Reviews

Snow White - a Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan

Candlewick Press 2016. ISBN 9780763672331
The classic story of Snow White is a dark one; her mother dies, the wicked stepmother usurps her father's love and is jealous of her. She survives a murder attempt and briefly finds friendship in the seven dwarfs only to be poisoned; rescue comes only at the last minute. This graphic adaptation embraces that darkness and imbues it with 1920s style. It opens with the 'glass coffin' scene but here 'White as Snow' lies in Macey's Christmas window display with NYPD crime scene tape in the foreground. The detective interviews a street urchin, one of 'the Seven' and then the story flashes back to the beginning. The monochrome pencil and ink illustrations and foggy winter setting effectively suggest the coldness of Snow's life making the rare splashes of colour quite startling. The stepmother is a famous Zeigfeld Follies star who has enthralled her father and the magic mirror is replaced by a ticker tape machine which seems not only to have protected them from the stock market crash but also to emit statements about who is the most beautiful. The Seven are a group of motherless street urchins who protect Snow when she is alone on the streets and take her in. When the inevitable happens, the investigating detective is the one to give the kiss and wake Snow adding colour to all of their lives.
The visual storytelling is multi layered. A quick read with little dialogue but the attention to detail reveals a great cast of well-drawn characters and an authentic feel of Depression era New York. Not for the very young but a popular story cleverly retold.
Classroom ideas are available.
Sue Speck

Rain stones by Jackie French

Angus & Robertson, 2016. ISBN 9781460753170
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Rural Australia. Drought. This newly presented edition celebrates twenty five years since this book was first published. With a new cover and an edition in ebook format, times have changed, but not the charming set of stories reflecting life for young people in rural Australia.
The opening tale, Rain stones is a story which tells of life in rural Australia during a drought where mum must work in the town, Helen must get tea ready while dad works on the old pump getting what little water there is into the dam for the few sheep left on the property. French breathes life into this scenario as Helen strives to follow up the story about Aboriginal people bringing rain through special stones. She asks the local historian and finds that one of the boys in her class has Aboriginal heritage. She talks to his father but seemingly to no avail, until both groups meet to encourage rain. It remains a wining tale of coming together in drought ridden Australia, and reflects values now part of that time.
In 'Afternoon with Grandma', a visit by a family to their Grandma with Alzheimer Disease sees the two children told to go into the garden, where they meet a girl they think is their cousin and play with her learning all about her life and dreams. It is only talking with their mother that they learn that their Gran's dreams were the same.
In the third story, Ben meets Jacob at the swimming pool for lessons and realises that he is blind, while another story concerns the dinosaurs living in the hills around Canberra. All stories are quite delightful, revealing the early writing of Jackie French for a new generation of her avid readers.
Fran Knight

Rather be the Devil by Ian Rankin

John Rebus series. Orion Books, 2016. ISBN 9781409159414
(Age: Senior secondary to adult) Highly recommended. Cold case. Crime. Edinburgh. John Rebus though retired, hasn't put away his interest in crime or the criminals in Edinburgh. A cold case stimulates his interest; the death of wealthy, promiscuous Maria Turquand in a room at the Caledonian Hotel was never solved. Her murderer was never found despite there being a notorious rock band and all of its hangers on staying at the same hotel that night. Away from the old 'Cal', Edinburgh's criminal underworld has seemingly flexed its muscles when crime boss Darryl Christie is assaulted and Big Ger Cafferty is the prime suspect.
Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox have to put aside their differences and work together with Rebus, not always a welcome partner in their investigations. Christie's criminal dealings are of interest to revenue and customs, particularly possible money laundering through his betting shops. The fact that he's been assaulted could mean he owes money, or there may be a takeover bid for his Edinburgh businesses.
Rebus has a history with Cafferty so is a useful go-between for Fox and Clarke, but is regarded with distrust by the hierarchy in the force. He can be a loose cannon which is of course, part of his charm.
Links between the cold case, old money and a struggle for supremacy in the Edinburgh underworld lead the investigation in circuitous routes, but who is pulling the strings? Is Cafferty a spent force? Is Rebus' health a problem?
Rankin gives us the old Rebus forging ahead breaking rules, putting himself in danger in pursuit of the perpetrators of crime, and of course Clarke and now Fox are teamed with Rebus to make a familiar and satisfying triumvirate. And for those who love the haunts of Edinburgh, there are descriptions of both the known and unknown of this city, so beloved by Rebus and his creator, Rankin.
Mark Knight

