Posse

by Kate Welshman

Random House. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $18.95

Most teenage girls have either been through or know someone that has had the experiences of Amy and her friends.

Amy and her “posse” are at their Year 11 Methodist private girl’s school camp. The weather is hot, and the camp is having problems. The deputy head-mistress has been sent to Hospital with heatstroke. Two girls have also gone to the hospital, one after being bitten by a spider and the other with a bad itch. Most of the girls are too hot to do anything except loll about in the camp lake.

Clare and Amy are best friends. Clare is the attention seeker but Amy is the leader. When Bevan, one of the camp’s counsellors, pays particular attention to Amy, Clare is not impressed. Along with the heat of the summer, the sizzling fireworks of jealousy are starting to boil over.

One night can last a very long time. And when it comes to an end, Amy will find out just how far the Posse girls will go to save their own skin.

When new day dawns, Clare and Amy must decide whether to tell the truth about what happened overnight and risk losing everything, including their family and friendship or whether to lie and keep quiet to save their reputations and their education.

Posse is about friendship and trust, and what happens when jealousy drives a wedge in between. This book is highly recommended to older teenagers and would make a great resource for class discussions on the decisions that we make and the consequences of each possible choice.

Pip: The Story of Olive

by Kim Kane

Allen and Unwin. Australian, Junior. Paperback rrp $15.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

Olive’s life is a bit different to that of most kids. Her mum is the first female Queen’s Counsel (Barrister) in Melbourne. This means long working hours and family activities spent socialising with influential people in the legal world. Pip is left to her own devices after school. Her mum thinks she spends time with her best friend, but then things unravel. It all starts with Christmas Concert tickets, getting caught on the wrong internet site and rejection. Olive doesn’t manage to tell her mum even though she tries. Instead she spends more time alone. The happy life she has known seems to have evaporated.

Just as it all seems too much to bear, along comes Pip. She’s the opposite of Olive in many ways. Olive follows the rules, prefers to blend into the background and hates mess. Pip is a walking disaster area, leaving a trail of destruction wherever she goes. She regards rules as irrelevant lines to be trampled and loves to stand out in a crowd.

I found the early detail of difficulties at school hard-going, but that’s the way it can be when friendships are torn. Messy and painful. Once Pip enters the story though, events speed up and a lively detective hunt ensues.

The complexities of changing friendship groups in secondary school are laid bare in Pip: The Story of Olive. Things do resolve, but not always in expected ways.

In the meantime, Pip urges Olive to find her father. Olive knows nothing about him, but clues do exist. She’s just never really looked before.

Pip: The Story of Olive is unusual. Some of the action happens within characters and there are no neat happy endings. Still I came away satisfied. Life isn’t always neat and there are often times where the ending isn’t completely happy.

Pip: The Story of Olive has been short listed for the Speech Pathology Australia’s Book of the Year Award (Upper Primary).

Todd Parr Books

The Feelings Book
The Okay Book
The Best Friends Book
Underwear Do’s and Don’ts

ABC Books. Picture, Young Reader. Board Book rrp $9.95 each

B is for big, bright and bold. And B is also for board and books. In true Todd Parr style, this selection of board books is a celebration of life through preschool eyes.

The Feelings Book explores all sorts of emotions - some happy, some sad and some a little silly. “Sometimes I feel like kissing a sea lion.” There is a strong message of support and encouragement. “No matter how you feel, don’t keep your feelings to yourself. Share them with someone you love.”

There are all sorts of friends in The Best Friends Book. Even the sort who will forgive you if you step on their paw.

The Okay Book looks at differences and how it is okay to be who we are and express our feelings. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be short. And it’s okay to dream big.

On a humorous note, Underwear Do’s and Don’ts makes lots of fun suggestions for what you can do with underwear, including a little sensible practice advice. DO dress your dog up in your underwear but DON’T use your sister’s favourite pair!

The text is fun and the pictures are wonderful, perfect for budding artists to copy. When my children were young we made lots of Todd Parr look-alike books.

Thoroughly recommended for children up to 5 years old. Equally thoroughly recommended for their parents.

http://www.toddparr.com/todd/

Noodle Pie

by Ruth Starke

Scholastic. Australian, Junior. Paperback rrp $16.99

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

It’s never a good idea to be too set in your ways. Staying in a completely different country with unfamiliar customs is a sure way of breaking down barriers and opening the mind. Or is it? Meeting relatives for the first time isn’t easy, especially when it means travelling half way around the world to Vietnam. Andy was born in Australia and thinks like an Australian. Family customs bemuse him, while the pecking order of his many relatives makes no sense at all. Andy’s sense of fairness is challenged and he’s not used to shocks.

