HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008244125.
(Age: Older adolescents - Adult) Brilliant in its explanation of
love, captivating in a beautifully empathetic consideration of
friendship and human relationships, Alice Oseman's new book reveals
some of the ways in which human beings are different. In this
emotive tale, Oseman focuses on the areas of love, loyalty,
sexuality, friendship, support and kindness.
Having successfully been offered a place at University after
completing her schooling, Georgia is assigned to share a room with a
young woman whom she has not met before. Learning to adapt to such a
situation prompts her to seek a considered understanding of who she
is herself, and to ponder what drives her. When she joins a dramatic
society, Georgia meets new people, and in this world of play-acting,
she becomes aware of, and is deeply puzzled by, her notion of
herself, in terms of what drives her, and in what loving friendship
means to her.
When she finally discovers the reason for her inability to 'fall in
love' or to desire a sexual relationship, she is stunned, initially.
She is determined to come to terms with her diagnosis and is moved
deeply when her dear friends pledge ongoing, loving support. Knowing
that she is 'aromantic' and 'asexual', Georgia realizes that she had
often felt intimidated, indeed throughout her adolescence, by her
indifference to the idea of romance or strong sexual attraction to
anyone else. The diagnosis finally enables her to face life with a
new sense of who she is, and to think about what is important to her
in this newly considered version of herself.
This compassionate story would be appropriate for older adolescent
and adult readers.
Elizabeth Bondar
Lightfall: The girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert
The Helen Keller quote at the beginning of this beautifully illustrated graphic novel asserts “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light”. The Pig Wizard’s adopted daughter Bea and her irrepressible companion Cad take us on an adventure that is all about darkness, light and friendship. While Bea is out collecting ingredients for one of their potions she loses her footing high in a tree. Cad happens to be nearby and catches her as she falls. It seems he is on his way to see the Pig Wizard who might be able to translate a document in the language of the Galdurian, a race that was thought to have died out 500 years ago. Cad appears to be the last of his kind but is searching for others. When they get back to Bea’s home the Pig Wizard has disappeared and something sinister seems to be awakening. They find a note from the Wizard indicating he is looking for ‘The Seal of the Restless Sleeper” and that she should keep the jar of light safe at all times.
As they set out to find the Pig Wizard they face many challenges but with Bea’s courage and Cal’s optimism and great strength they endure what seems to be the first part of an epic journey. The world of Lightfall is in the vein of Lord of the Rings with warm coloured pastoral landscapes intertwined with cold dark sinister threats. Bea struggles with panic attacks and self-doubt but she bravely carries on while Cad refuses to believe his race is extinct and insists of looking at the bright side of things. Lightfall is a lovely story, which will appeal to lovers of fantasy. Well-paced, beautifully drawn and carefully constructed, look out for the next instalment. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Friendship, Fantasy, Quests, Adventure.
Sue Speck
100% Wolf by Jayne Lyons
Puffin Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781761040207. 231pp.
(Ages: 9 - 12) It is no surprise that 100% Wolf was made
into a slapstick Australian animated film. The novel was originally
published in 2008 but was republished in 2020 with the film's
release. Freddy is a boy who lives in Farfang Castle with his
traitorous uncle Sir Hotspur and his cousins Harriet and Chariot.
They are all descendants of a nicer kind of werewolf called Fangen.
When Freddy gets to the right age and on a full moon he is supposed
to transform into a werewolf at a ceremony called a Transwolfation.
Unfortunately this goes wrong and he becomes a poodle. His cousins
make this permanent by attaching a moonstone to him and humiliating
him with pink poodle styling. Freddy flees and makes friends with a
noble stray but they end up in the Coldfax Dog Prison. This suits
Sir Hotspur because Freddy's superior bloodline threatens his role
as the Grand Growler and leader of the Fang Council. In prison
Freddy is desperate to escape and alert the Fangen about his uncle.
Another threat Freddy must deal with comes from Dr Cripps who is out
to destroy the Fangen. There's a steady stream of more crazy events,
a big reveal and Freddy and friends become heroes.
This is an over the top story with villainous characters and a semi
interesting plot line when characters can't speak to each other in
the same language of human, werewolf or dog. There's plenty of
unsubtle bodily function humour and nudity designed to appeal to
young readers. Freddy is a naive show-off who gradually shows more
upright characteristics. The main message is really about being
moral and brave in order to defeat the bad. It may be of interest to
children who have watched the film and want a light funny read,
bearing in mind it will differ from the film.
