Riley and the Grumpy Wombat

A journey around Melbourne

by Tania McCartney, illustrations by Kieron Pratt


Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Picture. Paperback, RRP $22.95

Guest Reviewer - Vicki Stanton (http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com/)

The intrepid Riley is off in his red bi-plane for his fourth adventure. This time he flies to my hometown of Melbourne and encounters a grumpy wombat. Riley wants to discover the reason for her grumpiness and help her but first needs to find her again.

McCartney’s concept of searching for the grumbly wombat is perfect for showcasing the sights of Melbourne and further afield in regional Victoria. Just a few of the many attractions included are: Bourke Street Mall, Flinders Street Station, St Kilda Beach, the Dandenong Ranges, Sovereign Hill and the Great Ocean Road.

The format follows the previous Riley books with black-and-white photographs, some of which were contributed by McCartney, overlaid by Pratt’s bright and cheeky illustrations. Numerous gadgets are at Riley’s disposal, something that kids will love (and wish for).

I loved the inclusion of Riley’s friends from his previous adventures. They hang from the plane’s wings and operate contraptions in a bid to find the wombat. An underlying thread of friendship and concern is evident.

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat is a great introduction to Melbourne for those that don’t know her and for those of us that do it might just make you yearn for a visit. It did me!

The fifth Riley adventure, Riley and the Jumpy Kangaroo: A journey around Canberra is due out in 2012. You can also read a review of the third Riley adventure Riley and the curious koala at Buzz Words Books.

http://www.taniamccartney.com/
http://www.poppybooks.com.au/aboutillustrator.html

Hazard River Series

Toad’s Revenge/Blood Money

by J E Fison

Ford Street Publishing. Australian, Junior. Paperback RRP $12.95

There’s always something happening at Hazard River and the two most recent titles in the series are no exception.

In Blood Money Jack and his brother Ben ‘the Stinkfinder’ discover a bag of money. Together with their friends Mimi and Lachlan ‘Master of Disaster’ they find not only the owner but a trail of endangered animal smuggling.

In Toad’s Revenge the friends embark on a time machine adventure to a future where cane toads have involved into even more vicious predators, threatening human existence.

The series is easy-to-read and action-packed, best suited to boys 7-10 years. There is an element of predictability which will appeal to newly independent readers and reluctant readers, while the action will keep them turning the pages.

Readers of Justin D’Arth’s Extreme Adventures series and Alison Reynolds Ranger in Danger series will equally enjoy the Hazard River series.

The Reading Stack reviewed J E Fison's Snake Surprise in December 2010

http://www.hazardriver.com/

The Language of Flowers

by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Random House. History, Adult Other. Paperback RRP $32.99

Guest Reviewer - Di Bates

The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. This is the crux upon which this unusual book is premised.

Victoria Jones has spent her childhood in foster care with a caseworker, Meredith, who cares less about her charge. Victoria’s first person account begins, when, at the age of eighteen, she is emancipated from her San Franciscan group home and enters the world without any relatives, friends or even a home. For a decade she has spent every spare moment memorising the meanings and scientific descriptions of individual flowers and collecting books such as the Dictionary of Flowers. She knows, for example, that a marigold represents grief, that basil means hate and that dahlias stand for dignity. This knowledge is to stand her in good stead when Meredith leaves to fend for herself with a twenty-dollar bill and a note that reads, ‘Buy food and find a job.’

After a period of homelessness, Victoria begins casual work with a florist, Renata, who, realising the teenager’s skill with flowers, increases her hours and responsibilities, and gives her a sense of belonging. Victoria finds it difficult to relate to people except through plants, so that when a mysterious man at the markets where Victoria buys flowers starts a tentative relationship, Victoria begins to realise that perhaps she can find happiness in relationships. Her career flourishes and she finishes up becoming a sought after wedding floral designer.

This is an easy-to-read book and enjoyable for anyone who relates to flowers and how important they can be in one’s life. I found it odd that a person like Victoria would only relate to others through the medium of flowers. However, I allowed myself to go on the journey with the protagonist as she develops self-esteem and confidence in her dealings with others and moves from homelessness into shared accommodations.

This quirky novel, which has at its heart the story of mother-daughter relationships, abounds with interesting characters. It moves between past and present, building up a picture of Victoria to explain why she is sometimes remote, difficult and asocial. A first novel, the book has already sold into 25 countries, so obviously the publishers have great expectations of it.

http://www.vanessadiffenbaugh.com/

Silvermay

by James Moloney

Harper Collins. Young Adult, Australian. Paperback RRP $24.99

Silvermay tells the story of Silvermay Hawker and her journey to the mines of Nantoch with Tamlyn, Nerigold and baby Lucien. They are fleeing from those who would harm Lucien, hoping the recently discovered murals of Nantoch will provide an answer to help them escape. But the prophecy of the murals holds an even greater threat.

