Living as a servant in the immobile sky castle, Midori, Kurara keeps to herself and only her best friend, Haru, knows that she can manipulate paper to become animals, stars, basically anything. They live a quiet life serving throughout Midori, then a Crafter finds her – Crafters are those that control paper, and Kurara is one of them. Escaping the Midori, she joins an airship whose main purpose is chasing and destroying rouge Shikigami, giant monsters made out of paper. Learning how to become a proper Crafter, Kurara travels with the crew across Mikoshima and faces a whole new world full of adventure and intrigue.
Told from multiple perspectives throughout the story, Rebel Skies is about young Kurara learning more about the world and more about herself. Set in a world full of skyships, flying cities and paper spirits, this book feels like a Japanese anime with action, adventure, humour and cultural aspects including clothing, character names and weaponry. At the start of the book, there is a map showing land cities and sky cities, as well as a few illustrations to assist readers in understanding the world that the author has built. This fantasy novel is the first in a new series of the same name, and readers will find the book is evenly paced with a nice steady flow of story. With a wide variety of characters, those reading the book will find some characters relatable and others annoying, which gives a nice depth to the story. Fans of Studio Ghibli anime will enjoy the book, as would fans of manga.
When they were nine years old, Mina McCreery’s twin sister Evelyn vanished overnight from the bedroom they shared. For Mina that meant an immediate change and “everything about her life was public property” - even now, nineteen years later.
An unsolved crime with a million-dollar reward draws a lot of attention, including from private investigator Lane Holland who needs that money. And as Lane’s cold-case investigation progresses we learn more about the complicated pasts of both Mina’s family and Lane himself.
We also learn about the various ways different people deal with trauma, and we get disturbing insights into the ghoulish delight some take in whipping up suspicion and spreading ‘fake news’ online.
Crime fiction is not my preferred genre but this book drew me in immediately. I loved that the outback setting is almost a character itself – the fictional small town in NSW is described in vivid detail, giving this novel an unmistakable Australian flavour. And along with Mina and Lane a host of other likeable and believable characters are richly drawn, including Mina’s best friend Alanna, and Senior Sargeant Emily Starrett of the local police in the next town over.
The layers in this story are revealed slowly, with unexpected turns throughout. Several times I thought I’d figured out where it was going next, only to find myself gasp aloud at the newest revelation. Readers under 16 may be disturbed by some details in this book, including the mentions of child abduction and harm.
The story wraps up in a satisfying way with the overall message that it’s never too late to speak up or for the truth to be revealed.
When Souls Tear is the second novel in the young adult fantasy series, Time Catchers, by Australian children’s author, Karen Ginnane. At the end of the first book in the series, When Days Tilt, we left Ava, Jack and their friends at a crossroads. Ava is back in Victorian London while Jack has returned to his blacksmith apprenticeship in the mirror city of Donlon. Jack is suffering the after effects of a torn soul and is having increasing trouble hiding his symptoms. Ava is feeling lost and confused as she tries to determine the best way to fulfil the task left to her by her late mother: to destroy the time snatchers once and for all.
Like its predecessor, When Souls Tear is narrated by both Ava and Jack in alternating chapters. Both protagonists reach a point when they must make a momentous decision. For Jack, is he willing to travel down a dangerous path to find a cure for his debilitating illness? For Ava, how much is she willing to trust new and former foes in her quest to rid both worlds of the evil of time stealing?
When Souls Tear is an enjoyable sequel that will satisfy fans of the first book. However, it is unfortunate that the author’s issues with pacing have continued into this novel. Events seem to either rush past at breakneck speed or take more time than should be necessary. While When Souls Tear is a definite improvement on When Days Tilt, Ginnane still has a way to go in creating a consistent structure for her stories.
Themes Fantasy, Historical, Steampunk, Family, Friends, Time, Adventure, Victorian London.
Weaponized is fundamentally a book about evolution – but not as we know it. Set in the distant future on a newly colonised planet, we witness the rapid and violent evolution of humans as they struggle to acclimatise themselves to an increasingly hostile world.
Ursula is the leader of the new colony on Threpsis, a planet with enough similarities to Earth to make it viable for humans – just. She and her fellow pioneers are determined to escape the artificial intelligence that controls much of human society, spread across hundreds of worlds throughout space. They have decided to live as “humanly” as possible, without the aids that AI provides them. While the colonists have the technology to adapt to a strange world full of carnivorous plants and poisonous insects, they are not prepared for the raptors – vicious and destructive predators who may just be more intelligent than they are.
