Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour by Ally Carter
Lothian Children's Book, 2020. ISBN: 9780734419163. 256pp.
(Ages 8-12) Highly recommended. April was left by her mother with a
note saying she would be back to collect April as soon as she could,
and April has been waiting patiently in foster care for 10 years.
April's mother also gave her a mysterious key that April always
wears around her neck.
While on excursion in a museum April notices the key matches the
crest of the infamous Winterborne family. So, when April accidently
sets fire to the exhibit it sets in motion a series of events that
sees her living in their mansion called Winterborne House with 4
other orphans. She is desperate to know what her key unlocks and
starts a quest to search the house from top to bottom. In her search
she unearths the secret of the missing (and presumed dead)
billionaire, Gabriel Winterborne, who was the sole survivor of a
family tragedy which killed his entire family. She finds the
billionaire living below the house and now she is determined to get
him to help her solve the mystery of her key and reclaim his
inheritance before nasty Uncle Evert makes sure he is dead and
claims the fortune for himself.
This is the first book in a series, and this is made obvious as we
only get sketchy details of each character in this first story. Each
orphan in the book has a special talent that April uses to help her
solve her mystery and bring about a positive result for the very
uncooperative billionaire. The mansion is peopled with the usual
trusty butler, a caring Ms Nelson who runs the Winterborne House and
has a long association with the family and a shadowy super-hero who
may or may not be an urban legend.
Some threads of the story were left hanging in the end. The
disappearance of Ms Nelson at the end of the book is puzzling. Also,
the key around April's neck was dealt with in the story and we get
to know what it opens, but we are left with no idea why April wore
it or why her mother had it in the first place.
It was quite a fast-paced story that moved along well most of the
time and I am sure it will leave middle primary readers waiting for
the next installment. Themes: Orphans and orphanages, Foster care,
Missing persons, Revenge, Mysteries, Friendship.
Gabrielle Anderson
Mars by Shauna Edson and Giles Sparrow
Illus. by Mark Ruffle. Dorling Kindersley, 2020. ISBN:
9780241409589. 80pp.
(Age: 9+) Recommended for Science-interested readers. Mars is always
interesting. As our closet planetary neighbour, it is worth knowing
a little more. This book covers all the important detail about the
planet and human exploration of this part of our Solar System. With
a section about what we now know as the result of relatively recent
visits to Mars, and also detail about what visiting Mars might be
like in the future, this is a comprehensive look at the Red Planet.
Because this is a Dorling Kindersley book, it can be relied on for
presenting the information in language for young readers that is
easily comprehensible. The illustrations include photographs and
modern graphic representations in clear formatting that is visually
appealing. STEM and astronomy interested young readers will enjoy
this journey beyond our own planet. Themes: Mars; Space travel;
Astronomy.
Carolyn Hull
The gravity of us by Phil Stamper
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526619945.
Seventeen year old Cal is certain of his path in life, he wants to
be a journalist and makes regular online video journals from his
Brooklyn home via the 'FlashFame' app. He has gained a
substantial following after reporting on elections and has been
offered an internship at BuzzFeed News. Home life is often disrupted
by his parent's tense relationship and his mother's anxiety so he is
shocked when his pilot father announces he has won a place on
Orpheus Project, training astronauts for a mission to Mars. The
family is required to immediately relocate to Clear Lake Texas and
live in a retro styled estate nostalgically modelled on the early
Sixties astronaut village. As soon as they arrive they are filmed
for the reality show 'Shooting Stars', conceived of to raise
awareness about the Orpheus program with the American public to
ensure continued funding for the project. Cal retrieves something
from the disruption by continuing to post video updates for his half
a million followers, interviewing scientists and providing an
insight into the background workings of the project rather than
seeking out the sensational personal conflicts of the reality show
footage. Another plus is that he falls headlong in love with Leon,
the son of one of the other astronauts. When a tragedy occurs in the
Orpheus project, the 'Shooting Stars' producers try to
capitalise on the ensuing grief and suffering, prompting Cal to
expose them, highlighting the show's intrusion into their lives.
