Reviews

We are displaced by Malala Yousafzai

Hachette, 2019. ISBN 9781474610049
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Non-fiction.
Nobel Prize winner and campaigner for every girl's right to complete 12 years of free, safe and quality education, Malala Yousafzai presents not only a short version of her own story in this new publication, but has gathered together the stories of many brave refugee girls she has met in the years following the attack on her by the Taliban. Her aim is to help people understand the enormity of the current refugee crisis, the biggest refugee crisis in history, and to hear the stories of the people caught in it, ordinary people caught in conflict and forced to leave their homes, choosing life over death.
The refugee stories are gathered from around the world: Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Colombia, Guatemala, the Congo, Myanmar, Uganda. The stories are quite short but oh so powerful! The first tells of Zaynab and Sabreen, two teenage sisters, who fled the bombs in Yemen and travelled to Egypt to apply through the US Embassy to be reunited with their mother who had already reached safety in the United States. Zaynab, the eighteen year old, was granted refugee status. Her sister, sixteen, was inexplicably, senselessly, rejected, and left on her own. Zaynab was able to fly to Minneapolis and undertake college education. Sabreen was left to risk her life on a boat with other refugees crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. The different fates of the two girls were cast by a careless and cruel administrative decision.
Marie Claire's family fled the Congo, running from wild militia groups terrorising the country. Marie Claire saw her father stabbed in the head, and her mother brutally murdered, sacrificing herself to save her children. Marie Claire and her extended family were lucky to be approved by UNHCR to go to Pennsylvania, and be welcomed by Jennifer, a warm-hearted volunteer with a refugee support organisation.
There are other stories, of young girls in desperate situations, seeking refuge and determined, like Malala, to build a better future. They are sad but also inspiring stories, of people who if just given a chance, are able to rise up to achieve their dreams.
The coloured photographs of each of the girls reinforce that these are real people, who just by the chance of the place they were born, have had to deal with the most terrible life circumstances. Their stories reveal that they are also very strong, independent and determined people deserving of our admiration.
Proceeds from We are displaced go to the Malala Fund for girls' education. But the message of the book is that we can all help, not only by donating money, but by educating ourselves about the refugee situation, giving time and attention, having empathy, and being kind to someone who has been displaced.
Helen Eddy

The little grey girl by Celine Kiernan

The Wild Magic Trilogy book 2. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN 9781406373929.
(Age: 9-13) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Ghosts. Witches. Scary books. In the second book in The Wild Magic Trilogy, following Begone the raggedy witches, Mup and her family travel to the castle, where Mam is greeted, to her dismay, as the new queen. But the old queen is still powerful and the kingdom is in danger. Mup sees a little grey girl, a ghost who has extraordinary powers, and discovers that she can make anyone exceptionally sad as she haunts them with terrible memories from the past. What can she do to help heal the kingdom?
This is a book that will appeal to children and young adults who like ghost stories with brave protagonists who try to fight evil. The little grey girl has frightening powers and children with vivid imaginations will be able to see the terrible things that she remembers from the dungeons under the castle. (It is not a story for the faint-hearted to read at night.) However many readers will be able to concentrate on the closeness of Mup's family, her friendship with Crow, and her determination to help everyone, including the little grey girl.
Mup is a very strong character who can stand up to witches and ghosts, while acknowledging when she is wrong and being able to apologise when her actions hurt someone. Throughout the story she gradually learns about her powers as a witch and uses them to do the right thing.
Kiernan's prose is vivid, sparse and easy to read and it takes the reader on an adventure with Mup soaring through the air, sitting on the castle roof with Crow, and using her witch light to explore the tunnels and dungeons that are hidden under the castle floors.
Tiny illustrations throughout the book add atmosphere and add to the tension. Readers who examine the front cover, too, will get a shiver down their spines when looking at the shadow of the fierce dog depicted there.
Older readers might like to continue reading about ghosts with City of ghosts by Victoria Schwab, and younger readers might like the style of books by Katherine Rundell.
Pat Pledger