The successful family restaurant is not what he imagined. The bustling eat-and-go foodservice has a few short stools for the locals, but it’s not a restaurant by Aussie standards. Dad is wearing gold jewellery that didn’t exist in Australia. Where did that come from? Andy’s family always struggles to pay the bills and make ends meet. Things are not making sense.

Ruth Starke is lavish in her descriptions. You can see, hear, taste and smell as you travel the pages. Some dishes have my mouth watering, while I can’t imagine others at all, no matter how hard I try. Guess I’ll just have to try them for myself.

The wonderful gift of Noodle Pie is the way the cultural barriers are broken down. Preconceived ideas of how things should be done are challenged on both sides – for both Australians and Vietnamese. The custom of saving face at all costs crashes head-on with more basic issues like whether stretching the truth is really a lie. The line between right and wrong can be very thin.

I walk away from Noodle Pie excited by what I have learned and surprised that I have picked up a little wisdom along the way. I was enjoying the reading ride too much to notice. I can’t wait to pick up another book about Vietnam… but wonder if it will hook me in the way Ruth’s modern day dialogue and vibrant characters did.

It’s no surprise that Noodle Pie was short listed for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award.

http://www.ruthstarke.itgo.com/

Ask Alice

by D J Taylor

Random House Australia. Mystery. Paperback rrp $34.95

Set from 1904 through to 1936, Ask Alice is the story of an American woman who rises from the ranks of the lower middle-class system to become the toast of English society. When Alice sets off on a train ride to live with her aunt and uncle, she never reaches her destination. Instead she makes a life-changing decision to trust a man she has only just met. This eventually leads Alice over the ocean to London where she becomes a celebrated stage actress and marries a wealthy landowner.

Ralph is a young boy growing up in the English countryside. He has no parents that he knows of and is brought up by Mrs Custance. When she finally retires she sends Ralph to live with her eccentric brother, Alfred. Ralph and Alfred are well suited together. As Ralph grows older, Alfred finally makes his fortune and they move into the upper level of London society.

Alice’s life is now a privileged one. Society parties, dinners and balls keep Alice busy after her husband dies. Everything is neat and orderly until a man from her past decides to pay her a visit.

What does he want? Has he got something to use against Alice? When a murder is committed at Alice’s country house during a party, Ralph is there as a guest. What connection do they have?

Ask Alice is a novel of lies, betrayals, deceit, love and murder. Taylor has written a story that will keep you turning the pages. His descriptions of the times and the people are so detailed that you will easily feel that you are a part of the rich narrative fabric.

http://www.djtaylorwriter.co.uk/

Magenta McPhee

by Catherine Bateson


Woolshed Press. Australian, Junior. Paperback rrp $16.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

Short-listed for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award (Upper Primary), Catherine Bateson’s Magenta McPhee addresses issues for many kids whose parents are separated or divorced.

Magenta’s parents are divorced, her mum is remarrying and Magenta is worried about her dad. He seems lonely, maybe even depressed. With best friend Polly assisting, Magenta posts her dad’s profile on an Internet dating site. Things get complicated when someone responds and Magenta answers emails on her dad’s behalf. How can Magenta tell him she has arranged for him to meet a strange woman for coffee? Is there an easy way of mentioning that this person thinks she has been chatting with him by email for weeks? Can Magenta avoid being grounded for a lifetime?

When the meeting between her dad and the new woman takes place, another perspective on single parent households arises. Cal is also keen for his mum to find a friend of the opposite sex, but for very different reasons. His very existence complicates Magenta’s life. Are you allowed to be interested in the son of someone your dad might date?

Magenta sees herself as a budding writer. Chapters of her first historical fiction are threaded between the pages of her life. The medieval princess and teenage witch provide a neutral space to sort through her modern day dilemmas. Catherine Bateson masterfully embeds modern issues within Magenta’s funny, sometimes poignant story in much the same way that Magenta addresses personal dilemmas in her work of historical fiction.

The result is yet another engaging and easy read with quirky characters from Catherine Bateson.