Working through all the various challenges thrust upon him Cal
learns about himself and others, he acknowledges his obsessiveness
and need to "fix" things. He learns respect for difference in his
relationship with Leon and to try not to depend on others to be
happy or sad. He also develops respect for his parents,
acknowledging their special skills and abilities. In his personal
journey Cal realises his strength in communicating real information
honestly to his followers and his continuing success suggests that
it is a need felt strongly in today's world.
The first person narration feels authentic as do the social media
references. The relationship between the two boys is sensitively
portrayed and the brave and intelligent way Cal faces multiple
challenges will appeal to senior secondary students. Themes: Mental
health, Space, Love, Social media.
Sue Speck
Peter Rabbit 2 movie novelisation
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241415290. 152pp.
(Age: 8-12) Peter Rabbit 2 is a novelisation of the film Peter
Rabbit 2. The adventure is set in contemporary countryside
England and is loosely based on the famous Beatrix Potter
characters. The animals cannot talk to humans but all understand
them and the story is mainly from their point of view. Peter Rabbit
has been sidelined from author/illustrator Bea's life when she
marries Thomas McGregor. Thomas clashes with Peter, who he finds
mischievous and annoying. Peter is unable to convince Thomas that he
is well intentioned. When Peter meets a roguish friend of his late
deceased father, he leaves home for a life of naughtiness. Peter
involves his friends and family in a crazy operation to steal food
from the town's market and unwittingly puts his animal friends in
peril. At the same time Bea is being encouraged by her publisher to
make her stories about the animals more saleable, with scenarios
involving hoodies, surfing and space travel. She is enticed by the
wealth and glamour that big sales may bring but Thomas disagrees
with her new direction.
The film is packed full of slap stick, non-stop action and some
quite adult jokes, as many children's films are. This doesn't always
transfer well into the written word and I wonder if children will be
engaged in the story if they haven't seen the film. This perfunctory
retelling has occasions where the author has forgotten the child
audience. Will they understand phrases like "conflate reality"?
Readers who are faithful to the original stories may be horrified by
the liberties taken with those dear little animals of Beatrix
Potter's books. Ironically the film/book's message regarding the
need to be faithful to the author's authentic representation of
animals and not sell out to commercialism, is what the film is in
fact doing. Film merchandise makes a lot of money and this book is
one of many products created for the film's release.
Jo Marshall
Amnesty by Aravind Adiga
Picador, 2020. ISBN: 9781509879045.
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. Forever on edge,
scared of being caught, Danny is an illegal immigrant living in
Sydney. Not a boat person seeking refuge, the usual stereotype
Australians associate with the term 'illegal immigrant', Danny is
one of the others - coming from Sri Lanka by plane, on a student
visa, then realising his course was a "ripoff", he dropped out, and
disappeared. So now he is illegal, a man without rights. He lives in
the
storeroom above a shop, paying Tommo, the exploitative shop owner,
half the money he makes cleaning apartments as the Legendary
Cleaner, carrying his vacuum cleaner on his back.
We gradually learn there is a reason Danny fled Sri Lanka - it is to
do with the lump on his arm and the memory of an interrogating
police officer holding a cigarette. The fear of being sent back
keeps him always wary, intent on mastering
Australianness, golden streaks in his hair, and Aussie slang on his
lips. But things start to go horribly wrong when there is a murder
in one of the apartments he cleans and he is the only one with any
idea of who the murderer could be.
Thus he faces a dilemma: should he contact the police and tell them
what he knows about the secret affair between the murdered woman and
the 'Doctor'? But then the police will work out that he is illegal,
and he will get deported, back to the danger that he never wants to
face again.
The events of the book all take place within one day; the clock
ticks as Danny and the murderer draw closer together and Danny
vacillates between making the call or making a run for it.
