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Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford

Her arm was out as she rounded the bumper, her fingers reaching for the doorhandle as she saw her reflection in the driver’s window – and a brief movement behind her.
Then a hand slammed over her mouth.

When Livia Prescott is attacked in the carpark on her way home from work, everyone tells her how brave she is. And there’s nothing for her to fear – this was a one-off attack, and she managed to fight off her attacker. It’s just another piece of bad luck in a shocking year which has seen her marriage end, her father get sicker and her business falter. At least this time she came out on top.

Or has she? As the days and weeks pass without her attacker being caught, Livia becomes increasingly aware that this not a random attack. Someone is out to get her. He starts by sending her menacing notes, then picks up the pace, dragging Livia’s family and friends into the vendetta. Livia has no idea who the stalker is or what she can do to stop him. But if she doesn’t fight back, she might lose everything.

Scared Yet? is a chillingly gripping psychological thriller. Even without the attack Liv has a lot on her plate, but when she’s attacked it seems she’s being given more to cope with than anyone could. She lives in fear not just for her own life, but for that of her precious son, as well as her ailing father and everyone she holds dear. Not knowing who is targeting her or where their next attack might come from makes her jumpy and at times irrational, yet she manages to keep going, fighting with all her reserves. She is gutsy, but also believable in her motivations and in her mistakes.

This is a page turner that will keep you guessing and shaking right to the end.

Scared Yet? by Jaye Ford
Bantam, an imprint of Random House, 2012
ISBN 9781864712001

This book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Dancing to the Flute, by Manisha Jolie Amin

Kalu, it seems, has a gift for music, and the healer’s brother is a talented teacher. Kalu finds himself removed from his friends and all he knows, as he follows his dreams.

Until one night when the ripe moon rose, casting cool blue shadows on the ground.He closed his eyes and played, recalling the river as it made its way down to the sea. Imagining the fish swimming through the currents like streamers in the wind. Then he played the wind itself, fading into a rustle between leaves before lifting to the sky once again.

Kalu’s life is one of struggle. A street kid, he has no family, and relies on his energy and his wit to survive. Yet he manages to make friends, people from all walks of life – Bal, the buffalo herder, Malti, a servant, and Gaga Ba, her wealthy mistress. But it is when he befriends a travelling healer that his life changes. Kalu, it seems, has a gift for music, and the healer’s brother is a talented teacher. Kalu finds himself removed from his friends and all he knows, as he follows his dreams. His new life is fulfilling, but also challenging. The biggest challenge is finding a way to believe in himself.

Dancing to the Flute is a beautiful tale of friendship and self-discovery, richly played out amongst the countryside and cultural diversity of India. Kalu’s story is woven with mythical tales, and the stories of Kalu’s friends, with heartache and tragedy balanced with joy and hope.

The author, Manisha Jolie Amin was born in Kenya to Indian parents and now lives in Australia, but her love and deep connection with India is apparent. This, her first novel, has heart and depth which transports the reader to India and into the lives of the characters.

Dancing to the Flute, by Manisha Jolie Amin
Allen & Unwin, 2012
ISBN 9781742378572

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Memory Tree, by Tess Evans

He tightened his grasp on his children and the elusive words came.
‘We’re still a family,’ he said, and we all love each other. Mum wouldn’t want us to be sad all the time, would she? Now what we’ll do is finish breakfast and go and buy a tree. We’ll plant it in the garden. It’ll be Mum’s tree and whenever we need to, we can go there and think of her. What do you say to that?’

When their mother dies suddenly, Zav and Sealie are left bereft. Their father proposes that together they plant a tree in Paulina’s memory, a place to remember and feel close to her. But as the tree grows, Hal’s grief does too. In the grip of depression he hears voices telling him what he must do. When Zav leaves home to go to the Vietnam Wat and Sealie to begin her nursing training, Hal is left with his grief, and the voices – telling him to do something unspeakably terrible. Years later, Sealie struggles to care for her brother, who has returned from war with is own depression to battle, and is horrified at the news that her mentally ill father is being released into her care.There seems little hope for any of them to find peace.

The Memory Tree is a brilliant offering from the creator of the bestselling Book of Lost Threads. The story is not a happy one, but it is deftly handled as it explores the impact of mental illness on families, and themes of obligation, loss and hope. The characters are wonderfully complex – as well as the three main characters already mentioned, a special delight is the character of Godown, a pastor who is an ex-US Army soldier, who befriends Hal and becomes part of the family. He is a character who could easily have been a caricature, but instead grows and develops most endearingly.

A fabulous read which is at once gentle and gripping.

