Tag: macmillan education

The Fortune Seekers, by Audrey Griffin

Eva and Elliott love exploring – especially the remains of the gold diggings in Dead Man’s Gully. So when Stan Moreton applies for a mining license over the Gully, they aren’t impressed. Then Eva and Elliott make an amazing discovery – there are fossils in a rock face in Dead Man’s Gully. Will this be enough to halt mining?

The Fortune Seekers is a present tense account of Eva and Elliott’s adventures which touches on themes of history and environment as well as focussing on family relationships and peer friendships.

The Fortune Seekers is part of Macmillan Education’s new Breakers series, suitable for both classroom use and private reading. This title is aimed at students with a reading age of 12.5 but will appeal to younger readers too.

The Fortune Seekers, by Audrey Griffin
Macmillan Education, 2004

The Old Johnno Stories, by Barry Carozzi

Old Johnno had a dog…He was so big that he more than filled the back of Johnno’s old Holden ute. People used to say that he was 50 per cent Great Dane, 25 per cent Airedale, 25 per cent horse and 100 per cent stupid! I’d have to agree. He would have to be the stupidest dog I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Old Johnno and his dog Mutt have wild and wacky adventures. There are, the narrator tells us, more stories about Johnno than there are dead fish in a tip. All of these stories are funny, adventurous and just a little bit silly. Some are downright unbelievable.

It is great to see a children’s book told in the best tradition of Aussie tall tales, a form which many kids would be unfamiliar with but which they will love for its humour and down to earth style.

The Old Johnno Stories is part of the Breakers series from Macmillan Education, a series designed for classroom use but just as appealing for private reading.

Good fun.

The Old Johnno Stories, by Barry Carozzi
Macmillan Education, 2004

Set Free, by June Keir

When the new boy – Zach – starts school, he is put in the empty desk net to Ben and Ben is told to look after him. But Ben can’t get Zach to talk to him, and neither can anyone else. Zach follows Ben around and even does what Ben tells him, but he won’t speak to him.

When Ben invites Zach to come to the national park with him, the pair stumble across a poacher trying to trap the birds in the park. As they try to track the poachers’ movements, the boys find themselves caught up in more trouble than either can handle. Zach needs to speak and to overcome his fears if they are to survive.

Set Free is a fast paced adventure for kids, but it is also much more. Zach’s trauma stems from his experiences as a refugee coming to Australia on a leaky boat and being interred in an immigrant detention centre. Ben has had trauma of his own – his best friend James has been knocked off his bike by a truck and killed. Both boys have to put these experiences behind them as they form their new freindship and tackle the dramas that unfold in the national park.

Part of the new Breakers series from Macmillan Education, Set Free is a thought-provoking read suitable for private reading as well as classroom use.

Great reading.

Set Free, by June Keir, illustrated by Dion Hamill
Macmillan Education, 2004

The Off-Worlders, by Paul Collins

Doyle is excited when he sees what looks like a spacecraft landing in the valley. He races out of the house with his dog Mastiff, ready to investigate. Little does he expect to meet and make friends with an alien who can talk to him using telepathy, and is here to save the world.

Together Doyle and his new friend, Bigel, must convince the residents of Diamond Valley and its enemy neighbours in the dome, to work together to defeat an invading force.

Part of a classroom educational series, The Off-Worlders is surprising in its hard-hitting plot. This is no simple boy-meets-alien-visitor story. Instead it looks at a futuristic Earth where society is divided into the haves and have-nots, with big domes housing populations hiding from the after-effects of nuclear war, and preying on those who live outside of the dome. The arrival of the alien Bigel proves to be the catalyst for the breaking down of the divisions, at least in Doyle’s part of the world, but not before some life and death escapades and serious battles.

Collins tells a story which is high on action and interest, yet with language which is accessible to readers aged 10 to 12. In essence, he manages to make the text realtively easy to read, whilst keeping the plot at a level which does not patronise pre-teen readers.

Part of the Breakers series from Macmillan Education, The Off-Worlders will appeal to young science fiction fans.

The Off-Worlders, by Paul Collins
Macmillan Education, 2004

Rooster's Revenge, by Kerri Lane

Johnno and Flash are enjoying the summer holidays until the terrible day that their dog, Tyson, goes missing. They are sure that the local meanie, Rooster, is somehow involved, but they can’t get him to admit it.

