Spot the Dog. Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241446850. Board book.
(Age: 0+) Highly recommended. With a gorgeous ruby cover to
celebrate 40 years since the publication of this classic picture
book, young and old alike will delight in the simple story of Sally
trying to find Spot the little puppy. She looks in all sorts of
places, under the stairs, in a box, under the rug, but Spot is not
there. Instead she finds an array of smiling creatures, a crocodile,
a snake, a bear, and a hippopotamus until she finally finds him and
gives him his dinner.
The gentle refrain of "Is he in the . . . "; "Is he under the . . .
" will be one that children can repeat along with the reader and
then shout out a resounding "No." There will be opportunities for
children to play hide and seek themselves and peek-a-boo after
reading the story. The simple repetition and large print will also
help emerging readers as they repeat familiar pages.
The pages are sturdy and the lift-the-flaps are big enough for
little fingers to handle. What makes it so special are the big
images of Sally the dog, outlined in black and the vivid colours
that children are sure to enjoy.
This is a lovely book that will bring back memories to the
generations who have read it aloud to children. Now their children
have the opportunity to read it to their children as a board book
and grandparents will be overjoyed to bring back memories with this
gift to their young grandchildren as well.
Pat Pledger
Rules for being a girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno
HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9781529036084. 293pp.
(Age: 15+) Highly Commended. Marin & Chloe are friends who both
have crushes on Mr Beckett (Bex), their hip, young English Teacher.
Marin's boyfriend, Jacob, is the school Jock but she often stays
late after school, working on the school newspaper with Bex. Marin
aspires to a career in journalism at Brown University but after
accepting a ride home via Bex's house, the plot quickly becomes a
cautionary tale. Naively, Marin is certainly not prepared for what
happens when Bex crosses the line.
The upside to Bex's unapologetic betrayal of trust, if there is one,
is Marin's awakening to the feminist perspective. Marin, already
critical of the gender inequities in the school dress code,
identifies more gaps in resources and expectations between the two
genders. Jacob struggles to support the 'new' Marin, who pens a
cathartic editorial about the confusion and double standards
experienced by young women, entitled "The Rules for Being a Girl".
"Don't be one of those girls who can't eat pizza. You're getting the
milk shake too? Whoa. Have you gained weight? Don't get so skinny
your curves disappear. Don't get so curvy you aren't skinny. Don't
take up too much space. It's just about your health . . . ." (page
81)
When Marin confides in Chloe, she is jealous rather than supportive.
Principal DioGuardi also accepts Bex's account. For much of the
story, Marin turns to Gray, a boy who admired her editorial and
joined the feminist book club, to navigate the sexist policies the
students are subjected to. Despite his temporary triumph, Bex is
angry that Marin would seek to harm his career by snitching. He
sinks to new lows to hurt Marin for "breaking the rules". A true
heroine, Marin overcomes the devastating setback and teaches her own
lesson - one that will chasten both Mr Beckett and Principal
DioGuardi.
An impressive snapshot of a typical High School culture, Bushnell
and Cotugno have created a worthy role model and guide in Marin. Her
journey and her pivotal "Rules for Being a Girl" editorial, should
be mandatory reading for all teenage girls.
Deborah Robins
In the time of foxes by Jo Lennan
Scribner, 2020. ISBN: 9781760855697.
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Foxes are survivors; they've adapted to the
urban environment. They are reknown for being cunning and predatory.
In the first story in this collection by Jo Lennan, Nina has a Fox
Situation - they have created a 'breeding earth' in a hollowed tree
stump at the bottom of her garden and have become a nuisance to her
family and neighbours, with the exception of her young son Ronnie
who loves to watch their antics through the window. It's a problem
that Nina struggles to find a humane solution to, just as at the
same time she is coming to terms with her mother's dementia and how
best to care for her.
