The witch's kiss, bk 1. HarperCollins, 2016. ISBN
9780008182984
(Age: 13+) Witchcraft. Magic. Fairy tale retelling.
Sixteeen-year-old Meredith has decided not to use her powers as a
witch after something went badly wrong, but her family history
ensures that her magic will be used. When she finds a box with a
braid of hair and other artefacts inside it her grandmother tells
her that her destiny is to save the world from a wicked magician,
Gwydion, and Jack, the King of Hearts. With her brother Leo, she
meets Jack in his human form, and gradually details of the tragic
story unfold as Merry goes back in dreams to the time when Jack was
cursed as a baby and when her ancestors, the three sisters, try to
break the curse. The witch's kiss, which is easy to read, will appeal to those
who enjoy the genre of fairy tale retelling. Instead of a princess
being cursed in a cradle, a baby boy prince is cursed and when he
turns 18, the wicked magician Gwydion comes for him, and makes him
take the hearts of lovers, which Gwydion then uses to grow his
magic. Merry is a likeable heroine who has to come to grips with her
powers and make some difficult decisions especially as she comes to
love Jack. Her brother Leo is a great side-kick, supportive and
helpful while the witch's coven, led by Merry's grandmother, make an
interesting contribution as well.
The suspense of wondering whether Merry will survive the trials that
face her keeps the reader engrossed and the rescue attempt under the
lake is exciting. The romance is low key and while the book can be
read as a stand-alone, there is another to follow, The witch's
tears, which may divulge whether true love's kiss saves the
day.
Pat Pledger
The book of Pearl by Timothee De Fombelle
Walker Books, 2016. ISBN 9781406364620
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. A love that lasts for an eternity. A
love that started in one world, a world of fairytales, and continued
in the world we know. In The book of Pearl, we meet Joshua
Pearl. Once, he was Ilian, a prince of the fairytale world until he
was banished to our world and separated from his one true love,
Olia. In the new world, Ilian is taken in by the Pearls and soon
takes on the identity of their dead son Joshua. It is wartime in
Europe and it is while he is a prisoner of war that Joshua discovers
objects that prove his fairytale world exists. Joshua believes
collecting the objects - a mermaid's scale, an archer's bow, a part
of his crib and many others - can open a doorway back home.
Unbeknown to Joshua, Olia was also banished to our world but she was
cursed. She is cursed to only see Joshua but to never be seen by
him. Olia becomes his shadow, his guardian angel. Always there
helping but never seen.
It is a chance encounter with a 14 year old boy that turns this love
story into a story for the whole world to know. The book of Pearl is beautifully written and translated from
French to English. The text is descriptive and emotional and will
hook the reader from the start. It will have the reader believing in
true love. Several storylines are used to tell the story and it
jumps between the past and the present with each chapter. Highly
recommended for readers aged 11+ as well as for adults who enjoy a
well told story.
Kylie Kempster
44 days: 75 squadron and the fight for Australia by Michael Veitch
Hachette, 2016. ISBN 9780733633638
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) The story of the Battle of Kokoda
has been well told. However, the World War 2 battle in the skies
above Port Moresby has not been as well known, until now. Michael
Veitch vividly describes the extremely brave men who, over 44 days
in 1942, with little preparation or material support, flew missions
in Kittyhawks against the superior Japanese Zero aircraft. The
airmen had an extraordinary squadron leader, John Jackson, whose
bravery was an inspiration. However, in the end the unit was
overwhelmed through loss of virtually all their aircraft, erroneous
tactics and the lack of support from the air force hierarchy.
The book includes 15 photographs, maps and chapter notes. The author
provides detailed accounts of the actions of many of the airmen and
demonstrates wonderful background knowledge of the aircraft
involved, as well as the physical conditions the men had to survive
on the ground. But for the author's research, these heroic deeds
would have never been told.
