Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2018. ISBN 9781474601795
(Age: secondary to adult) Recommended. Themes: Crime fiction,
Reunion, Murder, Tourism. Don't you love new settings for crime
fiction? Set on an island east of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean,
Reunion is a multi racial department of France, once home to many
French, lured there by tax concessions, as well as Indian, Muslim,
African and Creole inhabitants.
Martial is on holidays with his second wife, Liane and their
daughter, Sophie, but suddenly, Liane disappears. Everyone has seen
her walk through the lobby to the elevator in the up market resort,
but when Martial goes looking for her, she is nowhere to be found.
Theories abound, but the Chief Inspector, Aja Purvi, focusses on the
husband whose behaviour is odd to say the least. When she finds that
his son died in suspicious circumstances ten years before, things
begin to escalate, especially when Martial takes off with his young
daughter in tow. A police hunt ensues, made more impossible for
Purvi by the arrival of her superior from Saint-Denis, wanting to
put his stamp on the investigation. Her off sider, Christos further
complicates things when he tells his partner of the investigation
and she becomes involved, unravelling a thread which leads to her
death.
A police chase over parts of the island sees Martial planning his
escape with precision, even down to the arrival of a temperature
inversion bringing fog across the mountains, giving him protection
form spying eyes.
But not all is at it seems, as the narrative is told from several
perspectives, and Bussi keeps us guessing all the while with clues
as to what is actually going on.
I found the background to this cat and mouse story fascinating.
Reunion is not a place I had known about so to read about it as the
setting of this story held my interest, and had me checking
Wikipedia for more information.
Bussi puts in translations of some of the often used words for
people according to their backgrounds, and a map at the start is a
guide to identifying the places spoken of, although I sourced a more
detailed map on the Internet.
This is a translation, which may explain some of the awkward
expressions, but the characters are fully developed and interesting,
while the main story with its peaks and valleys is easily addictive.
Fran Knight
The girl with the lost smile by Miranda Hart
Ill. by Kate Hindley. Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9781444941364
(Age: 8+) Recommended. "Chloe Long has lost her smile. She's looked
everywhere for it. (Under her pillow. Under her bed. Under her nose.
Obviously.) She's tried everything to bring it back. (Her favourite
cake. Her favourite gran. Her favourite joke. Obviously.) But
nothing seems to be working!
Until one night, something utterly magical happens - and Chloe finds
herself on an adventure that is out of this world . . . "
Miranda Hart (you may be familiar with her from Call the Midwife),
has constructed a book that is certain to make you laugh and cry at
the same time. She takes us on a magical, adventurous journey that
celebrates the imagination and the strength of true friendship.
Although the book is quite long (361 pages), the text is fairly
spaced out and reasonably large.
There are still so many messages that can be taken away from this
book. Chloe, the main character, struggles with her own issues,
allowing herself to escape to her 'magic land' where she battles
'shadow bandits'. I believe this actually parallels with Chloe
fighting her own inner thoughts and worries. I think the author may
have quite cleverly intertwined some of her own childhood memories
into the storyline.
I can see children aged eight and up loving this heart-warming book
which has such a positive message. An added bonus are the gorgeous
illustrations by the very talented Kate Hindley interspersed
throughout the story. A welcome addition to the fantasy collection
that will very quickly become a favourite for many.
Kathryn Schumacher
Diary of a wimpy kid: Double down by Jeff Kinney
Puffin Books, 2017. ISBN 9780143309338
(Age: 9+) Highly recommended. Diary of a wimpy kid: Double down
finds Greg Heffley continuing his hilarious journey through middle
school. In Double down, Greg starts his diary by reflecting on what
it would be like if his life was a documentary being watched by TV
viewers everywhere. Greg's thoughts are funny and readers will be
drawn into his crazy daydreams. Greg continues to reflect on his mum
seeing him as gifted and he ended up in a so called champion group
which was all about him learning to speak properly.
In Diary of a wimpy kid: Double down, every few pages is a
new story in Greg's life; from talking about his pet pig to winning
candy and his sneaky brother getting out of doing chores. Each entry
has an accompanying cartoon that is as funny as the text.
