Bad Mermaids: Meet the Sushi Sisters by Sibeal Pounder
Illus. by Jason Cockcroft. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. ISBN:
9781526616883.
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. The fourth book in this amusing series
introduces Meri Pebble (the best spy mermaid in the Fortress Bay spy
school, according to Meri anyway!). Meri pesters her supervisor into
giving her a new mission and she is tasked with uncovering what is
behind a crabogram that says the Famous Sushi Sisters are going to
destroy all the humans. She and her friends - Beattie, Mimi and
Zelda, (aka the Bad Mermaids) go undercover as a personal assistant
and the GLAM squad to show that there is no truth to the idea that
the Sushi sisters would even consider harming any humans. Meri is
sure she can prove them to be the famous and seriously spoiled
mermaids who just do pranks for their TV show and nothing more. But
the mermaids soon realise the Sushi sisters are up to something and
wonder how the sisters got their hands on some very strange pets
like their mercats (half mermaid half cat) and hamstars (half
seastars half hamsters).
Meanwhile their human friend Paris is moving from California to a
castle in Scotland which boasts a loch haunted by a mermaid. Paris'
mother has given up making socks and taken up selling mermaid
make-up to humans under the brand name Flubiere. She has even
brought a tankful of Puffer fish to promote her brand to the
fish-loving people of Scotland. Paris befriends the mysterious
mermaid in the loch and helps her Bad mermaid friends in the
process.
The books all have delightful references to all things fishy that
young readers will enjoy. The lessons about being a good friend and
not getting taken in by the glamour and glitz of famous people are
carefully woven into the story as Beattie learns the hard way that
being the cool girl with the Sushi sisters is not all it promised.
Themes: Espionage, mermaids, seahorses, magic, friendship.
Gabrielle Anderson
Blood and honey by Shelby Mahurin
Serpent and dove series, book 2. Harper Teen 2020, ISBN:
9780063041172
(Age: 15+) As the sequel to Serpent and dove (Blood and
honey is the second in the series), this review may contain
spoilers for the first book for those who have not read it. A
descriptive and action packed fantasy, Blood and honey picks
up right after the cliff-hanger end of Serpent and dove,
with Lou, Reid and their companions on the run and in hiding. With
Lou's coven in pursuit of Lou, the church in pursuit of all of them
and the kingdom not having a place for them, their little band of
fugitives are in constant danger. With the threat of Morgane hanging
over them, the group seek allies in unlikely places - with their
enemies. Fearing this won't be enough to protect the ones she loves,
Lou turns to a darker side of her magic that may cost more than it's
worth.
Having enjoyed the first book of this series, I found the second
book just as compelling with relatable characters, interesting plot
development and well paced, detailed writing. There is also romance,
both hot and heavy and unrequited. Having been introduced to Lou,
Reid, Ansel and Coco in book 1, readers learn more about them while
their relationships develop. While Lou struggles to keep a grip on
herself, Reid struggles to accept himself. This well written novel
will appeal to many readers. It would suit fans of Sarah J. Maas' Court
of thorns and roses series.
Themes: Magic, Good and evil, Fantasy, Self-perception,
Forgiveness.
Mel Phillips
The great realisation by Tomos Roberts
Illus. by Nomoco. Harper Collins Australia, 2020. ISBN:
9781460759806.
(Ages: 7+) Recommended. First performed in response to the Covid-19
pandemic, this poem has been viewed over 60 million times and
translated into over 20 languages. The young author, UK spoken-word
poet freelance filmmaker Tomos Roberts, struggled financially when
the pandemic hit and set himself a challenge to find a hopeful
message within the hardship and isolation faced by many. He
describes the book as 'a bedtime story for a time of change' and a
'reminder that we need not aim for a return just to normal when
there is a tangible prospect of progress and the potential for so
much more'. Nomoco's vibrant watercolour illustrations are minimal
but poignant, adding to the wonderfully serene, yet hopeful nature
of the poem itself.
The story starts with two children asking for a bedtime story: 'Tell
me the one about the virus again, then I'll go to bed'. The story
the children are asking for begins before the pandemic and tells
what the world was like before: big companies, instant gratification
of material needs, busy people without time to talk to each other,
isolation and environmental destruction. It tells of how while
everyone was busy hiding from the virus, wonderful things started to
happen: we started to talk more, rush around less and enjoy simple
activities and the environment started to breathe again. Then it
talks of what we hope will happen: 'we all preferred the world we
found, to the one we'd left behind'.
