Ill. by Angela Harding. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. ISBN:
9781526620491
(Age: 10+ ) Highly recommended. October is a girl who thinks of
herself as a wild wolf living in the woods with her equally wild
father. In the woods she is confident and self-sufficient. She
spends her days digging, climbing, running, learning, scavenging,
growing food and using her imagination to make up fantastic stories.
She does not need the 'woman who is her mother' and the only time
she feels out of her depth is on rare trips into town for supplies.
On her 11th birthday October has just adopted a baby owl. She and
her father are following their annual birthday ritual when something
terrible happens, and suddenly everything is different.
October is wrenched out of her wild life. She feels lost and angry
in equal parts and shuts down.
It takes time, bravery, love and friendship for October to let new
people into her inner circle and become open to finding something to
be excited about again.
October's relationship with her parents is a clear theme throughout.
Her father is fair, wise and warm as he guides, encourages and
protects her. Her connection with her mother is complicated and
sometimes ugly, but her mother offers unconditional love along with
great patience, grace and kindness.
Katya Balen uses long sentences to brilliantly convey the
breathlessness, anger, excitement, bewilderment and imagination of
October. The illustrations by Angela Harding show the baby owl
maturing, stretching and thriving throughout the story, mirroring
October herself.
The end is very moving and satisfying as October comes back to the
woods, where nothing and everything has changed.
"Being wild and free is different for every person and every thing
and it can be folded into the woods or whirling through the city
streets".
Includes a sneak peek at Balen's 2019 middle/upper grade novel, The
space we're in.
Themes: Family, Relationships, Imagination, Nature, Fathers,
Mothers.
Kylie Grant
A dog's perfect Christmas by W Bruce Cameron
Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781529010114.
(Age: Secondary/Adult) Highly recommended. Winstead, a nine year
wolf hound becomes aware one day that his Daddy is sad. His owner
gets up in the morning with aching bones and crooked fingers, and
turns to the pillow next to his where his wife once slept. Their
house has been sold to cover the debts her illness accrued, and he
is now living with his son and his family. His granddaughter comes
in each morning to wake him, but Ello is a taciturn young girl on
the brink of becoming a teen, at odds with everything around her.
Her three year old twin brothers, Ewan and Garrett cause mayhem
within the household, and mum, Juliana cannot wait to drop all three
at school and have some time to herself, going to Target for
respite. She is meeting her husband, Hunter for lunch and has
something to tell him.
Hunter is given a promotion in his office but warned that a lack of
success means being fired. He cannot understand his wife's distress
at home, and is at a loss to help with the children or his father,
Sander, who counts the pills in the medicine cabinet. This chaotic
household is very recognisable and the descriptions poignant and
very funny. The readers' involvement builds as Juliana reveals she
is very unhappy, Hunter's work nose dives into a scrambled mess,
Ello's friends bully her and she is saddled with baby sitting Dad's
boss' son, newly arrived at school. When Mum is taken to hospital
and the diagnosis becomes dire, the family grows together, helped by
the stray puppy Ello has found on her walk home from the skating
rink. Named Ruby it becomes part of the family, a crutch for the
children as they cope with their mother's illness.
This is a beautifully written story of a family and their fractured
relationships, repaired by a stray dog which adopts them. And did I
mention this story happens at Christmas, adding another layer of
stress and the cold in Michigan in December is finger numbing.
Themes: Family, Death, Christmas, Grandparents, Suicide, Pets,
Animals, Twins, Anxiety, Michigan.
Fran Knight
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End by Jeff Kinney
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780143796084.
Highly recommended. This was read and reviewed by my 10 year old
son, who has read most of the others from this series and really
enjoys them:
First of all I thought this book was good, because it was funny and
a good story.
The story is about the family and they go on a holiday, and they
travel to lots of places. While they are at a caravan park lots of
bad things happen. One of the bad things is when the bridge to get
out of the caravan park is struck by lightning they can't get out.
Everyone gets panicked and they buy everything . . . this is very
familiar to me because of Covid-19. At the end Manny saves the day
as he drives the van to fix the bridge and let everyone out!
I would recommend this book to people who have read any of the other
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I giggled a lot as the pictures are
hilarious, they add to the story and with some parts of the story
you wouldn't understand the story without the pictures.
I give it 4.5 starts out of 5 - I would have given it 5 stars if
there were even more funny pictures.
I think his review says it all. This book was real hit with a 10
year old, and I also think this book would really suit readers who
need a bit of extra encouragement. The funny illustrations are a
real draw card and keep in line with all the others in the series. A
great addition to the series, and highly recommended!
