Faber and Faber, 2007. ISBN: 9780571236084. (Age:15+)
Tersias, by G. P. Taylor, is a dark and frightening tale set in the poverty stricken streets of 18th century London. The story centres on Tersias, a young boy who has been blinded by his drunken mother in order to earn more money as a beggar. Acquired by the magician Malachi, he is kept in a gilded cage and forced to predict the future with the aid of the fearsome Wretchkin who invades his mind. As dark forces gather in the streets of London, his fate becomes entwined with that of Jonah a young highwayman, his two friends Tara and Maggot and the powerful Lord Malpas from whom Jonah has stolen a magical dagger and an alabaster box. Solomon, a crazed religious zealot who has bred a new species of giant flesh-eating locusts, also seeks to control Tersias and the dagger.
G.P. Taylor is a master at setting an intense, gripping atmosphere. His depictions of terrifying characters such as the doglike creature who pursues Jonah and the grotesque prisoner who stalks Tara in a pitch black cell, waving a rotten head on a stick are more graphic than is usual in books aimed at the adolescent market. Descriptions of The Citadel, Solomon’s headquarters, bring to life the religious cult and the cruel brainwashing that goes on there. The reader is relieved to find that there is a gentler, kinder place, Vamana House, where the healer Griselda lives and ethical behaviour rules.
Taylor does not attempt to portray his heroes as perfect; they are frail and uncertain and tread a difficult path to redemption. His villains, Malpas and Solomon, lust for power, whether it is spiritual or political. His introduction of more main characters towards the end of the book is unusual but doesn’t detract from the flow of the narrative. The dark themes of manipulation, corruption of power and religious zeal are very disturbing.
This book, with its combination of horror and fantasy, will have appeal to teens who enjoy being frightened.
This is a compelling story set in the harsh bushland of Alaska in 1968 and 1969. The story unfolds in the words of four Alaskan teenagers who are each touched by Dove Alexie, a strange boy who lands in jail for hitting a white teacher and who is savagely beaten by the assistant marshall. When he turns up missing, Lorraine Hobbs, a loner who brings meals to the prisoners, begins to question why a 16 year old boy was in prison and involves Annette Weinland, the minister’s daughter who volunteers there. Thelma and Edgar, two Yup’ik orphans have encounted Dove at a boarding school earlier. With each teenager’s distinctive story, the reader gains an insight into their bleak lives and the mystery of Dove unfolds.
The author lived and taught in Alaska and she portrays the grim location in an unforgettable way. The harshness and isolation of the small town, the separation of the native Alaskan peoples from their families and the grimness of the boarding school all form an authentic background to the growth of the characters as they try to come into their own.
Orenstein deals with large issues like displacement, alienation, rape and death in an unforgettable way. She uses humour to relieve the bleakness, but the reader is left feeling overwrought by the fate of the young Yup’iks. This is a memorable, thought provoking story.
This is a rivetting tale, part thriller, part pop adolescent fiction, part expose of what makes things cool, about two engaging New York characters, Hunter and Jen. They meet when Hunter spots Jen’s unique shoelaces, which look like the red rising sun on a sideways Japanese flag. He asks if he can take a photo, using his new model mobile phone.
Hunter is a “cool spotter”, paid to spot new trends and report them back to big corporations. He invites Jen to go with him to a “cool tasting” to check out a new product and over the new two days, they go on a crazy chase through New York, trying to find Hunter’s missing boss, Mandy, and the coolest shoes that they have ever seen. The story is action packed with Jen and Hunter breaking into abandoned buildings, attending upper crust parties, and evading the Jammers, who work for the Anti Client, and who are trying to destroy market branding.
Readers will be challenged to name the products in Westerfield’s story – and identify those that are already obsolete (so yesterday). They will also be challenged to identify where they come in the cool pyramid – innovator, trend setter, follower, laggard or classicist and may not look at advertising in quite the same way again.
A mer person takes human form with the quest to save someone, a kind of initiation process in the mer world, and the challenge becomes to reunite lifesaver Sean with his inconstant boyfriend Dominic. The novel construct of Crest, the mer person becoming Ross on land, gaining legs and learning about the human world, provides for humorous scenarios that carry this novel along. That, and the side character of Kavya, Sean’s best friend, only too eager to tell it how it is, full of lusty gags and puns, keeps the comedy flowing.