This is a beautifully optimistic book that wants to separate history
into pre-covid and post-covid, with the hope that the two eras will
look drastically different. While it remains to be seen if this will
come to fruition, it's a realisation worth sharing with people of
all ages. A
teacher's guide is available. Themes: Modern life, Hope, 2020
Covid-19 pandemic, Poetry.
Nicole Nelson
Troubled blood by Robert Galbraith
Cormoran Strike, book 5. Little Brown, 2020. ISBN:
9780751579949. 944 pp.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended. Although a massive 944 pages, fans
of the series will be rivetted by the complex plotting and
relationships in Galbraith's latest offering. Strike and Robin are
back again, this time investigating a cold case involving a young
doctor, Margot Bamborough, who mysteriously disappeared forty years
earlier. Strike had been approached by her daughter to see if he
could find the truth about her and give her some solace. As Strike
and Robin start investigating, they discover that there had been a
serial killer on the loose nearby, and the detective in charge of
the case had been convinced that he was the killer. However, he had
become increasingly obsessed with tarot cards which he was using to
solve the case and eventually was forced to leave it. Strike and
Robin must delve through copious strange notes, interview any
surviving witnesses all the while researching the many cases their
agency was actively pursuing. Not to mention Strike having to cope
with the fact that his aunt, who had brought him up, has cancer,
while Robin is struggling with a difficult divorce.
There are many plot threads to follow in Troubled blood, and
the author keeps the reader puzzling not only over what happened to
Margot Bamborough, but also what happened to other young women that
the serial killer was supposed to kill. Even the other cases the
agency is investigating are interesting and contain more puzzles for
the reader to try and solve. And readers who have been following the
growing rapport between Robin and Strike will enjoy the way
Galbraith has given an in-depth understanding of how their
backgrounds and past relationships have affected their emotional
growth.
Fans of the Cormoran Strike series will not want to miss
this one, and lovers of the mystery genre will appreciate the
intricate plotting and may, like me, be surprised by the final
denouements.
Pat Pledger
Peppa loves the Great Barrier Reef by Peppa Pig
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241457542. Peppa loves the Great Barrier Reef is a story based on the
popular children's TV show Peppa Pig, and seems to be part
of a new range of Peppa Pig books aimed at Australian fans.
In this title, Peppa and her family visit their friend Kylie
Kangaroo (who has been on other episodes) and spend time with her at
her mother's work in a submarine on the Great Barrier Reef. The Pig
family are amazed at how beautiful the coral is on the reef and make
links to the fish tank at Kylie Kangaroo's house. They love the
different sea life and rainbow coral, all that is missing is a chest
full of treasure . . . or is it?
I think that this book missed a really good opportunity to talk a
bit more about the Great Barrier Reef and how to protect it. All
they said was not to take anything away, and then a treasure chest
full of gold coins is discovered and taken away . . . Young readers
would most likely not understand that a treasure chest and coral are
different things (living and not) and may be confused by this part
of the story.
Overall, the general storyline is okay and fits in very well with
the other Peppa Pig books I have read before. The
illustrations are bright and colourful and represent all the
characters that fans of this show will recognise. The addition of
the textural sparkles/glitter on the cover is also nice and helps
the book stand out, which will inevitably draw in young fans of the
show and possibly even those that have not seen it yet.
Lauren Fountain
Older by Pamela Redmond
Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9780733645372
This story is written as a sequel to Redmond's earlier novel,Younger,
the book that was the foundation of a highly popular television
series in the USA. Redmond's follow-up novel takes us into her adult
life, the choices she makes and the challenges that she faces, after
the huge following that was elicited by the TV series. This book
would be suitable for adolescent and adult reading.
In Older, Redmond describes the issues that a new mother
faces, from the lack of sleep, the demands of a child, when life
before motherhood seemed so full, vital and energizing. Now we read
of the exhaustion, the need for patience when a baby is unsettled,
and the pressing need to have a break from the seemingly
never-ending demands of motherhood. We are able to see the pressing
need for help with the child, and how new mothers particularly seek
a solution to this issue. Redmond addresses the issue of the role of
grandparents in this modern world, and their challenges in this
role.
Vital, interesting and very much a description of the modern world
of the clash of jobs, children, work and relationships, this novel
bares all. We are also taken into the world of television, where and
how programs are generated, written, performed and received by
audiences. This book provides a view of that world and it is indeed
a fascinating but incredibly demanding world.
