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03 April 2013

A Confusion of Princes


 by Garth Nix 
Allen and Unwin. Young Adult. Science Fiction. Paperback RRP $22.99
By Sandy Fussell


Khemi is a Prince designate of the Empire, selected and removed from his family, and physically and technologically enhanced to be trained for a life of power and privilege. Connected to the Inner Mind, Princes assist the Emperor in ruling the Empire. They can even be brought back to life if they die while still connected to the Inner Mind and are deemed worthy of rebirth.
Khemri is certain great glory awaits him but on the day his training is completed he learns an uncomfortable truth – being a Prince is very dangerous. Especially for a new one. There are ten million Princes and they all want their rivals dead. There’s no rebirth from assassination.

A Confusion of Princes is the story of Khemri’s three deaths. Although he is one of many, his feeling of importance is vindicated when he is chosen for a special mission and ultimately for a very powerful role. But the training for this path involves Khemri revisiting his human nature that has been subjugated by the Prince process. He discovers compassion, self-sacrifice, family, community and even love.
Khemri must decide whether he wants to be a Prince or forgo power for riches of a different kind.

I found this book difficult initially, the concept is unique and I struggled to find my reader’s reality. However, I persevered because I have always enjoyed books by Garth Nix and have read most of his work to date. The Abhorsen Trilogy has a premium place on my bookshelf of “keep forevers.” Within a chapter I was hooked, and the very alien uniqueness of the characters and setting became the reason I could not put the book down.
Recommended for science fiction and fantasy fans looking for something different.

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22 March 2013

An Anthem for Jackson Dawes

by Celia Bryce

Bloomsbury. Young Adult. Paperback RRP $16.95

By Sandy Fussell

I am in love with Jackson Dawes. Just like the nurses, the other patients and Megan, even though she doesn’t know it and certainly won’t admit it when she finally realises.

Jackson is a young teenager with a rare form of cancer. He’s full of life, hope and craziness. Most of the time.

But this is Megan Bright’s story. She meets Jackson in the cancer ward when she is hospitalised with a brain tumour. The children’s ward is full of ‘babies’ Jackson is the only other person her age. He’s the star of the show, the bane of the staff and the darling of the parents; obnoxious, charming and over-energetic. The younger patients are his fan club, following him around and hanging on his every word. Megan doesn’t want any part of it. She just wants to have the surgery and go home to her real life.

Jackson helps Megan adjust to the hospital, radiotherapy and even losing her hair. He tells her stories. When her friends are not there for her, Jackson helps her understand why and fills the gap.

This is a wonderfully uplifting story but it is also heart-wrenching. In a children’s cancer ward, there is always tragedy and sadness. Even together, Jackson and Megan are not immune. First love cannot protect them from their world but it can make them strong.

Powerful stuff.

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28 February 2013

National Gallery of Victoria - Set of 3 Gift Books

Dashing Dogs in the National Gallery of Victoria

by Frances Lindsay

National Gallery of Victoria. Set of 3 Gift Books. Australian. Hardcover  RRP $24.95
 
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis
 
Dashing Dogs in the National Gallery of VictoriaOne of three editions of gift books published by the National Gallery of Victoria, Dashing Dogs is a collection of beautiful art featuring dogs in history and their role and relationship to humans. Frances Lindsay, Deputy Director of the NGV, has written a detailed, informed narrative on when dogs were domesticated, their many roles, and their impact on art.

These wonderful works are from the eighteenth century and beyond and include Australian Jenny Watson’s Alsation, painted in 1971, gouache and coloured pencils on paper and cardboard, three of William Wegman’s works of colour Polaroid photographs, William Dobell’s Boy with a dog, oil on composition board, Endormies, Rupert Bunny’s glorious sleeping ladies and dog, oil on canvas; David Moore’s Outback children, South Australia 1963, gelatine silver photograph, and other breathtaking works of art with dogs as the theme.

The works are depicted first in full page colour, then again in smaller size accompanied by the art and artist’s information. The cover image is of Aspen grove, oil on canvas by James Morrison.

These are superbly produced gift books with an identical jacket to the book cover.

They boast of elegance and good taste and would suit dog lovers, art lovers, booklovers, and people that admire things of beauty. This set of three gift books is an exclusive, limited print run. 

Curious Cats in the National Gallery of Victoria

by Laurie Benson

National Gallery of Victoria. Set of 3 Gift Books. Australian. Hardcover  RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Curious Cats in the National Gallery of VictoriaProduced identically to Dashing Dogs, Curious Cats begins with the history of cats and their domestication whose original role was to hunt rats that destroyed the food stocks. Cats inspired great writers, such as Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Aesop amongst others, and many great visual artists.

The narrative by Laurie Benson, Curator of International Art at the NGV, goes into the feline personality and habits, and expands on how they have been seen throughout history as demons and gods, and includes their symbolic and decorative roles. Benson also speaks authoritatively about the depiction of cats in art.

Amongst the extraordinary works are: Australian artist David Beal with his Old woman and cat, Sydney 1963, gelatine silver photograph, David Potts’ Cat show, again gelatine silver photograph, Gerhard Marcks’ Two cats, woodcut; Eileen Mayo Girl with cat, and her Cats in trees, both colour linocut, and Stephen Gooden’s etching of Old Whisk, amongst others. The cover image is created by Chinese born artist Huang Yongyu in ink and gouache on paper.