The foxes in the first story are there, wild and free, and
persistent. Other stories also tell of some kind of encounter with a
fox, but it is not always the animal itself, it may be a charming
man with a silver mane of hair, or someone clever and dangerous. Or
a person coming to understand the hidden cunning within themselves.
All of the stories are insightful about relationships, the struggle
between the apparent and the hidden, or the outward and the
interior. And, as the publisher's blurb says, each narrative is a
compressed novel.
They are very interesting stories; locations vary from London,
Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, even a station on Mars. They tell of
relationships between parents and children, couples, friends, and
childhood companions. And in the background somewhere there is
always a fox.
Themes: Nature vs civilisation, Life and death, Friendships,
Rivalry, Self-understanding.
Helen Eddy
The Van Apfel girls are gone by Felicity McLean
HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9781460755068.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended. Tikka Molloy was
11 when the Van Apfel girls, Hannah, Cordelia and Ruth disappear,
the mystery of their disappearance remaining unsolved. Recounted in
the voice of the young Tikka, the reader is taken to a hot
Australian town set on a smelly river. The three girls disappear
during a Showstopper concert held by the school, during a skit that
Tikka has made up as a diversion for their running away. But they
don't find Tikka's sister Laura who has money for them and nobody
knows where they have gone. Weeks of searching does not solve the
mystery, even though the girls' father is questioned extensively, as
is Cordelia's teacher.
When Tikka comes back as an adult to be with Laura who has cancer,
she is still haunted by memories of what happened and still often
thinks that she sees Cordie as an adult, striding away, blond hair
bobbing. She questions whether she and Laura should have told the
police that the girls were planning to run away, and even her father
feels that he should have done more to stop the domestic violence
that Mr Van Apfel used to dominate his family.
The story brings back all the heat of an Australian summer, the
swimming in the backyard pools, the casual jealousy of younger
siblings for their older sisters, the smell of the river and the end
of term school concert. Tikka's childhood comes alive as she
describes in her precocious and innocent voice, what happened that
summer. The fear that the girls felt as they watched Mr Van Apfel
threaten his daughters and poorly understood sexual undertones
pervade the story as rumours circulate about Cordie's teacher,
leaving the reader wondering who was responsible for the girls'
disappearance. Indeed McLean leaves that mystery open to the
reader's own interpretation, rather like the mystery in Picnic
at Hanging Rock.
Part mystery and part coming of age story, this is a story to be
savoured and discussed. An essay by Felicity Mclean is available here.
Pat Pledger
The giant and the sea by Trent Jamieson
Illus. by Rovina Cai. Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9780734418876.
(Age: All) Highly recommended. This eye-catching large format
picture book will not be left long on the shelves. A giant peers
down at the young girl in the bottom right hand corner of the cover,
watching what she will do. She is not telling her anything but from
her expression, her shaded eyes, the down turned mouth, the plea is
there and once opening the book readers will see what her plea is
about. The words, 'the sea is rising' are repeated through the book,
firstly to make the child aware of the danger which will engulf them
all when the sea does rise, and then repeated by the child as she
tries to warn others of the dangers the giant has predicted, and
again at the end when the words come full circle, the situation no
different than before.
A fable for the modern reader, the book promotes discussion about
climate change, of standing up for what you believe in, of the
possibility of hope.
The giant tells the child that the reason for the seas rising is the
machine and tells her to get the people in the city to shut it down.
But they are adamant that the machine is of great benefit, and
feelings are polarised, so much so that people with banners march on
the giant, telling her to go away. When the seas do rise, it is the
giant that comes and saves the girl and her family along with some
others from the town. They rebuild their town on higher ground and
the giant keeps watching the sea until one day she tells a young boy
on the shore, 'the sea is rising'.
And so the cycle starts again. Children will come to see that change
needs to happen for the seas not to rise, and be aware that strength
is needed to overcome the doubters.
