The mystery of the colour thief by Ewa Josefkowicz
Head of Zeus, 2018. ISBN 9781788546492
(Age: 12+) This is the story of a girl called Izzy, a cygnet called
Spike and the power of feathers gathered from strong winds. It is a
beautifully written debut about hope, healing and new beginnings.
First there was the accident, then came the nightmares and the
mystery of the shadowy thief who steals all the colours from Izzy's
world... a mystery that needs solving.
This is a beautiful story about a girl's struggle to overcome her
guilt for supposedly causing a car accident that left her mum in a
coma. Izzy's world appears to be falling apart in front of her very
eyes - her best friend is being incredibly mean to her, her dad is
distancing himself from her and school is awful. The author has very
cleverly used the colour thief to steal all hope from the young
girl's life - as she begins to unravel the complexities in her life
the colour slowly begins to return. Izzy sees similarities in her
own life in that of her new friend Toby, who was recently paralysed
from a skateboard accident. Toby brings hope to Izzy's life and
allows small glimmers of hope to appear. This is an emotional read
covering themes including families, friends, challenges at school,
belief, self-belief and most importantly empathy. Suitable for
children aged 12 and it will certainly be a welcome addition to the
collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
A shout in the ruins by Kevin Powers
Sceptre, 2018. ISBN 9781473667785
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Powerfully written and well crafted,
this novel draws together two strands, one set during the cruel
times of slavery plantations and the American Civil War and the
other, ninety years and more later, as George Seldom sets out on a
path toward some kind of atonement. It is a complex weaving of
personal stories - the clues holding it together are a faded note,
an elkhorn handled knife, and a pair of cracked blood veined
glasses. The lives of slave owner Bob Reid and his teenage daughter
Emily, and the ruthless Frenchman, Levallois, are inextricably
intertwined with those of the slaves Rawls and Nurse, two lovers
that will never know freedom. Rawls is a 'runner' a would-be
escapee, and is hobbled to pay for it, his two big toes chopped off,
but he continues to hope that one day he will find the young girl,
Nurse, named for her wetnurse duties. The day they finally meet
again is a moment of silent overpowering emotion, neither of them
daring to speak. Can there be any chance of happiness for them in
the lawless violence of the times?
Author Kevin Powers served in the Iraq War, he obviously knows war
first hand, and it is depressing to realise that the violence he
describes must be written from experience, that men continue to
torture and kill each other now just as they did back then. However,
despite the horror and carnage depicted in the novel there are
glimpses of hope, people strive to love and care for each other, and
perhaps one day find a kind of peace.
I read this book, and then turned to the beginning and read it
through again. It is a complex book, the language is rich and
poetic, the story harsh and cruel, but not without hope. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading it - it is a rewarding read, and adds to
the understanding of what we are as human beings.
Helen Eddy
Stink: Hamlet and Cheese by Megan McDonald
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763691639
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Stink: Hamlet and Cheese is a
great way to introduce Hamlet and Shakespeare to younger readers.
The main character, Stink, may not be too happy about being the only
boy at Shakespeare camp but it sure beats being stuck at home
without his friends.
Stink's friend, Sophie, makes Shakespeare camp sound amazing. Stink
likes the idea of acting and loves the idea of sword fighting.
Unfortunately, Riley (a girl from school) is also at camp. She is so
annoying and Stink is worried about all of the kissing talk. Does
Riley really want to kiss him? Yuck! Thankfully, Stink's sister and
Sophie help him make a shield. At least he has one way of blocking
any potential Riley kisses!
Despite the kissing threat, Stink still enjoys camp. He gets to see
a Shakespeare play, learns how to insult like Shakespeare and learns
about the words we use today that were actually created by
Shakespeare. As the Saturday performance approaches and family and
friends get ready to attend, Stink starts to worry about that kiss.
Will his anti-kiss shield be enough? Stink: Hamlet and Cheese is a fun and easy read. It has some
funny moments and great characters. The author has included elements
of Shakespeare's plays making them easy to understand. the story
will teach readers about the mysteries behind Macbeth, the famous
quotes and the new words we wouldn't have without Shakespeare. This
book is highly recommended for readers aged 8+.
