Random House, 2019. ISBN: 9780141386867.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Themes: Science fiction, Superheroes, Good
and evil. Having grown up with superman movies and comics set in the
50s, I found this version very refreshing as it is set in current
times. Mobile phones and laptops are common and there is no mention
of phone boxes anywhere.
Clark Kent is 17 and still discovering what he is capable of. New
powers seem to manifest themselves during times of need or stress,
though he sometimes lacks complete control over them.
In this well written and easy to read novel, Clark learns that he is
not of this world and while he wrestles with the implications of
being an alien and the super powers he possesses, he comes to
realise that he has a purpose and responsibility to earth and its
people. All this as he deals with the normal teenage issues of first
love, friendships and High school. He and his close friends uncover
an evil plot to take control of the most vulnerable in his town and
turn them into monsters against their will. This ends with Clark
having to show his true self in front of the people of Smallville to
save his friends and the day; an exciting fight ensues including
bombs, guns and taking control of a helicopter all described in
vivid detail.
In this book you will learn about some of his special powers and how
he discovers them. What his costume and cape is made of, its own
special powers and why he definitely needs it. He meets Lex Luther
for the first time in this novel, although Clark is always
suspicious of his motives they are working together in this story.
But Lex is destined to become one of Clark's most formidable
adversaries.
I enjoyed reading this story as I learned a lot about Superman and
what he can do and how he came to adopt his principles of trying to
avoid killing anyone at all costs. It kept me interested and
entertained and I would recommend it to anyone 10 years and older.
Joyce Crawford
The Genius Experiment by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
Max Einstein book 1. Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9781784759827.
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Orphans, Gifted children,
Inventions, Heroes and villains, Problem solving, Albert Einstein.
James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein's The genius Experiment
introduces twelve-year-old orphan Max Einstein, an amazing girl who
lives by her own rules. She's squatting above the Central Park horse
and carriage stables, attending college classes at NYU and
supporting the homeless people who live in the building with her.
She's used her home-made computer built from discarded parts to hack
into the college's systems and add her name to classes she wants to
attend. Max relies on Albert Einstein's wisdom to guide her
decisions, and all her possessions are carried in a little suitcase
filled with her mentor's quotes and memorabilia.
Two organisations are watching her every move, CMI - Change Makers'
International and The Corporation filled with shadowy sinister
people keen to use Max's genius skills for evil purposes. Typically,
they are dressed in black and out to capture and control Max. After
a brief time at a foster care facility, Max is rescued by her chess
buddy Mr Weinstock and two CMI handlers and whisked off to
Jerusalem. Before the flight, Max's able to rescue her suitcase,
feed all her friends at the stables and is pleased when she learns
they are to be taken to safe houses.
Max is guided by Einstein's wisdom, without any parental advice, she
continues a constant inner dialogue seeking answers and advice.
'Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.' The mission of
the CMI Institute is to solve some of the world's most serious
problems using science. Eight other young geniuses and Max compete
against each other to become the one chosen to lead a team tasked
with solving these problems. What shines through is Max's ability to
face new situations, creatively problem solve and see the world
through her scientific understandings. Ever-present are the evil
minions of Dr Zimm ready to capture the young girl.
The team's first mission involves a dangerous trip to the Democratic
Republic of the Congo to rescue children forced to work in the
cobalt mines. Max and her friends plan to set up solar energy panels
in a village setting up an alternate industry. When the Corporation
comes in to destroy their work, the young geniuses and their adult
helpers stand up and save the day. The Genius Experiment is jam-packed with exciting adventures,
twists and turns, humour and empathy. Max Einstein is a wonderfully
resilient individual who faces challenges head on, relying on her
own abilities and forward thinking, making the most of her life.
Endorsed by The Albert Einstein Archives, the authors have created a
tremendous beginning to a new series.
Rhyllis Bignell
Muhammad Ali by Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Ill. by Brosmind. Little People, Big Dreams series. Frances
Lincoln Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781786037336.
(Ages: 5-9) Recommended. Themes: Determination, Persistence. This is
just one title in a huge collection of the Little People, Big
Dreams series (including Stephen Hawking, Ella Fitzgerald and
Coco Chanel). It is a great introduction to the life of Muhammad
Ali, told simply but with honesty. It doesn't skirt around the
controversial issues or provide a commentary on whether his choices
were wrong or right. It just presents the facts of his life and the
way he chose to live his life. It does present him as a champion,
but not for because of what he stood for but simply because he stood
up.
