The Adventures of Jellybean by Bill Condon and Dianne Bates (UQP)

PB RRP $14.95

ISBN 978070226000

Reviewed by Liz Ledden

The Adventures of Jellybean is a junior fiction novel about two great friends, Rory and Trang, united in a quest for the ultimate sounding pet – a goat.

All things goat features quite heavily throughout. Jellybean’s story effortlessly weaves in interesting facts about goats, potentially fuelling young readers desires for a pet goat of their own! After much preparation and anticipation from the boys, Jellybean arrives, but she causes a little more trouble than they imagined. However, with the comfort of Bitsa the dog and a whole lot of love, Jellybean’s story is a heartwarming one.

In addition, the friendship between Rory and Trang is truly endearing. Contrasts between their families and backgrounds (sausages on the barbeque at Rory’s versus Trang’s grandma’s pho) offers a wonderful depiction of multicultural Australia and the joy of embracing other’s differences. There are a several ups and downs within the friendship; however it’s strong enough to overcome any perceived slights – a realistic depiction of friendship dynamics for the primary school set. The inclusion of four-year-old Luna, Rory’s little sister, adds a lovable young female character to the cast, and as in real life, the young characters interact not only with their peers, but family members and neighbours of all ages.

This would make a wonderful book for newly emerged readers to tackle; those just moving beyond shorter chapter books, perhaps aged six to eight. The story has a classic, innocent type feel likely to not date the book in a few years’ time.

It’s your world

It’s your world a verse novel by Kristy-Lee Swift (guillotinepress), PB  ISBN 9780995399136Reviewed by Pauline Hosking

It’s Your World is divided into short poems which each progress the action, rather like the work of Steven Herrick. Kristy-Lee Swift experiments and plays games with language, using rhymed and unrhymed sequences and lots of puns.

I am not a poet so can’t comment on the quality of the verse, but I certainly enjoyed reading about Evie, an unhappy fifteen-year-old. Her mother has died soon after she was born. It’s rumoured that she committed suicide. Evie has a difficult relationship with her controlling father and religious grandmother, both of whom think she’s ‘bad’. Evie doesn’t believe she is evil, just up to no good. Her only hope seems to be to find free-spirited Aunt Ruth who moved to Sydney and has been out of touch for years.

When her father has a brain haemorrhage, Evie goes to live with her grandmother. This is worse than prison. She escapes with her brother, her crush Nigel and her two best friends to celebrate New Year’s Eve. They get drunk, and she spends the night in the cemetery with a boy who isn’t Nigel.  

Evie’s father comes home. Because he has mild brain damage and is not aware of what is going on, Evie feels she now has a degree of freedom. She invites friends over, including Nigel. When her father stumbles on the scene he is furious and physically attacks her.

Evie flees to Sydney and finds there an aunt who understands and can explain the true circumstances surrounding the death of her mother. Aunt Ruth offers this comfort: ‘’There’s no such thing as a happy ending. But there can always be/a happy/keep on going.”

The poems about Evie’s lost mother are deeply moving. Others are cute, clever and often funny. Though I would have liked one or two more sequences on Evie and her father when he was recovering, this is an intriguing read. Evie is a complex, always understandable character. Her confusion, desires and pain will strike a chord with many adolescent readers.   

The Playground Meanies

The Playground Meanies by Alison Reynolds, illustrated by Mikki Butterley (Five Mile Press) HB RRP $14.99 ISBBN 9781760400644

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

The first two things I noticed about this picture book for young children is how inexpensive it is and how beautifully produced. On the cover it reads, ‘All about being kind with Pickle and Bree’ which is what this book and others in the series is all about – teaching children how to have happy and productive relationships with others.

Pickle is a loveable bear and Bree is a high-spirited girl; they are best friends. In this book they appear in a playground to witness two grey bears hogging the equipment. The bears, Howard and Gracie, make fun of Pickle’s feet, also those of his friend Jason. It’s only teasing but both bears feel unhappy. The verbal bullying continues. ‘It isn’t nice to feel there’s something wrong with you,’ Jason says. Pickle roars his displeasure.