This series of books sells itself and all fans will want the next
instalment. The vocabulary continues to be enticing and exciting. It
is highly recommended for readers aged 9+. Old fans and new fans
will enjoy it and won't be able to put it down.
Kylie Kempster
Beatrice Zinker upside down thinker by Shelley Johannes
Hachette, 2017. ISBN 9780734417336
(Age: 6-9) Recommended. Themes: Individuality. Self-perception.
School. Friendship. Humour. 'Beatrice Zinker did all her best
thinking upside down.' Life in the Zinker family proves difficult
for middle child Beatrice, everyone else 'likes boxes and
boundaries, they follow the rules and prefer to fit in with their
friends'. In first and second grade Beatrice and her best friend
Lenny loved wearing costumes, playing pirate games and testing the
limits. Over the summer holidays, Beatrice waits for her best friend
to return from the Philippines; she has big plans involving ninja
suits, reconnaissance and spying.
On the first day back, Lenny has transformed into a normal third
grade student, new sparkly shirt, a skirt, and no more glasses. What
a shock for Beatrice, but instead of accepting the changes, she
concentrates on still trying to be friends. While Lenny, her new
buddy Chloe and their classmates are playing veterinarians at
recess, Beatrice creatively tries to fit in. Could she be a bat,
hanging upside down, or a sticky gecko? When an accident happens and
Beatrice spends time in the nurse's office, her creative mind works
on a possible solution to her friendship and classroom dramas.
Shelley Johannes' gentle story encourages young readers to think
positively and celebrate their different styles and personalities.
Her creative language uses alliteration, humour and sensory
experiences to build a picture of Beatrice's journey. Beatrice
Zinker upside down thinker is a wonderful read aloud novel for
years 2-4, one to stop and ponder the sage advice, the creative
thinking and discuss the valuing of individual differences. Johannes
has drawn from childhood experiences and this is beautifully crafted
in this junior novel as she explores emotional wellbeing,
friendship, self-perception and anti-bullying.
Rhyllis Bignell
The Nutcracker, a colouring book ill. by Jill Tytherleigh, Lydia Coventry and Sophia O'Connor
Macmillan Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9781509853601
(Age: 7+) A delightful gift which combines a wonderfully traditional
story with detailed outlines ready to be filled. At this time of
year, the book could be used for mindfulness activities with middle
years classes, but could also be enjoyed by adult and children
alike. The colouring book is an adaptation of the short story The
Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A Hoffman. While the
colouring book is interspersed with quotes from the original story,
the artist repeats themes of rats and ballerinas with a magical
holiday theme which does not depend on the reader to know the plot.
The detailed drawings are not too complex, though some are more
simplistic, which means no need to concentrate on filling in tiny
shapes for hours. There is within the pages, enough detail for those
who consider themselves expert with the colouring trend, although
some of the simpler pages would be a great starting point for a
novice. The quality of the pages mean that pencils, felt tips or
connector pens can be used, though I would check for bleeding ink on
darker colours. I look forward to seeing this one available in shops
ready for the Christmas season, with a festive cover highlighted
with red and gold it is sure to be a popular gift.
Clare Thompson
Merry Christmas, Mary Christmas! by Laurie Friedman
Ill. by Kathryn Durst. Carolrhoda Books, 2017. ISBN 9781467792615
(Age: All) Highly recommended. With a name like Mary Christmas how
could you not like Christmas? The problem is Mary does not like
Christmas. The whole Christmas family are especially happy at
Christmas time, except poor Mary. The Christmas family do Christmas
in a big way but Mary does not feel merry at all.
When the family go to visit Santa, Mary believes that Santa can make
Christmas merry for her. After visiting him Mary thought a lot about
what he had said. She finally had an idea of how she could make
Christmas merry for everyone and with her family's help Mary
Christmas finally had a Merry Christmas.
This is a great Christmas picture book for children of all ages, and
I would highly recommend it.
Karen Colliver
Rory the dinosaur needs a Christmas tree by Liz Climo
Rory the dinosaur series. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.