The biography is chronological, beginning with Ali's childhood in
Kentucky and his motivation to learn boxing (someone stole his brand
new bicycle) then progressing to his boxing career, his refusal to
fight in the Vietnam War and his work for charities. We see as he
takes his success in boxing and keeps dreaming bigger (from an
Olympic gold medal, to world heavyweight champion). His incredible
self-belief is illustrated through his rhymes (Float like a
butterfly and sting like a bee).
The cartoonish illustrations work really well, especially in the
boxing scenes, however, there is one double-page spread that cuts
Ali's face in half and ruins what is otherwise a very poignant
illustration. The bright colours keep things interesting and fun and
the text is a perfect length: short enough to keep young ones
engaged but with enough detail to be useful for school research for
older children.
The real message in Ali's inspirational story is that he stood up
for his beliefs no matter what it cost him personally and that comes
through perfectly in this book. It also highlights that one can have
a strong sense of self while also being self-sacrificing. This is a
difficult to understand but important message for any young person
today. Included in the back is a short photographic timeline and
slightly more detailed biography.
Nicole Nelson
Circle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Shapes trilogy, book 3. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN:
9781406384222.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: STEM, Circles, Friendship,
Humour. Inventors of the quirky books, Square and Triangle,
this Californian duo have collaborated on another book, Circle.
As with the others the simplicity of the tale is beguiling; a circle
watches on each page, the size and shape of the eyes and the
positioning of the iris giving clues as to how Circle is feeling.
He and his friends, Square and Triangle are playing hide and seek
together. Circle outlines the rules, and warns them not to go behind
the waterfall. Triangle is curious and asks why. They are told that
it is dark in there, but Triangle asserts that he is not afraid of
the dark. Readers will know that Triangle will not do as he is told,
and eagerly prepare themselves for something a little scary to
happen. Circle turns her back and counts to ten but when she turns
around, Square is still there but no Triangle. Square reports that
Triangle has gone behind the waterfall. It is then up to the brave
Circle to follow Triangle and rescue him.
The following pages follow Circle's tentative search of the area
behind the waterfall. It is dark and gets darker, and Circle calls
out for Triangle in the gloom. Eventually they find each other,
after bumping into something else in the dark, and they escape,
meeting square at the entrance. All is well, a lesson is learnt.
Klassen's illustrations are pared back, using few colours to create
the background of the game with friends. His delightful shapes with
their big eyes and roaming irises distil the feelings of each of the
three friends to the simplicity of the position of the iris. Readers
will watch the iris with satisfaction able to tell exactly what the
shapes are feeling and compare these with their own feelings as
doing something they are told not to do, or being lost in a strange
place or having a friend rescue you and welcome you back. Readers
will marvel at the pages of black simply showing two pairs of eyes
in the dark, laughing with recognition at their own fear of the
dark.
Quirky and funny, Circle will be a hit with younger
students, and initiate discussions in the classroom about following
rules, mathematical shapes, fear of the dark and friendship. An activity
kit for the series is available.
Fran Knight
Fierce fragile hearts by Sara Barnard
Macmillan, 2019. ISBN: 9781509852888.
(Age: Young Adult 15+) Recommended. Suzanne is an 18 year old who is
trying her best to live an independent life. She has a lot to prove
to her friends and family who feel she isn't quite ready to look
after herself. Suzanne is now older and has finished her therapy,
she is ready to move on. She believes going back to live in Brighton
where she belongs, will be the best place for her. Suzanne is
looking forward to being there with her best friends Caddy, Rosie
and Kel. However, 'moving on' is not how she imagined it, her one
room apartment is small and dreary, her closest friends leave to
start university, she feels abandoned and alone. Lonely and
struggling on the basic wage she earns from a coffee shop, Suzanne
develops a warm friendship with Dilys, her elderly neighbour and her
dog Clarence. Suzanne looks forward to her weekly visits with Dilys,
she uses her washing machine to do her laundry and in the meantime
they chat over cups of tea. For the rest of the novel Suzanne takes
us with her as she struggles with her past abusive family life, her
relationships with her brother, aunt and her new romantic interest,
musician Matt. We witness her many moments of self-doubt and
self-deprecation.
Sara Barnard has written this book as a sequel to Beautiful
Broken Things. The characters in this book are as vivid and
convincing as ever. These characters could easily be people one
knows and has in one's life. Their interactions are real and
natural, as friends, they are there for each other and they have
their ups and downs, but they show up when things get really tough.
