What not to do if you turn Invisible

What not to do if you turn Invisible by Ross Welford (Harper Collins Children’s Books) PB RRP $14.99   ISBN 9780008156350

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

From the author of Time Travelling with a Hamster comes another creative and entertaining read. It’s every child’s dream to be invisible and I suspect even some adults.  This book would suit from 9 years old onwards.

The text is cleverly crafted to grab the reader’s attention and ensure they keep on reading.

 

‘On the way to the kitchen I catch a glimpse of myself in the long hallway mirror. Well, I say ‘myself’. What I really see is a pair of jeans and my favourite red T-shirt walking by themselves.’

The story is deceptively simple to read and surprisingly very different.  The book uses humour to explore that terrifying topic of trying to find yourself and where you fit in this world. This includes within your own family, with your friends and at school. 

There are bullies and loud mouths that make Ethel feel isolated. Thirteen-year-old Ethel has a very painful problem, a bad case of spots.  Just like anyone else with a very painful problem Ethel tries to find a solution. With the help of her mate Boydy Ethel hides her invisibility and along the way they solve a mysterious mystery.

Without giving away too many secrets Ethel finds her identity and inner strength and as well as a happy fit with her place in the world.

Teachers will enjoy reading this book to their class just for fun or for discussion about bullying and friendship. 

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Sheeza

Sheeza by Clancy Tucker (Morris Publishing Australia)

PB RRP $18.00 including postage E-book$3.00

(Overseas $21.00 including postage)

ISBN 9780646935843

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Danny has an artificial limb and wears glasses. He’s the perfect target for bullies and ‘Mad Dog’ Fletcher is out to get him. Danny can’t play sport so longs to have a dog.  Towards this end, he has been doing odd jobs for the lovely oldies in his area, and saving every penny.

He doesn’t want any dog, he wants a Kelpie, to train and enter into the sheep dog trials at the Agricultural Show. He has read every book he could find, and watched every video available in preparation for the moment he gets the go-ahead from his parents.

Joey is Danny’s best friend, confidant, and protector when things get rough. Joey is optimistic, lovable and daring. He balances Danny’s smart and responsible side well which makes for a perfect friendship.

When Danny sees the physically-challenged pup in the pet shop, he knows it’s the one. They bond immediately and training the pup, which he names Sheeza, is a breeze. They end up winning the sheep dog trials at Wanganui.

It’s when Sheeza is stolen that everyone joins the hunt to find her. Who could have taken her? Where can she be and will she ever be found? Posters, Current Affair programs, truckies with two-way radios across Australia and an informed public, set out to find and reunite the dog with the boy.

This is Clancy Tucker’s second novella. He’s a writer who loves to get his teeth into difficult themes and always manages to weave several issues into one story.

A well-researched book, Sheeza incorporates detailed information about working dogs, their training and habits. I loved this story. It kept me reading without stopping until the end. As usual, there are fantastic characters - humans and animals, bad versus good in people, and problems that are overcome due to a tight community and strong friendships. To never give up is a powerful message that flows through all the issues addressed.

If You Find This

If You Find This by Matthew Baker (Hot Key Books)

PB RRP $14.95

ISBN 9781471404528

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

As soon as you read in the first page of this first person narrative that the protagonist eleven-year-old Nicholas Funes has an ongoing relationship with a tree that he believes is his brother, you know this is going to be quirky, and Nicholas weird.  The boy also collects prime numbers and square roots and the text is full of references to them. There is also something which irritated this reader: the words ‘forte’ and ‘piano’ are littered throughout the book to indicate mood. I found them distracting and could not see what purpose they served.

As for the story, Nicholas’ real troubles begin when his Grandfather, a family secret, is let out of prison. The old man confides he has a map to an immense fortune; the problem is that it seems as though he’s suffering from dementia so whether or not he has one is problematic. Fighting off bullies is one of Nicholas’ problems and, too, he’s upset that the family is going to have to sell off their home to solve monetary problems.

What follows next is a series of events that see Nicholas, with two unlikely accomplices, trying to engineer a break-out from a retirement home, making an agreement with a local witch and trying to solve the secrets of his family’s past.

Nicholas sure is weird indeed. I found this story challenging, trying to ignore the fortes and pianos and other oddities. But for a reader aged 11 years and up who enjoys books about strange friendships, weirdness, family secrets and dangerous adventures, then this might be a book for him or her.