james roy – Aussie Reviews

Chook Doolan: Books 5-8, by James Roy

My other name is Chook. People call me that because chickens are sometimes called chooks, and I’m a bit of a chicken. That means I’m scared of hings, which is true. I do get scared of things. A lot.

Chook – also known as Simon Henry Doolan – is scared of a lot of things. Holidays away from home, school camps (they’re might be snakes!), talking to new people, and crowds. Luckily, deep down he is pretty brave, and with support from those around him he manages to find ways to confront his fears.

The Chook Doolan series features a likable, everyday kid, with lots of worries. Chook is honest about his failings, but also draws on everything he can to confront his problems and to find a way forward. Young readers will relate to many of the things he fears, as well as to the gentle humour of the stories.

The text is accessible to early readers, and is supported by illustrations on most spreads. Each book stands alone, meaning that these four new i=offerings, plus the previous four, can be read in any order.

Chook Doolan: On the Road (ISBN 9781925381566)
Chook Doolan: Un-happy Camper (ISBN 9781925381573)
Chook Doolan: Up and Away (ISBN 9781925381580)
Chook Doolan: Let’s Do Diwali (ISBN 9781925381597)
All by James Roy, Illustrated by Lucinda Gifford
Walker Books, 2017

Chook Doolan: The Tiny Guitar by James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford

Hi. I’m Chook. But that’s not the name my mum and dad gave me. They called me Simon. But once, when I was little, someone called me a chicken.

Then I was a chook.

Then I was just ‘Chook’.

Chook Doolan.

Hi. I’m Chook. But that’s not the name my mum and dad gave me. They called me Simon. But once, when I was little, someone called me a chicken.

Then I was a chook.

Then I was just ‘Chook’.

Chook Doolan.

Chook Doolan is a young boy who lives with his family and attends the local primary school. He worries about just about everything. He also notices all the places, all the people, all the happenings in his community. So when he is given a ukelele he’s keen to show busker friend, Eddie Two-hats. But when Chook reaches Eddie’s normal spot in the shopping street, keen to enlist Eddie’s help with ukelele-playing, his friend is not there. Chook knows that Eddie needs to busk to earn money for food, and that someone else will soon take his corner if Eddie doesn’t return. So Chook decides, despite his worries, that he will teach himself to play, and protect Eddie’s corner. Illustrations appear on every opening, with large and hypersize text and short chapters.

‘Chook Doolan’ is a new first chapter book series for young readers transitioning from fully-illustrated texts to chapter books. Chook is an engaging character who pushes through his worries, to help out his friend. He’s an observant, friendly and practical boy with well-developed problem-solving skills. That’s not to say that he is an island. He has a supportive network around him, in friends and family, ready to help as necessary, if necessary. Chook might have worries, he might not be the loudest boy in the world, but he demonstrates clear-thinking, empathy and is wonderfully grounded. Recommended for early-primary readers.

Chook Doolan: the Tiny Guitar , James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford
Walker Books Australia 2016
ISBN: 9781922244963

Chook Doolan Saves the Day by James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford

Hi. I’m Chook, and you’re not.

This is my family. We’re the Doolans.

I’m the little one on the end.

No, the other end.

My mum and dad call me Simon, because that’s my name. Simon Doolan.Some of the kids at school have a different name for me.

They call me Chook.

Hi. I’m Chook, and you’re not.

This is my family. We’re the Doolans.

I’m the little one on the end.

No, the other end.

My mum and dad call me Simon, because that’s my name. Simon Doolan.Some of the kids at school have a different name for me.

They call me Chook.

Chook Doolan is a slightly anxious young boy who worries about many aspects of his life, at home and at school. At school lots of people play soccer, including his friend Joe. But the thought of being on the same football ground as Ashton Findus, Marty Petrovic and a ball fills him with fear. And he’s sure he’s no good at it. His big brother Ricky and friend Joe try to share their love of the game by teaching some of the rules and skills. Perhaps there’s a place for Chook after all. Illustrations appear on every opening. Text is large and includes hypersize words. Chapters are short.

‘Chook Doolan’ is a new series of short chapter books for the newly independent reader in transition from fully illustrated books to chapter books. Chook is a realistic character set in a contemporary setting familiar to many young readers. His anxieties too will resonate with young readers. Chook is a keen observer of his world, and while he worries about things, he does not let them stop him from trying new experiences. Recommended for newly independent readers in the early years of school.

Chook Doolan Saves the Day , James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford
Walker Books Australia 2016 ISBN: 9781922244956

Chook Doolan: Rules are Rules by James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford

Hi. My name is Simon, but you can call me Chook.

Almost everyone does.

This is me with my family. We’re the Doolans.

I’m the small, scared-looking Doolan on the end.

Hi. My name is Simon, but you can call me Chook.

Almost everyone does.

This is me with my family. We’re the Doolans.

I’m the small, scared-looking Doolan on the end.

