Xander Maze is a sensitive 15yr old whose #1 person is his terminally ill grandmother. Nan attempts to distract Xander, by instructing him to write a new list titled, “100 remarkable feats of Xander Maze.” He naively believes that achieving all the items on the list, some only remarkable for pushing Xander’s limits, will help her recover. Can Mr Remarkable really gain confidence, shed his anxiety and man-up to #100 - Save Nan?
But Nanna intentionally leaks the list naming his love interest amongst other embarrassing details, with the entire online world. The list is printed unabridged as are shorter lists throughout the novel.
#2 Make a Friend, #3 Make a Best Friend, #10 Kiss a Girl … are just the beginning. #28 Go to a party, #58 Get a job (any job), #87 Learn to keep secrets – all earn him initial put downs and worse from school bullies, Tyson and Corey. However, a surprising number of new friends and community members show up to help him at all the wrong or right moments.
Lily, sometimes assisted by Lachlan, encourage him daily but so does Andy (a cool senior) and her peer group including Chase and Johnny. His Mum is the main barrier – concerned that Xander is not accepting the inevitable. Running alongside Xander’s story are plenty of good deeds and problems to be solved, which enable the friends to tick off multiple “feats” from Xander’s list. Mr Abramowitz has agoraphobia, Sean Emerson (school senior) has been missing for months and Lily is struggling with her own secrets.
There are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments, but readers will love Xander for his can-do attitude despite his lack of worldly experience. Xander has moments that are definitely neurodiverse and he visits Dr Way occasionally for support. The writing is too raw to be saccharine. Comber is a rising YA talent having introduced a very likeable antihero to Australian readers. Teacher’s Notes are available.
Themes Bildungsroman, Grief, Palliative Care, Family, Neurodiversity.
Deborah Robins
Do you know where the animals live? by Peter Wohlleben
Peter Wohlleben, the author of The Hidden Life of Trees has written another attractive and appealing non-fiction book which clearly showcases his passion and enthusiasm for the animal world. The book begins with an introduction ‘Let’s go on a journey of discovery’ which is followed by seven chapters covering the topics of where animals live, what they eat, babies, how they grow up, survival techniques, the language they use and animal emotions. The chapters are not long and the information is clearly set out in bordered segments interspersed with colourful photographs. There are “Look!” or “Try this!” headings as well as a simple quiz at the end of each section. The answer to each quiz is on the same page but may be missed as it is in miniscule light coloured font.
The interesting and wide-ranging information is written in an easy to understand manner and may encourage further investigation. A thought-provoking fact especially as areas of Australia are suffering from a devastating mouse plague is that one pair of mice can produce up to two thousand offspring a year and that young mice can begin to have their own babies at three weeks old. There is important information on human garbage and the care that must be taken to ensure animals do not suffer from it being left lying around. At the end of the book are photo credits and a very detailed index.
Another welcome addition to a home, school or public library.
Themes Animals, Habitats, Survival, Nature.
Kathryn Beilby
How to Make a Pet Monster: Flummox by Lili Wilkinson. Illus. by Dustin Spence
Allen & Unwin, 2021. ISBN: 9781760877392. (Age:7-10)
Artie and Willow have the means to create their own monsters. They own a spell book called “The Bigge Boke of Fetching Monsters”. The spells contain unique items, so Willow creates the latest monster by getting as close as possible to the ingredients. The adaption of the spells can create some wildly unusual creatures.
In the first book in the series a monster called “Hodgepodge” was created. He is Artie’s monster and Willow wanted a monster friend for herself. She does create a new chicken like creature called Flummox.
Willow and Artie’s plans to spend time with the spell book and their monsters are thwarted by the arrival of Arabella-Rose who needs to wait at their home waiting for the late arrival of her uncle. Willow does not enjoy Arabella-Rose’s company and things get difficult when Willow and Artie try to hide the monsters from their unwelcome guest.