The strong illustrative technique of Rovina Cai will excite the
readers. The mix of graphite, crayon resist and wash means I wanted
to touch each page, feel the child's hair, touch the rising sea,
feel the power of the machines undermining the town. The gothic
power of her drawings sweep across the pages, taking the eye with
them as the water rises, the machines steam and whirr, the people
stampede towards the giant, while her sparing use of colour adds
texture and passion to her atmospheric pages. Themes: Climate
change, Environment, Prediction, Future, Inundation.
Fran Knight
Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope
Mantle, 2020. ISBN: 9781529003390. 336pp.
(Age: Adolescent - Adult) This is a story that carries a deep-rooted
sense of loss when a family is separated by distance, and indeed by
tension. When the parents of grown-up children announced one day
that they intended to leave England to live in Spain, where they
planned to become wine-makers, their grown-up children were taken
aback, and indeed somewhat hurt. This tale is embedded in that sense
of abandonment in the loss of grandparents living nearby, wanting to
be part of their children's lives. What surprised them all was that
the older couple experienced a rather resounding success with their
venture, their wine being celebrated as award-winning across Europe.
The story begins with an unexpected event, when the grandfather,
Gus, is compromised quite significantly after suffering a stroke.
Back in England the adult parents, and their children, must decide
how to help their ageing parents. This scenario opens some
inevitable confrontations amongst the families, who are not all in
accord as to how to handle this new state of affairs. Trollope
portrays the inevitable confrontations, the tension, and the concern
for their own family issues, health and otherwise, as well as the
challenge of bringing up adolescent children, with the different
family issues and resentments rising to the surface, creating an
increasing level of tension.
Delving deeply into the interactions of families, of models of love
and kindness, as well as other issues, such as what is a decent
response, when resentment and jealousy rise to the surface. Joanna
Trollope has created a vibrant narrative that deals with some of the
real issues that we face in the world today. Brilliantly, in her
description of our understanding of the sense of inadequacy, of the
fear of not being successful, or of the difficulty of choosing one's
future, Trollope deals with some fundamental issues that are very
much part of the modern world. She writes about how we seek to find
the choice that is right, considering how we treat each other in
ways that are respectful and kind, or otherwise demeaning, balancing
this with the reality of our human capacity to forgive, to
reconsider one's relationships when necessary, and to learn to love
without judgement. It is indeed a most thought-provoking novel that
is very much in touch with the modern world and is suitable for
adolescent and adult reading. It is suitable for adolescent and
adult readers.
Elizabeth Bondar
Dark Age by Pierce Brown
Red Rising Saga. Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9781473646759.
(Young Adult/Adult). Recommended. Dark Age is the fifth
instalment in Pierce Brown's dystopian science fiction Red
Rising Saga and the tone of the book is indicated by the
title. This a dark, unpredictable and action-packed ride to continue
Brown's epic series.
Part space opera, part high political drama, Dark Age
resumes the story of Darrow, the Republic he founded and the corrupt
Society he has spent more than a decade fighting. Once a successful
revolutionary, Darrow is now an outlaw, his children have been
abducted or imprisoned and an age of political and social chaos
threatens. The story is told from the points of view of five
characters; Darrow, his wife and sovereign Virginia, Ephraim the
thief, Lysander the heir and Lyria, risen from the dead. As with all
of the books in the Red Rising Saga, there are battles,
deaths and complex plot lines, all aided by Brown's considerable
stylistic strengths and pithy dialogue. However at more than 800
pages, the novel does being to drag. As with many 'middle' books in
series, the reader may be forgiven for questioning whether all 800
pages were entirely necessary. Nevertheless, Dark Age does
well to pick set the scene for what should be a thrilling conclusion
to the series. Dark Age is not suitable for younger teen audiences and a
content warning must be given for murder, graphic assault and
violence. However, fans of the Red Rising Saga will be
satisfied with the latest instalment in the series and eager to see
how Darrow's story concludes. Themes: War, Politics, Revolution,
Corruption, Death, Space, Mars.
Rose Tabeni
The Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold
An Ekaterin Vorkosigan novella. Subterranean Press, 2019.
