The astonishing chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere by Jaclyn Moriarty. Illus. by Kelly Canby
Allen & Unwin, 2021. ISBN: 9781760526368. (Age:10+) Highly recommended.
The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere is the fourth book in the Kingdoms and Empires series. Although the novels are linked together with related or repeated characters, they can be read as stand-alone stories.
The opening chapter introduces Oscar, a boy not from the Magical Kingdoms, who is in the principal’s office explaining why he has been absent from school for the past week. This novel is his and Imogen’s account (alternate chapters) of everything that happened in the past 5 days.
Skateboarding Oscar found himself transported into a magical world where he joined a quest with Imogen and five other children to save the elf kingdom of Dun-sorey-lo-vay-lo-hey and all its inhabitants from being crushed under a silver covering. To fulfill this quest, the children must find nine pieces of a key by the deadline of Friday 12:00 pm to protect all the elves and allow Oscar to return to his own world.
This is a charming novel with plenty of action and detailed storylines. Some of the characters have appeared before such as the Radish Gnomes, Silver Foxes and witches but Jaclyn has introduced many new characters as well.
Oscar and the ‘Kingdom’ children are from different worlds but they’re able to work together and help each other in their mission and they develop into a strong friendship group. Oscar as the outsider, has to deal with an unusual old-fashioned magical world. He grows as a character and it is often his insights and perspectives that help solve many of the problems.
The ending has a few surprises and solves many of the puzzles attentive readers would have discovered throughout the story. I totally missed the Gruffudd the elf twist so that was a fun reveal for me.
Kelly Canby has illustrated all the ‘Kingdom’ books and her wonderful images are scattered throughout the novel.
The ’Kingdom and Empires’ books are not a short read and The Astonishing Chronicles of Oscar from Elsewhere is over 400 pages long. Fantasy fans will love these longer texts full of adventure and magical action.
I highly recommend this novel to children 10 years and over.
Jane Moore
I am hungry by Michael Rosen. Illus. by Robert Starling
A note to adults appears on the publication page, hunting at the topsy turvey things which may be inside. A suggestion that dreaming about being hungry does not always mean dreaming about food will set minds racing with possibilities. In rhyming pairs of lines, the squirrel tells us what he eats when hungry. A bread roll, pop corn in a bowl, slices of cheese and a hundred peas. Just when the reader is becoming accustomed to predicting a rhyming phrase that is about food, the story changes and some fried fish is rhymed with a birthday wish. Children will be intrigued as a birthday wish is always associated with cake, and the illustrations support this. And after the birthday cake, he gets a tummy ache. From then on the dreams are about an array of things which will delight the audience, amusing them with subtle humour. Vanilla ice cream and a very sad dream, a nasty fright and a dark and stormy night will encourage readers to talk about their dreams, and ponder about why we have dreams.
The funny ending will draw laughter from the audience, as will the wonderful page filled illustrations of one hungry squirrel.
No doubt fans of the Practical magic series by Alice Hoffman will be thrilled to read this final book about the family of witches, each person in the family cursed to have the ones they love perish immediately they admit their love. There are four books in the series, with the novel Practical magic written first, then two prequels, and now the dramatic conclusion.
Not having read the other books, I found The book of magic laborious to begin with. I seemed to be reading many pages without anything really happening, and I started to wonder about the point of it all. The plot does pick up about half way through as the younger generation, Kylie and Antonia, begin their struggle with the curse, a loved one in a critical coma following an accident, and Kylie unwittingly led down the path of evil. Sally, their mother, is desperate to ensure the safety of her daughters. There are secrets to unravel, and magic to be embraced.
There are strong themes of sisterhood and mother-daughter relationships, trust and distrust, and of personal sacrifice; the female characters are convincingly drawn; and the writing is rich in description. Perhaps it all works much better in previous books. A ReadPlus reviewer recommended The rules of magic, one of its predecessors.
Readers who have fallen in love with the characters in the previous volumes, are certain to welcome this last chapter to discover how the curse is finally overcome. For readers new to the series, I would recommend starting with one of the other books.
Themes Fantasy, Magic, Sisters, Mother-daughter relationship, Love, Good and evil.
