Reviews

Julian is a mermaid by Jessica Love

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406380637
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Mermaids, Grandmothers, Imagination, Diversity, Individuality. Julian is mesmerised as he returns home on the tube with his grandmother. Several women are dressed in the most spectacular of costumes, brightly coloured, adorned with jewellry and head dresses, they make an indelible impression on the boy. He dreams of running home, taking off his clothes and diving into the ocean with a tail just like them. And once home, he ferrets around in his apartment for things to dress himself just like the women he saw on the train - the mermaids. He uses the pot plant fronds for his head dress, nabs the flowers from the bowl to put in his hair and the curtains from the windows to make a tail, and when his gran comes out of her bath she gives him a string of costume jewellry for his necklace. The pair then enter the street and make their way to find others just as flamboyantly dressed, making their way to the sea.
A dazzling tribute to all those individuals not afraid to show their difference, who reflect diversity as well as those who support them, this book sings with the exuberance of youth and being an individual.
Colourful, fun filled and light hearted, the cheery liveliness of the two main characters permeates the book as they join the mermaids at the seaside dressed in their finery. The illustrations are amazing, brown sepia tones fill the background against which the luminous colours tell the story of Julian with humourous light heartedness. And the end papers are divine and will entrance all readers.
Jessica Love is a Californian artist and this is her first venture as author illustrator. Classroom ideas are available here.
Fran Knight

Be Cool Be Nice

Templar Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9781787410961
(Age: Teenager/Young Adult) Recommended. I have to be honest when I first saw this book, I thought it was just another activity book but how wrong was I! After doing some googling, I was amazed with the background of this book and the meaning behind it. This is a must read for all boys and girls who have experienced the following:

• Dealt with drama
• Have experienced bullying
• Have experienced selfie addiction
• Have experienced Chronic Bad Attitude Syndrome (CBAS)
• Have goals

Kit meets Covington: Ride by Bobbi JG Weiss

Candlewick Press, 2017. ISBN 9780763698355
(Age: 10-14) "When American teen Kit Bridges moves to England to attend an elite equestrian boarding school, neither she nor her new home will ever be quite the same.
Trying to move on from her mother's death and afraid of riding after a bad fall, plucky fourteen-year-old Kit Bridges doesn't quite know what to expect when her father takes a position at The Covington Academy, a prestigious boarding school in England. Things are looking up when Kit meets her cool, possibly secretly royal new roommate, Anya, and the boys of Covington, like Will, with their charming accents. But she hadn't anticipated such a strict headmistress as Lady Covington. Or the expectation that every student be a rider. Or the wild horse that she seems to have a strange and special bond with. While navigating new friendships, romances, and an alarmingly austere new environment, Kit needs to figure out whether she's ready to get back in the saddle. And at the end of the day, it's hard to tell who will be more changed by her arrival - The Covington Academy or Kit herself." (Publisher)
My sister was always the one who read Trixie Beldon and then my daughter later read The Saddle Club. I can see this book entertaining the next generation of horsey readers. It is based on a Nickelodeon TV show so some readers may be familiar with it. I did love the photos of the characters from the TV show and I did find myself flicking to check them out every now and then. It has an entertaining storyline and I love the old worldly insight into traditional English boarding schools of course with the added bonus of the odd drama thrown in. There are the typical characters of mean girl, popular girl, new girl on the block, popular boy etc etc. By the end of the book you do feel like they are your own friends. It is simple to read and I would recommend it for children aged 10 and up purely for the fact it does touch on young love in a very innocent way. A welcome addition to the horse collection in the library.
Kathryn Schumacher

The wonder of us by Kim Culbertson

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406377170
(Age: 13+) Highly recommended . Friendship on the brink, after spending a school year in different countries? Struggling with your parent's divorce in a little country town while your best friend since kindergarten is swanning around Europe? How do two best friends reconnect when distance would otherwise have them drifting apart? First, Riya invites Abby to Europe, arranging an epic tour through six countries to show Abby, the history nerd, as many sights of interest as they can squeeze in. Not entirely altruistic, Riya intends to tell Abby at the last stop, that she's not coming back to California to graduate and attend college with her.
An overbearing chaperone, Riya's cousin Neel, is the catalyst for most of the misadventures in the story. Neel isn't letting the girls out of his sight but they have other ideas. The early tension is mostly between the two cousins. Neel has relationship problems of his own as Riya and Abby spend much of their time squabbling and making up amidst a wonderfully cosmopolitan backdrop.
This travelogue across Europe, hops predictably between historical locations metaphorically linked to the seven wonders of the ancient world. Kim Culbertson and her research assistants, have styled these cities appealingly into the section divisions of the novel. The theme of shared childhoods being a foundation for a lifelong friendship despite geographical separation is built incrementally by changing narrators in alternating chapters. Fittingly, the girls have contrasting personalities and interests - Riya enrols in a drama course and Abby plans a future based on her passion for history. The light romance thread is suitable for tweens but Culbertson's craft accentuates the key message - that two friends can grow up to follow different destinies without necessarily growing apart. The last 'wonder' might be that the author discusses all manner of relationship break-ups without leaving the 'Clean Literature' category.
Deborah Robins

