Merrow

by Ananda Braxton-Smith

black dog books. Australian, Young Adult, Fantasy. Paperback rrp $18.99


Neen lives with her Aunt Ushag in an isolated corner of an island in the northern seas. After Neen’s sailor father was lost at sea, her despairing mother Ven, walked for days and weeks around the island. When Neen is still only a small child, Ven walks into the sea, disappearing for good.

As Neen grows and becomes a young woman she starts to question her aunt’s responses to this story. Listening to the village folk’s tales of what truly happened to them, Neen looks towards the ocean for answers.

Is her mother really a merrow, a mermaid? Is she still alive, living under the sea, waiting for the day her daughter will join her? And did her father offer himself freely to the sea and the merrows?

When Neen looks down at the birthmark scale that covers small parts of her skin, she feels maybe she does belong in the sea. Maybe she will find an answer there. But what Neen discovers in the caves surrounding the island is not the answer she was expecting.

Merrow is a beautifully written tale of a young girl’s struggle to discover where she has come from. This mysterious, fantastical and historical story will drag the reader along with the undercurrent tugging at the kelp tangling around Neen’s legs.

Meridian

by Amber Kizer

Random House. Young Adult. Paperback, rrp $18.95

Meridian doesn’t know she is a Fenestra, half-human and half-angel, a window souls pass through to find peace in death. She doesn’t understand why dead things are attracted to her until on her sixteenth birthday, destiny crashes headlong into her life.

But Meridian is not ready to assume her role and can’t help the accident victims strewn around her. Meridian’s parents tried to protect her for as long as possible and have not taught her what she needs to know. Now she has to leave them or her entire family will be in mortal danger. She is sent to stay with Auntie. Auntie is a Fenestra too and can help teach Meridian but Auntie’s time in this life is almost up and she grows weaker every day.

That leaves Meridian with only her handsome sworn Protector Tens, their wolf Custos and the remote possibility a warrior Sangre will arrive to help them battle the evil Aternocti who want to kill every Fenestra who won’t join them. Hiding behind a religious zealot, the Nocti are drawing closer and closer with increasingly violent steps. Meridian needs to learn fast so she can survive and find other Fenestras.

A paranormal tale with a little romance and a classic good versus evil plot, Meridian is an enjoyable and entertaining read.

http://www.amberkizer.com/

The Kites Are Flying

by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Laura Carlin

Walker Books. Junior. Hardback, rrp $16.95

The Kites Are Flying by former UK Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo is a masterful piece of storytelling – entertaining and thought-provoking.

The story is told from two perspectives - the notebook entries of British television journalist Max and eight-year-old Said’s unspoken conversations with his dead brother Mahmoud. On a trip to make a documentary, Max meets Said, a Palestinian shepherd boy who spends his days on the hillside watching the flock while making his beloved kites. But the innocence of this lifestyle is deceptive. Said lives on the West Bank where a wall separates Palestinian and Israeli peoples. Violence is never far away. Helicopters, guns, tanks. Said hasn’t spoken since Mahmoud was killed when the boys were flying kites in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now every kite Said makes is inscribed with four words – Salaam, Mahmoud and Said. He sends each hopeful message of peace over the wall, into the Israeli settlement where a girl in a blue headscarf sits in her wheelchair. Two years ago, she was injured in a car bomb ambush.

When Max mentions the girl, Said’s family have no sympathy. They resent that she is alive and Mahmoud is dead. “(Said will) find out soon enough what they are like over there… She is an occupier… All occupiers are the same,” Uncle Gasbag says.

But Said already knows what his family cannot understand. One day, his kites fly back over the wall. The occupiers have sent a return message – Shalom and a drawing of a dove. People on both sides clap, whoop and whistle. And Said speaks again. Words pour out as he expresses his jubilation to Max and Mahmoud.

