World of the Five Gods: Penric & Desdemona series by Lois McMaster Bujold
Penric's Travels. Baen, 2020. ISBN: 9781982124571. Penric's Progress. Baen Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781982124298. The Physicians of Vilnoc. Spectrum Literary Agency, 2020.
ASIN B088D695MK.
(Age 15+) Highly recommended. I am a fan of any work by Lois
McMaster Bujold who writes with wit, warmth and always has a unique
world. In this series of novellas the reader follows the adventures
of young Lord Penric who when stopping to help at an accident of a
Temple divine, is overtaken by the five demons that reside within
her. These strange powers change the course of his life. He finds
himself studying to become a Divine and a scholar and is called upon
to solve mysteries and problems in his world with the aid of his
demon Desdemona.
First published as e-books, the first three novellas have been
published in hardback as Penric's Travels, and include the
Hugo nominations Penric's Demon and Penric and the
Shaman. The next three have been published in Penric's
Progress, and the latest two, The orphans of Raspray
and The Physicians of Vilnoc as e-books. The Physicians
of Vilnoc has Penric called to solve the reason that an
epidemic has struck the army fort of Vilnoc, and with the help of
dedicated colleagues, he must root out the origins of the deadly
plague. Readers who are familiar with the series can read this
comfortably in difficult times, as Penric although facing severe
trials, is usually triumphant.
All the novellas feature Penric and Desdemona and their witty
interactions often bring a smile to the face as they face adversity
and adventure. They are easy to read, well written novellas and for
readers who like a hard copy the collections will be a boon. The
novellas are set in the world of the Hugo winning fantasy series, Chalion,
and readers may want to pursue The curse of Chalion and Paladin
of souls.
Pat Pledger
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241387177. 277 pp.
(Age: 10+) Many readers will remember the popularity of the 12 year
old genius, Artemis Fowl, introduced in the first book of eight
fantasy novels, who wants to capture one of the Fairy People and
hold her to ransom in order to restore his family's fortune. This is
not an easy task - Artemis' skills (ingenuity, confidence and
courage, plus a gift for decoding Fairy messages) will be enlisted
on all levels. This makes for an exciting, face-paced and often
humorous read and, obviously, for all new readers (which there will
be), there are the joys ahead of reading the seven books which
followed the original. This is a special edition of the first story
issued in 2001, coinciding with the imminent release of the film, Artemis
Fowl (Disney), produced and directed by Kenneth Branagh. It
contains a new author's note, a letter from the Branagh and photos
from the film. Artemis Fowl is set to appeal to a new
generation of readers, the older ones of us included.
Julie Wells
The Night Country by Melissa Albert
Penguin Random House UK, 2020. ISBN: 9780241370285.
(Age: Young Adult/Adult). Recommended. The Night Country,
sequel to Melissa Albert's 2018 debut The
Hazel Wood, is a dark and twisted tale of murder,
friendship and the search for belonging. Part fairy tale, part urban
fantasy, part horror, this book is recommended for older teens and
adults. The Night Country continues the story of Alice Proserpine,
the former fairy tale character or 'Story' after her escape from the
realm known as the Hinterland. Alice enrols in high school, gets a
job at a bookstore and tries to put the past behind her as she
navigates life as a teen in New York City. Her attempt at normalcy
soon derails however when former Hinterland residents begin to
gruesomely die and Alice becomes the chief suspect. Forced back into
a world that she tried to forget, Alice begins a desperate search to
find a murderer, save her friends and prove her innocence. The Night Country is also the story of Ellery Finch, Alice's
former classmate and love interest. While Alice fled, Finch remained
behind in the Hinterland; trapped in a world that is disintegrating
around him. Desperate to return to both New York and Alice, Finch
embarks on his own perilous journey of understanding as he tries to
find his way home. The narrative alternates between Alice and
Finch's viewpoints, weaving their story lines together and
culminating in a clever climax and conclusion. The Night Country is a unique but very enjoyable young adult
novel. Albert's macabre take on the fairy tale genre may be
unsettling for some younger readers but, ultimately, The Night
Country is a bloody and brilliant conclusion to Alice and
Finch's story. Themes: Fairy Tales, Death, Identity, Love,
Friendship, New York City.
Rose Tabeni
First, we make the beast beautiful by Sarah Wilson
MacMillan, 2017. ISBN: 9781743535868.
