The Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire

The Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire by Nat Amoore (Puffin Books) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9780143796374

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

While trampolining in her backyard, Tess Heckelson sees many people coming and going to her next-door neighbour Scotty’s house. She’s out the back, too, when the police converge on the house: at the same time Scotty chucks a bag full of cash over the back fence into her garden. This is how she (and her best friend Toby) become overnight ‘millionaires.’ Tess and Toby, who are entrepreneurial and previously worked on way to become rich quickly, now devise ways to spend the money.

Told in first person present tense, the story is fast-acting with splashes of humour. When Tess’s diabetic sister Olivia is hospitalised, Tess and Toby decide to donate money to charity. They buy gifts for children in hospital, arousing the interest of the shopkeeper but manage to wiggle their way out explaining why they are carrying wads of cash.

Tess and Toby then offer 50 children money to go around town to buy Lego. It’s to build a shelter for Kathy, an old woman who lives in the park. Using a debit card on an account Kathy opens for them they begin donating money to charity. But of course, this raises red flags. Things take a turn for the worse when Scotty suddenly appears, demanding his money. But the bag of cash is missing…

Nat Amoore introduces many elements to this story which are rarely raised in books for children for this age: homelessness, house dads, married gay mothers, adoption from Bolivia, diabetes, frequent references to pieces of music, giving to charity, and of course kids with lots of money (who find it difficult to spend). Throughout the book, too, are break-out boxes of ‘Tips’ offering advice such as ‘Have goals’ and ‘Always listen to your best friend’s advice.’

This novel is ideal for readers aged 9 to 12 who like a story with dramatic turns, excitement and problems with what seem like impossible solutions.

Clever Trevor’s Stupendous Inventions

Clever Trevor’s Stupendous Inventions by Andrew Weldon (Puffin Books) PB RRP $9.99

ISBN 9780143309154

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Weldon has both written and illustrated this highly imaginative book which is sure to amuse and thoroughly engage readers from 7+ years, especially children who are usually reluctant readers. There is not much written text on each page, but always there are black and white line illustrations in a cartoon style.

Clever Trevor, the story goes, ‘may even have been the most smartest kid in the whole    WORLD.’ Trevor (real name Stuart but he’s called Trevor because it rhymes with clever) is always inventing things, such as inflatable bathers, ceiling fan fun rides and (invented when he was only four), a bicky picker-upper. Despite these strokes of genius, the boy fails at school. His teacher, Mr Shmedic is not a happy man...and Trevor is always on his wrong side. Problems start when the teacher starts confiscating – and selling – Trevor’s brilliant inventions.

Of course this is where the real fun of the book kicks in – Trevor and his friends are determined to thwart Schmedic. They do this (eventually) with the help of a Stinkometer (which, as one child says ‘smells worse than grandpa.’) No doubt Trevor is super clever!

This is a fun book which will have children laughing and re-reading the written and pictorial text over and over.

Bamboozled

Bamboozled written and illustrated by David Legge (Scholastic Press)

PB RRP $15.99

ISBN 978-1-74362-021-2

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

A young girl goes to spend the day with her grandfather. But there is something niggling her. She knows something is not quite right but she cannot work out what it is. It is not until she is leaving at the end of the day that she works it out. Then, she and her grandfather have a good laugh.

This is a very clever book where the words and illustrations are in delightful contrast to each other. The text of the story is a simple one describing a very ordinary day. The pictures, however, are a riot of puns and silliness.

We worked in the garden and I planted bulbs in the flower bed. I pushed the wheelbarrow while Grandad pruned the roses. And still, something seemed strange. It niggled and niggled at the back of my mind.

In the picture, a little girl is planting light bulbs into a brass bed. Grandfather is in the wheelbarrow pruning the roses and everything else in the garden is madness. There is a duck in the pond in a floating ring. One of the fountains is a statue with water coming out of her ear, while the other is a topiary teapot pouring water into an overflowing teacup. A tortoise is wearing a cap over his shell and the sun umbrella is a toadstool with matching spotty chairs.

Each picture is amazing. With so much craziness to spot, the book could be read countless times and there would still be something new to find with every turn of the page.

Originally published in 1994, this is a 21^st anniversary special edition. In the back is a note from the author/illustrator and an interesting ‘process’ page which shows some of the ideas development.