Lauren Fountain
Angels weep by Colin Falconer
Constable, 2020. ISBN: 9781472132703.
(Age: Senior secondary/adult) DI Charlie George and his team
investigate the abduction of a young woman. Time is of the essence
if they are to find her alive. Their workload is dramatically
increased when there is another young woman taken off the street and
orders are to assume the abductions are linked. The budget is
stretched and very little sleep is had by the team as they
desperately search for the two victims.
The second target is a young woman, Sarah Howlett, married to Danny,
an investment banker. She seems to have a great life: handsome
successful husband, beautiful home, a young child and a nanny to
help with young Ollie. Danny however is controlling, abusive and has
lost a huge amount of money trading illegally.
When the first victim is found alive but traumatised, elation is
short lived. There is no second victim and there does not seem to be
a link to Sarah Howlett, so the team must look with fresh eyes at
the evidence they have.
Charlie George is well acquainted with dysfunctional families. He is
the product of one. In the midst of his investigation a surprise
seventieth birthday has been arranged for his mother who has
dementia! His drug addled brother has been flown from Australia and
has been billeted with him. He rarely sees his siblings and a family
reunion at the care home is the last thing he needs as he struggles
with his case load.
Sarah Howlett is hit by a car seemingly escaping from her husband
who she claims is trying to kill her. She has injuries not all
sustained in the traffic accident and is deeply traumatised. The
husband Danny Howlett is nowhere to found and Sarah's father is
furious that progress seems to have stalled.
Colin Falconer cleverly contrasts the social divides in London, and
takes the reader into the lives of a fascinating range of London
society. Most seem to be damaged goods in some way. There are not
too many happy families in DI George's circle, including his own.
Falconer is able to ramp up the intrigue with some unexpected twists
and turns to deliver a thoroughly satisfying read.
Themes: Abuse, Abduction, Domestic violence, Crime, London.
Mark Knight
Zombierella by Joseph Coelho
Illus. by Freya Hartas. Fairy tales gone bad. Walker Books,
2020. ISBN: 9781406389661.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. The perennial fun of twisted fairy
tales takes on a new lease of life as Cinderella becomes a zombie
after falling down the stairs, slipping on dog poo deliberately left
by her fake sisters. Readers will laugh out loud as they recognise
bits of the well known Cinderella, turned around for a
modern audience with zombies, coffins, skeleton horses, and a
vampire prince. A ball is called every three days by the prince,
newly arrived in town with his retinue. But Cinderella is left home
to clean. Falling on the stairs, she dies, to be revived as a zombie
by Death, and given the opportunity to attend the ball. The prince,
of course, falls for her, but she slips away. On the third night,
her fake sisters become aware of who the beautiful girl is and pour
glue on the stairs, stopping her progress. Not to be outdone,
Cinderella breaks off her foot to run away, leaving the prince with
a foot and ankle to match. The fake sisters do more than cut their
toes off to marry the prince, and in the end, love rules and the
story concludes most happily.
What a wonderful retelling, I laughed out loud and I am sure the
readership will too, especially with the array of detailed very
funny illustrations to guide them. A whole array of vampire and
zombie paraphernalia dot the pages, intriguing the readers, and the
grisly stuff, pulling out Cinderella's guts, or pulling off her
foot, for example, is simply grist for the funny bone, goading
people to laugh with gusto.
And I was pleased to read the epilogue by the librarian who
unearthed these dark, mad tales, that there is more to come.
Walker Books' website
gives more information about poet Coelho, and this is the first of a
three part series called Fairy tales gone bad. And I loved
the wrap around cover.
Themes: Vampires, Zombies, Cinderella, Twisted fairy tales, Humour,
Verse.
Fran Knight
Christmas is murder: a chilling short story collection by Val McDermid
Sphere, 2020. ISBN: 9780751581775.
(Age: Secondary/Adult) Highly recommended. In a few pages, award
winning crime writer McDermid is able to create a scenario,
characters and a crime, enticing an already enthralled reader to
keep going, wanting to see where the story heads. Twelve short
stories all framed by Christmas, are tantalisingly brief, but each
is complete in itself, dealing with a murder, and sometimes making a
point along the way. In 'A wife in a million', a detective
investigates a series of murders: someone is spiking condiments at
supermarkets with arsenic, while her unemployed partner scans the
papers each day searching for work. It is her suggestion that brings
the investigation to a close.
Another tale reprises the Holmes' stories as Watson and Holmes go to
Sarajevo to stop a killing (not the one you think!). In another a
young girl unsure of whether Santa Claus is real or not, pushes a
burglar down the stairs on Christmas Eve, after she finds him with
her Christmas presents. In 'Happy Holiday', DCI Jordan and Dr
Tony Hill solve a murder, while another story has a couple
cycling through Scotland, finding a remote folly, and after her
partner is killed, she lures the driver to the folly to exact
revenge.
