Orca Sports series. Orca Book Publishers, 2018. ISBN
9781459816534
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Sport - Athletics, Family,
Overcoming difficulties. Leon experiences the worst outcome during
his High School 4 x 100metre relay event - the end of his sprint
career due to a mid-race accident. The turmoil of having his life
turned upside down because of his injury, results in family
difficulties and emotional distress. Nothing will ever be the same
again! A chance meeting at the Physiotherapy clinic with Casey, the
feisty, spirited and attractive teenager, changes his direction, and
potentially leads him towards a new way of living. But is her
direction healthy, or does her own struggle in life put Leon in
danger of some unwise choices? Can he run again, or should he just
give up?
This book takes the reader into the story of an American teenager on
the brink of College life, whose hopes for an Athletics scholarship
get crushed because of injury. Family relationships and disharmony
are addressed, as well as the generational dilemma of coping with a
grandparent on the brink of dementia. But essentially it is a story
of someone at the crossroads trying to deal with difficulty in their
life and to recover from disappointment, all within the context of
school athletics and sporting aspirations. Casey's problems are
intense, and we know there are major problems, but her power to
inspire Leon gives hope where there was none. Problems do not
disappear, but the future for the two teens will not be plain
sailing. This book will be appreciated by sports fans, but also by
others who understand the teenage predicaments that the characters
face.
Recommended for readers aged 13+.
Carolyn Hull
Topspin by Sonya Spreen Bates
Orca Sports series. Orca Book Publishers, 2013. ISBN 9781459803855
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Tennis, Sabotage, Competition. Kat
has made it to the Junior Tennis championship at Melbourne Park.
This is the chance she has always wanted but Miri, her Doubles
partner, seems to be up to something, and it seems to involve the
unwitting tennis player, Hamish - Miri's very likeable boyfriend.
The tension between Kat and Miri is growing and affecting Kat's
ability to perform on court in both her Singles game and her Doubles
contests. Kat decides she needs to figure out what is behind Miri's
growing secrecy and strange connection with the unpleasant
character, Dray. Kat's sleuthing uncovers a plot that could damage
Hamish's chance in the championship. Will this information put them
all in danger, and will she be able to protect Hamish from Dray's
sabotage?
This is an action book - action on the tennis court and in the
uncovering of the plot to sabotage a tennis player's success. It is
exciting and full of the language, strategy and interest of
competitive tennis for Junior participants. It is also a mystery and
adventure involving the young under 16 characters. This is the kind
of book that young sports lovers will love, because of the
past-paced and intriguing environment of competitive sport. The
action off court is also exciting and slightly cautionary, with
competitive tendencies sometimes making the participants quite
unpleasant in their desire to win.
Recommended for readers who love sport, aged 12+.
Carolyn Hull
Off the rim by Sonya Spreen Bates
Orca Sports series. Orca Book Publishers, 2015. ISBN
9781459808881
(Age: 13+) Recommended. Themes: Basketball, Cyberbullying, Mystery
Adventure. Dylan Lane is in his American school's basketball team
and they are on the brink of making the playoffs. This is their last
chance, with team members facing College and post-school career
choices. Basketball plays and training become very important, as
does improving the playing skills of Noah, the weakest link in the
team. Dylan's girlfriend Jenna is in the girls' team and they have
already made it to playoffs. Will Dylan's team fall short? Can Jenna
help? But this is not the only drama Jenna and Dylan face. For some
reason Jenna is being targeted with a string of texts and emails
that threaten her if she does not stay 'quiet'. And when these
threats become attempts at running Dylan and Jenna off the road it
is obvious that this is very serious. With Noah's help, eventually
they work towards unravelling the mystery . . . and play basketball for
all they are worth.
This is a book full of the drama of a sporting contest and a
life-or-death mystery with cyber threats. It is exciting and the
language of the basketball sporting contest will appeal to those
steeped in the sport. With characters on the edge of adult life,
this is probably suited to high school readership, but there will be
some younger readers who are basketball buffs who would also enjoy
the action. Set in the USA and written by a Canadian writer who is a
resident of South Australia, this book is a cross-cultural
experience, but young readers who are consumers of American culture
through movies will have no problem connecting with the story.
Recommended for readers aged 13+ (especially those that love
basketball).
