I received a digital copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Sam owns a bookstore. Upon going to collect money for an I received a digital copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Sam owns a bookstore. Upon going to collect money for an unpaid order, Sam discovers his customer - a history professor - murdered. Luckily, Sam is friends with the local detective. Investigation ensues!
There was nothing glaringly wrong with this book, except that there was far too much telling, rather than showing, and clunky dialogue that was mildly, but persistently, irritating.
Sam is an unassuming, laid back kind of a guy – so much so that he is happy to leave the business he owns for hours at a time in order to help the police investigate the murder of one of his clients. While detective Gaston Lemieux does the official business, Sam potters around trying to sniff out leads and find that extra bit of information that may prove crucial to the whole operation.
The book has the quirky aspect of featuring Sam as a suspect early on, but this is put aside almost immediately, which I thought was unfortunate because it could have added some much needed suspense to the plot.
Unfortunately, I found the investigation to be tedium itself. There is very little in the way of danger and Sam seems to be able to wander into any suspect's circle of awareness, ask some questions, get some reasonable answers and report them back to Gaston. While Sam obviously has to have a big part in the investigation, being the protagonist, it beggars belief that a detective would let some ordinary Joe (or Sam, as the case may be), go around doing police work. One would think that this would prejudice the case somewhat. The ending is also a bit lacklustre, with only the most minor of minor twists, which I imagine will be pretty disappointing to avid murder mystery fans.
Overall, this was a disappointing read. I would say “bitterly” disappointing, but I can’t even muster up enough emotion about it to be bothered being bitter. I was initially excited to read a murder mystery set partly in a bookshop in Canada, as I felt this was an interesting variation from my usual British cosy mysteries. I can’t really recommend this book simply because there are far more engaging examples of the genre floating around. If you have a specific interest in Canadian murder mysteries however, you might find something to enjoy here.
Merged review:
I received a digital copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Sam owns a bookstore. Upon going to collect money for an unpaid order, Sam discovers his customer - a history professor - murdered. Luckily, Sam is friends with the local detective. Investigation ensues!
There was nothing glaringly wrong with this book, except that there was far too much telling, rather than showing, and clunky dialogue that was mildly, but persistently, irritating.
Sam is an unassuming, laid back kind of a guy – so much so that he is happy to leave the business he owns for hours at a time in order to help the police investigate the murder of one of his clients. While detective Gaston Lemieux does the official business, Sam potters around trying to sniff out leads and find that extra bit of information that may prove crucial to the whole operation.
The book has the quirky aspect of featuring Sam as a suspect early on, but this is put aside almost immediately, which I thought was unfortunate because it could have added some much needed suspense to the plot.
Unfortunately, I found the investigation to be tedium itself. There is very little in the way of danger and Sam seems to be able to wander into any suspect's circle of awareness, ask some questions, get some reasonable answers and report them back to Gaston. While Sam obviously has to have a big part in the investigation, being the protagonist, it beggars belief that a detective would let some ordinary Joe (or Sam, as the case may be), go around doing police work. One would think that this would prejudice the case somewhat. The ending is also a bit lacklustre, with only the most minor of minor twists, which I imagine will be pretty disappointing to avid murder mystery fans.
Overall, this was a disappointing read. I would say “bitterly” disappointing, but I can’t even muster up enough emotion about it to be bothered being bitter. I was initially excited to read a murder mystery set partly in a bookshop in Canada, as I felt this was an interesting variation from my usual British cosy mysteries. I can’t really recommend this book simply because there are far more engaging examples of the genre floating around. If you have a specific interest in Canadian murder mysteries however, you might find something to enjoy here....more
I received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Dragon is sick of being the villain all the time and just wanI received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Dragon is sick of being the villain all the time and just wants to be the hero in the story - any story! After he exhausts all his options, an errant sneeze causes the residents of the fairytale kingdom to beg the dragon to join in the story and save the day!
What a fun romp, and with such a sympathetically drawn protagonist, too! Poor old dragon is always the villain and he's now fed up with having to fight (and lose) to the knight every single time. He wants to be a hero, but none of the fairytale folk can find room for a dragon in their stories. While assisting Jack (of beanstalk fame) on his mission, dragon accidentally sets in motion a chain of events that cause the sun to go out....but who could the fairytale folk possibly find who could reignite the sun? Enter the dragon of course!
There's plenty of humour in this one, in both the text and cheeky illustrative details. The mini-fleshlings enjoyed spotting all the different fairytale characters and the surprise post-climax ending (ie: the last page!) even had us trip-trapping off to remind ourselves what happened in a certain fairytale story, so the book launched us on our own adventure.
Young readers, and especially those who are younger siblings or always shunted out of the "hero" role in imaginative games, will no doubt relate to poor old dragon, who really only wants a brief shining moment in the sun and a chance to break out of his stereotypically assigned role.
The combination of text and illustrative format means that the story rolls along quickly and we found this to be an all around winner as a pre-bedtime, relaxing read. ...more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: After moving to a new town, Murph is accidentally enrolled in a sI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: After moving to a new town, Murph is accidentally enrolled in a secret school for superheroes after a misunderstanding between his mum and the Principal. Lucky for Murph, he's not the only misfit at the school and when disaster befalls the top brass, Murph and his friends must step into the breach to neutralise the problem.
