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Read by Stephen Pease
Louis Braille Audio, 2008. ISBN 9781742120355.
3 CDs, 3 3/4 hours.
Scholastic, 2007.
(Age 13+) Recommended. This is a finely wrought tale about 16 year old
Marty, a loner, resentful and riddled with doubts and terrifying
memories. Marty has the care of his young brother Jack, as the boys'
father is often working away. Left to their own devices by a largely
uncaring and neglectful father since their mother had left, the two
boys look after each other. Marty however, increasingly finds that his
life is unbearable as he fights to remember whether his dreams about
what has happened at the old quarry are real or imagined.
Stephen Pease's wonderful reading recreates the voices of the solid and
well-developed characters in an unforgettable story. Marty's angst and
his descent into shadows come to life as he battles with eerie memories
from the past. Jack, youthful and less damaged by his mother's
departure, comes across as an optimistic and very likeable young boy.
The angry and grim man who is Marty's father grips the imagination and
leaves the listener in fear for the boys.
Heffernan skillfully introduces his refugee family in the story giving
Nariah a central role in befriending Marty and helping him to realise
that his love of trees and skill with plants is worthwhile. Pease's
reading brings an extra resonance to the listener's understanding of
what it is like to be newcomers in town and to be subjected to
prejudice and harassment.
This audio pack would be a welcome addition to a library collection for
its powerful and unforgettable story. It should also have appeal for
reluctant readers.
Pat Pledger
HarperCollins, 2007
(Age 9+) The author was only 13 when she wrote this book and it will be
an inspiration to all young writers. She has created a believable world
populated by extraordinary birds. Turnatt, a red-brown hawk, has
kidnapped countless birds to build Fortress Glooming. Tricking the
cardinals and blue jays into believing that the other group was
responsible for the disappearance of their friends, he has destabilised
the bird groups and made them easy prey for his evil deeds. Only
Swordbird, a mythical creature, can save the forest.
Nancy Yi Fan vividly describes the slavery suffered at the hands of the
tyrant Turnatt and sends a powerful message of peace and the power of
an insignificant individual to bring about change. Her prose is
compelling and the action moves along at a smart pace. Each new chapter
has a thought provoking saying from the Book of Heresy or Old Scripture
which gives an added dimension to the story. Illustrations by Mark Zug
give intensity to the characters.
The book should appeal to readers who enjoy animal tales like Redwall,
and they could move from here to Clem Martini's Crow Chronicles
or
Kenneth Oppel's bat series. The book could be a useful tool for
teachers when providing role models of young authors and their ability
to write.
Pat Pledger
Scholastic 2008
Jonathan's friend Mrs Ellwood has been kidnapped by Vendetta the
vampire. As ransom Vendetta demands the Crimson Stone, a priceless gem
which is in the possession of Xavier, an elderly and fanatical antique
collector. Jonathan must secure the help of a crack team of thieves to
break into Xavier's impenetrable fortress, but once inside Jonathan's
worst nightmares are realised as the true, horrible identity of Xavier
is revealed and the Crimson Stone remains just out of reach.
The third in the Darkside series this is a gothic thriller on speed
with plenty of whirlwind action that you can almost visualise jumping
off the page. Peopled with vampires, a werewolf, magicians, a fire
eater and two argumentative trapeze artists there is sufficient drama
and humour to appeal to every discerning young reader. The superb cover
deserves a special mention and should certainly encourage children to
pick up the book.
Darkside is another world that exists parallel to the city of London
and in this Becker must surely be borrowing from Neil Gaimon's hugely
successful Neverwhere, but that doesn't really matter as Tom
Becker has
created a well written, cinematic novel that should have boys champing
at the bit for more.
One word of warning; the stories build on each other, so it's better to
read them in the right order.
Claire Larson
Simon and Shuster, 2006
ISBN 978
141691657
$19.95 369p
It's such a relief to read something in the third person. No teenage
angst here, but solid adventure, set in the past with a time travel
milieu, when two teens find themselves transported back to the
eighteenth century after an accident in Kate's father's laboratory.
The two go on a search for a way back to the present, but their every
effort is thwarted by the lack of modern comforts, travel in
particular.
