I Dare You by Aleesah Darlison

‘Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!’ The announcer’s voice bounces around the stadium. ‘Prepare yourselves for THE most extreme, THE most spectacular, THE MOST INCREDIBLE freestyle motocross stunt in HIS-TOOOOOOORRRRRRY!’

The crowd erupts into deafening applause. Row after row of people are packed into the arena, right up to the nosebleed seats. Through the visor on my electric blue helmet, I stare out at them. They’re jumping up and down, waving their arms in the air and chanting my name. ‘Legend. Legend. Legend.’

The place is buzzing with energy.

The million or so white stadium lights are dazzling. Camera flashes pop.

Everyone is here to see me.

‘Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!’ The announcer’s voice bounces around the stadium. ‘Prepare yourselves for THE most extreme, THE most spectacular, THE MOST INCREDIBLE freestyle motocross stunt in HIS-TOOOOOOORRRRRRY!’

The crowd erupts into deafening applause. Row after row of people are packed into the arena, right up to the nosebleed seats. Through the visor on my electric blue helmet, I stare out at them. They’re jumping up and down, waving their arms in the air and chanting my name. ‘Legend. Legend. Legend.’

The place is buzzing with energy.

The million or so white stadium lights are dazzling. Camera flashes pop.

Everyone is here to see me.

Ben has moved with his family from the country to the city. That means less space, and a new school. And with the new school, a new bully and his offsider, determined to make Ben’s life a misery. There’s a girl who might become a friend, if he could just shake off the bullies. But with everyone in the family adjusting to the changes of the move, that’s not as easy as it sounds. His father is adjusting to his city vet job. Mum is working for the bully’s mother. And Ben can’t ride a bike to school and his little brother Joey insists on wearing a roo-suit every day. Life spirals downwards as Ben becomes trapped in Martin’s web.

The ‘Lightning Strikes’ series from Walker Books Australia are short novels with lightning-paced plots. Each is styled to be quite recognisable with silver titles and a single image set in a flared background. They are complete stories designed for readers who might find it challenging to sit still long enough to read a full-length novel. I Dare You examines themes around family, change, bullying and boys in transition between childhood and adolescence. It’s an action-packed story about making choices and taking charge of your own destiny. Recommended for mid- to upper primary readers.

I Dare You (Lightning Strikes)
I Dare You , Aleesah Darlinson

Walker Books Australia 2012 ISBN: 9781921977510

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Avaialable from good bookstores or online from Fishpond .

Spitting Image by James Roy

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.

‘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 (Lightning Strikes)

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.

The Slice by Rose Quilter

It’s the first day of the summer holidays and life is looking good. All day and nothing they HAVE to do except keep an eye on Nonna and feed themselves.

‘Time to eat, guys. I’m seriously starving.’ Andy climbs off his bike and twists around to look at me and my little brother. He is wearing one of his four pleading faces. This is face number three and it gives him a mouth like a sock puppet.

Joey and I hit our brakes. ‘It’s only about half an hour since breakfast,’ I say.

‘For you, maybe. Not for me. It’s been hours for me.’ Andy moves easily into pleading face number two. ‘Hours and hours.’ He sticks out his lower lip.

It’s the first day of the summer holidays and life is looking good. All day and nothing they HAVE to do except keep an eye on Nonna and feed themselves. So when Andy decides he’s hungry, Marco and Joey accompany him to investigate the contents of the fridge. Bingo! There’s one slice of pizza left. Dividing it will not be enough for anyone, so they devise a plan. The last one holding the pizza box, wins the last piece of pizza. What could go wrong?

 

The Slice is a new offering from Walker Books’ Lightning Strikes series. And like other offerings in the series, it’s lightning-paced, funny and ideal as a reading snack or a meal for those struggling with longer texts. ‘The Slice’ convincingly combines absurd with real, from the point of view of Marco, older brother, friend, and grandson. It’s easy to imagine a group of boys trying to replicate the pizza-box-holding featured here, but impossible to imagine they could do it with such dedication or success. It must be good pizza! Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers.

The Slice (Lightning Strikes)

The Slice, Rose Quilter
Walker Books 2012
ISBN: 9781921977534

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Dead Certain, by Sally Gould

This whole funeral thing was a bit weird. It was meant to be about Uncle Jack, but he wasn’t even here. Well, his body was in the shiny timber coffin at the front. White flowers lay on top. Photos of him and his cars were propped up against it. But I knew his soul wasn’t in there ‘cause he was dead.
I glanced up. He might be sitting back and watching us from heaven. Maybe Pop was sitting next to him.
Back here on earth, I could see Nanna at the front. She wasn’t crying; she looked empty. Aunt Avril was sitting next to Nanna, sobbing into her hanky.

