Linden is a lacrosse-playing scholarship-holding College student living amongst other students with far greater financial means. An injury has allowed him to escape vacation work and a romance break-up and yet it also puts his scholarship at risk. Invited to holiday with his College room-mate, Jasper, on their east-coast island holiday home, Linden encounters the life of privilege that is far removed from his own life and his struggles. Keeping his background a hazy unknown allows him the pretence of fitting in and romancing Jasper’s sister. His former childhood companion (ironically named Holiday, and from the wealthy family where his mother works as housekeeper) is also on the island and they reconnect in the heady environment of the USA young adult social life of wealthy indolence. A potentially fatal mishap to one of the former friends of Jasper’s family leads Holiday and Linden to reconnect and try and unravel who might have caused the violence and solve the mystery that the police seem uninterested in pursuing.
This is a story far removed from middle-class Australia, and yet television has given us a glimpse of how wealthy US teens might live their lives. This book feels like it might be waiting to become a film script, with romance, mystery and conflict melding together in an older teen drama set amidst mansion-like holiday homes. I can’t say I loved the setting and the characters, and it has hints of a Great Gatsby drama. The influence of great wealth has a cloying atmosphere and relationships seem to bounce between bedroom and swimming pool or beach parties. The story revolves around the envy and yet desire of Linden to fit in, and his inability to read those around him, and the nonchalance of the wealthy young adults towards the individual whose life has been altered irreparably in the family swimming pool. I won’t rush to recommend this book, but there will be some 16-20 year olds who might enjoy the escape into the alternative life of the uber-wealthy young adults and the mystery in their world. Note: Some drug-references, swearing.
Themes USA – Social life, Wealth and privilege, College students, Mystery, Relationship conflict.
Carolyn Hull
Prank Queen by Zoe George and Dani Vee. Illus. by Jesus Lopez
Mum is a prankster. She is quick and able to catch her family unawares with her practical jokes. She throws water balloons at the kids in bed, gets them to help her fill their Dad’s work bag with spiders and tie dye his shirts pink. They put a fish in the pavlova and chilli in the porridge. Sand finds its way into Dad’s shoe, and his bed is full of itching powder. He seems content to putting up with the practical jokes that come his way, but fart spray in the car seems a little too much.
Even when he is asleep they attack hm with whipped cream, and one day he decides to turn the pranking around. He wraps her car with glad wrap and shuts the doors tight, he replaces all her handbags and shoes with very smelly old rags. But he cannot compete with he Prank Queen as he finds out to his chagrin.
Told in verse, kids will love the pranks that Mum plays on her family. Each description will bring squeals of delight (being wet by a water balloon), trepidation (spiders in the bag) yuck (fish in the pavlova) - the group of kids listening will have a range of responses to the stanzas that detail Mum’s wild and zany actions. They will cheer seeing Dad get some of his own back, but know that the Mum is after all the Prank Queen and will come out on top.
Wonderfully bright and detailed illustrations cover each page, showing clearly the lengths Mum goes to create havoc within her family. Long suffering Dad shows remarkable equanimity with the joke always being on him, providing a positive role model for all. The family works together well, and the illustrations will draw kids eyes to the feeling of cooperation between the members of the family, playing together and treating each day with humour and zeal.
The jokes are all things people may want to have played when they were younger, and the book gives the opportunity for people to do just that. I can just imagine a car wrapping exercise or trying out some of the recipes, and the book gives kids a chance to think of some pranks for themselves. A book trailer is available.
Larrikin House keeps on proceeding books that make me laugh and classroom and homes will love laughing alone with Prank Queen and other books in their list, conveniently shown on the back endpaper.
Following a call from her mentally troubled mother suggesting she is going to end her life, Layla finds herself alone in trying to respond to this latest crisis. She has too much happening in her life, with career, marriage and relationships going badly; and she seems to have become distanced from anybody who might have been able to help.
As Layla gathers herself to travel on an urgent flight to her mother and the childhood home in Tasmania, memories from the past gradually build a picture of fractured relationships in her family. She hopes that she will finally find out the truth about how her father died, and why her mother has never been able to confide in her. However the secrets that come out disrupt her life in a way she never expects.
