Allen & Unwin, 2023. ISBN: 9781761068973. (Age:8+) Highly recommended.
The Race is On, is the tenth book in the popular Wolf Girl series. Gwen is a competitor in the Championship Games with the goal of winning in order to free the people of Hookville. She has taken Jarrod’s place and is up against five boys, all desperate to win the prize of a granted wish. For Gwen though, she is shocked and devastated to discover the Braxan Commander is her long-lost sister Kate. When Kate discovers Gwen is one of the contestants, she is equally shocked and endeavours to steer Gwen away from the competition as she knows how dangerous it is. However the secret meeting between the sisters does not go well and Gwen is very angry and determined to compete.
The race will be televised live to a huge audience and involves a series of challenging stages across inaccessible terrains where the contestants will be stretched to the limit of their physical abilities. Added to this, there are nasty tricks in play, as all are competing to set loved ones free from the Braxans evil clutches. Gwen is on the receiving end of some unpleasant tactics yet in the end the six all band together to save each other from drowning with some welcome help from Jarrod and Gwen’s pack. Running parallel to this is the imprisonment Jarrod and the pack face but they receive help from an unexpected source. Who will win the contest? Will Kate and Gwen be reunited? Does Kate know if their parents are still alive?
This is an exciting and action-packed story that will continue to captivate fans of the Wolf Girl series. Detailed illustrations by Lachlan Creagh provide a strong visual connection to the text. Book Eleven will be published soon.
Mic Drop follows Sharna Jackson's first adventure/mystery/murder book High Rise Mystery. These two books comprise the first of The High Rise Mystery series which is the result of a smart collaboration between English writer, Sharna Jackson and London based illustrator and muralist Wumzum. Sharna Jackson aims to...." encourage and increase diverse and disengaged audiences' participation in the arts..." The High Rise Mystery series, exemplified by Mic Drop, is highly likely to do just that. This book is accessible. The format is immediately highly engaging.
Wumzum has drawn a map of the Tri Towers apartment building on the opening double spread page. The reader is immersed straightaway into the geography of the place where the murder is set. Norva and Nik, two intrepid, quirky, smart and super-annoying, nosey parker, preteen/ teen detectives are on-the-ground super organised sleuths. The reader is privy to their notes/case records which are methodically updated in tabular form. The story has immediacy because it is told in the first voice of Nik. Action is high paced.
The story is circular. At the start there is a section of italicised text which describes the horrifying death of TrojKat, a south London streaming sensation, who was apparently about to sign a contract with a New York based record label. The story then circles back to TrojKat's arrival at the Towers and the filmcrew, family and neighbours who were part of her final days. Breadcrumbs and red herrings are flung about liberally; some big clues and certainties turn out to be nothing and some subtle, small clues turn out to be vital as in all the best whodunnits.
The sentence structure is snappy, somewhat like a police witness report might be and the reader sees the world through the sassy, smart and inquisitive viewpoint of Nik as the crime scene and clues are sorted. Along the way, the reader is drawn into the family worlds of diverse characters. Particularly heart-warming is the portrayal of Nik and Norva's Pap, who is a single dad.
The text is interspersed with changing fonts in the form of text messages, song lyrics and even old fashioned newspaper cutting ransom notes and updated case notes which serve as a break for reluctant readers who find continuous text challenging. The dialogue is jargonistic, supercool and hip-full of Afro-English and general London teenage urban slang.
Mic drop allows readers to enter the world of the diverse group of people who live in high rise London, the world of the internet, of online chat and communication, of popular music and teenage discourse.
In turns, disturbing and reassuring, this fast paced, action packed murder mystery will have you guessing until the end!
Highly recommended.
Themes Mystery/detectives, Friendship, Diverse families, London high-rise living, Internet streaming pop-culture.
Wendy Jeffrey
Madame Badobeldah and the old bones by Sophie Dahl. Illus. by Lauren O'Hara
This book completely surprised me! I haven't read much of Sophie Dahl's previous work and I guess her last name held certain standards that I felt would be hard to keep up with. Madame Bodobedah and the old bones is nothing like her grandfather's work, but it is wonderful in its own right.
The story is one of an unlikely friendship between Mabel, a child, and an older woman who lives in her family's hotel. The two of them spend a lot of time together going on adventures at the seaside, tell stories and on Sunday nights they explore a huge 570 drawer cabinet full of exciting things in Madame Badobedah's room. Through Sophie's storytelling, I could feel that they had a real friendship and learnt many things from one another.
