In Mortal Danger

In Mortal Danger by Lorraine Campbell (Palmer Higgs)

PB RRP $ 24.95

ISBN 9780992549343

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

In Mortal Danger, the sequel to the outstanding Resisting the Enemy turns the focus from Valli and her dangerous Resistance activities, to the other main character of the story, the attractive, aloof Colonel Maximilian Von Stahlmann, billeted in Valli’s grandmother’s villa. We learn about his life as a soldier and the battles he has taken part in, what he has seen, and how it has influenced his beliefs and actions. The kind of man he has become inside due to his experiences isn’t the stiff, robotic Colonel others see him as. Although he is a German soldier under orders, he has principles he lives by, a mind of his own, honour, and the courage of his convictions.

Valli is finding it hard to fight the attraction she feels towards Von Stahlmann, who in turn, can no longer contain his feelings toward her. She is filled with self-loathing at her longing for the enemy. Nevertheless, their passion is ignited. Valli is destroyed when she learns he is married. Now her hatred toward him is justified and absolute.

When her best friend Margie, a French Jew, is betrayed and arrested, and ordered to the internment camp, Valli goes to extraordinary measures to secure her release. But there are others in mortal danger, not just Margie. The two children she saved from the streets are also at risk. Will a conflict of interests handicap Valli’s plea for help from Von Stahlmann, or will he stay true to his real self? Furthermore, does love have a place in a world full of turmoil and death?

A fantastic conclusion to an excellent two-book series set in the turbulent years of WW2 for the 16+ age group. As with the first book, there is mystery, suspense, adventure, love and passion, and a riveting story that moves between Australia and France.

Resisting the Enemy

Resisting the Enemy by Lorraine Campbell (Palmer Higgs)

PB RRP $24.95

ISBN 9780992549329

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Valli, an intelligent and multi-talented young woman, has lost her brother in a road accident and her parents in a bomb blast in London. The Germans have invaded France and she is living with her grandmother in her villa. She has secretly joined a Resistance group, passionate about helping her country in any way she can.

When a young German officer is billeted at their home, she has much to fear. If she is discovered the by the Gestapo her life will be forfeited.

But there is a traitor in their ranks. Valli will do whatever it takes to discover who it is. Can she make it in time to stop her best friend from walking into a trap set by the Gestapo?

This is Lorraine Campbell’s first YA historical novel and what a good job she’s done with it. With themes of friendship and sacrifice, espionage and deceit, I became totally immersed. As the novel progressed past the back story, it increased in pace so there was no way I was putting it down. A storyline full of danger and mystery, challenges and romance, this exciting adventure is set just before and during WW2. It moves between Australia and France, with something new taking place all the time. Underlying currents of other happenings add to the tension that’s always present in Valli’s life. Discussions between the characters about classical music and opera, and the classics, are scintillating.

It is a well-researched and riveting read, and the first of a two-book series for the 16+ age group.

Puppy Pie

Puppy Pie by Sam Jasper (Palmer Higgs)

PB RRP $19.95

ISBN – 978-192502777-8

Reviewed by Emma Cameron

The story opens as nine year old city girl Gull joins country cousins one school holidays during hemp harvest time. Someone has just dumped another lot of puppies off to the Hepplewhite’s. That’s what every neighbour does with offspring that are the result of the Hepplewhite’s dog, Useless, impregnating the area's dogs. Gull is horrified at Uncle Harry’s joke about turning them into puppy pie.

The farm’s relying on this hemp crop to clear a huge overdraft. When the hemp lies down, mid-harvest, Uncle Harry thinks it’s his fault that the district’s farmers might lose their crops too. Harry’s wife Helen’s psychic powers seem to be draining her more than usual and she keeps falling asleep. With the help of Shirley, a CWA neighbour, Gull and cousins hide Helen’s ‘sleeping sickness’ from Harry because he has enough to worry about.

They send her to stay with relatives. But minus her psychic help, how can they work out why the hemp keeps falling over? Filled with many mysteries and scenes of constant chores, meal breaks, and neighbours helping one another the tale’s unusual characters include a flea named Ma. While a family prophecy says a girl named Gull will save the farm, Ma and her flea family play a vital role.

Ma’s large family, who readers are all introduced to, need lots of attention. And Ma’s worried about what’s happening to the hemp too. When she takes action it puts Gull and company on track to work out what evil forces are at work to destroy the community. Once they know, Gull steps up to the mark. Fortunately, Shirley is working at the local bank, which means she can let Gull gain access to the computers in order to copy some vital evidence.

Just as the bank announces that land owners must sell up, Gull and Shirley manage to get what they need to expose the evil force and his accomplice. All is saved and the town can rest easy. Crammed with facts about farming, food, insects, dogs and cats, the story’s multiple viewpoints let readers see how a farmer on the brink of failure is reduced to grief as well as how a flea thinks. Fortunately, all ends well and, despite the worries they all face, there is still much rib-poking and joking going on.