ISBN: 9781596068926. 73 pages.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended. What a thought
provoking and stylish novella from Bujold, an award winning author
who never fails to deliver a book that lingers in the memory.
Ekaterin is beginning to take on the role of Lady Vorkosigan and
with her interest in Botany sees the Vashnoi exclusion zone lands
that have been devastated by war and still radioactive as something
that she may be able to reclaim. Working with scientist Enrique
Borgos, the pair experiment with radbugs that could eat the
radioactive material in the dead zone and spew out fertilizer.
Not only does Bujold bring to life the horror of atomic devastation
but the lingering effects of radioactivity on the surviving
population. Writing with compassion and warmth she outlines the
dilemmas that Etakerin faces when the radbugs begin to disappear and
secrets that have been hidden since the time of her husband, Miles'
grandfather, come to light.
In 73 engrossing pages Bujold explores the themes of prejudice
against those who have suffered from radioactivity poisoning, the
use of bioengineering and reshaping the landscape. Although this
highly readable novelette fits into the series of books in the Vorkosigan
saga, it can be read as a stand-alone.
Pat Pledger
18 tiny deaths by Bruce Goldfarb
Octopus Publishing Group, 2020. ISBN: 9781913068042
(Age: Senior secondary/Adult) Recommended. Subtitled The untold
story of Frances Glessner Lee and the invention of modern
forensics this is the biography of an eccentric and determined
woman who strove to develop the new field of legal medicine, aiming
to replace the unqualified and often corrupt position of coroner
with skilled medical investigators with sound knowledge of pathology
and forensics. Born in 1878, Frances Lee Glessner never had the
opportunity to undertake higher education, but her keen mind and
passion, and her substantial wealth, saw her take a lead where
no-one, let alone a woman, had gone before. With her friend George
Burgess Magrath, she was able to set up the innovative department of
legal medicine at Harvard, at a time when violent crimes were
unrecognised or bungled through ineptitude. Lee was appointed
consultant to the department at Harvard years before female students
were even admitted to that institution, and she went on to be made a
Captain of the New Hampshire State Police, first woman to hold that
rank. Truly an amazing woman, she overcame every obstacle to achieve
her vision.
However, the creation she may be most remembered for is the
collection of murder-scene dioramas, the Nutshell Studies of
Unexplained Death - dollhouse-sized recreations of murder scenes,
each minute detail fastidiously recreated, each with hidden clues
and red herrings, purposely ambiguous, to train police officers in
the skills of observation and hypothesis. The Nutshell Studies are
still used today, years after her death.
Goldfarb's biography recounts Lee's life and the steps towards her
achievements, and includes colour photographs of the crime-scene
dioramas and the case notes that accompanied them. The book would be
of interest to those studying the forensic sciences or exceptional
women in the sciences, or the general reader who would simply like
to peruse the puzzles posed by the miniature scenes and learn about
their creator.
Themes: Forensic science, Legal medicine, Violent crime, Murder
investigation.
Helen Eddy
My Dad is fantastic by Roald Dahl
Illus. by Quentin Blake. Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241430217.
Board book.
(Age: 0+) Highly recommended. A perfect book for any Dad to read
aloud to his child, My dad is fantastic is sure to become a
firm favourite especially with the fathers who are reading it to
their offspring. Quentin Blake's fabulous illustrations jump off the
page, especially the one at the beginning which has Dad leaping in
the air, cheered on by many happy children. Set against solid
colours, blue, yellow purple, red and green, the reader is taken on
a voyage of discovery about what Dad can do - he is so tall he can
life a child over mountains; he makes a child roar with laughter; he
tells amazing stories and will always stay by the child's side.
A robust, well-made board book, this will stand many readings and
the rhyming narrative lends itself to being read aloud, time and
time again. Beautiful words and ideas and gorgeous colours leave the
reader feeling uplifted and happy.
A perfect book to have in a child's library and on hand to celebrate
Father's Day.