This is a light-hearted novel involving magic and friendship. The pages contain many black and white illustrations by Dustin Spence and his cartoon style makes the story more exciting and easier to read. It is interesting to see the interaction between Artie and Willow who are now part of a blended family and Arabella-Rose’s introduction adds to the drama of the situation.
I was able to pick up the storyline from the first book (I did not read) very easily and it is obvious from the novel’s ending that there are more characters and stories to come.
This is a good fit for 7 to 10 year olds.
The Allen and Unwin Facebook page have some little videos advertising the series. Teacher's tips are available.
Black girls together, solidarity! At least that is what Nella hopes, when a new black girl gets an editorial assistant position in the same publishing house where she works. Up until that time, Nella has been the only black person in the all white Wagner editorial team, struggling to highlight diversity issues in the manuscripts that come across her desk. But then the threatening notes start turning up, ‘LEAVE WAGNER NOW’, and Nella has to wonder if Hazel, the new super confident achiever is behind them.
The author Zakiya Dalila Harris spent nearly three years working in the editorial department at Knopf Doubleday, beginning work on this novel at her desk, so the scenes exposing the hierarchies within a publishing house, the tension around raising issues of racism, and the competitiveness between editorial assistants wanting to rise up the ladder, all has the ring of authenticity. Nella wants to help new young black writers to get published, and also ensure there is a genuine black voice in the literature that Wagner promotes. But she finds that she is increasingly being sidelined, Hazel is becoming the favoured black spokesperson . . . and the threatening notes keep coming.
Interwoven with Nella’s story are occasional chapters set in a different timeframe, so the reader needs to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of chapters. New characters and scenes are introduced, and it is not until well over half way through the book that we start to understand what they are about. The novel starts as a modern day social commentary, mixed with elements of the thriller, and then takes a disconcerting sci-fi turn. Perhaps younger readers will not be put off by this twist.
The novel is well grounded in black politics, and black culture, the characters are convincing, and the writing keeps the reader engaged. Readers who like a mix of genres will enjoy this book.
Themes Black writers, Racism, Deception, Control.
Helen Eddy
Red vs Blue by James Tedesco. Illus. by Heath McKenzie
Pan Macmillan Australia, 2021. ISBN: 9781760982928. (Age:7+) Recommended.
James Tedesco is a popular Rugby League footballer who plays for the Sydney Roosters. The Roosters' website describes Tedesco as “one of the best players on the planet”. He grew up in the Menangle/Camden area of NSW and his writing is based on his own footy-playing childhood. His main character is himself, nicknamed ‘Teddy’.
Red vs Blue is Tedesco’s second book (following Hat-Trick Teddy which was published in April 2021) and does follow on from where the story left off in the first instalment but can be easily understood as a stand-alone.
Red vs Blue details the birth of a second Under 12s team for the Camden Rams. With two teams in the same age division a showdown between them is inevitable and both teams are desperate to win. But first the new Camden Blues need more players, so the boys get to work on a recruiting strategy. Their strategic thinking on how to target the skills they need is impressive.
The resulting team is a mixture of kids from diverse backgrounds and with various body types and skill levels, but with 12 out of 13 being boys. The language around the consideration of a girl starts “we can’t have girls on our team!” and “she couldn’t play our standard of footy”. It’s disheartening that (unlike any of the new male recruits) she must prove herself to the team, but to their credit the boys then freely admit they were wrong and welcome her whole-heartedly.
There’s a side-story about a blossoming romance involving a girl who owns a goat, with the goat appearing as a fun little flip-the-pages picture, jumping page numbers. The showdown between Camden Red vs Blue is saved till the end and is detailed play by play (as for several other games during the story).
For young rugby fans this book will be a delight – the chapters are short, the illustrations are cartoony, and there are tips at the end of each chapter on how to succeed at footy as well as in everyday life.
Themes Teamwork, Integrity, Resilience, Rugby League Football.
