Tag: walker books

The Love Oracles: Nymph, by Tonya Alexandra

Prometheus’s mouth stretch into a long frown. “I do not seek your permission, niece. I promised your father I would watch over you in his absence and I’m afraid I haven’t done a good job of it so far. It is both my formal duty and my personal desire to see to this matter.” His eyes were soft. “If, that is, you trust me enough to represent you…”
“Uncle, of course!” Merope cried. “I only worry Zeus will punish you as a result.”
“Zeus we can manage, love,” Prometheus replied. “I can’t promise the same with Orion though. That half-god is unpredictable.” He took her by the shoulders. “I’m afraid, Merope, you’ve made yourself a very dangerous foe.”

As a nymph, it is unthought of that Merope would reject an approach from Orion, but that is exactly what she has done, though she knows there will be consequences. Banished to earth under the guardianship of her uncle, Prometheus, Merope must learn to live amongst humans. This is hard – humans have funny ways – but she must try to fit in. When she meets Lukas, a human teen, she starts to feel like she’s never felt before. But love between a goddess and a mortal is forbidden, and Merope soon realises she has attracted the wrath of the gods.

Nymph is an intriguing young adult read, set chiefly on an idyllic Greek island, as well as within the heavens. Drawing on Greek mythology, blended with contemporary romance, the story will intrigue those with an interest in mythology, or serve to entice the reader to learn more.

The first in The Love Oracles series, Nymph is suitable for teen readers as well as adults.

 

Nymph (Love Oracles)

Nymph, by Tonya Alexandra
Walker Books, 2014
ISBN 9781922077240

Available from good bookstores and online.

Midnight: The Story of a Light Horse, by Mark Greenwood & Frane Lessac

…in the winter of 1914,
the drums of a distant war are beating.
Guy and Midnight heed the nation’s call.
The wind blows in Midnight’s mane.
And they ride to join the Light Horse.

Guy Haydon has loved his horse, Midnight, since she was born on the family farm. Now he and Midnight are joining up – heading off to fight together in a war on the other side of the world. Together they travel to Cairo and, in spite of being separated when Guy is sent alone to Gallipoli, they later ride together on one of the last great cavalry charges in history, the ride on Beersheba in August 1917.

Midnight: The Story of a Light Horse is a stunning new picture book from one of Australia’s leading creative pairings in the form. The text is a wonderful blend of poetic, emotive prose and historical basis, and the illustrations capture the colours of the desert and bush settings and the starkness of he war scenes with a deceptive simplicity.

Back of book notes give context to the true story on which the book is based, including details of the charge on Beersheba.

With ANZAC Day approaching, Midnight: The Story of a Light Horse is ideal for school use as well as private reading.

 

Midnight: The Story of a Light Horse, by Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac
Walker Books, 2014
ISBN 9781921977718

Available from good bookstores and online.

Baby Beats, by Karen Blair

Let’s play music,
make a beat.
Clap your hands
and stamp your feet.

Beautiful babies scamper through the pages of this delightful offering, making music with their hands, feet and voices as well as with musical instruments. They are surprised when they realise their cat can join in, too. They spend the day sharing their music before sleeping soundly and happily.

Baby Beats is a joyful celebration of music, friendship and babies. The toddler characters sing and play together, revelling in the music and each other’s company. The mix of ethnic appearance and gender is a really pleasing aspect of the illustrations, and the simple, rhyming text, makes this a lovely read aloud title for young children.

A companion title to Baby Animal Farm, Baby Beats is gorgeous.

 

Baby Beats, by Karen Blair
Walker Books, 2014
ISBN 9781922179074

Available from good bookstores or online.

Ghostheart by Ananda Braxton-Smith

It was like this.

I saw it break cover from Spindlestone Stack and stop in the milky sea, washed in light, like one of the chapel wall saints, with its silverthread hair flying in glories. Then it waded ashore.

Watchful.

And just for a moment I thought it was her – Dodi Caillet – come back. That she’d found her way home. I thought it was all the years of my missing her that was making her shine like that. All the years of my wanting her, lighting up the morning. And I took a step toward her. I thought it would be me and Dodi, together again.

Like nothing ever happened.

But it wasn’t.

