Professor Astro Cat's human body odyssey by Dr Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
Flying Eye Books, 2018. ISBN 9781911171140
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. "Professor Astro Cat's human body
odyssey" is big, colourful, engaging and full of facts. Each double
page offers interesting facts and illustrations about the different
parts and systems of the body. Readers can follow Professor Astro
Cat as he explains in short, descriptive paragraphs and labelled
diagrams what is going on inside the body. Look inside a cell or at
the different bones of the body. Read about the medicines humans
need as well as ways to be healthy. There are a collection of fun
characters supporting Professor Astro Cat as well as their human
helper (the author in cartoon form) Dr Dominic Wallman.
"Professor Astro Cat's human body odyssey" is a gorgeous way to
learn about the body from a young age. Each double page could be
investigated before bed and independent readers can start anywhere
in the book. This book is full of technical language which is a
great tool for getting children talking and increasing their
vocabulary. The double pages could also be read in a classroom when
there are a few minutes to spare (great in a Health lesson). The
Glossary/Index is also helpful as there are many definitions to
support understanding. This text is also good for teaching children
about the elements of a non fiction text thanks to its larger format
being easier for a whole class to see.
It is highly recommended for independent readers aged 8+ but younger
readers will love investigating the illustrations and asking
questions (just like Mr 6 in my classroom).
Kylie Kempster
Baby's first bank heist by Jim Whalley
Ill. by Stephen Collins. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408891193
(Ages: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Animals, Babies. Utterly
crazy and equally hilarious, this is the tale of an errant infant,
Frank, immediately distinctive in a black and white Babygro. An
ardent animal lover, he has an overwhelming desire for a pet of his
own, but his parents won't allow it, stating that pets are too
expensive to upkeep. This leaves Frank with only one option and he
desperately becomes a bank robber. The issue is this tiny lad is not
content with just one animal, and with cash in abundance, within no
time at all he has all the pets he ever desired, from a meerkat to a
rhino, and the entire house resembles a menagerie.
Until . . . one afternoon his Mum makes a startling discovery!!
Frank's deceitful escapade has been discovered and it is now time to
make amends. With none of the stolen loot left, what can the family
do to raise the funds to repay the bank? And what do they do with
all the newly acquired animals? There is only one way to set matters
right. I won't say what ensues but will merely add that baby Frank
spends some time behind bars.
This pet related preposterous tale will get both children and adults
spluttering with glee at the pint-sized criminal mastermind, as wily
as the animated film star (Boss Baby). Debut author Jim Whalley
narrates in suitably deadpan rhyme while Stephen Collin's witty
expressive illustrations will delight young and old alike.
First in a series of picture books featuring Baby Frank and his
criminal activities, children will love Frank's logic and
naughtiness.
Donna Isgar
A first book of the sea by Nicola Davies
Ill. by Emily Sutton. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406368956
(Ages: 3-7) Highly Recommended. Themes: Poetry. Oceans. Emily Sutton
is a whimsical, traditional illustrator, whose work is perfectly
suited to this earthy, old-fashioned and hearty collection of poems.
The author and illustrator have collaborated successfully in the
past on Tiny and Lots, and have now put together a hardcover
book with over fifty short poems, perfect as a first book of poems
for young ones but will also interest junior primary children. The
poems are about oceans and ocean life and celebrate the vastness,
mystique and intrigue of the great blue world that surrounds us. The
book is separated into four categories, as shown within a contents
page: down by the shore (Catching a wave, Paddling, Shore crab),
journeys (Limpets, Sailor's jig, Blue whale's map), under the sea
(Longline fishing, Seaweed jungle, Shipwreck) and wonders (Rockpool,
Albatross, Sea people). The poems are helpfully titled so you know
what each is going to be about and can pick based on children's
interests. They also seem carefully curated to include favourite
aspects of young readers (shipwrecks, deadly sea animals, sharks,
giant squid, etc.).
The illustrations, beautifully textured and intricately detailed,
are perfect and because of the large format and the brevity of the
poems, are full partners rather than just an afterthought. While the
author and illustrator are English the book isn't identifiably so
(except for the poem about big shopping and entertainment piers that
are not a feature of Australian beaches). The poems evoke the
feelings of being in and around the sea, such as the thrill of
catching a wave or searching for shells, but they also provide
fascinating information that reminds us of the power and long
history of the world's oceans ("The sea has shaped them, rubbing and
rolling, rolling and rubbing, for a thousand, thousand years"). They
remind us of how to take care of our oceans ("Deadliest of all is
the plastic we throw away that strangles, suffocates and poisons").
