Review blog

Click here for the ReadPlus Review Blog RSS feed. Copy the link location into your feed reader.

Mar 11 2010

Strange Angels by Lil St. Crow

Razorbill, 2009. ISBN 9781921518324.
(Age 13+) Recommended. Dru Anderson and her father have led a nomadic existence, travelling around the U.S. searching for things that go bump in the night. She has been used to packing up and moving on since her grandmother died and life with her dad has been anything but dull. She’s been drilled to look after herself, physically and mentally. Outwardly she is self assured, self contained and confident. But the move to the Dakotas changed everything. Not only was it bone-chillingly cold but there was a feeling of menace in the air.
Life changes dramatically for Dru when her father is killed and she has to deal with the very serious consequences. Not only is she alone, but there are some very weird 'things' from the 'Real World' that want her dead. Fortunately, Graves, a Goth from school gives her shelter, food and a shoulder to cry on. But this means she draws him into her world; a world of suckers, djamphir, loup-garou or werewolves and zombies.
This tale of horror is a cut above the usual vampire tale. Dru is a far more believable character than most in the genre and St. Crow keeps the action moving and the tension high. True there are a couple of cute guys but they are not given the soap box treatment. If you like a bit of zombie and vampire in your life give Strange Angels a read and be prepared for the next in the series soon.
Mark Knight

Mar 11 2010

Remarkable creatures by Tracy Chevalier

HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 9780007311170.
(Ages 15-Adult) Recommended. Chevalier has written a riveting story about the discovery of fossils in the English seaside town of Lyme Regis. Based on the lives of two real women, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, it tells of the struggle for women to be recognised in a scientific world dominated by men. Mary Anning, struck by lightning as a child, uncovers fossils of strange and wonderful creatures in the cliffs. Her discoveries challenge the accepted ideas of the time about creation and evolution. However she is given little scholarly or financial recognition for her work as male scientists force her into a subservient role of mere gatherer of the fossils not recognising her intelligence and ability. Spinster Elizabeth Philpot, who has been her mentor and taught her to read, is also an avid collector of fish fossils and begins to champion her.
Chevalier has the wonderful ability to bring alive a time in history and to examine the lives of the women struggling to make a place for themselves. I found it fascinating to read about Mary Anning's work with fossils, the way she set up a museum, her collaboration and infatuation with Colonel Birch and the role of women in the 19th century. Elizabeth Philpott, poor but of a higher social class, is a remarkable woman also fighting against the class structure and prejudice about women of the time.
This is a stunning historical read, an in-depth examination of the nature of friendship between women; the strictures of social class and how one woman manages to rise above them to make important scientific discoveries.
Pat Pledger

Mar 10 2010

When you reach me by Rebecca Stead

Wendy Lamb Books, 2009. ISBN 9780385737425.
(Age 10+) Highly recommended. Winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal, When you reach me is a complex, challenging and ultimately very rewarding book. Set in the 1970's, it tells the story of Miranda, as she weaves her way through complications at school, having to walk past a crazy man on her way home and losing her best friend Sal, who after being hit by another boy, withdraws from her. Miranda writes to some unknown person, who has asked her to write down the events that have occurred. She tells of how her apartment key disappears and how anonymous notes appear telling her to do strange things.
Set in New York City, the book gives an intimate look into urban life. The reader gets to know Miranda's apartment, her school and the deli where she has a lunch time job with some friends. Characters in the book are finely drawn. Her mother is determined to win the $20,000 Pyramid game show and I became engrossed in the preparation and practice that Miranda and her mother's boyfriend, Richard, give her mother. She makes new friends and is appalled when she discovers that one of them, Marcus, fascinated by the idea of time travel, is the boy who hit Sal.
Miranda is obsessed with the book, A wrinkle in time by Madeline L'Engle and themes like time travel, friendship and  mystery thread through the book. It is a complicated puzzle: why is she receiving these notes, who has written them, and what is going to happen? Astute readers will ponder the clues on the way, others like me will rush ahead to see what happens. All in all a very satisfying book.
Pat Pledger