You won’t be disappointed with Magenta McPhee. Oh. First boyfriends and kisses are also contemplated…

http://www.catherine-bateson.com/

IT’S YR LIFE

by Tempany Deckert & Tristan Bancks

Random House. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $18.95

Milla is fifteen, living in a mansion in Hollywood with a movie producer father and an ex-model mother. Sim, also fifteen, lives in Byron Bay in a foster home and has to dumpster-dive for his food as his carers are freegans (freegan means we don’t buy anything… we don’t buy things. we just find stuff.).

These two totally different teenagers have been given an assignment from their respective English teachers where they must email each other over several weeks and then write about their experience.

Can a rich girl with a silver spoon in her mouth find anything in common with the laid back boy who has nothing?

Not everything is perfect in Milla’s life. Her father hits her mother, her 11-year-old brother is escaping through dope and there is someone at her window each night. Sim has problems too. His peaceful, hippy, cool “family” is hiding something. After making a grizzly discovery whilst dumpster diving with his foster mum and sister everything starts to freak him out. What should he do?

With no-one else to turn to, Milla and Sim discover that support, trust and friendship don’t require face-to-face contact.

IT’S YR LIFE is a brilliant book for modern technology kids who don’t like to read. Deckert and Bancks wrote the book together corresponding via the internet just like Milla and Sim. Each chapter is an email. There are pictures and news clippings and links to pages on the internet that bring the story to life. Check out the otters holding hands in YouTube!

Tristan Bancks also wrote the Mac Slater, Coolhunter series. Book 1 was reviewed in Issue 11 and Book 2 in Issue 17.

http://www.tempanydeckert.com/
http://www.tristanbancks.com/

Yum, Yum!

by Mara Bergman. Illustrated by Nick Maland

Hodder Children’s Books. Picture, Young Reader. Hardback rrp $28.99

A book that is full of sounds.

Creak, Crack, Creak, Crack.

Hissssssssssssssss, swisssssssssshhhhhh, hissssssssss, swisssssshhh.

SNAP! HUMPH! SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! NEIGH! EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

Along with the noises of the “guests” who enter Katie and James’ home, there are the wonderful drawings of these visitors and their hiding spots.

Yum, Yum! is a wonderful book to read aloud – very aloud - with rhymes and giggles for every child that likes to make sound!

This is a book, which might be best read when waking, not sleeping! Just make sure that nanna has her hearing aid turned down or there may be a few complaints!

We Are Wearing Out the Naughty Step

by Mick Inkpen

Hodder Children’s Books. Young Reader. Paperback rrp $16.99

I have used the naughty step to punish my children and when I pulled this book out to read to my young son he flinched a bit – I think he was worried I would make him go there again. But after we started reading, he was soon giggling and laughing and I was smiling as I remembered the reasons I had sent him to our naughty step.

My bear Bertie has always had something fidgety inside him.
I wanted to see what it was. It was beans!
Real beans!
I didn’t mean them ALL to come out.
And it wasn’t me that put one in Jimbo’s ear.

The inquisitiveness of young children is perfectly captured in We Are Wearing Out the Naughty Step. This is a book that may help explain to adults that kids will be kids and that some adults can be kids too – just for awhile! A fun way of looking at the naughty side of life! With wonderful pictures to enhance those feelings. Sometimes being naughty is really just finding out – discovering.

Mick Inkpen is the author/illustrator of The Kipper and Wibbly Pig stories, the winner of the British Book Award for the Best Illustrated Book for Lullabyhullabaloo and the Children’s Book Award for Threadbear. Kipper won a BAFTA for best animated children’s film in 1998.

100% Hero

by Jayne Lyons

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

Here is a book that an adult really really enjoyed! Yes it is a book for primary school children but why should they get all the fun?

Freddy Lupin is a werewolf living with his father and housekeeper in the family’s historic Farfang Castle. He is only ten years of age but he has already saved the family and is a hero (the story can be read in 100% Wolf).

But Freddy has some problems. First Freddy, on the night of his Transwolftation (when a werewolf transforms from a man to a wolf), transforms into a poodle and not a wolf in front of Priscilla, the only girl he has ever liked. His father, as a wolf, is captured by a television reporter and placed in the local zoo.

Freddy is taken away from the Castle and sent off to camp with Priscilla. But the camp isn’t the adventure camp that Freddy is hoping for. When his clothes are burnt and he is given pink tights and ballet slippers Freddy realises he must dance to save his life!

