July 2008 – Page 4 – Aussie Reviews

ShutterSpeed, by A. J. Betts

It’s the nightmare again. He wakes himself out of it and lies in the darkness. He wishes it didn’t get to him so much.
It started a couple of weeks back. At first there’d just been the car with a woman inside. Her face was hidden by hair as the car turned. As he stood and watched, the car revolved as though in slow motion, her face somehow staying out of sight.

Dustin lives with his quiet father and the shadow of his long-dead mother. All he wants is to live his life quietly, surviving until he finishes year 12 and can start his life for real. For weeks he has been disturbed by a recurring dream of a car crash, but it’s just a dream. Dreams aren’t real, are they?

Working in his father’s photo lab, Dustin’s life is changed when he finds a photo stuck in the machine. He wants to know who the woman in the photo is, and when he knows, he wants to meet her. Soon, Dustin’s innocent interest has become a dangerous fascination.

ShutterSpeed is a fast moving first novel, with the use of camera and photo imagery, flashbacks and foreshadowing taking readers on a ride almost as wild as the Ducati motorbike which features in the story. Prepare to be surprised.

Suitable for teen readers, both male and female.

ShutterSpeed, by A. J. Betts
Fremantle Press, 2008

Murder on the Apricot Coast, by Marion Halligan

A raspberry ute came up very fast behind us. I heard its deep revving roar, saw it flash past, on a tight left-hand bend. There was a logging truck coming down the other lane and the ute pulled in abruptly so that Al had to steer off the road to avoid hitting it. We veered on to as soft and leaf-slippery verge. I looked out my window and hastily looked away. It was a long and vertical way down.

Life in Australia’s capital, Canberra, is not as ordered and calm as it might be for Cassandra and the Colonel. When a friend’s teenage daughter is found dead from a drug overdose, it soon becomes apparent that this is not an accident. Fern has written a manuscript which exposes some of the more seedy aspects of Canberra’s prostitution scene, including child slavery and politicians’ private lives. Cassandra is determined, with her colonel, to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Murder on the Apricot Coast is a fantastic blend of humour, romance, tension and, of course, mystery. A sequel to The Apricot Colonel this story stands alone, but will delight fans of the earlier work.

The use of a first person narrative which at times feels that the narrator is speaking directly to the reader (the opening line quotes from Jane Eyre: Reader, I married him.) lends an interesting voice to this page-turning read.

Murder on the Apricot Coast, by Marion Halligan
Allen & Unwin, 2008

This book is available from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Dog on the Tuckerbox, by Corinne Fenton

Whilst most Australian adults are familiar with the story of the dog on the tuckerbox, many Australian children are not. So it is wonderful to see the story brought to life in a beautiful picture book offering. The work of award-winning team Corrine Fenton and Peter Gouldthorpe, The Dog on the Tuckerboxis a visual and literary delight.

Fenton tells the story of the loyal dog, Lady, and her master, Bill, using language both vivid and simple to record the tale and bring the time period to life. Gouldthorpe’s exquisite illustrations bring Lady, the bullocks and the rural landscape to life with a vividness that will have children wondering if they are indeed photographs.

Part of Australia’s rich history of folklore, the story has been given a fresh lease of life for a new generation. The book has a timeless feel to it, which will make it a long-treasured addition to any home library. It will also be a valuable classroom resource and should find a home in every school library.

Beautiful.

The Dog on the Tuckerbox, by Corinne Fenton and Peter Gouldthorpe
black dog books, 2008

Open File, by Peter Corris

I dropped the envelopes in the box and felt a hard punch to the right kidney that drove the wind out of me. I spun around, fighting for breath, and took a solid thump down where you don’t want it. The toast and coffee threatened to come up, my eyes flooded and closed against the pain and I sagged against the postbox, still gasping, and with no strength to retaliate.

Cliff Hardy, private investigator, has been forced into retirement by deregistration. As he packs up his office, he comes across an open file, from a case back in 1984. Reading the file takes him back to his investigation into the disappearance of a teenager, Justin Hampshire.