Elizabeth Bondar
Ten minutes to bed: Little Unicorn's Birthday by Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241453162. (Age: 3-10) Recommended. Little Unicorn's Birthday is a
gorgeous book that really captured my 6-year-old daughter. She has
previously loved other books in this series (Little
Unicorn and Little
Mermaid) and has requested that we find the other 3!
The book follows a count down sequence where each minute that Dad
counts down (to bedtime) something happens at Little Unicorn's
party. They play games, open gifts, eat delicious food and of course
eat cake. It all ends with Little Unicorn and her friends all fast
asleep under the night sky.
This book is easy to read and follows a reasonably simple rhyme. I
liked the count down aspect too which is always an important skill
to cement for younger children.
The illustrations are my favourite and I have truly loved them in
every book in this series we have read. The cover is textured with
sparkles which really draws your attention and the illustrations on
the pages really show the mood of the book. Lots of colour, and then
it slowly darkens to the night-time scenes. The characters have
wonderful facial expressions and are extremely cute.
The author/illustrator partnership between Rhiannon Fielding and
Chris Chatterton is very successful, and I feel that these books are
a testament to that. I think that any book in this series would be a
great gift or library addition for readers from 3 to 7 years old.
Lauren Fountain
The Windsor diaries 1940-45 by Alathea Fitzalan Howard
Hodder & Stoughton, 2020. ISBN: 9781529328097.
The author of the diaries (edited by her niece-in-law Isabella
Naylor-Leyland to whom they were bequeathed) was born in 1923 to an
aristocratic Catholic British family. She would have been the next
Duke of Norfolk had she been a male.
Alathea recorded her life in diary entries from January 1939 until
she died in January 2001, but only the 1940 to 1945 war years when
she lived with her grandfather in a grand house near the Princesses
Elizabeth and Margaret at Windsor are covered in the book.
Given her social status, mention of famous people of the time are
frequent. What stood out to me was Alathea's obsession with becoming
and remaining part of the 'royal circle' to the extent of acting and
dressing younger than her years to be closer in age to the
princesses.
As appropriate to her age at the time, the entries are often of a
shallow nature - what she and others wore and ate, visited,
liked/hated, marriage, etc. Some entries indicated a very troubled
(self harming) teenager, with an ambivalent relationship to her
parents.
The war and its effects are only incidentally touched upon. The
references to food, clothes, parties, etc are not indicative of
great war time hardships. Having to undertake mandatory war work
appears to be resented as an intrusion on Alathea's social life.
The diary entries reflect the class distinctions and prejudices of
the time and Alathea's main preoccupation besides continuing the
friendship of the royals is love and marriage to a suitable
aristocratic man (but not a 'second son'). She does appear to have
insight that the aristocratic way of life with servants, leisure,
etc is a thing of the past - which she greatly regrets.
Not a gripping book, but useful as an insight into the effect of
WWII on a small segment of upper class British people. The diaries
could be used as a primary source by History students to compare
WWII experiences of upper and other class teenagers. For those
interested in the British royal family, there are some insights into
the daily life of the royal family during the time spent at Windsor
during WWII.
Ann Griffin
A clock of stars: The shadow moth by Francesca Gibbons
Illus.by Chris Riddell. HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008355036.
(Young Adult / Children). Highly recommended. A brilliant new fantasy
author has been found in Francesca Gibbons. Her debut novel A
clock of stars: The shadow moth, aimed at older children and
younger teens, is a fun and easy read. The story centres on sisters
Imogen and Marie who follow a moth through a hidden doorway in a
tree and end up in another world. Like Alice and her rabbit, Imogen
and Marie find fun, adventure and peril in this alternate universe.
In this world ruled by an evil king where conflict bubbles beneath
the surface, the sisters meet lonely Prince Milo who agrees to help
them find their way home if they will be his friends and help him
restore peace to the realm.
What a coup for Gibbons to have secured Chris Riddell as her
illustrator. A prolific and well-loved children's illustrator and
author himself, Riddell's work has appeared in many books, including
those by Neil Gaiman and J.K. Rowling. His signature style is
apparent upon opening the book, immediately drawing the reader into
Gibbons' fantasy world.
Although pitched at a juvenile audience, adults and older teens will
also find themselves enthralled by the world-building, magic and
wonderful illustrations. A little bit Alice in Wonderland, a
little bit Narnia and very much its own, A clock of stars
is highly recommended. Themes: Magic, Magical creatures, Royalty,
Sisters, Family, Friendship, Animals.
