Text Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781922330444. (Age:Adult) Recommended.
This book is set in Hanover in 1923, with the aftermath of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles casting a shadow over all. This fictional account is based on the life of Fritz Haarmann (also known as ‘The Butcher of Hanover’). Haarmann was convicted for the murders of 24 boys, and believed to be responsible for more. There is a memorial to the 27 known boys in Hanover. This book contains quotations from medical reports and Haarmann’s confession in its entirety. While there will be some readers who know how this story ends, the author has crafted a novel the delves into the thinking and attitudes of the times.
The novel (translated by Imogen Taylor) begins with Inspector Robert Lahnstein searching the archives for information about 10 boys who have gone missing. He has been charged with the responsibility for solving the cases and is struggling to make progress. There is pressure from his superiors and a lack of professionalism in his colleagues.
We are provided raw, uncompromising insight into the characters of Lahnstein and Haarmann. Lahnstein is an introspective man who is full of doubts and it is through his eyes that we have a clearer understanding of the 175ers and the homosexual cultural society in Hanover. The term 175ers was coined due to Paragraph 175 of the German criminal code which made homosexuality a crime. The reader is invited to consider these insights as residing within the complex political instability of the Weimar Republic.
Ethical understandings and responsibilities related to policing and justice are explored through Lahnstein’s interactions with his father (a retired policeman) and the incompetent Muller (Lahnstein’s subordinate). The reader is prompted to evaluate the role of the community in the deaths of the boys. This is a grim, and at times confronting, book. The detail is gruesome and the grief of parents palpable.
Themes Serial Murder; Grief; Historical crime; Aftermath of war.
Linda Guthrie
The Khan by Saima Mir
Point Blank, 2021. ISBN: 9780861540877. (Age:16+) Highly recommended.
A Pakistani ‘Godfather’ story set in a Yorkshire town! Jia is a determined and highly successful London lawyer, but she is about to return to her family home, to take up her role as the favoured successor to the Khan, the patriarch of the Pakistani family that runs the drug and prostitution syndicate, according to time-honoured codes of respect and honour. There are family secrets that are gradually revealed as we come to learn how Jia developed her steely resolve, and how it is possible that a Muslim woman could lead up an established crime organisation. But it is the devotion to family, and respect for women and children, which distinguishes the Muslim crime group from the new interlopers from Eastern Europe.
It’s a fascinating story. Mir takes her time to build the layers, the settings, the family relationships, and the secret tragedies, as we come to appreciate the code of honour and religion that binds them all. The Khan and his family look after the Pakistani immigrants who face racism and discrimination; when the law fails them, they take the law into their own hands. Jia has learnt how to use the British legal system to get what she wants. That same cool appraisal of what is needed stands her in good stead as she returns to the Khan family.
There are some twists to the story that will surprise readers, and leave them wanting more. Jia is such a complex and intriguing heroine, it really seems like this is only the beginning of the story, there must be sequels to follow, surely. The Khan makes for a highly original, gripping insight into the underworld of migrant groups and their daily confrontations with prejudice, inequality and abuse, a new and impressive debut in the crime genre.
Themes Organised crime, Racism, Muslim community, Honour, Women.
Helen Eddy
The storm keepers' battle by Catherine Doyle
The Storm Keeper Trilogy: Book 3. Bloomsbury, 2021. ISBN: 9781526607966. (Age:12+) Highly recommended.
This is the final episode in the trilogy involving Fionn Boyle – the reluctant hero and Storm Keeper of Arronmore, first introduced in The storm keeper's island. In this final story set in Arronmore, he must rally the islanders to overthrow Morrigan, the evil sorceress that leads the soul stalkers and is keen to take control of all the islanders. She has no idea that the loyalty of the islanders is stronger than her evil power…. But first Fionn must summon all his newfound magic to give them any chance to win the final battle. This is action-packed and steeped in magical forces swirling in and through the young Fionn.
