Three Magic Balloons

Three Magic Balloons as told to Julianna Margulies and her Sisters told by Paul Margulies, illustrated by Grant Shaffer (Piccolo Nero) HB RRP

ISBN 9781863958370

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Julianna Margulies is a world-famous award-winning actress. The story re-told in this picture book by her brother was one originally told to her and her two sisters when they were children by their father. It’s a story about three children who every Saturday go with their dad to the Children’s Zoo in a city park (probably Central Park in New York). Dad offers them money for a treat, but instead they choose to buy foods for the animals. One day, a mysterious man gives them a small reward for their kindness – a different colour balloon for each of them. At night they dream that their respective beds – to which their balloons are tethered – float through the sky where they meet three angels who grant them wishes.

It must have been wonderful to have such a loving father who was also a storyteller. But would this picture book have been published if written by an unknown author? I wondered this as I found this story sweet and sentimental but not memorable. It also contains Americanised words which might not be familiar to Australian readers.

Nevertheless the story has a certain charm and the illustrations are bright and amusing. The story’s message is: ‘Magic is everywhere; you just need to know where to look’ – which, after all, is a great message for anyone. 

Angel Creek

Angel Creek by Sally Rippin (Text Publishing)

ISBN 9781921758058

PB RRP $16.95

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Angel Creek is a story about what happens to a girl named Jelly the summer before she starts secondary school. It's about magical discoveries, secrets from family and the awareness that growing up is just around the corner. This book should appeal to 8-12 year old girls as well as some boys of this age.

The story begins just before Christmas when Jelly and her cousins find a baby angel by the creek behind Jelly's new house. They decide to keep it and hide it, not telling anyone else. This is when things start to go wrong. Jelly's Nonna goes to hospital and then the baby cousin gets sick. Is this all just a coincidence or does it have something to do with the angel?

At the centre of the story is Jelly, an admirable character who isn't scared of much. She still climbs trees and scrapes her knees but she is aware of Spook, a boy who will be going to her new school. The story switches smoothly between the otherworldliness of the angel to Jelly's everyday life. There's a dramatic climax, then a satisfying ending that pleasingly doesn't feel the need to explain absolutely everything.  

With an ethereal cover (by WH Chong) and angel's wings at the start of each chapter, the supernatural theme is strong and appealing for young people this age. Angel Creek is an imaginative and assured move into writing for older children by Sally Rippin. 

Mercy

Mercy by Rebecca Lim (HarperCollins)
PB RRP $19.99
ISBN 9780732291990
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

It's no wonder that Mercy is ready to become an international hit. Rebecca Lim draws the reader into the story immediately with economical prose and tells the story of Mercy, the fallen and amnesic archangel, with great clarity and a very definite youth voice. This is an angel with attitude!

Written in first person present tense, the reader only knows what Mercy knows, feeling her confusion as she inhabits the body of an insecure but brilliant choir girl Carmen Zappacosta. Mercy does not fully understand her powers and does not know why she must shift from body to body. Is it to help the person whose identity she assumes, others around her, or is there an ulterior objective altogether?

Carmen has been billeted with the Daley family whose daughter Lauren, also an exceptional singer, went missing two years previously and is assumed dead by all except her twin brother Ryan. Mercy believes Ryan and tries to help him find Lauren putting herself in danger. A mysterious sub-plot running through the book, and I am sure throughout the series, is the appearance of other archangels, particularly Luc.

Even if you don't normally read fantasy, you will enjoy Mercy. Look also for the release of the sequels Exile and Muse in 2011.

The Infernal Devices Book 1: Clockwork Angel

The Infernal Devices Book 1: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Walker Books)
PB RRP $24.94
ISBN 9781406328813

Reviewed by Heather Zubek

A prequel series to Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices Book 1: Clockwork Angel can be read, we are told by the author, as a stand-alone story. I haven’t read the Mortal Instrument series and I must admit to feeling quite lost when reading about Shadowhunters, Downworlders and such like. What does ‘glamour’ mean? What about the runes? What’s the deal with the Clockwork Angel? However, the story has enough sense of place and convincing characters for me to read to the end.

Author Cassandra Clare has a huge following of young readers through her Mortal Instruments series and I imagine these readers would enjoy the new Infernal Devices series. Cassandra has done a lot of research into London of the Victorian era and an American’s view of the city during that time. She even hired a researcher to track down hard-to-find photographs of certain locations. This research has paid off. The reader is taken in by the gloomy and tense period of old London and the author’s vivid depictions of landmarks and even the dress and food of the day is excellent. There are a few scenes of battle and one particularly gruesome one involving several vampires that are about to drain a mundane (or human) of all its blood. Just for entertainment.

Cassandra does tend to repeat certain phrases throughout the book – we read of hair clinging to sweaty faces rather a lot - but that doesn’t detract from her obvious talent for writing. Lovers of vampires, fantasy and the Mortal Instruments will no doubt enjoy reading Clockwork Angel and would look forward to reading more about Tessa, Will and Jem in the following two books.