fremantle press – Page 5

The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt, by Tracy Farr

A second spot appears at stage left and, as the light reveals it, I raise my arm towards my theremin as if in a distant embrace.The audience roars; they stamp, they hoot, they call like cats, like cattle, like owls, like mad things. This is what they’ve come to hear, to see: this instrument, this tangle of wire I have played for so long, made for me all those years ago, not a museum piece but a working musical instrument, that has seen more and lived longer that any of them; nearly as old as me, it is my darling, and I play it like a lover I cannot touch.

Lena Gaunt lives the quiet like which may seem to befit an octogenarian. She enjoys a morning swim in the sea, and lives simply in her nearby cottage. But once she was a famous musician, and a local festival has asked her to make an appearance with her instrument – a theremin. She can’t resist the chance to perform once more. Afterwards, she is contacted by a film maker who wants to make a documentary about her remarkable life. At first resistant, Lena finds herself revisiting the highs and lows of her life from a childhood in Malacca and boarding school in the Perth hills, to an international career as a musician. But there are some parts of her life that may be too painful to share with the film maker.

The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt is a fictional autobiography told by the ageing woman as she nears the end of her life. Her recollection is interspersed with events from her current life, and her meetings with Mo, the documentary maker. As such the reader gets to know both the events which shape her, and the woman she subsequently becomes, simultaneously.

Lena’s life is intriguing and her voice, too, is inviting, creating a sense of intimacy. The instrument at the centre of Lena’s life – the theremin – lends a feeling of otherness which echoes Lena’s individuality.

A fabulous read.

The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt, by Tracy Farr
Fremantle Press, 2013
ISBN 9781922089465

Available from good bookstores and online.

Hatched Anthology forward by Tim Winton

IT’s an odd thing to have a writing award given in your name, especially when you’re not dead yet. But clearly, not being dead has its rewards. The pay-off is being here to see young people exercising their hearts and minds for the pleasure and excitement of simply being allowed to do so. And if being the patron of such a prize is premature then I’ll just have to endure it as another form of being a little early and a bit awkward, as is my lifelong habit.

It’s an odd thing to have a writing award given in your name, especially when you’re not dead yet. But clearly, not being dead has its rewards. The pay-off is being here to see young people exercising their hearts and minds for the pleasure and excitement of simply being allowed to do so. And if being the patron of such a prize is premature then I’ll just have to endure it as another form of being a little early and a bit awkward, as is my lifelong habit.

Hatched is a collection of stories taken from the twenty years of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers. The annual Award, auspiced by the City of Subiaco in Perth, is open to all Western Australian school children from five years old to age eighteen years old. This anthology features work from the first 20 years of the Award. Each story is accompanied by the category it was entered in and the school at which the author studied. Stories range from the real to the fantastical and explore a range of themes. Generational feuds, friendships, bullies, obsessions, the future all get an outing. Writers featured range from mid-primary to upper-secondary. The collection includes a forward by Tim Winton and cover image by Shaun Tan.

There are not many opportunities for young writers to practise their craft beyond school boundaries. Or to read the work of other young writers. The Tim Winton Award for Young Writers offers both. Young writers can see their work in print and also read works by their peers. It also allows the wider community access to the stories and the concerns of young writers. This anthology is testament to the imagination and skills of our young writers as well as to their families and teachers. It will be useful in schools and libraries to inspire other young writers. Beyond that, it’s an entertaining and fascinating read. Recommended for mid-primary to upper-secondary schoolers and beyond.

Hatched, an Anthology, forward by Tim Winton Fremantle Press 2013 ISBN: 9781922089458

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

A Cyclone is Coming! by Darlene Oxenham

Pop was right! Yesterday afternoon the wind started blowing and has not yet stopped blowing since. I have never been in a cyclone before. In fact, I’m not even sure what a cyclone really is.

A cyclone is headed for Useless Loop. Annie isn’t really sure what a cyclone is, but her dad explains that it is a big storm that can do a lot damage. Annie and her family must work to prepare for the cyclone, to keep their caravan – and themselves – safe. When the cyclone hits Annie finds out exactly what it is.