This story has parallels/similarities to a Harry Potter story with the reluctant and brave young hero having to overcome his own personal insecurities and draw on the strength of others – older islanders and his friends, in order to have any hope of overcoming evil. The battle is both sad and intense and yet the smallest hope wins against the hopelessness of evil. Because it is the ultimate part of the story it is assumed that readers have come to the storyline by reading the previous two books in the trilogy. There is not a lot of introduction to the world of the Storm Keeper or Arronmore in this book, but it is a wonderful and inspirational tale when the trilogy is read in total.
Kate Pankhurst, the author of the Fantastically Great Women picture book series, has now written a new series for older readers in a novel format. This first book is a compelling read and shares stories of women who have achieved amazing things in Science from space travel to volcanoes to botany. These women all fought against the odds in a white male-dominated world yet through perseverance and resilience they have been able to leave their mark and become role models for future generations. The story of Mae Jemison, the first Black American woman in space, is one of absolute dedication, racism and persistence. Her brilliant mind and obvious talent in many areas led her to achieve so much. As a young child she was curious about everything which led her to become a medical doctor, an astronaut and finally she started a company that would find ways that science and technology could support ordinary people. The story of Janaki Ammal who was born in 1897 and became a botanist is one of a strong Indian woman overcoming traditional expectations to achieve quite impressive things. During her life journey she was discriminated against, one for being a woman, also from being from the ‘untouchable’ class in India as well as having to travel to other countries at times to fulfil her yearn for research and learning.
As well as providing insightful information about the women discussed in the book, the author has also been able to provide an historical perspective of social conditions of the time. Throughout this book there are black and white graphic-style images, speech bubbles, maps, changes in text style, darkness and size all which add to the engagement for the reader.
This very worthwhile read would be a wonderful addition to any home, classroom, school or public library.
Themes Women, Scientists, History, Biography.
Kathryn Beilby
Fourteen wolves by Catherine Barr and Jenni Desmond
This beautifully illustrated non-fiction book begins with an introduction to Yellowstone National Park USA. A vast wilderness spanning 9000 kilometres, it is home to thousands of different wildlife species and is visited by four million people each year. However over nearly one hundred years ago wolves disappeared from the park through over-hunting and the natural balance of the ecosystem began to break down. Fourteen Wolves is the story of how scientists and conservationists in 1995 began the long project to turn the park back to its once pristine condition by rewilding fourteen wolves from Canada. The story is fascinating to read and while the size of the font is rather small it does not distract from the information as it is complemented by the stunning visual images. Part One tells the journey of the wolves from Canada and the cycle of life. Once the wolves are acclimatised and then released, they move in packs and their survival begins. Their prey are the elk which have grown in number and disrupted the ecosystem. The return of the wolves has now begun to balance the ecosystem. Part Two discusses the Rise of the Wolves beginning with an explanation of the food chain. The results of the wolves’ hunting provides the reader with an understanding of how important the key predator is in maintaining the natural balance for birds, animals, plants and landscapes. Part Three conveys an awareness of How Nature Works and is followed by information about rewilding and conservation.
While this book focuses on a particular place in the USA, it gives the reader a greater understanding of how important it is for humans to carefully consider the impact they have on the environment. This book is would be a perfect addition to a home, school or public library.
Themes Rewilding, Wolves, Yellowstone National Park USA, Conservation, Environmental impacts, Ecosystems, Science, Life Cycles.
An interesting narrative, non-fiction book that tries to convey the important role faeces plays in the world and how scientists are using it to help animals and the environment.
Heather Montgomery is a passionate scientist who takes the reader along with her on field trips and to Zoom meetings as she investigates what can be discovered from faeces (or feces if you are in the USA). She has packed a huge amount of information in this novel-style book in which she uses different scientists to help her to understand aspects of their work in this field. From an inventor of a biogas powered streetlamp that uses “doggie do” as its source of fuel to identifying where poachers are hunting using the DNA found in Elephant scats.
The author injects plenty of humour through her very funny footnotes on each page, which are then fully annotated at the back of the book. It also contains a full index and a glossary of Waste Words. The cover is bright and colourful and is as attractive as her other book written within this theme called Something Rotten: a fresh look at roadkill.
