January 2014 – Page 2 – Aussie Reviews

The Jeweller of Rassylon by Peter Cooper

It didn’t look like the house of a demon. In fact, as Dillen stared through the bars of the main gate he thought it looked more like a noble’s residence, with fountains and manicured gardens and groves of trees over which curved roofs with gold-leaf cladding could just be seen. And if the sight within the walls was something to behold, the sight outside them was even more spectacular. The whole edifice had been built on a spur of the mountains, so that on one side there was nothing but a sheer drop leading to the endless plains below, and on the other lofty peaks crowned in dazzling snow. As Dillen gazed around he was nearly overcome with a sense of endless space, seeming to weigh down on him as heavily as the pack that hung from his shoulder.

Dillen and his companions, Koto and Tajni are on a quest to retrieve the blue jade. To this end, they are seeking the wisdom of the demon who lives in the mountains. Even if they are granted an audience, and this is not certain, they have to decipher his advice. If they are to retrieve the blue jade, they must beat others also chasing it. So begins a chase across the land, through mountains and valleys, through villages and forests, as they race against time. They must decide who to trust and who to avoid. The challenge is made more difficult as each of the three has their own secrets and this affects their ability to trust others. They are both helped and hindered by magical creatures and magical tricks.

The Jeweller of Rassylon is Book Three in ‘Tales of the Blue Jade’, but it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. It is told in third person from the viewpoint of Dillen, and the reader shares the uncertainties and struggles of the main character as he races across the country in this high-stakes quest. The Jeweller of Rassylon is full of action and adventure and showcases the ability of young people to make tough decisions. There are themes of clanship and trust, loyalty and betrayal. The setting is mostly mountainous and it could be set anywhere and from China to Afganistan, borrowing mythology and landscape widely. Although there is a sense of this adventure being set many centuries ago, many of the issues encountered have resonance today. The inclusion of strong female characters in addition to the male leads broadens the appeal to all young readers. Recommended for upper primary readers.

The Jeweller of Rassylon Peter Cooper Omnibus Books 2013 ISBN: 9781862919440

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Verity Sparks, Lost and Found by Susan Green

The Dream.

I was looking for something.

But what was it? Mist swirled around me and I could see only as far as my outstretched hands. Grey shapes – were they trees or rocks? – loomed up and then vanished as I ran past. My ribs ached and my breath came in ragged gasps, but I couldn’t stop. I had to find it.

I looked down at my fingers, willing them to itch or tingle, to give me a sign, to show me what I was searching for. But they were just ten ordinary digits, like everyone else’s. How could I find it if I’d lost my gift?’

The Dream.

I was looking for something.

Verity has found her father, and moved from 1879 England to the much younger city of Melbourne. It’s a very different life to her early years when she was apprenticed to a milliner and struggling to keep her job and make a living. Her re-found father wishes to give her every advantage and send her to an exclusive boarding school. She finds mystery there, despite the apparently loss of her finger-tingling ability to find lost things. In this case, it’s a ‘who’ rather than a ‘what’ that is lost. The action moves from Melbourne into the hills of Mt Macedon, as Verity and her friends seek answers. But it’s difficult to tell sometimes who to trust. Verity also discovers that not everyone has been as lucky in life as she has, and that help means different things to different people.

Lost and Found is the second Verity Sparks mystery adventure. The first, ‘The Truth about Verity Sparks’, is set in working class London in the second half of the 19^th century. This second mystery adventure introduces many new characters in this next stage of her life. And her life is very different, not just because she is half-way around the world in colonial Australia. But Verity is the same, and mystery finds her. There are clues to be followed, mysteries to be solved. Woven through this adventure are titbits of history and place, giving life to another time. As in ‘The Truth about Verity Sparks’ there are villains and heroes, although it’s not always clear initially which are which. Themes include trust, hope, family and friendship. An entertaining adventure mystery rich with historical curiosities. Recommended for middle-primary readers.

Verity Sparks, Lost and Found, Susan Green Walker Books Australia 2013 ISBN: 9781921977886

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Shimmer by Jennifer McBride & Lynda Nixon

‘I will not go!’ Kora folded her arms and looked away from her father.

‘It is not a choice, Kora.’ The Emperor placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘All genies of royal birth must go.’

She shrugged off his hand. ‘I know that, but why now?’ Amurru stood quietly by Kora’s globe. She strode over to him. ‘Tell them, Amurru,’ she said, jabbing a finger in the air towards her parents. ‘It is madness to send my away now.’

