The Last Firefox by Welsh writer Lee Newbery is a warm and easy read for young people as they bridge the years from primary into secondary school. The story unfolds in the first person voice through the eyes of the wholly likeable main character Charlie Challinor. Charlie is a worrier. He is quiet and nervous. The story opens with Charlie escaping from a goose and the reader quickly realises that Charlie has many fears including being the target of two bullies - Will and Zack.
Charlie is in year six. He has two dads who are planning to adopt a baby. This is unsettling for him but he has a tree house to escape to and hang out in with his two best friends, Lippy and Roo. The current politically correct penchant for presenting a mixture of characters and family dynamics is addressed in a natural way.
Looming over the small town of Bryncastell, in which Charlie lives, there is a crooked grey castle. Charlie ventures there alone as part of a game that he is playing with his friends. Through a mysterious vine covered door he encounters a boy from another world and he is forced to rescue and guard the last remaining firefox in the world. The agonies and dangers of trying to keep this lovely, vulnerable, furry, flammable fox secretly from everybody and safely away from a frightening otherworldly hunter make Charlie grow up and develop bravery fast.
The difficulties of the subterfuge, the need to protect a vulnerable fox and the risk from the sinister hunter enable Charlie's growth of trust in a widening group of people and the ability to stand up to bullies. With the development of maturity he is able to face the worries in his world.
In The last Firefox, Newbery has written a warm and engaging story that encompasses adventure, excitement, humour, a little bit of magic and a wonderful depiction of a young boy's development of confidence as he negotiates the personalities in his year six school classroom, changes in his home life and finding his place in his small town community.
The text is accompanied by the delightful illustrations of middle grade book illustrator, Laura Catalan.
Young people, especially those in year six, will find The last Firefox an easy to engage with, enjoyable and relatable story.
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760526870. (Age:8+) Recommended.
Well-known Australian children’s author Anh Do has written a new book to join his very popular Wolf Girl, Sky Dragon, Ninja Kid and E-Boy series already in print. For those children who love sport and competition, The Champ contains similar themes to the other books but has a focus on many things sport related.
Summer and her older brother Carl have lost their parents in an accident and must look after themselves. Carl excels at sport but Summer struggles with any sort of physical activity until one day something mysterious happens and life for Summer and Carl changes in an instant. A strange purple light appears and the house the children live in is badly damaged. Flaming purple goop showers Summer and then she is knocked out by falling bricks and timber. She awakes in a hospital and while she in not badly injured her older brother Carl is. He has lost the use of his legs and will need to rely on a wheelchair for mobility. While he remains in hospital, Summer discovers she has amazing sporting powers and strength.
Summer is keen to test her new sporting and physical abilities at the local fair she attends with her best friend, Wilbur, and wins two tickets to the Gladiator Games. She takes Carl and while he does not want her to compete, Summer goes against his wishes, and dresses in disguise to take on the robot, Gemini. Needless to say, Summer excels but has come under the radar of the dreaded People’s Services who enter the arena. She escapes from them but must now be careful. Carl decides that Summer should use her new powers for good and help those in danger especially against the evil librarian who is terrorising the city.
This book has plenty of fast-paced action to keep the reader engaged. With illustrations throughout and highlighted key words, this book will appeal to those middle grade readers who respond well to the use of visuals to break up the number of words on the page.
This is graphic novel version of the well-known book The Famous Five: Five go adventuring again by Enid Blyton (this one is by Beja and Natael).
I must admit that I never read this series as a child, I was more taken by the Enchanted Wood series, however I recognise the writing style of Enid Blyton, even though it is a graphic novel.
This book tells the story of the Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog on Kirrin Island. Although it is meant to be holidays their Aunt and Uncle bring in a tutor to help the children revise over the holidays and an architect to work through a renovation.
The children sense that these two men are suspicious, and the story follows their adventures to find out what they are really doing on the island and then they hatch a plan to get the evidence.
