A Strange Little Monster

by Sue Whiting, illustrated by Stephen Michael King

Puffin Books (a Subsidiary of Penguin) (Aussie Nibbles). Junior, Australian, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

This heart warming early chapter book is irresistible. Sasha lives in Grotty Hollow with all the other Grotty Hollow Monsters, but she is different. While they love to rumble, roar and go around scaring, Sasha prefers to play music and sit among the daisies. Even though she has googly eyes and spikes, just like all the others, making scary faces just doesn’t feel right. She tries to do what all the other monsters love, but it just makes her tummy feel funny.

Can Sasha ever be happy in Grotty Hollow? The pressure to please her parents doesn’t help. When Sue Whiting steers the tale, happy endings do happen even when you are different. The secret is staying true to yourself.

Hiding beneath deceptively simple sentence structure lies a story of hope that echoes for all ages. A Strange Little Monster will be a timeless tale of hope for years to come.

http://www.suewhiting.com/

http://stephenmichaelking.com/

The Reading Stack reviewed Sue Whiting's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Freaky in 2009.

Tilly’s Treasure

by Sue Walker, illustrated by Chantal Stewart

Puffin (a subsidiary of Penguin) (Aussie Nibbles). Junior, Young Reader, Australian. Paperback, rrp $12.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

How can Tilly ever compete in a world that thrives on the latest sensation? Her classmates are forever bringing new gadgets to school. The constant focus is on what is fancier and better.

What do you do when these things are out of your reach? Is there any chance of being accepted? Is that the only way to make friends? Tilly tries to keep up with the other girls, but her things are never quite good enough. Her hula hoop is mended with sticky tape and her skipping rope is stained with oil.

What does it take to belong? Creativity is far more interesting and fun than bling could ever be. It just takes some people a while to realise. Tilly’s Treasure has a lasting message that will echo in the heart long after the book is closed. Such depth of storyline is rare in an early reader. Sue Walker has truly created a timeless treasure.

http://www.suewalkerauthor.com/

The Reading Stack has reviewed two of Chantal Stewart's illustrated books I Spy Mum and I Spy Dad.

Jamie Spy

by Christina Miesen

Puffin Books. Australian, Young Reader. Paperback rrp $12.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

Finding early readers that are actually interesting can be a huge challenge. Jamie Spy is not only a detective mystery, it’s fun. The adventure begins from Mrs Spy’s first words: ‘Sweet spy cakes! My cookies have all gone.’

No one else seems too keen on finding the culprit, so it’s up to Jamie to solve the mystery. He searches for clues and watches everyone carefully. He even interviews each human member of the Spy family. So many things don’t make sense. Can you guess who the great cookie thief is?

Suspense, humour and a series of happenings will keep young readers turning the pages in anticipation. Well done, Christina. I can’t wait for the next exciting episode myself…

The Unfinished Angel

by Sharon Creech

Puffin Books, Penguin Australia. Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $14.95

Guest Reviewer – Sue Walker

The Unfinished Angel is the latest offering from Newbery and Carnegie Medal Winner, Sharon Creech. The story follows a confused angel who watches over an idyllic village in the Swiss Alps. Life has been easy for the angel for hundreds of years – a little ‘flishing’ in the minds of troubled locals here and there, and his job is done. Right? Wrong! A colourful girl named Zola enters his castle, and turns his world upside-down, inside-out.

After a shaky start, Zola and the angel unite to work magic on the sleepy Swiss village, and they find a home for a group of orphaned children. The story has a charming, naïve quality and one of the highlights is the angel’s unique voice. “Peoples are strange! The things they are doing and saying – sometimes they make no sense. Did their brains fall out of their heads?”

The Unfinished Angel is a warm-hearted story with appealing themes. It explores the power of kindness, and the idea that sometimes the solution to a problem can be right under your nose. I did feel there were a few things left unanswered in the story, but The Unfinished Angel didn’t disappoint. The angel’s innocence, and his quirky way with language make him one character that will stay with me for a very long time.

http://www.sharoncreech.com/

Sue Walker writes fiction for children of all ages. Her upcoming title Arnie Avery, is due for release mid 2010. Other books include Tilly’s Treasure, an Aussie Nibble, and Best Friends, a Children’s Book Council Notable Book.

http://www.suewalkerauthor.com/

A Ghost in my Suitcase

by Gabrielle Wang

Puffin Books (a subsidiary of Penguin). Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $16.95

Guest Reviewer - Jo Burnell

When twelve-year-old Celeste travels to China to visit her grandmother, she carries her mother’s ashes. A feeling of expectation hovers. Is the ghost in the title of this story Celeste’s mother? Each turn of the page gives new information, but leaves me wanting to find out more. Nothing is as it seems, not even the fish in the pond.

Por Por, Celeste’s grandmother, seems like any other nice old lady. Ting Ting, a girl about Celeste’s age lives with Por Por, but their relationship is unusual. Ting Ting wanders the busy streets of Shanghai alone and travels long distances without support.

Ting Ting and Por Por’s lives are entwined with Celeste’s in ways none of them fully understand. Por Por’s past holds tragic secrets that have more to do with ghosts than anyone expects. Can terrible wrongs be made right? Ting Ting seems determined to make Celeste feel unwelcome, but that will have to change. Ting Ting and Celeste must work together if the three are to survive. There is no other way.

Gabrielle Wang lets me taste Por Por’s delicate homemade dishes, and feel the mist on a poorly lit Shanghai street. I hear the thumps and bangs of unseen foes, and delight at open umbrellas in the old bus when it rains. Gently flowing, easy-to-read prose sets me floating down the river in a water taxi, yet the pulse beats faster as dangers are revealed.

My questions are answered, but I’m not sure I want to read on. I can’t hide behind Por Por when things get complicated. What will happen if Por Por’s powers aren’t enough? Can Celeste save the day with her newly found gifts? You’ll have to read this treasure yourself if you want to find out.

http://www.gabriellewang.com/