The presentation is the same in this and the third book with twenty-four full page colour works, and their repetition in a smaller size accompanied by the art and artist’s information.
 

Flourishing Flowers in the National Gallery of Victoria

by Kirsty Grant

National Gallery of Victoria. Set of 3 Gift Books. Australian. Hardcover  RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis 

Flourishing Flowers in the National Gallery of VictoriaThe cover image of the third book (depending on which one you start with) is by Rex Xun titled Flowers and eccentric rock, ink and pigments on paper. The introductory essay by Kirsty Grant, Senior Curator of Australian Art at the NGV is informative and highly poetic as are each of the introductions in these glorious gift books. It includes a reverse-French fold cover which becomes wrapping paper.

The language of flowers has been used through time to express inexpressible feelings. Flowers have been the most symbolic gifts of nature and the subject choice of female painters through time. These superlative art works are inspired by botanicals and flowers. The NGV has an extensive collection of these exquisite works.
 
The artists represented here include Australian artists: Margaret Preston with her woodcut of Native Pear, Ellis Rowan’s Flower Painting: Pandorea jasminoides and Clematis aristata, watercolour and gouache, John Brack with Solandra, oil on composition board, Nora Heysen, A bunch of flowers, oil on canvas, Margaret Stones (who worked in England) Banksia collina, watercolour over pencil, and many artists from around the world. These are gifts of beauty created from the magnificent collection of art at the National gallery of Victoria.

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08 November 2012

My Brother Simple

by Marie-Aude Murail

Bloomsbury. Children, Young Adult. Paperback RRP $15.99

By Sandy Fussell
Isabelle was amazed when she saw the two brothers walk in. They were alike but the younger one looked older. He had brooding eyes fed by some internal fire, while the other one had eyes so clear they looked like windows open to the sky. You almost expected to see swallows flitting across them.

This is the story of two brother, Kleber and Simple (whose real name is Barbaby). Simple has severe learning difficulties and their father, in the early stages of a new relationship, wants to put him in an institution. Kleber loves his brother and can’t bear to think of that. So even though he is still in the last year of highschool, he takes Simple and the money his mother left them when she died, and moves out.
But finding somewhere to rent with a brother like Simple is not easy. People are nervous, distrustful, cruel and even frightened. When he finally finds a flat-share, nothing turns out as planned. In the beginning Simple was the problem but as time goes by, he is the solution to each flatmate’s problem.

Simple is quick to admit he is an i-di-ot but character is measured in different ways. His brain might be small but his heart is huge. He changes the lives of everyone he touches. In the end, it is through Simple that Kleber, who was willing to sacrifice so much, is rewarded with exactly what he always wanted.
This is a gentle story, poignant and filled with beautiful images. A coming of age tale with the most unlikely of heroes.

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01 November 2012

The Down-Under 12 Days of Christmas


 by Michael Salmon
 
Ford Street Publishing Picture Book. Hardcover.RRP $19.95

Reviewed by Francine Sculli

We all know the 12 Days of Christmas carol – we have sung it in our homes, heard it in the supermarket in the lead up to Christmas and no doubt whispered in the ears of children around us as we watch glee spread through their eyes. So what happens when you take a well-loved and well-known carol like that and give it some Aussie cheer? You get a great children’s picture book that will make the perfect gift for those little ones this Christmas.

So what makes this a down-under Christmas? Well it is brimming with a host of classic Australian animal characters, some hot sun and a range of equally classic Australian activities that’ll warm any heart with familiarity. Following the same rhythm, repetition and structure as the original carol, this book introduces readers to kookaburras in gum trees, snakes on skis, wet galahs, lyrebirds, kangaroos, sharks a-surfing, egg laying emus, dancing dingoes, snoozing crocs, washing wombats, leaping lizards and musical possums. Best of all are the vibrant and cartoon-like pictures that fill the pages and are jam-packed with enough beautiful detail to allow plenty of room for pre-emptive and early literacy discussions – and simply to keep readers engaged.

This book is perfect for children aged three and up. For the younger ones, the repetition and colourful images allows them to predict the text and introduces them to a classic carol and for the older ones, the language is simple and repeated enough to allow them to read through it on their own – making this a great early literacy resource. I tried this one out on my three and a half year old son and he absolutely loved it and by the end of the book he was ‘reading’ along, making this a certified winner for the Christmas related read-a-thon in the lead up to Christmas.

Francine Sculli is a regular reviewer of children's books for Buzz Words magazine, an essential resource for writers and illustrators for children.

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29 October 2012

Coming Home


by Sharon McGuinness
Wombat Books. Picture Book. Australian. Hardcover RRP $24.95
Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

Why doesn’t Dad want to play with me anymore?” Gemma asks her mother.
Did I do something wrong?
Gemma’s father is sad. He sits in the garden he once loved and stares at the growing neglect. He doesn’t care about it anymore. He doesn’t seem to care about Gemma either. Sometimes he still  laughs with his friends but when they are gone, he sits and stares again.