I think this graphic novel version is a great way of introducing this series to younger or more reluctant readers, as it is easy to follow and understand and still seems to keep elements of Enid Blyton’s writing style – even with the story being 80 years old!
The illustrations are great, and I think they are a good mix of the original style of images from the books and drawings that enhance a graphic novel. The use of large words, speech bubbles and facial expressions enable to reader to use the pictures to add meaning to the text.
I think that this graphic novel is a good edition to the Famous Five/Enid Blyton series and am now keen to find some of the others and read them too. Readers from approximately 7 years and up would love these, in particular those who are reluctant readers and enjoy illustrations to assist the text.
The tempting front cover belies the title, as Alfie is shown with some consternation about the mouse above his head. Alfie’s eyes look upward with some trepidation, his ears in a sad flop across his face, complete with a dejected mouth. What wonderful characteristics are displayed with a few strokes of the illustrator’s pen, enough to make any reader want to look inside.
Alfie longs to be brave like other dogs. After all he comes from exceptional stock, but he loves nothing more than to snuggle into his mum’s lap on the couch, especially when he finds things a little upsetting. The garden is a good place to hide, while going on a walk sees him baulk at a cat that crosses his path. When taken to the beach he prefers sniffing at the seaweed, rather than face the waves, while going to a farm with those very large cows sees him chat to the birds somewhere else. He knows he is not brave, and wishes that he were, but small things scare him. Young readers will love hearing about Alfie, recognising their own fears of things out of the ordinary in their lives.
His family loves him and that is what is important but he would like to be brave.
Each group of sentences ends with ‘he was not the bravest dog’, a refrain that reads will love to remember and join in when it comes around.
The vibrant illustrations show a loving family with Alfie at the core. The illustrations model good behaviour with a pet, taking him on walks, taking him on family outings, allowing him to be on the couch, and loving him no matter what. The look on Alfie’s face says so much, and kids will enjoy seeing how a few strokes of the pen can give so much expression to the dog’s face.
Of course in the end, Alfie shows his worth, barking at a snake to alert his dad’s attention. All is right with the world, Alfie is the bravest dog.
A delightful picture book by Australian of the Year (2018) recipient, Dr Richard Harris, himself revealing a courage and level of bravery we can only marvel at.
Simon Howe has illustrated a number of picture books, and is well known for his work in animation.
Themes Bravery, Courage, Dogs, Family.
Fran Knight
Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup by Andy Sagar
Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup by London and Cambridge based author Andy Sagar, is a wild trip into a world of pure fantasy. The story begins within the setting of a travelling circus (probably of the mid to late 1800s) when human oddities (freaks) were displayed to the crowds as part of the show. Our hero, Yesterday Crumb, is such a freak, an orphan, dumped with the show - a girl with fox ears. Despite the jeers and horrified curiosity of the crowd and the cruelty of her minders, Yesterday is feisty. She escapes from the circus into a world of magical cake and tea, witches and magical folk of all kinds.
The next setting is a teapot called Dwimmerly end which is capable of travel. It is a fantastical, quirky multi-coloured and patterned teapot, full of quirky characters, rooms and gardens, which functions as a magical tearoom serving magical teas to magic folk. The teapot travels to imaginary and real settings in England on its flamingo legs. Yesterday encounters a cast of characters who help her on her quest to remove the shard of ice that has lodged in her heart through the evil machinations of Mr Weep, the King of the Dead. She discovers that she is a changeling and that she has lost her magic. Under the tutelage of the sweet witch, Miss Dumpling, Yesterday learns to regain her magic. She learns some truths about her past, some of which are very hard to accept. The cast of characters include the quite quirkily delightful Jack, Widdershins, Madrigal and Miss Dumpling, the villainous Mr Weep and the powerful Lady Saturnine. We learn of the roles and regulations in the witch kingdom as Yesterday learns to perfect her potions in order to become a licensed witch permitted to practice by the Royal College of Witches.
