Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760294984
(Age: secondary to adult) Highly recommended. Themes: Crime, Black
Death, Medieval life and times, Murder. Long time crime fiction
writer; Minette Walters, has turned to historical fiction in this
new book, destined to be a series about the advent of the plague in
rural England in the fourteenth century. Set in the small community
of Develish, where Lord Richard rules with an iron fist, some two
hundred serfs farm the strips of land outside the manor walls, owing
allegiance to their lord in the sharing of grain and produce from
their labour. His wife, Lady Anne hates her husband and is in daily
conflict with their haughty, spoilt daughter, Eleanor, but when the
plague comes to the village, the girl's spitefulness seemingly has
no bounds. When Lord Richard leaves for the neighbouring manor
house, there to trade his daughter in marriage his entourage is
racked by the pestilence that has moved over the county of Dorset.
He and a few of his retainers make it back to Devilish, but are
stopped at the moat. Hearing of the ravages of the disease, Lady
Anne has issued orders that no one will be allowed in, lest they
spread the plague to her people, now all crowded into the manor
house and its surrounds within the wall and the moat.
From here, Lady Anne manoeuvres her way into ruling the manor and
the villagers, nominating one of them, Thaddeus, as a steward, and
fighting the machinations of her daughter, those opposed to what she
is doing, the former steward recently hired by her husband, and
Thaddeus' lazy family. Having some two hundred people living
together, and knowing little of what is happening outside, a murder
causes intense concern and it is up to Thaddeus to unravel the
mystery. But it appears that Eleanor may be too close to the murder
for his comfort, so he takes the five young men implicated in the
affray and they leave the manor to look for food and information.
This is a wonderfully involving look at one community and its
attempts to keep the plague out of its midst. The minutiae of life
lived in such close confines, with people at once suspicious and
very fearful, struggling to fill their long days, each day seeing
the food supplies running down, and a priest who is little help,
shows readers what life for many must have been like in 1348 when
probably half of Britain's population died.
This story is a marvelous reconstruction of life in Medieval times,
recalling the harsh lives led by the serfs ad their families, owing
their lives to an insensitive, ignorant and over bearing man who
only sees them as his slaves. to do with as he bids.
A fascinating insight into the background of Walter's writing of the
book is given in this interview.
Fran Knight
The angry chef: Bad science and the truth about healthy eating by Jay Rayner
One world, 2017. ISBN 9781786072160
(Age: 16+). Recommended. Diets. Nutrition. Scientific thinking. Jay
Rayner is the angry chef - he is angry about the false claims and
misconceptions peddled by the fad diet industry. He begins the book
with the story of the Easter lapwing. He describes the spring-time
discovery of hares often alongside scraped nests of colourful eggs -
giving birth to the medieval myth of the Easter bunny. However the
eggs had not been laid by the frolicking hares but by the elusive
wetland bird, the lapwing. People were fooled by the correlation of
hares and eggs and jumped to their own conclusions. It is human
nature to see correlation and assume causation - overlooking the
many possible confounding factors.
In his explose of fad diets, Ray presents many examples of mistaken
beliefs and pseudo-science, examples of mischievous hares sat next
to a pile of colourful eggs. He exposes the false science behind
each diet: from gluten-free, alkaline, detox, sugar-free,
carbohydrate-free, paleo, to the promotion of the wonder foods of
coconut oil and antioxidants, the dangers of the facile ideas of
clean eating, GAPS diet and cancer cures, the demonisation of
processed foods, the simplistic concept of good vs bad food. He
rants with anger at the false claims, the bullshit, and the fake
gurus that people seem to blindly follow, but his anger is tempered
with a good dose of humour that often made me laugh out loud.
And if there is anywhere to lay the blame for all this - it is our
education system. Instead of teaching scientific facts, he argues
that our science courses should be teaching the scientific method -
the need to look for and respect evidence and an understanding of
what constitutes proof. Science should teach children to doubt and
to question, and to learn about concepts such as 'regression to the
mean'. He says
'We should be trying to produce children who understand that
correlation is not always causation, that anecdotes are not
evidence, that a theory is not something dreamed up in a pub, and
that interesting results are often wrong.'
If you are curious about the food theories, he lays it all bare, in
an easy to read manner. I could imagine any of the chapters being
taken as a case study for a science class to examine the theories
and test the evidence. Rayner presents the statistics, the theories
and the laughs, and above all he promotes guilt-free enjoyment of
one of the great pleasures of life - food.