Max is upset when his Uncle Jack dies. He was Max’s favourite uncle and together they worked on the cars that were Uncle Jack’s pride and joy. Even though everyone knew his heart was dodgy, no one expected him to die just yet. Then Max realises that Nanna has organised for Uncle Jack to be cremated. That’s not what Uncle Jack wanted. But no one else seems to know, and no one is listening to Max. Max gets into enough trouble in a normal day and no one is very impressed when he begins to disrupt the funeral. His brother Charlie is sceptical, Dad gives him a dirty look and he can’t even imagine what Mum and Nanna will say. It looks like it’s all up to Max, no matter what anyone else says or thinks. He’s dead certain what must be done.

Dead Certain is a new offering from Walker Books’ series of short chapter books for upper-primary readers. There’s not a lot funny about a funeral or the premature death of a family member, but Sally Gould manages to infuse ‘Dead Certain’ with plenty of black humour. Readers will simultaneously gasp and giggle as Max does his best to give his favourite uncle the send off he would have wanted. Dead Certain uses first person to good effect. The reader is up close and personal as Max stumbles from one oops! moment to another. It’s easy to empathise with Max, as well as with the reactions of those around him. A very entertaining read recommended for upper primary and early secondary reluctant readers.

Dead Certain (Lightning Strikes)

Dead Certain, Sally Gould
Walker Books 2011
ISBN: 9781921529900

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

This book can be purchased from good bookstores, or online from Fishpond.

Dog Squad, by Meredith Costain

“Hey, Face-ache! You call that a pitch?”
Cheezel waves his bat in the direction of the ball I’ve just powered down to him. What does he mean? It was a good pitch. Sweet and true. So what if it veered off to the side a bit at the last moment. How is that my fault?
He retrieves the ball from a bush and lobs it back to me. “My nana could throw straighter than that.”
Cheezel can be very sarcastic at times. The only reason I hang out with him is because he lives next door. Believe me, compared to some of the losers who live in my street, he’s Mr Personality. And it gives me someone to talk to on the way to school.

Jez, Cheezel and Jez’s dog Crunch are playing cricket in the backyard when a bad bounce sends the ball flying through the lounge room window. Crunch squashes the guinea pig cage, and the ball crunches one of Mum’s treasures. Jez is in big trouble. But Jez has a plan. A hasty, almost-complete plan that solves all his problems. All he needs is some help from his friends, a business plan and some cash. Of course nothing is ever that simple and the closer to a solution he comes, the more complications that arise. Jez, Cheezel and Drago navigate their way from vengeful sister to moneylender, from lost dogs to found dogs and more before their adventure ends.

Dog Squad cracks a pace. From the moment the reader meets Jez and Cheezel in Jez’s back yard, it’s apparent that trouble sticks to Jez like burrs to a sock. What begins as an unfortunate accident – or two – is soon a whole raft of trouble. Jez is a quick thinker, but doesn’t always think things through. Cheezel and Drago help to fill in the gaps, providing information and suggestions to flesh out Jez’s plans. Together they are formidable, if wild. Their actions sometimes lead them into more trouble, but eventually also lead them out. Adults are almost invisible in this adventure, with all the action and solutions being provided by the boys themselves. ‘Dog Squad’ is full of the exuberance and enthusiasm that is the pre-teen boy. Recommended for upper-primary readers, particularly boys.

Dog Squad , Meredith Costain
Walker Books 2009
ISBN: 9781921529160

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com

The Big Dig, by Meg McKinlay

Ronnie’s head shakes. “You can’t be serious,” he says.
But I am.
So serious I’m already heading to the shed for the shovels.
With Weasel right behind me.
While we pull the shovels down from their hooks, Ronnie hangs around near the door.
“This is stupid,” he says. “Maybe the stupidest idea ever. Seriously, Nath. You can’t just dig a pool.”

When the Newton Community Pool is closed until further notice, Nathan and his mates are unimpressed. The alternative, the BayView Leisure Centre, might be modern and flashy, but it is steamy, crowded and no fun. But Nathan has an idea – an idea brilliant in its simplicity. They can dig themselves a pool in the backyard. What could possibly go wrong with their great plan?

The Big Dig is a funny tale of mateship and enterprise, with a tinge of daftness. Nathan and Weasel’s plan – Dig. Dig some more. Put water in. Swim. – seems to the reader to be doomed to fail, but it is hilarious to watch them try – and the resolution is fun.

With silliness, action and a little tension, The Big Dig will keep primary aged readers turning pages. Part of the wonderful Lightning Strikes series from Walker Books and featuring the same trio of characters from McKinley’s earlier title in the same series, Going for Broke, The Big Dig is an entertaining offering.

