Hachette, 2020. ISBN: 9780734420053.
(Ages: 12+) Highly Recommended. When Rain Turns to Snow by
Jane Godwin is a thought-provoking and contemporary upper middle
grade novel. On a cold, rainy night thirteen year old Lissa is home
alone when young teenager Reed appears at her door. He is holding
baby Mercy who is definitely not well. At first Lissa does not let
them in but eventually her understanding of the dire circumstances
of the strangers causes her to relent and offer them food and
shelter. When her older brother Harry comes home from footy
training, Reed races outside with Mercy and camps in the shed.
Runaway Reed begs Lissa to keep his presence a secret until they
find out why he has a strong connection to Lissa's mother.
Lissa herself is a very deep and appealing character who has a love
of language and words. She shows confusion and despair over her
relationships with her school peers, her mother's new relationship
and is a staunch supporter of her much maligned and deeply depressed
older brother Harry. Seventeen year old Harry has secretly suffered
terribly from insidious social media posts to the point where he is
at risk and his relationships with both Lissa and their mother is
one of constant angst. The stranger Reed is a gentle, empathetic and
environmentally aware boy who has recently discovered a
life-changing secret about his own place in his family. Baby Mercy
is his niece whom he has vowed to care for but sadly her health is
deteriorating.
Ultimately, through a skilfully written series of events, all of the
unknowns become known and the reader is left with a sense of hope
that maybe everything will work out for each of the characters.
Throughout the story many secrets are both kept and eventually
unravelled. Connections are made and lost and the confusion for
those on the cusp of becoming a young adult are very real and
pertinent to today's society norms.
Adolescents are dealing with a myriad of complex and disturbing
situations which they rightfully question and challenge at times.
Jane Godwin has an intuitive and sensitive understanding of these
young lives and their deepest thoughts and worries. She has been
able to carefully represent these in an emotionally powerful read.
When Rain Turns to Snow would be an outstanding class novel,
so many important issues to be uncovered, shared and discussed. The
cover design by Allison Colpoys is really quite striking and the
beautiful title has its own place and connection in the story.
Themes: Friendship, Family, School, Relationships, Adoption, Social
Media, Bullying, Climate change, Secrets, Connections.
Kathryn Beilby
Puffin Little Cook : Snacks
Penguin Random House Australia, 2020. ISBN: 9781760897000. 96pp.
(Age: 6+) Highly recommended. A flick through this compact book
brought me to a stop with a recipe for little pea frittatas which
sounded very easy to make, and very delicious. More skimming through
found a recipe for Anzac biscuits, and I was hooked. This book, I
decided, was a keeper for me personally and one that I will use
often when grandchildren visit.
With the help of a Big Cook to turn on the oven and help with the
actual cooking process, children will have a lot of fun making these
simple but very appealing snacks for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And some yummy, nutritious, sweet snacks like fruit slushies and
frozen banana pops are sure to be ones children make.
This is an ideal recipe book for parents and grandparents to have on
hand when budding cooks want to make something in the kitchen. The
ingredients are all simple, and the instructions are clear and easy
to follow. There is a Contents page, Glossary, and Puffin quiz. Each
recipe gives the number of items that will be made, and
illustrations brighten up the book. A little puffins prances
throughout and will be loved by little children.
A well designed, clearly presented and easy to follow book, this
will be a hit with all who use it.
Pat Pledger
Abigail and the restless raindrop by Matthew Cunningham
Illus. by Sarah Wilkins. Puffin, 2020. ISBN: 9780143774495.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. One rainy day Abigail has a big
question. She asks her mother where the rain comes from. She is told
it comes from the clouds, and yes she says but how does it get
there. Mum explains with the story of just one drop of water, a
restless drop of water. Floating around in the lake it sees the sky
above and wants above all else to fly. One warm day it begins its
journey, first becoming warmer and warmer, until finally changing
into a puff of steam. That puff of steam flies into the air,
wandering over hills and mountains, looking at the lake far below.
She joins many other puffs of steam and when they all join they fall
to the earth as rain, back to where she started from.