Helen Eddy
The tale of the tiny man by Barbro Lindgren and Eva Eriksson
The Tale of the Tiny Man is a classic story written by well-known Swedish author Barbro Lindgren. It was originally called The Story of the Little Old Man and was first published in 1992. The story focuses on a tiny man who longs for a friend. He is treated very badly by the local townspeople who “thought he was too small and possibly a bit slow. They also thought his hat was ugly.” The tiny man cried alone in his house and wondered why no one liked him as he was always kind to those he met. He decides to place a sign on a tree saying FRIEND WANTED. He waits and waits for ten days but no one responds. He is so despondent, but fortunately a stray dog makes a surprise visit and over the next few days the tiny man provides it with treats when it appears each day at his house. Eventually the dog moves into his home and shares the tiny man’s life. The dog is protective of the tiny man and stands up to the town bullies. When a happy child strikes up a friendship with the dog, the tiny man withdraws into himself and goes away leaving them both. He wanders sadly through the forest for days and eventually returns to find the dog and the girl waiting.
This beautiful story is one in which many emotions are brought to the surface. Friendships need to be navigated and sharing this book with children as a read aloud will provide the perfect opportunity to discuss a range of friendship issues that can arise.
Author Jamar J Perry started writing “for Black boys who needed to understand that they were magic, that they could also have joy, that they could be vulnerable and emotional, that they could be the hero in their own stories” (quote from Perry’s website).
This book, based on Igbo and West African mythology, is Perry’s first and has so many great aspects to explore. It features three 12-year-olds as the protagonists: two boys and a girl. All three children are dark-skinned, mentioned in a matter-of-fact way rather than overemphasized. Their ties to traditional stories, responsibilities and relationships are very important to them.
This is especially true of title character Cameron. He was orphaned two years ago and is desperate to feel connection to his parents. They left a special book for him in the attic, but his grandmother has forbidden access to it. Of course, where tweens are concerned, rules are meant to be broken so during a sleepover the book is soon back in Cameron’s hands.
This sets off a magical chain of events where Cameron and his friends Zion and Aliyah are transported to another world. Cameron is given a great responsibility and the three children must work together to survive various challenges and save the day. They are supportive of each other’s weaknesses and use each other’s strengths to full advantage.
There is a lot of necessary world-building and character introduction throughout this book - I did end up skimming over some to get to the action (and still felt that I had enough context to keep up). There are strong themes of friendship, responsibility, family bonds, cultural values and good vs evil.
The relationship between Cameron and Zion is worth a separate mention. The boys are very close - they are comfortable with their love for each other, sharing a bed and finding solace in physical touch. There are no labels put on this relationship and no explicit acts. It raises an interesting talking point about young men being able to openly express their feelings as well as being able to give and receive comfort and support without embarrassment.
Themes Igbo/West African mythology, Friendship, Adventure, Magic, Cultural values, Diversity, Good vs evil.
Kylie Grant
Amazing animals: 100+ creatures that will boggle your mind by Sabrina Weiss & Paul Daviz
What on Earth Books, 2022. ISBN: 9781912920358. (Age:7+) Highly recommended.
The popularity of animal non-fiction books for children will be further enhanced by this new release, Amazing Animals: 100+ Creatures That Will Boggle Your Mind. This is the fourth book in this factual series following on from Amazing Islands, Amazing Rivers and Amazing Treasures. The attractive cover with its polar animals’ illustration and silver foil title will draw readers to it immediately. The contents page is clearly presented, set in a beautiful underwater scene with an acknowledgement from the author. Each topic is set out on a colourful double page spread with stunning illustrations and segments of information. The title for each page and a further explanation is placed in a lightly coloured text box to enable the reader to immediately focus on the topic. The information shared is both interesting and entertaining. For example, the 2.5cm Boxer Crab found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean carries a pair of sea anemones, one in each claw, to ward off predators. And another fact, the African Cichlid carries their eggs in their mouths until they hatch and once hatched, they are released into the sea but can swim back in if there is danger. This book discusses creatures from all over the world - there is even a two-page spread devoted to Down Under and includes both Australian and New Zealand creatures. Maps are included throughout and in the centre of the book is a fold out double page world map showing the continents and each of the 100 creatures mentioned in the book. At the end of the book there is a glossary, index and sources page.
This book would make a wonderful gift as well as being a great addition for home, school and public libraries.
Marina Tozzi has a passion for art and is becoming an expert in the area, working with her father in his art gallery. When she returns home one day to find her beloved father has been brutally murdered by a German officer, Marina doesn’t know how she will go on or what she will do. With the help of a neighbor, she flees to Florence to track down a man who owes his life to her father.
