The Ruby Talisman

by Belinda Murrell

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


Tilly isn’t coping with her parents’ divorce. Nothing is going right, from her fencing classes, to her mother continually blaming her and having to always look after her pesky little brother. Life seems so unfair. Then Tilly overhears her mother crying to her aunt on the phone. Is Tilly really that hard to live with?

Her aunt suggests that Tilly stay with her for the weekend. Reluctantly Tilly goes. Her aunt tells her a story from the family’s past and shows her a priceless heirloom. Tilly falls asleep to dream of the French Revolution and her beautiful ancestral grandmother, Amelie-Mathilde.

Fifteen year-old Amelie-Mathilde is set to be married off to ensure her family’s inheritance is kept secure. She too falls asleep, holding her ruby talisman, and dreams of someone to come and rescue her.

Tilly becomes part of the dream. Can a modern teenage girl adjust and fit in in 1789 France? Can this same young girl learn greater lessons from two privileged French aristocrats? The three must face many dangers but ultimately there must be a happy ending. How else would Tilly be alive in Australia in the 2000’s? This book is a real page turner.

The Ruby Talisman is another excellent time-slip story from Belinda Murrell following The Locket of Dreams , reviewed by The Reading Stack in May 2009.

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

Battle of the Sun

by Jeanette Winterson

Allen and Unwin. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $16.99

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

In this nothing less than spectacular novel, Winterson has reinstated herself as one of the great writers of our time. Turning to children’s writing with Tanglewreck, her superlative prose style coaxes her outstanding characters to life in every line.

It is 1601 and on the day that Jack turns twelve, his whole world changes. He is kidnapped on his way home and taken from his mother to become the instrument of the Magus whose intention it is to use Jack as the sacrifice of ‘blood most dear’ to enable his magic and achieve the work of the mighty Opus by turning all of London into gold.

Jack is transported to the Dark House where things are not what they seem. A series of challenges lay before the boy. With the help of a magic dragon, the alliance of the alchemist John Dee and Silver - characters born in Tanglewreck, he must dig deep to find a way to return his mother back to life from the stone woman the Magus has made her, and put an end to the madness.

This novel picks up threads from Tanglewreck although it is not a sequel, and weaves a magical tale of power and love. Brilliant in its imagery and powerful in its intent, it creates spectacular worlds from the natural surroundings. Water has always been a favourite focus of Winterson in her novels, as have the elements and the solar system. She makes good use of all these symbols to reproduce the realities of life, mostly the human weaknesses, strengths and frailties contained in us all.

Battle of the Sun is used as a metaphor for the fight that must be waged internally by each person in the book. This battle will enable them to redeem their most outstanding potential from the threatening external forces which seek to destroy their beings. Truth and honour must battle power and evil for love to overcome all obstacles. The book is open-ended so we should expect a third book with these characters.
 
http://www.jeanettewinterson.com/

Deadly Peril and how to avoid it

by Tracey Turner and illustrated by Ben Hasler

Allen and Unwin. Young Adult, Children's Non-Fiction. Paperback rrp $16.99

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This concise and compact fact-finding book that is original in set up and content, is also interesting and entertaining. With an allocation of two pages, it gives attention to: Peril (subject), Peril Rating (out of ten) Location (of the peril), and Best Known For. These are followed by sub-sections which contain: Your Predicament, What’s the worst that can happen, The good news, and, The bad news. On the opposite page is the Field Agent’s Report which includes a picture, And how to avoid it, plus, What to do in an Emergency. Within a Fact File at the bottom of the second page, there is the truth about common misconceptions, and a great many facts and statistics on the subject at hand. Each entry has a colour coded strip at the top right hand page for easy finding.

The first coded in red, is Menace from the Deep with ten sea creatures that include the Box Jellyfish, Blue-ringed Octopus, Stone Fish, and Giant Squid. Deadly Planet follows. It contains Volcano, Avalanche, Rip Current, Quicksand, and Earthquake among its twelve entries.