Set against the backdrop of an intergalactic war with an alien race, Ursula and her fellow colonists find themselves fighting a war on two fronts. With dwindling resources and firepower, they decide that their only choice is to weaponise the best assets they have left: themselves. To survive, they might have to become like those they fear.
Weaponized is an extremely fast-paced action narrative. The reader is carried along with the colonists as they fight for their lives in almost every scene. The battles are vicious and, as the narrative progresses, more gruesome. There is very graphic violence and fight scenes.
The non-linear narrative does become frustrating at times as the reader has to continually adjust back into the plot of the current timeline, as the author works to blend past and present to round out Ursula as a character. Some of these chapters feel unnecessary to the plot and detract from the urgency and action of the main narrative. Nevertheless, Weaponized is an enjoyable read, particularly for fans of hard science fiction.
Themes Science Fiction, Action, Space, Aliens, War, Artificial Intelligence.
Rose Tabeni
Answers in the pages by David Levithan
Text Publishing, 2022. ISBN: 9781922458872. (Age:Upper primary) Recommended.
A longstanding habit of mine, is to read the author’s acknowledgements and any notes before I start a new book. Reading these in Levithan’s Answers in the Pages, set the context for this highly engaging upper primary story, giving a very brief, but personal account of the queer novels, authors and supporters who have preceded and encouraged him.
Answers is a deceptively simple story in three strands that sympathetically teases out the issues of book banning, specifically ‘gay’ books, standing up for what you believe, working out what this actually is, and dealing constructively with conflict and differing opinions, particularly those of people who love and care for you.
Donovan’s fifth-grade teacher has assigned a class book that soon causes division across the small town, as parents debate whether the two characters are gay, and whether the book is therefore suitable reading for their children.
Rick and Oliver, ‘The Adventurers’, the two main characters in this book-within-a book, plunge into unbelievably extreme exploits, including wrestling alligators, escaping wild bears and defeating an evil mastermind.
In seemingly unrelated chapters, Roberto and Gideon become partners in a book project, and over time realise they want to be much more to each other.
It might take a while to get into the rhythm of switching between stories in each chapter, and personally, I found the Adventurers story too over-the-top to be enjoyable, but younger readers would probably enjoy the absurdity of it.
However, a few cleverly dropped clues hint at the final twist that ties together the three stories in a heart-warming finale, and demonstrates Levithan’s mastery.
Levithan’s characters are multifaceted and well-drawn, and he exposes their flaws and opinions without judgement or being heavy handed, even though he is addressing issues which would be real and relevant to many readers, like homophobia and parents who act inappropriately, but from a place of love and concern.
It is refreshing to have such a sweet, fun story incorporate contemporary issues, and add to the list of books that queer young readers can find themselves in/identify with. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Book banning, Coming out.
Margaret Crohn
A new Gemini by Anh Do
E-Boy 4. Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760879037. (Age:10+) Recommended.
In the exciting first chapter, Gemini has control of the small plane Ethan and Penny are piloting and all is looking bleak for the main characters. However, some frantic manoeuvring by Ethan through storm clouds has Gemini tossed off the plane and the link between Gemini and Ethan is finally broken. Penny convinces Ethan to land the plane and search for Gemini as she feels the connection between Ethan and Gemini is worth repairing. Ethan grudgingly agrees but knows it will not be easy. They rescue Gemini who is no longer functioning and fly to Professor Jackie Moore who is renowned for her brilliance in combining robotics and people. She does not have all the tools to successfully fix Gemini and they decide to travel back to Titus but must do it with false passports. Evil Agent Ferris is tracking Gemini and knows the three are back. What follows is a complicated cat and mouse game with Ethan, Gemini and Penny Cook outwitting Agent Ferris and his team for long enough so that Penny can attempt to fix Gemini but is their luck about to end? Agent Ferris is ready to activate Aquarius, his new secret weapon. And what a weapon Aquarius is. Gemini and E-Boy may not be a match for this massive robot. Plus, there is another dastardly well-kept secret that is to be uncovered.
Fans of this series will be enthralled with this latest release. Full of action and a fast-moving story. Book 5 will be out soon.
Themes Robots, Androids, Good vs Evil, Fighting, Technology, Trust, Danger.
Kathryn Beilby
High voltage by Kensy and Max 8. Jacqueline Harvey
Kensy and her twin brother Max, and their family head to Portugal for a holiday. Kensy’s family have a secret, they are agents for Pharos, a secret company. Their grandmother Cordelia is the head of the agency and she is adamant that while they are on holiday, they are not to investigate anything. It is a family holiday and nothing else.
