What Alice Forgot

by Liane Moriarty

Pan Macmillan Australia. Australian, Adult Other. Paperback rrp $32.99

When Alice Love opens her eyes after a beautiful dream, she finds she is in unfamiliar surroundings with people she does not know. Something is wrong.

It sure is. What is Alice doing in a gym? She hates any form of exercise. And why is a work acquaintance fussing around like she is her best friend? Alice never really liked the woman! Then she finds out she has had a fall during a step class. What’s a “step” class? Alice immediately panics, she is 15 weeks pregnant. Will the baby be OK?

And so Alice’s life starts again. Alice thinks it is 1998, that she is 29, married to wonderful husband Nick and pregnant with their first child. But Alice finds out it is actually 2008, she is nearing her 40th birthday, has three children and is in the process of divorcing the man she thought she would live with until they were old and grey.

Alice has lost ten years of her memories. And over the next few weeks she realises she doesn’t like what she has become. Alice’s laid back hippy attitude has gone. In its place is a woman who is addicted to caffeine and is super fit and skinny, running her house and life in a regimental fashion.

And on top of that is the Giant Lemon Meringue Pie mother’s day record in memory of her best friend Gina. Who is Gina? And why does everything come back to a woman that Alice cannot even remember meeting? Including the reason for her divorcing Nick.

Over the following weeks, Alice must confront her present, remember her past and do everything she can to get back to the way she thought how her life would pan out.

What Alice Forgot is a thought provoking read. I often wondered what would I be like if I lost 10 years of my memories? Would I love to forget the horrible pain of child birth but then feel cheated not seeing my children’s first steps, first words, first day of school? Would it be great to start afresh and meet people “again” for the first time or miss the good times already shared with these same people.

I highly recommend this book to anyone asking the question … “What if only I had …”

Italian Shoes

by Henning Mankell

Random House. Adult Other. Paperback rrp $34.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Frederik Welan, a former surgeon, is an emotional cripple and regretful of many things in his past. At sixty-six, he lives alone on a frozen island which he inherited from his grandparents, with a dog and a cat that are older in body than he is. For the last twelve years he has hibernated there after a mix-up at the hospital and its tragic outcome.

On a wintry night when the ‘ice was singing… in the darkness’, his past comes to claim him. Harriet, his life’s love whom he abandoned forty years ago arrives, dying of cancer and expecting him to fulfil a promise made to her so long ago. She also holds a long kept secret which rocks Frederik’s world and sets him on a journey from emotional death to renewed life.

Harriet’s return resurrects Frederik. He has wrongs that he must right, and goes in search of Agnes, the woman that he caused such anguish to during the botched surgery. Their meeting reignites his interest in life even further as he sees her selfless dedication to the traumatised orphan girls in her care. But she still carries deep scars.

There are secondary stories floating in the background that tie in with the activity in the forefront. There is the story of the oldest cave paintings found in France, the history of handmade shoes that comes through the life of the elderly shoemaker, and Caravaggio’s dark and undisciplined life and his art.

The icy landscape and frozen surroundings are perfect symbols of Frederik’s isolation and dead emotions. The decay that surrounds him from the dying Harriet, to his aged dog and cat, and from the fragile shoemaker to his grandfather’s rotted boat that he refuses to repair, are all representations of everything lost and futile in Frederik’s existence. This picture of death is juxtaposed against the pulsing renewed life presented in the breathtaking descriptions of the night skies, rivers and natural surroundings.

The characters carry the story; bold, outstanding, complex, compelling constructions equal to its themes of human frailty, ageing and dying, and the poetic prose that hums like music.

http://www.henningmankell.com/

Jolt

by Bernard Beckett

Text Publishing. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Marko is a weak coward, otherwise he wouldn’t be held drugged in a psychiatric hospital by a doctor who wants to kill him and whom he wants to kill because Marko knows his secret. He has purposely withdrawn into silence to accommodate the effect of the drugs he’s being given, but is not taking. No one known to him knows where he is.

The horror begins when a severe earthquake occurs while a group of adolescent students and their teacher, Ms Jenkins, are in the wild a few days into a school excursion. Ms Jenkins sets forth to find a safe exit but doesn’t return. Marko goes in search of her and witnesses a terrible act in progress against her, which leads to her death. An act which may have been prevented if he’d had the courage to intervene.

But Marko is a witness now. The three males, one whom the boy can clearly identify, are in hot pursuit. He manages to make it back to the group and they escape into the bush without their packs, running for their lives.

By travelling through the night and resting through the day, and led by the resourceful Rebecca, they head towards the river which should lead to safety.

But they become separated and Marko is caught by the doctor and ends up playing a game of life and death. But who will live and who will die, depends on the decision Marko makes and if he decides before it is too late.

The happenings occur over twelve disturbing days filled with indifference and disunity between the group, and end with an unbreakable bond forged between them. The chapters alternate between Marko’s diary entries which he records as protection and evidence, and his narrative which tells the parallel story of the happenings with each narrative flowing seamlessly into the other.

Beckett, a prize-winning, New Zealand author, has a deep understanding of adolescent behaviour which is visible in the unmistakeable way he portrays his characters and their feelings. This story is full of pulsing tension and fast-paced action, and was first published in 2002.