Laura Carlin’s illustrations provide an almost physical feel of setting and place in an area of the world many will be unfamiliar with. The land is wonderfully exotic and strange but it is equally foreboding and dangerous. On the West Bank, personal joy and tragedy exist side by side.

The Kites Are Flying is a marvellous book of many layers and readers of varying ages will experience it on different levels. But ultimately, the result will always be the same. Like Max, the reader is richer for having known Said. There is always hope. We should never give up. We should do whatever we can to encourage peace.

(First printed in Booktopia Newsletter Jan 2010.)

http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/

Monkey Mountain

by Justin D’Ath

Penguin Australia. Junior, Australian, Paperback rrp $14.95

Monkey Mountain is the latest release in the Extreme Adventures series. I’ve read all the books and I have to admit up front, I’m a fan. Extreme Adventures books are packed full of action. Every chapter ending is a nail-biting cliff-hanger and even reluctant readers won’t want to stop there. Monkey Mountain is no exception to the Extreme Adventure rule.

Sam Fox is on a school excursion to Borneo to visit a dormant volcano. Except the volcano decides to spit ash – with Sam caught on a ledge inside the crater while attempting to rescue a friend’s fallen backpack. With the help of his teacher, Mr Griffin, Sam scrambles to safety but his problems aren’t over. Falling molten rock, lava flows, aggressive monkeys, sharks and crocodiles. Did I mention the pirates? The pace is nerve-wracking and frantic but the story never sounds contrived or overdone.

Fast, furious and fun. Girls will enjoy Monkey Mountain but boys will love it and start asking for the rest of the series. The pacing will drag the readers in and the storytelling will keep them there. Particularly recommended for reluctant boy readers.
http://www.penguin.com.au/puffin/mini-sites/extreme/default.cfm
http://www.justindath.com/

Little Paradise

by Gabrielle Wang

Penguin. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $19.95

This is a story of wonderful scope and scale. It will take you deep into the streets of early 1940s wartime Melbourne then sweep you all the way to China and back.

When Lei An decides to change her name to Mirabel, her mother reluctantly takes her to consult the soothsayer because ‘changing your name will change your whole destiny’. Something Mirabel’s mother knows all too well.

The words of the oracle bones provide no clues as to whether Mirabel’s future will be a happy one but as they follow her through life, there is an eerie certainty to their telling.

Mirabel is ready to embrace change. Not only in her name, but to grow up, fall in love and travel. It is not easy when your life spans two cultures and the world is at war. Mirabel falls in love with a Chinese soldier stationed in Melbourne. Their relationship is a secret and after JJ leaves, Mirabel finds she is pregnant. Her family are horrified and ashamed but Mirabel refuses to give up her baby or her love. She fought for her name and she fights for the destiny it promised. Is love and courage enough to help her find her way across China in the midst of Civil War?

Lei An is a good daughter but Mirabel is much more - a true heroine – a friend, a sister, a daughter, a mother and wife. Her story is a journey that sometimes made me cry and other times had me turning the pages as fast as I could. Highly recommended as a book for readers from teenage to adult.

http://www.gabriellewang.com/

Zoobots

by Bruce Whatley

Harper Collins. Australian, Picture. Hardcover rrp $24.99

The first thing readers of any age will notice about Zoobots is the images. Big, bold and beautiful. These lifelike piles of junk look like they could easily clatter and roll off the page. The full page action scenes have a distinct animation feel. Movement is only one small imaginative step away.

But there is much more to Zoobots than the rich visuals. It is a story of friendship and acceptance. Zebo already has two best friends – big Hyde and little TC. But she feels the need for one more, a middle-sized friend. “You can never have too many best friends” she tells the others.

Despite their efforts, Hyde, Zebo and TC cannot make a new friend from the bits and pieces lying around Junk Jungle. But ultimately new friends are not built, they are found ready-made. When Ruby appears, she is just right.

Award winning illustrator Bruce Whatley and his son have collaborated to produce a real winner – where storytelling and pictures combine with humour and affection.