The Memory Book by Lara Avery

The giant's necklace by Michael Morpurgo

Ill. by Briony May Smith. Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406357127
(Age: 10+) Recommended (with reservations for sensitive children) Themes: Ghosts; Death. Young Cherry, the only girl in her family, is keen to finish the excessively long 'Giant's Necklace' (a shell collection on a string) before the family leaves their beachside holiday home. Unfortunately, her focus on finishing the task prevents her from noticing the changing sea conditions, and this prevents her from leaving the shore safely. Her attempts to climb the cliff to escape the wild seas leads her to the old abandoned tin mine, where she encounters ghosts from a long ago mine collapse. Although Morpurgo cleverly leads the reader to think this is a story of survival, it is actually a ghost story and might be quite confronting for readers too young to deal with the grief-washed ending.
Morpurgo writes very engagingly with metaphor dripping from the pages, and simple scenarios of family life revealed in a way that children can connect to. The challenging theme of lives lost though may mean that this is one of Morpurgo's books that may need to be discussed with the child reader, rather than just placed in their hands. The illustrations by Briony May Smith are colourful and in a naive style, and perhaps may wrongly hint at a more light-hearted story.
Carolyn Hull

By the light of the moon by Tom Percival

Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408852118
(Age: 3-6) Moving house is a difficult time for adults and young children, their familiar rooms and play spaces are gone.
Ivan's old house had always been so warm and friendly. This new one was NOT.
When Ivan cannot fall asleep in his strange new bedroom, he sits up and stares out of his window. A magical shimmering ball of light falls in the garden and he dashes downstairs to see what it is. Ivan is led on a nighttime escapade past rocks, streams and flowers. Suddenly the light changes into Moji a small friendly magical creature, who paints the world with moonlight. Ivan becomes a brave boy following Moji on a special adventure, up into space flying by the stars and the moon. Moji's magic paintbrush illuminates the sky, moonbeams shine down on Ivan's new house. Dancing through the deepest forests and diving under the sea, Ivan's courage grows as he holds Moji's hand.
When Moji paints the word home across the night sky, Ivan realises that he can make new memories in his new house.
Tom Percival's computer-generated backgrounds use broad brushstrokes in muted tones. A palette of blues, pinks, blacks and greys brings the night setting to life, as motion lines create movement around the stylised characters. By the light of the moon is a gentle magical story, just right for those times when young children need reassurance.
Rhyllis Bignell

Discovering dinosaurs by Simon Chapman

Ill. by Rudolf Farkus and Mike Love. Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408194614
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Dinosaurs, Non fiction, Fossils. The spectacularly ferocious image of a Tyrannosaurus Rex on the front cover is a winning invitation to this book with lift the flaps and pop ups about the perennial favourite topic, dinosaurs. I can't imagine too many people, kids and adults alike, moving past this book on the shelf. I picked it up immediately, reveling in the feel of this over-sized hard cover book and its thick pages revealing a host of hidden things telling me more about dinosaurs than I had read for a while.
Any good non fiction book is armed with a contents page, index and glossary and these, apart from an index are offered in this book, teaching young readers how to access information.
An introduction by Simon Chapman gives us the background and readers will love the 'boys own adventure' lifestyle he seems to lead.
The first double page introduces the reader to the time periods under discussion, Triassic, and the lift out flaps on each page reveal the Jurassic and Late Cretaceous periods, placed over a map of the world. Each double page thereafter reveals a different area of the world and the dinosaurs particular to that area. So the first page introduces the reader to where and when the dinosaurs first appeared on earth, followed by the velociraptor, amongst many others. Each double page tells us about the dinosaur with a fact box of all those curious bits of information young children absorb. Some pages have full page illustrations, some have many smaller pictures, some pages have lift the flaps and some have pop outs. It all leads to the last pages, one of which talks about their extinction while the next tells us about fossils and what they show us. All in all a fascinating addition to the range of books about dinosaurs which I am sure will be well read. A forward thinking teacher, parent or librarian might like to show kids how to use it carefully.
Fran Knight