Running on the Cracks

by Julia Donaldson

Hardie Grant Egmont. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $16.95

Leo and Finlay are two teenagers in trouble. Leo has run away from her new family after her parents have died and Finlay seems to be constantly in trouble with his family.

When Leo steals a bag of donuts from the shop where Finlay works on the weekend, he recognises her from a newspaper article offering a reward for information. Finlay chases Leo, hoping to earn the reward. But when he learns her story, he decides to help her instead.

Finlay decides to try and locate Leo’s father’s family as a surprise. But then he realises that someone is always one step in front of him. Who is after Leo? Will he be too late to save her?

Leo feels she must keep running to survive and a line from a childhood game haunts her memories - ‘Don’t tread on the cracks. If you tread on a crack, it could be him.’

Running on the Cracks is a fast paced thriller where many young teenagers will find not only an entertaining read, but valuable information about unlikely friendships and learning to trust.

http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/

Mummies are Amazing

by Catriona Hoy and Anne White

Hachette Children’s Books. Picture book, Australian, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $16.99. Hardback rrp $28.99

One cold Saturday morning, when my five-year-old and I were tucked up in bed, I reached for the next book in our ‘mother and son’ reviewing pile. Mummies are Amazing. The title immediately won me over and the picture on the front cover promised fun and adventure for us both. What mother wouldn’t want to go roller skating with her children, wearing a tiara and fairy wings, waving a wand?

This is a wonderful book in many ways. Not only could my ‘just-learning-to-read’ son pick out familiar words but he zeroed in on the repetition as well.

The things that make mummies amazing are very simple and realistic, readily identified with by any child - making snakes out of stockings, taking splinters out of fingers and scaring away monsters at night. The accompanying illustrations by Anne White fill in all the fun details and make the monsters suitably silly – just how monsters should be!

The most appropriate one for our family was ‘Mummies are for finding things that are lost.’ We had a really good chuckle about that page.

After reading Mummies are Amazing together, my son turned and cuddled me, and said that Mummies are for kissing and hugs! Now that felt amazing!

Well unfortunately Mother’s Day has just gone because this book is the perfect gift. But then again, this book would be perfect ANYTIME. Every mother and young child will enjoy sharing this one.

Trust Me

by Jeff Abbott


Hachette Australia. Crime, Mystery. Paperback rrp $32.99

Thump, Thump! Thump, Thump! Thump, THUMP! That’s my heart racing from the moment I read the first line of Trust Me until I closed the book 36 hours later! Jeff Abbott knows how to grab an audience and throw them around, causing mayhem and havoc to this reader’s brain matter. Brilliant writer, brilliant story!

For the past ten years, Luke Dantry has been brought up by his stepfather Henry. Henry was a fellow professor working with Luke’s father, Warren. When Warren was tragically killed, Henry helped comfort Luke and his mother and stepped into Warren’s shoes. Luke’s mother dies in a car accident and Henry suddenly realises that Warren’s shoes may be too big for him!

Luke is majoring in psychology and helping Henry with his research monitoring extremist groups on the internet.

When Luke is kidnapped at gun point and becomes an accessory to murder, his world starts to become unravelled, and very quickly. Luke doesn’t understand what he has done but is worried that his research for Henry is a small key. Maybe he stepped over an invisible line with one of these groups.

A simple young man with no skills other than getting inside the heads of others, Luke becomes a frightened and desperate man. All Luke wants is his life back. But how far will one man go to get back his freedom? Who can Luke trust now?

Trust Me has more twists and turns than a spiral staircase. Warning to anyone with a bad heart – read very, very carefully and ensure you have someone near you at all times … Trust me!

Abbott’s book Run was reviewed in Issue 5 of The Reading Stack.


http://www.jeffabbott.com/

Lucy the Good

by Marianne Musgrove. Illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

Random House. Australian, Young Readers. Paperback rrp $14.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Adults make mistakes too. Acknowledging them and saying sorry is an ageless expectation. In this delightful story of misunderstandings and things not always being what they seem, Lucy learns, and teaches, some important lessons.

Lucy starts out being good but something always goes wrong. In school she is always in Time Out. Things seem to start every time with Jacinta who wants to be the centre of attention so she makes Lucy look bad.

Tante Bep is arriving from Holland. Lucy is excited for she is determined to make a good impression and bond closely with her aunt. But at the airport, one thing leads to another and she ends up on the baggage belt. She is saved from the black hole just in time by Tante Bep.

Tante Bep is not impressed with Lucy’s behaviour. Nor later on when she accuses Lucy of being greedy because she won’t give her brother an egg, and won’t listen to the reason why. In fact, Tante Bep disapproves of many things that go on in Lucy’s household. She comments on the dust she sees everywhere, on the windows that aren’t sparkly enough, even the type of Dutch cheese they have for breakfast. She even becomes outraged when she learns that Lucy’s father is a house husband.

To reign in Lucy’s naughtiness, Tante Bep tells her about Sinterklaas and Black Piet who puts naughty children in his sack and sends them to Spain. Lucy is constantly reminded of what awaits her.

Lucy isn’t bad. She wants to prove them all wrong. After a series of experiments, she finally knows what to do. Dad has told her how to check for bad eggs by putting them in water. She would test herself in the same way down at the creek.