They inform us of the wisdom of those who live in harmony with the
sea ("the old man draws the night sky out in pebbles to teach his
grandson the pattern of the stars") and about how man has learned to
deal with the wildness of the sea ("From one to twelve runs
Beaufort's Scale, to tell ships when it's safe to sail"). There are
a wide variety of poem styles, some rhyming but most not.
There are many conversation points within the book and some poems
openly encourage children to engage with the book (in "Favourite
dolphin" the only text asks "Choose just one? It's impossible to
pick!" and shows a plethora of dolphins of different varieties). The
big fold-out page for the large humpback whale tells the reader how
to sing like a humpback. The last poem, "Happiness", is a reminder
of the simple pleasures of the sea ("Sand in my shoes. Salt in my
hair. A pebble in my pocket. The horizon in my eyes"). Simple,
evocative, glorious.
Nicole Nelson
Animal Ark: Puppy in peril by Lucy Daniels
Orchard Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408354049
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Amelia and Sam are back with a new
adventure. A poorly puppy is brought into Animal Ark, and
nobody knows who it belongs to. Can Amelia and Sam find the owner
and save the puppy? Amelia and Sam need all the help they can get
but will it be enough?
Amelia and Sam are determined to help this puppy; they are so
determined that they even get the help from a news reporter.
This book is well written with large text and it has interesting
pictures that help make the story. I recommend this book to
animal lovers like Amelia and Sam that want to help out. I also
recommend the rest of the series, Kitten
rescue, Bunny trouble and Fox cub danger.
I recommend these books to 6+
Grace Colliver, Year 7 student
Maudlin Towers: Curse of the werewolf boy by Chris Priestley
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408873083
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Horror, Werewolves, Teachers,
Time travel. "Mildew and Sponge don't think much of Maudlin Towers,
the blackened, gloom-laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is
their school. But when somebody steals the School Spoon and the
teachers threaten to cancel the Christmas holidays until the culprit
is found, our heroes must spring into action and solve the crime!
But what starts out as a classic bit of detectivating quickly
becomes weirder than they could have imagined. Who is the ghost in
the attic? What's their history teacher doing with a time machine?
And why do a crazy bunch of Vikings seem to think Mildew is a
werewolf?" (Publisher)
This is a well written story. When two young boys Mildew and Sponge
find themselves in a school for the not so bright in a gloomy part
of England with strange things happening around them they are forced
to investigate. The main characters are interesting and funny. They
manage to stumble onto a great number of events without meaning to
and see things that they don't understand at first. As the story
progresses you start to piece together all the happenings and how
they fit together. Mildew and Sponge draw you into the story and
keep you wondering what they will get up to next, and how they will
get out of some of the situations they get themselves into.
The boys find out what happens when they learn that there is a time
machine in the school and how time travel is not always what it's
cracked up to be.
I highly recommend this book to boys 8+.
Karen Colliver
Animal Ark: Kitten Rescue by Lucy Daniels
Orchard Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408354148
(Age: 6+) Recommended. Amelia has just moved with her mum into
Welford and she doesn't know anyone except her gran, who they are
living with. Can she overcome her homesickness and help her new
friend Sam to save the kittens with a little help from others in the
village, who they meet throughout their search?
This is a great small book with big text. The pictures add a nice
element to the story, they are well designed and makes the story a
lot more interesting and visual.
I recommend this book for animal lovers just like Amelia and Sam,
age 6+. If you enjoy this book you will enjoy the others
in the series.
(Grace Colliver, Year 7 student)
Moth by Isabel Thomas
Ill. by Daniel Egneus. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408889756
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Themes: Moths. Evolution. Adaptation.
Camouflage. STEM. Industrial Revolution. Survival. Pollution. Hope.
This amazing book shows within easily understood language supported
by the most powerful of illustrations, the ability of an insect to
adapt to the blight of man's impact upon the world. A small moth,
called a peppered moth because of its black and white speckled
appearance, lives near trees where it can hide amongst the patchy
lichen from its predators. During the Industrial Revolution,
factories spurted out coal dust, ash and soot, covering the trees
with black smoke. The peppered moth was no longer able to survive
because it had nowhere to hide, but the darker ones did survive,
and a shift in their numbers occurred, with more dark ones being
born, while lighter ones were rarely seen.