Paul Pledger
Goodnight Spaceman by Michelle Robinson and Nick East
Puffin, 2016. ISBN 9780141365626
(Age: 4-7) Recommended. Space travel. Space. Adventure. An inspiring
story about space travel and being an astronaut, this is a book that
will inspire young children to reach for the stars. Two little boys
get ready for bed and after saying good night to their shuttle, base
and darkest space they zoom away on an adventure in a space rocket.
The book begins with an introduction by ESA astronaut Tim Peake, who
has two small sons who dream of having adventures in space just like
the two children in the book. He is the first official British ESA
astronaut and has spent time aboard the International Space Station.
The book, beautifully illustrated by Nick East, takes the two
children through space up on a space rocket past the planets and
onto the space station. Not only is space depicted in gorgeous
colours, readers will learn about what it is like inside a space
station through the detailed and engaging drawings of its interior.
The rhyming story is perfect to read aloud. The large print and
rhythm of the tale will also be helpful in encouraging beginning
readers to have a go at reading for themselves.
This is lovely book to read at bedtime, but would also be great to
use in the classroom when children are looking at space and
travelling to the planets.
Pat Pledger
Macmillan Children's Books, 2016. ISBN 9781509809899
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Romance. Diversity. This collection features
twelve stories, by 12 well known US authors writing for adolescents:
Leigh Bardugo, Nina LaCour, Libba Bray, Francesca Lia Block,
Stephanie Perkins, Tim Federle, Veronica Roth, Jon Skovran, Brandy
Colbert, Cassandra Clare, Jennifer E Smith and Lev Grossman. The
collection had a range of genres, from adolescent, fantasy, to
horror so some stories will have more appeal than others depending
on the reader's liking for a particular type of genre.
It is a collection that the reader can dip into to find stories by
their favourite authors as well as find stories and genres by
authors that may be new to them. One of my favourites was Head,
scales, tongue, tail by Leigh Bardugo which appears to have
all the hallmarks of a summer romance until the quirky twist at the
end. Another that appealed was Last Stand At the Cinegore by
Libba Bray, a look at a classic horror movie that comes alive - lots
of humour and excitement here! Sick pleasure by Francesca
Lia Block was not your traditional love story at all and will make
the reader think about the meaning of love. Another that took a
different approach to love was Good luck and farewell by
Brandy Colbert where Rashida has to come to grips with the fact that
her beloved cousin is moving to San Francisco with her girlfriend. The
map of tiny perfect things by Lev Grossman has its two
characters facing the same day over and over and having to find
perfect things to keep going.
With its mixture of romance, race and diversity, this is sure to be
a popular collection, although not as light hearted as My true
love gave to me: Twelve holiday stories also edited by
Stephanie Perkins.
Pat Pledger
Archie Greene and the alchemist's curse by D. D. Everest
Allen & Unwin Australia (Faber), 2016. ISBN 9780571307418
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Move over Harry, you have a rival for
my affections! Somehow or other I missed the first book in this
fabulous series (that will need to be redressed ASAP) but no matter,
I was able to pick up the threads from the first well enough to
thoroughly enjoy this volume.
And how could I possibly resist any magical story in which books and
librarians feature so strongly? Well, that just wouldn't happen at
all!
Archie Greene found out he was from a magical family on his 12th
birthday and since then he has been living with his aunt and uncle
plus cousins in Oxford so that he can pursue his inherent
apprenticeship working with magical books. Not only does he have a
natural talent for the work which he is undertaking to learn but he
has a rare gift. He is a book whisperer. He can hear and speak to
books who often reveal secrets that others can have no hope of
discovering.
When Archie's younger cousin also embarks on his apprenticeship and
steps up to receive his 'fire mark' from the mysterious Flame of
Pharos which will denote his apprenticeship path, he and Archie as
well as Bramble the older cousin surprisingly receive another mark.
Two other apprentices also are branded in the same way. The five now
carry the Golden Circle - the mark that has not been seen for 350
years and means that the children are the new 'crop' of original
magic writers. The whys and wherefores are the thread of the story
and the plot untangles like a strange spell itself revealing hidden
histories and uncovering truths.