With little descriptions of people and places, the white people
watching him, the knowing looks that pass between the legal brown
person and the illegal one, the nervous twitch that the cleaner
finds hard to control, the dreams and memories that come into his
mind, and his constant state of tension are all masterfully and
vividly created by the author Adiga. It is a tension that carries
the reader from one moment to the next, and in the process a whole
other world is revealed to us, the underworld of the person with no
identity card, no passport, no rights.
The title Amnesty comes from the knowledge Danny has that
there was once a politician, Malcolm Fraser, who, on Australia Day
1976, offered amnesty to prohibited immigrants who had overstayed
their visa. Maybe there is a chance
that he might be offered amnesty in exchange for dobbing in a
killer? What do you think?
Helen Eddy
Death in a desert land by Andrew Wilson
Simon and Schuster, 2019. ISBN: 9781471173486. 385pp.
(Age: secondary/adult) Recommended. 'Death in a Desert land
is not authorised by Agatha Christie Ltd' is written under the
author's name on the title page, leaving readers in no doubt about
what to expect when the pages of this book are opened. And Christie
fans will not be disappointed; all the tropes are presented here: a
small group of people in a strange but close situation, clues hidden
in plain sight, chance remarks holding clues, an exotic location,
several people with hidden pasts and so on, crowding into these 385
pages. At times I thought 'oh no not another one', but I read to the
end, hooked by the story, its sweep of odd and unlikely characters
and the background at a dig at Ur.
Agatha Christie has been sent by her friend, Davison at the Foreign
Office to sniff out some of the background of the people at the dig,
a rag bag mix of archaeologists, a rich American patron with his
wife and daughter, helpers, a priest, a secretary, a photographer
and now Agatha. The death of archaeologist, Gertrude Bell two years
ago was deemed to be suicide but new evidence has the powers that be
involved and Agatha has joined the party. But of course her
investigations into the background of some of the odd group see her
having a small passion for the photographer only to find that he
like the others is hiding a secret. But another murder has occurred,
and when Davison joins the dig to investigate, things hot up.
A mixing bowl of everything Christie, the woman is exposed as
vulnerable to the charms of the young man after the blow of her
husband's desertion and divorce. Hints are given about her early
life, the infamous weekend that she disappeared, the state of her
married life and her writing career. So for those who love a good
whodunnit, crowded with red herrings, throwaway sentences that
bristle with meaning, a living desert and a dig as a setting, then
this is a wonderfully engrossing read when told to stay indoors.
And like any good crime novel, is one of a series, the first two
emblazoned on the back cover, with a taste of number 4, I saw
him die, given at the conclusion of Death in a desert land.
Themes: Crime, Agatha Christie, Archaeology, Ur, Murder.
Fran Knight
Extraordinary by Penny Harrison
Illus. by Kate Wilson. New Frontier Publishing, 2020. ISBN:
9781925594911. 32pp.
(Age: 3+) Many books extol the virtue of being extraordinary, of
reaching for the stars, of fulfilling your potential, but what if we
take stock of this and look for the extraordinary in the everyday,
look at the stars for sure, but do not forget what is around us and
under our feet. This book reveals that the ordinary is just as
extraordinary, the time we share with friends and family, the walks
we take in the woods, the time out camping with the family,
snuggling into a comfy chair by the fire to read a book. All the
things suggested do not blaze and boom, trumpet and bloom, but
celebrate the quiet moments of life, the everyday, the ordinary. By
stopping and taking account of things around us we can feel the
breeze on our cheeks, see the flutter of a bird's wing, see the
flowers bloom, watch the moon through the night, watch out for the
moment, the magic in the everyday.
The best moments in life are those we share with friends and family.
They may be ordinary, simple, unremarkable but they are moments we
will remember and share.
Readers will scan the cute and luminous water colour pages by New
Zealand illustrator, Katie Wilson, peering at the detail included on
each page, checking off the things they do with their families and
friends, recognising their simplicity but also the part these
moments play in our lives, bringing us together. Teacher's
notes are available. Themes: Friendship, Family.
Fran Knight
The golden cage by Anna Castagnoli
Illus. by Carll Cneut. Book Island, 2020. ISBN: 9781911496144. 56pp.
