Simon and Schuster, 2020. ISBN: 9781471196461.
(Age: Senior secondary/Adult) Highly recommended. Louise Candlish
weaves an absorbing tale of deceit, love, greed and duplicity in
this wonderful thriller. The reader is taken on a ride where the
characters need your sympathy one minute and have your loathing the
next.
Candlish sets her narrative firmly in London, mostly around the
Thames. The commute by river boat has a large part to play. Jamie,
who has a phobia about crowds and confined spaces, finds the journey
to and from his job relaxing, comfortable and convenient. It is also
where he meets Kit, a young man with an easy, confident persona.
Interestingly Kit's partner, Melia, works for the same trendy real
estate firm that Clare, Jamie's partner, is a leading light.
The four become friends, with an invitation to Clare and Jamie's
Georgian town house on Prospect Square. Kit and Melia cannot help
but be impressed particularly as they are renting an expensive small
flat nearby, but find it difficult to make ends meet.
The Thames commute also brings in some others who form a wider
acquaintance group, where Kit seems to be the one to whom the others
defer. When Kit disappears over the Christmas festive season, Jamie
is questioned on his way to work by a couple of detectives, who seem
to believe he may have had a part to play in the disappearance.
As the story evolves so does the tangled web Jamie, Melia, Kit,
Clare weave for themselves. Stories change and one is never entirely
sure who can be believed. This is Jamie's story but he is an
unreliable narrator who does not allow you to know the whole truth.
Your sympathies which lie with our story teller at first, soon begin
to fall away as he lets you in to what you believe are truths but
then are blown away in the next chapter.
Louise Candlish is the author of a number of other works including Our
House a winner of the Crime and Thriller Book of the Year at
the British Book Awards. This is the first of hers that I have read
and cannot wait to read others she has published. She knows how to
twist her plots leading her readers up all sorts of garden paths
only ready to be taken on yet another false direction.
If you enjoy a good thriller look no further. Themes: Crime, London,
Riverboats, Commuters,Thriller, Unreliable narrator.
Mark Knight
You are positively awesome: Good vibes and self-care prompts for all life's ups and downs by Stacie Swift
Pavilion, 2020. ISBN: 9781911641995. 144pp., hbk.
One of the greatest concerns of this pandemic that has engulfed the
globe is the mental health of those who have been in lockdown for
some time. Humans are sociable creatures, particularly our young
folk who haven't yet developed the wherewithal to be comfortable in
their own company for long periods and who need the contact with
their peers to validate and boost their sense of self-worth. Even
though governments may have offered millions of dollars to help with
the crisis, including for organisations like Kids Helpline, not all
will reach out to such bodies and so books like this that talk
directly to them and offer positive affirmations such as the
following can be very valuable in the hands of those who can help:
* we are all in this together
* we all need a bit of TLC
* we have all survived every bad day and overcome every
obstacle we've faced
Chapters include headings such as:
* Hey, you're awesome!
* Why is this stuff important?
* We all have times when life is a bit rainy
* It's okay
* Self-love matters
* You can be a good person with a kind heart and still say
'NO'
* Say yes to self-care
Each page has an affirmation, information and often an activity that
can offer a pathway forward. For example, in chapter 7 which focuses
on self-care, the advice goes much deeper than temporary fixes like
bath bombs and candles and offers some strategies for a 5-minute
self care as well as identifying those things that matter to the
individual so they can build their own circle of self-care and make
sure they complete it each day.
As well as being an essential tool in the teacher's well-being box
so that students consciously learn the strategies of mindfulness and
taking care of their own mental health, this could also be a gift to
a young one who might be adrift because of the loss of their
immediate peer support at this time. Even as students gradually
return to school, that return is different from coming back from
school holidays because families will have had to have faced a whole
range of unprecedented experiences unique to them, some might feel
shame or anxiety about the loss of income or whatever, and so
working through the things in this book should form part of each
child's learning over the next weeks. Help them to understand that
while each has had a unique set of circumstances to deal with and
these will continue to be endured for some time to come, we are in
this together and together we can survive and thrive. That said
though, help them build the mindset and strategies that will build
resilience and help them to help themselves when those difficulties
arise.
