The Five Mile Press, 2015. ISBN 9781760067229
Pickle is such a contented bear! And, why wouldn't he be contented,
with a friend like Bree?
Busy Bree wants to redecorate. She wants to paint the walls, but
Pickle prefers wallpaper. Can the friends agree? Or do they have to
work separately?
Both soon find that 'separately' is lonely, and that's no fun!
Bree thinks Pickle doesn't care if she isn't there helping him? She
thinks Pickle's whistling can only mean he's disgustingly happy.
Getting along together, even with your closest friends, is not
always easy.
Then Pickle finds himself in a pickle . . . and needs Bree's help.
Then, all of a sudden it's Bree's turn to be rescued.
The friends decide working together would be more fun. They can work
as a team.
And Pickle will still have time for his afternoon nap, in his
favourite chair, warming his paws in the sun.
Children will enjoy this touching story and, with the help of this
book, learn about teamwork and getting along.
Pickle and Bree's Guide to Good Deeds, in the back of the book, has
some superbly helpful tips about working together and accepting
others, even if they are very different.
J Smith
Perfect by Danny Parker
Ill. by Freya Blackwood. Little Hare, 2015. ISBN 9781760125554
(Age: 5+) Warmly recommended. Historical picture book, Farm life,
Outdoors, Family. Looking back to an idyllic childhood, where
children roamed freely, talking to the cows, climbing trees, looking
at the splendid view across the hills to the sea, this sentimental
picture book shows a childhood that is perfect: one that does not
involve TV, or hand held devices, parents or cars. Children reading
it will be impressed with the freedom of the children depicted:
allowed to make something in the kitchen even though a bowl is
broken, making and flying their kites, climbing the biggest trees
and sliding down the large branches, walking along the top of an old
stone wall, until at the end of the day they retire back to the
house, where more sedentary occupations keep them happily amused
until bed time.
They read and play, the smaller child wrapping himself in a small
blanket and lying on the floor, the older boy snuggling the cat
while the girl writes and draws.
Each activity is undertaken by the three children, working often as
a group, the older girl taking care of her siblings. And each page
depicts an activity of some sort which today's children will relate
to, either having done it themselves or wanting to try it out.
The soft illustrations suit the tone of the story, depicting a life
not lived by many of our children today, but one alluded to in many
books and magazines.
The seemingly simple verse will entreat young listeners, eager to
follow the rhyme of the words, and earn some lines for themselves. A
happy perfectly fine addition to the school library.
Fran Knight
Demon Road by Derek Landy
HarperCollins, 2015. ISBN 9780008141233
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Demon Road by Derek Landy is an
exciting novel that makes it hard to put the book down as you follow
the story of Amber whom is not quite the normal girl with not quite
the normal family. Amber is a teenage girl with a seemingly quiet
life, or so it seemed to others as she struggled to fit into the
cool and flawless 'family' dynamic that are her parents. She always
knew that they were powerful people, but what they will do for more
power will shock Amber to the extreme as more family secrets unravel
in this fast-paced adventure that will keep you on your toes.
Enemies become friends and the people in Amber's life, both new and
old, aren't quite what they seem. Amber needs to learn to adapt, be
and trust herself as she travels the Demon Road in search for a
solution to all of her problems as well as solve others. Demon Road is a book of many themes and many surprises that
would appeal to a large audience. It presents horror, thriller,
gore, action, adventure and mystery to its readers and continues to
shock and astound as you sink further into the life and adventure of
Amber. The story itself is told from the third person point of view
and allows the reader to follow Amber's thoughts and feelings as
well as her personal development as her adventure progresses. The
characters themselves are presented in a relatable and realistic way
with emphasis on their own individual personalities and traits. The
relationships and dialogue Amber has with each one is interesting to
witness as a reader over time as their paths cross throughout the
novel. Demon Road is a very exciting novel that has the
ability to keep its readers captivated with fresh and interesting
events as well as its vivid characters.
