Reviews

Stories for kids who dare to be different by Ben Brooks

Lots of frogs by Howard Calvert and Claudia Boldt

Hodder Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781444939644
(Age: 2-6) Recommended. Themes: Counting. Frogs. Tommy Fox has a box that he takes to school for show-and-tell. Of course, as the box jumps right and left, Tommy sneezes and the frogs leap away. The children are delighted and the teachers shriek as the frogs play hide-and-seek.
This is a very humorous story that will have children giggling out loud at the antics of the frogs. They poke their tongues out at the teacher, sit on the teacher's chair and even jump in the head teacher's hair. When Tommy tries to catch them with a net, there is even more fun. The expressions on the faces of the frogs are priceless, each unique, and the frogs featured on the end pages are just hilarious. Tommy's cheeky personality is evident from the illustrations of him trying to catch the frogs. All the drawings are in bright, eye-catching colours.
The rhyming text is very well constructed and would make a great read aloud for the young, while the rhythm and rhyme, and shortness of the text would help emerging readers work out the words. Children will be happy to predict what is going to happen next, especially after Tom finally gets all the frogs in his box and then smiles wide.
Children will have lots of fun counting the frogs on different pages, as the number in Tommy's net changes as does the number that are free to get into mischief.
I can see this becoming a firm favourite for bedtime stories with the very young and a brilliant book for beginning readers to try.
Pat Pledger

Princess in practice by Connie Glynn

The Rosewood Chronicles. Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780241334454
(Age: 11-14) Following on from book one, Undercover princess, this is a delight to read. It perfectly balances drama, adventure, friendship, secrets and self-discovery and the characters are wonderful and instantly likeable. Each chapter ends with a small cliffhanger and leaves you wanting to read more every time.
Rosewood is a magical place to get lost in and explore with the characters. Lottie Pumpkin is an ordinary girl who longs to be a Princess; Ellie Wolf is a princess who longs to be ordinary. When fate puts them in the same dorm at Rosewood Hall, the two come up with the perfect solution: to swap places. The story shows great character development and how they've grown so far.
Back for their second year at Rosewood, Connie and Ellie are close as ever, and learning more about their new roles. But strange things are happening at Rosewood. With pupils being poisoned, it seems like the threat of secret organisation Leviathan is growing closer. Lottie and Ellie are determined to find the culprit. But is danger closer than they think?
Donna Isgar

The football book: The teams, the rules, the leagues, the tactics by David Goldblatt and Johnny Acton

David Goldblatt and Johnny Acton
Ill. by Phil Gamble, Mike Garland, and Mark Walker. Dorling Kindersley, 2018. ISBN 9780241332856
(Age: 8+) Recommended for sports fans. Subjects: Soccer. Team sports. Football. The football book, published by DK, is a comprehensive compendium of football, from the history of ancient ball games, to how the game is played, even the results of the 2018 World Cup. This is a visually outstanding information book with graphics of team players, maps, diagrams of the evolution of the pitch and text boxes filled with statistics. Each double-page spread is set out in an easy-to-read format, just right for a quick read, to find relevant information about teams from across the globe, tactics and techniques.
Four thousand years ago, the Chinese played cuju with two teams and a ball, kicking towards a fixed goal. Spectator ball sports developed in Mesoamerica three thousand years ago. Football has evolved over the centuries into a variety of different games with five players a side, beach football, freestyle, indoor games and Paralympic football. Detailed descriptions of how the game is played, each player's position and quotes from famous players are included in 'How the game is played.'
'The footballer's anatomy' looks at strength, height, shape, muscular structure and discusses the hypothetical ideal player. This includes Beckham's right foot, Rinaldo's upper body and Maradona's left foot! Detailed diagrams of spectacular moves, spins and turns, shooting for goals, heading the ball, all help players both young and older to study the techniques.
'Planet Football' takes us across the globe with the FIFA Confederations and its more than 200-member countries divided into six geographical areas. Starting with the English clubs and an inside look at Wembley Stadium, we branch out across the United Kingdom then into Europe. 'Australia's Stat Attack' describes the Socceroos, our national team, the A-League teams, and the origin of the Old School teams, Sydney City was founded in 1939. The football book is packed with data and statistics, finishing with the International Awards and Records, including Women's World Cup Winners; Men's and Women's Player of the Year and Club World Cup winners.
The football book is a most comprehensive, all-inclusive visual encyclopedia of football perfect for sports fan, families to delve into, armchair players and anyone who loves the game.
Rhyllis Bignell

