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.
Blackall has created a wonderful story around a not uncommon childhood dream of being someone or something else. With the girl imagining herself to be a horse, we hear of all the things she most loves in the world, and the things she is not too keen on or thinks less of. If she was a horse, she would gallop all day, going anywhere she wanted to, but come home for a meal. She would let her little sister ride on her back to school, where everyone would welcome her onto their team, but her older brother would not believe her. In the rain she would stay outside, rolling in the mud, laughing all the while.
As a horse no one could force her to take a bath or wear clothes, unless of course when she goes to a parade. As a horse she would stay up until she wanted to sleep, she would sleep standing up and have wonderful galloping dreams.
Each of the things she would love to do as a horse are things that she finds restrictive in the real world, so make a wonderful contrast between one life and the other. Younger readers will love pointing out that yes, they too do not like having a bath or wearing clothes, and yes they would love to gallop all day and go to sleep when they want to sleep. Children will readily identify with the young girl, wanting the restrictions to be lifted. The freedom the horse has is most attractive to her but she also wants some of the good things that life in her family offers; a meal, a sister to take to school, even a brother who is hardly aware of her. The family unit is presented in the beautiful illustrations as a supportive group of people who love each other, despite some of the odd things they wish to do.
The fine ink and watercolour illustrations are unforgettable, and readers will love looking at the horse on each page, wondering what it is thinking. The detail through the book is enticing, while the endpapers with the images of the horse will encourage young readers to drawn one for themselves. But most of all they will laugh at the idea of being a horse, thinking about its restrictions and the warmth of the family home and freedoms, turning each page to see an image that will enfold them with laughter. Now living in Brooklyn, Sophie Blackall has written over fifty books, several of which have won awards, Hello Lighthouse, and Farmhouse amongst my favourites.
Themes Family, Relationships, Horses, Humour.
Fran Knight
What to do when you're not sure what to do by Davina Bell and Hilary Jean Tapper
What to Do When You’re Not Sure What To Do is another gentle picture book by the author and illustrator of What To Say When You Don’t Know What To Say. This latest book is beautifully illustrated in the same soft style and tones with brief and thoughtful text written on each page.
The book begins with gorgeous front endpapers showing a child hovering in the doorway of public transport and the final endpapers show the same child confidently walking inside. There are a number of scenarios that will be familiar to children including not sitting still on a train or tram, taking a freshly baked cookie without asking, finishing a book, becoming lost in a shop, waiting for a turn on a swing and carrying a goldfish. All of the scenarios are accompanied by a different calm learning statement to be read and discussed. For example, ‘gentle hands’ and the complementary illustration shows an older child reaching for a tiny baby being held by an adult, and the two children who discover a bird’s nest with eggs and the words ‘some things need to be left alone’.
This is the perfect book for parents and teachers to share with young children who are growing and encountering new experiences as they explore their widening world. Teacher's notes are available.
Themes New Experiences, Making Choices, Taking care, Bravery, Confidence.
Any readers who enjoy dark humour will love this easy-to-read book set in post lock-down Melbourne. Initially, the character of Bernard does not come across as personable and the reader may be tempted to stop reading. However, Rachel Matthews skilfully brings her characters to life in such a way as to have the reader very quickly developing compassion and goodwill towards the vulnerable and intriguing characters Bernard, Goldie (his mother) and Minh.
Bernard is entangled in the memory of his wife, Silvia. He literally wears her every day (in a piece of cremation jewellery). Bernard’s relationship with Goldie is strained and he blames Goldie for the death of his father. Goldie is a complex character and Rachel Matthews gradually reveals the depth of her personality and experience as if peeling back the layers of an onion.
Minh, fifty-four, is kind to all and has courage. She keeps her physical health in top form, and consciously reframes her thoughts to find the best in situations and people. Her relationship with her family (particularly her step-father) is strained and is haunted by the events surrounding her arrival by boat as a refugee.
In the world created by COVID-19 pandemic, loneliness was endemic and sparked an increase in the use of online dating apps such as Tinder. This is relayed with humour and insight as Minh and Bernard negotiate the world of dating in middle-age with the help of Tinder and advice from colleagues and friends. Rachel Matthews’ approach is sensitive, yet prompts laugh out loud moments that endear the characters to the reader.
As the characters Bernard, Goldie and Minh edge towards a greater understanding of themselves, each other and their families, the reader is unravelling the hurt and influence of intergenerational trauma in this complex and endearing story.
This book is impossible to put down and will warm your heart.
Rebel Fire is the second book in this fantasy trilogy which follows Rebel Skies. Ann Sei Lin has created a world called Mikoshima inhabited by Crafters - humans, and shikigami, paper creatures with extraordinary powers. There are other beings called Sorabito, Groudlings and an Imperial family trying to keep hold of their power. Japanese culture pervades the story where ground, sky, and floating cities are populated by these different beings.
The central characters are Kurara and her friend Haru, both shikigami. Unlike all other shikigami, Kurara is not bonded to a Crafter. The bond is in effect slavery and the shikigami must do all the hard work with their superpowers such as fighting for their Crafter. Kurara sees bonding as totally unfair and she is determined to discover how she can free all the shikigami. Kurara travels south to the Grand Stream to find out the truth behind how bonds are created. On the journey she learns about a link with Star Trees and there’s a chilling truth about the souls of shikigami. The Royal princess wants Kurara to be bonded to her and relentlessly pursues her, which creates another layer of adventure. War is imminent and it is a thrilling journey with many challenges along the way as the quest builds to a cliff hanger.
This is a complex and enthralling fantasy and was jam packed with characters and events. You really should read the first in the series to get the gist of all this complexity. It is sometimes unsettling, violent, and reminiscent of some of the eeriness of The Northern Lights series. Some of the exchanges between Kurara and her friends add light relief and she is a rock-solid, brave, loyal, and ethical young woman. I loved the Japanese-like setting and could picture the world the author created and particularly the shikigami characters. There’s a map, drawings and a glossary which help you understand Mikoshima. This series is ideal for young adult readers who are after something new in the fantasy genre.
Themes Slavery, Loyalty, Fantasy, Japanese culture.
It’s best to begin this book when you have time to keep reading to the end - because from beginning to end, the pages just seem to turn themselves.
Written from the perspective of Ch’anzu, the language is delicious – “When you sleep again, your bed is a measure of inflection, reflection, a laboratory of nuance. Charting the tongues of your life’s every crease, jotting down colours, decibels, foam. Coalescence, cataracts of the past.” (p.60). There is a confection of current slang, Swahili and Bantu woven through the work and a glossary at the end of the book for readers looking for more information.
The book begins in Melbourne where the reader is on the scene as the life of Ch’anzu explodes. Ch’anzu loses hir job in dramatic circumstances and returns home to finds hir wife Scarlet in bed with another. Mired in depression, Ch’anzu seeks escape and accepts the opportunity to travel from Melbourne to work as a computer game designer in Serengotti outside Wagga Wagga in NSW (“You gotta say it twice.” (p.103).
Serengotti is a gated community that welcomes refugees from Africa (including child soldiers and widows) suffering the ongoing effects of war and violence. It’s a place where the community envelops suffering in a warm hug of healing, culture, good food and understanding. The unique personalities with whom Ch’anzu intersects, provide insightful connections with culture that allow hir to heal and help hir come to grips with hir vulnerabilities fuelled by the complex relationship with her twin, “Tex”.
This is a masterful and compassionate crafting of the experience of resilience, courage and maternal wisdom as told through the characters Aunt Maé, Moraa, Tau and Lau. Thought provoking and inspiring, this book will stay with the reader long after the last page is reluctantly turned.