This novel would be better suited to an older audience (14+) due to
themes of violence and gore. With its fascinating ending, I can't
wait for the next book!
Sarah Filkin (University student)
Friday Barnes: Big Trouble by R. A. Spratt
Random House Australia, 2015. ISBN: 9780857986993
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Ace amateur super sleuth Friday Barnes
just gets busier and busier! In the third of the series, young
Friday finds a perfect swarm of mysterious goings on at Highcrest
Academy. Firstly, there is the unexpected visit from her
absentminded father when he brings the dreadful news of the the
disappearance of Friday's mum. Has she been kidnapped? Has there
been some kind of terrible accident? Friday's mood is not helped by
having her father installed at her school until things have been
sorted out. This is particularly so because the Headmaster also
needs her help. Not only is there a huge kerfuffle with the arrival
of new student, Princess Ingrid of Norway but it seems a thief is at
large. The elusive Pimpernel is leaving calling cards everywhere and
personal items are disappearing at rapid rate.
Friday's relationship with her nemesis Ian Wainscott seems poised on
the edge of a change after she helps Ian's mum thwart her
ex-husband's attempt to leave her in financial ruin. Certainly some
of her classmates are eagerly awaiting a shift in the dynamic!
Friday's giftedness is never grating, probably because it is
balanced so delightfully with her social ineptitude. Her gauche
geekiness is really very endearing and Spratt's characterisations
are always a triumph.
Another very positive aspect to Spratt's writing is her ability to
weave a more sophisticated vocabulary into the text with a full
expectation that her tween readers will correctly interpret it. And
they do! These books are proving very popular in our library with
our new-to-high-school Year 7 girls. For that reason it is just
wonderful to see that the next volume will be published in early
2016.
Find a fun Friday Barnes Scavenger Hunt kit for libraries here
and don't forget that previous books had teaching notes provided.
Highly recommended for your budding detectives from around 9 years
upwards.
Sue Warren
The Royal Bake Off by Clementine Beauvais
The Royal Bake Off by Clementine Beauvais
Ill. by Becka Moor. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408863923
(Age: 8-11) Themes: Sibling Rivalry; Competition; Baking; Comedy. A
family of bizarre Royals get involved in an international Baking
Competition as part of their sibling rivalry, fuelled by jealousy
iced with incompetency. The 'Americanadian' and 'Britislander' teams
headed by their reigning brothers plus other 'royal' teams including
the team from Downunder, the Easter Island and the Emirate of
Antartik, all with their cooking assistants, are forced to create
unusual cooking items in a 'Cake or Death?' television extravaganza.
The young children who support the Britislander royal are the ones
who do all the daring acts and put themselves in danger - fighting
crocodiles, rolling barrels before a giant waterfall, hanging upside
down from a multi-storey building, walking on a tight-rope. Reality
Television is the medium for sharing the drama and the scenarios
that are created defy description. 'Unbelievable' comes to mind.
The eccentricity of the characters is paralleled by the weird twists
in the plot, and the attempts at humour are what can only be
described as lame. This is the third in the series involving the
far-from-normal Royals, with a fourth book advertised. Obviously
someone thought children might enjoy the oddity that Beauvais has
half- baked! Scattered humourous cartoon-style illustrations help a
young reader to see the comedic ridiculousness of the storyline.
This reviewer is not wowed by this book. It certainly is not high
quality literature, but there may be some children who might enjoy
its quirkiness, although some of the humour is based on knowledge
that they may not yet have (geo-political implications - eg
Americanadia!!). It is relatively easy to read, but does leap from
place to place so may confuse some less able readers.
Reserved recommendation for Readers aged 8-11.
