June 2014 – Page 2 – Aussie Reviews

No Stars to Wish On by Zana Fraillon

I was home, asleep in my bed. Amrei shook me awake.

‘Jack! Jack! Wake up!’

She told me to run. I thought she was having a nightmare. I rolled over and went on snoring. I wish I had listened. I wish I had run.

What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot!

What’s a zoo keeper’s favourite vegetable? A zoo-chini!

Why do birds fly south in winter? Because it’s too far to walk!

Ha ha!

Here’s the real joke: I’m not who they think i am.

They’ve brought me here because they think I’m Number 49, but I’m not. I’m not an Orphan or an Unwanted Child. And that’s who this place is for. It says so above the door when you first come in.

I was home, asleep in my bed. Amrei shook me awake.

‘Jack! Jack! Wake up!’

She told me to run. I thought she was having a nightmare. I rolled over and went on snoring. I wish I had listened. I wish I had run.

What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot!

What’s a zoo keeper’s favourite vegetable? A zoo-chini!

Why do birds fly south in winter? Because it’s too far to walk!

Ha ha!

Here’s the real joke: I’m not who they think I am.

Jack is in an orphanage, and he knows it’s all a mistake. He has a big and loving extended family. But the nuns aren’t listening, even though he’s the one who is deaf. He has been separated from his sisters and brother and despite his best efforts he can’t find them. Slowly he realises that it is no mistake and he will have to get himself home. He keeps telling his jokes in an effort to maintain his spirits and those of his fellow ‘orphans’. In a parallel story, his older sister Amrei, who has the gift of sight, is trying to find him and their siblings. She feels guilt that her warnings weren’t clear enough and a responsibility to put things right. If she can. At home, the family pines for the lost children.

The orphanage where Jack is being held is a harsh place, where care of children is a burden carried heavily and churlishly by most of the nuns. There are notable exceptions but their kindnesses put them in danger too. No Stars to Wish on is a magical story of the power of love and hope. Amrei’s gift of sight and Jack’s ability to communicate inspire joyfulness in the midst of cruelty and sadness. It is important that our children learn about the mistakes of the past, to ensure that they are never repeated. Jack’s voice captures the innocence and surety of love while allowing the reader to understand that what is happening to him is wrong. ‘No Stars to Wish On’ reads like a fable, offering truths in magic. Recommended for mid-primary readers.

No Stars to Wish on, Zana Fraillon Allen & Unwin 2014 ISBN: 9781743315149

Have You Seen My Egg? by Penny Olsen ill Rhonda N. Garward

Oh no,

I’ve lost an egg!

Excuse me, Maggie and Matt,

have you seen my egg?

It’s big and green with

a very hard shell.

Oh no,

I’ve lost an egg!

Excuse me, Maggie and Matt,

have you seen my egg?

It’s big and green with

a very hard shell.

Emu has lost an egg and the search is on to find it. Emu asks the magpies, an echidna, a frill-neck lizard as well as beach and ocean-dwellers. Each responds that they’ve not seen the egg and describes their own eggs – larger, smaller, softer, etc. 1/4 size flaps on each page reveal their own babies hatching. Eventually, he finds his own first hatchling. Each opening shows adult animal, egg and hatchling of a different species. Final spreads show paintings and photos from the National Library as well as further information about the featured species. ‘Have You Seen My Egg’ is a sturdy paperback with strong life-flaps and end flaps.

On the face of it, this is a simple text about Australian animals and their eggs/hatchlings. And it works well on this level. But for young readers who like a little more, there is plenty of information and extra pictures (very useful for the parent/teacher sharing this book with children!) ‘Have You Seen My Egg’ is pitched at preschoolers but will also find fans in early schoolers.

Have You Seen My Egg?

Have You Seen My Egg Penny Olsen ill Rhonda N. Garward

NLA Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9789642277886

Edward and the Great Discovery by Rebecca McRitchie ill Celeste Hulme

Edward’s mother is an archaeologist.

Edward’s father is an archaeologist.

Edwards grandmother and grandfather are archaeologists.

And all of them have made very important discoveries.

Edward’s mother is an archaeologist.

Edward’s father is an archaeologist.

Edwards grandmother and grandfather are archaeologists.

And all of them have made very important discoveries.