Jo Marshall
I love dad with the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Puffin, 2017. ISBN: 9780141374376.
(Age: 0+) Recommended. Lovers of The Very Hungry Caterpillar
will be thrilled with this gorgeous version of Eric Carle's
illustrations, showing how much a child loves Dad. Little children
will be enthralled by the brightly coloured pictures and will have
lots of fun finding the little caterpillar on each page. There are
many details to hold the interest of a very young child, who will
love the page where there are beetles and tiny little ants while the
page showing the father seahorse and its baby is delightful.
It is a book that parents will be happy to read again and again,
helping the young child to give a name to each of the dads and their
babies and increasing their vocabularies. The narrative is brief and
easy to read aloud and gives the opportunity for lots of discussion
about why children love their dads. The situations are ones that
will be familiar to children, who will delight in recognising the
silly dad who acts like a gorilla, and the loving dad who is still
cool even when the child is as prickly as a hedgehog.
This is a perfect book to read aloud on Father's Day and would make
an ideal gift, especially for a new father.
Pat Pledger
You can't call an elephant in an emergency by Patricia Cleveland-Peck
Illus. by David Tazzyman. Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781408880630.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Filled with an array of situations
where an emergency worker is called for, this book, the third in the
series, after You
Can't Take an Elephant on the Bus and You
Can't Let an Elephant Drive a Digger, will have readers,
children and adults alike laughing out loud. The most unlikely of
rescue attempts are presented as an elephant takes on the role of a
firefighter, a sloth becomes a traffic cop, a chimp is a paramedic
and a panda takes the controls of a fire fighting plane. Children
will readily see the incongruity of these animals in situations
totally inappropriate for them. The contrast between the very
important emergency service workers' abilities and those of the
animals provides a wonderful way of teaching children the work these
people do. And how appropriate that this book has been published
now, when younger children are exposed regularly to images on
television of people in masks and scrubs. A most opportune book to
discuss with classes and at home, the illustrations will be pored
over by readers.
Of course you do not have lemmings in a helicopter rescue team:
those who drop the person being rescued are outdone by the others
that leap from the helicopter overhead. And the hen that
thinks she'd make a good police officer is so timid that the robber
has a smile on his face as he runs away.
Each double page has a four line rhyming stanza outlining the
inabilities of that particular animal for the job at hand, supported
by wonderfully vivid illustrations which will entice readers to look
more closely at the events being pictured.
Patricia Cleveland-Peck has published fourteen children's books as
well as adult books and plays. She returned to the world of
children's books with the bestselling You Can't Take an Elephant
on the Bus and You Can't Let an Elephant Drive a Digger
which, together, have sold over 200,000 copies. David Tazzyman is
the bestselling illustrator of the Mr Gum books, which have
won a multitude of awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.
David studied illustration at Manchester Metropolitan University.
The elephant books are just two of his books published by
Bloomsbury.
Fran Knight
The pony question by Jackie Merchant
Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781760651640. 255pp.
(Ages: 9 -13) Recommended. Twelve-year-old Essie lives a modest life
with her mother Francesca in an Australian country town. They
resettled there from the city after her father 'Shiny Steve'
remarried. Essie is still recovering from glandular fever and
feeling rather unloved by her father. Francesca restores old
furniture for a living and this takes them to a clearance sale on a
farm. They accidentally purchase a pony on its last legs. In her
past life Essie was a successful winner of dressage events. However
her father drugged her horse because it had injuries when he wanted
Essie to go in the dressage finals. He was caught and this caused
Essie to be banned from competitions. Essie's reputation was ruined
and social media helped spread the message. As the new pony, Moxie,
recovers with Essie's care it also develops some difficult
behaviours but they also learn it had a successful past. Essie
believes Moxie needs to be retrained but this is expensive. Her
father has moved to Germany and offers little help, although he was
once her mainstay. Fortunately Essie's friend and neighbours make up
for it. Francesca has much sage advice, which helps Essie but as her
self-confidence grows, she makes her own decisions.
This is a well-paced hopeful story. It is not just about a girl
obsessed with horses, although the author's knowledge clearly adds
to the believability. It is more nuanced than that, which makes it
quite satisfying. The setting is well imagined and the characters
all have their own interesting personalities. You feel it would be
terrific to be part of this caring community. Essie is a very
likeable girl with understandable self-doubts, a sharp assessor of
other people's characters, yet considerate and with good values.