There are fish everywhere by Britta Teckentrup

Big Picture Press, 2018. ISBN 9781787410763.
As summer draws on, it is likely that many of our young readers will have either been fishing or will have eaten fish or perhaps seen them 'in the flesh' over the past few months. While those who have caught them in rivers, lakes or the sea may be able to identify the species of their catch, with over 33,600 described species in the world, fish are the most diverse creatures than any other group of vertebrates found in aquatic environments all over the world.
'Big or small, spiny or flat, spiky or blobby, bright or exactly the same colour as the sand', fish have inhabited the planet for about 420 million years, and in this richly illustrated, informative book from Britta Teckentrup, young readers can investigate all things fishy, from the biological characteristics of fish to their evolution to what lives where. Focused on providing initial answers to a variety of questions it is a broad-ranging text that will satisfy the reader's curiosity and perhaps inspire them to investigate further. With information in manageable chunks and accessible language it is an ideal starter text for the independent reader, and with invitations to search for things, including the rarely seen but most common fish on the planet, the bristlemouth, they are encouraged to read and look carefully. Ideal for those with an interest in these amazing creatures.
Barbara Braxton

Where happiness lives by Barry Timms

Ill. by Greg Abbott. Little Tiger, 2018. ISBN 9781848699519.
In the beginning Grey Mouse is very happy and satisfied with his sweet little house which has enough room for each mouse to have fun, plenty of windows to let in the sun where he is safe and never alone. But one day while he is out walking he spots a much larger house that is hard to ignore, the home of White Mouse who invites him up to the balcony to view an even more impressive house high on a hill. Together they set out to visit it, so focused on reaching their destination they are oblivious to all the sights, sounds and smells that surround them on their journey.
When they get there, it is indeed a house like no other, and they are welcomed in by Brown Mouse who delights in showing them round her magnificent mansion. Grey Mouse and White Mouse feel more and more inadequate as its features are revealed until they come to a room that has a large telescope and they peek through it.
Told in rhyme and illustrated with clever cutouts and flaps to be lifted, this is a charming story for young readers who will learn a lesson about bigger not always being better, and the difference between wants and needs, as well as being encouraged to reflect on what makes them happy. Is it things? Or something else? Is the grass always greener?
Both the story and the presentation have a very traditional feel about them, making it perfect for young readers who relish the places books can take them. And with the aid of boxes, rolls and other everyday items they can have much fun creating their ideal home!
Barbara Braxton

Feminism is... by A. Black et al.

DK, 2019. ISBN 9780241228029.
(Age: 14+) Highly Recommended. Non fiction. Feminism is... follows on the heels of the recently published Feminists don't wear pink and other lies - a collection of feminist essays edited by Scarlett Curtis. Both books consolidate the concept of intersectionality but Feminism is...takes the form of a lively reference book. It might be a contradiction in terms, but familiar frames for lucid explanations reward every page turned. The thought-provoking topics form double page spreads within each section, including a handful featuring key historical identities. Each topic fans out across the gutter to engage with stylized diagrams, bold boxed headings and a monochrome photo.
It's a ready reference with all the accessible features plus a directory, glossary and index. Textbook sized, the topics are classified into broad sections: A political and social movement, Body and identity, Relationships and families, Education and work and Culture and society. The simple language explains complicated academic concepts and the spectrum of topics range from 'No Means No' to 'Feminism and Sex Work.' A further delight is that every topic gives equal weight to the opposing views of different schools of feminist thought.
Like its counterpart, the gambit of feminism is linked by a central idea - that intersectionality is at the heart of feminism. Feminism cannot exist in a vacuum. The majority of humankind identify with or belong to more than one marginalized and exploited group. Feminism champions equal rights for everyone who is a victim of patriarchal institutions - in reality that means fighting for as many men (of character) as women. The media, legal system, education and religion are the pillars supporting tyranny of a privileged system that filters through family, language, work, politics, culture and sexuality.
Feminism has evolved. The book may be aimed at youth, but it provides everyone with access and clear understandings of hitherto complex academic theories. Secondary schools should stock a feminist reference book so thoroughly executed, if only for the simplest definition proposed by Gemma Cairney in the foreword: 'It's a hopeful term to associate ourselves with - it means you believe in human rights'. As a result, Cairney was invited to take part in the 'My Life in Objects' series for The Pool. Meet her online on YouTube.
Deborah Robins

Lift-the-flap Engineering by Rose Hall

Ill. by Lee Cosgrove. Usborne, 2018. ISBN 9781474943659.
Highly recommended for your STEM collection. "Engineering is not just about engines. Engineering means designing, testing and making all kinds of useful things. To do this, engineers use mathematics, science, and - above all - their imaginations." Engineers work in teams to solve puzzles, whether the puzzle is big or small. They follow a series of steps including:

• asking questions to ensure they understand the problem
• imagining possible solutions by letting their brains go wild
• making detailed designs of their ideas
• making models to test their ideas
• having the final version built and checking it carefully.