This well-constructed book is aimed at readers aged 7+. It teaches children that they shouldn’t be afraid to speak to the people who love them, about their feelings. It addresses age barriers, and peeks into Dutch folklore, culture, and habits, with a glossary of Dutch words and a recipe for Speculaas (Dutch biscuits).

http://www.mariannemusgrove.com.au/

Short and Twisted 2009

Stories and poems with a twist

Edited by Kathryn Duncan

Celapene Press. Australian, Adult Other. Paperback rrp $23.00

One Sunday morn, closeted from the wild wind that has berated our home for the past days, I sit upstairs on our sunny verandah looking out over mountains, trees and ocean. The familiar weekend noises are resonating around me - children playing, mowers humming and birds talking. Peaceful. The family happily occupied with whatever – I indulge myself and open Short and Twisted. I gasp, I laugh, I giggle, I cringe, I worry, I smile.

Short and Twisted is a collection of stories with one thing in common … they must have a twist at the end! And yes they all do! I started to write down the stories I liked the most but ran out of paper. There were a few that were very personal to me and Growing Pains by Carmel Reid was so surprising, I laughed out loud. Butcher by Grant Shanks (I wonder if the name started him on this story?) has the funniest ending I have ever read – and in only one and a half pages it certainly was twisted.

But the one that touched me the most was Planned? by Tiggy Johnson. I wonder Tiggy, have we met? You touched a nerve!

As you can see, this book will speak to everyone. There is fantasy, crime, mystery, romance, and more. A book to read bit by bit or all at once, beginning to end or end to beginning, it doesn’t matter. You decide. I suggest you will read them more than once and that you tell a friend about at least one of the stories.

If you think you can write something suitable then go to http://www.celapenepress.com.au/ to check out how you can submit your own short and twisted story for the 2010 book.

One book, one morning. Over 70 stories! All different, all twisted. Endings not what you expect. Stories that grip. A perfect Sunday morning.

Short and Twisted 2008 was reviewed in Issue 12 of The Reading Stack.

Fate

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Random House Australia. Young Adult, Fantasy. Paperback rrp $17.95

Fate is the sequel to Tattoo but having said that, I haven’t read Tattoo yet felt quite comfortable reading Fate. The history of the four main characters is cleverly and transparently revisited in the early chapters.

Bailey, Zo, Delia, and Annabelle are very close friends, starting their final year at school and looking at the prospects of colleges and leaving their friendship behind. But one of these four girls is not so ordinary. Bailey is a student and good friend by day but at night she is the third Fate, Life. Every evening she returns to the Nexus to meet up with her Sidhe parents, Valgius and Adea, the other two fates – Birth and Death. Together these three weave the lives of humans.

‘Deftly, instinctively, I crossed this path with that, melded threads together and tore others apart. The fabric was cool to the touch, but white-hot sparks leapt off my body as I wove.
Life.
Life.
Life.’

Zo, Delia and Annabelle know Bailey’s secret. Two years ago they were given special abilities to help Bailey overcome an evil Sidhe, but they now have no powers, other than the power of friendship.

Bailey is half Sidhe, half human. Two bloodlines run through her veins and now the Gods of the Otherworld want Bailey to choose. Not between human and Sidhe, but between dark and light. Whichever option Bailey chooses, she must live in the Otherworld to ensure the two worlds are kept in balance.

That means she must leave her human friends behind. Is there a way Bailey can stay with her three friends and still weave the lives of humans? It all seems impossible. But friendship is a powerful weapon and Bailey finds that it might just be what is needed to overcome her problems.

Fate is a story that I didn’t want to end. Barnes’ herself is a master weaver - of lives, love and friendship.

http://www.jenniferlynnbarnes.com/

The Locket of Dreams

by Belinda Murrell


Random House Australia. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp$15.95

The Locket of Dreams is a time-slip story set in present-day Australia and 19th Century Scotland. This tale of two 12-year-old girls is woven together so brilliantly I can almost believe time travel and ghosts could be the same thing.

Sophie finds an old locket in a beautiful carved box that belongs to her grandmother. When she goes to sleep with the locket safely around her neck she dreams. Sophie dreams of her great great-great-grandmother, Charlotte and what happens to her.

Sophie’s grandmother has already told her how Charlotte and her sister Nell became orphans at the age of 12 and 10. Their uncle sent the girls to Australia and stole their family inheritance. Charlotte and Nell arrive in Australia with very little, just a locket and a bangle.

But how did Charlotte and Nell’s parents die? Why did their uncle betray them? And what happened to their mother’s priceless ring – the Star of Serendib?

Through her dreams, Sophie reaches out to ease Charlotte and Nell’s fears of what Australia holds. She also discovers how to help her own family and their problems.

The Locket of Dreams is a wonderful modern day fantasy that young girls, and boys, will enjoy reading. And maybe they will look a little into their own family history, searching for mystery, adventure and treasure.

http://www.belindamurrell.com.au/

A year in girl hell – Crushed

by Meredith Costain

Hardie Grant Egmont. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $14.95

A year in girl hell – Crushed is the story of Lexi, Mia and Alysha, told from Lexi’s point of view. The three girls are all starting high school together. They have been best friends since they met in primary school and refer to themselves as the Awesome Threesome. But high school is a very different world and the three besties end up being separated. Lexi and Alysha are in the same classes but poor Mia is on her own.

