Illus. by Kate Wilson. New Frontier Publishing, 2020. ISBN:
9781925594911. 32pp.
(Age: 3+) Many books extol the virtue of being extraordinary, of
reaching for the stars, of fulfilling your potential, but what if we
take stock of this and look for the extraordinary in the everyday,
look at the stars for sure, but do not forget what is around us and
under our feet. This book reveals that the ordinary is just as
extraordinary, the time we share with friends and family, the walks
we take in the woods, the time out camping with the family,
snuggling into a comfy chair by the fire to read a book. All the
things suggested do not blaze and boom, trumpet and bloom, but
celebrate the quiet moments of life, the everyday, the ordinary. By
stopping and taking account of things around us we can feel the
breeze on our cheeks, see the flutter of a bird's wing, see the
flowers bloom, watch the moon through the night, watch out for the
moment, the magic in the everyday.
The best moments in life are those we share with friends and family.
They may be ordinary, simple, unremarkable but they are moments we
will remember and share.
Readers will scan the cute and luminous water colour pages by New
Zealand illustrator, Katie Wilson, peering at the detail included on
each page, checking off the things they do with their families and
friends, recognising their simplicity but also the part these
moments play in our lives, bringing us together. Teacher's
notes are available. Themes: Friendship, Family.
Fran Knight
The golden cage by Anna Castagnoli
Illus. by Carll Cneut. Book Island, 2020. ISBN: 9781911496144. 56pp.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. European fairy tale, The golden
cage, is a captivatingly dark story of a selfish princess,
spoiled and indulged, illustrated in the most amazing of painterly
drawings, full of detail to entrance the eye. Valentina has a
sumptuous garden which she fills with cages displaying unique and
exotic birds. To fill her cages she sends her long suffering
servants across the known world to bring back something absolutely
peerless for her cages. A servant failing in his duty has his head
chopped off, so it is paramount that they search high and low.
Sometimes they are able to fudge the edges, so when she wants a
coral beaked bird, they find her one that has a red beak, but in the
main when she dreams up another unknown bird they must try and find
it for her. But now she wants a talking bird, to put in her golden
cage, not a parrot that recites but a bird that will converse with
her. One month she cuts the heads off 100 servants when they fail
her. She is the blood princess.
She finds she is running out of servants and getting new ones is
proving to be costly. She begins to sell her hundreds of pairs of
shoes and multi crocodile belts and even some of the rare birds. A
servant comes to her suggesting that he will find a talking bird for
her but she must be patient and he makes her give him several
promises.
The end of this unusual tale of obsession comes quickly as the
princess waits, bereft of her possessions, in a garden devoid of the
grandeur it once had. The end piece tells the reader that there may
be several different endings, impelling the reader to perhaps
suggest one for themselves.
This wonderful large format picture book would be a delight to share
and discuss with classes, evoking the horror of some nineteenth
century tales.
The painterly illustrations are intense, taking up the large pages,
full of interest and variety, the eye often drawn to the princess,
so obsessed with her idea of perfection, living in a cage of her own
making. Many parallels could be drawn by readers about obsession or
the accumulation of material possessions or how power is
misused.
Book Island's mission is to make stunning world class picture books
available to English-speaking readers.
This internationally-acclaimed example of European literature has
won numerous prestigious awards, including the Flemish Culture Prize
and White Ravens Award, and was also nominated for the Deutscher
Jugendliteraturpreis. It deserves a place in every library to be
read and reread, discussed, pondered and pored over. Themes; Fairy
tale, Birds, Obsession, Selfishness.
Fran Knight
The ruin by Dervla McTiernan
Cormac Reilly book 1. Harper Collins, 2018. ISBN:
9781460754214.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended. After reading
the review of The
scholar (2019) I decided to start with the first book in
the series and I was not disappointed. Right from the beginning when
a very young Cormac Reilly finds the body of Hilaria Blake in her
decaying mansion and takes her children, 15 year old Maude and 5
year old Jack to the hospital, the reader is plunged into a story of
suspense and murder. Twenty years later the body of Jack turns up in
a river, an apparent suicide but Aisling Conroy, his partner is
convinced that he did not die by his own hand. Then Jack's sister
Maude shows up determined to prove that there was foul play.
There are many twists and turns and a couple of sub-plots to keep
the reader guessing. The politics of the police station are explored
as Cormac is given the cold case of Hilaria Blake's drug overdose
to investigate, rather than the death of Jack while both seem to be
connected. Shunned by the members of the force, he has to plough his
way through poorly filed evidence, not knowing whom he can trust.