A Cyclone is Coming is a new junior fiction title aimed at primary aged readers. Part of the Waarda series. Aimed at encouraging literacy and cultural awareness for Indigenous children and children of all backgrounds, A Cyclone is Coming offers an interesting story with simple text and illustrations to support meaning making.

A Cyclone is Coming , by Darlene Oxenham
Fremantle Press, 2013
ISBN 978192208934

Available from good bookstores or online.

The Amazing Spencer Gray, by Deb Fitzpatrick

Sitting at the edge of the oval at lunchtime, Spencer chewed his ham and cheese sandwich while Leon slapped his thigh in excitement.
‘Spence, you utter, utter—-‘ Leon shook his head, unable to finish.
‘I know,’ Spencer nodded, head down, trying not to smile at them too gleefully. ‘Cool, hey.’
‘You’ve got the wickedest dad,’ Charlie said.

Spencer’s mates are pretty impressed when Spencer goes his chance to go up in his dad’s glider, but no one is more excited than Spencer himself. His dad loves flying, and Spencer has been hanging out for years to go up with him. When he finally gets his chance, he finds the experience just as wonderful as he thought it would be. Until the day that they fly into a storm, and Spencer has to use all his reserves of courage to survive.

The Amazing Spencer Gray is a an exciting story of survival, as well as of family and friendship. Spencer and his family have experienced lots of changes, and, like any family, have disagreements and ups and downs. Young readers will enjoy the adventure and the novelty of the gilder scenes. Also attractive is the West Australian setting, with the landscape around Bluff Knoll a feature.

Suitable for primary aged readers, The Amazing Spencer Gray is amazing.

The Amazing Spencer Gray, by Deb Fitzpatrick
Fremantle Press, 2013
ISBN 9781922089328

Available from good bookstores and online.

Light Horse Boy, by Dianne Wolfer

Now I understand why the landing on April 25th is being called heroic.
We’ve landed in hell.
Bob didn’t make it. He was hit as we struggled ashore. I keep going over that moment. Writing a letter to his wife was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Harder even than going over the side of our ship.

Britain has declared war on Germany, and Australia has vowed to be there. Jim, seeing a chance for adventure rushes to join up before the war ends without him. Soon he and his horse, Breaker, are sailing from Melbourne, off to do their bit. For four years Jim lives the terrible reality of life on the frontline. If he ever returns home, he will be a changed man.

Light Horse Boy is a beautiful record of one soldier’s war. Whilst fiction, it presents a story which could so well be the story of a real soldier’s experience. Using a blend of third person narrative and letters, chiefly between Jim and his sister Alice, back in Australia, Woofer takes readers on a journey through the the years of the first World War, focussing on the role of the Lighthorseman in Gallipoli and Egypt.

Light Horse Boy is a companion volume to Lighthouse Girl and features the same beautiful hard cover design and the brilliant illustrative work of Brian Simmonds. The two complement each other beautifully, though focussing on different aspects of the same war and featuring different characters (with the exception of Charlie, who is friends with Jim but also connects with the lighthouse girl, Fay).

A picture book for older readers, Light Horse Boy is suitable for upper primary and teens.

Light Horse Boy, by Dianne Wolfer, illustrated by Brian Simmonds
Fremantle Press, 2013
ISBN 9781922089137

Available from good bookstores or online.

The Mimosa Tree, by Antonella Preto

‘I’m not miserable,” I say but she is already turning away from me, sliding her handbag up her arm until it gets jammed tight around her flesh. Mum looks like she is about to cry about my pathetic life. ‘I’m fine, Mum,’ I say nodding encouragingly towards the door, and then because she looks so mournful I add: ‘I’ll make some new friends, okay? At university.’

