Balzer + Bray, 2019. ISBN: 9780062865670. 320p. Hbk.
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship, Mystery, Romance, Social
media. An engrossing story featuring female friendship and a mystery
is sure to engage both fans of suspense and those who like a
romance. Zan is devastated when her best friend Priya ignores her
calls and emails after moving to California. Her social media posts
don't sound like her at all and she can't believe that Priya would
just leave her hanging without saying why. With Logan, the new boy
at school, she begins to investigate what has happened to Priya even
though everyone believes that she should just let go of the past. A
clue in Priya's latest selfie and then a cryptic email make her
continue on her search for her friend.
Zan is the sort of friend that everyone would want. She believes
that she knows Priya so well that she can't be the shallow person
posting comments and selfies and so she decides to try and do
something about it. Logan, who has lots of problems of his own, is a
supportive and helpful friend and the dialogue between the two is
witty and humorous. Family dynamics play an important background
role in the story with Zan's mother giving advice from her therapist
viewpoint, and Zan coming to terms with her father's treatment of
her when her parents split. Loutzenhiser's skilful writing also
gradually brings to light Logan's bad boy background story in a
satisfying way and keeps the reader in suspense wondering whether
Priya has ghosted her friend or whether she is in trouble.
With its themes of social media, relationships and a diverse set of
characters, this light and easy to read story is sure to be popular
and its theme of female friendship is one to recommend.
Pat Pledger
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Christmas Eve by Eric Carle
A lift-the-flap book. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241350249.
12p.
(Age: 1-4) Recommended. Themes: Christmas. What fun to meet the very
hungry caterpillar again, this time haunting a house that is getting
ready to celebrate a snowy Christmas. The reader is encouraged to
lift the flaps following the narrative that is set out in rhymes and
is great to read aloud: It's Christmas Eve
and the moon shines bright,
Who's at home
on this silent night?
In gorgeous bright hues, the reader is introduced to three
inhabitants of the house, a cat, a dog and a mouse, and must lift
the flap to find out which one is behind it. Then after lifting a
beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the final page reveals a
special surprise: Father Christmas, wishing everyone a happy
Christmas. Meanwhile, the reader will also have lots of fun finding
the very hungry caterpillar who is lurking somewhere on each double
spread.
The cover of the book is particularly eye-catching with a background
of gold foil and its gorgeous Christmas tree, surrounded by presents
and decorations. The caterpillar is well camouflaged as well! The
back cover is equally as gorgeous with its gold background and
little cat batting at snowflakes.
This would make a delightful book to have on hand to read before
Christmas.
Pat Pledger
The adventures of Anders by Gregory Mackay
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760632076.
(Age: 7+) This large book contains the first three graphic novels
about Anders and his friends, by author and illustrator Gregory
Mackay celebrating friendship, adventure and creativity. In the
first, Anders
and the Comet Anders and his classmates are surprised
when their teacher gives them a homework assignment for the school
break. They have to write a report on their holiday activities.
Anders, his cousin Eden and new mate Bernie enjoy family outings,
visiting the zoo and a carnival, exploring the local park, playing
video games and play and craft activities. They make bows and
arrows, build a box cubby, imagine they are in far off lands and
have adventures with the Green Grabber.
The second in this compendium is Anders
and the Volcano, which has the three friends camping
near an extinct volcano. When a new friend, Veronica, joins them
with her own flying beetle, Bernie is reluctant to try, and all
seems to go well until they find themselves in a tricky situation.
The third in this collection, Anders and the Castle has mass
appeal once again, pitting the friends again in a tricky situation
they must join their talents to find a solution. While reading this
funny tale of survival, readers will learn a great deal about
castles, as Mackay illustrates various components of castles,
explaining what each is used for. Keeps, moats, castle walls,
drawbridges, cellars, lots of winding staircases and battlements all
figure within this graphic novel to intrigue and inform the readers.
Anders is a positive role model of how to support, interact and
build friendships. He accepts his friends and their choices they
make without hesitation. He is inclusive and encourages new
friendships with the people he meets wherever the friends go. The
full colour graphic novel incorporates explicit learning with
information given to the readers in all three stories, about comet,
volcanoes and castles. The three stories are broken up into chapters
and presents an easy read for younger readers who are just beginning
the journey into graphic novels.
Fran Knight, Rhyllis Bignell and Annette Mesecke
Give me back my bones! by Kim Norman
Illus. by Bob Kolar. Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406384932. 40pp.,
hbk.
