
what I learnt studying Ancient History many years ago. Halo is sure to
educate a young reader about ancient Greece in the best way - the
reader may become so immersed in Halo's quest that the factual
information just becomes part of the story and easy to remember.
I loved the themes of mythical centaurs, slavery and the rights of
women. Recommended for both boys and girls from about 10 year of age.
Pat Pledger
Boy Zero: Wannabe Hero: The Petrifying Plot of the Plummeting Pants by Peter Millett
Illustrated by Steve May. Faber, 2010. ISBN: 9780571252473.
Recommended for Lower to Middle Primary. 'With all the galaxy's
superheroes taken hostage, it's up to Charlie to stop the world's pants
from plummeting. Will he be a HERO - or will he be a ZERO?'
Meet Charlie Applejack, the boy with some superhero powers and no skill
in using them. He's an unlikely hero, co-ordination is a
skill he has yet to acquire, but somehow he seems to always come up
trumps.
When General Pandemonium (the world's newest super villain) decides to
take over the world by zapping all the elastic and metal that holds up
pants and therefore making everyone bared bottomed, it is up to Charlie
and his new friend Josh to save the world from its embarrassing fate.
With plenty of bumbling characters, references to bare bottoms and
superheroes, this book will appeal to most young readers, and in
particular boys.
Zana Thiele
Alice-Miranda on Holiday by Jacqueline Harvey
Random House Australia, 2010. ISBN 9781864719840.
Recommended for girls 7-10. Alice-Miranda is an amiable character on a
mission to change lives and make the world a better place to live. She
is friends with everyone and finds nothing daunting about life at all.
This seven and a half year old with the wisdom and knowledge of an
adult has been away at boarding school, where no-one escapes her
infectious personality. In this novel she is home for the holidays and
apart from catching up with old friends on her parent's estate she
makes new friends and solves a few mysteries. She is joined by a school
friend who has been transformed by the indomitable Alice-Miranda. The
style of this story is reminiscent of older books, such as Pollyanna
written in 1913 by Eleanor H. Porter, and shares a few similarities
with that story.
Vicki Nunn
Anneli the art hater by Anne Fine
(Age 8-10) Recommended. A reissue of book first published in
1986, Anneli the art hater still has timeless appeal. Fine is
an award
winning author who has written a fascinating mystery.
Anneli hates art. She doesn't understand why others in her class are
happy to draw and paint, especially her friend Tom who revels in making
pictures. She does try to come up with some ideas to raise money for
new art equipment and to help the home for children with disabilities.
One day she discovers a small door that leads into the house next door
belonging to old Mrs Pears. Much to her disgust, she finds a room full
of paintings there and Mrs Pears explains that her brother Tom had
forged paintings, in the hope of raising money to run away from his
father, who didn't want him to paint. However war had intervened and
Tom had been killed. Mrs Pears has one of his paintings done before his
forgeries started, and Anneli is fascinated by the discrepancies it
portrays about the garden. Her investigations lead her to an intriguing
mystery.
Fine has a knack of describing wonderful people in her novels. Anneli's
independence and warmth and Mrs Pears' love for her brother pervade the
story. Both are strong, generous characters who are happy working to
better the lives of others.
Young independent readers will be intrigued by the clues in the
painting and will want to have a go at solving the riddle. I enjoyed
the plot and loved the happy conclusion. Art lovers will enjoy learning
about forgery and the idea of examining an painting closely for
underlying ideas.
Pat Pledger
Nobody's horse by Jane Smiley
Faber and Faber, 2010. ISBN 978-0571253548.
Recommended for horse lovers of all ages. I was immediately attracted
to the cover showing a gorgeous brown horse and found myself quickly
engrossed in the story of Abby and Grumpy George, a horse that bucks
her off and won't look her in the eye. Abby's father specialises in
buying horses that haven't reached their potential, training them and
then selling them on for a profit. He has Abby ride all the
horses so that he can tell prospective buyers that 'a little girl can
ride them'. Abby has problems at school as well, her best and only
friend Gloria, seems to be more interested in being friends with Stella
and when she is accused of stealing a necklace, everything seems to be
too much.
There is much to admire in Abby's character. She works tirelessly on
training the horses with her father and attending to the endless chores
that go with a working farm. Her fundamentalist father is a difficult
man and refuses to listen when Abby tries to tell him that she just
doesn't want to get back on Grumpy George when he bucks her off, but
Abby quietly makes some changes. Her brother Danny has already left
home because of a rift with his father, but Abby doesn't fuss about the
difficulties in her life. She is not allowed to become close to any of
the horses, who are all called George or Jewel so that Abby won't
become attached to them as individuals, but she calls the new baby colt
Jack and gently makes friends with him. She is stoical about the
bullying that goes on at school and loyal to her friend, Gloria.
I read with interest the different training methods that were used to
try and get Grumpy George to behave. People who have horses or those
who would love to have a horse will find invaluable the advice that Jem
Jarrow, a patient horse trainer, has to give Abby. It was great to see
Abby using that advice to help a less experienced rider become more
confident as well.