D. D. Everest has provided readers with an alternate world which in
every sense not only echoes the satisfaction we all had with HP
books but at times eclipses this with highly original plot twists
and characters.
I will be promoting this with vigour in my library just as soon as I
can get hold of the first in the series. I predict that we may well
need multiples as word spreads of the delights of this series.
Amazingly these are the author's first forays into writing for
children - check out the author's
website. Highly recommended for readers from around 8 years
upwards. Make sure you stock up!
Sue Warren
The devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson
Tom Hawkins bk 1. Hodder and Stoughton, 2014. ISBN
9781444775426
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Mystery. Historical crime. The Crime
Writers' Association Historical Dagger (2014). It's London, 1727.
Tom Hawkins is desperately trying to keep out of the notorious
Marshalsea prison for debtors, but when he is mugged and his money
stolen, he ends up facing the appalling horrors of the place. He
discovers that there is a murderer roaming the prison as well as the
ghost of the murdered man, Captain Roberts. He rooms with Samuel
Fleet, known as a devil, and is aghast to find out that he is
sleeping in the bed where the murdered man was found. After being
brutally beaten and tortured he is offered the only way out of the
prison - find the murderer and quell the rumours that are beginning
to taunt William Acton the turnkey of the prison and interfere with
the huge profits that he and Sir Philip Meadows are making.
Tom Hawkins is a most likeable villain, a gambler, deep drinker and
fond of the ladies. Brought up to be the successor to his father, a
country parson, he finds that calling not to his taste. Instead he
discovers the underbelly of London. However, there is a core of
honour to him and he is eager to uncover who and why Captain Roberts
was murdered. The range of characters that he encounters in prison,
from the wicked William Acton to the bumbling chaplain, the clever
Samuel Fleet and his protegee Kitty are all original and bring depth
to the mystery.
Hodgson's well researched setting of the Marshalsea prison
highlights the horror of what it was like to be in debt and thrown
in goal in the 18th century. Descriptions of the terrible
circumstances of the debtors, their hunger, and the cruelty and
corruption of the gaolers provide a fascinating and complex
background to this crime novel at the same time making the reader
well aware of the differences between the rich and the poor. The devil in the Marshalsea gripped my attention right from
the beginning and its historical setting, engaging characters and
tricky plot kept me reading. There is another book in the series, The
last confession of Thomas Hawkins, which I look forward to
pursuing.
Pat Pledger
Children's illustrated encyclopedia by Carolyn Bingham
Dorling Kindersley, 2016. ISBN 9780241238905
A few years ago, perhaps in an effort to be seen as a cutting-edge,
digital-age facility, many libraries weeded their reference
collections, disposing of almanacs, atlases and encyclopedias in the
belief that 'everything was now available on the Internet'. True,
some of those multi-volume sets did take up precious shelf space
even though they were seldom consulted but were retained because of
the expense of acquiring or replacing them. Those who sent them to
new homes (or the skip) were seen as brave and even now there are
libraries where one can find these sets taking pride of place
despite being years out of date.
But gradually there came a realisation that not everything was
available on the Internet and what was there was not necessarily
accessible physically or intellectually to those requiring it at
their point of need. In addition, research started to emerge about
the differences between reading print and digital material with
strong evidence that those who read, evaluate, interpret and use
online information best do so because they have a solid foundation
of traditional print-based skills. But it is tricky to help our
newest readers develop those skills if we no longer have that
traditional collection of print-based resources to offer them.
So this updated, 25th anniversary edition of the iconic Children's
illustrated encyclopedia is going to be a welcome addition to many
school and home libraries. It is hard to imagine that it is more
than a quarter of a century since Dorling Kindersley (DK)
revolutionised the presentation of non-fiction to cater for the
needs of younger readers with clear headings, smaller chunks of
information, clear, coloured illustrations and the use of white
space which decluttered the page and allowed the reader to feel more
in control rather than overwhelmed. With indices, glossaries,
quick-fact boxes and a host of other features DK pioneered this
new-look non-fiction which made all sorts of topics accessible to
the youngest readers who could learn much just from browsing the
pictures even if they couldn't read the words yet.
