Six

by Karen Tayleur

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

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

Although Six starts off at a tragic road accident, it is about so much more. The lives of six very different characters draw you into their world and won’t let go. Year 12 at Silver Valley High is like any around Australia, or the world for that matter.

What is different in Six is that things are never as they seem when Karen Tayleur is guiding the course. At one point, I thought I’d been sucked into a murder mystery where everyone was a suspect. Then I was hoping for a happy ending in the quest for love, before realising the double twist.

Six is a tale of romance and psychic powers, of rebellion and secrets, of tragedy and subterfuge, depending on your point of view. Will you foresee the end? I doubt it. It was the last thing on my mind. Six is a ripping good read. Not too dark, not too light. My only complaint is that it was too short. Can’t wait for the next one, Karen.

Karen Tayleur’s Chasing Boys was reviewed in Issue 2 of The Reading Stack, Hostage reviewed on 18 October 2009 and Halloween in Christmas Hills (The Legend of Stingy Jack) reviewed on 26 October 2009.

Author Bill Condon Wins Award

Bill Condon has won the $100,000 Prime Minister's Literary Award for young adult fiction for Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God, about a student at a Catholic boys' school in 1967. The judges said the book was a ''poignant, funny and deeply insightful rite of passage novel...The pain of first love and the ...morality attached to individual life choices is made contemporary in a work praised by the judges as one of tremendous honesty and integrity.''

The Reading Stack reviewed Bill's book Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God in October 2009.

Grimsdon

by Deborah Abela

Random House Australia. Australian, Junior, Adventure. Paperback rrp $16.95

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

The city of Grimsdon is under water and three years after the flood, the ‘sneaker waves’ continue to roll in.

Isabella Charm, her best friend, Griffin, twins, Raffy and Bea, and Fly, the girl who never speaks, live in a palatial half-submerged old building. Every day is a struggle to survive - they scrounge for food, brave the dangerous flying fox and dare the waves in a flimsy dinghy – yet the children are happy with each other. Their home furnishings are the stuff of fairytales as they play dress up and act out stories.

But change is on its way - through the air, across the harbour and from under the sea. Dashing Xavier flies in on his aerotrope to admire Isabella and challenge Griffin’s role in the family of children. The ‘harbour master’,

 Byron P Sneddon, makes new and greater demands on the children – including one for the aerotrope. And there just might be a sea monster lurking in the deeps, the dreaded Skelene.

This is a story of magnificent scope. A film waiting to happen. Readers will be drawn, dripping wet, through the wonderful world of Grimsdon. Fast paced, imaginative and with just a touch of romance, this book will equally appeal to boys and girls.

http://www.deborahabela.com/

Puggle’s Problem

by Aleesah Darlison, Illustrated by Sandra Temple

Wombat Books. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover rrp $17.95

Young readers love stories about Australian native animals and puggles, baby echidnas, are one of the most unusual and fascinating.

Pipp is a very clever puggle. He was top of his class at eating ants. He was top of his class at curling into a ball. But this little puggle has a problem. He is the only puggle in the whole bush without any spines.

Pipp gets help from the other animals – koala, wombat, kangaroo and kookaburra. But only an echidna really knows how to help and Pipp’s mum tells him that if he believes in them, good things will happen. There is a gentle message of patience subtly woven into the story and as everyone knows, an echidna without spines is easier to hug!

I loved the read aloud rhythms and the sounds they made, like when Pipp dug in the ‘soft scritchedy dirt’.

Illustrator Sandra Temple is an award-winning wildlife artist. Her illustrations are cute enough to cuddle but also an excellent depiction of the features of our native animals. Readers will have no trouble describing or drawing a puggle after reading this book.