Carolyn Hull
How to catch Santa by Jean Reagan
How to catch Santa by Jean Reagan
Ill. by Lee Wildish. Hodder Children's Books, 2015. ISBN
9781444925463
(Age: 3-8) Recommended. This is sure to become a Christmas
read-aloud favourite. Do not expect a heart-warming tale about the
true meaning of Christmas. This is pure fun and unashamedly about
Santa and presents. Set loosely as a how to guide (following the
formula of other books in the series including How to Babysit a
Grandad this picture book humourously tells the reader ways
about inventive ways to catch Santa - and what to do when you've
caught him. The team behind this book are American so it portrays a
northern hemisphere Christmas, however, this does not detract from
its appeal to Australian audiences. The end papers with please and
thank you letters to Santa are a nice touch. The illustrations are
bright, simple and effective.
The two young children showing us all their Santa catching tricks
are bouncy, happy and full of energy. They start off telling us
about what to do once we have him; questions we need to ask him such
as 'how do you find children who are away on trips?'; things we have
to tell him like 'I'm trying very hard to be good' and things we
should give him such as a headlamp for going down chimneys. Then the
fun really begins. They tell us that crazy schemes like tying nets
between palm trees and distracting him with giant candy canes will
definitely NOT work. Instead, they suggest crafty things like
leaving glitter in an envelope so that Santa leaves a trail and
clever things like getting your whole family to watch for him at the
window. As they are easy to implement parents should prepare for
children to put these ideas into action and cover the house in
carrots and glitter! Luckily, the last and most important piece of
advice given is that Santa definitely will not come until you are
asleep . . .
Nicole Nelson
Crowns and Codebreakers by Elen Caldecott
The Marsh Road Mysteries series, Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN
9781408852712
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Themes: Mystery; Grandparents;
Friendship; Adventure; African culture. When Minnie's Grandma
arrives from Nigeria she picks up the wrong suitcase at the airport
which sparks a mystery that the police do not seem to respond to,
and that Minnie and her friends must solve to give the superstitious
grandmother some peace. The wrong suitcase contains some evidence
that is initially curious, but proves to be increasingly dangerous
as the young 'crime solvers' set out to unravel the mystery and
rescue a small boy. Along the way, Minnie and her friends use all
their personal talents to good effect to slowly solve the problems
that arise; and to solve the dilemmas that arise in Minnie's family
as an extra person in her house creates family complications.
This is an excellent Mystery adventure for younger readers - the
young crime-solvers are adept at untwisting the clues without adult
intervention. It also addresses friendship issues, and family
cohesion in an English context, with cross-cultural influences. It
would be suited to a talented younger reader aged 8+ all the way to
a young teen. It does not patronise younger readers, nor does it
ignore some of the factors that the young characters need to
consider eg gaining permission to leave the house, or the
difficulties of sharing a room with a Grandmother - particularly
when the room is too small for two beds! The cross-cultural
information is also low-key, but interesting as a complicating
factor.
Carolyn Hull
The epic book of epicness by Adam Frost
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408862346
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Subjects: General Knowledge. Adam
Frost's The Epic Book Of Epicness is filled to capacity with
an incredible array of quirky scientific facts. Did you know that
fish can climb trees, there's a frog with claws and a flying snake?
Each turn of the page introduces a new topic, with diagrams, graphs,
speech bubbles, comparative measurements and a multitude of colours.
If all the dead people on earth returned as zombies, there would be
101 billion in the world! Pet noises are different in France,
Germany, Greece and Spain - woof, ouah ouah, wau wau or bau bau are
all the sounds of a dog barking. An elephant's trunk is handy for
fighting, swimming underwater, drinking, talking and comforting. Of
course, there are the shocking facts as well, constipation, food
fights, insect-eating plants - there's something for everyone to
enjoy.
There are exotic places to visit - the Blood Falls in Antarctica
where the water is stained by the element iron, the deepest cave
shaft in Mexico - the Cave of Swallows and the wettest place in the
world in Hawaii.
Frightening, funny and bizarre facts, this general knowledge book
has something for well, nearly everyone. The Epic Book Of
Epicness is just right to dip into again and again.