Barbara Braxton
Cinders and Sparks series by Lindsey Kelk
Illus. by Pippa Curnick. HarperCollins, 2019-2020 Magic at midnight. ISBN: 9780008292119. Fairies
in the forest. ISBN: 9780008292140. Goblins and gold. ISBN: 9780008292171.
Cinders lives a boring life with her selfish stepsisters and mean
stepmother, doing the chores and tending to their every need, just
like her traditional counterpart. While they prefer to stay indoors
all day listening to their mother read, Cinders would dearly love to
be outside playing and although they can't see the value of that, she
is allowed to do so once her chores are completed. But something
strange happens while she is outside - her dog Sparks starts talking
to her, her wishes start coming true and her fairy godmother, Brian,
materialises. (It's been hard to track Cinders down because she is
not on social media.)
And so begins a new series for young independent girls who are ready
for a solid adventure story but still believe in magic and the
characters of their childhood. Easy to read, engaging and funny in
parts, familiar characters and an ongoing quest make this a great
read but at the same time, it has an underlying message that
celebrates diversity and reaffirms that it is OK to be different.
Miss 9 asked for The worst witch series for her birthday six
weeks ago, and she is going to be thrilled when she discovers this
series in her letterbox as a follow-up because it will be perfect
for her. Thoroughly modern, thoroughly entertaining and just right
for a winter read.
Barbara Braxton
Puffin Little Cook : Snacks
Penguin Random House Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760897000. 96pp.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. A flick through this compact book
brought me to a stop with a recipe for little pea frittatas which
sounded very easy to make, and very delicious. More skimming through
found a recipe for Anzac biscuits, and I was hooked. This book, I
decided, was a keeper for me personally and one that I will use
often when grandchildren visit.
With the help of a Big Cook to turn on the oven and help with the
actual cooking process, children will have a lot of fun making these
simple but very appealing snacks for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And some yummy, nutritious, sweet snacks like fruit slushies and
frozen banana pops are sure to be ones children make.
This is an ideal recipe book for parents and grandparents to have on
hand when budding cooks want to make something in the kitchen. The
ingredients are all simple, and the instructions are clear and easy
to follow. There is a Contents page, Glossary, and Puffin quiz. Each
recipe gives the number of items that will be made, and
illustrations brighten up the book. A little puffins prances
throughout and will be loved by little children.
A well designed, clearly presented and easy to follow book, this
will be a hit with all who use it.
Pat Pledger
Abigail and the restless raindrop by Matthew Cunningham
Illus. by Sarah Wilkins. Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780143774495.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. One rainy day Abigail has a big
question. She asks her mother where the rain comes from. She is told
it comes from the clouds, and yes she says but how does it get
there. Mum explains with the story of just one drop of water, a
restless drop of water. Floating around in the lake it sees the sky
above and wants above all else to fly. One warm day it begins its
journey, first becoming warmer and warmer, until finally changing
into a puff of steam. That puff of steam flies into the air,
wandering over hills and mountains, looking at the lake far below.
She joins many other puffs of steam and when they all join they fall
to the earth as rain, back to where she started from.
This delightful story is a wonderful read aloud on a wintry day,
involving the listeners in the story of how the rain falls to earth,
showing the weather in the background of each page, showing the
cycle of water. Abigail's questioning about her environment will be
a smart introduction to lessons about what is about us, and asking
children to think of what question they want answered. In this way
this book could be a wonderful gateway into talking about the
environment with classes, and rain in particular.
New Zealand illustrator, Sarah Wilkins has a most eye catching style
using a mix of acrylic, gouache, ink and digital techniques to
create her distinctive work. Wonderful to see a girl character in
shorts rather than the dresses so many seem to wear in children's
picture books, and see her stomping through puddles, messing about
in trees, rowing on the lake and above all, wondering. And looking
out of the window at the night sky, another question seems imminent,
and readers will ponder what that might be.