Amurru’s yellow eyes blinked slowly. ‘To learn how to rule you must first learn how to serve.’

She stomped her foot. This was ridiculous. …

… ‘Enough. I will argue with you no more.’ The Emperor signalled to Amurru. ‘You will leave immediately, Kora. I command it.’

The air around her began to stir. Her father’s command had activated her globe and she was being pulled in against her will. She took one last look around at her home and then glared at her parents.

‘I hate you,’ she spat. ‘I hate you both!’

‘I will not go!’ Kora folded her arms and looked away from her father.

‘It is not a choice, Kora.’ The Emperor placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘All genies of royal birth must go.’

Amurru’s yellow eyes blinked slowly. ‘To learn how to rule you must first learn how to serve.’

She stomped her foot. This was ridiculous. …

… ‘Enough. I will argue with you no more.’ The Emperor signalled to Amurru. ‘You will leave immediately, Kora. I command it.’

The air around her began to stir. Her father’s command had activated her globe and she was being pulled in against her will. She took one last look around at her home and then glared at her parents.

‘I hate you,’ she spat. ‘I hate you both!’

Kora is royalty, daughter of Emperor and Empress genies. Their nation is at war with Vennum, who would ‘harness’ them to achieve control of their world. Kora, most powerful genie of her age, is to be sent away to Earth. It’s a normal part of royal genie experience, but she is reluctant to go now. She is sure she would be more useful staying home and helping with the war. But go she must. Then David, troubled earth teenager, accidently harnesses her to him and she must follow his every whim, grant his every foolish wish. This antagonistic pairing is exacerbated by the worsening war in Kora’s world, and David’s deteriorating home life. It is only when they acknowledge that their combined skills and knowledge may hold the key to solving their individual challenges that life begins to make some sense.

Shimmer suggests that having a genie may not be the answer to everything – particularly when that genie has issues of her own. Teenagers are often so wrapped up in their own challenges that they are unable to see those of others. Wrapped in a humorous story where trying to get your own way is a recipe for fireworks and misadventure, ‘Shimmer’ gently suggests that collaboration is more productive than banging heads. Kora’s challenges may be world-changing, but so – in their way – are David’s. Themes of empathy and collaboration sit alongside a dual-world adventure that will engage and entertain readers. Recommended for upper-primary readers.

Shimmer, Jennifer McBride & Lynda Nixon Fremantle Press 2013 ISBN: 9781922089434

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Holiday of a Lifetime: Disaster Diary by Megan de Kantzow

31 October: Sydney, Australia. Halloween: the worst possible day to travel

3.03 pm

In thirty-two minutes we’re leaving. Supposedly.

I’ve already told Mum and Dad that this whole trip is a so-called Disaster Waiting to Happen, like other Anderson family holidays I could mention. For example, the time Dad made us go camping in the Warrumbungles and it rained the whole time, or the time we got stuck in holiday traffic for five hours on my birthday and I got a stinking McMuffin without even one measly candle for my so-called birthday cake.

Anyway, if Dad doesn’t get off the phone right now and Mum doesn’t get through her list of last-minute jobs, we’ll be last and then this holiday will be a disaster before it’s even started. Because planes don’t wait for you, you know.

I’d better tell them to hurry up.

31 October: Sydney, Australia. Halloween: the worst possible day to travel

3.03 pm

In thirty-two minutes we’re leaving. Supposedly.

I’d better tell them to hurry up.

Anna’s family are off on a trip to Europe, even though the funds had originally been earmarked for house extensions. A mistake on many levels as far as Anna is concerned. Having her own bedroom would have meant peace and no dancing for Anna, and a dance-zone bedroom for her sister Francine. But despite her dire warnings, off to Europe they go. Dad, Mum, Francine and little brother Timmy are all excited and unhearing of her warnings. Anna realises she’s the one who will have to be prepared for the inevitable disasters. She is helped in her quest to keep the family safe by a good-luck charm from Gran. This little seahorse will provide the luck, her backpack full of just-in-case supplies. There are disasters aplenty, some of which Anna is prepared for, others less so.