Chook Doolan would like to be braver. When his brother, Ricky, is sick, Mum is looking after him, and Dad is late for work, he realises he is going to have to walk to school alone. He’s not sure he’s brave enough. Dad tells him The Rule. Chook sets out determined to do exactly what Dad says. It’s harder than he thinks. He makes it to school without letting his fear overwhelm him, but now he has another problem – actually more than one. Each opening includes large font text and black and white illustrations.

‘Chook Doolan’ is a new first chapter book series from Walker Books Australia, featuring a young boy who is learning how to navigate his world. In Rules are Rules he thinks that adhering to his father’s ‘rule’ will help him stay safe on the way to school. He also discovers more about the community in which he lives. A realistic story for young readers making the transition from fully illustrated books to chapter books. Recommended for early-primary.

Chook Doolan:Rules are Rules , James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford
Walker Books 2016
ISBN: 9781922244932

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Chook Doolan: The Newest Pet by James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford

Hi. My name is Simon Doolan, but most people call me Chook, which is another name for a chicken.

And that’s what I am.

I’m a chicken.

I’m not a real chicken – don’t be silly. I’m just a boy. A not-very-brave boy.

Hi. My name is Simon Doolan, but most people call me Chook, which is another name for a chicken.

And that’s what I am.

I’m a chicken.

I’m not a real chicken – don’t be silly. I’m just a boy. A not-very-brave boy.

Chook Doolan is a not-very-brave boy, navigating a world that feels very big and a little scary. But he’s making friends and enjoying school. When his teacher, Ms Rashid, announces a ‘Bring your pet to school day, he discovers that his apparently fearless friend, Joe doesn’t have a pet to bring. Chook puts aside his own worries and decides to help Joe find a pet to take to school. But finding a pet for someone else isn’t easy. Text is presented in a large font with black and white illustrations on most openings.

Chook Doolan: The Newest Pet is a new first chapter book series from Walker Books Australia. Chook would like to be braver, like his friend, Joe. Joe is about the bravest boy he knows. But when Pet Day is announced, it’s Chook’s turn to help Joe. These realistic and contemporary stories have short chapters and are ideal for young readers making the transition from fully illustrated books to chapter books. Recommended for early-primary readers.

Chook Doolan: The Newest Pet, James Roy ill Lucinda Gifford
Walker Books 2016 ISBN: 9781922244949

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

One Thousand Hills, by James Roy & Noel Zihabamwe

This story starts with a bell.
There’s also the slanting sun, and the hawks overhead. The rooster and the goat and the town and the mist and the church above the clouds. There’s the radio, with its message that chilled the boy to the bone.
It is April 1994. In Agabande, Rwanda, Pascal’s life is good. He has a friend called Henry who he loves to play with, a mother and father who love him. They are not wealthy, but there is food on the table and they work hard. His biggest problem is his pesky older brother, who shirks work whenever he can and plays tricks on Pascal too. But things have started to change. There is strange talk on the radio about ‘cockroaches’ and people around town are looking at each other strangely. The neighbours have left town without saying goodbye. Pascal’s parents tell him not to worry, but in one terrible night everything changes forever.

One Thousand Hills tells the story of the terrible events of 1994, where eight hundred thousand Rwandans were slaughtered in just 100 days, and many more were forced to flee the country. Told in third person from the perspective of young Pascal, but broken with interviews between Pascal and a school counsellor five years after the events, the reader is given the opportunity to witness the trauma of the events and their long term aftermath.

Pascal’s experiences – and those of the people around him – are heart-breaking, and as a child character readers are given the opportunity to see the innocence of childhood being shockingly eroded. This is an important insight into both the events of Rwanda and to the experiences which bring refuges to our shores.

One Thousand Hills, by James Roy & Noel Zihabamwe
Omnibus Books, 2016
ISBN 9781742990750

City, by James Roy

The only water out this way was the river and the reservoir and the twin pipes that fed the city. Huge and dark, as thick through as a small car, they rose and fell across the plains towards the glowing sky and the shimmering skyline.

Cities are big, cities are too small, cities are full of people, cities are lonely, cities are full of variety, cities are all the same. James Roy’s City is a title for young adult readers, that explores the bustling tapestry that is a city through twenty-two stories of young city-dwellers. The characters of City don’t always tell stories of triumph, or even stories of failure, these are stories of real people just living their lives and learning as they go.

City is the follow up to James Roy’s acclaimed 2007 book, Town. Like its predecessor it takes place in an unnamed, fictional, location but is grounded in the real world. The characters of City aren’t necessarily connected directly, but they all exist in the same space, they might never meet or acknowledge one another, but they know the same people, the same places, the same items. The format works well in providing a snapshot of a city whilst also providing the personal stories of the characters.

A masterfully crafted exploration of both the city environment and the people who live there.

City by James Roy
University of Queensland Press, 2012
ISBN 9780702249266

Available from good bookstores or online.