A book full of wonder and questions. Themes: Rain, Raindrops, STEM,
Science, Environment, Humour.
Fran Knight
Date me Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241435267.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. What starts off as a seemingly
lightweight story about a silly school dare turns into a moving
description of a teenager's gradual development into a trusted and
accepting gay relationship - a first time boyfriend-boyfriend
experience. It all starts when Bryson Keller, the handsome school
soccer star who scorns high school romances, is challenged in a dare
to date the first person to ask him out each week, for 3 months, and
if his heart is won he gives up driving his expensive white Jeep to
school and has to ride the school bus. The narrator, Kai Sheridan,
is a boy who has learnt to hide his sexuality from even his closest
friends following an early hurtful experience, but in an angry
spontaneous moment he challenges Bryson to 'date me'. Bryson is
known for being decent and fair-minded, and he takes up the
invitation. At first it is just a friendship with a shared school
project and shared music interests, but gradually as they get to
know each other better their friendship deepens into something more
meaningful.
This is a lovely story that reminded me of Clementine
and Rudy by Siobhan Curham, a story of a friendship and
art collaboration between two teenage girls from very different
backgrounds. Clementine and Rudy is not a LGBTQI+ story but
there is the same positive message about being non-judgemental and
open to friendship with someone different. And like Curham, van Whye
describes young people who are kind and sincere. Both Bryson and Kai
struggle with changing family relationships, but each is supported
by a sister who understands them, as well as good friends, and the
overall message is as the author says 'that, despite those trials
and tribulations, there is hope, that we have worth and deserve to
be happy'.
I can highly recommend this novel to teenage readers, regardless of
their sexuality, for its positive messages about identity,
friendship and acceptance.
Themes: LGBTQI+, Identity, Friendship, Romance.
Helen Eddy
Sneaky shadows by SC Manchild
Illus. by Sam Caldwell. Berbay Publishing, 2020. ISBN:
9780648529163.
(Age: 4+) The bright end papers will alert the reader to the play
which lies within, as two penguins stand on each other, with arms
extended up, making their shadow more like a rabbit, and underneath
they have their arms extended out, the shadow making the image of an
eagle in flight, and again the two make the shadow of a dog's face.
Berbay Publishing aims to publish imaginative books of a high
standard, enriching the reader with their playfulness. To this end
books are published from around the world, many having been
published to acclaim overseas. More about Bebay Publishing can be
found on their website.
Melbourne based author, Manchild has teamed with Glaswegian
illustrator Caldwell to produce a book which will delight and amuse
as children work out how each shadow is made. From the endpapers,
readers' imaginations will have been stirred, seeing the different
shadows made by the two penguins. The first two shadows are easy to
guess, and lure the readers into something more difficult over the
page. Each shadow from then on is an amalgam, a combination of one
animal with other things entwined somehow to make a shadow that is
nothing like the original animal. Kids will laugh at the combination
of things to make an unusual shadow, and try their own shadow play
as a result. Themes: Shadow, Shadow puppets, Humour.
Fran Knight
Camp by L.C. Rosen
Puffin. UK. 2020. ISBN: 9780241428252. 368p.
(Age: 15+ ) LGBTQ Romance. Camp Outland is a summer camp expressly
for gay teens. Subtitled, Top or bottom? It's time to bunk up,
Rosen's euphemisms are as lewd as they are plentiful. The central
problem arises when a Masc (masculine) type prefers his own type
exclusively. Unfortunately, the narrator, epitomizes the
stereotypical Femme homosexual, with his love of musical theatre and
nail polish. But not this summer. In preparation for summer camp,
Randy has: lost weight, worked out, cut his hair, changed his
wardrobe, changed his name and perfected new mannerisms to attract a
boy he has admired every summer since childhood - a masculine young
man who believes that gay men should behave straight.
To his friends' consternation, Randy drops his theatre electives for
sport in order to woo Hudson, who has a decidedly 'Masc' polemic.