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. European fairy tale, The golden
cage, is a captivatingly dark story of a selfish princess,
spoiled and indulged, illustrated in the most amazing of painterly
drawings, full of detail to entrance the eye. Valentina has a
sumptuous garden which she fills with cages displaying unique and
exotic birds. To fill her cages she sends her long suffering
servants across the known world to bring back something absolutely
peerless for her cages. A servant failing in his duty has his head
chopped off, so it is paramount that they search high and low.
Sometimes they are able to fudge the edges, so when she wants a
coral beaked bird, they find her one that has a red beak, but in the
main when she dreams up another unknown bird they must try and find
it for her. But now she wants a talking bird, to put in her golden
cage, not a parrot that recites but a bird that will converse with
her. One month she cuts the heads off 100 servants when they fail
her. She is the blood princess.
She finds she is running out of servants and getting new ones is
proving to be costly. She begins to sell her hundreds of pairs of
shoes and multi crocodile belts and even some of the rare birds. A
servant comes to her suggesting that he will find a talking bird for
her but she must be patient and he makes her give him several
promises.
The end of this unusual tale of obsession comes quickly as the
princess waits, bereft of her possessions, in a garden devoid of the
grandeur it once had. The end piece tells the reader that there may
be several different endings, impelling the reader to perhaps
suggest one for themselves.
This wonderful large format picture book would be a delight to share
and discuss with classes, evoking the horror of some nineteenth
century tales.
The painterly illustrations are intense, taking up the large pages,
full of interest and variety, the eye often drawn to the princess,
so obsessed with her idea of perfection, living in a cage of her own
making. Many parallels could be drawn by readers about obsession or
the accumulation of material possessions or how power is
misused.
Book Island's mission is to make stunning world class picture books
available to English-speaking readers.
This internationally-acclaimed example of European literature has
won numerous prestigious awards, including the Flemish Culture Prize
and White Ravens Award, and was also nominated for the Deutscher
Jugendliteraturpreis. It deserves a place in every library to be
read and reread, discussed, pondered and pored over. Themes; Fairy
tale, Birds, Obsession, Selfishness.
Fran Knight
The ruin by Dervla McTiernan
Cormac Reilly book 1. Harper Collins, 2018. ISBN:
9781460754214.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended. After reading
the review of The
scholar (2019) I decided to start with the first book in
the series and I was not disappointed. Right from the beginning when
a very young Cormac Reilly finds the body of Hilaria Blake in her
decaying mansion and takes her children, 15 year old Maude and 5
year old Jack to the hospital, the reader is plunged into a story of
suspense and murder. Twenty years later the body of Jack turns up in
a river, an apparent suicide but Aisling Conroy, his partner is
convinced that he did not die by his own hand. Then Jack's sister
Maude shows up determined to prove that there was foul play.
There are many twists and turns and a couple of sub-plots to keep
the reader guessing. The politics of the police station are explored
as Cormac is given the cold case of Hilaria Blake's drug overdose
to investigate, rather than the death of Jack while both seem to be
connected. Shunned by the members of the force, he has to plough his
way through poorly filed evidence, not knowing whom he can trust.
The plight of children left to suffer abuse at the hands of people
who should care for them is another major theme that threads
throughout the story. Aisling's conflict between her difficult job
as an emergency surgeon and her pregnancy also adds depth to the
story.
All the characters were deftly drawn. Cormac is determined, the
policewoman assigned to domestic violence and missing children cases
conscientious, and Fisher, the young policeman who is Cormac's
offsider is an intelligent and enthusiastic side-kick. Aisling's job
is high pressured and well described while Maude's decision to leave
Jack when he was five tugs at the heart strings.
This series is one that will be welcome by lovers of mysteries -
well structured, tense and crowded with great characters. People who
enjoyed The
lost man by Jane Harper are sure to like the ruin.
Pat Pledger
Wink by Rob Harrell
HarperCollins Publishers, 2020. ISBN: 9781460758878.