(Age: Adult) A book for the times, perhaps, a reprint of Sarah
Wilson's book about anxiety has now been published. Over-researched
and wordy, the book is a mix of un-referenced research snippets,
therapy ideas and confessional anecdotes. It rattles along at the
pace of a hyper-anxious mind. Wilson makes her references available
on her website but there
is no numbering of notes and the curious reader just has page
numbers and the lead-in words of a sentence to try to find relevant
sources. Yet as a self-help book it seems to have resonated with
many if one can go by the comments collected in the preface and
online. There are so many ideas, it is almost inevitable that there
will be something worth taking away, so anxiety sufferers will
probably recognise some shared experiences and find suggestions for
ways to live with their anxiety. On the last page there is a list of
professional sources of help.
Themes: Anxiety, Obsessive compulsive disorder, Mental illness.
Helen Eddy
The list of things that will not change by Rebecca Stead
Text Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 9781922268679.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Rebecca Stead is a favourite author
of mine, and she always writes with warmth and compassion about
difficult topics. In this book she looks at the effects that divorce
can have on a child and the notion of what makes a family. Bea keeps
a list of things that will not change after her parents have
divorced. Most important, both will still love her and she is happy
when Dad decides to marry his boyfriend Jesse. She is thrilled at
the idea of having a sister, even though Jesse's daughter Sonia,
lives far away. She writes a series of letters to her, but Sonia
finds it more difficult to fit into Bea's new family.
Bea's visits to a counsellor and the insights she gains there about
her past actions and how she can manage her fears will resonate with
middle grade readers, while appreciating the love that both parents
give Bea. Stead does not paper over the difficulties of children who
belong to families that are not the norm, but the love that the
adults give Bea shines through the story and the support that she
receives from them and her friends is heart-warming. Children who
belong to families with two dads, or two mums, will be strengthened
by this insightful portrayal of family love and children who belong
to traditional families will gain an understanding of family love
and the importance of friends helping each other.
It is a story that demonstrates tolerance, resilience and empathy
and would make a wonderful literature circle novel, as would others
by Stead, including the award winning When
you reach me, Liar
and spy, Goodbye
stranger and Bob. Teacher's
notes are available.
Pat Pledger
Me, Frida, and the secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes
Scholastic Press, 2018. ISBN: 9781338159318. 220 pp.
(Age: 10+) I purchased this book with my young granddaughter in
mind. She has a love of the art of Frida Kahlo. Paloma is travelling
for the first time to Mexico City, the birthplace of her deceased
father. Her mother, who has been awarded a four week literary
fellowship here, wishes her daughter to experience some of the
cultural rewards this country offers. She will be able to learn some
Spanish and find out about Frida Kahlo, who was Paloma's father's
favourite artist; therefore, keeping alive those precious memories
of her father. While her mother attends the university, Paloma
attends school in Mexico and has the chance to explore the city art
galleries and La Casa Azul (the Blue House) where Frida lived in
Coyoacan. She meets Lizzie and Gael who want her to help them find a
valuable ring that once belonged to the artist herself.
Paloma sees herself as Lulu Pennywhistle, the mastermind of the spy
books she loves reading. An intriguing set of unexpected discoveries
take place, as the young ones try to solve the mystery of the lost
ring. The book has all the ingredients of a well-paced adventure; at
the same time it introduces the young reader to an important piece
of art history and, as her story progresses, Paloma comes to
understand the importance of friendship and how much both her
parents mean to her. This is an engaging and memorable story.
Julie Wells
Evernight by Ross Mackenzie
Andersen Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781783448319.
(Ages 10-12). Highly recommended. Evernight is an exciting,
fantasy adventure story that takes place in a world called the
Silver Kingdom. The main character, Larabelle Fox, is an orphan who
lives by finding treasure in the sewers under the city. This is
called being a Tosher and she becomes the subject of interest to
some evil characters when she finds a mysterious box containing a
clockwork bird. The bird seems to like Lara and only comes to life
when it is near her.
The book introduces each of the important characters by devoting the
first few chapters to stories about them. The plot links them
cleverly in the subsequent chapters and it develops into a very
intricate, fast-paced tale. We learn about some quite dark magic
such as the way the evil Mrs. Hester uses young souls to keep her
young body. The story is a little too sinister for reading to
younger children but Middle Primary students who like Harry Potter
will also enjoy this book.