Before heading on holiday Max, Kensy their dad and Fitz need to retrieve Max’s notebook that was left at the house of Magoo MacGregor. They have a close shave but manage to recover the notebook. The holiday starts off being relaxing, but as it goes on different members of the family end up looking into strange things that seem to be occurring in relation to Wolf Racing. Kensy and Max witness a kidnapping, they then spend some time trying to work out why the person was kidnapped and where they were taken. They manage to locate where she is being held and with help from their mother who is a retired agent manage to free her and ensure that the people who are trying to sabotage Wolf Racing don’t succeed with their plan.
This is a fun book with several twists that all come together in the end. The code at the start of each chapter adds to the enjoyment of this book.
I highly recommend this book.
Themes Investigations, Motor racing, Portugal.
Karen Colliver
A perfect wonderful day with friends by Philip Waechter
This is a warm hearted picture book about the outdoor adventures of a group of friends on a perfect sunny, summer's day. One quest leads to another, then that quest leads on again and so on until the whole community of friends is involved. Raccoon wants to bake a cake because he is bored, but finds he has no eggs. He goes to see Fox who needs a ladder to fix a leak in the roof. Together they seek out Badger who lives in the most extraordinary house, all clutter. but he also needs help solving a crossword puzzle so they all set off to find Bear. Along the way they meet Crow who joins their adventure. They find Bear fishing unsuccessfully at the river and debate about what she should use to catch the fish. All of the friends jump into the river and have a swim, lying in the sun to dry off afterwards. The five friends are having the best day out: fishing, swimming, picnicking and finally home to bake the cake, but find they must cook two cakes because bears have such big appetites.
The wonderfully funny look at a group of friends finding things to do without really trying is sure to appeal as they meander their way through meadows, pick blackberries, debate about the best way to catch a fish and finally come home to make a cake.
All the memories of a perfect summer’s day during childhood are here, meeting friends, doing nothing but being with each other. The illustrations stand out and children will love picking out the details, while the repetition of language and musical text make an irresistible read aloud begging children to join in.
I loved picking out the differences in the landscape from what we see in Australia, and children will delight in seeing the world from a different perspective.
Philip Waechter was born in Germany. A freelance graphic designer and illustrator in Frankfurt he is known for his beautifully classic illustration style. In 1999 Philip and Moni Port co-founded the community studio LABOR. This books is translated from the German edition by Melody Shaw.
Hezekiah Johnson is in his senior year at Cedar Regional High in Poconos, Pennsylvania. He is popular at school and is hoping to win a sports scholarship to his dad’s old college. Kai’s parents died nine years ago, he has regular therapy sessions with a youth social worker Dr Reuben and he lives with his Aunt and Uncle. From being sad and anxious, easily lashing out in anger, he has been able to turn his life around through hard work and sport. His best friend is Jamal and he has had a string of girlfriends, searching for the ideal loving relationship he believes his parents had. Zyla Matthews, petite, quiet also 17, attends St Catherines and lives with her needy and unreliable mother, maths whiz younger sister and Aunt Ida. Zyla is passionate about fashion and wants to win a scholarship to a Paris fashion college so has no time for relationships, spending every spare minute working on her portfolio. She doesn’t want to waste time focussing on disappointing relationships like her mother and Aunt Ida do. Her best friend Beatrice is from a rich family and they have a strong and supportive friendship. Kai and Zyla both have summer jobs at a local amusement park and when Kai’s toxic girlfriend gets him into trouble at work they find themselves attending the same amusement booth and become unlikely friends. After bonding over an incident with an aggressive customer the two start a relationship. Idealistic Kai falls head over heels for Zyla while she can’t quite believe she is succumbing to his charms and is wary about being just another conquest. As they navigate the pressures of school, family and their career aspirations with their differing ideas about what love is and how their relationship might endure the inevitable obstacles and doubts it becomes apparent that being in love is not in itself enough.
The timeline switches backwards and forwards between the start of their relationship the previous summer and the Seniors’ day trip in May and the point of view alternates between the two main characters and, later in the book, from others. The characters are well developed and the friendships and other relationships are well imagined, especially Kai’s therapist, an excellent advocacy for mental health support. But this is essentially a story about all consuming teenage love, not a mystery and it doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. I would have liked more detail about the main characters’ career aspirations. We learn that Zyla’s portfolio theme was “something to do with the beauty and versatility of Black women and how that played into fashion” on page 47 but after that there is not much and we learn nothing about Kai’s scholarship pathway. The plot is a bit thin and over the nearly 500 pages it ebbs and flows with some irritating repetitive parts but it will appeal to readers of Kristina Forest’s other young adult romances.
