The Sydney Writers Festival gets underway from 18-24 May 2009. The Reading Stack has reviewed a number of recent books by some of the presenters.
Tim Baker – High Surf (Issue 3)
Tristan Bancks – Mac Slater Coolhunter series Book 1 and Book 2 (Issues 11 and 17)
Catherine Bateson – The Wish Pony (Issue 12)
Gary Bryson – Turtle (Issue 15)
Isobelle Carmody – The Stone Key (Issue 7)
Peter Corris – Blood Brothers (Issue 2), The Big Score (Issue 4), Open File (Issue 6)
Sophie Cunningham – Geography (Issue 10)
Lincoln Hall – Alive in the Death Zone (Issue 15)
Richard Harland – Sassycat (Issue 5)
Wendy Harmer – Pearlie and her Pink Shell (Issue 8)
Maureen Helen – Other People’s Country (Issue 14)
Catherine Jinks – Evil Genius/Genius Squad (Issue 8), The Dark Mountain (Issue 13)
Lucienne Joy – Ulterior Motives (Issue 14)
Danny Katz – The Little Lunch Games (Issue 11)
Margo Lanagan – Tender Morsels (Issue 15)
Mal Peet – Tamar (Issue 1), The Penalty (Issue 2)
Rachel Power – The Divided Heart: Art and Motherhood (Issue 12)
Tohby Riddle – Dog & Bird See the Moon (Issue 2), Pink Freud (Issue 3)
James Roy – Town (Issue 15), Hunting Elephants (Issue 16)
Mitch Vane – Little Lunch Games (Issue 11), Dorothy’s Memory Book (Issue 11)
29 April 2009
27 April 2009
Arrival. The Strangers of Paragor Book One
by Charlotte McConaghy
black dog books. Australian, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy. Paperback. rrp $19.99
When I first read the publicity blurb I thought – “I’ve go to read this one.” There a
re shelves and shelves of science fiction/fantasy books everywhere I go but very few are written by a young author for a young adult audience. And McConaghy started writing Arrival when she was fourteen years of age.
Arrival is brilliant! McConaghy has created a magical world where ancient beasts (sabre-tooths), mythical creatures (elves, dragons, unicorns and Gods) mix with humans in the world of Paragor. It is a place reminiscent of the early 17th Century - jousting, bows and arrows, heavy armour, kings and queens and knights. This fantastic story kept me reading oblivious to life around me. I only looked up when I came to the last page.
The prophecy states when six “strangers” or “Bright Ones” arrive from Earth through a portal, the world of Paragor will be saved. The problem is when the six 21st century teenagers jump through they have no idea how to save anything.
Jane, Anna, Mia, Harry, Luca and Jack are best friends on Earth. They have each been having the same dream about an angel and Gods. They decide to follow Harry’s wild idea that at the top of a small mountain just over the cliff there is a portal. When the six decide to jump through the portal they do so together, but when they awaken on the other side they are all separated and in strange places.
Arrival is the first book of what promises to be a mesmerising series. Arrival is the story of Jane, Anna, Harry and Luca as these four help the ruling Kings of Paragor and the Gods, to overcome Leostrial, the self-imposed King of Lapis Matyr. Mia and Jack, the other two “Bright Ones” story is not yet told – Book two, I am hoping, will tell us more.
So now, dear readers, we must await for McConaghy to bring out book two of the Strangers of Paragor. I only hope the wait is not too long.
When I first read the publicity blurb I thought – “I’ve go to read this one.” There a
re shelves and shelves of science fiction/fantasy books everywhere I go but very few are written by a young author for a young adult audience. And McConaghy started writing Arrival when she was fourteen years of age.Arrival is brilliant! McConaghy has created a magical world where ancient beasts (sabre-tooths), mythical creatures (elves, dragons, unicorns and Gods) mix with humans in the world of Paragor. It is a place reminiscent of the early 17th Century - jousting, bows and arrows, heavy armour, kings and queens and knights. This fantastic story kept me reading oblivious to life around me. I only looked up when I came to the last page.
The prophecy states when six “strangers” or “Bright Ones” arrive from Earth through a portal, the world of Paragor will be saved. The problem is when the six 21st century teenagers jump through they have no idea how to save anything.
Jane, Anna, Mia, Harry, Luca and Jack are best friends on Earth. They have each been having the same dream about an angel and Gods. They decide to follow Harry’s wild idea that at the top of a small mountain just over the cliff there is a portal. When the six decide to jump through the portal they do so together, but when they awaken on the other side they are all separated and in strange places.
Arrival is the first book of what promises to be a mesmerising series. Arrival is the story of Jane, Anna, Harry and Luca as these four help the ruling Kings of Paragor and the Gods, to overcome Leostrial, the self-imposed King of Lapis Matyr. Mia and Jack, the other two “Bright Ones” story is not yet told – Book two, I am hoping, will tell us more.
So now, dear readers, we must await for McConaghy to bring out book two of the Strangers of Paragor. I only hope the wait is not too long.
Jasper McFlea will not eat his tea
by Lee Fox. Illustrated by Mitch Vane.
Lothian Children’s Books. Young Reader, Junior, Australian. Paperback rrp $16.99. Hardback rrp $28.99
Here is
a book for any parent who bangs their head against the wall trying to get their children to eat. I know – I’m one of them. Jasper McFlea will not eat his tea is a good story for young fussy eaters. There is a subliminal message here – well not that subliminal!
Jasper and his twin sister, Ginger won’t eat the same food. Ginger will try all sorts of food and eats everything. Jasper won’t eat anything except pasta. Together, Jasper and Ginger spend their summer playing cricket and make it into the grand final. But Jasper progressively grows tired and sick and his playing of cricket isn’t doing the trick. (The rhyming is rubbing off on me.)
Finally, under doctor’s orders, Jasper finds the cure to ensure he helps the cricket team do well.
“‘The secret,’ he says, ‘and please do not waste it, You don’t have to eat food, you just have to taste it.’”
In my many years of struggling to get my children to eat I forgot that one simple step.
This is a very entertaining and amusing rhyming story that had my youngest in stitches. Unfortunately for me, it’s his much older brother that doesn’t like his food! But if you know of a young child out there that is reluctant about eating, let them have a giggle, and a laugh and maybe…. with a little help from Jasper McFlea… (there’s that rhyme again!) it might just be a start!
Here is
a book for any parent who bangs their head against the wall trying to get their children to eat. I know – I’m one of them. Jasper McFlea will not eat his tea is a good story for young fussy eaters. There is a subliminal message here – well not that subliminal!Jasper and his twin sister, Ginger won’t eat the same food. Ginger will try all sorts of food and eats everything. Jasper won’t eat anything except pasta. Together, Jasper and Ginger spend their summer playing cricket and make it into the grand final. But Jasper progressively grows tired and sick and his playing of cricket isn’t doing the trick. (The rhyming is rubbing off on me.)
Finally, under doctor’s orders, Jasper finds the cure to ensure he helps the cricket team do well.
“‘The secret,’ he says, ‘and please do not waste it, You don’t have to eat food, you just have to taste it.’”
In my many years of struggling to get my children to eat I forgot that one simple step.
This is a very entertaining and amusing rhyming story that had my youngest in stitches. Unfortunately for me, it’s his much older brother that doesn’t like his food! But if you know of a young child out there that is reluctant about eating, let them have a giggle, and a laugh and maybe…. with a little help from Jasper McFlea… (there’s that rhyme again!) it might just be a start!
24 April 2009
I don’t want a posh dog
by Emma Dodd
Orchard books (Hachette Children’s). Picture, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $16.99
Have you ever had a child say ‘Can I have a dog, please, please, please?’. I don’t want a posh dog is a cute picture book for dog lovers of all ages but it is also a great start for parents and children thinking about becoming dog owners.
Beginning with the front cover, you will meet dogs of all shapes and sizes – from a posh dog, to a snappy dog, to a grunty, wheezy, puff dog. You will want to pat them all!
There are so many dogs out there to choose from but as Emma Dodd cleverly shows - what any child really wants is a dog that is just for them … “A dog I can call My Dog.”
The illustrations are gorgeous, cute and funny. My dog-loving daughter has spirited I don’t want a posh dog away to her room. And I now know we don’t have to worry about any more dogs in our house. We already have one - we all call it “My Dog”.
Have you ever had a child say ‘Can I have a dog, please, please, please?’. I don’t want a posh dog is a cute picture book for dog lovers of all ages but it is also a great start for parents and children thinking about becoming dog owners.
Beginning with the front cover, you will meet dogs of all shapes and sizes – from a posh dog, to a snappy dog, to a grunty, wheezy, puff dog. You will want to pat them all!
There are so many dogs out there to choose from but as Emma Dodd cleverly shows - what any child really wants is a dog that is just for them … “A dog I can call My Dog.”
The illustrations are gorgeous, cute and funny. My dog-loving daughter has spirited I don’t want a posh dog away to her room. And I now know we don’t have to worry about any more dogs in our house. We already have one - we all call it “My Dog”.
Travelling the World for UNICEF
The Wiggles
ABC Books. Australian, Picture, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95
The Wiggles are UNICEF Ambassadors and are off to visit places all over the world that UNICEF has helped. From Gawa in far north of Australia to Papua New Guinea, China, India, Africa, and Indonesia, the Wiggles learn a little bit about each country and what UNICEF does to help.
This is a wonderful book for young children to learn about the problems the world faces and how we can help. And not only do you get to read about your favourite band but you can also assist UNICEF by buying the book as the Wiggles will donate a percentage of each book sold to UNICEF.
The Wiggles are UNICEF Ambassadors and are off to visit places all over the world that UNICEF has helped. From Gawa in far north of Australia to Papua New Guinea, China, India, Africa, and Indonesia, the Wiggles learn a little bit about each country and what UNICEF does to help.
This is a wonderful book for young children to learn about the problems the world faces and how we can help. And not only do you get to read about your favourite band but you can also assist UNICEF by buying the book as the Wiggles will donate a percentage of each book sold to UNICEF.
Dorothy the Dinosaur’s Sydney Adventures
ABC Books. Australian, Picture, Young Reader. Hardback rrp $12.95
Dorothy the Dinosaur’s Sydney Adventures is the perfect present for a young child from another country. Not only will they get to meet Dorothy, if they haven’t already t
hrough the many Wiggles shows around the world, but they will also get to see a small piece of Sydney, Australia.
Dorothy visits the Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens and Taronga Park Zoo and Luna Park. She goes on a ferry ride to Manly and meets a Gadigal man, the traditional custodians of this part of the country.
A wonderful book to introduce children to two very popular Australian things– Dorothy the Dinosaur and Sydney!
Dorothy the Dinosaur’s Sydney Adventures is the perfect present for a young child from another country. Not only will they get to meet Dorothy, if they haven’t already t
hrough the many Wiggles shows around the world, but they will also get to see a small piece of Sydney, Australia.Dorothy visits the Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens and Taronga Park Zoo and Luna Park. She goes on a ferry ride to Manly and meets a Gadigal man, the traditional custodians of this part of the country.