Unbelievably, Hudson doesn't recognize Randy with a new persona and
a new moniker. As Del, Randy doesn't just plan to be Hudson's next
conquest. He desires the man of his dreams to be his forever
boyfriend. Much of the tension in the book comes from Hudson's
sexual frustration and Randy's guilt and betrayal of his cabin full
of old friends and theatre nerds.
The author of Jack of hearts is as determined as ever to
demystify gay sex for young queer readers. Camp is as
flirtatious as any straight romance, although verbally more
lascivious. With interesting themes of identity, friendship, family
and gay history, fans of L.C. Rosen will turn pages in anticipation
of gender equality; and the boy getting the boy by the end of
summer.
Deborah Robins
All about friends by Felicity Brooks
Illus. by Mar Ferrero. Usborne, 2020. ISBN: 9781474968386. 32pp.,
hbk.
It can be fun to spend time by yourself, You can play whatever you
want and you don't have to share your toys or your snacks . . .
But what every one of us has learned over the isolation of the last
few months is that friends are critical and a crucial part of our
mental well-being. As schools gradually return to full-time
face-to-face teaching, some little ones may have been at home for so
long that they have forgotten what it is like to work and play with
others and how to be a friend, so this beautifully designed book
will be the perfect platform for getting things back on an even
keel. Each double page spread focuses on an issue such as what are
friends, why we need them, what makes a good friend, who can be
friends and so on, offering lots of scope for sharing personal
stories and contributing to discussions in a way they haven't done
for some time. There are also pages devoted to how friendships grow
and change, how they can be destroyed and how they can be mended so
that the children realise that there will be ups and downs and part
of growing up is knowing what to do and doing it, developing
tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and resilience.
The final pages include a "friendship puzzle" offering the reader a
few scenarios for which they have to select the most appropriate
behaviour, and two pages of information for new parents about their
children's friendships, skills and strategies to help them develop
and some reassuring words about imaginary friends and dealing with
conflict - the most important being to give the child time to try to
sort it out. That perspective alone tells me that this author knows
her stuff and her advice is sound.
Barbara Braxton
Gargantis by Thomas Taylor
The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series. Walker Books, 2020. ISBN:
9781406386295. 352pp.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Herbie Lemon is a Lost and Founder in
the Grand Nautilus Hotel, where the overbearing manager is called Mr
Mollusc and the owner is called Lady Kraken. The weather in the town
of Eerie-on-Sea is going quite pear shaped as a mysterious man, who
Herbie dubs Deep Hood, books into the hotel. Herbie enlists his
friend Violet Parma to investigate a clockwork hermit crab and a
mysterious bottle with undeciphered writing on it, washed up along
with local beachcomber Mrs Fossil. All the fisherfolk and Deep Hood
are intent on getting their hands on the bottle and some are willing
to use violent means to get it from Herbie and Violet. A strange
light called a Sprightening is released from the bottle and the
children learn that a sea monster called Gargantis is responsible
for creating havoc. In fact old rhymes have forewarned them of these
events. Herbie is terrified of the sea but needs to help restore
order along with Violet. They venture out into treacherous waters on
a boat called the Jornty Spark and face the their enemies and the
Vortiss.
A lot of scary things happen in this fantastic tale but the humour
and over the top characters and events, stop it from ever being too
menacing. Since the story is told in the first person, from Herbie's
point of view, we also get his funny observations and experience the
perilous moments. Violet and Herbie make terrific protagonists,
Violet is brave and a risk taker while Herbie is more thoughtful and
cautious. Thomas Taylor successfully conjures up an original
adventure with a touch of whimsy which would work well as a read
aloud. Taylor's illustrations and maps are great additions to the
book. This is the second in The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea
series, however you don't need to have read
Malamander in order to understand the story. A book
club guide and a storytelling
challenge are available.
Jo Marshall
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
Hodder & Stoughton 2020. ISBN: 9781529330243.
