The endpapers will set kids laughing as they spy the image of Dad from the previous Germein/Jellett My Dad series of books dressed up with an eyepatch and crossed bones. A most recognisable piratical image!
Pirate Dads will be just as popular as children laugh at the humour inherent in a Dad trying hard to be funny. Puns galore along with riddles and knock knock jokes will have the target audience and many older readers laughing out loud. Puns on the word aye, wave, sail, sandwich, sure and so on abound as the family heads for the ocean to spend a day at the beach and fish. More gags are found on the jetty where dad is having trouble landing a catch but digging for buried treasure after having a windy time, sees a chest discovered.
Very funny, involving a wonderful look at family life, in sync with the others in the series, Dad is full of lame jokes, and is endearing and central to the family unit. Children will love seeing him take the family to the beach, one child on his shoulders, fishing with the other while Mum sits of the beach reading.
His continuous run of jokes, riddles and puns make for a very funny read aloud, and kids will pick the book up eagerly for themselves to learn the jokes to share them with their friends and family.
Children will enjoy seeing all the accoutrements of being a pirate, with Dad sporting an earring, an eye patch, a funny hat and left unshaven, while teaching a parrot to talk, carrying a sword and looking for treasure.
Jellett’s illustrations set the scene perfectly, inviting readers into the family, seeing how they interact, looking for clues which underlies their closeness. A wonderfully warm and positive image of family is spread over every page, highlighting the things families do together, modelling a happy involved family group.
This novel opens with a letter written by Eden to her dear husband, Andy Farrelly. In a sad and wistful manner, Eden reassures Andy how much she loved him, and now how much she misses him. Eden tells Andy that he has a beautiful daughter, who will never know how good and lovely her father was, in a deeply passionate tone. She had not believed in the notion of soul mates, but having lost Andy, she realises how much he had meant to her.
Eden is struggling to cope with Andy’s death, but in the letters she writes to him, she tells him how she is managing and how much she loves their daughter, Lila, describing their life together, deeply sad without Andy as father and spouse. She visits the seaside to watch the sun shining on the ocean, the sunsets gloriously reminiscent of their joy in living during their years together. She tells him how devastated she was to lose him, and fills him in with her life in the present time. She has chosen to work as a care-giver, her training as a physiotherapist supporting this choice, as she works with people who are physically compromised, and loves her work.
When Eden bumps into a childhood friend, Rafe, she is captivated by his support of her, and the unlikely coincidence that they have a daughter of a similar age and their girls like each other. Eden is intelligent, and her discovery of Rafe’s PhD in nanotechnology supports her realisation of his work and research as important, as he works in a research laboratory in Dublin. While their emotional, intellectual and physical attraction is immediate, there are issues surrounding this situation, particularly the response of Andy’s family, who are not as supportive as Eden might have hoped.
This vibrant novel is captivating, O’Flanagan plunging us into the world of a very modern and beautiful Ireland, creating a complex world and a narrative where the characters are challenged to meet their situation, and to make appropriate emotional and pragmatic choices. We are drawn into this world as Sheila O’Flanagan presents a world where sudden changes are disconcerting, difficult to deal with, and demanding of our capacity to adapt to a new world. This beautifully written novel would be highly suitable for adolescent and adult readers.
Charlotte, a normal teen with a 'goth' fashion sense and a fascination with death, made a miraculous recovery from a near fatal crash on a school bus trip but suffers from 'visual disturbances' explained by head trauma. Now she sees vivid and disturbing reflections of how people will die. But one of the reflections is not a death scene but someone who can see her and knows her name. The scene shifts to a fight scene two years ago where the man in the mirror kills someone and is incarcerated in ‘Eon Facility' as 'Inmate Zero'. This is Eli whose back story involves an experiment he and a friend, Victor, conduct when they were medical students investigating near death experience where the subject is revived at the last minute with adrenaline. He becomes “Extraordinary” like Charlotte but he regards himself as an 'Avenging Angel' and a 'Sword of God', his mission to kill all 'Extraordinaries'. 'We are proof of the divine and an affront to God'. His superpower is an inability to die so he is able to hunt and kill with impunity. Now he is hunting Charlotte.
