HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9781460710203
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Storytelling. Books and
reading. Mystery and suspense stories. Folk tales. Supernatural
phenomena.
The idea was to do some research for an authentic History lesson in
an historic outback town, but what the four students and their
teacher encounter that night is much more powerful than anything
they had ever imagined. After they are stranded when their bus
breaks down they rush to take refuge in an old house nearby as a
wild storm brews around them.
This book is suspenseful, eerie and enjoyable from start to finish.
It gives a story within a story as the students decide to fill in
the time by reading aloud a hand-made book they find in the house.
The story is written and illustrated in a fairytale/folktale way
using animals as characters and while some of them dismiss it as
just a story a few feel an unearthly power that draws them into
believing they need to finish the book and release some supernatural
phenomena that seems to be lurking in the house. The theme of true
love conquering all is also a strong influence in the story.
The students' characters are also used to develop the story - the
shy new boy who is grieving the loss of his grandad and their
country home, the computer nerd who doesn't believe in anything he
can't see, the popular girl who always gets what she wants, the shy
sensitive girl who feels the supernatural power of the book first. A
large range of readers will find someone to relate to in this book
and I think it could be successfully read aloud to a class. Walter,
the character in the Folktale is also worth a mention as he develops
from a meek boy to an assertive character who accepts his fate but
always tries to do the right thing.
A mystery from the town's past is solved, and the book has a
fantastic way of showing how history can be uncovered in the most
unexpected places and corrected by uncovering the truth. Teacher's
notes are available.
Gabrielle Anderson
The amazing world of Olobob Top by Leigh Hodgkinson and Steve Smith
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408897652
(Age: 3-5) The amazing world of Olobob Top is an activity
book created by Leigh Hodgkinson and Steve Smith based on the ABC
and BBC Children's show Olobob Top (If you have young children there
is a good chance you will have seen this show before!).
The blurb states "Have fun in the wonderful world of Olobob Top...
weave your way through mazes to explore forests, climb mountains
and soar up into the sky! With lots of exciting mazes and over 250
stickers, there are so many adventures to be had with the Olobobs"
and I think it sums it up pretty well. Each page surrounds a
different character or activity and asks the reader to complete
tasks and decorate with the supplied stickers. You may have to
follow the lines through the sky, find your way out of a maze or get
the Olobobs home safe. This part was probably the only downfall of
the book, there were just too many follow the line/maze pages
(actually all of them) and were a touch repetitive for Miss 4.
We did however love all the stickers and it kept her amused for an
hour which was a win for me!
It was also a good vehicle for directing learning towards shapes,
colours, sizes, counting and following directions - all of which are
key skills for young children.
I think this book is probably best suited for 3-5year olds who are
familiar with the show and its characters. There is another activity
book available (Make your own Olobob Top home), plus two
board books which would be fun activities for any young fan. We give
it 3 out of 5.
Lauren Fountain
The Botanist's Daughter by Kayte Nunn
Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780733639388
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Starting a little slowly, yet
creating two worlds that have no defining link, this novel is
captivating, rich in depiction of the past, and cleverly
interspersing the two stories. The title suggests a story of a
family and an interest in botany, and it is that, yet this book
offers much more than a simple family history. One story is set
firmly in the present, where a young woman can take herself off to
England to seek an understanding of the book's provenance, while the
other plunges us into the past, particularly referring to the place
of women at the time of the story, telling a story set in the 1880s.
Both narratives delve into the lives of women in their era,
especially elucidating the differences between the possibilities for
the two: between education, freedom to travel, learn, work or
interact outside the family, and to create a life for one's self.
Placing her narrative in these two distinct eras, beginning the
story in the 1886, in England, and Sydney in 2017, Kayte Nunn takes
us into the lives, and indeed the minds, of two characters,
exploring their worlds and considering the wider world and time in
which each lived. Each story is lightly told while both are
revelatory of the particular differences for women in their times.