Maladapted by R. Kurti

Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406346299
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Science versus Religion in this fast-paced dystopian adventure. Cillian, a budding mathematician, is the sole survivor of a terrorist attack on the Metro (subway). Triggered by the trauma, hitherto untapped superpowers enable Cillian to save himself. Sadly, his father's parting word, 'Gilgamesh', quickly becomes his quest.
Within hours, Cillian's home is burgled and he knows he must look for the answers to the sole clue to his real identity. But there is another lost soul for him to meet in Foundation City. Tess is an orphan. She was raised by an extreme religious group, 'Revelation' who were responsible for the subway disaster and every other attack on the high tech ruling elite. Tess is sent to observe and ultimately destroy Cillian but the pair become friends, united by their distaste for the extremism on both sides.
Of course the friends endure, but it is clear they have unfinished business in Foundation City. In Maladapted, characterisation is not one of Richard Kurti's strengths so readers looking to get to know Tess and Cillian, will be disappointed. However, the electrifying plot commands you to keep reading and we can expect that the main characters will be fleshed out in the ensuing series. Maladapted is crafted to satisfy fans of the Maze Runner and Divergent series or similar novels in the popular dystopian/sci-fi/horror category.
Deborah Robins

The patchwork bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke

Ill. by Van T Rudd. Hachette, 2016. ISBN 9780734416681
(Age: all) Highly (Highly x 2) recommended. Humour. Africa. Ingenuity. Working together. Families. Village life. On the edge of the No-Go desert, there is not much to work with to have some fun with your friends. But this one boy and his brothers find much to keep themselves occupied, whether it be sliding down the sandhill, climbing the Fiori tree, or avoiding their fed up mum. But the best thing is riding the bike he and his brothers made, with its bent bucket seat, handlebar made from twining branches, tin pot handles and wood cut out wheels. The boys can go anywhere in their bike, over the sand hills, or riding through the village or the fields. Many times they must stop and do some running repairs, but they always have a lot of fun.
The infectiously funny story of boys and their home-made bike will invite comment and delight as younger readers marvel at their ingenuity and will eagerly try to replicate what the boys have done.
The illustrations are wondrous, with their thick black outlines and block colours rendered on recycled cardboard with intriguing stickers on each piece. The background of the village with its mud-for-walls houses, sparse fields, few trees, sand hills and abandoned car will alert the readers to the paucity of these children's lives, and perhaps make them reflect on the richness of their own. The stunning illustrations will provide a talking point for the reader as they hunt out clues about the lives of these boys, and perhaps think about why the long suffering mother is fed up. I love the introduction of speed using a bold brush of colour across the page and was further intrigued by the use of shadows throughout the book, underlining the heat of the day. There are very few picture books available for our students set in Africa and this makes a welcome addition to any class looking at children outside their own experience.
Clarke has had many short stories, non fiction and poetry published in Australia and this is her first picture book. The illustrator, Rudd, too presents his first picture book for us, and I can only hope they produce more.
Fran Knight

There may be a castle by Piers Torday

Hachette, 2016. ISBN 9781848668621
(Age: 10+) Recommended. On the wordless turquoise cover, a stylised path winds its way to a distant castle while the blurb simply states, 'like I said, kid, it's your story. Are you ready?'
There may be a castle is a multilayered story, told through the eyes of two narrators, Mouse Mouse Mallory a small eleven-year-old boy, a procrastinator, a thinker whose constant companion is his stuffed toy donkey Nonky and his older sister Violet. Her personality is opposite to her brother's: she is confident and feisty like her hero, a pirate queen. Mouse hates Christmas, as every year they travel to their grandparents' house on Christmas Eve. Even with dire weather warnings, Mum bundles the children out of the house and settles toddler Esme in her car seat.
The car ride is fraught with tension, and in a minute in snowy dangerous conditions, the car crashes. The SUV rolls down a steep hill, the windscreen shatters and Mouse who has undone his seatbelt is catapulted out into the snow. His mother bleeding and unconscious and his sisters hang upside down in the car, Esme safe in her car seat while Violet is trapped by her seatbelt.
This is the turning point of Torday's narrative, clearly delineated by chapters and font styles, the two tales unfold. Mouse wakes up in a magical land inhabited by strange characters, knights, monsters, giant dinosaurs and a large talking donkey. He cannot look back; there is an enemy lurking in the woods. He is constantly encouraged and cajoled to 'maybe find the castle,' that lies ahead. Meanwhile Violet has to confront the consequences of the car crash; it is up to her to save her mother and sister.
Just like Christmas cake that exploded on impact, leaving crumbs in the car and scattered on the snowy ground outside, Torday leaves plenty of clues for the astute reader along the way to the culmination of the story. While each of the main characters shows great resilience and resourcefulness, the reader also needs to persevere at times with different storylines and the individual quests.
This story is challenging, a dark and compelling story, at times nonsensical with the annoying minstrel's lengthy songs, but most of all it is confronting. There may be a castle is suited to a more mature, discerning preteen reader.
Rhyllis Bignell