The plight of children left to suffer abuse at the hands of people
who should care for them is another major theme that threads
throughout the story. Aisling's conflict between her difficult job
as an emergency surgeon and her pregnancy also adds depth to the
story.
All the characters were deftly drawn. Cormac is determined, the
policewoman assigned to domestic violence and missing children cases
conscientious, and Fisher, the young policeman who is Cormac's
offsider is an intelligent and enthusiastic side-kick. Aisling's job
is high pressured and well described while Maude's decision to leave
Jack when he was five tugs at the heart strings.
This series is one that will be welcome by lovers of mysteries -
well structured, tense and crowded with great characters. People who
enjoyed The
lost man by Jane Harper are sure to like the ruin.
Pat Pledger
Wink by Rob Harrell
HarperCollins Publishers, 2020. ISBN: 9781460758878.
(Ages 12-15). Highly recommended. Normal is something all
middle-school students crave, to avoid bullies and fit into school
life. But for Ross Maloy this is proving very difficult when the
results of his cancer treatment mean an eye in a permanent wink,
using a particularly gooey eye ointment in it, no hair and having to
wear a hat everywhere to protect his eyes.
His best friend Abby enjoys standing out with crazy coloured hair
and shockingly eccentric clothes and tries to get him to enjoy his
newfound fame as the "cancer kid". But Ross tries to keep his life
as normal as possible as the cancer treatment starts to take its
toll. Ross is finding himself angry; angry at the kids making
hurtful memes about him, angry at his other best friend Isaac
abandoning him during his illness, angry that he can't seem to
impress the girl of his dreams at school.
Finally, when the added knowledge that Abby will be moving away, he
loses it completely with everybody. His decision to channel this
anger into learning to play the guitar changes everything for him.
Throughout the story the author includes Batpig comic strips written
by Ross and they certainly add humour and interest for this age
group. Batpig seems to be able to overcome many of the things Ross
is struggling with and readers will gain an extra facet to Ross's
situation through them.
The characters in this story are noteworthy as they are well drawn
by the author and develop throughout the book, some quite
unexpectedly towards the end. Most are classic school characters
such as Jimmy, the school bully who still terrorizes Ross even
through his cancer ordeal. Linda, the well-meaning step-mum; did I
mention Ross's mum died of cancer too? Sarah the beautiful girl who
is the object of his desires but hides a nasty side that is revealed
at the end. Frank, the cancer clinic technician who awakens Ross's
love of music.
A powerful, heart-wrenching story drawn from the authors own life
experience of having survived a rare eye cancer. Themes: Cancer, Eye
diseases, Courage, Friendship, Middle-schooling.
Gabrielle Anderson
Ten minutes to bed Little Unicorn by Rhiannon Fielding
Illus. by Chris Chatterton. Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN:
9780241408339. board book, 28pp.
(Age: 2-5) First published in 2018, this is one in a series of Ten
Minutes to Bed books (including Little
Monster and Little
Mermaid). It's an overt bedtime story set in The Land of
Nod (the endpapers show a map of the land and where each of the
characters live) and similar in concept to other books about bedtime
reluctance such as Play and I Am Not Sleepy and I Will
Not Go to Bed. In addition, a counting element is included as
it counts down the minutes until bedtime from ten to one. "Ten
minutes to bed!" Dad tells Twinkle (unnecessarily labelled "the
naughty unicorn"). But Twinkle isn't tired. So off she trots,
causing a bit of a riot, despite her dad's insistence that she keep
quiet. She is dancing and prancing, chasing pixies and fairies,
following footprint trails and chasing shooting stars. "Four
minutes" she says to herself when she is far from home and can no
longer hear her father's voice. Summoning a rainbow to take her
home, Twinkle makes it just in time; perhaps she is ready for bed,
after all!
Twinkle's magical journey will delight young ones, who will see in
the illustrations the progression from sunset light to moonlight.
The enchanted wood where the unicorns live is filled with wonderful
creatures and the depiction of light has been cleverly used to calm
and soothe children (glowing lights within the forest, moon and
shimmering stars). There is a nice message here for children about
being responsible and in control of their own body and winding down
for sleep. Little Unicorn seems to pay no attention to the countdown
but by the end of the ten minutes she is already asleep. It may even
help some younger children to set in place their own countdown to
bedtime and assist with an understanding of self-settling. Themes:
Bedtime, Unicorns, Counting Book, Rhyming Story.