This delightful story is a wonderful read aloud on a wintry day,
involving the listeners in the story of how the rain falls to earth,
showing the weather in the background of each page, showing the
cycle of water. Abigail's questioning about her environment will be
a smart introduction to lessons about what is about us, and asking
children to think of what question they want answered. In this way
this book could be a wonderful gateway into talking about the
environment with classes, and rain in particular.
New Zealand illustrator, Sarah Wilkins has a most eye catching style
using a mix of acrylic, gouache, ink and digital techniques to
create her distinctive work. Wonderful to see a girl character in
shorts rather than the dresses so many seem to wear in children's
picture books, and see her stomping through puddles, messing about
in trees, rowing on the lake and above all, wondering. And looking
out of the window at the night sky, another question seems imminent,
and readers will ponder what that might be.
A book full of wonder and questions. Themes: Rain, Raindrops, STEM,
Science, Environment, Humour.
Fran Knight
Date me Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye
Penguin, 2020. ISBN: 9780241435267.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. What starts off as a seemingly
lightweight story about a silly school dare turns into a moving
description of a teenager's gradual development into a trusted and
accepting gay relationship - a first time boyfriend-boyfriend
experience. It all starts when Bryson Keller, the handsome school
soccer star who scorns high school romances, is challenged in a dare
to date the first person to ask him out each week, for 3 months, and
if his heart is won he gives up driving his expensive white Jeep to
school and has to ride the school bus. The narrator, Kai Sheridan,
is a boy who has learnt to hide his sexuality from even his closest
friends following an early hurtful experience, but in an angry
spontaneous moment he challenges Bryson to 'date me'. Bryson is
known for being decent and fair-minded, and he takes up the
invitation. At first it is just a friendship with a shared school
project and shared music interests, but gradually as they get to
know each other better their friendship deepens into something more
meaningful.
This is a lovely story that reminded me of Clementine
and Rudy by Siobhan Curham, a story of a friendship and
art collaboration between two teenage girls from very different
backgrounds. Clementine and Rudy is not a LGBTQI+ story but
there is the same positive message about being non-judgemental and
open to friendship with someone different. And like Curham, van Whye
describes young people who are kind and sincere. Both Bryson and Kai
struggle with changing family relationships, but each is supported
by a sister who understands them, as well as good friends, and the
overall message is as the author says 'that, despite those trials
and tribulations, there is hope, that we have worth and deserve to
be happy'.
I can highly recommend this novel to teenage readers, regardless of
their sexuality, for its positive messages about identity,
friendship and acceptance.
Themes: LGBTQI+, Identity, Friendship, Romance.
Helen Eddy
The secret cave by Anh Do
Wolf Girl book 3. Allen and Unwin, 2020. ISBN: 9781760876371.
(Ages: 8+). Highly recommended. The secret cave is the
third exciting instalment in the Anh Do series about a young girl,
Gwen, her pack of dogs and new member Rupert who are fighting for
survival in a dystopian world. The two children are searching for
their parents and the dogs are searching for their owners. The story
begins with Gwen and Rupert having evidence of their parents'
whereabouts and heading into the forest being chased by the evil
Fran and seven soldiers. The pack outwits the enemy but one of the
dogs, Zip, is badly injured. On the hunt for a healing herb, the
pack is surrounded by many cats hissing and waiting to attack. Their
leader is Ma Taylor who has survived the bombs and lives in a
treehouse with the cats. She has her own sad story just like Gwen
and Rupert. She helps heal Zip and the pack spends the night there
before using a procured GPS to track down the truck which took
imprisoned adults out of the previous camp. The pack heads off and
finds a cave leading into a mountain where captured workers are
carving out rocks that are rumoured to contain minerals with hidden
powers. Gwen and the pack free the workers and while some reunions
happen with the dogs and their owners, Gwen and Rupert's parents are
not amongst the freed slaves. However there is a glimmer of hope and
more will be revealed in Book 4.