Unexpected Peril has eight entries which are astonishing but which lend humour to the whole book. These include Frozen Toilet Waste, Spontaneous Human Combustion, Coconut (falling on one’s head), and Fugu. These pale in significance when compared to Animal Attack that includes Fierce Snake, Vampire Bat, Golden Poison Frog and Crocodile.

The other subjects are Small But Lethal with small insects and their dangers, Perilous Weather, that touches on various dangers presented by the natural elements, Everyday Peril, a humorous yet real depiction of dangers in daily life such as Sleepwalking, Getting Dressed, and Poisonous Garden Plants. The entries close with Adventurous Peril with Skydiving, The Bends and Cave-in.

The cover is blood red and has a black skull imprint. But this won’t deter the 13 – 103 age groups it is aimed at. At the end is a Don’t Panic! Page, and pages for notes by the reader.

Tales of Terror from the Tunnel’s Mouth

by Chris Priestley

Allen and Unwin. Young Adult, Horror. Hardback rrp $24.99

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

It is England in the early 1900s. Robert is travelling alone on a train for the first time in his life. He’s glad to get away from his overpowering step-mother whose life talk is filled with superstitions and portents. The other occupants of the carriage he enters are the Major, a farmer, a bishop and a surgeon. The last to enter is a lady dressed totally in white. While the others sleep, she offers to entertain him with tales.

But the train doesn’t seem to move from the tunnel’s mouth and there is no waking up all the snoring occupants.

The tales Robert is told are gripping, macabre, and filled with supernatural happenings. He finds that the storyteller has some place in his life which he can’t identify. He struggles to make sense of what is really happening. Is he part of the stories, or have they affected him in an explicable way. Do parallel worlds really exist?

These are spectacular tales of terror and edgy horror. The extraordinary and imaginative tales with a sinister twist are presented through perfect writing and well-conceived stories. This is the type of work expected by the gifted Priestly who is the author of Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror and Tales of Terror from the Black Ship. He is currently working on a longer ghost story.

This is not everyone’s ideal read, but it is highly addictive and riveting reading. There are eleven chilling tales. The book is beautifully presented in hardcover with a fully illustrated dust jacket in sombre black and white pen and ink. It would suit teenage readers plus, but it comes with a warning. It’s not for the faint-hearted!

http://www.blogger.com/profile/07746096370998568723

When I was Joe

by Keren David

Francis Lincoln Children’s Books. Young Adult. Paperback rrp $16.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

Witnessing a stabbing murder at 14 years of age is hard enough, but what if your own life is threatened by what you see? What if you have to disappear to stay alive? Ty Lewis is moved to safety under the British Witness Protection program. His name, appearance and life have to change beyond recognition until further notice.

‘How do you lie about everything?’

These words touch more deeply on the truth than I ever expected.

Although Joe’s story starts off slowly and takes a while to gather momentum, it’s worth holding on for the ride. Life seems to hit one downhill rollercoaster after another when you’re with Joe, much like a runaway train. The crazy thing is that he finds a deeper happiness as Joe than he ever did as Ty, but can it last?

Themes surrounding knives surface in several forms, as do issues like ‘lust’ versus ‘love’, and the need to belong.

I was frustrated by the last page, but I guess that just means it’s worth waiting for the sequel.

http://wheniwasjoe.blogspot.com/

The Holy Thief

by William Ryan

Pan MacMillan Australia. Crime, Mystery, History. Paperback rrp $32.99

A woman’s mutilated body is found displayed on an altar in a Christian church in Moscow in 1936. An ear, eye and her tongue have been placed in such a way to spell a warning. Is it the work of a deranged madman or is it something more sinister? Captain Alexei Korolev is asked to investigate. Korolev soon discovers the woman was an American citizen tortured to death. It appears she never told her captive the secrets he wanted to hear. Can Korolev discover them?

