Rangers Apprentice: The Royal Ranger Book 3. Random House,
2018. ISBN: 9780143785927.
(Age: 11-15) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure; Battle; Royalty;
Heroism. As the third book in the Royal Ranger series it is
apparent that much has gone before, leading to the incredibly
capable Princess Cassandra having to defend her injured father, King
Duncan, and the remnant of soldiers in the Castle, while trapped
high within the fortified south tower. Her husband, Sir Horace and
the Ranger Commandant, Gilan, are similarly trapped in an old hill
fort, but far away, and unable to provide the rescue the Princess
will need to remain in power. The orchestration of this two-pronged
attack on the ruling authority of Araluen is down to Dimon, and it
looks like he has the upper hand. His engineers have also devised a
rather interesting device to launch an assault. If nothing else he
just needs to wait until all food and water is used up within the
Castle and the other fortress and he can take control of Araluen on
his own. But, he has no idea that he will be brought undone because
of a young female apprentice Ranger (Princess Cassandra and Sir
Horace's daughter, Maddie) and the Brotherband of Skandians who,
with their intense fighting skills, will be a formidable and
surprise force to be reckoned with.
John Flanagan knows how to write an exciting and dramatic adventure,
and even though I have not read all of his books, those I have read
I have not been able to put down. (Younger readers devour every book
in each series!) There is fighting, tension, incredible 'warrior'
strategy and some odd moments of humour from the interesting
characters. It would be unusual for anyone to dislike this book in
the spin-off series from the standard Rangers Apprentice
series. (Note: Book one in the Royal Ranger series was
originally published as Book 12 in the Rangers Apprentice
series. The Brotherband series is a stand-alone series, but
the two become linked at various points.)
The delight of this book is the heroine Maddie rising to reveal her
training as a Ranger has not been in vain, and her ability to lead
and strategise to solve problems in conflict is only matched by her
skills to evade detection.
Highly recommended for readers aged 11-15. (Both male and female
readers will love the action and adventure.)
Carolyn Hull
Henry VIII and the men who made him by Tracy Borman
Hodder and Stoughton, 2018. ISBN 9781473649897.
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Tracey Borman has
created a powerful story of the life and times of Henry VIII, King
of England from 1509 to 1547, reflecting the value of both the
historical authenticity and the collection of writings, legal and
other documents, from which Borman draws her historical narrative.
Supported throughout by numerous references, this novel describes
Henry's interactions with the men, and to a lesser extent the women
(who were really considered to be tools to producing the necessary
male heir), using historical records, and photographs of paintings
of Henry and other people important to the narrative. Additionally,
we are able to grasp the significance of the works of the writers
who have studied and documented Henry's life, particularly in the
references to the effects of the religious upheaval at that time. As
would be expected, the story is based deeply on the times and
revolutionary ideas of the Reformation in England and Borman has
created a strong sense of that period: the political, social and
religious events that brought about such great religious and social
change during Henry's lifetime.
We read how Henry was always determined to have his way, but when
thwarted, would exact violent punishment as his revenge, most often
almost immediately accomplished by killing the perpetrator, or
incarcerating those who displeased him. Reading this book in the
modern world, and knowing that so many had been 'removed' when they
upset Henry, or interfered with his plans, it seems to be remarkable
that anyone was prepared to work for him, and certainly that anyone
was prepared to challenge him. While Borman details how some of the
damned would plead their innocence, or implore forgiveness, even up
to the day of, or preceding, their 'removal', we gather that there
was almost never any chance of remission. For the men who did not do
as he demanded, or his wives, who were removed because they failed
to produce the male heir he wanted, or he had grown tired of them,
he found no reason why they should not be punished with death.
Indeed, Henry's cold and dispassionate slaughtering of those who did
not do, or produce, what he wanted, is the most abiding theme
throughout this magnificently researched tome.
Plunged into Borman's vibrant world of political intrigue, we see
the rivalry of the men who surrounded Henry, the reactions to and
change in beliefs of the new religion, and the growing antipathy, in
England, to the unsettling events of the rejection of the previously
dominant European-based Roman Catholic Church. Interestingly, it is
difficult to keep in mind that this narrative is based on truth, its
accuracy detailed in Borman's extensive bibliography, her
references, notes and index, all of which take up over sixty pages.
