When the Lights Went Out

When the Lights Went Out by Lian Tanner, illustrated by Jonathan Bentley (Allen & Unwin) HB RRP $24.99 ISBN: 9781761180019

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

There is a power outage one frosty evening, and the lights disappear from every house on the street. A little boy is scared, but his fear fades as he accompanies his parents on an entertaining exploration of the ‘night country’ in search of candles. Then music starts playing outside. They rug up and run to the road, only to discover that the whole neighbourhood has shown up to listen. The cold, black night becomes a balmy, bright party brimming with wide smiles and happy spirits.

Lian Tanner’s evocative story is aimed at youngsters aged four to six with an anxiety about darkness. When shadows loom and slant, kids can ‘sing brave songs’ and draw courage from connections with friends and family – reassured that they are never alone. Kindness and community come together to banish the bad and to illuminate the good, and the feeling is as comforting as a piggyback from Dad. 

Dynamic lines crisscross Jonathan Bentley’s beautifully coloured images, drawing small eyes deeper and deeper into the spreads. Cool blues and greens wash over the night-time world, but the illustrations remain tethered to warmth through golden candle flames, rich red roofs and vibrant winter clothes.

Blackouts are a common experience – and often frightening for children – but When the Lights Went Out reveals just how much fun they can be. By igniting the spark of curiosity, a brilliant adventure into the ‘night country’ can begin …

Spellhound – A Dragons of Hallow book

Spellhound – A Dragons of Hallow book by Lian Tanner (Allen & Unwin), RRP $17.99 Middle Grade ISBN 9-781761-180057

Reviewed by Susan Hancy

There are Three Great Secrets in Hallow. The first has something to do with the Queen of Hallow, a young girl named Felicia who is kept under the control of her rather mean Aunt Delilah, constantly fed cake, made to put her signature to countless documents, but never allowed to know what she’s signing. The third has something to do with the spellhounds – three enormous dogs, Mum, Dad, and Pup, with some sort of powers, although Pup has had to flee and Mum and Dad have supposedly been captured by a dragon. We know nothing about the second secret, and the narrator is very much okay with that because if we knew everything then this wouldn’t be a story.

We also know that a tiny pixie-like creature called a minch-wiggin, who also lives in a Hallow and is named Flax, has a Dark and Terrible secret. She’s inherited a sword and leather satchel from her great (times seventeen) grandmother and the title of Destroyer-of-Dragons-and-Protector-of-her-People, and she really did not want any of it. And she did not want to get mixed up with the spellhound pup who was fleeing from the dragon and got caught in Flax’s web. But Pup kept running, dragging Flax along, and the two fell off the edge of the Floating Forest into the World Below.

All Pup wants is to find his parents, but Flax is certain that Pup’s parents are dead and all she wants to do is get back home to the Floating Forest. Luckily minch-wiggins have an excellent inherent sense of direction, and even luckier, Flax has some magic strings in her satchel which she can knot a certain way to make her and Pup invisible. That’s essential in the World Below where they at first mistake automobiles for dragons. Flax and Pup unexpectedly encounter Queen Felicia, who does not want to be recognised as Queen and instead introduces herself by one of her middle names – Rose.

When Rose learns that Pup is searching for the dragon to rescue his parents, she decides to escape her awful life as Queen and join Pup and Flax because she believes her parents were also taken by a dragon when she was a baby. She remembers a map from a book that had disappeared from the palace library and according to that map the dragon lives in the labyrinth at Mount Tangle. This information proves useful as the trio head for Mount Tangle and see a dragon towing a cloud across the sky. As the trio fights abductors, and an evil witch, the various pieces of the puzzles weave together revealing the special powers of the spellhounds and the sword, the true title that Flax inherited, what happened to Pup’s and Rose’s parents, who the evil witch is and why she’s so evil, and the first amazing secret about Queen Rose.  But probably the most unexpected revelation of all is who the narrator is.

An expertly constructed story with multiple layers told through the voice of a sassy narrator, this story of magic and other fantastical worlds quickly draws the reader in and compels them to keep turning the page. Highly recommended for boys and girls aged 7 to 11.

Ice Breaker: The Hidden Series

Ice Breaker: The Hidden Series 1 by Lian Tanner (Allen and Unwin)
PB RRP $18.99
ISBN 978-1-74331-434-0
Reviewed by Ann Harth

Petrel lives on an icebreaker seemingly bound for nowhere. When she was an infant, her parents committed an unspeakable crime and were thrown into the icy waters below. Petrel became the Nothing Girl, shunned and ignored by the tribes who live, work and battle on the ancient ship. She steals food to survive, curling into forgotten corners of the ship for warmth and safety from the hatred of the others. Her only friends are Mr Smoke and Miss Slink, two large and intelligent rats.

In this first book of the Hidden Series, Lian Tanner has created a self-contained society on a ship that has been travelling through icy waters for centuries. After a bloody battle 200 years before, the population of the Oyster split into three jealously guarded territories. Although Petrel is not turned away at the borders, she is not welcomed, either. In the eyes of the ship’s inhabitants, 12-year-old Petrel is lower than the rats who have befriended her.

The tide begins to turn when Petrel spots a frozen boy on an iceberg. She informs the crew and the boy is brought on board and locked away. The tribes argue over his fate, some wanting to extract information from him, others certain he is lethal and wishing to throw him off the ship to die in the icy grip of the sea. Petrel helps him to escape and feels responsible for his fate, but when the ship’s First Officer is murdered, the frozen boy is the most likely suspect. All three tribes join forces to look for the boy and Petrel tries to protect him while conflicted with her own questions about his sudden appearance.

As the story unfolds, the mysteries surrounding the frozen boy, the purpose of the ship and even the deaths of Petrel’s parents are revealed. Lian Tanner skilfully weaves emotion, excitement and surprising twists throughout this fast-paced book bringing them all together in a satisfying conclusion.

Ice Breaker is a suitable novel for 9-13 year olds and many will easily identify with Petrel. She is a convincing character and her introspection helped me to feel like I was experiencing the events of the story right along with her. Petrel’s courage in the face of loneliness and ridicule will work to empower young readers.

Lian Tanner creates bold and colourful characters.  Her professional life includes, but is not limited to, work as an actor, a teacher, a tour bus driver and a juggler. Her Keeper’s Series has won many awards and The Hidden Series promises the same. For more information about Lian Tanner, please visit www.liantanner.com.au

Ann Harth is a published children's author and writing tutor at Australian College of Journalism. She loves to read, write and is committed to creating children's literature that inspires, entertains and triggers a tiny twist in the mind. Her latest middle-grade novel, The Art of Magic, and her book for budding authors, Writing for Children – In the Beginning are available from Amazon.