Lexi is happy she has Alysha with her but feels really sad for Mia. Then Mia befriends another girl Michi who becomes part of the girl’s circle. Although Lexi likes Michi, jealousy threatens her friendship with Mia and Alysha? Why does Alysha now want to hang around the cool group – the shinies? Is Lexi the loser ever going to find where she belongs?

This wonderful story of a girl’s experiences beginning high school will immediately appeal to young teenage girls. I know - I’ve been there and now I have a daughter in exactly this same position. It can be terrifying, daunting and exciting and Costain has captured those feelings perfectly.

There are three more books due in the A year in girl hell series, Dumped, Burned and Trashed. Although the story occurs in the same period of time, each book is narrated by a different one of the remaining girls - so you will get to view high school life from each girl’s own perspective. Brilliant.

http://www.meredithcostain.com/

Quentaris- Quest of the Lost City

The Gimlet Eye

by James Roy

Ford Street Publishing. Junior, Young Adult, Fantasy, Australian. Paperback rrp $16.95

Quentaris is a city that floats in the sky. The Archon, ruler of Quentaris, dies at the beginning of the book. His nephew, Florian claims the throne and changes the ways of Quentaris – not for the better. The only person who seems to be benefiting, apart from Florian, is his confident, Janus.

Most of the magicians in Quentaris have been demoted, locked up or have simply disappeared. Tab Vidler, a young magician in training, and her friends are forced to do menial jobs, lucky that they haven’t also been taken to the dungeons.

When one of Tab’s friends, the great thespian Fontagu Wizroth the Third, gets a special invitation to perform a play for Florian’s birthday, Tab realises it is not in Fontagu’s best interests to accept. Fontagu sees only Florian’s recognition of his outstanding talents. But Tab thinks it is a trick.

Then Tab is kidnapped and sent on a mission. A mission that means death to one of her friends, but a mission she must go on or else it will be her death. How can she help Fontagu now?

The Quentarians need to be saved from Florian and his evil ways. And it seems that Tab and her friends are Quentaris’ only hope. Will Fontagu play a part that may just help bring down the evil rule of Florian? Or will Fontagu perform a play for Florian that ends up costing him his own life?

The Gimlet Eye is the third book in the Quentaris Chronicles. Each book has been written by a different author. Book 1, The Spell of Undoing by Paul Collins and book 2, The Equen Queen by Alyssa Brugman. Having not read the first two books I cannot make comparisons on the story or style of writing but I thoroughly enjoyed The Gimlet Eye and look forward to the next book and backwards to the ones I now need to catch up with.

http://www.jamesroy.com.au/

Winter Song

by Jean-Claude Mourlevat. Translated by Anthea Bell.

Walker Books, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $16.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

‘You have no idea how good this book is.’ My 14-year-old voracious reader is extremely selective with books. The emotion in her voice is enough to push Winter Song to the top of my ‘to read’ list.

Set in a fictional country in Europe, Winter Song throbs with tension. Large groups of orphaned teenagers live in boarding schools that are more like prison camps. They are allowed only three trips outside the school grounds each year to visit Consolers. These times of comfort are the only windows of relief from a life of somber monotony.

Milena and Helen meet two boys at the town bridge as they are heading to the Consolers and the boys are returning from there. This chance meeting creates bonds of friendship and sets up a chain of events that will change the world as they have known it, forever. The world turns upside-down when Milena runs away with one of the boys. No one in living memory has attempted to escape and succeeded before. The reason for their madness unfolds, one clue at a time, as does the terrible danger they place themselves in. Dog-men (half man, half dog) track them mercilessly, while the gentle horsemen strive to protect them.

Winter Song is more than just action-packed. It explores themes like making and breaking promises, standing up for what you believe in, and the terrible cost that is sometimes paid for doing so. Strong images awaken the senses. Snow chills me to the bone, while the smell of burning wood mingles with the pungent scent of dog-men. I stand beside these teenagers, sharing their experiences as they hide from pursuers, fight for their lives and struggle to believe that their cause is not futile.

Winter Song was originally written in French. An occasional attempt at translation misses the mark, but it is worth passing over these tiny glitches to enjoy the full power of the voices against tyranny that rise from the pages.

Samurai Kids Book 3: Shaolin Tiger

by Sandy Fussell

Walker Books. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $14.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

This third book in the Samurai Kids Series stands alone. It is not necessary to read Books One and Two to follow the storyline. Five teenage Samurai students accompany their Sensei (teacher) to China to help him protect a Temple that is under threat there. These students are special. Each has something missing: an arm, a leg, sight, the will to fight. Each learns how to compensate for their difference. The journey is perilous. Danger lurks in many places and it is difficult to know who can be trusted. Nothing is ever really as it seems. Even the apparent drowning of an important character shimmers with possibilities.

Under the guise of a simple action-adventure story, many intricate layers await discovery. The text sketches an outline for things you see, while what is not directly said, holds deeper secrets. Mythical creatures breathe and move beneath the surface. Sensei casually offers little phrases of wisdom that draw the reader ever deeper into awareness of the invisible.