Settings are so different: the Scottish Highlands, Scottish towns,
various castles, lochs and coastlines, while the characters inhabit
many guises. A thoroughly involving set of stories, sure to keep
readers amused and absorbed over Christmas.
Themes: Short stories, Christmas, Murder, Investigation, Crime
fiction, Scotland.
Fran Knight
Kay's anatomy by Adam Kay
Illus. by Henry Paker. Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN:
9780241452943.
(Age; 9+) Recommended. Kay's anatomy is a comedic anatomy
book with the revealing subtitle: A complete (and completely
disgusting) guide to the human body. Written for the youthful
audience who loves humour with everything in life and enjoys the
bizarre and disgusting aspects of the human body - from the top of
the skull to toe nails via every gross fact in between. Adam Kay
studied Medicine so information in the book is factual, however it
is heavily laced with jokes, humorous asides and quirky
illustrations. With a focus on the questions that kids would like
answered and on bodily secretions, noises and smells, there is
something to learn or something to laugh at on every page, including
reference to Covid 19.
This is the kind of book that kids will read from cover to cover and
laugh at every page. Fortunately, they will also learn a lot about
human anatomy in the process. Illustrations are extremely amusing
cartoons that will attract the visual learner and will draw them to
the well set out information. Note: The book explains the
reproductive system in a simple but thorough way with clear
illustrations and explanations for a young audience. I enjoyed the
humour and the clarity of the information for young readers, but
kids will love all the snot, fart and vomit references and every
other disgusting piece of information.
Themes: Human anatomy;
Humour.
Carolyn Hull
I follow you . . . until you are mine by Peter James
Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781509816286.
(Age: Secondary/adult) Highly recommended. Set in Jersey, James'
latest thriller is most unsettling. Dr Marcus Valentine is a
distinguished gynae-oncologist, a leader in his field and looked up
to by both his colleagues and patients alike. He is also an
obsessive man - time is important and everything has its place.
While driving to work he almost runs a woman down. A woman who
reminds him disturbingly of his first love. Georgie Maclean becomes
a preoccupation which rapidly turns to an addiction.
Peter James is able to knit the lives of Georgie, her partner Roger
Richardson and Marcus Valentine into an increasingly volatile dance.
Valentine believes he is in control but he has to take ever more
complicated steps to keep his passion secret.
After a plane crash involving Roger, Valentine takes charge of the
surgery to save his life but deliberately omits to take care of a
small problem which will eventually end in his death.
Georgie is also pregnant, a long awaited precious event. Valentine
would also like to be rid of that troublesome addition. He does not
wish to be saddled with another man's child. As his fixation with
Georgie becomes more delusional he really believes that they will
live together in a blissful loving partnership.
As James' narrative moves on the pace steadily increases as does the
suspense. He has been able to paint the Dr Valentine as a pompous,
self-opinionated sociopath a thoroughly dislikable character, while
the reader's anxiety for Georgie and Richard steadily mounts as the
story unfolds. A thoroughly satisfying page turner. Highly
recommended.
Themes: Crime, New Jersey, Obsession, Thriller.
Mark Knight
The book of not entirely useful advice by A.F. Harrold
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781526618016. 121p.
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Poetry, Nonsense. Penned by English poet,
A.F. Harrold, young children are rewarded with chunks of snappy
rhyme and sometimes bonus glee. The foreword advises us not to
follow any of the bad advice, thereby writes the author, making this
a useful collection. Delicious extras make the anthology evermore
useful: a searchable index, contents and a glossary of 'Knots of the
world'. Not to mention interactive blank canvases for the reader's
own drawings or poems; plus an advice generator - customize the
template to build your own Advice-A-Tron animated by a roll of the
dice.
Aesthetically, our interest is sustained by the cute animations of
A.F. Harrold, several animals and selected children. Mini Grey
throws in a colourful parrot saying "Bum" twice - double the
hilarity. A.F. Harrold rounds his text with an afterword including
some final advice not attached to poems such as: "You are not alone.
We all feel like that sometimes."
But what of the poetic advice? Not letting the broccoli drive the
car seems too obvious followed by such nonsense lines as "Always
keep an onion handy, They're great for self-defence" and poems
entitled "Gravy is Not Perfume". But this closet poet throws in the
odd serious gem to groom his young readers to appreciate the
paradigmatic insertions in poetry.