Rhyllis Bignell
How to Fight a Dragon's Fury by Cressida Cowell
How to Train Your Dragon #12. Hodder Children's Books, 2015.
ISBN 9781444916584
(Age: 10+) Without doubt the How to Train Your Dragon series
has been a runaway success with avid readers from all over the world
eagerly anticipating each subsequent instalment. The Dreamworks
franchise which produced the movies has only built on the huge
popularity of the books.
When I speak of the reader fans, I'm not just talking about children
here. For those of us who love dragons, nonsense, crazy characters
and absurd humour these books are pure delight.
The latest in the series is How to Fight a Dragon's Fury and
once again Cressida
Cowell has provided us with a saga worthy of the
Viking tradition as our intrepid hero Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the
Third continues his quest to protect his people and their dragons in
the face of the revolting and conniving Alvin the Treacherous.
You will no doubt remember the cliffhanger ending of the last
episode when we were all left wondering if Hiccup truly was dead.
But we all know that would be impossible - I mean to say, he's the
HERO! Yet his father Stoick the Vast and all his tribe saw him fall
from the sky and believe that he is lost to them. Luckily that
tenacious little Bog-Burglar Camicazi refuses to accept what would
seem to be evidence and knows in her heart that Hiccup is alive and
must be found. Not only must he be found he needs to get to the
island of Tomorrow and be crowned the King of the Wilderwest. How
can this happen when Alvin the Treacherous now holds all King's
Things.
As usual the adventure is full of twists and turns, danger and
despair, surprises and secrets and above all, laugh-out-loud humour
as we follow the exploits of all the characters we've come to know
and love - or loathe!
Far be it from me to give away too much of the plot but suffice to
say devotees will adore this book and Cressida's quirky
illustrations as much as ever.
Definitely a must for your shelves for adventurous readers from
around ten years and up - read an excerpt here
Sue Warren
The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew
Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471404702
(Age: 16+) Recommended. 'What would have happened if the Nazis had
won Wold War II?' This book, set in 2014, explores this scenario. It
tells the story from the point of view of Jessika Keller. She is the
daughter of an influential and powerful father and is set to be a
world champion ice skater. Jessika is struggling with her sexuality
and knows that her choices can have far reaching consequences.
Her neighbour Clementine is not from an influential family.
Clementine asks questions - and this makes Jessika nervous and
confused. When Clementine is scheduled for surgery to prevent her
from contaminating the gene pool the story gains momentum as it
drives toward a tragic and disturbing finish.
The author, Julie Mayhew, has included historically accurate
information in her story: the Bund Deutscher Madel, and The
Poisonous Mushroom. In her notes at the end of the book she draws
powerful correlations between her text and current day events in the
world.
While at times the writing fell flat, the story will promote much
discussion. It leaves the reader with the question: Is it ever okay
to close your eyes to avoid seeing injustice?
Linda Guthrie
Little Shaq by Shaquille O'Neal
Ill. by Theodore Taylor. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781619637214
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Shaquille O'Neal's new basketball
series introduces Little Shaq, his family along with his friends to
young readers in an easy to read chapter book. The rivalry on the
basketball court between Little Shaq and his cousin Barry causes
problems. Their team wins the game when Little Shaq shoots the final
goal right on the buzzer. Unfortunately, Barry thinks his cousin
should have been a team player and let someone else participate in
the final play.
At home, the cousins problems escalate and Barry throws his game
controller in anger, breaking their favourite game. Luckily Shaq's
father is there to help the boys talk through their issues -
selfishness and resentment. He sets them a challenge to raise enough
money to purchase a new game.
At school, their science project gives Little Shaq an idea - a
gardening business where they can water and care for their
neighbour's yards. After their parents and Nana Ruth agree, they
load up the red wagon and begin their Saturday morning rounds. Along
the way, they develop an understanding of how plants grow and the
importance of working together. Little Shaq even helps Barry with
his basketball moves.
