Reviews

The knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness

Chaos walking, Book 1. Walker, 2008. Reprint. ISBN 9781406379167
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. This is a stunning, unforgettable book with a totally original plot that completely captures the imagination of the reader. Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, where he is constantly battling against the jabber of The Noise. As a result of a virus, everyone in Prentisstown can hear not only each other's thoughts but those of animals. All the women and girls have died so it is a male dominated society. When Todd finds a pool of silence, he discovers to his amazement that it is a girl and he cannot hear her thoughts. Pursued by Aaron, a religious zealot, and the men of Prentisstown, Todd and Viola try to escape and the resulting chase is fraught with danger and adventure.
The Noise is a wonderful ploy that pushes the action packed plot along and brings alive the main characters. One of the most engaging is Manchee, Todd's dog. Ness has managed to give an animal a really credible voice. When Todd and Viola are being pursued, the thrill of the chase is magnified by not only by being able to hear the noise that the men make but their thoughts as well.
The story is much more than an exciting chase. Ness explores a society where women are banned and a fundamentalist religion dominates. Todd faces the moral dilemma of whether or not he can kill a man and the ethics of murdering the Spackle, an indigenous race, are examined.
Pat Pledger

Mummy Fairy and me by Sophie Kinsella

Begone the raggedy witches by Celine Kiernan

The wild magic Trilogy: Book 1 Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406366020
(Age: 10-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Fantasy. Witches. Good and evil. Strong female character. On their way home from the hospital, where Mup's great aunt lies dying, Mup sees the raggedy witches flying along, leaping from tree to tree and following their car. When they fail to persuade Mup's Mam to go with them, they kidnap her father and the family is forced to try and rescue him. On the other side of the border the land is strange and Mam is powerful and strong. Mup realises that she too has witch's powers and is caught up in the struggle of the land between the evil Queen and those who oppose her.
Lyrical prose and wonderful characters made this a story that is hard to put down. The world of the witches is described in detail, and the magic that happens there is unique, frightening and fascinating. There are people who can turn into birds, Mup's little brother is turned into a dog who speaks so that he can keep up on their swift journey and Crow the boy that Mup befriends is a raven who must talk in rhyme.
Mup is an outstanding character, thoughtful, caring and brave, and her courage and moral conviction about good and evil, shines out in the book. As well as many exciting adventures that drag the reader along at break-neck speed, there are dilemmas too that must be considered by the reader. Did Aunty make the right decision in keeping her niece away from the land where she had magical skills and could have been a good leader? Should Crow's mother been more loving and caring? Should people stand up against a tyrannical leader?
This is an exciting and compelling read that will appeal to all lovers of fantasy. It was so original and interesting that I finished it in one sitting and look forward to the next in the series.
Pat Pledger

Rose Raventhorpe investigates: Hounds and hauntings by Janine Beacham

Little Brown Books for Children, 2018. ISBN 9781510201323
(Age: 9+) Recommended. Themes: Detectives. Criminal investigation. Secret societies. A huge ghost dog wanders the streets of Yorke frightening the superstitious townsfolk. Is Barghest the sharp-toothed, red-eyed hound responsible for the death of young Moll a pickpocket in Mad Meg Lane? It's time for young Rose Raventhorpe, her friend Orpheus, and Heddsworth, Rose's butler, to investigate a new crime and find the culprit.
After an early morning fencing practice on top of the city wall, the trio head towards a new chocolate emporium. On the way they discover the crime scene and Rose quietly starts to look at the surroundings for clues the police have missed. Authoress Miss Wildcliffe and her large dog Wolf also happen upon the scene and become falsely accused of the crime. Rose, Orpheus and the secret society of Silvercrest Butlers begin their own investigation as the police try to convince everyone Miss Wildcliffe's dog is to blame. As the action moves through the city there are confrontations, consequences for actions and plenty of drama throughout. The children take on the Lord Mayor's Wakemen who patrol the town bullying and threatening those who stand in their way. With Rose's parents away, she is able to explore the Victorian city, the alleyways, visit Miss Wildcliffe's home on the moors and gather the vital information needed to solve the mystery.
Janine Beacham's third novel in the Rose Raventhorpe investigates series is filled with the colourful characters, atmospheric settings and action-filled scenes that keep the reader wanting more. Hounds and hauntings is a great novel to add to the popular genre of historical mysteries.
Rhyllis Bignell