Miss Understood, by James Roy

This is my story. (Not this bit, though – everything that comes after this.) But like I said, this is my story. Me, Lizzie Adams. It’s a story about some stuff that happened to me, and to some of the people I know, and it’s completely true. All of it. because I don’t lie, honest. And if I do ever happen tot ell a lie or do something ‘silly’, it’s always an accident. Never on purpose.

Lizzie is often in trouble at her school, Our Lady of the Sacred Wimple College, so when she almost sets the school on fire, it’s the last straw. She finds herself expelled, and condemned to being home schooled by her mum. Mum is a teacher, so she knows all about how to teach Lizzie, but Lizzie isn’t impressed. At home there’s no playground, no friends, not even a proper recess. What she wants to do is to prove that she is responsible enough to go back to school, but that isn’t going to be easy.

Miss Understood is a heart warming, gently funny tale of being good and being misunderstood. Lizzie wants to do the right thing, but it doesn’t always work out right, something most readers will relate to, and the story also deals with important issues including adult depression and family in a way accessible to young readers.

Roy has a gift for making stories both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Miss Understood, by James Roy
Woolshed Press, 2012
ISBN

Available from good bookstores and online.

Spitting Image by James Roy

‘Surprise!’ Dad said as he turned off the engine. ‘Here we are.’

‘What do you call this:’ I asked, frowning at the horror outside the car. ‘I thought we were going to the zoo today.’

‘That’s right. And here we are.’

‘Dad, this isn’t the zoo,’ my twin sister, Helen, chimed in. ‘I’ve had a school excursion at the zoo, and I’m sorry, but this … isn’t … it!’

Dad was right – it was a surprise, and not a very nice one. But my sister was also right – this wasn’t the zoo. All the excitement I’d felt about seeing the wild animals and the birds of prey and the incredibly venomous reptiles, all the anticipation of the past couple of days had evaporated in an instant.

‘Dad, you’re joking, right?’ I said.

The family day out that Charlie was looking forward to is now looking less promising. Instead of the proper zoo, Charlie, his twin sister Helen, their baby sister Abby and their parents have arrived at a petting zoo full of farm animals. The only ones who are happy about it are his parents and Abby. Charlie and Helen slip off by themselves to see if anything can be salvaged of their day. And that’s when they meet an called Capone. The day begins to spiral rapidly downhill. Somehow Capone escapes his paddock, and according to Farmer Phil, it’s Charlie’s fault. His efforts to help recapture Capone produce more chaos, until Charlie is sure things can get no worse. But of course, they can. And do.

The best intentions are often unequal to the challenge of reality. And thank goodness! Where would fiction be without catastrophes? Spitting Imageis a new title from Walker Books ‘Lightning Strikes’ series. This series features short fast-paced stories that tip frequently into well-intentioned disaster. With hilarious results. Charlie’s efforts to help seldom turn out well, but bless him, he keeps trying. Upper primary readers will empathise with Charlie as he lurches from one misunderstanding to another, while apparently being outsmarted by a relative of a camel. And a young girl who witnesses every one of his failures and feels compelled to comment. Indignity on indignity. A fun read for upper primary readers.

Spitting Image, http://www.jamesroy.com.au/Home.html
Walker Books 2012 ISBN: 9781921977497

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

This book is available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond.

Edsel Grizzler 3: Ghostly Shadows by James Roy

Multi-dimensional

It was silent out on the plain, except for the scratch of the shovel against the sides of the hole. Some time ago, Edsel had heard the distant wail of the train as it headed back, reversing along that pencil-straight track from Widen. The train he and Jacq had planned to be on. The train they’d meant to catch. The train that would have taken them back to Verdada, back to the stagnant place of weary, hungry children held captive by the crazy Ben. but, though no fault of their own, they’d missed that train and now it had gone, leaving them alone out her to dig a hole in the dry earth under the wide, silent sky. Digging for what seemed like hours.

Edsel and his friend Jacq are digging a hold for no reason that they can fathom. Except that a machine they’re calling Andy somehow indicated it was a good idea. Then they’re in a train tunnel deciding which way to go, what to do. They think they’re being led somewhere, but they have no idea why, or what for. And when they get there, things become even more confusing. Trains seem to play a part in their journey, but what part? There are dreams and not-dreams and it’s becoming difficult to tell the difference. Edsel needs to learn more if he is going to be able to rescue the children in Verdada from the despotic Ben. But it’s going to be a wild ride.

Edsel is back in a third adventure, to wrap up this extra-dimensional series. Reality and fantasy combine to bring a time-and-place-shifting adventure. Edsel learns to trust his own judgement, and to understand just what’s important to him. ‘Ghostly Shadows’ reads like the mirror room at a fun fair, where the world stretches and shrinks, distorting all around you. There are themes of friendship, trust, power and betrayal. A wild ride through more worlds than can be imagined. Recommended for upper primary readers.

Edsel Grizzler: Ghostly Shadows, James Roy
UQP 2011
ISBN: 9780702238819

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

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