Children reading this book will easily absorb the ideas presented:
evolution, predators, camouflage, adaptation, Industrial Revolution,
pollution, while marveling at the ability of this small insect to
adapt to a rapid change in its environment.
Egneus' illustrations are wonderful, evoking the peace of the
environment in which the moths lived, showing them flitting amongst
the trees, taking shelter on the lichen covered trees, a hungry fox
or owl taking some for their meal. Contrast this with the blacks,
greys and browns of the same area covered with the detritus of the
Industrial Revolution. No reader can be in doubt about the effect
this change had on the moth population.
And within the text, the reader is told about how this little insect
adapted to that change, while the illustrations show the larger
number of black moths filling the pages.
When people realised what damage had been done, efforts were made to
clean up the environment, and so there are many more speckled winged
moths appearing - another change, this time signifying hope.
Isabel's words sing with truth, reflecting her background in
genetics and evolution at Oxford University, while Daniel's
illustrations display a confidence with illustrative techniques
which can be seen across a variety of fields.
Fran Knight
The other wife by Michael Robotham
Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780733637933
(Ages: Senior secondary-Adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Crime.
Thriller. Family relationships. Those familiar with Robotham's
novels will be eager to read his next Professor Joe O'Lloughlin
episode. It certainly does not disappoint! His writing flows and
leads the reader on but does not take the audience for granted.
Joe's life is turned upside down when his father is taken to
hospital after a fall down stairs. He is in an induced coma and his
outlook for recovery is bleak. On his visit to the ICU he discovers
the first of a number of bombshells about his father. The first is
that the person at his bedside is not his mother but his other wife
of twenty years.
In trying to find the 'real' William O'Loughlin, retired eminent
surgeon, distant and disapproving father, possible bigamist and
leader of a double life, Joe delves into lives that he knows nothing
about. His relationship with the police deteriorates as they try to
persuade him to let them investigate without interference.
Ruiz as ever acts as a stabilising influence, gathering information
and providing protection when needed. All his preconceptions about
his family even his childhood memories seem as if they need to be
recast or at least viewed from a different perspective. His own
family is also vulnerable as he charges head on with finding
'truths'. His daughters, especially Emma, are fragile after the death
of his wife six months before and much is left up to Charlie who has
stepped in to take on some of the household duties.
Of course there is his Parkinsons which is beginning to play a
larger role in the life of Joe O'Loughlin.
Joe finds the truth eventually, but not before family memories are
reviewed and found wanting, old friendships are lost and his
father's image is changed and tarnished, but for the better or worse
he is not sure. He discovers that his father was at least human not
a distant and perfect icon.
Mark Knight
The mapmakers' race by Eirlys Hunter
Gecko Press, 2018. ISBN 9781776572038
(Age: 8-11) Themes: Perseverance. Adventure. Map drawing. Eirlys
Hunter's The mapmakers' race is set in a harsh mountainous
environment where a new railway line needs to be built. The
alternate world has mechanical horses and luggage-carrying clouds
and nefarious characters who will use any means to win the 28 day
race and the prize money of five hundred gold guineas.
The Santander family are desperately poor; their father, an explorer
and trail finder, has disappeared and mapmaker Ma and their children
desperately need to win the prize-money. Unfortunately on their
train trip to Grand Prospect where the race starts, Ma leaves the
rail carriage to search for Joe who's filling the water flasks and
she misses the train. Sal, Joe, Francie and little Humphrey decide
to enter the race anyway. All their possessions are on board, and
they believe Ma will catch up along the way. With Carrot the parrot
along for comic relief, this arduous undertaking that will test
their skills of survival and their support of each other. Sal is a
skilled mathematician great at calculating, Francie's special skill
is her ability to project into the upcoming environment and map the
upcoming route. Fortunately, they meet a knowledgeable local lad,
Beckett, who helps the family; he's skilled with animals, a great
cook and has wilderness experience.
In this fast-paced adventure the children overcome many natural
forces, fighting tough conditions, encounters with bear, bees, a
bat-filled cave, dangerous river crossings and cliff falls.
Ingenuity, inventiveness, dogged determination, bravery and support
of each other are qualities that assist the family to push through.
Francie's maps with places named by the children are key elements
that illustrate their twenty-eight day journey.
