University of Queensland Press, 2021. ISBN: 9780702263330. (Age:9-14) Highly recommended.
This is a moving, positive story about two brothers growing up near a creek who dream of having a boat to explore their world from the water. Luke is the main character and narrates the story which begins with them finding an injured magpie and nursing it back to health. He is a timid boy who shares his love of birdwatching with his aunty Gem and loves to draw. He can identify most of the local birds by sight and bird calls and this part of the story adds so much for readers who enjoy nature and the world around them. In contrast his older brother Ben, who has just started High School, is confident and reckless, and fiercely protective of Luke.
The story follows the boys in their quest to create the winning entry to win a boat in a local competition that challenges them to make something that celebrates Cabbage Tree Creek. The boys decide to make a guidebook featuring Luke’s bird drawings of as many of the birds they can find near the creek. But Ben’s attention seems increasingly to be taken by a new girl who has moved into the area.
The story explores the dynamics between these three characters, the changing aspects of a family whose parents are separated and the frustration Luke feels as his older brother grows and changes. It is an important story for all boys to read with short chapters and simple dialogue making it accessible to a wide range of reading abilities. The inclusion of bird sketches throughout the book is a welcome addition to an outstanding novel.
Themes Siblings, Trust, Birds, Drawing, Boats.
Gabrielle Anderson
Escape from Falaise by John Flanagan
Ranger's Apprentice. The Royal Ranger 5. Random House, 2021. ISBN: 9781760890476. (Age:11-16) Highly recommended.
John Flanagan is an amazing author, and his Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband series are loved universally by young readers. Escape from Falaise is the next book in the off-shoot series, The Royal Ranger, and it again has action, drama and conflict as the Royal Rangers, or more particularly Will and his young apprentice Maddie must escape capture and rescue a young Prince from the Baron Lassigny. They use their amazing Ranger skills and expert thinking skills to outwit the Baron despite all opposition.
The start of this book launches into the drama with little or no pre-amble or recap, so it is assumed that readers will have come to Book 5 after reading the other books in the series. You could never say the story is dull. Conflict and commotion, action and arrows, wit and wisdom and overcoming the witless and woeful opponents of the young Araluen Rangers happens at great speed. This is a rollicking adventure and will be devoured by readers of the Ranger’s Apprentice series. As an adult reader, I was also impressed at the way that Flanagan maintains the plot progression and makes a story that even adults can enjoy, even though these books are aimed at younger readers. And although young male readers have always loved this series, Maddie the young Ranger’s apprentice connects this series to a female audience too.
The ever-popular Pig is back and he's up to some serious tricks, desperate to get his hands on as much as Halloween candy as he can. His outfits are scary and inspirational: Frankenstein's monster, a two-headed Pig and a zombified bumpkin are just some of his getups. But scarier than his costumes is his greed; he's snaffling whole baskets of treats and avenging anyone who stands in his way; eggs are being thrown at front doors, cars are being toilet papered and paint is being thrown. The tricking shenanigans are seriously astounding and children will especially love the paper bag of stinky poo left at a front door. This is Pig at his dastardly finest and the vocabulary used by Blabey is superb. He is a 'mummy unhinged' and a 'gluttonous goblin', he is on a 'monstrous rampage' and his payback is 'unprecedented'. This is so rich with infrequently used vocabulary, yet so effortless and pleasing to read-aloud.
The problem with Pig's greed is exposed when he ignores Trevor's warnings and munches on a tasty chocolate treat. In predictable Pig style this ends with a torrent of disgusting chocolate vomit. The illustrations are absolutely hilarious and integral to the storytelling. As he often does, Blabey manages to sneak in a reference to another of his books with Trevor dressed as Thelma the Unicorn. This is one of the best Pig books and a true treat for the eyes and the ears. It will appeal to all Pig and Blabey fans, young and old, and particularly to Halloween lovers. It might also provide some fabulous ideas for Halloween costumes...but hopefully not for Halloween tricks!
