Angus & Robertson – Page 3

The Joke's on Selby, by Duncan Ball

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

Not realizing what I was starting, I first gave my grandson a Selby book a year or so ago. He loved it so much he has since gone on to read and re-read several others. In fact I suspect he’s angling to end up with the whole Selby collection – all 19 of them.

Duncan Ball has a sense of humour that reaches out to children. His wordplay is very clever. They are a good, fun read. The Joke’s on Selby is no exception. It features Garry Gaggs the comedian who is back in Bogusville, where Selby and the Trifles live, to do his comedy act. What’s more, he’s staying at the Trifle’s house, which presents Selby with a problem. He knows he dare not laugh at Garry’s jokes which are so awful, they’re funny. Do that and his secret would be out. Selby decides he has no choice but to make a run for it.

When the librarian is threatening to blow up the school, Selby finds a creative and fun way to calm her down.

Garry has a list of heckler busters that usually work but suddenly he strikes a heckler who is not so easily put off. Garry dubs him the phantom heckler and threatens to quit being a comedian. Once again Selby comes to the rescue and uncovers the culprit. When he finds out who is responsible, Garry is extremely surprised and has to take drastic steps.

This collection of stories is as funny as the other Selby books. Kids will love it. It’s no wonder the Selby books were awarded the Kroc (Kids Reading Oz Choice) Series Award winner.

The Joke’s on Selby ,By Duncan Ball
ISBN: 9780732288624
Published by Angus&Robertson
An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Australia
RRP $12.95

Emily and the BIG BAD Bunyip, by Jackie French & Bruce Whatley

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

The award winning and highly successful team of Jackie French and Bruce Whatley have a new picture book, sure to delight children and the parents and teachers who read to them.

What do you do with a bunyip who doesn’t like Christmas? You try and make him smile, of course, and find something to like about the Festive Season. The text is simple and undeniably Australian. It bounces along as easily as the kangaroos in Shaggy Gully do. I loved the illustrations, particularly the prickly echidnas and the peckish emus.

There’s just enough repetition to please children and readers as well with the koalas ‘eating gum leaves – because that’s what koalas do best.’ And you’ll fall in love with the possums and bats ‘hanging about.’

Several aspects, particularly the Shaggy Gully chorus pages, were reminiscent to me of Pamela Allen’s Bertie and the Bear, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Children will love adults who can read these pages with expression.

The text and illustration that introduces us to the bunyip is a delight. What to do with a bunyip who doesn’t like Christmas or Christmas presents raises a problem. The solution is clever and unexpected. Children will love it! If you buy one picture book this Christmas make it this one. Or buy it not for Christmas but for no other reason than it’s a great fun book. Destined to be a classic.

Emily and the BIG BAD Bunyip, Written by Jackie French, Illustrated by Bruce Whatley
Angus&Roberston An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2008 $24.95

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

Horse Mad Western, by Kathy Helidoniotis

‘It’s on again, people!’ Gary Cho stood on his dusty blue milk crate and beamed at the members of the Shady Creek Riding Club. Gary is the most awesome Riding Club instructor anywhere in the world. ‘The fourteenth annual Pinebark Ridge Western Riding Club Show is on in eight weeks.’
‘Cool!’ I murmured, rubbing my fingers in my gorgeous chestnut mare’s soft copper-coloured mane. I’d never done any Western riding. But I never let details like that stop me. Once I knew there was a show on I wanted in.

Ash, as the title suggests, is mad about horses and riding. In this fifth instalment of the ‘Horse Mad’ series, Ash is learning about ‘Western’ riding. Even for someone who eats, sleeps and breathes horses and riding, there is a lot to learn. And there’s only eight short weeks to learn it before the competition. Ash may be horse mad, but there are plenty of other things going on in her life. Her parents are opening a bed & breakfast business, her best friend’s father has a secret, her employer’s English granddaughters are in town, and Jenna, her moved-to-Italy best friend is not answering emails. As the Western riding competition and her 12th birthday approach, Ash also has to worry about whether she’ll be offered a chance to go to Linley Heights ‘horsey’ boarding school or whether she should stay at home and go to the local high school with her friends.

Horse Mad Western may be No 5 in a series but it also stands alone quite comfortably. There are references to other adventures, but it is not necessary to have read previous offerings to enjoy this one. Horse-lovers will enjoy the detail of different riding experiences, but there’s plenty of action for the general reader. Ash, the main character, is at the end of primary school and much in her life is changing. She’s duelling with her parents, her friends are changing, as are her foes. She’s on the brink of adolescence, swinging between impulse and responsibility. Her determination and devotion to friends and to riding help her find a way through the most testing of times. Recommended for 9-12 yo, particularly horse-lovers.

Horse Mad Western, by Kathy Helidoniotis
Angus & Robertson 2008
ISBN: 9780732284244

Eyespy Emily Eyefinger, by Duncan Ball

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

My grandson is a huge fan of Duncan Ball’s Selby books, and is collecting them at a great rate. I have to say I have enjoyed those of the Selby books I have read too so I was interested to read this Emily Eyefinger book. Eyespy Emily Eyefinger is a compilation of 4 books which were previously published as books 5-8 in the Emily Eyefinger series.