It was like this.

I saw it break cover from Spindlestone Stack and stop in the milky sea, washed in light, like one of the chapel wall saints, with its silverthread hair flying in glories. Then it waded ashore.

Watchful.

And just for a moment I thought it was her – Dodi Caillet – come back. That she’d found her way home. I thought it was all the years of my missing her that was making her shine like that. All the years of my wanting her, lighting up the morning. And I took a step toward her. I thought it would be me and Dodi, together again.

Like nothing ever happened.

But it wasn’t.

Mally lives on the Isle of Man, in a time when people stay close to their own and much is unexplained. Anything and anyone from otherwhere provokes suspicion and mistrust. Mally comes from a big family but she feels very different, like she doesn’t quite fit. Her brothers and sisters are brave and carefree, but she is frightened by the secrets in her world. The sea is big and terrifying and anywhere beyond her immediate home environment is even more so. Mally spends a lot of time alone evading the things that frighten her. She escapes into the caves by the sea, taking her pig Lovely with her. Only in there, with her only friend, does she feel safe. And now even that is feeling wrong. Dolyn Craig starts to follow her, saying out loud all the things that she is, and that she isn’t. She has seen spirits from the past. Mally is set spinning by the myriad frights.

Ghostheart is the third in the ‘Secrets of Carrick’ series from Ananda Braxton-Smith, although each of the three stories stand alone. There are characters in common and the landscape is the same. It’s a subsistence survival for all the islanders and they cling strongly to their land and their traditions. And their language. Like the other two novels, Ghostheartresonates with language both poetic and accessible, words and phrases that will have readers entranced: ‘…I felt myself to be some tiny fleck of foam hurled at the sky; a sanderling on the edge of the sea. A limpet unstuck. A holdfast, free-swimming.’ There are themes of belonging, guilt and responsibility. Ghostheart starts gently, enticing the reader on as an overture does, teasing the audience on as the pace and tension builds. A rewarding read for mature upper-primary and early secondary readers.

 

Ghostheart, Ananda Braxton-Smith Black Dog Books 2013 ISBN: 9781742032184

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

In The Wings, by Elsbeth Edgar

Ella dropped her bag and stared at the poster pinned to the noticeboard. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Titania. Oberon. Puck. Ella saw a cloud of fairies. A moonlit forest. Filmy dresses with butterfly wings. She sighed. Would she have the courage to audition? Probably not. Her heart pounded at the very thought of it.
Ella dreams of being an actor, but when auditions for the school play are advertised, she knows she won’t try out.. It’s impossible to be on stage when you suffer stage fright. Instead, she’ll be part of the stage crew, like she was last year. Still, she wishes it could be different.
When the grandfather she’s never met comes back from England and moves in, things start to change. Grandpa is a retired actor, and is keen to encourage Lucy to follow her dreams. Lucy assures him that she doesn’t want to act, but Grandpa seems to see through her. Grandpa is the only change in Lucy’s life. Her best friend Gina seems no longer interested in the same things and there’s a new boy at school who seems conceited, but still seems to be everywhere Ella goes.
In the Wings is a moving story of self-discovery, friendship and family. There are several issues explored, but the issues don’t overshadow the story, which will appeal to tween readers.

In the Wings, by Elsbeth Edgar
Walker Books, 2013
ISBN 9781922077325

Available from good bookstores or online .

Brodie by Joy Cowley ill Chris Mousdale

We all knew that Brodie was sick,

But we thought he’d get better.

Maybe it was because he talked a

lot about being a chopper pilot.

When the rest of the class had

sport, Brodie sat inside, drawing

pictures of planes and helicopters.

We all knew that Brodie was sick,

But we thought he’d get better.

Maybe it was because he talked a

lot about being a chopper pilot.

When the rest of the class had

sport, Brodie sat inside, drawing

pictures of planes and helicopters.