We found a hat by Jon Klassen

Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406347517
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Sharing. Problem solving. Humour. Two turtles find a hat. They try on the hat in turns and find that it looks good on both of them. But there are two of them and only one hat. They decide that the best thing to do is to leave the hat, because it would not be right if one has a hat and the other does not. But their eyes tell a different story. As they watch the sunset together they find their thoughts and eyes are drawn back to the hat on the ground behind them. Later going to sleep, their eyes remain open, watching the hat. When one falls asleep the other creeps towards the hat, asking the other what he is thinking. He tells his friend that he is dreaming of them both wearing the hat. Each has a hat in his dream and the other turtle, satisfied that this solves the problem, falls asleep beside his friend.
Readers will know that this solution satisfies both turtles, that the hat which loomed as a problem between them has been reduced in its significance and they are content. Their eyes are closed and they sleep.
Divided into three chapters, Finding the Hat, Watching the Sunset and Going to Sleep, children will love reading each section as the story unfolds, offering possible solutions to the problem. The wonderful sepia illustrations with pages of single colour against which the turtles and hat, are initially shown as small figures within the panorama of the desert. But as the problem looms, the figures become larger, almost filling the pages.
But the eyes tell the story of trust, of friendship, of longing, of teetering on the path of deception, of coming together as friends again - themes which could be discussed with a group of children either in a class, group or at home.
The third in a series of books about a hat, I want my hat back (2011) and This is not my hat (2012) this book will be equally well received, its charming style, infectious humour and instantly recognisable themes making it a book kids and adults will pick up to read and share.
Fran Knight

Ruined by Amy Tintera

Allen & Unwin, 2016. ISBN 9781760290641
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Fantasy. Romance. Emmeline of Ruina, needs to restore her rightful place in her country and help regain its independence. But she has been exiled, her mother and father killed and her sister, Olivia, imprisoned. And unlike them she does not have the powers of the Ruined, relying instead on her skills at swordsmanship and her own cleverness.
She plans to infiltrate the enemy's stronghold and help her sister escape. She kills Princess Mary of Vallos taking her place as the betrothed of Prince Casimir of Lera (Cas). Following this is a story of the growing romance between Em and Cas, as the two are now betrothed. Beautiful and expensive gowns, detailed with relish, different customs and a growing rift between Cas and his parents causes some hesitation on Em's part, as the need to free her sister becomes secondary to her growing love for Cas. She becomes less sure of herself and the reason she is in this place. In captivity Olivia's powers have grown and Em's indecision has created a distrust between the two girls.
A solid fantasy read, the background of the rivalry between the two kingdoms is nothing new but the writing is fast paced and the romance enough to impel any reader to turn the pages.
Fran Knight

Dog Zombies rule for now by Liz Pichon

Tom Gates series bk. 11. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781743812563
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Liz Pichon's Tom Gates series is extremely popular; the diary style format includes the creative doodles, small cartoons, thought bubbles her fans love. The easy-to-read text includes an array of appealing fonts and styles, handwriting, bubble writing, emphasized words, block writing and words made out of patterns. The placement of text and illustrations along with the large line spacing is great for high interest-lower reading age students.
Tom has agreed to help his best friend Mark who is moving house and needs to find a pet-sitter for a few days. Of course, at school Marcus Meldrew finds out and begins to tease Tom, will it be Mark's pet snake? Tom begins to worry and doodle, his sister Delilah has allergies and his parents do not actually know about the promise. This is just another day in the life of Tom Gates. Marble the hamster arrives with a long list of instructions and takes up residence in Tom's room. Yes, he loves to run all night on his hamster wheel!
Tom has big plans for his band Dog Zombies, to write more songs and to make spectacular music. Unfortunately getting more sleep proves difficult with Marble the hamster active all night and the constant chiming of the cuckoo clock. Annoying Delilah proves to be an easy task for Tom.
Nothing in Tom's life is dull or boring and he finds trouble wherever he goes. Filled with family dramas, band rehearsals, pet-sitting problems and the ups and downs of Tom's school life, Dog Zombies Rule For Now is another amusing and entertaining addition to the series. Liz Pichon also includes opportunities for craft activities and suggestions for story writing.
Rhyllis Bignell

