Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406371536
(Ages: 2-7) Highly recommended. The talented Polly Dunbar (probably
best known for Penguin) has created this humorous and unique feast
for the eyes and the ears. It looks amazing, from the eye-catching
front cover onwards, and is fantastic to read. The cover shows a
distinguished-looking lion sitting at a table with knife and fork at
the ready and two children on either side staring at him in
astonishment. Is he still a lion? He's wearing a hat and coat! Would
a lion eat with a knife and a fork?! This sets the premise for the
book. "Is a lion still a lion if . . . he carries an umbrella,
too?" "Is a lion still a lion if he rings the doorbell, greets
you politely and asks you to dance? As the children find out," YES,
A LION IS A LION IS A LION!", so you should tell him to SHOOO!"
The heavy use of capitalisation, italics and punctuation (if you are
not a fan of exclamation marks steer clear!) assist in making this a
dramatic, theatrical read-aloud. Dunbar's black line illustrations
are fabulous, especially the larger than life lion and his
expressive face. There is a touch of The Tiger Who Came to Tea
here but with an interesting point of difference with the children
deciding that no, they would not allow the lion to come into their
house - even if he does have a particularly well-groomed mane and
impeccable table manners! The tiger who came to tea doesn't decide
to eat children for dessert though either.
There is an old proverb that "A hog in a silk waistcoat is still a
hog" and this is the simple message conveyed here. Perhaps there is
even a little bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing about this
well-dressed, pompous lion.
This is great fun for both the reader and the audience, who are
directly addressed ("So please remember, A LION IS ALWAYS A LION!").
This is a winning picture book to share with children of all ages.
Nicole Nelson
The rains by Gregg Hurwitz
Penguin, 2016, ISBN 9780765382672 Last chance. ISBN 9780765382696
(Age: 13+) Themes: Adventure, Invasion, Post apocalypse, Survival,
Aliens, Zombies. This pair of novels pack a lot into their nearly
400 pages as Chance Rain, his brother Patrick and best friend,
Alexandra, residents of the quiet community of Creek's Cause, fight
for their lives against infected adults, while others hide in the
local high school. This sci-fi young adult novel sets a tale of
alien invasion of unrelenting pace. Chance and Patrick Rain are the
heroes of this weird and unlikely story of the take over and
destruction of not only their town but all of human kind.
The strange events begin with a meteorite shower which brings
strange plant life which grows quickly and then dies, sending their
spores into the world. Events then take a dreadful turn, when the
adults change horribly into zombie like creatures intent on
capturing the children of the town for goodness knows what purpose.
Chance and Patrick pit their resources and nerve against
overwhelming odds and somehow prevail. They have to fight, not only
the 'hosts' the adults have become, but also some of their peer
group who disagree about the actions they should follow. They also
discover with the aid of Dr Chattergee, the only adult unaffected by
the spores, that at their 18th birthday they will also become
infected.
Hurwitz delivers a frightening scenario that many young adult
readers will find gripping, tense and thrilling. However I found the
episodes of fighting off yet more hordes of hosts distracted from
the narrative and tended to layer too many unbelievable acts of
survival, heroism and mayhem.
There is a follow up novel, Last Chance, where our hero will
have even more weight loaded on to his adolescent shoulders, because
he and Patrick carry the genes for immunity, indeed they are the
only ones in the whole wide world. I just couldn't bring myself to
read it!
Mark Knight
Of Jenny and the Aliens by Ryan Gebhart
Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN 9780763688455
(Age: Older teens) Themes: Aliens; Sexual Relationships; Teenage
angst. The Aliens have got in contact with earth and the world
wonders whether this is the end. For Derek though, an 'End of the
World as we know it' party leads him to a sexual encounter with the
liberated and feisty Jenny who then proceeds to spin his world into
an orbit that is completely out of control. His encounter with the
Alien is positively humble and calm in comparison - even when it
transitions to the literal 'Out of this World' experience.
Essentially this book transitions from an American teenage sex romp
(with soft-porn detail), into the roller-coaster of a relationship
that does not seem to follow a straight path, and then morphs into a
strange encounter with aliens that in some way is meant to solve all
the sexual and relationship angst that Derek is experiencing! There
is almost a hallucinogenic strangeness to some parts of the book.
The family break-up history that runs as an undercurrent to the flow
of the story is one of the few conventional aspects of the story.