Crash! Boom! a maths tale by Robie H. Harris

Ill. by Chris Chatterton. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406380514
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Maths. Building. Experimentation. Perseverance. STEM. Resilience. Elephant wants to build something as tall as he. He experiments, calculates, builds and when his efforts fall to the floor, he cries but he tries again. Surrounded by a number of different shaped building blocks, he tries them out, adding one to the other. Younger readers will love to call out which is the next block Elephant should pick up and delight at the shape he is building. They will offer suggestions, make deductions and encourage him to try again as the book is read, noting the numbers and shapes that are offered on each page.
He tries again until his building is finished, and this time he is the one who makes it fall down. After that he uses all the shapes on the floor around him to make a final shape.
The bucket of blocks is used over and over to make different shapes, encouraging the readers to make up their own, so have some ready.
The clear pictures are a treat, Elephant is always energetic, the pictures flowing from one page to the next, showing movement as Elephant attempts his tasks. His disappointment when his first building tumbles will be recognised by all readers, each of them having to cope with small disappointments as they try new things, but like Elephant will try again.
This is a lovely introduction to the ideas of trying things out, of experimenting, of overcoming disappointment and trying again, and is well suited to any classroom or home library where open minds are encouraged.
Fran Knight

Honor code by Kiersi Burkhart

Lerner Publishing Group, 2018. ISBN 9781512429961
(Age: 14+) Sam is excited to be enrolled into Edwards Academy, a prestigious boarding school, as she believes it will be a positive move towards achieving her dream of getting into Harvard Law School. The Academy is everything Sam has not had before, a true sense of belonging amongst high achievers who respect each other and 'look out' for each other according to 'The Honor Code' of Edwards Academy. This Honor Code was written by students for students and it is something they all respect and abide by.
Everything seems to be going well for Sam, she had a great roommate called Gracie and Sam is certain they will be best friends forever; she had joined several clubs and she is slowly starting to feel that she really belongs here. One of the clubs Sam has joined is Art club where the most popular senior boy Scully poses for the budding artists to sketch. To her delight, Sam is paired with Scully for the upcoming school Mixer (dance) and the girls start planning for the much-anticipated event.
The story takes a turn from this point of the story and Sam questions the values and authenticity of the Honor Code and all that Edward's Academy stands for.
This book explores the dark depths of institutions and those who are coveted in these societies vs those who are not. There are power struggles between the popular and the not, the rich and the poor, the fake and the real and highlights the lengths we go to have a voice.
Themes in this book are: school relationships, friendships, values, justice and social status. This story would appeal most to girls who like reading about friendships and struggles faced in a school setting and going after what means the most to you... at all costs.
Gerri Mills

Down among the sticks and bones by Seanan McGuire

Wayward Children book 2. Tor, 2017. ISBN 9780765392039
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) Recommended. Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books 2018. Themes: Horror, Fantasy, Fairy tales, Diversity, Gender stereotypes. Fans of Seanan Mcguire's books will have encountered twin sisters Jack and Jill in the first book in the Wayward Children series, "Every heart a doorway".  "Down Among the Sticks and Bones" tells the story of what happened to them before they were sent to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children.
This not a story for the faint hearted or for younger teens. It is dark and compelling and the atmosphere is chilling. Jacqueline is the perfect child, who is dressed like a little doll and is always quiet and respectful. Jillian is the opposite - outgoing and risk taking and their father's favourite. The twins don't trust their parents and when they turn twelve they find a staircase that leads them into another land, the mysterious land of the Moors where vampires and werewolves roam and a mad scientist does his experiments.
It is here that Jack finds out what she really wants to be and that she doesn't have to fit into a gender stereotype. She studies with the mad scientist, and falls in love. Jill is left in the castle and becomes increasingly frustrated and angry. To tell more would spoil this beautifully crafted but terrifying story, but it is sufficient to say that there are heart breaking incidents, betrayal, and terrible choices to make.
Pat Pledger

