Tag: younger readers

The Red Boxing Gloves, by David Metzenthen

Bicky and Miles can’t stand each other. Although they went to the same primary school, they were never friends. Bicky, according to Miles, thinks he is a legend because he dresses tough and his dad drives a V8 ute. Miles, according to Bicky, is a snob and a wuss because he goes to boarding school and his dad drives a four-wheel drive. It doesn’t help that Miles’ father is Bicky’s father’s boss.

But Bicky and Miles do have something in common. They both like to box at the local youth club. When a sparring session in the ring becomes too heated, Terry, who runs the youth club, offers to umpire them in a real boxing match. He even offers to bring proper red boxing gloves for them both. Both boys wax lyrical about their own strengths and their opponent’s weaknesses. They invent wilder and wilder descriptions of their opponents, trying to ignore their nervousness. On the day of the fight, Bicky and Miles have to wait together in the change room while Terry tries to locate the missing gloves.

The Red Boxing Gloves, by David Metzenthen, from Word Weavers Press, is another Quick Reads title aimed fairly and squarely at boys who’d rather be out kicking a ball, or hitting a punching bag. This is a fast moving story, with more than a touch of humour, told alternately from the point of view of the two main characters. It is sure to capture the target reader.

The Red Boxing Gloves, by David Metzenthen
Word Weavers Press 2002

So Sick! by J.A. Mawter

Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to wear jellyfish undies? Or seaweed undies? Have you ever been so worried about taking off your shoes that you miss the chance to win tickets to the movies? Do you know what Pee Pee Poo tastes like? And what’s the connection between spelling and smelling?

This is J A Mawter’s third collection of stories in the ‘So…’ series. So Sick!, from HarperCollins, is full of itching undies, smelly, scabby feet, chook poo and a shocking case of BO. By the end of the fourth story, the reader will also know the latin name for the common snail, meet the bug that eats bacteria and learn more than one way to spell a flower!

A perfect mix of humour and horribleness, these four stories are sure to appeal. For 8-12 year olds (especially boys).

So Sick!, by J. A. Mawter
HarperCollins, 2003

At War with the Tooth Fairy, by Rolf Heimann

Rory has discovered that the tooth fairies are not as sweet and loving as they’re made out to be. So he’s set out to teach them a lesson.

When he turns up at school showing the signs of his battle with two very feisty fairies, he is teased mercilessly and punished by his teacher for lying. Then Rory meets the Bullyboss, an evil, toady looking creature, who congratulates him on his behaviour and encourages him to join the ‘bully brotherhood’.

At War With the Tooth Fairies is a funny tale with a gentle moral. Heimann’s characters are humorous and well-rounded, with Rory being believably human, even as his lesson is learnt.

At War With the Tooth Fairies is a Start-Ups Level 2 title from Lothian, likely to appeal to 8 to 10 year olds as they make the change from illustration-dependent stories to junior novels.

At War With the Tooth Fairy, by Rolf Heimann
Lothian Books, 2003

Wolfspell, by Anna Ciddor

It is the hungry season. Winter is nearing an end and food stores are running low. When Thora and Oddo’s families are told they must now pay harsh taxes or forfeit their land, it seems unlikely either family can find the means.

Once before Thora and Oddo have worked together to solve their problems. That was when Oddo, a farmer’s son, discovered he had magical skills and Thora, from a Spellworking family, discovered she could grow and use plants to heal. The two had worked together and undertaken a risky journey, whilst Oddo’s father lay bewitched and ill. This time, however, it seems there is nothing either can do for their family.

When Oddo’s parents leave him to look after the farm while they hunt for furs to pay their taxes, Oddo finds he must fight to defend the farm from his scheming neighbour. Thora, meanwhile, has been entursted by her father with the task of solving their taxation worries. Together, the pair undertake a journey to ensure the future of each of their families. Their path lies through thick forest, over perilous waterways, thorugh bog and over mountains. They must reach home in time to defeat Oddo’s neighbour and deliver Thora’s silver to the taxman.

Wolfspell is the second title in Anna Ciddor’s Viking Magic Series. As in the first title, Runestone, readers are presented with a strong story and a richly woven world. Ciddor melds her research into the real world of Vikings with her fantasy with great success.

Another winner.

Wolfspell, by Anna Ciddor
Allen & Unwin, 2003

Switched, by Jo Coghlan

arry is having an excellent time at Aqua Mania. It’s a pretty cool way to celebrate his birthday. That is, until something bizarre happens. One minute he’s surfing down the Cannonball Chute – and the next he’s landing in a pool that is nowhere on Earth.

Garry finds himslef trapped in another body and in another dimension. His most pressing priority is, understandably, to get back to his own dimension and his own body. But there’s a problem. The boy that he’s changed places with – strangely named Rorgan Tyne – doesn’t want to change back, and Garry doesn’t know how to do it on his own.

SOon, however, there are other worries, and Garry finds himself in a race against time to save not just himslef, but the strange other world he’s trapped in.