A wonderful book to introduce children to two very popular Australian things– Dorothy the Dinosaur and Sydney!
23 April 2009
Bollywood Dreams
by Wendy Fitzgerald
Short Stop Press. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.99
Yesterday I went to India. To Bollywood twice! First, I finished reading Bollywood Dreams and secondly I watched Slumdog Millionaire, a movie set in India with a Bollywood theme. It was co-incidence but next time it won’t be. Bollywood is a fascinating subject.
Bollywood Dreams is the story of a young 16-year-old girl, India Singh, who lives on a la
rge tea plantation in Darjeeling. India sees everything through song and dance and one day wants to be a famous Bollywood star. But her father is very strict and when her chance comes to escape to Mumbai with a part in a movie, he ensures she can’t go.
A few days later India is in Sydney Australia, hating everything.
India thinks her family is narrow minded and old fashioned. They don’t see what she sees. But what India doesn’t realise is that she is also wearing blinkers and cannot see the wonderful opportunities her new country offers.
The story is a fresh approach to how it feels to be an immigrant teenager. Not only do India and her family come across some prejudice I didn’t realise would exist – especially in Australian schools – but discover they have some prejudices of their own.
The narrative has such an authentic feel that, I was surprised to find Fitzgerald is not Indian or an immigrant, but she did go to India on a writer’s retreat. There she found the inspiration for Bollywood Dreams. On her website she says “I developed some new skills. I now can cook dinner, read English subtitles and dance at the same time.” I too have been known to do all three but not to a Bollywood movie. I’m inclined to go and rent one because they are good fun. Or better yet – someone may just create a movie in Australia with Bollywood Dreams as the script. Perfect!
http://wendyfitzgerald.aampersanda.com/
Yesterday I went to India. To Bollywood twice! First, I finished reading Bollywood Dreams and secondly I watched Slumdog Millionaire, a movie set in India with a Bollywood theme. It was co-incidence but next time it won’t be. Bollywood is a fascinating subject.
Bollywood Dreams is the story of a young 16-year-old girl, India Singh, who lives on a la
rge tea plantation in Darjeeling. India sees everything through song and dance and one day wants to be a famous Bollywood star. But her father is very strict and when her chance comes to escape to Mumbai with a part in a movie, he ensures she can’t go.A few days later India is in Sydney Australia, hating everything.
India thinks her family is narrow minded and old fashioned. They don’t see what she sees. But what India doesn’t realise is that she is also wearing blinkers and cannot see the wonderful opportunities her new country offers.
The story is a fresh approach to how it feels to be an immigrant teenager. Not only do India and her family come across some prejudice I didn’t realise would exist – especially in Australian schools – but discover they have some prejudices of their own.
The narrative has such an authentic feel that, I was surprised to find Fitzgerald is not Indian or an immigrant, but she did go to India on a writer’s retreat. There she found the inspiration for Bollywood Dreams. On her website she says “I developed some new skills. I now can cook dinner, read English subtitles and dance at the same time.” I too have been known to do all three but not to a Bollywood movie. I’m inclined to go and rent one because they are good fun. Or better yet – someone may just create a movie in Australia with Bollywood Dreams as the script. Perfect!
http://wendyfitzgerald.aampersanda.com/
22 April 2009
When the Hip Chicks Went to War
by Pamela Rushby
Hachette Livre (Lothian). Young Adult Fiction, Australian. Paperback rrp $14.95
Set against a Vietnam War backdrop, this is a coming of age novel with a historical
twist. Sixteen-year-old Kathy drops out of her Catholic girls’ school to take up hairdressing and casual go-go dancing. She is soon bored with suburban life and signs up with an entertainment troupe to perform for soldiers in Vietnam.
Wearing trademark knee high white boots, fringes and bikini outfits, the Hipchicks (Kathy and her two new friends, Gaynor and Layla), are looking for fun and adventure. What they find instead, is the horrific reality of war, particularly when they perform for the wounded in camp hospitals.
It is hard to know who to trust. Their journalist confidante puts ‘the story’ first and even their own friendship becomes strained as the tour progresses.
Kathy is symbolic of the innocence with which many Australians approached the Vietnam War. And as it was for Kathy, their growing up was sudden and harsh. When Kathy returns she must deal with not only the trauma and tragedy she has witnessed but the stigma of having participated in the Vietnam War.
Seen through the eyes of a naive teenager, When the Hipchicks Went to War is an excellent insight into the issues and attitudes surrounding war in general and the Vietnam War in particular. The book has strong moral and historical value as an adjunct to study of the period.
http://www.hipchicks.com.au/ for competition, Vietnam War information and Hipchicks playlist.
Set against a Vietnam War backdrop, this is a coming of age novel with a historical
twist. Sixteen-year-old Kathy drops out of her Catholic girls’ school to take up hairdressing and casual go-go dancing. She is soon bored with suburban life and signs up with an entertainment troupe to perform for soldiers in Vietnam.Wearing trademark knee high white boots, fringes and bikini outfits, the Hipchicks (Kathy and her two new friends, Gaynor and Layla), are looking for fun and adventure. What they find instead, is the horrific reality of war, particularly when they perform for the wounded in camp hospitals.
It is hard to know who to trust. Their journalist confidante puts ‘the story’ first and even their own friendship becomes strained as the tour progresses.
Kathy is symbolic of the innocence with which many Australians approached the Vietnam War. And as it was for Kathy, their growing up was sudden and harsh. When Kathy returns she must deal with not only the trauma and tragedy she has witnessed but the stigma of having participated in the Vietnam War.
Seen through the eyes of a naive teenager, When the Hipchicks Went to War is an excellent insight into the issues and attitudes surrounding war in general and the Vietnam War in particular. The book has strong moral and historical value as an adjunct to study of the period.
http://www.hipchicks.com.au/ for competition, Vietnam War information and Hipchicks playlist.
21 April 2009
Blood Moon
by Garry Disher
The Text Publishing Company. Australian, Crime, Mystery. Paperback rrp $32.95
If you haven’t read any of Garry Disher’s books, you are really missing out on a read that will keep you intrigued until the very last page. I admit I have only read two of Disher’s books, Chain of Evidence (which won the 2007 Ned Kelly Award and was reviewed in Issue 5) and Blood Moon, but I always pass these ones onto my husband to read and he agrees with me – they are ‘must r
eads’.
Blood Moon is the fifth novel about Detective Inspector Hal Challis and Sargent Ellen Destry. It follows on from Chain of Evidence where Challis and Destry are now partners, not only in the police station where they work, but also in life. But don’t be fooled into thinking you will find plenty of romance. Far from it. Challis and Destry have crimes to solve and murderers to catch.
Set in the coastal town of Waterloo in Victoria, it is Schoolies Week and along with the influx of young school leavers, a more sinister element arrives ... Toolies.
The local private school’s pastoral counseller being brutally bashed, a girl accuses a boy of rape the year before and a woman is found dead. Are all these crimes related? Or does the moon’s eclipse have something to answer for?
Complicating the investigations, local police have problems within their own ranks. Challis has got his work cut out for him this time.
I love crime novels and Blood Moon is a very strong modern and realistic narrative. It is a gripping and entertaining read, which may well leave some parents feeling a little uneasy about end-of-school trips.
The Text Publishing Company. Australian, Crime, Mystery. Paperback rrp $32.95
If you haven’t read any of Garry Disher’s books, you are really missing out on a read that will keep you intrigued until the very last page. I admit I have only read two of Disher’s books, Chain of Evidence (which won the 2007 Ned Kelly Award and was reviewed in Issue 5) and Blood Moon, but I always pass these ones onto my husband to read and he agrees with me – they are ‘must r
eads’.Blood Moon is the fifth novel about Detective Inspector Hal Challis and Sargent Ellen Destry. It follows on from Chain of Evidence where Challis and Destry are now partners, not only in the police station where they work, but also in life. But don’t be fooled into thinking you will find plenty of romance. Far from it. Challis and Destry have crimes to solve and murderers to catch.
Set in the coastal town of Waterloo in Victoria, it is Schoolies Week and along with the influx of young school leavers, a more sinister element arrives ... Toolies.
The local private school’s pastoral counseller being brutally bashed, a girl accuses a boy of rape the year before and a woman is found dead. Are all these crimes related? Or does the moon’s eclipse have something to answer for?
Complicating the investigations, local police have problems within their own ranks. Challis has got his work cut out for him this time.
I love crime novels and Blood Moon is a very strong modern and realistic narrative. It is a gripping and entertaining read, which may well leave some parents feeling a little uneasy about end-of-school trips.
20 April 2009
The I LOVE YOU Book
by Todd Parr
ABC Books. Young Reader, Picture. Paperback rrp $14.95
I sat down in bed with my young son and opened The I LOVE YOU Book. Soon he and I were hugging, cuddling, kissing, pretending to be sick or sleeping. My son recognised many o
f the characters from the television series, Todd World. I just loved Todd Parr’s bright, bold colours and simple drawings.
My son’s favourite page was “I love you when you are stinky.” My favourite was “I love you when you give me kisses.” And thanks to this book, I got lots.
A great book for beginner readers and a great book to help for mums and dads, even grandparents, wrangle that extra hug, cuddle, kiss or giggle.
http://www.toddparr.com/
I sat down in bed with my young son and opened The I LOVE YOU Book. Soon he and I were hugging, cuddling, kissing, pretending to be sick or sleeping. My son recognised many o
f the characters from the television series, Todd World. I just loved Todd Parr’s bright, bold colours and simple drawings.My son’s favourite page was “I love you when you are stinky.” My favourite was “I love you when you give me kisses.” And thanks to this book, I got lots.
A great book for beginner readers and a great book to help for mums and dads, even grandparents, wrangle that extra hug, cuddle, kiss or giggle.
http://www.toddparr.com/
How Big is Big?
by 1-2W Curl Curl North Public School and Gretel Watson
ABC Books. Young Reader, Junior, Australian. Paperback rrp $16.95
Here is a book that was created by young Australian primary students, for young primary school students. The result - a unique book that should be used in schools everywhere!
All the artwork/collage has been done by the students and the questions are aimed for children aged between five and … well I was struggling to answer some!
The children go on an excursion around Australia to discover “How Big is Big?”. As they travel from the Big Banana, to the Big Prawn to the Big Pineapple, they find that things just keep getting bigger and bigger. When they hit the Great Barrier Reef they feel they may have discovered the answer. But then Uluru comes along!
Along the journey there are important mathematical problems to solve such as how long is the wait in line to go to the toilet? And simpler, less urgent problems, such as 1+1. There are also observation skill games – try finding how many bananas are on the page.
This book is an excellent primary school classroom resource. And it’s a lot of fun.
Here is a book that was created by young Australian primary students, for young primary school students. The result - a unique book that should be used in schools everywhere!
All the artwork/collage has been done by the students and the questions are aimed for children aged between five and … well I was struggling to answer some!