A stormy night and the fast-flowing ocean current has uncovered and
scattered the pirate's skeleton all over the seabed and he is
desperate to put himself back together. And with clever language and
a rollicking rhyme, young readers not only help the pirate gather
himself but also learn how their own skeletons go together and the
correct names for all the bones. Help me find my head bone,
my pillowed-on-the-bed-bone,
the pirate's flag-of-dread-bone,
I'm scouting out my skull.
But as he comes together, a danger even greater than storms and
currents is lurking. Will this be his last hurrah?
From the scattered bones on the front endpaper to the complete
skeleton on the back, this is engaging, entertaining and educational
and little ones will love to have it over and over, soon chanting
the rhymes for themselves. Lots of fun and lots of learning, the
ideal way to introduce the body's anatomy, find their own bones and
the potential for the children to try to piece the body parts
together for themselves.
Barbara Braxton
Little Puggle's song by Vikki Conley
New Frontier, 2019. ISBN: 9781912076345. Little Puggle's Song by Vikki Conley is pretty picture book
that tells the story of Puggle (a baby echidna) and how he cannot
find his voice.
It follows a fairly familiar storyline where the main character
wants to be like everyone else, but is lacking a key feature.
In this instance, Puggle wants to sing just like his friends Little
Blue, Fancy Crest, Brown feather and Long tail, join the bush choir
and sing the welcome song for the baby emu due to be born at any
moment. Sadly he just doesn't seem to have his own song, so watches
intently from the side lines.
In the final moments we see Puggle find his place, front and centre,
and join the choir!
Overall I thought the story was similar to many I had read before,
however it has an Australian twist and some interesting points of
conversation along the way. I liked how Puggle called his friends
different names to their correct ones (Brown Feather in stead of
Kookaburra), and the description of the animals songs throughout the
book. Whilst reading the book the students tried to imitate the
sounds and also made their own noises.
I really liked the soft, pretty painted illustrations. Helene
Magisson's technique brings just the right amount of life into the
animals (especially the final choir scene), and shows the plant
variety and colours of the Australian bush.
My only issue is the ending (spoiler alert!). I expected to see the
choir singing and then a cute baby emu, given a funny nickname by
Puggle. Instead it's just Mrs and Mr Emu waiting for the eggs to
hatch - I was a little disappointed! I feel that maybe one more page
with the babies would have rounded it off nicely.
A good story that may be used for discussions about patience and
perseverance, or even Australian animals and their individual songs.
Teacher's
notes are available.
Lauren Fountain
The very hungry caterpillar's Australian friends by Eric Carle
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241401583.
(Age: 2-5) Highly recommended. Lift-the-flap board book. Themes:
Australian animals. A beautifully illustrated lift the flap book
will delight young children, as they explore the seaside and
landscape of Australia searching to see what lives behind the flap.
With Eric Carle's signature bright colours and the very hungry
caterpillar to be found, little children will have lots of fun
searching for the crawling hermit crab and fishing pelican by the
sea, a drifting seahorse, swimming turtle and dolphin at the coral
reef and a snapping crocodile and platypus along the river. In the
outback are lizards, kangaroos and snakes parrots, a jumping frog
and the very hungry caterpillar in the rainforest.
The language will extend the vocabulary of the young child, with
phrases like 'waves tumble, roll and fall' and the rhymes will
encourage the guessing of what comes next in the narrative.
The book is very strong and well made, with solid flaps that should
withstand much use from little fingers. This is a book that will
make an ideal companion to The very hungry caterpillar, and
children will have lots of incidental fun learning about Australian
animals and where they live.
Pat Pledger
The prom by Saundra Mitchell and others
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241428214.
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Themes: LGBTQI people, Dating,
Prejudices. The prom is an emotional rollercoaster set
within the constraints of a religious and largely intolerant small
town. It follows Emma who is in her senior year at high school and
the only out lesbian at her school. Her girlfriend and student
president, Alyssa is struggling with coming out to her mother ahead
of prom, the biggest event on their school calendar. Having
accidentally outed herself at fourteen on her YouTube channel, Emma
knows what it's like to have intolerant parents and while patient
has every faith in her girlfriend. However, their plans get out of
hand when Alyssa's mother and PTA president gets wind of Emma's
plans to attend prom with a girl. An emergency meeting is called and
tensions rise as new rules are instated. With the principal having
no power over the PTA it's time for Emma to choose whether this is
something she wants to fight. With the support of her Nan, Alyssa,
and two down and out Broadway stars, Emma's life is about to change
forever.
