HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 9780008256944
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. An intriguing title and a fascinating
story about a boy who has been alive for 1000 years. With his mother
(and accidentally the pet cat too) 11 year old Alfie Monk uses a
magical "life-pearl" to halt aging. They are not immortal and can
all still die from injury or accident but will not grow older.
An everlasting life means Alfie and his mother have lived through
great changes but they must move on when people become suspicious
that Alfie never grows into adolescence or adulthood. This means he
must continually leave his normal, aging friends and move to new
homes.
Alfie's father died 1000 years in the past, so it is Alfie, his Mum
and Biffa the cat who have to face the future together but life
changes drastically when a fire destroys not only Alfie's home but
kills his mother as well, leaving Alfie burnt and alone. It is at
this stage he needs to trust 21st century Roxy and Aidan, who
desperately try to be his first real true friends and help him find
the last "life pearl" to begin the aging process for Alfie, so he
can live a normal life.
This a well written and at time humorous story where alternate
chapters give the viewpoint of either Alfie or Aidan.
There is a realisation that eternal life has as many drawbacks as it
does advantages. Alfie has had a variety of historical experiences
that gives him a vast knowledge of the past but he can never have a
real life in the present.
This is a captivating read, where the ending keeps you "on the edge
of your seat" as all is revealed by the final chapters of the novel.
I also enjoyed Ross Welford's What Not to Do If You Turn
Invisible and look forward to reading his other title Time
Travelling with a Hamster which also plays with "time".
I highly recommend this book to students from age 10 years +. A
worthy addition to any library.
Jane Moore
Geis: A game without rules - Book 2 by Alexos Deacon
Nobrow 2017. ISBN 9781910620274
(Age: Middle school - Senior students) Themes: fantasy, medieval,
contest, rules, allegiance, trust. To open this beautifully
illustrated graphic novel is to enter a disorientating medieval
world of sorcerers, serfs, courtiers and nobles. The endpapers
depict a set of a sort of tarot card with titles such as Justice,
Death, the Sun, the Tower, and the action in the story seems just as
arbitrary as a hand of cards. The characters are confined in a
castle where all are compelled to take part in tests. This time the
sorceress Niope divides the people into two teams, one dressed in
black, the other in white, they are told to play the game but no one
knows the rules. The sorceress has servants who are masked,
reminiscent of chess pieces who spy on the teams and do her bidding.
They give each player a coin and a stick, the white sticks can be
used as chalk and the black as charcoal. Some ancient writing
appears on the floor which when translated reads As it is written so
shall it be. It soon becomes apparent that anyone can announce a
game and make the rules then both teams have to play, the winners
collecting coins from the losers. The episodes that follow are
intermeshed with other power struggles within the castle which take
more than one reading to grasp.
The subtle use of colour helps with scene shifts and supernatural
effects but there is a large cast and a list of characters with a
synopsis of the previous volume would have made it more enjoyable.
However, its density will appeal to those looking for a more complex
graphic novel with puzzles and paradoxes to keep the reader engaged.
This is the second text, I would recommend reading the first, Geis:
A matter of life and death and I am sure middle school
students and senior student lovers of fantasy or illustration will
be asking for book three, The Will That Shapes the World,
coming soon.
Sue Speck
Julius Zebra: Entangled with the Egyptians by Gary Northfield
Walker, 2018. ISBN 9781406371802
(Age: 6+) "After being shipwrecked on the shores of Egypt and
mistaken for a Horse God, Julius can't believe his luck! Soon he and
his bedraggled friends will be living it up in the city of
Alexandria; preened and pampered like gods. Then a fancy boat
procession will take them down the River Nile to Giza where, of
course, a lavish party will be thrown in Julius's honour - as well
as getting the obligatory tour of the Pyramids. BUT it is this very
tour that seems to signal the end to their glorious fortunes in
Egypt. On a visit to the Tomb of Cleopatra, Felix is unable to
resist a rather lovely looking treasure for his rock collection . .
. He pockets the jewel and immediately a curse falls upon the group.
And so the ridiculous adventure begins where Julius fights for his
life as the Egyptians come to unravel the truth and realize that he
is not quite what they thought he was . . . "(Publisher)
This highly entertaining book travels between the worlds of fact and
fiction. It will sit alongside Horrible Histories
beautifully in the library. Children will love the peek into
gladiatorial lives and times. Children from six and up with dive
into this book and the almost graphic novel format will appeal to
even the most reluctant readers. The third book in a humorous series
is sure to be a winner with its ridiculous plot and hilarious
characters. I can see our Year 2 classes sharing snippets of this
book as they launch into their lessons on the Romans.