Captivating, commanding and beautifully written, this novel will
leave the reader with a sense of horror that this man could see
himself as above all human codes of decency in his ruling of a
country by birthright, and in his pursuit of an heir. Borman's portrayal
appears to interpret his responses, choices, actions and
interactions with others as driven by his determination to wield his
power, as he becomes the man who destroys those who displease or
disobey him. In fact, men whom he liked seem to have suffered the
same fate of needing to be killed when their actions displeased him
or when they failed to do what he demanded, even though he appeared
to be slightly saddened by this fact. This novel would be a fine
study for senior English history students and a compelling read for
anyone who is interested in this era.
Elizabeth Bondar
Dog Man: Brawl of the wild by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man book 6. Graphix, 2019. ISBN 9781338290929.
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Themes: Humour. Crime. Dog Man is back
with another outrageous adventure which fans will devour. This time
he is sent to the pound for a crime that he didn't commit and finds
that he doesn't have a place with the dogs or with people, a real
dilemma for him. His faithful friends work hard to prove his
innocence with action and fun galore for the reader.
Readers new to the series will quickly pick up the main threads of
the Dog Man series with George and Harold's recap of the story so
far, telling of Dog Man's origins, his awesome allies and the evil
villains The Fleas. A nod to Call of the wild by Jack London
will create much hilarity for those who have read it. I loved the
drawings of the dogs pulling a sled laden with dog poop and kids of
all ages will follow the illustrations and story often laughing out
loud.
Li'l Petey continues to frustrate his father with his senseless
jokes, while at the same time coming up with a narrative to help him
try and be good and the pages where the reader can do their own
flip-o-rama, making sound effects for extra fun, add to the
originality of the plot and the general hilarity of the story.
This one won't stay on library shelves for a second and there is
sure to be a very long waiting list for it!
Pat Pledger
Emergency contact by Mary H.K. Choi
Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781534425934.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. Fiction. Penny and Sam, two complete
strangers at first, have an unforeseen encounter that results in
them becoming each other's emergency contact. With their growing
friendship being entirely through each other's phones, they skip the
awkwardness of social interactions at first. But as they get to know
each other and their trust in each other grows, life seems to twist
their stories together in an unusual and rushed series of events.
Penny sees herself as awkward and different from everyone around
her. She understands the social customs of teenage life and
friendships. But still, she has difficulty performing them, not
feeling comfortable enough in her own skin and feeling alienated
from others. Her character is surprisingly self-dependent and very
set in her own way of thinking. Sam, on the other hand, has a funny
way of knowing how people tick and is able to fit in with most. His
character has an adaptive personality and is a very easygoing person
at first. But he too has personal struggles that he faces as well.
With each other's help and through their texting they are both able
to help each other in a way that is surprisingly supportive.
Choi has written a story that is both detailed and easy to read. The
text conversations fit into the story appropriately and help to give
you more of an insight into Penny and Sam's personality. The
chapters are also divided into Penny and Sam's perspective and is
used smoothly to tell both of their stories. Overall this story is
interesting and a great read for teenagers and young adults.
Kayla Raphael
Helen Keller by Libby Romero
Ill. by Charlotte Ager. DK Life Stories. DK, 2019. ISBN
9780241322932.
(Age: 8-12) Highly recommended. Themes: Helen Keller. Biography.
Disability. Blindness. Deafness. Helen Keller's life is revealed in
this accessible biography for younger readers. Helen's disability
and her relationship with her teacher Annie Sullivan are described
with simple detail. Her later life is also explained, along with her
opinions and service for others, all demonstrating her amazing
capacity; she was never limited by her disabilities but used her
talent for overcoming obstacles to inspire others.
The presentation of this book is delightfully appealing for readers
aged 8-12. The cartoon style illustrations are interspersed with
photographs, and decorated text boxes are used to explain
terminology and ideas for the benefit of the younger audience. With
colourful chapter headings, a family tree, a summary timeline of
Helen's life, a quiz, and a glossary the book is a wonderful,
appealing non-fiction book. The text is not complex and this book
would make an excellent addition to a biographical collection in a
primary school library.