Puggle’s Problem is both entertaining and educational. As an added treat, colouring in pictures can be found here http://www.wombatbooks.com.au/pugglesproblem.html.

http://www.aleesahdarlison.com/
http://www.sandratemple.com/

Kumiko and the Dragon’s Secret

by Briony Stewart

UQP (University of Queensland Press). Australian, Junior, Mythical. Paperback rrp $14.95

Reviewed by Heather Zubek

I want a dragon just like Kumiko. I want a dragon that watches over you at night and protects you from the Shadow Catchers during the day. I am not a human born into the ancient royal bloodline of dragons unfortunately but young Kumiko is and so are her sister and Grandmother. They have guardian dragons that take them on all sorts of adventures.

Kumiko and the Dragon’s Secret is the second book in the series by young Perth author Briony Stewart but there is no need to read the first to understand the next installment.

Based on stories passed down from her Japanese grandmother and beautifully illustrated by Briony herself, Kumiko and the Dragon’s Secret continues the adventures of a young Japanese girl and her guardian dragon called Tomodo. Briony’s writing is rich and colourful with beautiful phrasing:

There is nothing outside but the hills, which lie like layers of torn paper across the horizon.

The illustrations are thoughtful and clearly influenced by the author’s Japanese roots. The story of sister rivalry is also sensitively detailed and brings a knowing smile to anyone who has a younger sibling.

Kumiko and the Dragon’s Secret is a beautiful mix of mythology and fiction. The chapters are short enough to hold the interest of young readers and a cliff hanger at the end of most of them ensures the pages are turned.

A wonderful series that will appeal to young readers aged 9+.

http://www.brionystewart.com/

Z

by Michael Thomas Ford

Random House Australia. Young Adult fiction, Science Fiction. Paperback rrp $19.95

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

This is not an easy book to review and it’s not a book that will suit every reader. It’s gory and violent - complete with zombies, flame throwers and charred flesh

But… I thought it was excellent. In the right hands this is just the sort of book that will unglue teenage boys from their video screens and encourage them to read. And while some adults might cringe at the blood and guts, this is no different to the games and movies these readers (and potential readers) are already immersed in.

The first rule of torching: cleanse with fire.

This is an action packed story set in a time after the Zombie Wars – when humanity was forced to obliterate its own kind – even friends and family – who had been affected by the zombie flu virus. Josh spends every moment he can playing a virtual reality zombie hunting game.

He’s very good at what he does (torching) and is invited to join a secret elite group who play in a specially constructed ‘park’ to entertain wealthy people who bet on the outcome. He gets paid to play.

The zombies are automatons. Or are they? When zombies bleed real blood, team members disappear and Josh takes a new drug Z, to experience the heightened sensory perception of a Zombie, he is no longer sure what to believe.

A valuable addition to a growing number of titles I class as ‘gamer fiction’, this dark and thrilling book is perfect for teens who would rather play on-line shoot-em ups and role playing games than pick up a book. However parents and librarians may need to make individual decisions about how they distribute it.

http://www.michaelthomasford.com/

The Trouble with Dogs

by Bob Graham

Walker Books. Australian, Picture Book. Softcover, rrp $15.95 

Australian author and illustrator Bob Graham is an undisputed master of the picture book, winning numerous awards internationally and locally. The Trouble with Dogs is a sequel to the multi-award winning Let’s Get a Pup.

Brought home from the Rescue Centre, Dave the pup is full of fun. Too much sometimes. He runs, he barks and he chews holes in the tights of Kate’s school friends.

Dave was small and wild. He slipped and he slid, he leapt and he skittered. “Take-me-as-you-find-me, don’t-care Dave.”

The family make excuses for him but when his behaviour doesn’t improve and he steals a cupcake from a guest’s plate, Pup Breakers are called.
“David, here!” The Brigadier does not tolerate any puppy nonsense and after just one session, Dave has lost his sparkle, his crackle and his fizz.
How will the second lesson go and who will ultimately teach who?
There is nothing more endearing than a beautiful puppy book, one with a touching story and energetic illustrations. The Trouble With Dogs ticks all the boxes. Bob Graham’s illustrations are full of fun and frolicking. Dave is a dog every reader will want to hold close.