Like Moxie, Essie is also getting a second chance at success as she
becomes a teenager. The author weaves in values of appreciating what
you have and calling out artificiality. In particular sustainable
practices of reusing and remaking things is juxtaposed with our
plastic throw-away society.
Jo Marshall
Roald Dahl: Shapes by Roald Dahl
Illus. by Quentin Blake. Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241439999.
(Age: 0-4) Highly recommended. What a fabulous way to help young
children learn about different shapes. Quentin Blake's amusing
illustrations will bring smiles to the faces of the children who
have the joy of hearing this book read aloud to them. They will be
engrossed in finding shapes right from the first page, where they
encounter a circle and the words, Good morning, Enormous Crocodile! The sun is in the sky!
With a combination of cut-outs, lift-the-flaps and touch-and-feel
this is a superior board book for little hands and curious minds to
explore. The shapes of a circle, diamond and triangle are shown
first, each with its double page spread, giving children the
opportunity to trace over the shape and then find the shape in the
drawings. Then follows a double page spread that has many shapes,
all which can be found by a touch and feel, and this is followed by
a wonderful lift the flap square. Finally, a goodnight is given to
the enormous crocodile, who is pictured against a black sky full of
twinkling stars.
As always, the quirky, bright illustrations of Quentin Blake set
against gorgeous colours, are superb, and children will want to
return to this fun book again and again. What a memorable and fun
way to learn shapes. This board book is a keeper!
Pat Pledger
Peppa's summer holiday
Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN: 9780241412251.
(Ages: 3-6) Little Peppa Pig fans will love reading about Peppa's
holiday in the sun, especially when she is surprised by all of her
friends. The story shows Peppa and her family as they prepare for
the holiday: packing, driving to the airport and then checking in
for their flight. Their holiday involves swimming in the hotel pool,
watching turtle hatchlings on the beach and a jungle walk to find
sloths. Everywhere they go Peppa and George discover lots of their
friends are holidaying here too! It isn't long before they are all
having fun and dancing in the pool together. Even when their flight
home is delayed and they are all stuck on the plane they manage to
have a fun time to end their holiday.
This cheerful, bright celebration of family holidays and friends is
a joyous read, sure to be loved by Peppa Pig lovers. Themes: Peppa
Pig, Holidays.
Nicole Nelson
The odd 1s out the first sequel by James Rallison
Scholastic, 2020. ISBN: 9781760973377.
Highly recommended. The Odd 1s out: The first sequel is the
second funny book in the Odd 1s out series by James
Rallison. It is a story that has many funny anecdotes about his life
in Arizona and is (in his own words) "full of pointless advice".
Before giving it Master 10 to read, I sat down for a look and really
enjoyed it. James Rallison is a great writer within the humour/comic
genre and as I got through the book, I found myself smiling,
chuckling, and wanting to keep reading! I loved that although it is
a humorous retelling of parts of his life, James adds in interesting
(albeit pointless) information about toads and types of cacti, plus
attempts to make light of things such as fears and dislikes all in
the name of individuality. One of the main takeaways I got was that
he was showing all the wired and wonderful parts of his life, and
how the most important thing is to just be you, to change your mind
if you want to and to be unique. Who would have thought that a
YouTuber would be able to write such a funny book full of life
lessons!
Lauren Fountain
This book was very funny. I loved every part of it and thought it
was funny that he put in a section about Australia and it was upside
down in the book! I agree with him that Vegemite is the key
ingredient in Asphalt-YUK!
I really liked the cartoons, especially how he draws his dog Georgie
and cat Poppy. I like drawing too so used his drawing to practise my
cartoon animals.
I loved this book so much that I now really want to go and read the
first book, watch his YouTube channel and look on his website. It is that good. 5
out of 5 from me.
Aston (10 years old)
Brasswitch and Bot by Gareth Ward
Walker Books, 2020, ISBN: 9781760652210.