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Penguin, 2018. ISBN 9780141388663
(Age: 16+) Recommended. Themes: European Fairytales, Supernatural, Fantasy, Young Adult. The Hazel Wood is a terrifying look at Fairy tales that turns the happy ever after notion that is often presented to readers on its head. With this book you are encouraged to fear the fairy tale world and in the immortal words of Frank L. Baum "you are not in Kansas anymore".
We follow 17-year-old Alice and her Mother through what appears to be a relatively normal existence (well for them anyway) where they are always on the move - it leaves the reader intrigued as to what they are running from. Alice is the main protagonist and you feel for her a few pages in. There is also a mysterious Grandmother who has been writing a series of books regarding Hazel Wood which have reached cult status.
It is beautifully written but haunting to the core. It left me both wanting to put it away in the dark place it came from to wanting to keep reading it - not a book I recommend reading on a dark windy night that is for sure. It is truly mesmerising and so dark that it won't be for everyone. Melissa Albert has perfectly written a story for teenagers that will truly speak their language.
Alice's mother is stolen by a character from Hazel Wood and even though she is warned not to come to Hazel Wood if Alice wants to see her Mother again she must. I must admit that pace to start with is slow and you are left wanting more to happen. But as you progress in the story and encounter the characters that are not always to my liking that the true genius of the writing comes to the fore. Melissa Albert's world is twisted, and frightening and very, very unnerving. It reminds me of Stephen King and Dean Koontz where what makes their stories truly terrifying is the element of truth that is present. I am a great lover of horror stories but this one left its indelible mark on me and it one for older readers.
If you like books from Holly Black (Doll Bones) or Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver series) then this is the book for you. The conclusion was great and it could have finished the story there but I am glad to say that there are more planned. I am hoping that they are as dark and disturbing as this one. It certainly stays with you for quite some time after the book is finished and put down.
Elaine Grottick

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781619630123
(Age: 11-14) Highly recommended. Themes: Coming of Age; Identity; Growing up; Puberty. Jeans and sports shoes are the attire of choice for Joylin. She is the girl who would prefer to play basketball rather than do anything that her female friends are interested in. Playing basketball with her friend Jake and the other guys is much more fun than anything else. Her attitude towards the girls at school is full of disdain as they swoon in front of the boys, or primp and preen in front of the mirror, until . . . Santiago comes into her field of view. We then see that Joylin is in fact a normal young person about to undergo the transformations that all teens experience in varying ways. But will she lose herself in the process?
This is a lovely story of growing up and the relentless changes that creep up on a young person as puberty impacts life. Joylin's honesty and the journey through the beginnings of desire are delightful in their revelation for a younger reader. (This would make a good Growth and Development read-aloud for a year 6/7 class). There are other characters in the story who are also dealing with identity (Joylin's younger brother Caden, the artistic, non-sporty type, and her friend KeeLee, the Pastor's daughter; and Glory, the 'dressed-up' basketball star, and maybe even, Jake, the reliable friend.)
Written in a Prose Poetry style, this book would be excellent for a reader who struggles with longer text, but who is on the cusp of Middle School life. But it will be equally enjoyed by capable readers because they will recognise the changes that are flowing through the story.
Highly recommended for age 11-14 years
Carolyn Hull

Eric makes a splash by Emily MacKenzie

Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408882962
(Age: 4+) Themes: Fear, Overcoming fear, Swimming. Eric is a worrier. He worries about the smallest of things: getting lost in the park, making his boots dirty, splashing in a puddle, what Mum has given him for lunch. So much so that he halts at trying different things or even doing everyday things. His friend, Flora is fearless, and buoys him up when he is worried. She often offers an alternative perspective of whatever they are doing, making him imagine that he is somewhere else or perhaps something else.
So when he pulls back at splashing in the puddles, she asks him to imagine that he is a piglet or a hippo rolling about int he mud. When he is troubled by climbing the frame she suggests that he imagines that he is a spider with legs that attach themselves using their sticky web. But when an invitation comes along for a pool party he is dismayed. Flora must make an extra effort to get him into bathers and to the pool's edge and finally into the water. But when he realises that he can swim he finds that he has another problem to solve: Flora.
This is an easily digested story of overcoming fears, of how friends can help, and will be read eagerly by younger readers, ready to offer their own examples of fears and how to get over them.
Fran Knight