The text is fast paced with a strong sense of the author's voice and is interesting enough for an adult or high school student to read from cover to cover. I am not sure younger children would bother to read it through as I did. So, my worry with this book is who is the audience? I think the form of the book could have been more carefully considered. The illustrations are only small line drawings on a few pages in each chapter. A fully illustrated non-fiction book with photographs, tables, charts etc. may have had a wider audience.
Themes Faeces, Animal droppings, Environment.
Gabrielle Anderson
Do animals fall in love? by Katharina von der Gathen and Anke Kuhl
The author of Tell Me: What Children Really Want To Know About Bodies, Sex, and Emotions (2020) has written another book focused on sexual reproduction but this time it is all about animals. Katharina von der Gathen is a German sex-educator who writes with both honesty and clever humour. This non-fiction book has a very detailed contents section with the chapters divided into three main headings: The Art of Seduction, Mating and The Babies Arrive. Within each chapter are further categories with headings such as Dance with me, When love hurts and Difficult births. The opening introductory page begins with a series of handwritten questions in speech bubbles such as Do Animals have sex too? Can animals be gay? How do elephants have sex? The introduction then continues with an explanation of the book and covers the following topics:
How they find and compete for mates The unusual ways they have sex How animal babies are conceived How they make their way into the world.
The information presented to the reader takes them on a very interesting and wondrous journey with amazing facts shared. The author uses correct terminology throughout so for many readers this may require explanation. For example the male silverfish fertilizes the female by weaving fine gossamer threads over the floor where he deposits his sperm capsule alongside. When the female silverfish detects the threads she opens her ovipositor to take up the waiting sperm.
This book is full of informative material that children will enjoy browsing through and sharing with their peers and adults. The colourful graphic-style illustrations provide an important visual and often humorous connection. This book would be a worthwhile addition to any home, school or public library with the possibility of guidance and support for younger readers.
Three highly eccentric characters, different ages and backgrounds, somehow find their paths come together, and the thing that ultimately unites them is the world of bees. Jake is a trumpet playing teenager with a mohawk haircut, his life shattered by a stupid accident that leaves him paraplegic. Alice is a middle-aged loner, trying to contain her surging grief for her dead husband. And Harry is a young misfit with social anxiety, who is always being conned by the wrong people.
Alice is a beekeeper. A panic attack whilst driving, sees her send Jake and his wheelchair off the side of the road and thousands of honeybees buzzing from upturned hives in her truck. That eventful night is the beginning of an unlikely friendship between the two. Alice comes to provide an escape for Jake from his abusive father. Jake discovers a special talent; his musical ear can recognise the sound of a happy queen in the hive. And it is true! I had to check on Google. The queen bee makes a different sound to the rest of the bees, less of a buzz and more of a piping or tooting sound!
Eventually the outcast Harry also joins their home, despite his fear of insects, and contributes his woodworking and problem solving skills. They work together to care for the bees, expand the hives and fight the corrupt insecticide company that threatens their lives.
The music of bees is a truly heartwarming story of friendship between three unlikely people. And along the way you will painlessly learn all about the lives of bees, the dedicated workers, the queen, and the amazing community that bees make up.
Themes Friendship, Outsiders, Bees, Beekeeping, Caring for the environment.
Helen Eddy
Harry Potter and the half-blood prince by J.K. Rowling
Entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter faces greater challenges than ever before. The whole magical world knows that Voldemort is back, and everyone is looking to Harry as 'The Chosen One'. Harry is having private lessons with Dumbledore, and his friends are dealing with their own issues - hormones and feelings! Add on to all of this, Harry's suspicion of Draco Malfoy - is he up to something? Will anyone believe Harry?
Harry Potter came out when I was in high school, and the last few came out when I was in my late teens/early twenties. To think I'd ever be reviewing a Harry Potter book is crazy, and I didn't think there'd be much more to it than the original book I got back in the day. I was wrong. The Hogwarts House edition of The Half Blood Prince is stunning. The coloured edges, the dust jacket, the illustrations, the extras in the book. Amazing. Readers can now have house pride while reading the series, learning even more about their particular house - this version is the Gryffindor edition, which has extras that include an introduction to Gryffindor house and quotes from a famous Gryffindor. Readers will be even more immersed in the world of Harry Potter than ever before with these delightful extras, along with the thrilling story, covering everything from friendship and love to war, heartbreak and loss. There's a reason the Harry Potter series has remained popular - the story, the characters, the magic. Potterheads will need to have the house editions in their personal collections, and libraries might like to vary the series by having a selection from each house!