Switched is a fast moving and fun children’s novel. Loaded with suspense, humour and surprise, it will appeal to readers aged 10 to 12, especially young science fiction fans.

Jo Coghlan was a primary school teacher before embarking on a writing career. Switched is her first children’s novel.

Switched, by Jo Coghlan
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2003

Valley of Gold, by Jackie French

From the time the Earth was formed four billion years ago, until the present day, Valley of Goldtraces the story of one valley – the Araluen Valley, where author Jackie French has lived for most of her life.

Although the valley is real, the stories in Valley of Gold are fictional, because, as French says, if the neighbours recognise themselves they might throw stones at my windows. Although they aren’t true, the stories could have happened and the characters could have existed, because each story is set in a different period of the valley’s history.

From the hunting of the last ‘tiger’ in 35 000 BC, to the discovery of gold in 1853 and on to French’s own golden discoveries in more recent times, each story gives the young reader some insight into life in the valley in the time period in question, as well as a more general awareness of Australian life in those times.

Valley of Gold is great for personal reading, but would also make an excellent classroom resource, especially for classes learning about Gold mining, Australian history, conservation and other topics.

Valley of Gold, by Jackie French
Angus & Robertson (an imprint of Harper Collins), 2003

The Black House, by Jackie French

When Barney’s Dad gets funding to conduct his special research, it means a move to the country. The house they move to is huge – and comes complete with a high-grade secruity system and a strange caretaker with a propensity to seem like a prison warder.

The new town might be pretty small, but the people are friendly and Barney quickly makes friends. Dad’s pretty happy with the set up for his research project too. So Barney figures he’d better keep quiet about his reservations. He doesn’t know what is going on, but the house is definitely concealing a secret. There are strange shudders at night, slime seeping through the walls, and other goings-on. Barney’s dreams are filled with wild images that seem real. Still, Barney is totally unprepared for what he finds out – and its ramifications for him. He will soon be the boy who talks to the alien.

The Black House, a new title for bestselling author Jackie French, is a lively combination of mystery, adventure and light humour. A Blue level title in Koala’s Tadpoles series, it is suitable for 9 to 12 year old readers.

The Black House, by Jackie French
Koala Books, 2003

Not Nits, by Lucy Treloar

Gus loves insects. He has a whole shelf full of bugs in jars – he feeds them, gives them names and adores them. When anyone accidentally kills or releases one he is devastated.

So, when Gus find a whole colony of bugs living in his hair, he thinks it’s pretty cool. No way is he going to let Mum kill them with nit shampoo. That would be cruel. But just as Gus is determined to save the nits, Mum is determined to beat them. This is a battle of wills that can have only one winner.

Not Nits is a hilarious story about insects and parents. A Red level Tadpole title from Koala Books, this junior novel is suitable for children aged seven and up, but will appeal to older children too, especially those with reading difficulties requiring easier reads.

Not Nits, by Lucy Treloar, illustrated by John Yahyeh
Koala Books, 2003

Grave of the Roti Men, by Geoff Havel

Aaron can’t wait to get to Indonesia. He’s going to spend a whole month staying with his dad.

At first the holiday seems perfect. Playing on the beach, spending time with his dad, and making new friends. But then things start to change. First Aaron gets sick, then Dad’s new girlfriend turns up. When Aaron’s new friend, Husni, has to leave to go to work on a fishing boat, Aaron has an idea. He stows away on the boat, ready for a bit of adventure.

Aaron soon learns that sometimes adventures can have just a little too much excitement. Being on the boat when a cyclone strikes is not fun, leaving Aaron wondering if he’ll ever see his parents again.

Grave of the Roti Men combines adventure and excitement with an exploration of themes including responsibility, dealing with family break up, and understanding other cultures. Author Geoff Havel shows his versatility as a writer with a departure from some of the light-heartedness of his earlier works.

Grave of the Roti Men, for ages 10- 12 is suitable for private reading and for classroom sharing.

Grave of the Roti Men, by Geoff Havel
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2003

Journey to the Dawn of Time, by John Long

When they were children, Sarah and Peter discovered a mystical cave near Devil’s Roost – and travelled in the cave to the time of the dinosaurs. Now, they are grown up, and their lives have been influenecd by that magical experience – Sarah is a palaentologist and Peter has written a science fiction novel.

Together, the two revisit the cave, hoping to once more travel through time and learn more about prehistoric times. However, they are not expecting the journey to be a quest, where the future of the Earth rests in their hands. Accompanied by their young cousin, Maddy and Djarringa, an Aboriginal time travller and his grandson Ben, they must visit different time periods and collect the three crystals which may control their destiny – and that of all civilization.

Journey to the Dawn of Time, is a sequel to author John Long’s 1997 title Mystery of Devil’s Roost. In the six years between the two titles, Long has developed a less formal style, making this a better flowing book. Journey to the Dawn of Time will appeal to young fans of time travel tales as well as those with an interest in dinosaurs and prehistory.

Journey to the Dawn of Time, by John Long
Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 2003