Carolyn Hull
Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gewirtz
Candlewick Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763660369
(Age: Older adolescents - Adults) This powerful novel, epic in
scope, presents an undiscovered world that seems to be both
predictably human and terrifyingly inhuman. Seeming to fall into a
new world through a blue glass window, five imaginative siblings
find themselves caught in an unexpected place where what they have
known as normal does not exist. Their aim is to escape but they
cannot understand how they have been caught in the new world, so the
possibility of leaving seems to be physically impossible.
This is a world of upheaval, violence and fear, a world where the
inhabitants are oppressed, bullied and subjugated to rules that
dominate their lives. They are largely unaware of a possibility of a
world that offers freedom, peace or love. We are aware that Gewirtz
subtly suggests changes in our world that mimic that of her
dystopian society, such as control of free thought, of liberal
education, or of equality and justice. Both disturbing and violent,
this world suggests that some of the present and past worlds that we
have known or inherited are the result of the potential for human
beings to allow those with power to overrule others to the extent
that all known freedoms cease to exist, and dominance, in all
aspects of life, to quash the spirit.
In this dystopian world, the inhabitants, strange-looking and with
quite different ideas about life, seem to follow many of the ways of
the children's own world, yet their world runs on different rules.
It ought to be terrifying but the children seem to find the strength
to analyse the way this world works and the strength to resist
further exploration, and to realize the power of their own
individual strength. The power of their minds to dream up a scenario
seems to be one avenue of enabling change, as they discover, and it
is this positive thinking that offers escape but, paradoxically,
alerts the inhabitants to their presence and endangers them.
This novel is about the power of goodness, decency, kindness,
intelligence, and the capacity of the human spirit to overcome
extreme repression. It speaks of aspects of societies that our world
has known, but placing the children in one such world evokes both
our empathy and our fear of the power of thought and persuasion. I
found it disturbing and unsettling to read, with such young people,
unable to reach their own family and known world, plunged into such
a harsh and violent world. The characters, somewhat ingenuously,
appear to not realize the actual threat of that world, and their
strength of character, loyalty and love, appear to enable them to
find the means to flee.
Qualities such as persistence, kindness and decency are important in
the interactions of the children, both within their little group and
with the locals. Their return to their family home is a satisfying
ending, but plunging such young people into such a violent and
oppressive world evokes a disturbing response in the reader.
Beautifully written, this book is suitable for older adolescents or
adults.
Elizabeth Bondar
In-between things by Priscilla Tey
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763689834
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Words. Adventure. Curiosity. A
sumptuously presented picture book which humorously plays with the
word between, inviting readers to see what is in-between the
everyday. Between marvelously attractive end papers, a cat and a dog
romp through the pages, asking the reader to look in-between with
them. The chair is between the parrot and carpet, while the carpet
is between the chair and the floor, but looking between the carpet
and the floor they find things that they would prefer stay there: a
dust ball, fur ball and clump of hair. Going down the stairs into
the cellar reveals a pile of things between the two floors, while
over the page, the idea of between separating two things is
proposed, showing examples of several things that certainly need
something between them.
Each page shows the two animals exploring their domain, pointing out
the importance of things in-between.
With stunningly luminous illustrations, Tey presents a book that
younger children will adore, searching out all the between things on
each page, making connections between the everyday things they see.
Tey loves word play and in this book she gives full reign to those
words to do with between: middle, inside and outside, words to do
with household objects, and some about warm and cold, night and day.
For younger readers this will be a treat, learning new words as they
read of what is between, and having it read a loud, will invoke much
discussion.
Fran Knight
A thousand perfect notes by C.G. Drews
Orchard Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408349908
(Age: 13+) Recommended. The Maestro reigns in Beck's house in much
the same manner as Miss Trunchbull does in Roald Dahl's, Matilda.
An internationally acclaimed and now incapacitated pianist, the
physically imposing matriarch intimidates her son to strive to be a
concert pianist like herself. Beck doesn't rebel despite hours of
piano practice every minute that he is not at school. His hands ache
and so do any other body parts if he speaks up. But he cannot leave
Joey, his baby sister, whom he cares for almost entirely due to his
mother's neglect.
When his teacher pairs him up with August for an assignment, bit by
bit, the free spirited girl forces him to let her into his life. As
the friendship grows and as a date with destiny approaches in the
form of a possible internship with his famous Uncle Jan, his
dysfunctional home life is exposed. Sadly, as so often happens
outside of books, the characters are not galvanized to act until
someone gets really hurt.
