It’s weird, it’s crazy, it’s hilarious, and it’s incredibly sad. This rollercoaster of a story begins with a man in a drunken stupor, on a bridge, contemplating jumping off. He screams. Then something non-human screams back. He follows the scream and finds a brilliant white egg, about two feet in size, sitting resplendent in a forest clearing. Isaac takes the Egg home.
Thus begins the strangest story you will ever read. The Egg ‘hatches’ and becomes a friendly but annoying and perplexing creature that Isaac somehow has to learn how to live with amidst the chaos that his life has become. Gradually we learn that Isaac’s wife has died tragically only recently, and he is in the depths of despair having lost the one person that gave his life meaning.
This is one of those stories where you are immersed in the world of the narrator, and while you can’t quite trust what you are reading, you just have to go along for the ride. It is a bit like the unreliable narrator of Adrianne Howell’s Hydra. Isaac is similarly unreliable. We know there are things he is not telling us, and we aren’t sure just what the Egg is all about. Many of the situations are laugh-out-loud funny, they play out like a nonsense movie, but gradually the reader comes to realise that actually Isaac is suffering from overwhelmingly depression and grief. The love story at the heart of the novel is sweetly romantic and also very sad.
In this highly original story Palmer manages to explore issues of death, loss and grief, in a way that often has you laughing or reading with a smile on your face. You just have to read it to the end to find out what happens to Isaac and the egg.
The reinvention of a 50+ year old series seems a grand thing when you consider how much things have changed in that time, and readers who have fond memories of Enid Blyton's original tales should rest easy knowing that the magic and enchantment of the world of the faraway tree has been lovingly pulled into the modern world. It is still fantastical, comforting and thrilling, but it also presents a world where boys and girls are on equal footing and one that will be more palatable for parents and more relatable for young children today. Unlike the rewriting of the series that happened some years ago (that saw things such as names changed to be more politically correct), Jacqueline Wilson has hit refresh on the entire thing, and she's done a charming job. Her distinctive and humorous voice is perfect for this fantasy adventure that also shines a focus on sibling relationships and doesn't shy away from showing children and their full range of emotions and internal conflicts (jealousy, greed, reckless behaviour, etc). Wilson's characterisation is perfection. All the favourite things are still included and described with rich visual detail: Moon Face's slippery dip, the Faraway Tree folk, the magical food and the fantastical lands.
In Wilson's new tale, three new children stumble upon the Faraway Tree and are immediately intrigued by the magical people who live there and the wonderful lands at the top. They visit the Land of Unicorns, the Land of Bouncy Castles and the Land of Dragons, but it is there that trouble waits for Milo, who is far too curious not to take a peek. Can they rescue him before it's too late? Parents who love reading the original series to their children but engage in occasional editing or historical side notes while doing so will rejoice at this new title, as will the children who adore listening to them.
Themes Fantasy, Adventure, Magic.
Nicole Nelson
You can't let an elephant drive a racing car by Patricia Cleveland-Peck and David Tazzyman
Another in this highly infectious series of tales about size and appropriateness of vehicle use will have kids ask to read the book again and again as the preposterous scenarios are revealed. Kids will adore the idea of an elephant driving a racing car and all that it implies: speed, compactness, competition, clothing etc. And to turn up to the start of the race he dreams of winning with parts already falling off the vehicle will cause much mirth. Over the page, an alligator dreams of being a figure skater, and a kangaroo wants to play cricket, an octopus attempts to play ping pong much to the chagrin of her opponent, while a hippo wants to try out the pole vault. Each scene is accompanied by a verse of rhyming lines, telling the readers what is going on and encouraging them to predict the rhyming words, while laughing at the punch lines of each stanza. And the illustrations adroitly capture the moments when the expected and sometimes unexpected happens. The stork cannot keep his feet on the ground in the three legged race, the wombat finds weight lifting does not suit her abilities, the warthog reverts to his natural prowess of digging while playing in the football match and the puma baulks after he climbs the diving tower to plunge into the pool which is a very long way down.
Each double page presents a scene that is quite out of the ordinary, and will make readers think about just what is appropriate for that animal, while pondering on their involvement in a sport. The animals might not win any medals for their efforts, but they have participated in a sport not usually in their orbit. Making an effort, joining in and participating form the background of this highly amusing tale of animals being where they are certainly not expected to be and doing things out of the ordinary.