The modern story begins when an old book of beautiful botanical
illustration is discovered hidden within the wall cavity of an old
Sydney house, the owner, a young woman, is stunned. Captivated by
the beauty and artistry of the illustrations, the owner, Anna,
realizes that she is keen to unravel the mystery of the origin of
this book, and her determination to do so takes her to England. Back
in Australia, while Anna is redecorating the house, relishing her
discoveries and enjoying the search for what kind of person was this
ancestor of hers, she comes to believe that perhaps it was an
inherited interest that drew her into botany and the kind of life
had she has lived.
The story is told in two parts, that of the historical search by an
English woman and her servant, and that of the modern woman who has
found the intriguing diary. Moving back and forth between the
narratives, Nunn reveals that the original botanist was Anna's
grandmother, yet we are eager to unravel the mystery of why the book
was hidden and what is the accompanying history of this grandmother.
Beautifully written, clearly and simply narrated from the
perspective of both grandmother and granddaughter, who had not known
one another, this captivating novel creates a link between two
distinct eras. Nunn deftly creates an enigmatic story-line, while
subtly revealing the differences in the freedom and choices of women
in the modern era and that of the past in England in 1886, and
indeed of the violence that took place in defence of what one
believed to be the right to ownership.
This book is intriguing and would be appropriate for older
adolescent readers and indeed most interesting for adult readers,
particularly those who love a good historical novel that has an
added twist.
Elizabeth Bondar
The A-Z of Wonder Women by Yvonne Lin
Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9781526361547
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Subjects: Women - Biography. Award-winning
industrial designer Yvonne Lin is a leader in creating innovative
products for women. She designed The A-Z of Wonder Woman for
her young daughter Roni introducing her and other girls and boys
around the world to positive female role models. She has drawn
inspiration from leaders in various fields of endeavour, from
ancient times to the current day. Women of different ethnicities,
different ages and stages in their careers are presented in
alphabetical order by their first names. She has included popular
figures and those that are less well-known.
The book begins with English mathematician Ada Lovelace who invented
the first punch card algorithms in the mid-1800s. Cathy Freeman runs
across the page in her Australian Olympics uniform proud to be the
winner of the gold medal in the 400-metre race. Florence Nightingale
is celebrated as an English statistician who championed proper
sanitary procedures in hospitals and founded modern methods of
nursing. J K Rowling started a literary revolution when she wrote
her Harry Potter series, encouraging reluctant readers around the
world to read all 3407 pages.
Yvonne Lin commends Italian educator Maria Montessori, suffragette
Kate Sheppard from New Zealand and Oprah Winfrey one of the most
influential African-American women globally. The author has
recognised comedian and producer Tina Fey as a "titillating tickler"
and Yayoi Kusama the eccentric Japanese artist whose installations,
sculptures and paintings have influenced Hockney and Warhol's
styles.
The amazing layout of this book includes colourful backgrounds,
portraits of each women, a concise account of their achievements and
an encouraging quote. As a bonus thirty more influential women are
mentioned at the conclusion of this informative book. The A-Z of
Wonder Women is ideal for History and Social Sciences students
as a stepping stone for researching women who have influenced
changes across the globe.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763688042
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Gusta loved the golden sound of her
horn, the way the notes could make you ring like a bell, from your
hair bow to your toes. Its music was so large and grand. She was
quiet by nature, but the horn was the bravest part of her her sweet,
large, secret, brassy voice.
Throughout the book Gusta (Augusta) develops as a strong leading
female character. She lives in New York with her mother. Her German
father is wanted by the law with the threat of World War 2 looming
on the horizon. Gusta finds herself being uprooted and sent to live
with her grandmother and aunt who own an orphanage. She is
continually trying to make everyone around her happy and only truly
feels at ease when she is playing her horn. Gusta is surrounded by
children of varying ages from all different walks of lives and
develops a special bond with her cousin Bess. Throughout the story,
she has to make some incredibly hard decisions that even an adult
would find challenging. Gusta is determined to find the wish that
her great grandfather who was a sailor left behind. This allows for
a thread of magic to be interlaced throughout the story.
Themes such as justice, fairness, loyalty and friendship are
discussed. It was interesting to read the author's notes at the end
of the book that this was based on Nesbet's own mother's life.