Edward comes from a long line of important-discovery archaeologists. But no matter how he digs, how he searches, he’s been unsuccessful as an archaeologist. Then one night, Edward discovers an egg. He takes it home and looks after it as well as any egg has ever been looked after. Then it hatches. Some time after that, Edward makes his greatest discovery. Illustrations are a mix of full spread and smaller vignettes. They zoom in to give close up pictures of Edward’s relationship with the hatchling and zoom far out to show the enormity of Edward’s quest to make a Great Discovery.

Edward and the Great Discovery is a lovely story about the important things in life and how often we miss them in searching for external goals. This is a story about friendship. Edward is a solitary child, consumed by the need to match (or exceed) the deeds of his forebears. And while his efforts are a worthwhile activity, he almost misses the opportunity to make a friend, someone to share his joys and challenges. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

Edward and the Great Discovery, Rebecca McRitchie ill Celeste Hulme New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781925059007

Crooked Leg Road by Jennifer Walsh

In the warmth of the late afternoon, in the dark green water that smelled strongly of salt and sea-life, David was swimming. He gave himself up to the hypnotic rhythm: a breath on one side, his ears filled with children shrieking, sudden splashes, urgent cries of birds; then turning his face into the water, where all he could hear was a rhythmic pounding like the sound of his own blood coursing through his body. Again and again, until he realised he’d covered several laps without being aware of it.

He wondered if you could doze off while swimming and swim on in your sleep.

David and his friends Kitty, Andrea and Martin have enjoyed a carefree summer but that’s coming to an end. School brings familiarity for some and changes for others and then there’s the new boy Skender. The hint that something is wrong begins when Andrea surprises some men in the lane behind David’s house. Then a couple of days later, David vanishes. Coincidence or is something more sinister going on? The friends can find no obvious answers and as time passes, their worries escalate. When there is still no clue of David’s whereabouts some time later, they decide to do their own investigating.

Crooked Leg Road is a thrilling mystery from the author of ‘The Tunnels of Tarcoola’ and features the same ensemble cast. Not that it is necessary to have read ‘The Tunnels of Tarcoola’ to enjoy this new novel. The action is set in a suburb by the sea in Sydney but could equally have been set in any seaside town. These are independent, clear-thinking young people navigating their way through school and after-school situations with a believable mix of confidence and reticence. A variety of cultures and family dynamics reflect modern Australian suburbia. There are themes of family, safety and culture wrapped up here in a page-turning mystery. Recommended for upper-primary readers.

Crooked Leg Road by Jennifer Walsh Allen & Unwin 2014 ISBN: 9781743316931

Big and Small by Elizabeth Bennett ill Jane Chapman

On a bright and sunny day, Big and Small go out to play.

Big climbs high.

Small crawls low.

When suddenly Small stubs his toe.

‘A little help, please!’ calls Small.

On a bright and sunny day, Big and Small go out to play.

Big climbs high.

Small crawls low.

When suddenly Small stubs his toe.

‘A little help, please!’ calls Small.

Big and Small are friends who like adventuring together. When Small needs help, he asks Big. The relationship seems clear: Big is he helper when Small needs help. This seems an arrangement both are happy with as they traverse the countryside on their walk. But when they return home and Big is struggling to sleep, it’s Small who provides the requested help. Illustrations are full colour and fill each opening. Text roams around the page like a breeze, gusting and receding in size.

Big and Small is a gentle story about friendship and balance in relationships. Big appears to provide all the help, Small to need it. The final opening offers a different idea, suggesting that the caring and sharing is not all in one direction. The pair depicted may represent friendship, or a parent and a child – drawing them as a bear and a mouse allows multiple interpretations. The end papers feature flying insects that young readers can find in the story. Recommended for pre-schoolers.

Big and Small, Elizabeth Bennet ill Jane Chapman Koala Books 2014 ISBN: 9781742761053

Adorable Alice by Cassandra Webb ill Michaela Blassnig

Alice liked to do something different every day.

On Monday she buttoned her lips.

She didn’t speak at all.

Her mother thought Monday

was a very quiet day.

Alice liked to do something different every day.

On Monday she buttoned her lips.

She didn’t speak at all.

Her mother thought Monday

was a very quiet day.