Layla is a flawed character, who in coming to terms with hidden aspects of the past, has to reassess the important things in life, and renew friendships with those she has neglected. Although there are episodes from Layla’s childhood which may draw the empathy and interest of younger readers, as a story of middle-life crises, this book is more likely to appeal to adult female readers.
Eric Hill died in 2014, but many books are still being published which showcase his wonderful character, Spot.
This story, presented in a heavy duty board book shows the Spot family on a camping holiday in Australia’s outback. They paddle a canoe across the billabong, noting the colour of the surroundings. They stop for lunch on the shore and Spot finds some frogs under the bulrushes. After lunch mum and dad look for Spot but cannot find him and so go off in search of their son. They spy something moving further up the sand dunes and come across a thorny devil while sleeping under a rock. They see a bilby. A termite mound looms up over the page hiding an echidna. Coming to a cave they wonder whether Spot has gone inside. Each time they stop to look for Spot they see another Australian animal hidden beneath a flap. Kids will love lifting the flap to reveal the animal, and of course wonder where Spot might be. Eventually they return to the camping ground to find Spot waiting for them.
Gently humorous, with a touch of concern about where Spot might be, toddlers will love looking for Spot with his parents, lifting the flaps in their search of the Australian landscape, taking in the colours, the animals and flora depicted. New words are presented, an adventure which is out of the ordinary, all couched within the known and loved framework of Spot.
Younger readers will love the scope of this little colourful board book, marvelling at a new edition of Spot, harking back to all the other Spot books they have read.
Themes Lift the flap, Spot, Australian animals, Adventure.
An array of instantly recognisable dads is presented in this charming rhyming tale of the different sorts of dads children come across. From a story dad to a whiffy dad, a snorey dad to a rifty dad, all sorts of dads are shown on the pages. Between the pages where two different words are used to describe the dad, are connecting sentences which give a slightly different angle. So we have a dad who has made you theirs, and dads who come as a pair, and a live apart dad, and an always in your heart dad.
Whatever the dad the pages are full of love and affection as the child and his dad are doing things together, looking squarely at each other, each the heart and soul of the other. The wonderful illustrations underscore the togetherness of a child and their dad, as they show them hugging, holding hands, doing things together, jumping on his shoulders, going out together, being at home together, racing, cooking, gardening, barbecuing, and sitting still for a photograph.
Children will love reading of what fathers do, seeing their own dad reprised on each page and be able to add phrases to the story celebrating what their dad does that perhaps no one else does.
This is a humorous, playful story, full of gentle humour and replete with love and affection, so the end of the book when asked who the perfect dad is, the children will have no hesitation in announcing theirs.
Themes Love, Affection, Fathers, Family.
Fran Knight
The last comics on Earth by Max Braillier & Joshua Pruett
Chapter 1, distinctively monochromatic, is described as the comic within the comic book and here we see avid comic readers Jack, Quint, June and Dirk reading their favourite comic book whose hero is Z-Man. When these last kids on Earth go their local comic store they find that they have read the very last Z-Man issue even though their hero, protector of Apocalyptica, is left falling off a cliff, a real cliffhanger ending. Preferring the comic apocalypse to the real thing they decide to write their own, casting themselves as the superheroes. The kids choose their characters, referring to the backstories and origin stories of the comics they have read, with lots of puns and wordplay. By chapter two we have the full colour comic “The Legacy of Z-Man” starring the kids’ alter egos Doc Baker; Super inventorist dude, Moonstar; The quasar warrior, fantabular lord of space, Boy Lightening; The boy with the superpowered brainstorms and The Savage Aloner. The comic is set in Apocalyptica, the nexus of all apocalypses, a city where the remnants of every apocalypse converged to form the ultimate megapocalypse. Filled with absorbing fun detail and awful jokes the colourful comic is action packed, always poking fun at the comic genre. Not only are there are evil villains, superpowered crystals and superhero gadgets there are also adverts and merchandising pages to add to the humour. What the kids struggle with however is the ability to work together as a team and until they do the evil villains will not be vanquished. Following on from the highly successful Last Kids on Earth books which have been made into a Netflix series and a video game, readers will love this addition and at the end is the promise of more. This book does successfully stand alone, celebrating the Kids’ resilience, courage and tolerance of difference and the importance of working together. New readers will want to access the whole series.