The Big Dig, by Meg McKinlay
Walker Books, 2009

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Haunted, by Lorraine Orman

“Horrible boys!” a voice says suddenly. I swing round, my heart jumping into my throat. A girl stands in the doorway. A strange, old-fashioned girl, wearing a white dress down to her ankles and white shoes. Her fair hair is braided and tied with white ribbons. I pick up a hint of that sweet lily smell, as if she’s wearing it like perfume.
“I made them go away,” she says with a slight English accent. “They were rude and noisy.”

When Georgia and her brother are sent for a holiday on their Aunty and Uncle’s farm, neither is pleased, though Ned soon comes around when he strikes a friendship with their cousin Jeff. Left on her own, Georgia starts exploring the farm, and is delighted to discover an old homestead on the property, which she thinks will make a cool hideout. But Georgia soon realises she is not alone, when she is befriended by a mysterious girl called Lily. Could Lily be a ghost –a nd what does she want from Georgia and Ned? Soon, the children discover they are playing with fire.

Haunted is a ghost story aimed at reluctant readers, with its short format and high interest making it ideal for these readers, as well as for readers of all abilities. Part of Walker’s Lightning Strikes series, the book is attractively packaged with a red cover and silver highlights.

This gripping offering makes an excellent addition to an outstanding series.

Haunted, by Lorraine Orman
Walker Books, 2009

Freaky, by Sue Whiting

On close inspection there was nothing really extraordinary about it. It had a hick coat of thorny barbs and the branches snaked out from the trunk sideways before turning to the sun.
But it gave me the heebie-jeebies. There was something about it. Its branches seemed alive somehow – ready to grab. It had an aura – a dark, sinister aura.
Get a grip, I told myself. You’re losing it! It’s a C-A-C-T-U-S.

When Jayden is sent to stay with his rellies that he hardly knows, he thinks things can’t get any worse. But he’s wrong. The rellies live in the country, in a town with no skate park. What’s worse, they are cactus freaks, with a yard full of spiky plants. Then, when Aunty Nina and Uncle Trev buy a new cactus, things get really freaky. The cactus seems to be coming alive.

Freaky is a fun, but scary, tale based on an urban legend which sounds frighteningly true involving spiders and cacti. Jayden’s adventure is fast-paced and short enough to entice the most reluctant reader.

Part of the wonderful Lightning Strikes series from Walker Books, Freaky is a great offering for primary aged readers.

Freaky, by Sue Whiting
Walker Books, 2009

Oddball, by Janeen Brian

“You think you’re so funny,” I yelled, “but I’ll beat you.”
I saw his eyes shrink to the size of peas. Just like what was happening to my insides.
“Next Monday,” I went on. “Best of three.” Who was talking? Who’d taken control of my mouth and was saying those killer words?
“You’re on, Tranter.”
It was me. I was saying them, and everyone was listening. I’d just stepped into a big pile of poo.

Sol can’t believe what he’s hearing. His own voice challenging the school bully, Aggo, to a game of handball – and promising to beat him. Now Sol has a week to figure out just how to go about it. He’s doomed

Oddball is a humorous story, part of Walker Books’ new Lighting Strikes series. Whilst there is plenty of humour and action, there is also exploration of some serious issues, including the loss of a pet, friendship, bullying and family relationships, as well as self-confidence. Sol is a likeable main character and the story moves quickly so that readers of any ability will be engaged.

A fun and engaging read.

Oddball, by Janeen Brian
Walker Books, 2008

Sucked In, by John Parker

I took the eye out of my pocket and stared at it.
It wasn’t made out of glass, like a normal doll’s eye. But it wasn’t plastic either. And it wasn’t rubber.
I sniffed it. My hooter came up with the smell you get when you sit in the front seat of a brand-new car. But there was something else, too – something down, like the smell of rotten grass.
Whatever it was made of, I didn’t like the way the eye gazed at me.

When Dan finds out that his friend Zainey has sold his much-prized mountain bike to buy an eye, Dan thinks Zainey is crazy. After all, two hundred and twenty dollars for a fake eye HAS to be a rip off. But when the eye arrives in the mail, Dan soon realises it is no joke. There is something about the eye that unnerves him, and when the eye tries to attach itself to Dan, he realises that the eye is no joke. This eye is after blood.

Sucked In is a funny, slightly spooky tale of an out of control eye and a boy who will do whatever it takes to feel he belongs. Zainey is a short boy who suffers from low self-esteem, and is thus willing to try anything to feel a part of things – even if he has to resort to adding an extra eye so he can see what’s going on around him. Whilst the story is humorous, its messages about friendship and self-belief are important ones.

Part of Walker Books’ new Lightning Strikes series, Sucked In is attractively packaged and the shorter length and accessible text size and presentation will make it appealing to readers of all abilities.

Sucked In, by John Parker
Walker Books, 2008