While mum cleans out the burrow, Little Wombat thinks about a different sort of home. He is sick of living in a burrow and Mum sends hm off to find somewhere new. He tries to climb up the tree and join Koala, but does not have the claws to climb and ends up back on the ground. He tries to join Frog on his lily pad but ends up in the pond. He sees Mole and Mole invites him in but wombats are much bigger than moles.
He looks at the turtle and the ants under a rock, but each time the place is simply not suitable for him. Finally the ants tell him of a nice comfortable nest nearby. He goes to try it out, snuggling down with some very large eggs already there. Children will laugh uproariously as the owner of the nest comes home to see Little Wombat off.
Little Wombat scurries back home to his nice clean burrow and mum tells him to invite all of his friends around for a sleepover.
A lovely story of being satisfied with what you have, of the grass on the other side of the fence not always being greener, of envy and wanting what someone else has, will delight all readers as they recognise the forces that make us all sometimes dissatisfied with our lot. Little Wombat is sure there is another home somewhere better than the one he has. In going on his trip, he realises that his home is the best, it is suited for his needs, while other homes require different characteristics which he does not have. Readers will love seeing how each home suits the occupant, and call out when Little Wombat tries out another home, only to find that he does not fit in some way. Readers will easily spot the way a home fits certain animals, building up their knowledge of Australian animals and their habitats. Watercolour illustrations ensure children recognise the environment each animal lives in, while the human characteristics blend well with the attributes that each animal presents.
First published in 2006, this adds to the array of books which present an issue to be discussed in class or at home.
Themes Envy, Compassion, Australian animals.
Fran Knight
The Breakfast Club Adventures by Marcus Rashford with Alex Falase-Koya
Marcus Rashford is a football star who plays for Manchester United and England. He is passionate about eradicating child food-poverty and increasing children's literacy and access to books. This novel has been released as part of Marcus Rashford's Book Club - a program in collaboration with Macmillan Children's Books, where Rashford chooses two books a year that are made accessible to under-privileged and vulnerable children aged 8-12 across the UK. This is the first book in the Book Club to have been co-written by Rashford himself.
The story starts at breakfast club. Breakfast club is the supervised time before school where children are provided with something to eat along with the time to finish homework, catch up with friends or just relax before the school day starts. This is the perfect opportunity for kids to make new friends .. or start solving mysteries!
Twelve year old Marcus has lost his prized football over the school fence. He is resigned to never seeing it again until he receives a curious invitation to join the Breakfast Club Investigators (BCI).
This kicks off (pun intended!) a whirlwind of adventure and mystery, while testing boundaries and exploring friendships. Marcus gets to know the other members of the BCI, expanding and challenging his pre-conceived ideas of them being just 'the new girl', 'the popular girl' and 'the arty loner'. He learns they have all lost things and they all need help.
Their investigations challenge the BCI to face fears, think creatively and work together. There's a sub-plot regarding Marcus's relationship with his cousin and, after a falling out with the BCI, she helps him sort out his feelings by offering wisdom from a slightly older perspective.
This book is very appealing to middle grade readers - it centres on the relationships and issues they face in real life, and has a variety of diverse characters as well as engaging fonts and illustrations. The mysteries are all neatly solved in the end (including a few surprise twists) and the heart-warming lessons learnt are delivered with fun.
The Kelly family on the front cover is opening a large parcel. Mum, Kitty and their dog are all intrigued, as is the reader. The parcel is covered with stamps and an anonymous note inside wishes them luck. Dad and the girls unpack the jigsaw revealing the pieces for an African sunrise and they set to it. Dad sets his watch for late Autumn and they complete the edges by Winter. The girls play outside in Spring and Summer, while Dad works on. With Autumn coming closer they sort out all the colours, but they realise that the hippo’s shorts are missing. The missing jigsaw piece becomes a quest as they rack their brains for what may have happened to it. Mum recalls a piece that may have fallen to the floor and may have been swept into the bin. So the family goes to the rubbish centre. Here they are faced with a mountain of paper rubbish: old letters, notes, photographs and shopping lists to train tickets and newspapers from long ago. Every now and again a breeze lifts them all from the ground and settles them back down again, making their task even harder. The task seems overwhelming. They sadly go back home their hopes faded, where the missing piece falls from Dad’s shoe. The jigsaw is finished. Has it been luck or determination that has found the missing piece? Whatever has happened, the sun now comes up ‘out of Africa';. Kitty decides to write a thank you letter to the unknown sender and another problem needs to be solved by the family.