The Bad Butterfly

Billie B Brown

by Sally Rippin

Hardie Grant Egmont. Australian, Junior. Paperback rrp $7.95

Feisty, exuberant and full of bounce. Sometimes too much bounce for ballet classes. That’s Billie B Brown, the star of the new Billie B Brown chapter books and The Bad Butterfly, the first book in the series.

Billie and her friend Jack, are going to ballet classes. Girls like Billie are soft, floaty butterflies and boys like Jack are energetic, stomping trolls. But even after extra practise with Jack, who’s very good at ballet, Billie knows something is not quite right. “Hey,” she says. “I’ve got an idea.” Could Billie stomp and Jack float?

Billie B Brown is a terrific role model, encouraging young girls to be themselves, explore their own strengths and challenge stereotypes. She’s the sort of girl who makes you want to cheer, go Billie.

The Bad Butterfly is easy to read and perfectly suited to emerging readers with short chapters, large text, humorous illustrations and lots of sound noises. Where Billie goes there is always action happening! Young girls will love reading about her adventures.

http://www.sallyrippin.com/

Bear and Chook by the Sea

by Lisa Shanahan, Illustrated by Emma Quay

Hachette Children's Books. Children's Picture Book, Australian. Softcover rrp $16.99

Bear and Chook by the Sea is a story of friendship between two unlikely friends. Bear is an adventurous dreamer, eager to try new things. Chook is contented to stay-at-home where it’s comfortable and safe.

But one morning a breeze blows in ‘as warm as honey toast’. Bear smells a holiday and with Chook tagging reluctantly behind, heads for the sea. Chook is frightened of every little noise – owls, frogs, trains and even a stone - but is willing to trust good friend Bear.

At the beach Chook gradually begins to enjoy the holiday after all. When it is time to leave, Bear decides to have a swim. An enormous wave rolls and tumbles him. “I want to go home! wailed Bear.” Now it is Chook who leads, comforting a nervous Bear.

This is a book of glorious yellows and blues. The blue of the ocean, the sky and the tinge to bear’s fur. The yellow of chook, the sand and the sun coming up over the ocean and of course, honey toast. Emma Quay equally captures the fun of the beach frolic, the fear of Chook’s journey to the sea and Bear’s frightened return home.

A follow-on to the popular Bear and Chook, Bear and Chook by the Sea was recently shortlisted in the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Awards 2010 for Best Picture Book.

http://www.bearandchook.com.au/
http://www.emmaquay.com/

SHADOWS

A Dark Touch Novel

by Amy Meredith

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

Fifteen-year-old Eve Evergold thought she only had one talent – the power to shop! Living in the Hamptons (in the US) where the rich and famous try to hide, it’s no wonder. With a very large credit card limit and a best friend, Jess, who likes shopping just as much as Eve, the only problem these girls have is which of the two new hunks to arrive in Deepdene, will they each date.

Unfortunately one of these boys is a demon. Is it mysterious but shy Mal or Luke, the new minister’s son who has a new girl on his arm every day? Soon the women and girls of Deepdene are carted to the local mental hospital babbling about demons and soul sucking.

When Eve starts shooting fire from her finger tips she faces the realisation that she may be the one to continue her family’s tradition, becoming the Deepdene Witch to overthrow the demon. But which boy is the one?

With the shadows growing thicker and trying to grip both Jess’ and Eve’s minds, can a young girl with no skills other than knowing when to get a great price on a pair of Jimmy Choo’s be able to fight and survive the master demon?

Shadows is a novel for girls who like to think there is more to a person than meets the eye and who desire to kick some demon butt while wearing great shoes.

A modern day super hero story with the intrigue of ancient witchcraft. The Hunt is the second Dark Touch novel due out later this year.

I Spy Mum!

by Janeen Brian, illustrated by Chantal Stewart

New Frontier Publishing. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover rrp $24.95

On the first page is a young boy in a sailor’s suit atop a boat’s mast with a telescope to his eye searching the seas for his mum.