This is a rom-com, as Sean himself recognises only too well as he is a great fan of rom-coms and has aspirations to be a film director, so the plans to get the faithless Dominic back are mapped out like the schedule of screenshots in a movie. It all goes to plan, until, as you might guess, fake date threatens to turn into true romance. The question becomes whether this is true love; and whether there is any possibility of Sean and Ross really getting together, since Ross must return to the sea at the end of the month.
Jason June creates an interesting fantasy with his depiction of the mer world where there are no binary gender definitions: Ross hasn’t experienced gender distinctions, and isn’t comfortable being defined as male. The pronoun for Ross are ‘they’ and ‘their’. The nice thing in this novel is that everyone, Sean included, accepts this naturally and just moves on.
Because this is all new to Ross, there are numerous references to ‘hard-ons’, ‘driftwood’ and ‘bone talk’, but the intimate scenes actually include really good conversations about consent. And the strong messages that resonate throughout are about building self-esteem, being authentic, and talking things through when there are problems. It’s a mixed bag of comedy, romance, self realisation and social comment; with an ending that is not as predictable as you might expect.
Themes LGBQTI+, Humour, Romance, Identity, Acceptance of diversity.
This novel set in the Hundred Years War fought between England and France seven centuries ago reveals the transitory nature of war, alongside the barbarity and utter randomness of death and mutilation. Jones, an academic well known for his earthy presentations of medieval society, has turned his hand to historical fiction. Exciting and fast paced the novel, Essex Dogs, is based on a small group of people to whom things happen that reflect everyone’s part in war, from the kings and princes to earls and lords to captains, archers, swordsmen and foot soldiers.
What impressed me was the gritty day to day life of the ten men we get to know well: the Essex Dogs, a company of men who fight, eat, sleep, pillage and march together. Their leader, Loveday, an older, experienced man, watches over his unit with fearful eyes, aware of the danger they will be facing, encouraging them to watch out for each other, knowing that his peak fighting skills are behind him.
It is these ten men we see throughout the book including Father, a priest and fighter, Millstone Scotsman and Pismire as well as two Welsh brothers, and Romfort, who make good use of his long bow.
Their lives reflect how they are treated, fed and housed, how the orders are given, the infighting between those in charge. We are introduced to the foot slogging tedium of life on the road, how a siege works, the seemingly random butchery of many villagers along the way. Each chapter heading quotes writing from the time, giving a strength to the details Jones includes in his writing.
Jones gives a vastly different account of the son of Edward the Third, the Back Prince, eager to be king, and shows his power, at odds with his father, contrasting with the relationship between Philip V1 and his son.
The army travels across the English Channel to northern France, there to engage the imposter king, Philip V1 of France. The ten breaks up, Father part of a ruse to undermine the French, is tortured and killed, while Romfort is taken by the Black Prince because he is able to supply drugs, the Welsh archers go their own way, leaving only four left to fight. But they become tied up with the plans of those in charge, enabling Jones to give us a worm’s eye view of the campaign, particularly as it draws near Crecy.
I loved listening to the audio of this book. It was an eye opener to the everyday behind the battles of war, of losing your shoes, of sharpening swords, of looting the villages - this detail was fascinating. The language Jones puts into their mouths was confronting, and I had to fast forward a couple of scene of brutality, but these are minor quibbles as I was transfixed, readily absorbing the plethora of detail found within their conversations.
This is the first book in a trilogy, the second, Wolves of Winter will be available in October.
Themes One Hundred Years War, France England, War, Battle of Crecy, Historical fiction.
This is a wonderful retelling of the old fairy tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Superstition says that children who are born facing north will travel far from home. Rose is one of seven children and her mother is terrified that she will lose her to the icy northern realms because she is a north child. When a great white bear confronts Rose and tells her that her sick sister will be cured and the family’s fortune restored if she travels north with him, she agrees to go. Rose grows to love the white bear and when she discovers that he is a young man who has been put under the spell of an evil Troll Queen, she realises that she must rescue him.