Nicole Nelson
Peppa Pig: Super Peppa
Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN: 9780241411971. 32pp. Super Peppa is another book instalment linked to the popular
TV show Peppa Pig. This large book is colourful, full of all
the characters children love from the show and surprisingly contains
a wonderful message for children.
Peppa's playgroup is having a week 'all about me' where they draw
portraits, talk about what they like, what they can do and what they
want to be when they grow up. Peppa struggles as she has no idea
what she wants to be when she grows up, and is worried she will have
nothing to dress up as! Throughout the story she visits the adults
closest to her (Mummy, Daddy and Miss Rabbit) who all show her what
they do and encourage her to give various things a go. She does a
super job at all these different things which helps her decide that
she will dress up as Super Peppa for the Playgroup session.
The aspect of this story that I was very surprised at, but also
loved was that there were some great messages for the reader. Madame
Gazelle celebrates the children's different likes and abilities - no
matter how serious or silly. Then the adults encourage Peppa to
believe in herself and her talents, to practise in order to get
better at something and to work really hard in order to be good at
what you are striving for. I think that in our society these
messages are really important for our children to hear, and if it
has to start young with Peppa Pig then that's okay with me!
This is a wonderful book for the younger children in our schools,
libraries or homes.
Lauren Fountain
We catch the bus by Katie Abey
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526607195. 32pp.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Wow! This is one busy, brightly illustrated
book that kids who love looking for details will adore. Readers are
asked to "What will You drive today?" right on the front cover by a
lion wearing a green mask and from then on the fun begins. Astute
readers will notice the monkey on the title page and follow him
through each section as he gives a hint of what type of vehicle is
coming next. Readers will catch all types of buses from a double
decker bus to a banana bus and a ghost tour bus and when they find
the monkey who has a speech bubble "Not me, I fly planes!" they will
know that the next page will feature planes and that the monkey will
tell them what is next. They then continue to drive trucks, trains,
diggers and cars, ride bikes, sail boats, ride emergency vehicles
and tractors and fly rockets.
Each double page spread is full of humorous drawings and strange
animals all done in vivid colours. Instructions like 'Count the
spiders', and 'Can you spot the smallest animal?', and 'Who is
wearing a purple hat?', all make the reader look more closely at the
illustrations on the pages while often getting a huge laugh out of
the weird and wonderful animals who populate them.
Others by Abey include We
wear pants and We
eat bananas and fans are sure to enjoy this one too. It
is one to share with a younger child, discussing types of transport
and laughing together about the antics of the animals, while an
older child will be prepared to spend a lot of time pouring over the
details and finding the answers to the many questions that the
author poses. Themes: Vehicles, Transport, Animals, Imagination.
Pat Pledger
Mr Nobody by Catherine Steadman
Simon and Schuster, 2020. ISBN: 9781471192265. 384pp.
(Adult) Recommended for mystery lovers. Anybody interested in memory
loss and the functioning of the brain will be sure to learn a lot
when reading Mr Nobody. A man is found on a beach with no
idea of who he is and what his name is. Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma
Lewis is called in to consult in this small English town, but she
has secrets of her own. Why has she hidden her past identify for
fourteen years and why does she feel haunted by the past she left
behind? And how does the mystery man dubbed Mr Nobody know things
about her past?
Steadman melds the two mysteries together while giving an in-depth
look at different types of memory loss and both the character of
Emma and that of Mr Nobody are ones that the reader can relate to.
The novel keeps up the suspense right until the final chapters with
a highly unexpected conclusion which may prove to be a bit
challenging for some readers. Nevertheless it was a good read and
the setting and plot quite different from the usual police
procedural mystery.
Pat Pledger
Our Planet: The one place we all call home by Matt Whyman
Illus. by Richard Jones. HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9780008180317.
96pp., hbk.
This is the official children's book version of the Netflix
documentary series Our Planet. Endorsed by the World
Wildlife Foundation and with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough,
it is an authoritative exploration of our planet's natural world
using both illustrations and photographs from the series itself.
While each habitat is treated separately, nevertheless this is a
story of interconnection and hope, so much so that Sir David
Attenborough suggests that the children who read it will be "among
the next characters who can, if they wish, tell the most
extraordinary story of all - how human beings in the twenty-first
century came to their senses and started to protect Planet Earth."
So many of our students have access to services like Netflix now and
may well have seen the documentaries so this is a great opportunity
to explore how film and print can work together.