Kylie Kempster
Peter Rabbit: Hello Peter! by Beatrix Potter
Warne, Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780241324332
(Age: 1-3) Highly recommended. Board book. What a wonderful
introduction to Peter Rabbit and the delightful illustrations by
Beatrix Potter. This board book is for very young children, but
adults reading the rhyming words and looking at the drawings will
also be engrossed and enchanted as they go through the book.
The rhymes are gentle and easy to read aloud. An example is: Peter loves to jump and play,
Peter's had a busy day.
Each rhyme is accompanied on the opposite page by a gorgeous
illustration. Young children will love pointing out the carrot that
Peter is kicking in the air as he plays, and will laugh at the
snoozing Peter after his busy day. There are colourful flowers,
birds and butterflies adorning the pages in soft pastels and the
final two pages are winners: Peter's mother wants to cuddle
Before it's time to sleep and snuggle.
This is sure to become a firm favourite with young children and
their care-givers.
Pat Pledger
Silent but deadly by Pixel Kid and Zack Zombie
Diary of a Minecraft Creeper series. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN
9781742768724
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Bullying, School life, Minecraft computer game.
Pixel Kid and Zack Zombie bring Jasper the Creeper back for another
adventure in "Silent but Deadly." This junior novel is written in
the familiar diary format is packed with Minecraft characters and
filled with gross behaviour, family and school dramas and the
requisite fart jokes.
Jasper the Creeper's class is teaming up with Mr Grossegg's class to
write, produce and perform plays about Minecraft Mythology. Jasper's
group includes his best friend Harry and Burt Sting the biggest
bully and his gang, Blake the Blaze, Zane the Zombie and Sam the
Slime. Harry warns Jasper about these guys and their previous
trouble-making. In drama class they just walk around making fun of
the other students' plays. Their group choose to act out the story
of Sir Farts-a-Lot and his epic adventure slaying an Ender Dragon.
Burt and his gang choose the best roles while Harry and Jasper
become the front and back end of the dragon. Burt's continual
bullying causes problems for Jasper who farts gunpowder whenever
he's stressed or upset.
When they meet at the entrance to the mineshaft after school, Stu,
Jasper's human friend offers him some advice. 'Be better than the
bully don't act like they do.' Of course, things get worse for a
while, Harry's temper causes a fire in the drama room, both Harry
and Jasper are suspended for bullying Burt and his mates.
With help from his family and advice on how to stand up to the
school bullies, Jasper plucks up the courage, battles an Ender
dragon and plays the lead character in his school play.
"Silent but deadly" is another fun addition to the "Diary of a
Minecraft Creeper" series. With all the familiar characters and
typical humour, silly situations and grossness, fans will enjoy this
easy-to-read diary and cartoon style format.
Rhyllis Bignell
Parvana - A graphic novel based on the original book by Deborah Ellis
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760631970
Highly recommended. "This beautiful graphic-novel adaptation of the
animated film, inspired by Deborah Ellis's beloved novel, tells the
story of eleven-year-old Parvana.
When soldiers burst into her home and drag her father off to prison,
Parvana is forced to take responsibility for her whole family,
dressing as a boy to make a living in the marketplace of Kabul,
risking her life in the dangerous and volatile city.
By turns exciting and touching, Parvana is a story of courage in the
face of overwhelming fear and repression. Readers will want to
linger over this powerful graphic novel with its striking art and
inspiring story." Publisher.
I must say I was not at all excited about reading a graphic novel as
these do not appeal to me at all but I must say I was pleasantly
surprised. We have Parvana as a set text for our Year 6
classes so I was eager to read this version and I was not
disappointed. The illustrations added so much to the story line and
to the overall understanding of the plot. Concepts such as bullying,
war, family, poverty, friendship and the role of women are
presented. It touches on an important time in Afghanistan and the
hardships that may continue to face. Parvana is an extremely strong
willed lead character who takes it upon herself to help bring her
father home at a time where girls were given very little freedom. A
must have to add to the graphic novels' collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
Peg + Cat : The camp problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763699222
(Age: 5-8) Peg + cat: The camp problem is an engaging story
designed for 5-8year olds. The Peg + Cat series has an
undercurrent of mathematics equations which easily slide into the
stories and essentially enable children to learn about maths without
even knowing it! This story surrounds Peg and her pet Cat who are
dealing with a homesick friend at Camp Niniwawa. The maths topics
include colour patterns and counting in 5 and 10s.