Mar 10 2010

Iggy and me by Jenny Valentine

HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 9780007283620.
(Ages: 6-10) Award winning author of The Ant Colony and Finding Violet Park, Jenny Valentine has created a couple of very funny characters in Iggy and her older, long suffering sister, Flo. The scrapes they get into will have instant appeal to middle primary students, who will instantly recognize all the sorts of things they get up to at home. Iggy's world is totally self centred, as she marches through the day, expecting everyone to fall in line with what she wants to do. From cutting her own hair with disastrous results, finding out what a mirage is, to demanding that everyone call her Iggy instead of her real name, both girls in this book will endear themselves to the reader. 
Fran Knight

Mar 10 2010

How to heal a broken wing by Bob Graham

Walker Books, 2008. ISBN 9781406325492
(Ages Junior Primary) Highly Recommended. This award winning picture book is one that warms the heart and soul of all readers, and the story it portrays will cause many to simply go 'ahhh' at its completion. As with many of Bob Graham's picture books, the premise is seemingly simple. A small boy finds a wounded bird on the street near the underground. No one else has seen it or if they have, they have hurried past, or moved around it and not bothered. The boy retrieves the bird, takes it home and cares for it. With time and care, the bird recovers from its injury until the family takes the bird back to where they found it and release it. The background story of a loving, caring family permeates the story, as the pictures show the family creating a place for it in their home, bringing home a bird cage for it, watching it take its first steps and then flying around their sitting room. The whole is redolent of looking after what is in your own backyard, of taking time to see what it in front of you, of being prepared to put yourself out for someone or something else, of reaching out to help. The implicit storyline portrays a selfless individual caring about his environment. But more than this, the whole is based firmly, as are all of Bob Graham's books, in the family. The heart of his tales show a loving, caring family. The children are never alone, they have parents there to help and guide them, to back them up. A beautiful picture book, I love the way Graham shows the family, the parents concerned not only for the bird but their child, the looks on their faces showing their apprehension about their baby. The yellow glow on several pages spotlights the family in the midst of the moving, uncaring crowd, intent on their own purpose of rescuing the bird. Children reading the book will love looking at the crowd of people, the plethora of animal images in the family's home, the sights of London and finally a bird's eye view of the city.
Fran Knight

Mar 09 2010

One smart fish by Chris Wormell

Jonathan Cape, 2010. (Ages 3-6) In spite of an entertaining story and vibrant illustrations I felt short changed by this book. Wormell's smart fish can sing, dance, paint and perform, wowing all his friends. However when this fish visits the 'landside' for his holiday he gazes up the beach and longs to explore. Everyone knows fish can't walk, so Smart Fish makes himself some feet and walks up the beach. He is the first fish, indeed creature to walk on the land and although he returns to his friends in the ocean, change has begun. Wormell concludes his story by describing how millions of years later other fish began crawling on their fins and in another few hundred million years they grew feet instead, until eventually people emerged. This brief text is accompanied by a fabulous double page illustration of reptiles, dinosaurs, mammals and humans. On one level this is an entertaining fantasy, but on the other Wormell is introducing the concept of evolution. Modification of species, dominant genes, natural selection and the work of Darwin and Mendel are obviously inappropriate in a story for young children. However, somewhere, perhaps as an epilogue, I would have appreciated a mention of Darwin, and even the word 'evolution' to show children that this is not just a fantasy but the story of our very existence. I think Wormell (or perhaps his publisher) misses a trick here, offering a beautifully illustrated story that could have gone one step further to begin to explain to young children the concept of evolution. Claire Larson

