fremantle press – Page 11

Babies Bite, by Geoff Havel

Fact – Scales upset pregnant women.
Actually, I’ve noticed the exact same thing happens even when she’s not pregnant. I remember writing it down the first few times she freaked out, but after that I lost interest and noted down a more accurate fact.
Fact – scales always upset wome.
I don’t know why Dad didn’t just hide the scales. I guess he was too busy worrying about the next crisis.

In The Real facts of Life Max was able to figure out the mystery surrounding his parents. Now, in Babies Bite he meets the answer to that mystery – his baby brother, Fred. But having a baby brother could be bad news. All Fred does is cry, drink and poo. What’s worse, he has taken over Max’s bedroom.

Babies Bite is a funny look at sibling rivalry, families and, of course, the facts of life. Kids (and adults, too) will love the facts scattered throughout the book as Max makes his own brand of observations about the world around him.

Author Geoff Havel seems to know just what will make kids laugh. The wonderful thing is that as they laugh at Max, they are probably also laughing at themselves – Max’s worries and observations are incredibly normal, but couched in humour that allows young readers to enjoy this normality.

Babies Bite is a hilarious sequel that will also stand up on its own.

Babies Bite, by Geoff Havel
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2004

The Call of the Osprey, by Norman Jorgensen and Brian Harrison-Lever

When the Captain finds the derelict Osprey, he sees beyond the neglect to the fine workmanship beneath, and decides to restore her. At work in the boatshed he is visted by young Thomas Stevenson, who wants to help him in the restoration. When the Captain sees the boy’s dedication and willingness to work, he agrees to let him help.

The restoration is slow and meticulous. First months, then years pass as the pair work to restore the boat to its former glory. At the same time the pair develop a close friendship, and the Captain teaches the boy all he knows about the sea – how to navigate, how to guide a boat and how to live at sea.

Finally the boat is finished. The Captain and Thomas – who is now a young man – launch it, to the cheers of well-wishers. Out on the water the Captian has a surprise for his young friend – he has registered Thomas as the Master of the Osprey. The Captain tells him he has earned the honour, and entrusts the boat to him. His own time is drawing to a close.

The Call of the Osprey is a poignant and beautiful story about dedication, loyalty and firendship. Author Norman Jorgensen is a master storyteller – spinning a tale which touches and educates as it entertains. His pairing with illustrator Brian Harrison-Lever is ideal. Harrison-Lever’s depictions of the characters, the boat and the sea, echo the mood of the story perfectly. From the seascapes on the endpapers to the character studies of his close ups, the tone and detail of his art complements the story.

Jorgensen and Harrison-Lever’s previous picture book In Flanders Field won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year in 2003, the country’s highest honour for a picture book. This new offering is similarly exciting.

The Call of the Osprey, by Norman Jorgensen and Brian Harrison-Lever
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2004

A Fine Mess! by Norman Jorgensen

Michael Hardy is a normal boy, really. Just wants to have fun, snag the girl of his dreams and stay out of trouble. But his chances of staying out of trouble seem pretty remote when he gets together with his mate, Woody Decker. In just a few short weeks the school library catches fire, the principal is knocked unconcious, the school play turns from tragedy into a tragic comedy and a replica catapult puts a brick through a church window and wrecks a wedding.

A Fine Mess is a story which truly lives up to its title – it is superbly chaotic. There is plenty of action and loads of laugh out loud moments.

Norman Jorgensen is best known for his two recent picture books – In Flanders Fields which won the CBCA Picturebook of the Year Award in 2003 and The Call of the Ospery (2004). A Fine Mess is vastly different from these two, but what shows through in all three is Jorgensen’s passion for the written word.

A Fine Mess is a great read, recommended for kids aged 11 and up.

A Fine Mess, by Norman Jorgensen
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2004

No One Owns Me, by Ron Bunney

Joe has an unorthodox life for a girl – she dresses as a boy and travels with her father, a cameleer who runs a carting business. Joe loves the way things are and wouldn’t change them. But change seems to be forced upon her. A chance meeting with a stranger leads Joe to wonder who she really is. It seems the man she calls ‘Dad’ is not her father her all. Many years ago, he found her, a tiny baby, alone in the outback with her dead parents and took her in.

Now Joe must struggle to come to terms with the tale of her past, as well as coming to grips with the new feelings she struggles with when she meets a young boy her own age. There are also changes coming for the camel team she and her father have worked all her life. Now trucks are able to do the work that the camels once do – and they are able to do it faster.

No One Owns Me explores an era of Western Australian history which will be unfamiliar to many young readers – with events taking place in the Goldfields and interior in a time before motorised transport. At the same time, the story explores issues of cultural difference, family and loyalty, with Joe having to deal with the differences between her blood family and the ‘father’ who has raised her, as well as his reasons for keeping her past from her.

With a dearth of historical fiction set in Western Australia, this one is a welcome find.

No One Owns Me, by Ron Bunney
Fremantle Arts Centre, 2004

Tess and the Star Traveller, by Jane McKay

When a Star Traveller named Elkon accidentally sets the wrong coordinates for his hoverfoil he ends up in Tess’s pencil case, in Perth, Western Australia, instead of on the Super Nova in Gemfren. This is not good for Elkon – he’s going to be in lots of trouble – but it is great news for Tess, who likes having something exciting happening to her.