Ahn Do continues to write with an intuitive understanding of what
children want to read - danger, thwarting the enemy, excitement,
hope, belonging and trust. The illustrations by Lachlan Creagh are
perfectly placed throughout the book and add to the drama of each
event. Themes: Family, Children alone, Adventure, Survival, Trust,
Animals, Danger.
Kathryn Beilby
Sneaky shadows by SC Manchild
Illus. by Sam Caldwell. Berbay Publishing, 2020. ISBN:
9780648529163.
(Age: 4+) The bright end papers will alert the reader to the play
which lies within, as two penguins stand on each other, with arms
extended up, making their shadow more like a rabbit, and underneath
they have their arms extended out, the shadow making the image of an
eagle in flight, and again the two make the shadow of a dog's face.
Berbay Publishing aims to publish imaginative books of a high
standard, enriching the reader with their playfulness. To this end
books are published from around the world, many having been
published to acclaim overseas. More about Bebay Publishing can be
found on their website.
Melbourne based author, Manchild has teamed with Glaswegian
illustrator Caldwell to produce a book which will delight and amuse
as children work out how each shadow is made. From the endpapers,
readers' imaginations will have been stirred, seeing the different
shadows made by the two penguins. The first two shadows are easy to
guess, and lure the readers into something more difficult over the
page. Each shadow from then on is an amalgam, a combination of one
animal with other things entwined somehow to make a shadow that is
nothing like the original animal. Kids will laugh at the combination
of things to make an unusual shadow, and try their own shadow play
as a result. Themes: Shadow, Shadow puppets, Humour.
Fran Knight
Camp by L.C. Rosen
Puffin. UK. 2020. ISBN: 9780241428252. 368p.
(Age: 15+ ) LGBTQ Romance. Camp Outland is a summer camp expressly
for gay teens. Subtitled, Top or bottom? It's time to bunk up,
Rosen's euphemisms are as lewd as they are plentiful. The central
problem arises when a Masc (masculine) type prefers his own type
exclusively. Unfortunately, the narrator, epitomizes the
stereotypical Femme homosexual, with his love of musical theatre and
nail polish. But not this summer. In preparation for summer camp,
Randy has: lost weight, worked out, cut his hair, changed his
wardrobe, changed his name and perfected new mannerisms to attract a
boy he has admired every summer since childhood - a masculine young
man who believes that gay men should behave straight.
To his friends' consternation, Randy drops his theatre electives for
sport in order to woo Hudson, who has a decidedly 'Masc' polemic.
Unbelievably, Hudson doesn't recognize Randy with a new persona and
a new moniker. As Del, Randy doesn't just plan to be Hudson's next
conquest. He desires the man of his dreams to be his forever
boyfriend. Much of the tension in the book comes from Hudson's
sexual frustration and Randy's guilt and betrayal of his cabin full
of old friends and theatre nerds.
The author of Jack of hearts is as determined as ever to
demystify gay sex for young queer readers. Camp is as
flirtatious as any straight romance, although verbally more
lascivious. With interesting themes of identity, friendship, family
and gay history, fans of L.C. Rosen will turn pages in anticipation
of gender equality; and the boy getting the boy by the end of
summer.
Deborah Robins
Living on stolen land by Ambelin Kwaymullina
Magabala Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781925936247.
(Age: Adult - Senior secondary) Highly recommended. In these days of
the Black Lives Matter campaign and discussions of white privilege,
this book is a highly relevant reminder of Australia's violent
settler-colonial history and the ongoing conflict between settler
systems and Indigenous values. The title Living on stolen land
sums it up; it is a history that many would prefer not to recognise.
Kwaymullina's book sets a challenge: 'You are living on stolen land,
What can you do about it?'
In simple prose, written like the lines of a poem, she explains the
different concepts of sovereignty, time, Country, processes, and
knowing. She describes the 'long con' where Indigenous knowledge is
always seen as less, less important, less than the dominant culture.
