You Can Change the World

You Can Change the World by Lucy Bell, (Pantera Press), 2019, Hb, RRP  $29.99 ISBN: 9781925700527 (hardcover) ISBN 9781925700725 (ebook)

Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

In a world where many kids are becoming overwhelmed by fear of the future, here’s a practical guide to help them feel they can make a difference. You Can Change the World is attractively produced and comprehensively researched. It is crammed with ways to aid the planet, offering alternatives to our throw-away society. Chapters cover: Plastic, Ethical and Environmentally Friendly Clothing, Waste, Food, Energy, Electricity and Water, Animal Activism. A section on Gardening and the Outdoors features practical advice on how to make compost and attract butterflies and bees.

Each chapter includes a real-life story about a Changemaker, someone who has seen a problem and taken steps to fix it. They are all children, many Australians, aged from seven years up, whose stories rightly deserve to be celebrated. Twelve year old Molly Steer has campaigned to stop her Queensland government using single-use plastic straws. Ten year old Fin Vicars from New South Wales is passionate about renewable energy and science. Greta Thunberg is not mentioned. Perhaps she came to prominence while this book was in production.

The last section, titled 'An Act of Kindness', is a call for young readers to take positive action to help someone and the planet. Lucy Bell writes ‘The ideas in this book are just the beginning of your journey to help the world and save our planet. It’s now up to you.’

What a pity more world leaders hadn’t read something like this when they were growing up.

The final pages include social media contacts for the Changemakers and helpful organisations, stores and charities.

Highly recommended for school, library and home bookshelves.

En Pointe

En Pointe by Chloe Bayliss (Pantera Press) PB RRP $24.99 ISBN 9781925700756

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

En Pointe is written by Chloe Bayliss, who many may know as an actor on Channel 9 drama series Doctor Doctor. It is a story of her life so far, from her childhood and teenage years as a serious ballet dancer, to her even more serious medical problems, then out the other side. Written for a young adult audience, this first-person account paints a picture of dreams dashed but also of the support of family and friends. Most importantly, the book is about a girl who never gives up.

The introduction outlines what the book will be about, so there are no surprises. It starts in the world of competitive, all-encompassing ballet, where Chloe trains for hours each day with one aim: to become a professional ballerina. She is aware that she is missing out on normal teenage things like kissing boys or going to parties. But it is all worth it when she is offered a place at the Washington Ballet school. It seems her dream has been realised.

The next part of the book, which is the majority, is about Chloe’s descent into illness and subsequent hospitalisation, with a disease that no one knows how to treat. Her kidneys are failing, and she is confined to a bed. She has fits, then seems to be getting better, only to get worse again. The description of the permanent tube inserted into her chest is particularly visceral. These grim details are balanced out with personal stories of what it is like to be a teenager in these circumstances such as the guy she likes who visits her in hospital and family dynamics.

The last part of the book describes Chloe’s recovery and her determination to get back to dancing and real life. A section of photos shows Chloe from her first ballet lesson aged three, through her various ballet roles, pictures of her in hospital, then finally at the Logie Awards with the Doctor Doctor cast. Chloe says in the book media release, that she was unsure whether to reveal her story, as it may affect the way people see her as an actor. However, she says she wanted to tell her story to help someone also going through a tough time. This is a book that could do just that.