Sam Kerr: Kicking goals. Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN: 9781761100857. (Age:8-12) Highly recommended.
The Flip out is the first book in a series that will be sharing some of Sam Kerr’s personal stories of growing up, pushing the boundaries, and chasing her dreams.The book is written in first person and documents Sam’s journey as she Code Hops from Aussie rules football to soccer with the help of her family and friends.The voice in this book is unmistakably Sam Kerr, honest, forthright with lots of self-doubt and humour thrown in.Middle primary children will enjoy discovering how tough it was for Sam to learn all the positions and rules of her new game and how she overcame her fear of failure, dealt with a bully and persevered until she succeeded. The interactions with her family, her feelings about her journey and interactions with her friends make it straightforward to read and interesting for students of this age group. The next book in the series, A new Knight, is sampled in the last few pages of the book.
Themes Soccer, Friendship, Resilience, bullying.
Gabrielle Anderson
Echoes of war by Tania Blanchard
Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN: 9781760852085. (Age:Adult) Recommended.
Giulia Tallariti lives in a traditional coastal region in Calabria. Her desire is to be a herbalist healer like her Nonna, but her father only sees marriage as her destiny. Giulia though is feisty, forthright and independent and is desperate to follow her own path and resist her father’s traditional views for her life. Against the backdrop of the approach of World War II and the focus of Mussolini to grow Italian influence in the world, Giulia and her family resist fascist and local Mafia ideals and attempt to live their lives simply. Giulia leaves home to train with a renowned healer in a monastery, but cannot escape her father’s plans and arrangements for her marriage. Caught in the dilemma of her gender she must accept the twists of fate and overcome heartache to forge ahead with the perils of war as a constant threatening presence. Love does find a way, but not without complications and griefs along the way.
The hero of this story is the insight into Calabrian life, it is full of familial warmth and Italian traditional culture. This is an adult family saga covering many years, with war, love and grief, and ending with migration to Australia. There are references to Wartime history and political manoeuvring from an Italian perspective, which will appeal to those interested in War history. The social history and gender relationships are intriguing. Relationship and sexual exploration are also explored. This book will be enjoyed by adult readers with an interest in Italian culture and history; it is an entertaining read.
Themes World War II – Italian history, Family saga, Relationships, Calabrian culture, Gender stereotypes.
Carolyn Hull
The magic ball of string by Chelsea Hardi. Illus. by Olya Badulina
The front cover will draw any young girl into the story immediately, with the beautiful princess upon the white horse, and the castle in the background. The illustrations throughout the book capture all the subtleties of the story.
This Australian, seven-year-old, author has done an amazing job at storytelling. Being aware of this fact may encourage other budding storytellers out there, knowing that if someone else can do it, they can too.
The story revolves around a family of three daughters and their father, the king of the land. The princesses want to travel and explore the kingdom with him, rather than stay at home. They certainly have an adventure they weren’t expecting! They each find themselves alone and worried for each other. The king issues orders for every abled man to help look for his three daughters. Being as loved as they are throughout the kingdom, they all agreed politely.
I thought the story would be all about a magic ball of string, however, the magic ball of string is not mentioned until towards the end of the story. I was a bit disappointed with this story until I found out the age of the author, and this is what will probably draw other readers to pick up the book.
Themes Fairytales.
Natalie Fisher
Shackleton's endurance: an Antarctic survival story by Joanna Grochowicz
Allen & Unwin, 2021. ISBN: 9781760526092. (Age:10+)
Adrift on the Antarctic pack ice with no means of escape and no hope of rescue, Ernest Shackleton and his men are surely doomed.
I’m just cold thinking of this book and reading the true story about Ernest Shackleton’s journey on the Endurance. Joanna Grochowicz has managed to write a thrilling adventure that all readers would like. I could actually visualize the scenes that Joanna wrote about, especially because there are so many new movies and series being available on streaming services to watch. I thought I was pretty clever knowing Shackleton’s expedition when the boys in my family decided to watch some of the programmes. Well done Joanna in making a book read like a documentary the YA and adults would enjoy to read.
