Claire Saxby – Page 83 – Aussie Reviews

Crime Seen, by Jenny Pausacker

My pocket beeped. I hate it when that happens while I’m on a bus packed with people. When I reached for my mobile, I accidentally elbowed a guy in a business suit, who rolled his eyes and sighed.
I shrugged, bumping again, and checked to see who’d been texting me.
It was my mate Seb, of course. Seb can’t leave his mobile alone for more than two minutes. His message said:
harris U freek rU at wrk? cany ded bods yet?
I scowled. Ever since I told him I was doing my work experience at the Forensics Unit in the city, Seb had been carrying on like I was Hannibal Lector.
That showed how much he knew. I mean, forensic pathologists are the good guys, right?

Fifteen year-old Harris has been interested in forensic pathology for a long time and is very excited to be doing work experience at the city’s Forensics Unit. His supervisor has organised for him to spend time in all the different departments. But when the chief pathologist’s daughter, Tansy, goes missing, and he inadvertently sees a body in the morgue, Harris discovers that plans are not worth much. He is welcomed into the ‘family’ of people who work in this challenging area. Harris gets caught up in the mystery and publicity around the disappearance and a murder. There is speculation that someone in the unit may be involved. Harris develops and discards many theories on who could possibly be responsible before the culprit is ultimately revealed.

Teenagers often develop obsessions and the main character in Crime Seen is no different. But his obsession is a little less common. He’s obsessed with ‘helping the dead’, by working out just how they died. Unexpectedly, he also learns that he enjoys working with those left behind. He’s impatient with his movie-obsessed younger brother, keen to learn, keen to make a good impression, concerned about appearances and prone to jumping to conclusions. In short, he’s delightfully normal despite his less-common interests. Pausacker has planted plenty of clues and red herrings to keep the reader twisting and turning along with Harris as the story unfolds. Set in an Australian city, this crime novel for younger readers is well-paced and rewarding. Recommended for upper-primary and lower-secondary readers.

Crime Seen, by Jenny Pausacker
Lothian Children’s Books 2007
ISBN: 9870734410016

This book is available for purchase online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Mystery of the Ruby Glasses, by Lindsay Cripps

Ah, but have you really looked at them? I mean close up? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the picture?

Shey and her dog Jasper are sent to stay with her elderly uncle over the summer holidays while her parents fly off to Egypt to search for fossils. Shey is resentful and expects to be bored. But her artist uncle begins to show her a different way to look at pictures. She finds the ruby opera glasses and suddenly she is in the world depicted in the painting. While there, she discovers she has inadvertently followed her uncle. Her journey into the painting may have been accidental, but Ruben is searching. Two heads are better than one and Shey helps Ruben find what he has been searching for.

The Mystery of the Ruby Glasses takes the reader on a journey through art and history, collecting clues. It crosses from the real world into another (several others really) using well-known paintings as portals. Shey experiences the paintings and painters in her quest to solve the mystery that consumes Ruben. Shey is a brave and curious main character. Her relationship with Ruben evolves as they spend more time together. Shey grows in maturity as she learns more about the sadness that has been part of Ruben’s life since the death of his wife. An engaging read for upper-primary, early-secondary readers.

The Mystery of the Ruby Glasses, Lindsay Cripps
Lothian Books 2007
ISBN: 9780734408044

This book is available online at Fishpond.

Why is Uranus Upside Down? by Fred Watson

It’s my scribbled records of a decade of listener questions – together with a number of emails – that form the backbone of this book. Each of the 148 questions presented here has been asked by a lively enquiring mind, and I’ve tried to answer in a similar vein to the radio shows. Going into print does allow more detail, of course. But it’s the questions themselves that are special, because they address the issues that people actually want to know about – rather than what we scientists think they want to know about.