The graphics are energetic with strong colours, consistent characterisation and a good flow of frames. Different points of view are used effectively including birds eye, above and below sightlines and interesting effects like foreshortening and breaking out. An interesting twist on the superhero story with a brave female protagonist though I am not sure I really like the God references. This graphic version in V.E. Schwab’s Villains series is sure to appeal to readers of her Vicious and Vengeful novels.
Willa and Woofis a short feel-good story about 8-year-old Willa, her best friend Tae, and her Irish wolfhound companion, Woof. In this story Willa visits her grumpy elderly neighbour called Frank every day. She humours him and softens his heart with her jokes and antics. In turn he tells her stories and gives her crackers and lime cordial. Frank was once a champion pigeon racer but now his life at Sunset Views Retirement Village is restricted by rules. He has one pigeon left called Mimi and one day she goes missing. Willa blames herself and enlists Tae to help find Mimi. One of her strategies to find Mimi results in the neighbours being annoyed by plagues of birds and bird poo. Then Frank goes missing too.
This was a very enjoyable story told by the big hearted and spirited Willa. Her family are equally kind and Tae adds a little bit of eccentricity as he dresses up as a different heroic character each week. There are many comic illustrations throughout the book that match the fun tone of the story. The subject matter is light but broaches matters of respect for others, honesty, and responsibility for your actions. Willa and Woof is very suitable as a class read-aloud or for children who are beginning to read short novels. The next in this new series is due in September. Jacqueline Harvey is of course the author of other popular series such as the Clementine Rose and Alice-Miranda series.
Themes Older people, Birds, Kindness, Honesty.
Jo Marshall
Look inside a coral reef by Minna Lacey Sam Brewster
Despite it being in board book format, this is one for anyone with a new interest in coral reefs, their formation, inhabitants and the secrets they hold. The board book format allows it to have a sturdy lift-the-flap feature encouraging readers to explore further and learn more as each phenomenon is explained in a little more depth beneath the flap. Watch here.
And for those who want to know even more, there are the usual Quicklinks that accompany most of the books from this publisher, including games and activities.
Ren is thoroughly committed to helping her best friends Anna and Jez in their crowdfunding bid to raise funds to take their terminally ill 8-year-old daughter Lottie to Germany to participate in a new drug trial to target brain cancer. While the local community bands together to donate, it’s not enough money, and the search becomes desperate to find more sources of funds. It’s not surprising that the stress starts to show cracks in Anna and Jez’s marriage, and Ren finds herself running ragged trying to be a support to them both, and to little Lottie, to the extent that it starts to impact her own work life.
Ren feels concern for Lottie in the process. The child craves normal childhood fun and friendships at the same time as battling her illness and fear of death. Ren tries to give her some of the fun and laughter that she needs. She would do anything to help Lottie.
But sometimes, when everyone is focussed on one goal, little things are overlooked. Slowly niggling questions start to arise about some things. Anna usually has all the answers, because she has always been confident and highly organised. But the questions build up in Ren’s mind.
This is a thriller with a difference. It moves quickly, carried mainly by the conversational style, in dialogue between Ren and other people. It starts out as a moving family drama, but veers unexpectedly into more of a detective story. I won’t add any more spoilers, other than to say it is a good read that will hold your attention until the last page.
Jazz has had to relocate from the sun and surf of coastal Australia to beachside Brighton in the UK. She is not happy to leave behind her friends and the surfing culture that she loves because of her father’s career move, and now she has to attend a posh new school where everyone treats her like a lemon. If it wasn’t for her cousin Amber (from the original Moonlight Dreamers) and the advice she gives (with the help of Oscar Wilde) she would be forever resentful, lonely and painfully isolated. Making new friends requires her to be proactive, and some Oscar Wilde wisdom connects her to some new potential friends all with the desire to experience more. Slowly the new Moonlight Dreamers discover new directions and new options in their lives and weave together in ways they never thought possible. Jazz’ impetus has forged a new community that provides benefits beyond her own distress, and gives them all an opportunity to look beyond their own problems.