Alice is very good at finding ways to entertain herself. She experiments first with not making any noise, then the next day at not hearing any noise. The week goes by and she tries to block off different senses with varying degrees of success. A peg on her nose lasts less time than a blindfold. She also decides that tying her arms in a knot is less than helpful. She deduces that Grandma is cutting peaches by concentrating on smell. But it’s with Grandpa she uses most senses. She hears what he is doing, feels his cuddliness and identifies how he smells. This last generates a gift for Grandpa, causing plenty of chuckles. Illustrations are watercolour set in plenty of white paper while the text type suggests an almost handwriting style.

Alice is clearly a loved and loving child, curious and adventurous. Her family support her in testing her senses. Adorable Alice offers an opportunity to build activities for young children around senses. A teddy bear companion accompanies Alice throughout her adventures. There are plenty of other details in the illustrations which offer opportunities for speculation about Alice’s interests. Recommended for pre- and early schoolers.

Adorable Alice

Adorable Alice, Cassandra Webb ill Michaela Blassnig New Frontier Publishing 2014 ISBN: 9781921928017

10 Hopping Bunnies by Ed Allen ill Simon Williams

Ten hopping bunnies with their egg and spoon

Ten hopping bunnies with their egg and spoon.

And if one hopping bunnies drops the egg too soon,

There’ll be nine hopping bunnies with their egg and spoon.

Ten hopping bunnies with their egg and spoon

Ten hopping bunnies with their egg and spoon.

And if one hopping bunnies drops the egg too soon,

There’ll be nine hopping bunnies with their egg and spoon.
10 Hopping Bunnies uses the familiar rhythm and rhyme of ’10 Green Bottles’ and introduces a family of bunnies. One by one, the numbers reduce until there is only one bunny remaining. That bunny flees a storm and takes refuge in a warm burrow, and then joins all the other bunnies in a pillow-fight before bedtime. Numbers are spelt out in each verse of the rhyme, but the illustrations feature the number symbol. Illustrations are comical and feature anthropomorphic bunnies of all sizes, shapes and colours.

10 Hopping Bunnies joins several other counting books from Scholastic which use familiar tunes/rhymes and feature animals. The animals are childlike and complete activities that will be familiar to many children. And there’s always a family/group reunion at the end. Young readers will soon be singing and counting along and become familiar with the number name and symbol. Recommended for pre- and early-schoolers.

10 Hopping Bunnies

10 Hopping Bunnies, Ed Allen ill Simon Williams Scholastic Aust 2014 ISBN: 9781742836362

Wimpy Shrimpy by Matt Buckingham

Down at the bottom of the sea

lived a little shrimp. And this

little shrimp was a bit of a wimp.

Down at the bottom of the sea

lived a little shrimp. And this

little shrimp was a bit of a wimp.

Shrimpy is scared of just about everything. It’s crippling. He’s so scared that something might go wrong that he won’t play with his friends. They suggest a wide variety of games, but Shrimpy is too worried about potential problems to try anything. Eventually his friends give up asking him to play. And that was something Shrimpy hadn’t imagined. But once it happened, the loneliness is worse than any potential consequences games may have been. Once he realises that his playing friends are having fun, and are not experiencing any of the consequences he was scared of, Shrimpy makes a decision. He takes a big breath and joins in with the playing. And it is great fun. Illustrations are full page colour and feature a variety of sea-friends.

Children have individual safety thresholds, and Shrimpy’s is set to uber-high. Despite the invitations of his friends, and their attempts to find something he can join in, he is paralysed by his worries. But worries won’t go away just because someone else suggests they should. A child has to make their own decisions. And Shrimpy, discovering unexpected consequences of his reticence, does just that. He decides to take a chance. Illustrations offer other sea creatures to identify and games to recognise. Recommended for pre-schoolers and early schoolers and any child who is overwhelmed by new experiences.

Wimpy Shrimpy, Matt Buckingham Koala Books 2014 ISBN: 9781742761022

Meet My Book: Let Her Go, by Dawn Barker

It’s a pleasure to welcome Dawn Barker to the blog today, here to introduce us to her new book Let Her Go.

Welcome, Dawn.