This is not a coming-of-age story or a science fiction story - it is
just strange. This book did not win me over. If it was attempting to
be humorous, it did not quite hit its mark. The friendship between
Derek and Karo (the alien musician) was under-developed and should
have been fleshed out with much more narrative intensity.
Unfortunately it lacked the spark of literary quality.
Note: Drug taking, alcohol consumption, Sexual activity.
Carolyn Hull
How to blitz nits (and other nasties) by Mumsnet
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408862155
(Age: Parenting book) This is a parenting book for people who hate
parenting books. It portrays the reality of being a parent in a way
that politically correct parenting books rarely do. Would they talk
about what to do when you child does a poo so epic that it reaches
their neck? Or how to stop your child scratching their bum when they
have worms?
While witty and limited in scope, this semi-reference book is
definitely more useful than it first appears. Factual information
mingles with real posts from the English online parenting community
Mumsnet; this use of first-hand anecdotes and advice means that it
doesn't just tell you what you 'should' do or what is proven to
work. There are old wives tales and ingenious (not always medically
recommended or socially approved!) solutions to tricky problems (for
example, how to pin down a child to administer eye drops or fight
molluscum with a toothpick).
It addresses 10 main issues: nits, threadworms, ringworm, warts and
veruccas, molluscum, conjunctivitis, foreign objects, vomit, poo,
and dragons under the bed. Sometimes as a parent you just need to
know someone else has faced the same horrors or that someone else
has had it worse and on this level the book provides genuine laugh
out loud moments.
It is a funny read, perfect for parents who want to know the
essentials but want to take it with a pinch of salt and a few laughs
along the way. Simple language peppered with witticism makes this an
engaging and quick read and it will probably be reached for again
when advice is needed on how to clean vomit out of the couch or
de-nit the household.
Nicole Nelson
The wizards of once by Cressida Cowell
Hodder Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9781444939576
(Age: 10+) A wizard with no magic and a warrior with magic get stuck
in a big mess. Can a wizard and a warrior be friends and get out
alive?
This story is make-believe but the story is so intense it feels like
you are the characters. The characters are Xar a wizard (with no
magic) and Wish a warrior princess (who has magic). These characters
entwine in an adventure that neither of them or their friends will
forget.
The settings are the bad woods, the wizard camp and the warrior
fortress.
The story has a few plots entwined together to make this story. The
theme for this story is fantasy and being friends with the enemy.
I recommend this book to 10+ boys and girls. Also if you have
enjoyed this book you might like How
to train your dragon because it's the same author and if
you have read How to train your dragon you might like this
book.
Grace Colliver, Year 6
Battle for the shadow sword by Adam Blade
Team hero, bk 1. Orchard Books, 2017. ISBN 9781408343517
The first chapter is when Jack used his powers to save people in his
class. The first chapter made me want to read more.
The problem was not predictable and the conclusion was not
predictable either. Sometimes when you put the book down you ended
on a cliff hanger.
The book was very interesting and the best part was near the end of
the book.
The main character is a bit believable. The problem is sometimes
similar with Sea Quest and Beast Quest books and
I would recommend this book for Beast Quest and Sea
Quest fans.
Heath Colliver, Year 6
Skip to the loo! A potty book by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Ill. by Anita Jeram. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406377347
(Ages: 1-3) Toilet training. Board book. Rhyming book. Bunny needs
his potty so off he skips to the loo and one by one, many other
characters join in. "Look! Everyone's on their potties! POO! POO!
POO!" It's a potty party: all the animals are sitting on their
potties of varying shapes and sizes and there are balloons and
music. "WAIT! Isn't someone missing? I wonder... is it YOU?".
From the illustrator of Guess how much I love you comes
this potty book, which encourages toilet trainees to join the potty
fun. The mirror page at the end is a cute invitation to the reader
to join in and is definitely the most successful element of the
book. While it could be useful alongside other toilet training
books, it is not instructive enough to work as a standalone
introduction to toileting. Despite it being a play on the song 'Skip
to my Lou', the text itself is not singable; it even sounds clunky
and lacks rhythm when read. In addition, the progression of animals
is a little odd. It starts off fairly standard, with a bunny and a
kangaroo, but then along comes Lord and Lady Huff-Puff (two dressed
up cats), a naughty big fat monster called Stinkaroo and some spooky
wookie ghosties (animals wearing white sheets). In addition, the
old-fashioned chamber pots some of the animals are using as potties
might be confusing, particularly as they look like teacups.