Roots It's a good picnic to which you need carry no food, simply slip off your shoes, let your toes grow down, rooting around, deep into the soil, supping and sifting, and you palm up your hands and drink the sunshine. The Book of Not Entirely Useful Advice is a library must and
would engage lower/middle school readers on a lazy afternoon in:
drawing or writing - or simply learning to be still and more
self-aware. With poetry, less really is more.
Deborah Robins
To sleep in a sea of stars by Christopher Paolini
Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781529046519.
(Age: Adult/Young Adult). Highly recommended. Christopher Paolini,
author of the much beloved young adult Eragon series,
appeals to a different target audience with his adult debut To
Sleep in a Sea of Stars. This is a science fiction novel of
truly epic proportions. At almost 900 pages, To Sleep in a Sea
of Stars is a serious (and weighty) undertaking that may
intimidate some fans. However for readers determined to tackle this
behemoth, an enjoyable space opera awaits.
Kira Navarez is a xenobiologist living approximately two hundred and
fifty years in the future. Happy, newly engaged and working in her
dream occupation, her life is interesting and fulfilling. Kira is
completing an assignment on the moon of Adrasteia when she uncovers
an ancient and mysterious relic. What she has found will have
consequences that will change her life and the galaxy as she knows
it forever. Kira has discovered that humans are not alone in the
universe and that she is now at the centre of a war for the very
survival of her species. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a hugely complex and
multi-layered story. Paolini worked on the novel for almost a decade
before its release, a fact that is evident in the level of
world-building and characterisation achieved. It will tick the boxes
for any fan of hard science fiction as well as those who enjoy
action, adventure and many, many human emotions. While certainly not
a quick or always easy read, this novel highly recommended.
Themes: Space, Space Travel, Planets, Astronauts, Aliens, War,
Solitude, Identity, Humanity.
Rose Tabeni
Noah Wild and the floating zoo by Alexander McCall Smith
Bloomsbury, 2020. 120p. ISBN: 9781526605542.
(Age: 7+) Adventure. The scene is set for a classic children's book.
There are no responsible parents, only eccentric aunts and uncles.
Noah & Hattie are living happily enough with Aunt Smiley when
their pirate Uncle Loafy, having closed his Zoo, invites them to
help re-locate his last four wild animals to their homelands.
Monkey Robertson, Henrietta Alpaca, Mrs Roo, a tiger called Ram and
four humans, set sail on a magnanimous quest, investing time and
money to ensure the well-being of all species. After the
practicalities of fixing the Ark and the obligatory storm, the
expansiveness of travel is a steady learning curve . . . and as
always they're dogged by the enraptured reader.
The author ponders many different versions of the nature vs nurture
conundrum: Mistaken identity is a thing. Upbringing counts.
Sometimes genetics and animal natures are insurmountable. And when
the roguish Monkey Robertson proves incapable of rehabilitation, we
must accept that he is a higher species trapped in the wrong body.
Children's authors sometimes write best-selling adult literature.
Alexander McCall Smith has proven the reverse is also possible. In
future, adults may not draw parallels to Noah Wild's musings when
compelled to turn the pages of The Life of Pi, or when
shedding tears at the treatment of lab animals in We are All
Completely Beside Ourselves but Smith's brushstrokes on an
early literacy canvas will have played a part.
Deborah Robins
Shadow Sands by Robert Bryndza
Kate Marshall book 2 . Little Brown, 2020. ISBN:
9780751572759.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended. Kate Marshall and her
offsider Tristan Harper are back in another exciting adventure. The
duo first appeared in Nine Elms and continue with their
successful sleuthing in Shadow Sands. When Kate and her son
are diving in the Shadow Sands reservoir, Kate finds the body of a
young man floating above the sunken village. The body has extensive
injuries and even though he is identified as a swimmer capable of
going to the Olympics, the authorities deem it to be an accident.
When the victim's mother contacts Kate, she and Tristan gradually
uncover the fact that people have been disappearing from this area
for years. Then a young lecturer from the university disappears and
the hunt is on.
Bryndza has the happy knack of writing in a very easy to read style,
with engaging characters that are relatable. Kate is a recovering
alcoholic, who only sees her teenage son Jake in holidays. Both must
deal with the fact that Jake's father is a convicted serial killer.
Meanwhile Tristan has some personal issues to deal with as well.
Both Kate and Tristan come across as highly intelligent and capable,
and the reader will enjoy all the clues that they pursue.
The setting of a reservoir as the dumping ground for bodies is
unusual. Add a very thick fog that rolls in over the land and a
desolate, empty old club which was the last place some of the
victims were seen and readers can expect to hold their breath. A
rich and powerful local aristocratic family raises issues about
class and the wielding of power and influence.