This 8th edition of the 1991 original covers nearly 400 topics,
arranged in the traditional alphabetical format, offering full or
double-page spreads on those things that young readers want to
investigate as well as new things that will catch their eye as they
navigate through it. One of the common arguments raised against the
cost of and access to online encyclopedias is that they have a
particular bias towards their country of publication, but this one
does not appear to favour anywhere over another. Australia has the
same amount of space as the United States; England has no more than
New Zealand.
Each topic is presented in that clear DK style and does what an
encyclopedia is supposed to do - offer an overview of each featured
topic that can be further explored in more in-depth texts if
desired. There is both a full index and gazetteer, critical for
developing effective search terms and location skills, as well as a
full list of acknowledgements so we can demonstrate the ethical use
of information and illustrations.
Even though it is heavy for little muscles, it would be a wonderful
and affordable way to introduce students to those essential,
traditional skills that are going to provide the platform for more
sophisticated use of non-fiction resources, print or online, in the
future. And being just one volume, it won't take up the real estate
of those older, more traditional sets. Parents and grandparents will
be pleased to know that there is something with which they are
familiar appearing on the shelves, and many will find their birthday
or Christmas gift problem solved.
Barbara Braxton
Tripping back blue by Kara Storti
Carolrhoda Lab, 2016. ISBN 9781512403084
(Age: Older teens) Illegal drugs. Family violence. Twins.
Being a small scale drug dealer is dangerous but Finn is smart and
careful, he enjoys the excitement and he is doing it for a good
cause. Finn and his twin sister Faith live in a trailer park in
Dammertown. It is their graduation year, a critical time with the
chance to escape to college. Faith, who lost an eye in one of their
father's drunken rages, is such a good student she has qualified for
Harvard but won't be able to afford it even with a scholarship.
Finn, who feels responsible for her lost eye, intends saving enough
money from dealing drugs to pay for her education. In escalating his
drug dealing he increases the risk and stress which he manages with
his own increasing use of drugs, mirroring his mother's use of
antidepressants and his father's use of alcohol. His escape from it
all is birdwatching in the local cemetery where he meets an old
lady with a common interest in birds and access to a wonder drug
which seems to take the user back to their best memory with a
lasting euphoria and no after effects. Better still it is so unknown
it is not illegal and Finn comes to an arrangement where he is given
access to the drug he calls Indigo in exchange for spending time
with the old lady who turns out to be the grandmother of the new
girl at school, the daughter of a cop who chases drug dealers. From
this point the story focuses on their relationship and Finn's
complicated schemes for marketing the new drug, avoiding the big
dealers who have become interested in controlling it and
acknowledging his own dependence on drugs. The pace picks up and
there is an exciting climax at a cabin in the woods and a final
grappling with the challenges of the future but it seemed too little
too late and I am not sure too many of the older teen readers, who
might be drawn to read this novel because of its illicit drug
appeal, would stick with the rather drawn out story development to
enjoy the exciting but abrupt end. It was a depressingly believable
and explicit account of the rationalizing around drug use and the
'live in the now' escapism which replaces ambition.
Sue Speck
One half from the east by Nadia Hashimi
Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN 9780062572196
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. This is such a fascinating story. It
is about a young girl in Afghanistan whose life undergoes a drastic
change, at the age of 10, after the calamity of her father losing a
leg in a random bomb blast. With three sisters, and her father
incapacitated and depressed, there is no male provider in the
family, so in order to fill that space and to bring luck to the
family, Obayda is made to become Obayd, dressed as a boy and treated
as one. She is a 'bacha posh', a custom in Afghanistan where some
families select a girl child to live as a boy thus avoiding the
social stigma of not having any male children.
