Tag: Angus & Robertson

Octavius O’Malley and the Mystery of the Exploding Cheese, by Alan Sunderland

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

If Living Next to Lulah (by Nette Hilton, also newly released by Harper Collins) appeals mostly to girls, I have no doubt boys will gobble up this quirky tale of Octavius O’Malley and the Mystery of the Exploding Cheese.Octavius is a senior investigator of the police force who is trying to track down a criminal gang. Nothing so unusual about that perhaps, except that Octavius (Ocko to his friends) is a rat. A furry rat that hates cheese but loves doughnuts. He is trying to get a lead to capture the notorious River Road Mouse Gang.

This book is big on slapstick humour. The scene on page 6 is very funny. There are others, interspersed with jokes and puns like that of Kurt Remarque the biggest property owner in Rodent City.

Something about the case of the exploding cheese factory concerns Ocko but he is unprepared for what he discovers. In the process of solving the crime and stopping an even worse crime, that of poisoning all the rats and mice in Rodent City, Ocko is forced into some strange liaisons.

Filled with action, humour and amusing black and white illustrations throughout that add to the text, this book is sure to be a hit with primary aged children, in particular boys. I believe teachers and librarians will find this disappearing from classroom and library shelves as soon as it is returned. The novel is not all humour and action though. In the hands of a skilful educator, the way the monkey people (translate humans) look down on rats and the rats have a similar attitude to and oppress mice, could lead into an interesting discussion about society and the way one group of people oppresses another.

This is the first in a series of adventures featuring Octavius O’Malley.

Octavius O’Malley and the Mystery of the Exploding Cheese, by Alan Sunderland
Angus&Robertson an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2006. ARP $14.99AUD

Macbeth and Son, by Jackie French

The dream shimmered as Luke struggled to wake up. This wasn’t right! It couldn’t be!
Suddenly the dream released him. Luke sat up panting, as though he had been running, not lying there asleep.
Not Macbeth!
That couldn’t be the Mormaer’s name! Macbeth was a murderer!

In modern-day Australia Luke is studying Shakespeare’s Macbeth at school, but he isn’t much interested – he’s got other things to worry about, like his television-star stepfather, and the scholarship he’s won to prestigious Saint Ilf’s.

In eleventh-century Scotland, Lulach lives with his mother and stepfather, Macbeth, who is soon to be crowned King by popular vote. But when Luke starts dreaming scenes from Lulach’s life, suddenly the distance of time is not so much. Luke is especially disarmed by the differences between Lulach’s Macbeth, and the story told by Shakespeare. Did Shakespeare lie when he wrote his play? And does it really matter?

Macbeth and Son tells the two parallel stories of the boys, with the reader (and the characters) becoming gradually aware of the similarities between the two. In the modern day, Luke struggles with the dilemma of whether telling a lie can be justified if it makes somebody happy. At the same time Lulach becomes increasingly aware that telling the truth can be better than bluster and promises. Each boy draws strength from the other’s situation.

This is an outstanding offering from one of Australia’s most talented writers for children, Jackie French, who weaves tales which transport readers to the time periods she describes. Macbeth and Son is an excellent read.

Macbeth and Son, by Jackie French
Angus & Robertson, an imprint of Harper Collins, 2006

Emily Eyefinger and the City in the Sky, by Duncan Ball

Suddenly the prescriptions man screamed, ‘She’s got a gun! She’s got a gun! It’s the witch again!’
The lipstick woman froze. Slowly, she put her hands in the air.
‘Don’t shoot!’ she said. ‘Take the lipstick! It’s yours!’ With this, she dropped to the floor behind the counter.
‘Wait!’ Emily said. ‘It’s not a real gun. Look! It’s plastic!’

When Emily and her friend Janey dress as witches to practice for a play, they don’t realise the trouble it will cause. But why are the people at the pharmacy so scared of two girls in costume? Emily and the eye on the end of her finger are going to investigate.

Emily Eyefinger is a normal girl with a fairly extraordinary extra eye – on the end of her finger. It has all kinds of uses, especially for solving mysteries or getting out of scrapes, because with her extra eye Emily can see into all sorts of things that ordinary eyes can’t.

Emily Eyefinger and the City in the Sky is the tenth book of stories about Emily and her adventures, told by one of Australia’s best-loved children’s writers, Duncan Ball, perhaps best known for his stories of Selby, the talking dog. There are six self-contained stories in the book, perfect for independent reading by kids aged seven to ten.