I used this book as a homework reader with my 7 year old and was
pleasantly surprised both with the story and the mix of familiar and
challenging words. The chapters were the perfect length for his
reading level/ability (level 16) and would work either to be read in
one sitting or across a series of days.
During the story we were able to stop and focus on the mathematical
concepts, practising counting by 5s to 100, and used the colour
pattern chapter as a stepping stone to more complex pattern
scenarios. The maths level is around that for a 5 year old but
easily extended.
I really liked this aspect of the book as it was such an easy
pathway from literacy to numeracy. There are a variety of other
titles in this series, where Peg and her trusty sidekick Cat use
maths to solve problems. These would be great to be used in a class
situation, to concrete concepts and enlighten students who may be
finding particular base level number concepts hard. Mr. 7 year old
gave it 3.5 out of 5.
Lauren Fountain
Crash landing by Robert Muchamore
Rock Wars Book 4. Hodder Children's Books, 2017. ISBN
9781444914634
(Age: Secondary) "Jay, Summer and Dylan are fresh out of the biggest
reality show there is. But they're about to discover what fame and
fortune are really about. Jay's brother Theo is young, rich and
famous: but is it making him happy? Summer's got to weather her
one-star reviews and take her career back into her own hands. And
Dylan might soon be seeing the world of show-business from the four
walls of a prison cell. They've got everything to play for."
Not having read a single title from amongst the three preceding
books in the series, I came to the story without any background
knowledge of the various characters. Despite this, it was simple to
piece together sufficient information to understand the motivation
of most of the characters and I found them to be interesting and
engaging. From virtually the first page the book is scattered with
drug references, discussion of life in the music industry, reality
TV shows, prison life and general aspects of the 'seedy side of
life'. Positive, loving relationships between friends and family
are, however, present throughout the story too. Loyalty, honesty and
ethical issues are investigated and provide an interesting dilemma
for various characters. Ultimately, the resolution seemed to be
quite satisfying as certain people receive their comeuppance, which
seems to have been well deserved.
The cover of this book does state that it is not suitable for
younger readers and I would agree with this assessment. With the
main characters being sixteen, this title would best be suited to
readers in secondary school. Initially, a definite romp, filled with
fights and life in prison, the story does have a positive outcome
and a message, without being overly didactic. This title would
probably hold most appeal to young teens.
Jo Schenkel
The 13th Reality: Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
Scholastic, 2018 (First published by Simon and Schuster, 2008). ISBN
9781742994789
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy, Science Fiction,
Truth and Reality, Courage, Quantum Physics, Adventure, STEM.
Atticus Higginbottom (nicknamed 'Tick') is not a super-hero type. In
fact he is more the kind of 13 year old student who is likely to
spend time in his own locker at the 'suggestion' of the school bully
and who has a passion for the local library, the pursuit of science
and understanding quantum physics. He is also the recipient of a
series of strange letters that are both extremely puzzling and also
life-altering. These letters demand great intelligence and
problem-solving skills and ultimately bravery as they lead Tick into
dangerous new territory, alternate realities and, as a side-note,
into new friendships. His courage is tested and the world he knows
is challenged, twisted and tipped upside-down in amazing ways.
Reality itself is tested by technology, new knowledge, new
possibilities and possibly even forces of good and evil. Quirky
characters abound. Fortunately he has a supportive family to fall
back on! (This is in itself a pleasant change from the
ultra-independence of many teen YA characters.)
The author James Dashner is perhaps better known for his dystopian
speculative fiction, "The Maze Runner", written for a slightly older
YA audience. "The Journal of Curious Letters" is infused with humour
and a little bit of science and technology, but it is mostly an
enthralling, fantasy-quest, adventure written for capable and
intelligent young readers. This book was originally released in
2008, before "The Maze Runner", but this Scholastic release should
capture a new readership that enjoys reading about young
protagonists who are pushed to their limits and overcome adversity
using their brainpower. (Readers that have enjoyed Trenton Lee
Stewarts' "The Mysterious Benedict Society" series will enjoy this
book too.) I will also look forward to reading more in this series
and will even enjoy grappling with the concepts of Quantum physics
that underpin the idea of alternative realities!
(Note: James Dashner has been embroiled in the #Metoo controversy.