At the picnic in the park, there’s more tormenting about the bears’ feet. The two think about using their feet to smash the food but Bree reminds them that basically two wrongs don’t make a right.  Happily, in an incident a few moments later, Jason’s big foot saves a situation. It’s then that the teasing bears apologise.

And of course the four have fun playing together after that.

Being mean is never the answer. Of course. This is a lesson that small children (and big) need to learn. That’s what this book and other books in the series is about: using simple, humorous narrative to gently demonstrate a lesson about the value of good manners.

The book is beautifully illustrated with bright, full page illustrations showing the personable characters interacting with one another. Small children aged 4 years and up are sure to be thoroughly engaged by story and illustrations.

The Emperor of Any Place

The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones (Walker Books)

HC RRP $24.99

ISBN 9780763669737

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Fascinating from the beginning, this dual point-of-view story is extremely powerful, confronting at times, imaginative, and deeply moving. It has many themes woven into it, the main ones being the futility of war and the chaos it leaves behind, family relationships, love, truth and trust. Presented in precise prose, it’s a book not to be missed.

When Evan’s father dies, the boy discovers an unusual book on his dad’s desk and begins to read. Two parallel stories begin, presented in alternating chapters.

Evan’s narrative is in third person. At seventeen, he is now alone in the world except for his grandfather Griff whom he’s never seen because of a falling out with Evan’s dad. Life-long critical stories heard about Griff from his dad built a bitterness and resentment against the old man in Evan. These negative feelings flare when Griff turns up suddenly. A career soldier, his regimented army life leaves no room for admitting or making mistakes, especially his own. Evan is unaware of the significant role his estranged grandfather will play in his life.

The second story is the one Evan is reading from the book. Written by the Japanese soldier, Isamu Oshiro, it’s told in the immediate first person, and begins in July, 1944. It starts as a journal meant to reach his new wife in the case of his death, but evolves into a continuous confession of love blended with his daily existence on the island.

A third voice, that of American soldier Derwood Kraft, shares Oshiro’s narrative later in the book.

 

Oshiro makes it to the island he later calls Kokoro-Jima, the Heart-Shaped Island. He is badly wounded and expects to die. But he survives amidst the company of flesh-eating ghouls, kept alive by the sheer will to live and return to his beloved. The island becomes his paradise until Kraft arrives. The two begin as wary enemies struggling to survive, but in fact they have much in common. Here we witness a parallel war to the one raging on the opposite island. This takes place between Kraft and Oshiro’s conscience and soldier’s ethics.

Here is a complex and multi-layered story with many parallels. It is a magnum opus, for the great skill needed to blend the portions of this magnificent creation into a fluid read is evident in the stunning outcome. This is a crossover novel suitable for young adult/adult readers.

Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars

Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars by Martine Murray (Text Publishing) PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9781925240085

Reviewed by Wendy Fitzgerald

‘Imagine if you were never scared of falling, how much higher you might climb …. Or if you weren’t afraid of being clumsy and awkward, how much more gracefully you might dance’

I really enjoyed reading this book. Martine Murray has a gentle style that is sprinkled with her own delightful and surprising use of language.

For example-

‘Life was a jagged dance of joys and sorrows, up and then down and sometimes in knots or jolts or dizzying rushes over or around again.’ (P153)

Molly’s mum has a wonderfully free spirit. She likes to gather wild herbs deep in the woods and mix mysterious magic potions. Their house is coloured with Persian carpets, billowy curtains, candles, pot plants and brightly patterned cushions.

Molly’s dad and her two older twin brothers are ‘off having adventures’ in exotic countries with names like Morocco, Madagascar and Cuba.

Molly’s best friend Ellen Palmer lives in a tidy red brick house with a ‘normal’ mother, father and brother. They have a neat yard, a dishwasher, a trampoline and they eat delicious food that comes in packets.