Lots of fun.

Emily Eyefinger and the City in the Sky, by Duncan Ball
Angus & Robertson, an imprint of Harper Collins, 2006

The Day of the Elephant, by Barbara Ker Wilson and Frane Lessac

The great elephant turned her head from side to side and flapped her ears as she walked along…Dang Kiet sensed that Mae Jabu was not very happy today.

When the big elephant Mae Jabu makes a visit to the village, the children are excited. But before long their lives are in peril as a tsunami strikes. The gentle Mae Jabu becomes their life saver as she lifts the young children onto her back and carries them to safety, out of reach of the rising waters.

When the Boxing Day Tsunami hit Thailand and other Asian countries in 2004, it brought massive tragedy. But amidst the destruction there were also many amazing tales of survival, including tales of elephants who helped rescue people from the giant wave and its aftermath. The Day of the Elephant shares one such story.

This inspiring tale is well complemented with the folk art illustrative style of Frane´ Lessac with bold colours and simple yet telling depictions of the various scenes.

Royalties from the sale of The Day of the Elephant have been donated to the Asian tsunami aid effort.

The Day of the Elephant, by Barbara Ker Wilson , illustrated by Frane´ Lessac
Angus and Robertson (an imprint of Harper Collins), 2005

Malig Tumora, by James Moloney

Berrin winced at the harsh grip of claws around his wrists. He looked up at the creatures that held him captive. They were Gadges. Huge and powerful beasts, half man, half wolf, their repulsive heads reaching well over two metres from the ground when they stood on their hind legs.

Berrin is in trouble. With the tunnels flooded he is now in the grips of the Gadges, who want to make him their next meal. But the evil Malig Tumora has other plans for Berrin. With Berrin imprisoned in his menagerie, he has plans for Berrin – and for all humanity – that will change everything. Berrin has been in scrapes before, but this time he can’t see any hope of escape. .

Malig Tumora is the third book in the Doomsday Rats series and fans of the first two books wil lnot be disappointed with this newest instalment. There is plenty of excitement and intrigue, and a nice mix of heroes and baddies, all set in a fantasy world where all the adult humans have been drugged to work as slaves of the evil scientist Malig Tumora. Readers new to the series will find this offering self-contained enough to pick up the story line and enjoy the adventure.

Gripping stuff for fantasy fans aged 10 to 12.

Malig Tumora, by James Moloney
Angus & Robertson, 2005

The Scorpion's Tail, by James Moloney

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

 

The action starts on the first page and keeps up a relentless pace as Berrin escapes from the dreaded Gadges into the tunnels underneath the city. Unfortunately, in doing so he reveals the hiding place of the Doomsday Rats – a group of children consisting of Dorian, Olanda, Ruben, Wendell, Quinn and their adult founder, Ferdinand.

With their secret uncovered the Rats prepare to defend themselves in the tunnels. This time though, the Gadges have a secret weapon – the creature created by Malig Tumora. This created being, known as a ‘probe’, can hear the whispered words and even their heartbeats to detect the presence of the Rats. It seems the days of the Rats are numbered.

If the Rats are eliminated there will be no-one left to fight the Malig Tumora, who keeps the adults of the city compliant and drugged by the fragrance of flowers carried through pipes into all homes in the city. In the course of trying to stop the Malig Tumora’s evil rule and defend their lives in the tunnels, the Rats encounter the Firedrake and a robotic scorpion.

This book is part of a series about the Doomsday Rats. Even those who have not read the first book The Tunnels of Ferdinand, will soon be drawn into the plight of these young survivors and their fight against the evil Malig Tumora and the Gadges. Author James Moloney has won the Australian Children Book of the Year twice, with Swashbuckler in 1996 and Bridge to Wisemans Cove in 1997. His comic novel Black Taxi was shortlisted for the 2004 CBC book for older readers and the Adelaide Festival Children’s Literature award.

The Scorpion’s Tail, by James Moloney
Angus&Robertson- an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Paperback, 2005
RRP $14.95, ISBN 0 2071 9666 4

So Stinky! by J.A. Mawter

Something warm is trickling down my back. I can feel the hotness of it against my wind-cooled skin, almost burning. It starts at my neck and slowly, slowly meanders down. I want to deck him! Him is Felix, my kid brother. The liquid cools as it trickles down. My face burns.