Highly recommended. Ages 8-12
Carolyn Hull
Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein: Based on a true story by Jennifer Roy with Ali Fadhil
Oneworld Publications, 2018. ISBN 9781786074669.
(Age: Upper primary, Lower secondary) Recommended. An intriguing
title, combining two seemingly unconnected topics. Ali is an
eleven-year boy who lives in Iraq during 1991, a time when the
country was bombed by the Americans. President Saddam Hussein has
invaded Kuwait and the US and allies launch Operation Desert Storm
to force him out. That means the people of Kuwait must experience
the onslaught of the bombing raids, starvation and death.
All of this is seen and described through the eyes of Ali who lives
with his brothers, sister and mother while his father is away
serving as a medic.
Mixed up with the horrors of war, are the day to day survival
strategies his family must practise such as taking shelter and
surviving on meagre food supplies. He deals with problems with his
brothers, bullies in the street as well as witnessing the horror of
a public execution.
Ali loves his Superman comics, his Atari game, soccer and American
shows (from which he has learnt English) and wants nothing more than
his father to return safely and life to go back to normal.
This novel is based on a true story and Ali Fadhil, the joint author
and protagonist of the story, eventually migrates to the USA after
participating in the trial of Saddam Hussein as a young man.
This is a time in history that the young readers of this book may
not know but it gives a child's eye look into the experiences of
real people on the ground surviving war.
The cover has a pixelated Atari screen style of illustration showing
Ali surrounded by bombs and soccer balls, wryly mimicking the
comments made by Americans, calling the nightly bombings 'the video
game war'.
I recommend this book to upper primary, lower secondary students.
Jane Moore
Zenobia by Morten Durr and Lars Horneman
UQP, 2018. ISBN: 9780702260254.
(Age: All) Recommended for all ages, a useful stimulus to discussion
of refugee issues. Could worry younger readers.Themes: Refugees,
Children in war, boat people, migration. The opening page of this
graphic novel is divided into three uneven frames; in the middle we
see the gently curving horizon with the sky above. Below, alone in
the ocean is an overloaded boat, every inch occupied by people. The
following pages zoom in on the people, so tightly packed that the
deck is not visible. We see a little girl, alone, surrounded by
adult men. Then the sea gets rough and the people are thrown from
the boat, clutching babies and meagre possessions and our little
girl is thrown into the sea. The first words come as she sinks, 'it
is big and empty here'. 'No-one can find me here.' We find out her
name is Amina and we enter her memories of happier times, playing
hide and seek with her mother and cooking before they one day went
to town and never came back. She had to be brave like Zenobia, a
beautiful warrior Queen of Syria who never gave up. An uncle takes
her to try and escape the war torn country but there is not enough
money for them both so she is alone when the boat sinks.
Beautifully produced and powerfully composed the colours instantly
transport us into the blue of the ocean or the brown of the ruined
Syrian villages. The impact of the deceptively simple story is
graphic and should worry us all. Like the Child Soldiers of Africa,
the tragic plight of children in conflict told through books like
this will reach into our hearts unmediated by words. We anticipate a
last minute rescue but that ending is withheld.
Sue Speck
That's not what happened by Kody Keplinger
Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781444933628.
Recommended for older students but with a warning about post
traumatic sensitivities. Themes: gun violence, trauma and anxiety,
post-traumatic stress, faith, loss, personal accounts. It is three
years since a shooter at the small, strongly Christian, Virgil
County High School killed nine; Leanne (Lee) Bauer is one of the six
witnesses who survived the shooting. Lee's best friend Sarah was
shot while they were hiding in a toilet cubicle and died holding her
hand. Lee, like the others was traumatised by the event and its
aftermath of media frenzy and their stories have become 'tangled
into a knot of fact and fiction' p2. She is troubled by the false
story attached to Sarah about a cross necklace and her refusal to
deny her faith when questioned about it by the shooter. When Sarah's
parents announce they are going to publish a book about their
daughter's brave sacrifice, Lee realises she must tell the true
story even if it is not one people want to hear. As a tribute to the
nine victims she asks the other five survivors to write their true
recollections of each victim and how they died that day. She makes a
considered choice to keep the shooter's name out of it. 'This was
the one thing that wasn't about him or why he did it. This was about
everyone else and the damage he had done.' p 19. Four of the
survivors meet and communicate regularly, the only people who truly
understand the traumatising effect of the shooting, but one, Kellie
Gaynor left the district. Lee finds it difficult to trace her and
discovers that while she was recovering from the trauma Kellie was
bullied and called a liar after claiming the necklace as her own.