1. Give us the details – title, publisher, illustrator, release date.

My second novel is called Let Her Go. It’ll be published by Hachette Australia on 24^th June, 2014

2. Why did you write the book?

I first thought about writing Let Her Go after watching a documentary about a woman with a medical illness who used a surrogate mother to have a child. In the show, her husband was very much in the background, and when the surrogate mother attended the child’s first birthday party, it was clear that she was still very much attached to the child she had carried. There was something in the body language of both women that made me wonder how they both really felt, behind their smiles.

I then heard more and more about the advances in fertility treatment, and read stories in magazines about people buying eggs and embryos overseas, then paying women to carry the children for them. Around the same time, I re-read Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and saw that the world she imagined in a speculative fiction novel – where an underclass of women are used for reproductive purposes – is not that far removed from the one we live in now.

I personally felt conflicted: being a mother myself, I would never deny anyone the right to experience the joy of being a parent, but there are ethical issues to consider. I wanted to write Let Her Go to explore my own feelings about this complex issue.

3. How long from idea to publication?

About two years – though it took about a year from writing the first words on the page until it went to the printers. I didn’t realise before I was published that so much that went on behind the scenes after the author finishes writing the story!

4. What was the hardest thing about writing it?

I have three young children, and work as a psychiatrist, so for me, the hardest thing was finding the time to keep writing! I like to write every day so that the story stays in my head, but of course, being a mum has to take priority. I had to be very strict by setting myself daily word targets and deadlines to make sure that I kept the momentum going.

5. Coolest thing about your book?

The cover! It looks fabulous next to the cover of my first novel, Fractured.

6. Something you learnt through writing the book?

Writing Let Her Go really reminded me that everything we do as parents, or prospective parents, has an effect on our children. As a psychiatrist who works with children and families, I know that a family is a system where each person has an influence on everyone else, but writing this novel and putting myself in the heads of my fictional characters really emphasized to me that babies grow into adults who are influenced by their early lives.

7. What did you do celebrate the release?

I am having a little party to celebrate the launch at the end of June, but I remember my publisher once told me to celebrate every stage – so I raised a glass when I finished the edits, when I saw the cover, and when it went to print!

8. And how will you promote the book?

I’ll be doing some interviews for websites and magazines, lots of library and bookshop talks in Western Australia, and hopefully some writers festivals. I’m also happy to Skype into book clubs around the country if readers would like to discuss their reactions with me.

9. What are you working on next?

I’m just about ready to start my third novel. I’ve had the idea for the topic in my head for a year or two now, and have done all the background reading. Once Let Her Go is released, I’m looking forward to locking myself away and starting to write it!

1o. Where we can find out more about you and your book?

I love to hear from readers. They can connect with me via my website, www.authordawnbarker.com, facebook (www.facebook.com/authordawnbarker) or twitter @drdawnbarker

Thanks for visiting, Dawn.

Let Her Go is out today and available in good bookstores or online.

Almost Dead, by Kaz Delaney

What I learned today:
1. It’s never wise to run in ten-centimetre platforms, no matter how well you think you can handle them.
2. My knowledge of the great outdoors is sadly lacking. Tents, for example, have ropes and things that can trip you up. Very easily.
3. My image of psychics wearing too much cheap jewellery and draped in floaty scarves may be way off but, like, since when did psychics look like surfer gods?

Macey sees dead people. This would be disturbing enough, but when she realises the ghost-boy who’s visiting her isn’t actually dead yet, she has no idea what she’s supposed to do. If she doesn’t figure out how to help Nick she’s going to go crazy.

Soon though, she realises that Nick isn’t her only problem. Her mother has walked out and her dad has come home with a whole other family for her to adapt to. The surfer god who’s masquerading as a psychic keeps popping up in her world. Oh, and maybe, just maybe, somebody is trying to kill her.

Almost Dead is a wonderful mix of so many things: romance, humour, mystery, teenage angst, the supernatural, and more. So many elements could be overwhelming, but instead it is delightful. Macey is an engaging, quirky character who is likeable, strong and, at times, frustratingly independent. What happens t her is pretty scary but it’s also told with humour, in a satisfying mix.

Suitable for teen readers, Almost Dead can be read as a sequel to Dead, Actually, but equally well stands alone.

Almost Dead, by Kaz Delaney
Allen & Unwin, 2014
ISBN 9781743313268

Available from good bookstores and online.

You can see an interview with Kaz Delaney here.