In the Secret Place

In the Secret Place by Gary Crew (Hawkeye Publishing) PB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9780645714937

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Kids can be cruel – especially younger teens – but not all of them are. Some of them are quiet. Some like books and chess rather than football and swimming. Some have secrets; and some of these secrets make them strong.

Ben Gardiner has navigated his way through school with no friends. He spends lunchtimes in the library or out behind the old fig tree in the school grounds. Before and after school, much of his time is taken up avoiding ‘The Six’ – sporty, muscle-bound boys who find delight in picking on Ben for his limp. A limp that is the result of the crushed and disfigured foot that was, in Ben’s mind, caused by his mother just before she left, taking his younger sister, Carrie, with her.

But Ben is relatively content. He doesn’t mind his own company. He gets on well with his father, Gray, and his Gray’s ‘lady friend’, the Harley-riding, straight-talking Lorna. He’s made a friend in Sonya, the school library monitor, and allows himself to cautiously accept that others, like Simon (Noddy), are not always as they seem on the surface. And he’s discovered a ‘secret place’; an unknown cave in the Australian bush where he can just ‘be’ and where he feels strong.

Author Gary Crew is one of Australia’s most awarded children’s authors and he does not disappoint in this early young adult story that champions themes of independence, self-awareness, family, friendship and self-belief. Readers are drawn into the setting right from the opening lines, which succinctly describe the beauty and history of the Australian bush, along with a touch of its magic and power. In this opening chapter, we come to understand Ben’s mindset and then, by the end of the second chapter, we ‘know’ Ben – we’ve either been him or are close to someone like him.

Too often, stories that deal with adolescent bullying feature a protagonist whose character arc is to move from a state of fear and powerlessness, to one of resilience and confidence. While this is important, Ben’s arc is more subtle. His internal strength and maturity are already there; he already deals with the bullies in his own way. Instead, Ben’s growth is more about acceptance of self.

For readers of In the Secret Place, both the intended audience of 12-16-year-olds and older readers, you will ‘know’ every one of the characters and will be able to relate to their experiences and their lives.

At a personal preference level, I struggled a little with the omniscient narrator, but the strength of Gary Crew’s storytelling in this quiet yet powerful narrative of finding your own voice and being true to yourself won me over. Highly recommended for both individuals and the school setting.

The Visions of Ichabod X

The Visions of Ichabod X by Gary Crew, illustrated by Paul O’Sullivan (Harbour Publishing House) HB RRP $24.99    ISBN 9781922134547

Reviewed by Allison Paterson

With all the intrigue that is synonymous with the writing of Gary Crew, The Visions of Ichabod X is a picture book which mixes the past with the future to convey a powerful and significant message of environmental sustainability. Narrated in the hypnotic voice of the ageing caretaker of Raven’s Eye Cemetery, the tale begins as he explains how one headstone has always puzzled him, that of Ichabod X.  This stone, which commemorates the short life of the gypsy child Ichabod, shows no signs of the wearing of the elements, despite the decay of others and that of the crumbling church that sits in the grounds. 

Years before, so the caretaker reveals, the mysterious boy had appeared to warn the man of the perilous future of the earth. The boy leaves behind him curious contraptions, his “aids to see the future”. As mysteriously as Ichabod appears, he never returns. From this point,  the reflections of the caretaker and his drawings, what he imagines Ichabod could see, continue wordlessly to an ending which challenges the reader to imagine and reflect.

The illustrations are equally as intriguing as the text. Steeped in sepia tones to create a sense of vintage combined with steam punk images, Paul O’Sullivan enhances the tale and provides a deeper level of meaning for the engaged reader. Exploring the symbolism is absorbing and a catalyst for discussion. Biblical references are significant and are not confined to Ichabod (the Book of Samuel), the raven (perhaps the all-seeing God’s messenger) and the old man’s biblical quote of, “There is a time for everything…”. The oak tree and oak leaf represent endurance, wisdom, strength and significantly, new life. 

Throughout the tale, the clocks, and timepieces, both broken and intact suggest to the reader that time is running out. There are so many layers to peel, with the “unlocking” of colour being a symbolic transition to a series of wordless double-page spreads that delve deeply into the conflict between nature and the industrialised world.

I continue to return to The Visions of Ichabod X and each time I am delighted to make a new discovery. This is a text for the late primary years and up. It is a thought-provoking tale which will challenge the reader to explore their own perspective on the future of the earth. 

Allison Paterson www.allisonmarlowpaterson.com

Timing the Machine

Timing the Machine by Gary Crew, illustrated by Paul O’Sullivan (Harbour Publishing House) HB RRP 24.99    ISBN 9781922134530                                                                         

Reviewed by Allison Paterson

Where is H.G. Wells’ legendary Time Machine? Still travelling into the past, the future, or lost somewhere in the here and now?

Will Enoch find out?

Take the journey with him.

Based on H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine (1895), this is a picture book of intrigue from Gary Crew and Paul O’Sullivan, the creators of the thought-provoking The Visions of Ichabod X. 