Helen Eddy
The secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton
Flying Eye Books, 2017. ISBN 9781911171256
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. Environment, Interdependence,
Lighthouses, Shipping, Mountains. Erin Pike lives with her mother
and dog, Archie, near by a large fishing village. Here sailors tell
tales about Black Rock, stories that make people's hair curl. It is
said that the mountain in the sea could move at will, and when it
does it scratches ships as they pass by, its sides as sharp as a
swordfish. It is able to smash a ship to pieces and is something to
be feared. But Erin wants to see for herself. Often she hides on
mum's boat but Archie always sniffs her out, but one day she hides
herself so well, he misses her. When the boat passes by the rock,
Erin topples into the sea, falling straight down into the gloomy
waters by the rock. She is amazed to see such a variety of fishes
and anchors, and when a hand reaches down and lifts her back up to
the surface, and returns her to shore, no one believes Erin's story.
But one day the ships go out with equipment needed to destroy Black
Rock.
Erin rows out to the rock and stands on the claw that is ready to
chew up Black Rock. Suddenly all the fish that live beneath and
around Black Rock come to the surface shimmering in the moonlight.
The sight changes the fishermen's plan, and the rock is saved.
This delightful story tells of the interdependence between people
and their environment, of the duality of our relationship with the
earth on which we live
A modern folk tale, the story has a mythic quality that will be
eagerly read by younger readers, relishing being part of the
adventure undertaken by Erin to see something for herself, and then
bravely going out to save the rock.
The illustrations reflect the old movies of Saturday afternoon
cinemas in the suburbs, with the circles of pictures, the
highlighting of the action within a circle, the large bleak shots of
the ships coming with their appalling equipment to destroy the rock.
The retro appearance of the book is eye catching and will appeal to
younger readers.
Fran Knight
The Wonderling by Mira Bartok
Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406370645
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Welcome to the home for wayward and
misbegotten creatures, run by the evil Miss Carbunkle, cunning
villainess, who believes her terrified young charges exist only to
serve and suffer. For the Wonderling, an innocent, one-eared
'groundling' - a mix of fox and boy - the Home is all he has ever
known. But when unexpected courage leads him to protect a young bird
groundling, Trinket, from being bullied, she in return gives the
Wonderling two incredible gifts: a real name - Arthur, like the good
king in the old stories - and a best friend. With the help of an
ingenious invention by Trinket, the two friends escape from the Home
and embark on an extraordinary quest into the wider world and down
the path of Arthur's true destiny.
This is a beautiful story where two very different creatures are
drawn together out of need and end up developing a strong bond where
they are searching for their destiny beyond the walls of the awful
orphanage. Bartok has cleverly incorporated humans, regular animals
and the hybrid human/animals named 'groundlings'. She uses rich
descriptive language that creates a magical mood where even the
smallest details seem important. Arthur is an extremely likeable
main character with a kind heart. He is extremely brave and
desperately searches for anything beautiful or good that he can
cling to.
The book is absolutely beautiful, with quaint pictures interspersed
throughout the pages. A true masterpiece that will be a must for the
library collection. As some of the storyline can be somewhat dark, I
would recommend the book for more mature readers, 10 years old and
up.
Kathryn Schumacher
The glow of fallen stars by Kate Ling
Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2017. ISBN 9781510200180
(Age: 13+) Recommended for people thirteen and up who have an
interested in sci-fi/romance. Like the previous novel in the series,
The
loneliness of distant beings, The glow of fallen stars
has a slow start. Seren, Mari, Ezra, and Dom have landed on
Huxley-3, a planet with the potential for supporting human life
after escaping from Ventura, the ship on which they were all born.
Seren and Dom are celebrating their freedom, meanwhile Mari and
Ezra's thoughts turn more practical - how are they going to spend
the rest of their lives stranded on an island on an alien planet?
After an encounter with some glowing coral, both Seren and Ezra are
struck by a relentless sickness which renders them unconscious and
close to death. Having both recovered, but being rendered weak by
the sickness, lack of food, and torrential rains, the four are
driven by desperation to take the boat and make for the mainland.
Days pass, and luck brings them to a coastline where they soon find
a pioneer settlement from the ship Concordia. The people of
Concordia, like Ventura, originated from Earth. But what will come
of their lives now, living on planet for the first time? It seems as
if everything has changed, but has it really? Have Seren and Dom
achieved their goal of being together, or will Concordia's breeding
program spell disaster?
While quite a bit of Seren and Dom's relationship is portrayed as
lust, problems caused by lies, trust, and outsiders are also
explored. Friendships are formed, broken, and transformed across the
pages and the importance of forgiveness, acceptance, and talking are
all approached. I would recommend to people thirteen and up who have
an interested in sci-fi/romance.