On top of all this there is the problem of people trying to find the Treasure of Bane within Farfang Castle. But who will stop them while Freddy and his father are otherwise detained?

100% Hero is a story that is a humorous introduction to fantasy for young readers. A very funny and engaging book. 100% Hero is the sequel to 100% Wolf and while it can be read on its own, I would advise all readers to read 100% Wolf first. It’s just that much fun.

http://www.jaynelyons.com/

Malcolm & Juliet

by Bernard Beckett

The Text Publishing Company. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95

Malcolm & Juliet is a funny story all about sex. Teenagers and sex to be precise. And Beckett delivers the story perfectly.

Malcolm is a sixteen year-old nerd, geek and his greatest ambition is to win the National Secondary School’s Science Fair. He came second last year and second isn’t what Malcolm wants – he wants to be first. He wants the recognition that he thinks he deserves. But what project will give him the “visual punch and an all-important topicality” that the official judges’ report told why he failed last year? Sex!

Sex was topical. Sex lent itself to visual presentations.

Juliet is Malcolm’s friend and is being blackmailed. She needs Malcolm’s brains to think of a plan to come up with the money. Between Malcolm’s project and Juliet’s needs, can sex save the day?

Then there is Charlotte, Kevin and Brian. Charlotte likes Malcolm. Brian likes Charlotte. Kevin likes Brian. Malcolm likes Charlotte. Brian likes Juliet. Juliet doesn’t like anybody! With all this teenage confusion and angst Malcolm’s “documentary” on sex might just open up the mysteries of it all.

Malcolm & Juliet is a book you need to read alone because when you laugh, it will be a big belly laugh! It is a revealing side of the awkwardness of teenagers and their habits.

Malcolm & Juliet won the 2005 Young Adult Fiction award in the NZ Post Awards for Children and Young Adults, the 2005 Esther Glen Award from the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa and made the 2005 Children’s Literature Foundation of New Zealand Notable Books List.

Bernard Beckett’s book Genesis was reviewed in Issue 7 of The Reading Stack.

The good daughter

by Amra Pajalic

The Text Publishing Company. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95

Sammie Omerovic is fifteen. She was always known to her friends and her mother as Sammie but now, her family calls her Sabiha. Sabiha is Bosnian. Sabiha is Australian. Sabiha is confused.

Sabiha is Australian born of Bosnian parents, but that shouldn’t matter. And it never did until her grandfather moves in with her and her divorced mother, Bahra. Sabiha’s teenage life is thrown into turmoil.

Now she can’t wear certain clothes, she can’t wear makeup and she definitely can’t be friends with non-Bosnian boys! Her hippy mother has turned into a prude and is only interested in one thing – her new Bosnian boyfriend, Safet – maybe he can make her more respectable in the eyes of the Bosnian community by marrying her.

Sabiha tries to be the good daughter but it is hard when her family life and school/social life conflict. All because of Bosnia!

The good daughter is the tale of a teenager with all the usual problems such as boyfriends, homosexuality and a sense of style in addition to the added conflicts of religion, Bosnian life and a mother who is bi-polar.

This multi-cultural story is frustrating, funny and sad with an ending that promises there is still much more to tell about Sabiha’s life. I hope so. Loved it. Want more!

http://amrapajalic.com/

Something More

by Mo Johnson


Allen and Unwin. Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $16.95

Something More is about finding a place to belong. It is about the challenges Isla McBay faces at a new school, in a new country (Australia) and even within her own family.

Isla is homesick for the life she left behind in Glasgow, Scotland. It’s hard not to look back to where her best friend and (now ex) boyfriend remain. She’s still in touch with Fiona but she has cut all ties with Brian, afraid that even his friendship will gradually fade away.

At home she continues to fight with her younger sister, Terry. But the balance shifts and Terry needs her support. Sisters belong together. Don’t they? New people in her life are gradually filling the spaces – gorgeous Sam, irritating Jack and spiteful Molly. There are rivalries and romance, friendships and fights. And many embarrassing moments for Isla.

But sometimes you have to look at things differently to understand. It is only when Isla sees her face repeated in the frames of Jack’s photography assignment that she views herself clearly. She sees something more.

Each chapter is prefaced by the feisty humorous wisdom of Gran McGonnigle. Even though Gran is miles away in Glasgow, her words keep Isla’s life in perspective with advice for every occasion. Isla dreads the pool party because she cannot swim but Gran has something to say about that: ‘They say your life flashes before your eyes when you drown, Isla, so if you don’t want to die bored, learn to swim.’