How Molly wishes she had a ‘normal family’ like Ellen.

Next door to Molly and her mum live some terrible neighbours - Prudence and Ernest Grimshaw. When the Grimshaws threaten to kill Molly’s rooster, something has to be done.

Molly’s mum decides to grow a fast-growing tree for privacy. She concocts a potion to make the tree grow faster. But the magic goes seriously wrong. Molly must work out a way to save her mum from a most unusual situation.  Luckily Molly develops a special friendship with a young boy named Pim- and together with Ellen they work together find a solution.

Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars is about friendship, family, resilience and the power of appreciating life in a world that glitters with curiosity and wonder. I recommend this book to kids who like to read stories that sparkle.

The Lion and the Bird

The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc translated by Sarah Ardizzone (Book Island) HB RRP $23.95  ISBN 9780994109873

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Originally published in French, this simply told picture book is written and illustrated by an internationally award-winning Canadian illustrator and author of children’s books. It is a tale of the relationship between a lion wearing dungarees and a lost bird. In the first wordless double page the reader sees Lion on an autumn day working in his sparse garden. Above is a flock of birds but one of them unfortunately falls: it is found by Lion still alive but injured. Lion tends to the bird while the flock disappears.

In very few words, and often in wordless pages, one ‘reads’ the story of how the unlikely pairing of the two main animals becomes a close relationship. There are even blank pages to indicate the long passing of (a snowy) winter, and of of time. Finally, a flower appears on the snow and as does the flock of birds in the sky. The now healed bird returns to his flock and the Lion continues a solitary life – until autumn returns. 

This cyclic tale is very gently told in minimalist text and illustrations which are stark and almost naïve-like. The story doesn’t leap out of the pages but instead has a feeling of seeping into the reader’s pores to become embedded there long after the final page is closed. The themes of friendship, patience, loneliness and change are the hallmarks of this poignant and uplifting story.

Harry Helps Grandpa Remember

Harry Helps Grandpa Remember written by Karen Tyrrell, illustrated by Aaron Pocock (Digital Future Press)

PB RRP $15.95

ISBN 978-0-98727-408-3 

Reviewed by Peta Biggin

Harry and Grandpa love to play hid-and-seek together.  However, Harry starts to notice changes in Grandpa.  He’s become grumpy, confused and forgetful – even forgetting Harry’s name.  Harry is hurt and sad but decides that he will do whatever he can to help Grandpa remember the things he’s forgotten.

Harry Helps Grandpa Remember is the latest book by Australian author Karen Tyrrell.  It is an uplifting story about the important, supportive role family can play in the lives of those suffering from Dementia.

Harry is hurt and distressed at the decline of his grandpa, feeling the loss of a friend and playmate.  However, rather than withdraw from the relationship, Harry comes up with lots of wonderful ways he can both reconnect with his grandpa and help him to reclaim his lost memories.

Harry Helps Grandpa Remember tackles a confronting topic in a positive and encouraging way.  The focus is always on what can be gained and enjoyed from such a difficult situation; activities that can easily be undertaken by most children to ensure a continued participation in their relative’s life. 

It is the little things that we sometimes take for granted – a walk through familiar surroundings, a song – that are presented here as the important tasks anyone can enjoy with a relative suffering from Dementia.  In doing these, we see Harry not only bring something back to his grandpa but also take the first steps in adjusting to what will be a constantly changing relationship. This is a very hopeful book, however there is no unrealistic happily-ever-after on offer.  Grandpa does not recover; however, his recollection of Harry’s name is celebrated as the blessing it is.

Aaron Pocock’s illustrations are fun and energetic.  With lots of colour and detail, they are a beautiful accompaniment – reflecting the optimism and positivity of the story.

Karen Tyrrell is an Australian author of both adult and children’s books.  Her books for adults include Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness and Me and Him: A Guide to Recovery about her own battles with mental illness.  Her children’s books include Bailey Beats the Blah (a coping skills picture book) and STOP the Bully (a bully prevention mid-grade novel).  She can be found online at http://www.karentyrrell.com/.