Upon a class visit to the museum, Enoch ignores the final closing message and chooses to explore the chambers revealed by the towering, broken doors through which he alone has entered. A shadowy creature is lurking and Enoch, dazed from a fall, remains unaware of its presence as he follows the light to what he thinks will be safety. Ultimately, it leads him to an astounding discovery. Framing the mysterious and captivating narrative are quotes from The Time Machine which combine with an intriguing, somewhat menacing extra-terrestrial element.

Illustrated in steampunk style using pencil and digital colour, the images enhance the text and ask many questions of the perceptive reader. The layout features a range of techniques from sparse text to double-page spreads and filmstrip frames which are in keeping with the projector image on the title page. The fascinating use of light and shadow adds to the mysterious tone, including a moment when light falling on the boy’s face reveals cat-like pupils which later return to their human form. The clever endpapers feature Queensland’s Glasshouse Mountains and are not to be missed!

As we expect from Gary Crew, the reader arrives at an inclusive ending with questions begging to be answered. Timing the Machine is both a mesmerising and thought-provoking picture book for older readers.

Allison Paterson www.allisonmarlowpaterson.com

Corn Field

Corn Field by Gary Crew, illustrated by Aaron Hill (Windy Hollow Books)
HB RRP $25.95
ISBN: 9781922081377
Reviewed by Anne Hamilton

Slotting deftly into a niche for reluctant male readers with a taste for just a shivery suggestion of horror, this is a picture book for a teen audience.

This is a tricky proposition, because that age group is happy to be seen with a graphic novel but it’s uber-uncool to be spotted reading a picture book. However the macabre aspect has just what it takes to overcome the format and woo the boys in.

Take a spoonful of mystery, a cup of morbid, season with well-paced tension and layer with eerie, almost grungy illustrations. Crew and Hill have teamed up for this unusual offering, aimed mainly at early adolescent males.

One hot sticky day, two boys—fuelled by boredom, bravado and possibly a need to prove their parents and grandparents are ‘fraidy cats—dare to cross THE Cornfield.

Yeah, that cornfield. The one the Pinchy kid went in generations back and never came out. Festering rumours suggest the kid might still be in there. But he can’t be, can he?

So the boys go in.

Short, scary and moody. If you like your horror subtle and suggestive, rather than graphic, this is top stuff.

The Cuckoo

The Cuckoo by Gary Crew, illustrated by Naomi Turvey (Ford Street Publishing)

HB RRP $29.95

PB RRP $16.95

HB ISBN 9781925000177

PB ISBN 9781925000184

Reviewed by Francine Sculli

The Cuckoo by Gary Crew, illustrated by Naomi Turvey

(Ford Street Publishing)

HB RRP $29.95

PB RRP $16.95

HB ISBN 9781925000177

PB ISBN 9781925000184

Reviewed by Francine Sculli

Before I even opened the pages of The Cuckoo, I was intrigued. The haunting image of animal bones woven amongst Australian natives on the cover made me desperate to read the latest offering from one of Australia’s leading authors for youth, Gary Crew. And from that very first striking image right to the very last page, The Cuckoo kept me captivated and awe.

I was left with one word at the end of my first and second and third readings of this delicate fable: WOW. That’s all I kept thinking, a heavy and heartfelt WOW. But I realise a one word review will not suffice and so I have made my best attempt to put into words what makes this story so beautiful, provocative, striking and captivating.

It is the fable of a young boy named Martin. Martin is the runt of the family, abandoned by his mother and ridiculed by his father and brothers. He seeks comfort and friendship in the native birds, the forests and bush. But one evening, when a pair of eagles collect his brothers with their vicious talons and feed the boys’ bodies to their offspring, Martin’s world changes forever. His father, wishing it were Martin who was taken, convinces Martin it was he who bore the responsibility of his father’s sorrow.

And so Martin runs, seeking solitude in the valley. While roaming the valley, Martin discovers that the birds he had once befriended had self-sacrificed themselves to the baby eagles. Martin decides to take on the persona of an eaglet, covering himself in feathery down and honey sap, and determined to begin again. Raised in the eaglet’s nest, Martin’s body grows as sleek as the eagles that nurtured him. One day, he takes off, his wings soaring through the sky. But it is there that he spots his father on the edge of the cliff, crying of his loss and his arrogance and the hardness of his own heart that drove everyone away, even Martin. His sorrow and remorse touches Martin and he swoops down, collects his father and flies toward the sun.

The Cuckoo is so undeniably rich in folklore and morality that it is near impossible to remain untouched by its strong messages of independence, forgiveness, loss and family. And while these messages are strong in their own right, it is Crew’s language that truly captures the reader. Every word, every sentence, every dot of punctuation is poignant and unforgettable. It is poetry that sings and soars like the eagles in the story.

And one must not forget the illustrations of Naomi Turvey, which make this fable even richer and deeper with illustrations so delicately crafted with black and white ink and the soft hues of pink and blue pastels that look washed with watercolours. Her illustrations are simultaneously telling and alluring.

This book will be remembered for years to come and is an important tale for teaching people about the hardship of love and loss, and human beings capacity for forgiveness. It is absolutely WOW. 