ISBN 9780316469678
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Themes: Christmas, Celebration,
Fatherhood, Family. Following the success of the two previous books,
Rory the dinosaur: me and my dad, and Rory
the dinosaur wants a pet, this new story about Rory will
be most welcome. Rory and his dad are excited about the coming
festivity, as is everyone else on their island. They have put up
decorations, made a wreath, made cookies, hung their stockings,
wrapped their presents and hung up Christmas lights, but one thing
is missing. So Rory and his dad go off hunting for a Christmas tree.
They search all over the island, finding many trees, but none is the
right one to have in their home. Disappointed they return and make
some cocoa, and listen to the people singing carols outside their
window. But when Rory goes to put his present for his dad under the
tree, there is not one there. He falls asleep where the tree should
be, but when he wakes he is in for quite a surprise.
Another delightful outing for Rory the dinosaur, this one like the
others is replete with warmth and expressions of love shared by Rory
and his dad. They do everything together, each supporting the other,
and dad dressing up for his beloved son so he is not disappointed on
Christmas Day. The simple yet direct and uncluttered illustrations
suit the story perfectly, and younger children will love seeing Rory
in all his glory as he presents all the customs that surround
Christmas and its celebration in the west.
And the main theme is pulled together on the very last page.
Hopefully Rory and his father will have many more adventures, warmly
expressing a homage to fatherhood and the love shared by father and
son.
Fran Knight
Create your own Christmas by Isabel Thomas
Ill. by Katie Abey. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408882207
Have you spent all year dreaming of turkey, tinsel and Christmas
trees? Christmas is FAR too important to leave to the adults to get
right - so take control and create your own Christmas. Make a sleigh
launcher to start Christmas with a whizz? Paint a festive scene with
leftovers from your Christmas dinner. Build your own Christmas
cracker to celebrate with a BANG.
Well this book was right up my alley - anything to do with craft,
making, construction - my ears prick up! This book would be a great
Christmas stocking filler - children would love to have their own
copy to pick and choose which activity to choose next. I love the
introduction of the book and the little annotations throughout it
allowing the children to follow the directions. It is bright and
colourful, utilising the traditional Christmas colours and extremely
well set out. It clearly lists the items required and have simple
step by step instructions to follow. While the children are
completing the activities, they will also be able to learn about
many of the history surrounding Christmas traditions. Priced with a
RRP of $14.99 it would also make a great boredom buster leading up
to Christmas.
Kathryn Schumacher
Father Christmas heard a fart by Olaf Falafel
HarperCollins, 2017. ISBN 9780008244316
(Age: 3-7) Christmas. This is comedian Olaf Felafal's first picture
book. It is set to the tune of Old McDonald Had a Farm and
is about a Christmas fart mystery. "Father Christmas heard a fart .
. . E-I-E-I-O! He thought that fart came from a bird . . .
E-I-E-I-O! With a Pffrrp Pffrrp here and Pffrrp Pffrrp there . . .
". It even tells the reader how to make each of the fart sounds,
complete with instructions and facial diagrams showing Santa making
the noise (e.g. "Fill one of your cheeks with air, and play it like
a bagpipe!"). As all this farting is going on we see Santa preparing
for his Christmas run. Finally, the culprit is discovered. "Twas the
night before Christmas, and all through the house rang the sound of
a fart . . . from an overfed mouse!".
This is completely silly but the shiny illustrations show the
wonderful Christmas world of a child's imagination (lots of toys,
snow, presents, Christmas trees, elves, reindeers) and it is easy to
sing. The instructions for making the fart noises are fun and
children will love joining in.
Nicole Nelson
Busy Nativity ill. by Emily Bolam
Busy Book series. Campbell Books, 2017. ISBN 9781509828951
(Age: 2-4) Themes: Nativity, Board Book, Interactive Book, Rhyme.
This is one of the Busy Book series (comprising more than 20
titles) that includes Busy Park, Busy Baking and Busy Fire Station.
Each book contains push and pull tabs and is composed of very sturdy
board pages. The tabs and pull-outs are equally robust. Each page
contains lots of detail, thereby providing opportunities for
children to ask questions, make observations and discuss what they
notice. There are also simple questions (e.g., "Who is on the
donkey?") to stimulate discussion between reader and child.