Kayla Gaskell, 21
Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408878439
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) In this stunning new work, an
extended lyrical work reminiscent of 17th century lyrical poetry,
Sarah Crossan plummets the reader into the lives of one family and
the outcome that looms for one member. As she leads us into the
complex, violent, dramatic and immensely sad lives of the family, we
are drawn deeply into the events of the past that have led to this
point. The story is discomforting, its tale alternating between love
and neglect, loyalty and rejection. Here we have a family that did
not nurture the children, where there is violence, and the parents
seem to have been careless of the wellbeing of their children. One
of the children is to be executed for his crime, of manslaughter,
and his sister is determined to offer him love and understanding.
Harsh and deeply moving, the reality that Crossan presents becomes
discomfortingly comprehensible both in the crime and the punishment.
Told in its bare essentials through a gentle, poetic structure, this
narrative offers us the shocking contrast of neglect and love in one
family, and disturbs us with a harsh state response that is
unforgiving. It is constructed in an unusual manner for a story
placed clearly in the modern world of narrative literature, the
story told as an extended poem. Crossan, in her creation of warmth
and in her deft handling of the angst felt by the family, uses the
bareness of this poetic narration to draw us into the family's
disturbing past and present.
Captivating and powerful, Crossan's work tells nothing outside of
the events and interactions that are crucial to the narrative, yet
the emotions, the drama and the characters are evoked in a
surprisingly lyrical manner. Unexpectedly, as we are drawn into the
world of the text, Crossan builds a feeling of calm, elicited in the
delicate brushstrokes that paint the love of one sibling for
another, in its bare details. This extended poem, in its gentle
tone, is clearly quite at odds with the brutality described and the
violent punishment that is about to occur, yet it is difficult to
ignore her unwritten plea for forgiveness and understanding, for
clemency and non-violent punishment. It is apt for adults, suitable
for older adolescents, but its topic difficult to understand and
disturbing in reality for younger adolescents.
Elizabeth Bondar
Niko draws a feeling by Bob Raczka
Ill. by Simone Shin. Carolrhoda Books, 2017, ISBN 9781467798433 (Age: 4+) Recommended. Emotions. Feelings. Drawing. Writing about
emotions and feelings is always fraught but the author and
illustrator here have presented a book about emotions that younger
readers will grasp. A gentle book filled with line drawings Niko has
made to represent how he feels, children may not understand what
Niko is trying to show with his drawings, but will appreciate that
he loves to draw and each drawing represents something he has heard,
seen or felt. Children will recognise with ease the
misunderstandings between children and adult as each person puts
their own interpretation on Niko's drawings. He draws the ting-
a-ling of the icecream truck, for example and his peers tell him
that it looks nothing like the icecream truck. He explains that it
is the ting-a-ling, not the truck, and still they do not understand.
Moments like this appear throughout the book, causing laughter of
recognition amongst children as they recall being unable to explain
things to other people. They will certainly understand the feeling
of being misunderstood, and of trying to communicate ideas with
other people.
The mix of media used in the illustrations will attract younger
readers, seeing things in the stylised children's art work that they
will recognise and attempt to emulate. I love the spirals and lines
of colour weaving their way from one endpaper to another, covering
the whole of the book from start to finish. Children will love
following the lines as they seem to pull the pictures together, and
they, like Iris will be drawn to Niko's work. A most unusual and
engaging picture book for art lovers.
Fran Knight
A thousand paper birds by Tor Udall
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408878644
(Age: Senior secondary - Adult) This lyrical story captures the
imagination in its characters, its garden setting, its wonderful
language and in its story-telling. From the beginning we are plunged
into a world of sensory experiences, of smell particularly. Place
matters in this text, and the gardens (based on Kew Gardens in
London) feature prominently as a place of retreat of delight, of
background, foreground and as a place that is so strongly real it
justifies living.
Udall writes so lightly, it is as if his characters were the paper
birds fashioned in origami, the art so passionately followed by one
character. Her creations are exacting and beautiful, and express the
depths of her being in a way that she cannot do herself. Chloe is
young, an adolescent inexperienced in love, and unable to comprehend
the adult world of anxieties, driving ambition and love. The
physical she can do, and she brings her sense of wonder to a
relationship with Jonah, and he begins to be healed after his tragic
loss.
Loyalty and love, the warmth and exploration of the physical and
mystical aspects of the joining to one other in sex, and the
possibility of healing predominate in this lushly written novel of
companionship, joy, friendship, love and nature. Udall's lilting
prose is joyous, his characters complex and often troubled, but the
world into which he places them is so green, majestic yet gentle,
soft and calming that the unravelling of their individual worlds
slowly seems to be controllable. A truly wonderful piece of
literature, and a joy to read, Udall's work lifts the spirits,
restores feelings of soundness to human life, and is utterly
captivating.