Eirlys Fowler's descriptive and exciting narrative is suitable for
middle primary students. Her world-building adds depth and interest,
what can a mechanical horse do, what advantages are there to clouds
carrying luggage? Complemented by Kirsten Slade's pen and ink
sketches and maps, this story is a great adventure, with strong
non-stereotypical characters.
Rhyllis Bignell
Sleep by Kate Prendergast
Old Barn Books, 2018. ISBN 9781910646229
(Age: 3-6) Recommended. Themes: Animals. Sleep. Kate Prendergast's
non-fiction picture book uses vivid illustrations to show where animals
rest and sleep. Her bright close-up paintings use a colour palette
reminiscent of 1960's children's books with swirls, dark shading and
patterns of oranges, reds, yellows and greens. Each animal is shown
asleep, some at home, in the barn, in the field or nests. Whilst
creating this engaging book, Kate discovered the plight of most of
these animals facing destruction of their habitat by humans. As you
share this story with a young audience, take time to discuss the
different ways animals rest or sleep, how and where this occurs and
why sleep is important to both animals and humans.
Harvest mice sleep curled up in their nests, whilst snails sleep in
their shells atop a resting tortoise. Bats sleep during the day and
fish sleep with their eyes open. Take time to wonder about the
places, physical conditions as you share the easy to read facts,
sometimes with added notes that accompany the close-up
illustrations. Prendergast includes 'Some Amazing Animal Facts' just
right for starting to engage with scientific facts and for
researching. Discover facts about cathemeral harvest-mice, mobs of
meerkats sleep in heaps, giraffes that sleep for only 20 minutes a
day and hibernating bears. Sleep by Kate Prendergast is a factual picture book, a great
resource for pre-schoolers and junior primary classes developing an
awareness of the needs of living things and beginning to investigate
how the environment supports life.
Rhyllis Bignell
The strange fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold
Random House, 2018. ISBN 9780451480477
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Noah Oakman, is the classic anti-hero
if ever there was one. To avoid the labour of time-consuming
choices, he wears his own daily "uniform" - a t-shirt emblazoned
with the name,"Bowie". He spends much of the book making the most of
a back injury to avoid swimming training, which to his parents
equates to a college scholarship.
Being a concise history, the book begins by reconnecting with his
two best friends, twins Alan and Val, who drag him along to a party.
After meeting Circuit, who attempts to hypnotize him, things get
surreal and the central quest begins. Genuinely trying to find
explanations for the changes and coincidences he experiences over
the coming weeks, he doesn't know whether he is suffering from
paranoid delusions or is onto something revelatory. Allusions to The
Matrix foreshadow the answer.
Noah takes his readers on a comical and poignant mission to confront
his obsessions and coincidences and discover how they are related.
What happened to youtube's Fading Girl? Who is OMG (Old Man Goiter)?
Hypocritically, Noah resists watching the film, "Breakfast at
Tiffany's with his younger sister Penelope, who has her own
obsession with Audrey Hepburn.
Noah's complex frustrations reach fever pitch until Alan is
seriously injured and Noah gets a grip on reality. Paramount is
already busy turning Noah's adventure into a film as evidenced by
the official trailer.
"The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik" is compelling reading,
written by an edgy YA writer who knows how to keep us turning pages.
Deborah Robins
Minecraft: The Crash by Tracey Baptiste
Century, 2018. ISBN 9781780897776
(Age: Teens) Bianca (the main character) is never one to plan ahead:
she, like most people nowadays is 'act now deal with consciences
later,' but on top of that she's a bit of a scatterbrain so most of
the time it's 'act now have someone else deal with consequences'.
When Bianca and her best friend Lonnie are in a car accident that
Bianca might have caused she is incapacitated. After gaining full
consciousness, she is introduced to a VR version of Minecraft and
finds new friends and finding Lonnie in an apparently broken skin
while attempting an 'End dimension run'.
This book is the 2nd in a series, and the first one is a good read
as well. I will tell you that both books are not related apart from
being the first Minecraft series to be sponsored by Mojang and being
in the same series. They are part of a Mojang sponsored program to
get people of all ages reading.
The whole idea of the 'End dimension run' is Bianca trying to run
into her past, to before the car crash happened and it is also seen
through flashbacks that Bianca really depends on Lonnie to help her
with everything, plus that the car accident is a result of her being
a scatter brain. Bianca tries to slip into her past with Lonnie
(whose skin is glitching and has her stuck as a villager) but you
cannot run into your own past.