Read his and other comments online to inform your own opinion on
this issue. Young readers may or may not be aware of the issues, but
the book publishing industry is not immune.)
Carolyn Hull
Jane Seymour. The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir
Six Tudor Queens series. Headline, 2018. ISBN 9781472227683
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Jane Seymour is a
wonderful read with Alison Weir convincingly bringing the Tudor
Court of Henry VIII to real, exciting and tumultuous life both in
the Court and in Jane's daily life.
As a very young girl, she leads a normal quiet country life but
feels that she has a religious calling which she must follow. At
that time, all decisions are made for her by her father and male
members of the family, but having been able to convince her father,
she then observes the difference in conditions between the
postulates and nuns as opposed to those of the Abbess, and can no
longer continue her calling there. Although she never loses her
religious beliefs - which later cause her great mental pain and
danger - it is her first experience of how the world of that time
worked.
She becomes a maid-of-honour to Henry's first queen, Katherine of
Aragon, to whom she is devoted. At that time, Henry is making plans
to somehow remove Katherine and marry Anne Boleyn, in the hope that
she will provide him with the much-needed son to keep the Tudors on
the throne. The clarity with which Alison Weir describes the
intrigues, love affairs, preferments, demotions, cruelty and deaths
of those whom Henry can advance or destroy at will, makes
electrifying - sometimes chilling - reading. Her use of words of
that period - do you know what a 'kirtle' is? - is fascinating.
It would seem that Henry really did love Jane Seymour who, with the
birth of the future King Edward, gave Henry his long-awaited son.
She died 12 days later.
Throughout her life, Jane was haunted in many ways; compromising her
religious calling, her loyalty to Katherine, her hatred of Anne
Boleyn, the fear that she would never produce a male heir. In this
book, we feel that we can see first-hand the turmoils of her life
and of the times.
My only disappointment in the format of the book was that the
Timeline, given at the back of the book, would have been so much
more helpful and interesting at the beginning.
Peb Blackwell
William Wenton and the Secret Portal by Bobbie Peers
Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406371710
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Science Fiction, Adventures, Codes and
ciphers, Secrecy. Norwegian film director Bobbie Peers' "William
Wenton and the Secret Portal", the second novel is darker and
slower-paced than "William
Wenton and the luridium thief". He takes us back to familiar
surroundings at a more hostile and locked in Institute for
Post-Human Research. William's body is filled with a metallic
substance, 49% liridium which enables him to solve the world's most
difficult puzzles. There are evil forces at play, and a mysterious
women with a mechanical hand who needs William's powers to open a
special cryptoportal in the Himalayas.
When William appears on television ready for a competition to solve
The Difficulty puzzle, he suddenly experiences a powerful seizure
and is unable to continue. Sent home, he is crushed by his loss.
When his grandfather, a master cryptographer, collects him and
deposits him at the Institute, only to leave again, William's
worries continue. The Institute has changed dramatically, more like
a jail than a vibrant research facility. His room is a prison, with
steel bars on the windows and he must be accompanied everywhere by a
porter-bot. Guard-bots carry passivators to stop William from
searching the buildings and grounds for clues to his illness and
reasons for the changes at the now hostile environment. Even his
friend Iscia now a field assistant has altered; she even works with
his enemy Freddy.
When the mysterious woman appears in his room and tries to kidnap
William, he determines to find answers. Stealthy forays into the
basement where he discovers a mysterious man encased in a steel slab
and into the gardens to a secret underground space leave William
with more questions than answers. With Ischia's help and Freddy's
interference William sets consequences in motion when he handles a
powerful orb that destroys many artefacts stored in The Depository.
His actions open a cryptoportal in the Himalayas allowing for the
evil woman Cornelia Strangler to steal an entire cryonic storage
unit. Can William save the earth from the return of vast quantities
of luridium that will infect all human and destroy life on Earth?
Bobbie Peer's second science-fiction novel has a darker quality to
the plot and setting that makes it difficult at times to make sense
of William's struggles and his decisions. His sense of loneliness
and constant struggles are confronting, more darkness than
lightness. More code-breaking and cyphers would have helped as well.
"William Wenton and the Secret Portal" is suitable for readers who
enjoy futuristic fiction filled with gadgetry and alternate forms of
travel.