When they wake after the accident in the lab, they are found by Gideon,
who helps them to his place of employment where they are given a warm
welcome. With the excuse that their clothes were stolen by a
highwayman, the lady of the house gives them clothing, although their
feet are too big to fit any shoes they have. The body odour, clothing
and especially the food they are offered to eat, all come as a huge
shock to the pair, but they must put up with it until they find the man
who has run off with the machine.
Tying their future with Gideon, they are all after the Tar Man, the
scoundrel responsible for the theft of the machine and their journey
takes them to London. The story toggles cleverly between the
families searching for their children, and the Police as they try to
uncover the mystery, gaining no help from the family that knows what
has happened and the children in the eighteenth century. It's all
exciting and involved, riveting and so well written, you want to read
more when it ends. And luckily there is a sequel coming out next year.
Fran Knight
Hachette Livre (Lothian Children's Books), 2008
(Age 3+) Recommended. This is a humourous look at fathers and what they do. Everyone
in the family thinks they know what daddies are for. Mum thinks they're
for washing dishes, grandma thinks they are for putting in light bulbs
and Charlotte thinks they are for brushing hair, but Daddies are for
WILD THINGS. They chase and scare, throw mud and walk the plank.
This is a delightful book with wonderful illustrations that celebrates
the joy that fathers can bring into their children's lives. The pudgy,
happy father is full of fun and love and the children have a fantastic
time playing with him.
This would be great to read aloud and children would enjoy thinking of
other ways that dads can be wild.
Pat Pledger
Bloombury, 2008. ISBN 9780747598084
(Age 13+) It's difficult to resist picking up this book with its
beautiful girl on the front cover and the enticing words 'She fought
for her life. She robbed for love'. When the blurb describes Sovay
hiding her face with a black mask and green silk kerchief, and
pronouncing the words 'Stand and Deliver!' the reader knows that there
will be adventure and romance galore ahead. The story starts with a
traditional ballad about a girl named Sovay who decides to test her
lover's feelings for her by posing as a highwayman and trying to steal
the ring that she had given him as a token. In the ballad her lover
refuses to hand over the ring, but in Celia Rees' story, Sovay's fiance
turns out to be a seducer of young maids, and is easily persuaded to
turn over the ring when Sovay threatens his life.
Set against a backdrop of the French Revolution, this is a story full
of intrigue and adventure. Sovay's father is a free thinker and
sympathetic to the ideals of equality. He is suspected of plotting
against the Crown, and Sovay finds herself again dressed as a
highwayman, this time to thwart the evil intentions of people
conspiring against her family. After many adventures and encounters
with attractive men, Sovay faces great danger in Paris in the midst of
the French Revolution.
This is a very satisfying adventure story with a feisty heroine,
dastardly villains and intriguing spies. It is sure to appeal to
readers who like their history spiced with a bit of romance.
Pat Pledger
Walker, 2008. ISBN 9781406310252
Chaos Walking, Book 1.
(Age 12+) Highly recommended. This is a stunning, unforgettable
book with a totally
original plot that completely captures the imagination of the reader.
Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, where he is constantly battling
against the jabber of The Noise. As a result of a virus, everyone
in
Prentisstown can hear not only each other's thoughts but those of
animals. All the women and girls have died so it is a male dominated
society. When Todd finds a pool of silence, he discovers to his
amazement that it is a girl and he cannot hear her thoughts. Pursued by
Aaron, a religious zealot, and the men of Prentisstown, Todd and Viola
try to escape and the resulting chase is fraught with danger and
adventure.
The Noise is a wonderful ploy that pushes the action packed plot along
and brings alive the main characters. One of the most engaging is
Manchee, Todd's dog. Ness has managed to give an animal a really
credible voice. When Todd and Viola are being pursued, the thrill of
the chase is magnified by not only by being able to hear the noise that
the men make but their thoughts as well.
The story is much more than an exciting chase. Ness explores a society
where women are banned and a fundamentalist religion dominates. Todd
faces the moral dilemma of whether or not he can kill a man and the
ethics of murdering the Spackle, an indigenous race, are examined.
I can't wait for the next two books in this series.
Pat Pledger
HarperCollins Children's Books
If you saw an urn in a taxi office, what would you do? Most of us would
just leave it there, think nothing of it, and get your ride home.