The Memory Tree, by Tess Evans
Allen & Unwin, 2012
ISBN 9781742377896

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Cold Cold Ground, by Adrian McKinty

A shock of mid-length yellow hair was visible from here.
I walked closer.
The cliche of every cops and robbers show – the dead blonde in the garbage tip. Course the blonde was always a bird, not what we had before us: some chubby guy with yellow tips in a denim AC/DC jacket.

It is 1981 and Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy is called on to investigate a strange case. Two men have been murdered, their bodies found in different locations, but each with a severed hand, and the hand of the other located next to each body. Duffy suspects he might be on the trail of Northern Ireland’s first ever serial killer. In the meantime, he has a second case to investigate – the apparent suicide of a young woman, which Duffy suspects may turn out to be a murder. The cases may be different, but Duffy finds links between the two, involving the IRA and their enemies, the UVF. For Duffy the case is even more complex, because no one trusts a Catholic policeman.

The Cold, Cold Ground is crime fiction, but it is also more – an absorbing blend of social and political history, set amidst the turmoil of 1981 in Belfast. Whilst the murders and most of the characters are fictional, events including the famous hunger strikes are real, and both frame and influence the turns of the fictional tale. McKinty is careful though to keep the focus on his characters and story, allowing the historical events to build but not overshadow the story.

The Cold, Cold Ground is the first of three Sean Duffy stories planned. It will be a pleasure to see where this character – and his creator – takes us.

The Cold, Cold Ground, by Adrian McKinty
Serpent’s Tail, 2012
ISBN 9781846688225

This book can be purchased from good bookstore or online from Fishpond.

Vampyre, by Margaret Wild & Andrew Yeo

I am Vampyre.
I live in darkness.
I long for light.

Vampyre lives in darkness, feared and despised. As a child he was free to play and swim in the moonlight, where he befriended the birds and the deer. Now he is fully grown, expected to embrace his role, to attack and to kill. But instead he longs for the light. Finally, he waits for midday and runs away from his family, weeping as he emerges. His old friends, the deer and the birds, welcome him.

Vampyreis an extraordinary picture book for older readers. Whilst it is about a Vampyre, this is not a cloak wearing, coffin-dwelling stereotypical vampire, and is well removed from the modern vampire stories pitched at teens in recent years. Instead, the narrator is a fairly normal looking young teen, with pale hair and skin (he is a creature of the night and must stay out of the light), and with small fangs visible in only a few illustrations. Far from being frightening or intimidating he looks like any lost and confused youngster. And this is the point of the tale – Vampyre could just as well be a teen pressured to conform on issues of sexuality, or career choice, or religion, as a child pressured to live the life of a vampyre. he wants something different than those around him, and his parents – especially his father – struggle to accept that.

Wild’s text tells the tale without trying to moralise or convince. The issue is there for the reader to explore. Illustrator Yeo does a brilliant job of using shadow and minimal light to bring to life a story which is necessarily dark-hued. The final spread, with Vampyre huddled in the morning frost, makes wonderful use of light, with golden sunlight breaking through the trees suggesting hope.

In a classroom setting Vampyrewould offer much fodder for discussion, but individuals will also be moved by it.

Brilliant.

Vampyre, by Margaret Wild & Andrew Yeo
Walker Books, 2011
ISBN 9781921529221

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Darius Bell and the Crystal Bees, by Odo Hirsch

When the bees start to disappear from the Belle state, Darius worries that his favourite honey will run out. It takes him a while to realise that much more than the honey supply is at stake.

Darius frowned. ‘Is it really so bad, Mr Fisher? Will there really be nothing?’
‘No bees – no fruit, no vegetables,’ murmured the gardener, as he had said before. ‘Nothing.’
Mr Beale had been right, thought Darius. For a moment he tried to imagine what the world would be like if there were no bees anywhere….Humans depended on bees to an extent he hadn’t understood.

When the bees start to disappear from the Belle state, Darius worries that his favourite honey will run out. It takes him a while to realise that much more than the honey supply is at stake. Without bees there will be no fruit or vegetables, and his friends the Fishers, who run the estate’s gardens, will have to leave the estate. Darius is determined this won’t happen.

Darius tries to investigate why the bees have gone and how he can save the food crops – but he’ll have to outsmart his old adversary, the Mayor, who loves it when things go wrong for the Bells. He’ll also need to keep the school principal, Mrs Lightman, off his case.

Darius Bell and the Crystal Bees is the wonderful sequel to the award-winning. Darius manages to once again save the day,with the help of his friends and in spite of his family’s seeming dysfunction. His father, a writer who is never published, has some lessons for Darius this time, and while there are similarities with the first title, there is also enough difference to avoid being reptitive or overly predictable.

Darius’ world if full of whimsy and a bit larger than life, but this is what makes it so very appealing.

