February 2012 – Aussie Reviews

Equinox, by Lara Morgan

Exposing Helios Corporation’s evil should have meant for a change in fortune for Rosie Black. Her Dad is back, and she and her Aunt Essie are safe. But it isn’t as simple as that.

“Helios will leave them alone now. It’s me they want. But you know what this means. If they know I’m alive it means you and Essie aren’t safe any more either.” Riley gave her a significant look.
“Wait, hang on.” She got to her feet. She knew where this was going. “I am not going into hiding,” she said. “No way.”

Exposing Helios Corporation’s evil should have meant for a change in fortune for Rosie Black. Her Dad is back, and she and her Aunt Essie are safe. But it isn’t as simple as that. Helios is still around – just pushed further underground – and Dad is stuck in hospital, where he’ll possibly never leave. Her friend Pip has disappeared, and Riley is keeping things from her. Rosie is going to have to use all her wits – and put her life on the line – to destroy Helios once and for all.

Equinox is the second title in the gripping Rosie Black Chronicles, set five hundred years in the future in Newperth. This dystopian tale picks up not long after the first left off, with familiar characters reuniting and aided by new additions. There is also an increase in the development of the characters – with Rosie showing extra layers of vulnerability against her gritty determination, and her relationships also developing.

Best read as a sequel, Equinox will appeal to teen lovers of speculative fiction.

Equinox (Rosie Black Chronicles), by Lara Morgan
Walker Books, 2011
ISBN 9781921529405

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

Rudie Nudie, by Emma Quay

This is a book that youngsters will giggle at and will want read over and over – but, be warned, they’ll also want to mimic the rudie nudie fun. And why wouldn’t they?

One, two Rudie Nudie,
Rudie Nudie in the bath.
Squeaky clean and splishing, splashing, sploshing –
Rudie Nudie laugh.

So begins this delightful celebration of being naked (nudie!) and delighting in the freedom of childhood in the time between bath and bed. Two young children (the older seems to be a girl and the younger a boy) bath together, then, before being dressed, escape their towels and run and romp over different surfaces including the smooth floorboards, the furry carpet and the slightly prickly doormat. The pair jump and pirouette and run for cuddles before finally allowing their parents to catch and dress them ready for bed.

Rudie Nudie is a celebration of childhood and of freedom. The children’s nudity is natural and presented in a way that leaves nothing for anyone to complain about – there are no genitals on display, for example. This is a book that youngsters will giggle at and will want read over and over – but, be warned, they’ll also want to mimic the rudie nudie fun. And why wouldn’t they? This pair is having fun, and is warmly nurtured by a pair of parents who watch and support the fun.

A book about living.

Rudie Nudie, by Emma Quay
ABC Books, 2011
ISBN 9780733323355&

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

Bom! Went the Bear, by Nicki Greenberg

Bear loves to play his big bass drum. He marches along happy to be making music – and noise. Other animals soon join in, loving the music

BOM! went the bear on the big bass drum
Ting-ting-a-ting-ting-a Strum strum strum.
Giraffes hit the high notes, turtles sing low
Clarinet quick-quick, saxophone slow.

Bear loves to play his big bass drum. He marches along happy to be making music – and noise. Other animals soon join in, loving the music. But Bear isn’t so sure that there are room for all these other animal musicians in his band, especially when they start telling him to look out!

BOM! Went the Bear is a wonderful celebration of music, and noise, and silliness, with the pages full of bright, humorous animals singing and dancing and having fun. The text is perfect for reading aloud and simple enough for youngsters to join in. With repeated readings they will quickly learn the whole story. Illustrations are bright mixed media,with collage touches , particularly for the instruments, adding an element for children to explore, and even replicate with their own art and craft projects.

BOM! Went the Bear is perfect for the very young and for the early childhood classroom.

BOM! Went the Bear, by Nicki Greenberg
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 9781742376714

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online through Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Matilda is Missing, by Caroline Overington

a compelling read, offering a story within a story – two different experiences of family breakdown and the impact on those involved, including the children.

