Mummy Fairy and me : Fairy in waiting by Sophie Kinsella
Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780141377896
(Ages: 5 - 7) Recommended. Themes: Fairies. Humour. "Ella's
family has a big secret - her Mummy is a fairy. She can do amazing
spells with her computawand. Only, sometimes the spells go a bit
wrong, and that's when Ella steps in to the rescue.
In this brand-new book of magical adventures, there are very naughty
monkeys, a swimming pool filled with ice-cream, and the best
birthday party ever - complete with giant cakes and fairy dust."
(Publisher)
And after so much fun and adventure, will Ella get her wish and
become a magical fairy, just like her Mum?
The magic and mayhem in this young chapter book make it a sweet and
funny series for 5-7 year-old's. There are lots of messy adventures
and parents who do silly things.
Donna Isgar
Melowy : The ice enchantment by Danielle Star
Ill. by Danielle Stern. Melowy series book 4. Scholastic,
2018, ISBN 9781338151800
(Age: 6-8) Themes: Unicorns, Fantasy, Friendship, Courage. In the
Castle of Destiny hidden by a sea of clouds, Melowies, winged horses
with gorgeous colourings, gather to be schooled in magic. Cleo,
Electra, Maya, Cora and Selena wake to a beautiful morning eager to
begin their classes in the Art of Powers. Cleo's destiny is unsure,
she hasn't received her place in a realm yet: will she be a Winter,
Spring, Day or Night? To find the nature of the young filly's power
she needs to attend all the classes with her friends. This proves to
be difficult for her, as she suffers sunburn in the Day Tower,
tangles herself up in plants in the Spring Tower, and has candle
problems in the Night Tower.
Cleo seeks advice from Theodora the friend who raised her after she
was left on the castle steps as a baby. She needs encouragement to
keep on with her lessons. Mysteries and problems abound, with a
stolen magic book, a classmate casting a forbidden spell and
problems in creating ice sculptures from the magic waterfall. Little
by little, Cleo learns the power of friendship and patience.
Bright colours, pretty embellishments and beautiful creatures adorn
the pages, making this junior novel sparkle. Danielle Star's magical
fantasy series are just right for newly independent readers.
Rhyllis Bignell
Ruby's worry by Tom Percival
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408892152
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Themes: Anxiety. Depression. Sharing.
Friendship. Ruby's life is carefree and happy, but one day a worry
finds her. At first it is a very small worry and can be hidden
behind her, or even ignored. But as time goes on the worry increases
in size, becoming a constant shadow next to her as she goes to bed
at night, eats her breakfast and catches the bus to school. She
tries to work at school, but the worry sits next to her, invading
her thoughts. The worry gets bigger, staring at her over the
breakfast table, sitting on the swing besides her. She realises that
no-one else can see her worry, until one day she sees a young boy
sitting in the park. He too has a worry and this time, Ruby can see
his worry. He is sad and reflects just how she feels, so she sits
down next to him and they talk about their worries. As they do this
their worries become smaller, and lift from their shoulders. They
are aware that by sharing their worries they become smaller, and
Ruby knows that although her shadow is still there, much smaller
than it was, she now has the skill to keep it under control.
This story, like Mr
Huff (Anna Walker, 2015) is most useful at a time where
mental ill health has become a problem amongst younger children.
Children will instantly recognise the background to the story, many
knowing someone who suffers from anxiety, and see that having a
worry is not unusual and there are steps they can take to help
themselves not be overwhelmed by the feeling.
Fran Knight
Uncle Shawn and Bill and the pajimminy-crimminy unusual adventure by A.L. Kennedy
Ill. by Gemma Correll. Walker Books Ltd, 2018. ISBN 9781406360509
(Ages: 6-9) Recommended. Themes: Friendship. Humour. Bonkers
story of friendship, llamas and total evil.
Uncle Shawn and Bill are back, and so are the llamas. In a book that
could stand alone or work as a sequel, they have settled into a
happy life at their llama farm in Scotland with their new llama
friends. But all is not right on the horizon as someone new to their
village is stirring up trouble, and encouraging anything 'unusual'
to be vilified and the perpetrators locked up...