'I spy with my little eye mums all starting with m.
But can I find the one who’s mine?’

From baking mum to dabble-drawing mum, slip-slap-sliding mum to ding-a-linging mum, there are lots of mums for this boy to see. Is one of these mums the right one for him?

Children, both boys and girls, will love the characters and they may even spot their own mother in the wonderful illustrations by Stewart. As a mother I searched for myself in a few of the mums and found that my son did the same – from the colour of their hair, to even a pattern on their clothes.

A delightful book for young children to investigate and read, cuddled together with their mums..

Brian and Stewart’s I Spy Dad! was reviewed by The Reading Stack in October 2009.

http://www.janeenbrian.com/

In Lonnie’s Shadow

by Chrissie Michaels

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


Lonnie McGuinness is a young lad living in the slums of Melbourne in 1891. He is a boy with a heart that keeps getting him into trouble. From his love for his boss’s daughter to the love for his mother and the two girls who are his mates, Daisy a Salvation Army worker and Pearl a worker of the streets. Whatever Lonnie does, he always ends up in trouble.

In Lonnie’s Shadow tells the tale of one young man’s struggle to overcome poverty, depression, disease and the street gangs he is surrounded by.

Beginning with a break-and-enter to retrieve something that was not rightfully taken in Lonnie’s eyes, every step is purposeful ... to set things right. Lonnie is always looking out for those more unfortunate than himself. He never sees himself as a victim although he wonders often why he can’t rise above the slush that surrounds his feet. But when Pearl goes missing and Daisy’s past gradually comes to light, the only way for Lonnie to help is to participate in an illegal horse race to win the money that will raise all three of them from the depths of their horrid world.

This book is a historical tale that will appeal to teenagers. Gangs, abortion, illegal races, and unrequited love – it’s all in here.

A powerful story that will keep a twenty-first century kid not only engaged, but might just stimulate an interest in stories of the past.

http://sites.google.com/site/chrissiemichaelsorg/

Cows in the Kitchen

by June Crebbin, illustrated by Katharine McEwen

Walker Books. Picture, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $16.95


“Cows in the kitchen, moo, moo, moo.
Cows in the kitchen, moo, moo, moo.

Cows in the kitchen, moo, moo, moo.

That’s what we do, Tom Farmer!”

These words were beautifully recited back to me by my very excited six-year-old. After reading Cows in the Kitchen with his father the night before, he was only too happy to sing to me the words the following morning.

What a wonderful book to encourage a child to read. With bright, clever and funny illustrations on every page Cows in the Kitchen is a book to treasure. And there is even a “spot the mouse” amongst the cows, sheep, hens and ducks to keep young minds active.

Great stuff

Nearly Departed

Welcome to Weirdsville...

by Rook Hastings

Harper Collins. Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery. Paperback rrp $14.99

Five teenagers living in Woodsville with nothing in common except they all attend the same high school and have some classes together. Then one mysteriously draws the other four together when she needs their help. Everything in Woodsville was strange before but now it becomes very weird. Welcome to Weirdsville.

Jay is the nerdy geek who thinks there is a parallel universe. Bethan is the goth chick who doesn’t belong in Woodsville. Hashim is the popular football star but he doesn’t want to tell anyone what he sees. Kelly is the beautiful girl, scared for her life. And then there is Emily. No-one seems to notice her until she appears quietly and meekly in the background.

Emily’s mother is missing and the five band together to try and find answers. But in Woodsville there are strange things happening and nobody will admit to anything. What these teenagers don’t see is much scarier than what they expected.

Nearly Departed is a ghost story that has some wonderful twists that I missed right up to the end. And yes September 2010 will see the release of the sequel. I can’t wait!

Thorn on the Rose

by Joy Dettman

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

It’s 1939. Jenny Morrison is fifteen years of age and already a runaway from an attempt to force her into marriage.