Something More is the eleventh book in the popular Girlfriend Fiction series which showcases some of Australia’s best Young Adult fiction authors. It is an excellent choice for teenage girls.

http://www.mojohnson.com.au/

Sting

by Raymond Huber

Walker Books Australia. Junior. Paperback rrp $14.95

This is a unique animal fantasy told from the perspective of a bee. Ziggy is not an ordinary bee, although he wishes he was. He has trouble adjusting to the hierarchy of the hive. “Buzz off, Oddbee” the Sister bees taunt.

Sometimes Ziggy likes to be different and fly off exploring the fields. But more than anything he wants to know why he is that way. When the Queen sends him on a mission, his special place in the world is revealed.

During his adventures Ziggy meets wasps, wild bees, bumblebees, hybrid bees and humans. The story is action packed with lots of zigging, zagging and low flying. A subtle lesson about the biology of bees and the importance of caring for our environment is woven through the plot.

Huber has given each bee species its own unique character. I smiled to read about the bumblebees, ancient creatures living a bohemian existence in the Hummer – a place where stressed bees can go to find solace. I think I’ve met Yogi the bumblebee casually buzzing around my garden.

Interspersed throughout the story are extracts from scientist Sophie’s diary, giving another perspective to the story and providing an extra explanation for some of Ziggy’s bee - vision viewpoints.

Sting is entertaining and fun with a little accidental learning on the side. Boys particularly will relate to the science perspective and any child who likes to collect bugs or watch insects in the garden, will absolutely love this book.

http://www.raymondhuber.co.nz/

The Kiss of Death

by Marcus Sedgwick

Hachette Children’s Books. Young Adult, Mystery. Paperback rrp $17.99

You can’t tell a book by its cover. Or can you? One look at the cover of The Kiss of Death and I knew I had to read it. Haunting and eerie. Gothic and grey. Lifeless expect for the black birds flying.

Marko’s father, Alessandro, is missing in Venice. Alessandro is a doctor who left his wife and nine children to help Simono, an old friend. When Marko’s mother receives a strange letter and note and Marko, the eldest child, sets off from their village to travel to Venice to look for his father. He has a name and a place to meet and that is all.

Set in the 18th Century, The Kiss of Death is an engrossing story of vampires and belief.

Marko meets Sorrel, Simono’s daughter. Simono is going mad with a sickness that doesn’t allow him to sleep. Alessandro was treating Simono but disappeared. Marko and Sorrel need to find Alessandro and a cure for Simono.

With very few clues, Marko and Sorrel start combing the canals and islands of Venice. Strange things are happening and when they meet up with Peter, the world becomes an even stranger place.

Peter is on the hunt for the Shadow Queen. He has been killing her army over many years and he has come to Venice to stop her from building it up again. What have Peter, Alessandro and Simono got in common? How can Marko and Sorrel help when they don’t believe?

Venice is a traditional backdrop for dark deeds and Sedgwick has created a gothic mystery that keeps unravelling right to the very last page. I would love to visit Venice but am feeling fearful of what I might find there!

Marcus Sedgwick’s Blood Red Snow White was reviewed in Issue 12 of The Reading Stack.

http://www.marcussedgwick.com/

Play School Alphabet

ABC Books. Australia, Picture. rrp $12.95 Board Book $14.95

This high quality board book is filled with bright, bold pictures that will be familiar to many young readers. And if not, they soon will be.

g is for garden where Jemima sits. h is for hat on Humpty (of course). z is for zipper on Big Ted’s jacket.

A great way for any young child to learn their “ABC’s”. If your little Aussie toddler loves Play School then you can’t go wrong with the Play School Alphabet book.

The Gorilla Book/The Little One

The Gorilla Book – Born to be Wild

by Dr Carla Litchfield

black dog books. Australian, Children’s Non-Fiction. Paperback rrp $16.99

Here is a wonderful, easy to read, fact filled book on Gorillas. The author, Dr Litchfield, is a scientist who has studied Great Apes in Africa and Australia. The book is set out with short but concise information and maps, fact-boxes and sidebars to keep you interested and intrigued. The glorious photos of these beautiful creatures reveal much more than you would ever see on any zoo visit.

There are a lot of facts I knew about the gorilla, such as they walk on their knuckles, they can communicate with sounds and sign language and that they live in “families”. But there is so much more I didn’t know.