Even though it means revisiting the event Lee is determined to tell
the truth and in doing so put the record straight before the
survivors leave the school taking their stories with them. In asking
for their stories Lee discovers more about each of the survivors and
how they have coped, ranging from reinforcing Christian belief to
advocating for gun control and she gains strength from them.
We all have a right to tell our own story, except when we are not
here to tell it. The stories told by the survivors about the victims
allow different points of view and appear on pages edged in black.
Their own stories are about struggling to survive as damaged victims
after an unthinkable event that seems to be happening too often in
America.
Sue Speck
Dinosaur roar! by Paul Strickland
Ill. by Henrietta Strickland. 25th Anniversary edition. Macmillan
Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781509885398.
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Dinosaurs, Humour, Verse, Rhyme,
Prediction, Comparisons. Celebrating twenty five years since its
first publication, Dinosaur roar! continues to intrigue, delight and
scare those small children who pick it up to read. All children
thrill at the idea of dinosaurs, and learn their names quickly and
easily, recognising their size, shape, colours and behaviour with
accuracy.
In this book, each double page has several different dinosaurs
pictured with the simplest text across the bottom of each page,
telling the reader something about the animal. The opening pages,
dinosaur roar and dinosaur squeak show a large toothed animal
filling most of the left hand side page, while the next page has a
much smaller animal. Each animal depicted will have the audience
enthralled as they look at its fierce mouth and teeth, its scaly
skin, long legs and clawed feet, prompting them to recognise the
animal shown. They will also readily understand the differences
between each animal and the words used to describe them. Turning the
page is another noisy dinosaur with dinosaur fierce across the page
and on the next a larger animal cowers, with the words, dinosaur
meek. Children will love seeing the difference between the size of
the animals and their fierceness, and understand the difference
between the two opposing words presented on each page, while having
fun predicting the rhyming word.
The images will delight younger readers, enjoying the humour,
predicting the rhymes, and reprising all the animals on the last two
double pages where their dietary needs are shown. Included in the
endpaper is a fold out poster of the whole book which when put up
will further extend the wonder of the book.
The illustrations are wonderful, full of fun, filling the pages with
colour and movement, depicting these amazing animals with gusto. I
love the slimy dinosaur, its hide dripping with slime and goo from
its environment, prompting readers to ask where it lives. This is a
wonderful book, subtly revealing information about dinosaurs and
prompting discussion and research. Republished in conjunction with
the Natural History Museum, London.
Fran Knight
All are welcome by Alexandra Penfold
Ill. by Suzanne Kaufman. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN 9781526604071
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Diversity. Schools. Families.
Community. Told in four line stanzas where the first three lines
rhyme, the verse rolls easily off the tongue and the repeated last
line ensure children will catch on quickly and repeat the last line
together with the reader. That last line, 'All are welcome', sets
the tone for the book as it shows in both text and illustrations the
variety of children, families and adults that are involved in our
schools. The author based this story on her daughter's school in
Seattle, USA, where diversity and community are celebrated, and she
designed a poster to celebrate just that, taking it further with
this book.
Each page brims with inclusiveness and being involved, no matter
where you come from, or what you eat, how you dress or pray. The
classroom is shown with a large number of flags across the
blackboard and a world map to indicate the origins of many of the
students, but it matters not: they all play and eat together, go
home at night with their families, sleep in a bed then return to
school the next day. The diversity of families too is included, the
illustrations making it clear that everyone is the same, they are
all in a family caring for their kids.
The illustrations reinforce the similarities of us all: the
classroom routines, the playtime, going home after school, eating
dinner then getting ready for bed. The illustrations serve to link
all children together, and students will love spying out the
similarities and smattering of differences between their schools and
those in the USA, and have a go at saying all the versions of
'welcome' in other languages on the last double page in the book.
Fran Knight
Albert Einstein by Wil Mara
Ill. by Charlotte Agar. Penguin Random House, 2019. ISBN
9780241322918.