However, Lucas can't get the thought of being left on a shelf, all
alone, out of his head. Getting his gran to pose as a relative of
Violet's family, he takes ownership of her ashes.
Determined to find out just who Violet was and why she was abandoned,
Lucas decides to do some investigating. As he begins to uncover her
life, he discovers that she is linked extraordinarily closely to his,
and to that of his 'missing' father.
This is a strange, but highly entertaining, poignant book, which might
just leave you looking at life's little coincidences in a totally
different way.
Nikki Heath
Allen and Unwin, 2008 ISBN 9781741755503
(Age 5-8) Highly recommended. Chris McKimmie has produced a whimsical
and original picture book about a special little boy named Kev. Kev is
so special that his mum 'planted red roses and rolled out the red
carpet' when he was born. He is also special because he is the only one
of his 'eleventy million cousins' who has curly red hair and freckles.
When his favourite cousin Fatty Boombah goes to live in another town,
Kev is lonely and hasn't a friend who plays football. However when he
joins up with Nicky Bathgate, who wants to play Ned Kelly, things start
to go wrong.
This is a heart-warming story about the love that Kev receives from his
parents and extended family. Kev doesn't need expensive birthday
presents to feel special because of the love that surrounds him. (His
dad once made him a scrub turkey out of stuff around the house for his
birthday and his mum named a special star after him).
Childlike illustrations bring to life the different characters of the
family especially his cousins and Aunty Pav, and the cute talking
cockatoo and small animal drawings will delight young children.
This book is a little gem because it will leave everyone who reads it
feeling special.
Pat Pledger
Frances Lincoln Children's Books, London, 2008.
(Horrible Histories
Gory Stories)
Scholastic, 2008.
(Age 8+) This is one of a new collection of stories based on historical
times
and a welcome spin-off of the ever popular Horrible Histories. Others
in the series are set in the Tower of London in Tudor times, Hadrian's
Wall during Roman times and Victorian London.
The Tomb of Treasure bowls along cheerfully in a kind of Scooby Doo
fashion with enough cliff-hangers and slapstick comedy to tempt even
reluctant readers. Five unlikely characters are plotting the ultimate
heist, the theft of treasure from Tutankhamun's tomb. Children will
learn some history, and yes there are one or two satisfyingly gory
bits. The Epilogue describes the facts on which the story is based,
which makes you think, 'Wow, this could have really happened'.
A definite boy pleaser, but it will be interesting to see just how
successful the series is. The children I talk to (especially boys) love
Horrible Histories because of their bite size nuggets of
information. A foray into the world of fiction may not be a
popular move with all fans.
Claire Larson
Andersen Press 2008
(Age 11+) Berlie Doherty hits the jackpot with this compelling story of
Abela's journey from Tanzania to Sheffield. It pulls no punches. We
follow Abela as she tries to care for her sick mother in a filthy bed
in a hospital devoid of medicine and doctors. After her mother's death
Abela is smuggled to England by her conniving uncle who is planning to
pass her off as his own daughter in the hope that this will give him
the right to return to England and join his English wife. But the plan
goes wrong and Abela finds herself alone in a strange country with her
uncle's cruel and mentally unstable wife. Her escape and journey
through the social services system is traumatic and offers no easy
answers or cosy solutions.
This is rightfully Abela's story and the other main character, Rosa,
plays a supporting role. Both girls are well portrayed. Rosa is a
typical teenager, growing up in Sheffield and interested in fashion and
ice skating and this makes the sharp contrasts between the lives of the
girls particularly effective. Abela and Rosa don't meet until the final
part of the book but when they do I felt a huge sense of relief that
Abela had found love and stability again.
Doherty does not avoid difficult issues such as the AIDs crisis in
Africa, the challenges of being a foster parent and the cruelty of
other children. However I have one serious reservation about this book.
Abela undergoes the ordeal of female circumcision and although this is
described fleetingly I feel it is a step too far in a book that will be
read primarily by eleven to fourteen year old girls. In fact the veiled
language and vague description will only confuse and frighten young
readers and make them demand to know what has actually happened to
Abela. Perhaps I am old fashioned, but I think children should be
protected from knowledge of this barbaric practice for as long as
possible.
