Later is Stephen King’s latest novel, aimed at young and older adults alike. More gory than horror, Later tells the story of Jamie Conklin, a teenager living with his mother in New York City who just happens to be able to see dead people. Ever since he can remember, Jamie has been able to see and talk to people who have recently died. Does this concept sound a bit familiar? Well, a rip off of The Sixth Sense this book is not. Part horror, part crime, Later is the story of a well-adjusted, happy teenager who becomes embroiled in the hunt for a serial killer.
The police have finally figured out who is behind a series of bombs that have terrorised NYC for years. However Thumper, as he calls himself, is still one step ahead; he has committed suicide but left one bomb remaining, his most dangerous yet. Swept up into the investigation by a corrupt cop, Jamie realises that Thumper’s reign of terror will have much more devastating and long-lasting consequences for him than he ever could have imagined.
Later is one of Stephen King’s shortest and most direct novels. At just under 250 pages, it is a fast-paced and high energy book. Ostensibly a horror, at its heart Later is a classic bildungsroman, as we watch Jamie growing up and trying to solve problems just a little out of the ordinary. While the novel is not particularly frightening, there are many graphic descriptions of deceased and dying people, so Later is most appropriate for older teenagers and adult audiences. Overall, Later is an exciting, rounded and quick read and bodes well for future King releases.
Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN: 9781398507258. (Age:16+) Highly recommended.
Do you save your family or a plane load of souls? Captain Bill Hoffman faces this impossible choice in this uncompromising thriller. Fast–paced and compelling, this book grabs the reader on the first page and the edge of your seat experience lasts to the last page. It is impossible to put down.
Bill arrives for his flight to New York. "I'm a good man, he reminded himself without wavering." A few minutes into the flight Bill learns that his family has been kidnapped. His wife and two children will only be released if Bill crashes the plane at a designated location. This is where the book really takes off. Written by a former flight attendant, the detailed knowledge of the behind the scenes workings of an ordinary flight brings another level of complexity and suspense to an already explosive plot. The action takes place in real time and the author skilfully enables the reader to feel they are there taking part themselves.
The characters are well drawn, savvy and courageous individuals. We come to know the backstory of Bill and Carrie (his wife) and the terrorists - as well as the flight attendants and FBI agents assigned that day. These people feel real, and the reader is right with them as they make excruciatingly difficult choices. The reader is forced to consider the shades of grey that colour our days, and the compassion that eases the way. The intricately crafted plot twists made this a powerful, heart stopping read and it is no surprise that the book will soon be bursting onto the screen as a movie.
So, what does Bill do? Save his family or a plane full of souls? You’ll need to read it to find out.
Additional resources available: The book trailer sets the scene for the book and is a great addition to a library website/blog. In her first interview, T.J. Newman explores the influences that framed her writing.
Themes Terrorism, Courage, Loyalty, Sacrifice, Relationships – friends and family.
Henry is an orphan in Elizabethan era London, living in the slums, getting by day to day as a thief, hiding a secret gift. Having been taken in by friends years earlier, Henry uses his gift in the shop his guardian runs - translating books from any language into English. His rough life has daily struggles, which are increased due to his heritage. Experiencing racism on top of the threat of death if caught stealing, Henry longs for a simpler life. Then, a break-in goes wrong when the homeowner, the Duke, returns home early. Suddenly, Henry's life is incredibly different.
The Dark Lady is a YA historical fiction, full of magic and mystery, sonnets and cruelty. Historical London is depicted throughout the novel, with many of the senses being engaged - sight, smell and touch. While the author researched Elizabethan street slang, the use of it felt forced, and the sonnets composed by the lead character feel the same. The novel is written simply, and the characters are not entirely relatable. Particularly in their choices and reactions, especially the main character Henry. While the story moved along fairly well, there was only really one scene that had much life and action. The rest of the novel didn't really go anywhere, making it difficult to find it engaging. This was a difficult book to review, as it has not really lived up to the potential of the story.
Alfie Bradley is a relatively new resident in his small community where the weather has gone badly awry. A strange man and concerns over his sister’s recovery from severe bullying underlie the drama of the story. Alfie uncovers, releases and befriends a strange ‘electric’ force-to-be-reckoned-with that impacts the entire community and shakes his world and his friendship with his best friend, Sam. This unusual situation explodes with sparks, lightning and extremely bizarre weather conditions in a science-laced drama that is unlike any other. It is hard to describe the nature of the ‘electric’ friend, but the curious force is intriguing. For Alfie though, his friendship creates an array of problems.
