Ill. by Marc Brown. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780316348522
(Age: 5+) Horror. Humour. Monsters. Two children enter the little
shop of monsters and are taken for a tour of the monsters that
reside there. Each is deliciously illustrated in soft shades, but
with something which differentiates each from the others. The first
monster encountered is the Snacker, who snacks all day long,
littering his enclosure. The children are warned not to get too
close as the thing he loves to snack on most is hands. The next two
monsters are unnamed but children will love to work out their names
using the hideous pictures and the facts that their names rhyme with
jetty and pinky. Then there are the monsters called Yucky and Mucky,
Squeeze and Teaser, Sleeper and so on, until the last page is
reached and the children warned about the monsters, not that the
children will choose a monster, but often the monster chooses you.
A fun story to read aloud and ponder over the illustrations, this
book will be a welcome addition to a school library. The funny tale
turns on its head at the end, after encouraging the readers to use
words differently, use rhymes to understand what the name of the
monster might be, and then look closely at the illustrations which
reveal more, then look at again.
My favourite is Sneezy and you will need to look at the double page
illustrating this monster to get the full effect of his name and why
he is so named.
R L Stine gained notoriety some years ago as the author of the
highly popular Goosebumps series, which some parents and
teachers loved to hate, but not so the readers, as they sold 400
million copies worldwide.
Fran Knight
This little piggy went dancing by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Deborah Niland. Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781760113438
(Ages: 0-4) Recommended. Board book. This is a board book edition of
the 2013 publication and is a companion book to This little
piggy went singing. It is a playful take on the rhyme This
little piggy went to market, with the market trip and the
roast beef being substituted by all sorts of activities and meals.
The emphasis is on the physical activity and play that the piggies
engage in; even the piggy that stays home is busy: dancing, watering
the garden, playing, exercising and painting. Rather than wee, wee,
weeing all the way home the piggy's zoom their aeroplane, run, skip,
stomp, jump, hop and hula hoop all the way home. The reasons why the
piggy had none provide scope for discussion, as the pictures tell
the story (no carrots growing in the garden, empty yoghurt
container, spilt porridge).
The five little piggies come to life across the pages of this book
and are distinguishable from each other by their colouring, markings
and clothing, each one moving through the stages of the rhyme, first
going out, then staying home, eating, having none and then going
home. The piggies are happy and enjoying having fun and being
creative. In this way, the book captures the simple joy of childhood
and encourages self-confidence, play and physical activity.
This title works perfectly in board book form; even the youngest
babies will enjoy looking at the piggies and listening to the
repetitive and bouncy text. Older children will enjoy talking about
the illustrations and reading along.
Nicole Nelson
The truth about peacock blue by Rosanne Hawke
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743319949
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Pakistan Social justice, Religious
freedom, Imprisonment, Women's roles. South Australia's Rosanne
Hawke is an accomplished writer presenting points of view not often
heard in children's literature, engaging the reader with stories of
children in frighteningly real situations beyond our safe island,
presenting the perspective of people of other religions and
backgrounds. Her novels overflow with stories of oppressed children
in situations so dire that the reader cannot help but read through
to the end, comparing their safe life with that of the protagonist.
This is such a read: harrowing, confrontational, pulling no punches,
as Rosanne presents us with a fourteen year old girl incarcerated in
a Pakistani prison for the crime of blasphemy. Crowds are stirred up
outside her prison walls, calling for her death, while legal rights
activists and friends try to stir the world's conscience and support
this young girl.
This story raises so many issues: the age of a prisoner, her
vulnerability to the sexual attentions of guards, her victimistion
by those inside prison who see her as a blasphemer, the ease with
which crowds become lynch mobs. In Pakistan the government and legal
system are not separate from religion, and because she is a
Christian in a strongly Muslim country she is especially vulnerable.
The internet proves to be a powerful tool in acquainting the word of
her plight. People rally to sign a petition, write letters, and
offer support, but when her social justice lawyer is shot and
killed, her fate seems sealed.
This is a engrossing story of one girl's plight, based upon a true
story and paralleling that of Malala, the young woman shot in
Pakistan in 2012, and is sure to raise gasps from those who read
with growing unease and incredulity at people's restrictions in this
modern age.
