Orchard Books, 2015. ISBN 9781408334256
(Age: Teens) Highly recommended. Mind Games is an exciting read, set in the not too distant future where computers and technology play a scarily dominant role. Luna, a refuser of technology, is an outcast. She one of the few students at her school without an implant (technology created to allow her access to the virtual world - where basically everything from play time to school takes place). Luna, unlike her father, who spends most of his time in the virtual world, his body surviving in his PIP (think matrix plug in tub); is wary of the technology and her peers' obsession with the virtual world, despite being the daughter of the late, infamous hacker, Astra. She listens to her grandmother (in one of her rare moments of lucidity) to not plug in, to not join her friends in the virtual world - to keep her secret: that she was born with a rare gift of double awareness - that is she is aware of her body even when she is plugged in. But PareCo (the organisation who run the virtual world) offer her an internship along with her most gifted classmates and make sure she can't refuse.
Suddenly she is pulled into an exciting yet dangerous new world - one that she has been warned to steer clear of. As her abilities grow (and feelings for Geko, a new love-interest) so does her awareness of the dangers of PareCo. She has been told to follow her instincts - to be wary of who she trusts. But who can she really trust with her secrets?
Terry is a master of her craft, combining elements of her previous series (Slated) into the plot to create a gripping, hard to put down read. This novel is highly recommended for readers hungering for something out-of-box and exhilarating with every turn of the page.
R. Mesner
Prince of Afghanistan by Louis Nowra
Allen & Unwin, 2015. ISBN 9781743314821
(Age: Teens) Highly recommended. Louis Nowra's first venture into
teenage literature, Into that forest, was a highly literate,
compelling and confronting exploration of the instinctive bonds
between Mankind and Nature. It was not generally appreciated to the
extent it deserved. This, his second novel, is a book of a different
cover - though the writing is no less assured. For this story Nowra
has used the age-old and perennially popular theme of the surviving
hero making his way home, with little more than a talisman. The
setting is wilderness Afghanistan, evoked by pre-chapter
illustrations (mainly stock sourced) that illuminate the hostile
solitude of the landscape. The hero is a young Australian soldier,
Mark, not much older than the implied readership of the book. The
talisman is Prince, a trained war-dog, who has survived the
catastrophic aftermath of a successful rescue mission, in which his
handler is killed. Prince is injured, and temporarily deafened, so
securing a bond with him is more difficult; but Mark is determined
to do so, to save Prince, and himself, by forging a way through the
unforgiving environment.
The pace of the writing is exciting and the author never loses
control. The adrenalin rush of the first chapter remains throughout
as Mark must avoid capture by the Taliban and certain death. Enter
the intriguing character of Ghulam, whose ambivalence and cruelty is
a summation of this conflict over its long history; he doesn't stay
long in the story but his appearance is memorable. In time, hunger
and their acquired injuries become dangers to the pair. The reader
gets to catch a breath at the times when Mark reflects, profoundly,
on the life he has left behind, his damaged father, his own flawed
youth unbecoming of a hero; yet he longs to return.
This is a story for younger teenagers to gain a realistic view of
war; some language, drug references and violence - all in context -
place it beyond the reach of younger readers. The survival
strategies Nowra gives to his character are convincing and the
product of detailed research. It is also a book for older teenagers
who are classed as reluctant readers, particularly boys closer to
Mark's age. The action is vivid; the characterisation, even with
Prince, is authentic; and the message is that war is not worthy of
being glorified. Highly recommended.
Kerry Neary
You can't take an elephant on the bus by Patricia Cleveland-Peck
Ill. by David Tazzyman. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408849828
(Age: Junior primary) Recommended. Transport. Elephants. Size and
shape. London. With two odd looking creatures welcoming the reader
on the opening page, to an array of bus tickets for London Transport
on the title page, the readers know they will be highly entertained
by this fast moving verse story. Each animal represented has been
crowded into a most inappropriate mode of transport which will cause
gales of laughter from the readers and listeners. An elephant on a
bus, what next? Well try a monkey in a shopping trolley or a tiger
on a train, a camel in a sailing boat, and a taxi driven by a seal.
