I'm going to eat this ant by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408869901
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Ants. Anteater. Food. Cooking.
Anteater is hungry. He is sick of licking up wriggly, squirmy ants,
but he is hungry. He puts all of his efforts into just one ant - the
trouble is that it is the wrong ant. This ant is cunning and ties
the anteater in knots avoiding being licked into his mouth. This
very funny look at the contest between an anteater and his quarry
will have kids rolling in the aisles as they watch the contest
between the eater and the (usually) eaten.
Anteater imagines all the different ways he can eat this ant: in a
sandwich, sucked up through a straw, simmering in a soup, stir
fried, or in a sorbet. But the ant has other ideas. While anteater
is dreaming up the different ways of eating the ant, his long tongue
has been wrapped around a tree, making it an excellent bridge for
the ant and his friends.
Boldly outlined but spare drawings give a good impression of the
antics behind the words, and small differences in the way the eyes
are drawn for both creatures tells the readers lots about what they
are thinking, adding to the laughs for the readers.
They will learn lots about the two animals and the story will have
them seeking out more information, while the list of ways the ant
will be cooked will find favour (flavour) amongst the readers.
Fran Knight
Echoes in death by J.D. Robb
In death bk 44. Little, Brown, 2017. ISBN 9780349410869
(Age: Adult) Murder. Fans of J.D. Robb will be thrilled with the
44th book in this series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her
cohort of helpers, including gorgeous husband Roarke. Eve and Roarke
are on their way home one night when a young woman stumbles into the
street in front of them. She has been attacked and her attacker
looked like the devil.
Investigating, Eve discovers other attacks have occurred, all with a
violent rape and burglary but this time the attack has resulted in
murder. It is clear that the man behind the masks is becoming more
violent and it is imperative that Eve finds him before more people
are murdered. Eve and Peabody and the rest of her team, ably
supported by Roarke, gets to grips with the backgrounds of the
wealthy people who are being targeted, and the reader easily gets
caught up in the police work involved in solving the crimes.
Witty repartee between Eve and Peabody gives a lift to the often
dark moments in the book, and the steady and deep relationship
between Eve and Roarke is as satisfying as ever. A theme of domestic
violence and how it affects women pervades the book and gives the
plot depth and complexity.
Books in the In depth series are always rewarding reads and
ones that fans know they will enjoy.
Pat Pledger
Wrestling Trolls: The final countdown by Jim Eldridge
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471402692
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. The Final Countdown is book 6
in the series that sees Jack, a half troll and a prince, travelling
with his friends, a talking horse and a phoenix. They follow the
wrestling matches around the country and are quite famous for their
wrestling skills. This book is 2 stories in one. In the first story,
Jack receives a message for help from his grandfather. Despite being
a rather unkind person, Jack decides he needs to help his
grandfather. On arrival in the town, near where Jack's grandfather
is being held, villagers try to stop Jack and his friends. Luckily,
Jack gets to the castle but it is not his grandfather who is there
to meet him. Jack has been tricked by the wizard named Wazza. Wazza
is waiting for Jack and he wants Jack's ring. How will Jack get
himself out of this mess?
In the second story, Jack and his group of friends head to Veto
castle to help the orcs. The orcs are being kicked out of their
kingdom by a mean troll who has claimed the throne. Ironically, Veto
castle and the surrounding land is Jack's kingdom. He just doesn't
want it. Jack's friends Dunk and Big Rock are arrested by the troll
guard. To free them and save the orcs, Jack must wrestle the new
king. Unfortunately, Jack's ring has been stolen. This ring helps
him turn into a troll. How will he beat a troll in a wrestling match
without it? The Wresting Troll stories are fun and entertaining and
highly recommended for readers aged 7+. The characters are quirky
and the adventure moves quickly. They are easy to read and new
readers don't have to read them in order as each story is separate
from the previous one. The wrestling troll theme is a great way to
engage reluctant readers who are wrestling fans.
Kylie Kempster
Seven days of you by Cecilia Vinesse
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781510200395
(Age: 13+) Seven days of you is a beautiful story about
Sophia's last week in Tokyo before her big move back to the United
States. This move was always planned and Sophia and her sister were
accustomed to flying back and forth between their mother and their
father throughout their childhoods. But this move was different for
Sophia, from the first instant that she set foot in Tokyo a couple
of years before, she knew that she'd find some sort of a home here.