Elizabeth Bondar
The Starman and me by Sharon Cohen
Quercus Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9781786540089
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. Themes: Adventure, Origins, Science
Fiction, Communication/Mind-reading. The title suggests something
out of this world! To a certain extent this is a book about things
outside of the normal realm - about where we come from, and what we
can become. Kofi is the young protagonist - a thoughtful,
sometimes-bullied young student whose perception of a strange
apparition on the local roundabout leads him to an adventure of
mind-blowing proportions. The 'apparition' is more than a magical
moment, it has a name (Rorty Thrutch) and an unusual identity. Rorty
Thrutch communicates with Kofi in strange ways and with a
captivating grasp of English, and then leads him into a rescue
mission that requires additional support. Cue his friend Janie and
some unexpected helpers. With school discussions highlighting
personal origins and DNA and a father that has a scientific project
that involves thought-control, the direction of the narrative is
quickly high-jacked and taken on its own helix of twists and turns
that are warm and uplifting, but also exciting and unexpected . . .
and a little bit dangerous as well. There is action that is
impossible to comprehend, characters that behave in ways that are
cruel, and scientific, cutting-edge moments akin to magic.
This is not your average school-based adventure, and it will appeal
to a wide range of ages. The relationships and adventurous action
suggest a high-school base, but Primary school readers will also be
impressed by the warmth of Rorty Thrutch, and his endearing and
naive dialogue adds touches of humour throughout the parts of the
story that are quite serious.
Carolyn Hull
Alex and Eliza by Melissa De La Cruz
PanMacmillan, 2017. ISBN 9781509869978
(Age: 15+) Recommended for readers of romance. Themes: Romance,
American History - American Revolution, Love, Wealth and Privilege.
If you loved Pride and Prejudice you'll love this American
tale of love in the privileged world of old New York in the 1770's.
This is also the era of George Washington, the rise of the American
identity and patriotism separate from their British and European
forbears, and also the era of conflict known as the American
Revolution. Into this historical setting is a retelling of real
events involving the young Alex Hamilton, who came from nowhere to
be the respected right-hand man for the General George Washington.
In this role he meets the Schuyler family (one of the wealthy
founding families in America of Dutch heritage) and falls for the
second of the marriageable daughters - Eliza. Eliza is much like
Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice in that she is
thoughtful, responsible and a little bit feisty and independent, and
not swayed by the fashion trends and social expectations of the
times. Her independence and unselfish attitude is unusual in the
world of privilege and wealth that has formed in the growing
country. The Schuyler's circumstances and the troubled times mean
that love and marriage is a carefully orchestrated alliance between
well-to-do families to protect and preserve the honour of a family
name in the new country. Consequently any connection between Alex
and Eliza, although romantic, may be doomed to fail. The course of
history though reminds us that in this unusual story, love does rule
over expectation.
Melissa De La Cruz wrote this novelisation of the historical love
story after seeing the musical - Hamilton: An American Musical.
The epic love story is written in the style of a much older novel,
with a proper and polite nod to the times. The beautiful language is
very reminiscent of Jane Austen and other writers from the same era.
The glimpse into early American history, and the social and fashion
history of the 1770's is delightful and almost humourous to a modern
reader eg. the dusted wigs worn by male and females as a statement
of their standing in society is almost impossible to fathom for a
modern reader! An insight into the period of the American Revolution
is also intriguing, as it weaves through the romance.
Carolyn Hull
Aussie legends alphabet by Beck Feiner
ABC Books, 2017. ISBN 97807333338946
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Themes: Alphabet, Legends, Australian
legends. Alphabet books are always fascinating, speculating on the
reason some words and images were included to homour that letter.
This one will engage readers, pondering just who they would give the
nod to as a legend of Australia, and being delighted at those who
have made the cut in this board book from ABC Books.
From Cathy Freeman to Julia Gillard, Victor Chang to Eddie Mabo,
Jorn Utzon to Steve Irwin, each inclusion is as surprising as it is
informative. I was impressed that there is only one footballer,
yeah! and Adam Goodes was included partly because of his ability on
the football field but more importantly for what he has done for his
people. Medical pioneers, Fred Hollows and Victor Chang make a
wonderful inclusion as do social vanguards, Kath and Kim, Ita
Buttrose and Dame Edna Everage. And a nod to history includes Ned
Kelly, Henry Lawson and Nancy Wake, while the arts are represented
by Dame Joan Sutherland, INXS, Yothu Yindi and Queenie MacKenzie
amongst others. Each is included for a multiplicity of reasons,
which younger readers and older ones as well, will delight in
reasoning out. At the end of the book are a few pages containing
more information about each inclusion.