Adapted from the Broadway performance by Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin,
and Matthew Sklar, Saundra Mitchell has brought an inclusive
LGBTQIA+ story to a potentially wider audience. LGBTQIA+ inclusive
stories and representations are highly important for young people
who might otherwise be feeling quite alone and confused about their
gender/sexuality throughout school and puberty. The novel deals with
bullying and discrimination without lingering too much over the
heartbreak of having an entire community questioning your
personhood.
I would highly recommend for young people twelve and up,
particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Kayla Gaskell
A home for Luna by Stef Gemmill and Mel Armstrong
New Frontier, 2019. ISBN: 9781925594843. 32pp., hbk.
On a cold, moonlit night a dark crate washes up on a lonely shore,
and out crawls a bedraggled, lonely cat, wary of her surroundings so
different from the home she remembers, but glad to be out of the
ceaseless motion of the sea. As daylight creeps up, she woke
and looked around only to find herself among creatures that didn't
look like anything she had seen, certainly not cats, but the
familiar fishy smell drew her forward.
Too tired to move, she lay on the rocks watching the penguins swim
and return with fish, making her tummy rumbled. And then one
of them approached her . . . is this a friendly move or one
fraught with fear?
Mel Armstrong, an experienced illustrator making her children's book
debut, has created bold illustrations which suggest that Luna is no
weak, wimpy cat and so the reader expects that this story is going
to go well beyond that initial meeting and that conflict or
camaraderie. there is some meat to it.
On the surface, this is a simple story about two creatures forming
an unlikely friendship, one that reaches a climax when humans arrive
at the colony and decide that it is no place for a cat. But
looking beneath the surface, could it be the story of a refugee
arriving in a strange land amongst strange people, and being
accepted just for who they are, rather than anything else? And
a government making a determination about their suitability to
stay? Or am I viewing it through the lens of so many news
stories about worthy people facing deportation, so much so my views
of a children's story have been tainted and I see allegory each time
I read a story like this? Whichever, it is refreshing to read
one that is about resilience and hope and which has the sort of
ending we would all wish for, whether it's a cat washed ashore or a
person.
Read more about the story behind the story here. Teacher's
notes are available.
Barbara Braxton
Children who changed the world: Incredible true stories about children's rights! by Marcia Williams
Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781406384109. 40pp., hbk.
Have you heard of Malala Yousafzai? What about Baruani
Ndume? Or Ryan Hreljac?
Forty years ago the UN declared that 1979 was to be the
International Year of the Child and as part of that. in 1989,
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was
proclaimed, setting out 54 equally important articles that 196
countries have agreed to follow so that each child, no matter where
they live, has the support and protection they deserve.
Using her iconic graphic format, Marcia Williams has explored the
lives of 13 children, all born since the Declaration and all of whom
have made a significant difference to the lives of the children in
their home countries and beyond. Each double spread is devoted
to the pivotal work of the child under the banner of one of those UN
rights.
Deliberately designed to inform children of their rights, Williams
speaks directly to the reader in the introduction and encourages
them to not only be aware of those rights but to take action when
they see injustice or something that needs changing. With our
students being so aware of the global picture these days, and being
involved in actions like School Strike 4 Climate this is an
important and timely release to help our students know that they can
make a difference and will. Perhaps one of them will become
the new Greta Thunberg, who has risen to prominence since the book
was prepared but who not only deserves a place in it but also
demonstrates that kids can be heard and supported and change can
happen.
This is a book that needs to be promoted to kids everywhere, to give
them inspiration and hope that their voices will be heard.
Barbara Braxton
A curious menagerie: Of herds, flocks, leaps, gaggles, scurries, and more! by Carin Berger
Greenwillow Books, 2019, ISBN: 9780062644572. 40pp., hbk.
We've all heard of a herd of cows and a flock of sheep, but what is
a group of giraffes called? A murder of crows is a common trivia
answer, but what about a mischief of mice? Exploring collective
nouns is always fun and in this book the ringmaster and the monkey
investigate 64 of them opening up a menagerie of creatures for
little ones to learn and perhaps wonder about and perhaps research
their validity. A parliament of owls? Really? That could either be
flattering to some parliaments or insulting to some owls!
Berger has used her skills of making cut-paper collages to create
fascinating illustrations and tying the collection together with the
ringmaster and the monkey makes it a bit more engaging than the
usual word book, especially the final pages! One that will encourage
small groups to share and delight in, and perhaps try to make up
their own. Would a group of koalas be called a cuddle? Or a group of
cockatoos a squawk?