Through the years, Sophia became friends with Mika and David and
they were the anchors within her life in Tokyo, lasting up until the
week Sophia is set to leave. Mika's old best friend James is set to
return from an American Boarding school exactly seven days before
Sophia departs. After some complications at the last time they saw
each other, Sophia is less than pleased to be seeing him again.
Through some significant events within the lives of all the friends,
enemies become allies and best friends become distant strangers. How
much will change in the last seven days leading up to Sophia's
flight from Japan, and who will still be there for Sophia when she
needs it the most? Seven days of you really captures the poetry of everyday life
as Cecilia Vinesse writes the story of Sophia's last week in Tokyo
so vibrantly and with so much emotion that the reader can imagine
the city streets. The characters that Vinesse has created are all
individual, each have a unique personality and take on life that
allows readers to be able to relate with the novel. Seven days
of you is aimed for a young adult audience (13+) as the
characters struggle with the concepts of love, friendship, loss and
family. Seven days of you is a sweet and memorable story
that imparts the importance of relationships and friendships that
are made in unexpected circumstances.
Sarah Filkin
The apprentice witch by James Nicol
Chicken House, 2017. ISBN 9781910655153
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. When we doubt ourselves we lose
confidence. When others seem to succeed more than us we doubt
ourselves. Arianwyn doubts her abilities as a witch. Her school
enemy, Gimma, has berated Arianwyn throughout school and now
Arianwyn has failed her witch evaluation while Gimma has succeeded.
Arianwyn is still an apprentice but thanks to her grandmother's
position in the community, Arianwyn has a chance to develop her
skills and face re-evaluation when she is ready. Arianwyn is sent to
Lull, a small village, on the outskirts of The Great Woods. The town
hasn't had their own witch for many years and she has a lot to do.
Arianwyn's self doubt doesn't lend itself to a successful first week
but over the months her confidence improves and her skills are
evident. The arrival of Gimma seems positive but will Arianwyn be
able to overcome the past? Will she remember to not let Gimma get
under her skin? Why does Arianwyn keep seeing a forbidden glyph?
Arianwyn will develop an amazing friendship, courage and will put
others before herself despite the danger and possible disaster. The apprentice witch is a lovely story of courage,
friendship, a passion for a calling and building confidence and
belief in yourself. Watch Arianwyn develop, creating an amazing role
model for young girls as she reminds us all to believe in ourselves.
This story is easy to read and has adventure, magic and funny
moments. The magical events are descriptive, creating great images
in your mind as you read. These descriptive moments would be great
read out loud in the classroom and are great models for developing
writers. This book is highly recommended for readers aged 9+.
Kylie Kempster
Antoinette by Kelly dePucchio and Christian Robinson
Simon and Schuster, 2017. ISBN 9781481457835
(Age: 4-8) Recommended. Paris. Bravery. Family. Dogs. A charming
tale of being yourself, of following your heart has Antoinette,
despairing of her place in the household, where her three brothers
are known for their strengths. Rocky is clever, Ricky is fast and
Bruno is strong, but she has nothing to compare with them. Mum
reassures her that she has a special gift but it is not yet
apparent. One day while in the park, Mrs Bulldog notices that one of
the poodle pups is missing. Antoinette sees her brothers try out
their special gifts, but they cannot find Oo-La-La. She decides to
try for herself and follows the scent after the others have given
up. Her nose takes her across the park to the Louvre, and despite
being chased by a guard, she finds Oo-La-La in a most perilous
position and rescues her. Her bravery and tenacity is apparent for
all to see and later she becomes a famous police dog.
The stylish naive illustrations give the impression of block prints
with slabs of acrylic colour used as the background to the story.
The reduced pallet of colour compliments this impression, making the
story stand out against a pared back setting, while the dogs have a
collage appearance, which children may like to emulate after reading
the book. I loved the setting with images of Paris on several pages.
Readers, like me, will have a great time recognising iconic images
of Parisian life and its buildings: the Louvre, an artist, poodles,
a beret amongst others along with some French words to further pique
interest.