This book is difficult to put down because of the memorable characters and the many adventures that Rose encounters. Pattou entices her reader into the story with beautiful descriptions of landscape and ice, everyday life like the art of weaving; extraordinary events and deep felt love. Rose is a strong willed and determined heroine, the Troll Queen avaricious and corrupt, the great Bear mysterious and alluring, Neddy, Rose’s brother patient and loving. The epic journey to the ice palace in the north is fraught with danger.
This is an outstanding adventure fantasy and will be enjoyed especially by people who like C. S. Lewis, Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley. Highly recommended.
The Bayview Crew - first they had to prove they weren't killers, then the next group had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now it looks like it's all happening again, when a billboard in town reads 'TIME FOR A NEW GAME, BAYVIEW'. Those who have survived Simon and then the Truth or Dare game have bonded over the trauma, and now they are worried - because not only is someone about to 'play a new game', but it even looks like someone could be back for good - Jake went to prison for his involvement in Simon's set up of Nate and Addy to take the fall, almost killing Addy as a result. But now he's out on the streets, and people are disappearing... including their own. This is another game that no-one wants to play, but everyone is caught up in it anyway...
Karen M. McManus has done it again - another stunning mystery/thriller perfectly encapsulating heart racing suspense with the right mix of relationships and humour, and a great cast of characters. The final installment of the One of Us is Lying series, fans of the series and of the author will devour the book quickly - wanting to know what each character is up to as well as what the latest mystery is all about. How McManus manages to keep readers on the edges of their seats every time, as well as keep them guessing, I honestly don't know. Perfect for fans of the author, as well as for fans of YA mystery/thriller. Best if read after the first two of the series, though readers could manage to pick up enough of the first two books to understand the history as well as the new mystery.
Themes Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary, High School, Revenge, Relationships.
Ripper is an addictive novel that had me enthralled until the last page and had me immediately going back to read Burr’s first novel Wake.
Gemma’s small rural town of Rainier is notorious for one reason – three people had been murdered by the Rainier Ripper seventeen years ago and the last victim died in her arms in her little teashop. Now a tour operator wants to promote tours of Rainier as the murder town and the town is divided about its impact. Some want the custom that visitors would bring, while others dread having the memories of their loved ones being viewed by curious tourists. When the tour operator is found dead in the fountain in a copycat murder Gemma is drawn into the dark secrets that haunt the town. Her husband Hugh is a police officer still suffering the effects of investigating the first murders, while townspeople are becoming desperate because of the lack of visitors bringing trade to the town. Gemma is drawn into the investigation, and so is a prisoner named Lane Holland who has been asked to find the identity of the first victim, an unknown Czech woman.
Ripper is a gripping thriller that is difficult to put down. Burr vividly describes a country town that has been by-passed by the highway between Sydney and Melbourne, and which has lost its tourist visitors because of its reputation as a murder town. The difficult relationships between some of the families living in the town and the grief of family members who have lost a loved one add to the underlying tension. Gemma believes she knows everyone, but who can be the killer? There are quite a few characters to become familiar with, but I found the Rainier Ripper Trial Tour VIP list pg. 6., a handy reference point while working out who is who in the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed Ripper and can see why Burr’s first novel Wake, enjoyed acclaim and awards. I read it as a stand-alone, and then read Wake, but readers who have not read either would benefit from reading Wake first as Lane Holland’s story can be found there. Another great rural noir novel for readers who enjoyed books by Garry Disher, Jane Harper and Chris Hammer.
Themes Murder, Country towns.
Pat Pledger
Meet Mim by Sandra Severgnini
EK Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781922539557. Recommended.
Where the cool river meets the warm ocean and the roots of the mangroves provide sanctuary for all sorts of creatures on the sandy seabeds of the Indo-Pacific region, lives Thaumoctopus mimicus. But what is this creature? Is it a brown-spotted flatfish? A spiked lionfish? A banded sea snake? Perhaps it is a hermit crab, maybe a jellyfish or even a sea anemone. A seahorse? A feather star? A seashell or stingray... No? Wait, perhaps it is all of these things...