It is all a little hodgepodge and while the toilet message is there
and the illustrations are well done, it definitely isn't an
essential book for young toilet trainees.
Nicole Nelson
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Ill. by Jon Klassen. HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008158286
(Age: 11 - adult) Highly recommended. War, peace, Animals, Foxes.
When his gruff and distant father leaves to fight in the war,
motherless Peter is forced to stay with his grandfather and made to
abandon his pet, a fox called Pax.
At his grandfather's he learns of the dog his father once owned and
cared for. They were inseparable. Duty and responsibility overwhelms
Peter. He feels abject guilt at leaving his pet behind and decides
he should be with Pax. He packs his rucksack, takes some water and
food, and sets off, back to the place where he abandoned the fox,
and in alternate chapters we learn of what Pax is doing to get back
to his human.
After he falls and breaks a bone in his foot Peter meets Vola a one
legged recluse living in the woods. Through her he comes to
understand the effect of war, as he is maneuvered to use her
marionettes to tell the story of Sinbad. She killed a man in a
previous war and finding a tattered copy of the Voyages of Sinbad in
his coat pocket, carved the puppets as a memorial to him, but now
she needs to see it performed. Peter is forced to stay with her
until his foot has healed enough for him to move on, but he is
anxious to leave and she is just as anxious that he is able to
survive alone. The two rub against each other just as Pax is finding
it difficult surviving with the other foxes he meets, learning the
skills he missed as a kit,
An involving story of survival, the author is able to get inside the
fox's head to portray its survival with assured realism. She
beautifully contrasts the development of all three characters as
they adapt to the changes in their world, while Klassen's brittle,
black and white illustrations form a majestic backdrop to the
events.
Beautifully written, Pax can be read by children and adults alike.
The image of war is ever present, from the father going off to war,
the woman, Vola and her wooden leg and her mission to see the Sinbad
story performed, and the threat of encroaching war.
Peter eventually leaves to find the fox, and a heart stopping
conclusion brings the reader to rethink the idea of friendship and
challenge the concept of war and its effects on the people involved.
Allusions to Sheherazade, the tale of the phoenix, the stories of
Sinbad, the roc, and so on are throughout the book, impelling the
reader to look further into the tale. The stories behind Vola's life
too are captivating as she becomes the teacher she wanted to be,
rather than the soldier she was.
This wonderful book held me to the end.
Fran Knight
The brilliant fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781681195476
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. E.B.
White Read Aloud Award 2010. On your mark... get set... go
finish your science project? All Gianna Zales wants is to compete at
the cross-country finals, but there's something standing in her way
- a science project. She has less than a week to collect and
document twenty-five leaves, and she'll lose her spot on the team if
she can't pull it off. With a forgetful grandmother, a
hearse-driving father, a mean-girl running rival, and new feelings
toward her best friend, Gianna wishes life would just leave her
alone to finish the project. Can Gianna Z. get the stroke of
brilliance she needs to make it all work out?
Gianna will quickly draw people in with her infectious personality
and will resonate with many tweens. With themes of family,
friendship and being true to oneself, connections will be able to be
made throughout the story. The various storylines including the
lengths some will go to avoid completing homework, an ailing
grandmother who is developing signs of Alzheimer's and the
stereotypical mean girl all combine together to make an enthralling
book. Gianna is torn in so many directions while trying to balance
her commitment to the track team and taking on the roles of artist,
daughter, friend and grand-daughter. This book will be a huge hit
with a wide variety of children and I would strongly recommend it
for ages 10 and up. A must have for the library collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
Deception by Teri Terry
Dark Matter, book 2. Orchard Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408341742
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction. Epidemics.
Dystopian fiction. Following on immediately from Contagion, the first book in the series, readers are swept into the
British countryside as an epidemic sweeps the country. Shay is
convinced that she is the carrier of the virus and without telling
Kai, has left Shetland to give herself up to the authorities. Kai
follows her trail, desperate to find her and faces danger on the way
as the survivors of the plague are hunted down by vigilantes and the
secret service.
This is an adrenaline fuelled story that is fast paced and very
exciting. Told in short snappy chapters from three viewpoints, Shay,
Kai and Callie, recount their stories and give different viewpoints
of what is happening. Shay comes into her own, as she learns to use
her towering intellect and new powers, while Kai's determination and
skills of survival are wonderful. Some more survivors, including
Spike and Freja, are introduced and enrich the plot, giving insight
into how people are coping with the epidemic.