I really enjoyed the way Sara Barnard gave us many examples of true
friendships and how strong relationships can withstand some serious
testing.
Most of all I enjoyed reading when Suzanne and Dilys were together,
their friendship was beautiful, nurturing and life affirming. I
loved that they had so much to offer each other in their unique
ways, they learned so much from each other without imposing on each
other. Those moments in the book were truly touching. Suzanne's
relationship with musician Matt was also touching, I enjoyed the
musical connections and liked the references to songs and music as
chapter titles.
I recommend this novel for anyone over the age of 15+ as some of the
content is mature and confronting. It is a book about mental illness
and wellness, it is about trust and dependency and the changing
nature of relationships.
4 stars out of 5.
Sandra Ciccarello
Long shot : my life as a sniper in the fight against ISIS by Azad Cudi
Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 2019. ISBN: 9781474609784.
(Age: Adult) As a Kurd living in Iran, Azad Cudi was acutely aware
of being considered a second class citizen. Conscripted into the
Iranian army, life became intolerable when he realised that Kurdish
soldiers were being deliberately deployed against fellow Kurds.
Sickened by the oppressive system and officers who manipulated Kurds
to fight against their fellow countrymen and women, Cudi deserted
from the army. A long and difficult journey followed and ultimately
he was granted asylum in the United Kingdom where he gradually
established himself. Sadly however he missed his family desperately
and was fully aware that any communication with them would be
monitored by the regime.
Eventually Cudi secured a position as a journalist in Stockholm
covering Kurdish affairs. When the Syrian war developed in 2011, he
felt compelled to join his Kurdish brothers and sisters in resisting
ISIS which was intent on complete genocide.
Having skills developed during his Iranian military service, Cudi
offered himself to the Kurdish resistance fighters who had almost no
armaments or supplies. Selected for training as a sniper, he devoted
himself completely to repelling ISIS jihadists from various places
in the Kurdish region of Rojava, between Iraq, Syrian and Turkey.
Cudi's principal service took place in the Northern city of Kobani
where he protected his comrades as a sharp shooter, covering their
advances and endlessly scanning territory for ISIS infiltrators.
It is hard to image the conditions endured by the very few defenders
who courageously occupied destroyed buildings and fought house to
house against vastly superior numbers of extremely well-armed and
supplied jihadists.
The behaviour of the ISIS militants was unnecessarily brutal. Not
satisfied with taking territory, the infiltrators were proud of
torturing their captives in the most barbaric, degrading and awful
manner possible.
This is a grim book. The content is necessarily confronting in order
to convey the desperate circumstances these Kurdish men and women
endured and it speaks volumes that they were all volunteers,
willingly risking their lives to resist maniacally bloodthirsty
invaders.
Being unable to wash for months, suffering malnutrition from
inadequate food and hiding in destroyed buildings would prompt the
most hardened soldiers to retreat, yet these dedicated volunteers
stayed. Their desperate resistance and sacrifice of many lives
eventually prevailed and the survivors witnessed the Jihadists
abandon the siege and flee for their lives.
There can be no avoiding the fact that Cudi's role as a sniper was
to shoot human beings and he was extremely effective in that
capacity, killing hundreds. In no way was he safe however. Every day
and night he was targeted by opposition snipers and artillery. The
relentless daily fight for survival had grave impacts on his
physical and mental health, to the point where he had to be
evacuated from the front lines as a broken man.
What is clear from Cudi's account however, is that he seeks to tell
a story beyond his own. He guides the reader to appreciate the
amazing Kurdish community which had developed a new way of life,
celebrating gender equality and observing higher principles of care
and respect for humanity. Cudi gives high praise to the female
soldiers, many of them commanders who capably led their limited
forces to drive the invaders out of their homeland.
For those who have returned to the region, there is hope that homes
and community can be rebuilt.
Rob Welsh
Evermore by Sara Holland
Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 9781408359525. 368p; p/b.
In the sequel to Everless,
Jules Ember is the last reincarnation of an ancient alchemist being
hunted by the vengeful sorceress Caro. Despite being a sequel, the
interesting fantasy setting explained itself well enough that it
could be followed quickly. Chapters are paced perfectly, between
their length and their contents, to keep the reader engaged without
making them feel forced to continue by a cheap cliffhanger. Jules'
struggle to push away people she loves out of fear she'll hurt them,
and regrets over the resulting rash decisions add a relatable side
to this fantasy story, drawing you closer to a sympathetic
character.