The text is very short, with a simple rhyming narration of the first
Christmas (e.g., "Sweet baby Jesus was born that night. As angels
appeared and a star so bright"). It tells of the birth of baby Jesus
but does not go into the meaning of Christmas or why his birth is so
celebrated. In fact, God is not mentioned at all.
The illustrations are colourful and depict a happy, all-smiling
world. There are lots of animals for young ones to point out and
name.
This is a joyful first introduction to the Nativity story that will
even engage busy toddlers with short attention spans.
Nicole Nelson
I went to see Santa by Paul Howard
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408844724
(Age: 2-5) Themes: Christmas. Santa Claus. Author and illustrator
Paul Howard follows up on his successful picture book I Went to
the Supermarket with this cheerful story I went to see
Santa. Youngsters will be familiar with this fun and easy to
play circle game, where each one repeats the refrain then adds a new
item starting with the next alphabet letter. In this amusing story,
a young brother and sister use their creativity and imagination to
conjure up some unusual Christmas-themed items.
The amusing illustrations use strong primary colours and close-up
scenes to make the characters stand out from their bright
backgrounds. There are bright green glasses with Santa hats, amazing
magic sets, even a friendly reindeer with twinkling lights on its
antlers. From a coin-filled pirate chest, we quickly move on to
seven cute seven dancing penguins and a band of merry elves throwing
snowballs. Each of the characters actively joins in with the
activity on the new double page spread, floating in space,
decorating the giant gingerbread tree and cheering as Santa finally
appears. I went to see Santa is a fun story to share with young
children who will love the repetitive and cumulative text; they will
soon join in and share in the fun of the story, even though the text
is not in alphabetical order.
Rhyllis Bignell
How many quacks till Christmas? by Mark Sperring
Ill. by Ed Eaves. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408871089
(Age: 2-5) Themes: Farm animals, Christmas. There is an air of
excitement at Merry Farm; garlands of wheat, shiny baubles and
strings of colourful lights decorate the farmyard. The excited farm
animals are wearing Christmas scarves, Santa hats and bright red and
green collars, all anticipating the coming holiday. Each of the
young creatures question their parents with oinks, moos, neighs and
cheeps. They want to know how many days until Christmas. The little
piglets squeal with glee and question their mamma splashing in a
muddy puddle, 'how many oinks till Christmas?' We follow the black
and white puppy as he races around the farm yard, skipping with the
lambs, then riding on the Christmas tree cart pulled by the mare as
her foals ask 'how many neighs till Christmas?' Merry Farm is a buzz
of holiday preparation, from the barn, to the fields to the
barnyard.
Mark Sperring's cheery rhyme is fun to share with a preschool or
kindergarten class and just right to share as a family. Children can
respond and guess the animal sounds, the rhyming words and the
animal actions. Illustrator Ed Eaves brings Merry Farm to life with
bold colours and familiar farm animals preparing for Christmas in a
bright snowy setting. This exciting story provides an amusing and
engaging countdown to Christmas.
Rhyllis Bignell
The red ribbon by Lucy Adlington
Hot Key Books, 2017. ISBN 9781471406560
(Age: 12+) Recommended. Themes: Holocaust. Auschwitz-Burkenau.
Dressmaking. Survival. World War Two. The first section of this
book, Green, describes a young woman, Ella living in nightmarish
conditions, underfed, abused, forced to work making dresses in a
shed with no amenities. At first I thought it to be a dystopian
novel of a nasty future, or perhaps a tale of enslaved women today,
but it became a story of how some girls lived at Auschwitz-Birkenau,
that most hated of Nazi Concentration Camps, used in Poland during
the 1940's for the killing of all those whom the Nazis wanted to be
rid of. Within this camp the commandant's wife set up a dressmaking
room to have the women make them fashionable clothing. Ella and her
friend, Rose struggle to keep themselves alive, and befriend one of
the guards who likes Ella's dressmaking skills and gives her some
extras for her work. But they fall out over a red ribbon and Ella
and her friend, Rose are sent to the laundry to work.
The privation, poverty, abuse and utter inhumane way these people
were dealt with makes hard reading, and I needed to leave the book
for a while before finishing it.