This contains great hilarious posters, comic style illustrations and
informative chapter headings evoking old Victorian novels. It is a
very visual story, with plenty to read around the words themselves.
The theme of celebrating difference and not being afraid of who you
are, is well covered by a vast number of different habits and
hobbies of the people in Pandrumdroochit. They get involved in an
exciting adventure as Bill and the llamas (as well as some other
friends) work together to defeat the evil threatening them all.
The story is totally bonkers, but such good fun and has a lesson of
friendship at its heart.
This is a great series, with lovely short chapters, lots of action
and silliness and full of things to look at.
Donna Isgar
Princess Swashbuckle by Hollie Hughes
Ill. by Deborah Allwright. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408862803
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Princesses, Stereotypes, Adventure,
Frogs, Family, Verse, Humour. All Princess Swashbuckle wants to do
is be a pirate queen, to sail away on a pirate ship and be the ruler
of the waves. But her parents want her to marry a frog and settle
down. How can she marry Hubert who lives in a bog or Gerald who
lives beneath a log? She packs her bag and steals away one night,
boarding the Stinky Fish. Finding its crew is upset at seeing their
captain swim for shore, she is the perfect replacement.
Together the princess and the crew have incredible adventures,
sailing the seven seas, meeting a range of other people, helping out
where they can. They teach a mouse to be brave, and show a snake how
to make a cake, but once all their adventures are done, Princess
Swashbuckle feels a little out of sorts. She writes to her parents
and receives a reply which apologises for their insistence that she
marry, and invite her back to Frogland. Without hesitation she makes
her way back home, allowing her parents to retire while she takes
over ruling the kingdom, albeit with a pirate flavour.
This charming story full of whimsy and humour, will appeal to
younger readers, lapping up the allusions to fairy stories with a
reversal of the usual roles, and parallels to frogs which they will
perfectly understand.
The detailed illustrations attract the eyes drawing them into
perusing the things in the background, referencing things that
pirates do and adventures associated with this group of people.
Readers will thrill at the kingdom's seawall, shaped like a dragon's
body, or the watchful eye of the ship, or the pirate's flag. All
good fun.
Fran Knight
Norman the Knight gets a fright! by Mark Sperring
Ill. by Ed Eaves. Bloomsbury, 2108. ISBN 9781408873991
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Knights, Dragons, Employment. When
the four children and their cat apply for the job of helping Norman
the Brave, a knight of renown, they are surprised at what he expects
them to do. Their work involves darning his large pile of socks,
ironing his pants, cleaning his armour and scrubbing him in the bath
after fetching loads of hot water. They must then squeeze him into
his armour, and use a hoist to lift him into his horse's saddle,
after first catching the unresponsive animal. They are all ready to
go to the Royal Parade, Norman looking very brave and shiny after
all the efforts of his knaves, our four friends by contrast looking
shabby and weary. At the parade the knights are set upon by a group
of brigands and bandits, while trying to deal with a fire breathing
dragon. Norman and the other knights cower in the background while
the four knaves take charge, putting out the dragon's fire and
seeing off the brigands and thieves.
Norman then puts his knaves further off side by bragging about his
exploits at saving the day whereas the knaves know what really
happened, making the readers laugh at the knight's duplicity. The
work might not be the job for our four friends, and at the end of
the story, another workplace seems to be before them, making sure
the readers will want to see the next book when the four try out
working with a magician.
Told in rhyming pairs of lines, readers will love predicting the
rhyming word as each line is read, and be intrigued with some of the
new words offered: knave, brigand, bandit, which they may not have
come across before. There are hilarious illustrations with lots of
detail to look at, funny faces and situations to laugh at, as well
as a lesson to be discussed about humility, and information included
giving readers an insight into the lives of knights and knaves
during Medieval times.
Fran Knight
The afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand
Harper Collins Publishers, 2017. ISBN 9781460754283
(Ages: 12+) Highly recommended. A heart-warming and emotional tale
of the importance of generosity, family, love and compassion. When
Holly Chase is visited on Christmas Eve by three spirits warning her
of the imminent consequences of her selfish actions, she elects to
ignore their advice, doing nothing to mend her ways. Six days later,
she dies. Awakening in an office, Holly learns that she will be
working for a top-secret company called 'Project Scrooge' to help
other 'Scrooges' like her change their behaviour before it's too
late. She is appointed to the position of the Ghost of Christmas
Past and accepts this as her fate; forced to redeem herself through
encouraging others to do what she could not - change for the better.
