lothian – Page 3 – Aussie Reviews

Blood Brothers, by Peter Corris

Bartholomew Fletcher – always called Bart if he had anything to do with it – broke his left leg playing touch football. That is, Jack Chandra, who was supposed to be Bart’s best friend, broke it for him. Bart knew the collision, and the way Jack had stuck his foot out, was quite deliberate.

Bart and Jack have been best mates for ages, so when Jack goes away unexpectedly, Bart misses him. He doesn’t expect that Jack will come back angry – angry enough to deliberately break his leg. With his leg in plaster and his friend unwilling to talk, Bart has time to ponder the situation, but little idea ho to resolve it.

Bart’s new girlfriend, Kylie, tries to help Bart sort out the problem but Jack doesn’t want to know about it. When Jack’s girlfriend is killed in an accident he seems out of control and the friendship seems unfixable. But Bart isn’t willing to turn his back on the friendship and as he tries to solve his own problems he doesn’t lose hope of helping Jack, too.

Blood Brothers is an absorbing young adult novel. Author Peter Corris is multi-published as a writer of adult fiction and nonfiction, but this is his first foray into writing for a younger readership. At times his narrative seems a little adult – with changes of perspective even within scenes making it even more adult-sounding. Yet in spite of this, the story deals with both an intriguing mystery and some issues which teens will relate to, including issues of parentage, teen relationships and search for identity.

Blood Brothers, by Peter Corris
Lothian, 2007

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

Volcano, by June Colbert

There are at least ten ways for a volcano to kill you.
The most obvious, being overtaken by lava, is actually the least common.

Sara’s dad is a Meatball. His job entails climbing inside volcanoes to see whether or not they are going to erupt. He thrives on the adrenalin rush which danger brings. Sara travels with her dad and his colleagues wherever there are volcanoes. When they are sent to South America to study Mount Cumbal, they are disappointed. Cumbal is quiet and sleepy. There’s no way it’s going to explode.

To make matters worse, Sara and the other teenagers in the group have been enrolled at the International School in the nearby town, where the other students, and even the staff, resent their presence. When some of these students decide to show Sara and her friends that Mount Cumbal is no threat, they put everyone’s lives at risk.

Volcano is an exciting teen novel, with a mix of action and issue. The focus on a live volcano will prove informative for many readers, providing an interesting and unusual setting. Problems of teen bullying, self esteem and responsibility are explored but not in such a way as to feel forced on the reader.

Suitable for readers aged 12 and over.

Volcano, by June Colbert
Lothian, 2007

This book is available online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Boot Thief, by John Heffernan

‘What’s going on?’
Lucy and Jack looked up from the breakfast table. Their father was standing in the sunroom door, scratching his head.
On his left foot he wore a gumboot.
On his right foot was a riding boot.
The kids smiled at each other.
‘It’s that boot thief again!’ he growled.

A boot thief is stealing boots from the verandah of the farmhouse. Not every boot, just one of each pair. Lucy and Jack think it’s funny to see their father wearing odd boots. But then their boots begin to disappear as well. And one of their mother’s boots is gone as well. Suddenly it’s not so funny. It’s time for some serious detective work. Everyone at school wants to help. Could it be the hens? Could it be the sheep? Lucy and Jack piece together the evidence and discover just who is stealing the boots. But what do you do when the thief has a good reason for the thefts? Lucy and Jack work out a solution that keeps everyone happy, safe and warm.

the boot thief is a new title in Lothian’s Giggler series. There are short chapters with illustrations on every opening, perfect for the reader making the transition from fully illustrated texts. Stephen Axelsen’s illustrations build on the gentle humour underpinning this realistic mystery. There are funny illustrations demonstrating what the thief might do with the stolen boots. While the adults get cross, the children set about finding an answer to the mystery. The action is pacy, the solution perfect. Recommended for newly-independent readers.

the boot thief, John Heffernan, ill Stephen Axelsen Lothian 2007
ISBN: 9780734410009

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

Purinina – A Devil’s Tale, by Christina Booth

At the bottom of the world, on the edge of an island, through a deep valley lined with pines that point to the sky…

Purinina: A Devil’s Tale is the story of the life cycle of Purinina, a Tasmanian Devil. It begins and ends with a new life. In between, Christina Booth follows Purinina as she grows from infancy to maturity. When her mother fails to return from a hunting trip, Purinina and her brothers must learn to make their own way in a changing, shrinking and often hostile environment.

Tasmanian Devils have not always had good press. In some ways they are seen as the unsociable cousin of Australia’s cuter and cuddlier marsupials. But as all mothers love their offspring, no matter their appearance or behaviour, so the author shares her love of the devil. With gentle words and warm colours, Christina Booth brings us close to Purinina and her family.