Marina is taken in by the man, Bernard, who offers her somewhere to stay and a job cataloguing his extensive art collection. She is still determined to find a way to avenge her father’s death. A young artist Carlos offers her a way to work against the Nazis. She is excited to be involved in this and feels like she is helping in the war effort, while ensuring the country's art collection is being preserved and kept from the Nazis for future generations to enjoy.
Marina forms a friendship with Desi, the girl next door, and this friendship grows as Marina supports Desi with the troubles in her life. The friendship and the art keeps Marina going during the war. She doesn’t expect to find love during such a challenging time but she falls for Carlos. But when Carlos disappears Marina believes the worst and has to try and build her life up again after another loss. She learns that not everyone is what they seem especially during a war.
Once the war is over Marina has to make a decision, what is she going to do with the rest of her life? Marina always wanted to own her own gallery, maybe after the war this will be possible. She is determined to do something important, and when a job reuniting art pieces with their rightful owners is presented to her she knows this is what she is meant to do. After travelling across the world she is confronted with her past and needs to deal with it to be able to move on with her future.
I highly recommend this book.
Themes World War II, Art.
Karen Colliver
I'll keep you close by Jeska Verstegen
Allen & Unwin, 2022. ISBN: 9781760526917. (Age:11-14) Recommended.
World War II is long over in Europe, but for Jesje (Jeska) the memory lingers in her family and their responses to life. Jesje is 11 years old and a dreamer. Her mother survived the war, but her life is still impacted by the fears and trauma that being of Jewish heritage caused. Jesje’s grandmother (Bomma) is in a nursing home and her memories have become scattered, but she calls Jesje a name that she has not heard before. At the same time, Jesje’s teacher has begun reading a book about World War II, and then Jesje also reads The Diary of Anne Frank. Slowly Jesje starts to put pieces together of her family experience to help her to understand her mother and grandmother. But through it all, Jesje is just a girl who likes to play, who needs to know where she fits in the world and who has a family story that is interesting and sad. The scars of the past need an explanation.
This is lightly written, a gentle naive journey into the horrors of the Jewish experience for many families, even for the survivors. There is a child-like skip and hop through the discovery of Jesje’s family history, with friendship and school issues woven into the tale. It is a lightly poignant telling of a real story of family pain. The author Jeska Verstegen is telling the story of her own family: her grandfather was a Jewish-Dutch publisher who lost his life under the Nazi regime. Her grandmother survived by hiding. Her mother, a small child at the time, was significantly impacted by the need to be circumspect. This book will be a discovery journey for young readers aged 11+. Its naivete will perhaps make it an entry level opportunity to discover something about the Jewish experience during and after World War II.
[NB: The name of the central character Jesje is sometimes interchanged with Jeska within the story.]
Themes World War II, Jewish war history, Family, Trauma.
Carolyn Hull
The same but different by Molly Potter. Illus. by Sarah Jennings
The start of the school year is a wonderful opportunity for teachers, carers and children to connect with others in their learning environment. This is often done using literature, games or activities. A late 2021 release, The Same but Different, is a perfect non-fiction book to share with young children in learning about how unique they all are. The introduction titled ‘Dear Reader’ gives a brief overview of the purpose of the book and how differences should be ‘respected, celebrated and enjoyed.’ It is followed by the contents page across a double page spread with delightful illustrations of a diverse range of children. One of the early topics covered include ‘There’s nobody exactly like you’ which has cleverly presented speech bubbles with questions children can ask each other. Other topics discussed consist of looking different, being good at and liking different things, different personalities, opinion and beliefs, different languages, places, homes and families as well as a double page of children using speech bubbles to tell something ubique about themselves. The book also considers how we are the same, what we prefer and deserve. The final pages offer advice about talking with children about diversity and difference as well as a glossary.
Beautifully illustrated throughout with brightly coloured pages, this thoughtful book has a place in all libraries.
Themes Diversity, Uniqueness, Feelings, Well-being, Social & Emotional Learning.
The 40th anniversary edition of this classic children’s book will create another generation of fans when offered this beautiful gold edition, a board book which fits snugly into smaller hands. The lift the flap pages which greet them will be enough to keep them eagerly involved and the story that unfolds showing the zoo animals in all their glory will hold readers spellbound. Campbell, a favourite creator of stories over four decades, uses gentle humour to entice his pre-school readers into looking at a range of animals.