Grauer’s Gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo are in danger of extinction because of mobile phones! 15% of the world’s deposits of Coltan, a metal used in electronic devices, computers and mobile phones, is found in the home of the Grauer’s Gorillas. Uncontrolled mining has resulted in animals being hunted for food and the forests and streams being degraded..

New important fact no 1: Keep recycling your electronic equipment and you could help save a gorilla. 2009 is the International Year of the Gorilla and this book, perfectly timed, is a poignant reminder of our special relationship with these gentle giants.

The Little One. The Story of a Red-tailed Monkey

by Kaitie Afrika Litchfield

black dog books. Children’s Non-Fiction, Australian. Paperback rrp $16.99

The Little One is the perfect companion book to The Gorilla Book. It could also be considered a prequel as it will extend readership to a younger preschool audience.

Kaitie is the daughter of Dr Carla Litchfield who travelled with her to Uganda to study chimpanzees. Kaitie was only four years of age but she experienced life that not many children have the opportunity to ever do including looking after a two-week old orphaned red-tailed monkey.

The Little One is the story of the bond that can develop between two young children – one a human, the other a monkey.

The book is easy to read with lots of personal photographs of Kaitie and “The Little One”. Any child who loves animals and a sense of adventure will enjoy and learn from it.

http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/staff/homepage.asp?Name=Carla.Litchfield

http://www.yog2009.org/

Charlotte and the Starlet 3

Hooray for Hollywood

by Dave Warner

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

Charlotte is a 13-year-old girl who takes care of Leila the horse. Leila was once a movie star in Hollywood and now has teamed up with Charlotte in Australia doing show jumping. But the riding academy where Leila and Charlotte live is being sued for a million dollars and the only way out is for Leila to go back to Hollywood and make another movie.

Charlotte goes with Leila and what, at first, seems to be a straight forward movie shoot turns out to have problems. Lots of problems. With accidents and kidnappings happening all over the shoot, the talk amongst everyone associated with the movie is that it is jinxed. But Charlotte thinks there is another explanation. Someone is determined to sabotage the movie and if they succeed, Leila and Charlotte may not have a home to go back to.

Can Charlotte prove that there is a saboteur? Will the movie ever get finished? And will Sarah-Jane, the leading 13-year-old actress, sort out her differences with Leila and Charlotte?

This is a fun but action-packed story. There are laughs throughout and I am sure that there are a lot of girls out there who would love to have a horse like Leila, especially since she can talk to humans!

Hooray for Hollywood is the third book in the Charlotte and the Starlet series. I am sure there will be lots of fans out there waiting for book 4!

http://www.davewarner.com.au/
http://www.charlotteandthestarlet.com/

Samurai Kids

Book 1: White Crane
Book 2: Owl Ninja

by Sandy Fussell. Illustrated by Rhian Nest James

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

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

Niya is one of five Samurai Warrior students at the Cockroach Ryu. It is a school with a difference. The sensei (teacher) is so old that many comment, ‘I thought he died’, at the mention of his name. The students are unique too. Each is missing something: an arm, a leg, sight, the will to fight. Kyoko, the only girl, has six fingers and toes. Each student was rejected by other Samurai Schools, but Sensei insists, ‘A cracked bowl can hold water. There is nothing wrong with the bowl. It just needs to be held properly.’ He sets about teaching each of them how to excel. ‘More practice, little Cockroaches’ echoes through the pages.

In White Crane, the students prepare for the Annual Samurai Training Games. Cockroach Ryu came last the previous year. It’s hard not to cringe at the prospect of more defeat. The students journey alone through a mountain shortcut and face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Will the kids survive darkness and danger in the underground tunnel? The wrong decision could cost lives.

Things are different in many ways this year at the Games. The students’ perception has deepened. Sensei’s words sink in. Things are never as they seem and there is more than one way to succeed. Some students cheat in the Games. Others are bullies, but there are also friends to be made. Sensei demonstrates the truth of his words, ‘A true Samurai doesn’t need a sword’. Literally.

Owl Ninja picks up where The White Crane finishes, but in very different circumstances. Sensei and his Cockroaches hurry in their bid to stop a war. If they fail, many will die. Along the way, there are lessons to learn and always ‘more practice’. However, a shadow darkens the path. At their last meeting, the Emperor wanted to chop off Sensei’s head. Familiar foes also race to the same destination with opposite intentions. How can anyone want war?