What would cause a quiet, ambitious teenager to disappear without a trace? As Hardy delves into Hampshire’s past, he is drawn into a stream of events involving all members of the teenager’s family, a politician and various hired thugs. Hardy’s own life is endangered as he works to uncover the truth.

Open File is an intriguing mystery story, filled with the usual blend of mishaps, close calls and humour which mark this likeable larrikin detective’s work. He manages to alienate the police, charm some ladies and outwit the rogues who want him stopped. But is this mystery too hard for Hardy to solve?

A good read.

Open File, by Peter Corris
Allen & Unwin, 2008

This book can be purchased from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Audrey of the Outback, by Christine Harris

Price gave another generous shake of the tin, replaced the lid and put it outside the dunny.
‘Be careful,’ said Audrey.
‘I know what I’m…’ Price cleared his throat. ‘It’ll be okay. Move back if you’re worried.’
Audrey obeyed.
Price took a matchbox from his pocket, lit a match and threw it into the open hole.
There was an enormous whoomph, followed by a bang. A rush of heat knocked Audrey backwards.

Audrey lives in the remote outback with her mother, her big brother Price and her baby brother Dougie. Dad lives with them too – when he’s home – but he’s been gone for the longest time. With Dad away, Audrey and Price have to help Mum, but Audrey doesn’t mind too much – except when she has to clean out the chook pen or help Price with the long drop dunny.

Audrey and her best friend Stumpy spend their spare time building cubbies and chatting to the rare visitors who come by, including the swaggie, Toothless. And Audrey also has time to ponder important questions – like whether she should be a girl or a man, and whether it would be better to be a sheep or a cow.

Audrey of the Outback is a delightful tale of life in remote Australia. Audrey is a loveable main character with an upbeat, if skewed, take on life. Her friend Stumpy is a curious choice for a best friend, and readers will enjoy unravelling just who (or what) he is.

Perfect for private reading for kids aged 8 and over, it is also ideal for share reading in either a classroom or home setting.

Audrey of the Outback, by Christine Harris
Little Hare, 2008

Escape by Sea, by LS Lawrence

She had meant to let the tears come at last, now, but found they would not. And if they came at all, she thought, they would not be the sort of tears ladies were allowed, a careful covering of the eyes with the hands, a gentle sobbing. No, she could not manage that. If she gave way now, she would scream until her throat was raw.

From living the quiet, privileged life of a senator’s daughter in Carthage, Sara faces a wildly different life at sea. Carthage has been overthrown by the Romans and her only brother killed. As her father deals with his grief, Sara must organise their escape. With a hastily collected cargo, she and her father board their ship, heading out to sea to preserve their freedom and build a new life.

But life on the sea is also dangerous. Roman ships give chase, pirates threaten their lives and livelihoods, and Sara must learn to make decisions and to take on a vastly different role than that for which she was raised.

Escape by Sea is gripping historical fiction. Set in a time period and in a setting which will be unfamiliar to most young readers, it paints a vivid picture of the dangers of the oceans and the political tensions of the time. The use of a strong female character caused by circumstances to dwell outside of her normal realm, yet still conscious of the mores of her society, is thought-provoking.

Escape by Sea, by L.S. Lawrence
Omnibus, 2008

Closing Hell's Gates, by Hamish Maxwell-Stewart

In October 1827, nine convicts who had endured unimaginable cruelty at the hands of the system opted for ‘state assisted’ escape. They had forced five terrified witnesses – their hands and feet bound – to watch as they seized Constable George Rex and drowned him in the tannin-stained waters of the harbour. When the sentence of death was pronounced upon them, the condemned prisoners uttered just one word in reply: Amen.

On the rugged shores of the wild west coast of Tasmania, Sarah Island in Macquarie harbour was one of the most feared places in Australia. It was here, between 1822 and 1834, that convicts were sent as a form of punishment. The weather and physical landscape were fearsome, food was scarce and escape seemingly impossible. Under these harsh conditions, many men went mad, others risked escape in spite of the knowledge that there was nowhere to go, whilst others clung to the hope of some sort of reprieve.