This is a story of friendship and overcoming major and minor dilemmas by working together and daring to dream. It travels into the lives of the young teens looking at their challenges within their families and their relationships, and giving them a chance to see things differently. One of the girls is battling a major health-scare diagnosis, another has to determine whether her current friends are really healthy for her, another has a heart for animals, and Jazz is experiencing the distress of unwanted disconnection from her friends and favoured environment. The story unfolds fairly quickly with some simple twists along the way. It has heart and moments of joy as the girls discover their new connection and the hope of looking at life differently. As Oscar Wilde says, ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’
An informative text alongside detailed illustrations about the things you might find in your own back yard is sure to please younger readers as they become aware of what lives around them. An index inside the front cover tells able readers what they will find inside: ladybird, moth, butterfly, snail, spider, bee, termite, blue tongued lizard, green tree frog, garden ant, while the last page shows younger readers how to make a pet rock.
On each double page is an explanation of the animals in question. Half a dozen sentences give a brief outline of the insect and this is mirrored by a page of illustrations that will make readers laugh while a the same time, acquaint them with the main features of the creature.
One double page is about the snail. Half a dozen sentences tell us about this lovely slow moving creature and compares it with humans. We are told he likes the journey not the destination and baby snails would never ask, ‘Are we there yet?’ On the facing page more information is given in the illustrations. A size chart is shown, along with their colour and main food delight, and when the best time to see them is. For younger readers, a host of information told in a humorous way is repeated with illustrations that will inform and delight.
And I can imagine lots of kids and classes delving into their backyards or playgrounds whenever they have the chance.
Themes Insects, Backyard, Common creatures, Humour.
Fran Knight
Pirate Queens by Leigh Lewis Illus. by Sara Gomez Woolley
NatGeo Kids, 2022. ISBN: 9781426371950.
In 1995, September 19 each year was proclaimed International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Created as a bit of fun by two friends in the US, in Australia, at least, it has become a major fundraiser for Childhood Cancer Support with schools getting involved in a range of ways to support students and friends. According to the Cancer Council, it is estimated that, on average, about 750 children aged 0-14 are diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia with leukaemia accounting for about 33% of cases, and brain cancers, 25% so it is likely that a school will be supporting a student through this - if not yours, then nearby.
Thus, what might have been a frivolous suggestion more than 25 years ago, can now have a significant impact on those we know and this new book from NatGeo Kids can provide an opportunity to investigate the lives of some of the women who were just as fearsome as the more well-known males such as Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Captain Hook or even Jack Sparrow. As is often the case with history, the past is viewed through a male lens because men were viewed as the gender capable of writing and reading, they became the scholars, and thus wrote the history books which were mostly written to please kings, generals or male politicians and so only portrayed the male perspective.
Thus, even though there have been female pirates since the dawn of piracy, including Ching Shih (aka Zheng Yi Sao) who tormented the South China Sea with her fleet of 70,000 raiders in the early 19th century, our children have grown up with male-dominated images and stereotypes.
Easy to read with lots of detailed illustrations, the author has trolled the few resources that do still exist and this collection of six stories of powerful female pirates who forged their own path is but a small part of the stories of other women whose stories have been lost or forgotten. Spanning the Caribbean, the Irish and North Seas, the Mediterranean and even the Pacific, this is a fascinating look into the lives of these women that had me more intrigued that I imagined and immediately I could see its place in a serious study of these seafarers who not only captivate young readers in folklore and fiction but who also were real and shaped history so that International Talk Like a Pirate Day could have a legitimate place in the curriculum and thus, its associated fund-raising boosted.