Just as Sandy Fussell weaves many layers into her text, she also hints at the shades existing between right and wrong, obedience and disobedience, reality and fantasy. This is perfect for those entering the world of adolescence, where the boundaries between black and white cease to exist. Wherever the Samurai kids travel, they are urged to look beyond what they see and use their other senses, but if they are not ready for the hidden message, nothing is lost.

My daughter huffed in irritation. ‘There are two or three meanings to every sentence!’ but she kept reading. The need to know what will happen is strong. Although it was difficult to find a place to stop, I preferred reading one chapter per sitting. There was just too much to absorb.

The lessons on every page can be learned only if you find them. Clues are delivered through action and adventure scenes, and sprinkled with a generous helping of humour.

Shaolin Tiger is irresistible and likely to be re-read many times.

http://www.samuraikids.com.au/

Bridging the Snowy

by Goldie Alexander, illustrated by Cailan Burns

Aussie School Books. Australian, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $9.95

Guest Reviewer - Anastasia Gonis

Rowan and Zach are first cousins but total opposites. Rowan is kind, although scared of heights and small for his age. He is ridiculed by the taller, athletic and fearless Zach. Their families always spend their holidays together in the Snowy Mountains.

Zach loves showing off. This gives him more opportunities to belittle his cousin and make himself shine. Zach heads out to cross a rope bridge above a river. Rowan is terrified. He has been told he will grow out of his fear, but he feels dizzy and breathless when he looks down. He knows he has to ignore Zach’s taunts and try to slowly make it to the other side. He is thrilled when he succeeds.

Zach leaves Rowan behind as he bounds ahead into the forest. Rowan is bedazzled by the beauty of the trees, the coloured lorikeets and the natural surroundings. Alone and fed up, Rowan decides to go back, but is in two minds about leaving his cousin. The weather changes and rain begins to fall as he catches up to Zach, so they shelter under a rock ledge to weather out the storm.

But the impatient Zach decides he’s had enough and sets out for the campsite. But hurrying along a slippery slope leaves him concussed and with a broken knee. Rowan is forced to ignore his fears and return across the now damaged rope bridge to bring help.

This story is about facing your fears, excepting yourself, and acknowledging that every person has special qualities which may at times be different to those of other people.

This is another of the terrific Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! series of books that always contain a lesson to be learned. The illustrations complement and visually reinforce the text for the reader.

http://www.goldiealexander.com/

Shape Shifters

by Goldie Alexander, illustrated by Dion Hamill

Aussie School Books. Australian, Young Reader, Fantasy. Paperback rrp $9.95

Guest Reviewer - Anastasia Gonis

Each story in the terrific Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! series presents a lesson to be learned inside a simple story line. The stories are told in simple language, with the characters involved in an adventure or some other exciting occurrence. The accompanying illustrations are geared to hold the interest of the reader by visually reinforcing what is going on.

Themes in Shape Shifters are bullying, facing the consequences of our actions and knowing how to choose between right and wrong.

Lei-Lei is the new girl at school. She also has a prosthetic limb. Her grandmother has taught her shape-shifting as a way of protecting herself from bullies. But her grandmother has also made it very clear that she is to use it only for self-protection or to help others.

Acacia is the school bully. When she starts to bully Lei-Lei, she is turned temporarily into a tree. Penny too, has felt Acacia’s cruelty and is astonished at the new girl’s ability to defend herself. She asks to be taught how it is done.

Lei-Lei’s grandmother shows Penny how, adding the usual caution about its use. But things get a bit complicated when her advice is not headed. It is through lessons learned that both girls are able to help and protect others as well as themselves when an accident occurs, by choosing the right way to use their gifts.

These books are from a company that is 100% Australian owned, operating in Australia, and printed in this country on Australian paper.

http://www.goldiealexander.com/

Erasmus James Books

Erasmus James and the Galactic Zapp Machine
Erasmus James, King of Kid’s Paradise

by DC Green

Barrel Books. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $14.95 Each

Guest Reviewer – Jill Smith

Erasmus James and the Galactic Zapp Machine and Erasmus James, King of Kid’s Paradise are the first two books in a series by DC Green. They are about a teenage boy’s adventures, involving facing ones inner demons – literally!

Erasmus James is a nerdy kid who is bullied at school and, not lacking ego (or mouth to go with it), keeps getting himself into unhappy situations. His father is balding, kind hearted to the extent of being an animal hardship softie, and fills their home with a “menagerie of lame and useless creatures” in Erasmus’s opinion. His dad is also an inventor and the ‘Galactic Zapp Machine’ is his latest creation.

Naturally, ever inquisitive Erasmus ignores his Dad’s advice and, using the Galactic Zapp Machine, heads off to worlds unknown on his own. He ends up in Uponia ruled by King Reginald, where horses talk, chooks have right of way on the roads, and rats are friendly. During a crazy journey across Uponia to see ‘The Wonder’ Erasmus discovers he is being chased by flesh eating horses. He also finds out that he is the cause of economic disaster, mass suffering and unemployment on the planet because he offered King Reginald, the power crazed king, a wonderful invention; Kars! During all this Erasmus tries valiantly to believe he doesn’t really miss his dad or need to be rescued. This is the true heart of the story.