Did Frank sometime make mistakes when it came to custody hearings? I’d say he must have done, otherwise we’d all be gathered around his grave saying, ‘Here lies a man who never mucked anything up.’
Did he make a mistake when he was deciding who should get custody of little Minty – Matilda – Hartshorn?
I could answer that, but in the end I think it’s best that people make a judgement for themselves.
Matilda is only two years old, and very much loved by both of her parents. But their love for Matilda is the only thing they have in common. When they met, her mother Softie was a sophisticated career woman with a ticking body-clock. Garry, her father, was a body builder with an assortment of job experiences, but also looking forward to one day being a father. Before either had time to really draw breath, Matilda was on the way and Softie and Garry were married. Now, two years later, the marriage is over and a bitter custody dispute is underway.

Barry hasn’t ever met Garry or Sophie or even heard of them. He’s an ex-journalist, with twelve grandchildren, two of whom he and his wife have been banned from seeing because of a separate custody dispute. So Barry is a little surprised when his friend, Frank, a Family court judge, bequeaths him the records of Garry and Softie’s custody case. Barry doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with them – but he does become increasingly aware that the custody case often overlooks the most important person – the child.

Matilda is Missing is a compelling read, offering a story within a story – two different experiences of family breakdown and the impact on those involved, including the children. Author Caroline Overington has made use of a background as a journalist reporting on issues including the family court, and this knowledge adds an authenticity, but it is the characters she creates that make the story so accessible. The people who populate the pages are authentic, and the reader has the chance to make judgements and assumptions, some of which are proven correct, but others which lead to surprises.

There are some uncomfortable moments here, but the decision to use two stories rather than just one, tempers what could have been more shattering.

Matilda is Missing, by Caroline Overington
Bantam, 2011
ISBN 9781742750385

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

Assault, by Brian Falkner

It is 2030 and the world is at war. This time, though, the war is different – instead of country fighting country, the battle is between human kind and alien invaders. And the aliens, it seems, have the upper hand

The other members of the team couldn’t hear the voices of the pilot (snug and safe in his cockpit somewhere above them) and their mission controller (thousands of kilometres away at the Operational Command Centre). Only Chisnall had a link to that channel. So the others did not know that five enemy jets were heading their way, and the first would be right on their tail in less than seventeen minutes.
He decided not to tell them.
It is 2030 and the world is at war. This time, though, the war is different – instead of country fighting country, the battle is between human kind and alien invaders. And the aliens, it seems, have the upper hand. Enter Recon Team Angel. For years these teenagers have been in training to take on roles suited only to them. This is their first mission.

In the deserts of Australia the teenage soldiers must infiltrate the Bzadian aliens’ base. Lead by Lieutenant Ryan Chisnall the team, disguised as Bzadians, tries to find what the secret is that the Bzadian’s have hidden in Uluru. What they find there is more shocking than they could have imagined. But surviving for long enough to get the word out might be even harder than they think.

Assault is the first title in a thrilling new series set in the not too distant future, in a world which is, however, made unfamiliar because of the presence of the alien race and their technology. The Bzadians have arrived in Australia ostensibly seeking a small area to live in, only to have rapidly sought to take over the whole world. Their goal is to destroy the human race and claim the planet for themselves. Team Angel is just a small part of mankind’s efforts to win back the earth.

Lovers of science fiction and action novels will find this an absorbing read. There is lots of action, with fight scenes, explosions and battles, but there is also character development and the teens confront issues such as their first experiences of death and killing to show that they are, deep down, fairly normal teens. There are also, of course, issues explored about humanity, courage and more.

Suitable for ages 13 and over.

Assault (Recon Team Angel), by Brian Falkner
Walker Books, 2011
ISBN

This book can be purchased from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

The Carousel, by Ursula Dubosarsky & Walter Di Qual

This a book which makes for repeated oral readings, particularly by adult readers to children, who will love the rhythm of the words and the magic of the horses – real or imagined.