With some help from the other local children the boys set out to work out what has happened to Tyson. For four days they fear the worst, that they will never see Tyson again, as they follow a mysterious trail of clues. Who are the strangers that are hanging around with Rooster, and why do they keep finding feathers around town? Is there a bigger mystery, or is Tyson’s disappearance just Rooster’s form of revenge?

Rooster’s Revenge is a fast-moving mystery for ten to twelve year old readers. With a touch of humour and plenty of suspense, author Kerri Lane creates a mystery which will keep young readers guessing.

Part of the new Breakers series, from Macmillan Education, Rooster’s Revenge is suitable both for classroom and private reading.

Rooster’s Revenge, by Kerri Lane
Macmillan Education, 2004

Starship Q, by Goldie Alexander

Iyaki and Aari know they aren’t supposed to be in the starship hangar, but it’s the best place for them to kick a ball. Then their ball accidentally goes into the open hull of a starship and, when the boys try to retrieve it they find themselves in trouble.

The ship has been taken over by a mutineer and when he finds the boys he locks them up with one of his prisoners, a human boy called Jackson. At first Iyaki and Aari, both Igs, think they have nothing in common with Jackson, but as they all struggle to figure out how to escape and how to prevent the mutineer achieving his objectives, they realise they can be friends. Together they just might have a chance of stopping the mutiny.

Starship Q is a fast moving science fiction title for children aged 9 to 12. The characters may be alien, but the dilemmas they face will be familiar to many children – making friends, facing consequences, and believing in one’s own abilities.

Part of the Breakers series from Macmillan Education, Starship Q is suitable both for home reading and classroom use.

Starship Q, by Goldie Alexander
Macmillan Education, 2004

Hitmakers, by Sally Odgers

While watching television, Berry and Aidan are struck by the claims of the advertisements they see. Who decides what is “hot”, what is “hip”? Berry is keen to investigate these questions and drags Aidan along as an unwilling accomplice.

What Berry wants to know is how a song can be called a number one before it has even hit the stores, and how “everyone” can be wearing a fashion “this Autumn” when it’s still summer. Do consumer tastes and spending habits dictate what is “hot” or is it a plot by the advertising companies? As they move closer to finding the truth, Aidan and Berry must decide whether they are prepared to accept it.

Hitmakers is a fun children’s novel which explores consumerism, advertising and marketing through a fun story. Author Sally Odgers has a reputation for producing well-rounded stories and this is one of them – educational, yet fun to read too.

Part of the Breakers series from Macmillan Education, Hitmakers is just as suitable for private reading as it is for classroom sharing.

Hitmakers, by Sally Odgers
Macmillan Education, 2004

Deepwater Blues, by Claire Saxby

Ned loves to swim, but when his friend Jori takes him for a holiday on an island with the deepest waters in the world, Ned is scared. He likes to know where the bottom is when he swims. What if something pulls him down? What if something is hidden in the depths? He wonders if he can enjoy the holiday without swimming out where the water looks black.

Deepwater Blues is a great junior novel which explores how one kid deals with his fears and discovers that overcoming them can open up a whole new world of experiences. Author Claire Saxby manages to achieve this without being preachy or obvious – kids can enjoy the story for its own sake.

Deepwater Blues is part of the new Breakers series from Macmillan Education, suitable for children with a reading age between 8.5 and 10.5.

Deepwater Blues, by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Dave Deakin
Macmillan Education, 2003

Eyes in the Paddock, by Sue Whiting

Jack is scared of the dark. So when his friend Nathan invites him along on a camping trip, he is horrified. No street lights, no house lights, and no nightlight. He is going to be in the pitch black in the bush. But Jack doesn’t want Nathan to know he is scared and he doesn’t want to let him down either, so he tries to brave it out.

When Nathan’s dad asks the boys to collect some more wood for the fire, Nathan heads off into the dark. Jack has little choice but to follow him. Then something terrible happens – the batteries in Nathan’s torch start to run out, just as the boys start to hear strange noises. When they see three pairs of eyes looking at them in the dark, both boys are terrified.

Eyes in the Dark is a cute chapter book from the talented Sue Whiting, exploring fears and friendship in a humorous tale. Part of the Breakers series from Macmillan Education, it is suitable for classroom or private reading and will appeal especially to 7 to 10 year old readers.

Good fun.

Eyes in the Dark, by Sue Whiting, illustrated by Tom Kurema
Macmillan Education, 2003