Pat Pledger
Baby shark: adventure down under
Random House, 2020. ISBN: 9781760897970.
(Age: 3-5) The Baby Shark phenomenon began apparently in 2015 with
the promotion of one of the easiest of songs for kids to sing along
with. All of this passed me by. Since then it has blown out to be a
world wide video, YouTube sensation, shared on social media and now
is a musical and part of the Kellogg's stable of breakfast cereals.
Beginning as a camp fire song it was taken up by a Korean start up
company in 2015 who produced a video which gained 5 billion viewers
in 12 months. Revised and updated since then, it has spawned a dance
craze as well.
So to receive Baby shark down under, with very little on
each page but a three rows of doo doo doo doo, I was perplexed. I
don't know if I am much the wiser, but I am certainly amazed that
such a simple thing gives rise to a world wide craze, TV show,
billions of online viewers, a musical and a breakfast cereal.
The book cover with lot of glitter will attract the readers, and for
those in the know of the Baby Shark craze will be thrilled. Each
double page has the refrain of three doo doo doo lines associated
with one sort of shark found in Australian waters, and on the right
side of the page is a fact list for that particular shark. So
readers will find out about the Pygmy Shark, Great Hammerhead Shark,
Great White Shark, Grey Nurse Shark, Blacktip Reef Shark, Whale
Shark, Zebra Shark, Tasselled Wobegong, Shortfin Maco and the Port
Jackson Shark. Each fact list gives their botanical name, size,
conservation status, and one fact which children will love to read.
The book does have merit in acquainting younger children about the
different sharks in our waters, and fits in well with the craze that
seems unstoppable. Themes: Sharks, Sing a long, Baby sharks.
Fran Knight
Sometimes cake by Edwina Wyatt
Illus. by Tamsin Ainslie. Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781760650421.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Each section of this charming book
begins, 'Audrey found Lion', and goes on to tell us what Lion has
with him, prompting Audrey to ask the same question about what Lion
has: a balloon, a cake, a hat, and so on. And each question leads to
information about the Lion. It is not his birthday but it is soon he
says and he likes Tuesdays and coconut, and orange and yellow, while
Audrey adds purple. Audrey adds other things she likes as well, and
they celebrate the things they like together.
But one day Lion is not celebrating anything: he tells Audrey this
is just an ordinary day. So she goes away to find things that are
ordinary but have made their days extraordinary. She makes bunting
and cuts up paper to fill a jar with colour; she makes them hats,
and brings out her musical instruments. Lion comes along to see what
she is doing and they play together, making the day anything but
ordinary, the two working together to make it joyous.
The pen and watercolour illustrations sparkle depicting the
friendship between the two characters as they play together,
discussing the things they both like. One might like yellow, and one
purple, but both colours are included in their play. One likes
Tuesdays and the other adds Thursdays, and they both like coconut
and cake.
Pages are filled with the detail of the play area, and younger
readers will love spotting things they like to play with, and
recognise things they could make easily to brighten someone's day.
A book which encourages playing together, but also to alert children
that sometimes their friends might not be as happy as they usually
are, and give them a remedy to help them have a happier day. I love
the sparse text, brimming with subtle overtones, encouraging
children to be more aware of how their friends are feeling. Themes:
Depression, Sharing, Friendship, Mental health, Well being, Baking.
Teacher's
notes are available.
Fran Knight
Monstrous devices by Damien Love
Rock the Boat, 2020. ISBN: 9781786077523. 338pp.
(Age: 10-14) Recommended. There is mystery and plenty of action in
this story with 12 year old Alex as the central character. He lives
with his mother in London, is regularly bullied by fellow student
Kenzie and life isn't particularly remarkable until the arrival of a
package from his Grandfather in Europe. It contains an old tin
wind-up robot, which Alex suspects has special powers over him. His
Grandfather returns as a group of villains turn up who are desperate
to get their hands on the tin robot, which Alex keeps in his care.