A light romance on the one hand, but a very dark and we hope
anachronistic story of domestic violence. Unfortunately this may not
be the case and many abused children and teenagers may continue to
feel so isolated that they have no one to turn to. The role reversal
of the physically and verbally abusive mother figure highlights the
added shame for a powerless male victim. C.G. Drews infers that
women are not exempt from bad character, nor men from taking the
roles of victim or rescuer.
Natural dialogue and Beck's juxtaposed stream of consciousness helps
young adults to appreciate that neglect and oppression are problems
too serious to bear alone. Thank goodness for August and of course,
the villages and authors who give such characters life.
Deborah Robins
The lemonade problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson
Peg + Cat series. Candlewick, 2017. ISBN 9781536200614
(Age: 3-6) Themes: Problem solving. Girls. Cats. Small business.
Mathematics. Peg + Cat is a popular animated cartoon series
for pre-schoolers that features a little girl and her indigo cat
working on mathematical challenges using their problem-solving
skills. Through their series of picture books and television
programs, Jennifer Oxley and Ben Anderson's goal is to encourage
pre-schoolers' curiosity about maths in their daily lives and
creatively solve everyday problems.
In The lemonade problem, Peg and Cat decide to start a small
business selling ice-cold lemonade to people passing buy. Instead of
coins, the little girl decides that one cup costs ten marbles. Peg
always keeps her special marble under her hat. Decorated with
balloons and bunting they eagerly wait for their first customer. Can
the young reader see what is missing? After the teens arrive on
their skate boards, they bargain Peg down on her prices until 1 cup
costs two marbles. Unfortunately, Peg forgets the cups and Cat is
sent off to trade cookies for them. Their friend Viv even draws a
bar graph to help Cat understand the maths problem. More exciting
exchanging occurs as Cat's focus becomes diverted with dancing and
red peppers. Of course, just as Cat arrives to save the day, the
weather changes and no-one wants their cold drinks. As the story
line twists and turns, Peg and Cat use their problem solving skills
to work on a better solution, manage their business and then all is
right in their world.
Oxley and Aronson's characters are sketched with pencil on paper
first with simple shapes and lines drawn on a bright patchwork town
that stands out from the graph paper backgrounds. Mathematical
symbols, signs and shapes add interest, as the concepts of comparing
numbers and reading bar graphs are revealed intrinsically. The Peg
+Cat series have a 'transmedia approach' just right for the
preschool audience, with enjoyable books, animated cartoons and an
interactive games website.
Rhyllis Bignell
The mystery of the colour thief by Ewa Josefkowicz
Head of Zeus, 2018. ISBN 9781788546492
(Age: 12+) This is the story of a girl called Izzy, a cygnet called
Spike and the power of feathers gathered from strong winds. It is a
beautifully written debut about hope, healing and new beginnings.
First there was the accident, then came the nightmares and the
mystery of the shadowy thief who steals all the colours from Izzy's
world... a mystery that needs solving.
This is a beautiful story about a girl's struggle to overcome her
guilt for supposedly causing a car accident that left her mum in a
coma. Izzy's world appears to be falling apart in front of her very
eyes - her best friend is being incredibly mean to her, her dad is
distancing himself from her and school is awful. The author has very
cleverly used the colour thief to steal all hope from the young
girl's life - as she begins to unravel the complexities in her life
the colour slowly begins to return. Izzy sees similarities in her
own life in that of her new friend Toby, who was recently paralysed
from a skateboard accident. Toby brings hope to Izzy's life and
allows small glimmers of hope to appear. This is an emotional read
covering themes including families, friends, challenges at school,
belief, self-belief and most importantly empathy. Suitable for
children aged 12 and it will certainly be a welcome addition to the
collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
A shout in the ruins by Kevin Powers
Sceptre, 2018. ISBN 9781473667785
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Powerfully written and well crafted,
this novel draws together two strands, one set during the cruel
times of slavery plantations and the American Civil War and the
other, ninety years and more later, as George Seldom sets out on a
path toward some kind of atonement. It is a complex weaving of
personal stories - the clues holding it together are a faded note,
an elkhorn handled knife, and a pair of cracked blood veined
glasses. The lives of slave owner Bob Reid and his teenage daughter
Emily, and the ruthless Frenchman, Levallois, are inextricably
intertwined with those of the slaves Rawls and Nurse, two lovers
that will never know freedom. Rawls is a 'runner' a would-be
escapee, and is hobbled to pay for it, his two big toes chopped off,
but he continues to hope that one day he will find the young girl,
Nurse, named for her wetnurse duties. The day they finally meet
again is a moment of silent overpowering emotion, neither of them
daring to speak. Can there be any chance of happiness for them in
the lawless violence of the times?