Kathryn Schumacher
Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard
Macmillan, 2018. ISBN 9781509852864
(Age: Senior Secondary) Highly recommended. Themes: loyalty,
relationships, friendship, choices, boundaries. Eden and her best
friend Bonnie never seemed to have much in common but they have been
best friends since primary school. They are both about to sit their
final GCSE exams and both have little sisters; but Bonnie is a
straight "A" student, head prefect, with parents who expect their
perfect daughter to excel. Eden and her sister were adopted when
Eden was nine as her addict mother could not look after them. Eden
struggles at school but thrives in her garden, her own space where
she has ownership, responsibility and can demonstrate achievement
supported by her adoptive parents who are professional gardeners.
The best friends have studied together, shopped together and shared
the secrets of their hearts, or so Eden thinks until the police turn
up at her house asking if she knows where Bonnie is. Eden had that
morning got a surprise text from Bonnie saying she was running away
with Jack, a secret boyfriend Bonnie had mentioned but who Eden
thought was imaginary she was so evasive about him. The text also
said "don't tell anyone" so loyal Eden denies she has any knowledge.
"I didn't think twice about lying for Bonnie. As far as I was
concerned, she'd asked, and I'd agreed, and that was that. I didn't
need any more details or context. A promise is a promise, and a best
friend is a best friend." p9. However it turns out that Jack is
their music teacher, Mr Cohn, the relationship is a crime not only
because he is her teacher but at fifteen and a half Bonnie is also
under the age of consent. Everyone, especially the police find it
hard to believe Eden knew nothing about the affair and she starts to
question how well she really knew her friend and whether she is
doing the right thing agreeing to keep their location a secret.
Eventually Eden confides in Connor, her level headed reliable
boyfriend and builds bridges with her older step sister Valerie and
they find a way forward that does not compromise Eden's values.
Issues of secrecy, betrayal of trust, loyalty, friendship
responsibility and choices make this an important book for young
adults who are entering a world where they have to make their own,
sometimes difficult decisions. Through flashbacks entitled
'Conversations that took on a Different Meaning after Bonnie
Disappeared' Eden sees she had missed signs that her friend had not
had the perfect life she had imagined missing how unhappy Bonnie had
been.
Told in the first person from Eden's perspective the text is
enriched with newspaper articles sensationalising the affair along
with social media posts all of which contrast with Bonnie's secret
text messages which assert that she is happy and in love, seemingly
oblivious to how her actions have affected everyone else. In the
face of it all Eden struggles to do what she believes is right. With
strong believable characters dealing with complex modern lives
encountering real life decisions, this is a book that should be
recommended to all senior students and it would lend itself to class
discussion about any of the main themes.
Sue Speck
Jake Atlas and the hunt for the feathered god by Rob Lloyd Jones
Jake Atlas series. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9781406377712
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Egypt. Aztecs.
Jake Atlas at 12 and a half years old is often in trouble. His
parents are archaeology professors and so are a little out of the
ordinary. Adventure seeks Jake out and the resultant books are a
thrilling ride through ancient civilisations with lots of research
that enhances the text and so will intrigue eager readers. In the
first outing for Jake Atlas, Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the
Emerald Snake, the Atlas family are on vacation in Egypt when
Jake's parents go missing just hours after checking in to the hotel.
An adventure ensues taking them all over Egypt and finally into a
showdown with the People of the Snake.
With Jake Atlas and the feathered god, the readers will
again be on the edge of their seats as Pan and Jake match wits with
mercenaries and treasure hunters and the Lady of the Snake. The
family is on the run in Egypt from the People of the Snake, and are
doing all they can to stop them playing with the future of mankind,
ending up in Honduras where the Feathered God once was found. Into
this intrigue step the International Police, hot on the trail of the
villains, and with Jake's high tech gadgets, fun abounds.
The events are exciting and the vocabulary easy to read. This novel
is highly recommended to all readers aged 10+. It would also be a
great read aloud novel for the year 7 classroom as they study
ancient civilisations.
Fran Knight
We're going on an egg hunt by Laura Hughes
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018. ISBN 9781408889749
(Age: 2-5) Recommended. Lift the flap book. Themes: Easter,
Counting, Egg hunt. The Easter bunnies are off on an egg hunt,
determined to find all the eggs. There are ten of them hidden under
flaps, but there are other surprises on the way.
Children will love to chant along with the refrain that is repeated
throughout the book: We're going on an egg hunt.
We're going to find them all.
We're REALLY excited . . .