Pregnant after being raped by local twin brothers, the small town solution is for her to marry one of the boys. Jenny has other ideas. Leaving instructions with her maternal grandmother, Gertrude, to give the baby to the hospital Jenny disappears only to return months later pregnant again – except this time she has expensive clothes and money.

The judgemental Woody Creek residents make cruel assumptions and Jenny is labelled the town slut. Her own dysfunctional parents are not supportive and she finds refuge with Gertrude.

Pregnant for the third time, Jenny runs away again to Sydney. This time the father is Jim Cooper, the only son of Gertrude’s one-true love, Vern Cooper. All Jenny wants is to one day be a famous singer and be with Jim. But the war is hovering over them and soon Jenny is left with another baby and a father missing in action. Vern is not going to let her have the life she hoped and things grow even worse. She could lose everything, especially baby Jimmy.

Jenny’s life is a roller coaster ride of great heights and great lows. After many months she is forced to return once again to Woody Creek. What could possible force her to move back to the place where she is not wanted?

This is a story that will keep you on your toes. Jenny will bewitch some readers but and antagonise others but ultimately Thorn on the Rose is a historical and social commentary that through fiction addresses more than one woman’s story of the times.

Thorn on the Rose is the second instalment in Joy Dettman’s Woody Creek series. I had not read Pearl in a Cage and found that there was no catching up. Thorn on the Rose kept me reading it’s 500+ pages until the end and I just know there is going to be a third instalment. Jenny’s life isn’t finished with yet.

http://joydettman.com/

Politically Incorrect Parenting

by Nigel Latta

Harper Collins Australia. Adult Non-Fiction. Paperback rpp $27.99

Have you got a child under twelve? Are you pulling out your hair on how to stop these children from driving you around the twist? Are you sick of all those self-help gurus who TELL you what to do? You need to read Politically Incorrect Parenting.

I have one child left in the young mind moulding age and thought I would just skim through this book. I have two older kids and they are fine. Yeah I still have to yell at them to do things, going blue in the face while they just grin and walk away. I don’t need to be told how to raise my kids. I’m doing ok.

Who am I kidding? After reading the Preface I then went to the Introduction, next I found I was hooked into reading all the way through.

Nigel Latta is a Clinical Psychologist but he is also a father and readily admits to his mistakes. There are things in this book, simple things, that I have now tried and my family life is already starting to change. The older two may take a little more “power of persuasion” but I think they will come around.

If you want to know how to get your kids to eat the right foods, stop the yelling and screaming or even just tidy up their room, Politically Incorrect Parenting is the book to read.

Keep an eye out for The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show which will air on Channel Nine later this year.

http://www.goldfishwisdom.co.nz/

Family Forest

by Kim Kane and illustrated by Lucia Masciullo

Hardie Grant Egmont. Australian, Picture Book, Young Reader. Hardback rrp $26.99

Family Forest is about one young boy’s blended family. With his two dads and two mum’s, a ‘whole’ sister and a ‘half’ sister and brother, his family seems to be unusually complicated but when it is shown through the eyes of a child it is suddenly very simple.

‘While some kids have a family tree...

We have a family forest!’

Masciullo’s illustrations create a giggle and a gasp but equally as important, they decipher adult words and concepts into child thoughts and feelings.

A great book to help explain the latest in family heritage.

Let Me Whisper You My Story

by Moya Simons

Harper Collins. Junior, Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $14.99

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Sub-titled ‘Sometimes words can be dangerous’, this finely realised novel for children aged 9 to 14 years, is about a Jewish child whose muteness lasts through and beyond the Holocaust. Rachel lives in Leipzig, Germany, where her middle-class family is forced from its home by the Nazis. At the last moment, however, Rachel is left behind, hidden by her desperate parents and told not to talk. The traumatised child remains mute as she is taken in by an Aryan family which shelters her for the duration of the war. Her muteness continues when sent to England post-war where she lives for three years in an orphanage.