Holiday of a Lifetime: Disaster Diary is a contemporary tragi-comedy, full of high drama and humour, written in diary form. Anna is a worry wort and the reader is privy to her worst worries, her first person reportage via her diary entries. They also can read between the lines and interpret the responses of her family and others around her more clearly than she can. The dramas and excitements are almost slapstick in their intensity, and will have readers giggling and rolling their eyes. But there is redemption for Anna too, as she discovers that some things she can worry less about, and for others – well her preparation pays off. ‘Holiday of a Lifetime’ allows a peek into a family, showing their individual and collective growth, filtered through the eyes of an almost-adolescent. Recommended for upper-mid-primary readers.

Holiday of a Lifetime: Disaster Diary!, Megan de Kantzow Omnibus Books 2013 ISBN: 9781862919983

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Deadly D and Justice Jones: Making the Team by Scott Prince and Dave Hartley

The TV is really loud. I can’t take my eyes off it. North Queensland are winning by four points but The Bulldogs are about to score. Mum is saying something to me but I can’t hear her. The commentator is shouting, ‘Bulldogs have the ball with a minute to go!’

‘Barba passes to Ennis, Ennis to Morris, Morris finds space out wide, he steps one, steps another, he’s in the open …’ CLICK. Mum turns off the TV.

‘Aye, why’d you do that? Mum! Bulldogs were about to score!’ I say springing off the couch.

‘We’re leaving, son,’ Mum says.

‘No way! Are you gammin’?’ Morris scoring for the Bulldogs is now a distant memory.

‘Barba passes to Ennis, Ennis to Morris, Morris finds space out wide, he steps one, steps another, he’s in the open …’ CLICK. Mum turns off the TV.

‘Aye, why’d you do that? Mum! Bulldogs were about to score!’ I say springing off the couch.

‘We’re leaving, son,’ Mum says.

‘No way! Are you gammin’?’ Morris scoring for the Bulldogs is now a distant memory.

Eleven-year-old Dylan is not happy about moving to Brisbane from his home in Mt Isa, but it’s happening anyway. In Mt Isa, he could keep the secret of what happens when he gets angry. But he settles quickly at his new school in Brisbane, despite a run-in with the local bully Jared. He makes friends with Justice Jones and begins to relax. Things are looking good when the whole class sets out on an excursion to watch the Brisbane Broncos rugby team train. Then Justice attracts the attention of Jared and his cronies and Dylan gets angry. When Dylan gets angry, he transforms into a powerful, fully-grown man, which terrifies him. But this time is different. This time, as he tries to hide, he discovers that the strength and power that scare him are exactly the skills that the Broncos are looking for. With the help (sometimes) of his friend, he is soon training with the NFL club.

Deadly D and Justice Jones: Making the Team is co-written by a former rugby star and a teacher and is the first of a planned series. It introduces Dylan (Deadly D) an indigenous Australian and Justice, with Islander heritage. They are at the end of primary school, sports mad and on the brink of adolescence. It’s almost possible to smell the hormone surge as Dylan transforms to Deadly D. Prince and Hartley celebrate the powerful and positive role sport can have in the lives of young adolescents in this rugby-meets-magic tale. Readers will empathise with Dylan as he learns about this new body, and chuckle at the enthusiastic excesses of his mate Justice. Sports fans will revel in the inside look at life in a NFL rugby team. Chapters are short, include illustrations from Dave Hartley and chapter headings. ‘Deadly D and Justice Jones’ is ideal for upper-primary sports-mad, can’t-sit-still boys and older reluctant readers.

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Deadly D and Justice Jones: Making the Team, Scott Prince & Dave Hartley Magabala Books 2013 ISBN: 9781922142184

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

What’s Dad Doing? by Susan Hall ill Cheryl Westenberg

Pat Possum and his friend Wesley Wombat are looking for Pat’s Dad.

‘Let’s go and find my Dad to see what he’s doing.

Pat Possum and his friend Wesley Wombat are looking for Pat’s Dad.

‘Let’s go and find my Dad to see what he’s doing.

So begins a search for Pat’s Dad. Each opening offers a potential Dad-find, and they do find him but he’s always busy. Lifting flaps on each opening reveal Dad making lunch, sweeping floors, feeding a younger sibling. Then when the jobs are done, Dad has time to play footy. Warm pencil/watercolour illustrations are set in white space. The illustrations have their own humour, revealing Dad’s particular way of doing the jobs. There are also insects to find and identify. Final openings feature images and photos and information about the ring-tail possum on which this story is based.

This new lift-the-flap title from NLA offers an introduction to one of our native animals. The story sets the native animals as young children in a suburban house, during the course of a typical day. The parents share the parenting and household tasks. Pat and his friend Wesley play independently quite happily but are also keen to play with Dad. The lift-the-flap story introduces the notion of fathers being involved in childrearing and the final openings offer factual information. This is a sturdy paperback, ideal for pre-schoolers.