Author Kevin Powers served in the Iraq War, he obviously knows war
first hand, and it is depressing to realise that the violence he
describes must be written from experience, that men continue to
torture and kill each other now just as they did back then. However,
despite the horror and carnage depicted in the novel there are
glimpses of hope, people strive to love and care for each other, and
perhaps one day find a kind of peace.
I read this book, and then turned to the beginning and read it
through again. It is a complex book, the language is rich and
poetic, the story harsh and cruel, but not without hope. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading it - it is a rewarding read, and adds to
the understanding of what we are as human beings.
Helen Eddy
Stink: Hamlet and Cheese by Megan McDonald
Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763691639
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Stink: Hamlet and Cheese is a
great way to introduce Hamlet and Shakespeare to younger readers.
The main character, Stink, may not be too happy about being the only
boy at Shakespeare camp but it sure beats being stuck at home
without his friends.
Stink's friend, Sophie, makes Shakespeare camp sound amazing. Stink
likes the idea of acting and loves the idea of sword fighting.
Unfortunately, Riley (a girl from school) is also at camp. She is so
annoying and Stink is worried about all of the kissing talk. Does
Riley really want to kiss him? Yuck! Thankfully, Stink's sister and
Sophie help him make a shield. At least he has one way of blocking
any potential Riley kisses!
Despite the kissing threat, Stink still enjoys camp. He gets to see
a Shakespeare play, learns how to insult like Shakespeare and learns
about the words we use today that were actually created by
Shakespeare. As the Saturday performance approaches and family and
friends get ready to attend, Stink starts to worry about that kiss.
Will his anti-kiss shield be enough? Stink: Hamlet and Cheese is a fun and easy read. It has some
funny moments and great characters. The author has included elements
of Shakespeare's plays making them easy to understand. the story
will teach readers about the mysteries behind Macbeth, the famous
quotes and the new words we wouldn't have without Shakespeare. This
book is highly recommended for readers aged 8+.
Kylie Kempster
Peter Rabbit: Hello Peter! by Beatrix Potter
Warne, Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780241324332
(Age: 1-3) Highly recommended. Board book. What a wonderful
introduction to Peter Rabbit and the delightful illustrations by
Beatrix Potter. This board book is for very young children, but
adults reading the rhyming words and looking at the drawings will
also be engrossed and enchanted as they go through the book.
The rhymes are gentle and easy to read aloud. An example is: Peter loves to jump and play,
Peter's had a busy day.
Each rhyme is accompanied on the opposite page by a gorgeous
illustration. Young children will love pointing out the carrot that
Peter is kicking in the air as he plays, and will laugh at the
snoozing Peter after his busy day. There are colourful flowers,
birds and butterflies adorning the pages in soft pastels and the
final two pages are winners: Peter's mother wants to cuddle
Before it's time to sleep and snuggle.
This is sure to become a firm favourite with young children and
their care-givers.
Pat Pledger
Silent but deadly by Pixel Kid and Zack Zombie
Diary of a Minecraft Creeper series. Scholastic, 2018. ISBN
9781742768724
(Age: 7-9) Themes: Bullying, School life, Minecraft computer game.
Pixel Kid and Zack Zombie bring Jasper the Creeper back for another
adventure in "Silent but Deadly." This junior novel is written in
the familiar diary format is packed with Minecraft characters and
filled with gross behaviour, family and school dramas and the
requisite fart jokes.
Jasper the Creeper's class is teaming up with Mr Grossegg's class to
write, produce and perform plays about Minecraft Mythology. Jasper's
group includes his best friend Harry and Burt Sting the biggest
bully and his gang, Blake the Blaze, Zane the Zombie and Sam the
Slime. Harry warns Jasper about these guys and their previous
trouble-making. In drama class they just walk around making fun of
the other students' plays. Their group choose to act out the story
of Sir Farts-a-Lot and his epic adventure slaying an Ender Dragon.
Burt and his gang choose the best roles while Harry and Jasper
become the front and back end of the dragon. Burt's continual
bullying causes problems for Jasper who farts gunpowder whenever
he's stressed or upset.
When they meet at the entrance to the mineshaft after school, Stu,
Jasper's human friend offers him some advice. 'Be better than the
bully don't act like they do.' Of course, things get worse for a
while, Harry's temper causes a fire in the drama room, both Harry
and Jasper are suspended for bullying Burt and his mates.