I loved this book: its calm setting in the 60's and its array of strong
characters made it easy to finish it in one sitting and the horse
content was excellent.
Pat Pledger
Adventures with Grandpa by Rosemary Mastnak
Hardie Grant Egmont, 2010. ISBN 9781921690761.
Picture book. Recommended. A companion volume to Cooking with
Grandma
and Dancing with Grandma, this time we see a little boy having
some
wonderful adventures with Grandpa, who has the most amazing shed full
of wonderful bits and pieces. The little boy is never sure of what
Grandpa will find in his 'magic cave'. It could be making a racing car,
playing in the tree house or swinging from a tire tied to an old
tree. What a great time the little boy and his dog and chook companions
have with Grandpa!
Watercolour is used lavishly, making the delightfully plump little boy
in his superman cape and his grandfather in checked shirt and overalls,
come alive for the reader. There is just so much detail in the
drawings, particularly in Grandpa's shed, that little people will have
an interesting time poring over the contents and comparing it with
their own sheds at home. It's little details like Grandpa fondling the
ears of the dog and the chook making an appearance on each page that
will enchant readers.
This is an ideal book for grandparents to have on their shelves, ready
to read to grandsons when they visit. It would also be a delightful
addition to a unit on the family. With its irregular rhyming story,
sometimes with internal rhymes and sometimes with sentence endings
rhyming, this would make a good read aloud as well.
Pat Pledger
Totally Bindi: Access all Areas by Jess Black
Random House Australia, 2010. ISBN 978 1864718584.
Packed full of quizzes and puzzles, fact files, glossy photos and
interviews, this soft cover book is much like a magazine. Lots of
activities and reading snippets - just the thing to read in bed before
lights out. It even comes with a pull out poster of Bindi on her horse.
Part biographical and part information, part interview, part quiz, this
large pink paperback would appeal to primary readers who like animals
and who have heard of Bindi, Steve Irwin's daughter, who has followed
in his footsteps by being involved with animals and the media. This
could be a good stocking filler for Christmas, or a birthday present.
It could be a good read-along with a parent, LAP or parent volunteer.
If the school library budget is limited I would be tempted to by pass
this in favour of non-fiction with an index. If the budget allows, it
would find an audience.
S. Whittaker
FArTHER by Grahame Baker-Smith
Templar, 2010. ISBN 9781848771260.
(Age 5+) Highly recommended. Grahame Baker-Smith, an illustrator who
was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway award in 2010, has written and
illustrated a wonderful and memorable book that could become a future
classic. A father, who lives high on a cliff overlooking a stormy sea,
has a dream of flying. He makes beautiful wings of paper and feathers,
but never quite manages to fly. Sometimes when he isn't preoccupied
with his dream of flight and air, he scoops his son up and they play
along the beach. He always returns to his dream until the day that he
is called up to war, never to return. His son decides to make his dream
come true and manages to soar across the sea.
This picture book is a work of art with its stunning illustrations
using collage, photographs and drawings. The pictures range from
beautiful double page illustrations to graphic novel type squares. The
sky and clouds are in beautiful soft blues while the boy and his father
are in rich browns. My favourite is of a beautiful flowering tree
that the boy and his mother planted to remember the father.
The story is thought provoking and looks at the power of dreams and how
they can become reality with determination and hard work. It also
examines the relationship between father and son and the continuity of
dreams. It is a book that draws the reader back again and again to
examine the ideas and delight in the illustrations and imagination that
produced such a powerful book.
This is a picture book that deserves a place on the shelves of all
libraries.
Pat Pledger
Bitter Chocolate by Sally Grindley
Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN 978 0747595021.
Beatings with a bicycle chain are a feared part of life for all the
boys who are working prisoners on a coco bean plantation. They hate the
overseer they nickname Le Couchon, who picks on them and wears them
down.
Pascal, an eleven-year-old Guinean boy, is worn down already from
experiences that he thinks of as no go areas for thought and
conversation. When he stops accepting the awful situation he is in, he
begins to remember what happened to him, and the horrible events he
experienced are gradually revealed to the reader.
As a ten year old, he has seen the death of his father at the hands of
rebels, has been caught, drugged and indoctrinated into becoming a boy
soldier by insurgents, and has been duped by con men.
Le Couchon's harassment of Pascal and his young peers sway Pascal to
action. He decides to escape with his friend Kojo, and find what is
left of his family. How can a young boy who experiences these degrading
situations find hope and escape? He needs help, and support. Who can he
trust? How can he find his mother and sisters so he can take on his
father's duties to help provide for the family?
Sally Grindley, a Smarties Prize Gold Medal winning author, has written
a thought-provoking story that provides some understanding about the
complex events that refugees and displaced people might experience. A
motivating group or class novel for upper primary and lower secondary
students studying enforced migration. A good weekend read for those who
like a current world issue spin. An asset for a middle school library.
S. Whittaker
The ABC book of Australian poetry compiled by Libby Hathorn
ABC Books, 2010. ISBN 978 07333201 4.