When a new girl moves into the big house across the road, the strong friendship between Milo and Jay fractures. Milo calls to see Jay only to find he is with the new girl, Suzi. He hears them laughing together. When he goes to the playground they are there together playing. Sometime he hears them laughing in the big old garden around her house. He becomes jealous of the new friendship and resents being left out. He is envious that she has a new friendship with Jay.
A green-eyed monster turns up and gives him negative thoughts. These thoughts are irrepressible and take over his life. He spies on his friends, walks away when they appear and feels terrible.
But one day Suzi tells him that Jay is unhappy and asks him why he does not join them. He realises that the green-eyed monster has taken over his life and he works to suppress it. The more he works at repressing the jealousy monster the smaller it becomes. And finally the three are friends with Milo acknowledging his poor behaviour.
Another in the fine series, Big Bright Feelings, Percival taps into the feelings of younger readers, exposing their fears and concerns with a deft hand. His stories get to the nitty gritty of the problem, and supported with wonderfully apt illustrations, offer solutions which are simple, straightforward, and achievable.
His books offer a template for discussion and debate within the classroom or home. Others in the series are listed inside the back cover and include several which touch on mental health.
With a gripping opening sentence, ‘When they made the bargain, they knew they risked death,' readers know that they will be in for another exciting ride with Robb’s latest Eve Dallas thriller. This time she explores the sinister underground of child sex trafficking. Mina Cabot and Dorian Gregg are two teenagers who have been abducted and kept imprisoned in the Pleasure Academy, where they have been trained for a life of exploitation. Together they plan to escape but terribly their plan fails and Eve Dallas is called to the scene of the murder of Mina Cabot. Mina had disappeared on the way home from school and as Eve investigates it becomes apparent that she is just one of many children who have gone missing under strange circumstances.
As always, the well written narrative flows along smoothly, keeping the reader’s attention. The theme of child sex trafficking is disturbing and brings some of Eve’s nightmare memories back, but she is determined to uncover who is organising the trafficking and find where the children are being kept. Other familiar members of the Task Force are featured, with Delia Peabody and Roarke playing important roles, and they follow a trail of blood giving them some clues to what is happening.
This is a compelling read and fans of the series will not be disappointed. Robb always manages to find a new theme to highlight in each of her books and child trafficking makes for a sometimes dark and difficult background for this police procedural. The unexpected twist at the end is memorable as well.
The Strangeworld Travel Agency. Orion, 2022. ISBN: 9781510105966. (Age:9+)
The Secrets of the stormforest is the final book in The Strangeworlds travel agency series by UK writer L.D. Lapinski. The central character Flick learns to control and channel her magic as she and Jonathon and friends battle to understand their role as part of the Strangeworlds Society and thereby save the multiverses as they are all threatened with collapse. Secrets are uncovered and many dangers are faced in a cinematic struggle against evil magic. Portals to other worlds open and close, schisms appear and the inbetween world becomes a reality. Problems have to be solved through a mixture of teamwork, attention to clues and making choices that are terrifying.
In the magical vein of stories about portals to other worlds, reminiscent of Blyton's The magic faraway tree but for older children, our heroes struggle to gain entry to visit and survive in other worlds, all of which challenge the team. Questions of identity and of origins and futures make this a coming of age book.
Characters from previous worlds visited in previous books in the series unite to overcome an overarching threat to all of the worlds. This third book completes the series and incorporates adventures and references from the first two books. Of the series, the second book The edge of the oceanmay be the preferred recommendation. The Strangeworlds travel agency series is done.
Themes Fantasy, Multiverses.
Wendy Jeffrey
Wednesday Weeks and the dungeon of fire by Denis Knight and Cristy Burne
Denis Knight (science fiction and fantasy author and computer programmer) and Cristy Burne (children's author and science communicator) have done it again. Wednesday Weeks and the dungeon of fire is the third Wednesday Weeks book and these stories, rather than running out of steam (as sometimes happens with series) seem to be getting, if it were even possible, better and better.