One winter’s day my dad and I
Went down to see the carousel.
We stood and watched as round and round
The little horses rose and fell.

This enchanting rhyming picture book begins with the protagonsit,a young girl, watching the carousel with her father before she, too, gets to ride on one of the painted horses. On the ride she is transported, imaging herself galloping free as the wind far from the carousel. But, when the ride slows, the girl feels the horse’s sorrow that it can never be free to leap and bound, to wander in the wilds. So she makes a wish that all of the horses will be free – a wish that she believes come true, with the sound of hooves in the night and the horses running free ever after.

The Carousel is a magical tale of imagination and freedom, told in rhyming verse which scans with a rhythmic echo of the rocking of the horses as they canter free. Most spreads have just one four line stanza, allowing the illustrations to dominate the text. And what illustrations they are – mixed media renderings of the magic of the carousel, and of the horse galloping across red earth, through blue water and against purple night skies.

This a book which makes for repeated oral readings, particularly by adult readers to children, who will love the rhythm of the words and the magic of the horses – real or imagined.

The Carousel, by Ursula Dubosarsky & Walter Di Qual

Viking, 2011
ISBN 9780670074624

This book can be purchased in good bookstores or online from Fishpond

Foal's Bread, by Gillian Mears

Foal’s Bread is a heart-tugging tale of love and of survival, set against the backdrop of the high-jumping circuit of rural Australia prior to Word War 2.

The sound of horses’ hooves turns hollow on the farms west of Wirri. If a man can still ride, if he hasn’t totally lost the use of his legs, if he hasn’t died in the part of his heart that understands such things, then he should go for a gallop. At the very least he should stand at the road by the river imagining that he’s pushing a horse up the steep hill that leads to the house on the farm once known as One Tree.

Noah Childs is just fourteen when she meets Roley Nancarrow at a country show, but their connection is instant. Both love to ride – and to jump horses. It seems they were meant to be together, and when, years later they marry, they feel unstoppable. They will form their own high-jumping team and travel the circuit an unbeatable pair. But first there are children to raise, and the family farm to work, and the Roley is struck by lightning. His damaged body becomes gradually unable to fulfill the dreams they once held, and the bond between the pair is stretched by hardship and pain.

Foal’s Bread is a heart-tugging tale of love and of survival, set against the backdrop of the high-jumping circuit of rural Australia prior to Word War 2. Across three generations of one family – Roley’s parents, he, his wife and sisters, and, their children, readers see the struggles of trying to survive financially and emotionally on a rural property. Common amongst all generations is a grittiness which shows strength and yet, when their is an inability to express need and emotion, it is this grittiness which stands in the way of happiness. The jumpers int he family – Roley and Noah, and later their daughter Lainey, all seem to share a desire to reach great heights, to fly as Noah puts it, which in Noah’s case is never quite reached.

This isn’t an easy book, but it is a beautiful one. There are moments of joy and of sadness, and anger, too.

Foal’s Bread, by Gillian Mears
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 9781742376295

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

The Flying Emu, by Sally Morgan

Emu was once the most colourful bird in Australia. His head feathers were brilliant blue, his huge wings were shades of pink and purple, his body was like spun gold and his big feet were bright red with lime-green claws. While some of the other birds thought Emu was a bit much, Emu loved himself.

When Emu’s pride gets a bit much for the other animals, he learns a very harsh lesson; when a lazy seagull tries to get a free feed, he is left disappointed; and when a horrible man called Fatfella gets too greedy, he gets his come-uppance. These are just three of the wonderful stories in The Flying Emu, a collection of Australian stories from award-winning author Sally Morgan.

Morgan introduces the book by reminding readers of the Aboriginal tradition of storytelling dating back thousands of years. These stories, whilst not traditional ones, are told in that tradition, drawing on Morgan’s own childhood and on suggestions made by the children in her life. With full colour illustrations accompanying each story, the book is visually pleasing and the stories themselves will delight primary aged readers.