As luck would have it, Elkon is able to put his unscheduled visit to Earth to good use. It seems there is a nasty Triloboid around. Triloboids are nasty creatures that steal people’s wishes, and Elkon wants to hunt this one down and put an end to his mischief. Tess agrees to help him in his quest.

Tess and Elkon finally track the Tiloboid down, but he has a few tricks of his own to try out – and it looks like he may outsmart them. Tess learns that being a superhero is not all fun and games, but at the same time she has the biggest adventure ever.

Tess and the Star Traveller is an illustrated junior novel which, at 45 pages, would make a good early novel for those making the transition from picture books. Youngsters will enjoy the adventure, although they may find the style a little awkward, with the pace at times thwarted by asides filling the reader in on aspects of Triboloids and Space Travellers of which they may be unaware. Despite this, this is a fun read.

Tess and the Star Travellers, by Jane McKay
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2004

Loz & Al, by Julia Lawrinson

Loz (her real name is Laura, but no one calls her that) has a great best friend, Al (Alice) and belongs to a group of future stars – the Teen Queens. Soon she’ll be finished primary school and starting high school. All in all, life is pretty good. Until her Mum decides to leave home and her best friend decides to hate her.

Suddenly Loz’s life is upside down. Nothing is as it should be and she feels powerless to get it back on track.

Loz finds help and answers from the people and places she least expects.

Loz & Al is a rich mix of humour and heartache, of harsh reality and happy endings. Author Julia Lawrinson blends these seeming opposites to perfection, weaving a story that young readers can both believe in and enjoy.

Already an award-winning writer of young adult titles, this is Lawrinson’s first children’s novel (aimed at the 10-12 year old age group). It is sure to be equally as succesful.

Loz & Al, by Julia Lawrinson
Fremantle Arts Centre press, 2004

Rainbow Jackets, by Elaine Forrestal

The bubbles at Jonathon’s house had a problem. With all the day-to-day noise of the household, the bubbles couldn’t hear each other speak. They longed for a quiet place where they could go and chat. When Jonathon and his Mum bought a bubble blower and some bubble mix, the bubbles were in for a lovely surpirse.

Bubbles is just one of the charming tales in Rainbow Jackets by award-winning West Australian author Elaine Forrestal. Others tell the stories of pet flies, cranky umbrellas and crazy kitchens.

Complemented by the cute line-drawings of illustrator Sharon Thompson, Rainbow Jackets will delight children aged 5 to 8 and would be an excellent book for classroom sharing.

This is the second book of short stories from the Forrestal/Thompson pairing. A Glassful of Giggles was launched at the 2002 CBCA National Conference in Perth.

Both collections are full of whimsical delights.

Rainbow Jackets, by Elaine Forrestal
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2003

Return Ticket, by Warren Flynn

Sam, Shannon and Zak aren’t overly fond of history, but when a train trip as part of history camp goes strangely wrong, they find themselves having to live it.

Finding themselves in 1899, the three have to learn to adapt to life without cars, television, or even Coke. They need to find food, shelter and jobs to stay alive until they can figure out a way to get back to their own time.

Return Ticket is a time travel adventure which will appeal to young adult readers. Set in pre-Federation Australia, it also offers insight into the life, social structure and even politics of the time. The teen characters find themselves involved in the federation debate, caught up in racism and violence, and questioning their own places in both the society they are in and the one to which they belong.

Intriguing reading.

Return Ticket, by Warren Flynn
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2003

Invisible Girl Stories, by Glyn Parry

Having the run of the school at night should be fun, but Kelly isn’t so sure. School isn’t the same as it used to be. There are no students here – only herself, her friend Sally and the head girl. And, late at night another visitor -an angry boy called Jeremy.

Kelly’s story Songs for the Dead is the first in this anthology of ghostly tales by West Australian author Glyn Parry. Other stories feature big brothers who continue to bully the living even after death, midnight rides on ghost trains and flights that seem to be bugged.

These stories, blending the magical and the macabre will appeal to young readers and leave them thinking.

Invisible Girl Stories, by Glyn Parry
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, May 2003

Secrets of the Tingle Forest, by Louise Schofield

On the anniversary of her father’s death, Sharni returns to the place they both loved – the tingle forest. She wants to visit their secret place, to feel her father around her. But Sharni didn’t tell anyone where she was going, and, with night approaching, she is lost. She will have to spend the night in the forest.

Alone in the dark, Sharni discovers another secret that the forest holds, and vows never to tell. SOmetimes, though, promises are hard to keep. What if telling the secret could save someone’s life, or at least give them their life back?

Secrets in the Tingle Forest is a gentle, uplifting children’s story with a delightful blend of adventure and personal growth. Twelve year old Sharni works through her own problems and also reaches out to others. She is helped by a wise and understanding, a similarly canny woman who was her father’s girlfriend, and the mysterious man in the forest.

A lovely offering.

Secrets in the Tingle Forest, by Louise Schofield
Fremantle Aarts Centre Press, 2003