Claire Larson
Candlewick Press, 2008.ISBN 9780763633806
(Ages 9-13) The Buddha's Diamonds is a simply written but beautiful
coming-of-age
story set in a Vietnamese fishing village. 10-year-old Tinh is
intrigued by the bright red remote controlled car that a rich uncle has
sent a friend, and instead of securing the family's fishing boat when a
storm strikes the village he takes and hides the car. In the days that
follow he learns about the strength of his Buddhist traditions as he
helps his family re-establish. The values of commercialism are
contrasted with the traditional Vietnamese values that prove to be more
satisfying and more useful. The car's batteries are of course dead, but
Tinh is able to have the boat's propeller fixed and to restore the
ancestors' graves. He has started the journey into
adulthood. The characters are simply delineated but believable
and reading the novel is a rich experience.
Jenny Hamilton

Marty's shadow by John Heffernan
Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan
Nighttrap by Tom Becker
Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer
Daddies by Catriona Hoy and Mal Webster
Sovay by Celia Rees
Knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness
Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine
Special Kev by Chris McKimmie
Angel Boy by Bernard Ashley
The tomb of treasure: An awful Egyptian adventure by Terry Deary
Abela : the girl who saw lions by Berlie Doherty
The Buddha's Diamonds by Carolyn Marsden and Thay Phap Niem
Missing girl by Norma Fox Mazer
Extraordinary Ernie and Marvellous Maude by Frances Watts
Message in a bottle by Valerie Zenatti
Crusher is coming by Bob Graham
Finding Darcy by Sue Lawson
Noodle Pie by Ruth Starke
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
The beginner's guide to bears by Gillian Shields and Sebastien Braun
The Two Pearls of Wisdom by Alison Goodman
Orphans of the Queen by Ruth Starke
Traitor! by John Pilkington
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani
Screw Loose by Chris Wheat
The H-Bomb Girl by Stephen Baxter
Revolution is not a dinner party by Ying Chang Compestine
Two by two and a half by David Melling
The Stone Crown by Malcolm Walker
Destroying Avalon by Kate McCaffrey
Kisses are yuk by Julia Jarman
Pix and me by Carolyn Ching
Screwed by Joanna Kenrick
The falconer's knot by Mary Hoffman
The naked penguin by Kym Lardner
The Black Dog Gang by Robert Newton
Possessing Rayne by Kate Cann
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
The Iron Throne by Ben Julien
Little Beauty by Anthony Browne
The Dream-Maker's Magic by Sharon Shinn
Love-Struck by Rachael Wing
The ice-cream man by Jenny Mounfield
The changeling by Sean Williams
The Awakening by Bevan McGuiness
My Story: Road to War by Valerie Wilding
Perky little penguins by Tony Mitton and Guy Parker-Rees
The equen queen by Alyssa Brugman
The spell of undoing by Paul Collins
Midsummer Knight by Gregory Rogers
Indij Readers for little fellas, for big fellas
Minnie Pearl and the Undersea Bazaar by Natalie Jane Prior and Cheryl Orsini
The Seventeen Secrets of the Karma Club by Karen McCombie
The Other Book by Philip Womack
Tales from outer suburbia by Shaun Tan
Rain by Kate Le Vann
The pony game by Robyn Opie
Are we there yet? by David Levithan
The Floods: the great outdoors by Colin Thompson
Only the brave dare by Christopher Holcroft
Captain Clawbeak and the ghostly galleon by Anne Morgan
Nim at Sea by Wendy Orr
Genesis by Bernard Beckett
The last elf by Silvana de Mari
Mr Pavlov's possum by Vashti Farrer
Cinnamon Girl: Looking for a Hero by Cathy Hopkins
The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman
Danny Allen was here by Phil Cummings
China Land of Dragons and Emperors by Adeline Yen Mah
The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
Danny DaVinci: the flying machine of Lombardy by Bruce Whatley and Rosie Smith
Whose eggs? by Jeanette Rowe
Jimmy Coates: Sabotage by Joe Craig
Media Savvy by Jim Schembri
Paraphernalia's present by Diana Lawrenson
Trust me! edited by Paul Collins
Jungle by Maurice Pledger
Pip: the story of Olive by Kim Kane
Take it Easy, Danny Allen by Phil Cummings
Scribble sunset by Ann Shenfield
Genius squad by Catherine Jinks