With vibrant, graphic art style illustrations Theodore Taylor
complements Shaquille O'Neal's lively writing. This new series is
excellent for sports fans and young readers, encouraging them to be
team players, working together to solve problems.
Rhyllis Bignell
Newt's emerald by Garth Nix
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760112653
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Fantasy, Historical fiction, Regency
romance, Crime. A story that draws the reader in from the start, Nix
mixes historical fiction with a bit of magic, and a touch of romance
along with one funny situation upon another to create a Regency tale
of Truthful Newington, a strong minded but naive young woman about
to make her debut into London society. But her family's jewel, the
Newington Emerald is stolen just as her father displays her
inheritance, and she vows, along with her cousins, the Newington
Lacy's to find it. But being a polite young woman she knows that she
cannot ask the questions she wants to ask in the places in London
she needs to go, so with the help of her great aunt, Lady Badgery
she masquerades as her French cousin, Chevalier de Vienne. As he is
about to join the monastery, no one will question his innocence and
lack of background. So far so good, but when Truthful meets the
acerbic Major Barnett, she sees that she needs him to help her.
Unbeknown to her he has orchestrated their meeting as he and his
masters question the motives of this particular Frenchman in
London.
Napoleon has just been captured and the theft of the emerald means a
group will have all the money they need to repatriate Napoleon from
the Rock of Gibraltar and begin again. The English government does
not want this and along with General Ley is doing all they can to
prevent it. But Truthful gets enmeshed in the plot, and after saving
Barnett's life is expected to retire back to her gracious
surroundings and prepare for balls. This is now beyond her and
hearing that her enemy, Lady Plathened, a strong sorceress who has
her emerald will be at the same masquerade ball in Brighton as she,
dons again her own disguise to help Barnett is his capture. Fun from
start to finish, Truthful finds herself in many hair raising scrapes
where her quick wits and minimal training in magical powers are
needed. The Regency background is well delineated, the characters
engaging and the storyline fascinating. I loved it and hope to read
more about this young woman.
Fran Knight
The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
Lockwood & Co., bk 3. Corgi Books, 2015. ISBN
9780552573146
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Ghosts. Horror. Lockwood
& Co are back in another exciting adventure following the first
two books in the series, The screaming staircase and The
whispering skull. Ghostly phenomena is growing in an alarming
way in Chelsea, but Lockwood, Lucy and George haven't been asked to
help out. Instead they are faced with minor apparitions until Holly,
the new assistant gets them a job with an influential woman. Then
they have to all work together to face their toughest job yet.
This series just keeps getting better. Lots of ghosts, thrills,
adventure and depth of characterisation make it a stand out read.
Once again it is narrated in Lucy's voice. When she returns from a
brief holiday visiting her family, she discovers that Lockwood has
employed Holly Munro, a girl who is everything that Lucy isn't -
tidy, organised and beautifully dressed. Lucy finds it hard going to
even be polite to Holly, let alone manage the overwhelming desire
that she has to talk to the ghosts that they encounter, instead of
eliminating them immediately. Of course, this is alright when the
ghost has a benign reason to talk, but when the ghost is vicious,
then it puts everyone into danger. The skull that only Lucy can hear
doesn't help with its insidious comments.
Lucy is also obsessed with finding out what has happened to
Lockwood's sister, and gradually the reader begins to learn some
more about Lockwood. The reference to 'The hollow boy' is intriguing
and keeps the reader thinking about the characters, long after the
book is finished.
Of course, amongst the angst and differences between the characters,
there is adventure galore, as the group battle deadly ghosts with
their rapiers, salt and iron. Readers familiar with Chelsea in
London will enjoy imagining the department store that is taken over
by the spectral apparitions, and there are many heart stopping
moments especially for Lucy as the team faces down dire ghouls.