(Ages 12-15). Highly recommended. Normal is something all
middle-school students crave, to avoid bullies and fit into school
life. But for Ross Maloy this is proving very difficult when the
results of his cancer treatment mean an eye in a permanent wink,
using a particularly gooey eye ointment in it, no hair and having to
wear a hat everywhere to protect his eyes.
His best friend Abby enjoys standing out with crazy coloured hair
and shockingly eccentric clothes and tries to get him to enjoy his
newfound fame as the "cancer kid". But Ross tries to keep his life
as normal as possible as the cancer treatment starts to take its
toll. Ross is finding himself angry; angry at the kids making
hurtful memes about him, angry at his other best friend Isaac
abandoning him during his illness, angry that he can't seem to
impress the girl of his dreams at school.
Finally, when the added knowledge that Abby will be moving away, he
loses it completely with everybody. His decision to channel this
anger into learning to play the guitar changes everything for him.
Throughout the story the author includes Batpig comic strips written
by Ross and they certainly add humour and interest for this age
group. Batpig seems to be able to overcome many of the things Ross
is struggling with and readers will gain an extra facet to Ross's
situation through them.
The characters in this story are noteworthy as they are well drawn
by the author and develop throughout the book, some quite
unexpectedly towards the end. Most are classic school characters
such as Jimmy, the school bully who still terrorizes Ross even
through his cancer ordeal. Linda, the well-meaning step-mum; did I
mention Ross's mum died of cancer too? Sarah the beautiful girl who
is the object of his desires but hides a nasty side that is revealed
at the end. Frank, the cancer clinic technician who awakens Ross's
love of music.
A powerful, heart-wrenching story drawn from the authors own life
experience of having survived a rare eye cancer. Themes: Cancer, Eye
diseases, Courage, Friendship, Middle-schooling.
Gabrielle Anderson
Ten minutes to bed Little Unicorn by Rhiannon Fielding
Illus. by Chris Chatterton. Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN:
9780241408339. board book, 28pp.
(Age: 2-5) First published in 2018, this is one in a series of Ten
Minutes to Bed books (including Little
Monster and Little
Mermaid). It's an overt bedtime story set in The Land of
Nod (the endpapers show a map of the land and where each of the
characters live) and similar in concept to other books about bedtime
reluctance such as Play and I Am Not Sleepy and I Will
Not Go to Bed. In addition, a counting element is included as
it counts down the minutes until bedtime from ten to one. "Ten
minutes to bed!" Dad tells Twinkle (unnecessarily labelled "the
naughty unicorn"). But Twinkle isn't tired. So off she trots,
causing a bit of a riot, despite her dad's insistence that she keep
quiet. She is dancing and prancing, chasing pixies and fairies,
following footprint trails and chasing shooting stars. "Four
minutes" she says to herself when she is far from home and can no
longer hear her father's voice. Summoning a rainbow to take her
home, Twinkle makes it just in time; perhaps she is ready for bed,
after all!
Twinkle's magical journey will delight young ones, who will see in
the illustrations the progression from sunset light to moonlight.
The enchanted wood where the unicorns live is filled with wonderful
creatures and the depiction of light has been cleverly used to calm
and soothe children (glowing lights within the forest, moon and
shimmering stars). There is a nice message here for children about
being responsible and in control of their own body and winding down
for sleep. Little Unicorn seems to pay no attention to the countdown
but by the end of the ten minutes she is already asleep. It may even
help some younger children to set in place their own countdown to
bedtime and assist with an understanding of self-settling. Themes:
Bedtime, Unicorns, Counting Book, Rhyming Story.
Nicole Nelson
Peppa Pig: Super Peppa
Penguin Random House, 2020. ISBN: 9780241411971. 32pp. Super Peppa is another book instalment linked to the popular
TV show Peppa Pig. This large book is colourful, full of all
the characters children love from the show and surprisingly contains
a wonderful message for children.
