How to Make Friends and Go Viral by Accident

 

How to Make Friends and Go Viral by Accident by Y. K. Willemse (Rhiza Edge) RRP: $14.99 ISBN 9781761113109

Reviewed by Rebecca Fung

How to Make Friends and Go Viral by Accident is one of the Rhiza Shorts series, a short fiction for teens. It's laid out as if it's a funny guide to making friends and going viral, following Hayden's journey, where, of course, he ends up doing both. Don't really expect to use it as a real guide, just a funny and touching story! 

Hayden has a stutter, and his parents want to force him into singing lessons to help him find his voice, build his confidence, and improve his social life. I was a little wary of this idea from the parents: Hayden was taking solo classes and resented the idea, so was this the right way to help him feel confident? But it propelled the story, so let's see.

As Hayden is thirteen, this story is pitched at the younger end of the teen spectrum. The language and the simplicity of the story and concepts meant I felt the story would most appeal to the lower-teen to upper-middle-grade spectrum. It's an area where many readers would welcome stories, since many books focus on readers much younger or much older.

Hayden thinks singing is for girls and suffers from his friends' teasing. His story involves befriending girls and changing people's minds - including his own - about sex stereotypes in singing. The singing lessons are a hoot. Mrs Williamson is a funny character who intersperses comedy with sympathy and wisdom. She guides rather than lectures Hayden, so he begins to discover singing and really loves it.

There are elements many teens will relate to, even if they don't relate to singing - the need to fit in, friendship, feeling nervous, finding themselves and what they really care about, being bullied, being embarrassed by parents, and laughing at parents and how they don't understand teen slang!

Willemse captures this journey well in a concise story with a lot of heart. I found Hayden someone I could cheer for and laugh with through his flaws and uncertainty. The music of his world was unifying and inspiring.

The Day the Bridge Fell

The Day the Bridge Fell by Coral Vass (Rhiza Edge – Wombat Books) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN: 9781761112799

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Fifteen-year-old Ray Johnston is at that awkward age – old enough to have certain privileges that his younger brother doesn’t have (like staying up late) but also old enough to be expected to behave in certain ways and put up with ‘unfair’ things when they happen … like his brother stomping all over the model bridge which took Ray six months to build.

Ray is also too young to be allowed onto the construction site of Melbourne’s new West Gate Bridge … but also too young to have his fears acknowledged when he overhears two workers express their concerns about the viability of the bridge and its safety as they question whether shortcuts have been made in the name of saving money.

This snippet of information would be concerning enough but Ray’s father is one of construction workers on that very bridge and suddenly warning people about it becomes very important,  but nobody will listen.

Set in 1970, The Day the Bridge Fell centres around the actual collapse of the West Gate Bridge. Australia’s worst-ever industrial accident took the lives of 35 workers and injured a further 18 when the nearly completed bridge collapsed while many of the men were on their lunch break.

Author, Coral Vass, sets the tension up right from the start in the naming of her chapters ‘Five days before the bridge fell …’ and perfectly renders the quiet dread and sense of foreboding felt by Ray as he struggles to make the adults around him listen.

While The Day the Bridge Fell is a standalone book, it is part of a growing series of ‘minimal words, maximum impact’ teen fiction (or young adult) stories for readers aged from 10 years old who are not necessarily ‘reluctant readers’ but are time-poor but still want to read a great story. Known as ‘Rhiza Shorts’, this initiative from Rhiza Edge (Wombat Books) sees exceptional storytelling, with a single storyline of no more than 20,000 words.

Rhiza Shorts are stories with ‘oomph’ and heart, that speak to the interests and experiences of our youth (and beyond). Coral Vass has certainly met the brief with this historical fiction, coming-of-age story with a strong main character who readers will be able to resonate and connect with.

If you like historical fiction where the main character’s story is front and centre, The Day the Bridge Fell will not disappoint. Targeted at readers aged 13+ years, this story is a must-read not only for its inside knowledge of a key piece of Australian history but for its exploration of the in-between years – between child and adult.

Like Comment Subscribe?

Like Comment Subscribe? by Author Kat Ost (Rhiza Edge) ISBN 978-1-76111-257-7  RRP $14.99 (PB) Middle Grade Fiction

Reviewed by Jude Mullen

Becca is a 15-year-old influencer with well over 1 000 000 followers. Her Aunt Jane, who is also her manager, is pushing Becca to pump up her account by doing collaborations. But Becca doesn’t want to pump up her account; she actually wants to close it down. What she really wants is to follow her passion for writing poetry, but how can she tell her Aunt Jane and her Mum the truth when they are so invested in her social media profile?

This middle grade fiction is one of the new Rhiza-Shorts which are novellas aimed specifically at teenage readers who are seeking something shorter in length, easy to read, with high-interest, relatable topics. Whilst the language and structure are simple and straightforward, and the word count is low (I was able to read the entire book in only a couple of hours) in no way does it feel condescending for teenage readers. In fact, quite the opposite . This story taps into themes of identity, friendship, and being seen and heard as your authentic self which are pertinent topics for this age group. It also incorporates social issues that affect teens in their daily lives, such as the pressure and impact of social media, as well as their relationships with their parents.