I really enjoyed The hollow boy. Stroud builds an
exceptional adventure with a great cast of young protagonists. He
also leaves the reader breathless and waiting for the next in the
series, with an unexpected cliff hanger conclusion.
Pat Pledger
Dandelions by Katrina McKelvey
Ill. by Kirrili Lonergan. EK Books, 2015. ISBN 9781921966828
(Age: Pre-school - Yr 2) Oh dear! Dad has mown the lawn and, to his
daughter's dismay, he's cut down two dandelions. He sees them as
weeds but she's been watching and waiting for them to be puffballs
so she can blow their fluffiness away on the wind. To her,
dandelions are magical, a part of a miniature world that big people
can't see. Disappointed but pragmatic and forgiving her father, she
settles to wait for them to grow again but dad has a surprise for
her. There are a couple by the verandah post that he hasn't pulled
and they're just ripe for blowing. But where do they go when you
blow? Take your imagination on a journey as you follow the tiny
parachutes over the fence, along the street, through the park, down
to the river and onwards, ever onwards.
This is a most calming, peaceful story about enjoying being in the
moment and taking time out to just be, imagine and wonder. Who
hasn't enjoyed the sunny face of a dandelion and blown a 'fairy
clock'? Who would love to take time out, lie on the fresh-mown lawn,
look at the endless sky and just dream? Where will your imagination
drift? Does it go the same place mine does? Why not? Celebrating a
most ordinary moment in daily life, it encourages the adult reader
to take time to notice the small things that are big things to the
children in our lives and rejoice in them.
The beautiful, gentle watercolours give the book so much of its
charm and tranquillity, giving life to the lyrical text through its
beautiful design. Created by a former paediatric nurse, they ooze a
knowledge of very young children in need of comfort and time out, a
chance to take themselves out of wherever they are at the moment.
In the busy, noisy life of school, this is a perfect choice for that
after-lunch settling period as you invite the children to imagine
they had just blown the seeds and where they would travel. Would
they have a different journey from that in the story? And what
happens to them when they land? A magical introduction to an
investigation about how things grow!
Barbara Braxton
Tower of Thorns by Juliet Marillier
Blackthorn & Grim, bk 2. Macmillan, 2015. ISBN 9781743535448
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Fantasy. Fairy tale retelling. The
second in the series following the Aurealis Award winning Dreamer's
Pool, is another enthralling episode in the lives of
Blackthorn and Grim. Lady Geileis, a noblewoman, has asked for the
Prince of Dalriada's help to expel a howling creature from an
abandoned tower on her land. The tower is surrounded by impenetrable
thorns and the sound of the howls of the creature have cast a blight
over the whole area, and threaten the sanity of its inhabitants. The
Prince asks Blackthorn and Grim to investigate and as they seek
answers it becomes apparent that strange things are going on and
that Lady Geileis may know more than she is telling them.
This is a beautifully written story. The prose flows along, with
Marillier creating a world that is very easy to visualise. The manor
house, the abandoned tower, the abbey and all their attendants, are
brought to life in such a vivid way that they remain with the reader
long after the book is finished. The harsh Blackthorn is at her
best, as a healer and as a problem solver as she seeks the truth
behind the howling creature in the tower. The background story to
Grim gradually unfolds in a fascinating way, and his actions had me
in tears more than once, as he proves just how heroic he is.
Marillier builds up the tension in the story as the puzzle behind
the howling creature is gradually uncovered. The story feels
familiar, as fairy tale retellings do, but there is much to think
about and to ponder, as the tragic tale of love unfolds and danger
faces both Blackthorn and Grim. Tower of thorns could easily be read as a standalone as
Marillier gives the reader enough background to understand the
characters, but readers would then want to go back to Dreamer's
Pool, as the characters are so fascinating. Juliet Marillier
is one of my favourite authors and I look forward to reading more in
the Blackthorn & Grim series.
Pat Pledger