The children go on an excursion around Australia to discover “How Big is Big?”. As they travel from the Big Banana, to the Big Prawn to the Big Pineapple, they find that things just keep getting bigger and bigger. When they hit the Great Barrier Reef they feel they may have discovered the answer. But then Uluru comes along!
Along the journey there are important mathematical problems to solve such as how long is the wait in line to go to the toilet? And simpler, less urgent problems, such as 1+1. There are also observation skill games – try finding how many bananas are on the page.
This book is an excellent primary school classroom resource. And it’s a lot of fun.
Bananas in Pyjamas
based on the original song by Carey Blyton
ABC Books. Young Reader, Picture, Australian. Paperback rrp $6.95
Now here
is a book that I recognise. It brings back many memories and in my family, is a treasured heirloom. My first copy of Bananas in Pyjamas is still in the bookshelf, missing a few pages, ripped, dog-eared, well-loved.
I was very relieved to find that the original release has been reprinted so my next generation child can love the Bananas just as much as my now teenage children did.
Every Australian knows the song and, in this house, we know every picture and what words are on each page. The “catch them unawares!” page is always the first to be sticky taped as that’s where we always try to grab each other in teddy bear hugs.
Thank you ABC.
Now here
is a book that I recognise. It brings back many memories and in my family, is a treasured heirloom. My first copy of Bananas in Pyjamas is still in the bookshelf, missing a few pages, ripped, dog-eared, well-loved.I was very relieved to find that the original release has been reprinted so my next generation child can love the Bananas just as much as my now teenage children did.
Every Australian knows the song and, in this house, we know every picture and what words are on each page. The “catch them unawares!” page is always the first to be sticky taped as that’s where we always try to grab each other in teddy bear hugs.
Thank you ABC.
19 April 2009
The Fairie - Numbers & Special Birthday Book
by Jen Watts
Numbers. ABC Books. Picture, Young Reader, Australian. Board book rrp
$14.95
Special Birthday Book. ABC Books. Young Reader, Junior, Australian. Hardback rrp $14.95
Here are another two magical Fairies books for the young fans of the series. Numbers is a useful book to help teach young children to count. Count the fairies, wands, butterflies or friends to reach to num
ber 10.
My Fairy Special Birthday Book will be a welcome addition to the library of young fairies everywhere, enabling them to keep track of all their friends and their birthdays. Each double page month has space to record friends’ birthdays for that month. Each month has at least one of The Fairies’ birthdays and their friends, so children can see who they can celebrate their birthday with. It also shows the month’s birthstone and birth flower.
Both these books will be much desired by The Fairies collectors or and will make a much-enjoyed birthday present.
http://www.thefairies.com/
Numbers. ABC Books. Picture, Young Reader, Australian. Board book rrp
$14.95Special Birthday Book. ABC Books. Young Reader, Junior, Australian. Hardback rrp $14.95
Here are another two magical Fairies books for the young fans of the series. Numbers is a useful book to help teach young children to count. Count the fairies, wands, butterflies or friends to reach to num
ber 10.My Fairy Special Birthday Book will be a welcome addition to the library of young fairies everywhere, enabling them to keep track of all their friends and their birthdays. Each double page month has space to record friends’ birthdays for that month. Each month has at least one of The Fairies’ birthdays and their friends, so children can see who they can celebrate their birthday with. It also shows the month’s birthstone and birth flower.
Both these books will be much desired by The Fairies collectors or and will make a much-enjoyed birthday present.
http://www.thefairies.com/
17 April 2009
Ten Mile River
by Paul Griffin
The Text Publishing Company. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95
Here is a novel for teenagers who like to live on the edge, like a bit of rap and enjoy A
merican culture. Griffin takes the reader deep into the dark and seedy side of Manhattan. You may have to re-read sentences and add a bit of “beat” to understand what is being said but the language makes it more real and in-your-face confronting.
Ten Mile River is the story of two teenage boys, Ray and José who have escaped foster care and juvenile detention centres for most of their young lives. They call each other “brothers”. Ray is a large shy boy and is smart. He likes to read. José is the street-smart boy who looks out for Ray and calls the shots. Ray would do whatever José says.
José and Ray spend their days hanging on the streets of Manhatten. They live in an abandoned building deep within Manhatten’s Ten Mile River Park. Their home is furnished from debris from the streets plus items they have stolen including a large screen television and games. At night they do ‘go to work’, doing jobs such as breaking car windows for a windshield repairer, or stealing cars for a mechanic. Life is good.
But then the boys meet Trini. Ray falls for her immediately but knows that José will win her. José always gets the girls. This time it is different for both Ray and José. Trini is the perfect girl in Ray’s eyes. He worships her shyly as a friend but José also feels she is very special and starts to treat her the way a girl should be treated. Trini could be the turning point for both boys.
Ten Mile River is a thought provoking read about children on the street, whether it is the US or even here in Australia. This is a good story, complete in itself, but I would like to know that there is another story coming out to finish where Griffin has left off!
Here is a novel for teenagers who like to live on the edge, like a bit of rap and enjoy A
merican culture. Griffin takes the reader deep into the dark and seedy side of Manhattan. You may have to re-read sentences and add a bit of “beat” to understand what is being said but the language makes it more real and in-your-face confronting.Ten Mile River is the story of two teenage boys, Ray and José who have escaped foster care and juvenile detention centres for most of their young lives. They call each other “brothers”. Ray is a large shy boy and is smart. He likes to read. José is the street-smart boy who looks out for Ray and calls the shots. Ray would do whatever José says.
José and Ray spend their days hanging on the streets of Manhatten. They live in an abandoned building deep within Manhatten’s Ten Mile River Park. Their home is furnished from debris from the streets plus items they have stolen including a large screen television and games. At night they do ‘go to work’, doing jobs such as breaking car windows for a windshield repairer, or stealing cars for a mechanic. Life is good.
But then the boys meet Trini. Ray falls for her immediately but knows that José will win her. José always gets the girls. This time it is different for both Ray and José. Trini is the perfect girl in Ray’s eyes. He worships her shyly as a friend but José also feels she is very special and starts to treat her the way a girl should be treated. Trini could be the turning point for both boys.
Ten Mile River is a thought provoking read about children on the street, whether it is the US or even here in Australia. This is a good story, complete in itself, but I would like to know that there is another story coming out to finish where Griffin has left off!
16 April 2009
Dragon Dawn
by Carole Wilkinson
black dog books. Junior, Australian. Paperback rrp $12.99
Dragon Dawn is the prequel to the award-winning and best-selling Dragonkeeper trilogy. The series follows the story of the elder dragon Danzi, the hatchling Kai and Ping, the slave girl who becomes their Dragonkeeper. The third book in the series, Dragon Moon, was the 2008 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Younger Readers.
In the prequel, we travel back in time to when Danzi is a youngster, not yet 1,000 years old. Cho-Men, Danzi’s Dragonkeeper, has died and Danzi is preparing to return the old man’s possessions to his family. Danzi has decided he doesn’t want or need another keeper. Humans don’t last very long anyway.
But on the journey he misses the company of his old friend and strikes up a new friendship with Bingwen, a young man earning money in the street with sleight of hand tricks. Danzi doesn’t approve of such trickery but the two are drawn together.
Dragonkeepers are born to specific families and have three key characteristics – they can hear dragon speech in their mind, they have second sight and are left-handed. Bingwen can hear Danzi and he has prophetic dreams. But he is right handed, his left hand crushed as a child. Could he still be a Dragonkeeper?
The book is set in exciting times. The armies of the Qin are marching from the north to besiege the cities of China. Danzi and Bingwen, searching for Cho-Men’s village, fly right into the middle of a battle zone.
I highly recommend Dragon Dawn and the entire Dragonkeeper series. It will appeal to boys and girls alike – whether they enjoy fantasy, history or just a good adventure.
15 April 2009
Ulterior Motives
by Lucienne Joy
Allen & Unwin. Australian, Romance, Adult Other. Paperback rrp$32.95
Ulterior Motives is the story of a woman in her 30’s, looking for love, to quote the old song, “in all the wrong places”..jpg)
Coco is an Australian journalist who has decided that the perfect man must be French, a certain age, height and weight, and loving, caring and good in bed. To meet this perfect man, Coco flies to France and starts working as a radio announcer for a radio station dedicated to the English expats working along the French Riviera.
She finds meeting the perfect French man is harder than she imagined. When an older American, Jack Villeneuve, asks her out she thinks it will be harmless fun. After all, she won’t be interested in him, he has none of her requirements for the perfect man.
Slowly Coco realises her perfect man might just be the one she is with . . . Jack! He is wealthy, charming, wonderful in bed, and from French-Swiss stock (so there is that little bit of French there). Besides he knows what he wants - Coco. When Jack goes to America on a business trip Coco realises the feeling is reciprocated. She wants him too.
Coco and Jack get married after only knowing each other a few months. Things start to take an unexpected detour in the bedroom for Coco. She isn’t a prude but Jack’s demands become more and more strange. Coco starts to question the basis of their marriage.
Ulterior Motives is a story of one woman’s journey into the sanctity of marriage and the side trips that only love can detour you from.
Ulterior Motives is the story of a woman in her 30’s, looking for love, to quote the old song, “in all the wrong places”.
.jpg)
Coco is an Australian journalist who has decided that the perfect man must be French, a certain age, height and weight, and loving, caring and good in bed. To meet this perfect man, Coco flies to France and starts working as a radio announcer for a radio station dedicated to the English expats working along the French Riviera.
She finds meeting the perfect French man is harder than she imagined. When an older American, Jack Villeneuve, asks her out she thinks it will be harmless fun. After all, she won’t be interested in him, he has none of her requirements for the perfect man.
Slowly Coco realises her perfect man might just be the one she is with . . . Jack! He is wealthy, charming, wonderful in bed, and from French-Swiss stock (so there is that little bit of French there). Besides he knows what he wants - Coco. When Jack goes to America on a business trip Coco realises the feeling is reciprocated. She wants him too.
Coco and Jack get married after only knowing each other a few months. Things start to take an unexpected detour in the bedroom for Coco. She isn’t a prude but Jack’s demands become more and more strange. Coco starts to question the basis of their marriage.
Ulterior Motives is a story of one woman’s journey into the sanctity of marriage and the side trips that only love can detour you from.
Town
By James Roy
UQP. Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $19.95
Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell
James Roy's Town opens on the first day of a new school year at Secondary College. The pace is light and.jpg)
relaxed, just as you are on the first day of school. The characters are so real that I’m sure I’ve seen one or two of them as I walk to the station. I’ve been in so many conversations where the dialogue is just like that in the book, that I wonder if James has been listening in. Pubescent boys try to be seductive, but only manage to make me laugh. Other characters are arrogant, frightened, grieving, jealous or disconnected. Just as each of us knows only a small part of anyone else’s story, each character in Town brings insider knowledge and blind spots. Their assumptions are often far from the truth. That’s where the drama unfolds.