The book is written in a short chapter style, and is accompanied by the most beautiful painted illustrations by Lauren O'Hara. The water colour images really bring the text to life and are wonderful to look at on their own, even without the text. They are however beautiful and I feel complement the book perfectly.
This book would be great for a child who is becoming independent but still enjoys pictures to help tell the story, or as a night time read by a caregiver in bed, as you could read and explore a chapter per night. Lots of talking points with the book such as female world explorers, dinosaurs and the Natural History Museum to name a few.
Brilliant read, and would make an excellent gift.
Themes Adventure, Dinosaurs, Friendship.
Lauren Fountain
Ecology for beginners by Andy Prentice and Lan Cook. Illus. by Anton Hallman
Usborne, 2023. ISBN: 9781474998475.
'Ecology is the study of how animals, plants and other living things interact with their environment and with each other'.
In its typical, direct reader-friendly language, this is the definition of a word that is bandied around a lot these days, along with 'environment' and 'eco-systems' and other scientific terms connected to the protection and preservation of our planet and its species, in this new book from Usborne.
Described as 'the perfect answer to the question 'What is Ecology, and why should I care?', young readers can explore the basics of ecology by following a wide variety of real-world examples about how living things cope in all sorts of environments which is essential if they are to understand the current concerns about climate change and the responsibilities they are being asked to shoulder. Not only do they learn how ecosystems work and their interdependence, but also what happens when the systems are damaged or destroyed, even how and if they can be protected or even repaired. Importantly they learn that there are still many issues that ecologists are trying to find answers to, and while there are loud voices calling for action, the best course of action might not yet be known.
Its graphic-heavy, byte-sized text format is ideal for the curious mind that wants to delve into this topic, and for those who want to explore further there are the usual Quicklinks which offer all sorts of practical suggestions for students to explore their own world in greater depth such as building a bee hotel or making a quadrat to record wildlife in their backyard.
Barbara Braxton
Pepper Masalah and the temple of cats by Rosanne Hawke. Illus. by Jasmine Berry
This short chapter book by Rosanne Hawke (Shahana, Taj and the Great Camel Trek) is number two in the Pepper Masalah series. The first was Pepper Masalah and the Flying Carpet and a third (Pepper Masalah and the GiantBird set in Afghanistan) is due to be released in 2024. There is a short recap at the beginning of how the journey began but it doesn't give away the full story and with each book being a new adventure it doesn't matter if they are read out of order. Simple sentence structure and vocabulary as well as large typeface and a smattering of black and white illustrations make this perfect for young readers looking for something outside the usual spy/magic/friendship books aimed at this level of reader. At just 58 pages it is an approachable novel format for younger readers who are just getting used to some pages of full text. Some subject-specific language is included (embalm, mummification) as well as some Egyptian Arabic (and a word list at the back) and snippets of information about Ancient Egypt (speaks of hieroglyphs, cultural practices, etc). There are also some super interesting cat facts listed at the end.
Pepper Masalah is a mini-panther who lives with her human Zamir and his family on an olive farm in Australia. Zam's cultural heritage (it is revealed in the first book that his grandmother is from Kashmir) is hinted at but not explicit. The first book in the series told the story of when she and Zam were carried by magic carpet to the Arabian Peninsula. In this installment, they still haven't made it home yet - they are up on the magic carpet and convinced they will never make it back to the farm. A chance landing in the water reveals they are in Ancient Egypt, where cats are revered and the locals want to mummify Pepper. Can Zam work out a way to save her and get away?
For kids hungry for books set in places outside of the usual ones we find written in English, those who enjoy adventure stories and a bit of magic and cat lovers this series will be a welcome find.
Themes Adventure Stories, Ancient Egypt, Time Travel.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds is book one of a four book series called Run. The subtitle: Running FOR his life, or FROM it? encapsulates the theme of the story.
This book needs to go straight into the hands of reluctant teenage readers (especially boys), into the hands of any student who has had a hard upbringing or is suffering from PTSD, or who is feeling angry and getting into trouble at school, or who gets teased and left out of the crowd or whose parents are struggling financially and unable to buy the fanciest running shoes and gymgear. Actually it would be a delight to read to a Middle years class. It would captivate them immediately.
The reader is drawn into the thoughts and the world of Ghost, the main protagonist. Ghost is in about year 7. The story is from his perspective, told in first person in present tense. Ghost is an edgy, excitable, feisty, active and energetic twelve or something year old. His voice captivates. "CHECK THIS OUT," he begins. He is totally informative. He tells the story like he is right there talking with you. The language is informal and one can't help but warm immediately to Ghost. He's interested in World records. Each chapter reflects this as his story proceeds with him winning the world record for the most altercations, for the fastest try-out ever, for the worst day ever, for the most runaways in a single day, for the longest run after the most runaways in a single day, for the best Friday ever after the worst Wednesday and Thursday ever, for having the best secret, for cleaning the dirtiest car and finally race day.