Fran Knight
A tragic kind of wonderful by Eric Lindstrom
Harper Collins, 2017. ISBN 978008183011
(Age: 14+) Themes: mental illness, bipolar disorder, friendship, family, love. Mel Hannigan's has bipolar disorder, diagnosed after a period of traumatic events, requiring a period in hospital. Her best memory is of the day her brother Nolan encouraged her to wag school and they had an amazing day of doing crazy things together. But this memory is closely tied to her worst memory, one she won't allow herself to contemplate, an ability she describes as her 'superpower'. We soon find out that Nolan died and this precipitated her parent's divorce, requiring Mel and her mother to move in with her aunt. On her first day at a new school Mel was bullied by a group of girls but rescued by Annie, Zumi and Connor who soon became best friends. After her breakdown Mel is reluctant to tell her friends about her illness and the friendship suffers. She is not the only one in her family to suffer this mental disorder, HJ, her aunt prefers to enjoy the highs and endure the lows rather than take medication, and it is pretty obvious that her brother's death happened while he was in the grip of a manic episode. We find that the disorder manifests itself in a wide spectrum of symptoms and Mel keeps track of her own symptoms by keeping a mood diary which helps when adjusting her medication. At school Mel describes herself as an antisocial underachiever but she works at a retirement home where she is in demand for her empathy and cheerful assistance, there she meets David, the grandson of one of the residents and they have immediate rapport. The normal highs and lows of teenage life (including mood swings with the onset of menstruation) are complicated by Mel's disorder and her unwillingness to share knowledge of it with her friends. When problems with her friends become traumatic, coinciding with a crisis in her mood, things go terribly wrong. Packaged up into a readable story about friendships and first love, readers are introduced to what it must mean for a teen to live with bipolar disorder in a way that is both detailed and insightful. Following on from Lindstrom's Not if I See you First and joining a number of recent stories about mental disorders, this novel is sure to find an enthusiastic readership especially from year 9/10 girls.
Sue Speck
The Great Shelby Holmes girl detective by Elizabeth Eulberg
Ill. by Matt Robertson. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408871478
(Age: 8-10) Recommended. Shelby Holmes is a feisty nine-year-old
girl detective who loves to solve mysteries in her local
neighbourhood. She lives upstairs in Apartment 221B Baker Street
Harlem, New York City, with her family, Mrs. Hudson their
housekeeper and Sir Arthur their English bulldog. Shelby is a
well-known and liked figure in her neighbourhood, where she uses her
logic and skills of observation to solve crimes.
As eleven-year old John Watson and his mother move in downstairs, a
loud explosion startles them. A rather dishevelled Shelby comes down
to apologise for the commotion and she totally surprises them with
her astute observations. She deduces that John has diabetes, that
his parents were recently divorced and Mrs. Watson had been an Army
doctor in Afghanistan. John's observations and feelings are openly
shared with the reader; his relationship with his father, who does
not keep in contact, his mother's concerns about his diabetes and
his friendship with Shelby. He expresses his feelings through
journal writing recording his feelings and daily adventures with
Shelby.
Shelby takes John under her wing and they venture all over, meeting
a diverse mix of shopkeepers and neighbourhood characters. Their
first mystery to solve together involves a stolen dog, dog trainers
and culminates at the Dog Show. Along the way, John meets some new
friends and becomes closer to Shelby. The scenes at the Dog Show are
humorous, as John sneaks Sir Arthur on to the subway train and has
to handle the British bulldog in the ring.
Matt Robertson's fun drawings are entertaining; there is Shelby's
frizzled hair after the explosion, the paw embellishments, Sir
Arthur's poses and the colourful front cover. Author Elizabeth
Eulberg has creatively woven characters and elements of the Sherlock
Holmes novels into The Great Shelby Holmes Girl Detective.
With themes of friendship, solving mysteries and overcoming worry
and anxiety, this is an enjoyable novel suited to ages 8-10.
Rhyllis Bignell
I don't know what to call my cat by Simon Phillip
Ill. by Ella Bailey. Simon and Schuster, 2017. ISBN 9781471124136
(Ages: 3-5) A new pet brings joy, happiness and a few problems for
the new owner. Where will it sleep? What to feed it and where to
feed it - not the high chair as there will be food everywhere. The
biggest problem of all of course, is what to name the kitten, maybe
not Kitty. It may be difficult to call 'Kitty', when all the cats in
the neighbourhood turn out for tea! The little girl tries Princess
High and Mighty, but the cat definitively did not like the princess
outfit. She tries everything from Pat, Tricia, Tracey and Betty but
nothing seems right. Of course, at the vet's, she discovers an
important fact - her kitten is a boy!