(Age: 11+) Recommended. 'Until today, being called a Brasswitch
would have got you killed. Now, it may save your life.' (Back
cover). In this book, the first in a new Steampunk series, set in
the Victorian era, Wrench is forced to choose between outing herself
as a Brasswitch and saving countless lives, or allowing the runaway
tram to crash, killing her and all the passengers. Wrench chooses to
stop the tram using her Brasswitch powers which enable her to
control machines, but is arrested as an aberration. Saved from her
interrogation by the mechanoid, Bot, Wrench becomes the Brasswitch
of the elite 'Cabal Thirteen'. Working with a team of regulators
with Bot her new boss, Wrench must come to understand and control
her powers, while hunting down rouge aberrations. Sadly orphaned by
the cabletram accident that killed her parents, Wrench has spent
years hiding her Brasswitch powers, fearing the regulators. With a
good balance of self doubt and sassiness, Wrench befriends her new
team consisting of other aberrations, combining humour and
compassion.
The first book of a new Steampunk series, The Rise of the
Remarkables, Brasswitch and Bot follows Wrench, the
female protagonist, finding herself, working with a dynamic team and
facing prejudice from all fronts. This action packed story is well
paced, humorous, detailed in a Victorian era setting and ideal for
middle grade readers. I found it just plain clever and I think
you'll 'bally-well' enjoy it!
Themes: Steampunk, prejudice, relationships, good and evil.
Melanie Phillips
Grumbelina by Esther Krogdahl
Illus. by Aleksandra Szmidt. Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9781869714291.
Recommended. I feel like the book Grumbelina, by Esther
Krogdahl was written about my daughter! The similarities are far too
easy to spot . . .
Hazel Spratt grew to be a happy, well mannered child who was a true
joy to her parents. Then one day when she turned three-and-a-half
things took a turn for the worst and she turned into Grumblelina!
The girl who was suddenly grumpy, irritable, whingey, and whiney!
She did not want to play, and everything was just not right. Her
parents exhaust all the strategies they knew to make her happy but,
in the end, they just seem to give up. Suddenly Grumblelina
disappears and back comes their lovely Hazel! She hugs them and
smiles and gets tucked into bed . . . but Grumblelina is not gone
for good yet!
So many parents can identify with their three-year olds' mood swings
and the fact that they just cannot get anything right. Esther
Krogdahl does a great job of sharing this well-known story through
rhyme and with the edition of Aleksandra Szmidt's illustrations it
turns in to a wonderful picture book. The illustrations are my
favourite as they really show the facial expressions of Hazel which
I know so well from my own feisty daughter. I feel a page worth
sharing which sums up the twists and turns of a 3-year-old is this
'She grumbled about that and grumbled about this. She screamed "Go
away!" then demanded a kiss'. The author really captured so much in
these two sentences, and I love every bit of it!!
This is a funny picture book that will entice both young listeners
and parents alike. 4 out of 5.
Lauren Fountain
When I was Ten by Fiona Cummins
Pan Macmillan, 2020. ISBN: 9781509876945.
(Age: Adult - late adolescent) Stunning in its impact, this is one
of the most disturbing books that I have read. It takes us into a
world of familial abuse that is shattering for the family members
and devastating in terms of their capacity to face life. Attempting
to live 'normal' lives, when a young person has experienced daily
bullying, beating, punishment and violence, mostly by the father, is
a tremendously difficult task. Even more difficult is to experience
such a life when the abuser and bully is a parent. We are positioned
to grasp the horror for the children as their father's actions and
words cut like a knife, crumbling any sense of loving family that
they may have managed to hold on to. The creation of a hell-on-earth
for children cannot possibly enable them to mature normally, nor
does it allow them to be 'normal' adults, and this is indeed the
scenario for a particular family in this novel.
When the father goes too far in his criticism, supported by the
mother, in a particularly dreadful episode of his violence, the
daughters are banished to the cold, dark shed for the night. Along
with his disgusting and shocking accusations, one sister finds that
she can no longer bear any more of his violence, and she kills both
the mother and father, stabbing them with a pair of scissors. In a
magnificent gesture that will haunt her life, the other sister
confesses to the murder and at that point the lives of both sisters
collapse. Years later, a television producer seeks to revive this
story and, having traced the sisters, the team move in on the story,
compelling a reaction. When we read about what their father did and
how the girls were treated, the only word for our response could be
absolute horror.
Well-written and gripping, this story emotionally draws us in to the
psyche of the sisters and the woman who befriends the innocent
sister, in an interesting reflection of the anger and violence that
is indeed part of the modern world, not only in the terrible actions
of the father, but also in the notion of a 'story' that is
discovered and used to make a 'winner' for the news media out of the
dreadful experience of others. This novel is disturbing, as Fiona
Cummins has constructed the narrative so that it reveals the reality
that some people experience. It is a gripping tale, mixing the years
across the connecting narratives, gradually including some of the
more horrendous experiences and actions, threaded throughout the
narrative. This brilliantly written novel would not be appropriate
for a younger child or early adolescent; indeed, I would recommend
it only for an adult or late adolescent reader.