Emily Eyefinger has an advantage over many of us. She has an extra eye, on the end of her finger. She discovers, and readers will too, that it can become very handy for solving problems.

Duncan Ball displays the same quirky humour in this book as in the Selby books. In the first story Emily introduces the reader to the ‘Mouse Code’ she and her friend Malcolm have devised. By cracking the mouse code, she learns her friend and his father, Professor Mousefinder, are in trouble. She convinces the soldiers to take her along on their rescue mission. Crawling through the jungle she finds her eyefinger comes in very handy.

Emily is a daring, enthusiastic, likeable and inventive main character who helps solve problems for those she cares about. A kind hearted girl, Emily helps her friend Janey who is in danger of losing the part she covets in a movie and helps her teacher, Ms Plump with the opera she is in. Emily manages to always be in the right place to help her friends or just when trouble is around.

For me it lacked a little of the charm and fun of the Selby books, though I’m sure avid Emily Eyefinger fans might not agree. And maybe I’m just a sucker for dog stories. However, I’m sure children will relate to Emily and enjoy her adventures. Readers from around 7 and upwards will enjoy this book and it would be a good introduction for anyone who has not met Emily Eyefinger before.

The end of the book contains an interesting anecdote from Duncan Ball which explains how Emily Eyefinger came to be.

Eyespy Emily Eyefinger, by Duncan Ball , Illustrated by Craig Smith
Angus&Roberston an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
ISBN 13:978 0 7322 8637 8

Game as Ned, by Tim Pegler

I see my country below. Wonder if it will protect me like the hills looked after Kelly. Then the hail cracks one of the windowpanes beside me. Blind panic. Hands leap about my body. Feel to see if I’ve been shot.

Erin and Ned are an unlikely pairing. Erin is fiery and always talking. Ned never talks. Ever. He has been silent all his life, trapped inside his head. But somehow, the two become friends, with Erin doing all the talking and Ned listening and absorbing.

But not everyone likes them. Ned is the target of the town bully, who thinks it is fun to pick on someone who can’t answer back. Erin also attracts trouble, and when she sees Ned being picked on, she has to stand up for him, even if it draws attention to herself. Soon, both are in trouble, and Ned is on the run, trying to be as brave as the bushrangers he has long been fascinated with.

Game as Ned is an absorbing young adult read, told from the dual perspectives of the two protagonists, with the first section told by Ned, the second by Erin, and the third in alternating chapters by each of them. Ned, as his narrative shows, is an intelligent boy who sees and feels more than many people expect. Only Erin, their boss Mick and Ned’s grandfather see beyond the silence, with Ned unable to speak or to stand up for himself. Erin seems opposite, with her talkative nature sometimes being her downfall, but as we get to know her we see that her noise is almost a form of silence, masking what lies within.

Readers aged 12 and over will be drawn into the story, carried from chapter to chapter by events and by the well-drawn characters.

Superb reading.

Game as Ned, by Tim Pegler
Angus & Robertson, 2007

Available from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Selby Santa, by Duncan Ball

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

Selby is back in another series of crazy adventures centred on Christmas, as Selby sets out to prove the existence of Santa Claus. In this book, the fifteenth in the Selby series, Selby again gets himself in and back out of a number of scrapes and awkward situations, especially when he tries to stand in for Santa in a flying sleigh invented by Dr Trifle. During his escapades Selby meets some interesting characters, one of whom is inspired after meeting Selby to write a series about Blake Romano and his secret agent dog.

I particularly liked the story of Selby making Christmas ‘pressies’ for the Trifles and the way even when Selby gets things wrong, it somehow works out right. Selby’s insights into people are priceless, like Aunt Jetty who he describes as having, ‘the feelings of a flea.’

The quirky situations, word play and humour make these stories a joy to read. The collection includes a play and a couple of Selby’s poems. This is a book children will pick up and chuckle over time and time again. I know my grandson will. He started with his father reading him ‘Selby Shattered.’ In the end he couldn’t wait for Dad to get around to reading the next chapter, so started reading it himself. Though at least a couple of years under the age group these books are intended for, he was so captivated by this talking dog and his antics that he has read several Selby books since. They are his favourite chapter books.

I can’t wait see his face when he receives Selby Santa at Christmas. I’m sure he’ll be delighted with this new addition, which includes some of the usual characters like Selby’s owners, Dr and Mrs Trifle and Garry Gaggs as well as the usual inclusion of Paw notes that refer readers to stories from other Selby books. Selby Santa also includes 15 Christmas stickers. The book is sure to be a hit with kids of all ages.

Selby Santa by Duncan Ball
Published by Angus&Robertson – an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, Australia
Paperback 175 pages
RRP $12.99
Published November 2007
ISBN 9780732286798
suitable for ages 7 and up

The Shadow Thief, by Alexandra Adornetto

Ernest’s nostrils flared to the size of bottle caps with indignation. He marched over to the spot where the creature had been seen and started searching. Milli watched him with curiosity. After a moment Ernest let out a gasp. He had found a small burrow at the base of the stone wall, hidden by the creeper. Fortunately, it was just large enough for two small, inquisitive children to wriggle through.