This highly imaginative picture book will appeal to a range of ages. Try a page, you will be Bamboozled!

Jo-Kin Battles the It

Jo-Kin Battles the It by Karen Tyrrell, illustrated by Trevor Salter

PB RRP $14.95

ISBN 9780994302106

Reviewed by Ashling Kwok

Blast off on an exciting adventure with Josh Atkins (aka Jo-Kin) and his trusty sidekick, nerdy Sam Jones (Sam-Wich). The adventure begins when the fearless duo win the Super Space Kid contest and set off on a mission to save the galaxy from a deadly alien called the IT.

The battle is on when the IT kidnaps Captain Astra and Jo and Sam must find a way to save the galaxy before it’s too late.  Along the way, they must survive entry challenges, successfully master high tech gadgets and battle creatures trying to destroy them.

This excellent book is perfect for middle grade readers aged 7 to 10 years. The storyline is creative and will hold the read’s attention from the moment they pick up the book. The characters are well-developed and likeable. Readers will relate to them and enjoy going on this journey with them. 

Jo-Kin Battles the It is the latest release from award-winning resilience author-teacher Karen Tyrrell. Over the years Karen has released a number of empowering books dealing with issues that affect us all.

This book embodies many of the elements required to produce a great story but it also deals with important topics such as resilience, team building, bullying, self-esteem and friendship.

The cover of the book is graphically enticing as it is brightly coloured and features interesting images that will appeal to young readers. The illustrations inside the book add a nice touch and break up the text.

This is a brilliant book and is definitely worth a read. It is action-packed and humorous, and will leave the reader wanting more.

Cats on the Run

Cats on the Run by Ged Gillmore PB RRP $19.95 (print), e-book $2.99 ISBN ISBN: 978-0-9941786-0-2 (print); ISBN: 978-0-9941786-1-9 (e-book)

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Why did Scholastic Australia preorder 6,000 copies of this self-published book for its book fairs and book club? Most likely, despite the words ‘pee,’ ‘poo’, and ‘bum’ that appear often, this chapter book for readers aged 8 to 12 years is laugh-aloud funny, quirky and original.

Gillmore’s first book is the first in a series of books following the adventures of two cats, Tuck and Ginger, as they try to escape the evil clutches of a pair of foul-smelling witches, Rodney and Janice. The two live in a high rise apartment with kidnapped cats Ginger, ‘a streamlined ebony athlete’ and Ginger, ‘a flabby middle-aged mog’ until the two (often warring) cats escape.

Gillmore uses an unusual omniscient narrative voice to relate this story; it’s an opinionated storyteller with personality, who speaks with heaps of sarcasm and wit, and plenty of asides to and questions of the child reader. Here is a sample: ‘You really don’t want to be found by a witch, did you know that? And do you know why? Because witches just loved children. Mostly they liked them fried, but Rodney and Janice preferred them grilled because it’s a healthier way of cooking with less cholesterol.’  

The author also employs frequent invented words like ‘bennyhoo’ and ‘bendyway’ (instead of ‘anyhow’) and phrases that make one chuckle (‘hoochie baroochie’, ‘whoopee doobie bingbats’ and ‘phutty-phutty-churg-churg’. Sometimes he uses a word like ‘hermetically’ and then tells his reader to ‘look it up’ before proceeding with the tale-telling. Often he writes very funny alliterative sentences. His writing is full of energy and humour as his story moves from the cats’ adventures to their pursuit by their former owners. The question under-riding the story is: will Tuck and Ginger be able to overcome their differences and work together to save their lives as they flee from their hell-bent captors?

Although the book is very thick (almost 250 pages), it is so different from any other book for middle-grade readers and with so much humour (too much ‘bum gas’ and ‘poo’ though for this adult reader), that it’s sure to be a hit. One can imagine that young readers will be hanging out for the next book in the series. Do we perhaps have another Andy Griffiths waiting in the wings?

The Bad Guys: Episode 1

The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey (Scholastic Press)

PB RRP $9.99

ISBN 978-1-76015-042-6

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Aaron Blabey is back. And this time he has created a junior chapter book/graphic novel which should be read by everyone between the ages of seven and ninety.

