Dragonkeeper: Book Five - Shadow Sister

Dragonkeeper: Book Five - Shadow Sister by Carole Wilkinson (Walker Books)

HC RRP $ 24.95

ISBN 9781922179579

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

No longer a monk but retaining the precepts of his Buddhist beliefs, Tao is adapting to a different life style. He is now on the road with the dragon Kai, learning to be a dragonkeeper, and embarking on a yet unknown quest. The two fled the monastery just as the evil monk Fo Tu Deng was about to move into the abbot’s shoes. Tao still hasn’t identified with his qi – his spiritual energy that was passed onto him by his brother Wei just before his death.

There is a war raging inside Tao between his brain and heart. He battles one thing after another, always with the thought of saving lives, holding on to his strong sense of right and wrong. He has as much compassion for the dead spirits that find no peace and that haunt him relentlessly, as for the living beings that he seeks to help.

Tao knows he needs to let go of many things. Early on, he encounters a wild blue dragon with a violent history, that he later befriends and names Sunila. This new companion proves to be a valuable ally when he runs into Fo Tu Deng. He also meets up with Pema again. She has a secret life now; one which Tao becomes a part of and is again tested. He must enter into a physical and emotional battle to save her, and what he stands for. Here he exemplifies the choices he makes, and the outcomes they affect.

By the end of the book, Tao has found his qi and is transformed in many ways by his experiences. So is Kai. Having found purpose, meaning and direction together, they set out for the dragon haven.

This is definitely not the last book, as loose strings left hanging need to be tied up. Blending fantasy with fiction, this outstanding series is a continuous inspiring adventure, constructed with subtle philosophical and thought-provoking messages on accountability, strength, courage and compassion.

Stagefright

Stagefright by Carole Wilkinson (Walker Books)
PB RRP $18.95
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Cultivated rich girl Velvet S Pye arrives at Yarrabank High, a culturally diverse co-ed with low standards in literacy due to a high concentration on performance results in sport. Her family’s changed economical and employment status has turned her world into a nightmare from which she expects to awake very soon. The students at Yarrabank talk dirty to one another and about each other in a strange interpretation of the English language.

After trying to inculcate Velvet into some sort of sports event, the headmaster gives up and she ends up in the cultural studies class. This turns out to be an experience in itself and even more confusing as a subject to Velvet who has always been a high achiever. The teacher here spends the whole time sleeping over a desk at the back while the class runs amok. But during these teething times at the school, Velvet and the readers learn a lot about the diversity of the school, the reasons for the way it is, and the fact that all things and people are not always what they seem.

End of the year is approaching and evidence of cultural activity is demanded from the cultural studies class. A new take on Shakespeare’s Richard The Third is decided on and Velvet finds a new interest when Stagefright, their theatre group is created. Finally she has a challenge she can sink her teeth into and prove that she is able to fit in.

The play becomes a source of reinvention for all the students in some way or another. The teacher comes out of hibernation to reveal a character of great creativity and support, while the production proves that hidden inside everyone is something that longs to surface. It simply waits to be given the opportunity.

This is a terrific rewriting of Carole’s first book. It is filled with music and poetry, movement and change, humour and delight. This novel is a highly successful reinvention of something old in every way.

Fromelles: Australia's Bloodiest Day at War

Fromelles: Australia's Bloodiest Day at War by Carole Wilkinson (black dog books)
PB RRP $18.99
ISBN 9781742031767
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

I knew this book was going to be a fantastic read from the moment I opened it and read the quotation from Jose Narosky: In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. On the facing page is the poignant portrait of a young soldier, Private Charles Henry Brear, and a woman. Brear was killed in the carnage that was the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916.

All Australians should know of the Battle of Fromelles. It is our nation's biggest disaster with 5533 casualties in under 24 hours. It was the first battle that Australian troops participated in on the Western Front. Yet until recently very little was known about the battle. This was not by accident. The operation was such a disaster that the army downplayed the event until the efforts of Melbourne high school teacher Lambis Englezos brought it world-wide attention.

As with all the titles in the excellent Drum series, there is a timeline, text-boxes, primary source quotations, photographs, maps, a glossary, index and bibliography. Wilkinson covers the lead-up to the battle with Australia's entry into World War One, the Gallipoli campaign, training in Egypt, the commanders, battalions involved, and weapons of the Allies and the Germans. The actual battle manoeuvres are covered in detail and a discussion on what went wrong. Particularly pleasing is the inclusion of the French and German perspective in this history, essential for a full understanding of the battle and the war and its repercussions not only for the soldiers but the people that lived and worked alongside the war everyday.

A stand-out feature of Fromelles, one which makes the book so compelling and able to connect with readers, is the combination of non-fiction and fiction. Fictional diary entries from Australian and German combatants highlight the emotion, beliefs and actions of ordinary men called upon to participate in extraordinary events. This is history told at its finest.

Lest we forget.