The stories are told with the immediacy of the first person; the narrator being Wednesday Weeks. The interaction between the characters is delightful. The wit is snap-crackle sharp; the characters' relationships are skilfully drawn. Who would think that readers could relate to a talking skull called Bruce but he's a wise-cracking old thing whose survival we care about as much as Wednesday, Alfie and Grandpa. Our four heroes save the nine realms from the evil Gorgomoth's Third Age of Never-Ending Darkness and bring their regular, normal Science teacher, Mrs Glock, the year sixes and the school inspector Rixon from the Board of Education through world's of heart stopping adventure and danger safely back to class. They travel through realms of unfriendly cats, live volcanoes and more trying to beat Gorgomoth the goblin king to the long lost Stone of Power.
Along the way many obstacles are ingeniously overcome. It is the lessons learnt in school Science/STEM lessons that are applied to saving their lives from hair raising, terrifying situations. At the end of the book are some pages of activities related to the solutions that our heroes had to come up with to save themselves. Concepts of magnetism, energy transformation and gravity and balance and solving of logic puzzles and hidden messages that the children have learnt at school combined with a few magic spells (which Wednesday is controlling a little better) are employed to rescue all from dire danger.
Dialogue between the characters is on pitch, hilarious, informal and smart as a whip. The book could be opened at any page and read to the delight of the year 5, 6 or 7 age group in particular. It's clever, energetic, sassy and very well written. Not only is it about magic and adventure, it is also about true friendship.
Wednesday Weeks and the dungeon of fire is a funny, beautiful book, part of a funny, clever series.
Namina Forna is back with the second instalment of the African-inspired Deathless trilogy, The Merciless Ones. When we left Deka at the end of The Gilded Ones, she had just discovered that she was the long-awaited daughter of the goddesses that once benevolently ruled the nation of Otera. She is immortal and gifted with the potential to free womankind from an oppressive and patriarchal society. In The Merciless Ones we meet Deka again six months later. She and her warrior friends are exiled from the capital of Hemaira, locked in a protracted conflict with the powerful male priesthood, the Jatu, which controls the land and seeks to subjugate all women. As Deka learns more about the forces and powers in play, she realises that it may not be as easy as expected to defeat her enemies, even with the power of the goddesses on her side. Something is very wrong in Otera and Deka may be the only one with the abilities to stop it.
The Merciless Ones is a typical middle book of a trilogy. It is a solid read without being particularly outstanding. Deka’s story continues in a generally logical manner, although some concepts and character alterations have been inserted into the plot in a rather heavy-handed and at times dissonant manner. Nevertheless, The Merciless Ones functions as a good connection between the first book and the events still to come in the conclusion of the series.
It must be mentioned that Forna is realistic in her portrayals of the abuse and trauma suffered by women living in patriarchal societies. Readers should be aware and keep this in mind when determining whether to read this book.
Extinct: Hainan Gibbon by Ben Garrod. Illus. by Gabriel Ugueto
Head of Zeus, 2022. ISBN: 9781838935474. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
Extinct Hainan Gibbon is the final book in the Extinction series written by TV scientist Ben Garrod. For those who are unfamiliar with the Hainan Gibbon, it is one of the rarest mammals on Earth, one of our closest relatives and is one of the most endangered species with less than 35 remaining in the wild. The habitat for these gibbons is the island of Hainan, which is off the southern coast of China.
The book begins with a detailed introduction surrounded by plenty of white space to make it accessible for younger readers. This is followed by a chapter on ‘What is extinction?’, information from an expert, the first one being Professor Richard Pancost commenting on climate change. A comprehensive chapter on the causes of extinction is next, followed by another Ask the Expert, Professor Gillian Forrester, who answers the question, Is nature good?
Information on the Hainan Gibbon is broken up into the sections labelled: discovery, anatomy, classification, ecology and environment, and behaviour. Expert, Dr Carolyn Thompson shares information on her life as a primatologist who now works with the Hainan Gibbon. Throughout the book the wonderful illustrations by palaeoartist, Gabriel Ugueto, complement the text perfectly and the endpapers and double page spread illustrations are simple stunning.
The strong message in this book that is delivered time and time again, is that humans are responsible for the damage to the environment and have the power to turn things around but must act quickly.