Guess what rainbows in fog are called? Fogbows! What would happen if you could drop a stone down a hole through the Earth? Why do we need leap seconds? What is the space elevator and will it work? All these are questions that have been asked of Fred Watson, mostly when he’s been on radio. In Why is Uranus Upside Down? Fred answers these and other astronomy questions in terms complex enough to be accurate, yet simple enough for a lay person to comprehend. The final chapter includes some big questions eg ‘Can we ever know everything?’ and ‘Do Astronomers believe in God?’ but ends by answering ‘Did you ever sing with Billy Connolly?’ – evidence of the broad range of listener inquiry.

Fred Watson is Astronomer-in-Charge of the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Coonabarabran. He’s also a science communicator, deciphering complicated science for the (mostly) non-scientific community. He regularly broadcasts on ABC radio and has answered many listener questions over the years, including those included in Why is Uranus Upside Down?. Why is Uranus Upside Down?’ features eleven chapters, suggestions for further reading and a detailed index. Watson’s style is humorous, conversational and easy to read. This title will intrigue all those who look upwards and wonder what’s going on out there. It will also help those who have inquisitive children who ask difficult questions. Recommended for stargazers of any age.

Why is Uranus Upside Down? , by Fred Watson
Allen & Unwin 2007
ISBN: 9781741752533

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

Rebel Girl, by Susan Geasons

‘You have to come home, Big Sister!’ shouted the little girl. ‘Our father wants you. Now!’ The command made Su-Yin’s heart hammer in her chest. What have I done? she wondered. She suddenly felt dizzy. She seldom got enough to eat these days. Her father had been forced to mortgage the farm to a wealthy landowner in order to pay off gambling debts, and now the Chen family were tenant farmers, working for a pittance.

Life on the family farm is difficult and getting worse, but Su-Yin is still stunned when her family sell her into slavery. She makes a new friend on the journey up the Yangtze River to Nanjing, but they are soon separated when Su-Yin is bought to work in the kitchen of a wealthy Manchu official. Su-Yin is relatively fortunate in her new home. Although the cook is grumpy, Su-Yin is taught a trade and treated well. When the city is attacked by Taiping soldiers, Su-Yin flees with the young daughter of the family. It is a dangerous thing to do, and if she is caught, the consequences will be dire.

Fourth in Susan Geason’s historical series, Rebel Girl is set in nineteenth century China. As in the previous offerings, Geason offers a detailed look into a world unfamiliar to most young readers. Thirteen year-old Su-Yin is a sensible and strong-willed girl in a difficult situation. She is both accepting of her fate and determined to make the best of her challenging life. She works hard and is rewarded with the respect of her boss. Su-Yin shows great courage and resourcefulness when the Taiping army invades the city. This is a fast-moving, action-packed adventure, recommended for 8-12 year old readers.

Rebel Girl, by Susan Geason
ABC Books 2007
ISBN: 9780733321733

The Rage of Sheep, by Michelle Cooper

TA DAH! I am writing this as I walk to Science, which is pretty skilful of me. Lynda has hold of my left elbow and is steering me away from rubbish bins, brick walls, etc while she continues her debate with Natalie about whether Julie Jameson (now officially going with Shane Bellwether) is a bitch or merely a stupid cow. You know, this writing-in motion thing is pretty easy, I could do my homework while I’m walking the dog…
OW!
Will write more later.

The Rage of Sheep begins with the main character, fifteen year old Hester Jones, writing letters to her best friend, Krystena. Krystena has moved to the coast, leaving Hester behind to hang around with Natalie and Lynda. Natalie is using the guest list for her 16th birthday celebrations as a weapon, Lynda is madly in love and Hester has been paired with weird Joshua Mason for a project on evolution. His family belong to a fundamentalist Christian group whose beliefs include creationism. Meanwhile Hester does well at Maths, suffers the embarrassment of having her father present awards at School Assembly, gets to know the new English teacher and tries to decide whether Joshua really likes her. She also has to avoid Alistair McDonald and the Jameson girls. It’s a full life.