This book is suitable for children 10 and up. A must have for the
collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
I went trick-or-treating by Paul Howard
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408892886
(Age: All) Recommended. I went trick-or-treating by Paul
Howard is a wonderful holiday specific story that will appeal to
readers of all ages. It adds to the popular I went . . .
series which includes a Christmas special with Santa and also a trip
to the supermarket.
The story follows a brother and sister who are trying to out-do each
other in a scare competition at Halloween! They come across ghosts,
toads, bats, cats and even pirates along their journey, with each
page building in a "test-your-memory" style story. This aspect of
the story was a great addition to our reading time. Both Miss 4 and
Master 8 were able to interact with the story (at their own levels)
by recalling creatures and characters and also trying to get them in
the correct order. The repetitive nature is beneficial to the
younger listeners, and helps to encourage and involve them in the
text.
The illustrations by the clever Paul Howard are very cute, colourful
and add humour through the facial expressions of all the characters.
My personal favourites are the Monster Boogie King, Naughty Warty
Toad and the Super Silly Skeletons.
According to my 4 year old daughter this book is "very funny". She
enjoyed counting the bats, thought the ghost was funny and liked the
animals the best.
Master 8 stated that it is a good book to read at Halloween and
thought that people from 4 to 99 years of age could enjoy this book.
I agree with both of them and think this book (and the other 2 in
the series) would be a great addition to any bookshelf or library.
4.5 out of 5
Lauren Fountain
The Christmas tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson
Ill. by Eleanor Taylor. Frederick Warne, 2018. ISBN
9780241352885
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Christmas, Poultry. Emma Thompson,
the renowned actress, has written another tale about Peter Rabbit in
this board book, beautifully illustrated by Eleanor Taylor. Peter is
very excited about Christmas and can't contain himself in the
kitchen, upsetting three bowls of mincemeat. Mrs Rabbit sends him
off on an errand to get him out of the way, and then he bumps into
Benjamin Bunny and William the turkey, who confides in the pair that
the McGregors "say that on Christmas Day they are to have me for
dinner!"
Peter and Benjamin are determined to save their friend and come up
with many ingenious ways to hide him from the McGregors, including
under a rhubarb-forcer by the compost-heap and in the coal shuttle,
but his magnificent tail-feathers always gave him away. Finally they
came up with a solution - and children will have fun suggesting ways
of hiding a turkey with a very full set of tail-feathers.
Thompson has succeeded in writing a narrative that reads aloud very
well and will be enjoyed by children, as they follow the dilemma of
William and his two friends. Parents and teachers should be aware
that younger children may need to be introduced gently to the idea
that turkeys are killed and then roasted for Christmas dinner.
The illustrations are done in the vein of the original Peter Rabbit
drawings, and are charming and often humorous.
Overall, a delightful addition to the Peter Rabbit tales.
Pat Pledger
The girl with the dragon heart by Stephanie Burgis
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408880777
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Dragons, Fairies, Good and
Evil.
"Once upon a time in a beautiful, dirty, exciting city full of
people and chocolate and possibilities, there was a girl so fearless
and so daring that. . "
Stephanie Burgis weaves another magical fantasy in The Girl with
the Dragon Heart. Following The
dragon with the chocolate heart, thirteen-year-old
Silke, storyteller and worldly-wise orphan is the focus of this
second story, that is filled with castle intrigue and an evil plot.
The royal court of Elfenwald, the feared fairy kingdom, is coming to
visit the royal family at the Drachenberg palace. Princess Katrin
asks Silke to become a palace spy, disguised as a lady-in-waiting to
find out their real motives.
We learn more Silke's past and discover why she loves to spin tall
tales, why she is quick-witted and has developed excellent survival
skills. She is an orphan: her parents disappeared in the evil fairy
kingdom of Elfenwald and with her older brother Dieter, live a
simple existence in Drachenburg, selling second-hand clothes on the
riverbank. Her handbills advertising the chocolate shop are
fabricated with stories of royal patronage, and this captures the
princess's attention.
