The Icicle Illuminarium by N J Gemmell

‘Caddys major, intermediate and minor, put down your snakes!’

Well, we most certainly do. This is Charlie Boo, after all. The bravest, cleverest butler in the entire universe – trained in martial arts in Rangoon and hat-frisbeeing in Haiti, and an endless source of chocolate airplanes that appear, thrillingly, at unexpected moments. Which could be now. In fact, Scruff’s got his tongue out in readiness. Four green tree snakes are unwrapped quick-smart from four necks. Not missing out on this one. Four green tree snakes are plopped on the lion skin in front of us.

‘Caddys major, intermediate and minor, put down your snakes!’

Well, we most certainly do. This is Charlie Boo, after all. The bravest, cleverest butler in the entire universe – trained in martial arts in Rangoon and hat-frisbeeing in Haiti, and an endless source of chocolate airplanes that appear, thrillingly, at unexpected moments. Which could be now. In fact, Scruff’s got his tongue out in readiness. Four green tree snakes are unwrapped quick-smart from four necks. Not missing out on this one. Four green tree snakes are plopped on the lion skin in front of us.

Kick, Scruff, Bert and Pin are four children accustomed to managing – sort of – on their own. They are living with their eccentric uncle Basti in his house in post-WWII London. Their father, thought lost, is found, but is very unwell. And for the first time in a long time, there’s a whiff of hope that their mother is still alive. And if there’s even a hope, the Caddy’s are not going to ignore it. So as their father is sent off to get better, they slip away to follow the scant clues they had. But the clues lead them far away and into the clutches of Lady Adora, owner of the Icicle Illuminarium. She has plans of her own, and it seems that their arrival may just bring all her plans together. But she has of course reckoned without the ingenuity and bravery of these four young Australians and their friends.

The Icicle Illuminarium follows ‘The Kensington Reptilarium’ which brought the four Caddy children to London. They may have a new home for now, but there is still much of the wild Australian outback in each and all of them. Caddy is reluctant substitute mother to the other three, a mantle she wears heavily, and which comes with many challenges particularly from Scruff and Bert. But she’s trying. And at the bottom of all her doubt and bossiness, is a fierce love and protectiveness for her siblings. These are wild children, unbound by convention. This is a story about family, in myriad formations. The Icicle Illuminarium is told from Kick’s perspective with all the fallibility of the first person narrative. Like ‘The Kensington Reptilarium’, The Icicle Illuminarium is a wild romp through adventure and danger, complete with red herrings, ghostly boys, madness and dastardly plots. Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers.

 

The Icicle Illuminarium, N J Gemmell
Random House 2014 ISBN: 9780857985675

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

The Kensington Reptilarium by N J Gemmell

‘How long do you reckon it’d take to fry an egg on Matilda’s bonnet?’

Scruff is looking longingly at our car, which is already boiling hot in the 44-degree heat – and it’s only nine a.m.

‘Fifty-two seconds!’ Bert rises to the challenge. ‘Do it, Scruffy boy, come on. Anything would be better than Kick’s cooking.’ She shoots a glance at me, knowing I’ll take the bait. Which I most certainly do.

‘Just you try being a mum plus a dad around here, young lady.’ I poke out my tongue. Everyone knows that any experiment at being a grown-up ended months ago. ‘Twenty-nine seconds,’ I exclaim, ‘and not a fly’s fart more!’

My attempts at breakfast – a frypan with a rug of eggs tastefully congealed on its bottom – is grabbed and said eggs are flung wid into the yard. They spin like a dinner plate. Land – plop! – in the red dust.

Cooking. Pah. I give up. I’ve had enough of it.

‘How long do you reckon it’d take to fry an egg on Matilda’s bonnet?’

Scruff is looking longingly at our car, which is already boiling hot in the 44-degree heat – and it’s only nine a.m.

‘Fifty-two seconds!’ Bert rises to the challenge. ‘Do it, Scruffy boy, come on. Anything would be better than Kick’s cooking.’ She shoots a glance at me, knowing I’ll take the bait. Which I most certainly do.

‘Just you try being a mum plus a dad around here, young lady.’ I poke out my tongue. Everyone knows that any experiment at being a grown-up ended months ago. ‘Twenty-nine seconds,’ I exclaim, ‘and not a fly’s fart more!’

My attempts at breakfast – a frypan with a rug of eggs tastefully congealed on its bottom – is grabbed and said eggs are flung wid into the yard. They spin like a dinner plate. Land – plop! – in the red dust.

Cooking. Pah. I give up. I’ve had enough of it.

Kick (13) and her three siblings, Scruff (11), Bert (9) and Pin (4), live in the middle of Australia. Their mother died some years ago, and their father is on an expedition somewhere and the children look after themselves. WWII is over and the world is gearing up for the first post-war Christmas. When it appears that their father may be lost forever, a solicitor arrives to take this wild foursome to London to stay with their father’s brother, Uncle Basti. They have not met their new guardian before, and he seems to much prefer the company of his extensive collection of reptiles. And as if that is not enough, it seems that the local neighbourhood is less than happy about the goings-on at the Kensington Reptilarium and would be happy to see them all gone.

It’s hard to imagine two worlds more different than outback Australia and inner-city, post-war London. But despite their dislocation, the four Australian children in ‘The Kensington Reptilarium’ stick together and determine to find a way to adjust to their new circumstances. They have to face the possibility they may never see their father again, and in that case, it’s important to convince their reluctant uncle that family stick together, no matter what. The Kensington Reptilarium is full of hilarity and innocence, role-reversals and secrets. It speeds towards Christmas with the joy and trepidation of riding a wave all the way to shore. The characters are rapscallions one and all, and this is a wonderful wild ride. Recommended for mid- to upper-primary readers.

The Kensington Reptilarium

The Kensington Reptilarium, N J Gemmell, Random House Australia 2013 ISBN: 9780857980502

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.