Review blog

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Sep 02 2010

I am not Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos

Corgi Yearling 2010.
(Ages 10+) Recommended. This is the fourth book about Joey Pigza, but it can be read independently. Joey's ADHD was the focus of previous stories, but in this episode, the ADHD takes a back seat as Joey's unreliable father turns up, apparently cured of his fecklessness following a moderate win on the lottery. He persuades Joey's mum to remarry him and the three try to make a new life as owners of The Busy Bee Diner.
However, Joey's Dad has a crazy desire to slough off his old identity and reinvent himself. He forces Joey to throw out every aspect of his life, including all his belongings and even his name.  Joey Pigza is now Freddy Heinz and naturally enough he experiences an identity crisis which Gantos deals with in heartbreakingly comic style.
I believe that the best books make you laugh while you're crying and this happens a lot when reading about Joey Pigza. Dad is a pathetic buffoon who freely admits 'I just want fun, fast food, lots of money and no hard work.' Mum lives to shop and runs up huge credit card bills that no one can afford to pay. They take Joey out of school so that he can help them run the diner. It's a miracle that Joey remains the sanest member of this dysfunctional family.
Jack Gantos writes in a similar way to Louis Sachar and Morris Gleitzman. Here is a story simply told, understated, lively, funny and tragic. Gantos hits you with the force of a sledgehammer and has a feather light sureness that demands a response. I found this book quite disturbing, particularly the complete inadequacy of the parents, but perhaps that's because I'm reading it from an adult perspective. Nevertheless I think this is one to share with children. Read it to them or read it yourself first and then give it to them, it's bound to generate a lot of discussion.
Claire Larson

Sep 02 2010

Halo by Zizou Corder

Puffin, 2010.
(Age: 10+). Recommended. (Age 10-14) Highly recommended. Kyllarus, a centaur, finds a tiny baby with a turtle shell strapped to her back crawling along a beach. The baby has a tattoo on her forehead and is wearing an owl amulet. He takes her home to his family, who name her Halosydne, 'saved by the sea', and lovingly bring her up as a family member. Disaster strikes when she is swimming with her centaur brother, Arko. She is captured by fishermen and sold into slavery. She manages to escape and tries to survive by cutting her hair and pretending to a boy. However more misfortune befalls her and she is captured by a group of Spartan boys, led by Leonidas. After a series of exciting adventures, including going to see the Delphic Oracle, living in Athens in Pericles' house and training to be a doctor and warrior, she discovers the truth of her origins.
An exciting adventure story, with lots of action, the setting in Ancient Greece makes this book stand out. I was gripped by the descriptions of the Spartan community and the terrible trials the young boys went through to become warriors. Greek religious beliefs were described in an easy to understand way and Halo's trip to consult the Delphic Oracle was fascinating. When Halo discovers that her uncle is Pericles, who believes in the rights of man, I was fascinated by the descriptions of medicine in Ancient Greece and the way that women were treated.
Corder, a mother and daughter writing team, managed to remind me of what I learnt studying Ancient History many years ago. Halo is sure to educate a young reader about ancient Greece in the best way - the reader may become so immersed in Halo's quest that the factual information just becomes part of the story and easy to remember.
I loved the themes of mythical centaurs, slavery and the rights of women. Recommended for both boys and girls from about 10 year of age.
Pat Pledger

Sep 02 2010

Boy Zero: Wannabe Hero: The Petrifying Plot of the Plummeting Pants by Peter Millett

Illustrated by Steve May. Faber, 2010. ISBN: 9780571252473.
Recommended for Lower to Middle Primary. 'With all the galaxy's superheroes taken hostage, it's up to Charlie to stop the world's pants from plummeting. Will he be a HERO - or will he be a ZERO?'
Meet Charlie Applejack, the boy with some superhero powers and no skill in using them. He's an unlikely hero, co-ordination is a skill he has yet to acquire, but somehow he seems to always come up trumps.
When General Pandemonium (the world's newest super villain) decides to take over the world by zapping all the elastic and metal that holds up pants and therefore making everyone bared bottomed, it is up to Charlie and his new friend Josh to save the world from its embarrassing fate.
With plenty of bumbling characters, references to bare bottoms and superheroes, this book will appeal to most young readers, and in particular boys.
Zana Thiele