The book gives an insight into a small event in Auschwitz where a
commandant's wife did actually set up a dressmaking salon amongst
the absolute horror of the place for the use of other officers'
wives and some of the guards. Apparently she enjoyed going there to
have couturier dresses made for her. That these women could have the
skinny enslaved women as their dressmakers reflects the piteous way
in which the camp residents were seen.
Descriptions of the thousands brought to the camp in the final years
of the war to be killed makes up the background of life lived there,
but when the authorities realised that the end of the war was
imminent, many more thousands were force marched away from the now
burning buildings, to die in the snow. Ella survived through
someone's kindness and hope became a catch cry through the rest of
her life.
There are many novels written about the Holocaust and they fill in
the history for teens who are unaware that such brutality existed in
our world. And still does. So this is a novel which many will read,
acquainting themselves with the horror of the past and like Ella,
hoping for a better future.
Fran Knight
Ban this book by Alan Gratz
Lothian Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9780734417824
(Age: Middle primary - Middle School) Highly recommended. Amy
Anne Ollinger has it pretty tough at home... her youngest sister
thinks she is a My Little Pony and the other, whom Amy Anne
unfortunately shares her bedroom with, uses Amy's bed for ballet
practice and yells at her whenever she comes in the room. No wonder
she turns to reading to escape from it all. When her favourite book
in the whole wide world is banned from the school library along with
12 other very popular books, the usually quiet Amy Anne rebels. The
introverted protagonist begins to collect the list of banned books
and starts a library out of her locker. Her idol, the school
librarian, gives her occasional hints about how best to run a
library; a lending system, for example. The novel focuses on
censorship but in a lighthearted way that has the reader cheering
for the book lovers.
The books are banned because a member of the School Board deems the
book inappropriate. Amy Anne's argument is that a child's parent should
be able to decide what is appropriate and suitable for their child
on an individual basis. The list of banned books is based on a
factual collection of books banned at one or another stage within
American schools which could add an interesting element of
discussion, as well touching on the first and second amendments. The
novel is set in an American school. This novel was light and
hilarious at points. Amy Anne engineers a campaign to challenge
every book in the school library with her friends by finding
ridiculous reasoning to challenge; The magic treehouse
raises safety concerns; The Lorax portrays the timber
industry in a negative light, and so on. Having a sense of humour in
such a serious situation is a tool used by the author to really draw
in the reader. The only downside? Amy Anne is written as a fourth
grader, which may lose a percentage of middle years readers.
Clare Thompson
Star Wars: Absolutely everything you need to know: updated and expanded by Adam Bray et al
DK Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9780241232392
(age: 7+) Recommended for fans of the genre. Themes: Fantasy.
Science fiction. Space. Adam Bray has written six books about the
Star Wars phenomenon, and this the latest one. Star Wars; Absolutely
everything you need to know is an updated and expanded version of a
previous publication. You can find information about each of his
books on Amazon.
Living up to its promise, the weighty 255 page tome has chapters
entitled Protectors of the Galaxy; Bad guys, bounty hunters and the
underworld; Weird and wonderful beings; In a galaxy far, far away
and The battle continues. So something for everyone. A detailed
contents page begins the read, while a comprehensive four page index
will please the readers.
Wherever you flip open the book, new information comes to light
for even the most avid of fans. And combined with an array of
stills, CGI shots and brightly coloured illustrations with text
dotted over each page, the book will be sought after in the library.
I opened to the page about the Slime Lords and was treated to an
image of the wonderfully inventive character, Jabba the Hutt. On
this page I found that Jabba weighed in at 1,358 kilos and was 604
years old at his death, and the sound of him was made using a bowl
of melted cheese. Further over is a double page about the Scrap
dealers, those hooded, large eyed creatures first seen trying to
sell C3PO. Reading the page we find that they smell awful, thinking
washing a waste of water, while they are called Jawas, and spend
much of their time in the desert, searching for salvage. And further
over is a double page, Monsters of the deep. Here the illustrations
are of a series of rather nasty toothy looking creatures, and
information about the Naboo Abyss where they live. Weight, habits,
and the reasons for the Jedi needing to find their way through the
abyss and past these creatures is explained.
A fascinating adjunct to the highly successful series of films, this
book is full of information that will delight, inform and entertain
young readers.
Fran Knight