She challenges us to think about the different biases we hold:
structural, explicit and unconscious. With unconscious bias even the
best intentioned person needs to actively check their own
behaviours, reflect and listen. There is a pathway forward; it
requires humility and respectful relationships. Living on stolen land is a slim volume, a deceptively simple
looking book, but the ideas provide provocation for much thoughtful
reflection and discussion. Each chapter is introduced with a design,
a visual representation of the concepts being introduced. The cover
shows a tree with deep roots but also shoots of new growth. This
book could be read, and read again; it is an invitation to create a
new future, together.
Kwaymullina has written a number of books for different ages,
picture books to science fiction. Catching
Teller Crow was 2019 winner of the Victorian Premier's
Prize for Writing for Young Adults. This latest work of non-fiction
is aimed at an adult audience.
Themes: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, Colonialism, Racism,
Bias, Reconciliation.
Helen Eddy
In her own name : A history of women in South Australia from 1836 by Helen Jones
Wakefield Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781743056981.
Recommended. Helen Jones first published this remarkable book in
1986, with a second edition published in 1994, and this third
edition published in 2020. The book has grown over those years and
this current edition is a large paperback of 387 pages of history,
with a further set of supporting data that is 1/3 of the book's size
in total. This most outstanding work is a weighty tome, both
fascinating and enlightening regarding the way that women developed
their own lives, from education, preparation for work, and
motherhood, to being married, running a household, or continuing in
their education, and gaining the right to not only vote in the
elections of Members of Parliament, but eventually to be able to
stand themselves for a seat in Parliament. Supporting structures are
explored, particularly as they were instituted to enable the women
to work and learn, and to have their children cared for, initially,
and then educated, in South Australia over the period of time from
1836 to 2020.
Accessing an extraordinary amount of data, much of which is
included, Helen Jones has presented a 'story' that covers the world
of women from very early settlement to the current times. It is
important to note that her work is supported with documentation that
includes names, dates, places and purpose. In that we are given
evidence of the way that women were able to develop lives, often in
ways that had been historically taboo, this book delves into the
various categories of education available to the different needs of
young women, particularly noting that State education has been free
in South Australia. Schools, both state and private, are shown to
have played a strong part in both the development of a strong system
of education available for girls, and in the preparation of young
women to train as teachers from quite early in the colony.
This extraordinary book is a riveting read, both in its attention to
detail, and in its breadth of data. It would be a stunning book for
students to access in learning about this state and enabling access
to real details of the history of women in South Australia. Thus it
would be ideal for study both as an historical document, and as a
source of data that proves just how deeply women were involved, from
its beginning, in the development of South Australia.
Elizabeth Bondar
All about friends by Felicity Brooks
Illus. by Mar Ferrero. Usborne, 2020. ISBN: 9781474968386. 32pp.,
hbk.
It can be fun to spend time by yourself, You can play whatever you
want and you don't have to share your toys or your snacks . . .
But what every one of us has learned over the isolation of the last
few months is that friends are critical and a crucial part of our
mental well-being. As schools gradually return to full-time
face-to-face teaching, some little ones may have been at home for so
long that they have forgotten what it is like to work and play with
others and how to be a friend, so this beautifully designed book
will be the perfect platform for getting things back on an even
keel. Each double page spread focuses on an issue such as what are
friends, why we need them, what makes a good friend, who can be
friends and so on, offering lots of scope for sharing personal
stories and contributing to discussions in a way they haven't done
for some time. There are also pages devoted to how friendships grow
and change, how they can be destroyed and how they can be mended so
that the children realise that there will be ups and downs and part
of growing up is knowing what to do and doing it, developing
tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and resilience.
The final pages include a "friendship puzzle" offering the reader a
few scenarios for which they have to select the most appropriate
behaviour, and two pages of information for new parents about their
children's friendships, skills and strategies to help them develop
and some reassuring words about imaginary friends and dealing with
conflict - the most important being to give the child time to try to
sort it out. That perspective alone tells me that this author knows
her stuff and her advice is sound.
Barbara Braxton
The daddy animal book by Jennifer Cossins
Lothian Children's books, 2020. ISBN: 9780734419873.