Each person represents excellence in their fields, achieving
something all of us can admire. Each page has one letter with an
often amusing representation of that person wrapped around the
letter, while the page next to the illustrations contains a brief
amount of information.
This is a fascinating alphabet book, sure to delight, amuse and
inform.
Fran Knight
No filter by Orlagh Collins
Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408884515
(Age: Adolescent) Beautifully written, told in the first person by
two adolescents who meet unexpectedly at the seaside in Ireland,
this novel is delightfully entertaining. Collins directly addresses
important issues for adolescents in the modern world. Emerald has
come from England, having just finished her penultimate year at
school, and Liam is similarly on holidays, having completed his
schooling in Ireland. It is instant attraction for them both when
they meet at the beach, and the summer is spent together as much as
possible. Emerald has been sent to her grandmother's home in Ireland
for the summer, her family having some undisclosed issues, and Liam
is working while deciding what he will do in the future. Their
powerful attraction is beautifully recounted, particularly as told
in their first person narratives. The seaside setting is idyllic and
described in its wildness and beauty.
In this vibrant, gripping, entertaining and delightfully told
narrative, Collins addresses the issues of mental health, of class
divisions and factionalism, of aging, of adolescence, of betrayal
and loyalty, and of the abiding joy of deep friendship and the
possibility of loving the right person. Beautifully told, this
narrative reveals the goodness of two young people who grow to care
deeply about each other, but also Collins ensures that we understand
that they care and respect their families and their place in those
families.
A strongly expressed reflection on the modern world, on family
secrets and weaknesses, on healing, friendship and reconciliation,
this is a powerfully moving novel of an emerging modern Ireland and
its relationship with its neighbours. Highly suitable for
adolescents, younger and older, and a beautifully written novel that
would be enjoyed by adults who understand the conflict that has been
so much a disturbing part of modern Ireland.
Elizabeth Bondar
Zombiefied! Apocalypse by C.M. Gray
Harper Collins Children's Books, 2017. ISBN 9780733334245
(Age: 8+) Recommended. Halloween can be a fun time but when you are
half zombie things can be a bit different. Ben hopes that being half
zombie will help him get extra candy this Halloween.
Ben and his best friend Sophie soon find themselves in a sticky
situation. They are the only ones who seem to be aware of what is
going on in their town. They need to stop the evil Mr Bill, but that
is difficult to do when you don't know where he is or what he is
exactly planning. The two friends work together, making the most of
the extra powers they have because they are half zombie to try and
save their town. In the end Ben finds his own inner strength and
realise he doesn't need his zombie powers to achieve what he set out
to do.
This book is written from Ben's perspective and is very well told,
it draws the reader in so that you want to know what is going to
happen next. It is written in a way that you think you know what
will happen next and then there is a twist and it is not quite what
you expected.
I recommend this book to 8+ year olds.
Karen Colliver
Magic Animal Rescue: Maggie and the flying horse by E.D Baker
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781408878286
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. One day Maggie finds a tiny injured flying
horse. Can she find help in time?
The characters in this story are Maggie, Zelia, Peter, Bob, Leonard
and all the magical creatures. The characters played a great role in
the story.
The plot is creative, engaging and very interesting.
The big idea in this book is helping a flying horse.
The settings of the story are the woods, meadow, cottage and Bob's
stable. I like all the pictures in the book as they help set the
scene and add an extra element to the story.
The style of text is imaginary and is a beginner's book.
I recommend this book for 5 to 8 year olds. I suggest reading this
book before you read the other book Magic Animal Rescue Maggie
and the wish fish.
Grace, Year 6
Magic Animal Rescue: Maggie and the wish fish by E.D Baker
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017. ISBN 9781408878293
(Age: 5-8) Recommended. One day Maggie speaks to a magical fish who
promises her a wish, will she let him go, can she trust a talking
fish?
The characters in this book are Maggie, Zelia, Peter, Bob, Nora,
Leonard, Stella, and all the magical creatures. The characters are
creative.
The plot is also very creative and engaging.
The big ideas in the story are the fish granting Maggi her wish.
The settings of this story are the woods, meadow, cottage, bob's
stable and the lake. I like how the pictures tell some of the story.
The style of text is imaginary and is a beginner's book.
I recommend this book for 5 to 8 year olds. If you liked this book I
reckon you should read Magic Animal Rescue: Maggie and the
flying horse.
Grace, Year 6