Millipop Klompet lives in the boringly uneventful town of Drabville, but she longs for adventure. Her friend Ernest Perriclof is less sure of the need for adventure, but his friendship with Milli leaves him little choice. When Milli takes him on an adventure to explore the house that lies beyond the town park, neither anticipates just how big an adventure will follow. Soon, the pair find themselves unwilling residents of the house, owned by the fearsome Lord Aldor, who has stolen the shadows of all of Drabville’s residents. Milli and Ernest decide that it is up to them to free the shadows and restore Drabville to normal.

The Shadow Thief is a humorous fantasy, with twists and turns and a wonderful cast of characters. From the opening page, where the narrator declares that the reader will need to come up with the opening sentence for him/her self, the reader is taken on an adventure filled with surprises.

The first in the Strangest Adventures series, The Shadow Thief will appeal to 10 to 14 year old readers.

The Shadow Thief, by Alexandra Adornetto
Angus & Robertson, 2007.

Launched, by J. A. Mawter

Five riders stood astride their bikes. The late afternoon sun bounced off helmets and handle bars and bells and reflectors, giving the group an eerie luminescent glow. They were an odd assortment of kids, drawn together by their love of riding, especially stunt riding.

In this, the second instalment in the Freewheelers series, the Freewheelers decide to enter a local bike trials competition. They’ll need to do some serious practice to get ready, but when they find the ideal training ground they soon find that they have unwelcome company.

There are strange things happening. There is graffiti appearing in their favourite places – and it’s not just any graffiti. Bryce, one of the Freewheelers, used to be in a graffiti gang, and his tag is being used. The other Freewheelers are worried that Bryce has gone back to his old ways. Then, when Tong’s bike is stolen, Bryce again falls under suspicion. Can Bryce remain a freewheeler? And what can he do to clear his name?

Although part of a series, this offering stands alone, too, so that readers new to the series are not disadvantaged. With a mix of boy and girl characters, from different racial and family backgrounds, this is a series designed to appeal to readers of both sexes. There is plenty of bike action, a mystery to be solved, and issues including loyalty, graffiti and homeless kids.

Likely to be lapped up by readers aged 10 to 12.

Freewheelers: Launched, by J.A. Mawter
Angus & Robertson, an imprint of Harper Collins, 2007

The Star Locket, by Natalie Jane Prior

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

The story revolves around one star-shaped locket split into two halves in an attempt to foil the plans of the evil Casimirites. Two identical girls each have a half of the locket. But only one of the girls is real. The other has been created by magic. But which one?

The two girls were separated and raised in different parts of the worlds, but then Sally Taverner comes to Starberg where she sees Estee Merton. It is like looking into a mirror. But how can this be?

Each of the girls is left with same question : Who is this stranger who looks like her?

When Estee and Sally finally meet, they discover the truth about themselves.

‘She is you and you are her….You are the one person who has been magically split in two,’ Anna von Homrigh, leader of the group who opposes Richard Greitz and his occult arts, tells them.

From Anna the girls learn that if the halves of the star shaped locket are joined back together, one of them will cease to exist. But no-one knows which one.

This novel is filled with action, mystery and raises a lot of questions about good and evil, what makes a person human, choices, and how one person’s choice can have far reaching consequences.

‘There is always a choice’ Anna says.

In the end, Estee and Sally make a choice. A choice that will not please everyone, especially Stephen Melhuish, nephew of the British Prime Minister.

Although this is a companion novel to Fireworks and Darkness, readers do not have to have read the first book to appreciate the second.

This is an inventive and thought-provoking fantasy that will appeal to readers aged 11-14.

The Star Locket by Natalie Jane Prior Angus &Robertson, An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2006

Paperback $15.99

Living Next to Lulah, by Nette Hilton

Reviewed by Dale Harcombe

As the seventh born of the seventh born, Ari Greimshaw believes she has the gift of second sight- a gift she doesn’t want. When her friend’s annoying little brother Colin Bucket, better known as Fungus, dies Ari blames herself. In a few short sentences on the first page, the reader is drawn in to the situation Ari finds herself in.

From there, the story switches between the present and the past with the past being written in italics so readers are clear about what is happening and when.

If it’s not bad enough that she blames herself for Colin’s death, Ari finds the relationship between Lulah, who has been her next door neighbour and best friend for almost as long as she can remember, deteriorating day by day.

This novel gives a good picture of what can happen when misunderstandings, jealousy, and boyfriends enter the picture. Girls in particular, will relate to this story about growing up and the way ideas and even close friendships change over time especially as suspicions grow.

Nette Hilton has been teaching and writing for many years, and it shows in the way she uses language eg the ‘black car that must have arrived on cushioned wheels’ or the sky ‘dark and tight with promise.’ She is also expert at withholding information till the appropriate time in the story. The result is a tale of suspense and secrets that will keep the reader turning the pages to find out what happens.

Living Next to Lulah, by Nette Hilton
Angus&Robertson an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2006
RRP $16.99AUD