Yawning: Everyone does it. But no one knows why. The one thing for certain about this book is that you will yawn while it is being read.
Scientists have studied when we yawn - it starts at about 12-14 weeks in the womb - and how often but they still don't know why. Is it because our brains need extra oxygen, or because we are changing from one state of mind to another, or because it cools the brain by bringing cold air into our bodies? And why is the act so contagious?
While the big question remains unanswered despite the brightest minds trying, there are many other questions that are explored and explained in this fascinating non fiction book for young readers which combines accessible text with appealing artwork. Did you know that mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish yawn but insects don't? What's the common element between those creatures that do? Does that has something to do with it? Maybe it will be a reader who discovers the answer!
It is books like these that provide the strongest evidence and justification for having a robust print non fiction collection in the primary school library at least. It even has a formal 'sources cited' bibliography for further exploration, although none of those would be in a school library - the author has done the research and distilled the information into child-friendly language and explanation.
One to pair with Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book for some fun-filled fact-finding!
Loosely, very loosely, using aspects of Arthurian legend, Croucher has written a rollicking gay love story with twists and turns that eventually plunges heard-first into a full-on knight's battle, the main characters emerging weary but wiser, to live happily-ever-after.
18-year-olds Art and Gwen have been betrothed since childhood but can hardly conceal their dislike for each other when they are forced to spend the summer tournament season at Camelot together, before their marriage that will join their two families.
Their relationship is further complicated by Gwen’s secret crush on feisty knight Bridget, and Arthur’s nocturnal transgressions and flirting with Gwen’s brother, the king-to-be, Gabriel. Bridget is a strong-willed young woman who has sacrificed much to achieve her dream of becoming a knight, while Gwen is less certain of her path in life. Gabriel fears he will always be miserable as he faithfully does what he thinks others expect of him, unlike Arthur who lives carefree and reckless.
For light-hearted relief we see Art and Gwen’s servants Sidney and Agnes fall head-over-heels in love, but even they have to court surreptitiously.
Croucher has created a group of endearing characters, young people seeking to understand and explore their feelings within a society with strict expectations, or so they believe. Gwen and Gabriel experience at times shame, obligation and uncertainty, and witness the effects on others, of their choices and desires as they navigate their romantic interests. As children of the king, they have to decide whether to accept and follow their feelings, or fulfil their responsibilities, or whether they can do both.
The characters’ teen-age banter and bad jokes make for easy and amusing reading, but Croucher also sensitively addresses issues of self-acceptance and coming-out.
These various love-interests are eclipsed in the final chapters as a full-on battle erupts, and treachery and treason are exposed. This section also sees a goodly number of battle casualties and injuries, described in considerable detail, somewhat at odds with the more upbeat earlier chapters.
Highly recommended for readers who like a gay romance and aren’t too concerned about historical accuracy.
Ahoy there matey, and where is the treasure! If you love historical fiction with some pirate action, this is a great book for you!
Blackbeard’s Treasure by Iszi Lawrence, set during the eighteenth century in the Caribbean, when piracy was at a high, is a great novel for anyone who enjoys adventure and history. Filled with action and anticipation, no one knows who to trust or where they will end up.
The year is 1718, when pirates roamed the seas to pilfer and steal. The Caribbean islands were full of slaves and wealthy plantation owners, and life was tough. Abigail Buckler is an eleven-year-old girl who lives the affluent life with her father, in a wealthy sugar plantation lifestyle. However, she lives a lonely life; forbidden to play with slaves' children. But, unbeknownst to her father, she has a secret friend, Boubacar.
After an attack by pirates, her life changes forever. Thrown into a world that is completely upside down to what she is used to, she is forced into decisions that would once have been wrong. However, when survival is the highest priority, Abigail must make decisions to ensure her safety.
With Boubacar at her side, she is faced with a life that is foreign and survival instincts kick in. Her prior life seems just a forgotten dream, as she is thrown into a world of theft, deception and terror. How will she and Boubacar survive these treacherous times and endure the life that they find themselves in?
Bringing historical fiction to life, the reader journeys amongst the Caribbean seas, with infamous pirates, slave trade and the dangerous costs of luxury items. This novel provides an insight into what life may have been like back then.