Older students might investigate the qualities of leaders and leadership and whether rule by fear is the most successful way, while perhaps the next pirate a younger child draws might even be female!
Themes Pirates.
Barbara Braxton
The best liars in Riverview by Lin Thompson
Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922458452. (Age:10+)
Aubrey and Joel are the best of friends. They have always been friends, and while others might think they are odd, they are perfectly happy enjoying their make believe games, even if they might be getting a bit old for them now. When Aubrey returns from their camping trip having gone a separate way from Joel, and he has now disappeared, this makes Aubrey the last person to see him. The whole town is looking for him, but Aubrey might be the only one who can find him. Setting out to look for him with Aubrey’s older sister, Teagan, and Joel and Aubrey’s friend, Mari, they might find themselves along the way.
This middle grade book, set in America, is narrated by Aubrey, starting straight after the camping trip. The story unfolds naturally, moving forward smoothly, with a few flashbacks sprinkled throughout. There are a variety of characters, facing different issues, which are issues that many readers experience. Chapter length varies, with some chapters being much shorter than others. The novel is essentially a contemporary book with mystery and adventure, and heart. While we are living in modern times, children still experience racism and discrimination for being themselves, which this book looks at through the eyes of a preteen child learning about themselves. Good for fans of ‘Melissa’ (previously titled ‘George’) by Alex Gino.
Themes Lies and Truth, Mystery, Understanding, Relationships, Middle Grade, Racism.
Leilong the brontosaurus is a very good school bus, and the children are all ready and waiting as he goes from building to building to collect them. But being a brontosaurus in a modern city of cars and buses and trucks and people can have its drawbacks and Leilong finds himself banned and confined to the school gymnasium. He is so upset that he cries and cries... and finds himself a new career!!
Young readers first met Leilong when he took them to library storytime and they will be happy that he returns in another adventure. What if Leilong arrived at their school? What uses could he have? Have them write letters to the principal to persuade them that Leilong should stay...
Themes Dinosaurs, Libraries.
Barbara Braxton
The last gladiator by Anh Do
Rise of the Mythix 5. Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781761065682. (Age:9-13) Highly recommended.
The Last Gladiator by Anh Do is the fifth book in the surprising Rise of the Mythix series. Minh, Kelly and Stanley are hiding out in an abandoned warehouse with Kelly trying to work out how to rescue Jimmy and also help Stanley remember part of the Mythix Prophecy. After returning from a search for food, Minh fills the others in on a news item about a huge person taking on and defeating the Hornets. This begins to make sense to Stanley, who with help from Kelly’s powers has remembered a passage from the ‘Prophecies and Portents’ book which states there may be more people born with mythical powers. What follows is a search for this mysterious person whom they locate but who does not want anything to do with them. Meanwhile Jimmy is in deep trouble having been brought back to his human form from stone but forced into a painting with the evil Medusa. They are released as an experiment and their first combined task is to burn the painting of Jimmy’s parents. It becomes a battle of wills as to how they will follow commands from The Collector.
The Collector cunningly announces the Gladiator Games where the strongest gladiators in the nation will fight each other, with a prize worth fighting over. The mysterious giant person from the search enters the Games and becomes known as the Kraken, with four massive tentacles. He and the Cyclops eventually face off in the final. But Kelly, Minh and Stanley are also in a fight for their lives. And will they separate Jimmy from the Medusa? An exciting story awaits the fans of this series with Book 6 coming soon.
Themes Fantasy, Myths, Dystopia, Adventure, Power, Good vs Evil, Friendships, Danger.
Kathryn Beilby
Flipper and Finnegan by Sophie Cunningham. Illus. by Anil Tortop
Albert Street Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781761180071. (Age:4-8)
Flipper and Finnegan are are Little Penguins enjoying a glorious life on Phillip Island. They love their special place in the world alongside other wildlife such as seals, bandicoots and Cape Barren Geese. Their days are filled with fish hunting in the clear blue ocean and at night they waddle up the beach to their cosy burrow. When an oil spills covers most of their colony in oil the ranges at the Wildlife Centre know that the penguins are in grave danger. Oily feathers mean the penguins can't keep warm and if they try to preen themselves to remove it the oil will make them sick. Inventive thinking and lots of help from knitters all over the world results in the penguins being put in tiny woollen jumpers until they can be properly cleaned.