Obayd comes to discover the many advantages of being a boy, he is
given the most choice parts of a meal, he can run freely, join in
rough games, and stay out longer. And he makes friends with another
bacha posh, Rahim, a boy who teaches him to be brave and strong,
daring to do things he would never have dreamt of as a girl.
However there is a cost - there comes a time when the bacha posh is
expected to turn back into a girl and forget all the freedoms he has
enjoyed. For Rahim, promised as a child bride, the prospect is
appalling. Obayd struggles to change his own future.
The book raises many questions about what is a girl, what is a boy,
and society expectations of each of the sexes. It is a sure
discussion starter about issues of identity, gender and family
roles.
This book has been written for young readers. Author Nadia Hashimi
has also written a bestseller for adults, The pearl that broke
its shell. I'll definitely be seeking it out.
Helen Eddy
Burning by Danielle Rollins
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408869956
(Age: Mature 14+) Just before Angela's scheduled release from juvie,
THINGS start happening. First, a 10-year-old girl (Jessica) is
brought in under high security. Then, a new program called Sci-Girls
is causing a major stir among the inmates. There's something about
Jessica, Sci-Girls, and the director of Sci-Girls (Dr. Gruen) that
freaks Angela out. Weird things begin happening, and soon it becomes
clear that there's evil in this prison that has nothing to do with
the girls who are serving sentences.
I enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the characters, the writing
style and the atmosphere. I couldn't put the book down. I was
enjoying getting to know the characters' back stories and how they
all interacted with each other. However, it then started along a
different path that was like reading an entirely different book.
Even though I persisted until the end it had just become so
far-fetched I literally thought I was in another story. The ending
finished rather abruptly and left many questions hanging in the air.
There is a companion book being written which will be released in
2017 which I think if the two books were read together, the story
line might come together nicely. Due to the couple of incidents of
murder and a sex scene I would recommend this book for a mature
14-year-old and above. Teacher's
notes are available.
Jody Holmes
Petunia Paris's parrot by Katie Haworth
Ill. by Jo Williamson. Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760403690
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Birthdays, Macaws, Belonging. Opening
the initially very pink and powder blue pages I was quickly taken in
by the tale of Petunia Paris and her family. Each year they ask
Petunia what she wants for her birthday and each year she gets
exactly what she asks for. Problem is she has everything she could
want so this particular year she says the first thing that pops into
her head, a parrot.
And she receives it at her gigantic birthday party, when a pink
clown takes the pink wrapping off the cage to reveal a bright read
and blue macaw.
She is thrilled, and when everyone has left, settles down to hear it
talk. But no matter what she does all he does is squark. She asks
everyone, and reads all her books, but to no avail. He just squarks.
She becomes frustrated and yells at him while the butler suggests
that perhaps she asks him more kindly, which she does, and the macaw
opens his heart to her. He tells her that he does not want any of
the things she is offering, and all he wants is to go home. So her
next birthday when she is six, she does not have to think at all.
She knows exactly what she wants. She wants to go to Peru, and so
off they go, making her sixth birthday party very different indeed.
The simplest gift turns out to be the best of all gifts for both the
macaw and Petunia.
This delightful tale of belonging, of being in the right place will
amuse younger readers as they see the macaw is a 'fish out of water'
in his new environment and Petunia is to be heralded for finding out
where he lives and returning him to his home.
The lively illustrations are full of humour as we watch the family
about their breakfast, or at one of the huge birthday parties, or
trying to make the macaw feel at home. The pen and water colour
drawings are whimsical in their depiction of the fabulous Petunia
and her family.
Readers will love seeing where the macaw really lives and be tickled
by the last fold out page of the macaw at home. And perhaps grab
hold of the idea that not all presents have to be big and bold,
expensive or exclusive, a family being together is all that we
really need.
Fran Knight
The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey
Atom, 2016. ISBN 9780349002156
(Age: Teens) A rich and indulgent fantasy, Grey presents a world
coloured by fear, despair, and highlighted by the ray of hope that
is the Firebird. While this is a great fantasy concept, it seems
oddly disjointed, tripping up the reader and making it more
difficult to read.