Closing Hell’s Gates is a real-life account of the history of this terrible place – from its commissioning as a penal station until its closure twelve years later. Of interest to anyone with a passion for lesser known chapters in Australia’s history, this a well-researched, detailed account of the history of the penal station, with stories of some of the inmates and insights into human nature.

A fascinating account.

Closing Hell’s Gates, by Hamish Maxwell-Stewart
Allen & Unwin, 2008

This title is available from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

DVD Review: Undercover Stories

Undercover Storiesprovides an excellent resource for increasing children’s understanding of all aspects of the book creation process. The DVD includes interviews with five children’s book creators who explain how they go about writing and illustrating books, as well as an interview with publisher Leonie Tyle (at UQP at the time of filming). There is also a discussion about how book covers are designed and an inside look at the printing process.

This is an excellent resource for teachers, librarians and also for creators, making real the behind the scenes work in producing a children’s book. It also enables children to see and hear five prominent children’s creators – Narelle Oliver, David Cox, Fiona Doyle, Michael Gerard Bauer and James Moloney.

Undercover Stories is a project of Book Links, an association dedicated to fostering an appreciation and understanding of children’s and youth literature in children and young people, as well as in the wider community.

Undercover Stories is available directly from Book Links.

Undercover Stories
Book Links, 2007

People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks

Of course, a book is more than the sum of its materials. It is an artefact of the human mind and hand. The gold beaters, the stone grinders, the scribes, the binders, those are the people I feel most comfortable with. Sometimes, in the quiet, these people speak to me. They let me see what their intentions were, and it helps me do my work. I worried that the kustos, with his well-meaning scrutiny, or the cops, with the low chatter of their radios, would keep my friendly ghosts at bay. And I needed their help. There were so many questions.

Hanna Heath is used to working in the seclusion of her laboratory where she studies and preserves historical manuscripts and books. When she is summoned to Sarajevo to work on a recently recovered manuscript, she is swept up in the book’s mysterious past.

The Sarajevo Haggadah is a Jewish prayer book which has survived for centuries against remarkable odds. Hanna must work to preserve it, but at the same time wants to establish how the book has survived. What has kept it hidden and safe in the face of war and persecution of its owners?

The People of the Book is a beautifully developed tale of one book and its passage through time. As Hanna works to uncover its past, the reader is privileged to see chapters in the book’s past, with these instalments interspersed between Hanna’s own travels. These glimpses of the past tie in with some of the damage and relics found by Hanna when she examines the book, giving the reader an insight which Hanna does not have, in spite of her educated guesses. At the same time, Hanna must confront her own past, her troubled relationship with the book’s current custodian and her doubts about her abilities.

This a beautifully woven book, with elements of mystery, history and personal relationships combining to keep the reader absorbed and keen to find answers.

A masterpiece.

People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks
Fourth Estate (an imprint of Harper Collins), 2008

This book can be purchased online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereveiws.

The Goanna Island Mystery, by Dale Harcombe

Reviewed by Delwyne Stephens

Leo doesn’t believe in ghosts, and when a bully challenges him to investigate the haunted Goanna Island he doesn’t expect to find a ghostly presence in a mysterious room that seems to have no entrance.

This simply told story had enough suspense to keep my 6 and 8 year old enthralled as I read it aloud to them. They enjoyed the build up of tension, as Leo first goes to the haunted island alone on a dare, sees what seems to be a ghost and then gets trapped on the island by the rising tide.

The illustrations for the story were an unusual combination of line drawings for Leo and heavier lino-print like drawings for later, scarier scenes in the story.

As with all the books in the Aussie School Books series this one is appropriately leveled for capable seven year olds to struggling older primary readers while losing none of its reader appeal. The story holds enough interest and suspense for children in these age groups and demonstrates values such as courage and resourcefulness.

The Goanna Island Mystery, by Dale Harcombe
Aussie School Books, 2008