(Young Adult/Adult). Recommended. Chosen Ones is the first
in a new series by bestselling Divergent
and Carve the Mark author, Veronica Roth. Unlike her
extremely popular dystopian young adult series, Chosen Ones
is aimed at an adult audience, likely to capitalise on teen Divergent
fans who are now adult readers.
The book tells the story of five friends, the "Chosen Ones" who, as
teenagers, defeated the magic, otherworldly figure known as the
"Dark One", halting his reign of terror and destruction. Plucked
from their families by a secretive government agency, the five lived
and trained together to fulfil a prophecy that predicted that they
were the only ones able to destroy the Dark One. Ten years later,
the world is celebrating a decade of peace, viewed very differently
by each of the Chosen Ones - Sloane, Matt, Esther, Albie and Ines.
It is during this celebration that the unthinkable happens - one of
the Chosen Ones dies. Suddenly and viciously, the other four are
thrown back into the chaos of a decade ago, realising that the Dark
One was never really defeated after all.
Too often in young adult fiction do we see the heroes defeat their
enemies and assume that they are able to live happily and
trauma-free ever after. Chosen Ones sets out to prove that
this is not the case. The five friends are all damaged in their own
ways and have spent ten years using different methods - drugs,
social media, therapy and busy schedules - to try and cope. The book
is an interesting and clever subversion of many of the tropes common
to recent and popular young adult fiction. While still suitable for
older teen audiences, it is an adult offering that will be appealing
to many of Roth's long time readers. Themes: Friendship,
Relationships, Trauma, Death, Magic.
Rose Tabeni
Black Summer by M. W. Craven
Washington Poe. Little, Brown, 2019. ISBN: 9781472127495.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Recommended for readers who enjoy
the mystery genre. Jared Keaton, Michelin Star chef, is in jail for
the murder of his daughter Elizabeth. Detective Sergeant Washington
Poe was largely instrumental in his conviction, although Elizabeth's
body was never found. Then Poe finds himself in danger of losing his
job and worse when a young woman claiming to be Elizabeth turns up
after claiming to have been held captive for the last six years.Her
blood tests match that of Elizabeth, and Poe with the help of the
brilliant Tilly Bradshaw, must work out how someone can be both dead
and alive at the same time.
This was an intriguing mystery with the problem of blood at its
heart. Craven had obviously researched the science of this
intensively and this scientific evidence made the plot quite
different to any I had read before. There were many twists and
turns, quite a few heart stopping moments for Poe and some clever
research by Tilly, as Poe followed many clues in his attempt to
prove that the girl claiming to be Elizabeth could not be her, even
though her blood matched that of Jared Keaton's daughter.
The background of cold and stormy Cumbria, what happens in a master
chef's kitchen, where truffles can be found, and old war bunkers all
make for an absorbing mystery.
Craven won the CWA Gold Dagger Award 2019 for The Puppet Show which
I will be sure to pick up now that I have met Poe and Bradshaw. Black
summer can be read as a stand-alone as the characters and
setting are described vividly.
Pat Pledger
Lottie Luna and the Twilight Party by Vivian French
Illus. by Nathan Reed. HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780008343019.
144pp., pbk.
This is the second in this series for newly independent readers
about Lottie Luna who is a werewolf and follows Lottie
Luna and the Bloom Garden. While she's super-fast,
super-strong and has X-ray vision. she doesn't really like to use
her skills. She just wants to be like everyone else. But when it's
her friend Marjory's birthday, Lottie sees a way she can use her
special powers to get her the biggest surprise ever.
Characters having alter egos with special powers continue to be
popular with readers and this new series for newly independent
readers will satisfy those who like this genre. Richly illustrated
with monochrome cartoon-like illustrations to support the text,
young girls will see themselves in Lottie - on the surface being
just regular little girls, but with a heroine not too far below the
surface.