Middle School readers could not help but identify with Ghost as he gets into trouble and more trouble. He is saved by those all important adult mentors in life who one hopes will be there to step in to support, give tough love and show a boy how to fix mistakes, step up in life and develop self esteem. Ghost is given a chance to join a running team and along the way he begins to make some friends. These friends are the main protagonists of the next three books in the series: Patina, Sunny and Lu.
Jason Reynolds writes about real issues that happen to kids. He is a multi-award winning author. As Ghost touches on issues of gun violence, domestic abuse, poverty and has drug references, younger readers would be advised to read it alongside an adult.
Highly recommended, accessible, warm hearted book for Middle Years readers.
Themes Friendship, Coming of age, Running, Finding yourself and your group, Read aloud.
Wendy Jeffrey
The Wish Sisters: The Christmas wish by Allison Rushby. Illus. by Karen Blair
University of Queensland Press, 2023. ISBN: 9780702266362. (Age:6-8) Recommended.
A charming, festive addition to the comical, illustrated series written for newly independent readers. For Flick and Birdie this is an emotional time as it is their first Christmas without their Granny Aggie, who always made Christmas so special for everyone. Looking at her long, sad face Flick’s mother suggests making Gingerbread houses using Granny’s recipe and soon invitations to help go to their lonely neighbours Mrs Mortlock and Mr Tran. Unfortunately, Mrs Mortlock and Mr Tran don’t know about Birdie’s wishing powers and through the story there are some entertaining, near-miss moments where Flick needs to think quickly to keep it that way. A ginger plant forest, purple ornaments on the Xmas tree thanks to the naughty Imp, a sudden snowstorm and gingerbread people that come alive are just a few of the things that make this book so amusing for these younger readers. A helpful, double page spread at the beginning of the book introduces the Wish sisters and explains the details of how they came to be able to make wishes.
New York based Elizabeth Lim is a successful writer of fantasy stories. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Her radiant curse follows her bestselling duology - Six crimson cranes.
In Her radiant curse we have an amalgam of fairytale, myth and fantasy. Fragments reminiscent of European tales such as The frog prince, Beauty and the beast and Hansel and Gretel are mixed into richly depicted tropical and frozen Asian settings as the heroine Channi travels on her quest to save her sister. The story is told in first person through the feisty Channi's eyes. She is fed wisdom and advice (in italics) by the voices of her magical animal and beast companions throughout the story.
The setting in Her radiant curse is at first natural - an Asian village in close proximity to tropical jungle. Channi develops an affinity with the magical creatures of the jungle and strength borne of toxic, magical blood. A failed sacrifice of her life as a child, strengthens her into an indomitable, relentless warrior who fights to protect her beautiful sister from the fate that awaits her on her seventeenth birthday - shades of the prick of a finger on a spinning wheel! As Channi was filled with the power of toxic blood, she was also cursed to wear the face of a snake and so the ying and the yang/ the beauty and the beast dichotomy of the two sisters is the wellspring of all that follows.
Blessed with beauty, Vanna is beset with marriage proposals; Channi develops as her lifelong protector. Magical alliances are formed and broken, violent and monstrous battles are raged, the heavens are split, the seas are fractured, the land smokes as hordes of fantastical creatures attack. Channi pursues her quest to break the curse of the demon witch.
There is romance and there is high cinematic action. There is a spectacular climax and for this reader a disappointing-seemingly hasty and unlikely conclusion. Although the loyalty is unbreakable between the two sisters, forgiveness is not apparent elsewhere. There are weak flutters of sympathy and awareness of suffering but no mercy. The ability to truly love and forgive is limited to the sisterly bond. All other relationships with well developed characters are severed and a bland end follows. This reader is still trying to work this out. Is it that after such dramatic adventure and utter passionate love, life just fades into nothing much?
Recommended for lovers of fantasy, romance and coming of age stories.
For fans who like psychological thrillers, Just like the other girls is sure to appeal. Una is a young woman who believes she has the perfect job as companion to elderly Mrs. Elspeth McKenzie in a beautiful house. She learns that two girls had lived there before her and that Kathryn the daughter of the house bitterly resents her. What has happened to the girls? What are the McKenzies hiding? Is she safe?