Not only will the content and storyline appeal to teens, but the format is also designed to hook even the most reluctant readers. The print is not dense, the chapters are short, and each chapter begins with a header updating Becca’s status about her posts, her all-important follower numbers, and her mood, which is a great way to catch readers’ attention and draw them into the chapter.

Like Comment Subscribe is likely to appeal more to teenage girls than to boys as the protagonist, Becca is a girl, and there are actually no male characters in the story at all. Rhiza markets this book as having a reading age of 10+ years with an ‘interest age’ of 13+ years. I see this story having a strong appeal for the target audience of those wanting something shorter to read and for reluctant readers. I commend Rhiza’s foresight in seeing and filling this gap in the market for interesting, engaging and relevant shorter stories for teens.

The Tempus Imperium

The Tempus Imperium by Juliet A. Payne (Rhiza Edge) RRP $22.99

Reviewed by Melissa Wray

Charlie is just trying to save enough money for university by working as many hours as she can at the local fast-food outlet. One night she arrives at her Grandma Penny’s house only to discover her gran has been killed by someone or something.

What follows next is a strange series of unexplainable events until Charlie discovers some information about her grandmother’s past, a past that Charlie had no idea about and was never spoken of by her grandmother. Charlie is soon thrust into the world of time travel and a secret organisation of time travellers as she seeks answers for the death of her grandmother and to understand the strange events around her.

Paine creates a delicate blend of Charlie’s current, modern world as well as the time travel worlds that Charlie finds herself transported to. Throughout the story Paine cleverly crafts characters, clues, and events that link the secrets Grandmother Penny has been guarding most of her life. These secrets and what links everything together keep the reader and the pages turning!

The Tempus Imperium includes well-known events in history that the reader can connect with but gives them new meaning and significance based on the importance of the job of the time travellers who are tasked with maintaining order to avoid any catastrophic outcomes for the world. The fast-paced storyline and action-packed adventure make The Impus Imperium suitable for a 12+ year-old readership.

Keeper of the Archives

Keeper of the Archives by Lynne Stringer (Wombat: Rhiza Edge) PB RRP $22.99 ISBN: 9781761111563

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

When the first paragraph of a new book likens thick smoke to choking tentacles, you know you are in the heart of the story and it’s set for immediate action.

By the end of the first page, we know that Eden Fittell is the strength in her family, protecting her mother and her siblings, Lenny and Jed, from their drunken and abusive father who only ‘visits’ when he needs more money for drink. And, by the end of the first chapter, we are firmly on Eden’s side – albeit concerned for her welfare and wondering how this young teen is going to manage.

In the grand scheme of things, Eden’s father is the least of the family’s worries when you consider their city is being targeted by crime boss Kore Luddan, who has the terrifying freak known as Izrod on his team kidnapping the people of Sendirian City.

The stakes are quickly raised when Eden obtains a position as a junior keeper in the Government Archives – replacing Kore’s most recent victim. Her mother is concerned, but what choice does Eden have; her family needs the money.

Supervisors in the Archives are on high alert, with stringent securities in place but, as with all good suspense situations, it is soon clear that these will be no match for Kore and Izrod. The question is, will Eden be stronger?

Author Lynne Stringer brings contemporary issues to play throughout the story, including domestic violence and alcoholism, along with considering themes of family dysfunction, the power of social status and the ‘masking’ of personal fear, and deals with these in a hard-hitting but compassionate way.

With well-developed characters who feel real, Keeper of the Archives is a fast-paced, high-tension story about a post-apocalyptic world, and will definitely appeal to young adult readers who enjoy science fiction and the surreal.

The Verindon Alliance

The Verindon Alliance by Lynne Stringer (Rhiza Edge) PB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781925563993

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

For centuries, the Vendel and the Verindal have fought for supremacy on their shared planet, Verindon. Although they are similar species, the Vendel have a unique ability to transform into beings with enhanced awareness, speed and accuracy, while the Verindal are masters of cutting-edge technology. When a spate of surprise attacks decimates people on both sides, each race is quick to blame the other.

Only Vashta, fifth princess of the Vendel, and Brandonin, heir to the Verindal throne, see the truth: a devastating enemy from beyond the stars seeks to destroy them all. Can the two royals overcome a history plagued by hostility to join forces and defeat the Arctals, bringing lasting peace to their planet in the process?

Teenage sci-fi lovers will enjoy The Verindon Alliance, as Lynne Stringer takes them to a beautiful new world with a rainbow sky and drops them right in the middle of a breathtaking battle zone. From the acute mental conflicts, as each Verindonian race struggles to trust the other, to the powerful physical skirmishes between the aliens and the planet’s citizens – not to mention the wrestling of emotions, as Vashta and Brandonin come to terms with their evolving feelings for each other – Lynne keeps her readers on the edge of their seat, waiting for the next thrilling twist in the tale.

Lynne makes excellent use of language in her world building, with fresh terms for time periods, animals and technology adding to the unearthly feel. Readers may be a little confused in the early chapters of the book by the similarity between the words ‘Vendel’, ‘Verindal’ and ‘Verindon’, but this difficulty eases as the story unfolds and it becomes clear that the chapters alternate between Vashta’s point of view and that of Brandonin.

With clever dialogue, credible character growth and cracking action sequences, The Verindon Alliance is a must-read for YA devotees. Lynne completes the story arc with a blissful bonding ceremony between Vashta and Brandonin, but intriguingly leaves the door open for a sequel.