After trying Rocky, Arnie and Mr. Maestro, her cat tires of dressing
up and of being called names that do not fit his character, so he
leaves in a huff. She looks everywhere, even putting up Missing Cat
posters all over the zoo. There on a zoo bench she meets Steve the
gorilla, who follows her home and cheers her up. He messes up her
room, enjoys painting banana pictures, and he even accompanies her
to the Museum and a cafe. Unfortunately, the Bureau for Naughty
Animals takes him away in the BNA van. To the young girl's surprise,
her grey tabby cat returns home with a collar and a name Tricky!
Emma Bailey's delightful digital illustrations are visually
appealing; they lift this simple story and bring the characters to
life. She engages her young audience with her use of fresh modern
colours, wide-eyed creatures and humorous scenes. Look for Tricky
hiding in the gorilla scenes, carefully placed in the Egyptian room,
the cafe and disguised as a BNA agent.
Simon Phillip's picture book story loses its purpose towards the
end, when Steve the Gorilla enters the scene and takes over as the
little girl's pet. Fortunately, the tale gets back on track when the
lost cat returns home, appropriately named Tricky and prepared to be
a great friend to the little girl.
Rhyllis Bignell
Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton
Rebel of the Sands bk 2. Faber and Faber, 2017. ISBN
9780571325412
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. What a roller coaster of a
ride this book turned out to be! Amani, the Blue-Eyed Bandit from Rebel of
the Sands, has been captured by the Sultan and imprisoned in
his palace. Stripped of her powers, and made to obey the Sultan's
every order, Amani is determined to spy on everything that goes on
and report back to the rebels. She is desperately plotting to get
information out of the palace and to keep the momentum of the
rebellion going.
Danger is everywhere, especially in the harem, where intrigue is the
order of the day. Amani has to come to grips with people from her
past, and begins to think about her actions and where they have led
her. Her understanding of the powers of the Demdji is growing as is
her confidence in her own abilities and beliefs.
While attending the Sultan's meetings she has the opportunity to
observe how he operates and also has many conversations with him,
where the nature of ruling and power are discussed. The plight of
women in the harem is also highlighted - they are powerless unless
they have a male heir, and many disappear. This contrasts with the
power that the women who align with the Rebel Prince have - they are
leaders, generals and valuable advisors.
The setting of the Sultan's palace forms an interesting background
to the political intrigues and the friendships that Amani forms.
There are some new characters introduced and some desperate losses
as the group face the fact that a traitor has betrayed them. Amani's
romance with Jin is low-key as maintaining the rebellion takes up
most of the time.
There is a gut-wrenching conclusion that will leave readers longing
for the next book in the series.
Pat Pledger
Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406376678
(Age: 3-5) Warmly recommended. Board book, Shapes, Mathematics,
Friendship. A hardcover book about triangles! Hmm. But the face made
by the triangle on the front cover invites the reader to open up and
look inside.
Triangle lives in his house, a triangle, and uses his door, a
triangle. He walks to his friend's house, Square. To get there he
walks past big triangles and little triangles, shapes that are not
triangles at all, until he gets to Square's house. Here he plays a
sneaky trick on his friend, and then is followed by Square all the
way back home. Once back home, Square becomes stuck in Triangle's
door, and so plays a sneaky trick on Triangle, blocking the light,
knowing Triangle is afraid of the dark.
By the end of the story children will be laughing at the tricks the
two shapes play on each other, they will know what makes a square
and a triangle, and that one cannot fit into the other. They will
also have realised that playing tricks on their friends is not quite
the best way to treat friends.
The seemingly simple illustrations done in single bold colours will
intrigue readers. Shapes are contained on each page, reinforcing the
theme of the book, and the eyes peeing out from the shapes will
entrance all readers, while the question on the last page will cause
wonderment as the readers question what they have seen happen.
By the authors of Sam and Dave dig a hole, and Extra
yarn, both Caldecott Honour Books.
Fran Knight
Witch glitch by Sibeal Pounder
A Witch Wars Adventure series. Bloomsbury,
2016. ISBN 9781408880340
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Witch Glitch is another story
in the A Witch Wars Adventure series. Tiga has been reunited
with her mum, Peggy is in charge of the witching world and Fran the
fairy is still annoying. The good thing about this series is readers
will know what is going on without reading other stories in the
series. In Witch Glitch, Tiga has discovered a book about a
group of witches called The Karens. At the same time, Tiga's mum has
invented a new fairy and Fran the fairy is rather upset. When Fran
receives a letter from The Karens, promising to grant her wishes,
Fran disappears and becomes a new story in the book found by Tiga.