Fran Knight
Be brave, pink piglet! by Phil Cummings
Ill. by Sarah Davis. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780734415929
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Determination, Bravery, Pigs, Humour.
When Pink Piglet is pushed away by mum to go exploring by himself
for the very first time, he is unsure. He meets a dog that barks at
him, a rooster that crows and a cow that moos. He trots off,
hurrying away from these scary creatures. Then he finds some worms,
later some berries and then some frogs, each meeting adding a little
more debris to his body. By the time he gets back to the farmyard he
is covered in dirt and berry juice and slime from the pool where the
frogs were hiding.
Unexpected results emanate from his appearance, but his mum sees him
underneath his new covering and welcomes him back home.
This is a charming story of bravery and determination, of setting
out to do something new, of being determined to have a go. The
repetition in the first section where he is frightened by the farm
animals will please younger readers and encourage them to predict
and read along with the increasingly familiar words. This repetition
occurs again as Pink Piglet adds to his finery, and again as he
reruns home.
Sarah Davis' artwork will thrill younger readers as they recognise
the farm animals and the antics they get up to, sympathising with
Pink Piglet's attempts at independence and the safety of his loving
mother waiting at home.
This is a delightful read a loud story for younger readers, one that
will encourage them to think about how brave they can be in
attempting something new.
Fran Knight
Herman's holiday by Tom Percival
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408852088
(Ages: 4-8) In this follow-up to Herman's Letter, Herman the
bear and his best friend Henry are off on a camping adventure. They
would have liked to go somewhere fabulous, like a luxurious beach or
Cake World, but they all cost much more money than Henry and Herman
can afford. While Herman has a wonderful time camping, nothing seems
to be going right for Henry - camping is just not his thing! Herman,
not wanting to see his friend sad any longer, puts into action a
plan that will turn the camping trip into Henry's dream holiday. The
matte illustrations provide much of the humour and detail of the
story, with funny signs, and pictures showing Henry's camping
misfortunes (being attacked by fish, struggling to pitch his tent,
the bridge collapsing under him). Creative touches like a black
cloud raining on Henry when he is upset as well as varied structural
elements (thought bubbles, multiple scenes on a page) all help to
make this an aesthetically pleasing, and engaging book. The
lift-the-flap postcards that Herman and Henry write provide another
element of fun that children will enjoy for their sensory appeal as
well as their humour. Tom Percival's wittiness here will appeal to
children and adults alike, especially fans of his other Herman
story.
Nicole Nelson
Bamboozled by David Legge
Scholastic, 2015. ISBN 9781743620212
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Award winner. Grandparents. Wit and
Humour. When a young girl visits her grandfather, she feels that
something is odd but cannot quite figure it out, and this contrasts
amazingly with what the reader sees on every page. Readers will
smile broadly at the topsy-turvey nature of the house in which her
grandfather lives. No ordinary place, there is lawn instead of
carpet, animals in the most unusual places, people seem to lean out
of the picture frames on the walls, the inside of the house
sometimes feels like the outside, but she still cannot see what is
different.
They do the things people do when they visit. They have morning tea
with freshly baked cakes and play cards; she helps with the
housework and does some gardening with her grandfather. The
watercolour illustrations are filled with things for the readers to
look at and laugh about, sharing what they see with others in the
group. They will laugh out loud turning the pages eagerly to see
what else Legge has added to this topsy-turvey place.
This edition republished for its twentyfirst year, will intrigue and
delight a new generation of readers as they find all the differences
in grandpa's house and ponder over the one difference the
granddaughter can see.
A welcome addition is a note from David Legge outlining where his
ideas for the book came from, and showing some of his drawings as
the ideas developed, including photographs of the people he used as
the models for his characters and a photo of himself at work.
Children will simply love this house and the gentle relationship
between the grandfather and his granddaughter, culminating in her
realsising what the one difference is. Along the way, readers will
see grandfather looking after himself doing most of the work around
the house, a child visiting and helping and the sorts of things
people do when visiting. This book contains a lovely image of
day-to-day activities set against an improbably hilarious house, one
that will keep children chuckling for a long time after the book is
read.
Fran Knight
Tashi series by Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg
Based on the popular television Series. Allen & Unwin, 2015. Tashi and the big scoop. ISBN 9781925267006 Tashi and the magic carpet. ISBN 9781925267013
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Two more exciting stories are taken from the
animated Tashi series produced by Flying Bark Productions.