Each causes mayhem as the bus seat is squashed flat, the trolley
skidding out of control in the shopping aisles, the boat turned
upside down, and the taxi causing traffic chaos. Eleven animals are
shown with a mode of transport that will cause hilarity amongst the
readers, and the double page devoted to each is a delight to look
at.
The entertaining illustrations are wildly imaginative as each animal
is shown in its particular form of transport, delighting in the way
they are moving, but by the looks on their faces, aware that there
is some underlying concern. I loved the giraffe stuffed into the
plane and the hippo in the hot air balloon, while the bear and the
ice cream van is hilarious. Each page has lots of things to look at,
ponder and seek out, while the story lends itself to discussions
about forms of transport, size and shape as well as animals of the
world, and the verses will be read over and over again.
Fran Knight
Tashi by Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg
Ill. by Kim Gamble. 20th anniversary edition. Allen & Unwin.
ISBN 9781743319697
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Dragons. Fantasy. Magic. Anna
and Barbara Fienberg celebrate twenty years of Tashi stories with
this edition.
In Tashi and the silver cup, we learn of Tashi's birth, how
his mother and father long for a child and seek the help of
Wise-as-an-Owl who brews a special potion. The whole village watches
with delight as the baby is born and begins to grow up. For his
first birthday, he receives a special silver cup from the owl and
his son. After the party is over, the cup has gone missing. Tashi's
family and friends begin a frantic search, however, young Tashi is
very observant and when released from his high chair, he toddles
over to the thief.
In Tashi, Jack begins to tell his parents about his special
friend, how his family was so poor they sold him to a warlord.
Jack's dad keeps interrupting his storytelling with lots of wrong
questions, much to his annoyance. A week goes by and Jack eats lunch
with his friend each day, learning more about Tashi's escape from
the warlord with the help of a swan and his ridding the world of
dragons.
Tashi stories continue to delight a new generation of readers eager
to begin chapter books. Kim Gamble's detailed sketches are engaging,
adding to the enjoyment of the young audience.
Happy 20th birthday, Tashi!
Rhyllis Bignell
We are pirates by Daniel Handler
Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781408821459
(Age: Senior secondary - adult) Lemony Snicket, this is not! While
you may well be used to the dark humour of the Lemony Snicket
children's novels, this newest novel from the same author,
alternatively known as Daniel Handler, is a disturbing mix of
fantastical realism most definitely only suited to mature readers.
Against a backdrop of contemporary San Francisco, Handler presents
an interesting take on modern family dynamics as he introduces the
Needles family - Phil, struggling radio producer with a condo he
can't afford and a family to which he can't relate; Marina, bored
unfulfilled wife whose painting is not enough to sustain either her
married life or her relationship with her daughter; Gwen, fourteen
and troubled, a shoplifter, ex-swimmer, rebel with a desire for
romantic adventure. When Gwen assumes an alter ego as Octavia and
swashbuckles her way through a swathe of shoplifting at her
neighbourhood drugstore and is busted bigtime, she is forced to
spend 'punishment' time as companion to Errol, an Alzheimer's
patient who imagines himself as a retired Navy veteran, who revels
in piratical fiction and non-fiction.
Gwen and her newly acquired friend Amber, a strangely fierce and
feisty being, take to the pirate notion with fervour and begin to
plot to escape the humdrum existence of their teenaged lives and
useless parents with adventure on the high seas. It is a little
difficult to imagine two 14 year-olds enthusiastically embracing
such offerings as Captain Blood but it is the hook for the rest of
the plot. They 'spring' Errol from his retirement home and almost
accidentally acquire a couple of other crew members and hey ho! It's
off to sea they go - in San Francisco bay, where they create not
just mayhem but murder with a very nasty edge to it.
While this is all rolling along, Phil Needles is beset with
complications around a radio project he is developing, his
not-very-successful production company and his attractive new
assistant. Summoned home from a conference, where he is meant to be
pitching his newest idea, by news that his daughter has gone
missing, Phil's professional worries are eclipsed by Gwen's
disappearance and his wife's manic reaction. With an ending that is
bleak and, frankly, creepy, this is not a novel for the
faint-hearted. I found the plot somewhat uneven and the characters
are at times more caricatures but it was nonetheless intriguing and
often very humorous, albeit also somewhat repugnant at times.