Gemma’s mother explains dad is suffering from depression. It’s an illness you can’t really see like a broken leg, but it’s there just the same. She encourages Gemma to keep talking to him, dancing for him and playing the recorder. And one day he is there to pick her up from school, a smile on his face.
What I really like about this book is it doesn’t attempt to analyse depression, the reasons why or its treatment. It shows how Gemma deals with her father’s illness – her struggle to understand and her ongoing determination to be part of his life no matter what – the support she provides by never giving up.
One in five people suffer from depression and many of these are parents. Coming Home explores how this affects a young child. Gemma feels helpless but she keeps reaching out, hoping things will change.
From the front end paper where the garden is shrivelled and dried to the back paper filled with coloured blooms, this book is a journey of hope. It will help young children understand depression, particularly in a parent, and provide a discussion starter for older readers.

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25 October 2012

Topsy-turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled early Explorers


 by Kirsty Murray (National Library of Australia)

National Library of Australia, Children's Non-fiction Hardcover rrp $29.99

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

It always gives me great joy to open a book from the National Library of Australia. The outstanding, well-considered production of each book is geared to give maximum satisfaction in every area. The paper used is of the highest quality as is the book design, and each book is very moderately priced in comparison the work that’s been put into it.

Topsy-turvy World is about ‘how Australian animals puzzled the early explorers’, as the title affirms. There are fifteen birds and animals referred to throughout the book: the Kangaroo, Platypus, Echidna, Thylacine, Tasmanian Devil, Pig-footed Bandicoot, Koala, Wombat, Grey-headed Flying Fox, Emu, Black Swan, Laughing Kookaburra, Superb Lyrebird, Frilled Lizard, and the Sea Dragon.

The set-up of the pages begins with a full page illustration of the animal. On the opposite page there is a short historical narrative which refers to the first encounter with the subject, who saw or drew it, accompanied by boxes of information.  Various illustrations follow. There is note of the misunderstandings by the early explorers about the animals they saw for the first time. At times these are quite unusual but interesting observances.
 
The last page on the subject is the same throughout. There is a listing of ‘what the Europeans needed to learn’ about each animal. A strip down the right side of the page is kept for ‘Fast Facts’. These give the common name of the animal/bird, the scientific name, some historical names they are known as, how the gender is referred as, some Indigenous names, the  weight and size, the size relative to a 2-metre-tall man, habits and habitat, its diet, reproduction information, and its lifespan in the wild. There is also a map of Australia that is shaded to indicate the area in which they can be found. 

The information also includes how these animals carry their young, the many uses the explorers made of the animals apart from being eaten, and the repercussions that excessive hunting had on the species. 

The whole book is comprised of 95 pages. This includes a list of the names of the early explorers who observed or discovered the wildlife, and a brief description of their role; a Glossary with definitions of words as they are used in the book, and a List of Illustrations/plates/engravings that detail the name of the illustrator, date and place, Latin name, reference for the plate, and page number. It has a durable jacket identical to the cover of the book depicting all the wildlife included in the book.

 A wholly educational and informative book for all ages, this publication is worthy of any collector’s or reader’s bookcase. Highly recommended.

 Anastasia Gonis regularly writes, interviews and reviews for Buzz Words magazine, an essential resource for writers and illustrators for children.

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22 October 2012

Imagine We Were

by Renee Bennett, illustrated by Claire Richards

Wombat Books. Australian, Children’s Picture Book. Hardback RRP19.95

Everyone has at least once wondered what if they were…
Imagine We Were is the wonderful story of a mother and child. It reminds me of the Old Lady Who Swallowed The Fly…

               “Imagine we were bees
               and you were my baby
               zzz zzz zzz
               We’d buzz round the cat while
               it lazed on the mat and
               I’d whisper,
               ‘You’re precious to me’.”
The bees change to cats, who change to dogs, and so the story continues until mother and child are together as humans.

A wonderful story of imagination for mothers and children to enjoy together. Claire Richards’ colourful but subtle water colour illustrations are simple but a pleasure to look at. The clouds floating in the sky gradually forming shapes for a young child to discover are magical.
http://reneebennett.com.au/
http://clairerichards.com.au/

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19 October 2012

Siren’s Storm

 by Lisa Papademetriou

Random House. Young Adult, Fantasy. Paperback RRP $18.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown.

It is twelve months since Will, his brother Tim and his neighbour Gretchen went sailing on Tim’s boat. Two boys went out but only one returned. Tim’s body was never found and Will cannot remember anything. A scar on Will’s face and a burnt sail. What happened that night?
Will lives in a small coastal town that, in the warmer months, is home to the wealthy. Gretchen arrives every summer and is Will’s best friend. But this summer is different. Both Will and Gretchen feel the loss of Tim deeply. There are unanswered questions about that night unasked between them. How did Gretchen save Will but not Tim? Why does she not remember being there? Why does she sleep walk some nights and Will has to chase after her before she reaches the rocks?

Now a new girl has arrived in town. Asia is beautiful and exotic, andWill is fascinated by her. She seems to have a power over others that only Will can see.
Then another mysterious drowning occurs. Is Asia just another drifter travelling through town or is there something more dangerous about her?