This book is very different and young readers with a hint of science interest will find it appealing, but readers who just enjoy fantasy woven into a real-world tale will also be intrigued. The author has gently and compassionately commented on the impact of bullying and Alfie’s brief visit to a youth detention facility is handled sympathetically. This can be recommended to capable readers aged 10+.
Scientists have dug up and uncovered many facts about dinosaurs - and in the process, they have come across many myths. This picture book digs deep into the Age of Dinosaurs, covering topics such as fossilization, plate tectonics, dinosaur diets, paleontology, extinction theories, dinosaur relatives, and more!
With its glossy pages, appealing layout, clear text, vibrantly coloured pages, engaging sidebars, and stunning full-colour illustrations and photographs it is one for the reader who knows a little about these fascinating creatures but wants to dig a little deeper. While still in simple, accessible language in small chunks, it offers more than a basic Q & A making it an excellent stepping stone to more complex texts. It includes a glossary, a timeline, and an index making it easy to navigate and supporting the locating aspect of the information literacy process.
Although there is a plethora of books about dinosaurs, both fiction and non fiction, there is always a demand for new resources by young readers who continue to remain fascinated and so this is something new, informative and worthwhile to add to the collection.
Themes Dinosaurs.
Barbara Braxton
Write your own funny stories by James Campbell and Rob Jones
Have you ever wondered how you can write stories that capture the audience’s attention and leave them wanting more? Well, if so, this is a must-read story for you! Comedian and author of The Funny Life Of. . . stories, Campbell knows how to entertain the masses with his clever wit and knack of enticing an audience. Write You Own Funny Stories is a highly useful, purposeful and entertaining book that parents, and teachers will be spruiking, and will have kids aspiring to be an author. Either way, both audiences won’t be able to put it down due to its highly engaging and entertaining illustrations and writing journey.
Throughout the book, Campbell demystifies the art of funny writing. Jam packed full of awesome tips and tricks to help you create your own great humorous piece, you won’t be able to get your pen out quick enough! Introducing characters like the Inspirational Elf and tackling the theme of boredom, Campbell demands that you “show him the funny!” This book includes multiple sections where you become the writer and by the end of the book there is a whole section for your inspirations to flow freely. Each part provokes your thinking as he encourages you to join him in creating something funny, while giving you an abundance of ideas to inspire you. When reading this book, picking up a pen and finding your inner funniness seems easy. Rob Jones’ illustrations emulates and captures Campbell’s ideas, as he challenges you to be a writer. Budding writers and those struggling for ideas, will easily make connections with Campbell and Jones’ suggestions, while seeing their ideas come to fruition. As a reader, you will feel easily inspired to pick up a writing instrument and create your own witty wonders.
This is a very clever novel, that will have both children and adults reading and creating in no time. A MUST have for all those who want to find and release their inner creative, intellect and wit!
Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children only to return a month later with no memory of what happened to them, eerie occurrences seem to follow them. And they’re changing. First, their dark hair turned white. Then, their blue eyes slowly turned black. They have insatiable appetites yet never gain weight. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful and inexplicably dangerous.
But now, ten years later, seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow is doing all she can to fit in and graduate high school – something her two famously world-travelling older sisters, Grey and Vivi, never managed to do. But when Grey goes missing without a trace, leaving behind bizarre clues, Iris and Vivi are left to piece it together. They aren’t the only ones looking for her though. As they brush against the supernatural they realise that the story they’ve been told about their past is unravelling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed ten years ago, might just be calling them home.
I absolutely inhaled this book. It was dark, eerie and at times made my skin crawl. Krystal's writing had me captivated from the very first page. Her description of the scenery was so on point I could almost see/smell/feel what she was writing about. The mystery of the three sisters was completely unpredictable and I had to stop myself from skim reading to find out exactly what happened to them as children!
I was creeped out, I was sad, I was tense and I was thrilled reading this book. Highly recommended to anyone who would love a good fairy-talesque, creepy, eery and dark novel that will have you avoiding abandoned doorways for all of eternity.
TW: blood, gore, violence, murder, attempted murder, death, death of a loved one, self-harm, suicide, body horror, attempted sexual assault.
Themes Death, Family Relations, Guilt, Horror, Identity, Memory, Supernatural.
