The Eye of the Sheep, by Sofie Laguna

‘Whooooeeeeee!’ I screamed as I jumped. ‘Paaaauuuullllllaaaaaa!’ The blades or me, who was the fastest? Nobody knew! Nobody even knew! I jumped again then I ran to the fence, touched it and ran back. Dad swiped at me. Mum came running, rocking like a rowboat on the sea, down the back step and across the gravel path, towards me and the mower and my shouting dad. ‘Wheeeeeeeeee!’ I screamed as I jumped, falling against the handle of the mower, tipping it on its side so its whirring silver blades glinted in the sun. I jumped again. Dad reached for me, but he went too close, too close!

Jimmy Flick is different. He’s too much of everything – too fast, too slow, too unpredictable, and certainly too different. Only his mother, Paula, seems to be able to manage him. His big brother Robby is often absent, and his dad doesn’t know what to do with him. Paula calms him when his thoughts are too fast, and tries to explain the world to him. She also protects him from his father. But there are some things a mother can’t protect her child from and when that happens Jimmy has to find a way for himself.

The Eye of the Sheep is a novel that stuns with its plot, wrenches with its emotions and leaves you satisfied, not because the ending is perfect but because the story has been put together perfectly.

Jimmy’s first person narration takes the reader inside the confused world of a child who sees things differently, which gives some relief from subject matter which could be bleak, even overwhelming. Jimmy’s family is dysfunctional, with alcohol abuse and domestic violence part of his every day world. His take on life is heart-wrenchingly poignant and his honesty and openness to people around him mean that he always seems to have some slim sense of hope.

This is not a feel good story. It is tough and in your face, but in such a way that you’ll be glad you read it.

 

The Eye of the Sheep

The Eye of the Sheep, by Sofie Laguna
Allen & Unwin, 2014
ISBN 9781743319598

Available from good bookstores and online.

Tigers on the Beach, by Doug MacLeod

‘Ah, but I know the funniest joke in the world. Anyone who hears you tell it will fall in love with you. But maybe you should avoid jokes so early in a relationship. You might tell the wrong one.’
‘But telling jokes is all I can do. Tell me the best one in the world.’
‘It’s very powerful. I will tell you when you are old enough not to misuse it the seductive power of the joke.’

Adam and his Grandpa have lots of things in common – not least their sense of humour. Adam loves to tell jokes, and he loves the ones Grandpa shares with him. But when Grandpa dies suddenly Adam is left wondering about the untold joke Grandpa promised to tell him one day. As he struggles with the loss of his grandfather, he is also confronted by other problems, including his parents’ troubled marriage, his pesky little brother, and accidental displays of public nudity. Te biggest problem of all is his new girlfriend Samantha, and trying to figure out how relationships work.

Tigers on the Beach is both funny and poignant, cracking along through the highs and lows of teenage Adam’s world, populated by larger than life characters often in ridiculous situations. In one scene, Adam discovers he is infested with his brother’s beetle collection and his attempts to remove them result in him mooning a cafe full of diners. Other scenes are tough, including Adam and his family’s attempts to come to terms with losing Grandpa. Macleod’s deft touch means that the whole is an uplifting, smile-inducing read.

Tigers on the Beach

Tigers on the Beach, by Doug MacLeod
Allen & Unwin, 2014
ISBN 9780143568520

Available from good bookstores or online.

Brodie by Joy Cowley ill Chris Mousdale

We all knew that Brodie was sick,

But we thought he’d get better.

Maybe it was because he talked a

lot about being a chopper pilot.

When the rest of the class had

sport, Brodie sat inside, drawing

pictures of planes and helicopters.

We all knew that Brodie was sick,

But we thought he’d get better.

Maybe it was because he talked a

lot about being a chopper pilot.

When the rest of the class had

sport, Brodie sat inside, drawing

pictures of planes and helicopters.

A child narrator tells the story of his class, his teacher and his friend Brodie, who has been sick for a while. Just how long is not clear, but it’s an accepted part of school life that Brodie has to go to hospital sometimes. Even when he’s at school, he doesn’t play sport with them, instead staying indoors and drawing. His illness does not define him, but his ability to draw and his love of flying does. One day he’s going to be a chopper pilot. But Brodie doesn’t get better, he dies. The class, with the guidance of their teacher, Mrs Patawai, have supported Brodie during his illness by treating him as one of them. They have expected that he will get better, even when he’s suggested the contrary. Now they channel their sadness into supporting his family. Illustrations are rich and painterly, have a collage feel to them, and tell their own story about where Brodie has gone.

Brodie is beautifully written, sensitively and imaginatively illustrated. It introduces the concept of death and rather than shy away from it, allows children to face it; to ask the myriad questions it presents. The question of what happens after death is answered in many ways and allows readers to bring their own beliefs, or those of their family or community, without closing the door to beliefs of others. It acknowledges the sadness of loss, and the opportunity to acknowledge the sadness of others because of shared love. Illustrations use a limited pallet of blues and golds and browns, calling to mind sky, earth and sunshine. Brodie was first released in NZ in 2001, and re-released in 2013. It well deserves another outing. Recommended for primary readers and classrooms.

Brodie, Joy Cowley ill Chris Mousdale Walker Books 2013 ISBN: 9781922077752

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores and online.

Friday Brown, by Vikki Wakefield

They call me Friday. It has been foretold that on a Saturday I will drown.

Friday Brown is on the run. Her mother has died, and Friday is all alone in the world – unless you count the grandfather she doesn’t know. She heads to the city in search of someone, or something, to make her whole again. She befriends a strange boy called Silence, who deosn’t speak and soon she is part of a new family. Or is she? In a squat controlled by a girl called Arden, Friday learns about life on the street, and about herself.

When Arden takes her group to camp in an outback ghost town, Friday’s time on the road with her mother is useful, though it may also be her undoing.

Friday Brown is a breathtaking young adult read. The pages are populated by fascinating, complex characters – troubled teens each with their own strengths and their own terrible secrets and set against two detailed landscapes – the inner city and a deserted outback town. Partly a thriller, this is so much more, with heartbreaking twists and turns.

Friday Brown

Friday Brown, by Vikki Wakefiled
Text Publishing, 2012
ISBN 9781921922701

Avaialable from good bookstores and online.