In Tashi and the big scoop the boys and in fact the
villagers are woken each morning by the raucous shouts of ogre Tiku
Pu and the loud ringing of his bell. He's letting everyone know
about the upcoming kite festival and the catastrophes occurring
around the town. Jack builds a printing press, determined that the
village news should be printed not shouted! Every time the boys rush
to gather the news, the ogre beats them to it, yelling out the
information to the villagers instead. When icy snowballs splatter on
the villagers' heads, the boys race up into the mountains, and an
ogre stuck in a crevasse, a large blue monstrous creature and Tiku
Pu's greediness, all make for a daring adventure. The boys finally
have a big scoop for their paper. Tashi and the magic carpet begins with Second Uncle preparing
to set off on another big adventure, rescuing the monkeys of
Munchanana from their prison in the jungle. The boys watch as their
uncle auctions off his treasures to raise funds. The boys become the
lucky owners of a magic rug, just right for Can Du's birthday
present. Whilst beating the dusty rug on the outside line, the boys
observe two disguised guards dressed as clowns entering the village.
Mayhem ensues when Tashi begins to interpret the diagrams on the
dusty rug as ancient runes, and saying the magic words leads to time
travel and more adventures. The appearance of the escaped monkeys
causes mayhem as well, and the boys are in for another wild ride.
Each book concludes with puzzle pages, activities and games, just
right for a young Tashi fan.
Rhyllis Bignell
One by Sarah Crossan
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781408863114
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Topics: Conjoined twins. What it
means to be an individual - identity, What it is like to have an
absolute soulmate. What it is like to be born different. Teenage
relationships. One is about the fascinating subject of the unique
relationship between conjoined twins. The book explores what it
means to be an individual, who is totally connected to another
person, and dependent on them for your existence, in a most
sensitive way. It is written from the perspective of one of the
twins in such a convincing manner, that the reader can start to
embrace what is means to constantly think of someone else. When
flicking through this book, you may be forgiven for thinking it is a
series of poems, but it is actually a book where the typeset is used
in a unique and cleverly decluttered style. The space entices the
reader to stop and think, imagine and be challenged. This is a true
page-turner, with chapters flowing from one topic to the next. Often
the shortest chapters are the most poignant.
The sixteen year old twins Grace and Tippi experience much more than
most teenagers. Daily they have to deal with people's ignorance and
insensitivity, constant monitoring by doctors, parents who are
protective and often overwhelmed, and low life expectancy. There are
some fascinating insights into how synchronized they are and the
complexities of shared body parts, yet how they like doing different
things, enjoy different food and manage having private
conversations. As teenagers they are more than challenged when it
comes to learning to drive, are interested in boys, want to earn an
income, and need time on their own. One is also a story of
two people who are so connected in love and sisterhood that it would
be almost unthinkable if they weren't together.
Sue Galpin
Verity Sparks and the Scarlet Hand by Susan Green
Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781922244895
(Age: 9-12) Recommended for those who like a Magical Mystery.
Themes: Mystery; Family; Adventure; Paranormal. This is the third in
the series involving the young girl Verity Sparks, and it is
possible to read it as a stand-alone book (although I suspect that
some of the relationship history would have made more sense if the
previous two books had been read.) Verity comes from an unusual
background (undoubtedly revealed in earlier books) and her family
seems to have been created by linking those in need of love. Set in
Castlemaine in 1880, it has a lovely old-fashioned feel, and is
filled with characters with unusual histories, laced with tragedy,
from places far and wide.
Verity Sparks has a prophetic gift that enables her to see and solve
mysteries by touching items that trigger connections, allowing her
hallucinations to reveal the past or the future, and then to connect
these visions to present day problems. This unusual gift is put to
good use in solving a mystery of a shadowy woman, whose appearance
creates confusion and also to unravel a kidnapping.
This book reads like a young person's detective mystery (with a
magical dose of prophetic inspiration). Readers who have begun the
series will no doubt be delighted that Verity has returned.
Carolyn Hull
Dorrie and the Blue Witch by Patricia Coombs
Egmont, 2015. ISBN 9781405277679
(Age: 5-7) Recommended. Witches. Magic. Cats. Witchcraft.