Barbara Braxton
Pretty funny by Rebecca Elliot
Penguin Books, 2020. ISBN: 9780241374627. 336pp.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Haylah Swinton, sometimes known as 'Hay',
but mostly as 'Pig', is a teen with attitude . . . a funny attitude!
She is comedic and uses jokes (and chocolate) to cope with life. She
is the older sibling of Noah - a 4-year-old with his own naive
comedic spark. Her single-mother lovingly cares for her two children
and also works shift work at the hospital and so relies on Haylah to
organise and look after Noah regularly. The responsible teen though
is seldom seen as anything other than - large. She is a big girl
with a desire to be appreciated and understood for herself, but she
is also happy to be laughed at, particularly as she wants to be a
stand-up comedian. When she connects with the dreamy, older boy Leo
over their mutual enjoyment of stand-up comedy, she begins to think
she might have stumbled across someone who understands her and can
make her laugh and who might actually be interested in her. But not
everything goes smoothly, and her first stand-up gig might just be a
social disaster! When her life does cartwheels and she upsets her
mother's new relationship and her oldest friends, a kiss destroys
her equilibrium and everything seems to be going 'Hay'-wire. Then an
opportunity presents itself to fix problems, to stand up and be
respected and to be laughed at, all in the same evening.
This is a coming-of-age story (set in England) about learning to be
comfortable in your own skin, but also about how to view yourself
when you do not fit the 'norm'. Haylah is both funny and feisty, and
there are moments that are just laugh-out-loud enjoyable in her
life. But the strength of this book is learning to walk in her shoes
and to laugh with her, but also to understand her independence, her
sense of humour and her occasional angst. The fledgling comedian and
feminist is also just a girl who wants to know that someone likes
her, without having to change to meet anyone else's ideas about who
she should be, how thin or smart she should be, or what she should
wear. This is worthy of recommending to teenage girls with a sense
of fun, as they too negotiate where they fit in the world. In
addition, there are many funny lines and jokes throughout the book,
and the extremely charming Noah expresses the naive joy of being
4-years-old in very delightful moments in the book. This is
appealing and a pleasure to read. Themes: Coming-of-age; Comedy;
Family life; Appearance.
Carolyn Hull
The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey
Mantle UK, 2020. ISBN: 9781529014181. 336pp.
Recommended for adult readers. War threatens London. Not only are
precious children evacuated, but valuable museum artifacts. The
Natural History Museum chooses Lockwood Manor as a safe location,
and Hetty Cartwright as the chosen guardian.
However, Lockwood Manor is large and foreboding, chilling and moody
- a mansion of many rooms. A sad family history echoes in its halls,
and in the eyes of Lucy, the daughter of Lord Lockwood when Hetty
first arrives.
Brusque introductions (and departures) have Hetty on edge, as do the
movement and disappearance of some museum exhibits in her care.
Told in 2 voices - first Hetty, then Lucy, this debut novel from
Jane Healey weaves together historical fiction and mystery, as Hetty
endeavours to protect the collection from war, a zealous host, a
ghost(?) and vengeful past residents of Lockwood Manor.
With gothic elements of doom and gloom (courtesy of WWII), madness,
females compromised simply by being female, and talk of ghosts, The
Animals of Lockwood Manor provides a little twist - with the
relationship between Hetty and Lucy - no Mr Rochester in sight.
Linda Weeks
Peter Rabbit 2: Bunny trouble
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241410875. 32pp. Peter Rabbit 2: Bunny trouble is a level 2 (progressive
reader) book from the Penguin Young Readers series. It is a
story based on the new Peter Rabbit movie, where Peter
snuggles himself into Thomas's truck and takes a trip to the big
city. He comes into some trouble and is very lucky when his friends
come and help him.
This particular story/level is designed for readers who are able to
use the pictures as clues, can decipher beginning/middle/ending
sounds and can make predictions within an in-depth plot (according
to the levelling information provided). I am guessing that the Penguin
Young Readers series is based on American guided and
traditional reading levels, as I was unfamiliar with the information
provided for parents and educators at the beginning.
This reader would be great for students who enjoy the Peter
Rabbit movies, but are also reluctant readers. This book may
assist them by providing a topic that interests them, and is a bit
different from the regular classroom reader stories.
It has engaging images taken from the movie, along with fun and
bright backgrounds added by the publisher. This may be a bonus for
the unenthusiastic reader, and those that rely on the images for
clues and engagement.
Overall a reasonable reader or story, with the bonus of being part
of the Peter Rabbit empire, which may add to the interest
for many children.