Barbara Braxton
Steerswoman series by Rosemary Kirstein
Amazon Digital Services The Steerswoman. ISBN: 9780991354689 The Outskirter's secret. ISBN: 9780991354658 The lost Steersman. ISBN: 9780991354665 The language of power. ISBN: 9780991354672
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Intrigued by the following quote by
Jo Walton, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner, I picked up the first in
the Steerswoman series and was hooked:
"If you like science, and if you like watching someone work out
mysteries, and if you like detailed weird alien worlds and human
cultures, if really good prose appeals . . . you're really in luck."
I then went on to read the next three books in the series and really
wish that there were more.
Rowan is a Steerswoman. If she is asked a question, she must speak
the truth and if she asks a question, the truth must be given to
her. As a Steerswoman, she travels around the world, observing,
questioning and recording what she discovers, making maps and always
on the quest for more information and more knowledge, which she
shares with all. When she finds some little blue jewels that seem to
be made of a magical material, she is determined to find out their
origin. The wizards are the only ones who have knowledge of magic,
and her determination to uncover the secrets of the jewels leads her
into danger from them. With every wizard in the land determined to
find her, Rowan, accompanied by Bel, a warrior from the Outskirts,
meets many dangers as she gradually uncovers the truth.
Readers will meet many fascinating characters as she travels around
the land. Bel is surprising - not only is she a wonderful fighter
but is a poet as well. William is a young teen who can blow up
buildings with his magic and longs to know more. The leaders of the
Outskirters are fascinating as is their nomadic way of life, and
Rowan's liaison with Fletcher is beguiling and her dealings with the
lost steersman are heartbreaking.
The countryside is described in detail and readers will enjoy
travelling with Rowan as she navigates dangerous seas, lives with
nomadic people and then in towns in the Inner Lands. But it is the
melding of science (Magic) and the mystery of the little blue jewels
that will keep the reader glued to every page of these four volumes.
There are hints along the way about the Guidestars that hang in the
skies and help travellers navigate and the material that William
uses to blow up structures. The language of power brings
many answers but leaves room for more books to come.
This is a series to give to any reader who enjoys a combination of
science fiction and fantasy, dealing with big questions of science
and knowledge, truth and humanity. It is a must read for young women
and men and would encourage many to look at STEM subjects with a
different and inquisitive eye.
Pat Pledger
Diary of a young naturalist by Dara McAnulty
Text, 2020. ISBN: 9781922330000.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. A book about an adolescent's love of
the natural environment of Ireland, the birds, insects, animals, the
hum of life; how relevant would that be to readers in other parts of
the UK, and in the case of this reviewer, on the other side of the
world, in Australia? I must admit I was pleasantly surprised, I was
drawn in from the first page; the descriptive language is so
beautiful, and the feelings that are expressed will resonate with
anyone who longs for a better connection with the natural world, and
a better response to climate change. Was McAnulty really once
described by an unsympathetic teacher as incapable of "complet[ing]
a comprehension, never mind string a paragraph together"? This book
is beautifully written and is a testament to the intelligence and
perseverance of the author, the power of understanding and
encouraging parents, and of the love that unites and enriches this
particular family of five, all of whom, apart from the conservation
scientist father, are described as autistic.
McAnulty's diary records the changes of seasons and the plants and
wildlife he revels in discovering in the natural patches of country
around his home. At the same time he provides insight into the
anxieties that wrack him in his interactions with other people and
the fears of bullying that persist from his past school experience.
We learn of the challenges of going to new places, and the people
noises that overwhelm him. Nature is his passion; it is the plants
and birds and insects that enthral him and bring him peace. But
sadly so much of the natural world is threatened by human
development. And so McAnulty has become an activist speaking out to
save the environment that is so precious to him. He is the youngest
ever recipient of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Medal, among other awards, in recognition of his contributions to
conservation. His book will provide inspiration to other activists
to speak up on issues of climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and
the persecution of birds of prey. Read a Q&A
with McAnulty on the Booktopia site. Teaching
notes are also available from Text Publishing.
Themes: Nature, Conservation, Autism, Activism.
Helen Eddy