Bianca feels guilty about causing the crash and tries to complete
Lonnie's plan for the 'End run.' However, thanks to this new VR
version of Minecraft you can control your skin with your mind, but
it also means your deepest darkest insecurities will spawn mob's
most of which will try to kill you. Her guilt about causing the
crash and her obsession about completing the 'End-run' manifests
into an Enderman with a white scar which is the same as the other
car she crashed with. This Enderman will postpone the 'End run' and
attempts to stop the 'End run'.
One more thing, the ending is too obvious. I mean a good book hints
at a spoiler, but this book does it excessively. So much that ANYONE
can guess what it is. This is a HUGE spoiler and that is just not
okay!
Dante C. (Student, Year 7)
White rabbit red wolf by Tom Pollock
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406378177
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Themes: Twins, Mental illness, Bullying,
Genetic engineering, Spies, Murder Revenge, Deception. What starts
off as a book about a boy with extreme anxiety issues quickly
develops into a rollercoaster thriller. Peter Blankman must overcome
his terror and panic attacks to solve the near-fatal stabbing of his
mother and find his missing sister. He uses mathematics (his mild
super power), to suppress his anxiety and to solve the issues at
hand. Who wanted his mother dead? And why has his twin sister
disappeared leaving him on his own? There are murders, torture,
missing persons, spies and highly questionable genetic engineering
involved in this fast-paced story. Peter must unravel the past to
come to terms with what is happening in the present. There are
twists and turns and deceptions that shock and leave you questioning
what is real.
I enjoyed reading this book, it was a page turner, dark and
disturbing and left my pondering the life of the mentally ill and
our understanding and treatment of them.
I would recommend this for senior high school students (14+) who
enjoy a somewhat dark story.
Joyce Crawford
Stink: Hamlet and Cheese by Megan McDonald
Ill. by Peter H. Reynolds. Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763691639
(Age: 8+) Themes: Humour, Shakespeare themes. Given the choice of
staying home with his sister Judy, or going to Shakespeare camp,
Stink takes the camp with his friend, Sophie of the Elves. She tells
him that it will not be anything like what he imagines, and seduces
him with tales of swordplay and cursing, enough to whet his appetite
for him to take on the role of a sprite. But his arch enemy, Riley
Rottenberger is being a Sprite, too, so things are about to happen
that not even Stink could have predicted.
All good fun with lots of puns and mock speeches, and lots of
information about Shakespeare and his plays to engage younger
readers.
This is the eleventh novel about Stink and his adventures all of
which are humorous, engaging and very readable.
Fran Knight
The boy at the back of the class by Onjali Q. Rauf
Orion, 2018. ISBN 9781510105010
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Friendship. Refugees.
Bullying. Resilience. Tolerance. This is a really enjoyable story
about 4 young friends at school who are intrigued by the mystery
surrounding the new boy in the chair at the back of the class. They
have many questions, but it is hard to find the answers; the boy
Ahmet goes into 'Seclusion' in break times, and after school he is
collected by a woman who doesn't seem to be his mother. He doesn't
even seem to speak English. He is unlike anyone they've had in class
before, a strange brave boy with the eyes of a lion. The friends
gradually discover that Ahmet is a refugee child from war-torn
Syria, and in his long trek across sea and land to find safety he
has lost all family.
Learning that Britain is about to close its gates to refugees from
Calais, the four children hatch plans to help Ahmet find his family
before it is too late for him ever to be reunited with any of them.
They come up with 'The Greatest Idea in the World'. But nothing ever
goes smoothly, there are school bullies to contend with, and a bid
to get help from the Queen leads to an amazing escapade which gets
the attention of all the newspapers.
The story is narrated by a nine year old, and because the author
does not give away whether it is a girl or boy speaking, each reader
will identify in a way that suits them. And although the underlying
subject matter is serious, the story has a lot of humour,
particularly in revealing the thoughts and ideas of the nine year old
friends. Drawings of their plans by illustrator Pippa Curnick add
another element of fun.
Author Onjali Q Rauf is the person behind the 'Making Herstory'
campaign for women's rights and prevention of abuse and slavery of
women. She is also involved in delivering emergency aid packages to
refugee families. The boy at the back of the class is her first
novel, and is a wonderful way to draw in the interest of a young
audience, helping them to understand issues that they can't help but
overhear in the news and in adult conversations. The story is a
great adventure, with themes of friendship, tolerance and
understanding towards others.
Helen Eddy