A different voice speaks in each chapter. No one gets to update their version of the facts. Chapter by chapter, perspective adds layers to the story previously heard. The full picture remains just out of focus, urging the next page to be turned, just in case the answer lies beyond. It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle - hard to put down until the last piece falls into place. Even when the last page is read, some gaps remain.
As I reflect on the experience of walking the streets in Town, I can’t quite put my finger on ‘why’ I liked the book so much. It is not neatly packaged. As each chapter closes, loose ends dangle. Not all questions are answered, just like in life. Perhaps that’s why ‘Town’ won the 2008 'Golden Inky', Australias only teenage choice award for literature.
You can vote for your favourite books in the Golden and Silver Inky Awards each year. For more information check out: http://www.insideadog.com.au/
Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell
James Roy's Town opens on the first day of a new school year at Secondary College. The pace is light and
.jpg)
relaxed, just as you are on the first day of school. The characters are so real that I’m sure I’ve seen one or two of them as I walk to the station. I’ve been in so many conversations where the dialogue is just like that in the book, that I wonder if James has been listening in. Pubescent boys try to be seductive, but only manage to make me laugh. Other characters are arrogant, frightened, grieving, jealous or disconnected. Just as each of us knows only a small part of anyone else’s story, each character in Town brings insider knowledge and blind spots. Their assumptions are often far from the truth. That’s where the drama unfolds.A different voice speaks in each chapter. No one gets to update their version of the facts. Chapter by chapter, perspective adds layers to the story previously heard. The full picture remains just out of focus, urging the next page to be turned, just in case the answer lies beyond. It’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle - hard to put down until the last piece falls into place. Even when the last page is read, some gaps remain.
As I reflect on the experience of walking the streets in Town, I can’t quite put my finger on ‘why’ I liked the book so much. It is not neatly packaged. As each chapter closes, loose ends dangle. Not all questions are answered, just like in life. Perhaps that’s why ‘Town’ won the 2008 'Golden Inky', Australias only teenage choice award for literature.
You can vote for your favourite books in the Golden and Silver Inky Awards each year. For more information check out: http://www.insideadog.com.au/
Tender Morsels
by Margo Lanagan
Allen and Unwin. Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Australian. Paperback rrp $32.95
Tender Morsels is a book for defined tastes. It is not a light-hearted read nor is it an easy read. But if you are a connoisseur of fantasy stories then this is the book for you. I couldn’t phrase it better than the back cover blurb:
It is a gloriously told tale of journeys and transformations, penetrating the boundaries between male and female, reality and myth, nature and magic, conscious and unconscious, temporal and spiritual, human and beast.
Liga leads a truly miserable existence. Her life is one of servitude and sexual abuse by her father, who buys ‘potions’ to miscarry the children she conceives. Then he dies and Liga is finally free. Free to keep the baby inside her. She finds joy and purpose in motherhood. But the world has not finished punishing her and the village boys seek her out and gang rape her. She becomes pregnant again.
Liga then loses all hope. But a miraculous being offers Liga an entry to a ‘heaven’ on earth. There, in an idyllic place and time she raises the two girls, Branza and Urrda. The peace is only broken by the occasional intrusion of the ‘man bears’.
But eventually, hurried by Urrda’s curiosity, the border between ‘heaven’ and earth begins to unravel. Liga must learn to live in the real world again and provide protection for her daughters. She must face the men behind the bears, both good and bad.
There cannot be light without darkness. And vice versa. In this book you will find many layers of both. A challenging, entertaining and imaginative read.
amongamidwhile.blogspot.com
Tender Morsels is a book for defined tastes. It is not a light-hearted read nor is it an easy read. But if you are a connoisseur of fantasy stories then this is the book for you. I couldn’t phrase it better than the back cover blurb:
It is a gloriously told tale of journeys and transformations, penetrating the boundaries between male and female, reality and myth, nature and magic, conscious and unconscious, temporal and spiritual, human and beast.
Liga leads a truly miserable existence. Her life is one of servitude and sexual abuse by her father, who buys ‘potions’ to miscarry the children she conceives. Then he dies and Liga is finally free. Free to keep the baby inside her. She finds joy and purpose in motherhood. But the world has not finished punishing her and the village boys seek her out and gang rape her. She becomes pregnant again.
Liga then loses all hope. But a miraculous being offers Liga an entry to a ‘heaven’ on earth. There, in an idyllic place and time she raises the two girls, Branza and Urrda. The peace is only broken by the occasional intrusion of the ‘man bears’.
But eventually, hurried by Urrda’s curiosity, the border between ‘heaven’ and earth begins to unravel. Liga must learn to live in the real world again and provide protection for her daughters. She must face the men behind the bears, both good and bad.
There cannot be light without darkness. And vice versa. In this book you will find many layers of both. A challenging, entertaining and imaginative read.
amongamidwhile.blogspot.com
turtle
by Gary Bryson
Allen & Unwin. Adult Other, Australian. Paperback rrp $27.95
Reviewed By Anastasia Gonis
Donald Pinelli has been told by his unstable and manic mother Trixie that he is cursed and will die by drowning on his eighteenth birthday. Trixie has a valid reason for believing this, regardless of her existence in a delusional, withdrawn state which alternates with periods of coherence and construc.jpg)
tive activity. His brother, whom Donald calls Mr Disco because of his personality and interests, hates him, as does his younger sister, Luce. This is not merely a hatred that stems from sibling rivalry, but a tangible, pulsing hatred that robs Donald of any form of family life. Then there is his gangster father, Carlos, whose total disregard of family life, adds to the congested hopelessness in Donald’s mind.
It is not until Donald encounters a neglected turtle at an equally neglected zoo, that his life changes and hope is born inside him for the first time. The two bond immediately. The turtle-shaped birthmark on Donald’s neck reveals its significance. A communication begins between the two as the turtle teaches the boy how to start living, instead of waiting to die. The boy finally finds the strength to escape from his prison.
After a thirty-two year absence, Donald returns to Glasgow to attend Trixie’s funeral. His life is in tatters, but his return brings change to situations that till then had been cast in stone.
This is a beautifully written and deeply moving book that should receive the recognition it deserves. Part myth, part magic realism, the strong narrative voice of Donald sweeps through the book, carrying the reader with it. It attacks the destructiveness of dysfunctional families and how the absence of love can destroy the human spirit. It also addresses the importance of forgiveness, and letting go and starting over.
Donald Pinelli has been told by his unstable and manic mother Trixie that he is cursed and will die by drowning on his eighteenth birthday. Trixie has a valid reason for believing this, regardless of her existence in a delusional, withdrawn state which alternates with periods of coherence and construc
.jpg)
tive activity. His brother, whom Donald calls Mr Disco because of his personality and interests, hates him, as does his younger sister, Luce. This is not merely a hatred that stems from sibling rivalry, but a tangible, pulsing hatred that robs Donald of any form of family life. Then there is his gangster father, Carlos, whose total disregard of family life, adds to the congested hopelessness in Donald’s mind.It is not until Donald encounters a neglected turtle at an equally neglected zoo, that his life changes and hope is born inside him for the first time. The two bond immediately. The turtle-shaped birthmark on Donald’s neck reveals its significance. A communication begins between the two as the turtle teaches the boy how to start living, instead of waiting to die. The boy finally finds the strength to escape from his prison.
After a thirty-two year absence, Donald returns to Glasgow to attend Trixie’s funeral. His life is in tatters, but his return brings change to situations that till then had been cast in stone.
This is a beautifully written and deeply moving book that should receive the recognition it deserves. Part myth, part magic realism, the strong narrative voice of Donald sweeps through the book, carrying the reader with it. It attacks the destructiveness of dysfunctional families and how the absence of love can destroy the human spirit. It also addresses the importance of forgiveness, and letting go and starting over.
Alive in the Death Zone
by Lincoln Hall
Random House Australia. Junior Nonfiction, Australian. Hardback rrp $29.95
Every boy loves an adventure and this is a gigantic one – a real Australian story. Many primary school readers will already be familiar with the name of Lincoln Hall who in 2006 a.jpg)
lmost died on Mount Everest. His miraculous survival was headline news around the world.
In Alive in the Death Zone, Hall discusses why people climb mountains and how he first developed a passion for climbing when he was fifteen and the new Physical Education teacher took the class rock-climbing. He then takes the reader on some of his early experiences.
There is an interesting section on the history of climbing and stories of great feats such as the first successful ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing. The highlight is Hall’s own story – his fateful climb, subsequent rescue and long road to recovery.
Information is organised into chapters, sidebars and boxes – a technique sure to keep the interest of the reader. Lists of mountain heights and what Lincoln Hall carries in his climbing pack are effectively used to break up more concentrated information.
This book will appeal to anyone with a love of adventure or a fascination for mountain climbing. Boys especially will love it.
http://www.lincolnhall.net/
Review by Sandy Fussell reprinted courtesy of CoastKids Illawarra http://www.coastkidsillawarra.com/
Random House Australia. Junior Nonfiction, Australian. Hardback rrp $29.95
Every boy loves an adventure and this is a gigantic one – a real Australian story. Many primary school readers will already be familiar with the name of Lincoln Hall who in 2006 a
.jpg)
lmost died on Mount Everest. His miraculous survival was headline news around the world.In Alive in the Death Zone, Hall discusses why people climb mountains and how he first developed a passion for climbing when he was fifteen and the new Physical Education teacher took the class rock-climbing. He then takes the reader on some of his early experiences.
There is an interesting section on the history of climbing and stories of great feats such as the first successful ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing. The highlight is Hall’s own story – his fateful climb, subsequent rescue and long road to recovery.
Information is organised into chapters, sidebars and boxes – a technique sure to keep the interest of the reader. Lists of mountain heights and what Lincoln Hall carries in his climbing pack are effectively used to break up more concentrated information.
This book will appeal to anyone with a love of adventure or a fascination for mountain climbing. Boys especially will love it.
http://www.lincolnhall.net/
Review by Sandy Fussell reprinted courtesy of CoastKids Illawarra http://www.coastkidsillawarra.com/
14 April 2009
Aussie Kid Heroes
by Dianne Bates. Illustrated by Marjory Gardner.
Interactive Publications. Australian, Children's non-Fiction. Paperback, rrp $24.95
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis
Dianne Bates has compiled a well-researched and excellent mix of entries for her excellent Aussie Kid Heroes. As the name suggests, the book is all about true, amazing and astonishing feats of heroism, courage, strength, abilities and
other admirable traits, of children. They come under twelve different headings with a rich bibliography for anyone interested in further reading or research.
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis
Dianne Bates has compiled a well-researched and excellent mix of entries for her excellent Aussie Kid Heroes. As the name suggests, the book is all about true, amazing and astonishing feats of heroism, courage, strength, abilities and
other admirable traits, of children. They come under twelve different headings with a rich bibliography for anyone interested in further reading or research.It opens with an heroic story from Brave Kids, about sixteen-year-old Grace Bussell and Aboriginal stockman Sam Isaacs who in 1876, saved 40 people that were shipwrecked on the West Australian coast.