From the first page we know that the worst thing possible has happened - Paragon City’s superhero has died! What will happen now and what will 12-year-old Sonny Nelson do now that his personal hero, Doctor Extraordinary, is no longer able to sweep in and rescue the city from everything evil? Fortunately, Sonny becomes the only one who can see the ghostly apparition of the heroic Doctor when he reappears. The dilemma of being the only one in communication with a ghost is that everyone thinks you are mad! The story is a laugh every moment, and when robotic pandas are released in a dastardly plan to create chaos, Sonny must release his own inner hero (with ghostly Doctor Extraordinary’s help) to rescue the city.
This is a light-hearted romp with some very quirky features. Frequently the authors break into the narrative with amusing asides and this will appeal to young readers. The ‘dead’ Doctor and his arch nemesis Captain Chaos are eccentric and Sonny is the slightly shy and friendless boy whose besotted behaviour towards the heroic Doctor is also left-of-field. Children will enjoy this comic adventure with twists and turns … and pandas. It is just entertaining without being overly challenging, but it also contains the occasional commentary on the adults in the story that kids will appreciate. Recommended for lovers of comedic stories, aged 9+.
Spot appears in a new adventure as he and his dad work on the farm. Each double page has a new chore for Spot to help around the farm. Each shows what the chore is and what Spot must do to be useful and each page has a push and pull insert which adds movement and interest for younger readers.
‘A push and pull adventure’, full of humour will be eagerly sought after by younger readers. The first double age shows Dad collecting eggs from the henhouse while Spot feeds the chickens and hens. The pull out slide shows the grain being thrown from the bucket for the animals to eat. Over the page, lucky Dad is cleaning out the pigsty while Spot collects apples for the animals. The slide shows the piglets eating the apples. Over the page Dad is using the tractor to move the hay bales, with Spot is nowhere to be seen. Eventually Dad finds Spot in the stable with the horses, feeding them apples.
A warm hearted look at the work needed to be done on a farm, this sturdy board book shows a great many details about the work, the animals, clothing and landscape of a farm. Some will be familiar while others will be new to many children, so introducing them to something outside their experience.
Younger readers will love pointing out the animals and what Spot is doing, while helping to pull out the tab which slides across the page.
Pan Macmillan, 2022. ISBN: 9781529094961. (Age:Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended.
Lucinda Riley, best-selling author of the Seven Sisters series and the Angelseries wrote The Murders at Fleat House in 2006. It is her only crime novel and her son Harry Whittaker decided to leave it as he found it after her death in 2021. The story has stood the test of time as a compelling and interesting crime novel and introduces Detective Inspector Jazmine ‘Jazz’ Hunter and her sidekick DS Alistair Miles.
Fleat House is part of the small private school of St Stephen’s in Norfolk. When Charlie Cavendish is found dead, Jazz is convinced that his death was not accidental, and when investigating, turns up some disturbing incidents in the past as well as the present. Charlie was known to be a bully and there were people around him who could have switched the drugs he took for his epilepsy. When a young pupil, Rory Millar, disappears and the Classics teacher dies, it is up to Jazz to link up the clues and find the killer.
The claustrophobic atmosphere of St Stephen’s provides a background for the murder and the bullying that has not been stopped by the teaching staff. There are themes of divorce, alcoholism and infidelity in the wider school community and some red herrings will lead the reader astray until the final denouement.
The Murders at Fleat House is an easy to read, engaging story with a detective who is likeable and a mystery that is compelling. Readers are likely to be left wishing that there were more novels featuring Jazz and her team.
Three final-year high school students Sydney, Rain and Brianna have grown up together on the outskirts of a California desert town as best friends. However as their parents’ circumstances change and two of them are able to move to the more expensive suburbs, their allegiances are tested, fatally.
Brie moves first when her father’s business starts to improve, and she is quick to shake off her childhood friends, leaving Syd and Rain feeling abandoned. She has her sights set on attending a prestigious college and is studying hard, to prove to her father that he should fund this.
When Rain’s mother wins the lottery, they also move ‘down the hill’, and now that she has money, Rain is readmitted into Brie’s group, leaving Syd bereft.