It’s 1987 and Mira has left school behind and is ready to start university. There she is sure her life will be different. She can be who she wants to be. To celebrate she’s got an all-black wardrobe and a new haircut. But her interfering aunt has arranged a new friend for her – the perfect, rich Felicia – and it’s hard to get excited about studying teaching when she only enjoys art. Then there’s her certainty that the world is going to end soon, anyway, when Russia and America decide which of them will drop the first bomb. It’s true, her world IS about to change – but that change won’t come from the skies.

The Mimosa Tree is an outstanding début novel from West Australian author Antonella Preto. Set in the Perth of the 1980s, it is a haunting tale about growing up, finding one’s own identity and surviving adversity. Mira is embarrassed of her Italian family, but as her world collapses she finds a new appreciation of them and of her new friends, too.

The character of Mira is intriguing and the use of first person narration effective. Mira should be unlikeable – she is self-centred, morbid and down right rude to pretty much everyone. But she’s also self-deprecating and honest, so the reader can connect, and see that her flaws hide a troubled teen. She has a lot to deal with – especially her mother’s recent battle with cancer and her alcoholic father’s moodiness. Her bossy Aunt Via wants to run her life, but seems to never have a kind word, and she has no friends except for one foisted on her by her Aunt, and whom Mira feels she has nothing in common with.

Mira’s story will appeal to teens, as well as to those who were teens in the 80s.

The Mimosa Tree, by Antonella Preto
Fremantle Press, 2013
ISBN 9781922089199

Available from good booksellers or here.

Jake’s Cooking Craze by Ken Spillman ill Chris Nixon

Everybody at school was talking about JuniorChef. Jake felt left out. He’d only watched half of the first episode before Dad switched channels.

Jake hadn’t thought it would be super interesting anyway. Contestants on the show talked about cooking as if it was the only thing they could ever be interested in.

Didn’t they practise pulling faces in front of the mirror?

Hadn’t they tried flying with helium-filled balloons?

Or imagined lasers that could clean your teeth while you sat on the toilet?

Jake is back in a new adventure. This time it’s cooking. All his classmates, and even his teacher, are entranced by the latest kids cooking show. When Jake starts watching, he too catches the bug. He’s keen to go straight to the top, to competition standard. He’s not keen to learn the basics, like safety and cleanliness, even though Nana is happy to teach him. She does teach him how to make chocolate mousse and then he undertakes teaching his friend. When the school decides to hold a cook-off, Jake is selected as one of the representatives. He begins the search for the winning dish. Black and white illustrations on every opening immerse the reader in the action.

Jake is a young boy with a healthy curiosity and self-belief. He is supported by a family who allow him to follow his passions, no matter how unexpected or transitory. They sometimes suggest caution but beyond that, they allow him his own voyage of discovery. Jake is supported by his friends and endures his less-favourite classmates. Not all his adventures turn out quite as he expects, but then that’s the point of an adventure, isn’t it? Discovery. Jake’s Cooking Craze is full of humour and absurdity, and is sure to delight young readers. The topical nature of this offering will have them chortling, and possibly inspire them in their own creations. Beware! Recommended for newly independent readers transitioning from fully illustrated texts.

Jake’s Cooking Craze, Ken Spillman ill Chris Nixon
Fremantle Press 2013 ISBN: 9781922089106

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Whisky Charlie Foxtrot, by Annabel Smith

It is less than twenty-four hours since Charlie received the phone call from his mother and in those hours his only thought has been that Whisky must not die. He must not die becuse he, Charlie, needs more time. He and Whisky have not been friends, have not talked or laughed together for months, years. But he has never thought it will end like this. He has always thought there will be time.

Whisky and Charlie might be identical twins, but that doesn’t mean they like each other. In fact, Charlie can’t even bear to talk to Whisky. But now Whisky lies shattered in a hospital bed, in a coma from which he may not wake, and Charlie gradually comes to realise that there are things he should have said, which may be now left unsaid.

Whisky Charlie Foxtrot is a moving tale of sibling rivalry, of the complexity of family relationships and of identity. Charlie is likable though flawed protagonist, who has long seen himself as living in his brother’s shadow. As his brother lies in hospital he must confront his own flaws as well as setting aside those he has long perceived in his brother.