The beautiful mansion gives the novel a gothic feel and the personalities of the girls, Elspeth and her daughter Kathryn, are well developed. Told in Part One from the point of view of Una, Part Two introduces another young woman, Willow who takes up the story. Willow looks like the girls who have gone missing and resembles Elspeth’s daughter who had disappeared many years ago. And Willow wants to know where Una has gone.
With plenty of red herrings and enough suspense to ensure that the novel is difficult to put down, Douglas has created an engrossing thriller that has a sense of foreboding throughout. I look forward to reading other books by Douglas.
The title page has a pair of lifesize talons greeting the reader and a brief description of the eagle to which they belong, the most dangerous eagle in the world. So starts this powerful and mesmerising book showing a range of dangerous animals in life size. We are told to look out.
Turning the page, we find the paw of a cheetah, the fastest animal in the world, but not the most successful predator. Why? Turning the page we find just which animals are described in that way and it is certainly not the ones readers will expect. Over the page is an alligator and we are told about its jaws and bite, but it cannot chew. So how does it eat?
Over again, we find electric eels, bullet ants and blue dart frogs, each most successful predators. Turning the book on its side we are introduced to the Bengal Loris, a deadly creature which lives in trees, using a gland in its armpit to produce flesh rotting venom. What a skill!
Chinese Bengal lorises, Malayan porcupines, tigers from South China, a Chinese bird spider, Burmese python, leopards, Malaysian sun bears, and lions are included in this lot of land based animals, the life sized close up of some making readers pull back with surprise. Each is given a place on the earth where they can be found, a name and a few facts about what they live on and how they catch their prey. Kids will love it. Then the book turns its focus to the oceans, and by now, kids will have begun thinking about the nasties that live there. This double page includes a shark, of course, as well as box jellyfish, spotted porcupine fish, and cone snail.
Each page is colourful and informative, the illustrations matching the text to perfection. Some images are life size, some not but still give a little frisson of concern. Younger readers will love scaring each other with the fascinating facts and powerful illustrators.
The book invites readers to assess how they would stand up to these deadly animals, and the last double page shows readers how big some of the animals presented are. An informative introduction by the author, particularly about sharks, and be found here.
There are three others in this Lifesize series, Lifesize Baby Animals, Lifesize creepy crawlies and Lifesize Dinosaurs.
This is an outstanding book - intense and beguiling!For the central character, July Fielding, there is a ‘Now’ and a ‘Once’. She tells the story of her past and her current state, her ‘Now’, as the ‘only girl in town’. Abandoned by all around her, even the ones closest to her, in an enigmatic half-life mystery where everyone has disappeared, she tells the story of her ‘Once’ existence as a popular teenager.Her best friend, running mates, boyfriend and former first-kiss partner, and her family are all extremely important to her, but they are no longer with her – they have disappeared. Only her cat, YOLO, reappears as a support to her in her current painful life. As she reflects on the mystery of her Now and the importance of her past (the ‘Once’ she remembers), there is both an unravelling and a putting back together of her life. Will we as readers understand the mystery and the direction of her life and understand July’s path to a future?
This is brilliantly written, an enigmatic and almost ethereal journey through the agony and discomfort of adolescent mental pain. Written reflectively, July is presented as a much respected, loved and ‘together’ teenager with anything possible for her future. With glimpses of possible struggles scattered through the ‘Once’ chapters, the book mostly paints a picture of abandonment and isolation for the central character in a mysterious crisis. Her revelation of the cause of her struggles happens slowly, revealed in short, sharp chapters, and creating distress for the reader as the unknown continues to play out. This is such a powerfully woven story; it would be worthy of study by senior students, but equally it is an enthralling, entertaining (although serious) story for teenagers aged 15+. The narrative is not in chronological order, the central character is an unreliable narrator, there are baffling clues, the unfolding of the drama is not linear, there are links to other texts and also transcripts from conversations, and consequently this is a book requiring a degree of maturity for YA readers. But it is magnificent! It is the kind of story that makes you want to immediately re-read the book to see how the author has managed to obfuscate the details that are so important. Only in finishing the story can you see where it was leading. It is absolutely worth the journey.
Borderland is an eco-horror focused young adult novel from debut author Graham Akhurst. Akhurst is a writer and academic who is currently Lecturer of Indigenous Australian Studies and Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He is also the first Aboriginal Australian to receive a Fulbright Scholarship. Borderland is an excellent first offering in what is sure to be a successful career in young adult fiction.
The novel follows young First Nations teenager Jono Lane as he graduates from school and tries to decide what he wants to do with his life. Jono attended an elite private school in inner Brisbane where he was lucky enough to receive a scholarship – and where they never let him forget how lucky he was. The only thing Jono wants to continue from his time there is his friendship with Jenny, the only other Aboriginal student at the school.