HOORAY for Easter Day!
Lifting the flaps reveals the eggs, and children can count along as
they find them. There is another refrain for children to join in Oh, no - . . .
Can't go over them.
Can't go under them.
Can't go around them.
The bunnies are very cute and readers will delight in seeing all the
farmyard animals that they come across in their search for the eggs.
This is a fun board book, sturdy in construction and a great read
aloud in preparation for an Easter egg hunt.
Pat Pledger
The things that I love about trees by Chris Butterworth
Ill. by Charlotte Voake. Walker Books, 2018. ISBN 9780763695699
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Trees, Environment, Seasons.
With the sparest of words, Butterworth encapsulates the reality of a
tree as it has leaves in spring, blossoms and forms fruit in the
summer, which is ready to pick in the autumn and then becoming bare
in the winter. Each season is described in spare prose, making it at
once easy for younger readers to understand and impelling older
readers to find out more. The illustrations bear testament to the
tree and its life cycle through the four seasons, reaffirming the
words as they travel with the tree over its year.
Each page has a new adventure with the tree that is loved. The first
double page shows a young girl coming out of her front door of the
flats to see the bare branches of the plum tree hovering over the
balcony. The tree is covered in tiny sprouting leaves with buds
forming and getting bigger.
We see the buzzing bees as the tree wakes. It is spring.
Later in summer, trees are dressed in their finery, covered with
bright green new leaves. The plum tree has small round fruit
appearing.
As autumn approaches the trees develop coloured leaves as they begin
to shed, and the nuts and fruit ripen for the animals to find and
eat or store.
Winter sees the wind has blown the leaves form the trees, leaving
them bare and stark in the cold. The last double page shows the girl
outside her flat looking at the tree as it waits for spring to come
around once again.
Children will love reading of the trees and their cycle of life, the
contribution they make to their surroundings, and the animals that
benefit from their being there. On each page is the story of the
tree and its life cycle, but also on each page in a different font
are sentences giving facts about the trees. Children will readily
absorb the details as they read the book and its illustrations, a
distinctive style which perfectly suits the words with its lightness
of touch, spare colour and use of white space. I love the branches
arching over the pages, and the floating leaves scattered across
many of the pages, and the perfect stillness of the bare trees in
winter, their magnificence barely needing to be mentioned will make
the reader gasp as they turn the last pages.
At the end of the book is a brief index, allowing children to learn
how to use an index and giving them a reason to go back and look
again at what they have read.
Children will be encouraged to take longer looks a the trees around
them, noting their changes through the seasons, seeing what animals
depend upon the tree and its produce, seeing what they can do with
the tree. Next to the index is a range of things children and
classes can do: collect leaves and nuts, make outlines, collect
leaves, make a shelter etc. I am sure readers and teachers will be
able to think up a pile of other things that children can do when
they finish reading this stunning book, encouraging children to look
anew at what is found outdoors.
Fran Knight
Kitty Magic : Frost and Snowdrop the stray kittens by Ella Moonheart
Kitty Magic book 5. Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781408887684
(Age: 8+) Highly recommended. Frost and Snowdrop the Stray
Kittens is a magical story about friendship, helping others
and cats. Kitty is a young girl with the ability to turn into a cat.
She is a cat guardian who helps the cats in her village. At the Cat
Council meeting, a beautiful cat named Emerald asks some questions
about stray cats which get Kitty thinking. When Kitty sees Emerald
carrying cat food in the park, she sets out to investigate. Kitty
discovers Emerald has been caring for two stray kittens that have
lost their owner. All of the village cats come together to help find
the missing owner. Finding a tall lady with pink hair proves to be
tricky. Can the cats help the kittens? Winter is nearly here. Will
they run out of time? Frost and Snowdrop the Stray Kittens is an easy to read novel
with wonderful role models for girls. Kitty is helpful and goes out
of her way to help others. Emerald is brave and looks out for
others. The cats are a great team who pull together in a crisis. The
story moves quickly, making it engaging for readers and the
vocabulary is descriptive. Readers will visualise the cats meeting
together, talking together and scaring away a scary fox. This book
is also part of a series and readers will enjoy reading about all of
the adventures. They can read the books in any order as there is
enough back-story to help readers know what is going on. It is
highly recommended for readers aged 8+.