Mar 09 2010

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak, 2010. ISBN 9780142415573.
(Ages 14+) Chosen by the American Library Association as one of their 2010 Best books for young adults, Wintergirls is an unflinching and very frightening look at eating disorders. Lia is haunted by the death from bulimia of her best friend Cassie who had sent her 33 messages before she died. She is consumed with guilt because she didn't answer the phone and relives some of the moments that she has shared with Cassie as well as the struggle that she has with anorexia nervosa.
Anderson has written about a difficult subject in a confronting and honest way. She describes Lia's descent into the depths of her disorder, her lies and her feelings about her parents, stepmother and stepsister . Everyone who has ever dieted will be familiar with the counting of calories : a muffin (410), an orange (75); and the hard grind of a treadmill to wear off even more calories. Lia takes dieting to a new high, always striving to lose more weight and even cutting herself to forget the shadows that surround her. It is a frightening portrayal of an intelligent young woman who has been unable to cope since the death of her grandmother and her parents' divorce.
Lia is offered all sorts of help: she is hospitalised; she visits a psychiatrist; her mother is prepared to sell her stocks and her father to get a second mortgage to pay for her medical expenses. However, Cassie's ghost seems to sit on her shoulder, encouraging her to lose weight. It is not until she reaches the depths that she confronts the idea of staying alive.
This is a compulsive, honest and disturbing book.
Pat Pledger

Mar 08 2010

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliffe

Puffin, 2004 (50th anniversary edition. ISBN 9780140308907.
Highly recommended. With the release of the film of this book in September 2010, there will be enough hype for kids to want to reread this classic tale. New editions have been released; in the last ten years, along with the 50th anniversary edition in 2004, and I expect another will be released as the film opens. Already some citizens of the USA are seeing the film as criticism of their exploits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the publicity is being stepped up. So I retrieved my husband's year 8 copy from the back of the bookcase and began to read. And I was overwhelmed with glee as I reread one of my favourite authors from my teens, Rosemary Sutcliffe.  Her work is undergoing a revival and no wonder, her novels are exciting, involving, with characters that are believable, and issues that remain with us to this day.
The Eagle of the Ninth is the story of a young centurion, Marcus Aquila, proudly leading his cohort. It is his first tour of Britain, and his first command, and he is very aware of the might of the Roman army and all it does in bringing civilized society to the savages. He suffers a major injury in an heroic battle against the Painted People, having then to find another occupation. While recuperating at his uncle's house, he attends a gladiatorial fight and seeing something defiant and brave in the young Briton pitched against the gladiator with a net and trident, asks to buy him as his personal slave.
But Marcus cannot forget that his father was the First Cohort of the Ninth, the famed legion that was lost and never heard of again, losing their eagle, the pride of the corps. So he takes on the role of an oculist, and he and Esca, head north, the place of the painted savages, to search for the lost 4,000 and their eagle. Adventures come thick and fast as they roams the villages and settlements of the north, curing them of eye disease and gathering information. They finally meet a soldier of the Ninth, who escaped the carnage and settled with a northern village, he is able to tell Marcus what happened to the legion and more importantly, his father. Along the way, Marcus learns more about the people he has been sent to conquer and about himself and where his future lies.
Fran Knight

Mar 08 2010

Half-minute horrors ed. by Susan Rich

(Ages 10+) Recommended. Subtitled Very small stories, very big scares, this is a collection of terrifying short stories that can be read silently or out loud in half a minute. It is a quality collection of dozens of chilling stories written by outstanding international authors like Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, Jerry Spinelli, Kenneth Opel, James Patterson, Jenny Nimmo, Margaret Atwood, Melissa Marr and Libba Bray.
Ideal for teachers to use on school camps or as a fun end of the day activity, this collection could also be used as a starter for encouraging creative writing of a horror story. The stories will also have immediate appeal to reluctant readers as most take up only a page or two. There are also illustrated stories that are equally haunting and quite challenging.
Pat Pledger

Mar 05 2010

Charlie Bone and the Red Knight by Jenny Nimmo

Egmont Books, 2009. ISBN 9781405248235.
(Ages 8 and up) Recommended. In this eighth and final book of the Charlie Bone series, we find Charlie still missing his parents, the Pets' Cafe closed, and Billy trapped in Badlock. To make matters worse, it seems that the Bloors are becoming more of a threat, as they recruit stronger and more dangerous allies in their race to find the box which holds the secret to the Bloors' power. Charlie's parents are in danger, and he no longer knows who he can trust. Then a mysterious Red Knight appears, and Charlie must discover if he is really there to help him. With a huge cast of characters, readers may find themselves needing to refer back to the family tree at the start of the book, but all the characters are intriguing and have their own role to play. A very satisfying end to the series.
Donella Reed