Inventors and Designers includes, along with lots of other true tales, the story of a 14 year-old flag designer who was joint winner in a competition in 1901, in which over 30,000 people entered. An 11 year-old invented a Pool Alarm System, and a 12 year-old devised an electronically operated watering system to protect trees from frost bite. To make cooking easier for disabled people, a nine-year-old created a three-geared, Super Turbo Mixer – an automatic pot stirrer that stirs cooking pots of liquid.
Included are the modern success stories of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Kate Richie and Claudia Karvan. There is the tale of a one-handed pianist, sport stories, and tales of enterprising kids that made great wealth from ideas they’d thought up. There is the moving and inspirational story of disabled champion athlete, Anne Curie, born without legs and a deformed right hand, who till four years-old was a State ward in a children’s home.
Then there are Caring Kids, a series of moving entries about heroic children who became the caregivers either to large families, and/or sick or disabled parents or siblings.
This is a rich, informative collection of modern and older stories that will interest, inspire and move readers deeply about children, known and unknown, who left their mark in some extraordinary and individual way on the world. Full of interesting facts, not a word is wasted within the 118 pages. This is a priceless addition to any bookshelf.
13 April 2009
3 Willows. A new sisterhood grows.
by Ann Brashares
Random House. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $17.95
This book is everywhere, riding on the coattails of its author’s best seller, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. But there is no need to do that. This is a book that will sell without being a little “sister” to another. It doesn’t need to hitch a ride.
3 Willows is the story of three teenage girls, Jo, Ama and Polly, who have grown up tog
ether, bonded and now, before starting high school, are starting to grow apart.
Jo has started hanging around other girls at school and being seen with Ama and Polly will not help her fit in with this new crowd. Ama is only interested in her smart friends and her books. And Polly doesn’t seem to be growing up as fast as her friends are and is feeling more and more left behind.
The summer break is starting and the three girls are spending the last summer before high school in very different settings. Jo is staying at her family’s beach house and working as a busgirl. Ama, surprisingly for a definite indoors type, has earned a scholarship on a wilderness trip. This is not what she expected. And Polly. Polly has no direction and now, no friends. She decides to embark on a modelling course.
All three girls, must face what they have left behind and where they are heading. And when tragedy, adversity and heartaches come to them, they realise that a life long friendship is something extremely hard to find.
A wonderful willow tree metaphor interweaves with the stories of the three girls.
‘The seeds of the willow are carried by long, silky white strands and widely dispersed on the wind.’
This book may be targeted at teenage girls but I loved it and my teenage years have left me many, many years ago.
The only question now … When is book 2 coming out?
This book is everywhere, riding on the coattails of its author’s best seller, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. But there is no need to do that. This is a book that will sell without being a little “sister” to another. It doesn’t need to hitch a ride.
3 Willows is the story of three teenage girls, Jo, Ama and Polly, who have grown up tog
ether, bonded and now, before starting high school, are starting to grow apart.Jo has started hanging around other girls at school and being seen with Ama and Polly will not help her fit in with this new crowd. Ama is only interested in her smart friends and her books. And Polly doesn’t seem to be growing up as fast as her friends are and is feeling more and more left behind.
The summer break is starting and the three girls are spending the last summer before high school in very different settings. Jo is staying at her family’s beach house and working as a busgirl. Ama, surprisingly for a definite indoors type, has earned a scholarship on a wilderness trip. This is not what she expected. And Polly. Polly has no direction and now, no friends. She decides to embark on a modelling course.
All three girls, must face what they have left behind and where they are heading. And when tragedy, adversity and heartaches come to them, they realise that a life long friendship is something extremely hard to find.
A wonderful willow tree metaphor interweaves with the stories of the three girls.
‘The seeds of the willow are carried by long, silky white strands and widely dispersed on the wind.’
This book may be targeted at teenage girls but I loved it and my teenage years have left me many, many years ago.
The only question now … When is book 2 coming out?
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins
by R A Spratt
Random House. Junior, Australian. Paperback rrp $14.95
W
hat child wouldn’t like to have a nanny that:
a) loved chocolate more than vegetables
b) believed spending money on boring school clothes would be better spent on a day at the zoo and … eating chocolate
c) was fired out of a cannon when working at the circus
d) was a pig.
Well Nanny Piggins is all that and more. Nanny Piggins runs away from the circus and is hired by Mr Green as the nanny for his three children, Derrick, Samantha and Michael. Mr Green is too busy to notice anything about his three children. If they are quiet and not bothering him, he is very happy.
Nanny Piggins is loved by the Green children and takes them on some wonderful adventures. She is very good at keeping the children and their father happy. Even when a 10 foot dancing bear moves in, Mr Green is blissfully oblivious.
Nanny Piggins will delight children everywhere with her antics. Each chapter is a short story in itself so it is a very good book for children who like to read in short bursts. A funny fantasy for children aged 8 to the age when they don’t need a nanny anymore.
http://www.raspratt.com/
Random House. Junior, Australian. Paperback rrp $14.95
W
hat child wouldn’t like to have a nanny that:a) loved chocolate more than vegetables
b) believed spending money on boring school clothes would be better spent on a day at the zoo and … eating chocolate
c) was fired out of a cannon when working at the circus
d) was a pig.
Well Nanny Piggins is all that and more. Nanny Piggins runs away from the circus and is hired by Mr Green as the nanny for his three children, Derrick, Samantha and Michael. Mr Green is too busy to notice anything about his three children. If they are quiet and not bothering him, he is very happy.
Nanny Piggins is loved by the Green children and takes them on some wonderful adventures. She is very good at keeping the children and their father happy. Even when a 10 foot dancing bear moves in, Mr Green is blissfully oblivious.
Nanny Piggins will delight children everywhere with her antics. Each chapter is a short story in itself so it is a very good book for children who like to read in short bursts. A funny fantasy for children aged 8 to the age when they don’t need a nanny anymore.
http://www.raspratt.com/
Roland Wright: At the Joust
by Tony Davis
Random House. Junior, Australian. Paperback rrp $12.95
At the Joust is the third book in the Roland Wright series. I’ll admit my bias up front. I live with a young Roland Wright fan – and we love his books.
Roland Wright is a well crafted series with heroes, villains, Nudge the mouse, a lot of humour and the best sort of history of all – battles, swords, armour and castles. At the Joust is no exception. Three chapters in and my son and I were ready to try a few longsword moves. It’s great fun acting out a scene from Roland Wright.
The exploration of friendship and rivalry provides positive values and role models. The castle is not so different to the playground. With the help of his friends and his own self-belief, Roland triumphs over the bully, and senior page, Hector. Roland also learns that jousting is not all heroism and fun when his friend, the brave Sir Lucas, is seriously injured.
While this book is a complete read in itself, to start with the third book would deprive a younger reader of the full enjoyment of Roland’s adventures. And as a parent, I am always conscious of the role a good series can play in keeping an emerging reading interest alive.
Gregory Roger’s black and white cartoon style drawings add to the humour and are great visuals (especially when doing an after reading re-enactment!). The pictures of Nudge are favourites in my house.
Girls will enjoy this book but boys will love it. Parents who read it aloud to their kids will have heaps of fun. I know!
Lightning Strikes Series: Freaky/Haunted
Freaky by Sue Whiting
Walker Books. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $12.95
Haunted by Lorraine Orman.
Walker Books. Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $12.95
Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell
Get struck by the suspense and the final punch. The main characters in Freaky and Haunted are sent to stay with relatives for the holidays. There’s no prospect of fun where they are going, and things spiral rapidly downwards from there.
Freaky
Jayden is e
asy to recognise. He’s the skateboarding enthusiast that goes to your Primary School or boy who lives nearby. He is always dramatic and builds suspense when telling any story. If anyone is going to have an uncomfortably close encounter with a giant cactus, it will be Jayden. I can almost see the glint in his eye as he lines up to try out a new skateboarding trick. If Jayden is involved, everything will go wrong. It’s just a matter of time.
But, Freaky is about more than a boy’s everyday calamities. The cactus incident is where the drama begins. From here, it just gets freakier. This book compels the reader to keep turning pages. Chapters are short with enough hooks to lead to a read-in-one-sitting.
Hey, I’m an adult, but I still couldn’t put the book down. I kept wondering, ‘but what have spiders got to do with anything?’ It didn’t take long to find out.
This book is perfect for kids (and adults) who like to scare the bejeebers out of themselves, but have a laugh along the way as well.
Freaky
Jayden is e
asy to recognise. He’s the skateboarding enthusiast that goes to your Primary School or boy who lives nearby. He is always dramatic and builds suspense when telling any story. If anyone is going to have an uncomfortably close encounter with a giant cactus, it will be Jayden. I can almost see the glint in his eye as he lines up to try out a new skateboarding trick. If Jayden is involved, everything will go wrong. It’s just a matter of time.But, Freaky is about more than a boy’s everyday calamities. The cactus incident is where the drama begins. From here, it just gets freakier. This book compels the reader to keep turning pages. Chapters are short with enough hooks to lead to a read-in-one-sitting.
Hey, I’m an adult, but I still couldn’t put the book down. I kept wondering, ‘but what have spiders got to do with anything?’ It didn’t take long to find out.
This book is perfect for kids (and adults) who like to scare the bejeebers out of themselves, but have a laugh along the way as well.
Haunted
Haunted might be seen as the girls’ version of Freaky, but I reckon boys and girls will love both books. Georgia has the usual problems. The boys are being painful, banding together and leaving her out. She wanders around the farm alone while her brother hooks up with the annoying cousin, Jeff. Finding a new friend in the abandoned farmhouse makes the holiday seem brighter, but there’s something not quite right. Things get complicated. And dangerous. I get freaked all over again.
Walker Books have found the perfect pitch for 8 to 12 year old girls and boys with the Lightning Strike Series. The main voices in each story are just like the kids in our street. Their tales are spine tingling, but believable. That’s why they are so creepy. Younger readers might be lured, but the regular spattering of more complex vocabulary should put them off. I’d stall giving these books to those inclined towards nightmares...
Haunted might be seen as the girls’ version of Freaky, but I reckon boys and girls will love both books. Georgia has the usual problems. The boys are being painful, banding together and leaving her out. She wanders around the farm alone while her brother hooks up with the annoying cousin, Jeff. Finding a new friend in the abandoned farmhouse makes the holiday seem brighter, but there’s something not quite right. Things get complicated. And dangerous. I get freaked all over again.
Walker Books have found the perfect pitch for 8 to 12 year old girls and boys with the Lightning Strike Series. The main voices in each story are just like the kids in our street. Their tales are spine tingling, but believable. That’s why they are so creepy. Younger readers might be lured, but the regular spattering of more complex vocabulary should put them off. I’d stall giving these books to those inclined towards nightmares...
10 April 2009
Editorial: Where have all the Talking Books Gone?