Siren’s Storm is a book of myths and fantasies set in a modern day tale. Brilliant. If you loved to read about Jason and the Argonauts, as I did as a child, you will love this book.

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16 October 2012

Bloodlines 2: Reckoning

by Kate Cary




Hardie Grant Egmont. Young Adult, Fantasy, Supernatural. Paperback rrp $16.95

Reviewed by Barbara  Brown 

Reckoning is the story of the heir to Dracula’s bloodline, Quincey Harker. The book begins in November 1917 and finishes just over a year later. But in the world of vampires and early 20th century England, a lot can happen in a year.
Quincey Harker has turned to become the man his father wanted but Quincey loses the only thing he truly loved and cannot forgive his father for that. He now wants to escape his destiny. But how do you escape something that has never been able to be undone?

Mary Seward is the best friend of Quincey’s true love and is engaged to Quincey’s cousin. Mary is also the one that escaped Quincey’s and her own beloved fiance’s transformations. But how? How could a mere mortal flee from the castle in Transylvania along with a young baby? Quincey believes Mary is the answer to his controlling his lust for blood. He will do anything to get Mary to help him.
After months hiding in her small town, looking after the injured from the battlefields, Mary starts to feel safe… But when her nightmares become reality, she must once more flee from the pursuit of Quincey and his terrifying, yet seductive charm. But is she running into the arms of someone more powerful than Dracula’s heir?

Reckoning is the sequel to Bloodline. I have not read Bloodline and I didn’t need to. Reckoning is a gripping story on its own. There are so many twists that several times I had to re-read snippets to confirm that my guesses were wrong. A brilliant and wonderful twist on the theme of vampires. And to answer the unasked question, I am going to read Bloodline next.

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30 August 2012

Confessions of a Liar,

Thief and Failed Sex God

by Bill Condon

Woolshed Press. Australian, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $18.95

Neil Bridges is a 16-year-old Catholic school boy who doesn’t know what he wants to do or where he wants to go. It is 1967 and the all-boy’s school he attends is run by teachers and priests who believe that a leather strap is the best way to learn manners, mathematics and the right way to being a better person. His strict but loving parents are hard-working and try to bring up Neil and his older brother, Kevin, as good Catholics.


What Neil wants is to grow up. But there are too many distractions. The girls in the girl’s school next door, his brother leaving for service in Vietnam, and the loss of his best friend.

When Neil loses his best mate in a strange accident, he doesn’t know where to turn. He is confused and angry. When he starts to form an alliance with a boy that was expelled from his school, indirectly due to Neil not telling the truth, his life starts to take an upward turn.

Bill Condon has written a book that is universal in time – set 40 years ago, it is equally relevant today. I guarantee you cannot put this one down. I read it in one sitting. More than the confessions of a teenage boy, it is a record of the journey into adulthood. Sometimes that journey seems so fast, it’s in danger of spinning out of control.

Bill Condon’s Dogs (2001) and No Worries (2005) were Honour Books in the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Awards. No Worries was also short-listed for the Ethel Turner Prize in the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Daredevils made the long-list in the inaugural Inky Awards.

The Reading Stack reviewed Bill Condon’s Daredevils in Issue 1 and Give Me Truth in Issue 14.

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28 August 2012

Blue Noise

by Debra Oswald

Random House Australia. Young Adult, Australian. Paperback rrp $18.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown
 
There’s an electric guitar rock playing boy. There’s a classical pianist girl. And then there’s a blues band. What happens when you throw these three things together? Blue Noise.

Ash isn’t very happy with his home life and spends his time drooling over his dream guitar in the local music shop. Erin is shy and insecure but a hugely talented classical musician. When Ash meets Charlie, a weird kid who loves blues, he is convinced to join Charlie’s band. Erin is headhunted by Charlie as well and she realises that it could be good for her shyness, and besides Ash is in the band.

Both Ash and Erin can see the band is doomed to fail. But Charlie’s love for the blues and his “anything is possible” attitude is contagious. Maybe the blues, and the band, will work after all.

When the band starts to work well, is when the communications start to break down.

For any kid out there wanting to form a band, be in a band, or just play music … I recommend Blue Noise.

http://www.debraoswald.com/

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14 June 2012

The Ottoman Motel

by Christopher Currie

The Text Publishing Company. Australian, Mystery. Paperback RRP $32.95

The Ottoman Motel and the town Reception, bring to mind words from the song Hotel California… you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave…

Simon and his parents arrive in the small northern NSW town of Reception on a late afternoon after travelling all day from their new home in Queensland. They are here to see Simon’s maternal grandmother, Iris, who they haven’t spoken to in several years… not since Simon’s accident. All Simon knows is that Iris is not well.

Once Simon and his parents have checked into the Ottoman Motel, his parents decide to go for a drive, leaving Simon to have a rest. When Simon wakes up, it is late and his parents have gone.

And so begins a mystery of a teenage boy being left in a town where everyone is a stranger, everyone has a secret and no-one can be trusted.