Rose Tabeni
The secret garden: the story of the movie by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Linda Chapman
HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008340070. 224pp., pbk.
First published in 1911, The secret garden is the story of
Mary, a sickly, neglected, unloved and unwanted 10-year-old girl
whose care has been mostly left to the servants who care for her
English family in colonial India. After her parents die in a cholera
epidemic, she is sent back to England into the care of her unknown
uncle Archibald Craven at his isolated mansion Misselthwaite Manor
on the Yorkshire Moors. At first, Mary is rude and obnoxious,
disliking everything about her new circumstances but eventually she
warms to Martha Sowerby who tells her about her aunt, the late
Lilias Craven and how she would spend hours in a private walled
garden growing roses. After his wife died in an accident in the
garden, Mr Craven locked the garden and buried the key. Mary becomes
interested in finding the secret garden herself and once she
discovers the key, her life begins to change.
This version is based on the screenplay of the 2020 movie which
has finally been released and which many students will have seen.
Telling the core of the original story it evokes a magical world
that encourages self-discovery and change and perhaps an interest in
reading the original. A stunning way to introduce a new generation
to a classic. Watch the official trailer
on YouTube.
Barbara Braxton
Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241397046.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Ideal for Halloween, this thriller/horror
story is one that will keep readers glued to the page as they follow
the trials of Lola Nox, the daughter of a horror filmmaker. With her
father is founded with multiple stab wounds, she is sent off to stay
with the grandmother that she has never met. The rural town of
Harrow Lake was the setting for Nolan Nox's most famous horror film
and the place where her mother was brought up. The town has used
this setting as a tourist attraction and each year there are
unexplained disappearances which are never solved. Some bizarre
occurrences, a strange puppet like creature called Mister Jitters,
legends about cannibalism and weird tapping noises set the scene for
some very scary moments as Lola tries to find out what happened to
her mother Lorelei who abandoned her as a young child.
The pace is fast, and the book is hard to put down, indeed it is one
that many readers will want to finish in one or two sittings,
holding their breathes as they read. There are some truly memorable
scenes like a dead tree that has hundreds of teeth hanging from it,
and a frightening group of caves, housing a derelict church.
Lola is not a person who the reader will readily identify with in
the beginning but as the story unfolds, the reader will get to know
what her life has been like with a totally controlling father and
will begin to sympathise with her. It is hard to tell the truth from
what could be her wild imaginination. Is her friend Mary Ann really
appearing to her? What is the meaning of the secrets that are
written on bits of paper and hidden and why did Lorelei collect
strange bug like creatures? Is someone stalking her? Can she trust
Carter the young man who has befriended her? What is her grandmother
hiding and where has Lorelei disappeared to?
Fans of thrillers and horror stories will find Harrow Lake
difficult to put down and will have fun working out the truth in
Lola's unreliable narrative and enjoy the horror tropes of a scary
town with strange people, stalkers, dark woods and horrifying
puppets.
Pat Pledger
Watch over me by Nina LaCour
Text Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781922330604.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. After being in the foster system
since her mother abandoned her, 18-year-old Mila is looking forward
to her job, teaching a young, home-schooled child on a farm. She is
desperate for a home, a place where she can belong and hopes to find
it with Terry and Julia, who own the farm and with the other people
there, particularly Billy and Liz and her small charge, Lee. What
she does not know when she accepts the job is that something strange
is going on there and that it will bring back all the bad memories
of her past.
An eerie combination of ghosts and ordinary life on a farm, LaCour
manages to keep the suspense alive as Mila's story gradually
unfolds. What are the ghostly figures that danced at night and why
did everyone except for Lee and her wear gold bracelets and
pendants? And what happened to the girl who used to teach Lee? Where
has she gone? The story has a gothic feel and I almost felt that I
was reading a novel set in the 1800's, until there would be a
reference to driving to a market with flowers or using a phone.
In lyrical prose the author describes bit by bit the memories of the
trauma that Mila had undergone when young, and the struggle that she
is having with them resurfacing. Lee has also suffered trauma and
Mila tries her best to help him, even as he sees ghosts too.
This is a disturbing read, with undertones of domestic violence,
abandonment, guilt and grief, all part of Mila's struggle to accept
her past and find a new home. Add a mix of ghosts, fear and mystery,
and Watch over me will grip the reader until its powerful
conclusion. Teacher's
notes are available from the publisher.