Five years after her death, however, she is faced with a Scrooge
that she feels a connection to: Ethan Winters III, a
seventeen-year-old who is similarly spoilt, materialistic and
grieving the loss of a parent. For the first time since her death,
Holly finds that she has something to be hopeful for.
Through her authentic and genuine characters, beautiful writing
style and valuable moral, New York Times bestselling author Cynthia
Hand provides a sweet, unforgettable and thought-provoking novel
that will touch the heart of its reader, and fill them with hope,
happiness and gratitude. A book that is impossible to put down, and
even harder to stop thinking about, "The Afterlife of Holly Chase"
is not a novel to miss and is a wonderful read all year round.
Daniella Chiarolli (university student)
The Funny Life of Pets by James Campbell
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408889947
(Age: 8+) Recommended. A dog's nose is more than 1 000 times more
sensitive than our nose. That's why if you do a bottom burp in a
dog's face it will go cross-eyed and fall over. Imagine a sausage
dog's dilemma when it's eating sausages - the resemblance of this
tasty snack to their Granny is uncanny! Uncover top tips for feeding
goldfish and avoiding a mini tsunami in your house causing dinosaurs
to evolve from your carpets! Discover some of the rarest dog breeds
in the world, like the Jack Russell Sprout . . . but remember,
they're not just for Christmas.
This is truly one of the funniest books I have ever read. Campbell
have very cleverly mixed fact with fiction and will be a real hit
with the young readers (8 and up) - especially the advice that is
given to convince parents to allow them to get just the pet they
want. It has a mix of quirky illustrations, sign posts indicating
what directions you can choose and text. It is a little like a
choose your own adventure book, whereby you can choose what you want
to do. It is not a book that has to be read from cover to cover. I
sneakily gave it to one of my Year 6 reluctant readers and he could
not put it down - he was very keen to borrow it. I can also see
myself using it to fill in the odd five minutes - picking it up and
reading a couple of pages. A very lighthearted book that is a must
have.
Kathryn Schumacher
Crossing Ebenezer Creek by Tanya Bolden
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781681196992
(Age: 13+) Recommended. In the latter months of 1864, during the
U.S. Civil War, General Sherman of the Union led a huge army through
Georgia, freeing slaves, plundering goods and destroying property of
the vanquished. Many ex-slaves chose to accompany the advancing army
on the march. Many would have seen the Northern soldiers as
saviours, some depended upon their rations and some undoubtedly
wanted to participate in and witness the defeat of the Confederate
South.
The Union army was glad to have the labour from thousands of willing
workers for transporting equipment, foraging food and building
pontoon bridges to replace those destroyed by the retreating
Confederates. Accompanying the principally male ex-slaves engaged in
military support were the women, children and elderly from their
families or dependants from their previous life of servitude.
This story centres upon Mariah, a young woman whose main focus after
being freed is the protection of her intellectually disabled young
brother by establishing a home on one acre of land, upon which she
can grow food. From her recollections, the reader comes to
appreciate some of the abject misery and brutal cruelty endured by
slaves in the American South. It is difficult to imagine conditions
in an era when those who considered themselves part of civilised
society might sell children away from traumatised mothers, would
inflict barbaric, degrading punishments for the slightest of
perceived misdeeds and could ultimately end a slave's life.
Liberated from tyranny, these ex-slaves rejoiced in freedom but
faced the fact that they were ill prepared for life ahead, having no
land or property and usually no education. When Mariah meets Caleb
(a skilled black man working for the Union Army) she recognises his
kind, gentle and decent nature and a romance develops which would
have been realistic under the circumstances.
The climax of this story involves an historically accurate event
which should be shamefully acknowledged and remembered, yet appears
to have been buried and forgotten in the mists of time.
Young readers may be confused by the opening sequences of this
story, especially if they have no knowledge of slavery in the
American South. It may be difficult for those unfamiliar with
plantation life and conditions to understand the various characters
who are introduced in the early passages, yet if they persist, they
will be better for learning about this profoundly important chapter
of history.