Tiga and her other friends set out to find Fran and discover a jelly
castle and a group of witches all called Karen. Their wishes have
evil twists and Fran finds herself growing bigger and bigger and
bigger! How will Tiga and her friends save Fran? How will they
prevent other witches from seeking out The Karens. Witch Glitch will have readers laughing at the antics of the
witches and the funny world they live in. Australia is even
mentioned in it! The story is easy to read and moves quickly and
readers will be fascinated with the use of the word 'frog' when they
speak, the sneakiness of The Karens and the weirdness of this witchy
world. Throughout the story, the local newspaper makes reports on
recent events including warnings to watch out for falling cake
baskets and chats with witches who think their cat shaped jam jar is
a real cat! It is highly recommended to readers aged 8+.
Kylie Kempster
Stormwalker by Mike Revell
Quercus Children's Books, 2016. ISBN 9781784290696
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. A year ago, Owen lost his mum. He has
tried hard to get on with his life but his dad is still struggling.
After an argument, Owen's dad agrees to go to counselling and starts
to write again. All of a sudden, Owen's reflection is different and
during a moment in class Owen sees a dead world around him. After a
run in with a bike, Owen finds himself running from the Darkness and
running for his life. The world is different, he looks different and
everyone is calling him Jack. What is going on? Owen has Jack's
memories but he also remembers his life as Owen. As Owen settles
into this new life, he has a crazy idea. Is he part of his dad's
story? How will he get back to his own world? Can he help save the
lives of his new friends? Will Owen's dad realise what he has done?
Storm Walker tackles loss, recovery, adventure and change. The
descriptive text is easy to read and follow as Owen skips between
make believe and reality. The story moves quickly, keeping the
readers on the edge of their seats and it is highly recommended for
boys aged 10+. The topic of loss is discussed sensitively but also
shows the strength a child can have despite such a great loss.
Kylie Kempster
I don't want curly hair by Laura Ellen Anderson
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408868409
(Age: 4+) Recommended, Hair. Satisfaction. Body image. With wild
hair springing out on every page, and many many words for curls
taking up the text, readers will laugh out loud at the antics taken
by the protagonist as she tries to straighten her unruly hair. The
methods are as wild as her hair, as she ties balloons to her hair in
the hope of them going skyward taking her hair with them, or putting
heavy books on her hair to iron out the wrinkles, or having her
friends pull it out for her. She craves straight hair, and despises
her mop of wild unruly hair which makes a birds' nest on her head.
The uproarious illustrations will have readers following the girl's
attempts with glee seeing her many attempts to tame her hair. But
all to no avail, until she hears someone with straight hair trying
to change her hair to curly. The exact opposite is happening with
someone else. She is trying all sorts of strange methods to get her
hair curly and the two have a wonderful time working out fun things
they can do with their hair, satisfied that what they have cannot be
changed to something it is not.
This book will encourage children to look at their positives and not
to be dissatisfied with how they look.
Fran Knight
Strange the dreamer by Laini Taylor
Hodder and Stoughton 2017. ISBN 9781444788983
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. The city of Weep has been cut off
from the world and even those that remember the stories have
forgotten the city's true name. It seems that everyone has forgotten
Weep. Everyone but the city's inhabitants and an orphan boy, Lazlo
Strange. It is Lazlo's obsession with the city which earns him a
place on the expedition to save it when Eril-Fane (Godslayer) visits
Zosma where Lazlo has worked as a junior librarian for the past
seven years. Eril-Fane has spent two years away from Weep searching
for people with a select set of skills which will enable him to save
Weep. Being the only one who can speak fluently in the lost language
and a potential translator makes Lazlo a valuable member of the
party - even if he doesn't see it that way. When they arrive in Weep
however, none of them are prepared for the challenge that awaits;
not even golden-boy Theon Nero, famed alchemist and the only person
to have succeeded in making gold. How can Lazlo, a librarian, ever
hope to help these people?
A whirlwind adventure this fantasy is sure to captivate any fantasy
lover and I would highly recommend it to people twelve and up. Strange
the dreamer highlights the importance of the imagination and
reiterates that sometimes the truth is stranger than you can
imagine. Dealing with grief, peer pressure, and first love, it is a
piece about finding your place in the world and accomplishing your
goals. Just like Lazlo, everyone should have the opportunity to
realise their dreams if they only try hard enough.
Kayla Gaskell, 21