Darius Bell and the Crystal Bees, by Odo Hirsch
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 9781742376837

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Crossfire, by James Moloney

Luke could almost count the pig’s strides as it closed in…His father lay frantic in the dust, scarcely able to raise his head…The pig would kill him.

Luke doesn’t live with his dad, but he still idolises him. Dad is a hunter, a hard man who knows everything about guns. When Luke is suspended from school for hiding a gun in his locker, Luke’s mum is horrified, but Luke thinks she’s over reacting. He needed the gun to practise his shooting in the bush after school.

When Mum is unexpectedly hospitalised, Luke finds himself unexpectedly able to accompany his father on a pig-shooting expedition. He’s the only kid with a group of men – men who will, it seems, shoot at anything that moves. Luke starts to see the other side of shooting and killing. And when the expedition turns dangerous, he wonders whether all this is worth the thrill of the chase.

First published in 1992, a CBCA Notable Book in 1993, Crossfire has been reprinted along with other works by James Moloney, so that they can be enjoyed by a new group of teens. The story remains authentic fifteen years after first publication, with the high action text and timeless conflicts not being outdated.

This is an exciting and thought-provoking read, especially suitable for teenage boys.

Crossfire, by James Moloney
UQP, 1992, 2007

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

Offbeat, by Marlane Ainsworth

‘So,’ I said, tying to get this footy business into my head once and for all, ‘Buttface roams all over the field, you kick all the goals. What does the rest of the team do?’
‘All sorts of things. Tackle, block, scream, smother, chase, hammer.’
I shuddered. ‘Sounds like Holst’s music about the planet Mars, the Bringer of War. I’ll play it for you next time you come.’

Tommo are Smelly are an unlikely pair to be best friends. Tommo loves classical music and plays the trumpet in the school band. Smelly (her real name is Simone Melling) loves football, and plays for the school team. One is neat and fastidious, the other is messy and rough. But they have been friends for a long time, and nothing can change that. Or can it?

The School Band has an opportunity to compete in a band competition in the city. The football team is invited to participate in a carnival. The problem is, the principal says the school only has enough funds for one trip. Which one will be chosen? With that drama out of the way, Smelly and Tommo, and their respective groups, have other challenges to overcome, including a mix ups ending the team busses to the wrong events.

Offbeat is a fun children’s novel which takes a humorous look at the cultural clash between sport and the arts, and at how friendships can survive often-competing interests. The use of a male and a female as the two central characters means the books is likely to appeal to both boy and girl readers, and kids will like that the girl is the footy player and the boy the neat-freak musician.

Suitable for readers aged 10-12.

Offbeat, by Marlane Ainsworth
Fremantle Arts Centre press, 2006

Kiss, Kiss! by Margaret Wild (Small-Format Edition)

When Baby Hippo wakes up he hurries off to play, without stopping to give his mother a kiss. Leaving his disappointed mum behind, he waddles through the mud, around the bumpy rocks, up the mossy bank and under the leafy trees.

Everywhere he goes, Baby Hippo hears the same sound – ‘Kiss, kiss!’ – as the other baby animals kiss their parents good morning. When he remembers that he’s forgotten to do the same, he hurries home. But where is his mother?

Kiss, Kiss! is a delightful offering from acclaimed author Margaret Wild. The text is simple and rhythmic, with youngsters able to predict the ‘Kiss, kiss,” repeated throughout the story. The illustrations of Bridget Strevens-Mazro are a perfect complement, with the gentle colours of nature and an endearing Baby Hippo.

First released in 2003, the book has been re-released as a small format hardcover, promoted as a gift for mothers. Mums will love it – and so will their young charges.

Kiss, Kiss! by Margaret Wild, illustrated by Bridget Strevens-Mazro First Published Little Hare, 2003, new small format edition, 2006

By Jingo! by Janeen Brian

Few adults would dispute the value of alphabet books in presenting the letters of the alphabet and basic words to young children, but the challenge is always to take the book beyond a bland instructional tool and into something which will actually engage youngsters’ attention. If kids enjoy what they are reading (or listening to) then they are far more likely to absorb the intended lessons.

In By Jingo, author Janeen Brian manages to achieve this balance by presenting the alphabet lesson through a series of verses, one for each letter of the alphabet. Instead of just being told, for example, that G is for giraffe, youngsters can enjoy the following poem:

Giraffe
is made up
of five long stalks,
one for his neck
and
four
for his walks!

The accompanying illustrations, by the talented Dee Huxley, are full of colour and humour, again drawing children into the text.

Children will love the rhymes, the humour and the vibrant chalk-pastel illustrations so much that they won’t realise they are also learning. Teachers and parents will find the book a delightful way to teach children letters and sounds.

Superb.

By Jingo!, by Janeen Brian and Dee Huxley
ABC Books, 2005