Vincent Hermann
Pages and Co: Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James
HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN: 9780008229863.
(Age: 9-15) Highly recommended. Themes: Books; Reading;
Literature; Fantasy; Adventure; Friendship. Pre-teen Matilda (aka
Tilly) lives with her grandparents in the Pages and Co Bookshop -
a place of mystery, adventure, fantasy and all the other genres as
well. The mystery of her absent parents though continues to hang
like a dank mist over her life, and some friendship dilemmas makes
the 'missing of her mother' into a potent force in her life. When
characters from some of Tilly's favourite books start to visit her
in the bookshop a world of possibilities open up and adventures
follow. Tilly's escape into books grows as bookshops and libraries
and the great 'Underlibrary' are revealed as part of the magic of
story and literature, and the ability to wander within a book, a
skill for a select few, is revealed as a possibility. But there are
risks! Fortunately, Tilly finds a friend in Oskar, the boy whose
mother runs the cafe across the road, and together they piece
together the puzzle of life as a bookwanderer and the mystery of
Tilly's mother's absence.
This is an awesome book for lovers of reading. With references to
many well-loved books and their characters, particularly Alice
in Wonderland, The Little Princess, Anne of Green
Gables and with side references to Sherlock Holmes and
Pride and Prejudice, this is a book to be enjoyed by those
who might already have encountered these classics. However, it may
also be an entry point to encourage reading of these books. There
are wonderful references to the joy of reading and the capacity for
readers to become 'lost' in a book, albeit the author has taken this
idea to the more magical extreme. I would think that this book could
also make a good shared book as 'a read-aloud' by a teacher,
librarian or parent. Getting lost in book together would be a
wonderful experience!
Highly recommended for lovers of reading aged 9-15. It is simple
enough for young readers, but also enjoyable for those who have
always loved reading and may have read the classic stories referred
to themselves
Carolyn Hull
The book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Illus. by Ian Schoenherr. Chicken House, 2018. ISBN: 9781911490579.
(Age: 9-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Middle Ages, Plague, Relics,
Religion, Disability. Newbery Honor book 2019. It is the year 1350
and Secundus is a pilgrim who is on a quest to collect six relics,
'rib tooth thumb shin dust skull tomb', to put in the tomb of St
Peter in Rome. When he meets Boy, a goatherd, he takes him away from
the manor where he lives to help him to find the relics. Boy goes
along hoping for a miracle at St Peter's tomb, making him a normal
boy and taking away the hump on his back. There are mysteries for
the reader to solve: Why does Boy give all his food to the animals
that he can communicate with? And what is the strange smell that
surrounds the key that Secundus uses to open all manner of locks?
Murdock brings her medieval world vividly to life for the reader who
is taken through the empty villages and devastated countryside of
France, each leaving a picture of the plague killing everyone and
farms and houses being deserted. The religious beliefs that underlie
every aspect of the period are also described in a matter of fact
way as each relic is gathered, with both Secundus and Boy fervently
believing that a miracle will happen when the relics are put in St
Peter's tomb.
There is humour and pathos in Murdock's writing and it is easy to
become lost in her world as Secundus and Boy take on often dangerous
challenges in obtaining the relics. Her characters feel like real
people with believable fears and dreams, and Boy's generosity and
goodness is a delight to read. The woodcut-like illustrations at the
headings of each chapter, particularly of the animals that Boy
converses with, also add to the charm of the book.
This gives an excellent insight into the effects of the Black Plague
and the place of religion in society in the Middle Ages and would be
very useful for classroom discussion of Medieval times. However it
is the uplifting thought of Boy's spirit that will remain with the
reader.
Pat Pledger
Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway
Piccadilly Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781848127753.
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Themes: Girls, Animals, Hotels - maintenance
and repairs. When Anna inherits the Hotel Flamingo on Animal
Boulevard from her great aunt Mathilde she's in for a big shock.
Dirty, dusty, with peeling walls, cracked windows and a broken
revolving door and only two staff members left, the hotel has fallen
on hard times. Anna is a determined girl and with the help of T.
Bear the doorman (bear) and Mr Lemmy the lemur who manages the front
desk, they start the mammoth task of fixing it.