With a dose of very explicit language and sexual references, this
would only be suitable for your senior students if you chose to add
it to your library collection (the publisher's comment is that it is
an adult novel). On a personal note, you may like to try it out
yourself, to see another side to Lemony Snicket.
Listen to Daniel Handler talk about the book on YouTube.
Sue Warren
Bogtrotter by Margaret Wild
Ill. by Judith Rossell. Walker Books, 2015. ISBN 9781921977558
(Age: Junior primary) Loneliness, Change, Horizons. Bogtrotter does
the same thing every day. He wakes, runs over, around and up and
down the bog all day then goes back to his cave. The next day is the
same and the one after that. Sometimes he feels lonely and sometimes
he wishes for change, but he still does the same thing everyday. One
day he meets a frog who asks him why he does this, and this impels
Bogtrotter to pick a flower. This small event initiates a change in
his behaviour. The next day he talks to a family of muskrats, the
next day he swings from a tree, and after that he picks enough
flowers to make a chain. He does a variety of different things he
has not done before, but still feels lonely. Frog passes by and
suggests that he might try outside the bog, and with that,
Bogtrotter takes off and goes off into a whole new world outside his
bog. The last page will draw suggestions from the children about
what the Bogtrotter finds over the wall, and perhaps suggest new
things they could do as well.
This is a charming, gentle story about change and trying something
different, about taking a risk, about doing something unfamiliar.
The beautiful gentle watercolours suit the story admirably,
softening the edges of Bogtrotter and his world, the bog. The
Bogtrotter's environment is charmingly displayed. Children will not
help but see the implications in this story about trying something
new, and be impelled themselves to add something new to their day.
Fran Knight
Cherry blossom dreams by Gwyneth Rees
Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408852637
(Age: 11-13) Themes: Family relationships; Grief and depression;
Friendship; Coming-of-age. In Cherry Blossom Dreams a
soon-to-be teenager narrates a family tale with complications. Sasha
and her twin Sean are dealing with a potential new Step-dad who also
happens to be an admired teacher at their school. Their mother's
previous relationship following their Dad's death was a disaster,
and now it seems that there is the potential for more pain and hurt.
Not least, because the teacher knows how to discipline them. To add
to this family drama are friendship and trust issues, the beginning
of the flutters of romantic interest for Sasha, a forbidden party
and a missing snake. Their grandmother's role as rescuer during
times of crisis is bitter-sweet and the mystery surrounding the
magician grandfather who died before they were born comes with a
twist. All of this is connected to a large home called Blossom
House, that Sasha and Sean's mother is trying to sell, and the
children are using as a secret haven to escape the stresses of life.
This is a fairly standard family drama and teenage-coming of age
story with multiple plot twists, but it is quite enjoyable and is
likely to appeal to 11-13 year old girls.
Carolyn Hull
Ducks to water by Brett Avison
Ill. by Janine Dawson. Five Mile Press, 2015. ISBN 9781760066062
(Age: All) Highly recommended. Bryn loves visiting Mum & Ted's
farm, but this time there's a problem! The pond is dry, the big pipe
is blocked with mud . . . how to unblock it and fill up the
waterhole?
Meanwhile, Oscar the dog, is surprised when a nest of duck eggs
begins to hatch. As Ken comes to the rescue with his mighty crane,
jiggling the pipe to empty out the stuck mud, Oscar becomes 'Mum' to
the ducklings.
When the pond fills . . . it's time for a SWIM for people AND ducks.
Then Bryn discovers that the clever ducks have learnt a new game!
Bouncing along in a romping rhyme, this engaging story with comical
illustrations is thoroughly entertaining.
A delightful story, amusingly illustrated, I highly recommend it for
all children.
J. Kerr-Smith
A countess below stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Speak, 2007. ISBN 9780142408650
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Romance. Feel good book. The Russian
aristocracy have been forced to flee abroad by the Russian
Revolution. Anna Grazinsky, a young countess, has been left penniless
and decides that she can no longer live with her English governess
Miss Pinfold and takes a job as a domestic servant in the household
of the Westerholme family. Rupert, the Earl of Westerholme, has
recently become engaged to a beautiful heiress and his country house
must be made fitting for the new bride. Anna, armed only with The
domestic servant's compendium by Selina Strickland, arrives at
Mersham where she tries to hide her identity while falling in love
with Mersham and the earl.