What a fun read this was! It felt like a cross between X-Men and Little Britain and was a refreshing change of pace from the books I've been reading lately. Kid Normal is not the most original story in the world - untalented kid makes good being the order of the day in many middle grade reads - but it is certainly funny, pacey and tongue in cheek, with a likable protagonist, a band of lovable misfits and some truly ridiculous(ly evil) villains.
Murph is a boy who has moved around a lot and when his mother finally discovers a school in which to enrol him in their new town, it is to Murph's chagrin that the school turns out to be a secret school for the super-powered. Having said that, not all of the "powers" evident in the attendees could really be classed as "super", unless you count making a screeching noise with your teeth particularly super, so Murph, while the only one not endowed with a superpower, is not the only one struggling to fit in.
If you discount the superpower element, Kid Normal is a tried and true story of a young man who is lost and alone developing some solid, if unusual, friends and working together to overcome their difficulties. In this case, the difficulty happens to be a giant wasp-human hybrid villain with a plan to take over the picnic world through the means of enslavement-inducing helmets, but apart from that, the story is one with which middle grade readers will be generally familiar.
The humour really is the driving force behind the story, with the book using a narrative style that invites the reader in and addresses them here and there. The narrative style is fun and fast-paced and there were many moments that had me giggling along at the imagery produced. Many of the adult characters are larger than life and readers won't be able to help having a laugh at their over the top antics. We absolutely fell in love with Hilda, the girl whose power is to produce two tiny horses at will. I mean, what a brilliant power! Who wouldn't want such an adorable skill at their disposal?
While my copy didn't have any illustrations, the final edition of the book will be illustrated throughout, which will no doubt enhance the reading experience even more.
Kid Normal was a wonderful brain-break that celebrates the outsider, the kid who doesn't fit the mould, in a supremely humorous way. There is enough action and mystery to keep young readers happy and I highly recommend this to readers who love a rollicking tale that uses super-charged laughs to drive the action-packed outcome. ...more
I received a copy of this title from Fremantle Press for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: While retrieving a lost soccer ball during a game, Spencer Gray liI received a copy of this title from Fremantle Press for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: While retrieving a lost soccer ball during a game, Spencer Gray literally stumbles upon an extremely suspicious set-up filled with an assortment of native animals. After bringing one home, on account of it looking a bit worse for wear, Spencer uncovers a terrible secret and he and his friends must work to make it right before they're sucked in to a dangerous situation.
It's refreshing to come across a book which is fun but touches on serious subjects, is laconic but allows the reader to learn something (surreptitiously!) and is action-packed, but also feels creepily authentic. It's safe to say then, that I felt refreshed after having read of Spencer's escapades.
Before we get started, let me point out that this is the second adventure of the titular Spencer Gray, the first of such adventures having been chronicled in The Amazing Spencer Gray which was published in 2013. Also allow me to point out that I was not aware that this wasn't Spencer's first dangerous outing and it made not one jot of difference to my enjoyment of the book. This tale can certainly be read as an exciting standalone novel with no need for prior knowledge of Spencer's situation.
The book opens on Spencer's unwitting discovery of a bizarre, homemade setup in the bush just outside his school oval containing a collection of native Australian animals. Spencer makes the split second decision to bring one of the animals - that he later learns is a Potoroo (google it) - back to his home, because it looks on the brink of death. When Spencer and his mates Charlie and Leon decide they should return the Potoroo to the bush, things start to go pear-shaped because it immediately becomes clear that someone...or multiple someones...are not happy that Spencer has discovered their criminal activities.
The pacing of the story is truly Australian, in that it takes its time to warm up and the boys are remarkably laid back about (a) finding a bunch of native animals in a slapdash shelter in an unlikely place and (b) keeping an endangered animal in box under a bed. The second half of the book however, in which Spencer's marsupial-saving activities come home to roost in the worst outcome possible, is all go, go, go and I whipped through these chapters like a Potoroo with its pants on fire. Although the events of the second half of the book are, when viewed objectively from an adult's point of view, pretty far-fetched, the suspense in the writing somehow made them feel decidedly authentic and I really felt for Spencer's parents as they waited with mounting terror for news of their son's whereabouts.
Overall, Fitzpatrick has done a great job with balancing the adventurous and more down-to-earth elements of the story, as well as providing information to the reader in a readily digestible form about one of Australia's most endangered animals. And in case you're wondering, no, I had no idea what a Potoroo looked like before reading this book. Or that it was endangered. In fact, after reading the book, I visited Google to run a comparison on Potoroos and Quokkas and while typing in Potoroo vs... the option for Quokka immediately came up, so clearly I'm not the only one still learning here.
I would recommend The Spectacular Spencer Gray to young readers looking for a quick yet involving read featuring an unlikely hero and the adventure that awaits in the great outdoors....more
I received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
A Top Book of 2017 pick
Ten Second Synopsis: Tash and Sam have no choice but to run wI received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
A Top Book of 2017 pick
Ten Second Synopsis: Tash and Sam have no choice but to run when the secret police come knocking and arrest Tash's parents. With just two yaks as company and a secret message to deliver, Tash and Sam set out over the Himalayas to India with danger at every turn.