Silke's initiation into palace life is humorous, as she wears
corsets and fancy dresses, learning to curtsy and following all the
rules. Young Princess Sofia's jealousy of Silke's special assignment
also causes problems. Night time forays into the secret tunnels and
passageways, listening to secret conversations add to the excitement
and danger. Silke finds comfort with her friends the chocolate
makers as they prepare delicious confections in the palace.
Stephanie Burgis understands the fantasy realm; she builds an
exciting world filled with relatable characters, adding magic, a
fight of good and evil, exciting fairy characters, goblins and of
course dragons. The Girl with the Dragon Heart champions
girls taking charge of their own destiny and surviving in difficult
circumstances by using their skills and wits. A fantastic adventure
novel to share with Middle Primary students.
Rhyllis Bignell
If all the world were . . . by Joseph Coelho
Ill. by Alison Colpoys. Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9781786030597
(Age: picture book) Recommended. Themes: Love, Family, Grandparents.
A beautifully understated story of love between a child and her
grandfather begins with the pair exploring their world, holding
hands as they walk amongst the colours of spring. She wishes the
world was always springtime so that her grandfather's birthdays
could be replanted and he never grow old. Later in summer she wishes
that they could fly in deep space with their laughs like shooting
stars. In autumn he gives her a lovely note book that he has created
with hand made paper, bound with Indian leather string in which to
write and draw all her dreams. She wishes that the world was made of
dreams and that she could paint her grandfather's happiness over all
the sad places.
Until this point the child and her grandfather have been doing
things together, some outside, some inside, but sharing things
together. Now it is winter and we see the old man sitting in a comfy
chair by the fire, a knee rug on his lap. Their interaction is more
muted, quieter, calmer as she listens to his tales, wishing that by
listening to all his stories he could become better. And over the
page we see the fire has gone out and the chair empty.
Helping her parents clean out his room, she finds the things he
spoke about, reminding her of his stories, and on his chair she
finds another notebook with her name on the front. She uses this to
write in all the stories about her grandfather, filling the pages
with the stories that he told her and of their life together.
This is a charming story of loss and grief, of remembering the one
who has died through memories of what they did together, so keeping
the love they had together, alive and thriving. The young girl
records all she remembers in her notebook, recalling the things they
did through the four seasons. The background with large areas of
white space shows younger readers the sorts of things that a child
and grandfather do together, reinforcing the place that grandparents
have in a child's life and reminding children of the four seasons
and what to expect as each season comes by.
Fran Knight
The lies they tell by Gillian French
HarperCollins Publishers, 2018. ISBN 978146075580
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Themes: Summer vacation, Murder.
Tenney's Harbor, Maine during the summer break sees the rich kids
coming to stay in their parents' million dollar mansions, playing
tennis, racing their yachts, eating at the Country Club, where
eighteen year old Pearl works, earning money to keep herself and her
father going, waiting until she can go to the local college next
year. Her caretaker father lost many of his part time jobs when one
of the houses in the Millionaire Row burnt down, revealing the
owners, the Garrisons, and two of their children, Cassidy and Joe,
shot and killed. The crime was never solved, with some of the blame
thrown at Pearl's father who now spends more time than he should at
the tavern.
But this summer, Pearl wants her father exonerated, and seeing
Tristan Garrison and his entourage arrive, becomes involved in their
lives as they while away the summer, Pearl watching Tristan and the
others for any clues which might lead her to find out who murdered
the family and set the fire. She finds Cassidy's memory stick hidden
in a compartment on the Garrison yacht and watching it, becomes
aware that the household was not what it seemed. Cassidy was a
prodigious pianist but the footage on the USB shows another aspect
of her life, while passing talk by the group exposes Cassidy's
fractious relationship with her father. Pearl digs even further,
despite her friends giving her the cold shoulder for associating
with the rich kids, and some of Tristan's group treating her will
ill disguised contempt. Her friend, Reece ignores her until she
tells him why she is associating with them, and he becomes an ally
in her detective work.
This is a gripping read as Pearl gathers evidence. She watches the
group and defends her father against the slander she hears, aware
that her hold on her job is becoming tenuous, with only half her
mind on he work.