There is very little colour on the striking front cover of Purinina: A Devil’s Tale. Only Purinina’s tail and paw-prints are there, but they tell the reader that this is not a story of a horned demon. Perhaps Purinina’s markings also hint that this is not an altogether happy story. But the internal spreads are filled with colour: celebrating the vibrancy of life. When Purinina’s mother fails to return after a night’s hunting, the spreads return to almost black and white. But life goes on and colour returns to the pages although the sadness of loss is not forgotten. Throughout the story, text colour changes, reinforcing particular words. Christina Booth tells a simple, cycle-of-life tale, with warmth and love. The illustrations are simply beautiful. The text is accompanied by notes about the life and habitat of this often misunderstood Australian animal. Blue-hued endpapers show the night countryside. Recommended for 4-7 year olds and anyone wanting to learn more about the Tasmanian Devil.

Purinina: A Devil’s Tale, Christina Booth
Lothian 2007
ISBN:9780734409942

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

Crime Seen, by Jenny Pausacker

My pocket beeped. I hate it when that happens while I’m on a bus packed with people. When I reached for my mobile, I accidentally elbowed a guy in a business suit, who rolled his eyes and sighed.
I shrugged, bumping again, and checked to see who’d been texting me.
It was my mate Seb, of course. Seb can’t leave his mobile alone for more than two minutes. His message said:
harris U freek rU at wrk? cany ded bods yet?
I scowled. Ever since I told him I was doing my work experience at the Forensics Unit in the city, Seb had been carrying on like I was Hannibal Lector.
That showed how much he knew. I mean, forensic pathologists are the good guys, right?

Fifteen year-old Harris has been interested in forensic pathology for a long time and is very excited to be doing work experience at the city’s Forensics Unit. His supervisor has organised for him to spend time in all the different departments. But when the chief pathologist’s daughter, Tansy, goes missing, and he inadvertently sees a body in the morgue, Harris discovers that plans are not worth much. He is welcomed into the ‘family’ of people who work in this challenging area. Harris gets caught up in the mystery and publicity around the disappearance and a murder. There is speculation that someone in the unit may be involved. Harris develops and discards many theories on who could possibly be responsible before the culprit is ultimately revealed.

Teenagers often develop obsessions and the main character in Crime Seen is no different. But his obsession is a little less common. He’s obsessed with ‘helping the dead’, by working out just how they died. Unexpectedly, he also learns that he enjoys working with those left behind. He’s impatient with his movie-obsessed younger brother, keen to learn, keen to make a good impression, concerned about appearances and prone to jumping to conclusions. In short, he’s delightfully normal despite his less-common interests. Pausacker has planted plenty of clues and red herrings to keep the reader twisting and turning along with Harris as the story unfolds. Set in an Australian city, this crime novel for younger readers is well-paced and rewarding. Recommended for upper-primary and lower-secondary readers.

Crime Seen, by Jenny Pausacker
Lothian Children’s Books 2007
ISBN: 9870734410016

This book is available for purchase online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Mystery of the Ruby Glasses, by Lindsay Cripps

Ah, but have you really looked at them? I mean close up? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the picture?

Shey and her dog Jasper are sent to stay with her elderly uncle over the summer holidays while her parents fly off to Egypt to search for fossils. Shey is resentful and expects to be bored. But her artist uncle begins to show her a different way to look at pictures. She finds the ruby opera glasses and suddenly she is in the world depicted in the painting. While there, she discovers she has inadvertently followed her uncle. Her journey into the painting may have been accidental, but Ruben is searching. Two heads are better than one and Shey helps Ruben find what he has been searching for.

The Mystery of the Ruby Glasses takes the reader on a journey through art and history, collecting clues. It crosses from the real world into another (several others really) using well-known paintings as portals. Shey experiences the paintings and painters in her quest to solve the mystery that consumes Ruben. Shey is a brave and curious main character. Her relationship with Ruben evolves as they spend more time together. Shey grows in maturity as she learns more about the sadness that has been part of Ruben’s life since the death of his wife. An engaging read for upper-primary, early-secondary readers.

The Mystery of the Ruby Glasses, Lindsay Cripps
Lothian Books 2007
ISBN: 9780734408044

This book is available online at Fishpond.

Aphrodite Alexandra, by Gillian Bouras & Anna Pignataro

When she is in a good mood, Aphrodite Alexandra asks, ‘Why don’t we go to Yiayia Aphrodite’s place? Just you and me, right now.’
Granny Alex always says, ‘That won’t be necessary, dear,’ and shuts her lips in a thin line.

Aphrodite Alexandra has two long names because of her two grandmothers, but although they live quite close to each other, they don’t get along, much to their granddaughter’s dismay. Aphrodite is sure that they have a lot in common, but one Sunday she inadvertently brings them together.

Part of Lothian’s Giggles series, Aphrodite Alexandra is a quick-read chapter book of just sixty pages, with a gentle message and a mix of humour and adventure. With plenty of illustrative support – each spread has at least one illustration – the book is equally suited to independent reading or to sharing with an adult. Aphrodite Alexandra is a likeable main character and her two grandmothers believably rendered.

A feel good story.

Aphrodite Alexandra, by Gillian Bouras and Anna Pignataro
Lothian, 2007

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

Ghost Granny, by Melanie Guile

There was no doubt about it – Granny was much nicer dead.
It was a shock of course, losing Granny. Everyone went around looking a bit dazed for a day or two afterwards. But she was eighty-four – ‘a good innings’ as Uncle Jim remarked – and they’d always said she had a weak heart. And to go the way she did – falling down like a skittle on the back path while she was booting the cat out of her petunias – well, you couldn’t want a fairer finish than that.