Mr Wolf is sick of being seen as the bad guy. So, along with his somewhat reluctant friends Mr Shark, Mr Snake and Mr Piranha, he sets out to prove to the world that he is a nice guy. And the best place to start is with rescuing a cat. But what if the cat does not want to be rescued by a gang of nice guys with really big teeth who surround the base of the tree? And can they survive Mr Piranha’s constantly bad gas? Can Mr Snake stop swallowing the wrong things? What did happen to Mr Shark’s hat? Are these characters really capable of being nice guys? This first episode of The Bad Guys answers most of these questions and many more in a laugh-aloud roller coaster adventure.

Chapter headings such as Cruising for Trouble set the tone for each chapter well, and the text and pictures work hand in hand to create the humour and characters of the story. The humour is dry and sarcastic and the four bad guys have very distinctive, individual personalities. The illustrations of the laid-back shark, a somewhat sly snake and an often car-sick piranha are fabulous. Mr Wolf experiences so many emotions throughout – frustration being a top contender - which are all depicted with a variety of facial expressions that will have the reader in stitches.

I really enjoyed this book. I laughed aloud so often that my family kept asking me what I was reading. Then they devoured it themselves when it was their turn. I hope the next instalment is out soon.

My Amazing Dad

My Amazing Dad written by Ezekiel Kwaymullina, illustrated by Tom Jellett (Little Hare Books/Hardie Grant Egmont)

HB RRP $24.95

ISBN 9781921894862

Reviewed by Liz Ledden

Individuality, embracing imperfection and the warmth of unconditional love are at the heart of this sweet ode to dads.

Told from the perspective of a young boy and his little brother (with their ever-present crocodile and red frog in tow throughout the book), the narrative opens with ‘My dad is not like other dads’, building anticipation straight away.

Jellett’s illustrations depict a lovable yet goofy-looking father, appearing comically dazed at the responsibilities that await. As it turns out, he’s not so good at mowing lawns, fixing taps or baking cakes, but that doesn’t matter to the kids when he creates a maze in the grass, makes bath-time a mess of bubbles and takes them to the cake shop instead.

While some stereotypical chores that are traditionally expected of dads are included, they are seamlessly mixed with other more equitable expectations, like taking the kids to school or reading them a bedtime story. Mum arrives home at lights-out time at the end, presenting readers with a realistic look at contemporary families, where gender roles are much more fluid.

Creativity is another theme at this book’s core; after all, who wouldn’t rather arrive at school via a supersized hopscotch or listen to stories in a makeshift tent past bedtime? Jellett’s vibrant, full-bleed illustrations on each page beautifully highlight the fun and joy of a childhood made all the more exciting by this amazing dad’s ideas.

The release of My Amazing Dad is timed perfectly for the lead-up to Father’s Day, and sends positive messages around togetherness, fun, affection and love, and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Harvey Drew and the Bling Bots

Harvey Drew and the Bling Bots by Cas Lester, illustrator Sam Hearn (Hot Key Books)
PB RRP $12.95
ISBN 978-1-4714-0248-7
Reviewed by Jacque Duffy

 This is a very clever follow-up to Harvey Drew and the Bin Men from Outer Space,

perfect for boys age 7 -10, and chocker-block full of writing to induce belly-aching laughter.

 Thanks to the cover illustration I was reaching for this book wanting to know more about the boy running from the aliens. Speaking of aliens, the narrator in the story worked very hard to keep the reader up to date with space information in a, “If you don’t want to know more about… stop reading now”, kind of way -- very funny indeed. The narrator constantly teases the reader and keeps the story flowing.

Harvey is the captain of the Toxic Spew, a garbage-collecting spaceship in Galaxy 43b. He has no experience of being a ship’s captain as he is an Earthling and only 10 years old. He and his crew of strange, yet wonderfully portrayed … umm… people face challenges not every human child would ever encounter but could easily relate to.

The layout of the book is clean and easy to follow. Hearn’s illustrations are a big part of the book and keep the story flowing nicely giving affirmation to the younger reader who may be a little unsure. Each black and white illustration is strong and appears to be full of life and colour.

 This story is completely entertaining yet supports real life problems .i.e. space trash. Lester has included an interesting interview with a space specialist in regards to the clean-up operation being undertaken to remove space trash.

Young readers will enjoy this book.

Jacque Duffy is the author and illustrator of the series ‘That’s not a …” learn to read books used in all Queensland State Primary Schools, The Bear Said Please picture book and one local history coffee table book.

www.jacquesartandbooks.com