Iszi Lawrence has created an engaging and interesting novel. This story will appeal to anyone who is interested in history, pirates and adventure. Abigail’s brazen and daring actions will keep you in suspense right up to the very end…. And where is Blackbeard’s well talked about treasure really hiding?
Another offering in the Eric Carle Library, this book is a Colours book, designed to introduce colours to the very young with a strongly bound board book and the Very Hungry Caterpillar making its way through an array of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables.
Using Eric Carle’s words the book shows the caterpillar eating its way through red tomato soup and strawberries, orange baked beans and orange juice, yellow macaroni cheese and banana, purple onion, cabbage and aubergine, blue lollipops, brown bread sandwich and a cookie, pink hot dog and a piece of watermelon, a green salad, a black and white lunch with a white salad filled wrap and some blackberries and finally a multicoloured fruit salad.
Kids will love the board book, eagerly turning the pages to see what the caterpillar will eat next and what colour it is, recognising the fruit and vegetables shown. They will talk about which of them they have eaten, and try some of the unknown ones for themselves. Astute teachers or parents will have a few of them ready for the young readers to try.
A great introduction to colour as well as the array of fruit and vegetables there are to try, children will learn lots from this book.
Through the caterpillar, the idea of lunch as a small meal with lots of fruit and vegetable is reinforced, and the variety shown will be most acceptable to them.
Interestingly there are several readings on YouTube and the version read by the person from the USA shows differences that are intriguing. Not only are there spelling changes but also the names of some of the food offered have minor changes. The USA version also heralds a different type of food offered sometimes for lunch. For older readers this may offer a point of comparison to discuss.
Themes Colours, Lunch, Fruit and vegetables, Humour, Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Fran Knight
One day by Joanna Ho. Illus. by Faith Pray
HarperCollins, 2023. ISBN: 9780063056923.
One day, your hair will tumble across your head as you embark on adventures Life will pull tears that Roll like rivers over your cheeks Let them roll, sweet boy Softness is a sign of strength
In this new release from the author of Eyes the Kiss in the Corners and Eyes that Speak to the Stars, a mother shares her hopes and dreams for her young child and her faith that he is destined for extraordinary things as he grows. Described by Kirkus as "an affirming and enchanting love letter from parent to child" it focuses on qualities the child will demonstrate such as curiosity, courage and kindness rather than the materialistic things of a big house, good job and flash car that many might think are a parent's wishes, perhaps sparking a philosophical discussion about the most important things in life - and even how the perception of these changes as we mature. All a parent wants is a "healthy baby" while all a grandparent wants is "good health."
At work they do all that is expected: they arrive on time, they are neat and take their work seriously, all except for one. Fran did not emulate her coworkers. She was never on time, wore brightly coloured scarves, and certainly did not take her work seriously. She shared treats, told jokes, and did not obey the rules, getting her noticed by the supervisor. Given another chance she had to work twice as hard to catch up, often working late into the night. But this did not work and she was still laid off. She had to reassess her good points and she might not be like the other chickens, but she could cook and loved treats, so opened a sweet shop to which all the chickens came to marvel at her treats, and listen to her jokes and spy her brightly coloured scarves. She was a marvellous business chicken after all.
A wonderful fable about finding your place, of looking out for your positive abilities, of not being one in a crowd, will thrill younger readers as they watch Fran come into her own. She rejects being an average chook and steps out to try something different.
I love the illustrations, with a nod to the painting of Collins St, using the same colours to reprise the image of men going to and then returning form work. And the dark Hopper style images of the city and the offices contrast visibly with those of Fran and her sweet shop, so light and bright. The end papers show a page of ties and one scarf but the last end paper shows the opposite. The last double page gives kids a recipe to follow and I am sure many classes will try out this delicious sweet, Brownies, to eat while they read the story of finding your own path in life.
Themes Work, Business, Dreams, Aspirations.
Fran Knight
The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer
Hachette, 2023. ISBN: 9780733649578. (Age:Mature teens to Adults) Highly recommended.
The latest book by well-known Australian author Kelly Rimmer, The Paris Agent, is a fast paced and riveting historical fiction novel centred on the true stories of real-life female SOE WWII agents, Violette Szabo and Diana Rowden.