I was somewhat hesitant going in to this book, simply because stories about child refugees having to flee their homes are by their nature, sad and distressing, and given what's going on in the world at the moment, I can get a bit hand-shy of books that are too real in that regard. Thankfully, Butterworth manages the story of Tash and Sam with great control so that while the dangers and sadness are apparent at every step, they aren't so prominent as to overwhelm the reader. In fact, Running on the Roof of the World is a remarkably accessible book for young readers who are interested in real life events and what's going on outside their own bubble, written in a tone that is both moving and dignified.
Tashi's parents are part of the secret resistance against the Chinese occupation of their village in Tibet. After seeing a man set himself on fire in protest of the occupation, Tashi is shocked and awakened to the danger that is coming toward her own family. After a surprise visit from the Chinese police, Tashi and her best friend Sam find themselves in a desperate dash away from the village, carrying a coded message from Tashi's father and the resistance...a message they don't know how to read or to whom it should be delivered.
The beauty of the book is in the simplicity and authenticity of the children's journey. After leaving their home in abrupt and unprepared circumstances, Tashi and Sam have one goal - cross the mountain pass into India and reach the Dalai Lama. The simple acts of avoiding patrolling soldiers, moving from one spot to another and deciding who they can trust, all against the background fear of what might have befallen Tashi's parents, feel very immediate throughout the book and heighten the suspense of the story. The chapters are quite short, which made it easy to take the "just one more" approach and dig deeper into the story. I also loved the mandala-style illustrations that adorn each chapter heading.
While the story eventually has a happy ending, it's not without loss and trial and Butterworth does well to capture the uncertainty of the life of those seeking refuge in a way that young readers can appreciate. I feel like this is a story that will stay with me for quite a while and not least because it deals with an occupied territory that is somewhat forgotten or just accepted in the West.
I would highly recommend this book as a classroom read aloud or simply as an engaging and moving story of two children alone in a hostile environment....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Lint Boy and Lint Bear are born from the remnants of lI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Lint Boy and Lint Bear are born from the remnants of lint floating in the dryer. When Lint Bear goes missing, Lint Boy must venture forth from the dryer in search of his best and only friend - but will he be prepared for the wickedness outside the world of whitegoods?
This book felt like something different right from the very first page. The setting - the inside of a clothes dryer - and the protagonists - creatures made from discarded lint - are not the most obvious candidates for middle grade fare, so straight off the bat there was some originality apparent in the story. The format of the book is similarly different from the usual. The narrative style is fable-like and combines small blocks of text with graphic novel style dialogue and illustrative panels. The book is divided into chapters but these chapters are largely driven by imagery rather than text.
The story is simple enough - after Lint Boy and Lint Bear vacate the dryer it becomes apparent that they are in danger from the particularly nasty owner of the house. The reader is given some backstory as to who this woman might be and what her motivations are for being such an unpleasant (and downright torturous) individual. Throughout the story, Lint Boy and Lint Bear are given opportunities to break out of their everyday roles and become leaders to a band of lost and cowed toys. The story is all wrapped up in this single volume which makes it a good choice for when you are looking for an original, interesting fantasy tale but don't want to commit to a series.
There was definitely something missing in my reading experience of Lint Boy and I think that something was production values. The story reminded me strongly of Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce, a similar beautifully illustrated story about a missing toy and a bully with a tortured past, but with much greater attention to presentation and the overall feel of the book.
While the illustrations in Lint Boy are gorgeous, the formatting of the text and dialogue - and particularly the font - didn't quite fit the gothic style of the pictures. This may be an "uncorrected proof" issue and might be different in the final version of the book, but as it is, the mismatch of hand-drawn illustrations and computer-generated font didn't work for me.
Similarly, I felt that the book, while a solid read, couldn't quite decide whether it was going to be a novel or a graphic novel and so the story suffered a little in being too sparse in parts and over-explained in others. Personally, I would have liked to have seen Lint Boy's story fleshed out a little more and lengthened into a middle grade novel, without sacrificing the excellent illustrations. Alternately, getting rid of the blocks of text and making the tale a full graphic novel would have worked equally well to rid the tome of its "not one thing or another" feel.
If the quality and depth of the story had matched the quality of the illustrations in this tome, I think I would have had to nominate this one as a Top Book of 2017 pick. As it is, it's still a quirky and original tale with beguiling illustrations and characters, but I was hoping for a meatier reading experience here....more
I received a copy of this title from Walker Books Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Erin has always been told that Black Rock is dangerous, butI received a copy of this title from Walker Books Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Erin has always been told that Black Rock is dangerous, but is that really true? When Erin stows away on her mother's fishing boat, she is determined to find out about the Rock for herself.
The Secret of Black Rock is a sumptuous feast for the eyes, from its glowing golden endpapers to the layered blues and greens of the deep sea. It reminded us strongly of another 2017 picture book release, Grandad's Secret Giant by David Litchfield, due to similar themes of not judging a book by its cover and the need to preserve, protect and learn about the things we don't understand. The story opens with various characters recounting the horrors of Black Rock, a rock formation close to a coastal fishing village that has a reputation for destruction and danger. Erin, however, is not afraid and will employ all her cunning and sneakiness to stow away on her mother's fishing boat to catch sight of the Rock, despite its fearsome personification in the eyes of the villagers. When Erin is accidentally thrown overboard, she discovers the Rock's secret and attempts to reveal this to the villagers - but they misinterpret her message and set out to destroy the Rock once and for all.