This is Dorrie. She is a witch. A little witch. Her hat is always on
crooked and her stockings never match. It's time for a new
generation to meet Dorrie the original worst witch, her cat, Gink
and read about all the magic and mayhem in her life.
When her mother leaves for a witches' meeting, Dorrie is left by
herself, but Cook should be back shortly. Dorrie is warned to be
careful as Mildred the bad Blue Witch is back in town. Unfortunately
Dorrie answers a knock at the door, it's not Cook with her borrowed
cup of sugar and Mildred enters ready to cause problems.
Dorrie is in big trouble; she needs to think creatively and finds
the perfect solution in a kitchen cupboard - shrinking powder. The
fun begins with Mildred drinking the milk and quickly changing to a
very cross bee-sized witch. When her mother arrives home, she's
happy that her daughter has solved the problem and saved the day.
Patricia Coombs' ink and pencil illustrations are mostly black with
some splashes of blue and yellow, and occasional splashes of colour.
Each character has a unique shape and the mood and tone of the story
is told through the drawings. The blue and yellow sparks caused by
the cross blue witch fill the air and follow Dorrie into the kitchen
showing just how angry Mildred is becoming. The Dorrie books
are a welcome release for young readers who enjoy magic, witches and
fantasy stories.
Rhyllis Bignell
Survivor by Tom Hoyle
Macmillan, 2015. ISBN 9781447286752
(Age: 14+) Murder mystery. Violence. Bravery. This is a
macabre thriller for teen readers written by an English headmaster
who has hidden his identity under an alias. (His reputation needs to
be protected?) The cover suggests that readers who have enjoyed the
Cherub and Gone series will also enjoy this book.
The characters are a group of young English teens who have won or
gained a place on an Australian Bushcraft survival adventure. The
central character, George, is there because he daringly rescued a
child from a house fire. His bravery is put to the test more than
once in the course of the story. The excitement for the young
adventurers wanes when everything starts to go awry and misadventure
and murder stalk the young teens.
Cleverly written, so that the end is foreshadowed early in the book,
and with multiple voices narrating their experience and their
reflections of the central character; it has appeal because of the
foreboding that is created. Deaths occur violently, and mystery
surrounds the perpetrator of the violence. Relationships between the
group of teens is fraught with teen angst and bullying incidents and
the author hints at back stories that suggest psychological fissures
that implicate more than one of the characters as suspects in the
drama. Without giving the ending away, there is considerable tension
in the conclusion, but the reader knows it is coming! Because of the
violence, I recommend this book to mature readers only in the 14+
age range.
[Note: If this book was made into a movie it would be M rated. There
is also some abusive and foul language, but most extreme swearing is
inferred.]
Carolyn Hull
The lost sword by Darrell Pitt
A Jack Mason Adventure. Text, 2015. ISBN 9781925240184
(Age: 10-13) Highly recommended. Science Fiction. Steampunk.
Technology. Adventure. Mystery. Inventions. What a time to be alive;
dragonflies and flowers for ships, whales for submarines. Jack,
Scarlet and Mr. Doyle are dispatched on an extremely dangerous
mission by the British Prime Minister. They are sent to Japan to
recover the mysterious Kusanagi Sword lost for hundreds of years.
With Nazi spies determined to foil their plans, the trio embark on a
journey half way around the world, aboard the space steamer The
Katsu. On board Dr Einstein discusses the amazing new biomechanic
technologies - part animal and part machine and the scientific
problems associated with The Hot Earth Theory.
Tokyo is an amazing city with huge skyscrapers, steam buses,
airships and large dragonfly kagouro carriages to travel across the
country. Part of their mission is to search for Mr. Doyle's
stepbrother, a British spy and scoundrel who has gone missing. With
a parchment map providing clues, Nazi agents chasing them and a
young Japanese guide Hiro, they traverse Japan in search of the
missing artifact. Travelling underwater in a whale submarine, Jack,
Mr. Doyle and Scarlet's skills and deductive powers are tested when
they encounter murder and mayhem trapped in Mizu the underwater
city. Wearing a jelly fish diving suit - jellysuit, Jack shows
incredible bravery facing a menacing shark, and overcoming his fear
to save the day. The lost sword has all the familiar elements set in a
technologically advanced Japanese setting; derring-do acts, cunning
plots, strange foods and new friends, fun and fast-paced action,
evil villains and spies, even kidnapping. Darryl Pitt continues to
amaze and excite as he brings this science fiction world to life.