Christopher Currie has created a storyline that, although strangely bizarre, is all too possible. Parents going missing, children isolated, people hiding from the world in tiny towns. Add to this, illegal activities, inadequate police and children dealing with loss and you have a disturbing but captivating story.

This is one book that once you pick it up… you will struggle to put down again.
http://furioushorses.com/

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11 June 2012

Wonder

by R. J. Palacio

Random House. Children, Young Adult. Paperback RRP $21.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown

August Pullman, Auggie, is a ten year old boy who has been home-schooled all his short life. August hasn’t been able to attend school because he was born with severe disfigurements to his face and has had more operations than most of us will have in several lifetimes.

Auggie’s parents have decided that it’s now time to mix with other children and attend a local school. Of course Auggie doesn’t want to go. He knows what people think of his face. Most don’t say anything but Auggie has learnt to read expressions quickly and realises that even when people try to hide their surprise and shock at seeing him for the first time, he sees that glimmer of their reaction to him – they are scared, shaken, upset.

What surprises Auggie is there are some children in this world who see others for who they really are… not what they look like. Auggie has at least one friend by the end of the first day of school. By the end of the year he has many.

Auggie’s first year in a mainstream life is both funny and upsetting but throughout it all, Auggie faces his adversities and his rejectors with a blasé attitude and a bit of humour. That is, until his best mate says something that hurts Auggie to the core. Can anyone be meaner than the school tough guy?

A wonderful story that all reading aged children and above will enjoy. There are the school bullies, the “it” crowds, the nerds, the jocks and then there is August Pullman. A boy in a million who outshines all. Brilliant.

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15 May 2012

you against me

by Jenny Downham

Random House. Young Adult. Paperback RRP $24.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown

Mikey’s fifteen year-old sister, Karyn, says a boy has raped her. Ellie is the same age as Karyn and goes to the same school. Ellie’s older brother, Tom, is the boy Karyn has accused.

Socio-economically, Ellie and Mikey are worlds apart. Ellie comes from a well-to-do family, with a big house and holidays overseas. Mikey lives in the housing estates in the middle of town. Ellie and Mikey would never normally meet, however Mikey is out for revenge for his sister.  He didn’t know Tom had a younger sister, a girl who from the first time they meet, steals Mikey’s heart.

The two try to hide their feelings from each other and their respective families, but when Ellie changes her story about the night Karyn is allegedly raped, all families are thrown into turmoil and Ellie has only one person she can turn to… Mikey.
you against me is a modern day story with hints of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Jenny Downham has captured issues that face many teenagers. The ending is unexpected and the outcome is left unresolved. I think there is a second book to come and if not, my imagination is left to finish the story my way.

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13 May 2012

The Koala Bounces Back

by Jimmy Thomson, illustrated by Eric Löbbecke

Random House Australia. Australian, Children’s Picture Book. Hardback RRP $19.95

Karri the bouncing koala is a hero who helped save children from a fire. Now he lives in an area protected from men with dogs or saws, cars or trucks. It’s peaceful in Karri’s Corner.

That is until some cats move in. The small animals and birds are now frightened and ask Karri to move them on.

Karri asks the cats to move on but the cats refuse. They have nowhere else to live. When Karri threatens to turn to the humans for help, the cats get scared. Jinksy, the cat leader, realises there is need for compromise. So he initiates a game of footy… if the cats win they stay, if they lose they will move on.

And so the game begins.

This is a wonderful Australian story. It will teach young children about the Australian bush and what happens when native and domestic animals are forced to co-exist.

The illustrations are cute and cuddly like Karri, or scratchy and scary like Jinksy. Children will love reading the story and identifying native Australian animals. I loved the big, tall emu.

http://www.jimmythomson.com/
http://www.tinpotstudio.com.au/

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11 May 2012

In the Sea there are Crocodiles

by Fabio Geda

Random House. Children’s Fiction, YA. Paperback RRP $24.95

In the Sea there are Crocodiles is based on the story of Enaiatollah Akbari, a young Afghan asylum seeker, told in first person by the Italian novelist, Fabio Geda. Enaiatollah keeps interrupting the narrative to add comments in his own voice. This unusual telling allows the missing information to be ‘guessed’ when Enaiatollah cannot remember, while at the same time giving a child’s perspective.

Enaiatollah’s is a sad story. He leaves his home and family to travel from Afghanistan to Pakistan with his mother when he is around ten years of age. In Pakistan they stay in a “motel” for three nights. Then his mother makes him promise, before he falls asleep, to never use drugs, to never use a weapon and to never steal. When he wakes up she is gone.

Over the next five years, Enaiatollah lives as an illegal immigrant in countries and conditions we could never imagine. He quickly learns how to survive and amazingly ends up in Turin, Italy, to be granted political asylum. His journey to Italy is one of danger, heartache and courage. He walked for 28 days over the freezing mountains from Iran to Turkey and when he and four other boys travel in a blow up dingy across the Mediterranean Sea, one doesn’t survive. He also has incredible fortunate experiences - from the kindness of strangers to climbing onto the right container at the right time.