Readers with a bent for science will also find the descriptions of
antimatter and matter fascinating as Terry gives an explanation of
the origin of the virus and the creation of the survivor's strange
powers. There is much to ponder about the misuse of scientific
experimentation even if the end result might provide cures for
diseases.
There are some unexpected twists and turns and conclusion which will
keep the reader enthralled and waiting for the next book in the
series. Both Contagion and Deception would engage
anyone who likes easy to read but totally engrossing stories.
Pat Pledger
Valensteins by Ethan Long
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781619634336
(Ages: 5-10) This can be summarised simply as monsters learning
about love. Fans of Long's previous book Fright
Club will love this as it uses the same cast of
characters and illustrative style. There are dark gritty
illustrations with a smattering of pink to suit the love theme. The
bright pink highlights on the front cover will definitely grab
attention and the use of familiar monsters (Frankenstein, etc.) and
their witty banter will even please children who think they are too
old for picture books. While the rest of the Fright Club is busy
working on their scaring techniques, Fran K. Stein is working with
pink paper, scissors and glue. "Are you making a mask?" asks
Vladamir. He is, of course, making a Valentine's Day heart. An
explanation of Valentine's Day and love follows: "That's when two
people feel all mushy mushy about each other". The rest of the
Fright Club members respond mainly with horror and disgust,
especially when they discover that love involves kissing on the
lips. Fran ignores them and goes off to find his Valentine. While
pondering love he decides that it isn't really about fluttering your
eyes or cutting out paper hearts, but "something you feel in your
real heart, even if it does feel a little funny sometimes."
This has a very American look and feel to it, perhaps owing to
America's pioneering of both Valentine's Day and Halloween, as well
as some of the vocabulary and phrasing ("it looks like a paper
butt", "tee-hee"). I wouldn't read this to young children who still
have a one-dimensional understanding of love as it may be confusing
for them. In addition, they wouldn't understand the repartee between
the monsters. Older children with an understanding of the difference
between familial love and romantic love and a keen sense of humour
are the target audience here.
Nicole Nelson
Julius Zebra: Entangled with the Egyptians by Gary Northfield
Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406371802
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Themes: Animal Stories, Ancient Egypt. Julius
Zebra: Entangled with the Egyptians is the third graphic novel
written and illustrated by Gary Northfield. This is another laugh
out loud story, filled with puns, jokes, sarcastic one-liners and
plenty of slapstick comedy.
Shipwrecked on a foreign shore, the friends fall headfirst into a
new adventure. Captured by an Egyptian Commander and his troops,
they are marched off to be imprisoned. At this time, Egypt is
experiencing a drought, however when Julius raises his hands to
protest his capture, a fortuitous shower of rain occurs. Suddenly
their luck changes and he becomes revered as Heter the horse god -
bringer of good fortune.
They move quickly through the Egypt, visiting familiar landmarks,
living in the palace, visiting and nearly wrecking the ancient
library, generally causing drama wherever they go. Felix the
antelope's exploration of an underground tomb and greediness in
stealing a precious stone, intensifies the action. Factual
information is included, writing Roman numerals, hieroglyphics and
the art of mummification.
Northfield's hilarious cartoons highlight the perks of the zebra's
reign as pharaoh and his special treatment as an Egyptian god.
Palace life is luxurious, the food, the bath in donkey's milk and
the special clothes, wigs and Cleopatra's beard to wear. Even the
chapter headings add to the humour: "I want my Mummy", "Don't rain
on my Parade" and "Wheel of Fortune". Julius Zebra: Entangled
with the Egyptians delivers all the familiar characters,
historical touches and humour, just right for a springboard into
studies of ancient civilisations.
Rhyllis Bignell
Release by Patrick Ness
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406331172
(Age: 17+) Themes: Homosexuality; Family; Friendships; Sexual
Identity; Ghosts; Freedom from the past. Patrick Ness is a patron
for a group that promotes diversity in schools, and this book
introduces sexually diverse representations. The central character,
Adam, is exploring his identity through a series of homosexual
relationships. This exploration is at odds with his family
background - his father is a pastor in an Evangelical American
church, and the basis of Adam's experience of family love and
acceptance is derailing as he explores his sexual relationships and
his view of love. A close connection to a female friend gives him a
sense of connection even when things go wrong - 'she has his back',
despite his 'first love' turning his back on him. The young, high
school-aged Adam is sexually active with his new boyfriend, and
their sexual encounters are described in detail (although some
facets of the coupling are left to the imagination, mostly the
descriptions are fairly overt for a YA book). This coming-of-age
tale, involves deserting the expectations and influence of family,
not an uncommon motif in YA fiction; Adam's parents are painted as
the 'evil' spectre in the background as they grapple with their own
worldview and struggle with Adam's choices. But this is also a story
where sexual diversity is assumed and the opinions of the parents
are maligned. Adam also becomes the target of workplace sexual
harassment, that is not dealt with well.