What’s Dad Doing? Susan Hall Cheryl Westenberg NLA Publishing 2013 ISBN 97890642277916

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

The Pirate Company: On the Trail of the Golden Toucan by Susan Cason

Tom Applecross paused at the bottom of the gangplank to the French vessel, Marie-Galante, moored at the dock at Port Pandora. The air in this part of the port city smelled of sweat and squashed bananas, of salt and freshly scrubbed wooden decks and a strange, bitter odour that Tom suspected was his own overwhelming sadness.

He turned to face his stepmother, Evlynne. He knew he had to ask her again, to plead with her one more time. He willed his bottom lip not ot quiver and took a long, slow breath.

‘Evlynne, please, please, let me stay,’ he said hoarsely. ‘I promise I won’t be any trouble. Don’t send me to Boston.’

Tom Applecross paused at the bottom of the gangplank to the French vessel, Marie-Galante, moored at the dock at Port Pandora. The air in this part of the port city smelled of sweat and squashed bananas, of salt and freshly scrubbed wooden decks and a strange, bitter odour that Tom suspected was his own overwhelming sadness.

He turned to face his stepmother, Evlynne. He knew he had to ask her again, to plead with her one more time. He willed his bottom lip not ot quiver and took a long, slow breath.

‘Evlynne, please, please, let me stay,’ he said hoarsely. ‘I promise I won’t be any trouble. Don’t send me to Boston.’

Tom’s father is missing, believed dead and his stepmother sends him away from his loved home in the Caribbean. She tells him he is very lucky to be going to stay with family in Boston, but he is not convinced that’s the whole story. She seems much too gleeful. Not long after they set sail, they are set upon by pirates and the Marie-Galante is scuttled. Can Tom’s life get any worse? He is set adrift in the Atlantic Ocean. He reaches shore and assesses his options. He can try to return to his home, live forever on an uninhabited island, or join the pirates. None of these options are looking very promising, particularly the last. The pirates have more superstitions than seems possible and somehow, Tom seems to be responsible for all their bad luck. At least in the short term, Tom must convince them he can be useful on a pirate ship. If he can’t, he may have to walk the plank. Chapter headings include definitions of pirate words or clues about the Pirate Code.

On the Trail of the Golden Toucan is an adventure set (mostly) on the ‘high seas’. The pirates are a ragged collection of rascals with a fierce instinct for survival. They have a pirate’s code to guide their behaviour but the code seems to be flexible in its interpretation. Poor Tom struggles to make sense of it, perhaps because most of it is based on superstition. But Tom has had the advantage of an education and is able to apply logic and clear thinking to ensuring his own survival. There are ratbags and rotters everywhere, and not just on the pirate ship. There are themes of integrity, honesty, community. But first and foremost, this is a rollicking yarn about a boy thrust into an alien world who must adapt to survive. Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers.

The Pirate Company: On the Trail of the Golden Toucan, Susan Cason Omnibus Books 2013 ISBN: 9781742990026

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Koalas, Kites and Kangaroos: An Australian Alphabet Book by David Ridyard ill Doreen Gristwood

Koalas, kites and kangaroos,

Penguins and possums and pelicans too.

Worm-eating wagtails and wombats at play,

Surf-riding seals on a hot summer’s day.

Rabbits on roller-skates, lizards on land,

Card-playing crocodiles, shells on the sand.

Turn over the pages and take a close look

At this wonderful, colourful ALPHABET BOOK!

Koalas, kites and kangaroos,

Penguins and possums and pelicans too.

Worm-eating wagtails and wombats at play,

Surf-riding seals on a hot summer’s day.

Rabbits on roller-skates, lizards on land,

Card-playing crocodiles, shells on the sand.

Turn over the pages and take a close look

At this wonderful, colourful ALPHABET BOOK!

‘Koalas, Kites and Kangaroos: An Australian Alphabet Book’ is exactly what it says: an alphabet book. As well as Australian animals, there are words describing the Australian life including kiting, surfing, ‘beaching’. There are also a broad range of other words that young readers will be familiar with including shapes, foods and plants. Words are listed down each side of openings, with two letters sharing an illustration. Illustrations are in watercolour set in frames on each opening, although the ‘characters’ often burst beyond their frame. A list in the final pages, offers the opportunity to return to images to find other, perhaps less obvious words.