Truly inspiring.
http://www.fabiogeda.it/

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09 May 2012

Nation

by Terry Pratchett

Random House. Adult/Junior Fiction. Hardcover RRP $49.95

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell
Two kids. Two cultures. An ending you won’t expect.
Mau is on his way home from Boys Island when the world ends. Now he can never complete the ceremony that will make him a man. The Nation, everyone and everything in it, is gone.

Ermintrude, who decides she would rather be called Daphne, is shipwrecked in the tidal wave that destroys the Nation. She is the only survivor but soon discovers there is someone else on the island.

Initially, Mau and Daphne have nothing in common. She is a distant descendant of the English king, a child of privilege and money. Mau is an islander boy who has led a life isolated from the world outside Nation’s island archipelago. To him, Daphne is a ghost girl, one of the ‘trousermen’. To Daphne, Mau is a savage.

As they struggle to overcome the language barrier, they soon realise they share more important things – resourcefulness, tolerance, and compassion. Daphne learns the ways of the Nation and Mau even tries on a pair of trousers. As other people find their way to the island, Mau and Daphne find themselves rebuilding the Nation. It’s not easy. There are many obstacles to overcome – the growing group, cannibalistic sea raiders and mutineers and the ethereal voices of the grandfathers insisting on telling Mau what to do.

Inspired by the eruption of Krakatoa and with a touch of the Atlantis legend, Nation is a satire expertly wrapped in humorous story-telling. Themes of nationhood, coming of age, religious belief and identity are explored but never at the expense of the story. From beginning to end, this is a wonderful read.
http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/

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07 May 2012

Tweenie Genie

Genie in Charge

by Meredith Badger

hardie grant EGMONT. Australian, Junior, Fantasy. Hardback rrp $16.95

Genie in Charge is the long awaited book three in the Tweenie Genie series. And, like the other two books, I was not disappointed.

Poppy, our young Tweenie Genie, is now in her stage three of training and to graduate she, and the other stage three tweenies, must mentor a stage two tweenie. When tweenies graduate they are granted a special wish to work in the job they want. Poppy, of course, wants to work in the royal stables looking after all the magic carpets.

On Mentor Day the Velodrome Bottle has been transformed with balloons and banners. Poppy is excited. She hopes she will get a wonderful match since she is a “golden” genie (a genie with a good heart). She doesn’t mind who it is just so long as they love flying. Poppy loves taking care of the Royal magic carpets and can’t wait to go flying with her new student.

But things don’t seem to go as planned. Everyone is matched perfectly except Poppy. Her student, Aggi, hasn’t turned up for the matching process. Why would she miss this important day? When Poppy finally meets Aggi she is confronted with a rude genie who doesn’t like riding magic carpets at all.

What happens if Poppy doesn’t graduate? How will Poppy ever get her wish if she can’t mentor Aggi? And why doesn’t Aggi want to dress like all the other tweenies?

Tweenie Genie fans won’t be disappointed in this next exciting instalment of the adventures of Poppy and her friends. And if you’ve ever wondered what happens when a genie’s bottle is broken … you will have to read Genie in Charge.

The Reading Stack reviewed Meredith Badger’s Tweenie Genie. Genie in Training in May 2009 and Tweenie Genie. Genie High School in February 2010.

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05 May 2012

Violence 101

by Denis Wright

black dog books. Young Adult. Paperback RRP $16.99

Reviewed by Barbara Brown

Hamish Graham is highly intelligent and from a stable and loving home life. Hamish is fourteen and most detention centres have expelled or rejected him. So why is Hamish committed to the harshest juvenile detention centre in New Zealand?


Hamish Graham is extremely violent. By the age of ten he had killed an old man. In Hamish’s words “It was my fault that he fell into the water, because I pushed him, but it was not my fault that he hit his head on the way down…”

There is always another side of Hamish’s sensational actions and so when the head of the detention centre suggests that Hamish write a journal, he is only too happy to oblige. And so begins the self analysis of Hamish Graham.

Violence 101, the Psychology of Violence, is the subject that Hamish wrote to the Minister of Education about, including a suggested course outline and achievement standard. He also thought that it should be compulsory. He feels that violence is treated as a taboo subject whereas most great men in history were very violent. Leaders of great war campaigns, Hamish feels, would all be locked up in detention centres in peace times due to their violent natures.

Violence 101 is written with both sides of the story being told, the teachers at their weekly meetings and Hamish’s through his journal entries. You even tend to side with Hamish and his crazy thoughts at times. But when something happens that turns everyone’s lives upside down, you start to see the glimmer of a strange but intelligent young man.

Although this is a genre for young adults, especially teenage boys, adults will find it an eye opener into the mind of a violent child. A must read.

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03 May 2012

About Face

Words by Robert Moore, Pictures by Monkeystack

IP Kidz. Australian, Children, Picture. Hardcover RRP $26.00

About Face is a funny, quirky and definitely colourful story of a boy who has a dream that his facial features leave his face and roam the house.
                “My eyes jumped out of their sockets.
                My nose fell on the floor.
                My ears unscrewed themselves.
                Then my lips slid off my mouth.
                And opened the door.”

The adventures of six appendages (two eyes, two ears, a nose and lips) making pies, listening to music and sneaking about the house will delight children. The wonderful 3D graphics will mesmerise the reader and I was just waiting for the eyes to blink.