The illustrations here are so atmospheric, with the contrast between the warmth of home and the cold, roiling mass of the sea reinforcing the dangers of venturing too far from the safety of the shore. When readers finally catch a glimpse of Black Rock they won't be able to avoid feeling that the poor old rock has been a bit hard done by the fisherfolk, and will be hoping for a positive resolution to the story. The mini-fleshlings in this dwelling also had a great time spotting all the different sea life that is depicted making their homes around the rock.
This story would be a great conversation starter in the classroom around issues of gossip and the negative effects that can come from judging without full knowledge of the situation. Similarly, it would be the perfect choice for a bedtime read aloud on a cold and windy night, when the nature's perilous side can feel all too real. We Shelf-dwellers think it's a winner....more
I received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: While on an enforced trial in the children's ward to see if I received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: While on an enforced trial in the children's ward to see if she can manage her diabetes on her own, Sylvie becomes involved in a dog-napping. With the help of her friends and some very sneaky detective work, Sylvie must unravel the puzzle quickly - before something else of import in the hospital goes missing.
This is a fun and funny mystery featuring dogs, doctors, a mysterious entity known as The Whiter and five good mates untangling the mystery of a stolen therapy dog. Honestly, who'd steal a therapy dog? Well, that's what Sylvie and her friends have to work out! I hadn't read the first four books in this series but I had no trouble at all getting into this one. The relationships between the characters are explained neatly as they arise and the author doesn't waste time lumping backstory into the action to slow things down. The hospital setting makes this mystery stand out from the pack because it's different and has its own set of tricks and traps to foil well-meaning child detectives as they go about their detective business. The main characters all have their own strengths and character flaws that affect the investigation in various ways and the book even has some data sheets at the end showing each of the five kids' stats for those who may not be familiar with them.
The only thing that annoyed me slightly about this was Sylvie's initial attitude toward having to stay in the hospital for two nights for monitoring...but that's just the grown up in me being sensible and boring. Her reactions are perfectly age-appropriate and understandable if you're a kid.
While not the most riveting mystery there has ever been, Dogs and Doctors is a fun light read with two mysteries left out for the kids to solve. The ending is action packed enough to be a good payoff for the preceding detective work and Sylvie, as the main character, learns a thing or two along the way about being responsible and allowing others to come to the fore when needed. There was nothing in particular in the story that indicated to me that this was a "final" book of the series, which may leave long time readers of the series unfulfilled, but as a standalone read this ticked all the boxes for kids meddling in dangerous situations and coming out on top....more
I received a copy of this book from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: After a disastrous caving adventure to grab a story for his mateI received a copy of this book from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: After a disastrous caving adventure to grab a story for his mate's website, Simon is pushed into travelling to Everest to undertake some "death tourism" to boost the site's hits. Plagued since the caves with a sense of being followed by a malevolent presence, Simon tries everything to rid himself of his third man.
Despite my pathological fear of getting stuck in a tight space, the first chapter of this book - which deals with protagonist Simon's ill-advised venture into a disused cave system with a complete nutter of a guide, to photograph the corpses of some lads who had previously undertaken the same ill-advised caving venture - had me hooked throughout. The author manages to blend mental banter with a fear of the dark and the off-putting instability of Simon's guide Ed to create a thoroughly absorbing situation. It is in this first experience that the ills that plague Simon for the rest of the book are set up and it is certainly masterfully done.
There are a few convenient plot twists immediately after this. Simon's blog partner and cold-hearted prick of a room-mate Thierry decides that after the "success" of Simon's caving mission - in website traffic, if nothing else - Simon should pop off to Everest to film some corpsicles. The money is duly raised and after mild protests from Simon due to his fragile mental state, the plan is enacted. These little niggles with Thierry's actions were forgivable I found, because this is really a book about Simon and his demons; an introspective thriller, if you will, based on why things happen rather than how they happen. The book is split into a number of parts. The first deals with Simon's caving experience. The second part introduces Juliet by means of her diary. Juliet is a female mountain climber of some repute (both good and bad) whose goal is to summit Everest without oxygen aids. Her diary reveals her interesting mental state at the time and her story becomes intertwined with Simon's bid to scale Everest and take photos of frosty corpses, both as its happening and once it's finished. The next part deals with Simon's ascent of Everest and the complex interpersonal relationships between the climbers and the secrets they seem to be hiding. Finally, the denouement observes Simon's descent into unreality as he grapples with the need to bring closure to his experiences.
I became gripped by Simon's struggles the further into the book I read. The thriller part of the story was being enacted totally within Simon himself but was beautifully balanced with the physical action of the caving and mountain climbing sections. The dark, frosty atmosphere of the settings made this a perfect winter read - if you can call Brisbane's mild drops in temperature "winter" - and I quite happily rugged up under the covers to escape into Simon's deteriorating sense of self. (Schadenfreude for the win!)
Overall I was impressed with the way that the author managed the multiple threads of each character's story to create a complex mix of psychological thriller and action. The ending was satisfyingly ambiguous and deliciously creepy, which was a nice payoff for having slogged up Everest and through a horrid cave system with Simon while plagued by the thought of a malevolent watcher - twice each. If you are looking for a book that will truly provide an escape from the mundane, I can heartily recommend The White Road....more
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Sophie HATES insects - which makes everyday life difficult for her aI received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Sophie HATES insects - which makes everyday life difficult for her at the outdoor adventure camp she is staying at for the school holidays. When a boy at the camp hands Sophie a compass, she is whisked off on a desert survival trek with Bear Grylls and learns that in the scheme of things, insects may not be the most important thing to worry about.