Mar 05 2010

Scream Street: Skull of the Skeleton by Tommy Donbavand

Walker Books, 2009. ISBN 9781406314281.
(Ages 8 and up) Recommended. The fifth book in the Scream Street series finds werewolf Luke Watson searching for another of the relics which will help his family escape back to their old lives. It's Halloween, and the arrival of a new celebrity resident is causing a stir. Eddie aka the Headless Horseman, makes a grand entrance, causing mummies and skeletons alike to swoon. That is, until his head disappears. Meanwhile Luke, Cleo and Resus must fight a demon created by Sir Otto before his parents, and indeed the whole of Scream Street are destroyed.
This book, while part of a series, is also successful as a stand-alone read, as the characters are reintroduced and motives explained clearly. With witty writing, an abundance of bad taste, and a fast-moving plot, this is sure to entertain.
Donella Reed

Feb 23 2010

Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye by Alison Goodman

David Fickling Books, 2009. ISBN 9780385616447.
(Ages 13+) Fantasy. Recommended. Eon will be snapped up by fans of fantasy sagas as they delve into the life of Eona, as she trains to be a Dragoneye, the most powerful of lords within this ancient Chinese kingdom, able to control wind and water. Women are forbidden to train for this high station, but she has kept her sexuality hidden for most of her life, and to become the next Dragoneye is her avowed aim.
While training she is unwittingly involved in a life and death struggle for the throne of this kingdom, and is asked to be the representative of the current emperor, to fight against his enemies to the death. Her supporters, some of whom know her secret, go to great lengths to find information about her combatants, just as her combatants delve into her abilities and styles of fighting.
This is a page turner, a breathless account of survival against overwhelming odds, made all the more pertinent because she is also hiding her sex. Shortlisted for many awards, and winning the prestigious Aurelius Award in 2009, Eon is the first in what I hope is a trilogy.

Feb 22 2010

Little Croc's purse by Lizzie Finlay

Red Fox, 2010. ISBN 9781862309067.
(Ages 3-7) Highly recommended. If you are in any doubt that crocodiles are actually delightfully appealing creatures then read Little Croc's Purse. This is another triumph from Lizzie Finlay, whose first book Danylion was one of my top books of 2009.
Little Croc discovers a purse full of coins during a game of hide and seek. His friends try to persuade him to keep it as 'no one returns things nowadays'. But Little Croc has plenty of moral fibre and as the story unfolds he manages to resist the temptation to shop, requests from a good cause and sly old Murdock, the bully. He delivers the purse to the police station and Mrs Doolally, the owner reveals the secret of the purse and rewards Little Croc for his honesty. Little Croc is delighted with his reward and decides to spend some, share some and save some, a message which in our debt ridden society it is probably good to start teaching at an early age.
With Finlay's now characteristic combination of artistic styles Little Croc's purse has a fresh and engaging feel. My three year old goddaughter loved the collage roses on Mrs Doolally's hat and we both spent ages poring over the pictures. Each page layout is a perfect balance of text and illustration and there is plenty in this story to delight adults and children alike. I can't help feeling that anyone who can succeed in making a crocodile look vulnerable must be a genius!
Claire Larson

© Copyright Pledger Consulting 2007-2010

Archived Blog Entries

Latest News

Shaun Tan wins Adelaide Festival Award
LA Book Prize Finalists
Nebula Awards Shortlist
Cybils Awards
Locus Magazine Recommended Reading List

ReadPlus Features

Sample theme animation
How to find lesson plans
Read similar authors
Print similar authors bookmark

Promote Reading

Books for boys
Free Rights of the Reader Poster
Raising a reader