A wonderful and different story that is soon be turned into an animation film. Now that will be one to keep your eyes and ears posted out for…

http://www.moorethemerriest.com/
http://www.monkeystack.com.au/

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01 May 2012

The Iron Witch

by Karen Mahoney

Random House Australia. Young Adult. Paperback RRP $18.95

Donna Underwood is home schooled because of an incident that happened when she attended the local high school. She has been labelled Freak by her old classmates. Donna agrees. She’s never seen herself as anything but.

When Donna was seven her father died trying to save her from a fey attack and her mother went mad. Donna also nearly died from horrific injuries that day but with the help of magic, her body is complete again… except her hands and arms have now been intricately tattooed with iron.

Her parents were great alchemists and now Donna is realising, as a young adult, that her heritage is not going to let her live a normal life.

Donna’s only friend is her neighbour, Navin Sharma. A normal boy who has no idea of who or what Donna is and has never questioned why she won’t reveal what is underneath her gloved arms and hands. Navin is a true friend that accepts Donna unconditionally.

When Navin is kidnapped by the dark and evil wood elves, Donna must finally use what she knows to help save her friend.

With the help of a boy, Xan, who has secrets of his own, Donna has to confront not only the elves, but her alchemist teachers and guardians and the secrets that they have kept from her. Will she betray what her father died trying to protect?

A wonderful and enchanting modern story that seeps with old mystical tales of fairies and elves. Donna Underwood’s story will continue with Book II coming soon. Karen Mahoney has had her short story anthologies published in The Eternal Kiss and Kiss Me Deadly which the Reading Stack reviewed in September 2009 and September 2010 respectively.

http://www.kazmahoney.com/

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29 April 2012

douglas

by g.n. Hargreaves

Hardie Grant Egmont. Young Children. Paperback RRP  $17.99.

douglas is the story of a dog. Not just any dog but a very clever dog. Douglas likes to do things that humans like to do, such as playing the tuba, sorting his stamp collection and driving his car. He doesn’t care for things such as chasing cats and balls, or drinking out of a bowl and going for walks.

Douglas was very clever indeed, however, he was very sad as well. Douglas could do anything he put his mind to except for one thing.

Douglas could not wag his tail.

And this is where douglas the story begins. How does a smart dog who can do anything set about to do the impossible? With the help of a bird named Basil. That’s when the fun begins.

A cute story of a dog reader’s will fall in love with. The drawings are simple, colourful and children will delight in seeing all the different poses Douglas can do. Included at the back of the book are over 20 stickers of Douglas and Basil.

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27 April 2012

Revived

by Cat Patrick

hardie grant Egmont. Young Adult. Paperback RRP $22.95

Reviewed by Barbara Brown

Daisy Appleby is stung by a bee. Daisy Appleby is allergic to bees. Daisy Appleby dies.

Daisy is only 15 when she is tragically stung by a bee at school, on a day when she has forgotten her epipen. But then Daisy Appleby isn’t her real name. And this is Daisy’s fifth death.

RevivedEvery time Daisy dies she is brought back to life by a secret government super-drug called Revive. If she is killed by damaging vital organs she cannot be revived, and she must always have her “parents” close by so they can administer the drug quickly. But there are rumours that Revive doesn’t always work.

Daisy has always been a loner, never getting too close to others just in case she has to leave abruptly. Every time she dies, she must move to another city and change her name. She is, after all, a government secret. She has a number of friends who are also in the same program but she rarely sees them and only gets to chat to them over the internet.

Now Daisy is 15, discovering friendship and first love. Can she stop dying and be a normal teenager for a while? She can… until her past catches up and she realises that her life is in danger… danger of dying for good.

A unique story that was a race to the finish to see if Daisy’s next death will be her last.

The Reading Stack reviewed Cat Patrick’s Forgotten in April 2011.

 http://www.catpatrick.com/

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25 April 2012

Millie’s Special Something

by Tania Cox and David Miller

Working Title Press. Australian, Picture Book. Hardback RRP $24.95

Millie is a small dinosaur with a beautiful, feathery tail. She has lots of friends and they like to play. But when big bad Reggie comes and frightens Millie, her friends gather round to save the day. They all have unique talents that scare Reggie away but all Millie can do is shake with fright.

Millie goes home, alone and upset, wishing she had a special talent too. Along comes Reggie again and this time her friends aren’t there to save her. Maybe Millie will end up being Reggie’s dinner. But as Millie turns away to hide, something miraculous happens and Reggie ends up begging Millie to stop. Millie finally finds her special something.

This is a wonderful story that answers some of the age old problems of childhood fears and bullying. David Miller’s unique paper sculptures on painted backgrounds give the story a striking 3D effect. My favourite, but scary, page is of Reggie and his big spotted tongue and bulging eyeball. Children will delight in turning the pages and reading how Millie overcomes her fears and they will enjoy “patting” her feathers and poking Reggie in the belly. A fun story with a very real underlying theme. Excellent.
The Reading Stack reviewed David Miller’s Rufus the Numbat in August 2010 and Big and Me in Issue 12, November 2008.
http://www.taniacox.com/

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23 April 2012

Do Not Forget Australia

by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Sonia Kretschmar

Walker Books Australia. Australian, Picture Book. Hardcover RRP $29.95

Reviewer – Vicki Stanton

Do Not Forget Australia is a fictional story based on the link forged between Melbourne and the French village of Villers-Bretonneux during World War One. It explores the links between Australia and France forged on the Western Front through the eyes of two boys: Henri from the French village of Villers-Bretonneux and Billy in Melbourne.