Sep 01 2010

Anneli the art hater by Anne Fine

(Age 8-10) Recommended. A reissue of book first published in 1986, Anneli the art hater still has timeless appeal. Fine is an award winning author who has written a fascinating mystery.
Anneli hates art. She doesn't understand why others in her class are happy to draw and paint, especially her friend Tom who revels in making pictures. She does try to come up with some ideas to raise money for new art equipment and to help the home for children with disabilities. One day she discovers a small door that leads into the house next door belonging to old Mrs Pears. Much to her disgust, she finds a room full of paintings there and Mrs Pears explains that her brother Tom had forged paintings, in the hope of raising money to run away from his father, who didn't want him to paint. However war had intervened and Tom had been killed. Mrs Pears has one of his paintings done before his forgeries started, and Anneli is fascinated by the discrepancies it portrays about the garden. Her investigations lead her to an intriguing mystery.
Fine has a knack of describing wonderful people in her novels. Anneli's independence and warmth and Mrs Pears' love for her brother pervade the story. Both are strong, generous characters who are happy working to better the lives of others.
Young independent readers will be intrigued by the clues in the painting and will want to have a go at solving the riddle. I enjoyed the plot and loved the happy conclusion. Art lovers will enjoy learning about forgery and the idea of examining an painting closely for underlying ideas.
Pat Pledger

Aug 31 2010

Nobody's horse by Jane Smiley

Faber and Faber, 2010. ISBN 978-0571253548.
Recommended for horse lovers of all ages. I was immediately attracted to the cover showing a gorgeous brown horse and found myself quickly engrossed in the story of Abby and Grumpy George, a horse that bucks her off and won't look her in the eye. Abby's father specialises in buying horses that haven't reached their potential, training them and then selling them on for a profit. He has Abby ride all the horses so that he can tell prospective buyers that 'a little girl can ride them'. Abby has problems at school as well, her best and only friend Gloria, seems to be more interested in being friends with Stella and when she is accused of stealing a necklace, everything seems to be too much.
There is much to admire in Abby's character. She works tirelessly on training the horses with her father and attending to the endless chores that go with a working farm. Her fundamentalist father is a difficult man and refuses to listen when Abby tries to tell him that she just doesn't want to get back on Grumpy George when he bucks her off, but Abby quietly makes some changes. Her brother Danny has already left home because of a rift with his father, but Abby doesn't fuss about the difficulties in her life. She is not allowed to become close to any of the horses, who are all called George or Jewel so that Abby won't become attached to them as individuals, but she calls the new baby colt Jack and gently makes friends with him. She is stoical about the bullying that goes on at school and loyal to her friend, Gloria.
I read with interest the different training methods that were used to try and get Grumpy George to behave. People who have horses or those who would love to have a horse will find invaluable the advice that Jem Jarrow, a patient horse trainer, has to give Abby. It was great to see Abby using that advice to help a less experienced rider become more confident as well.
I loved this book: its calm setting in the 60's and its array of strong characters made it easy to finish it in one sitting and the horse content was excellent.
Pat Pledger