MunMun by Jesse Andrews

Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760523596
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. From the opening chapter, in its enigmatically entitled 'LifeandDeathWorld, Prayer', Jesse Andrews plunges the reader into a strangely dystopian world. Andrews plunges into a reality that is actually full of terrible iniquities and compromising levels of power, where a large amount of money and power brings riches and enables people to undergo a change to increasingly larger size, and with a loss of power reduced to its opposite, utter powerlessness, brings the tiniest creatures of all, the 'littlepoor'. Shape and size reflect wealth and poverty, categorized for us clearly on the inside cover of the novel. Plato, Geoffrey Chaucer, George Orwell, Dr Seuss, Joseph Keller, and Ray Bradbury wrote with a similar purpose, warning us of what they found amiss in their own times.
When Jonathan Swift wrote, "Nothing is great or little otherwise than by comparison" in Gulliver's Travels, we were introduced to his notion of a world at risk in his strangely peopled world. Andrews has chosen Swift's words to preface his work, MunMun, and his depiction of a notion of size and scale, that relate directly to power, is clearly at the heart of his construction of story, place and time. We discover immediately that characters in this novel can be almost as small as an acorn and can grow in importance, that is, having the money and power to 'upscale', to being as large as doublescale, or as 'Bigrich", even enabling a transformation to almost absolute power - where a character might be 'transformed' - to be as tall as a skyscraper. Of course, they can be scaled down or even be forced to return to minute size under certain conditions. In fact they can be any shape or size or colour, such as Prayer, who has "ruby wine skin" with a head "narrow and shaped like a bean".
Characters might live in different places, yet both place and character appear to float in time and space, and characters might take themselves to places where they feel comfortable or visit unsettling places. We understand that in 'dreamworld', characters might create dreams that can be shared or tap into the dreamworlds of others, but in this particular world everyone is 'exactly middlescale' and everyone is safe. Here people are free to create anything that they desire, such as making a 'pool out of cloud'. In "lifeanddeathworld" characters are fearful of the dangers. Irony is at play here, as surely these worlds reflect our own world just as it is, even undiscovered: a series of planets, moons and suns all floating in space.
At the heart of all his worlds "Mun mun" dominates people's lives and his warning, through analogy, is clear. His chilling stories, the harsh worlds of his characters, and their fate, are a clarion call to us to be aware of some of the worst aspects of our world. Words and phrases are frequently suggestive of our world, reflected in its enigmatic nature. The seductive lyricism of this novel, and its powerful suggestions deeply underlie its political intent: as we read of people who are 'middlepoor", we are surely expected to consider what Andrews is suggesting.
There is a hint of a thread of kindness and goodness that is depicted strongly in the central character and his family, particularly in the religious beliefs and loving kindness of the mother, who believes in the "Lord King God" and old-fashioned religion, and whose gentle soul does not tap into the terrifying world that is at the heart of this novel. Whom can you trust? There are good people, there is loving and there is kindness, but mostly there is fear and rivalry and powerlessness that threaten all who try to survive their 'little lives'.
Satirical, fast-paced, and at times terribly violent, with many people showing almost no concern for the wellbeing of anyone outside of their own body type, the characters of Andrews' novel are distorted to reflect his purpose. The biting humour, deep sarcasm and pervasive fear would seem also to reflect our modern world. Exposing his characters' dread of the power of 'the other', he creates those 'huge' people who must be respected and obeyed, and the reference is clear. We are led gently but firmly to consider power that controls and often that destroys others, and to be aware of the ever-present threat of a world of dark and terrible violence.
Elizabeth Bondar