(Age: 2-6) Highly recommended. Jennifer Cossins has come up with a
marvellous, informative picture book that will thrill its readers,
who will learn not only the names of daddy animals but what baby
animals are called as well and some detailed information about the
animal.
Although almost giving the appearance of a small board book, the
information inside is impressive. Children will learn that a daddy
polar bear is called a boar, while its baby is a cub. Then there is
a descriptive sentence telling how the boar can be as heavy as a
car, and the baby when it is born is not heavier than a jar of
honey. This format is repeated throughout the book, with two short
sentences describing the father and offspring, then a longer
sentence giving interesting details that will really increase both
adult and children's knowledge of the animals presented. The
repetition of the daddy and baby's names in the longer sentence will
also aid in remembering them.
I was enthralled by the beautiful detailed picture accompanying the
details about the turkey family. Set against a pale lilac background
is a gorgeous daddy turkey surrounding by its little poults. The
daddy penguin is gorgeous with its little chick balancing on its
toes, and the daddy wombat (a jack) can be seen against a stylised
landscape of tufts of grass, outlined in black. All the
illustrations are beautifully drawn with the daddy animal standing
out, with its baby or babies around it.
This is a first buy for libraries as it would be a very useful aid to
research and discussion about animals in the classroom. As a home
library addition, it would give rise to discussion and expansion of
many animals. Others by this award winning author are The
mummy animal book,A-Z
of endangered animals and The
ultimate animal counting book, all equallyinformative
for the young inquisitive child.
Pat Pledger
Rusty runs away by Sally Scudamore
Illus. by Lexie Watt. Little Steps, 2020. ISBN: 9781925839777.
32pp., pbk.
When the family go on their beach holiday without him, Rusty the
Australian terrier is perplexed, but when Farmer Gruff and Grandma
Jude whose care he has been left in are too busy to care, Rusty
decides he will have a holiday anyway.
But when he hitches a ride on a truck to escape the fast cars and
sore paws, he doesn't realise that he will end up far away from his
home in Goondiwindi, Queensland - in Snowtown, South Australia!
Told in rhyme with different fonts distinguishing the different
characters, this is based on the true story of a little dog on a big
adventure. Accompanied by clever, detailed illustrations, the reader
is taken on a remarkable journey through some of Australia's most
isolated landscapes that will encourage young readers to get out the
atlas and track his trail and with some calculations, determine just
how far this little dog travelled.
First-time author Sally Scudamore has continued the family tradition
of storytelling, particularly now she lives in the UK and they are
in Australia, a tradition a lot of families may have implemented
during these days of social distancing. Her debut book speaks of
more to come.
Barbara Braxton
Little Lon by Andrew Kelly
Illus. by Heather Potter and Mark Jackson. Wild Dog, 2020. ISBN:
9781742035970.
(Age: 5+) Highly recommended. When a new development loomed to knock
down a now run down area of Melbourne to make way for the
Commonwealth Building in 1988, an archaeological dig was initiated
to record and preserve mementoes of the lives of people who lived in
the back lanes of the inner city, lives rarely documented by
historians, overlooked by the builders of memorials, statues and
plaques that dot our landscape.
It is these lives that Kelly reveals in Little Lon. Just as the
illustrators, Potter and Jackson, preserve the buildings in their
beautiful drawings, so Kelly preserves the lives of the
ordinary people who lived there using interviews and
observation. And what a range for younger readers to ponder: the
Syrian family living above their shop, the boot makers from Lebanon,
the watchmaker in Cumberland Place, the Chinese cabinetmakers, the
Italians who made fairy floss for Queen Victoria Markets, the
Hungarian man who sold chestnuts from his cart. During the day Marie
went to the local St Patrick's Primary, reminded to wash her hands
when she arrived at school. Each Saturday the family went to the
City Baths for a slipper bath and on Sunday Mum took her roast to be
cooked by a restaurant in Exhibition Street, ready to be picked up
after church.