Fairy stories for little children by Lorena Alvarez and Susanna Davidson

Usborne, 2018. ISBN 9781474951784.
This selection of five well-loved fairytales - Cinderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and The Princess and the Pea - has been lovingly recreated in words and pictures to appeal to the young reader, either as a read-along or one who is verging on independence and knows the stories well enough to predict the text.
Fairytales never go out of fashion and there is always a new generation of children coming through to enjoy these age-old tales so a new, revamped version is just the thing for sharing with them. The illustrations in this edition are very modern although still retaining the charm of the past, making this a suitable book for those children who are older but who are learning English as another language, and who are expected to be au fait with these traditional tales. They may even have similar tales in their own language that they can compare and contrast these with. Cinderella, for example, has a version in many different cultures. Similarly, the stories could be used to compare other versions of the same story or even the movie versions so their appeal is not limited to just emerging readers.
Barbara Braxton

Malala, my story of standing up for girls' rights by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick

Wren and Rook. ISBN 9781526361592.
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Auto-biography. The extraordinary true story of the Pakistani girl who stood up for girls' rights to education and was shot by the Taliban is now available in a new publication for a younger audience, so that they too can learn about the young girl who refused to give in to terrorism and believed that truth must prevail.
Malala was fortunate to have a father who encouraged her independence of thought and her aspirations for education, allowing her to participate in a BBC website on the daily life of a girl in Pakistan under the rule of the Taliban, highlighting to the wider world the issue of girls' rights to education. Hoping to silence her, Taliban supporters stopped her school bus, and fired shots to her head. The ensuing airlift to medical services, first in Pakistan then to Britain as the seriousness of her injury became apparent, brought her once again to the attention of the world. When Malala's bravery is recognised with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, the youngest person to ever receive it, it means that instead of being silenced Malala's message will continue to be heard.
This version of Malala's life is written simply with short chapters and large font. There are explainer boxes on some pages to explain topics such as the celebration of Ramadan, the shalwar kamiz clothing, the difference between an internally displaced person and a refugee, the Malala Fund charity etc. And simple black and white drawings by Joanie Stone further enhance understanding of the text. At the end there is also a glossary of terms, a guide to pronunciation of some words, and a timeline of significant events in Malala's life.
All in all, this is a very accessible book, and would make a worthwhile addition to every school library. The story of standing up for one's beliefs and refusing to give in to bullies, is one that will continue to be relevant to young readers.
Helen Eddy

How to raise your grown-ups by Lauren Child

Hubert Horatio, Book 1. HarperCollins Children's, 2018. ISBN 9780008264086.
'These stories are about the days when the Bobton-Trents had it cushy, very cushy indeed.' The Bobton-Trent seniors certainly know how to make the most of their extravagant wealth - socialising, doing things, buying things and generally being more than a little bit irresponsible. Luckily for them, their son Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent is an exceptionally intelligent, talented and sensible child. Unluckily for Hubert, this tends to mean that a lot of his spare time is spent steering his rather unruly set of grown-ups out of trouble. So oblivious are they, they don't realise that their lavish lifestyle means that their money has run out even when the Bobton-Trents and their guests sit at a bare dinner table, waiting for an hour and 22 minutes for the maid to serve them, unaware that the staff has left. They are also unaware of their only child's immense talents - he phones his parents at the age of one, reads at two and, when he tumbles into the pool at age three, discovers that he is "a natural swimmer" - and when their financial situation becomes clear to him, he tries ways to raise money through schemes like hosting board game sessions and opening the mansion up for tours, but all his schemes fail because his parents just spend the proceeds. It even becomes his decision to sell the mansion and downsize to an apartment!
Lauren Child brings her unique combination of story-telling, illustration and humour to this new series of books for the newly independent reader. Even though the message about money not necessarily being the happiness-bringer it is reputed to be may be lost on the target audience, nevertheless young readers will delight in the outrageous lifestyle and Hubert's constant vigilance and tactics to keep the family afloat. Those who are a little older might like to think about how income is derived and disbursed and the sorts of decisions that must be made.
With the second episode Alien beings due later this year, this is a series that will become very popular as the word spreads among your students.
Barbara Braxton