The Price Guide To The Occult by Leslye Walton

Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763791103
(Age: 15+) Themes: Supernatural, Fantasy, Rivalry, Black Magic, Dark arts, Self harm. Seventeen year old Nor is the eighth generation of Blackburn women on Anathema Island off north west Canada. The first Blackburn woman, Rona, an extraordinary witch, had an affair with one of the original eight settlers, and he and his friends try to burn her out. But she escapes, bringing into the world her daughter, the second in the line of witches. Each generation has weakened powers and Nor, not wanting any part of it, is aware that her Burden when it comes in her pre teens is more powerful than she expected. But she is torn, and this is manifested in her self harm. Scars ravage her arms and chest and all knives are secured in the house where she lives with her grandmother. One day she discovers a book "The Price Guide to the Occult", written by her mother, Fern, delineating how much people can pay for her spells, some spurious but others part of the heritage of the family. Fern abandoned her daughter after using her blood for her own ends resulting in Nor's first scars.
But the self serving woman has returned, and the animals and plants that Nor can understand warn her, the island feels different and Nor knows that the spells her mother sells can only mean one thing, that the price is not money but blood and death. Fern is now a Black Witch accessing the darker side, negligent of the results. Nor must stop her.
Back home after a run, she feels apprehensive and finds her mother in the kitchen. A power struggle ensues, Fern testing just how much power her daughter now has, Nor trying vainly to curb the damage the woman is doing to others in the house.
A cat and mouse game to the death ensues, with enough supernatural touches to keep an intrepid reader hooked to the end. It is dark and bloody, and some readers may find it hard to read, especially those parts where Nor talks about her self harm.
The author includes an afterword about self harm, offering help from organisations which readers can contact.
This is a book for the older reader.
Fran Knight

The things that I love about trees by Chris Butterworth

Ill. by Charlotte Voake. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406349405
(Age: 5+) Recommended. This book looks at the seasons of the year and how trees change with the different seasons.
This book is a combination of story and some facts, which are written in the book in a way that makes them seem part of the story.
At the end of the book there is a page of ideas of activities you could do with trees like building a den, collecting things that come from trees to compare, make a picture using leaves, or sticks, see what animals you can find living in the tree and the most fun of all climbing.
This book could be used for science looking at either living things or seasons.
It includes an index at the end of the book.
I recommend this book for 5+
Karen Colliver

The King of Birds by Alexander Utkin

Translated by Lada Morozova. Gamayun Tales 1. Nobrow, 2018. ISBN 9781910620380
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: War, Loyalty, Magic, Folk tales, Russia. Based on Russian folk tales and vividly illustrated in a graphic novel form this beautifully designed book is engaging on many levels. We are introduced to Gamayun, the all-knowing narrator, a human faced bird who warns us the stories might be scary. The first story involves a tree, in the garden of a warrior princess, which produced magic golden apples. Apples are stolen and a pursuit ensues but that is another story. An apple is dropped and found by a mouse who keeps it for himself. His friend, a sparrow finds out and complains to the King of Animals about the greedy mouse. The Lion King (and there is a remarkable resemblance!) dismisses the sparrow who goes and complains to the King of the Birds (a very scary Imperial Eagle) about his treatment. Soon the two kingdoms are at war and after three brutal days of fighting the birds win. The next episodes involve the eagle being restored to strength by a merchant, who, when bitten by a snake can understand birds and animals. Later the recovered eagle turns into the blue skinned brother of a strange, Queen of the Cooper Realm who they visit on her island. Then they go to island of the Silver Realm, whose Queen is another sister and finally the youngest sister's island, the Golden Realm. The merchant is rewarded with a golden chest which he is forbidden to open until he reaches his home. But that is another story. There is a lot of unjustified violence and testing of loyalty, not a sanitised fairytale, more like some of the original Brothers Grimm and Aesop's Fables. The powerful leaders don"t seem to have many redeeming qualities and the merchant is happy to follow instructions in exchange for a reward. Some of the characters look a bit "Disney" but that is where the similarity ends. Recommended for lovers of graphic storytelling of any age, plus it will be a good primary school library book which will stand many readings.
Sue Speck

Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher

Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780718184131
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Dystopian fiction. Eve is the last girl on earth, she is humanity's only hope, and she has a mind of her own.
Imagine Rapunzel crossed with The Handmaid's Tale and something more farfetched than pigs flying. You've pretty much got Eve of Man. There's very little chance that in our future women will stop being born without a scientific explanation, which is good for us, and I guess makes Eve of Man a lot less scary than it otherwise could be.
Eve is the first female born for fifty years, which means there is finally hope for a new generation. For her safety Eve is confined in a hi-tech tower, educated and kept company by a group of women who chose to leave their lives to raise her. They are her mothers. But life isn't so simple. Eve has a best friend, Holly, a holographic girl who is controlled by men somewhere on the levels below, and being extraordinarily perceptive Eve is aware that Holly only has three pilots and she has her favourite. Now she is old enough to start considering her reproductive future, Eve is meeting her potentials. Three young men each tested and chosen for the optimal offspring. However, things aren't actually as simple as girl meets boy. Particularly not when boy tries to kill girl. In the chaos Eve is swept away by one of her guards, who, like "all men" succumbs to his desires, trapping them in an elevator. Alone. But not for long. Bram, Eve's favourite Holly, rushes to her rescue, his devotion knowing no bounds and endangering them both. It isn't long before Bram is put on suspension, his life threatened, and his escape from the tower made. His real task is set to begin. Can he rescue Eve in time?
The novel deals with the discovery that the world isn't just black and white but a spectrum of shades of grey. Bram must decide between his family and humanity in order to do what is right. I would recommend to lovers of dystopian fiction twelve and up.
Kayla Gaskell