Lockdown and the effect it had on everyone is the theme of this beautifully illustrated first-person narrative, written and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Using a small black cat to guide us on every page, the book depicts the global impact of the Corona virus pandemic (without ever mentioning the disease) in 2020.The story and detailed, colourful illustrations capture the variety of things people did in their homes during the lockdowns. It shows what happened inside – baking, working from home, watching TV, using screens to talk to loved ones and doing our schoolwork, making things and exercising indoors.
The world outside is also included showing that nature continued as usual but the only people who went outside were the workers who kept hospitals and other vital services operating. The sentiments throughout this book are touching, hopeful and uplifting. They explain that although we are all different on the outside, we are the same on the inside and that we went into lockdown because it was the "right thing to do". I think the author has encapsulated our experiences of this pandemic brilliantly and the book would be a great addition to every school library.
Themes Epidemics, Quarantine, Resilience.
Gabrielle Anderson
The other side of perfect by Mariko Turk
Allen & Unwin, 2021. ISBN: 9781760526252. (Age:13+)
Alinta, a disciplined ballet student, has devoted her childhood to studying classical ballet. After shattering both her tibia and fibula, her hopes of a ballet career are likewise shattered. The teenager struggles with heartbreak, loss and jealousy when settling back into regular school life without the significant dance component that would have fast tracked her to a place at the American Ballet Theatre.
Her best friend, Margot, encourages Alinta to try out for the school musical, Singing in the Rain, though she fears it a poor substitute for her lifelong dancing dream. But a group of stage musical tragics, one of whom she is attracted to, begin to change her mind.
Alinta’s sister Josie, also a dancer (albeit modern dance) and obviously Japanese-American too, confronts Alinta about her jealousy and enlightens her about the systemic racism Alinta glossed over whilst attending her old ballet school. Alinta becomes concerned for Colleen, an African American ballet dancer, who continues to be marginalized in favour of white dancers of lesser talents. Unlike her new friends, Alinta cannot malign the focus and perfectionism of the musical’s female lead. She recognizes her own commitment to her art in Diya.
Alinta grapples with immense life changes, not least the racism in the arts – always topical in any sphere. Certainly, The Other side of Perfect is no sentimental teenage romance – but lightweights need not be disappointed as there are more than enough romantic interludes for Alinta and Jude.
This layered art form discussing other art forms, is a refreshing shift in YA reading fare. Secondary school collections will be incomplete without this distinctive narrative. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Bildungsroman, Romance, Racism.
Deborah Robins
Music for tigers by Michelle Kadarusman
Pajama Press, 2021. ISBN: 9781772781892. (Age:9+)
It’s not easy being an aspiring violinist growing up in a family of Canadian conservationists. Before Louisa’s uncle Ruff is evicted by developers, from his own slice of Tasmanian wilderness, the narrator agrees to travel to Australia for the summer. Nature must run in the blood, because it doesn’t take much for Lou to adjust to the remote camp with scary Tasmanian spiders and critically endangered marsupials, despite fretting about practicing for a very important upcoming audition.
Louisa finds a friendly, if not neurodiverse guide and cook in Colin, who lives in the Eco village next door. Colin piques her curiosity, but it is her great grandmother’s journal which unlocks the hefty conservation legacy handed to Uncle Ruff. Within days of her arrival, her Uncle’s pet, the last Pig Footed Bandicoot, previously thought extinct, dies. Piggy’s death hits Uncle Ruff hard. But according to Eleanor’s journal, the family have kept more “black swans” close-by on Convict Rock. You’ll have to read the book to learn about the Black Swan Theory.
Can Louisa learn to overcome her own anxiety in order to help her family protect a species believed to be extinct for nearly 100 years? Uncle Ruff, Mel, Colin and the local elders, have run out of ideas to lure “Tigers” to a new location for their ongoing protection. Louisa believes she has found a way using Eleanor’s diary and her own talents.
Music for Tigers extolls a fictional ecological crisis, through the eyes of a Canadian. It is resplendent with sensory descriptions of our iconic and rugged Australian wilderness. Yet the writing is layered with myth and natural history, adolescent angst and diversity but above all, family and music.
Themes Family, Adventure, Conservation.
Deborah Robins
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
Pan Macmillan, 2021. ISBN: 9781509898244. (Age:16+) Highly recommended.