Granny has been making everyone’s life a misery for years. Only Anna, Granny’s youngest grandchild, has anything nice to say for her when she dies. And only Anna is pleased when Granny re-appears as a ghost. However, Granny doesn’t seem to understand that she’s a ghost and the scene is set for all sorts of accidental fun. Not only has ‘41’ (apprentice angel) forgotten to keep an eye on her, it seems there’s a bit of a problem about whether Granny is destined to head to the heavens or through Hell’s Gate. Enter Mr Brimstone and the race for Granny’s soul is on! Granny stumbles through the afterlife, largely unaware of the growing chaos caused by her uncertain status.

Ghost Granny is a humorous look at life after death, particularly the struggle for a soul when earthly good deeds are balanced by not-so-good offerings. Melanie’s Guile’s tongue is firmly in her cheek as she introduces the reader to the random appearances of a neither-here-or-gone granny, angel education classes and embittered souls in the endless abyss of Hell. Ghost Granny is both funny and a fast-moving adventure, full of puns and good-versus-evil struggles. Ghost Granny takes an omniscient point of view, letting the reader move closer to all the main characters. Rather than one main character, several characters take turns at driving the action, until the end when all major players are present. Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers.

Ghost Granny, by Melanie Guile
Lothian Children’s Books 2007
ISBN: 9780734410085

Dog Show Detective, by Penelope Love

‘No. I can’t go to Aunt Wilma’s Now, Mum. My favourite program is just starting.’
‘The Secret Life of Newts.’ Mum read the title on the TV.
‘It’s , um, educational,’ I said. Actually it was just too much effort to reach for the remote control. And Celebrity Dogs didn’t start for another half-hour.
‘But, Tiff -’ Mum started.’
‘No!’ I said. I could feel a Glare Force 1 boring into the back of my head. Mum works at a retirement home. I don’t know what kind of look she gives those old folks when they don’t eat their vegies but right then I could almost feel my skin withering. Had there been broccoli in front of me I would have chomped it right down in a hurry.

Tiff is a small, lively redhead – just like her Aunt Wilma’s dog Muffin. When newly-separated Aunt Wilma hurts her ankle, Mum persuades Tiff to help out. First it’s just walking Muffin. Tiff doesn’t mind because she really likes Muffin and it’s not Muffin’s fault that Aunt Wilma is so snooty. A stranger starts taking photos of Muffin but drives off when Tiff approaches him. When Tiff and Muffin get back to Aunt Wilma’s, it becomes clear that Mum has also volunteered Tiff to help at the dog show. There goes her holiday plans! Once there, Tiff realises someone is trying to sabotage the dogs at the dog show and it’s up to her to work it out.

Redheads are reputed to be feisty and fearsome. Thirteen year-old Tiff certainly fills this description although tenacious and forthright also fit. Her holiday plans are overturned by her aunt’s injury but she finds a way to enjoy the show with her friends as well as helping out. Across the course of Dog Show Detective, Tiff adjusts many of her relationships, particularly with her aunt, father and brother. She enters the unfamiliar dog show world and discovers that, unlike its reputation, most of the dog owners are friendly and supportive of each other. Red herrings and misunderstandings contribute to the humour of Tiff’s story, until she ultimately saves the day. Dog Show Detective’ also touches on friendships, examining the changing relationships with two school friends. Recommended for upper primary readers.

Dog Show Detective, by Penelope Love
Lothian Children’s Books 2007
9780734410092

Cross-Currents, by Janeen Brian

For days, Julia had been chewing it over. How could she get through to this creep? What could she say to him that’d make him see he wasn’t the only person in the world? A log crackled in the campfire and split with a bright red glow. Julia took a step back from the heat, snapping a dry gumleaf in half.

Julia loves everything about camping with her stepdad, Jeff – everything except his son, Robert. She thinks he’s a pain. It’s been several days since they met at the start of this camping trip and nothing has happened to change her mind. As far as she’s concerned, Robert is worse than boring and quite useless at anything camping-related. Julia wishes he was home in faraway Queensland with his mother, and she and Jeff were back home with Mum, waiting for the baby to arrive. Then things start to go terribly wrong and Robert’s communication skills are a minor issue compared with the challenges they face.

Cross-Currents is an adventure into the Australian Outback that goes very wrong. But it’s also a story about family in its myriad formations. Jeff, Julia’s stepdad, has been married to her mum for about five years. But Jeff has a son, about the same age as Julia, who lives with his mum at the other end of the country. Jeff seems to have organised this trip partly so the two teenagers can meet. Julia may have gained a father, but Robert has lost one. Neither is very tolerant of the other. As drama unfolds, Julia and Robert need to work together and in doing so, both realise that first impressions can be misleading. Cross-Currents is a fast-paced, exciting read that holds the attention from start to finish. Themes here include the power of cooperation, tolerance and understanding. Recommended for 11-15 year-old readers.

Cross-Currents, by Janeen Brian
Lothian 2007
ISBN: 9780734410078

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