Aug 30 2010

Farther by Grahame Baker-Smith

Templar, 2010. ISBN 9781848771260.
(Age 5+) Highly recommended. Grahame Baker-Smith, an illustrator who was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway award in 2010, has written and illustrated a wonderful and memorable book that could become a future classic. A father, who lives high on a cliff overlooking a stormy sea, has a dream of flying. He makes beautiful wings of paper and feathers, but never quite manages to fly. Sometimes when he isn't preoccupied with his dream of flight and air, he scoops his son up and they play along the beach. He always returns to his dream until the day that he is called up to war, never to return. His son decides to make his dream come true and manages to soar across the sea.
This picture book is a work of art with its stunning illustrations using collage, photographs and drawings. The pictures range from beautiful double page illustrations to graphic novel type squares. The sky and clouds are in beautiful soft blues while the boy and his father are in rich browns.  My favourite is of a beautiful flowering tree that the boy and his mother planted to remember the father.
The story is thought provoking and looks at the power of dreams and how they can become reality with determination and hard work.  It also examines the relationship between father and son and the continuity of dreams. It is a book that draws the reader back again and again to examine the ideas and delight in the illustrations and imagination that produced such a powerful book.
This is a picture book that deserves a place on the shelves of all libraries.
Pat Pledger

Aug 30 2010

Bitter Chocolate by Sally Grindley

Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN 978 0747595021.
Beatings with a bicycle chain are a feared part of life for all the boys who are working prisoners on a coco bean plantation. They hate the overseer they nickname Le Couchon, who picks on them and wears them down.
Pascal, an eleven-year-old Guinean boy, is worn down already from experiences that he thinks of as no go areas for thought and conversation. When he stops accepting the awful situation he is in, he begins to remember what happened to him, and the horrible events he experienced are gradually revealed to the reader.
As a ten year old, he has seen the death of his father at the hands of rebels, has been caught, drugged and indoctrinated into becoming a boy soldier by insurgents, and has been duped by con men.
Le Couchon's harassment of Pascal and his young peers sway Pascal to action. He decides to escape with his friend Kojo, and find what is left of his family. How can a young boy who experiences these degrading situations find hope and escape? He needs help, and support. Who can he trust? How can he find his mother and sisters so he can take on his father's duties to help provide for the family?
Sally Grindley, a Smarties Prize Gold Medal winning author, has written a thought-provoking story that provides some understanding about the complex events that refugees and displaced people might experience. A motivating group or class novel for upper primary and lower secondary students studying enforced migration. A good weekend read for those who like a current world issue spin. An asset for a middle school library.
S. Whittaker

Aug 27 2010

Pants and More Pants by Giles Andreae and Nick Sharratt

David Fickling Books, 2010.
(Ages 2-99) Highly Recommended. Originally published as two separate books, Pants and More Pants is a celebration of underwear in all its glory - whether gracing royalty or gorillas. It has delighted members of my family ranging in age from three to forty three, including a world weary teenager who was observed chuckling at the pictures (in a post modernist way) while eating his breakfast. The 'books are boring' seven year old loved reading it to his younger brother who is at a stage where putting underpants on your head is the height of comedic action.
Sharratt's hilarious illustrations and Andreae's rhythmical rhyme make this a perfect book to read aloud and share.  According to research children laugh up to 300 times a day compared with only fifteen times for adults. Read this book to a young child and you'll enjoy a full day's dose in the space of a few minutes. Great fun and highly recommended.
The last page suggests you design some pants of your own, so be prepared with crayons and paper. I never realised how much fun drawing knickers could be!
Claire Larson.

Aug 26 2010

Snuff by Quentin Blake

Red Fox 2010 (Re-issue, originally published 1973). ISBN 9781849410489.
(Ages 3+) Sir Thomas Magpie is a gallant knight, who spends his days dancing, sword fighting - and trying to prevent his boots from being eaten by mice. Snuff is his loyal page, whose job it is to mend Sir Thomas's boots after they have been chewed.
Snuff longs to become a real knight, but tends to be dreamy and accident prone. However, when the local boot-maker is threatened with robbery it is Snuff's ingenuity that saves the day, and his reward helps him on the road to successful knighthood.
The combination of deadpan text and whimsical illustration has timeless appeal and it's hard to believe this classic story was first published 37 years ago. Blake's spiky, distinctive illustrations are so full of life and deserve to be shared with a new generation of young readers who will relish the story of the small boy who saves the day.
Claire Larson