The Desert Challenge is the second book in a projected series of twelve centred around well known survivalist Bear Grylls. The books follow the same format and are set around a group of children at a wilderness adventure school holiday camp. Each book introduces the protagonist child (in this case Sophie) and a few of their friends - in this book one we meet Chloe and Fatima, Sophie's tentmates, as well as being reintroduced to Olly, Jack and Omar from the first book - and highlights the protagonist's particular personal growth issue that needs working on, before whooshing the child off, by means of a magical compass, to a survival-based adventure accompanied by none other than the Ursa Major himself. The child is then magically transported back to the moment they left their normal life and puts the lessons learnt in their survival trek to good use before passing the magical compass on to the next unwitting victim.
These books are cleverly produced and will certainly hit the mark with their target audience. They focus on problems that children working in groups are likely to have - Sophie is scared of insects to such an extent that she screams mindlessly whenever she sees one, which causes upset amongst her friends. At the end of this book Sophie passes the compass on to Omar, who we met in the first book, and who seems to be struggling with a need to be the best at everything. The fact that by the end of the series, readers will have been introduced to all of the kids at the camp is a brilliant idea because it means the books are linked and will have familiar characters in them, but don't necessarily need to be read in order. The use of the magic compass injects a fun dose of fantasy into the tales and keeps them from being too dry and also provides the protagonists the opportunity to learn from a real-life survival skills master in a way that doesn't rely on basing things in reality.
The books are illustrated throughout in black and white and the font is big enough, and chapters short enough, not to be daunting to reluctant readers or those who struggle. The books would also be a great option for read-alouds to younger children who don't have the ability to read chapter books themselves yet, but are interested in longer and more varied stories. It's also encouraging to see that the characters in the books are of diverse cultural backgrounds and that this is reflected in the illustrations.
These books are sure to be a hit with young readers who love "real-life" stories but aren't necessarily drawn to nonfiction....more
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Olly is stuck on a wilderness camping trip with one friend and a bunI received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Olly is stuck on a wilderness camping trip with one friend and a bunch of kids he doesn't know and is less than enthusiastic about it. When he takes possession of a magic compass and finds himself on a survival trek through snowy mountains with Bear Grylls, Olly might just learn some things to make his time at camp a lot more fun.
The Blizzard Challenge is the first book in a projected series of twelve centred around well known survivalist Bear Grylls. The books follow the same format and are set around a group of children at a wilderness adventure school holiday camp. Each book introduces the protagonist child (in this case Olly) and a few of their friends - in book one we meet Jack and Omar, Olly's tentmates, as well as Sophie, a girl with a fear of insects - and highlights the protagonist's particular personal growth issue that needs working on, before whooshing the child off, by means of a magical compass, to a survival-based adventure accompanied by none other than the Ursa Major himself. The child is then magically transported back to the moment they left their normal life and puts the lessons learnt in their survival trek to good use before passing the magical compass on to the next unwitting victim.
These books are cleverly produced and will certainly hit the mark with their target audience. They focus on problems that children working in groups are likely to have - Olly, for instance, is a tad lazy and doesn't see why he should help out when others in his team don't listen to his ideas. The fact that by the end of the series, readers will have been introduced to all of the kids at the camp is a brilliant idea because it means the books are linked and will have familiar characters in them, but don't necessarily need to be read in order. The use of the magic compass injects a fun dose of fantasy into the tales and keeps them from being too dry and also provides the protagonists the opportunity to learn from a real-life survival skills master in a way that doesn't rely on basing things in reality.
The books are illustrated throughout in black and white and the font is big enough, and chapters short enough, not to be daunting to reluctant readers or those who struggle. The books would also be a great option for read-alouds to younger children who don't have the ability to read chapter books themselves yet, but are interested in longer and more varied stories. It's also encouraging to see that the characters in the books are of diverse cultural backgrounds and that this is reflected in the illustrations.
The only niggling problem I had with these books - and this is speaking from the viewpoint of one who has sat on the shelf of youth workers and teachers alike - is the fact that these children are swept off to the company of a strange man in a deserted place and forced to follow him around and spend the night with him. I realise that I might be being a bit hypersensitive here since it's hinted at that these sections of the book may be dreams or magic or whatever, but I did get a little bit of the creep-factor while reading the first book, when the young lad has to build a snuggly little ice cave in which to spend the night tucked up with a grown man who he doesn't know from Adam, without his parents' knowledge or consent. In the first book, the child also has to disrobe quickly in front of Bear after falling into icy water. There's also the slight weirdness of having a magic compass that brings him a new child every time. From an adult's point of view, there's something not-quite-right about it all.
I don't mean to throw shade on Bear - I'm sure he's a perfectly upstanding guy and has his Blue Card - but I would have thought that someone in the editing or planning process would have picked this up and suggested some very basic and unintrusive changes to the story that could retain the adventure and survival aspect of the story while teaching a hugely important survival skill of childhood: be extremely wary of any adult who wants to spend time on their own with an unrelated child without their parents' knowledge. Surely the Scouts themselves would have Child Protection Policies that disallowed one on one adult to child sleep outs, so I just find it a bit strange that the stories came out in this form.