The chasm between the rich and poor is exemplified by the rich kids'
casual takeover of the quiet village where they moor their yachts
and their cavalier attitude to the locals, particularly the town
girls befriended for the summer. Their arrogant disregard of how
dependent the locals are on them patronage gives a strong layer of
moral outrage as events develop.
Each of the characters is wrought with hidden depths, exposing a
view of themselves to the world which belies what is underneath.
Pearl needs to keep her wits about her to defuse the interest being
shown by Tristan, and her interest in his friend, Bridges is a
hurdle to seeing things clearly. Just as she begins to unravel the
complex interrelationships of the group Pearl puts herself into
harm's way as she works out, almost too late who killed the family.
Gillian French is the author of YA novels, Grit and The
Door to January, and lives in Maine.
Fran Knight
Impostors by Scott Westerfeld
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760528249
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction. Good and
evil. Rebellions. Coming of age. Adventure. Scott Westerfeld has
returned to the world of his very popular and engrossing series, Uglies.
It is the first of four books and sure to make his many fans very
happy and will introduce a world to new readers.
Frey has always lived an isolated life. Brought up to be the body
double for her twin sister Rafia, by her tyrant father, her
existence has been kept a deep secret. She has been trained
exhaustively and painfully to ensure that her twin isn't
assassinated or in any danger, while Rafia has been taught the
skills necessary for the much loved heir to the first family of
Shreve.
When the Palafox family, leaders of a rival city, negotiate for
Rafia to stay with them as a guarantee of her father's goodwill, it
is Frey who is sent to impersonate her sister. There she meets Col
Palafox, and gradually he gets close enough to her to see some of
the real person behind the mask that she has to assume. When her
father goes on the attack, leaving her for dead, she has to decide
whether she will fight against him in the rebellion that ensues.
This is compelling reading, the world building is fantastic and it
is easy to imagine a world where scrap metal is valuable and city
states closely watch the lives of their citizens. The characters are
fully fleshed out and Frey's father is so horrible that the reader
can empathise with Frey's desire to kill him. There is a slight
romance between Frey and Col but this is not the main plot (although enough for romance lovers), rather
it is the action and underlying value systems of the city states
that keep the reader's interest.
With a tantalising cliff-hanger on the last page, readers will be
clamouring for the next book in the series.
Pat Pledger
Oi duck-billed platypus! by Kes Gray
Ill. by Jim Field. Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9781444937329
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Animals, Verse, Word play,
Alliteration, Humour. Following on from the success of the zany fun
filled humour of the "Oi" books (Oi Frog (2015) Oi Dog
(2016), and Oi Cat (2016)) this one follows a slightly
different variation as the frog finds it difficult to find a rhyme
for some of the animals that appear before him, waiting to be
seated. What do you rhyme with a duck billed platypus or a
hippopotamus, an ostrich or a meerkat. Frog, cat and dog are puzzled
and platypus is not very patient, reminding the trio that he is
waiting, as he points out the queue behind him of other animals also
waiting for their rhyme before being seated.
Eventually the Frog asks for their first names and they find it much
easier to use their first names rather than their second to find a
rhyme that fits. So Dolly the duck-billed platypus sits on a brolly,
Kate kookaburra sits on a gate and Lemony lobster sits on an
anemone. Everyone is satisfied, the alliterative names of the
animals used to make a nice rhyming seat until a kangaroo happens to
come along, with the fearful name, Amelia Esmerelda Honeydew
HigginbottomPinkleponk-Johnson. The resolution will have children
trying vainly to find a rhyme and like frog, telling the kangaroo to
sit where she likes.
Full of humour, reflected in the appealing illustrations, the tale
will bring laughter from all readers, recognising the alliteration
and how it teams with the animal's name, seeing the rhyme that frog
comes up with, perhaps offering an alternative, all the while
looking closely at the expressions on the faces to see what a
quandary frog is in. In a class emphasis could be the word play,
rhyme and alliteration, while discussion with younger readers about
first and last names would be appropriate.
All readers will love looking out for the seat of each of the
animals and delight in the end papers with Field's platypus
panorama.