[This editorial reflects the personal opinion of The Editor, Barbara Brown, and not necessarily the opinion of the Editorial Team or the Reading Stack reviewers]
I have just spent the day (yesterday) trying to locate the "perfect" present for my mother's 86th birthday today! What - you ask? Well since she is losing her sight with Macular Degeneration I thought the best present for her would be a talking book.
What a great idea you say? I hear you! I thought I had hit on the perfect present.
Well I had but unfortunately the book retailers didn't agree. The two major book stores (large multinational companies) were very sad in their selection. One store obviously catered for someone who wanted to HEAR the music from Countdown (why when you could just buy the CD) or read all about football - now that would be lovely to hear how it would be "read"!!!
After fruitless searches we came across a miserable and meagre lot of "books" to offer a lovely, energetic, modern 86 year old woman. And oh no! Look at the price. Twice the cost of a printed book All I can say now is I hope that the book retailers start taking notice of people like my mother. She loves to read. She still has all her faculties (even though she is nearing the end of her eyesight). And yet, as a pensioner she now cannot afford to indulge in the pleasures of "hearing" the wonderful tales of the written words. And she is not in the minority.
I have had one friend offer to read all her favourite books to my mother. Just for the pleasure of reading them again. I won't say what I purchased for my mum but she can relax before bed now and listen to a great story of murder, mystery and intrigue. What? You thought she wanted a romance - not lately! But it might look like she may have to start reading all about her children's passions of the 80's!
If anyone knows of somewhere I can purchase good quality audio books for a reasonable price - please let me know.
I have just spent the day (yesterday) trying to locate the "perfect" present for my mother's 86th birthday today! What - you ask? Well since she is losing her sight with Macular Degeneration I thought the best present for her would be a talking book.
What a great idea you say? I hear you! I thought I had hit on the perfect present.
Well I had but unfortunately the book retailers didn't agree. The two major book stores (large multinational companies) were very sad in their selection. One store obviously catered for someone who wanted to HEAR the music from Countdown (why when you could just buy the CD) or read all about football - now that would be lovely to hear how it would be "read"!!!
After fruitless searches we came across a miserable and meagre lot of "books" to offer a lovely, energetic, modern 86 year old woman. And oh no! Look at the price. Twice the cost of a printed book All I can say now is I hope that the book retailers start taking notice of people like my mother. She loves to read. She still has all her faculties (even though she is nearing the end of her eyesight). And yet, as a pensioner she now cannot afford to indulge in the pleasures of "hearing" the wonderful tales of the written words. And she is not in the minority.
I have had one friend offer to read all her favourite books to my mother. Just for the pleasure of reading them again. I won't say what I purchased for my mum but she can relax before bed now and listen to a great story of murder, mystery and intrigue. What? You thought she wanted a romance - not lately! But it might look like she may have to start reading all about her children's passions of the 80's!
If anyone knows of somewhere I can purchase good quality audio books for a reasonable price - please let me know.
Other People's Country
by Maureen Helen
ABC Books. Australian, Adult Non-Fiction, Memoir. Paperback rrp $24.95
by Lee Fox
Lothian Children's Books. Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $17.99
Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell
Voices of those who have lived in Remote Indigenous Communities are rare. The names of the Indigenous who have died are not spoken by their People. It is forbidden. This makes books written by Aborigines themselves, almost non-existent. Those that do exist are not readily available in bookstores. The next best thing is voices of non-indigenous outsiders who have lived there. Even these books were hard to find until 2008.
Two books with the same name hit bookstores within months of each other. Their Publishers, genres and proposed readerships differed, but the essential content of the two books were th
e same.
In Other People’s Country by Lee Fox, Lola’s mum agrees to run the store in Wandana, a fictional Remote Indigenous Community. She takes Lola and her younger brother out of school to enjoy this life-changing experience. The three arrive without briefing about the inherent difficulties of life in the outback or unspoken community laws.
The practical challenges of living in an isolated community where the phones often go dead and fresh food isn’t always available, are mixed with more bewildering mysteries. People arrive on the doorstep to watch T.V. or ask for money, while disagreements in the community easily lead to violence. Lola’s little family fights home-sickness, while struggling to comprehend the ways of the Pitjantjatjarra people.
The difficult issue of racially-prejudiced white people working in positions of authority is explored, as is the alienation felt by half-caste Aborigines, caught between two worlds.
Lee Fox’s novel is deceptively simple, yet touches on many enigmas of remote outback living. She opens the door a crack, offers a digestible taste and then slams the door shut. I was left wanting more, despite the prickling heat, red dust up the nostrils and dog poo wherever I turned.
In the ABC books’ Other People’s Country, Maureen Helen shares a slice of her time as resident nurse in Jigalong. Fascinated by indigenous cultures, she accepts a job running a Health Clinic for around 300 people (plus visitors). She embarks on the journey, expecting to assist a fellow nurse. Instead, she is left to run the clinic single-handedly for weeks at a time. Describing herself as a coward, she attends to strangers in the middle of the night and faces gruesome medical emergencies.
Maureen’s personal safety is under threat at times. If someone dies at her hands, she may be subject to the Native Payback Laws. If she does not assist, she may still be subject to the same.
Despite this background of uncertainty, Maureen’s manner relaxes and so does her language, as she learns about the Martu people’s ways. It’s hard to be a community nurse, diagnosing illnesses and administering medications, when asking questions is not acceptable behaviour. She learns to walk the flimsy cultural tight-rope between two worlds. Maureen finds that Western solutions to Indigenous dilemmas often don’t work.
She shares her struggles and confusions in easy-to-read language. Her simple statements of fact strike more deeply than flowing, descriptive language ever could. The dialogues she records, bring life, colour and humour to a vibrant community whose customs are nothing like western ways. Whether right or wrong, the Martu apply justice unswervingly, challenging western thinking at every turn. Martu open-handed generosity outstrips that of the most dedicated Christian, while their inability to swerve from sometimes brutal Payback Laws defies belief.
Other People’s Country by Maureen Helen is a must read for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the daily life of an Aboriginal tribe, while Lee Fox’s fictional novel introduces young teens to a similar world at a slightly censored, more palatable level.
ABC Books. Australian, Adult Non-Fiction, Memoir. Paperback rrp $24.95
by Lee Fox
Lothian Children's Books. Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $17.99
Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell
Voices of those who have lived in Remote Indigenous Communities are rare. The names of the Indigenous who have died are not spoken by their People. It is forbidden. This makes books written by Aborigines themselves, almost non-existent. Those that do exist are not readily available in bookstores. The next best thing is voices of non-indigenous outsiders who have lived there. Even these books were hard to find until 2008.
Two books with the same name hit bookstores within months of each other. Their Publishers, genres and proposed readerships differed, but the essential content of the two books were th
e same.In Other People’s Country by Lee Fox, Lola’s mum agrees to run the store in Wandana, a fictional Remote Indigenous Community. She takes Lola and her younger brother out of school to enjoy this life-changing experience. The three arrive without briefing about the inherent difficulties of life in the outback or unspoken community laws.
The practical challenges of living in an isolated community where the phones often go dead and fresh food isn’t always available, are mixed with more bewildering mysteries. People arrive on the doorstep to watch T.V. or ask for money, while disagreements in the community easily lead to violence. Lola’s little family fights home-sickness, while struggling to comprehend the ways of the Pitjantjatjarra people.
The difficult issue of racially-prejudiced white people working in positions of authority is explored, as is the alienation felt by half-caste Aborigines, caught between two worlds.
Lee Fox’s novel is deceptively simple, yet touches on many enigmas of remote outback living. She opens the door a crack, offers a digestible taste and then slams the door shut. I was left wanting more, despite the prickling heat, red dust up the nostrils and dog poo wherever I turned.
In the ABC books’ Other People’s Country, Maureen Helen shares a slice of her time as resident nurse in Jigalong. Fascinated by indigenous cultures, she accepts a job running a Health Clinic for around 300 people (plus visitors). She embarks on the journey, expecting to assist a fellow nurse. Instead, she is left to run the clinic single-handedly for weeks at a time. Describing herself as a coward, she attends to strangers in the middle of the night and faces gruesome medical emergencies.
Maureen’s personal safety is under threat at times. If someone dies at her hands, she may be subject to the Native Payback Laws. If she does not assist, she may still be subject to the same.
Despite this background of uncertainty, Maureen’s manner relaxes and so does her language, as she learns about the Martu people’s ways. It’s hard to be a community nurse, diagnosing illnesses and administering medications, when asking questions is not acceptable behaviour. She learns to walk the flimsy cultural tight-rope between two worlds. Maureen finds that Western solutions to Indigenous dilemmas often don’t work.
She shares her struggles and confusions in easy-to-read language. Her simple statements of fact strike more deeply than flowing, descriptive language ever could. The dialogues she records, bring life, colour and humour to a vibrant community whose customs are nothing like western ways. Whether right or wrong, the Martu apply justice unswervingly, challenging western thinking at every turn. Martu open-handed generosity outstrips that of the most dedicated Christian, while their inability to swerve from sometimes brutal Payback Laws defies belief.
Other People’s Country by Maureen Helen is a must read for anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the daily life of an Aboriginal tribe, while Lee Fox’s fictional novel introduces young teens to a similar world at a slightly censored, more palatable level.
06 April 2009
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
Voices from a Medieval Village
By Laura Amy Schlitz. Illustrated by Robert Byrd.
Walker Books. Children's Non-Fiction. Paperback rrp $19.95
Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell
Many historical books for Primary School students covering the Medieval era fill their pages with graphics. Although ink and watercolour illustrations are tastefully sprinkled throughout, this book mesmerizes with its words. Twenty-one children from a Village in England describe significant moments in their lives so vividly that pictures are not needed.
Wandering the streets in 1255, I watched the Lord’s daughter cop a glob of mud slung by peasants, held my breath against the putrid stench of the Tannery and hoped that Barbary’s mother would survive childbirth. It was comforting to find the ‘half-wit’ had his own brand of wisdom and challenging to realise girls couldn’t be apprenticed, no matter how gifted they were. Unlikely friendships are struck in every land and every age and this medieval village is no exception.
Each child’s voice is so unique that I had easily imagined their contrasting homes, struggles and prejudices. The attitude of those living in privilege is clear, as are the frustrations of those who don’t.
Many historical books for Primary School students covering the Medieval era fill their pages with graphics. Although ink and watercolour illustrations are tastefully sprinkled throughout, this book mesmerizes with its words. Twenty-one children from a Village in England describe significant moments in their lives so vividly that pictures are not needed.
Wandering the streets in 1255, I watched the Lord’s daughter cop a glob of mud slung by peasants, held my breath against the putrid stench of the Tannery and hoped that Barbary’s mother would survive childbirth. It was comforting to find the ‘half-wit’ had his own brand of wisdom and challenging to realise girls couldn’t be apprenticed, no matter how gifted they were. Unlikely friendships are struck in every land and every age and this medieval village is no exception.