Kylie Grant
Fart and Burp are superstinkers by Zoe Foster Blake. Illus. by Adam Nickel
In this companion volume to No one likes a fart Burp is worried about the fact that no one likes her and Fart and that people only have bad things to say when they are around. However, Fart says ‘if we are happy that is all that counts’. Burp felt really happy when she was able to use her bad smell for good, so the pair then decide to use their smell power for good.
When Burp and Fart come up against a problem that they are not able to help with, they realise they need help. They find their friend Sewie who agrees to help them. The three of them hurry back and work together to get the children out of a dangerous building just in time.
Even though the three of them are super stinkers Burp was very happy that they were able to use their power to help others.
This story shows the importance of being yourself. Everyone can be a superhero they just need to find their power. I highly recommend this book.
Themes Humour.
Karen Colliver
Little Owl's bedtime by Debi Gliori. Illus. by Alison Brown
This is a fun bedtime story. Little Owl is not ready to go to sleep and continues to come up with excuses as to why he can’t go to sleep, like most small children.
In the end Mummy Owl finds out that the reason he doesn’t want to go to sleep is because he is excited about tomorrow. Mummy explains to Little Owl that tomorrow will come quicker if he goes to sleep and Little Owl finally falls asleep.
This book is beautifully illustrated; the pictures are bright and colorful and attention grabbing. They support the story beautifully.
I highly recommend this book.
Themes Bedtime.
Karen Colliver
Amazed! CSIRO's A to Z of Biodiversity by Andrea Wild
CSIRO, 2021. ISBN: 9781486313976. Recommended.
Australia is a most diverse continent with a huge variety of natural wonders from its regular bushfires to jumping spiders to zombie worms and in this fascinating book designed for curious young independent readers, over 100 are examined and explored. Inspired by the specimens and stories from the CSIRO's National Research Collections Australia (which is home to more than 15,000,000 natural history specimens), photographs, diagrams and easily accessible text offer the budding young scientist an introduction to the tiniest microscopic organisms to those much larger, from the familiar like joeys to the one-off magpie nest made of coathangers.
With its alphabetical layout, contents page, and glossary it is easy to navigate and there are comprehensive teachers' notes which guide the reader to discover how and why species get their scientific names to pressing and preserving their own plant specimens.
This is a marvellous dip-and-delve book that both teacher and student will find fascinating as they find something to accompany or satisfy their curiosity. A whole new world of discovery awaits.
Themes Ecology, Biodiversity.
Barbara Braxton
Oona by Kelly DiPucchio and Raissa Figueron
Katherine Tegen Books, 2021. ISBN: 9780062982247. (Age:4+)
Oona the mermaid and her best friend Otto the pufferfish love to search for treasure on the ocean floor, but often they find trouble instead.
Messy trouble. Tricky trouble. Even shark-related trouble.
That's never stopped them though! So when Oona spies a beautiful crown caught in the sand at the bottom of a narrow crack she was determined to have it. But does she have the courage to dive right in and fetch it from the dark, murky depths where who knows what might be waiting for her?
This is an engaging story that has the unusual twist of Oona actually giving up on retrieving the crown but then continuing with how that made her feel and her resolve returning. We all know the feeling of dissatisfaction when something we desire, tangible or not, remains just out of reach. We have to consider whether it is a walk-away thing or whether it's an occasion to rethink our strategies so we can attain or achieve it. So, by not having Oona reach her goal, the author opens up the discussion about what we can do if we don't win. In this success-oriented world where children are rewarded just for turning up to something they have committed to, they don't often have the opportunity to learn to lose, to experience the feelings that that entails and how to not only deal with the loss but also those feelings.
The other element that sets this apart from other stories about mermaids is the illustrations, for Oona is not the stereotypical pretty white mermaid with long golden locks and fish-scale tail and Otto is not a cute rainbow-fish type companion, so that also could lead to an exploration of stereotypes, their impact on our perception and how something that is completely different from what we were expecting can impact on our reading. Does the diversity enhance the experience or distract from it?