In this intriguing book young readers are introduced to a fascinating creature that can change colour, shape and skin texture at will mimicking those around it to deter predators. For Mim, is, in fact an octopus!! Discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia but also found around the Great Barrier Reef, this master of disguise is the first of the genus to be observed impersonating other creatures and is the first known species to take on the characteristics of multiple species. A video can be seen here.
Using a guessing game technique that is so much more engaging than a fact sheet <https://www.marinebio.org/species/mimic-octopuses/thaumoctopus-mimicus/> , accompanied by detailed illustrations, this is a book that will captivate young readers who are interested in the miracles of Mother Nature, particularly how creatures protect themselves through camouflage. The double-page spread that compares Mim to those she imitates is fascinating and the STEM activities of the teachers' notes offer lots of suggestions that will encourage further exploration, including investigating the differences between "disguise" and "mimicry". They also offer some suggestions for how we, as humans, can develop mindfulness strategies by mimicking Mim but perhaps older students could explore the concept of human disguise - who are we and what are we doing when we choose to use make up, follow a fashion trend, adopt a hairstyle and so forth. Why do we try to "disguise" ourselves and are our strategies successful?
This is another of the new breed of non fiction that demands to be in the collection so that our students have access to all sorts of stuff that goes beyond the curriculum and into the worlds of wonder and curiosity to spark the imagination and investigation. Seriously, who among us knew of this little creature let alone well enough to introduce it to our students?
Themes Mimic Octopus, Marine life.
Barbara Braxton
That's not my monster by Fiona Watt. Ilus. by Rachel Wells
Another in this highly entertaining board books series will thrill young audiences as it is read to them, the reader encouraging the little hands to feel all aspects of the creature on each page.One in the series, Usborne Touchy-Feely Baby Book, each page presents the creature with ears or spines to feel, each time asking little fingers to touch the body part talked of. So the toddler will touch their eye brows, spikes, paws, horns and finally the ears. Each body part raising another word which describes what they will feel. The body part could be bobbly, hairy, frizzy, bumpy rough and fluffy, encouraging the readers to understand what these words mean. The very funny illustrations and repetitive text will engage young readers as they pick up the book to be read again and again to them. This robust board book will fit comfortably in the hands of younger readers. Little people will love reading along with the adult, and predict the first line on each double page spread.
Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure by Sarah Coyle and Adam Walker-Parker
HarperCollins, 2023. ISBN: 9781405299053.
Gwen was very excited about having a fancy-dress birthday party, the decorations are up and the food set out. But suddenly the birthday cake that Dad has made disappears! Who has taken it?
Well, that depends on what the reader decides because depending on whether they choose the unicorn, robot or dinosaur they are taken on a different adventure, each time being able to choose the next chapter in their story.
While choose-your-own adventures have been in novel format for years and been immensely popular because of all the possibilities they open up, a picture book format is unusual. Young readers will love the interactivity that takes them beyond the more familiar lift-the-flap and gives them the power to decide the direction of the story. And when one is told, they can return to the beginning and start another. The power of choice.
There are three in this series now - a pirate/alien/jungle/adventure already available and a dragon/mermaid/superhero adventure to be released in time for Christmas - so all those characters that young readers love are covered and they can follow all sorts of paths and trails through the stories. Putting the reader in the writer's seat is empowering and they might even be able to suggest a new combination or adventure, teaching them that they can not only be readers but writers too. Sarah Coyle talks about her interactive Pick A Story picture books here.
This is the third book in the Temeraire series which is fantasy adventure set in the wars between Napoleon and Great Britain. It has a skilful twist: a Dragon Air Force has been developed and the main character, Will Laurence, rides his Celestial dragon, Temeraire. Will is about to leave China and set sail for Britain when he receives orders to travel to Istanbul to collect three valuable dragon eggs. Adventures beset them on the Silk Road and they cross mountains and deserts fighting off dragons and Napoleon’s soldiers.
Characters are well rounded and believable and the action and adventures are fast paced.
Fans of historical fantasy will like this book although enjoyment would be enhanced by reading the books in order. It will also have appeal to readers of other books featuring dragons like the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey and Carole Wilkinson’s Dragonkeeper. Author information and news about her books is available here.