Each child’s voice is so unique that I had easily imagined their contrasting homes, struggles and prejudices. The attitude of those living in privilege is clear, as are the frustrations of those who don’t.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! is ingenious, not only in the depth and breadth of information it imparts, but by the fact that it is packaged as performance pieces. Laura Amy Schlitz knows children. Her monologues and duets allow every child to be the star of the show. This book is ready-made for a one-night performance extravaganza. My only regret is that there aren’t five or six more chapters to accommodate larger class sizes.
Martha's Journey
by Tracey Hawkins
New Frontier Publishing. Junior Fiction, Australian. Paperback rrp $14.95
Martha Winstanley was only 12 years old when, in 1880, she was sent away from her home in St Helens, England to live with an Aunt in Australia. Someone she had never even met. Martha’s father felt there were more op
portunities for a better life in Australia and forced his young daughter to leave her mother and loving extended family behind to travel the long sea voyage alone.
This is a true story as author Tracey Hawkins is Martha’s great-great-granddaughter. Inspired by the gift of a family heirloom, Martha’s original sea-chest, Tracey began the family tree research which ultimately led to the book, Martha’s Journey.
And what a fascinating journey it is. She makes new friends – Owens the sailor who always looks out for her, Mrs Wilby, who was once the cake baking opponent of her grandmother at the local fair and Sarah, a girl her age traveling with her mother. She survives homesickness, seasickness and the shipboard Matron.
In the beginning, Martha is unsure and afraid. As the voyage progresses her natural problem solving ability and compassionate nature sees her develop into a confident and capable girl. She is still fearful of what lies ahead when the ship reaches shore, but she is ready for what the journey’s end will bring.
I am not an avid reader of Australian history, fiction or non-fiction. Nor did I expect a story about a long sea trip to hold my attention. I was wonderfully surprised. This is a raw emotional piece of storytelling. The reader cannot help but experience every pitch of the boat and every step Martha takes. I cried in the middle of the coffee shop and I had to explain why I was laughing on the schoolyard steps. Martha is a character as large as the ocean she sails on.
Martha’s Journey is carefully researched, rich with authentic detail about the traveling conditions, day to day domestic tasks and social customs of the times. It’s an excellent way to learn Australian history. Put down the text book and read this!
I hope there is a sequel. I want to know how Martha faired on the streets of early Sydney. There are hints the Aunt has a possible mental illness so I am sure there are more trials and challenges ahead. Recommended for reading for enjoyment or as an Australian History resource.
Martha Winstanley was only 12 years old when, in 1880, she was sent away from her home in St Helens, England to live with an Aunt in Australia. Someone she had never even met. Martha’s father felt there were more op
portunities for a better life in Australia and forced his young daughter to leave her mother and loving extended family behind to travel the long sea voyage alone.This is a true story as author Tracey Hawkins is Martha’s great-great-granddaughter. Inspired by the gift of a family heirloom, Martha’s original sea-chest, Tracey began the family tree research which ultimately led to the book, Martha’s Journey.
And what a fascinating journey it is. She makes new friends – Owens the sailor who always looks out for her, Mrs Wilby, who was once the cake baking opponent of her grandmother at the local fair and Sarah, a girl her age traveling with her mother. She survives homesickness, seasickness and the shipboard Matron.
In the beginning, Martha is unsure and afraid. As the voyage progresses her natural problem solving ability and compassionate nature sees her develop into a confident and capable girl. She is still fearful of what lies ahead when the ship reaches shore, but she is ready for what the journey’s end will bring.
I am not an avid reader of Australian history, fiction or non-fiction. Nor did I expect a story about a long sea trip to hold my attention. I was wonderfully surprised. This is a raw emotional piece of storytelling. The reader cannot help but experience every pitch of the boat and every step Martha takes. I cried in the middle of the coffee shop and I had to explain why I was laughing on the schoolyard steps. Martha is a character as large as the ocean she sails on.
Martha’s Journey is carefully researched, rich with authentic detail about the traveling conditions, day to day domestic tasks and social customs of the times. It’s an excellent way to learn Australian history. Put down the text book and read this!
I hope there is a sequel. I want to know how Martha faired on the streets of early Sydney. There are hints the Aunt has a possible mental illness so I am sure there are more trials and challenges ahead. Recommended for reading for enjoyment or as an Australian History resource.
Dog Boy
by Eva Hornung
Text Publishing. Adult Other. Paperback rrp $32.95
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis Freelance Writer & Reviewer
This is an astonishing and highly original book of great depth, and perhaps one of the best books to be published this year. It
is confronting and real in its raw detail. The story was born from a news report about a boy in Moscow living with dogs. We enter the canine world and their psyche. We view their habits, the strict routines they follow, the way they hunt and share, their high intelligence and strong instincts.
The story begins in the frozen surrounds of Moscow and carries over till the boy is eight. Romochka is three years old when he is abandoned by his mother and uncle in a tenement that has been stripped bare. After three days he dares to venture outside into the frozen and forbidden world beyond. Distracted and hungry, he follows three dogs, a female Alpha dog and two others, that allow him to accompany them to their lair. His survival instincts lead him to find warmth and sustenance by suckling the mother beside the litter of newborns. Thus the child accepts a new design for living. He learns to be a dog, regardless of his weak sense of smell, by watching and copying the pups and the older dogs.
Danger lies outside the lair. It is a new world, ‘divided into realms of danger and safety’. People leave him alone as he’s seen as a demon and is feared, for he is always accompanied by the pack. Through the winters, Romochka is forced to venture forth to find food which is always shared with the pack. He again observes and learns, this time from the homeless children which beg in the warmth of the underground railway stations. This is his food source when hunting is impossible.
But this human animal is threatened by external forces; the militia, the homeless that surround him, hunger and the cold, and the curiosity of scientists. The extraordinary decision he faces when he is forced back into the human world brings a shattering climax to the dog boy’s life.
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis Freelance Writer & Reviewer
This is an astonishing and highly original book of great depth, and perhaps one of the best books to be published this year. It
is confronting and real in its raw detail. The story was born from a news report about a boy in Moscow living with dogs. We enter the canine world and their psyche. We view their habits, the strict routines they follow, the way they hunt and share, their high intelligence and strong instincts.The story begins in the frozen surrounds of Moscow and carries over till the boy is eight. Romochka is three years old when he is abandoned by his mother and uncle in a tenement that has been stripped bare. After three days he dares to venture outside into the frozen and forbidden world beyond. Distracted and hungry, he follows three dogs, a female Alpha dog and two others, that allow him to accompany them to their lair. His survival instincts lead him to find warmth and sustenance by suckling the mother beside the litter of newborns. Thus the child accepts a new design for living. He learns to be a dog, regardless of his weak sense of smell, by watching and copying the pups and the older dogs.
Danger lies outside the lair. It is a new world, ‘divided into realms of danger and safety’. People leave him alone as he’s seen as a demon and is feared, for he is always accompanied by the pack. Through the winters, Romochka is forced to venture forth to find food which is always shared with the pack. He again observes and learns, this time from the homeless children which beg in the warmth of the underground railway stations. This is his food source when hunting is impossible.
But this human animal is threatened by external forces; the militia, the homeless that surround him, hunger and the cold, and the curiosity of scientists. The extraordinary decision he faces when he is forced back into the human world brings a shattering climax to the dog boy’s life.
03 April 2009
Sad Book
By Michael Rosen
Walker Books. Picture book. Paperback rrp $16.95
Walker Books. Picture book. Paperback rrp $16.95
Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell
Today’s Picture Books are evolving. Many are designed specifically for adolescents and adults. Complex and abstract ideas come to life through graphics in a way that the written word alone can’t achieve. Some books are no longer appropriate for young children. The themes are too dark, the visuals border on frightening.
Michael Rosen has cleverly found a niche somewhere between the Graphic Novel for older readers and the traditional younger children’s Picture Book. By straddling the edges of both, he creates a deeply moving account of grief and depression.
The first page cuts straight to a very troubling truth. Many people don’t show how they really feel for fear they will be rejected. Quentin Blake’s double page spreads alternate between themes of grey and bright color, with some pages a mixture of both. Colour denotes hope and an ability to overcome the ‘sad’. Grey takes us deeper into aspects of grief and depression.
I was uncertain as I closed Sad Book. It affected me deeply. Would I share this story with a child? Its treasure lies in the clear and simple explanation of grief and depression. The author gives a reason for his grief. Many are unable to explain. This book provides a starting point for discussing how ‘sad’ feels. Why are Mummy or Daddy so different? How do they feel? What happened to make them sad?
This book shines because of the practical strategies offered to overcome being ‘sad’. Its brilliance lies in the tinge of grey that remains. Just as the more drab colours linger, so does the danger of relapse into depression for many. There are no quick or permanent cures. Someone who has struggled in the darkness knows that constant effort is required. Being mentally positive and filling the day with enjoyable activities are necessary skills for a positive life.
With the high incidence of depression in the modern world, as well as the natural place of grief and loss in most people’s lives, this book will be a family treasure. A beginning point for both discussions and practical solutions.
http://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/
Today’s Picture Books are evolving. Many are designed specifically for adolescents and adults. Complex and abstract ideas come to life through graphics in a way that the written word alone can’t achieve. Some books are no longer appropriate for young children. The themes are too dark, the visuals border on frightening.
Michael Rosen has cleverly found a niche somewhere between the Graphic Novel for older readers and the traditional younger children’s Picture Book. By straddling the edges of both, he creates a deeply moving account of grief and depression.
The first page cuts straight to a very troubling truth. Many people don’t show how they really feel for fear they will be rejected. Quentin Blake’s double page spreads alternate between themes of grey and bright color, with some pages a mixture of both. Colour denotes hope and an ability to overcome the ‘sad’. Grey takes us deeper into aspects of grief and depression.
I was uncertain as I closed Sad Book. It affected me deeply. Would I share this story with a child? Its treasure lies in the clear and simple explanation of grief and depression. The author gives a reason for his grief. Many are unable to explain. This book provides a starting point for discussing how ‘sad’ feels. Why are Mummy or Daddy so different? How do they feel? What happened to make them sad?
This book shines because of the practical strategies offered to overcome being ‘sad’. Its brilliance lies in the tinge of grey that remains. Just as the more drab colours linger, so does the danger of relapse into depression for many. There are no quick or permanent cures. Someone who has struggled in the darkness knows that constant effort is required. Being mentally positive and filling the day with enjoyable activities are necessary skills for a positive life.
With the high incidence of depression in the modern world, as well as the natural place of grief and loss in most people’s lives, this book will be a family treasure. A beginning point for both discussions and practical solutions.
The Middle Sheep
by Frances Watts
Illustrated by Judy Watson
ABC Books. Australian/Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis Freelance Writer and Reviewer
Ernie and
Maud are relatively new Superheroes, being trained at the Superheroes Society after winning a contest. Ernie is an only child and Maud is the middle sheep of a family of three, and is Ernie’s sidekick. Now known as Extraordinary Ernie and Marvellous Maud, they patrol their town on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, and all day Saturday. Resourceful and clever, they save, rescue or help anyone in distress or need. They are part of the Baxter Branch and are guided and mentored by the four older Branch members.