Aaron Pocock is an English artist/illustrator who is based in Brisbane.  He illustrates children’s books, book cover, CD sleeves and almost anything else.  He also works in a find art capacity producing watercolour, acrylic and oil paintings.  In 2011 he was chosen to illustrate the Australia Post stamp set ‘Mythical Creatures’ (for Children’s Book Week).  He can be found online at http://aaronpocock.weebly.com/. 

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. 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 is a weird child 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.

Loveability

Loveability by Dannielle Miller and Nina Funnell (Angus & Robertson)

PB RRP $16.99

ISBN 978 07322 96469

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Subtitled An Empowered Girl’s Guide to Dating and Relationships, this book has been co-authored by two women with an impressive list of credentials in relationships and writing – and more. To read this book is to hear the voices of great-aunts who’ve been there and done that and have lots of valuable advice for someone who hasn’t. It’s a comprehensive book that includes quizzes, questions and answers, compatibility tests and (according to the cover) ‘the ultimate true love checklist.’ To make the book more appealing, there is a variety of typefaces, break-outs and lots of headings and sub-headings.

Chapters deal with situations such as having crushes, body image, friendships, sex and power, how to heal heartbreak and more. There is a substantial list of resources at the back of the book such as useful websites, organisations and books as well as end notes that allow the reader to check out specific sites if needed.

It’s difficult to imagine a more comprehensive book on the subject so dear to a teenage girl’s heart and life. As founder/publisher of Mamamia.com.au Mia Freedman says, ‘an empowering advice book… brilliant and about time. Should be compulsory reading.’

The Flywheel

The Flywheel by Erin Gough (Hardie Grant Egmont)

ISBN 9781742978178

PB $19.95 RRP

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

The Flywheel is the second debut novel to be published by Hardie Grant Egmont through their annual Ampersand Project. (The first was Melissa Keil's award winning Life in Outer Space.) The Flywheel is a young adult novel about a girl called Delilah who runs her father's café while he is away overseas. In doing this, Del juggles school, work and relationships and the story is about how difficult and how funny this all becomes.

Delilah (Del for short) is seventeen and in her last year of school when she encourages her depressed father to take a trip, after Del's mother leaves them. Neither of them know the café manager will leave, that the café down the road will try to put them out of business or that Del will be bullied at school because of her sexual preferences. To further complicate things, Del's crush on Rosa, the flamenco dancer across the road, seems to be unrequited and Del's best friend Charlie gets himself on the wrong side of the law and hides out at Del's place.

Written in first person, Del's story is told with a lot of self deprecating humour, particularly when it comes to dancing. Under the humour, she faces many issues, such as what to do when her best friend asks her to lie for him in a court of law, whether to tell her absent father that his business is going down the drain and how to deal with girls who are not completely comfortable with the fact they like girls. Although she makes a few mistakes along the way, with the help of her friends Del works it all out by the end. 

Erin Gough has written a fast-paced novel with lots of realistic dialogue which should appeal to young adult readers. With a very independent and genuine main character, The Flywheel is an enjoyable addition to the Ampersand Project.       

My Unforgettable Year

My Unforgettable Year by Adem Besim (Morris Publishing Australia)
PB RRP $22.95 e-book $4.99
ISBN 9780992505271
Reviewed by Dianne Bates

It wasn’t until I started reading this YA novel that I realised how little contemporary fiction there is about male teenage protagonists and their lives. In fact, all I could recall was Maureen Johnson’s Boofheads, which was published quite a few years ago.

Here is a book written by a young man in his early twenties who clearly remembers the angst of the teen years. Narrated by seventeen-year-old Nathan Thompson, My Unforgettable Year tells of the teenager’s trials and tribulations as he negotiates his final school year. On the surface, Nathan seems to have it all. He's the goal-kicking footy superstar from the small town of Kyabram. And he’s managed to snag the attention of beautiful, rich Katie who is new to town. However, his life and future at times seems doomed, especially as his over-bearing father, Mark, desperately wants Nathan to be the next national AFL player to make his town proud. Instead, Nathan plays footy for fun and dreams of university and a career in architecture.