Set in a fantasy world with strong olde England overtones, the characters are both familiar and unique. Silvermay and Nerigold are common fold, humans who live in the villages. Tamlyn is Wyrden, a physically powerful creature who can wield magic. The Wyrden have no emotion, their only enjoyment comes from what they can take from others. They are heartless and cruel but their inability to get along prevents them from working together. Individually they serve wealthy humnas, including the King.

Silvermay must also take a more personal journey. Can she trust Tamlyn? No Wyrden has ever been able, or wanted to, reject his nature before. Are his smiles and tears real or is she blinded by her increasing feelings for him.

Action, adventure and a little romance – upper primary, young adult and older readers will enjoy this first book in the Silvermay trilogy.

http://www.jamesmoloney.com.au/

Dark Matter

by Michelle Paver

Hachette (Orion). Adult, Horror. Paperback RRP $26.99

Reviewer - Sandy Fussell

Subtitled A Ghost Story, Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter is equally an exploration of isolation and what happens to a man segregated from society.

When Jack is offered the opportunity to join an Artic expedition to Gruhuken, he embraces the opportunity for change and new experiences. His companions are wealthy, educated and well prepared. But circumstances conspire and one by one they are forced to leave the Artic.

Jack decides to continue on alone, taking the scientific measurements and looking after the huskies. But is he alone? When the sun disappears for the polar night, Jack learns to fear.

This is a story for those who like Artic tales, and ghost stories. But you might not want to sit up alone and late at night in bed to read it.

http://www.michellepaver.com/

Pillars of the Earth

by Ken Follett

Pan Macmillan. Adult Historical Fiction. Paperback RRP $24.95

This is a work of enormous scope. Set in medieval 12th century England, it revolves around the fictional Knightsbridge Cathedral. Even more than the absorbing details of cathedral building history, are the lives of the people who live, work and wield power there.

Three strong story threads build not only the cathedral of stone and coloured light but also a vivid and intimate tale that stretches across lives in different social strata. This is a time where great privilege and power is in the hands of a few, the kingship is in constant turmoil and the villages suffer through it all.

The Master Builder Tom and his blended family offer an insight not only into village family life but also an exploration of a man confronted with a difficult decision. He loves his family but there are times when it seems he loves the cathedral even more.

Prior Philip is a good man who is sometimes blinded by the laws and rites of the Church. He is an excellent organiser and planner and his work often brings him into conflict with the ambitious elements of the Church. The building of the Cathedral, the successes and failures, map his own progress against a backdrop of the historical power struggle between State and Church.

Lady Aliena’s life of luxury is brutally overturned by the political climate. Her struggle to re-establish a place in society and restore her brother to his inheritance is constantly thwarted by William Hamleigh. William’s violent cruelty is protected by his position as the son of an earl, his usefulness to the scheming Bishop Waleran and his service to the king.

It’s a complex story. A medieval tapestry weave. A must read.

http://www.ken-follett.com/

those who come after

by Elisabeth Holdsworth

Picador. Australian, history. Hardcover RRP $29.99

Juliana Stolburg is an Australian woman who has travelled the world as an intelligence specialist for NATO. She has now come to the end of her amazing career and looks forward to what will follow. Juliana’s life has been eventful and drawing from her colourful family background, past and present, she relates to the audience how she has arrived at where she is now.

From Middelburg in the Netherlands to a farm outside of Goulburn, the life of this diplomat has come to a fork in middle age. Juliana is looking at living with her husband, Oscar, on his mother’s farm in Goulburn – that is until Oscar meets Frederick. Her last living relative, Lady Katrien, has died and Juliana is left the surviving family jewels and a small castle, Buitenrust, surrounded by German bunkers in Middelburg. She must travel back to her ancestral home to sort out the paperwork and decide what is to be. Oscar and Frederick decide to tag along.

Juliana is the narrator of her story and we meet her titled famous family and travel along with them on their journey through two wars, floods and droughts - her Jewish mother who is tortured in Dachau and survives to live a strange existence; her eccentric father who loves his daughter and wife but also his motorbike and his job. When Juliana’s father’s parents die he decides the best course of action is to take his precious family to Australia, a warmer place, a place where they can mend their bodies and minds.

those who come after is slow to start but soon you are caught up in this marvellous mismatched group of characters and the surprises keep happening. There is no hero or heroine. There is no suspense. Instead there is one wonderful woman’s story.

http://eholdsworth.com/