Fran Knight
An anthology of intriguing animals by Ben Hoare
DK, 2018. ISBN 9780241334393
Our planet is inhabited by so many different species, each of them
fascinating in their own way. Over 100 of them, from the orca to the
otter, the giraffe to the ant and all stops in between have been
collected together in this beautifully presented book that is the
perfect introduction to the animal kingdom for young readers.
Each creature has its own double-page spread featuring a large
hi-definition photograph and just enough text to intrigue. There are
unique facts - porcupines rattle their quills to warn off predators
while the word "koala' means no drink in an Aboriginal language,
referring to the koala getting most of its water needs from the
eucalyptus leaves - as well as other intriguing information. There
is a representative from all the major groups on the Tree of Life,
and this, itself, is depicted at the end of the book.
Those who read my reviews regularly know that I believe that
informal, shared reading is a critical element of honing literacy
skills, particularly for boys, and this would be a perfect candidate
for that. Boys also like to borrow big thick books and so it suits
that criterion too, although this is one that has accessible
language and layout, and a visual guide so young readers can find
the one they are interested in without having to know its name so it
is likely to actually make its way out of the library bag and onto
the dining room table to provoke wonder and discussion as it is
shared with other family members. With Christmas on the horizon, it
would also make a unique and treasured gift!
Barbara Braxton
Sonam and the silence by Eddie Ayres
Ill. by Ronak Taher, Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293666
(Ages: 5+) Highly recommended. Themes: Afghanistan, Taliban, Music,
Children in war. Denied music at home after the Taliban take over
Kabul, Sonam is told by her brother to wear a headscarf once she
turns seven. She is now expected to hep her mother who sew shirts
and dresses to sell at the market. Selling gum one day Sonam runs
through the backstreets to home, but hears a sound she has never
heard before. Following the sounds she comes to a walled garden of
mulberry trees and finds an old man playing a musical instrument.
She is captivated, the music seems to come from the earth, from her
heart and she returns each day. He gives her her own instrument, a
rubab made from a piece of the mulberry tree. She is able to hum to
herself some of the music she has heard and this keeps the sound of
war from her ears. But her brother, hearing her hum, bans music,
taking her rubab from her. Her world becomes silent.
But planes and foreign soldiers appear, and things change. She goes
to the old man's garden and finds him gone, his trees almost dead.
She picks the last pomegranate and plants its seeds in her own
garden. Digging she comes across her rubab buried by her brother,
and so plays it again in the old man's garden. The old man is still
there in the music, in her heart.
A modern allegory reflecting the power of music in one's life, Ayres
has used his time living in Kabul, teaching music to children
uprooted by war, with compassion. His story not only shows how music
fills the heart, but also shows us the lives of children besieged by
war, unable to learn that most basic of emotional tools, music.
The illustrations by Iranian-Australian film maker and designer,
Taher, are wonderful, using a variety of techniques to show Sonam
living through the worst of times, supported by her love of music.
Torn tissue paper is used to build up collages, the images
reflecting Ronak's Iranian background.
This is a wonderful read aloud, and will engender much discussion
about the healing power of music.
Fran Knight
The Wizards of Once : Twice Magic by Cressida Cowell
Wizards of Once, book 2. Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN
9781444941425
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. At the start of this book we find our
unlikely heroes locked up: Xar in a prison that nobody gets out of,
Wish in the punishment cupboard of her mother's warrior fortress.
The king witch is free and after them and will do anything in his
power to get them. He wants the magic that works on iron. Xar and
Wish manage to find each other again and head off to continue to try
and get rid of Xar's witch stain. Xar and Wish meet some new friends
on this adventure who help them along the way. On their journey they
learn things about themselves and their parents that changes their
view on life.
The book has a mystery narrator and it adds an extra element of fun
to the narrative as you try and work out who is telling the story.
It shows that parents are not always right, and that they should
listen to their children, as sometimes children see things from a
different point of view that can be very insightful. Also parents
are just trying to do what is bests for their children.
I highly recommend this book for readers aged 10+. If you enjoyed
the first book you won't be able to put this one down. I can't wait
for the next book in the series to find out if Xar and Wish are
successful in their next quest.
Karen Colliver