This book radiates love and family, hope and determination which will warm the hearts of younger readers who will view their own families with the same care and attention.
Graham infuses his characters with a universal humanity. Mum, Dad, the children and the dog could be any of us. His families are always inspiring as they work together on a problem, promoting hope, radiating love and a togetherness we all aspire to emulate.
His distinctive pen and watercolour illustrations create a world we look into, looking from above or below, each piece of the picture has a meaning and resonance with the readers, eager for the details shown on each page. Sometimes the page has a simple drawing on it, with no words or detail, sometimes an image covers both pages, sometimes there are several panels, but whatever the page offers, it is worth a second look and often readers will ask questions. How many teachers or parents will need to discuss a jigsaw, or postage or stamps or writing a letter, a post box, or recycling? Issues rise out of his work with a quiet insistence, the background to his stories often promising discussions on a different level. Activities are available in Walker Books Storytime kit.
Another book in the My Dad thinks series (My dad thinks he's funny and My dad thinks he's super funny) will delight fans as this time Dad thinks he is a pirate. The family are off to the beach and Dad can’t resist his corny jokes. Wordplays and jokes like ‘Here’s our ship. I bought it on sail’’ and ‘The sea is so friendly. It always waves’ are strewn throughout the narrative with the refrain, ‘My dad thinks he’s a pirate’ popping up at the end of each double page spread.
It is fun to read aloud, and children who are independent readers will appreciate the play on words, sure to bring giggles as well as some groans. It is easy to relate to the story as many readers will know a relative or friend who delights in the sorts of jokes and wordplay that is found in the My dad thinks books.
The illustrations of dad with his ginger beard, shirt with skull and cross bones on it, and hairy legs are hilarious, and the pictures add another dimension of humour to the jokes.
My review copy came complete with a black eye patch, and I know my son and grandson are going to have great fun with this book. It is sure to leave the reader happy and will be a hit with its audience. A great gift for Dad for Father’s Day or for a laugh anytime.
Cyberpunk is a form of science fiction that features high tech and futuristic themes along with dystopia and a dark underworld. An example of an early film in the genre is Ridley Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’. In interviews T. J. Napper refers to that film as a strong influence on his writing. 36 streets is set in a future Chinese-occupied Vietnam. Lin Thi Vu has been honed by her gangster uncle Bao to become a formidable fighting force sent out on assassin missions. In a new assignment, she becomes involved in a conspiracy built around a video game, Fat Victory, an immersive simulation of the American/Vietnam war that meshes the virtual with personal memory.
The novel is gritty with dramatic action scenes that see Lin brutally crushed, yet rise again and again, determined to defeat the forces ranged against her and take her revenge. It is a world of danger, deception, illusion and violence, and the costs to Lin are formidable.
The scenes set in the old world ‘36 streets’ of Hanoi are vivid; the underside of the city is alive, and reflects the in-depth knowledge Napper gained whilst working as an aid worker in Southeast Asia. This grounding provides authenticity to the virtual world of the future that the author creates. It is a mix of old Hanoi and the cyber world of video games, a world of super strength combatants, illusion and deceptive manipulation. However, this book, because of its violence, is not for all readers.
Gaia Goddess of Earth is an entertaining and enjoyable read. Written in very much a feminist mode, this complex and detailed story of Gaia, the Greek Goddess of the Earth, is simplified and told with both humour and serious intent. Gaia created the Earth in all its beauty, free from danger and trouble. However, her husband Ouranos, her son Cronus, and grandson Zeus all had other ideas. Their incredible greed and all-encompassing need for power meant that the Earth was subjected to famine, flood, war and destruction. Familial wars were fought between parent and child, siblings versus siblings with the mere mortals being caught up in the turmoil. It was a devastating time for Gaia. There is hope though, and Gaia does eventually achieve the peace she so deserves for her precious Earth. There is also a story within a story in this tale: the Earth needs to be no longer misused but cared for by all people. After all Gaia created only one Earth.
The gorgeous cover and stunning illustrations will appeal to all readers. The graphic novel-style format is a clever way to introduce children to ancient myths and legends and will be a popular read in a school or public library.
Themes Greek Goddesses, Graphic Novel Format, Myths & Legends, Ancient Gods, Environmental Issues.