(Age: 10+) Recommended. Albert Einstein is perhaps best known as a
remarkable scientist, but he was also a complex human being. He was
a brilliant but rebellious student, a patent clerk whose theories
about physics and cosmology transformed our understanding of the
universe, a Nobel Prize winner, an activist for peace and a refugee
from Fascism. Einstein was a pacifist but his warning about Hitler's
plan to develop an atomic bomb contributed to the American
government's decision to create nuclear weapons.
Wil Mara has incorporated the elements of Einstein' life into an
engaging and informative narrative that interweaves the scientist's
personal life and experiences with explanations of scientific
concepts and political turmoil. Mara's writing is particularly
effective when providing insights into Einstein's state of mind,
whether it was his childhood loneliness, his lifelong curiosity, his
passion for music or his determined opposition to racism and armed
conflict. The breakdown of Einstein's first marriage and the regret
he felt after atomic bombs were dropped on Japan are described with
directness and sensitivity.
Short, well-constructed sentences and a large font facilitate
reading by a younger audience. Text boxes which explain scientific
theories and historical events, photographs and hand-drawn
illustrations add to the reader's understanding without intruding on
the narrative. The family tree, timeline, list of characters,
glossary and index are useful keys to the text. However, a list of
selected references or a brief explanation of the author's research
process might have enhanced the book's credibility.
The mark of an effective biography may be its ability to reveal that
someone who is celebrated for his extraordinary achievements can
also experience doubts and setbacks. If so, then Wil Mara's
biography of Albert Einstein has succeeded in explaining the complex
man behind the famous name.
Elizabeth Bor
The chaos of now by Erin Lange
Faber and Faber, 2018. ISBN: 9780571317479.
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended. Themes: Suicide, Bullying,
Cyberbullying, Schools, Power, Monitoring. A disturbing opening page
will ensure young adults read to the last page, so incensed at the
suicide that they will want to see the bullies brought to justice.
That Jordan was being bullied was not a secret, but his response
shocked the school into placing cybermonitors on the computing
system to stop such things happening again. Eli is amazed at this
response by the school; all done without consultation or getting to
the main problem. Lip service is given to making people aware,
having anti bullying signs around the school and a gratuitous
memorial service for Jordan after 12 months has elapsed. It makes
Eli sick, but he has problems of his own with his father bringing
home a woman to live in the house, and a nasty run in with one of
the school bullies, Malcolm.
A computer nerd, Eli is a coder, one of a small group of people for
whom the binary system is a language he can speak without fear, able
to hack into the school's computer system with ease, at one stage
hacking into the local police system, with disastrous consequences.
Two other geeks seek him out. They were friends of Jordan and had
planned to enter and win a computer hacking competition which would
bring them to the attention of corporations and the possibility of
work in an area they know well. With Jordan gone, Eli is their next
choice. But they are not just interested in winning a competition.
They want to heap revenge upon those students who bullied Jordan,
and they use their computer skills to achieve this.
This is an up to the minute look at the skills of the millenials,
able to use computers for their own ends, stretching the notions of
morality confining earlier users of technology, seeing possibilities
and uses beyond those proposed by their teachers. This is a most
unsettling look at the problem of cyber bullying, where the skills
of those perpetrators outstrip those of the monitors and Eli and his
friends represent those who are willing to use their skills to bring
down those who would bully. But have they turned into bullies
themselves? In posting some of the videos they illegally access
online, exposing one as a drug cheat, another as a racist another
dressing in his mother's clothes for a video, the question arises
about who is bullying who? Eli at first sees himself as exposing
wrong, but in doing this he becomes a vigilante, one who is outside
the law, taking the law into his own hands.
The line between right and wrong, black and white becomes very
blurred and makes for a read which will make people think about the
consequences of cyber bullying and how to deal with it. Readers will
want to know how Eli comes out of this, after all he and the others
have committed criminal acts.
Fran Knight
A honeybee heart has five openings by Helen Jukes
Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN: 9781471167713.