This not uncommon story of friends growing apart, is given depth as Kahaney reveals the motivations for their behaviour; the desire to escape poverty, to avoid an abusive parent, to grieve a lost one, the pressures to appear perfect, have money and possessions, and make friends and influence others.
The novel is told in 13 parts, each from one of the girl’s perspective, over a period of a year. The pivotal event is the house fire in which Brie dies and Syd becomes a suspect, and each chapter adds to our knowledge and understanding of how and why the fire occurred, as layers of deceit and desire are slowly revealed by each girl’s memories and actions. From several viewpoints we see that privilege is not always what it seems, and friendships can be expendable.
In places this is not a pleasant read, as each girl struggles with their sense of self-worth and the very worst of ‘mean girl’ behaviour, regularly using drugs and alcohol to cope. However, it is a skilfully written story that addresses many of the issues facing teen-aged girls, including making and keeping friendships as circumstances and priorities change, and self-preservation kicks in. A gripping read that delivers right up to the final plot twist and raises many contemporary discussion points.
Themes Friendship, Families, Relationships.
Margaret Crohn
Thank you, teacher from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Eric Carle, a prolific author and illustrator of children’s books, died in 2021, but his website is still active and luckily more books written by him are being published as he sold his rights to PenguinRandomHouse in 2021. For more about him and his work see https://eric-carle.com/
This charming board book extolls the virtues of saying thank you to someone who has helped a child scale heights. They are thanked for reading stories, for helping someone hang in there, for offering friendship and helping them see the value of friendship in others, for being wise and inspirational. Each double page has Carle’s recognisable illustrations: a pile of books and a caterpillar, an owl spreading its wings, a spider and caterpillar in the long grass, bees buzzing around honeycomb, each accompanied by a few words which show how much is owed to a teacher who has inspired. Children will love looking for Eric Carle’s signature illustrations: a caterpillar, bees, owl, spider, butterflies and apples, reflecting the other books children will know and love from his astonishing output. And spotting the caterpillar on each page will add to the humour of the storyline.
All of the virtues presented will engender further discussion amongst older readers, as they ponder who taught them to care about their world, or encouraged their uniqueness, or supported their attempts to fly.
This is a lovely easily held, strong board book dedicated to thanking teachers who have inspired and supported, reminding people to say thank you. The apple motif runs through the book, an apt opportunity to talk about the idiom, an apple for the teacher.
Themes Caterpillars, Eric Carle, Teachers, Acknowledgement, Humour.
Fran Knight
How to make a pet monster: Smidgen by Lili Wilkinson
Albert Street Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781761067433. (Age:7+) Highly recommended.
Have you ever wished for your very own pet monster? One that is cute and would keep you entertained forever? Well, Artie, Willow and Arabella Rose are back to create one again. Previously, after finding an ancient spell book called the BIGGE BOKE OF FETCHING MONSTERS, Artie and Willow created Hodgepodge, Artie’s best friend. But when they tried to create one for Willow, Flummox turned out to be Arabella Rose’s. Now Willow is desperate for her own!
Working together to gather the ingredients, the trio use their ingenuity to find items that are just right. But, trying to keep their monster secret can be a little tricky, especially when your club house gets invaded! Enter Zayn, a cool kid who loves soccer. He explodes into the headquarters, and they aren’t sure how much to tell him. However, Willow is so desperate for her own pet monster, they must make some compromises. So now everything looks like it is going to plan, until Willow becomes scrambled in her Dad’s souffle cooking competition! Will her monster dreams be smashed forever, or will they work out an egg-cellent solution!
Smidgen (#3 How to make a pet monster) is the third book in the series, but you can easily catch up with the characters and plot to enjoy even if you haven’t read the previous books. Lili Wilkinson writes an entertaining story. Filled with adventure, humour and fast paced action, the reader will be left enjoying every minute. The book also contains great cartoon pictures by Alex Patrick. These enrich the text and allow the audience further levels of engagement. The text has a larger font, which is easy to navigate and not overwhelming for those entering the excitement of a slightly longer novel.
With entertaining characters, a humorous storyline and jampacked with cool illustrations, this novel provides high engagement for the reader. The clever typography adds further interest, and this novel is sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys fun, adventure and some cute monsters to keep them amused too!