Peg + Cat : The camp problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763699222
(Age: 6+) Peg and Cat can't wait to go to Camp Niniwawa with their friends Ninja Girl, Aki and Richard. But Richard, a space creature, is really homesick. It's a big problem! A little pattern-making in arts and crafts helps him feel better, and so do the coolest counsellors around - the Teens! But Tessa and Jesse are so focussed on the battle of the bunks that Peg gets worried, winning isn't everything, which bunk - the Gophers or the Raccoons - will get to one hundred points first? And what about sportsmanship? Doesn't that count for something?
I was pleasantly surprised with this book and can see it becoming a firm favourite with many children. It will fit nicely into the section of our library that I call 'quick reads'. It is a great book for those that are testing the waters of chapter books. The story line is simple to follow and the benefit of a mix of text and pictures is a bonus. It does discuss the notion of winning at all costs which would offer teachers a chance to chat about this notion. Will certainly be highly sought after. Peg + Cat is the Emmy Award-winning animated TV series.
Suitable for ages 6 and up.
Kathryn Schumacher

There's someone inside your house by Stephanie Perkins

Pan Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781509859801
(Age: 15+) Themes: Horror. Teen slasher. Romance. Makani Young has settled in Nebraska, after leaving behind a dark past. She has made friends with Alex and Darby and has a crush on Ollie, the strange boy who has dyed his hair pink. Then there is a series of shocking murders, starting with the popular Haley, star of the school's drama club. How is Makani involved? Does it have something to do with the secret about her past that she is desperate to keep?
Stephanie Perkins is best known for her romances, Anna and the French kiss,  Isla and the happily ever after, and Lola and the boy next door, all of which are wonderful stories of love. There is certainly a strong element of romance in There's someone inside your house, with Makani and Ollie's growing relationship, but there are also all the elements of a teen slasher movie with some very gruesome murders, culminating in a rather violent chase. At the same time the reader is left wondering just what Makani did to make her leave Hawaii and her ability as a diver far behind.
Perkins is an adept writer, the relationships between the characters are very relatable and the reader is kept in suspense right to the end.
A relatively easy read, this will really appeal to teens who like the horror genre, as it is fast paced, exciting and hard to put down. It is not difficult to see this made into a horror movie and it is one to promote at Halloween!
Pat Pledger

How to hang a witch by Adriana Mather

Before I let you go by Kelly Rimmer

Hachette, 2018. ISBN 9780733639173
(Age: Senior secondary +)This is a stunning modern narrative evoking some of the hardest issues that humans face. With a 2am phone call, Annie is plunged back into her troubled sister's life, realizing that she is being called upon to help once more as she listens to her sister's despair. Kelly Rimmer has written this gripping story with an eye both on the past, and how it can so deeply and negatively effect one's future, while setting her story very much in the present. Annie is a successful young doctor, working in the same hospital as her partner, also a doctor, and planning to marry in the near future. Her sister's call not only evokes dark and disturbing memories of their childhood, but also forces her, and her partner, to respond beyond their expectations.
Stories of drug dependency are always going to evoke a sense of helplessness when a person is asked to respond to the care and needs of a family member, but this time, with a baby coming to her heroin-addicted sister, Lexie, Annie must be involved. The strong familial bond will be enough, Rimmer hints, early in the narrative, but she also raises the concerns of Annie's husband-to-be, her workplace, and quite simply, the time she will have to take off work to care for her sister and baby.
This novel is set in the USA, but shares the common story with the modern world of drug addiction and dysfunctional families. Rimmer extends her story back to the terrible events and cataclysmic effects of things that happened in childhood. When these are inconceivably bad, abusive and lastingly disturbing to the characters, then the writer is challenged to find a solution that makes sense to the reader. So we see that Rimmer carefully reveal the details of the past that explain the present, and suggests the best possibility for the future, evoking both deep familial love, forgiveness and tenderness that heal when life has handed too much to one with a broken spirit.
This is a riveting and beautifully crafted story, with the tragic and terrible events of the past acknowledged for their effect on the characters, yet evoking our empathy through descriptions of the deep love, support and care that families, at their best, engender. Rimmer deals with important and distressing issues so deftly that the novel is utterly captivating, while being 'heartachingly' sad. It would be acceptable for senior secondary reading but not for younger readers.
Elizabeth Bondar

Guinness World Records: Science and Stuff

Guinness World Records, 2018, ISBN 9781910561638
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Subjects: Science - Records, Earth Science, Robotics, Science Experiments. Guinness World Records: Science and Stuff is a big, bold dive into an amazing array of scientific records, from around the world, under the earth and into the sky. Catchy titles, fun facts and figures, close-up photos all engage the reader in an amazing array of scientific endeavours, amazing animals, robotics and Mad Science. Why go to Mars, what does Usain Bolt eat, what makes burps so loud are all big questions people want answered. The Guinness World Records team take us deep into the ocean to learn about octopus intelligence, into space to explore travel to Mars and hygiene and toileting on the International Space Station. With section of unusual animals, investigating science careers from dino-poop collection to becoming a pyrotechnician, there's something for everyone.
Mad professor Burnaby Q Orbax, and his lab assistant Sweet Pepper Klopek present ten cool experiments to try at home including the familiar Mentos and soda car, creating superslime and making a marshmallow catapult. Science is presented in a crazy, fun, exciting way capturing the interest of a wide reading audience. Of course there are the grossest, weirdest, most unusual and bizarre facts presented in a bright, bold format, layered photographs, double-page spreads packed with colourful text. There are backgrounds that pop and information written with an easy to read style.
Guinness World Records: Science and Stuff is an excellent resource for STEM teachers, a fabulous addition to a classroom or school library and for a scientifically minded reader from eight to eighty.
Rhyllis Bignell