The magic is in the tea, with such potions as Jumbling Jasmine, Verdant Vanilla, Steeped Storm and Perfect Panacea being able to be used for a variety of powerful purposes. With time running out, Yesterday has to consolidate her powers, face the evil Mr Weep and complete her quest. The matter of her disappeared mother is still an unresolved mystery at the end of the book. The reader has to wait for the next book in the Yesterday Crumb series for more adventures of the teashop.
Note to teachers, librarians and parents: Chapter 18 and 19 deal with the kingdom of death/ the afterlife and the passageway to that place. The place is described as very grim. This may be unsuitable for children who are dealing with death or serious illness themselves or in their family. Sensitivity is needed around this subject. Although children know that this book is fantasy, they may not be able to distinguish that the depiction of the afterlife is also imaginary.
Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup drops readers into a very strange world. It is a richly descriptive, imaginative romp that is full of the warmth of friendship, the acceptance of difference and the power of friendships. It may be a challenge for young readers to acquaint and adapt themselves in order to sink into this peculiar imaginary world. It will be very interesting to see the take up of readership of Yesterday Crumb and the storm in a teacup and whether children will be capable of the suspension of reality that this book requires.
Themes Magic, Fantasy, Belonging, Celebration of difference.
This graphic novel is about a couple of ghosts (which although they are illustrated as ghosts, seems like a metaphor for people who do not want to be in the limelight, who are quiet, shy and hide away due to worry and darker days), who meet and begin to form a friendship.
Very quickly we see that Socks is struggling. They talk of their trouble being around people and it is easy to see that they overthink everything that happens around them. SG (the other Ghost) is a bit more outgoing and tries very hard to make Socks feel comfortable, however unfortunately in their mission to find other like them, they overwhelm Socks and they go home to bed, not surfacing for a number of days.
Essentially I think this book is about depression, the realities of hard days and loneliness but also of friendship and how finding someone who gets you and will listen is so important. The Sad Ghost Club 2 explicitly deals with someone who doesn't want to get out of bed or answer the phone for days, how they go back over every single thing they say, do or experience and how a simple thing can become very overwhelming.
These topics are presented in a graphic novel form, and although there are lots of textless images, or minimal text this book says a lot. As I was reading it I imagined middle school to upper secondary students (even young adults) accessing this text and being able to identify with the characters and how they were feeling. It gives simple strategies such as going for a walk, getting out of bed, trying a yummy food as examples of ways to improve your day and then goes to finding your tribe of people who are similar to you, and being able to form connections and friendships whilst being your true self.
I think this book would be a great addition to any secondary library, and even though it is very simple it easily puts its message on the page for the reader to engage with. The illustrations are to be commended as they are the true hero of this book. There are lots of pages with no or minimal words, however the pictures really do tell a thousand words when you begin to look closely and put it all together. It would be a great to study as part of a literacy topic or through Health lessons.
Themes Depression, Loneliness, Friendship.
Lauren Fountain
Prometheus High: How to make a monster by Stuart Wilson
Penguin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761042256. (Age:11+)
Athena Strange is... different. So different that she doesn't fit in at her school, and she gets in trouble at home for her experiments. Then one of her experiments catches the attention of a specialist school - Pometheus High. Held on an old ocean liner, the school is extremely exclusive, only taking a small number of students with a certain... thirst for creation. These students are enrolled to learn how to resurrect the dead, how to create beings. The perfect place for Athena. Right? When her lessons in reanimation and skulkers move too slowly, she decides to move ahead on her own. And since she started weeks after everyone else, it's not like she is finding making friends easy, so she may as well take matters into her own hands. But this ship has science and magic, maybe monsters and a few mysteries, will Athena manage to make it on her own?