Recommended for readers 13 years+
Rob Welsh
Bonkers about beetles by Owen Davey
Flying Eye Books, 2018. ISBN 9781911171485
(Ages: 6-adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Beetles. Non-fiction.
What a wonderful encyclopaedic book about beetles, I read it from
cover to cover, loving every piece of information given, observing
the pictures with glee, scanning the layout and clear design
features with admiration.
After a contents page, each double page fastens on one topic, well
illustrated with clearly defined drawings, using colours that
reflect the places the beetles dwell. Each page is covered with
highly arresting information, distinctive and finely detailed
illustrations which will enrapture the readers.
The first two double pages inform the reader about the basics of
being a beetle: what they are and where they live. Readers will find
that there are over 400,000 different beetles species, and that they
can be terrestrial or aquatic, and herbivore, omnivore, predator or
decomposer. While over the page is a magnificent drawing of a beetle
with body parts numbered so that the reader can easily see what part
is what, and read how each part is useful to a beetle. From there
each double page concentrates on one aspect of the beetle: wings,
food, disguise, defence, and camouflage while other pages
concentrate on one beetle, like the ladybird and the horned dung
beetle.
The last two double spreads show the beetles in mythology and
conservation being made on the beetles' behalf. It will surprise
readers to find out that although there are over 400,000 species of
beetle, some are under threat, and Davey explains just what these
beetles do and how we can help in their conservation.
All in all a sparkling look at beetles, and a book I will go back
to, as will many readers who love gathering bits of information or
who are potty about beetles, or just love the design of the book.
Flying Eye Books has published three other books by Owen Davey that
use the same entertaining style of both information and
presentation: Mad about monkeys, Smart
about sharks and Crazy
about cats. All four of these books will gather a wide
excited audience from primary people.
Fran Knight
Angry Cookie by Laura Dockrill
Ill. by Maria Karipidou. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406383089
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Anger. Friendship. Confronted by an
angry Cookie from the start, the reader will be in no doubt about the
theme of this book. We are told in no uncertain terms, not to open
the book, not to turn the page, and not to try to do anything about
his anger. With that, Cookie escapes up the stairs to his bedroom.
But then he peeps around the door, apologetically, a little
chagrinned about his outburst. Over the next few pages we find out
why Cookie is angry. His best friend, the cactus, plays his recorder
badly, a pigeon tries to snack on him, he has had a bad hair cut,
his toothpaste runs out and he must use his parent's toothpaste
which is not to his liking, in fact, his whole day goes awry. But he
peeps again at the audience and realising that we are all still
there listening to him, deduces that things can't be that bad. He is
surprised that the reader keeps coming back despite his bad temper
and anger, and concludes that the reader is there because he is a
friend and that's what friends do. Young readers will readily
empathise with Cookie, recognising the bad events that can happen to
them all.
The humour behind the illustrations will have broad appeal to the
reader, the simple Cookie expressing his emotions with small changes
in the mouth, eyebrows, and eyes. I loved looking at the pictures
first to see just how Cookie is going to react on each page before
reading the story. Young readers will enjoy Cookie's exploration of
what makes him angry, and like him, realise that a friend can make
all the difference to how you feel. This is a perfect conduit to
class discussions about feelings, anger and friendship.
Fran Knight
Melowy: The night of courage by Danielle Star
Scholastic, 2018. ISBN 9781338151787
(Age 7+) Recommended. The night of courage is book 3 in the
Melowy series and will be enjoyed by any pony lover aged 5+. In
this book, readers meet the Melowies, magical ponies who are
at school together. They come from a variety of Melowy worlds and
display skills and powers accordingly. The Melowies have been
challenged to spend a night in the woods. Their teacher expresses
the need to learn to not fear making mistakes as the fear stops you
from trying something new. The trip starts well despite another
Melowy being added to the group of friends, a Melowy who isn't
normally nice to the group of friends. The girls build a successful
shelter together but in the search for something to eat, Elektra
goes missing. Will they find Elektra? Will Eris ruin the chances of
the friends being reunited? The night of courage is a simple narrative built around the themes
of friendship and not being afraid. The storyline moves quickly and
it is easy to read and understand. It is a short novel, making it
ideal for younger readers moving into being independent readers. It
would also make a great read for before bed whether independently or
being read by an adult. Sections of the story could be linked to the
Child protection and Health curriculums when discussing teamwork,
problem solving and friendship. The night of courage is a fun read and is recommended for
independent readers aged 7+.