Elizabeth Bondar
Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
Simon & Schuster UK, 2020. ISBN: 9781471192852.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended for older readers, this coming of age
contemporary romance is a delight to read. With strained family
relationships, potential first love and new friendships, Loveboat,
Taipei is a great read. Everett, Ever, Wong is living with a
hidden dream. She dreams of dancing, not going into medicine as her
parents plan for her future. It's her final year of school and she's
got one last dance performance at the end of term, but her parents
shock her with the news that they've enrolled her in an educational
camp in their home country of Taiwan. Lacking the courage to fight
her strict parents on their decision, Ever is off to Taiwan for
Chinese Summer School, fearing the worst. She is pleasantly
surprised to find it more of a party than a prison - called
'Loveboat' by the students. She learns to embrace her new found
freedom, but will she find herself and her voice?
The story of an American born child of immigrant parents is not
necessarily new, however this book deals with the complexities of
relationships that children in this situation find themselves living
with - parents who sacrifice everything for their children to have a
better life, friends from different cultural backgrounds who can't
understand the mentality that family expectations are everything,
and the people who always have your back, no matter what. As Ever
grows more daring through the book, finding her courage, I found
myself expecting her to have the most amazing summer with her new
friends, and found myself caring for her - despite her occasional
bad choices . . . Fans of romance and coming of age stories will
enjoy this book, as will readers who enjoy stories with cultural
settings.
Themes: Coming of age, Parent/child relationships, Culture, Romantic
relationships
Melanie Phillips
Blood moon by Lucy Cuthew
Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781406393446.
(Age: Yr 9 +) Recommended. This is not for the faint hearted, but is
well worth the read. Frankie and her friends are going about their
days, planning their futures, talking about their crushes, flirting
with boys and enjoying life. Until besties Frankie and Harriet have
a falling out over Harriet's poor decision making skills, leading to
issues at school, in the wider school community and their circle of
friends. Then Frankie has a very intimate moment with Benjamin, her
first of any intimate moments, and she gets her period. Awkward. But
both Frankie and Benjamin agree it's all good. Only blood. Whatever.
Until the entire school finds out. And a horrid meme featuring
Frankie goes viral. Frankie finds herself lost, alone and enduring
online shaming to a volatile level. Who can she trust? What can she
do? Is she disgusting, like everyone is saying?
My reaction to this book? Wow. Lives up to the hype. I really felt
for Frankie, the ups and downs of her experiences, her changing
friendships, her confusion over her romantic interest and the abyss
of online bullying. I flew through the book in under a day, partly
due to the unusual structure (the book is presented in an almost
'text message' format), though I flew through it mostly due to the
gripping story. It is full of current pop culture references as well
as issues in society - particularly around girls. A focus on
astronomy throughout the book as a passion for Frankie and Harriet
is well laid out and fits in to the story perfectly. Hashtags are
incorporated throughout the story to emphasize thoughts and
feelings, while the chapters are extremely short. I've not read a
book like it. It is a powerful story, which should be read by all
genders, more suited to older readers. I give it four out of five
stars. Book
Club notes are available. Themes: Relationships, Periods,
Bullying/Trolls, Shame, Feminism, Bravery.
Melanie Phillips
Big city atlas by Maggie Li
Pavilion, 2020. ISBN: 9781843654599. 64pp., pbk.
During this pandemic the world seems to have shrunk as nightly news
bulletins bring the tales of heartache from the world's major cities
into our lounge rooms. Even though we can no longer visit the cities
that are becoming household names even to our younger readers, we
can join Penguin on this adventure as he journeys around the world
getting involved in the activities they have to offer.
Cities visited include San Francisco, Mexico City, Chicago, Toronto,
New York, Washington DC, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Dublin,
London, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Rome, Madrid, Cairo,
Istanbul, Cape Town, Dubai, Mumbai, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong
Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Auckland and the reader is invited to
spot Penguin on the pages. With the information provided in speech
bubble chunks, this is an engaging book that will interest and
intrigue all budding young jetsetters - who may actually be able to
travel by the time they grow up!
Barbara Braxton