Throughout the Samurai Kids Series, several themes recur. More practice at fighting and awareness is essential despite the fact that a true Samurai doesn’t need a sword. The students are constantly challenged to think laterally and find a way around apparent obstacles, rather than being defeated by them. The bully is not always as strong as he seems.

A daily dose of humour sustains the little Cockroaches. This diet gives deeper messages zing. Although the intended audience is Upper Primary, I know of at least one Secondary College using Samurai Kids in their English Curriculum. As an adult, I found the stories irresistible.

Just as things are never as they seem, the reader can travel different paths within these books. The surface ride is fun and full of action, while Sensei’s words point to a deeper level of understanding and a rockier path. Either way, you are in for a delightful read, regardless of your age.

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

How to Heal a Broken Wing

Written and Illustrated by Bob Graham

Walker Books. Australian, Picture Book. Hardback rrp $27.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

How to Heal a Broken Wing begins with a pigeon hitting high-rise glass. The bird falls tens of metres, but survives, lying on the footpath alone, unnoticed. Peak hour brings crowds. Bob Graham’s words and illustrations portray jarring opposites. ‘No one looked’, yet the pictures clearly show people carefully stepping over the bird. Looking and perceiving are worlds apart.

Everyone steps aside, ‘Except Will.’ This little boy’s name hints at a deeper truth. He is the antipathy of the drab, unseeing crowd who ‘won’t’ take the time to help. In eighty words, How to Heal a Broken Wing is a commentary on the power brought by simple actions. Noticing, caring and patient watching bring healing. Will is brightly dressed, lighting up bleak surroundings. Will stops when he sees the injured bird, talking his mum into taking the bird home. Whatever the plans were for the day, these are abandoned in concern for the bird.

Together with Dad, the family realise the loose feather can’t be reattached. They embark on a medical rescue. Three people work together improvising, assisting, watching. Not all goes to plan. There are disappointments on the way. A broken wing might heal, but no one knows if or when. Bob Graham adds colour to the pages as hope grows.

The day to release the pigeon arrives, with the trio returning to the city. The final pink-red glow of life, warmth and healing explodes as the pigeon returns to the skies. Even the city is bathed in soft pastel hues.

There is much left to reader interpretation. Perhaps winter has given way to spring. Maybe the family returns to the city on the weekend. I prefer to think that the actions of one small family softens the unseeing hardness of those around them.

How to Heal a Broken Wing is well deservedly on the CBCA shortlist for 2009. I return to its pages often to enjoy the warmth of its message.

The Great Rock Whale

by Christine Paice & Wendy O’Malley

Hachette Children’s Books (Lothian). Australian, Picture Book. Softcover rrp $16.99

This is a beautiful picture book which holds a special place in my heart as it is about somewhere firmly fixed in my childhood memories – the Kiama Blowhole.

The story is one of hope, belonging and family, based on the annual migratory paths of whales such as the Humpback and the Southern Right.

The Great Whale begins his journey in the icy seas of the Antarctic, travelling up the eastern coast of Australia as he searches for his family. He calls and calls but no-one answers. Eventually he settles beneath the cliffs of Kiama. Time works its magic and the sad Great Whale finds peace as he turns to stone and becomes one with the land.

When his family finally arrive he cannot move to join them but as each group passes he spurts water into the air in greeting. The Kiama Blowhole is in action.

The pictures are glorious. I wish I had the artistic background to find the words to do them justice. I had no idea there was so much depth in blue and green. Complementing the painted illustrations are small intricate line drawing snapshots. Add the interesting but always readable font and this book is a complete visual package.

I live on the whales’ migratory path and I will never watch them pass by again without recalling the wonderful text and illustrations from The Great Rock Whale.

A Wiggly Holiday

A Fun Wiggly Activity Book

ABC Books. Picture, Young Reader, Australian. Softcover rrp $12.95

With the school holidays not too far away, this might be just what the parents of bored primary schoolers need. Especially if there is a long car or plane trip involved.

A Wiggly Holiday contains bright, fun-filled Wiggle-packed pages of activities. All the well-known and much-loved characters are there. Find the hidden sea creatures at Henry the Octopus’ house. Make a paper aeroplane full of Wiggles. Count the steps to Wags’ kennel and draw a dress-up costume on Dorothy the Dinosaur.