The first in a new series called Prometheus High, How to make a Monster introduces readers to the strange world of an unusual high school, where the students are learning obscure science. Following Athena for the majority of the book, different perspectives are thrown in occasionally, giving a nice variety and roundness to the story. With a variety of characters - from fellow students to teachers, or 'creators', there are many characters to keep readers interested. Evenly paced, the novel reads quickly as it is well written. A new kind of Frankenstein mixed with magic akin to the Skulduggery Pleasant series, this series may appeal to fans of these or for those interested in a quirky story.
Although The murder rule does not follow the career of Detective Cormac Reilly from her previous three novels, The ruin, The scholar and The good turn, fans of McTiernan's books will not be disappointed in this psychological thriller. Hannah Rokeby cons her way into the Innocence Project wanting to be on the case of Michael Dandridge, who had been convicted of rape and murder. He has declared that he is innocent, and members of the Innocence Project are trying to help overturn his case. But why is Hannah obsessed with this case and just what is she trying to do to Michael, prove his innocence or his guilt?
Told in alternative chapters, the story is told from Hannah’s point of view with extracts from her mother’s diary written when she was a young woman. Laura’s diary fills in the background to Hannah’s obsession with this case. Her mother is an alcoholic, and it is easy to sympathise with her and Hannah’s actions as more of the diary’s contents are revealed.
Hannah is a fascinating character. Her intelligence and ability to read people shines through, even as the reader is shocked at the way she is prepared to manipulate people to be able to work on Michael Dandridge’s case. When cracks start to appear in the evidence Hannah is left trying to puzzle out what is going on.
This started out slowly as the reader learns about the Innocence Project, the people who work there and the processes that the investigators go through to find the truth. As the story progresses the tension really builds up with unexpected twists and turns, new characters introduced and doubts about what is happening. The last section is thrilling and breath-taking and I could not put it down.
I picked this up because I had really enjoyed McTiernan’s previous books and believe that it would be enjoyed by fans of psychological mysteries like Wych elm by Tana French, Turn of the key by Ruth Ware and The Attack by Catherine Jinks.
Interspersed with intriguing illustrations, V.E. Schwab has delivered an absorbing gothic tale about a sixteen-year-old orphan, Olivia Prior, who is without a voice. Olivia has lived in Merilance, an orphanage, ever since she had been abandoned. Unable to speak, she has become sharply observant, and is clever enough to fight off the bullies that try to prey on her and to see the ghouls that haunt the orphanage. When she receives a letter from an uncle of whom she has no knowledge, inviting her to come to Gallant, she jumps at the chance to have a home of her own. The only thing that she possesses is a journal that had belonged to her mother, and she desperately wants to know why she had been left alone as a baby.
When she arrives, she is not welcome, especially by her cousin Matthew who wants her to leave immediately. But Olivia is curious about the poorly kept house, the family portraits and the ghouls that haunt the rooms. Then there is a strange doorway into another world and unable to curb her inquisitive mind, she enters a strange world where there is another version of Gallant, beautifully illustrated on the front cover of the book. Here a mysterious evil master cruelly rules all. Is this what her mother wrote about in her journal? Is this where her father came from?
Schwab is an expert at building up tension and describing ghostly places. Olivia is intrepid, an unforgettable hero, and Gallant has a ghostly presence. There are dark moments, sad scenes, and complex decisions to make, but the reader is swept along with the vivid writing and fascinating illustrations.
Gallant is for an older audience than City of ghosts and Tunnel of bones, and will be welcomed by fans of Holly Black and Neil Gaiman. Readers wanting more gothic fiction may like to try Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl or move to books like Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld or Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
Sal, Gabriel, Reese and Heath are four gay boys, a close friendship group, in their final years at school and taking the opportunity of the summer break to explore potential career paths. They have been good friends throughout high school and keep in touch via text messaging and facetime when they are not spending time together. At first it is a little difficult keeping track of the different characters as the chapters alternate between the four points of view. But reading becomes easier as they move into their different fields of interest: Sal has an internship with a politician, Gabriel is volunteering with Save Our Trees, Reese is heading to design school in Paris, and Heath is working at a beach bar run by members of his family he hasn’t met before.