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Highly recommended. Subtitled A
year of keeping bees, Helen Jukes' book is a mix of memoir and
research project. Set in Oxford, England, it tells of her decision
following her move into a shared house with her friend Becky, to set
up a beehive down the bottom of the garden. Jukes had previously
learnt about beekeeping from her bee-enthusiast friend Luke who has
hives set up all around London. Now Jukes has just started a new job
which was turning out to be very stressful, and it is while she is
attempting to destress in the garden that the idea occurs to her
that she has the perfect spot to set up her own beehive. That
thought sets in train Jukes' research into bees, because she doesn't
just want a hive, she wants to learn absolutely everything she can
about bees. Her curiosity has her researching ancient texts about
bees, hive designs and the art of beekeeping; she joins the
Oxfordshire Natural Beekeeping Group; and she visits the
entomologist archives of Oxford's natural history museum. She
follows up all sorts of interesting questions such as whether you
can 'know' all your bees, whether they are changed by being watched,
and whether they sense your mood.
The book isn't just a research project though, in the process we
learn about Jukes herself, her unusual mix of friends, and her
struggles with how to manage her job and whether she should stick at
it or not. And interestingly many of the questions she unravels
about bees are reflected in the nuances of what is happening in her
own life. In caring for bees, she is also learning about
relationships and sense of community. Maybe that is something that
happens if you become seriously involved in beekeeping - you can't
keep at a distance, there is a deeper connection that develops. We
can all learn from bees.
There have been some excellent books in recent years about bees and
beekeeping: the fictional The
history of bees by Maja Lunde (2017) and the non-fiction The
honey factory by Jurgen Tautz and Diedrich Steen (2018). With
her absorbing and original approach, Jukes provides yet another
perspective on their fascinating world.
Helen Eddy
The forgotten beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
Fantasy Masterworks. Orion, 2017. ISBN: 9781616962777.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. Winner of the inaugural World Fantasy
Award 1975. In my quest to read some of the award winning books that
I have missed over the years, I was very fortunate to pick up this
outstanding story by Patricia A. McKillop. First published in 1974,
the fact that it is still in print after so many years is a
testament to its lyrical writing and timeless story.
Sybel is a young wizard who needs only her magical animals, Gules
the Lyon, Gyld the dragon who yearns for gold, Cyrin the boar who is
a master of riddles, Ter the fierce falcon and Moriah, Lady of the
Night. When she is given a baby, Tamlorn, to care for, she becomes
embroiled in the politics of the kingdom and the world of revenge.
It was a joy to become immersed in Sybel's world which is vividly
imagined in a sparse 208 pages, unlike many of the fantasy books
written today which often are over long. Memories of McKillip's
dangerous world, her fantastic beasts and the love story between her
and Coren and the awful taint of captivity and revenge will stay
with the reader long after finishing this book.
Readers who enjoy stories by Juliet Marillier and Robin McKinley
will be thrilled to discover another author whose tales delve into
fantasy worlds. I will be pursuing other books written by McKillip,
who also won a World Fantasy award for Ombria in shadow,
which I have put on my to-read list.
Pat Pledger
Embassy of the Dead by Will Mabbitt
Ill. by Chris Mould. Orion Children's Books, 2018. ISBN: 9781510104556.
(Age: 8-10 ) Recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Opening a strange box is
the starting point of this amazing adventure for Jake Green as it
contains a severed finger, summoning the Grim Reaper which takes him
into the Eternal Void, a place to be avoided. In this place he
must run for his life, but finds he can communicate with the other
inhabitants: the ghosts. In this appalling place, Jake teams up with
several other creatures, Cora who uses a hockey stick for
protection, Stiffley the undertaker and Zorro the ghost fox, all of
whom, like Jake are searching for the Embassy of the Dead, a place
where they will find refuge.
In the background of this tale, in the only too real world, Jake's
life is being torn apart with his parent's decision to split,
bringing to an end all that Jake knows. It is an issue he must deal
with. Mabbitt, the author of the Mabel Jones series for slightly
younger readers, lives in England and enjoys wandering through
graveyards, which seems to me where he gets his great ideas. Full of
humour and adventure, this story is full of laugh out loud lines,
the strangest situations anyone can get themselves into and a nod to
the lives of modern children, alluding to some of the things they
must deal with.
The illustrations by Chris Mould add to the zany adventures of Jake
Green.
Fran Knight