Rhyllis Bignell
What the ladybird heard next by Julia Donaldson
Ill. by Lydia Monks. Macmillan, 2015. ISBN 9781447275954
(Ages: 3-7) Recommended. Julia Donaldson is famous for her rhyming
stories and this, the sequel to What the ladybird heard,
does not disappoint. It is perfect in its simplicity, with an
enjoyable narrative, effortless rhyme and fast-paced action.
Robbers, Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len, are out of jail and they are
heading back to the farm with another cunning plan; they are going
to steal the fat red hen. Luckily, the unlikely hero, the ladybird
is on their trail, and she and her farm animal friends hatch a plan
of their own.
The vibrant illustrations by Lydia Monks are a delightful
accompaniment to the text and add another level of humour. Children
will love the tactile element of the book with each page containing
glitter in some part of the illustration for children to touch, feel
and follow. The illustrator has also added textured material within
the illustrations, including the clothing and the sheep's wool.
Children will also love hunting for the sparkly ladybird on each
page. This is such a fun, action-packed read, filled with animal
noises, humour and fun rhyme. A perfect adventure for pre-school and
early primary, with plentiful teaching points around narrative,
rhyme, language and art. The rhythm of the text also lends itself to
song.
Nicole Nelson
The Almost King by Lucy Saxon
Bloomsbury 2015. ISBN 9781408847701
(Age: Middle school) Adventure, fantasy, relationships, family. Set
in the storm bound world of Tellus Lucy Saxon's sequel to Take
Back the Skies introduces Aleks Vasin of Siberene. 17 year old
Aleks doesn't want to spend the rest of his life working in the
family shop, a burden to his struggling family, always in the shadow
of his older brothers so he runs away to join the army.
Unfortunately he signs up at the notoriously corrupt Rensav training
camp where he is robbed and abused. Escaping with his horse he heads
for the capital, Syvana where he hopes to hide among the crowds.
Aleks is very fortunate and finds strangers offer kindness and
support including a room at an inn with stabling for his horse in
exchange for helping out with the chores. He also finds work with an
eccentric inventor who is working on constructing a small, fast
airship to explore beyond the storm barriers and he meets Saria who
quickly becomes his girlfriend. Everything seems to be going his way
until Shulga, a corrupt Kingsguard officer, tracks him down. Escape
in the experimental airship leads to adventure and exploration
beyond Aleks' wildest dreams. While set in the same world this
sequel has little connection with Saxon's first novel apart from the
steampunkish skyships and strange mismatch of technologies. Aleks,
like the plot, seems to lack direction and development but those
middle school girls and boys who enjoyed the first book will enjoy
his adventures and look forward to the next Tellus sequel.
Sue Speck
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408858615
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Aelin Ashryver Galathynius has once again
returned to Rifthold, determined on stopping the king. She is sent
for by her former master, Arobynn the King of Assassins, where she
learns that the king is planning on executing her cousin, Aedion on
Prince Dorian's birthday. He offers her help in rescue him, but an
offer from the King of Assassins always comes at a price. When Aelin
meets up with her old flame Chaol, they don't seem to be see eye to
eye especially after finding out that Prince Dorian he has been
imprisoned in his own body by a Valg demon. Chaol thinks the prince
can be saved, but with her own recent encounter with the Valg
demon's Aelin doesn't give him much hope. With help she rescues
Aedion at the last minute, but then she must fulfull her promise to
Arobynn, she must capture a Valg demon alive. At the same time witch
Wing Leader Manon, has been given orders which is making her
question her own morals and motives.
This is the fourth book in Throne of Glass series and I LOVED it!!!!
I took the book everywhere I went just so I could read a quick
chapter. Sarah J Maas has continued to keep the reader captivated
right till the very end. She has matured the characters
appropriately and their individual personalities shine through when
the narration changes among the different characters and when they
cross paths with each other it makes for some explosive reading.
This series in now one of my favourite's right up there with the Game
of Thrones series A Song of Fire and Ice.
Jody Holmes