The summer break is not an easy time; the friends are separated for the first time, catching up isn’t easy, and they each encounter challenges in the paths they’ve chosen. And . . . there are new friendships, even romances, potential threats to their previous close-knit relationships.
A strong theme in the book is the pressure placed on young people in the voluntary roles they take on; job experience opportunities turn into workplace exploitation where they are driven to work longer hours for little or no money in the hope of a good reference or the entry to a paid position. Sal’s proposed 20 hours a week placement turns into 50 hours unpaid work, Gabriel finds his volunteer opportunity turns into street collecting, Heath’s casual work is high pressure, and even Reese’s short term course is much more demanding than he expected. This is all something that young people are only too familiar with.
However the main take-away from this book, is the value of true friendship. There are many stories of young friendship groups, but it must be a welcome discovery for young LGBTQI+ teenagers to read such a warm and positive story of 4 young gay people finding their way at an age when every teen struggles to work out their future path. With themes of identity, self-expression, parental expectations, youth exploitation, and career choices, Golden boys would make an engaging and enjoyable read, for all young adult readers regardless of their sexual identity.
This small but powerful collection of eighteen stories about real-life people, many familiar and unfamiliar, will be an inspiring read for those upper primary/early secondary children who enjoy reading about others. The book begins with a definition of grit: firmness of mind or spirit; unyielding courage in the face of danger or hardship and a publisher’s note encouraging the reader to find out more. Each four-page story begins with an animated portrait and quote, as well as a question or two for further consideration. Some of the diverse people discussed include the well-known Jesse Owens, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Helen Keller and the lesser-known Satoshi Tajiri, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Bethany Hamilton. One very recent story is about Li Wenliang, the Wuhan COVID-19 doctor who first discovered this devastating virus. He alerted his colleagues and eventually the world but sadly passed away in 2020. Another story is about Corrie Ten Boom who helped over Jewish 800 refugees escape from Germany but was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to a concentration camp. Corrie survived to spend her life after the war as a public speaker, inspiring others with stories of hope.
These biographical vignettes present a simple snapshot of the real lives of some brave and courageous people. The stories are both readable and easy to understand and lend themselves to further research in greater detail.
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781534492530. (Age:5+)
Bob is a very chatty, humorous and likeable bird but he has a big problem. He cannot fly. No matter what he does and how hard he tries, he just cannot get off the ground. His flock are off on their first flight of the day and Bob is left alone. He practises and practises repeatedly and starts to worry he will never fly. He becomes very despondent but a kind and helpful crow passing by notices Bob crying and offers to help. He also had trouble flying so he knows exactly how Bob is feeling. He tells Bob to take a breath, but Bob is not convinced, after all he is breathing! However, the crow insists that Bob does deep breathing and teaches him how to do it. After a few failed attempts at deep breathing Bob finally masters it and feels great. He continues to practise his flying and it does get better.
This picture book has detailed instructions on how to breathe deeply and would be best read and shared by a teacher or parent with younger children. Learning to breathe deeply can help in times of stress and worry. The appealing yet simple illustrations will delight young children and add to their engagement in the story.
Themes Self-esteem, Wellbeing, Birds, Deep Breathing, Persistence, Friendship, Humour.
Kathryn Beilby
Lift-the-flap questions and answers about racism by Jordan Akpojaro and Ashley Evans
Usborne, 2022. ISBN: 9781474995825. (Age:7+)
While the issue of racism has bubbled along in the background of schools for decades, the recent rise and focus on the Black Lives Matter movement has brought it forward into the lounge rooms and lives of our students and many have many questions. This is to be expected if we accept the premise that 'race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of colour' particularly when 'race' itself is defined as 'the idea that the human species is divided into distinct groups on the basis of inherited physical and behavioral differences.' (Britannica, 2022)
Therefore this book is a timely release that uses a simple lift-the-flap technique to answer children's questions in a way that they will understand. For example, while the Britannica definition can be easily unpacked by an adult here it is explained as 'treating people differently and unfairly based on their skin colour, where they're from, their religion or their family traditions.'