Book Launch: Trust Me Too

Ford Street Publishing invites you to the launch of its latest book, Trust Me Too. Edited by Paul Collins with an introduction by Judith Ridge, Trust Me Too has never-before-published stories and illustrations from 57 contributors including Shaun Tan, Leigh Hobbs, Oliver Phommavanh, James Roy, Michael Gerard Bauer, Gary Crew, David Miller, Michael Pryor and many others.

Ford Street will be launching Trust Me Too in both Victoria and NSW.

Launch 1: NSW residents -- come along to the launch at Parramatta High School (Great Western Freeway) on Friday 20th of July. It'll start at 9:15. Wendy Orr (who will read from her story), Susanne Gervay, Meredith Costain, Oliver Phommavanh, Judith Ridge and others will be there. RSVP by July 14 to Terrie: fordstr@internode.on.net.

Launch 2: VIC residents – You’re invited to: Princes Hill Secondary College (Arnold Street, Carlton North) on July 27 at 6 pm. A STACK of children's authors and illustrators will be there, including Isobelle Carmody, Kirsty Murray, Meredith Costain, Marc McBride, Leigh Hobbs, Sean McMullen, Corinne King, Adam Wallace, David Miller, Janeen Brian, Gabrielle Wang, Sue Bursztynski and many others. It'll be a hoot! RSVP July 23 to Terrie: fordstr@internode.on.net.

Buzz Words loves Trust Me Too. This review was posted at BWB on 3 July:

Trust Me Too edited by Paul Collins (Ford Street Publishing)   

PB RRP $24.95

ISBN 978-1921665585

Reviewed by Francine Sculli

Trust Me Too is a wildly diverse collection of short stories and poems, edited by Paul Collins, that is jam packed with intoxicating tales written by an all-star line up of Australian writers. In her introduction, Judith Ridge sums the collection up perfectly: “If reading is something you do to find your way into the lives of other people, whatever kind of world they live in, you will find something to enjoy and ponder on within.”

And there is definitely no shortage of worlds and lives to explore in this collection; nor a shortage of themes, motifs and genres that will perfectly engage the middle-readers audience, but the one thing that truly binds this anthology is the thrilling sense of adventure and strong themes. From the very first story, Kerry Greenwood’s ‘The Calabar Crystal’, readers are thrown right into the very heart of a historical otherworldliness through the daring adventures and discoveries of best friends, Red and Liam, who unearth Liam’s eccentric great-aunt’s secrets from Zimbabwe.

There is no turning back from the benchmark of Greenwood, and the ripping pace continues as readers travel from world to world meeting strong characters of both old and young who encounter everything from a lone child raised by dingoes, scavenger hunts with prized ashes, sci-fi detective deaths inspired by plagues of rats, failed rock star fathers, cartoon farmers plagued by Zombies and so very much more. The big draw card of the Obernewtyn novelette ‘The Journey’ by Isobelle Carmody, is well worth its weight in gold. Carmody outdoes herself, once again, with a brilliant sci-fi story of Hannah, her telepathic powers and groundbreaking research. Hannah, drawn to the corporate city in search of people like her and a research internship that could change her life, finds herself attacked by a nunazi ganger and rescued by Jake Obernewtyn who shares his wisdom and creates a new path for Hannah.

The Obernewtyn novelette, however, does not outweigh the brilliance of this anthology as a whole. Each and every story, poem and illustration is well crafted and stands impressively on its own. This collection really does present the best of the best and there is so much to chew on that it is almost impossible to even select a stand-out. 

In the Beech Forest

 In the Beech Forest by Gary Crew, illustrated by Den Scheer (Ford St)

HB RRP $29.95

ISBN 9781921665578

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

A boy retreats from the beasts and heroes, unconquered and other, from within his computer games to venture into the forest for the first time to experience a real adventure. The beech trees are as unfamiliar as the untrodden path: primeval and haunting. This journey through the unknown is a test of courage for the boy.

Although imaginings flood through him, heightened by the strange sounds, and the images of bones created by the fallen branches, his courage pushes him forth. He recalls his fear of the darkness, and the dread of his computer characters coming to life when he closes his eyes to sleep. But his mind calms his fears by rationalizing each sight and sound.

A vibration beneath him rises and reaches him like a living, breathing thing; the heartbeat of nature. He comes across what he sees as ‘basalt runes from the dawn of time’. He could be within one of his games were it not for the heartbeat. He touches the earth and acknowledges the surrounding massive stone formations and the history of life they hold.

He now has seen things more powerful than those in his games and he connects with the primal force of the forest. He has conquered his fears.

There will be many interpretations of this story. Only the writer knows the truth. But does it really matter? The preciseness and beauty of Gary Crew’s prose remains unquestionable. He has aptly chosen Den Scheer, three times winner of the Artist of the Year Award from 2009 onward, to interpret his work in black and white using graphite and woodcutting. That she began this work at sixteen years old is testament to her great gift which hasn’t yet reached its full potential.

Den’s preference for her art work is graphite. The bold, exciting illustrations are framed within what appears to be stone. It’s a dark, macabre interpretation, gothic in its images, but breathtaking in its detail and expression. In the Beech Forest is another collectable work of art.