Murphy immediately catapults the reader into Henri’s world. Initially, he does not know or care about Australia. He is more concerned with the war coming ever closer to his village and one afternoon he and his mother are forced to flee.

The story then switches to Billy who fears for the safety of his father fighting over in France.

Henri returns to his village, damaged by battle and meets the Australian soldiers camped nearby. Henri appreciates their efforts in freeing his village and also empathises with their sadness over fatalities. Henri befriends a soldier, Billy’s father, who talks of his son in faraway Melbourne.

When Billy receives a letter from his father mentioning Henri a link is forged between the two boys and between Melbourne and Villers-Bretonneux. Ultimately, this leads to the rebuilding of the Villers-Bretonneux school with funds raised by Victorian school children. The full page author’s note explains the campaign to raise £20 000 to rebuild Villers-Bretonneux including the Do Not Forget Australia sign displayed at the school.

That the book is a quality production is evident right from the start with the symbolic endpapers with poppies and Australian icons. Sonia Kretschmar’s skill in portraying the two boys’ worlds with her use of colour and detail is commendable. Readers are drawn into the two boys’ worlds and feel the angst and worry, and the devastation wreaked by war without being exposed to the full horror.

Do Not Forget Australia is an important book for all Australians. It is one that should be on all school, home and public library shelves.

The Reading Stack has reviewed Sally Murphy's Pearl Versus the World, Snowy's Christmas, and Toppling in August 2009, December 2009 and March 2010 respectively.

http://www.sallymurphy.net/
http://soniak.com/

Vicki Stanton is the editor and publisher of Buzz Words, an e-newsletter for writers and illustrators of children’s books.

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06 April 2012

The Little Vegie Patch Co.

by Fabian Capomolla and Mat Pember

Pan MacMillan. Australian, Nonfiction. Softcover RRP $45.00

Reviewer - Sandy Fussell
The Little Vegi Patch Co. is a gardening guide that focuses on growing vegetables in small spaces.
I wasn’t expecting to learn anything. I already know a great deal about vegetables and container gardening. I have other vegetable reference books but none of them are set out so beautifully or so easy to read and locate information. The photographs are delicious, and the power of a mouth-watering image to inspire a morning working in the garden should never be underestimated.

The vegetable information pages (A-Z of Edible Plants) detail growing guidelines, space considerations, soil preparation and potential problems. Other useful information includes sections on composting, worms, fertilising, water, saving seeds (which I found particularly interesting), recycling and even building a scarecrow.

There are detailed descriptions on how to use small spaces and recycled products – raised beds, no-dig gardening, propagating in toilet rolls and a golf club trellis. The discovery of the ‘spud tower’, a wire cylinder lined with straw and a centre of compost, allowed me to finally grow potatoes in my suburban backyard.

The authors, Fabian and Mat, belong to families who take great pride in their freshly grown produce. The book is filled with personal anecdotes. They admit a passion for home-grown tomatoes, one I enthusiastically share. When Mat’s Italian grandparents migrated to Australia, the most treasured possession was packed in the middle of the suitcase, in a jar, in a jar, in a jar – Nonno’s finest tomato seeds.

This book is a visual feast and a wealth of information. It is an invaluable reference for all things vegetable – small spaces and otherwise. I can’t imagine any vegie gardener who would not love to receive this book as a gift.

Visit the Little Vegie Patch Co. website http://littleveggiepatchco.com.au/ 

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04 April 2012

Why We Broke Up

 by Daniel Handler, art by Maira Kalman

Hardie Grant Egmont. Young Adult. Paperback RRP $24.95

Reviewer - Barbara Brown

A very interesting tale of love, lies and deceit. It’s a wonderfully written, quirky novel that is easy to read.
Girl meets boy. Boy likes girl. Boy and girl start dating. Girl thinks it’s a long term relationship. Girl finds out there is another. Girl dumps boy. The end.
Or is it?
The book begins with Min and a box of things she is delivering to Ed’s place. Each chapter starts with a wonderful illustration of the next item in the box and the next item in the relationship. Every item has a story and the items are in chronological order so we, the reader, get to experience the relationship of Min and Ed from flourishing, awkward beginnings to brittle, upsetting end. Some chapters are complicated. Others funny and brief. But to sum up a relationship in a box is brilliant.
Handler’s use of very old movie metaphors in all the actions Min does is somewhat confusing since I’m not a movie buff however, it makes me understand Ed since he has no idea what Min is on about in the beginning. That is why he falls for her and the reader starts to understand her personality. Kalman’s artwork is simple and colourful and every piece could be torn out and framed.
A great book that was fun to read.
www.whywebrokeupproject.com
http://www.mairakalman.com/

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