Putting that aside for the moment though, the books are otherwise sure to be a hit with young readers who love "real-life" stories but aren't necessarily drawn to nonfiction. ...more
Ten Second Synopsis: Anastasia's world is turned upside down when her parents are unexpectedly killed in a freak vacuum-cleaning accident and she is whTen Second Synopsis: Anastasia's world is turned upside down when her parents are unexpectedly killed in a freak vacuum-cleaning accident and she is whisked away to live with her strange and not altogether friendly Great Aunts in a sprawling house that used to be St Agony's Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Once there, Anastasia is plagued by the sense that something is not right - could it be the lunatic boy gardener, the proliferation of portraiture featuring monobrowed ladies, or simply the poor cooking that could be to blame?
The League of Beastly Dreadfuls has a humorous, light-hearted tone, which makes it very easy to flick through. I quite enjoyed the style of humour at the start of the story and even dog-eared a page that had the main character saying, "Curse you, Winkles!" after tripping over a garden gnome (named Winkles) because I thought that the phrase was one I could certainly slip into my everyday speech patterns. After initially enjoying the banterish, tangent-seeking style of humour, by about halfway through I felt that it slowed the pace a little.
The story is easy to follow and the mystery isn't too complex, so this is a good choice for when you are looking for a fun read that won't make you work too hard.
Without spoiling the plot at all, I really enjoyed the originality of certain talents displayed by certain young male characters that ally themselves with Anastasia. It's so rewarding to discover "magical" style talents and folk that aren't common in other literature for this age group.
The resolution to Anastasia's problems seemed a bit too wacky and convenient to me and appeared to be setting up for the second book in the series rather than solely concluding this one. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I won't be chasing up the second as the narrative style grated on me after a while and I wanted the plot to move a bit quicker. ...more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
DNF at 11%
When I requested this I remember thinking, "Should I?" and it tuI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley for review.
DNF at 11%
When I requested this I remember thinking, "Should I?" and it turns out I probably shouldn't. I put this down at 11% simply because I felt there was too much telling, with a first person narrator, and not enough showing, and the narrative style was quite staid, as it often is with historical novels of this era. I was quite interested in the demon element, but after 10% of the story the demons haven't done anything except hang around and so my interest wasn't piqued in the way that it might have been. If you enjoy historical fiction set in the medieval era this may be more to your tastes than mine....more
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: An accessible retelling of Scott's ill-fated attempt to be the firstI received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: An accessible retelling of Scott's ill-fated attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole.
Before reading this book I only knew the absolute basics of Scott's mission. Actually, to be honest, I only knew about the very ending bit, with Oates' famous, "I'm going out for a walk" quote and Scott's subsequent death from hunger and exposure, so finding out about the events leading up to the bit I knew about was both fascinating and completely baffling.
There was a certain sense of frustration that characterised this story right from the very beginning, although this had nothing to do with the writing of the story and everything to do with the facts. The very first page tips you off, in case you know nothing about the mission, that Scott's story doesn't have a happy ending, but to discover the bizarre, avoidable and beginner-level mistakes that were made on the journey made reading this feel like wading through snowbanks while wearing a wet-suit and flippers and dragging a massive box of rocks behind you.
I will admit that I did end the book wondering why Scott's epic failure has been so lovingly recorded while Amundsen's story - the leader of the Norwegian expedition that started closer, covered less dangerous terrain, and ultimately resulted in the first flag-planting at the South Pole - has been ignored. o focus on the actual writing for a moment, as opposed to the historical event itself, while I found the information quite interesting, the narrative style felt a tad detached for my liking. This may have been deliberate, in that it certainly contributes to the atmosphere of a long, fruitless slog toward ultimate failure and death, and also allows the reader to avoid becoming too attached to characters that will eventually die, but all in all reading this felt like more of a history lesson and less like something I would read for enjoyment at times. The book contains chapter heading illustrations throughout and also features actual photographs from the expedition in the centre. These were a great touch and added the needed link with the reality of the conditions under which the expedition was labouring to bring the story to life a little more. At the end of the book a collection of appendices includes short descriptions of Scott's prior attempts on the South Pole alongside Earnest Shackleton, as well as as Shackleton's later, unsuccessful Antarctic mission. A short section on Amundsen's expedition is included here too, which I found most interesting.
If you know any young history buffs in the upper middle grade and YA age bracket you might recommend Into the White. I can't say I really loved reading it because although the story itself contains plenty of action and setbacks that should have kept me interested, I got caught up in the epic folly of so many of the decisions that were made along the way that resulted in the men's deaths. And I just can't get over their whoppingly unscientific choice of pack pony....more
I received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Victoria rushes to England from Australia to confront her mum'I received a copy of this title from Hachette Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Victoria rushes to England from Australia to confront her mum's diagnosis of dementia. In the distant past, Agnes breaks all the rules of society to search for the mother that abandoned her as a baby. These two stories will intertwine in unexpected ways.
I wouldn't have expected to enjoy today's book as much as I did given that historical women's fiction isn't necessarily my go-to genre and I received this one from Hachette Australia for review having requested completely different titles for this month. To be brutally honest, I was expecting to flick through the first pages and decide to DNF, but instead found myself totally preoccupied with this story from the first chapter. Stars Across the Ocean by Kimberley Freeman is three stories in one, ranging from contemporary England to 19th century Colombo and beyond.