A child narrator tells the story of his class, his teacher and his friend Brodie, who has been sick for a while. Just how long is not clear, but it’s an accepted part of school life that Brodie has to go to hospital sometimes. Even when he’s at school, he doesn’t play sport with them, instead staying indoors and drawing. His illness does not define him, but his ability to draw and his love of flying does. One day he’s going to be a chopper pilot. But Brodie doesn’t get better, he dies. The class, with the guidance of their teacher, Mrs Patawai, have supported Brodie during his illness by treating him as one of them. They have expected that he will get better, even when he’s suggested the contrary. Now they channel their sadness into supporting his family. Illustrations are rich and painterly, have a collage feel to them, and tell their own story about where Brodie has gone.

Brodie is beautifully written, sensitively and imaginatively illustrated. It introduces the concept of death and rather than shy away from it, allows children to face it; to ask the myriad questions it presents. The question of what happens after death is answered in many ways and allows readers to bring their own beliefs, or those of their family or community, without closing the door to beliefs of others. It acknowledges the sadness of loss, and the opportunity to acknowledge the sadness of others because of shared love. Illustrations use a limited pallet of blues and golds and browns, calling to mind sky, earth and sunshine. Brodie was first released in NZ in 2001, and re-released in 2013. It well deserves another outing. Recommended for primary readers and classrooms.

Brodie, Joy Cowley ill Chris Mousdale Walker Books 2013 ISBN: 9781922077752

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores and online.

That Boy, Jack, by Janeen Brian

“…Captain Trelwaney will take you on as well. We can both start work on the picky-table. And we can both earn money.”
I stood frozen, eyes wide.
“I knew you’d be pleased,” said Gilbert. “I have to go now. See you later.”
He didn’t say when and I didn’t ask.

Jack and Gilbert have been best friends for years, and have made a pact that when they’re older they’ll work together in the copper mines, just like their fathers do. But Jack doesn’t know how to tell Gilbert that the thought of working underground terrifies him. On top of that, he loves school and learning, and his mother is keen for him to succeed there. So, when Gilbert is suddenly responsible for the family income, and leaves school to start work, Jack is torn: should he keep the promise he made to his friend, or should he follow the path his heart is keen to take?

That Boy, Jack is a story of friendship and courage, set in and around the South Australian township of Moonta in the 1870s. Depicting aspects of Australian history which may be unfamiliar to young readers, the story will appeal both to young history buffs and to any reader who simply likes a story of adventure. Jack must work hard at home, as well as at school and paid employment, and young readers may be surprised at just how much was expected of a twelve year old boy in the time period. As well as friendship and courage, the story also explores issues including education, family, health and even left-handedness.

Brian weaves a story which allows the reader to experience both this history and the personal journey in an intimate, exciting way.

That Boy, Jack

That Boy, Jack, by Janeen Brian
Walker Books, 2013
ISBN 9781922179005

Available from good bookstores and online.

Princess Betony and the Thunder Egg by Pamela Freeman, ill Tamsin Ainslie

Princess Betony looked nervously behind her. She wished Lady Pineal would stop hovering so close.

‘Now, Your Highness,’ Lady Pineal said, in that tone of voice which meant she didn’t believe Betony could do anything right. ‘If you please: toe pointed …’

Betony pointed her right toe. Then she swept her foot around behind her, as far as she could –

‘Ow!’ Lady Pineal said, and started hopping on one foot, rubbing the leg that Betony had accidentally kicked.

Princess Betony looked nervously behind her. She wished Lady Pineal would stop hovering so close.

‘Now, Your Highness,’ Lady Pineal said, in that tone of voice which meant she didn’t believe Betony could do anything right. ‘If you please: toe pointed …’

Betony pointed her right toe. Then she swept her foot around behind her, as far as she could –

‘Ow!’ Lady Pineal said, and started hopping on one foot, rubbing the leg that Betony had accidentally kicked.

Princess Betony is back in a second fantastical adventure in Floramonde. This time she is to collect the thunder egg, a gift from the Wild Magic. She is apprehensive, but it will mean a break from the tedious curtsey practice with the relentless Lady Pineal. And it seems that it is a task that only she can fulfil and she must do it alone. Opinions are varied: ‘too dangerous’; ‘impossible’; ‘too tricky’. Only her mother, Queen Salixia understands what an honour it is that Betony has been asked, and only Salixia realises the consequences if Betony doesn’t go. Betony makes her own decision to go, excited and apprehensive in equal measures. What follows is a magical adventure through the Dark Forest and into Teapot Mountain. Black and white illustrations appear on each opening.