Katherine Johnson by Ebony Joy Wilkins

Ill. by Charlotte Ager. DK Life Stories. DK; Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN: 9780241358580.
(Age: 8 - 13) Highly recommended. Themes: Biography; Katherine Johnson; Mathematicians; Space; NASA; STEM; Discrimination. Katherine Johnson may not be well known to Australian readers, but her story has now been told in the movie Hidden Figures. This amazing Afro-American woman was born in the era of segregation in USA in 1918. Her family though were determined that their children would explore every opportunity for education and it was obvious from very early in Katherine's life that she had considerable talent with numbers. No human restriction was going to stand in the way of her inquiring mind and determination to let numbers and their ability to describe the world to be understood and communicated. Working eventually as a 'human computer' and Mathematical analyst within NASA, she defied both discrimination of her race and gender to become an elite force to be reckoned with, originally in the Academic world and eventually within NASA. During the incredible era of the Space Race and the first Moon Landing, it was Katherine's role to create mathematical certainty for the astronauts. At the age of 97, Katherine was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, an incredible honour for a long and incredible life. For someone who loves counting, she certainly has a lot of years of a rich life to count!
This is a book that should be read! Katherine Johnson is such an inspiring advocate for STEM learning and is also just an amazing person, not letting social obstructions be a barrier to learning and success. Her resilience and determination are also worthy of being shared with a younger generation. The presentation of this biography in the DK Life Stories series is simple with plenty of illustrations in a cartoon style, and with photographs dotted through the simple text. With some text boxes and bubbles explaining unfamiliar terms this is a book easily accessible for young readers and visually 'youthful'. The family tree and timeline of Katherine's life appears at the end of the biographical detail.
Carolyn Hull

Believe me by JP Delaney

Quercus, 2018. ISBN: 9781787472419.
(Age: Adult, 18+) Highly recommended. An enthralling and turbulent psychological thriller, JP Delaney's re-written and re-published version of his 2001 novel The Decoy grasps the reader's attention and interest and never relents. Claire Wright, a British drama student living in New York without a green card, begins work with a firm of divorce lawyers, acting as an easy pick-up in hotel bars in order to entrap unfaithful husbands. Usually excellent at her job, it is surprising when her newest target, Patrick Fogler, remains faithful to his wife. While Claire dismisses this as merely a rare decent husband, suspicions arise when his wife is murdered later that very night. Requested by the police to make use of her acting skills to lure a confession out of Patrick, the prime suspect in his wife's murder, Claire gets to work. But from the beginning, Claire has doubts about the part she is to play, and about whether Patrick really could be a murderer. As she progresses with the investigation, and wonders whether there could be more to this that she was told, she learns that she never really knows who she can trust, and that this might just be the deadliest role of her life.
JP Delaney provides a vivid and realistic world, with authentic characters that make the reader question just how complex human nature is. The storyline is engaging and keeps the reader on their toes and constantly re-evaluating the motives of each character. With each new twist and turn, the reader is sucked into Delaney's world, and eager to uncover the mystery it revolves around. Note: themes of violence, sex, murder, psychological torture, domestic violence, necrophilia, BDSM and crime. Not suitable for younger readers.
Daniella Chiarolli

The extraordinary life of Stephen Hawking by Kate Scott

Ill. by Esther Mols. Extraordinary lives series. Puffin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780241373927.
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Themes: Biography; Stephen Hawking; Scientists; Science; Cosmology. In a very unpretentious format, with simple language and naive illustrations, this biography of Stephen Hawking introduces this amazing man of Science to youthful readers. Explanations of his journey as a scientist and cosmologist, while coping with the difficulties of his diagnosis and life with MND, are described with side notes to explain any complex terms. Basic family history and Hawking's appearance or influence in popular media and film are also included. Obviously, the science of cosmology needs to be explained at a fundamental level for the target audience, and this is done well. Disability and the resilience of Stephen Hawking is described with sensitivity. A time line of his life completes the biography.
This series makes biography a great alternative to a fiction text for youthful readers. This is certainly easy enough for readers aged 7-10 to manage. The use of green text and illustrations also will appeal to the visual generation. The book also includes excerpts from two other biographies in the series: Malala Yousafzai and Michelle Obama. With more biographies planned to be released, this will be a great series to collect for school libraries or to add to a reading program.
Carolyn Hull