All manner of robots, including flying ones and human size robots
called life-sizers pursue and attack Alex and his Grandfather. Their
search for help takes them to France and then Poland. The toy robot
is revealed to be valuable and it has a connection to Golem, a clay
creature which has been lying dormant and will be unleashed for evil
purposes by the villains. Alex has to learn to trust his Grandfather
no matter that he doesn't tell Alex the whole story. Alex believes
two of the villains are his relatives, which is never resolved and
potentially provides a segue into a second book in the series. Monstrous devices is nail-biting escapism and with such
visual action you can imagine it as a film. There is a hint of the
old world of toy shops and Dickensian characters. The
Grandfather carries a Gladstone bag and uses his cane like a
weapon. He says things like "old boy" when talking to Alex. It will
appeal to readers of the Artemis Fowl or Alex Rider
series with a similar smart, young male hero, bad guys and its
gadgetry. Its main theme is good versus evil but Alex must
confront his own internal demons and his Grandfather is also no
angel. There is some consideration of robots and AI being used for
evil purposes, which is of course a contemporary dilemma. This is a
fairly long read which will suit a more confident reader.
Jo Marshall
Peter hops aboard by Katie Woolley
Illus. by Eleanor Taylor. Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241410813. Board
book.
(Age: 0-5) Recommended. Based on Beatrix Potter's iconic characters
and illustrations, the young child will happily follow Peter Rabbit
and his family as they have a lovely picnic by the pond. Peter
decides to build a raft and his family wants to help. Flopsy is good
at plaiting reeds, Mopsy could find a stick for the mast, and
Cotton-Tail could puff into the sail to push the boat along. However
Peter decided that he could make his own raft without any
assistance. Unfortunately it was flawed and began to sink. Indeed he
needed to be rescued out of the water by Mr Jeremy Fisher, and
discovered that his friends' expertise to make a raft that would not
sink was essential. He just needed to ask for help.
Eleanor Taylor's illustrations reflect Potter's beautiful originals
and make this book a lovely one to look at and examine. The rabbit
family are done in gorgeous pastels and the young child will enjoy
following the efforts of the rabbits to build a raft. On the way
they will learn that sometimes it is best to use everyone's
expertise to get a job done, and that it is always OK to ask for
help.
Pat Pledger
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408883358.
(Age: Young Adult/Adult) Highly recommended. Fans of Samantha
Shannon's The
Bone Season series will be both delighted and surprised
at her latest offering; fantasy epic The Priory of the Orange
Tree. A stark departure from the supernatural dystopia of her
previous series, Priory is a confident and ambitious entry
into the rarefied world of high fantasy. The book alternates between
multiple characters: Ead, lady-in-waiting to the powerful Queen
Sabran, charged to secretly protect the royal from increasing
danger; Tane, an orphan who has trained from birth to ride dragons
and defend her people; Loth, a privileged noble sent to a dangerous
land to achieve an impossible task; Dr Niclays Roos, a disgraced
alchemist banished to the ends of the earth, who finds himself
caught up in the political machinations of entire nations. Tying all
these compelling characters together is the whisper that after one
thousand years of peace and prosperity an ancient and dangerous race
of dragons, led by the Nameless One, is about to reawaken from its
forced slumber. Priory is a story of East vs West, good vs evil, religion vs
history and deceit vs truth. In this respect, it fits in comfortably
with the well-established tropes of high fantasy. However, Priory
is also a story for contemporary times. It is an epic with a
feminist and queer twist. Characters are of diverse backgrounds and
religions and relationships are varied and complex. While mythical
creatures and perilous journeys abound, Priory is also a
product of its time, in an era when writing cannot help but be
influenced by the world it was created in. This book is highly
recommended for both established fantasy fans and those seeking an
entry into a genre that might have previously seemed distant or
irrelevant to modern life. Themes: Feminism, War, Religion, Love,
Friendship, Dragons, Mythical Creatures.
Rose Tabeni