Echo is back in this sequel to The girl at midnight, this
time holed up in a warehouse with the former Dragon Prince, his
sworn sword, a duplicitous Avicen, and her best friend, Ivy. The
group have nowhere to go, all having thrown their support with Echo,
the murderous firebird who killed an Avicen warhawk in order to
protect a Drakharin - the ultimate betrayal to the tenuous trust
Altair, the Avicen general, holds for her.
The stakes grow when another mythical beast, the Kucedra, the
Firebird's enemy, appears, reaping havoc not just on Grand Central
Station, but on the otherwise impenetrable Avicen nest. The
unsuspecting Avicen were decimated, the few survivors evacuating to
an enchanted island prepared to safeguard them if ever the nest were
threatened. With despair reigning the Avicen are prepared to welcome
Echo back and embrace her as their saviour - but at what cost? Will
she remain herself or will she become a simple weapon?
Like the first, for me, this was a disappointment - made greater by
the introduction of a love triangle between Echo's Drakharin and
Avicen suitors. It seems that even despite all that is going on,
lust and love are the primary concern of the characters, rather than
the more pressing threat of a shadow monster. To her credit, in this
novel Echo is less concerned with boys and more with the monster -
however the issue of the love triangle appears to be presented as
the most pressing issue. Again, I would only, hesitantly, recommend
this to boy-crazy, fantasy-loving, teenage girls.
Kayla Gaskell, university student, aged 20
Edge of extinction: It's them or us by Laura Martin
Edge of extinction series, bk. 1. Harper Collins, 2016. ISBN
9780008152895
(Age: Upper primary, Lower secondary) This absorbing story, set in a
future world, is the first in a series and it establishes a momentum
that is sure to carry readers along to the final book.
It is easy to empathise with the three main characters, living in a
world fraught with danger since scientists brought dinosaurs back
from extinction.
Sky Mundy is the first person narrator, explaining her motivation
for leaving the underground colony where she has lived since the
disappearance of her father, branded a traitor. Her best friend,
Shawn, follows her into exile and they take refuge with a young boy,
Todd, and his family and friends in a treetop sanctuary.
But Sky and her friend, Shawn, are followed by ruthless members of
the Underground Compound, and now with Todd accompanying them, they
must elude them as well as the ferocious dinosaurs. Fortunately, a
dinosaur hunter saves their lives and Sky discovers that he, Ivan,
is her grandparent. The three young people are relieved when he
agrees to join their search for Sky's father.
The next episode is coming soon. I'm sure young readers will look
forward to it.
Thelma Harvey
Rory the dinosaur wants a pet by Liz Climo
Hachette, 2016. ISBN 9780316277297
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Friendship, Companionship. When Rory visits
his friends Hank and Vera they have a surprise for him. Hank has a
pet and they do lots of things together. Hank shows off his pet,
Sheldon, as they play fetch and hide and seek. Sheldon is so much
fun and when Rory walks off back home he wants a pet as well.
Rory searches high and low, asking some creatures whether they will
be his pet, but they say no. He looks up in the trees, in the
jungle, on the beach, all to no avail. When Rory turns to go back
home the unexpected happens. A coconut falls from the tree and lands
nearby. He takes him back to the tree house and asks his father
whether he can keep him. The age old excuse of 'he followed me home'
is used with much recognition and humour. Rory names his new pet,
George and makes a space for him to sleep. They do lots of things
together: playing games, dressing up, fetch and hide and seek.
After searching for a friend, Rory has one that found him.
This seemingly simple tale of companionship will appeal to younger
readers as they recognise the urge to have friends, and see that in
wanting and seeking them out, they may miss the obvious right under
their nose. A charming story of friendship and all that means for
younger readers, this book has bright colourful illustrations with
lots of little things to watch for, talk about and recognise.
Fran Knight