How to train your dragon written and ill. by Cressida Cowell

Hodder Children's Books, 2019 (c2003). ISBN: 9781444950380.
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. To become a Viking hero it was a tradition of the Hooligan Tribe to undertake the dreaded Dragon Initiation Programme. Failure meant banishment from the tribe forever.
The unremarkable Hiccup, the son of Viking Chieftain Stoic the Vast, and a member of the Hairy Hooligans, must capture a sleeping baby dragon from the cave in Wild Dragon Cliff, preferably without awakening the mass, take it back to the village and train it to obey and catch fish for him. No easy task.
Hiccup and his little dragon, Toothless, are scorned and bullied by other members of the gang. He has great difficulty training his reluctant dragon, but patience pays off and Toothless eventually proves to be very heroic when most needed.
All the characters have unbecoming names such as Snotlout, Thuggery, Baggybum and Gobber, who is a six-and-a-half foot giant with a mad glint in his one working eye and a beard like exploding fireworks.
The teenage Hooligans and their counterparts, the Meatheads, initially clash in fierce rivalry. A dreadful crisis threatens the entire village and the 'Big Drums' summon the two teams of boys, who must work together to overcome two humungous dragons, causing spectacular havoc.
Brave Hiccup, the only person who can converse with dragons, devises a remarkably clever plan and endures a mindboggling experience with Green Death and, with Toothless helping, struggles to outwit the monsters, to avert a catastrophe.
Joan Kerr-Smith
Editor's note: Review from earlier edition.

The ember blade by Chris Wooding

Gollancz, 2018. 824 pages. Paperback. ISBN 9781473214859.
(Age: 15+) Recommended for advanced young adult readers. Two young boys living in an occupied Kingdom, are fighting to recover a stolen treasure of their people. The ember blade follows Aren and Cade, two young boys who are swept from their home village and sent to work as slaves in the prison mine. In a moment, their entire world is brought crashing down around them. Still, it isn't until they escape into the world beyond the prison walls that their epic adventure truly begins.
The strongest theme of this story is that of the brotherly bond between the two friends, shown through their lively banter and the actions that they take to protect one another. There is a strong sense of disbelief portrayed by Aren. Aren has always seen himself as the hero of the story and struggles to come to terms with how he can be wronged, even when he believes that he has done everything right. Cade has always been resentful of the Krodan people, but it is Aren who is affected most.
Wooding's writing is suspenseful and detailed, constructing beautiful mountainous landscapes, filled with medieval terrors and the cruel and unjust rulers of the occupying Krodan people. The story is filled with edge-of-your-seat action, and excellent, humorous dialogue between the characters. The magic in the story was the use of druidic arts, founded on faith in the Aspects (the Gods of the Ossian people) and an understanding of nature. It was an interesting twist on magic, and one that I found to be well constructed. The ember blade reads like an Arthurian classic, which as huge fan of Arthurian legend, I certainly enjoyed. A brilliant start to the trilogy.
Jake Morgan, Unley Libraries

Stephen Hawking by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vagara

Ill. by Matt Hunt. Little people, big dreams series. Frances Lincoln, 2019. ISBN 9781786037329.
(Ages: 6-10) Recommended. Themes: Physicists. Biographies. 'However difficult life may, there is always something that you can do and succeed at.' Stephen Hawking's life was truly amazing and this Little people, big dreams biography opens up his life and scientific endeavours to a younger generation. Vagara presents the key facts, milestones, accomplishments and personal struggles in an enjoyable and relatable style. 'Children are sponges absorbing the world around them,' is her impetus for writing these biographies. Hawking's life is pleasingly portrayed by Matt Hunt's crisp, linear digital illustrations where dark skies shimmer with stars, dark and lighter tones shape the setting and simple stylised characters show stages of life.
Young Stephen was born during World Ward II in Oxford, England, to a family who loved science and encouraged education. His nickname at school was Einstein, he even built a computer from clock workings and an old telephone. His passion was studying the universe and he studied cosmology at Oxford University. When diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease he determined to study the stars rather than be limited by his condition. Vagara presents this information with a simplicity suited to younger readers.
Hawking's brilliant mind turned to the study of black holes, where he discovered tiny lights escaping from them, named 'Hawking radiation' in his honour. Utilising a robotic voice, he dictated his scientific books and helped the world understand the universe. A comprehensive biography concludes this picture book, just right for students to begin researching. Vagara's Little people, big dreams series opens up children's eyes to inspirational, authentic and unique world changers.
Rhyllis Bignell