In Erasmus James King of Kid’s Paradise, our boy zaps to another world, where everyone is a kid and he is the king. At first he is consumed by power and drives his subjects crazy. Eventually realises that the rats who are their workers hide a dark and dangerous secret. Erasmus is determined to free his people from their clutches. He has to avoid being trampled on by a party of war rats in the process, not to mention being stomped on by his own subjects.

I loved these quirky, comic, fast paced books and chortled loudly throughout. The first book, Erasmus James and the Glactic Zapp Machine, is also available as a free online download at http://www.barrelbooks.com/.

This is a book for 8 to 14 year olds or anyone with a mindset in that age group.

http://dcgreenyarns.blogspot.com/

Tweenie Genie. Genie in Training

by Meredith Badger

Hardie Grant Egmont. Australian, Junior. Hardback rrp $16.95

When I was growing up I always wanted to be Barbara Eden. Not only did we share the same first name but she had long blonde hair, she was beautiful and she was a Genie! (For all those younger people Barbara Eden was the star of the long-running television show “I Dream of Jeannie”). So Meredith Badger has written a book just for me! Tweenie Genie is a book aimed at young girls who, unfortunately missed out on the whole genie experience.

Many years have passed since young girls dressed up like genies but I predict that will all change with Tweenie Genie.

Poppy Miller was turning 12. Poppy was an average girl. Nothing stood out about her. She wasn’t ugly, yet she wasn’t pretty. She wasn’t smart, but she also wasn’t dumb. Poppy was average. Until her twelfth birthday when she learned she would become a genie, if she passed all her genie exams. Only very special people are selected to become genies and now Poppy Miller is not average anymore. The only problem is she cannot tell anyone about it!

Tweenie Genie is a great book with fun illustrations and interesting facts about genies. Did you know there are many forms of transport other than magic carpets, such as flying bikes (called ‘flikes’). And did you know that genies never eat their crusts!

I loved this book and hope there will be a sequel to this– this “old” genie would like a few more wishes granted! And I know many young girls who will gladly share the same genie dream.

Ernie and Maud Book 3: The Greatest Sheep in History

by Frances Watts. Illustrated by Judy Watson

ABC Books. Australian, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Best friends and Superheroes Ernie and Maud have been working together for several months and are from the Baxter Branch of the Superheroes Society. Ernie’s new school project is on famous heroes in history. Maud is curious about any recording of heroic sheep, and is very disappointed when Ernie tells her that he hasn’t come across any in his research yet.

The two friends are overjoyed at being invited to attend the National Meeting of Superheroes. While the President of the National Headquarters is about to give her speech, Chicken George streaks past and steals the papers from her hands. It’s up to the Superheroes to catch the villain.
Maud’s mood is further dampened when she overhears a conversation mocking her because she is a barnyard animal. Later at a dinner gathering of Superhero friends, their topic of discussion is fear. All confess that there is something each of them fears, regardless of their Superhero status and a discussion takes place around this concern.

Maud’s mood is lifted when she learns that a sheep, a duck and a rooster were passengers in the first hot-air balloon in the late 1700s. Ernie’s hero, Daring Dynamo, arrives in a hot-air balloon. Chicken George strikes again and Maud is swept up in the balloon with a desperate Ernie hanging by the rope. Their rescue turns out better than they’d hoped.

There are many life lessons to be learned by younger readers from the behaviour and misbehaviour of the characters in this excellent series. Maud proves that heroism takes many forms and that everyone is capable of heroic and courageous acts. Instead of judging George, Maud shows that good people frequently do bad things for reasons unknown to others; that kindness is more courageous than retaliation, and that overcoming your fears also requires great courage.

This is recommended for primary school aged readers.

http://www.franceswatts.com/

The Duck in the Gun

byJoy Cowley. Illustrated by Robyn Belton

Walker Books. Picture Book. Paperback rrp $15.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

First published in 1969, the themes in The Duck in the Gun are timeless. Humorous dilemmas illustrate the senselessness of war in a mid-19th century setting. The reader feels removed from a story presented in a different time and place and thus able to observe the comical aspects of preparing for battle. The General, (complete with a ridiculous feather in his cap) prepares his army to attack an unknown town.

When a duck nests in their sole cannon, confusion sets in. All plans of destroying the enemy bow to a duck’s need to hatch her young. The general approaches the Prime Minister of the town with several ridiculous proposals, which beg a deeper question: Which is more nonsensical: for two sides to share a cannon or the idea of war itself?

Robyn Belton cleverly uses every detail in her illustrations to reflect the issues portrayed. The general’s army and town’s inhabitants share exactly the same patterns and shades of colour. Compare the patterning on the army tents with the dress worn by the Prime Minister’s daughter, or the red of the army uniform with the roof of the town’s Inn. These similarities progressively blur the boundaries between enemy and friend until no boundaries exist.

The urgency of war wanes with every new contact between the army and town’s people. The ducklings finally hatch and the cannon is finally ready to fire, but everything has changed. An inevitable happy ending ensues.

This could be just a clever story helping young children to laugh at the concept of war, but it is so much more than that. The Duck in the Gun is a handy resource for both Primary and Secondary students. Concepts of war, peace and unjustified prejudices are portrayed by concrete examples through text and illustrations.