My life and other catastrophes by Rowena Mohr
Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb by Kirsten Miller
The uncommon reader by Alan Bennett
I do it by Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley
Georgiana by Libby Hathorn
Love Divided by Vanessa St Clair
I am Rembrandt's daughter by Lynn Cullen
M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
Mia's Story by Michael Foreman
The pumpkin eater from Pondicherry by Bruce Atherton and Ben Redlich
The ghost's child by Sonya Hartnett
Anila's journey by Mary Finn
The Night Garden by Elise Hurst
Broken Glass by Sally Grindley
The OK Team by Nick Place
Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks
A pact of wolves by Nina Blazon
The town mouse and the Spartan house by Terry Deary
Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
Tomorrow all will be beautiful by Bridget Lowry
The navigator by Eoin McNamee
Scared to death by Alan Gibbons
The Gulps by Rosemary Wells
Woodenface by Gus Grenfell
Allira's gift by Paul Collins and Danny Willis
Dusk by Kenneth Oppel
Miss McAllister's Ghost by Elizabeth Fensham
The Black Dog Gang by Robert Newton
Juicy Writing by Brigid Lowry
Camp Creepy time by Gina Gershon and Dann Gershon
Best mate by Michael Morpurgo
Seams of gold by Christopher Cheng
Diego's pride by Deborah Ellis
True Blue? On being Australian by Peter Goldsworthy
Sunny side up by Marion Roberts
Ana's story, a journey of hope by Jenna Bush
Game as Ned by Tim Pegler
Antarctic close-up by Hazel Edwards
Chelonia Green, champion of turtles by Christobel Mattingly
Monster-Blood Tattoo: Book 1: Foundling by D.M. Cornish
Volcano by June Colbert
Wibbly Pig's silly big bear by Mick Inkpen
Peak by Roland Smith
The night of the burning by Linda Press Wulf
Our little secret by Allayne Webster
Ruby roars by Margaret Wild and Kerry Argent
Uncle Montague's tales of terror by Chris Priestley
In the city by Roland Harvey
The Indigo girls by Penni Russon
Amelia Dee and the Peacock Lamp by Odo Hirsch
Ghost dogs by Susan Gates
Noodle Pie by Ruth Starke
Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon
Love like water by Meme McDonald
A penny to remember by Kirsty Murray
Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo
The day I was history by Jackie French
Teacher's dead by Benjamin Zephaniah
Apache by Tanya Landman
At the house of the magician by Mary Hooper
Memoirs of a teenage amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
The declaration by Gemma Malley
Paddy the wanderer: the true story of the dog who captured the heart of a city by Dianne Haworth
Old Tom's big book of beauty by Leigh Hobbs
Dragonskin Slippers by Jessica Day George
Cross-currents by Janeen Brian
The rage of sheep by Michelle Cooper
How absurd by Beck Wheeler.
It’s true, Pirates ate rats by Heather Catchpole and Vanessa Woods
The year of the dog by Grace Lin
The girl’s like spaghetti by Lynne Truss
Cedar, seals and whaling ships by John Nicholson
Blood brothers by Peter Corris
Giddy the great by Jamie Rix and Lynne Chapman
Red rage by Brigitte Blobel
The last muster by Leonie Norrington
Sold by Patricia McCormick
Larklight by Philip Reeve. Illustrated by David Wyatt
Opal dream by Ben Rice
Terrier, (Beka Cooper, book one. A Tortall Legend) by Tamora Pierce
Everyman's rules for scientific living by Carrie Tiffany
One whole and perfect day by Judith Clarke
Voices by Ursula Le Guin
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Lost Property by James Moloney
xxxHolic by Clamp
Cold skin by Steven Herrick
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Stride's summer by Jenni Overend
The island by Armin Greder
The Truth About Emma by Gary Crew
Relax Max by Sally Grindley
To the boy in Berlin by Elizabeth Honey and Heike Brandt
Pool by Justin D'Ath
The bear in the cave by Michael Rosen and Adrian Reynolds
Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White
Crime Seen by Jenny Pausacker
Right book right time: 500 great reads for teenagers by Agnes Nieuwenhuizen
Digger J Jones by Richard J Frankland
Pirates drive buses by Christopher Morgan and Neil Curtis
The Charioteer of Delphi by Caroline Lawrence (The Roman Mysteries)
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