Pat Pledger
The Tindims of Rubbish Island by Sally Gardner
Illus. by Lydia Corry. Zephyr, 2020. ISBN: 9781838935672.
The Tindim family of smaller than usual stature, live together on
Rubbish Island where they recycle all they find. Introducing the
family as the story unfolds gives Gardner plenty of scope for her
humorous telling and daughter Corry, a platform for her funny
illustrations, designed by both not only to entertain, but teach
some solid facts about conservation, recycling and waste.
The family is headed for the Brightsea Festival, but due to the
enormous mountain of plastic bottles on their island, they can no
longer see where they are going. In times past they were able to
recycle paper and wood rubbish, but since plastic came on the scene,
the rubbish from these items has grown beyond comprehension. So the
family searches for a solution. Always a secretive group, they must
now expose themselves to children to realise their aim of recycling
more rubbish and showing children how it is to be done.
The main characters, Captain Spoons, Mug, Jug, Brew, Skittle and
others live on the island in a warren of underwater rooms, including
a toothbrush library and a hospital for sick fish. Laugh out loud
with the names and scenes set by mother and daughter writer and
illustrator. I loved the names of the days of the week, and the
comments about some of the rubbish they find: a water bottle, who
would bottle water? Read about the Tindims on their first ocean
adventure as they show children how to help protect our planet for
the future.
The first of a series, three more books will be published in 2021,
all promoting recycling and conservation.
Themes: Conservation, Waste, Recycling, Plastic, Ecology, Oceans.
Fran Knight
The frangipani tree mystery by Ovidia Yu
Crown Colony, book 1. Constable, 2017. ISBN: 9781472125200.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. After reading The
paperbark tree mystery I immediately pursued the first
in the series and was not disappointed. The frangipani
tree mystery introduces SuLin, a young girl who suffered polio
in her youth. Educated at a mission and very intelligent, SuLin
wants to become a journalist and travel, escaping an arranged
marriage. When the opportunity comes to look after Dee-Dee, the
daughter of the Acting Governor of Singapore, she grabs it, even
though it looks as if Charity Byrne, the Irish governess has been
murdered in mysterious circumstances. When another murder happens at
the Governor's residence, SuLin's acute observation skills and
ability to gain the trust of the people around her, assist Chief
Inspector LeFoy in working out just what happened.
It is 1936 in Singapore and Ovidia Yu brings a fascinating
historical background to the mystery. She weaves the history of
colonialism and the belief of superiority that the white British
administrators have, as a backdrop to the mystery. It is always
subtly done, but by the end of the novel the reader has become well
acquainted with life in a governor's residence, the way servants are
treated and the hierarchy of Chinese residents, with SuLin's
grandmother organising money lending and owning shops.
Some of SuLin's Chinese family's superstitions are also explored.
They believe that because of her limp, she could bring bad luck, and
she is prepared to work for a living if she can. Dee-Dee has an
intellectual disability, and Yu's sympathetic portrayal of her makes
her a relatable character, as is her brother Harry who disappears on
strange assignations at night.
This is an easy to read mystery with fascinating historical detail
and big themes like racism, class, gender and family relations, all
brought in as subtle background to the murder. An article featuring
the author and her writing can be found here.
The frangipani tree mystery certainly sets up all the
atmosphere and plotting of a very good entertaining mystery, leaving
the reader wanting to see what happens next with SuLin and Chief
Inspector LeFoy.
Pat Pledger
Peppa's spooky Halloween by Neville Astley and Mark Baker
Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN: 9780241412268.
(Age: 3+) Peppa Pig celebrates all things Halloween with her family
in this timely picture book released by Ladybird Books, part of
Penguin Random House. Peppa and George are with Granny and Grandpa
Pig at Halloween. Peppa asks to do Halloween things and Grandpa Pig
is very enthusiastic because he loves Halloween. They bake spooky
cakes, spookily decorate the house and try on numerous spooky
costumes that include a witch, a mummy, ghosts, a vampire, a
skeleton and Peppa's favourite - a magical Halloween unicorn. Peppa
and George put on a spooky show for Mummy and Daddy Pig, and all of
their friends who arrive in costume. They have a spooky dance to
spooky music and have a really spook-tacular time!
Young fans of Peppa Pig will enjoy listening to this story and the
added Halloween theme and colourful presentation will be very
popular. Themes: Peppa Pig, Halloween, Costumes.
Kathryn Beilby