Beginning with a prologue set in 1944, readers are introduced to SOE agent Fleur, codenamed Eloise, one of the two main female characters who is a prisoner of the Germans travelling on a train to an unknown destination. She is still hopeful that she may survive whatever lies ahead even after everything she has suffered at the hands of the enemy. Travelling with Eloise is another SOE agent Josie, codenamed Chloe, whose story will also be revealed throughout this deeply moving story.
The narrative then shifts to 1970 where 25-year-old Charlotte and her father, Noah Ainsworth, are grieving the tragic and unexpected loss of their wife and mother, Geraldine. Her death has raised deeply hidden memories and secrets for Noah, SOE agent codenamed Marcel, and his burning desire to find the agent who helped him to escape capture by the Germans. This leads both Charlotte and Noah on a difficult and moving journey to uncover the truth of what really happened over a number of months in war torn France.
Throughout this book, the telling of the actual events change from one character or time frame to another. Written in first person, the reader learns the true story and experiences the danger, the bravery, and the terrible suffering experienced by Eloise, Chloe and Marcel. They also journey with Charlotte as she learns that her father had another life before she was born. A life where he was courageous, resilient and an instrumental part of the war effort. Charlotte also meets Theo, who has a search of his own to complete and is integral to the final outcome and the ultimate search for truth.
The thorough and extensive research by Kelly Rimmer into these little-known women of history and the role they played in the SOE, is vital to our understanding of the powerful part women played quietly behind the scenes during World War Two.
Themes History, World War Two, Espionage, Secret Agents, French Resistance, Special Operations Executive (SOE), Betrayal, Relationships, Family, Grief, Guilt, Secrets.
Kathryn Beilby
Scarygirl: The origin story by Nathan Jurevicius
Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761069277. (Age:7-12)
This colourful, wordless graphic novel was first published in 2009 and since then there have been multiple manifestations of Scarygirl’s story, most recently a much-anticipated Australian animation film. For those not familiar with the story there is an introductory page followed by bios for eight characters reminiscent of collector cards, including Scarygirl, "on a mission to find the man behind her haunting dreams” and Blister “a super-intelligent giant octopus, Scarygirl’s guardian”. From then on readers need to pay close attention to the pictorial narrative as there are almost no words. Colour is used effectively to indicate mood and the graphic thought bubbles, mostly in the form of simple equations indicate thoughts and intentions. As Scarygirl and her friends (who are not always reliable) set out to find the mystery man in her dreams they encounter psychedelic worlds and degraded maze-like landscapes where it is not clear who is to be trusted. The highly detailed, vivid graphics keep the reader wondering where the next threat will come from as the adventure unfolds. At the end of the book are pages from Nathan Jurevicius’ notebook of line drawings that inspired some of the film concepts. The lack of words makes this accessible to a wide age group but some of the action really is scary, involving cash for betrayal, drugs and operations, requiring some caution when recommending to younger readers.
Using well known characters in books by Beatrix Potter this series of lift-the-flap books will quickly find a place at home or in a library or classroom, with information on the cover telling the reader that there are lots of flaps to look under. And there are.
Peter Rabbit has been called inside by his mother and he and his siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail, get ready for bed. They have been out all day playing with their friend Benjamin and their toys, and must say farewell to their friend and gather up their toys to put them away. A problem occurs when they cannot find the snuggly toy bunnies, their companions when going to sleep, so Peter must search for them before they goes to bed. Lifting the flap to find the toy bunnies will have readers guessing where they might be. Their eyes will roam over the detailed pages of illustrations: of the woods where they play, the wonderfully warm kitchen, the bathroom, the lounge with the bookcase, and lastly the bedroom. Each room redolent of the smaller hand sized stories by Beatrix Potter with which many children will be familiar.
All the evening routines are included, supper is a cake and hot drink, then a bath, brushing the teeth clean, sitting by the fire with Mum, and settling down for bedtime. But Peter is dismayed, he cannot sleep without his toy bunny. While cleaning his teeth he remembers a game he and his sisters played during the day and rushes to the bookcase which was then a mountain to find the bunnies. The girls find theirs but Peter’s is still missing.
Eventually the toy is found and all is well for the children to go to bed and sleep. This is a lovely lift the flap story to read before bedtime, a winding down book that outlines the steps to going to bed for the night.
And children will have lots of fun with lifting the flaps that show up on every second double page, watching out for their favourite characters and following the story of Peter Rabbit.