Lauren Fountain
Let's go! On a train by Rosalyn Albert
Illus. by Natalia Moore. Let's Go! series. New Frontier, 2020. ISBN:
9781925594980. 16pp.
(Age: 2+) A simple rhyming story has two friends going on a steam
train journey. Let's go on a steam train
And choo-choo through the land
We wait down at the station
Where we hold each other's hand.
Young children are given the opportunity to examine a train journey
in this book, part of the Let's Go! Series that looks at different
modes of transport. They start off at the station, with its Platform
number and clock with the conductor waving from the train.
They see the fire being stoked and watch the countryside from their
seats.
All the illustrations are brightly coloured and detailed while there
is a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds and gender in the children
and the workers.
Older children looking at forms of transport would be able to
identify how train travel has changed from their grandparents' time
while younger children will enjoy the rhyme and rhythm of the
narrative.
Pat Pledger
Butterfly yellow by Thanhha Lai
University of Queensland Press, 2020. ISBN: 9780702262890.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Dedicated to the unknowable number of
refugees at the bottom of the sea, Butterfly yellow tells
the story of Hang, a young Vietnamese girl making her way across
Texas, searching for the last remaining member of her family, her
young brother Linh who as a toddler was airlifted to America
following the Vietnam War. As she trudges across the dry landscape
of Texas in long sleeved high necked clothes covering the faint red
scar lines that score her body, her path crosses with a young man,
Lee Roy, a wannabe cowboy with a droopy moustache, seeking out rodeo
excitement. Hang has only a crumpled card with an address, handed to
her many years ago by the American who took her brother, and she
longs to be reunited with the young child she remembers and loves so
much. She is fiercely determined; having endured a horrendous
experience as a refugee boat person, her case file labelled Extreme
Trauma, details that are only gradually revealed as we learn more
about her past.
This is a poignant but heart-warming story of the slow development
of trust and friendship between the Vietnamese refugee and the naive
cowboy. Lee Roy is by Hang's side, initially reluctant, but then
patient and kind, as her Americanised brother rejects any memory of
her. And the people around them, each in their own way, help the
young friends to find a way to a better future.
The writing is beautiful, and very poetic. Hang's forays into
English are captured with Vietnamese tonal typography, and the
reader is grateful for Lee Roy's ear for the accent and his
interpretations of her words. It is a very realistic portrayal of
the struggles to understand different sounds and language
structures. But their differences melt when Lee Roy is astounded to
discover that old Clint Eastwood movies and rap poetry are a shared
connection between them.
In the end it is a positive story of people overcoming hardship,
overcoming differences, building better understanding, friendships
and a new future.
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Themes:
Refugees, Vietnam War, Language, Friendship.
Helen Eddy
Our Dark Secret by Jenny Quintana
Pan Macmillan, 2020, ISBN: 9781509839476. 320pp.
(Age: Adult) Our Dark Secret is a dark, slow moving story
focussed on complicated families, angst-filled teenage and adult
relationships and deep mysteries. Beginning in the late 1970s,
introspective Elizabeth, a bulimic teenager, who is bullied by her
classmates narrates her story as her home life disintegrates. When
angel-like Rachel and her family move into the village, Elizabeth
seeks her out as a friend. A fortuitous accident leads the girls
into an awkward friendship, and Elizabeth is overly self-sacrificing
to ensure the relationship continues. As their parents' marriages
fall apart, the teenagers seek refuge in a hidden den in the
orchard. Unfortunately, a murdered man's body is discovered in the
girls' hang-out spot, with long-lasting consequences.
Twenty years later, Elizabeth is a troubled adult, still dealing
with her bulimia, moving from job to job, lonely and struggling. She
wants to leave memories in the past, but when another body is
discovered in the village, she must confront the deep far-reaching
truths. She still connects with Rachel, their friendship strained,
but the consequences of their past actions play heavily on both.
Quintana's introspectively draws on the psychological aspects,
exploring themes of bullying, separation, divorce, abuse, secrecy
and obsessive friendships. She descriptively captures the details of
village life, food, music, gossiping and rumour spreading, in
simpler yet still difficult times. The year references form chapter
titles as she weaves the threads of the story between the
twenty-year gap. Our Dark Secret is a multi-layered
introspective drama, confronting and raw, patience and perseverance
are needed to finally gain insight into the connections between the
two murders. Themes: Friendship, Coming of Age, Mystery, Identity,
Family relationships.
Rhyllis Bignell