Peppa's playgroup is having a week 'all about me' where they draw
portraits, talk about what they like, what they can do and what they
want to be when they grow up. Peppa struggles as she has no idea
what she wants to be when she grows up, and is worried she will have
nothing to dress up as! Throughout the story she visits the adults
closest to her (Mummy, Daddy and Miss Rabbit) who all show her what
they do and encourage her to give various things a go. She does a
super job at all these different things which helps her decide that
she will dress up as Super Peppa for the Playgroup session.
The aspect of this story that I was very surprised at, but also
loved was that there were some great messages for the reader. Madame
Gazelle celebrates the children's different likes and abilities - no
matter how serious or silly. Then the adults encourage Peppa to
believe in herself and her talents, to practise in order to get
better at something and to work really hard in order to be good at
what you are striving for. I think that in our society these
messages are really important for our children to hear, and if it
has to start young with Peppa Pig then that's okay with me!
This is a wonderful book for the younger children in our schools,
libraries or homes.
Lauren Fountain
We catch the bus by Katie Abey
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526607195. 32pp.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Wow! This is one busy, brightly illustrated
book that kids who love looking for details will adore. Readers are
asked to "What will You drive today?" right on the front cover by a
lion wearing a green mask and from then on the fun begins. Astute
readers will notice the monkey on the title page and follow him
through each section as he gives a hint of what type of vehicle is
coming next. Readers will catch all types of buses from a double
decker bus to a banana bus and a ghost tour bus and when they find
the monkey who has a speech bubble "Not me, I fly planes!" they will
know that the next page will feature planes and that the monkey will
tell them what is next. They then continue to drive trucks, trains,
diggers and cars, ride bikes, sail boats, ride emergency vehicles
and tractors and fly rockets.
Each double page spread is full of humorous drawings and strange
animals all done in vivid colours. Instructions like 'Count the
spiders', and 'Can you spot the smallest animal?', and 'Who is
wearing a purple hat?', all make the reader look more closely at the
illustrations on the pages while often getting a huge laugh out of
the weird and wonderful animals who populate them.
Others by Abey include We
wear pants and We
eat bananas and fans are sure to enjoy this one too. It
is one to share with a younger child, discussing types of transport
and laughing together about the antics of the animals, while an
older child will be prepared to spend a lot of time pouring over the
details and finding the answers to the many questions that the
author poses. Themes: Vehicles, Transport, Animals, Imagination.
Pat Pledger
Mr Nobody by Catherine Steadman
Simon and Schuster, 2020. ISBN: 9781471192265. 384pp.
(Adult) Recommended for mystery lovers. Anybody interested in memory
loss and the functioning of the brain will be sure to learn a lot
when reading Mr Nobody. A man is found on a beach with no
idea of who he is and what his name is. Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma
Lewis is called in to consult in this small English town, but she
has secrets of her own. Why has she hidden her past identify for
fourteen years and why does she feel haunted by the past she left
behind? And how does the mystery man dubbed Mr Nobody know things
about her past?
Steadman melds the two mysteries together while giving an in-depth
look at different types of memory loss and both the character of
Emma and that of Mr Nobody are ones that the reader can relate to.
The novel keeps up the suspense right until the final chapters with
a highly unexpected conclusion which may prove to be a bit
challenging for some readers. Nevertheless it was a good read and
the setting and plot quite different from the usual police
procedural mystery.
Pat Pledger
Our Planet: The one place we all call home by Matt Whyman
Illus. by Richard Jones. HarperCollins, 2019. ISBN: 9780008180317.
96pp., hbk.
This is the official children's book version of the Netflix
documentary series Our Planet. Endorsed by the World
Wildlife Foundation and with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough,
it is an authoritative exploration of our planet's natural world
using both illustrations and photographs from the series itself.
While each habitat is treated separately, nevertheless this is a
story of interconnection and hope, so much so that Sir David
Attenborough suggests that the children who read it will be "among
the next characters who can, if they wish, tell the most
extraordinary story of all - how human beings in the twenty-first
century came to their senses and started to protect Planet Earth."
So many of our students have access to services like Netflix now and
may well have seen the documentaries so this is a great opportunity
to explore how film and print can work together.
Barbara Braxton