Anna is perhaps Ibbotson's most memorable heroine. She is that rare
person who has a natural goodness that wealth and gifts couldn't
spoil. Wherever she goes, her joy and ability to really see and
enjoy what is around her, spreads to those she comes in contact with
and enhances their lives. Rupert, too, is a memorable character.
Wounded in the war, he has been nursed back to health by Muriel, a
wealthy VAD, who on the surface is beautiful and generous. However
as Rupert gets to know her in his own home, her belief in eugenics
leads her to treat badly those loved members of the community around
her who are not perfect. Rupert is an honourable man and is torn
between doing what he considers is his duty and his growing love for
the strange Russian girl who is acting as a maid.
Minor characters are beautifully portrayed and the reader becomes
caught up in their lives as well as learning much about their
environment. Ollie is the brave little girl who lives nearby and who
has struggled with a damaged leg and Ibbotson tugs at the
heartstrings of her reader as she is chosen to become a bridesmaid.
Mrs Park the cook brings wonderful delicacies to the table and Mr
Proom the butler is a wily and canny man who has a vital role to
play in the story. The life of the Russian emigres as they struggle
against poverty and bias is also vividly described and adds detail
and interest to the story.
Eva Ibbotson has written a beautiful, intelligent romance that is
perfect for the reader who enjoy books by Georgette Heyer or who
wants a feel good, comfort book that challenges thinking and
enlivens understanding of how vividly language can be used. First
published as an adult book, other romances by Ibbotson have also
been re-issued for the teen market and titles include A song for
summer, A company of swans, The reluctant heiress
and The morning gift.
Pat Pledger
Ben by Jack Townend
V&A Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781851778287 Jenny the jeep by Jack Townend
V&A Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781851778294
(Age: junior primary) Recommended. Steamroller. Loneliness. War in
England. Design. Ben the steamroller works well with his supervisor,
Mr Dodie. He flattens the new roads in the town and works very hard.
He is proud of the work that he does. Each night when he is shut
away in his shed, tears fall as he is lonely there by himself. One
day Mr Dodie tells him that he is to flatten the new road out of the
town between this town and the next town, Wibsey. He is very
excited.
On the road he works hard, but the same thing happens, at night, he
is still alone.
One day he spies some smoke over the next hill, and is excited to
find it belongs to the Wibsey steamroller, Matilda.
They are so happy to see each other that they decide to run off
together and they do, finding a forest where they stay the night.
But the next morning their supervisors find them and prepare to take
them back. Ben is adamant that they will not work unless they are
together, so a solution is found to their problem.
The second of the two Townend books, Jenny the jeep is set
very firmly in wartime England, with pictures of jeeps and ship
building, factories working hard, and many soldiers crossing the
pages. Jenny is pink and stands out from the monochrome colours of
the rest of the group, and attracts derision because of it. But her
time comes around when she saves the day. After the war she is sold
off and she ends her days as a useful part of society partly because
of her colour.
Both stories are delightful and the illustrations will fascinate
younger children as well as those interested in historical design.
Townend was an illustrator and art lecturer who published picture
books in the 1940's. His books are held in the Victoria and Albert
Museum and are republished here for a new generation of readers. The
stories are delightful and the illustrations are charming,
reflecting the style of the middle of the twentieth century. For
those who wish to present a range of styles of story and
illustration then these are perfect, and read on their own, will
entreat new readers just as they did in 1944.
Fran Knight
Wendy and the wallpaper cat by Jason Hook
Ill. by Ilaria Demonti. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781851778300
(Age: Junior primary) Highly recommended. Art and design. Sleeping.