Being the one in the middle, Maud is frequently neglected and is at times invisible between her siblings. She revolts after her younger sister, Mavis, borrows her Superhero cape for her dress-ups. Her character changes to resentful and angry, alternating between spiteful and vindictive. She wants to be noticed. So she goes in search of other middle animals with the objective of finding her own sidekick, in an attempt to add validity to her own existence.
Maud’s sidekick try-outs are unsuccessful. None of the countless animals she interviews turn out to have the required characteristics she expects of a sidekick. While totally absorbed in her middle equality quest, she neglects Ernie. It’s when Maud experiences a series of mishaps which have catastrophic results that she reassesses her bad behaviour. She acknowledges that she has the perfect friendship with Ernie; that she is valued and worthwhile, and that it’s their mutual trust and teamwork that gives her a sense of value and importance as an individual.
This book is the second of a series. The first is Extraordinary Ernie and Marvellous Maud which introduces the Superheroes and their transformation, and coming soon is The Greatest Sheep in History. Highly readable, it teaches children about trust, the value of good friendships and the advantages of sharing. Through the personification of the animals ad the delightful and entertaining illustrations, it reflects and acknowledges children’s natural feelings, and suggests how negative thoughts and imaginings can be overcome and alleviated.
http://www.franceswatts.com/
Illustrated by Judy Watson
ABC Books. Australian/Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis Freelance Writer and Reviewer
Ernie and
Maud are relatively new Superheroes, being trained at the Superheroes Society after winning a contest. Ernie is an only child and Maud is the middle sheep of a family of three, and is Ernie’s sidekick. Now known as Extraordinary Ernie and Marvellous Maud, they patrol their town on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, and all day Saturday. Resourceful and clever, they save, rescue or help anyone in distress or need. They are part of the Baxter Branch and are guided and mentored by the four older Branch members.Being the one in the middle, Maud is frequently neglected and is at times invisible between her siblings. She revolts after her younger sister, Mavis, borrows her Superhero cape for her dress-ups. Her character changes to resentful and angry, alternating between spiteful and vindictive. She wants to be noticed. So she goes in search of other middle animals with the objective of finding her own sidekick, in an attempt to add validity to her own existence.
Maud’s sidekick try-outs are unsuccessful. None of the countless animals she interviews turn out to have the required characteristics she expects of a sidekick. While totally absorbed in her middle equality quest, she neglects Ernie. It’s when Maud experiences a series of mishaps which have catastrophic results that she reassesses her bad behaviour. She acknowledges that she has the perfect friendship with Ernie; that she is valued and worthwhile, and that it’s their mutual trust and teamwork that gives her a sense of value and importance as an individual.
This book is the second of a series. The first is Extraordinary Ernie and Marvellous Maud which introduces the Superheroes and their transformation, and coming soon is The Greatest Sheep in History. Highly readable, it teaches children about trust, the value of good friendships and the advantages of sharing. Through the personification of the animals ad the delightful and entertaining illustrations, it reflects and acknowledges children’s natural feelings, and suggests how negative thoughts and imaginings can be overcome and alleviated.
http://www.franceswatts.com/
Lame Duck Protest
by Goldie Alexander
Interactive Publications. Junior/Environmental, Australian. Hardcover rrp $24.95.
http://mgaudionart.blogspot.com/
Illustrated by Michele Gaudion
Interactive Publications. Junior/Environmental, Australian. Hardcover rrp $24.95.
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis, Freelance Writer and Reviewer
Goldie Alexander has written over sixty books for readers of all ages. Michele Gaudion’s focus no
w, is as Concept Visualiser. This role is evident in her exceptional interpretation of the text. The pictures are balanced between black and white charcoal and full colour glossy illustrations with exquisite borders. The story progresses frame by frame, adding visual beauty to the significant yet simple text.
Sisters Hannah and Zoe live close to a Reserve that is home to wild things, bushland, and nature in general. They find a wounded duck by the lake’s edge. They have been taught to respect and never interfere with living things in that area. But this is an exception. The duck needs medical attention.
The Vet tells them that Antonia the duck will recover but will always limp. The girls release it into the wild again after it has recovered enough to look after itself, despite that it has attached itself to Zoe, whom she believes is its mother. Zoe has been taught that wild things need to be free.
A new concern is born for the community. A Shopping Centre is planned for the area that houses the Reserve. Where will the children play? Where will the elderly stroll and sit and enjoy the environment if all this goes ahead? The whole community unites to protest against the destruction of their natural surroundings. Photographs are taken and published beside articles in the paper. This draws attention to the imminent disaster. Everyone joins the protest. They come dressed as birds and animals. They have a new way to express their concerns.
This beautifully presented book serves to bring into focus strong environmental issues directed at educating children about the need to fight to protect our natural world. Youth awareness is the key to the survival of wild birds, animals and countless other species that are under constant threat of being decimated by the destruction of their natural habitats. This book has succeeded in passing on this message.
http://www.goldiealexander.com/Goldie Alexander has written over sixty books for readers of all ages. Michele Gaudion’s focus no
w, is as Concept Visualiser. This role is evident in her exceptional interpretation of the text. The pictures are balanced between black and white charcoal and full colour glossy illustrations with exquisite borders. The story progresses frame by frame, adding visual beauty to the significant yet simple text.Sisters Hannah and Zoe live close to a Reserve that is home to wild things, bushland, and nature in general. They find a wounded duck by the lake’s edge. They have been taught to respect and never interfere with living things in that area. But this is an exception. The duck needs medical attention.
The Vet tells them that Antonia the duck will recover but will always limp. The girls release it into the wild again after it has recovered enough to look after itself, despite that it has attached itself to Zoe, whom she believes is its mother. Zoe has been taught that wild things need to be free.
A new concern is born for the community. A Shopping Centre is planned for the area that houses the Reserve. Where will the children play? Where will the elderly stroll and sit and enjoy the environment if all this goes ahead? The whole community unites to protest against the destruction of their natural surroundings. Photographs are taken and published beside articles in the paper. This draws attention to the imminent disaster. Everyone joins the protest. They come dressed as birds and animals. They have a new way to express their concerns.
This beautifully presented book serves to bring into focus strong environmental issues directed at educating children about the need to fight to protect our natural world. Youth awareness is the key to the survival of wild birds, animals and countless other species that are under constant threat of being decimated by the destruction of their natural habitats. This book has succeeded in passing on this message.
http://mgaudionart.blogspot.com/
Whose dinner?
by Jeannette Rowe
ABC Books. Australian Picture, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95
I totally forgot I had this book to review. Why? Because my five year old likes to have a book read to him each night by his fat
her and he had secretly taken possession of it. Only when he showed me something very funny in the book did I actually remember I had it.
There is no higher praise than that. Out of the mouths of (almost) babes. Brilliant.
Whose dinner? is a lift the flap book where you find out who is going to eat each of the items shown. I guessed wrong quite a few times. Colourful and vibrant and now very well read. Thank you Jeanette for making reading fun.
P.S. My son now is enquiring with great mirth when I am going to purchase one of the books featured on the back page, Whose poo? I must admit I am curious too… off to the book store I go!
http://www.jeannetterowe.com.au/
ABC Books. Australian Picture, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95
I totally forgot I had this book to review. Why? Because my five year old likes to have a book read to him each night by his fat
her and he had secretly taken possession of it. Only when he showed me something very funny in the book did I actually remember I had it.There is no higher praise than that. Out of the mouths of (almost) babes. Brilliant.
Whose dinner? is a lift the flap book where you find out who is going to eat each of the items shown. I guessed wrong quite a few times. Colourful and vibrant and now very well read. Thank you Jeanette for making reading fun.
P.S. My son now is enquiring with great mirth when I am going to purchase one of the books featured on the back page, Whose poo? I must admit I am curious too… off to the book store I go!
http://www.jeannetterowe.com.au/
Pop Princess
by Isabelle Merlin
Random House. Junior, Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $17.95
I didn’t get to even have a look at this book – it was snatched out of my hands by my 12½ year old daughter. This is the second book by Isabelle Merlin. I reviewed her debut release, Three Wishes, in Issue 9 and if you have read that you would have found out that my daughter tried to snatch it from me too. But I got lucky and read Three Wishes before she did - so I could get my review in on time.
Second time around I haven’t been so lucky. The only section I have managed to read of Pop Princess is the back cover blurb. But by far the biggest compliment to Merlin is that my daughter read the book in three days – her usual turn around time is approximately 2 months! And she hasn’t handed it over to me yet. I think I have to wait in line behind all her friends.
So I asked my daughter for a review. Typical answer was – “great”.
Pop Princess is about an Australian teenage, Lucie Rees, who gets to work for a very famous but troubled young pop start, Arizona Kingdom. The job is based in Paris. How lucky can Lucie be? That is until strange things start happening that put both Lucie and Arizona’s lives in danger.
That is all I can tell you so far – my daughter won’t give me any more information.
A feature which is sure to attract teenage readers is the interface to current technology. For Pop Princess you can listen to Arizona sing at www.bebo.com/sepajamax or you can add Max and Lucie as friends at www.bebo.com/MaxD955 or www.bebo.com/LucieO56 and start corresponding with them.
Merlin is a talented writer. I can attest her books can grab a teenage girl and get her to WANT to read. I had to laugh when my daughter threw my own words back at me last night . . . “Mum, ssshhh. I am nearly finished this book!” She’s on to another one!
http://isabelle.merlin.googlepages.com
Random House. Junior, Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $17.95
I didn’t get to even have a look at this book – it was snatched out of my hands by my 12½ year old daughter. This is the second book by Isabelle Merlin. I reviewed her debut release, Three Wishes, in Issue 9 and if you have read that you would have found out that my daughter tried to snatch it from me too. But I got lucky and read Three Wishes before she did - so I could get my review in on time.
Second time around I haven’t been so lucky. The only section I have managed to read of Pop Princess is the back cover blurb. But by far the biggest compliment to Merlin is that my daughter read the book in three days – her usual turn around time is approximately 2 months! And she hasn’t handed it over to me yet. I think I have to wait in line behind all her friends.
So I asked my daughter for a review. Typical answer was – “great”.
Pop Princess is about an Australian teenage, Lucie Rees, who gets to work for a very famous but troubled young pop start, Arizona Kingdom. The job is based in Paris. How lucky can Lucie be? That is until strange things start happening that put both Lucie and Arizona’s lives in danger.
That is all I can tell you so far – my daughter won’t give me any more information.
A feature which is sure to attract teenage readers is the interface to current technology. For Pop Princess you can listen to Arizona sing at www.bebo.com/sepajamax or you can add Max and Lucie as friends at www.bebo.com/MaxD955 or www.bebo.com/LucieO56 and start corresponding with them.
Merlin is a talented writer. I can attest her books can grab a teenage girl and get her to WANT to read. I had to laugh when my daughter threw my own words back at me last night . . . “Mum, ssshhh. I am nearly finished this book!” She’s on to another one!
http://isabelle.merlin.googlepages.com
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