Sam and Ilsa's last hurrah by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Allen and Unwin, 2018. ISBN 9781760293857
(Age: Senior secondary) Themes: Anxiety, friendships, Relationships, twins, change, sexuality. It is a time of change for twins, Sam and Ilsa, not only are they about to leave school but their grandmother, who they call Czarina, and whose New York luxury apartment has been their playground, is selling up and moving to France. As a "Last Hurrah" they plan a dinner party in the apartment, each secretly choosing three people to invite. Sam and Ilsa are very different, Sam, a high achiever, conservative and anxious, is musically ambitious. Ilsa is the extrovert, wild and challenging, her poor academic record making it hard for her to imagine a satisfying future, she is more concerned about Sam's future after his anxiety caused him to perform badly in an audition and the subsequent emotional crisis left him very fragile. The tension mounts as the guests arrive, a mix of old friends, ex boyfriends, and new acquaintances, including one who communicates through a sock puppet. Old wounds are opened and new possibilities canvassed then a storm brings things to a head and a power cut breaks the tension allowing everyone to move on. Along the way anxiety in its many forms is discussed and the various ways they all experience it and deal with it, whether by therapy, medication, bottling it up or acting it out. Relationships are explored and plans for the future. At one point Sam asks "how do you leave?" and there is a serious discussion about change and destinations that make this a meaningful coming of age story leavened with humour and absurdity. The first person interleaved account allows us to see each twin's perspective and the rich dialogue keeps the story moving fast. At times it was hard to keep track of all of the eight characters and the precocious, rich kids are rather unappealing. The ending is a bit unnecessary and awkward but year 11 and 12 students will recognise and relate to, this group's insecurities and the issues they face.
Sue Speck

Square by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406378658
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. Themes: Perception, Shapes, Building, Perfection, Genius. The two large eyes which stare out of the cover, a brown square within the square shape of the book, replete with two small brown legs to stand on, will encourage the reader to open the pages.
Within they will find that Square lives secretly, within a cave, and each day he takes a block from his cave and pushes it to the top of a group of blocks that he has assembled on the hill. Circle wanders by and sees his blocks, exclaiming how wonderful a sculptor he is: a genius. Square is nonplussed, unsure of what Circle means. And when Circle leaves, she asks him to make a statue of her, meaning to return tomorrow. Square is distraught, he has no idea of how to make a circle, and is equally unsure of what Circle means, but he takes out a hammer and chisel and begins to sculpt.
This subtle story of perception, of seeing things differently will enthrall younger readers as they watch Square at work, concerned with him that he will not get it right. But then what is right?
Square chisels away through the night and its driving rain, to wake next morning surrounded by a group of stones, filled with water, and Circle is enraptured by something quite different than the readers may expect.
Again, perceptions are turned upside down and the question the book finishes with will evoke much discussion.
The stunning images in the book use basic browns, blacks and white shading to more grey as Square becomes troubled by the work he is doing for Circle, but paring back to more white space as his gloom disappears with the new day.
This is a wonderful story about life's challenges, sure to evoke much discussion amongst readers.
Fran Knight

Rescue and Jessica: A life-changing friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes

Ill. by Scott Magoon. Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763696047
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Themes: Service dogs, Disability. This book is the story of Rescue a pup who was learning to help people and Jessica who was an amputee. They were both worried about what life would be like and neither of them wanted to let anyone down.
While Rescue learned the skills to be able to help someone, Jessica was learning new ways to do things. They both have fears to overcome.
When Rescue and Jessica finally met Rescue showed Jessica all the things he was able to do, and they were together all of the time.
Rescue had a profoundly positive influence on Jessica's life and she was able to live a relatively normal life.
The illustrations in this book are clear and help to tell the very moving story.
This book is based on a true story.
I highly recommend this book.
Karen Colliver