Bedtime. Grandparents. When Wendy cannot sleep, her parents decide
to take her to see Grandpa Walter. She has never visited his house
before, and cannot help but notice that his suit is the same design
as his garden. When she climbs the stairs she notices the rose
wallpaper, and when she looks closely at one of the roses, finds she
can smell it. Grandpa offers her one of the bedrooms. She goes into
one and the wallpaper is of the sea and shells, and touching it she
finds sand in her hand. The next bedroom has luminous fruit trees on
the wall, and when she touches the paper, an orange falls into her
hand. But the third bedroom has wallpaper covered in scenes and
characters from nursery rhymes, and she decides that this is the
bedroom she wants. That night after reading her book of nursery
rhymes, she settles down to sleep. During the night she follows the
blue cat as it plays its fiddle between the trees, she follows him
across the sea shore, and into the garden full of red roses and then
dances the whole night long. The next morning she wakes, telling
Grandpa that she danced the whole night long, and returns to her own
house to find that the same wallpaper has been put into her room, so
now everyone can get a good night's sleep.
This is a beautiful picture book which uses the wallpapers designed
by Walter Crane in the nineteenth century to carry its story of
getting to sleep. The girl finds that the stories from the nursery
rhyme wallpaper flow through her dreams enabling her to sleep
easily. Mark Twain used this wallpaper in his children's nursery,
and the history at the end of the book shows how popular Crane's
work was. Crane illustrated many books, including the works of the
Grimm Brothers and his work is deposited in the Victoria and Albert
Museum which published this book. Demonti has used his work as a
basis for her own stylish pictures of Wendy and her family, making
the whole memorable. Children will pore over this book, finding all
sorts of things in the illustrations, talking about how they get to
sleep and discussing the nursery rhymes presented in Crane's
wallpaper.
Fran Knight
The monster within by Darrell Pitt
A Jack Mason adventure Book 4. Text Publishing, 2015. ISBN
9781922182876
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Victorian London. Steampunk
Fiction. Detectives. Mysteries. Kaboom! The streets of London are
filled with people shopping, walking and enjoying the first day of
summer when an explosion rocks the streets. Panic ensues and Jack
desperately searches for his friend Scarlet in the rubble of the
haberdashery shop. News of other fatal bombings draws the detective
team of Mr. Doyle and the teenagers Jack and Scarlet into another
fast-paced adventure. Against the backdrop of Victorian London where
women are fighting for their right to vote by marching through the
city and starving for their beliefs, a monster is seen rising out of
the sewers, terrorising the people of Whitechapel. Are these two
mysteries linked? The skills, creative thinking and derring-do of
the team is needed.
Mr. Doyle's quirky habits has him eating mouldy cheese from the
depths of his pockets, and reminiscing about past adventures where
three unusual objects helped him solve the mysteries. His apartment
at 221 Bee Street is filled with a quirky assortment of objects and
a home for Jack and Scarlet. Inspector Greystoke, Mrs. Dudley, leader
of a peaceful suffragette group The Primrose Society, and her husband
industrial chemist William Dudley plan the best way to stop The
Valkyrie Circle, a terrorist organisation.
Before travelling to Spain, Jack and Scarlet set out to discover if
the monster exists, and trouble awaits, with fights, confrontations, and
Scarlet's consistent comparison to her favourite story heroine
Brinkie Buckeridge ever present. They board 'The Lion's Mane'
and travel across the skies to the Gaudi inspired city of Barcelona.
Their hunt for the terrorists involves much danger, great risks and
unfortunately Jack and Scarlet are captured.
Back in London, all the threads link together and conclude in a
spectacular fashion.
This Jack Mason Adventure by Darrell Pitt is all that the
fans expect and this time there's more detecting than technology and
the teenagers are seen developing their skills, education and taking
more risks.
Recommended for readers from 9-12.
Rhyllis Bignell
Clementine Rose and the movie magic by Jacqueline Harvey
Random House Australia, 2015. ISBN 9780857985187
The avid Clementine Rose in your library crowd will eagerly pounce
on No #9 in this sweet series. This latest adventure sees the
beginning of next door neighbour Basil's film documentary about
Penberthy House - of course, starring Clementine Rose! This
excitement is tempered however by Lady Clarissa's worries about some
strange occurrences at the quaint hotel which are exacerbated by the
arrival of two unexpected guests - one hotel inspector and one very
well groomed but snooty woman. Both have a pivotal role in the
latest drama to occupy Clementine's family. With the hotel's future
- indeed the very house's future - at stake, it's a lucky thing
indeed when a very sneaky sabotage plot is revealed.