With help from his family and advice on how to stand up to the
school bullies, Jasper plucks up the courage, battles an Ender
dragon and plays the lead character in his school play.
"Silent but deadly" is another fun addition to the "Diary of a
Minecraft Creeper" series. With all the familiar characters and
typical humour, silly situations and grossness, fans will enjoy this
easy-to-read diary and cartoon style format.
Rhyllis Bignell
Parvana - A graphic novel based on the original book by Deborah Ellis
Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760631970
Highly recommended. "This beautiful graphic-novel adaptation of the
animated film, inspired by Deborah Ellis's beloved novel, tells the
story of eleven-year-old Parvana.
When soldiers burst into her home and drag her father off to prison,
Parvana is forced to take responsibility for her whole family,
dressing as a boy to make a living in the marketplace of Kabul,
risking her life in the dangerous and volatile city.
By turns exciting and touching, Parvana is a story of courage in the
face of overwhelming fear and repression. Readers will want to
linger over this powerful graphic novel with its striking art and
inspiring story." Publisher.
I must say I was not at all excited about reading a graphic novel as
these do not appeal to me at all but I must say I was pleasantly
surprised. We have Parvana as a set text for our Year 6
classes so I was eager to read this version and I was not
disappointed. The illustrations added so much to the story line and
to the overall understanding of the plot. Concepts such as bullying,
war, family, poverty, friendship and the role of women are
presented. It touches on an important time in Afghanistan and the
hardships that may continue to face. Parvana is an extremely strong
willed lead character who takes it upon herself to help bring her
father home at a time where girls were given very little freedom. A
must have to add to the graphic novels' collection.
Kathryn Schumacher
Peg + Cat : The camp problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson
Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763699222
(Age: 5-8) Peg + cat: The camp problem is an engaging story
designed for 5-8year olds. The Peg + Cat series has an
undercurrent of mathematics equations which easily slide into the
stories and essentially enable children to learn about maths without
even knowing it! This story surrounds Peg and her pet Cat who are
dealing with a homesick friend at Camp Niniwawa. The maths topics
include colour patterns and counting in 5 and 10s.
I used this book as a homework reader with my 7 year old and was
pleasantly surprised both with the story and the mix of familiar and
challenging words. The chapters were the perfect length for his
reading level/ability (level 16) and would work either to be read in
one sitting or across a series of days.
During the story we were able to stop and focus on the mathematical
concepts, practising counting by 5s to 100, and used the colour
pattern chapter as a stepping stone to more complex pattern
scenarios. The maths level is around that for a 5 year old but
easily extended.
I really liked this aspect of the book as it was such an easy
pathway from literacy to numeracy. There are a variety of other
titles in this series, where Peg and her trusty sidekick Cat use
maths to solve problems. These would be great to be used in a class
situation, to concrete concepts and enlighten students who may be
finding particular base level number concepts hard. Mr. 7 year old
gave it 3.5 out of 5.
Lauren Fountain
Crash landing by Robert Muchamore
Rock Wars Book 4. Hodder Children's Books, 2017. ISBN
9781444914634
(Age: Secondary) "Jay, Summer and Dylan are fresh out of the biggest
reality show there is. But they're about to discover what fame and
fortune are really about. Jay's brother Theo is young, rich and
famous: but is it making him happy? Summer's got to weather her
one-star reviews and take her career back into her own hands. And
Dylan might soon be seeing the world of show-business from the four
walls of a prison cell. They've got everything to play for."
Not having read a single title from amongst the three preceding
books in the series, I came to the story without any background
knowledge of the various characters. Despite this, it was simple to
piece together sufficient information to understand the motivation
of most of the characters and I found them to be interesting and
engaging. From virtually the first page the book is scattered with
drug references, discussion of life in the music industry, reality
TV shows, prison life and general aspects of the 'seedy side of
life'. Positive, loving relationships between friends and family
are, however, present throughout the story too. Loyalty, honesty and
ethical issues are investigated and provide an interesting dilemma
for various characters. Ultimately, the resolution seemed to be
quite satisfying as certain people receive their comeuppance, which
seems to have been well deserved.
The cover of this book does state that it is not suitable for
younger readers and I would agree with this assessment. With the
main characters being sixteen, this title would best be suited to
readers in secondary school. Initially, a definite romp, filled with
fights and life in prison, the story does have a positive outcome
and a message, without being overly didactic. This title would
probably hold most appeal to young teens.
Jo Schenkel