Libby in the middle by Gwyneth Rees

Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408852774
(Age: 9-12) Themes: Family life, Sisters, Moving House, Secrecy, Adolescence. Libby in the Middle is a realistic family story, centred around twelve-year-old Libby, her fractured relationship with her older sister Bella and her interactions with much younger Grace. Gwyneth Rees explores the impact of bullying on sixteen year old Bella and the consequent relocation of the family to dad's childhood home. This layered story explores sibling rivalry, there's secrets new and old that come to light and relationships are tested. Told from twelve year old middle sister Libby's point of view, her experiences, mixed emotions about moving and her fractured relationship with Bella is realistically portrayed. Libby also has a cute younger sister, Grace the baby of the family, who seems to have more of their parents' love and attention. Libby is definitely stuck in the middle.
Although dad doesn't want to return to the country, his sister Thecla overturns his decision by offering to pay for the girls' attendance at a private school near the village. Bella is furious about this decision and sneakily plans that Sam her boyfriend follows them and tries to find work as a mechanic. Hiding Sam, finding a place for him to stay, taking food and money from Aunt Thecla lead to arguments between Bella and Libby.
When Libby makes a new friend Tansy in the village whose father is linked to Aunt Thecla and her own dad's past, Libby begins to uncover hidden truths. Libby is a relatable protagonist, thoughtful, lacking in confidence, seeking the truth at all costs and beginning to find her way into her teenage years.
Libby in the Middle explores family dynamics and how the past can influence the present.
Rhyllis Bignell

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Pan Macmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781760555313
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Who doesn't want to be a superhero? Nova despises the Renegades that failed to save her family during the age of anarchy. Taken in by her uncle, the notorious Ace Anarchy, just before The Battle for Gatlon, Nova was raised with the ideals of the anarchists, however neither she, nor her alias Nightmare, were ever quite right for the anarchists. Having retreated underground with the survivors, Nova is thrust back into the fray when a plan to kill Captain Chromium leads the renegades directly to their hiding place. A new plan must now be set in motion, one which her uncle would have approved of - going undercover into enemy territory. Nova must become a Renegade to discover how they can be overthrown and how she can keep her anarchist family safe. However, being a Renegade means adopting a whole new world-view. Can Nova maintain her anarchist roots in spite of the comradery of the Renegades and the particular attentions of Captain Chromium's son, Adrian?
In a world where there are prodigies who can use their powers for good (joining the Renegades) or evil, social structures are threatened as the people go from anarchy to a reliance on superheros. Exploring ideas of loyalty, friendship, and open-mindedness, Nova discovers that no one side is entirely right or entirely wrong. I would highly recommend for fans of superhero or dystopian fiction aged twelve and up. I am certainly looking forward to the sequel!
Kayla Gaskell, 22

Splish, Splash, Ducky! by Lucy Cousins

Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406376791
(Ages: 1-3) Themes: Rain, Rhyming Books. Lucy Cousins (Maisy) brings her distinctive style to a new picture book about a duckling and the joys of a rainy day. She uses the same bold black outlines and vivid colours that have made her such a standout in the world of toddler books. As in most of her books, animals, birds and flowers are abundant and there is minimal background detail or fuss. Also true to her past form, it has good rhythm and sounds great read aloud. It uses simple and short rhymes with a repeated "quack, quack, quack", which children will love joining in with. Duckling loves playing out in the rain with his friends ("Into the pond to play with the swans", "We shake our feathers in the rainy weather") but when the rain stops he is feeling sad and heads off to find his dad. This is a great change from the numerous books that use a mother figure as the go-to parent. Dad makes him see that the sun can also be fun, especially for some other creatures. There are lots of action words (hop, squirm, hug, swim, shake) and water sound words (drip, drop, plip, plop, splash, splish) and young children will be able to relate this to their own experiences with the rain and how it feels and sounds. This is simple, cheerful and vibrant and will be a hit with the toddler crowd, especially those who are fans of the Maisy books.
Nicole Nelson