Let Me Whisper You My Story is a moving tale where the reader is drawn into the home-life of a loving family whose lives, like millions of others, are torn apart by war. The tension in the household of Gertrude, Heinrich and Friedrich, the family which reluctantly takes in Rachel is palpable, and the thawing of feelings of Friedrich towards the girl over time is well developed given that the boy is brain-washed by the Nazis.

Rachel holds on to the memories of her beloved family through all of the trials and tribulations she suffers. Even when her life becomes easier in England, she continues to believe that her family will come for her, and the reader feels for her pain when she comes to believe they, like so many others, have perished in the concentration camps.

For today’s children who generally do not know deprivation, especially to the extent suffered by Jews during wartime, this well written, sensitive novel will do much to expose them to a time when the world was in total chaos and so many perished at the hands of a nation embroiled in hatred. The timeline of events in Europe before, during and after the war is a relevant and welcome addition to the book, as are the author Simon’s words at the end of the book.

Simons was fortunate enough to live in Australia during the war as a Jewish child. Her inspiration in writing this book came from wanting to write about ‘ordinary’ people who had the courage in risking their own lives to hide Jewish children in particular.

The Reading Stack has reviewed Simons’ Walk Right In Detective Agency Series and Hello God.

http://www.moyasimons.com/

Newts, Lutes and Bandicoots

by Mark Carthew, illustrated by Mike Spoor

Interactive Publications (IP Kidz). Australian, Picture Book, Young Reader. Hardback rrp $24.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

With ‘rhymes and riddles to make you giggle’, this interactive book with fully illustrated pages, will keep children entertained while learning new words and rhymes, solving riddles, and trying to find the hidden word and animals secreted somewhere on the page. There is a riddle on every page with a one word answer. The answer has to be guessed then found to confirm if it is right or wrong.

The themes are varied with a double page allocated to most themes. They cover a restaurant, circus, castle, a colonial scene, a snow scene with animals and children, entertainment with magic tricks, camping, trolls and moles, a campfire and picnic in the outback, flying animals, shearing, and pirates. Each scene is extremely detailed with animated versions of the characters and places. Australian animals are depicted throughout the book. This serves to encourage children to learn the names of each animal and where they are to be found. There are endless discoveries to be found and observation skills are definitely needed.

There’s an element of fantasy in every scene and Mark Spoor has thought very carefully about how to give the most to every illustration. The riddle answers can be found on the second last page and on the whole of the last page there is, under a listing of sub-headings of page numbers, all the words used in the book and the question, ‘Did you find these things?’ This highly educational picture book is suited to the 6+ age group, and can be helped along by an adult presence to support and answer any queries, and encourage the use of a dictionary.

http://www.markcarthew.com.au/

Bright Angel

by Isabelle Merlin

Random House Australia. Australian, Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Crime. Paperback rrp $17.95


Isabelle Merlin has done it again! Bright Angel is the fourth book in Merlin’s YA female mystery genre and just like, Three Wishes, Pop Princess and Cupid’s Arrow, I was hooked from the first page.

Having witnessed a very traumatic experience, Sylvie and her older sister, Claire, are invited to the south of France to relax and forget. Their Auntie Freddy is staying in a quiet village writing a book. What better way to recuperate from the horrific scenes they witnessed in Australia.

But the surrounding region of St-Bertrand is not so quiet. It is bustling with a French movie crew and some very interesting young men who keep Sylvie and Claire occupied.

Daniel is aloof and fiercely protective of his much younger brother, Gabriel. Why does Sylvie hate this arrogant guy but at the same time, can’t stop thinking about him? When Gabriel is kidnapped, both Daniel and Sylvie re-evaluate each other’s feelings, not necessarily correctly.

This is a great read with some interesting historical facts threaded throughout. If you have a teenage girl who is over vampires and werewolves then Bright Angel is just the book!

http://sites.google.com/site/isabellemerlin