It starts with a folded message in a pencil case. Despite the narrator’s fears, it is not another trick by the school bullies but the beginning of a secret friendship. The 14 year old narrator is known only as Eyes because of his lazy eye, and he suffers constantly from callous and cruel bullying by Ninomiya, Momose, and their group. The girl, Kojima, dirty and unkempt, on the other side of the classroom, is also kicked and hit by a girls' group. Gradually the two teenagers draw closer through the exchange of secret messages.
Stunning in the beauty of the writing and the creation of the interior world of the two teenagers, Kawakami’s novel is also shocking in its graphic depiction of bullying that is unrelentingly violent and sadistically cruel. It is a world that the two are forced to endure silently every day.
Kojima seeks to make meaning out of their suffering. Almost Christ-like in her attitude she is prepared to accept the violence, because it is wrong, and believes that one day the abusers will come to understand that. She holds onto an idea of Heaven. Juxtaposed with this, is the view expressed by the bully Momose, who believes there is no right or wrong; he is free to do whatever he wants if he feels like it. He says that if there is a Heaven or Hell, it is here right now, this is it. He has absolutely no regard for the feelings of others; Eyes’ words are nothing to him.
So while Kawakami’s novel starts as a story of two lonely suffering friends, as it progresses it becomes more of a philosophical argument between two contrasting world views. Eyes has to work out where he stands. The ending is a surprise, and really throws a challenge as to how to understand it. There is so much to provoke thought and discussion.
Whilst that all may sound bleak and hard to read, there are some really lovely moments in the exchanges between the two friends, and there are adults, a doctor and a step-mother, who turn out to be surprisingly caring.
This is a really unusual book. If you read it, you will be thinking about it for many weeks afterwards. Whilst it tells the story of 14 year olds; because of the content, I would put the readership at 16 and over. And Kawakami is definitely an author to look out for.
A magnificently illustrated cautionary tale for young children from clever French author/illustrator Philippe Jalbert. We are put in the position of the mother of a young child who is about to touch a butterfly. Having said “NO” she then goes into what the consequences of touching it might be. Readers will delight in the possibilities of this story as each part unfolds before their eyes in superbly, graphic illustrations of each escalating calamity. The drama of each mishap is enhanced by the close-up illustrations of on each page. Jalbert includes some interesting animals that are affected in this tale - a dung beetle, a mole, a bear, and then a whole circus troupe! Classes could use this as a springboard to explore different consequences, using different characters and change the story to suit themselves.
According to the publisher this is a way of introducing young children to the chaos theory of the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect is the idea that a small change can make much bigger changes happen; one small incident can have a big impact on the future. The term is associated with the work of mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz.This may provide some interesting research for older students as well.
Themes Parental behaviour, Butterflies, Cause and effect, Cautionary tales.
Gabrielle Anderson
The whale who wanted more by Rachel Bright and Jim Field
The humour in Field’s illustrations is matched by Bright’s text, brimming with nods to our acquisitive lifestyle and our dissatisfaction with what we accumulate.
The whale, Humphrey wanders the ocean spying things he thinks he needs to collect. Each new day brings a new want as those collected yesterday loose their shine. One day he comes to a fabulous reef, full of marvellous things and brimming with an array of fish and coral, creatures and a mass of flotsam and jetsam that speak to him.
The reef creatures are too busy bickering to notice the danger overhead even though the tiny crab, Crystal keeps warning them. As Humphrey dives down to take, Crystal calls out loudly for him to stop. She questions his motives in taking what he wants, and he responds after a lot of thought that they make him feel whole. Crystal questions this and suggests that being caring and kind will make him feel whole, and asks him if he has a gift to share. Humphrey thinks long and hard and remembers a gift given him when he was new. He opens his mouth to sing the song and all the creatures join in.
A charming story told in verse, underlines the theme of friendship as Humphrey realises what he has is enough. Friendship, companionship, singing together fills his heart and makes him feel whole.
Children will love reading about Humphrey and his ahah moment, when he stops just taking from his environment but gives back. Kids will see the parallel to their own lives, underscoring that sharing and cooperation is more important than the accumulation of goods.
Kids will love predicting the rhyming words, offering suggestions as to what it might be and pore over the detail given in the glorious illustrations, recognising the corals and seaweeds and fish which inhabit the reef. A multi layered story, kids will talk about what makes them feel whole, as well as the good feeling that friendship and giving gives them. Discussions about reefs, environment, amongst others will evolve as kids take in the layers of this book. This duo has produced several other books, The way home for Wolf being amongst my favourites.