'All this hotel needs is a little bit of love, and an awful lot of
cleaning,' says Anna. With a little help from Mrs Turpington the
turtle's three years in back rent, (she'd been hibernating in her
room all that time), they are able to hire staff. Stella the giraffe
is handy at maintenance, and fixes the revolving door in no time at
all. Madame Le Pig takes over as hotel chef, a little fazed by the
unusual diets of the animal guests.
Anna's ideas for revamping the hotel are wonderful; Stella paints
the facade a beautiful shade of sea blue and all the staff help to
make the hotel a bright and inviting place to stay. When a family of
sea otters move out of the swimming pool pipes, Anna offers them
free board in return for pool maintenance and life guard duties. Ms
Fragranti's dancing flamingo troupe provides special entertainment
for the guests on the special opening night. Even with a visit by
the undercover hotel inspector, Anna and her team rise to the
challenge.
Alex Milway's Hotel Flamingo is a gorgeous early chapter
book, filled with delightful animal characters and fun cartoon
illustrations. It celebrates teamwork, determination, creativity and
accepting others - even cockroaches! Just right for a young reader
beginning their novel reading journey. Read aloud to a class of Year
1- Year 3s and encourage them to write additional chapters, create
and draw new characters and have fun with Milway's story. There are
three more novels to come. What's next for Anna and her animal
friends?
Rhyllis Bignell
Science lab by Robert Winston
DK, Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN: 9780241343494.
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science, STEM, Technology,
Experiments. Robert Winston has collated an immensely practical book
that shares fantastic, child-friendly ideas for budding scientists.
With detailed plans for everything from levitating balls, suspension
bridges and even home-made guitars (plus many more), this book will
provide hours of fun for a STEM/STEAM-focused child. There are
explanations for the scientific principles at play in all of the
activities, as well as the photographic and written procedures for
each construction or experiment. Additional ideas to expand the
scientific thinking and exploration are also included for some of
the tasks. Experiments are organised under the following headings:
Forces and Motion, Liquids and Reactions, Shapes and Structures and
Light and Sound.
This is a wonderful book for a child who would enjoy putting
scientific principles into action. It is visually appealing and well
organised so that equipment could be gathered and prepared by the
child to make all of the projects. (Some tasks may require adult
supervision.) Teachers may also like the ideas in the book for
technology and science extension activities.
Carolyn Hull
The dog who saved the World by Ross Welford
HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN: 9780008256975.
(Ages: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Time Travel, Virtual reality,
Family Life, Dogs. Set in the near future Ross Welford's The Dog
Who Saved the World takes us on a fast-paced journey into the
world of virtual reality and time travel.
Eleven-year-old Georgie lives in Whitley Bay with her dad, brother
Clem and dad's girlfriend, Jessica. Unfortunately, Jessica is
allergic to Georgie's rescue dog Mr Mash and he's returned to St
Woof's dog shelter. Georgie volunteers at the shelter and loves to
take Mr Mash on beach walks joined by Ramzy Rahman her best friend.
Their lives change forever when Georgie's over exuberant animal
knocks an old lady down, eats her swim cap and scratches her watch.
Little did they know; this encounter was a master plan devised by Dr
Emilia Pretorius who needs the assistance of Georgie and Ramzy to
test her secret project. She also demands that they don't tell their
parents - alarm bells should be ringing!
The doctor is an eccentric genius who has built a VR machine capable
of sending people into the future. Some of the trips become quite
scary; a giant scorpion attacks them and split-second
decision-making is needed. At the same time, a deadly canine disease
sweeps across the country and Georgie's pet, Mr Mash, falls ill.
Georgie and her dog are both needed to save the world.
Welford's The Dog who saved the World is fantastical,
scientific, dramatic and even humorous. He builds the tension and
drama as he sends his feisty protagonist into the future to find
answers needed for the current issues. Realistic emotions underpin
the narrative, family relationships, friendships and the special
bond between a girl and her loved pet make this an exciting novel
for readers. Shared with an Upper Primary class, there are engaging
discussion points and research links, with changing the laws of
quantum physics, scientific espionage, future travel and the impact
of deadly global diseases.
Rhyllis Bignell
Human body: A children's encyclopedia by Richard Walker et al.
DK: Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN: 9780241323069.
Highly recommended. Themes: Human Biology; Health. Dorling
Kindersley non-fiction publications are always brilliantly
presented, and this book is no exception. With exceptional clarity,
the intricate detail of the way the human body functions is
explained in language suitable for younger readers. Utilising small
text boxes of information; amazing photographic and scientific
diagrams and illustrations; and the occasional 'Wow!' bubble of
information, the format is very visually appealing and will be
enjoyed as a reference source for young readers.