Rhyllis Bignell
Jabberwalking by Juan Felipe Herrera
Candlewick, 2018. ISBN 9781536201406
"Can you walk and talk at the same time? How about Jabberwalk? Can
you write and draw and walk and journal all at the same time? If
not, you're in luck: exuberant, blue-cheesy cilantro man Juan Felipe
Herrera, Poet Laureate of the United States, is here to teach you
everything he knows about being a real-life, bonified, Jabberwalking
poet!
Jabberwalkers write and speak for themselves and others no matter
where their feet may take them - to Jabberwalk is to be a poet on
the move. And there's no stopping once you're a Jabberwalker,
writing fast, fast, fast, scribble-poem-burbles-on-the-run. Scribble
what you see! Scribble what you hear! It's all out there - vamonos!"
(Publisher)
Juan Felipe Herrera is the first Mexican-American Poet Laureate in
the USA. For people that like poetry and nonsense words, then
this book is for you. It is part story, part handbook and
packed with nonsensical words and phrases - which loosely reminded
me of the made up words featured in Roald Dahl books. It
allows readers to see that words can be written down anywhere - they
can be completely random and interesting at the same time.
Lessons learnt could include listening, expressing and tailoring
one's ideas and thoughts about writing. An interesting read.
Kathryn Schumacher
Alma and how she got her name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763693558
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Alma is a little girl who believes her name is far too
long, until the day her dad explains to her where her name came
from. She then realized that her name had meaning and that each bit
of it did fit her just right. In the end she worked out that her
name was perfect.
The story talks about each of her individual names and where they
came from and what was important about that particular person and
which of these traits Alma has inherited.
She then learns that Alma was chosen just for her and she is the
first person in the family to have that name and she can now make
her own story to go with her name.
The illustrations in this book tie in perfectly with the story that
is being told.
I would highly recommend this book for 4+.
Karen Colliver
Genesis by Brendan Riechs
Project Nemesis 2. Pan Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781509869992
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Genesis is a whirlwind of a story full of
thrilling experiences and mind boggling scenarios that will have you
questioning your own existence. It's the sequel to Riechs' first
book Nemesis, which was equally amazing, and is able to keep
you up till 3am reading. It follows Min, a feisty girl who stands up
for what she believes in, and Noah, a natural born leader who's
grown from the spineless character he was in book one. Together they
fight in a struggle to survive against their year level's cohort -
the only people left 'alive', trapped in an unground computer on an
apocalyptic earth.
The plots dives into themes of not only mystery but relationships as
the characters deal with the emotional stress of love and hate. This
story is a scary possibility, mashing Hunger Games and Lord
of the Flies with astounding technology to surprise you with
every chapter.
Riechs goes into incredible detail making you almost forget it's
fiction and thankful to be in the safety of your own bed. Genesis
is a stirring read that you won't regret and I can't wait to see
what's in store for this series.
Grace S. (Student)
Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408869444
(Age: 13+) Recommended. "By turns thrilling, dramatic and touching,
this is the story of Henry the Eighth and Catherine of Aragon's
divorce as you've never heard it before - from the eyes of their
daughter, Princess Mary.
More than anything Mary just wants her family to stay together; for
her mother and her father - and for her - to all be in the same
place at once. But when her father announces that his marriage to
her mother was void and by turns that Mary doesn't really count as
his child, she realises things will never be as she hoped.
Things only get worse when her father marries again. Separated from
her mother and forced to work as a servant for her new sister, Mary
must dig deep to find the strength to stand up against those who
wish to bring her down. Despite what anyone says, she will always be
a princess. She has the blood of a princess and she is ready to
fight for what is rightfully hers." (Publisher)
I have read a number of historical fiction based on these times -
adult, YA and the younger reader. I thoroughly loved this book and
it allowed me to further develop my knowledge about Princess Mary.
It is cleverly written from the child's perspective and Worsley does
an excellent job of allowing the reader to empathise with the strong
lead character as she moves from a young lonely girl to a determined
young lady, determined to return to court and reclaim her crown.
Themes such as determination, isolation, the desire to be loved,
persistence and acceptance. I think this certainly fits into the YA
category as it touches on virginity and bastards and at times the
content is a tad too old for the older students in a primary school.
I would recommend it to children from 13 and up who are historical
fiction readers and who will love this book.
Kathryn Schumacher