The book takes us back to 1914 when the world was at war and Ernest Shackleton and 27 men set sail for Antarctica, where their plan was to cross the Antarctic by foot. Only thing was their ship, The Endurance became trapped in the sea ice in the Weddell Sea for nine months. The crew lived aboard The Endurance before they abandoned her in order to make it home alive and spending another six months on shifting ice floes. In this time the Endurance sank. While battling ice, hunger, exhaustion and ocean the men finally reach the desolate refuge of Elephant Island. From here Shackleton and five of the men began another sea journey to South Georgia to bring rescue to the other survivors. With all this adventure it’s hard to believe that they never reached Antarctica.
Not only did we read about the expedition we also learnt about the different men that were aboard the ship like Frank Worley and Perce Blackborow just to name a few. We learnt about the disgusting food and the poor penguins and of course the puppies they took with them. The living conditions were …. what can I say, you have to read the book.
Themes Historical adventure.
Maria Komninos
It's not you, it's me by Gabrielle Williams
Allen & Unwin, 2021. ISBN: 9781760526078. (Age:14+) Highly recommended.
I literally raced through this book in an afternoon, unable to put it down. It takes a familiar trope, that of a teenager swapping lives with an older woman, but gives it a highly interesting twist – can you change your fate? Holly is a 40 year old woman, living in Australia in 2020 and living a dull, unfulfilling life with a boring boyfriend and few friends. Trinity is a 16 year old teenager, living in America in 1980. Connecting the two is their unusual birthdate, the 29th February, 4.16 p.m., and when Holly finds herself in Trinity’s body, the only way she can discover to communicate with her is by typing messages on an orange Brother typewriter.
Unusually for a young adult novel, it is Holly who narrates the story, and it makes for a compulsive read. The reader finds out about both their lives. Holly’s mother has never seemed to care for her and her grandmother brought her up. The way she relates to ‘the Mom’ and ‘the Dad’ and family life at Trinity’s house is often poignant, and Williams also manages to bring an air of mystery into the story, with the mysterious occupant of the car that seems to be following Trinity.
1980’s Los Angeles is brought to life by Williams. Descriptions of the houses, clothes, and way of life is really fascinating, and the use of Brother Orange to connect Holly and Trinity is fabulous. And all the while the reader is kept wondering just how the story will end. How will the pair get back into their own bodies? Will the kidnapper be successful and will each get a second chance at life?
When Suja leads Jin blindfolded to the top of a building and then takes away the cloth to reveal the view across Pyongyang, they are both elated by the glorious vision of the city and the shared feeling that a shining future lies before them. But their excitement is shortlived, as they gradually come to realise the corruption and terror at the heart of their country, North Korea. The Dear Leader rules the people with a fear that makes everyone distrustful of others. A rash decision leads Jin to be branded a traitorous thief, running for his life.
Author Ann Shin is Canadian with Korean ancestry, and has based her novel on the researched true stories of defectors from North Korea, providing a rare insight into life under the oppressive regime, and also the plight of refugees who escape to China, where as fugitives without any rights, they are hunted down and exploited or deported.
There are many harsh scenes, from the starving Korean villagers scraping pine bark for food, to the brutality of the Korean prison, to life on the run in China where Korean women are sold as wives or worse. And within that world of fear and exploitation, life throws up difficult moral dilemmas: a father forced to beat his son in order to protect the rest of his family; comrades forced to abandon a friend pleading for help; and others, desperate for any work, contributing to people smuggling and sex slavery. The lines of morals and ethics become blurred.
It is the moral decisions that people are forced to make that are at the heart of this story. But the narrative itself is carried by the actions of the two young lovers, Jin and Suja, separated from each other and desperate to be reunited. Alternating chapters follow the paths of each of them as they journey through many hardships, determined to find a better life.
It is a dramatic story offering a rare insight into life in North Korea, and a warning is due that there are some horribly cruel scenes. But readers will be carried along by each exciting chapter, to find out what happens to Jin and Suja.