(Ages 8+) Poetry book. An exuberant collection of old and new
poems, this is the perfect book to have in the classroom and library.
Old favourites, with poets such as Banjo Paterson, C.J. Dennis and
Henry Lawson are sliced between newer poets, Les Murray, Steven Herrick
and Libby Hathorn, while others by Max Fatchen, Michael Leunig and
Peter Wesley-Smith are included.
Poems such as The big river (Steven Herrick), Old horse
(Max Fatchen)
and Dolphins (Peter McFarlane) sit easily alongside others more
well
known, Clancy of the Overflow, Click go the shears and Said
Hanrahan.
Some newer ones are full of fun and laughter, crying out to be shared,
Things that go squark (Peter Wesley-Snith) and The Bunyios
(Doug
McLeod). But whatever the reason to read these poems, they surprise,
delight and entertain whatever the occasion, be it in the classroom, on
the oval or in the staffroom. But all cry out to be read, and read
often, and read out loud! What a treat.
Fran Knight
Johnny Swanson by Eleanor Updale
David Fickling Books, 2010.
(Ages 9+). I guess it's an indication of Updale's creative flair that
she has managed to write an appealing and exciting mystery based
entirely around the BCG vaccination!
Johnny Swanson's Dad died in the Great War, just before Johnny was
born, and he and his Mum live frugally in the small village of
Stambleton. Eleven year old Johnny is small for his age and responds to
a newspaper advert promising him the secret to instant height. He duly
sends off his one shilling postal order (money secretly 'borrowed' from
his Mum) only to find he is the victim of a scam. However, Johnny soon
realises he can make money in exactly the same way, by offering sham
products to supposedly improve peoples' lives and raking in the
proceeds.
Meanwhile an outbreak of TB scares everyone in the village and Johnny
discovers that the kindly local GP wants the government to make the BCG
vaccine, discovered in France, freely available in England too.
However, the doctor is caught up in a murky underworld of scientific
greed and jealousy and pays with his life when he is brutally murdered.
Johnny's Mum, who works as the Doctor's cleaner, is framed for the
crime. Terrified his mother will be hanged, Johnny sets out to clear
her name.
This is a tightly written, unusual story that will appeal equally to
boys and girls. Updale is a superb storyteller and her plot is totally
original. There is a lot in this story to make you think. Youngsters
today are used to being consulted and listened to, so it will come as
quite a shock to experience life as Johnny does, where children may be
seen but are definitely not heard and are frequently sidelined,
ridiculed and abused. If your readers enjoyed The London Eye Mystery,
then
recommend
this
for
its similarly complex and involving plot. It
would also make an excellent read aloud story for upper junior classes.
Claire Larson
Operation Foxtrot Five by D.J. Stutley
Bushytail Books. ISBN 9780980676204.
Doug, the twins Aaron and Keryn, and Rachel are hiding from the
authorities with their friend Tori. The family want to keep together
after the death of their parents in a car accident. The court has
not allowed their friend Tori to take them in because of her heart
condition. Family services had placed them in separate homes, so they
had run away. After a year on the run the twins fill in a form at
school which alerts the authorities to their whereabouts. And now
Detective Sergeant Scott Backer is on their trail.
After a close shave Doug leaves notes for Backer, and talks with him on
the phone. At first he is angry at Backer warning him to keep away. He
wonders why large amount of resources are being put into finding them.
Doug comes to respect Scott, and the real reason for the search for the
children is revealed.
This is the first book of a series about this family, taking its name
from the way Scott Backer names his files. The plot is relatively
simple and easy to follow. The story is linear with no major sub plots.
Themes of loyalty and trust are found in the relationships between Tori
and the children, and in the one developing between Backer and Doug.
The book is not over long and deals with contemporary issues. It would
appeal to the reluctant teen reader of upper primary or lower secondary
age. Operation Foxtrot Five would be a useful book to have in a
school
library. D.J. Stutley has a website that offers
teacher's notes for Operation Foxtrot Five. They consist
of a range of
questions for each chapter. The adventures of the family
and Scott are pursued in further books dealing with issues with which
youth are certain to be familiar.
Sue Whittaker
Cows in the kitchen by June Crebbin
Illustrated by Katherine McEwen. Walker Books, 2010. ISBN 978 1406326321.
Picture book, Pre school. A rhyming version of an old song, Cows in
the kitchen is given a shake
up in this vibrant, exuberant picture book aimed at younger readers.
Each double page has a different line, Sheep on the sofa, baa baa baa,
is one an the pictures ont eh page show the sheep all over the patch
work sofa, having a great time. Each double page shows a different set
of animals causing mayhem in the farmhouse. But where is the farmer?
Asleep, of course, and when he wakes he turfs out all the animals, but
in falling asleep again, they creep back in. Reading, singing, or
yelling out loud, this book will be a hit with younger readers. The
colourful pages are full of interest for the very young, and the
repetitive rhyme encourages them to join in.
Fran Knight