From 'What's wrong with the idea of 'race'? and 'Why is life harder for people with darker skin?' to 'Don't ALL lives matter?' and 'What's racism got to do with me?' this book tackles powerful, pertinent questions in a direct, accessible and thought-provoking way. Even if the reader has not encountered racism, they learn why it is everyone's problem to solve, and how we can all be part of the solution.
There is also a blog post that offers guidance about how to talk to children about racism because "even by the age of two children begin to notice skin colour and other differences in appearance" and there are also the usual Quicklinks to help the reader understand more deeply.
Themes Racism.
Barbara Braxton
Wayside School is falling down by Louis Sachar
Bloomsbury, 2022. ISBN: 9781526622044. (Age:9+)
Originally published in 1989, the Wayside School series has certainly held up but also shows its age. While still incredibly funny and clever, there are many elements that may concern parents and teachers, making the series more appropriate for the upper levels of primary school. Not only does the book contain name-calling and bullying (fat, dumb jerk), one of the stories involves a student bringing a 'hobo' to school and in another the students discuss why one child is favoured by the teacher: 'Maybe Mrs Jewls got drunk!...And then she danced on top of her desk...And Myron took her picture. And so now Mrs Jewls has to let Myron do anything he wants, or else he'll show the picture to Mr Kitswatter!'. In other incidents a child kicks another in the 'rear end', another wants to knock her teeth our so that she will look 'cute', one of the children declares his love for the teacher and the teacher reciprocates the sentiment, a child is teased for being emotional and the teacher gets angry and holds a yardstick threateningly above a student's head.
On the flip side, none of this is supposed to be taken seriously; these are completely wacky stories full of puns, illogicality and irrational arguments. Like all the others in the series, this installment is comprised of 30 interconnected short stories that all take place within the realm of the absurd Wayside School: 30 floors, each with a single classroom, a cafeteria whose food nobody will eat and a nineteenth storey that does (or doesn't) exist. This is an undeniably fun read for a more mature reader, which will be throroughly appreciated by fans of other dark comedy writers such as Andy Griffiths and David Walliams.
The Locked Room is Number 14 in The Ruth Galloway series, and Elly Griffiths still manages to produce an intriguing mystery and some very interesting historical details about the medieval plague, all set within the COVID-19 pandemic. When Ruth is clearing out her mother’s effects, she comes across a photo of her cottage, with the words ‘Dawn 1963’ written on the back. Coming back to Norfolk she is determined to find out why her mother had a picture of the place, but Covid erupts, and she finds herself organising course work for her university students, via Zoom, and trying to home school her daughter Kate. Meanwhile Nelson has become suspicious about a suicide which does not feel right, and the team finds a series of suicides that family members find very difficult to believe. Add in a mysterious ghost called The Grey Lady, bricked into a house during the plague, a new neighbour, Zoe, whom Ruth is drawn to and the ramifications of Covid, and readers will be drawn into this mystery.
Griffiths exploration of life during Covid will be familiar to all her readers, who will identify with the loneliness and difficulties of working from home and teaching a young child. The awful anxiety of having a loved one come down with the virus is vividly told when Cathbad is its victim. Police procedures during lockdown are described as well and Nelson finds himself at home alone while Michelle is in Blackpool with their son, and this provides an opportunity for Nelson and Ruth to develop their relationship.
The links between The Grey Lady, the apparent suicides of women, her new neighbour Zoe, a woman locked underground and the body that Ruth has excavated are all tied together with some enthralling twists in a dramatic and dangerous climax. Readers like me who love this series will be longing for the next book. Griffiths does give enough background for the book to be a stand-alone for readers new to the series. This includes a page summary of each of the main characters at the back of the book. However, the series is well worth the effort to start from the beginning with The crossing places, winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award 2011.