Themes North Korea, Totalitarian state, Refugees, Morals and ethics, Romance.
Helen Eddy
Land of lost things by Cat Weldon
Pan Macmillan, 2021. ISBN: 9781529045055. (Age:9-12) Recommended.
The land of lost things is book two in the How to be a hero trilogy. It picks up the story just weeks after the end of book one, which is an absolute must-read before diving into this one.
At the end of book one, scruffy Viking boy Whetstone has achieved a heroic task and been given a new quest, along with a riddle. The quest is to find two prized harp strings (before Loki does!), while the riddle reveals clues to the possible whereabouts of his missing parents. Whetstone is now keen to get started on both the quest and unravelling the riddle but is equally keen not to have to do it alone. His new friend Lotta, the trainee Valkyrie, has promised to help him.
The story telling in this book is funny and chaotic, and starts with Whetstone and Lotta separated before their stories intersect again. There are multiple betrayals, misunderstandings and new characters involved – all of which test both the reader (in keeping up!) as well as our two protagonists.
Whetstone and Lotta are, after all, still getting to know each other. Like every new friendship they must communicate effectively and learn to take into consideration what is important to the other. Whetstone desperately wants to find his parents, while Lotta has had her shield stolen and her Valkyrie powers along with it. The pair navigates a tricky path through mistakes and hurt feelings, and come out the other side as better friends, with greater understanding and support of one another.
As with the first book, the illustrations here are cartoony and fun and are full of over-exaggerated facial expressions that tweens will love.This instalment ends with some big mysteries solved but many questions still unanswered.
This book includes a sneak peek at chapter one of the final instalment in the trilogy (A gathering of giants – due out in January 2022) as well as some fun activities such as a God/Goddess name generator and a slimy recipe.
Perkins gradually builds up the tension as two best friends, Neena and Josie, go on a three-day hike deep into a national forest. It is a last chance for the two girls to be together, before going their separate ways to college, and even though they are very inexperienced hikers, have decided that they can do it. But the girls face more than just the trials of carrying a heavy pack, breaking in hiking boots and trying to navigate the right paths, there are other dangers in the woods.
The story is divided into three sections: Together, Apart, Together. In the first section the reader is introduced to the two young women, and it is easy to get to know them, their strengths and weaknesses and the strong bond that they share. Perkins’ clever writing ensures that an atmosphere of unease increases as they struggle with the difficulties of hiking. Then wow! The horror is all there when the pair are separated and the secrets that the trees have been hiding are revealed. Finally together, even more terror is faced.
This is not for the faint hearted, but readers who love horror and enjoyed Perkins’ first horror story, There's Someone Inside Your House, will not be able to put this one down. Its strong themes of survival and friendship make for an enthralling read. Be not far from me by Mindy McGinnis is another book, with its similar theme of survival against all odds in the woods, that should also appeal.
Themes Horror, Survival, Friendship, Hiking.
Pat Pledger
Tongerlongeter by Henry Reynolds and Nicholas Clements
Nicholas Clements has collected together the historical record of the life of Tongerlongeter, heroic warrior and chief of the Oyster Bay people at the time of the Black War in Tasmania. It is a story of bravery and endurance, at the time of the most intensely violent confrontation in Australia's frontier history, culminating with the Black Line, a military operation aimed at controlling or eliminating the Aboriginal people.
The authors argue that Tongerlongeter was a courageous leader who deserves to be recognised and honoured in our history books. Yet few would have heard of him, despite the prolonged war that was waged, with Tongerlongeter’s group developing more complex strategies on the battlefield as they gradually came to exploit their enemy’s weaknesses. They fought until the last remaining of them, just 26 people, accepted transfer to Flinders Island.
Recognised by contemporaries as 'never … subdued, therefore they are not rebellious subjects, but an injured nation, defending in their own way, their rightful possessions which have been torn from them by force,' it is time that all Australians acknowledged this violent past, and for First Nations lives to be recognised and honoured in our shared history.