First published in 1992, the book has been republished by Walker Books Australia.

The Flying Emu, by Sally Morgan
Walker Books, 2011
ISBN

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Desert Boys, by Peter Rees

The two World Wars were just a generation apart. It was not uncommon to find sons following fathers to fight, like them, in the desert. To some observers the Australians were madmen; others thought they treated war as a bit of a lark. But there there is no doubt that the Australians as soldiers won respect.

Of the many stories told of Australians’ involvement in the two World Wars, there seem to be fewer about their battles in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East than about Europe, the Pacific and, of course, Gallipoli. Whilst some famous actions are well documented -such as the siege of Tobruk – others are relatively unknown. In Desert Boys author Peter Rees redresses this imbalance by focussing on the stories of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought in the desert campaigns of the two wars, providing a detailed and moving account of their actions.

Whilst this is a historical text and, as such, necessarily documents dates, places and details of campaigns, it is also a very human account, with Rees making extensive use of letters, diaries, memoirs and interviews to tell the stories using the words of men (and, occasionally, women) who were there. It is this that really takes the reader into the midst of the action and of its very rel human toll, with final letters home, recounts of key events, amazing stories of survival and equally moving tales of those who did not survive.

At over 700 pages in length, including notes and acknowledgements, this weighty offering is a must for lovers of military history and inspiring for any reader.

An Excerpt From a Letter
The weather is getting very hot here now and between the flies in the daytime and mosquitoes and several other insect pests at night a fellow gets a fairly lively tmie of it. I thinka ll the plagues of pharoah’s time are still here. We killed a couple of snakes just outside out tent a couple of nights ago and talk about dogs, there are thousands of the mongrels here of every size and colour. It is quite a common thing to wake up in the night with a great big mongrel dog sniffing in a fellow’s ear, but there are not so many lately as they make good targets to practise on. Frank Willis, 1916

Desert Boys: Australians at War from Beersheba to Tobruk and El Alamein, by Peter Rees
Allen & Unwin, 2011
ISBN 978174114292

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

A Bus Called Heaven, by Bob Graham

a warm hearted, whimsical tale about community, and friendship, and the magic which can bring otherwise isolated or just different people together. The people who come to be part of Stella’s bus community are different ages, from different cultures and with different interests.

The bus brought change to Stella’s street.
Traffic slowed where no traffic slowed before.
People stopped and talked together – just a little, but they talked.
Stella changed too.

One morning a bus – curiously named ‘Heaven’ – is mysteriously abandoned right outside Stella’s house, bringing with it change. people gather to look and to marvel. But it is Stella who see the bus’s true potential, and has it moved into her driveway. There it continues to attract people. Kids come to play in and around it, adults clean it up, street artists paint it, and birds nest in the engine. There is music and laughter and community – until a tow truck comes to take the bus away. It is once again up to Stella to find a solution to keep the bus where it is needed.

A Bus Called Heavenis a warm hearted, whimsical tale about community, and friendship, and the magic which can bring otherwise isolated or just different people together. The people who come to be part of Stella’s bus community are different ages, from different cultures and with different interests. They use the bus for different purposes – to read, to play, to create art, even to show slides, bu they are united in the knowledge that the bus is ‘theirs’. For Stella, who is almost ghost-like in her quietness, and indeed is rendered visually as almost transparent, the arrival of the mysterious bus sparks a transformation. It is she who sees the potential of the bus, she who leads its transformation, and she who fights to keep the bus when it is taken away to the scrapyard.

This is a triumphant book, with a touching story and wonderful art in which Graham creates so many diverse characters, and deftly shows the contrast between the warmth surrounding Heaven and the busy, dreary city scape.

It sounds corny, but this is a heavenly book.

A Bus Called Heaven, by Bob Graham
Walker Books, 2011
ISBN 9781406334197

This book can be purchased in good bookstores, or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.