Barbara Braxton
Explanatorium of science by Robert Winston
Dorling Kindersley, 2019. ISBN: 9780241359488.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Science, Physical science,
Biological science, Chemical science, Earth Science. In the
inimitable way that DK publishing has to present complex information
in a readily accessible way, this book that covers the breadth of
science understanding is a wonderful example of publishing. Robert
Winston has distilled some very difficult concepts into easily
digested morsels of detail that a young reader will be able to
grasp. The illustrations are also incredibly clear and photographs
are big, bright and colourful. Complex experiments to reveal what is
happening in science are photographed and annotated with clarity.
The final sections in the book also explain basic science
measurement, procedures, classification and some charts and general
explanations.
This book was a joy to read. It clarified much detail that I had
forgotten from my own science education and teaching, but would make
a wonderful book for those beginning the journey of discovery in
science. It could certainly by recommended for a Library collection
or to be given to a science enthusiast. Nothing in the book is too
complex to leave out, because the author has made the complex into a
bite-size chunk of detail that is easily consumed.
Highly recommended for science interested readers aged 10+.
Carolyn Hull
Elmer's birthday by David McKee
Andersen Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781783447947. 32pp., hbk.
To celebrate Elmer's 30th birthday, there is a new story called,
appropriately, Elmer's birthday. Hoping to get their own
back on him, the elephants decide to play a joke on Elmer on his
birthday and spend the day getting all the other animals on
board. But who has the last laugh?
Great for teaching children about elephants, the animals of the
jungle, colour and patterns, as well as the themes of each story, I
believe little ones have not had a real education if they don't meet
Elmer. These two are going straight to my version of the pool room!
Barbara Braxton
Elmer: A classic collection by David McKee
Andersen Press, 2019. ISBN: 9781783448678. 152pp., hbk.
Thirty years ago I discovered a lovable character that has been an
integral part of the lives of the very young students I've taught
and my grandchildren - a patchwork elephant called Elmer. Every time
his creator David McKee offered a new story, it was in my hands and
in the ears of the nearest children. So now, to have a
collection of the five earliest stories in one volume is heaven on a
stick for such a fan.
Featuring Elmer, Elmer and the rainbow, Elmer
and the lost teddy, Elmer in the snow, and Elmer's
special day, just five of the 27 stories in the series, the
little patchwork elephant who likes to play jokes on his friends but
is always compassionate and helpful, is set to make a whole new
generation of fans, as parents discover this childhood favourite all
over again.
Barbara Braxton
Missing, presumed dead by Emma Berquist
Greenwillow Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780062642813. 369p., hbk.
(Age: 15+) Themes: Mystery, Ghosts, Psychic ability, LGBTQ+,
Loneliness. When she touches someone, Lexi can see when they are
going to die and she can also see the ghosts of people around her.
This means that she has to isolate herself and the only person she
is close to is her grandfather, who also has this psychic ability.
When she touches Jane, a young person full of life, outside the club
one night, and sees her terrible death, a dire chain of events is
put into place. Jane reappears as a ghost, her throat cut, full of
revenge and insists that Lexi helps her find her murderer.
I picked up Missing, presumed dead, after really enjoying Devils
unto dust, and for much of the story I was fully
engaged. Lexi is a complex character, lonely and almost friendless,
afraid to touch anyone as she will see how they will die. She works
in a nightclub, Elysium, for Urie, who gathers together people who
have psychic ability, but because of her ability she is unable to go
to school or improve her poverty stricken life.
I had expected a mystery story with ghosts thrown in and this was
true for most of the book, but the relationship between Lexi and
Jane overshadowed the mystery and the ghost story so for readers who
are expecting either a ghost or mystery as the focus, they may be
slightly disappointed. However those who enjoy a story with
relationships as the main theme will be happy with this combination
of an unusual friendship, horror and mystery.
Pat Pledger
Unicorn Academy series by Julie Sykes
Illus. by Lucy Truman. Nosy Crow, 2019 Ariana and Whisper. ISBN: 9781788004565. 112pp., pbk.
Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and have amazing
adventures together! That's what happens for the girls at Unicorn
Academy on beautiful Unicorn Island. There are 12 books in the
series (some still to be released), the latest being Ariana and
Whisper.
Written for younger independent readers, the series appeals to those
for whom unicorns remain a fascination and who dream of having their
own one day, a fascination that shows no signs of abating. Such
series are very popular with younger readers just starting their
reading journey through novels as they associate with and invest
themselves in the characters, putting themselves in their shoes and
truly immersing themselves in the experiences. They form
relationships with them that mean they are eager to read and re-read
each one in the series, honing their skills and understandings of
reading as they do so. So this is a series that will have a strong
following because it features all those characteristics that hook
these emerging readers in. Worth the investment, not just for
themselves but the reading pathways that keen readers will then
follow.
Barbara Braxton