Elephant Jam

Elephant Jam by Sam Jasper (Palmer Higgs)

PB RRP $19.95

ISBN – 978-192502778-5

Reviewed by Emma Cameron

Eleven-year-old twins Demi and Semmy, whose grandparents and great-grandmother live with them, miss their parents who have been travelling the world for the past year in search of the original beat. When the twins become haunted by a different yet familiar sound, as well as strange dreams, they have a mystery to solve.

Demi’s brother asks his school mates at the Con, who belong to a band named the Elephants, to help track down what the sound is. At the same time, Demi finds the new girl Pixie, who she’s been paired up with to practice a music duet, very annoying. Pixie believes “Everything is my business” and Demi doesn’t want her to know anything about the noise she hears, or her dreams.

As the mystery unfolds, readers are treated to many mini-lessons about music, instruments, artists, science, animals, gardening and food. Descriptions give readers a clear picture of each scene, including in-depth details about what is on the menu each meal. The cast of quirky characters all add their own flavor to the story. Grandma even chooses musical backdrops to accompany dinner!

The author has used omniscient viewpoint and, to ensure readers can follow what each character is thinking, placed their thoughts in italics. I think young readers may well enjoy this. They are also likely to take pleasure in the varied use of adverbs and adjectives which align with what they are learning in school, as well as the occasional puns that appear in the text.

Solving the mystery sees Demi and Semmy having to harness all their bravery. They are also fortunate to have a caring great-grandmother who helps them along the way, ensuring their safety. The story reaches a wonderful climax that sees all issues that arise along the way being solved, including Mum and Dad being drawn back home as they are lured by the original beat. I won’t tell you what that is, as that would spoil it for you, but they should have known that what they were searching for was at home all along!

Book Review: Super Baby and Ted and the Cotsville Kids

Super Baby and Ted and the Cotsville Kids by Jennifer Bates, illustrated by Luke Watson (palmerhiggsbooks.com.au)

PB Boxed set of six: $29.95

ISBN 9780987121400

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This is a great series for pre-school children with a significant overall theme – child safety awareness. Over thirty years in the making with a big stop along the way, the series has finally made its way into the world. Jennifer Bates started with an idea that came to her lips as a form of entertainment when her children were very young. It has evolved into a significant project aimed at protecting children from the dangers that surround them daily. But this cannot be done without  adult awareness.

There are many important themes in this set of six books. The need to supervise young children while they are at play, around water, when playing close to roads, the positioning of furniture near windows or other danger areas, the danger of stairs, chemicals and cleaning fluids being high or locked away. Responsible pet care by children is also addressed, as is the importance of not taking what doesn’t belong to you.

Through the situations that the characters get into, the reader/adult, is told and shown by Super Baby, what can happen when supervision, the preoccupation with other things, and the lack of vigilance, is absent. The interaction between child and adult, the reiteration and explanation of the whys and hows, will serve to inform and refresh the memory of both the reader and the listener.

Super Baby's motto is ‘A Safe Baby is a Happy Baby’, and to this end she has stayed true to the characters she created using the original classical images that were born that time long ago. They are: Super Baby and his sidekick Ted the bear; babies Thomas and Kate, Andrew and his dog Smudge, Jaxon and Dudley - best friends but different in every way; the little Aboriginal girl Zoe and her cat Furnella that doesn’t really like playing, and the bully Sammy Snatchet who also takes things that don’t belong to him.

They are all gorgeous and endearing characters. The endless source of safety information will certainly bring more books to series once the interest they deserve is fired up. The books are also available through Kidsafe WA, and Sids and Kids WA. 

Try

Try! by Sharon McGuinness, cover illustration by Tom Jellet (distributed by Palmer Higgs)
RRP eBook $6.95; flipbook $5.00
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton


Jesse is desperate to play rugby league but his mum isn't sure since Jesse is on the small side. He persists, convinces Mum, and wins over his team mates through persistence and training.

Tom Jellet's cover illustration in his trademark style brought a smile to my face as soon as I opened this eBook. The smiles kept coming as I read the story. McGuinness has written a gem of an early chapter book for rugby league and other sport fanatics. I'm not a league fan but I can understand passion for football being a big Aussie rules fan and that's exactly what comes across. I was with Jesse all the way in his quest to play the sport he loves, and it is sure to delight younger readers. The story ends not only with triumph for Jesse but with some all round good sportsmanship.

This book is an extension of a story published previously in The School Magazine and is dedicated to two children who pestered McGuinness, a teacher-librarian, for stories about rugby league. Try! is targeted at a level emerging readers can tackle themselves and its satisfying story will no doubt bolster a love of rugby league and reading.