The Call by Peadar O'Guilin

David Fickling Books, 2016. ISBN 9781910989203
(Age: 16+) Centuries after humans drove the Sidhe (fairies) from Ireland into the dark world of the Grey Land, society struggles to survive as the supernatural creatures inflict a horrifying revenge. Every child is suddenly seized without warning at some stage of their adolescence. They are transported in a single moment to the hideously terrifying world of the Sidhe where they are hunted and most often captured and tortured to death for the amusement of their tormentors.
All are returned to Ireland, however approximately nine out of ten are killed and the survivors bear terrible wounds and disfigurements from their ordeal. The corpses are mutilated and deformed by fairies as an example to those who have not yet been 'called', as a warning of the unspeakable pain and suffering which they will be subjected to when caught.
Unable to escape their land, the dwindling Irish population faces societal collapse and survival dominates every aspect of life. From the age of ten, children attend special colleges where they are subjected to gruelling physical exercise to develop strength and stamina whilst engaging in high level self defence techniques. Their entire education centres upon being as prepared as they possibly can when they are called, finding themselves naked and alone in an alien world where they will be sadistically hunted.
Having survived polio, central character Nessa has a walking disability. She knows that surviving her call is made monumentally difficult by being unable to flee as swiftly as most. Despite this, she feels that she must survive and devotes her life to accomplishing every aspect of her training as well as she can. If the prospect of indescribable violence and pain in a nether world is not enough, Nessa and her peers suffer vicious bullying from fellow students who seek to dominate in a real world where normal teen relationships and hormones remain. With students trained to survive by killing before being killed, fights in the survival college can maim and to be called when injured invites almost certain death. Strong female characters exist in this story and they are shown to be self-reliant and capable of defending themselves. Threats and acts of violence perpetrated by male characters upon females makes for uncomfortable reading however.
The linear progression of Nessa's experience is interspersed with chapters describing what happens to other students from the school's various year levels when they are called to the Grey Land.
The author describes this tale as grim which is a significant understatement. Some scenes are nightmarish but what disturbed me most was the degrading, unending pain and misery endured by humans who were enslaved and grossly disfigured to provide service to captors. Descriptions of clothing made from human parts was sickening. Whilst many teenagers enjoy horror themes, aspects of this novel could be described as extreme.
Suggested minimum 16 years.
Rob Welsh

Leave me by Gayle Forman

Simon and Schuster, 2016. ISBN 9781471156786
(Age: Adult) Themes: Identity; Family; Responsibility; Illness; Stress; Adoption. Adult Novel. Every working woman who also bears the burdens of family life will resonate with the emotional struggles of the central character in this story for adult readers. Maribeth is a 44-year-old juggling many things - stressful career in an industry with unforgiving deadlines; two dearly loved twin pre-schoolers and their busy schedules; finding time for intimacy with a husband she loves; negotiating friendship changes and the busyness of life in a big city. This juggling act falls apart completely when she experiences a heart attack and a subsequent bypass. Suddenly her world freefalls into unfamiliar territory and her sense of self and her emotional needs cartwheel into places that she is unprepared for and unwilling to address. So she leaves! With no warning, and little thought for those around her, she transplants her life into a different city, reconstructing herself little by little as she explores her history and her reason for being. With no identity, she manufactures something from nothing and connects to people around her who slowly help her to rebuild her sense of self and allow her to uncover the secrets that she has wound tightly under her new façade. As an adopted child, the story also weaves her search for her biological history into her search for identity and emotional security.
Although there would be few people who would consider Maribeth's abandonment of her family as a solution to their problems, the mid-life emotional journey that she travels as a mature working mother and career woman is certainly a 21st Century voyage into the complications of stress, achievement, desire and responsibility. I am past her stage of life, but I certainly felt and remembered some of her angst as she attempted to keep everyone and everything afloat around her, while feeling that she was drowning under the weight of it all. Maribeth's reinvention of herself, was perhaps necessary as she dealt with her own mortality, the physical consequences of Heart surgery and the emotional trauma that created her selfish introspection. Not happy reading, but well written; and she doesn't drown, but there is hope as she learns to swim in a new and healthy way.
Carolyn Hull