In the present, Victoria rushes to England from Australia to confront her mum's diagnosis of dementia. Her mother, a prominent history professor at the local university, found herself in hospital after inexplicably walking out into traffic and Victoria is shocked at her, usually formidable, mother's mental degeneration. In the distant past, Agnes breaks all the rules of society to search for the mother that abandoned her as a baby, even as those she meets recount memories of her mother that are far from complimentary. These two stories, along with one more told in letter form, intertwine in unexpected ways in this epic tale that never loses the thread of the plot and delivers female characters who break the mould at every turn. The book opens on Victoria's mad dash to her mother's bedside and although this plotline bookends the others, it isn't the main focus of the story. Instead, Victoria's story provides the link between Agnes and the present, as Victoria's mother is fixated on finding a letter that she has "lost" due to her deteriorating memory - a letter that tells the tale of a young mother forced to give up her illegitimate child. I loved the way in which Agnes's long adventure was broken up with Victoria's story. The similarities of the two stories focused on the relationship between mother and daughter worked beautifully set against the juxtaposition of past and present.
Agnes's epic travels are rife with danger, action and the unexpected, moving from life in the foundling home to squalor in London, from safety and friendship working as a lady's companion to fear and captivity in a French bordello, and beyond to two separate sea voyages, a meeting with an old friend and a connection with another woman who isn't afraid to throw off the shackles of expectation of female norms. Does Agnes finally find her mother in the end?
I'm not telling!
But the neatly dovetailed ending of all three plotlines was perfectly satisfying and uplifting, leaving the story on a note of hopefulness and expectation for a bright future.
Even though I initially had doubts about how much I would enjoy this story, I am pleased to relate that I was thoroughly impressed with the control that the author held over the three separate storylines and the excellent pacing with which these alternated. If you are looking for an absorbing read with memorable and authentic female characters and a fantastic balance of loss and hope then you should definitely give Stars Across the Ocean a look....more
Ten Second Synopsis: Friends Vern and Lettuce head to the big city to audition for a televised talent show, only to uncover a dastardly plot to bring dTen Second Synopsis: Friends Vern and Lettuce head to the big city to audition for a televised talent show, only to uncover a dastardly plot to bring down the city.
While I had seen Vern & Lettuce before on some blog or other's list of recommended graphic novel for the younger age bracket, I couldn't remember what it was about when I came across it at the library. Lettuce and Vern live in a town called Pickle Rye where Vern eats grass in the park while fending off moles and Lettuce is often put in charge of her brood of younger siblings. The first few stories in the book, which are presented one to a page, are unrelated and serve to introduce the characters and their relationship, but a little way in the comics merge into a longer tale that relates to Lettuce coercing Vern into travelling to the city to audition for a televised talent show.
I enjoyed both sections of the book. The earlier, unconnected comics were adorable and quite funny with Vern always ending up in some baby-bunny-related predicament and the latter section of the collection presented an interesting story with some cheeky twists and turns. I also loved the few literary and pop culture references hiding throughout (in one instance the moles makes an utterance with uncanny resemblance to Little Britain's juvenile delinquent Vicky Pollard, while later on there's a reference to pigeons being unwelcome on buses...a tip of the hat to Mo Willem's perhaps?).
Overall, this is a cute and funny collection that is a great addition to the comic literature for the younger end of the middle grade spectrum. The stories are simple enough for younger kids to access but there are enough twists and turns for older middle grade readers to appreciate too....more
I received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Lady Miranda decides she must have a horse and so begins Pug'I received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: Lady Miranda decides she must have a horse and so begins Pug's adventures as a horse-riding, police-evading, bandit-catching, show-jumping dog!
This is a beautifully illustrated quick read that bounces from one unexpected disaster to the next. Pug manages to come out on top at every turn however, by accident or design, and by the end of the story we've seen police chasing bandits, trophies being awarded and one horse that slowly decides that being friends with Pug and Lady Miranda means one is in for a wild ride. This story starts a little abruptly if you aren't familiar with the escapades of the first book, with no particular information given to explain the backstory of Lady Miranda, Pug and the Running Footmen. By the second chapter though, this shouldn't be a problem as young readers will be engrossed in Lady Miranda's search for a horsey friend.
The book is perfect for newly confident readers looking to move from picture books and basic readers to a longer, yet still accessible, chapter book format. For that reason, the action moves along apace, without any filler in which to get bogged down.
This is a charming follow-up to the first Adventures of Pug story and I think I enjoyed it better than the first. I seem to remember that Lady Miranda annoyed me a bit in the first book, whereas she was perfectly delightful in this installment, even making a new friend (of the non-horsey variety). The illustrations on every page and the large font make the book totally accessible to younger readers (and those like me who hate tiny print). Whether you've read the first book in the series or not, this would be a canny choice for young readers who love animal stories, lots of colour and imagery, and slapstick laughs aplenty....more
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Tiffany Aching discovers some strange happenings on her farm, befI received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis: Tiffany Aching discovers some strange happenings on her farm, before her brother is whisked away by fairy folk. In order to save him, Tiffany must team up with the Nac Mac Feegle to venture into the world of dreams.