The Duck in the Gun also demonstrates how incredibly easy peace making can be – and you don’t even need a duck in a gun to manage it.

http://www.joycowley.com/

Zen Tails – The Know It All

by Peter Whitfield. Illustrated by Nancy Bevington

New Frontier Publishing. Australian, Young Reader, Junior. Hardcover rrp $19.95

Zen Tails is a series of books that are classic philosophical stories that have been adapted for children. There is a moral in each book (the “Tail”) and an original Zen tale (the “Zen”).

The Know It All is the story of a group of friends who are being shown how to do different things, such as building a dam, swimming underwater and diving. But Furball, the cat, doesn’t want to learn so he tells his friends that he already knows how to do it all. Furball soon learns a very valuable lesson!

The Know It All is a beautifully illustrated book that could be left on the coffee table as well as on the book shelf. It may be aimed at children but I’m sure there are many adults who could read it and take heed of the advice given!

http://www.zentails.com.au/

Captain Crabclaw’s Crew

by Frances Watts. Illustrated by David Legge

ABC Books. Australian, Junior. Hardback rrp $24.95

The first thing about Captain Crabclaw’s Crew that grabbed my attention was the front cover’s illustration of a rotund captain and his menagerie of animal pirates. My young son was most impressed and it didn’t take us long to open the book and read the pages.

Captain Crabclaw advertises for a pirate crew for his new ship, the Speedy Squid, to search for treasure. His sign says that they “Must be fearsome!”. But what Captain Crabclaw gets is a duck, an elephant, a giraffe and a cow. These don’t seem fearsome but when the duck honks and snaps, the elephant trumpets loudly, the giraffe sticks out his tongue and the cow bellows, Captain Crabclaw feels he has the most fearsome pirate crew ever.

When they go in search of treasure they are laughed at by another boat and Captain Crabclaw finds that he cannot get out of bed anymore. Until he hears the sound of gold. What have his pirate crew done to help the Captain?

This is a wonderful story with funny and colourful illustrations. Watts and Legge were winners of Children’s Choice awards and the 2008 CBCA Award for Best Information Book for Parsley Rabbit’s Book about Books. I think they have hit on another winner here.

http://www.franceswatts.com/

Can You Keep A Secret?

Compiled by Mark Carthew and Illustrated by Jobi Murphy

Random House Australia. Australian, Picture, Young Reader. Hardcover rrp $32.95

I started to read this book while sitting in bed one early Sunday morning but immediately felt it needed a more critical reviewer –– my son! I didn’t have to wait long before he climbed into bed with me, attracted to the beautiful coloured pictures on the page pointing out the story (he can’t read yet).

Naturally he wanted me to read him the text. I did. He turned each page, insisting “and this one!”. Next thing I knew an hour had passed and we were at the end of the book. What a wonderful mother-and-son way to spend a Sunday morning!

Can You Keep A Secret? is a collection of nursery rhymes and lullabies from all over the world. I was pleased to see a traditional Gunditjmara (indigenous Australian) lullaby included.

I nostalgically recalled the words and actions of a lot of the songs and am grateful to Mark for giving me the last 4 verses of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. I had forgotten they even existed but I am now enjoying them with my son. Many, many times over.

This is a book which will invoke wonderful childhood memories while providing a means to pass them on to a new generation. Old memories are recreated as new memories when the pages of Can You Keep a Secret? are shared by parent and child.

The book is bound in purple cloth and has a thick padded cover with a ribbon bookmark and coloured illustrations that will delight all. It would make a wonderful gift for a new born or even for a young child, to be treasured until the next generation. Don’t keep this book a secret, share it around!

markcarthew.com.au

Gallipoli. Reckless Valour

by Nicolas Brasch

black dog books. Junior, Young Adult, History, Children’s Non-Fiction, Australia. Paperback rrp $16.99

Just in time for Anzac Day, Nicolas Brasch has brought out a well researched and interesting book about Gallipoli aimed at primary school aged children but sure to catch the attention and interest of adults too.

What happened at Gallipoli is well known amongst the majority of Australians but I found out some new interesting facts from Brasch’s book. I won’t say too much because I don’t want to appear uninformed but I never knew that the Gallipoli campaign was the first military battle fought by Australians and New Zealanders in their own uniforms.

Gallipoli the book, is set out as an easy read with plenty of pictures and diagrams. There are only 32 pages in this A4 glossy coloured book but each page is informative, packed with amazing tales of daring and courage.

Gallipoli is a must have for every school in Australia’s library or classroom and all children should be encouraged to read it. The story is a celebration of bravery and courage. Even after Anzac Day has passed it is a part of our history that needs to be remembered and an important milestone in our search for national identity. “Lest We Forget.”

Frenemies

by Alexa Young

Random House Australia. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $17.95

Any young “tween” who is interested in fashion, fashion, and fashion will love Frenemies.

Avalon Greene and Halley Brandon are best friends, next-door-neighbours and have grown up together. For the first time, Halley has spent the summer at an art camp ... away from Avalon. As soon as Halley arrives home she goes straight to her bestie to tell her how her summer went. But when Avalon notices Halley’s new “look”, the girls start to see that maybe they might not have so much in common after all.