Secondary school can be a minefield for many teenagers as they negotiate their way through friendships, attractions, enemies, parents, curfews, expectations and hormone clouds. The Rage of Sheep, set in 1984, includes all of these and more. Hester is a convincing character, a good student from a supportive family. She has a developed sense of self, and only a mild dose of angst about her perceived shortcomings. There are serious issues explored here, but they are handled with humour. Hester’s point of view is unreliable, as is appropriate, and stronger for that. The reader can sometimes see what’s going to happen before Hester does. The title comes from a quote by James Whistler. Sheep are cited by Joshua as being those favoured by God, and by her English teacher as being followers, not leaders. This is a lightly-handled, funny and entertaining story. Recommended for middle- to upper-secondary readers.

The Rage of Sheep, by Michelle Cooper
Random House Australia 2007
ISBN: 9781741662405

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

Maisie Moo and Invisible Lucy, by Chris McKimmie

My name is Maisie Moo.
I live in a palace in the middle of nowhere.
The Gone Bonkers Discount Palace.
We sell all sorts of stuff.
Mainly gondolas.

The endpapers of Maisie Moo and Invisible Lucy show a truck and wide open spaces. Written against the pink-clouded sky are the names Ulladulla, Cunnamulla and other wonderfully named towns. Maisie’s Dad is a truck driver and travels, the endpapers suggest, all around Australia. Maisie and her invisible friend, Lucy, are waiting for Dad’s return. In the meantime, she shares with the reader a slice of her life. She likes her dog, Drongo, and sleeping in. She doesn’t like being an angel. She helps her mother in their shop. When it seems like Dad and Christmas will never come and Mum banishes Lucy, Maisie hides in her bedroom. Everything seems brighter in the morning as a new day dawns with ‘the earth as red as toffee apples and the clouds as pink as fairy floss from the Royal Show’.

Maisie addresses the reader directly, introducing herself and her world. Her voice is authentic, her observations droll. The childlike illustrations show the same clarity of vision, the same humour. Lucy’s presence waxes and wanes with Maisie’s need of her. The endless wait for Dad is shown in the quietness of the early illustrations just as the effect of his presence is made clear by the chaotic clutter of Dad’s storytelling. This is a clear picture of a child trying so hard to be good, trying so hard to be patient, although the words are never used. The text begins as ordered sentences, gradually loosens, mingles with the illustrations and becomes almost chaotic as Maisie’s wait threatens to overwhelm her. In the final spreads, calm returns but the end papers remind the reader that Dad will leave again and Maisie will again have to await his return. Recommended for 4-8 year olds.

Maisie Moo and Invisible Lucy, by Chris McKimmie
Allen & Unwin 2007
ISBN: 9781741751345

Oom Pah Pah, by Cecily Matthews

Guess what?’ Rosie cried. ‘I’ve been picked for the school band. I’m going to get an instrument.’ she flapped a note at her mother. She danced around the kitchen. ‘It says there’s going to be a meeting. You and Dad need to go and hear all about it. So do I!’

Rosie is very excited when she is chosen to join the junior school band. She fancies herself a flautist and dreams about being the best flautist in the world. She’s prepared to practice every day. But at band practice, Mrs Thomas hands her a tuba, because Rosie is tall and has long arms and fingers. Rosie decides she wants to be the best tuba player in the world. But there are a few details to sort out first. She needs to work out how to get the tuba to and from school for band practice. Rosie must convince her brother Michael that she doesn’t sound like a ‘sick elephant’. Then a new boy starts at school. Ryan is taller than Rosie, and he wants to join the band too. Rosie is worried that her career as a tuba player will be over before it’s even begun.

Rosie is a determined and enthusiastic character, happily adapting to learning a different instrument than she’d imagined. She works hard to discover a solution to getting the tuba to school and only falters when it seems she might not get to play it after all. Her enthusiasm, anxiety and diligence are nicely balanced in this realistic dilemma. Teachers and family, even siblings, offer to help her out, but this heroine finds her own solution. Oom Pah Pah! is realistic about the commitment required to be a band member and the challenges faced by those who play some of the larger instruments. It also sends clear and positive messages about reward-for-effort and the joy that playing in a band can bring. Recommended for lower-mid primary readers.