Parallel to these story threads is the promise of a budding romance
as Basil's assistant Drew and his 7 year old son Will develop an
immediate rapport with both Lady Clarissa and Clemmie. Now we all
will be awaiting the next instalment very impatiently to see how
this progresses!
Jacqueline Harvey continually strikes just the right note with her
books for younger girls. The mix of adventure, mischief, humour and
excitement has great appeal for the intended age group and each book
contains much with which these readers can easily identify - even
though they don't live in a big old house or own a teacup pig!
Find teaching
notes or visit Jacqueline's website online.
Sue Warren
The Story of Owen by E.K. Johnston
Dragon Slayer of Trondheim bk 1. CarolRhoda Lab, 2014. ISBN
9781467710664
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Science fiction. Fantasy. Music. 2015
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten), William C. Morris YA
Debut Award Nominee (2015), Kirkus Prize Nominee for Young Readers'
Literature (2014). This is the story of Owen Thorskard, slayer of
dragons and his bard Siobhan McQuaid, who tells his story. Set in an
alternative America, where dragons are drawn to fossil fuels, the
people are protected by dragon slayers, who are lured to the cities
by big corporations, leaving small towns unprotected. When the
Thorskards, a legendary dragon fighting family, arrive in Trondheim,
a remote Canadian village, 16 year old Owen faces an onslaught of
dragons with just his sword and his bard to help him.
This is a stunning book. Once I got reading I couldn't put it down.
It is a wonderful and original mixture of modern life, carbon
emission eating dragons and song writing. Owen and Siobhan have to
face ordinary situations at school and extraordinary situations
fighting the dragons and this mixture adds to the humour and
sometimes pathos in the story. A droll social commentary on big
corporations and the environment adds to the interest of the story.
The tale is told in the witty and humorous voice of Siobhan:
'Listen! For I sing of Owen Thorskard: valiant of heart, hopeless at
algebra, last in a long line of legendary dragon slayers. Though he
had few years and was not built for football, he stood between the
town of Trondheim and creatures that threatened its survival.'
The reader gets to know both Owen and Siobhan very well. Owen is a
likeable hero and Siobhan grows as a bard in training and as a sword
wielder while recounting their story. The focus is on the nature of
heroism and partnership rather than romance as the pair learn to
cope with modern life while defending their village and those they
love. They also learn that sacrifices have to be made.
This story was complete in itself. It was such a relief not to be
left on a cliff-hanger! However I am thrilled that there will be
other adventures in the series and eagerly wait for the next book.
Pat Pledger
The silent boy by Andrew Taylor
Harper, 2015. ISBN 9780007506606
(Age: Young adult/adult) Highly recommended. Crime, Historical
novel, French Revolution, Eighteenth century England. When young
Charles sees his mother, Augusta killed during the first stages of
the French Revolution, he keeps himself quiet and unobserved, not
saying a thing, just like she said. So he does not speak. At all.
Emigres take him to England and he finds himself in a country house
with a man who was a friend of his mother's and insists he is
Charles' father. Savill, estranged husband to Augusta has a claim
and wants to do the best for the boy even though he knows he is not
his son. But he is commissioned by the enigmatic Rampton a childless
civil servant within the Post Office, great uncle to Augusta, to
fetch the child from the country as he needs an heir. Savill goes on
his quest armed with an array of documents giving him the legal
power to take the boy, but suffering from tooth ache is laid up for
several days. During this time the child is kidnapped, and so the
hunt is on.
This is a surprising story. At first I found it rather muddled, and
the disjointed writing did not help, but I persevered as the setting
is so well defined, and found it a gripping read. Chapters in the
past tense carry most of the action, while those in the present
revolve around the mute boy and his activities at staying alive.
When a young woman reads him the story of Robinson Crusoe he deems
that flight to the safety of an island is his only option, so he
escapes from his captors several times, making Savill's hunt even
more precarious. Cat and mouse chapters follow, with Charles falling
into the hands of a variety of people, and Savill being often just
one step behind the lad. The plot delves and dives into some amazing
places with an array of great characters to keep the readers'
interest.
Above all the reader will want to know what happens to the boy, and
why he has been struck dumb, while the descriptions of life in both
town and city in eighteenth century England makes for a fascinating
backdrop to the tale.
Fran Knight