Dreams from many rivers by Margarita Engle. Illus. by Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez
Henry Holt and Co, 2021. ISBN: 9781627795319. (Age:10+) Highly recommended.
Subtitled, A Hispanic history of the United States told in poems, this attractive hard cover book invites the reader to broaden their horizons and question the beginnings of the USA as portrayed in history books and on film and television. Puerto Rico, a territory of the USA has been settled for more than five centuries, preceding The Mayflower and Plymouth Rock, while the Indigenous history of the USA goes back millennia. But their voices are rarely heard. Engle in presenting this book of her poems aims to give readers a few glimpses of this country’s vast and complex past. After reading extensively from diaries, journals, history books and numerous firsthand accounts, she has built up an exciting book of poems reflecting a history often left unheard, and using many perspectives, not just those of the downtrodden. We hear voices from places as diverse as Boriken (Pueto Rico) in 1491, Mexico in 1812, Montana in 1900, Rhode Island in 1962 promoting through the poetry a sympathy for those affected.
And this is done beautifully. Some of the images presented in the poems are breathtaking: the opening poem 'Courage' ends with the line ‘there will be time enough for courage when I grow old’, written for a 1491 Perto Rican man. Or the Mexican view of slavery introduced by the squatters, expressed in Lawbreakers, 1829 as he watches the men, women and children forced to work in ‘fiercely hot, dusty, miserable cotton fields.’ And The Triumph of Children set in Puerto Rica in 1915, when children refused to go to school where they were forced to use English.
Each poem sings with a perspective not often heard, a voice reflecting those often mute, denied by their ethnic background or socio economic status, a place where their voice can be heard.
A well produced book of poems that will enlighten and entertain, beautifully illustrated by Beatriz Hernandez.
Themes Verse novel, Poetry, Indigenous themes, Puerto Rica, USA, Hispanic history.
Jonathon Stroud states, on the front cover of Eli Brown's latest novel Oddity, that the book is "thrillingly original." So it is!
Aesthetically, Oddity is a delight for appreciators of art and design. The cover, by Chicago based Teagan White, features an intricate white and gold on black design incorporating characters and "oddities" threaded through foliage. Linocut works by Scandinavian Karin Rytter are scattered throughout the narrative.
The impressive art suitably accompanies the highly descriptive language and hefty content of this book. Oddity is not a formulaic, smashed out story. This book did not happen over night. It is finely crafted. Open at any page and read any sentence. It will be masterful.
Oddity is not for the faint-hearted or overly sensitive reader. It could be described as an alternate history/fantasy book. It is recognisably set against the backdrop of the 1800s in North America during the time of the Louisiana Purchase but it is also a fantastical other world. Springing loosely from real and sensitive historical events, a subverted world of ordinary objects possessing strange powers accompany the central character, thirteen year old Clover Elkin, as she simultaneously flees from her father's murderous killers and seeks her true identity, an understanding of her past and her true power and vocation.
Scenes are grisly and violent. Characters, even secondary characters are well fleshed out, interesting and often compellingly repulsive. Action is rapid. Clover moves very quickly from being a motherless child accompanying her physician father through the harsh poverty-struck borderlands to becoming a grief stricken orphan having to rely on her own wit for survival.
This is a complex story covering many themes, characters and subplots but no pieces fall away. All is cleverly held together. Clover has to find and destroy evil. She has to find her true power and self, taking on the healing power of her father with what she discovers of her mysterious mother and combining both to find what she is herself. The process of uncovering truths about her parents and about the past will resonate with all readers as maturity and learning uncover misconceptions about the world for all of us.
Oddity, like the Harry Potter series, like Lord of the rings, like Jack and the beanstalk, draws upon the fascination of objects with strange powers and of secret societies of collectors of various things. And these objects have powers that defy the natural order of things: a talking rooster is a brilliant military strategist, a rag doll has superstrength, a magic teapot pours never-ending tea (like our Australian cut-and come-again Magic Pudding) and undead roadkill is cobbled together with wire and junk by a seamstress witch to become malevolent vermin. Clover allies herself with a mixed bag of powerful companions on the way including a venomous Sweetwater Viper, a super-strong rag doll and a teenage confidence trickster.
Oddity is a coming of age story. It is a coming home story. It is a challenging, disquieting powerful read.
Themes Environmental disaster, Identity, Grief, Agency, The Louisiana Purchase, First peoples, Oddities, Warfare.