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

Oom Pah Pah! Cecily Matthews & Mitch Vane
ABC Books 2007
ISBN: 9780733320682

Ghost Granny, by Melanie Guile

There was no doubt about it – Granny was much nicer dead.
It was a shock of course, losing Granny. Everyone went around looking a bit dazed for a day or two afterwards. But she was eighty-four – ‘a good innings’ as Uncle Jim remarked – and they’d always said she had a weak heart. And to go the way she did – falling down like a skittle on the back path while she was booting the cat out of her petunias – well, you couldn’t want a fairer finish than that.

Granny has been making everyone’s life a misery for years. Only Anna, Granny’s youngest grandchild, has anything nice to say for her when she dies. And only Anna is pleased when Granny re-appears as a ghost. However, Granny doesn’t seem to understand that she’s a ghost and the scene is set for all sorts of accidental fun. Not only has ‘41’ (apprentice angel) forgotten to keep an eye on her, it seems there’s a bit of a problem about whether Granny is destined to head to the heavens or through Hell’s Gate. Enter Mr Brimstone and the race for Granny’s soul is on! Granny stumbles through the afterlife, largely unaware of the growing chaos caused by her uncertain status.

Ghost Granny is a humorous look at life after death, particularly the struggle for a soul when earthly good deeds are balanced by not-so-good offerings. Melanie’s Guile’s tongue is firmly in her cheek as she introduces the reader to the random appearances of a neither-here-or-gone granny, angel education classes and embittered souls in the endless abyss of Hell. Ghost Granny is both funny and a fast-moving adventure, full of puns and good-versus-evil struggles. Ghost Granny takes an omniscient point of view, letting the reader move closer to all the main characters. Rather than one main character, several characters take turns at driving the action, until the end when all major players are present. Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers.

Ghost Granny, by Melanie Guile
Lothian Children’s Books 2007
ISBN: 9780734410085

Dads, by David Bedford

Animal dads show their special tricks in this book for the very young. Rhino’s dad is ‘tough and strong’ and able to lift heavy rocks. He’s well able to protect his child. Rhino and other animals show their ‘dad’ side in this simple and humorous rhyming text. Father and child share special times and the illustrations show the special smiles on every opening. Openings show the animals in their environments, from grasslands, through underwater, to a cave.

Dads is a sturdy hardback with lift-the-flap pages. It follows Mums, Bums, Toes and Tails from the same author/illustrator partnership. Like these other titles, Dads has a bright and appealing cover with characters sitting in a single-colour background, with title letters all in different colours. Alternate pages fold up and fold down, to reveal the special-ness of each dad. Warm colour floods each page, drawing the reader into the different worlds. The worlds might be different, but the relationship is the same. There is a strong sense of safety and fun shared. Recommended for preschoolers.

Dads, by David Bedford and Leonie Worthington
Little Hare Books, 2007
ISBN: 9781921049835

Other titles in this series:

Mums
Bums
Toes
Tails

An Australian 1, 2, 3 of Animals, by Bronwyn Bancroft

Companion to An Australian a b c of Animals, this hardback counting book introduces numbers and animals to new readers. The early numbers fit on a single page, but rather than decrease the size of the animals, from ‘4’ to the final ‘15’ each subsequent number has been given a double page spread. Each number has its own page colour, setting off the distinctive illustrations. An action eg ‘Seven turtles plodding’ introduces the behaviour of each counted animal.

An Australian 1, 2, 3 of Animals is a simply beautiful book. From the platypus on the cover (and first page) to the 15 bull ants on the final opening, the animals are lovingly drawn and the colours are rich and luscious. The animals invite close inspection, offering similarities and differences in their rendering. Sharp-eyed readers may even find some pairs. Bronwyn Bancroft says her work is not traditional, but its Aboriginal history is immediately recognisable. The animals are sometimes stylised but lose none of their uniqueness. Highly recommended for 2-6 year olds and beyond.

An Australian 1, 2, 3 of Animals, by Bronwyn Bancroft
Little Hare 2007
9781921049828