The case is concluded with some surprise twists and turns, and
heart-stopping moments and readers can expect to see Kate and
Tristan in further investigations.
Pat Pledger
Leave the world behind by Rumaan Alam
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526633095.
(Age: Adult / Senior secondary) Highly recommended. Clay and Amanda
and their two teenage children, Archie and Rose, head off for a much
needed family holiday staying in a luxurious Airbnb far off the
grid. It's just what they all need, comfortable, with an
entertaining area, French doors to the deck, a swimming pool, spa
bath, and forest scenery with turkeys and deer in the background.
Then the next evening, whilst relaxing after a day spent at the
beach, there is a knock at the door. A genteel black couple claim to
be the owners of the house, returning back to their home because of
a huge power outage across the east coast. Is what they say true?
From here, this highly original story spirals out beyond anything
you might expect. I was gripped, reading each short chapter after
the next. Not wanting to give away any plot surprises, I can only
say that Rumaan Alam draws readers into an overwhelming sense of
dread, in the beginning reminding me of the 2007 psychological
thriller Funny games. However Alam's novel isn't that kind
of sadistic horror; instead it cleverly shines a spotlight on
ourselves, our class divisions, prejudices, stereotypes, self
interest, dependence on technology, in fact the whole modern world;
and asks of us, if faced with the end of the world as you know it
how would you behave, what would you do?
Themes: Dystopia, Social commentary, Human condition, Ethics.
Helen Eddy
Elizabella breaks a leg by Zoe Norton Lodge
Illus. by Georgia Norton Lodge. Walker Books, 2020. ISBN:
9781760652555.
(age: 9+) Recommended. The fourth in this new series by the Norton
Lodge sisters will delight fans of this zany Year Four student.
Elizabella goes to the theatre with her year four class and teacher,
Mr Gobblefrump. She is with her friend Huck and they have left their
parents home with Toddberry, Elizabella's brother. Huck and
Elizabella are a bit off about his mother and Elizabella's dad
dating, but Tod tells them to get over it. The play proves a turning
point for Elizabella. She adores it and cannot stop talking about
the magic she has witnessed on the stage. She approaches Mr
Gobblefrump the next day about staging a play of their own. He
consents but tells her it is very costly and unless it is free,
cannot go ahead. A challenge has been issued. Meanwhile,
Elizabella's best friend, Minnie keeps wanting her attention and
finally blurts out that she is off to New York where her mother has
secured a job. Elizabella's world comes crashing down.
Light hearted, fun from beginning to end, Elizabella is a bright
vivacious girl with lots on her mind. From working out how to grease
down her dreadlock so the people behind her can see the stage, to
making an undie flag to run up the school flagpole, to getting her
friend join her and not be sad about leaving, the situations are all
close to home, things younger readers can relate to, involving
family and friends, school life and family concerns. And all told
with a large dollop of humour inspiring readers to seek out the
other three stories and hope for number five.
Illustrations by younger sister, Georgia add another level of humour
to the tale.
Themes: School, Drama, Family, Friends, Relationships.
Fran Knight
The great realisation by Tomos Roberts
Illus. by Nomoco.HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9781460759806.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. An optimistic look at the follow on from the
COVID-19 year that we have all had, is revealed as the author
strives to help children learn from the effects of the virus which
has swept the world. Some would love the world to go back to simpler
times, and revisit times past where things always seem to be so much
greener, and this author's attempts at encouraging children to see
an alternative path are commendable.
A spoken word poet, film maker and performer, New Zealand born
Roberts wrote his poem in response to the pandemic sweeping the
world, worried that children would be affected with the negative
avalanche surrounding us all.
His poem, viewed 60 million times on youTube, was an instant success
and snapped up by HarperCollins who enlisted Japanese artist, Nomoco
to apply her glorious watercolour images to the words. So the book
has been published, ready for children to read and think about life
after the pandemic. The book will encourage discussions around the
post pandemic world, and what children think can be done better.
Prior to COVID-19, the world's people had become too neglectful of
each other in their wasteful, instant lives, clicking on their
phones for goods, and despite the cities growing bigger and some
societies having access to all they could want, many people were
just alone. When the virus hit, people were told to stay at home.
And here, people reverted to the old ways: smiling, clapping for
thank you, talking to each other, going for runs, leaving the car
keys untouched.
A positive image is given of people keeping in touch, watering the
garden, growing vegetables, dancing, singing and baking. The
question at the end of the book 'so why did it take a virus to bring
the people back together?' will be one talked of in many
classrooms, as children dream of a better tomorrow.
Theme: Pandemic, COVID 19, 2020, Fear, Hindsight.
Fran Knight
