Crooked Leg Road

This mystery-adventure comes from the author of The Tunnels of Tacoma, which won the 2013 Davitt Award. Four friends - Kitty, David, Andrea and Martin, get caught up in a series of misunderstandings and mysterious events. They take on the role of detectives to solve a complex mystery, just as the election of a new premier draws closer.

Andrea believes she is being followed by the foreign men loitering around David’s house. When David disappears, his grandfather claims he’s gone interstate to visit relatives the group has never heard about. Determined to discover what has happened to their friend, Andrea, Kitty and Martin find themselves unprepared for what they encounter.

There is a new boy at school whom Kitty befriends. Skender is secretive and evasive. What is he hiding, and can he be connected to David’s disappearance?

Meanwhile other mysteries unfold. Debates in class have ignited rumours that their school will be closed down and the seaside land developed if the new premier has his way. Who is the real main candidate in this election, and how far will he go to get chosen?

The group set out to solve the mystery. But there are secrets, threats, dangers, and unexpected outcomes to face before all their questions are answered.

This novel is terrific reading for the 10+ age group. It’s full of surprises, twists and turns; where things aren’t what they first seem and neither are the people.

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Title: Crooked Leg Road

Author: Jennifer Walsh

Publisher:  Allen& Unwin

Publication Date: April 2014

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781743316931

Type: Children's Fiction Mystery/Adventure

Alex Through the Looking Glass

The topics might sound off-putting and difficult to some – calculus, geometry, fractals and complex numbers to name a few – but don’t let that dissuade. Alex’s enthusiasm and storytelling present numbers in a unique  and interesting way.

I was fascinated to learn that 60% of measurements and statistics start with a 1, 2 or 3. A scan of the financial pages will quickly confirm this. It’s called Benford’s Law and has been used to detect company fraud in record keeping.

Alex conducted a survey to find the world’s favourite number. I was not surprised to read it was seven, my favourite too but I was surprised at the patterns of sensitivity and how number choice can affect marketing and purchasing decisions. It’s not called 7-up for nothing!

I have a companion interest in ancient history so I particularly enjoyed the stories of early discoveries. Maths has rules but it is a creative process. The ancient Greek mathematician, Eratosthenes, (died 194BC) used shadows, triangles and geography to compute the circumference of the world over 2,000 years ago.

Despite the many mathematical achievements of the classical period, negative numbers were unknown. It was in China, around 300BC, where they were first conceived and in India where they first found practical application as a way to define and calculate debt.

Some of the theory will not be for everyone and I admit that sometimes when reading late at night, I skipped it. But Alex himself makes it clear that the reader does not have to read everything, the reader can pick and choose.

This is a book that not only brings maths alive but brings it into the lounge room and makes numbers and their stories accessible to a wide audience.  I was personally inspired to renew an interest in numbers, which was very timely given last month was Maths Awareness Month and cyberspace is still buzzing with mathematics.

Alex Through the Looking Glass is the sequel to the best-seller Alex’s Adventures in Numberland which was shortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnston Prize

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

  

Title: Alex Through the Looking Glass

Author: Alex Bellos

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PB RRP $29.99

Publication Date: May 2014

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781408817773

Type: Adult, Non Fiction