When they begin the new year, going into eighth grade and organising a party to end all parties, they soon realise that their fashion senses, taste in friends and new body shapes may just be turning these friends into enemies.

Frenemies is a modern day story that deals with family, friends, romance and what NOT to wear! After reading this I felt the necessity to deal with my own wardrobe style – tragic it seems from Avalon’s point of view but quite OK with Halley’s.

The second book in the series, Faketastic, will be out soon.

http://www.alexayoung.com/

Fishing for Stars

by Bryce Courtenay

Viking Press. Australian, Adult Other. Hardback rrp $49.95

Guest Reviewer - Anastasia Gonis

This is the sequel to the superb, The Persimmon Tree, with a strong environmental theme as background, and outstanding characters that take centre stage through the entire book. There is never a dull word or moment within the almost six hundred pages on this story of love, passion, ambition, and destruction in its many forms. It is sensual and breathtakingly detailed in many parts, and tells in perfect prose, the story of one man and the two women who shared his love and life, at times simultaneously.

Nick is a war hero who lives on Beautiful Bay in Vanuatu and owns an inter-island shipping company. Marg and Anna are both strong and powerful women, although complete opposites. But they are the ‘equal halves’ of a whole and complete love experienced by Nick during his lifetime.

The story begins soon after Anna’s death with Nick’s inability to cope with his loss. His dreams also begin around the same time and he is forcefully returned to the horrendous experiences of his war duty. When Marg finally convinces him to seek help, he is diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and his therapist recommends that he begin a journal. Through this retelling, we learn all about how Marg entered his life as his first sexual encounter and deep love that slipped from his life only to return much later.

Then there is the revealing and tumultuous relationship with the psychologically damaged Anna, whose malleable young mind was manipulated by her captor after she was imprisoned by the Japanese and used as a comfort woman.

The tale travels through Australia, Japan, the Pacific Islands and Indonesia and is set in the second half of the twentieth century. There are many moments of laughter within its clever writing and descriptions, and the well researched information on which the story is based, holds the reader spellbound the entire time.

http://www.brycecourtenay.com/

The Hero of Little Street

by Gregory Rogers

Allen & Unwin. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover rrp $29.99

Guest Reviewer—Anastasia Gonis

This creation of wordless graphic art for younger children was tested on a six year-old. He examined the illustrations and verbally created the story in intricate detail, including voice tones and interjections. Was this Rogers’ intention when he chose not to include text: to challenge children’s imaginations and encourage them to use their own words to create dialogue and back-story to fit his illustrations?

The story begins with a boy intercepting a ball that came his way. A kick sends it into a fountain. He incurs the wrath of the three boys who own the ball. A chase ensues. Boy escapes into a group of people lined up with their children to enter a museum. Inside he discovers all manner of artwork. He views everything with curiosity and at all angles.

He diverts to a room of paintings by the Dutch Masters. He’s drawn to a specific picture that includes a dog. To his amazement, the dog jumps out of the picture and the new friends play together.

Boy finds a sheet of paper on the floor. Dog turns to the picture, then to boy, and they enter the frame. The sheet of paper is a music score belonging to the lady in the blue dress sitting at a pianoforte within the frame. She takes the sheet and begins to play. The woman is so overjoyed at the return of her music sheet that she gives boy a flute and ties a ribbon around dog’s neck.

They leave and enter a town where there are streets, alleys, and bridges over rivers. While boy chases dog that chases a cat, chaos reigns. Dog disappears. He finally finds dog locked up in a butcher’s shed. He frees dog but countless other canine prisoners flow out after him. He becomes a hero for saving the dogs’ lives. He takes them to the picture with the lady in the blue dress and leaves them there and exits the museum. The three bullies see him and set out after him. But the dogs hear his flute which cries for help and come to his rescue.

My Extraordinary Life and Death

by Doug Macleod

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95

Guest Reviewer—Anastasia Gonis

This book kept me laughing from the first to the last page. The target audience is 13+ but an ageless audience will be drawn to this marvellously clever and funny book. It is naughty, witty and filled with surreal humour, which is how I imagine the writer to be.

Doug Macleod, author of the best-selling Sister Madge’s Book of Nuns, has worked with most top comedians in Australia. Therefore it comes as no surprise that he was awarded the Fred Parson’s Award Recognising Special Contribution to Australian Comedy, by the Australian Writers’ Guild in 2008.

The book is compact in size but full-blown in content. The farcical extraordinary life was recorded after the State Library of Victoria invited Macleod to keep a blog. How many people actually believe that their life is interesting enough to blog about? He didn’t, so he made up a whole life story, using old pictures as background to sustain the text.

The entries incorporate an extremely idiosyncratic childhood, followed by an education through which he survived the Tight Trouser Club, his parents, and adulthood through to old age (including a section for romance). The perfect union of the pictures with the text/captions is what makes this book so superior to others of its kind.

Extraordinary is the most descriptive word for this book. For people who love to laugh, who adore the unusual and want to feel that their money is well spent, these readers will invest in a copy of this book. It will make appearances at family gatherings and all other functions. It will be talked about everywhere, for this book will make a lot of noise through word of mouth alone.