Then a second body is discovered. The body of a Russian Thief. He also had been tortured but it seems his secrets passed his lips. He was lucky and died quickly with a bullet. What do a thief and a young American woman have in common?

When the theft of a rare religious icon is brought to Korolev’s attention, he realises that the murder investigation has uncovered a criminal mastermind at work. More and more bodies start to pile up and Korolev may need a miracle to save himself.

In the harsh reality of a Stalin run Russia, everybody fears something. What does Korolev fear and should someone higher up fear Korolev?

A wonderful tale of murder, deceit and 1930’s Russia. The Holy Thief is the first in a series of cases and adventures for Alexei Korolev. Once you read this book you will be queuing for the next instalment.

The Splendour Falls

by Rosemary Clement-Moore

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

What happens when a young girl destined to be a great ballet dancer falls and breaks her leg? When her mother remarries after the death of her beloved father?

Sylvie Davies’ life is shattered, just like her broken leg, when her mother sends her to stay with her father’s cousin in Alabama. She is distracted from self-pity by two boys determined to woo her. One for power. One for love. But how can she tell them apart?

What upsets Sylvie most is the crying at night in the woods beside the old homestead of her father’s family and the brief glimpses of a figure running through the night. Is Sylvie going mad? Or is there something magical about the beautiful blue stone planted in the garden?

A wonderful tale of ghosts, beliefs and trust. This is not your average girl meets two boys and has to choose. This is a story of a young woman coping with conflicting ideals and the decisions that will change her life.

Just Kids

by Patti Smith

Allen and Unwin. Biographical, Adult Non-Fiction. Hardback rrp $39.99

Just Kids is the story of two young people on a collision course to find each other in the depths of Brooklyn in the late 60’s.

Patti Smith wanted to be a poet, artist, and performer. Robert Mapplethorpe wanted to find fame as an artist. The androgynous Smith and the sexually orientated Mapplethorpe were two halves of a pod. Empty shells on their own but once joined together an object that could bring life to others and themselves.

The story of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe as two highly successful individuals is well known but Smith’s story of how they met and were part of each other’s push to succeed is something different – unexpectedly sweet and beautiful.

Smith drops famous and some not-so-famous names of actors, singers, writers, poets and muses but her innocence at the time shines through. She was just a kid. To her Jimi Hendrix was simply a man climbing stairs to a party and Janis Joplin a lonely but beautiful woman.

If it wasn’t for Mapplethorpe we may never have heard the wonderful and soulful tunes of Smith. If it wasn’t for Smith we may never have seen what a camera could produce with Mapplethorpe behind the lens. Muses in mirror image. This is a wonderfully heart warming and inspiring story of two highly influential artists of the 70’s and 80’s.

the Secret Stealer

A Grand History of the Curse and its Accursees, Volume 267: James Winchester IV

by Jess Webster

Glass House Books. Australian, Young Adult, Fantasy. Paperback rrp $24.95

Nine year old James Winchester IV should have never spoken to the strange and charming man in a morning suit, top hat and VERY shiny shoes. How was he to know that this man was the Secret Stealer and James would become next in line.

Once your deepest secret has been stolen from you, the Secret Stealers can manipulate you for wealth and possessions. There is one small problem. Secret Stealers are invisible to all but a few and they cannot touch or hold anything. It is like they are a ghost. So what good are wealth and possessions to them?

Domenic Mancini has been stealing secrets for over 200 years and has tired of it. He has found his true love and wants to be able to hold her in his arms. All he needs is to trick someone into taking over his role. Poor James Winchester IV is the target.

What Domenic didn’t consider was who might be there to help James. Could a nine-year-old outsmart a 200-year-old Secret Stealer?

The Secret Stealer is a wonderful imaginative tale exploring what could possibly happen if someone knew your deepest, darkest secret. Children will delight in picturing James floating through the air and going through walls, eavesdropping on fellow school mates and adults and travelling the globe without the need of a plane. What marvellous fun.