Lara is a wonderful character who is very loyal and protective of
her friends. We meet Joe, who learned to be a Tosher from Lara, and
his grandmother who live in an attic. Double Eight is also an
interesting character who is a witch working for the Kingdom in a
group called the White Witches. These witches do whatever they are
told because their souls have been removed by the King's sorcerer,
Mrs. Hester. The conflict in which Lara finds herself involves the
release of the Evernight by Mrs. Hester, which threatens to engulf
the entire world in a deep darkness and brings with it some horrible
monsters called the Painted. Mrs. Hester hopes to use it to gain
control of the entire kingdom and defeat the Westerly Witches. Lara
must learn to harness her newfound magical power to stop it using
the Doomsday spell passed down from her mother.
A wonderful, exciting tale and the first in a series about Lara and
her friends. Themes: Magic, Sorcery, Good and evil, Orphans.
Gabrielle Anderson
PESTS by Emer Stamp
Hodder Children's Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781444949629.
(Ages 8-12). Highly recommended. Stix is a mouse who lives with his
grandma behind a washing machine in a Flat 3, Peewit Mansions, which
they share with a couple, their dog and their baby. The book is
written in first person by Stix and he introduces us to the space he
lives in, where he finds the food he and grandma eat and the 'Mans'
(humans) he shares it with - Schnookums, MyLove, Trevor (the dog)
and Boo-Boo. Grandma has very strict rules about what Stix needs to
do to stay hidden from the Mans because if they find any evidence of
the mice the humans may call 'Nuke-a-pest', not an ideal thing to
happen to a Pest.
Not long into the story a nasty Rat comes into their apartment and
causes havoc for Stix by leaving a mess after he raids the pantry in
Flat 3. Then disaster strikes as Grandma's plan to play dead goes
awfully wrong and she is flushed down the toilet. Stix is left alone
to fend for himself but a chance meeting with a friendly bat called
Batz, shows him that there are other Pests who live in the building
and joins them at a school for Pests. Here he learns about the
competition, called 'Pest of the Year', that could give him the
satisfaction of revenge on the nasty Rat that turned his world
upside down.
This is a welcome addition to the list of books that appeal to
reluctant readers. It has short chapters with not too much text on
each page and great pencil illustrations done by the author. The
publisher has used a linked-script type font which seems easier for
children to read. The cover has pictures that glow in the dark and
'Pests Only' written onto the side of the pages, all the gimmicks to
attract those readers who need extra encouragement to pick up a
book. There is even a cool website
that demands you pass the PEST test before you can enter!
Themes: Mice, Friendship.
Gabrielle Anderson
Top End girl by Miranda Tapsell
Hachette Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9780733642432.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. If you saw the delightful rom-com
movie Top
End wedding you will enjoy this book. If you missed it
at the cinema, check it out on iTunes. It is a joyous upbeat story
of what happens when an Aboriginal girl takes her English fiance to
meet the family before getting married in her home country, the
glorious setting of the Northern Territory and the Tiwi Islands. Top
End girl is Miranda Tapsell's memoir about her life leading up
to the making of the film which she co-wrote and starred in.
Tapsell is a Larrakia and Tiwi girl; she grew up in Kakadu. A
natural performer, she was inspired by a school workshop with Aaron
Pedersen to pursue an acting career, and won a place at the National
Institute of Dramatic Art. It wasn't an easy time, in fact 'a
baptism of fire', overcoming insecurities and finding her voice. But
she made it, leading to a string of acclaimed dramatic performances,
including winning two Logie Awards. In her acceptance speech she
urged for more Aboriginal people on our screens in ways that
transcend race. It was this vision that led to the film project Top
End wedding, a fun and uplifting film highlighting the warmth
of Aboriginal families and the beauty of their country in the Top
End.
The book is written in a conversational style - you can hear her
voice and her laugh. It is easy to read, so any fan of this actor
will enjoy her story. However there is one chapter that stands out
as a serious statement, 'Making things change', where she writes
about the racism and sexism directed towards Aboriginal people and
Aboriginal women in particular, and argues for greater Aboriginal
representation in the film industry, and a wider recognition and
celebration of Aboriginal culture generally. The issues raised in
this chapter would make good classroom discussion topics.
Hopefully her film and book will be an inspiration to young black
actors and filmmakers, and a great promotion of Aboriginal people
and country, both in Australia and internationally.
Themes: Aboriginal actors, Aboriginal films, Romantic comedy, Self
empowerment, Self belief.
Helen Eddy
The StrangeWorlds Travel Agency by L.D. Lapinski
Orion Children's Books 2020. ISBN: 9781510105942.