When problems arise in his life, Nathan is often explosive and erratic, for instance when he resorts to physical violence against a footy team-mate. He is constantly on a hormonal roller-coast ride. Sometimes he seems mature and wise, other times he acts like an emotional juvenile. His emotions range from feelings of betrayal to disrespect to satisfaction to love. Often, like any teenager, he struggles with peer relationships, at times querying the motives of Katie and his best friend Matty. Nathan’s relationship with his ambitious father, whom he mostly detests, is tempered by his warm relationship with his mother and brother, Josh. Luckily, he has two positive male role-models, his Coach Garry and teacher, Mr Hazelman. What works best in the book is how Besim manages to capture the tension and action of an ongoing football match from a player’s perspective. The role of his coach is beautifully captured.

Besim has a unique insight into what makes a teenage boy click. Mostly his dialogue is true and the emotional depth of his characters is also true but at times his writing is self-conscious and needs a more vigorous editorial hand. I thought that sex would have been a driving force in a book about a seventeen-year-old – lots of talk among boys about girls -- but that doesn’t happen. Yes, there is one sexual episode in the book, but it is glossed over.

For the most part, though, this is a book about things that matter to teen boys – footy, mateship, partying, studying, examinations, thoughts of the future, and relationships with parents, siblings and peers. The book deals, too, with the big issues of bullying, death, and falling in love. Overall it’s an ambitious novel as the reader follows Nathan’s difficult, but ultimately successful coming of age. It is, as the book says, an unforgettable year.

My Unforgettable Year is available from all library suppliers, Dennis Jones and Associates or wholesale from Morris Publishing Australia’s website http://morrispublishingaustralia.com. It is also produced and available as an eBook and on Amazon, Smashwords, Apple and Kobo.

  

My Dad is a FIFO Dad

My Dad is a FIFO Dad by Jo Emery, illustrated by Ann-Marie Finn (Dragon Tales Publishing)
PB RRP $17.95
ISBN 9780992523923
Reviewed by Yvonne Mes

The author Jo Emery knows about the FIFO family lifestyle intimately. She uses her experience to share this heart touching story with other FIFO families. The first print run sold out fast.
 
The story shows a young girl and her father engaged in fun activities. It moves on quickly to:

               BUT ... A lot of the time my Dad is not at home.

Mum explains why:

               "Your Dad is a FIFO Dad, which means Fly In, Fly Out Dad."

 

Some children will be able to recognise themselves in their relationships with a parent who for whatever reason has to be away for longer periods and offers support by validating children's feelings. The story shows how father and daughter stay connected and maintain their relationship. It also explains the importance of FIFO work in terms a child will be able to understand.

At the back of the book is a page where children can write down where their Dad works and what their favourite things are to do together, though it may have been nice to acknowledge the FIFO mums out there.

The illustrations are hand-drawn and finished digitally, adding a fun collage feel by adding photos in some of the backgrounds. The back cover talks about resilience: 'This book forms the first of many support resources for children and families to build and maintain strength, resilience and unity.'  I like that promise.

Yvonne Mes is a children's writer and illustrator. Her first picture book, Meet Sidney Nolan (Random House) is scheduled for release in October 2015. www.yvonnemes.co

Loveability: An Empowered Girl's Guide to Dating and Relationships

Loveability: An Empowered Girl's Guide to Dating and Relationships by Dannielle Miller and Nina Funnell (Angus and Robertson)
PB RRP $16.99
ISBN 9780732296469
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

I love Loveability.

Loveability is a book that every teenage girl and young woman should own, read and consult often. It wouldn't go astray if their male counterparts also had a flick through! With warmth, insight and a wonderful lack of theorising and lecturing, the authors Dannielle Miller and Nina Funnell delve into one of the most complex, and often difficult, arenas of our lives - relationships. This is particularly so for young people as they mature and move into the world beyond their immediate family.