Having your baby brother wee down your back is not nice. At all. But when he wees down your back when you’re talking to the coolest chick in your class it is simply unbearable. It seems that things can’t get any worse – but Jake soon discovers that they can, when he is stuck babysitting his incontinent brother during the school holidays.

One Flakey Fountain is one of the four silly stories which make up So Stinky, the sixth book in the So seris from the comic team of author J.A. Mawter and illustrator Gus Gordon. Other stories involve dinosaur dung, goat poo and a collection of human teeth.

Primary school children love gross stories, and So Stinky is sure to appeal to kids aged 8 to 12. There are plenty of smells, stinks, pongs and whiffs, along with some action and loads of laughs.

The cartoon-style illustrations on every page provide an extra facet, as do the three poems which come in between the stories.

So Stinky is a fun package.

So Stinky!, by J.A. Mawter, illustrated by Gus Gordon
Angus & Robertson, an imprint of Harper Collins, 2005

A Box Full of Phaeries, Phreddes and Fruit, by Jackie French

In her introduction to each of these three books Jackie French avows that stories can be eaten in much the same way one would eat a banana or a plum. And she’s right. The stories she shares in this delightful trilogy are ones which kids are likely to devour.

In the first book, A Phaery Named Phredde, Pru meets a phaery (NOT fairy), called Phredde, who soon becomes her best friend. If you think that’s strange, then what about the pair having a teacher who is a vampire, and Pru’s brother becoming a werewolf? Anything is possible in the Australia created by French. In each of the five stories in the book, Pru and Phredde have wild and wonderful adventures which will amuse and delight eight to tweve year olds.

In the following two volumes, Phredde and a Frog Named Bruce and Phredde and the Zombie Librarian, Pru and Phredde have even more adventures, including meeting a talking frog who is really a phaery prince (and does NOT want to be kissed by a princess), and escaping the clutches of a zombie librarian intent on feeding them to her blood-starved books.

With the three books packaged together in a slipcase, this set would make a great gift for a hungry young reader.

A Box Full of Phaeries, Phreddes and Fruit, by Jackie French
Angus & Robertson, 2003

Super Jack, by Susanne Gervay

In I am Jack, Jack faced bullies at their worst, and learnt a lot about himself and his family. Now, in SuperJack, he is a year older and has to deal with a changing family.

Jack’s family are great, but a little crazy. His mum loves doing star jumps, his step-Dad, Rob, is obsessed with tidiness, and his grandmother loves buying bargains – especially cheap underpants. Jack’s best friend, Anna, is almost part of the family too. She’s . . . nice. Jack feels strange tingles when he looks at her sometimes. But when his family gets ready to go on holiday, Jack isn’t sure he likes the changes that are happening. Nana is getting old and can’t do the things she used to. Rob is bringing his son Leo, and Jack has to let Leo share his room. Jack is sure Leo is going to ruin everything.

SuperJack is both poignant and funny, focussing on the highs and lows of family life. Author Susanne Gervay has a unique style and empathy for her characters which draws readers in to the story.

SuperJack is an outstanding offering from an outstanding author.

SuperJack, by Susanne Gervay
Angus & Robertson (an imprint of Harper Collins), 2003

Grandma Cadbury's Bikie Gang, by Dianne Bates

Cadbury tells all his mates his Grandma’s getting a Harley – and loves their jealous reaction. Soon he’s off cruising the highways on the back of Grandma’s Custom Softail. It’s just one of the wild things his Grandma has done – she used to drive a big rig, and after that a mini bus to take tourists around Australia. Now she’s staying nearer to home to be with Cadbury when his mother is away. And Cadbury couldn’t be happier.

Well, he could be happier – if all the pesky girls in his class would just leave him alone. They seem to think he’s cute and they want to kiss him – yuck.

Outside of school, Cadbury and his Grandma and her biker friends have loads of fun and exciting adventures. Some are more scary than exciting. Perhaps the scariest of all is when a new girl comes to school – and turns out to be part of the gang.

Grandma Cadbury’s Bikie Gang is the third book about Grandma Cadbury and her hilarious adventures. Author Dianne Bates has a special talent for stories which are silly, adventurous and educational all at the same time. Good fun.

Grandma Cadbury’s Bikie Gang, by Dianne Bates
Angus & Robertson, 1993