The details of the lives lived in these street will amuse and inform
younger readers, making them reflect on the changes in lives through
the generations, and see how different things were for those who
lived in less fortunate circumstances. The richly detailed
illustrations will generate a mountain of questions as readers spy
the clothing, streetscapes and housing styles. They will take note
of the brick gutters, the closeness of the houses, the lack of
verandahs and front yards, the pinafores, rag rugs, and lino floor
covering as well as the myriad of details shown on the shelves in
the rooms, the detail in the shop windows, the classroom and various
forms of transport. I pored over this book, reminded of things my
grandparents talked of, or things I had seen for myself. Inner city
suburbs are all but gone, but the remnants are still there if you
look, and this book encourages younger readers to do just that.
These remnants should be sought out, reminding us of change, but
also of the range of people who lived and worked there and by
association what happened to the houses and the people as the march
of civilisation engulfed them.
Themes; Australian History, Melbourne, Cities, Housing, Poverty,
Immigration.
Fran Knight
Gargantis by Thomas Taylor
The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series. Walker Books, 2020. ISBN:
9781406386295. 352pp.
(Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Herbie Lemon is a Lost and Founder in
the Grand Nautilus Hotel, where the overbearing manager is called Mr
Mollusc and the owner is called Lady Kraken. The weather in the town
of Eerie-on-Sea is going quite pear shaped as a mysterious man, who
Herbie dubs Deep Hood, books into the hotel. Herbie enlists his
friend Violet Parma to investigate a clockwork hermit crab and a
mysterious bottle with undeciphered writing on it, washed up along
with local beachcomber Mrs Fossil. All the fisherfolk and Deep Hood
are intent on getting their hands on the bottle and some are willing
to use violent means to get it from Herbie and Violet. A strange
light called a Sprightening is released from the bottle and the
children learn that a sea monster called Gargantis is responsible
for creating havoc. In fact old rhymes have forewarned them of these
events. Herbie is terrified of the sea but needs to help restore
order along with Violet. They venture out into treacherous waters on
a boat called the Jornty Spark and face the their enemies and the
Vortiss.
A lot of scary things happen in this fantastic tale but the humour
and over the top characters and events, stop it from ever being too
menacing. Since the story is told in the first person, from Herbie's
point of view, we also get his funny observations and experience the
perilous moments. Violet and Herbie make terrific protagonists,
Violet is brave and a risk taker while Herbie is more thoughtful and
cautious. Thomas Taylor successfully conjures up an original
adventure with a touch of whimsy which would work well as a read
aloud. Taylor's illustrations and maps are great additions to the
book. This is the second in The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea
series, however you don't need to have read
Malamander in order to understand the story. A book
club guide and a storytelling
challenge are available.
Jo Marshall
My Superhero by Chris Owen
Illus. by Moira Court. Fremantle Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781925816464.
Board book. 15pp.
(Age: 2+) Highly recommended. First published in 2013, this board
book version of an award-winning book (International Youth Library
White Raven list, 2014, Western Australian Premier's Book Award
shortlist, 2014) will be very welcome. It is a celebration of the
skills that fathers have, not at all similar to the superheroes that
are normally portrayed in print. Owen commences the book off with a
description of what is traditionally considered as superhero - tall
and strong, wearing a snazzy bodysuit, then comes the refrain
"Kaboom! Kabam! Kapow! Kasplat! My superhero's not like that." Then
follows a description of how protected the child feels when his
superhero gives him hugs and other ways his father is a superhero,
all written in rhyming verse that is a joy to read aloud.
The pictures by Moira Court are stunning. Twelve mask wearing
animals are portrayed as the traditional superheroes, so the reader
will smile at a masked sheep leaping over the tallest office blocks
around and an elephant squashing a car completely flat. Other
animals portrayed will have children guessing what they are.
This is a perfect book to celebrate Father's Day, or to introduce
the idea that normal everyday things are very important. Extensive teacher's
notes are also available.
Very young children will also respond to the rhymes and love the
pictures and every Dad will be proud to hear about the super
qualities that they have.
Pat Pledger