Ursula Le Guin, the award winning author of the Earthsea series, once again delivers a rich and absorbing tale that will appeal to fantasy lovers. Gifts is set in a mythical slave owning land called the Uplands, reminiscent of early Scotland. The two main characters, Orrec and Gry, have grown up believing that the prosperity and safety of their domains depends on inherited gifts that have been passed down through the generations. Orrec is late coming into the gift of the Caspros, that of the terrifiying power to “undo” or destroy, people, places and animals. When his gift of “undoing“ surfaces, he is unable to control it and his father blindfolds him so that he cannot see to destroy things at random with his wild gift. Gry has the ability to call animals to her and must decide whether she will follow her mother’s example and bring animals into the hunt to be killed.
Le Guin slowly builds up a vivid picture of a world that has been dominated by Brantors who depend on inborn gifts to control their lands and the people who work for them. The technique of having her characters tell stories to and answer the questions of a runaway man from the Lowlands is a useful device to help describe their situation. Le Guin subtly guides her reader through the moral dilemmas that face her two teenage protagonists. The use and misuse of both supernational and natural gifts and talents is explored as the two young protagonists mature in outlook and experience the grief and joy that these gifts can bring. They also must come to grips with their growing feelings for each other which conflict with family demands to marry not for love but to keep their lineage pure and hand on their gifts to the next generation.
Voices is the second book in the series. Highly recommended.
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature 2006.
15+ First time author John Green has written an engrossing story that is very difficult to put down. 16-year-old Miles Halter goes off to Culver Creek, a boarding school in Alabama. Pudge, as he is nicknamed, collects the last words of famous people, and in the words of the poet Francois Rabelais, he goes “to seek a Great Perhaps” at his new school. Here he meets a fascinating group of people, who introduce him to friendship, freedom, alcohol and sex. He becomes enthralled by the extraordinary Alaska and the story centres around his feelings for her and the group of friends that make up her orbit.
Green writes so skillfully about his characters that they all become real to the reader, who sympathises with Pudge and his naivety, trusts the Colonel as he steers Pudge in his new life, and journeys with Alaska as the trauma she has suffered when very young becomes apparent. The adults in this book are memorable for being strong. loving and caring about the young people in their care.
The book is divided into two sections, Before and After, building up a feeling of anticipation. The humour of the first section is hilarious and balances the melancholy in the second. Themes of friendship, grief, love and guilt are handled really well and philosophical ideas and spirituality are explored.
This book deals with controversial topics – sex, smoking, drinking – but it is the questions that it asks about life and death that will remain with the reader.
The second book in the How We Came to Be Amazing Animal Stories written and illustrated by Sami Bayly, takes the reader through a wondrous journey over land and sea to discover some of the amazing creatures that share our environment. Beginning with the striking cover and gorgeous endpapers with snapshots of information about a number of different creatures, followed by a note from Sami and a checklist of the ways camouflage is portrayed, this book is a delight to read.
The book is divided into sections explaining each of the types of camouflage by introducing creatures who exhibit this behaviour. The first is appearance where there are facts about the chameleon, the buff-tip moth, and the ladybird mimic spiders. Sami then appears on the page diving to find a mimic octopus that can mimic a variety of different sea creatures.
More fabulous camouflage ways follow with amazing information to be shared. Here is just a snippet of that information: the smell of the stinkhorn fungus can mimic dog poo, rotting flesh and vomit (!); sound camouflage where the burrowing owl hisses like a snake; behaviour camouflage where the female bagworm will always live her life as a caterpillar in her case after laying her eggs; and finally location camouflage where the lichen huntsman spider has evolved hundreds of tiny hairs to cover its body and blend in with the lichen.
Throughout the book, the author shares with the reader lots of tantalising facts about different creatures in a personal and engaging manner. Each page is vibrantly illustrated and contains conversations between Sami and different creatures, speech bubbles and fact circles. The final page shows a number of camouflaging creatures with one special one to find.
Another wonderful addition to a school or public library or a gift for a young nature enthusiast.
Themes Camouflage, Mimicry, Land & Sea Creatures, Evolution.