[Note: The 'Life Cycle' Chapter is sensitively presented with detail
that is appropriate for a youthful audience. With a greater emphasis
on growth and change and genetics, rather than multiple pictures of
anatomy or genitalia, this is not a book that will need to be looked
at with adult supervision and libraries with younger students can be
comfortable with the content.]
Highly recommended as a reference text for young readers interested
in Biological Science.
Carolyn Hull
Brilliant ideas from wonderful women: 15 incredible inventions from inspiring women! by Aitziber Lopez
Ill. by Luciano Lozano. Wide Eyed Editions, 2019. ISBN:
9781786037053.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Women, Inventors, Inventions,
Biography, STEM. Illustrated with cartoon like figures, which
children will enjoy, this book presents 15 great inventions that
women have pioneered in the 20th century. They are: Car heaters,
Monopoly, Disposable diapers, The dishwasher, Domestic surveillance
system , Kevlar, Maritime flares, Anti-reflective glass, Wi-Fi,
Syringes, Submarine periscopes, Diagnostic tests, Lifeboats,
Windshield wipers, and Ebooks, all things that are very useful and
have become common place in the modern world.
Each woman has an insert giving her biographical details, then
details about why she invented the product and what it was used for.
It was fascinating to read about women who invented things that made
their home life much easier to manage, and which have lightened the
domestic load for women everywhere. Marion O'Brien Donovan invented
the disposable nappy using a waterproof nappy cover from the
material that parachutes are made from. She went on to invent dental
floss and other useful things. Josephine Garis Cochrane invented and
marketed a dishwasher. In the medical sphere, many lives have been
helped by the invention of the medical syringe in 1899 by Letitia
Mumford Geer, and the first diagnostic tests for different diseases
by Helen Murray Free.
The illustrations are very humorous and complement the text, giving
the reader a very good idea of why the invention was so useful. The
humour of the drawings will ensure that not only will readers enjoy
the fun, they will remember the circumstances that inspired the
invention. The large illustration for the windscreen wiper, 1903,
invented by Mary Anderson, shows the frustration of the tram driver,
who had to stop the tram and get out and wipe the windscreen,
whenever it rained or snowed.
This will be a useful book to have in the classroom or library when
children are looking at inventions and inventors, and will inspire
many to think about how these women overcame many obstacles to make
the world a better place.
Pat Pledger
Fantastically great women who worked wonders by Kate Pankhurst
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781408899274. Paperback,
32 pages.
(Age: 7-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Women, Biography, Inventors,
Explorers, Mathematicians,. Kate Pankhurst, descendent of Emmeline
Pankhurst, is back with another wonderful book about women that is a
must for libraries and classrooms and will be eagerly sort after by
the fans of her previous books, Fantastically great women who
changed the world, Fantastically
great women who changed the world activity book and
Fantastically great women who made Historyby Kate
Pankhurst.
The list of women includes Junko Tabei, Sophie Blanchard, Maria
Merian, Elizabeth Magie, the London Matchgirls, Rosa May
Billinghurst, Katherine Johnson, Annette Kellerman, Katia Krafft,
Rosalind Franklin, James Barry, Madam C.J. Walker, and Lotte
Reiniger. These women's lives and achievements, which span many
centuries and many careers, will fascinate readers who may not have
heard of them before. This introduction will also give children
inspiration about the types of careers and pathways that they too
could have if they are prepared to be bold and follow their talents.
Illustrated with appealing quirky figures, each woman has a double
page which gives her main achievements, and then inserts expand the
information. The layout is one that will be particularly appealing
to young readers who like little bites of facts. Two women who stood
out were Maria Merian and Annette Kellerman. Maria travelled to
South America in 1699 in a quest to study exotic insects and her
drawings and work helped to transform people's knowledge about the
natural world. Annette Kellerman was an Australian pioneer,
demonstrating that women could lead more active healthy lives. Her
exploits as a swimmer encouraged to women to swim rather than bathe,
and changed the nature of bathing costumes so that women could move
in the water, rather than be dragged down by heavy bloomers.
This book would be very useful when looking at people who have
changed the world and the way it is seen. What fun to tell children
that Lotte Reiniger invented the multi-plane camera, a breakthrough
for animation, each time they watch a Disney animated film.
Pat Pledger