(Ages: 8+). Highly recommended. Magnifying glasses, outlandish
suitcases and a dusty mysterious store begin this fantasy tale of
multi-universes and exciting travel. Twelve year old Flick Hudson is
moving to a different home in the country. It is in a new housing
estate close to the village of Little Wyverns. She is not happy.
Both her parents work shifts and she has to be responsible at times
for her baby brother Freddy as well as many of the household tasks.
Flick has a great desire to explore and travel the world and this
wish comes to fruition sooner than expected. While exploring the
local village Flick stumbles upon an old stone Victorian Arcade and
The StrangeWorlds Travel Agency. On entering the store she sees
suitcases of different shapes, hues and designs stacked against the
walls and meets eighteen year old Jonathan Mercator who is the
proprietor of the travel agency and head custodian of the suitcases.
While they do not warm to each other at first, Jonathan realizes
that Flick has special magical powers when she observes what are
known as schisms through broken glass. Flick is invited to join the
StrangeWorlds Society and Jonathan takes her on her first journey
into another world through a suitcase. They visit the Crystal Forest
where they see very different landscapes and creatures. This visit
for Flick is a relatively safe taste of things to come.
Central to the plot is Jonathan's missing father who has not
returned from another world visit for a number of months. With
Flick's help he must try to track him down although all is not what
it seems as Flick later learns. Visiting the City of Five Lights
puts both Jonathan, Flick and the whole other world in danger and
they must use all of their wits to out play the desperate Thieves.
Descriptive language and original imagery, a fast paced and action
packed plot maintains the reader's interest and engagement. For fans
of a fantasy series this will not be a stand-alone read. There are
questions still to be answered and a clever hint at situations still
to be resolved. A really appealing and refreshing new read. Teacher's
notes are available. Themes: Family, Magic, Travel, Fantasy
Worlds, Friendship, Mystery.
Kathryn Beilby
The sky is mine by Amy Beashel
Rock the Boat, 2020. ISBN: 9781786075550.
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. This is a powerful, raw and
confronting story of a young girl struggling to find her way,
assaulted and blackmailed by the school bully, ensnared by the
manipulations of her step-father, and witness to the humiliation and
abuse of her mother. This book cries out to be read - Beashel
captures the voice of Izzy so well, her pent up feelings, her
loneliness, and the fear, walking on eggshells around stepfather
Daniel, the Clooney look-alike, who won over her mother and then
gradually bent them both to his will. Izzy can still remember her
father, from early in her childhood, the man who was so pleased to
see her, calling her his 'sunshine'. The jar of broken yellow beads
is all she has to remember him by. Everything else has been
gradually stripped away. And even that precious jar becomes a weapon
that Daniel will use against her.
Beashel paints a very realistic picture of domestic violence and
child sexual abuse - how becoming a victim to one person leads to a
path of victimhood that is extremely difficult to escape. Whilst
Daniel is the perpetrator, Izzy is also alienated from her mother
because of the sense of betrayal, and her mother's failure to
protect. She carries a shame she is unable to reveal and share with
others, even her closest friend.
There is a positive ending, and it is thanks to the women who run
refuge homes for battered women and their children. With time and
space, Izzy is able to find her inner strength and look up to the
sky.
These are serious themes, but the writing is beautiful, and easily
pulls you into Izzy's world. I am sure that anyone who has
experienced any of these things will find strength from reading how
Izzy finds her way out. Others will gain a better understanding and
empathy for the survivors . . . and especially realise the
importance of being a good friend. At the end there is a list of UK
and US support services. It would have been good to include
Australian services as well. There is also a list of interesting
questions for discussion.
Themes: Domestic violence, Sexual abuse, Cyberbullying.
Helen Eddy
Slow Down: bring calm to a busy world with 50 nature stories by Rachel Williams and Freya Hartas
Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781916180512. 128pp. (Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Calling all nature loving children! This is the book for you! It is a beautiful mixture of short stories about the wonderful things that happen in the great outdoors. Each 2 page spread explores an animal and something interesting they do. It could be snakes shedding their skin, a rainbow occurring, bees pollinating, weaver ants building a nest or a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. They are beautifully illustrated by Freya Hartas and this really makes the book. The colours are vibrant, yet sometimes soft and mellow-and all at the perfect level. Every page you turn brings not only new information but the most amazing illustrations of the animal in the spotlight. You can see their distinguishing features, their faces and often images of their habitat. My children are 5 and 9 and are both enthralled in this book. The text is written so that Miss 5 can understand, but with a few tricky words thrown in so in conjunction with the illustrations provided master 10 was able to extract the higher meaning. We also used some of the animal illustrations as inspiration for an drawing session! This book is the most beautiful glimpse into the awesome things that happen in nature and within the animal kingdom. Children from ages 4 years and up will really enjoy the information and the illustrations. 5 out of 5 - a book that should be in every library. Lauren Fountain
The map from here to there by Emery Lord
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526606648.