Koalas, Kites and Kangaroos was originally published in 1985 and reprinted several times before this new edition from Scholastic in 2013. It’s pitched at young children beginning to access written language. The animals are anthropomorphised to extend the alphabet into scenes familiar to many young Australians. Echidnas feature on the ‘A’ page, and the list at the end identifies them as ‘anteaters’, providing the opportunity to talk about animals being named by their activity as well as having a scientific name. A zebra does appear on the ‘z’ page, but it is in a zoo, opening the discussion about native and other animals. Recommended for pre-schoolers.

Koalas, Kites and Kangaroos: An Australian Alphabet, David Ridyard ill Doreen Gristwood Scholastic 2013 ISBN: 9781742838724

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

I Got This Hat by Jol and Kate Temple ill Jon Foye

I got this hat in China

I got this hat from a miner

I got this hat from a deep-sea diver

I got this hat from a racing car driver

I got this hat in China

I got this hat from a miner

I got this hat from a deep-sea diver

I got this hat from a racing car driver

I Got This Hat features a small child trying on all manner of hats. Across the story, he showcases hats from his – clearly extensive – collection. Each opening offers text on one page and hat with young child under it. In fact, all that is ever seen of the child before the final spread, is the upper half of a head. Text is rhyming and builds to bedtime when the child must decide which of the hats will be worn to bed. Text is mostly capitals, painted and fills the page. Pencil and water colour illustrations are set in almost-white space and childlike.

It’s easy to imagine I Got This Hat being used in a classroom to introduce different professions, jobs, climates and fashion choices. There is a free downloadable iphone app in which even more hats can be created. I Got This Hat features a young child who would be seen as a toddler by a toddler and potentially as a slightly older child by older children. The text is simple and rhythmic and will soon be ‘learnt’ by young children becoming familiar with the concept of reading. Recommended for toddlers, pre-schoolers and early-schoolers.

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I Got This Hat, Jol and Kate Temple ill Jon Foye ABC Books 2013 ISBN: 9780733332303

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Ghostheart by Ananda Braxton-Smith

It was like this.

I saw it break cover from Spindlestone Stack and stop in the milky sea, washed in light, like one of the chapel wall saints, with its silverthread hair flying in glories. Then it waded ashore.

Watchful.

And just for a moment I thought it was her – Dodi Caillet – come back. That she’d found her way home. I thought it was all the years of my missing her that was making her shine like that. All the years of my wanting her, lighting up the morning. And I took a step toward her. I thought it would be me and Dodi, together again.

Like nothing ever happened.

But it wasn’t.

It was like this.

I saw it break cover from Spindlestone Stack and stop in the milky sea, washed in light, like one of the chapel wall saints, with its silverthread hair flying in glories. Then it waded ashore.

Watchful.

Like nothing ever happened.

But it wasn’t.

Mally lives on the Isle of Man, in a time when people stay close to their own and much is unexplained. Anything and anyone from otherwhere provokes suspicion and mistrust. Mally comes from a big family but she feels very different, like she doesn’t quite fit. Her brothers and sisters are brave and carefree, but she is frightened by the secrets in her world. The sea is big and terrifying and anywhere beyond her immediate home environment is even more so. Mally spends a lot of time alone evading the things that frighten her. She escapes into the caves by the sea, taking her pig Lovely with her. Only in there, with her only friend, does she feel safe. And now even that is feeling wrong. Dolyn Craig starts to follow her, saying out loud all the things that she is, and that she isn’t. She has seen spirits from the past. Mally is set spinning by the myriad frights.

Ghostheart is the third in the ‘Secrets of Carrick’ series from Ananda Braxton-Smith, although each of the three stories stand alone. There are characters in common and the landscape is the same. It’s a subsistence survival for all the islanders and they cling strongly to their land and their traditions. And their language. Like the other two novels, Ghostheartresonates with language both poetic and accessible, words and phrases that will have readers entranced: ‘…I felt myself to be some tiny fleck of foam hurled at the sky; a sanderling on the edge of the sea. A limpet unstuck. A holdfast, free-swimming.’ There are themes of belonging, guilt and responsibility. Ghostheart starts gently, enticing the reader on as an overture does, teasing the audience on as the pace and tension builds. A rewarding read for mature upper-primary and early secondary readers.

Ghostheart, Ananda Braxton-Smith Black Dog Books 2013 ISBN: 9781742032184

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author