So next time you need an activity for kids 5 to 10, get out some scissors, colouring in pencils and a few buttons as game counters. Put them on top of this book and hand them over. I won’t guarantee it will keep the kids quiet - flying the Wiggly aeroplane is sure to be a bit noisy – but it’s also sure to be a lot of fun.

The Immortal

by Michael Panckridge

black dog books. Junior, Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $16.99

I am a big fan of Michael Panckridge and the skilful twists I’ve come to expect from his plots. I was not disappointed in his latest young adult novel The Immortal.

A special potion that gives a person immortality. Could it be possible? What happens if you are accidentally injected with a potion that does just that but then you are locked into a tunnel in the side of the cliffs, never to be found? Forever. You don’t need food, water or air, but could there be something else you need?

Cameron has been sent to spend two weeks at a summer holiday cottage by the sea for children. He isn’t keen about going but his father, Glen, is very busy at work. Besides Glen used to go there as a child and had wonderful times exploring the cliffs. He hopes Cameron will too. But what Cameron finds is ghosts and voices.

The Immortal is a gripping, thought-provoking story. If you have ever wished for immortality – after reading this, you will think again.

Panckridge’s The Cursed and The Vanishings were reviewed in Issues 4 and 6 respectively.

http://www.michaelpanckridge.com.au/

Journey of the Sea Turtle

by Mark Wilson

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

Finding Nemo introduced many children to a range of new and interesting sea creatures and one of the most treasured finds for my children was the sea turtles. So I was thrilled to find a book that not only had beautiful, vibrant paintings I’d love to hang on my walls, but a great story that all my children loved to read and learn from.

Journey of the Sea Turtle follows the life of the sea turtle from hatchling to adult. And we think that we have it bad! From 1,000 eggs only one hatchling will survive to adult hood.

This cleverly written story explores the dangers one sea turtle faces, from the natural selection of beasts through to the problems man-kind has created, in a manner young children can easily understand. The journey is hard and the shadows that can mean death to the turtle can also mean life and salvation.

Journey of the Sea Turtle is an excellent resource for preschools and primary schools – young listeners and readers will be entertained while learning the importance of environmental issues in our ocean.

http://www.marklwilson.com.au/

The Contract

by Brett Hoffmann

Penguin Group. Australian, Adult crime, Mystery. Paperback rrp $32.95

What makes Wall Street bankers run for their lives after finding a 40 year old contract? What could an old contract possibly contain that could jeopardise the lives of everyone who has had even the slightest contact with it? From its contents, Australian Stella Sartori can’t tell but she soon realises that someone wants it destroyed. And they want all who have laid eyes on it to “disappear”. Will she be next?

Stella has been assigned to assess a company take-over for a client. It’s what she excels at. But this time there is something strange about one company, Kradel, wanting to buy another company, CMS, that has nothing to offer. When she is given an old contract in CMS’ archives Stella finds an old letter and a secret which might even ruin a national image. Now her life is in danger and she needs to disappear and try to decipher the letter’s meaning.

Fellow Australian Jack Rogers is sent in to fix the mess that Stella has left behind but he soon realises that it is Stella, and not the company, that need his help. Can two Wall Street bankers outsmart the mafia and the FBI? And what is the Virgin’s Secret? See if you can guess. I certainly couldn’t.

Using typical words to describe The Contract such as ‘fast-paced’, ‘action-packed’, ‘edge-of-your-seat’ is all I can think of because they fit so perfectly. I read over 470 pages in a day and a half! This is Hoffman’s first novel and if he keeps writing like this it won’t be long before he has a huge fan base! You heard it here first – that makes me number one fan!

Sarah’s Heavy Heart

by Peter Carnavas

New Frontier Publishing. Australian, Picture, Young Reader. Hardback rrp $24.95

Sarah’s heart was hers to carry but it was so large and heavy. She found that all her everyday activities, such as getting on the bus, having a bath, and playing at school were hard because of her heavy heart.

Then one day Sarah sees a boy floating by with a heart that isn’t heavy enough. Could this boy help Sarah with her problem? And could she help him?

Sarah’s Heavy Heart is a beautifully illustrated story that will touch the hearts of many. One which will take away the heaviness for others. A special book about friendship and love.

Carnavas’ Jessica’s Box has been shortlisted for the 2009 Crichton Award for new illustration talent and was a CBCA Notable Book in the Early Childhood section. It was reviewed in The Reading Stack issue 7.