Snow Penguin by Tony Mitton

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408862964
(Age: All) Recommended. This little penguin can never stay still.
He's always in search of excitement and thrill.
In the frozen Antarctic one curious little penguin decides to explore the ice and the snow and the sea. On his travels he sees two blue whales, a family of sea lions and a whole school of orca, but soon Penguin starts to miss his own family. Sometimes coming home is the best adventure of all.
This is a gorgeous book about penguins having a wonderful time in the snow. This is sure to become a family favourite that will eventually fall apart. I can see a child snuggled up on a parent's lap discussing the questions and answering them over and over again! The young readers will identify with the cold weather and the fun that can be had in the snow. Would make a fantastic addition to the Christmas stocking. Suitable for all.
Kathryn Schumacher

We're going on an elf chase by Martha Mumford

Ill. by Laura Hughes. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408872413
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Christmas, Elves, Hunt, Lift the flap book, Verse. Fingers will just love lifting the flaps in this book as the reader is asked to work with the bunnies on their wintry quest to find the elves. Four very warmly wrapped bunnies walk through the snow to find the elves hidden in various places on each page. Sometimes lifting the flap reveals an elf, sometimes something associated with Christmas: presents, a candy cane, a stocking.
Through the woods, passing penguins and polar bears, the bunnies have their work cut out for them as they travel north. Through snow and wintry weather, past gingerbread houses, and stables with reindeer housed in them, they finally reach the place in the North Pole where many elves are working, wrapping presents for Christmas Eve. Then they must rush back home and be tucked up in bed for when their turn comes for someone very familiar to land upon their roof.
A very cute introduction to the ideas around Christmas which we all hold dear: stockings, elves, reindeer, gingerbread, fir trees, snow and so on, this will have broad appeal at this time of the year, and the rhyming lines encourage prediction of the next word, and underline the ideas of poetry, as well as being good fun for kids looking under the flaps.
Fran Knight

Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Princess Snowbelle and the Snow Games by Libby Frost

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408896853
(Age: 3+) Recommended for its themes of cooperation, sharing, teamwork and being a good sport. Following Princess Snowbelle and the snowstorm this very cute picture book features Princess Snowbelle competing at the snow games with her family against the neighbouring kingdom of Snowland. Princess Snowbelle hopes to win the Ice Trophy while her brother Noel is convinced that he will win the sledging race and Nicholas has been training for the running race. Meanwhile Snowbelle's mother and father remind them:
'Remember, it's not about winning, it's about trying your best.' And when the games begin the children from both families show their competitive spirit and how to be a good sport when they don't win. Sparkleshine helps Snowbelle when she gets into trouble in the horse race, even though it means that she could have won the race and instead of competing for the final event, making a snow sculpture, the children all cooperate together in a wonderful display of teamwork to make a magical snow sculpture.
Although rather didactic, small children will love the cute, diverse main characters with their smiling faces, capes and sparkles and the snowy landscape will attract much attention as the children compete in the snow games. The themes of being a good sport, of helping others and about doing your best in competitions would fit in well in classrooms when these issues are being discussed and would also be a talking point when reading the tale as a bedtime story.
The book would also be good for emerging readers to engage with, especially those who are interested in little princesses who are magical and helpful.
Pat Pledger