Told in third person with shifts between the present and various past events, the reader is privileged to gradually learn more about Charlie, Whisky and their troubled relationship in a story that is heartwarming, funny and very moving. Aimed at an adult readership, it will also be enjoyed by older teens, with focus on the brothers’ childhood and teen years.

Whisky Charlie Foxtrot, by Annabel Smith
Fremantle Press, 2012
ISBN 9781922089144

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

Creepy & Maud, by Dianne Touchell

I am in love with the girl next door. Our windows are almost opposite each other’s, over the side fence.
I call her Maud. That’s not her real name but that’s what I call her. She’s sort of shortish and curvy. Titian hair. No freckles. A dark, smudgy birthmark on the back of her left calf. A nose piercing her dad knows about and a bellybutton piercing I assume he doesn’t. All right, so I have spent a bit of time looking in there.
Am I sounding creepy? Love is sort of creepy.

Creepy (not his real name but he doesn’t mind that people call him that) is in love with girl next door. He spends all his spare time watching her because his bedroom window looks straight into hers, over the fence. Kind of convenient and also kind of creepy. But Maud (also not her real name – just the pet name Creepy has given her) knows that Creepy is looking and she doesn’t mind. When she doesn’t want him to see she closes her curtains.

Creepy has a view of Maud’s life with a level of intimacy that at times means he knows more than her parents do. For example, he seems to be the only one who knows about the alcohol hidden behind her dolls house, and he has a pretty good view of her hair pulling obsession as it spirals out of control. From just watching he gradually starts to communicate with Maud through notes, though the pair never speak – not even at school, where Maud doesn’t acknowledge him. Their friendship is unorthodox, even at times disturbing, yet it becomes important to both of them as they each struggle with a dysfunctional family, and personal turmoil.

Creepy and Maud is a moving, funny, clever young adult novel which will have readers laughing out loud in places and moved near to tears in others. Creepy is a smart articulate first person narrator, belying his lack of success at school, where he tries to fly under the radar – until his obsession with Maud makes this difficult. Maud, too, has a turn at narrating, giving the reader insight into her and her life which is not available to Creepy. Both are likeable characters though their struggles are at times quite painful, and some of Creepy’s behaviour is disturbing.

Not a difficult read, but there’s a lot to digest, even after it’s finsihed. Creepy and Maud is an outstanding debut novel.

Creepy and Maud, by Dianne Touchell
Fremantle Press, 2012
ISBN 9781921888953

Available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Ten Tiny Things, by Meg McKinlay & Kyle Hughes-Odgers

Then, Tessa noticed something.

It was a red thing. It was a sparkly thing.

It was a tiny, tiny thing.

Tessa and Zachary have a shiny machine that is swift and splendiferous and takes them where they need to go in comfort. They can turn on the cooler when it is hot, and the heater when it is cold. And they travel quickly. But when the machine breaks down, Tess and Zachary are forced to walk – all the way to school. It is hot and uncomfortable and such a very long way. They hate tit – until Tess notices a tiny thing she has never noticed before. Then Zachary, too, spots a tiny thing, and before long they have noticed ten tiny things. When the machine is fixed, Tess and Zachary aren’t so sure they want to ride in it any more. There are too many secret somethings and hidden happenings for them to find if they walk.

Ten Tiny Things is far from a tiny thing. It is filled with beautiful things for young readers to discover and a poignant reminder of the wonder of the world (and the value of walking!). Author Meg McKinlay’s text is delightful to read alone or out loud, filled with poetic alliteration and repetition and words which young minds will love, like ‘splendiferous’. The illustrations are a quirky result of acrylic paint and stain on wood blocks, with the result earthy tones of browns, greens and blues. The use of geometrics adds a whimsy to the visuals which young artists will be challenged to try to replicate.

This is a beautiful picture book offering for the young and the young at heart.

Ten Tiny Things, by Meg McKinlay & Kyle Hughes-Odgers
Fremantle Press, 2012
ISBN =9781921888946

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