The book offers readers a tale of selecting an appropriate pet as the child writes to the zoo in their quest. Each double page shows a crate delivered to the house with a few words hinting at what might be inside. The big yellow crate which greets the readers when opening the book, has a sign saying ‘very heavy’ and the text tells us that he was too big so was sent back. Opening the flap reveals an elephant, a most inappropriate pet.
The next page reveals a giraffe and children will see its head above the crate, so the reveal will confirm what they have already worked out. Children will love guessing what the new offering might be, eventually opening the flap to reveal the contents of each crate.
Each animal will cause laughter amongst the readers as they see from the words and images that the animal is not what someone would like as a pet. Readers will be able to discuss with the adult the animals they have seen, the animals they might see in a zoo, the difference between a zoo animal and a pet, while taking in the repetition, range of colours and the humour on each page.
This is a wonderful edition celebrating a well known and loved book, ensuring it will continue to be loved by many more generations of fans.
Themes Zoos, Animals, Pets, Humour, Colour.
Fran Knight
If this gets out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich
'Saturday' is one of the world's biggest boy bands, and Ruben and Zach are two of the members. The whole band are great friends, with Zach and Ruben being best friends. Ruben struggles under constant pressure from management to stay in the closet, and his patience is wearing thin. Luckily, he has Zach to talk to, and the other members of the band, Angel and Jon. Then the band sets off for a tour of Europe, with an intense schedule and lots of pressure. Ruben and Zach's close friendship progresses into romance, adding a whole new level of demand from their management team. With the potential threat of losing their fan base if this gets out, will they ever be able to be themselves?
This love story is told in dual perspective of the two main characters - Zach and Ruben. The story develops nicely through the whole novel, with the characters and plot all being feasible as a possible real life occurrence. Authentic characters, with flaws and emotions, give this novel depth, as well as keeping readers engaged. Numerous themes are tackled in the book, including looking at the music industry and how it treats members of the LGBTQIA+ community, the pressures involved with being an artist, drugs, drinking and partying (and overdoing it) and standing up for yourself. Fans of Autoboyography by Christina Lauren, What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera, as well as the Heartstopper graphic novel series by Alice Oseman will enjoy this male-male romance.
Themes Love Stories, Romance, Contemporary, Boy Bands, Music, LGBTQIA+, Travel, Drugs, Pressure.
Melanie Pages
Here's to us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Simon & Schuster, 2022. ISBN: 9781398505209. (Age:12+) Highly recommended.
The characters in this teen romance are so likeable and so believable that once started it is hard to put this book down. I hadn’t read the previous novel What if it’s us, but I understood that Ben and Arthur had found each other after various mishaps, became bonded, but then because their lives were taking different directions, and a long-distance relationship wasn’t viable, agreed to part. The sequel picks up a few years later, with Arthur in a tentative relationship with quiet cautious Mikey, and Ben enjoying his time with flamboyant fun-loving Mario. But when Arthur and Ben meet again things become complicated. Are their feelings just that of old friends, or could it actually be true love?
This novel is a collaboration between two well-known writers of young adult fiction, Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, with alternate chapters written from the point of view of each of the main characters. Perhaps readers familiar with their work will recognise each voice. It is an interesting approach and it definitely works! We get to know and empathise with Arthur and Ben, and their inner feelings and doubts.
Another good thing about the writing is that the other love interests, Mikey and Mario, are equally interesting and draw our sympathy. We care about what happens to them. Mikey’s story is particularly poignant. He is a vulnerable young person who really tries his best in the relationship and sadly is destined to suffer.
The extended friendship group is also very realistically depicted and one can’t help but love crazy Dylan, a friend to both Arthur and Ben.
I’m sure this book will be as much a hit as its predecessor. It is just such a genuine depiction of young love and angst, working out what is the right thing to do, and making decisions about future directions – a difficult time that many young readers will identify with.
Climate-change activist Gabrielle becomes an international sensation when she becomes the first teenager to exhibit 'Greenfingers' powers - by growing plants from her skin. Theo, in the UK, is the son of a struggling fisherman who discovers his own Greenfingers powers when at sea and his dad's life is in danger. Hester is the daughter of an American energy king and she has fought to keep her Greenfingers powers from emerging, but then she slips up in front of Edgar Warren, eccentric billionaire who is leading the charge to live on Mars, having founded Warren Space and set up a colony on Mars already. These three teenagers are growing up in an ecological catastrophe and their new found Greenfingers powers might be the way to help the planet recover. If they can avoid being exploited, feared and persecuted, and find a way to work together that is.