Kylie Kempster
The survival game by Nicky Singer
Hodder Children's Books, 2018, ISBN 9781444944525
(Ages: 12+) Mhairi is a child displaced and desperate to return
home. The world is changing around her and she is caught in an
exodus as the people of Africa flee north, praying for a chance at
survival now Global Warming is taking its toll.
Parentless, traumatised, and alone, Mhairi knows that if she can
just make it back to Scotland, to the Isle of Arran where she was
born, everything will all be okay again. But the walk from Sudan is
long and treacherous and she isn't sure that she will ever be free
from the memories which haunt her. Regardless, Mhairi is determined
to survive, even if that means abandoning a mute boy who tries to
join her. But he's more persistent than she expects, and they soon
become friends. Travelling alone had its benefits, particularly when
it came to crossing borders but it's clear to Mhairi that the boy
has no papers. He's an illegal. But he's just a boy. A mixture of
compassion and guilt drives Mhairi to adopt the boy as her brother,
causing even more problems than before. Will Mhairi's determination
get them home? And will they be safe there when they arrive?
Singer provides a dystopian (and quite realistic) take on increasing
global temperatures and explores the options humans might have in
order to maintain their current lifestyles. Preservation and
survival butt heads in this novel, yet it also weaves a tale of
compassion and determination.
Kayla Gaskell
Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
Hodder Children's Books, 2018, ISBN 9781444941951
(Ages: 12+) Highly recommended. Unexpectedly brilliant, Grace and
Fury brings together the stereotypical expectations of women and
those traits of the outspoken and questioning. The novel is
dystopian in nature, however it interrogates the place of women both
in the Banghart's fantasy world, and in our own.
In a world where women are only objects, where they are silenced,
and forbidden education... In a world where simply being caught with
an open book could send you to exile. Two girls leave the comfort of
their provincial home for the capital, Bellaqua, where the elder,
Serina, has been selected as a potential Grace for the Superior's
Heir. But things go badly wrong when it is not Serina who is
selected, but her sister, Nomi. With their roles reversed for the
first time in their lives, both sisters are terrified and lost.
Separated and thrown into opposite worlds they are forced to learn
their new roles, will either of them survive? It's time for the
rebellious Nomi to stop her madness and douse her fire, but that
fire is just what Serina must find if she has any hope of survival.
Nothing she learned preparing to be a Grace could prepare her for
her new life. Grace and Fury interrogates both the role and the power of women
through a dystopian context. It shows not only are women beautiful
but also powerful. By reversing Serina and Nomi's positions as
rebellious and submissive, both girls are taught the power of being
both and the importance of picking the correct moments to rebel
against oppression and when to play the game.
Kayla Gaskell
Save the date by Morgan Matson
Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781471163883
(Age: Teens-YA) In Save the date the story follows Charlie
Grant, the youngest of the Grant family of seven. Charlie is excited
for the next three days, as she finally gets to have all of her
family under the same roof in what feels like forever. And to top it
all off, it's for her sister Linnie's wedding too.
But as life has it, things don't all go according to plan for the
Grants. There's a missing wedding planner that has skipped town, her
favorite brother has bought a surprise new girlfriend, angry
neighbours are constantly trying to hassle them, the rented dog
causing noise complaints. And to top it all off, the new wedding
planner's nephew is kind of cute too.
With problem after problem, over the next three long days, Charlie
will learn more about the people she thought she knew best. And that
holding onto the past isn't good for her future.
Morgan Matson has given us a family orientated story with a complex
family to fit it. It follows a lot of major events that happen to a
lot of people, including family quarrels, distant siblings, fighting
parents and change within the family and life itself. The last being
the main issue that Charlie faces the most in this story: Change. I
think that the themes represented in Save the date would best suit
teenagers and young adults.
Kayla Raphael