Feminists don't wear pink and other lies by Scarlett Curtis

Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780241364451
(Age: 15+) Highly recommended. Scarlett Curtis assembles a magnificent 'guide book' for the Girl-Up movement, with this anthology of short essays, blogs, narratives, lists, poems, diaries, interviews, anecdotes - including an Alphabet. The Girl-Up brand, spanning over 2,000 clubs worldwide, is transparent but both the foreword and further reading sections encourage any and every level of feminism. Listing websites, books and everyday actions, Curtis is expansive, including books like The Hate U Give and The Bone Sparrow to reassure girls that equality for women runs parallel to equality for all people. Important quotes and truisms loom large covering entire pages. 'Women's history is bigger than one person, so the way we talk about the past needs to be as well.'
Kiera Knightly addresses her young daughter fiercely regarding the lie of the weaker sex. Nothing is sacred as her co-contributors gleefully discuss periods, bras, genital mutilation, masturbation, man-hating, ableism, #MeToo, intersectionality and more.
This historical quest for equal rights across gender, age, race, class, disability is pervading, although the history of the women's movement is extolled in the very last 'Education' section. It's a shrewd device because we have spent 300 pages being highly engaged by comedians and actors with amusing perceptions and fascinating experiences - from transgender girls to traditional Muslim girls. The reader does not want for feminist definitions, but Scarlett Curtis, while pinpointing the gender stereotyping of the patriarchy, opens her feminist arms wide, 'The goal of the feminist movement aims to give each person on the planet the freedom to live their life the way they want to live it, unhindered by sexism or oppression or aggression.'
One of the contributors warns against using the internet abounding with confusing fallacies, encouraging girls to go right to the source - the wealth of books written by historical and current feminists. Perhaps drawing on those higher tier needs and habits of humanist thinkers, Curtis encourages girls not to leave any girl behind, rather support them with understanding and encouragement for their own difficult struggles against aggression. Beanie Feldstein's drama teacher encapsulates the books sentiment, 'Stuff your pockets'.
Although females and males of all ages will devour this funny, uplifting and sometimes shocking collection, school libraries are likely to run into problems with the many colloquial referents for female genitalia - thus an 'M' for mature sticker is mandatory. There's not one picture in this verbal 'mash-up' but there's a brilliant reason for the cover's particular shade of pink - finding out is definitely worth it. Want more? Investigate the podcasts on itunes found on the book's site.
Deborah Robins

Bad Mermaids: On the rocks by Sibeal Pounder

Ill. by Jason Cockcroft. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408877142
(Age: 8-11) Recommended. Another hilarious, laugh out loud book about mermaids, evil mothers, talking seahorses, fish, crocodiles and more. Featuring magical mysteries and fabulous fashions, this adventure brings a whole new twist to the underwater world of mermaids.
We leave where we left the girls the previous time in Bad Mermaids, stuck in a ship being flung to parts unknown. Steve is getting shipsick/seasick? The girls are trying not to panic too much. And on the other side of the story we see Paris. A girl we already met in a fleeting way in the first book, is the one who handles the ice cream cart. But she is also much more than that. She also loves inventing and has put a tracker on the mermaids.
My favourite part of the book was the mermaids, seeing their friendships, and seeing them discover new places, and try to, once again, save the day.
I love that we found out more about the mermaid world. This time we see about a kingdom with crocodiles. Mermaids with crocodiles' tails, crocodiles for transport. And then the fact that there are even more kingdoms/countries to explore, and I hope that we will be going there as I want to see what mermaids live there and what their life is like.
It was fun that we discover magic is real, and that there are witches.
The book is delightfully illustrated.
Donna Isgar