Both Jono and Jenny become involved with a local Aboriginal Performing Arts Centre and from there they land themselves their first paid gigs with a documentary crew planning to film in rural Queensland. At first, Jono doesn’t care what the documentary is about or about its connection to a proposed mining project, he’s just excited to be getting paid to spend more time with Jenny. But soon, he begins to hear and see things in the shadows. Something or someone is trying to tell him things and it might be time to start listening.
Borderland is the perfect novel for a socially, politically, and environmentally switched on generation of teenagers. It deals with heavy themes such as identity, colonisation, racism and environmentalism in a way that is accessible and realistic for young people. It is a novel that is relevant for our time and for the concerns of this generation of young adults and adults alike. It is highly recommended.
Let's save the Great Barrier Reef by Catherine Barr. Illus. by Jean Claude
Walker Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781529513615.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is home to a quarter of all ocean life, but it also has many other roles to play in the ecosystems of the region including protecting the Queensland coast from powerful ocean weather and waves, sheltering the communities that are spread along the shoreline.
This, and many other reasons for its protection are presented in this picture book for young readers, each starting with the line, 'Let's save the Great Barrier Reef because... ' followed by a clear but simple explanation and accompanied by stunning illustrations that really drive home the message.
Part of a series which includes other significant at-risk regions of the planet, the underlying, common threat to all is climate change, and while young readers might not fully understand this or perhaps feel they can do little about it, it does include a few tips about the small differences they can make which, if shared broadly, will make a big difference.
While it will serve as an introduction to this unique location for young readers, it could also serve as the springboard for a broader investigation for more mature students. Just starting with the phrase 'Let's save the Great Barrier Reef because... ' could initiate either deeper investigations into the reasons already provided, search for other reasons or even look at the importance and imp[act of coral reefs in general. There are also teachers' notes available to explore other ideas.
A little bit whimsical, a little bit eccentric a little bit adventurous and a little bit sad … this is the story of Kip who is a little bit picked on, and a little bit undervalued by everyone around her. All these bits added together make for a strangely idiosyncratic book. Kip lives in South Africa, and as the child of mixed-race parents knows what it is like to be left out and undervalued. Even her eccentric Dad seems more interested in tinkering in his shed and things with wings than in his own daughter. A bizarre, but furry hatchling (without wings) proves to be just what she needs to feel loved, and a classmate connects at just the right time. Sadly though, someone else sees the potential in her unique new friend and Kip must travel beyond her normal life in her ghostly home to rescue the creature, and her new friend supports her in the venture.
At every turn, and at every stage, it seems that there are serendipitous, odd things happening in Kip’s life. Her schoolteacher is far from normal, hair can come in many different inexplicable styles, animals act strangely, and her new friends are far from mundane. Do not expect anything to represent real life in this exceptionally quirky tale, but there is nothing magical about the story, only eccentricity. Underlying the strange fantasy though are some deeper issues of abandonment, bullying, racial prejudice, but all dealt with in a gentle fly-pass manner that some child readers will miss. This is a book for readers who can cope with ‘odd’, perhaps those who have enjoyed Katrina Nannestad’s quirky Olive of Groves fantasy stories might also connect with this story. Recommended for readers aged 8-11 - but only if they can cope with eccentricity.
Themes Fantasy, Family, Friendship, Pets, Bullying, South Africa.
Carolyn Hull
I love you because I love you by Muon Thi Van. Illus. by Jessica Love
If you have read Julian is a mermaid and Julian at the wedding then you will know Jessica Love’s wonderful illustrations. Combined with award winning author, Muon Thi Van’s engrossing story of love, I love you because I love you will give every reader a warm feeling of recognition and desirability. From the front cover children will recognise the emphasis on family, of sharing, of being together.
Each beautiful page turns the words around. The first statement says, ‘I love you because you’re here,’ becomes on the facing page, ‘Because I love you, I am here’. So through the book are such reflective statements which will intrigue the readers.
On one page is a couple with the child, on another, we see grandparents, on another, a Mum, and on others, the child and their friends. Sometimes the single person is a Dad, sometimes a Mum, and children will be pleased to see a wide rage of family styles covered.
The fun filled pages will make readers smile, as we see people doing a lot of things together: looking at the stars, swinging on a swing hung in a tree, being tossed in the air, having afternoon tea, soccer, climbing the tree, painting, being part of an audience at a sports game. Each time we read one of these sentences that is turned around, we are having the idea of family reinforced.
This lovely book will be a treat to read aloud, asking children to see how they can turn the sentence around to reflect the love that exists between member of the extended family.