Princess Betony and the Thunder Egg is a beautiful almost pocket-sized hardback book, complete with dust jacket and place-marker ribbon. The cover and endpapers are covered in snowflake or ice crystal shapes. Betony is more comfortable making decisions outside in the ‘real’ world than she seems to be with the formalities required of a princess in a palace. Her clumsiness vanishes as she sets out on her quest to bring home the thunder egg. Her parents support her quest, her mother with less anxiety than her father – perhaps trusting her to be open to the world around her and therefore in less danger. Wrapped in this fairy tale are many reassuring messages about becoming independent even when it might be a bit scary. It also recognises that success and bravery are more likely when others believe in you. But mostly, this is a lovely and thoughtful adventure for quiet and resourceful princesses who don’t mind getting their frocks dirty. Recommended for early primary and younger children as a read-to.

Princess Betony and the Thunder Egg

Princess Betony and the Thunder Egg, Pamela Freeman ill Tamsin Ainslie
2013 Walker Books
ISBN: 9781921720246

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Available from good bookstores or online.

Definitely No Ducks, by Meg McKinlay

Everyone crowded in behind Abby, craning to see.
“Oh dear,” said Melvino.
“Our glacier!” said Lianna.
“Our whale!” said Sam.
“Quack!” said Max.

Max is back. He charmed readers in Duck for a Day, and now this wonderful little duck, and his human friends Abby and Noah (and their classmates) are back in a new adventure. If you haven’t yet met Max, what you should know is that he is a special duck – because he’s the class duck. He waddles around the classroom, curling up on the feet of the children and brightening their lives. He’s especially made a difference to Noah, helping him build in confidence and bringing Noah and Abby together as friends. Now, though, Max is in trouble. Someone – or something – has destroyed the class Antarctica display, and the principal says he will have to go. Abby and Noah are determined to prove that Max is not the culprit. If they don’t they’ll lose him.

Definitely No Ducks! is as compassionately quirky as its predecessor.  The concept of a class duck, and a teacher with a touch of Mary Poppins magic about her, is one which will amuse young readers, but the messages about honesty and acceptance and friendship, are important ones, and ones which McKinlay handles deftly.

This is a delightful little offering which will appeal to readers ages six and up,  and would be perfect for sharing in a classroom setting – though it may lead to pressure for a new classroom pet!

Definitely No Ducks!

Definitely No Ducks!, by Meg McKinlay & Leila Rudge
Walker Books, 2013
ISBN 9781921977855

Available from good bookstores or online.

Portraits of Celina, by Sue Whiting

“What happened to her? I dare to ask. “Really?”
Mu eyes the floor as if the answer is contained in the grains and knots of the floorboards. “No one knows for sure,” she says after a while. “Set off to school one day and was never seen again.” She pushes herself clumsily to her feet, the memory of it seeming to weigh her down. “It’s ancient history, Bails…”

A few months ago, Bayley’s father died suddenly. Now, her mother has moved the shattered family to the country, to live in the house where Celina O’Malley grew up. Moving here is supposed to heal them, but Bayley feels the presence of Celina, her mother’s cousin, who disappeared forty years ago. Bayley is sleeping in Celina’s old room, is the same age Celina was when she disappeared and, she discovers, looks just like Celina. But that’s not the strangest thing. Bayley has memories of things she couldn’t possibly remember – because they happened forty years ago. Celina seems to want Bayley’s help – but giving that help could risk Bayley’s life.

Portraits of Celina is a spooky tale of revenge, love and family. Even without the ghost haunting her, Bayley has a lot to deal with – the loss of her much loved father, a sister who’s off the rails, a barely coping mother, a little brother who won’t change out of his Batman costume, and a boy who calls her Crazyeyes and seems to like her. Mostly she balances all of this, but as the story progresses she finds support not only from within but from those around her.

Whiting balances the supernatural, ghost elements with a story which deals with very real issues of grief, teen rebellion and family, offering a read which teens will love.

Portraits of Celina

Portraits of Celina, by Sue Whiting
Walker Books, 2013
ISBN 9781922077479

Available from good bookstores or online.