Up the mountain by Marianne Dubuc

Book Island, 2018. ISBN 9781911496090
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Friendship. Generosity. Outdoors. Life skills. Mrs Badger lives at the bottom of a mountain and each Sunday she takes a walk up the path to the top. She knows all the creatures who live along the way, stopping to talk to them or help them on their way. One day a cat called Leo stops her and she convinces him to walk with her. He is easily tired and they need to stop and rest, but she shows him all the other animals and plants on their route, showing him which mushrooms are best to eat, and how to avoid dangers. Leo tires quickly because of his short legs, but Mrs Badger urges him on. Together they reach the top and the view of the world is magnificent, worth the effort made. Together they climb the mountain each Sunday, Mrs Badger teaching him the names of the plants and animals, watching over him as he learns the way. But one day Mrs Badger cannot climb the mountain as easily as she once could, and it is up to Leo to help her. The situation is reversed until there comes a time when Mrs Badger can no longer climb the mountain at all. Leo brings back some of his findings for her and eventually someone else climbs the mountain with him, Leo showing the way.
Translated from French, this is a gentle story of the passing on of knowledge, of leading younger people to being independent, as Mrs Badger leads Leo up the mountain of life, and when she can no longer help, he in turn helps another.
The trek through the path leading to the mountain displays a lot of the outdoors to children, a turtle on its back needing help, a group of baby hedgehogs crossing their path, keeping to the right path, making a stick to help with walking and so on. Lots of discussion points to pursue with a group of children, eager to be outdoors themselves.
The charming illustrations invite closer inspection of the animals that a child would find in the European outdoors, badger, hedgehog, fox, a bunting bird and so on. I love the repetition of the illustrations as Leo becomes the leader, changing roles with Mrs Badger. The drawing of Leo helping Mrs Badger at the top of the mountain is inspiring and children will easily understand the message being shown.
Fran Knight

The Lost Magician by Piers Torday

Quercus, 2018. ISBN 9781786540515
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Good and Evil, Fantasy. The year is 1945 and Simon, Patricia, Evelyn and Larry have survived the London Blitz and experienced the destructive effects of the bombings on their schools and housing. They are sent off to the countryside while their parents search for a new residence. Secretly, they have been chosen to participate in the classified 'Magician Project' to discover if magic is real and can be used as a powerful force by the Government.
On arrival, young Larry disappears in the old country house and discovers a secret carved wooden door leading into The Library. Here there are three sections of books, Read, Unread and Never Read. Of course, he's selects a book and is swept into a magical kingdom led by a fairy knight flying on a tiger-winged butterfly. His siblings do not believe his wild tales about the magical kingdom, preferring to swim and explore the countryside around Barfield Hall. When Evelyn discovers the secret portal, she chooses a different section and is drawn into the Never Reads world - Folio, ruled by evil secretary Jana and her silver robots. Evie makes a pact to return with the rest of her siblings to assist in the evil plans to destroy the fantasy characters and fantasy world.
Torday includes so many recognisable elements, blood drops revealing hidden texts, giant talking trees, assistance by fairy tale creatures, here the Three Bears help in their rescue. His central theme differs from that of C. S. Lewis, the battle is fought between knowledge and imagination: Jana believes in a factual world filled with numbers. She delights in turning, giants, fairies and other magical creatures into strings of data. There is the difficult and dangerous quest to find the Magician. The author imbues the characters with a deeper sense of self, Evelyn - Evie struggles with her allegiances and her trouble memories of her school being bombed.
In The Lost Magician, Guardian children's fiction prize winner Piers Torday's decision to pay homage to C. S. Lewis and his Narnia Chronicles, delivers a very familiar format. He has added Tolkien touches, included recognisable fantasy characters and common fantasy tropes. This is an interesting junior novel, one for fans of the genre.
Rhyllis Bignell