In contra point to this story of breaking away from conventions and
the critique of those norms, is the spectral appearance of the
Spirit Queen who inhabits the tortured spirit soul of a recently
murdered young woman as she wanders the lake shore where her body
was dumped. There is struggle as she works out how to be released
from the torture, and will the Spirit Queen be trapped in this
metaphysical half-light? Ironically this location is where Adam will
be attending a farewell party for his former 'love interest', whose
influence he cannot shake. This metaphysical appearance is about
being released from the holds of a past life and the story thread
weaves amid Adam's story of release.
Ness has demonstrated his usual capacity to write with great
finesse, but I won't be recommending this in my school context. It
is far too graphic and the fact that Ness needs to state that his
own father was nothing like the father in the book, is evidence that
he recognises the cruelty in the representation of Adam's father.
Free expression of sexuality and desire may be common in today's
culture, but it may not be helpful for all young readers to have
this presented so boldly.
Carolyn Hull
My brigadista year by Katherine Paterson
Candlewick, 2018. ISBN 9780763695088
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. "When thirteen-year-old Lora tells
her parents that she wants to join Premier Castro's army of young
literacy teachers, her mother screeches to high heaven, and her
father roars like a lion. Lora has barely been outside of Havana -
why would she throw away her life in a remote shack with no
electricity, sleeping on a hammock in somebody's kitchen? But Lora
is stubborn: didn't her parents teach her to share what she has with
someone in need? Surprisingly, Lora's abuela takes her side, even as
she makes Lora promise to come home if things get too hard. But how
will Lora know for sure when that time has come?" (Publisher)
I absolutely loved this book by award winning author, Katherine
Paterson. It gave me a wonderful insight into a time in Cuba's
history that I had no idea about. Many countries could take a leaf
out of this plan in current times. Many teenagers during this time
volunteered to teach fellow Cubans of all ages to read and write,
while participating in their daily lives. There was the
ever-constant threat and dangers from the counterrevolutionaries
hiding in nearby hills. The author's notes and timeline at the back
of the book, outlining this period in history is a great source of
information. This book was an easy read, with quite large text.
Themes such as hardship, bravery, friendship and perseverance are
evident throughout the book. It would make a fantastic read aloud
and provide great learning activities about perspective and
responsibility. A must have for the library.
Kathryn Schumacher
Three cheers for women by Marcia Williams
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406374865
(Age: 8-80) Highly recommended. Subjects: Women - History, Women -
Biography. Popular British author and illustrator Marcia Williams
(Dot) celebrates the astonishing achievements of women from all over
the globe, from ancient to modern times. Her unique comic-strip
style creatively showcases more than seventy brave and noteworthy
role models from writers to social activists, scientists to artists.
Cartoon animal and bird characters float with Dot with her friend
Abe around the frames of the cartoon strips, providing fun comments
and additional facts.
Brave Boudicca, Warrior Queen of Iceni led over 100000 untrained men
into battle against an army of 10,000 Roman soldiers. Williams draws
her charging into battle, sword raised, fiery long red hair flowing
as she exhorts her soldiers to fight. Cleopatra, Joan of Arc and
Queen Elizabeth 1 are included as historical figures. Each figure's
childhood, formative years and adult life are told through speech
bubbles, easy to read statements and sketches. Williams includes
their key achievements, messages and their role in the society of
their times. Eleanor Roosevelt was a Human Rights activist who
refused to follow the Alabama segregated seating policy in 1936,
sitting midway between the white and coloured sections.
Williams has drawn inspirational stories of girls, teenagers and
women from many countries, cultures and backgrounds who have made an
impact. There's Pakistani bomb survivor and human rights advocate
young Malala Yousafzai, Olympian Cathy Freeman, artist Frieda Kahlo,
Indian President Indira Ghandi each illustrated with engaging
biographies. Three Cheers for Women is an exciting resource for schools to
use across the curriculum, teaching positive gender roles,
celebrating diversity, inclusivity and the important contributions
of women both today and historically.
Rhyllis Bignell