Written by author Lauren James, founder of the Climate Fiction Writers League, this novel is part of the effort to raise climate change activism awareness. This science fiction dystopian is told from the perspectives of Theo and Hester, with articles, tweets, blogs and other media snippets intermingled throughout. Readers will recognise the influence of Greta Thunberg in this extremely relevant novel regarding climate change and activism. The story is well paced, moving between the two main characters seamlessly. Ideal for readers of other dystopian stories where teenagers are impacted by some environmental or viral factor, and develop powers, such as The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken.
Themes Dystopian; Science Fiction; Climate Change; Global Warming; LGBTQIA+; Activism.
Sixteen-year-old Australian Taj is living in Bali where life is complex. Idyllic at first, living in Bali is now complicated, since his dad was arrested for smuggling drugs ten years ago. Kimbo, Taj's dad, has been on death row in Kerobokan Prison ever since. Taj visits his father in prison regularly, feeling that life is in limbo with all that is going on. Then an execution date is set, and Taj knows he can't let it happen, he has to do something. Only thing to do? Arrange a prison break and get his dad to Australia. Simple enough, right? Not quite, as Taj discovers. What unfolds is a series of bad breaks, danger, and life on the run. While fighting for his father's freedom, Taj learns more about his family, and starts to uncover truths he never expected.
Set mainly in the Indonesian island of Bali, this action packed coming of age story is fast paced, full of strained relationships, lies and twists throughout. Told from multiple perspectives, the short chapters enable readers to proceed swiftly through the well written story. Readers will find the characters relatable and enjoy learning more about each character as the story progresses. Several common threads are found through the book - surfing, justice and truth. Ideal for fans of contemporary fiction, surfing and readers of true crime, as the death penalty is still controversially in practice today. This is a harsh reality that has been written about really well in the book, with numerous characters having different thoughts about the case described. With partying, swearing, prison life and the death penalty, it is recommended for readers 12 and up, ideally those mature enough to handle the themes.
Themes Contemporary, Surfing,Australia, Bali, Drugs/Drug Smuggling, Prison, Justice, Human Rights.
Melanie Pages
The dark remains by William McIlvaney and Ian Rankin
When McIlvaney died in 2015, he left behind a hand written manuscript exploring the first case of his detective, Laidlaw, the lead of his previous novel, simply called Laidlaw. Rankin was given the material to complete for publication and so two well known and much followed actors came together, one Glasgow, one Edinburgh.
It is a wonderful tale, the laconic Laidlaw lives some of his time in a hotel, leaving his wife and children in the suburbs, a situation he explains away as allowing him to get to work more quickly. But he is no longer in love with her, the tedium of being at home disappoints him and he prefers to stay away.
In this book he is teamed with Bob Lilley who is warned of Laidlaw’s singlemindedness, his inability to work as part of a team, placed in this station as a last chance. Lilley must mentor him, and every crime fiction reader will know that Lilley is in for a hard time. But he rolls with Laidlaw’s behaviours and the readers will love Lilley for his handling of a difficult situation.
A gang boss, Bobby Carter has been murdered, one of the four who surround their boss, Cam Calvin with muscle. With his body dumped in the territory of a rival crime boss, Jack Rhodes. Laidlaw can smell a rat, and goes searching for clues which will uncover what is really going on behind the scenes. The dead man had been dating Jenni Love, daughter of a one time football hero of Glasgow, now relegated to being a coach of the lesser teams. Jenni had also been dating a strong arm man for Rhodes, and so things do not seem quite right to Laidlaw.
DI Milligan is in charge of the case and he deals with Laidlaw in a way that gets under his skin, so he rarely shares information or sets foot in the office. But he ferrets away, talking to the most improbable of people, barging into homes where he is clearly not welcome, keeping his eyes and ears open to any changes.
Glasgow in the 70’s is brought to life as Laidlaw takes buses to appointments, visits criminals in their homes, scours the seedy backstreets of the city. And when he finally nuts out what really happened, it is up to him to present the case to the Commander, despite the best efforts of DI Milligan.
A stunning read which will send readers to the other book about this eponymous detective.