Competing for the Cup by Bobbi JG Weiss

Ride series, Book 2. Candlewick Entertainment, 2018. ISBN 9780763698553
(Age: Teenagers+) Recommended. Competing for the Cup is the second book in the Ride series, and is based on a TV show aired on Nickelodeon. Competing for the Cup follows Kit Bridges after her arrival to Covington, an elite equestrian boarding school in England. Thankfully her father is there with her, and together they are helping each other deal with the death of Kit's mother. In this second instalment, Kit has to prepare for the House Cup competition, and she is raring to prove just how far herself and her horse TK have come. But life isn't always that simple: Friends and frenemies acting stranger than usual, someone leaving encouraging sticky notes with tips for bonding with TK for her, and lastly catching her Dad on a dinner date. Kit may have more problems than she can handle. This story explores life issues and the struggles one can have when moving to a new home, as well as other teenage issues surrounding friendships and first loves. Kit is strong minded but her emotions seem to get in the way of her decision making at times. Still recovering from the events from the first installment she tries her hardest to be normal at this new school she now calls home. Kit's father Rudy is portrayed as a strong father figure to not only Kit but some of the other students as well. But he seems to be ready to move on in his romance life sooner than Kit expected. Lastly, since there are a number of other characters in the TV show that the story follows, the author does well to balance the chapters between them all. Overall, I believe this to be a good series for teenagers and would recommend the series to teenagers and above.
Kayla Raphael

Seeker of the Crown by Ruth Lauren

Prisoner of Ice and Snow Book 2. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781681191331
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Valor risks everything to protect her friends in this second book in a thrilling fantasy series that's Percy Jackson meets Frozen.
'One month has passed since Valor broke her twin sister Sasha out of jail. But the girl who imprisoned her to begin with - Princess Anastasia - has gone missing. The queen, desperate to find her daughter, asks Valor and Sasha to track Anastasia down and bring her home.
But just as the girls and their friends embark on the search, the queen also vanishes, throwing the realm into utter chaos. If Valor can't restore order, she risks getting sent back to prison . . . and tearing her newly reunited family apart once again. She must rely on people she can't quite trust, as well as her own instincts, to protect the people she holds dear.' (Publisher)
I could not put down Prisoner of ice and snow, the first book in the series and this was no exception. I found myself going to bed early to read as much of it as I could before I fell asleep. It is fast paced, and I loved the descriptive language that Lauren so cleverly intertwines into the story. Despite this book being a sequel, it could in fact be read as a stand-alone.
It is a great read for fantasy readers starting from age 10 and up. Valor is an incredibly strong lead character and I love the fact she is female. The plot is complex and continually twists and turns. There is certainly no sexism in this book with both male and female characters taking on the roles of archery, guards, royalty and hunters. This is a welcome companion to the first book and a must read.
Kathryn Schumacher

Athena the story of a Goddess by Imogen and Isobel Greenberg

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408892497
(Age: 8+) Greek myths, Athena, Gods and goddesses, Women. Athena the story of a Goddess, is a collaboration between the Greenberg sisters, with Imogen retelling the story and Isabel providing the arresting images. The tale of the goddess Athena is retold in comic style, part Graphic Novel, part text, while the pages are filled with illustrations full of the fire of her life reflecting the images presented on Greek antiquities. Some pages are presented in full comic mode, with illustrations bound by frames, and conversation given in bubbles in the air, while others are presented in larger amounts of text with some illustrations, but all is easily read, the text and drawings conveying to all readers the tenor of her life.
From the story of her birth when she appeared out of Zeus's skull!, Athena soon made her headstrong self known. She was a strong, wise woman who showed distinct favour to humans, frowned upon by the other gods watching from Mount Olympus.
In this publication, we see her outwit Poseidon to have a city named after her (Athens), destroy the life of one more talented than her (Arachne) changing her into a spider, challenge her sisters to charm a shepherd by the name of Paris, and watch over Odysseus on his return home from the Trojan Wars. The lives of gods and goddesses intersect with humans in these stories, the gods and goddesses having power of life and death over humans, and sometimes playing with them like toys.
Athena's strength in dealing with others who cross her path is captivating, and the retelling is accessible to all young readers, who will enjoy the black outlined illustrations.
A double page at the start gives quick biographies of the main protagonists in the tale of Athena, and the endpapers show the illustrations seen on Greek vases, used as a reference for Isabel's illustrations.
Fran Knight