Tongerlongeter deserves a place in our memorials, our history books, our story books and films, along with other heroic Aboriginal warriors of the resistance, Pemulwuy, Jandamarra and Yagan.
Themes Non-fiction, Aboriginal hero, Aboriginal resistance, Black War, Frontier violence, Tasmania.
Helen Eddy
The tiny woman's coat by Joy Cowley and Giselle Clarkson
Publishing ‘curiously good books’, New Zealand’s Gecko Press sources its stock from around the world. But this one is from the pen of renowned New Zealand author, Joy Cowley and first published in 1987 offers a charming story of kindness and perseverance. The little woman is cold and wet and requires a coat, but where will she get one? She pulls some leaves to her then asks how she will cut them to size. Each time she asks a question a response occurs from an animal around her. The goose cuts the leaves with its bill, the porcupine gives her one of his quills as a needle, the horse offers a hair from his mane to sew the leaves together. She plucks a seed pod to make buttons, and finally puts on her coat. And just in time as the weather blows in, the little woman, the horse, porcupine and snail walking into the blast of wind.
This is a lovely story of cooperation, of resourcefulness, of sharing and working together, of asking for help and finding it.
The tiny woman ’s companion, the snail, features on every page, in the jungle of grasses through which they walk. Readers will take delight recognising some of the features of the autumnal garden and its occupants: the animals, bluebells, leaves from a range of trees and shrubs offering vastly different colours and shapes, and blackberries, the autumn fruit which children love to gather.
Class will be encouraged to discuss size and shape, seasons of the year and above all resourcefulness and kindness as the little woman finds what she needs in the garden. A Q&A with the author is available.
The fantastic fish of School of Fish fame are back again. In this latest book from Louis Shea, the ‘school’ students are on a school excursion to Iceberg Primary in Antarctica. Blake the shark is his usual obnoxious self and teams up with the bullies from Iceberg Primary. Fortunately, the Fintastic Four show that you can be good and still be winners in the Ice Smash competition against the less friendly fish of Iceberg Primary (with Blake as an additional team member). Blake continues to be unpleasant when he tries to steal a ‘magical’ crystal in the Antarctic school’s museum. The excursion has some exciting moments and some funny moments too.
Shea has added great oceanographic detail and also woven in some friendship dilemmas within the underwater world of the School of Fish. Even in the cold waters of Antarctica there is warmth and delight in this visually appealing story. This is a tale that will be loved by those who have discovered graphic novels. The colourful presentation, humour and quirky story twists will be enjoyed by young readers ages 8-12. It won’t stay long on a library shelf!
Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN: 9781471179327. (Age:Adult) Recommended.
I hadn’t read a novel by the husband-and-wife team Nicci French for quite some time, and now, after finishing The unheard in two sittings, I realise that I have been missing out on well written, suspenseful books. In The Unheard, the duo tackle the dilemma that Tess, a single mother, recovering from a divorce, faces. Her daughter Poppy has started to show disturbing signs of having witnessed a murder:
‘He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.’
She has drawn a woman falling from a tower, is wetting her bed and using inappropriate language. Tess is determined to protect Poppy at all costs. Her visits to the police are fruitless and her ex-husband Jason is not sympathetic, believing that she is exaggerating Poppy’s distress. When a young woman falls from an apartment building, Tess is certain that there is some connection with what Poppy may have witnessed.
Tess narrates the story, and the suspense is drawn out with the reader learning more about her marriage, the character of Jason, her ex-husband, her new partner Aidan, and that of the young woman who died. Tess doesn’t know who to trust and the reader doesn’t know whether she is a reliable narrator, or an overprotective mother. However, she is relentless in her pursuit of what she believes Poppy has witnessed, while the reader is bamboozled with red herrings, twists and turns and different suspects until an unexpected conclusion to the mystery.
I am not normally drawn to mysteries set in a domestic setting, preferring police procedurals, but I couldn’t put The Unheard down and will certainly be reading more books by this writing duo.