This is a book for a range of ages - it could be just a story about a mermaid or even a discussion about how the "treasure" she finds ends up in the ocean, it could be the springboard to much more.
Themes Mermaids, Treasure, Friendship.
Barbara Braxton
Kooking with a Koori by Nathan Lyons
Simon & Schuster, 2021. ISBN: 9781761102011. (Age:12+) Recommended.
Wiradjuri man Nathan Lyon began cooking meals for his family from a young age. He grew up in a family where he watched his parents and extended family members cook wonderful meals on very tight budgets. As a family of eight now, he prepares all the family meals and has become a TikTok sensation when in September 2020 he began sharing meal tips online under the name Kooking with a Koori. This very readable and easy to follow recipe book is not large and glossy with photographs of beautifully presented meals. It is an over-sized novel with a no-nonsense approach to cooking aimed at those who may be doing it tough and their experience of cooking has been limited or they are just starting out on their cooking journey. In the introduction the author shares his journey with frankness and humour. The book has a contents page with sixteen chapters that includes headings such as beef, pork, lamb, fish, pasta dishes as well as Indigenous Favourites and After School snacks. There is a Basics chapter that has recipes on such things as perfect scrambled eggs, classic garlic bread and creating a white sauce. Throughout the book are highlighted tips and cheap eats stars. The appeal of this book is that the recipes are what many people have grown up with, simple home cooked food. The recipes are not always the most nutritious but use ingredients readily available and accessible for all especially those on lower incomes. There is a very handy detailed index at the end of the book.
This book is a surprise package and would be worthy of a place in the cooking section of any library.
Themes Recipes, Cooking, Budgets, Cheap Meals.
Kathryn Beilby
Dinosaur Questions & Answers by The Natural History Museum
If you're as old as the dinosaurs themselves, and even if you're not, if you have had anything to do with young children you will know that the fascination for dinosaurs is universal and endless. I wish I had the proverbial dollar for every time I have been told that a child is obsessed with dinosaurs and asked what did I have that was new.
So this new publication from CSIRO Publishing which targets those just beginning to discover these creatures and who have so many questions about them is perfect. Tackling 50 most commonly asked questions such as 'Which dinosaurs had the biggest teeth?' and 'Why did some dinosaurs have such short arms?', both question and answers are in straight-forward language, give just the right amount of information and are accompanied by clear, colourful illustrations ensuring the young reader's inquisitiveness is satisfied while demonstrating the power of books to seek the information we want.
Many of our youngest readers will be experts on this subject before they come to school and even though according to formal tests they can't yet read, they will have cut their teeth on this subject and know more about reading (and dinosaurs) than we give them credit for. So this could serve as an excellent model to let this group create their own Q&A book to not only show off their own knowledge but to learn from their peers, empowering them in a way that few formal lessons could do. It could offer a pathway into the information literacy process for them - what do I already know, what do I want to know, where can I find out, how can I share what I've discovered - and inspire them to investigate further.
Themes Dinosaurs.
Barbara Braxton
Comic Classics: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack Noel
The classic tale of Jim Hawkins, Dr Livesey, Squire John Trelawney, Long John Silver, Ben Gunn and an assortment of other characters who set out on the Hispaniola to find Captain Flint's long-buried treasure is brought to a new audience in this adaptation by illustrator Jack Noel to graphic novel format.
Adapted into numerous films, plays and other productions, this epitome of pirate stories really belongs in every child's literary repertoire and using all the visual techniques that attract today's young readers, the once-difficult language of the late 19th century storyteller is now accessible to today's generation. So much of what we believe about pirates, their vocabulary and actions stems from Stevenson's imagination so even if the student can't manage the original, this interpretation will give them some insight and understanding of a story that they are expected to be familiar with in their later studies.
This is the second in this series - the first is Great Expectations - and it would be a worthwhile addition to any library collection that seeks to extend children's reading into the realm of stories to be read again and again.