Kylie Kempster
Butterfly Wishes : The wishing wings by Jennifer Castle
Bloomsbury, 2018. ISBN 9781681193717
(Age: 7+) Recommended. The Wishing Wings is the first
instalment in a new series. The lead character is Addie, a young
girl. Moving to a new house and a new town can be scary but Addie is
brave. She is brave enough to chase her beloved dog, Pepper, into
the woods when he escapes. Unknowing to her, Addie was being watched
by a butterfly princess. Sky Dancer and her butterfly kingdom need
help and Sky Dancer has chosen Addie to help her. A magical
enchantment has caused problems with the newly born butterflies.
When born, the new butterflies need to grant a wish for a human
child to help the butterfly get its colours. The enchantment has
made the new butterflies scared and unable to grant a wish. Who
would place such a terrible enchantment? Can Addie and her sister
help save the butterfly kingdom? The Wishing Wings is a lovely story promoting bravery and
helping others. The girls are strong minded and ready for an
adventure despite big changes in their lives. Sky Dancer is will to
fight for her home and her family. They are wonderful role models
for young girls. The story is easy to read and moves quickly, making
it an engaging read. Readers will want to find out what happens next
as well as see what other adventures Addie and Sky Dancer get into. The Wishing Wings is recommended for readers aged 7+.
Kylie Kempster
Not-So-Lucky Lefty by Megan McDonald
Judy Moody and Friends series. Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN
9780763696054
(Age: 7+) Highly recommended. Not-So-Lucky Lefty is part of the Judy
Moody and Friends series. It is Left Hander's Day and Judy is
feeling a bit left out - she is a righty. Her dad and her brother,
Stink, are lefties and they are off to the pretzel factory to
celebrate. Judy is trying her best to use her left hand for
everything but it is harder than it looks. However, Judy is invited
to the pretzel factory as long as she promises to use her left hand
all day. The factory is great despite Judy getting sauce all over
her shirt. The family wins tickets to play mini golf thanks to their
very gluey pretzel invention - Judy was in charge of using the glue
with her left hand. Being a lefty is tricky, especially when you are
really right-handed. Will Judy be able to play mini golf
left-handed? Not-So-Lucky Lefty is a lovely story for emerging independent
readers. It is about persistence when trying something new as well
as accepting your own strengths. It is a first novel when moving on
from readers and the bright coloured and sometimes funny pictures
help tell the story, making it appropriate for all readers moving
into first novels. The vocabulary is descriptive and easy to read
for confident readers and the small amounts of text on each page
will build reading confidence as well. It is highly recommended for
readers aged 7+.
Kylie Kempster
Misfit - One size does not fit all by Charli Howard
Penguin Books, 2018. ISBN 9780241328828
(Age: YA and older) A highly readable memoir style book -
almost reads like fiction and hard to put down.
The book details the journey of British girl, Charli's feelings of
abnormality beginning at age 8 through primary school, boarding
school, university and a modelling career.
This includes obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia, bulimia,
among other mental disorders - all the while keeping the behaviours
'hidden' in Charli's attempts not to be seen as a 'misfit' by her
peers and family.
Social media and model industry expectations, and a sense of not
belonging and wanting to be loved are explored as causes of her
behaviours.
There is only one chapter on Charli finally admitting she needed
help and getting rehabilitation and finding 'happiness'. More on the
recovery process would have been useful in putting perspective on
the memoir and the difficulty of recovering from such major
disorders.
The use of capital letter abbreviations which older adults may not
understand was annoying.
The author on the Dear Reader first page section warns young people
not to read the book if they are susceptible to suggestion or
triggers for depression, OCD, anorexia, etc. I agree and would only
recommend the book for young adults and older.
The modelling industry in particular should read books like this to
be made more aware of (and accept responsibility for) how young
girls' lives are being harmed mentally and physically by the actions
and standards advocated.
Ann Griffin
Shoe dog by Phil Knight
Young reader edition. Simon and Schuster, 2018. ISBN 9781471170119
A memoir of the origins of Nike by its founder Phil Knight (an MBA
graduate and Accountant), it is written in a highly engaging manner.
I was expecting a 'dry' account of the creation of a successful
business but this is a warm, at times humorous, account of his life,
loves, friends, hopes, travels, setbacks as well as successes.
At a time in the early sixties when running was not popular and
running/sports shoes were not generally worn outside track events,
Knight's consuming interest in competitive running and his
admiration for his coach spark the idea for a running shoe.
The memoir details Knight's life from travelling the world post
university and importantly to Japan for a meeting with a Japanese
sport shoe manufacturer to gain the right to exclusively sell its
Tiger sports shoe in the USA. Providing constant feedback and
suggestions to improve the shoe led to its popularity with runners.
Forming a partnership with his coach and taking risks and working
longing hours initially from his bedroom at home, eventually lead to
success.