Themes Fantasy, Magic, Friendship, Love, Relationships, War, Loss, Humour.
Such an apt title! Whereabouts brings together little scenes from a woman’s life as though piecing together a picture of who she is and where she belongs. Each short chapter presents a place: on the sidewalk, on the street, in the office, at the trattoria, in the waiting room… each almost a little story in itself. They present insights into other people’s lives, but the connection between them all is the woman herself, her thoughts and feelings. She seems to have many friends, even lovers, but the overall feeling is of a solitary person moving slowly through the world around her. And there is a sense of melancholy, of loneliness, and lost moments, missed relationships.
Originally written in Italian, by a London born daughter of Indian migrants to the United States, the novel reflects Lahiri’s sense of dislocation, and has its nascence in her love of Italy and the Italian language. The setting of Whereabouts is an Italian city, probably Rome, where one can wander from a bar to a trattoria down narrow winding roads, an observer of daily scenes, reminders of moments in one’s own life.
It is a beautifully written novel, poetic in the way that with just a few words it creates scenes, feelings and memories. It is one to pick up and read again and ponder.
Themes Identity, Loneliness.
Helen Eddy
Space detectives by Mark Powers. Illus. by Dapo Adeola
Bloomsbury, 2021. ISBN: 9781526603180. (Age:7-11)
Floating above Earth is the encapsulated space city of Starville. This amazing space station is home to a variety of famous celebrities and wealthy citizens.
Connor and Ethan are spending their summer holidays on Starville, selling ice creams and waiting to solve crimes and mysteries. Edwina Snoddy is the daughter of Starville’s supreme governor and during a mishap at the ice cream stall the two boys are invited by Edwina to a special function for the governor. It is during the function that disaster strikes, a mysterious computer virus affects Starville’s orbit and the whole space city is on track to being destroyed! Ethan and Connor are the space detectives but can they save the space station from crashing into the moon?
This is a fun space story with alien creatures, inventions and interesting plot twists. Readers will enjoy the wacky space creatures, such as the “Tufted Grotsnobbler” who features throughout the story.
A vibrant front cover and black and white illustrations throughout the book add to its appeal.
Mark Powers has written other fun stories such as the “Spy Toys” series and a fantasy series called “Drafted.” This is the first fiction series Dapo Adeloa has illustrated and he is the co-creator of a picture book called “Look Up”. Both author and illustrator live in England.
An amusing book for students 7 to 11 years old. A short book trailer is available here.
Themes Space stations, Holidays, Detectives.
Jane Moore
How to talk to a tiger by Jason Bittel. Illus. by Kelsey Buzzell
The title How to talk to a Tiger and Other Animals and the beautiful cover illustrations instantly draw the reader in. This engaging non-fiction text gives a myriad of information about how animals communicate. The contents page is divided into four sections, Sights, Sounds, Smell and Taste, and Electrosensory and Touch, and discusses many animals and their behaviour. From electric blue flames found in the seas off the islands off Bermuda which are actually Bermuda fire worms, how the jackdaw uses its eyes to engage in a staring competition to keep a nest and to the male lyrebird of the south of Australia that mimics all sounds it hears, this book will continue to provide hours and hours of reading enjoyment. While the font is relatively small it is broken into easy to read and follow chunks and is complemented by wonderful illustrations which draw the reader’s eye to the text. As well as a detailed index, this book also cleverly labels each sense reviewed next to the odd page numbers.
This book is a perfect book to browse as there is so much information to be learnt and shared and would be a perfect addition to a home, school or public library.