Barbara Braxton
Space kids : Sabotage by Aleesah Darlison. Illus. by Nancy Bevington
Big Sky Publishing, 2021. ISBN: 9781922387172. (Age:7+) Recommended.
This is the first in a new adventure series by Australian author Aleesah Darlison. It's the year 2088 and there are more than twenty space stations scattered across the Milky Way as tourist destinations. 11-year-old Nash jumps in a shuttle bound for Misty Space station, where his dad lives and works. Nash is not keen to be a 'space kid' and expects the two weeks on Misty to feel like forever, although he is looking forward to spending some time with his father.
On arrival he meets two other kids, Raj and KC, who live on the space station full time. The three children start a firm friendship and even welcome a fourth kid (a tourist) into their midst but it's not long before the group are tested with a series of strange and dangerous events. Is it just bad luck or could someone be deliberately sabotaging the space station? To have a chance at survival the kids must work together, trust each other, think quickly and solve the mystery of what is happening and who is responsible.
This is a clever story with chapters of around 10 pages each and plenty of cartoony illustrations. It's a great step up from series like Hey Jack or Sporty Kids and is a perfect book to read aloud to a younger or less confident reader, especially those who are interested in space or robots. There is also a nice progression in Nash's relationship with his father throughout the story, with a subtle reminder of the importance of telling loved ones how you feel.
Confident readers from age 7 will enjoy the challenge of a decent size chapter book with all the twists and turns of the friendships, danger and mystery along the way.
Gecko Press of New Zealand is an independent publishing house which focuses on carefully selecting, translating and publishing children's books from around the world. Leilong the library bus is a collaboration between two Taiwanese women: Julia Liu, author of many children's books and Bei Lynn, an award-winning artist. The book is translated into English, published by arrangement with Walker's Cultural Ltd/Pace Books through Bardon-Chinese Media Agency and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan).
Whether it is due to the translation or not, there is a quirkiness to this story. Leilong is a Brontosaurus. He has three friends - Max, Monty and Mo. Leilong loves the library and storytime. He becomes totally involved in stories and because of his size he doesn't fit in. A solution is found. The storyline is simple and narrated in third person. The lively dialogue between the characters would lend Leilong the library bus well to being read aloud.
The illustrations are cartoon-like and full of detail which invites time to be spent looking at all the different people depicted on each page. Many people and animals can be spotted reacting to the strange vision of a Brontosaurus transporting children and books around a busy city. The changing, very human emotions of Leilong are beautifully depicted as he moves from delighted expectation to confusion on his rejection to contentment and happiness on his inclusion and acceptance.
A sweet story with fun illustrations! Teacher's notes are available.
Themes Love of libraries and books, Dinosaurs, storytime.
What a moving book! Bavati has succeeded in writing a warm, engrossing story about sixteen-year-old Jamie, who lives with his mother and younger brother Oscar, who has Down syndrome. He is still grieving the death of his father. When his mother wants to visit her sister in Perth, he is more than happy to look after Oscar while she is away but things become very difficult when she doesn’t come back.
Jamie is such an engaging young man. He is so caring of his brother Oscar and the reader really feels for him as he makes the difficult decision to keep on looking after Oscar by himself, not wanting him to go into care. Oscar lives by his routines and Jamie knows that he would not be able to cope very well in a new situation. His growing romance with Zara is also portrayed well. Zara is a young woman who understands Jamie’s need to care for Oscar, as her sister Hayley has autism.
The reader is taken into the world of Jamie and Oscar, both trying to live without their mother. Problems of how to pay for food, organise a birthday party and get Oscar to school and sport without adults knowing that his mother is not there challenge Jamie. And the reader is left asking, did he make the right decision by not telling adults what has happened? Should a 16 year old take a younger sibling to another city to search for their mother?
This would make an ideal class novel or literature circle book as it raises issues of accountability and dealing with grief. Readers too, will grow in empathy and understanding of children living with a sibling with a disability. The author gives an introduction to this highly recommended story here.