This particular edition of The Wee Free Men is being marketed as a middle grade story, hence the middle-grade-ish cover design, but I can’t imagine many a middle grader will take to Pratchett’s style of humour much and would prefer to stick to thinking of this book as an adult fantasy fiction tale. I have found when reading Pratchett before that I really enjoy the first few chapters and then my interest tapers off, but with this story I maintained my interest throughout…mostly.
Tiffany is an independent sort of a nine-year-old, having grown up under the influence of Granny Aching, the previous witch of the Chalk and owner of two fantastic dogs. Tiffany feels the pressure to be as savvy and wise as old Granny Aching was, but senses that she doesn’t quite have the stuff to be the next Chalk witch…well, not yet anyway. Once the Nac Mac Feegle – little blue crazy fighting men with thick accents – become involved however, Tiffany discovers that she’s going to have to get her witch on whether she likes it or not. Add to that the fact that a fairy queen has scarpered with her younger brother and you’ve got the makings of an adventure to remember.
I can’t say exactly what it was about this story that made it different from others of Pratchett’s that I haven’t been able to get through, but I did enjoy Tiffany’s independence mixed with her completely understandable anxieties about becoming a witch while having absolutely no witchy skills to speak of. I did lose interest a little during the parts set in the fairy world – I find hearing about dreams tedious at the best of times and this section was set entirely in a selection of dreams – but overall I found the story engaging enough that I looked forward to getting back to it.
I can now safely put the others of the Tiffany Aching sequence on my to-read list, although I’ll take things slowly....more
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: A collection of folk tales and legends from around the world retold I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis: A collection of folk tales and legends from around the world retold in vibrant graphic novel form.
If you are like me and find fairy tales and their retellings a mite tedious without some innovative new twist or format, then you will heartily appreciate Craig Phillips eye-poppingly viewable new collection, Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts: Ten Tales from the Deep Dark Wood. This beautifully presented, large format book contains ten fairy and folk tales from around the world in graphic novel format. Rather than ripping through the whole thing as I normally would with a graphic novel, I read one story a night until I had finished the book. This worked really well, because it gave me time to consider and absorb each story before moving on to the next.
I love graphic novels and I am lukewarm-to-openly-hostile toward fairy tales, so one might expect that I would find my enjoyment of this book to be fair to middling, but the strong illustrative element has swung this one for me. It seems, on reflection, to be an absolute no-brainer to liven up oft-told stories like fairy tales with vibrant illustrations but the use of full page illustrations in different frame layouts along with the traditional fairy tale style text and dialogue works incredibly well to flesh out the details and atmosphere of each story. Some of the stories here, such as the tale of Baba Yaga, the story of Snow White and Rose Red and the myth of Finn McCool will be familiar to many readers, but mixed in with these are less typical (if you are from a European background, anyway) stories, such as Momotaro, the peach-boy and the tale of the Polar Bear King who is forced to wear a fleece of feathers.
The graphic novel format is just genius because it instantly broadens the audience of the book. Teenagers, or older reluctant readers for instance, who might roll their eyes at the thought of reading fairy tales could easily pick up this tome without embarrassment and become absorbed in the visual appeal of the stories. The text is in that traditional, sometimes a bit convoluted, fairy tale style and so might be a bit tricky for the lower end of the intended audience, but taken with the illustrations, this book has high appeal to a whole range of reading ages.
I would absolutely love to see a follow up tome to this one from Phillips, with folk tales from an even wider range of cultures because the format is so readable and can so easily transfer between read-alone for confident readers, to read-aloud in a group setting, to read-together between parents and children snuggled up before bed. What an innovative new way to present some old classics that we feel like we've all seen before....more
I received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: Delphine and Nate return in this action-and-bee-stinI received a copy of this title from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
3.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis: Delphine and Nate return in this action-and-bee-sting-packed adventure, with the Red Death Tea Society AND the League of Ostracised Fellows hot on their trails. When Nate invents an Infernal Engine as part of his "do 3 stupid things on Friday the 13th" tradition, it lands him and Delphine squarely in the sights of two groups who will stop at nothing - even bee-driven apocalypse - to get their hands on it.
This is a story replete with silliness, wild inventions and bee stings in sensitive places. I do enjoy the quirky tone and dry yet silly humour that Tobin has created in these books. There is a certain imagery conjured up by his writing that is truly giggleworthy. Nate and Delphine are also a fun pair and the introduction of Melville - a friendly robot bee adopted by Delphine - adds to the action in this installment. Bosper, Nate's genetically modified talking dog stole the show for me in this book however - something about his manner of speaking just cracked me up every time. The plot of this one seemed a lot more straightforward than in the first book despite the inclusion of the socially awkward League of Ostracised Fellows and everybody, including the jealous Betsy the car, had a role to play in saving Polt from bee-mageddon: The Sting-en-ing.
The one quarrel I have with these stories is that the quirky humour, when added to the action sequences, slows down the pace of the story interminably. My edition clocked in at 340ish pages and by about halfway I was ready for the resolution to start coming into play. While the humour is a massively important part of these books, the constant banter does really slow things down when it feels like things should be speeding up.
I can't remember why I didn't finish the first book in this series, but I think it was something to do with the pacing and a lag in the middle. This book does suffer from the same ailment in my opinion, but I got a lot further along in this story before I really felt the lag, compared to the first book. Nate and Delphine are so likable and the style of humour so enjoyable that I would still pick up a third in the series, but I would be hoping that the story overall would move a bit quicker....more
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