Meet the Oceans is a wonderful vibrant read-aloud book showcasing the main oceans and seas on Planet Earth. Each page is filled with bold, bright colourful illustrations and fun rhyming text to engage the younger reader. The story follows a young child and trusty dog on a mini submarine journey around the major oceans and seas covering Earth’s surface. Along the journey they meet numerous sea creatures and formations such as beluga whales in the Arctic Ocean, silver swordfish in the Atlantic, jawfish in the Caribbean Sea, the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea, giant Blue whales in the Indian Ocean and icebergs, penguins and Antarctic research stations in the Southern Ocean. On the Pacific Ocean pages the author discusses the effects of plastic on sea creatures and on the South China Sea pages talks about large ships jostling for space and seabirds. On the final pages is a plea for us to take care of our oceans and seas and the book finishes with a cleverly drawn map of the world.
This book is a perfect introduction to oceans and seas for early years and primary students. A welcome addition to any home, school or public library.
Themes World Oceans and Seas, Sea Creatures, Rhyme.
Kathryn Beilby
The Strangeworld Travel Agency : The edge of the ocean by L.D. Lapinski
The Strangeworlds Travel Agency: The edge of the ocean is the second book in the Strangeworlds trilogy written by UK author L.D Lapinski.
The heroine is the resourceful and gutsy twelve year old Felicity (Flick) Hudson who in the first book in the series, realised that she was in possession of the magical power of being able to create a schism - "a tear in the fabric of reality" in order to gain entry to other worlds. The growth of contol of this power mirrors the growth of understanding of much including the gentle brushstrokes of suggestion of budding single sex attractions that occur in an uncontrived manner alongside all the other relationships between the characters within the book. Thus The Strangeworlds Travel Agency:The edge of the ocean, besides being a fantasy/sciencefiction/adventure book, is also a coming of age story.
Flick joins the Strangeworlds Travel Agency which consists of a tight group of interesting characters. Their travels to other worlds are accomplished by stepping into the right suitcase which takes them from the ordinary world of Little Wyverns to impossibly magical otherworlds. The friends are summoned by a pirate queen to save the world of The Break, a map of which is conveniently placed at the beginning of the book. The Break is a two dimensional world which is rapidly shrinking as parts of the edge break off. This loss of land could be caused by evil forces or the reader could see this story as an allegory referring to the eco refugees of today. Flick and her friends have to unite previous enemies and ultimately lead the inhabitants of The Break to safety through a combination of magic and trust. This book is well written, full of high action and dangerous, heart stopping adventure with escapes constantly made just in the nick of time.
The Strangeworlds Travel Agency: The edge of the ocean is a robust read for capable readers who are able to hold multiple storyline threads together. Readers of Terry Pratchett's brand of humorous fantasy and science fiction would enjoy this new series.
This is the first book in a series, written by two sisters, Shannan and Tayla. This novel introduces the main character of the series, Lola; a nine, soon to be ten-year-old girl from Australia, who has her own vlog on YouTube. She likes chocolate, dreaming big and believes that she needs to keep her fans up to date on everything in her life. Lola is a confident and extroverted fourth grader who has a best friend named Vee. The story begins with Lola planning her fabulous 10th birthday party. She is still unsure who she should invite as the final guest to her party. While contemplating this major dilemma, Miranda, her neighbour and arch-rival, announces she is going to have her own party and outdo Lola's. When hearing that her 10th birthday party could be potentially overshadowed by a water slide and chocolate fountain, Lola wonders what she should do. Still worrying about this, she then meets a new girl at school, Piper. Piper claims to be her #1vlog fan! Lola thinks nothing of this fleeting interaction as she busily prepares and plans her best birthday party. But when you have a #1 fan who is the president, vice president, merchandise director and official photographer AND they are wearing a t-shirt with your face on it and know the name of the bakery down the road from your house and the date of your party . . . what could possibly go wrong!
The Secret Upstairs fan club party is a humorous and engaging story relevant to the digital age. It explores the life of a young vlogger and delves into potential risks when using the internet. The story explores friendships, truth telling and how sharing personal information with online viewers can backfire. The laughable storyline and entertaining characters, including a country-music loving cat named Stampy, will appeal to the young children today; while teaching them valuable lessons on cyber safety, relationship building and family honesty.