The memoir would be good case study for Business Studies students as
it covers the cultural differences impacting business dealings as
well as the financial risks and workload associated with
implementing an idea into a successful product.
The Epilogue is a final letter to the reader of this Young Reader
edition. One does not need to be a 'shoe dog' (person passionately
devoted to shoes) to enjoy the book.
Ann Griffin
I'm a duck by Eve Bunting
Ill. by Will Hillenbrand. Candlewick Press, 2018. ISBN 9780763680329
(Age: 4+) Themes: Fear, Overcoming fear. In simple rhyming lines,
Bunting tells the tale of a duck, which when an egg, rolls into the
pond. Mother duck rescues her errant egg, but when it hatches, the
resulting duckling is afraid to go into the water.
The story of how the duck overcomes its fears takes up the rest of
the story, as other pond animals support the duckling in its
attempts to take the plunge, giving a range of different advice.
The owl, the frog, and its siblings all offer suggestions, but in
the end it is the duckling which does something about its concerns.
In simple rhyme, useful for introducing younger children to the idea
of rhyme, and soft pastel like illustrations, the story the readers
will have no difficulty understanding the message of the story and
be able to share stories of their own fears and how they overcame
them.
Fran Knight
The taste of blue light by Lydia Ruffles
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781444936742
(Age: Senior secondary, Adult) The title, and the enigmatic opening
words, of Lydia Ruffles' stunning modern-world masterpiece plunge us
into a disturbed young woman's life. The protagonist states that she
'is determined to 'find the old Lux' and 'sew' herself into that
person she used to be. The closing words of this narrative are apt.
Lux cannot understand why her life, at the elite Artists' boarding
school in the verdant countryside of England, is causing her such
angst. Even though she is medicated to help keep this new sensation
of absolute terror at bay, she can still hardly sleep and life seems
too hard to endure. Yet everyone, including her parents, who live
far away in Hong Kong, continues to support her, even through her
sometimes outrageous moods and actions. This situation is deeply
puzzling for the reader.
Drugs, sex, anxiety and sleeplessness take their toll as her skewed
brain responds to the world by translating everything into colour
- in the physical senses, in food, emotions and in her interactions
with others. Colour defines her world so dramatically, enabling her
to just keep going. Terror, violent and inexplicable, stops her
sleeping. Anxiety rules every moment of every day yet she is
supported so gently by everyone, by kindness and understanding. In a
masterful literary stroke, we discover that only Lux and the reader
are 'in the dark' about her situation. We are drawn into her
gradually dawning memories of her experience, emotionally and with a
powerful, shared angst.
Sitting firmly in the modern world that has experienced violent
attacks and murders, in a country that is desperate to retain its
culture of decency, kindness and non-violence, Ruffles' revelation
of the assault on peace alert us to her challenge. She seeks to
remind us that we must work to preserve our world, to survive
violence and terror, and infers that this will only be achieved
through kindness, goodness, acceptance of others, in all their
differences, and love. This powerful modern novel is suitable for
older high school students and adults.
Elizabeth Bondar
The Curse in the Candlelight by Sophie Cleverly
Scarlet and Ivy book 5. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN
9780008218300
(Age: 9-12) Recommended. Themes: Mystery, Boarding Schools, Twins,
Bullying. Fourteen year old identical twins Scarlet and Ivy return
for a new year at Rookwood School leaving their distant father and
evil stepmother behind. Eager to catch up with their friend Ariadne
and take Miss Finch's ballet classes, the twins are happy to be
back. As the school assembles for the first day's instructions, a
dark-haired new student Ebony McCloud makes a grand entrance into
the school hall. She has a mysterious presence about her, defiantly
flouting the school rules and soon draws younger students into her
group.
Sophie Cleverley layers this mystery plot with curious clues along
the way; characters have hidden agendas and a presence of evil
directs the actions. She balances this junior novel with familiar
lessons, favourite teachers and every day activities. When Ariadne's
archenemy Muriel Witherspoon joins Rookwood Academy she appears to
have changed her bullying ways however Scarlet and Ivy are not
convinced about her motives. When the celebrations on All Hallows
Eve go terribly wrong, the twins work together to save Ariadne and
expose the real prankster. Told from the sisters' alternate points
of view, Scarlet and Ivy's new term proves to be filled with
mystery, magic, secret escapades and growing friendships. The Curse in the Candlelight is the fifth novel in this
exciting series. Each novel reveals more about the main characters
and their friends' home lives. The mysteries and different ways the
twins work together to solve them make these novels just right for
readers from 9-12 years.
Rhyllis Bignell