There is a small paragraph at the end of the story about the true history behind the tale of Flipper and Finnegan and what we can do to help Little Penguins. There are a few penguin facts scattered within the story and the illustrations and text give a wonderful sense of place (both of Australia and Phillip Island itself). Anil Tortop's illustrations use light to great effect and her animals are cute and cuddly. This is a heartwarming story about what can be achieved when we come together for a cause but is also a reminder of the damage human activity is having on the world around us. While great for younger children this presents the view that after the penguins have been cleaned up they are returned back to a perfect world. This may be a bit simplistic and miss out on teaching points for older children (however it could also be a useful springboard for discussing these issues). A second true story title by this same author and illustrator is titled Tippy and Jellybean: The True Story of a Brave Koala Who Saved her Baby from a Bushfire.
With beautifully appropriate soft edged illustrations by Hilary Jean Tapper, the phrases on each page point to words that need to be said to defuse a situation which many children and adults come across. The words point to a kindness, an emotion felt by the speaker, comforting the other person in a situation we can all recognise.
So at home, a child has drawn on the wall, and owns up with ‘I did it’. Many people will see this event, sometimes more often that they wish, but the simple owning up defuses a situation which could cause distress. At home too, a child may feel left out and the simple question, ‘Want to join in?’ makes that person feel part of the group and be thankful that the questioner is so kind. Similarly when at school, one child has wet themselves and the other reassures her that ‘happens to everyone sometimes’, so reaching out to an embarrassed child, offering comfort. In other situations: talking to a person in hospital or an older family member possibly in a nursing home, or needing help in class, all sorts of situations are described by the illustrations and given apt phrases to respond with. Readers will eagerly say what has happened to them in a similar situation and the reader will be able to encourage a response that is appropriate and kind, offering comfort and support.
Very much a book to produce if people in the class are being unkind or showing signs of being unable to resolve a situation, this book has wide educative uses both at home, and in the classroom.
The beautiful illustrations beg to be interpreted and discussed, leading on to revealing emotions and feelings. These emotions will then lead to solutions and the text gives the best solution: kind words, kindly offered as the speaker feels sympathy for the person involved.
Stroud returns with another adventure featuring the audacious and notorious Scarlett and Browne. This time they have evaded their enemies in the wilds of Mercia and Northumbria, while conducting some exciting heists. Using Scarlett’s planning skills and shooting ability and Browne’s ability to read minds, the pair have been successful until they are faced with a dangerous adversary while trying to pull off a near impossible mission.
There is all the excitement, snarky asides, and humour, wrapped up in a fast-paced plot and beautiful writing that one expects from an author of the calibre of Stroud. In The notorious Scarlett and Browne, Stroud takes his adventure story a step further and gives the reader some solid and often heart-breaking background about his two protagonists. Browne is afraid of his powers and often fails to use them when needed, while Scarlett’s path into being an outlaw is explored in depth. The pair grow closer to understanding each other, and the delightful Joe and Ettie from the first book, appear again.
There is a map at the beginning of the book that shows the paths that the outlaws take and is a useful reference for readers who are not British. The descriptions of the Faith Houses and the Brothers of the Hand that have grown up in response to the threat of the Tainted are frightening and easy to imagine happening in a dystopian world. An execution scene is vividly described as a stage-managed event and had me on the edge of my seat in fear. Albert’s observations about the plight of children as slave labour and the poverty and hunger also added a dimension to the story.
A film based on the first book, The outlaws Scarlett and Browne, is being planned. Meanwhile fans are sure to be thrilled to read this sequel. I look forward to any future books in this series and fans might like to read Stroud’s Lockwood and Co. series while they wait.