What makes Loveability pack such a punch is that despite all their experience the authors do not pretend to know it all, and more importantly, never to have made a mistake themselves. They are real women who have travelled through, and are still travelling through, the tangle of relationships that make up our inner and wider worlds. Both have made mistakes too and they're not scared to reveal them. They have also learned from their own mistakes and share this with the reader without delivering sermons.

The focus of the book is girls being happy and healthy and proud of themselves and their choices. Whether this is being single or dating (gay or straight), coming to terms with their emotions and the pressures of relationships in modern Australia is most important. The book's chatty tone ensures that it never becomes too heavy. Quizzes and Q&As give levity and also a chance for readers to reflect on how they may react in certain situations.

Relationships are so important for all of us and in a world that still pressures our girls so much, Loveability provides one tool to help guide them through the maze of mixed messages. I highly recommend this book for teenage girls and young women, or for anyone with them in their life - which would be just about all of us!

Why We Broke Up

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, illustrated by Maira Kalman (hardie Grant EGMONT)

PB RRP $24.95

ISBN 978-1-174297097-4

Reviewed by Lillian Rodrigues-Pang  

Why We Broke Up is a teenage novel written at the point of ‘recovery’ from a break up. The story portrays a rather obsessive teen girl, Min and her relationship with the high school jock, Ed. She has collected a multitude of items from their six-week relationship. Min seems to recognise that the relationship is unlikely to succeed but commits herself wholeheartedly in a world of fantasy and hope.

In this book we go through each item of her “Ed box”. She writes one chapter per item to Ed reminding him of the object and the event, what she had hoped for at the time and why they broke up. She has an obsession with movies so most scenes that are replayed or that she describes are related to a range of movie scenes and actors. She enjoys making long lists and long statements.

Min is a likeable character with a strong voice. We follow her on her fantasies – like tailing an 80-year-old woman to her home because she believes she is an aged movie star. We feel for her awkward school and sports moments – becoming a basketball girlfriend and not fitting in. We relate to her desire and heartbreak as she losses her virginity and then her man. On the positive side, she comes full circle into accepting herself and her true friends.

The story is written by Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket and includes a piece of artwork at every chapter. The artwork is by Maira Kalman and is full colour and quirky – just like the main character Min. The art is a lovely addition throughout adds a tangible feel to the story.

Swashbuckler

Swashbuckler by James Moloney (A re-release from UQP)

PB RRP $19.95

ISBN 9780702228254

Review by Jo Burnell

Re-releases can be dated and irrelevant to today’s world. Filled with misgivings, I opened Swashbuckler, ready to be irritated . To my delight, I couldn’t put it down.

Being the newcomer, Peter is the latest target for school bullies, but his saviour arrives in an unexpected form. Swinging on a tree rope, the mini Scarlet Pimpernel drops his sword ad loses his mask, but manages to distract the tough guys. Why won’t Anton admit he is the hero in disguise and what is his obsession with historical heroes?

Both Peter and Anton are struggling with their dads. Peter’s is a compulsive gambler whose habit loses the family home and forces them to move. Peter’s dad has hardly been seen since the move, but he reappears when  Peter’s mum comes into a bit of money.

Anton’s anguish with his dad runs deep, but he’s not telling what it is. Can he finally trust Peter with his pain? Can Peter help Anton fight the fierce dragon before it’s too late?

Coping with terminal cancer is heartbreaking, especially the physical changes that occur as the body fades away. Coming to terms with problem gambling is challenging in different ways. It is trust that corrodes, rather than the body.

James Moloney is still opening the doors to coping for kids in this timeless tale and he does it with an essential ingredient: Humour.

Jo Burnell is passionate about hooking reluctant and struggling readers into the world of books. Her current project for Middle Primary students is about an Aussie hero. Her uncle Roy was a fighter pilot in World War 2.