(Age: 14+) Paige is in her last year of high school, the year to
make decisions about what she wants to do and where she wants to
study. She has a wonderful group of friends and a gorgeous new
boyfriend, Max, who is incredibly understanding and supportive of
whatever she decides. The problem is Paige is recovering from the
death of her former boyfriend in an accident and also the recent
loss of her beloved grandmother. And memories of the lead up to the
divorce of her parents still haunt her, despite the fact that they
seem to be getting along really well following the separation.
Although she has had counselling Paige still experiences anxiety
about any decision she has to make and always fears all the worse
possible case scenarios. Then there is another accident which sets
her back even more, and all the relationships she cares about start
to crumble.
Whilst Lord's novel builds a world of teenager friendships that most
young people might easily relate to, for the non-American reader
some of the language and situations could be quite unfamiliar and a
bit off-putting: words such as freshman, sophomore, senior;
the complicated process of applying and writing to universities;
baseball and cheerleading; homecoming balls etc. But if you can get
past that, the characters are warm and relatable, the twists of the
relationships are interesting, and the story of overcoming panic
attacks and insecurities may become another useful addition to the
genre of young adult fiction that deal with mental health issues,
with ultimately a positive message.
Themes: Anxiety, Panic attacks.
Helen Eddy
Machines in motion : The amazing history of transportation by Tom Jackson
Illus. by Chris Mould. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2020. ISBN :
9781547603374. 64pp.
(Age : 8-12) This large format non-fiction book covers a vast range
of forms of transport ranging from ancient times to the present. It
groups the forms of transport into 13 main types and each of these
has a double page timeline along the bottom of the page with a
humorous illustrated maze of these dates and the inventor/invention
above it. This is followed by at least one double page of more
detailed information on each of the more outstanding developments.
For example the first topic is trains. The timeline page spans from
1500's German wagonways to 2004 Shanghai Maglev. The following
double page goes into greater detail about 9 major types of train
over time.
This book is suited to a child who is quite an enthusiastic browser
of facts about forms of transport and is willing to spend time
enjoying the detail and humour of Chris Mould's terrific black ink
illustrations. There is so much to enjoy that I wonder why they
didn't think to add a 'Where's Wally' element to the book. Chris
Mould is a prolific illustrator of many series of fantasy fiction
and non-fiction. In the past decade we have seen more esoteric books
for children which are well illustrated and are an antidote to the
plethora of information on the internet.
This non-glossy book is a good addition to this collection. Since it
does not have an index it seems the publishers aren't creating a
traditional reference book.
Jo Marshall
The Cobra Queen by Tara Moss
Pandora English, book 4. Echo, 2020. ISBN: 9781760686260.
298pp., paperback.
A fun and quirky urban fantasy, young adult romance with a little
bit of tame horror.
After a seven year wait Pandora English returns to our book shelves
in The Cobra Queen. The fourth book in the Pandora English
series by bestselling author Tara Moss.
I'm a big fan of Tara Moss', Makedde Vanderwall crime series
so when I got the chance to read The Cobra Queen I jumped to
it not knowing it is a supernatural series. I still enjoyed it and
am looking forward to reading the first three books in the series. The
Cobra Queen did remind me of the Twilight series. There was
love, family, ghosts, vampires and crossing species boundaries.
I loved reading about the history, myths and legends of Ancient
Egypt especially about the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. It brought
back lots of memories of when I studied Ancient Egypt. Pandora is
still grieving the loss of her parents and discovers more about what
happen to them in Egypt.
Pandora was an interesting character who was discovering her powers
living in a normal world. She finds out that she is the Seventh and
discovers what that means with evil around the corner trying to
invade New York. It all starts with an Ancient Egypt exhibition
Pandora is involved in at The Met.
While this is happening there is a Blue Moon approaching and Pandora
also manages to find love and build her relationships with her
spirit guide from the Civil War, Lieutenant Luke and Deus the
Sanguine and a few other characters.
If you like reading supernatural romances where powerful forces
threaten to up end the balance of life and death, then you need to
try The Cobra Queen.
Maria Komninos
