Alistair Grim’s Odd Aquaticum

Alistair Grim’s Odd Aquaticum by Gregory Funaro, illustrated by Adam Stower (Alma Books) PB RRP $14.99

ISBN 9781846884092

Reviewed by Daniela Andrews

The crew of the Odditorium (a flying, magical house) are in hiding after their stand-off with Prince Nightshade in the prequel (Alistair Grim’s Odditorium) wrongly depicted Alistair Grim as the villain. In this, the sequel, the crew of the Odditorium needs to clear Alistair’s name and, incidentally, save the world, by defeating the real villain (Prince Nightshade). The task isn’t easy – Prince Nightshade’s suit of magical armour cannot be pierced with any old magical item. The mythical sword, Excalibur, is the only blade that will, er, cut it. This adventurous quest leads them on a gripping, underwater adventure to Avalon … complete with a dangerous banshee, hostile witch and a good dose of sea monsters.

This amusing story is set in Victorian England and narrated in first-person perspective by 12-year-old Grubb, who likes to directly address the reader. He’s quite a likeable character – still the quiet, unassuming, kind-hearted chimney sweep from the beginning of the series. The first novel revealed that the talented sorcerer, Alistair Grim, was his father. This second book in the series reveals the true identity of Prince Nightshade, and adds some more clues about Grubb’s mother.

For readers new to the series, the first chapter includes a brief recap of the events from the prequel. It also provides details of the Odditorium, its crew and its sources of magical energy. (In Grubb’s voice: ‘… I best back up to the beginning. Otherwise you might get confused and abandon this adventure altogether.’) As per the first book, there are lots of characters, and lots of magical items (Odditoria) to keep track of. Therefore, the book includes a helpful glossary of both.

The chapter openings feature black-and-white illustrations by the award-winning Adam Stower. The whimsical caricatures complement the text perfectly, without interrupting the story.

The book will appeal to fans of magical fantasy, aged 8–12 years, who will no doubt be thrilled to learn that Gregory Funaro is busy working away on the next book in the Odditorium series!

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot 4: Vs. The Mecha-Monkeys From Mars

Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot 4: Vs. The Mecha-Monkeys From Mars by Dav Pilkey, Illustrated by Dan Santat (Scholastic Inc)

PB RRP $10.99

ISBN 978-0-545-63012-2

Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Ricky Ricotta and Mighty Robot are in trouble again. This time they have wrecked the family car by using it as a skateboard for the gigantic robot. Now they need to find some way to pay for the damage.

But before they can, they are caught up in the plans of another villain, the mean little Major Monkey. This evil monkey would love to enslave earth's inhabitants. He is lonely on Mars and has no one to talk to, or more importantly, no one to be mean to. But he has been watching the heroic deeds of Ricky Ricotta and Mighty Robot and knows he needs to outsmart this pair or his evil plan will end in the same manner as the previous ones. He needs to set a trap...

This fourth Ricky Ricotta follows the last three adventures with Ricky and mighty Robot up against evil creatures from other planets who want to take over earth. Short, fully illustrated and easy to read, this series is great for young and beginning readers who want a fast, action-packed and humorous read. Both the text and illustrations are fun and the imaginative villains,  mini-comic fight scenes and alliterative text make an entertaining read.

The Book of Storms

The Book of Storms by Ruth Hatfield (Hot Key Books)

PB RRP $16.95

ISBN 978-1-4714-0298-2

Reviewed by Jacque Duffy

Danny O’Neill is an 11-year-old boy forced to do many adventurous things when his storm chasing parents disappear.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the cover, and found the blurb intriguing. But I didn’t love it all. While parts of this book were brilliantly thought out and had me on the edge of my seat, they didn’t happen early enough in the story for me to be hooked. Sadly, there are parts that are very standard middle grade to the extent of being overly simplistic.

There was far too much thinking going on in the first half of the novel and the recurring conversations between Danny and his disbelieving older cousin Tom (a difficult character to like) made the book an overly long read.

Some of the characters are excellently written -- their voices perfect. Mitz the cat, and Shimny the pony, both add to the story as do the voice of the river and the song of the worms, clever really. Then you have the disturbing character of Sammael, a truly unsettling villain. I’ve not seen a villain quite like him in children’s literature since Lord Voldamort, actually I think he is more vicious and abusive than Voldy. He is utterly immoral and clearly missing any human empathy. He is a very strong, overpowering character. I kind of enjoyed reading him but found his nastiness just didn’t sit well with the cutesy talking animals and the over explanation of each ‘happening’.

It is as though the book was written for two completely different audiences and mashed together. Sammael deserves to have his own story, possibly something along the lines of a Criminal Minds episode.

As children often read characters older than themselves I thought eleven was too young for most of the content. This story had all the right ingredients, just in the wrong quantities. The ending is not completely expected and gives room for sequels as indicated by the final half of this novel with its change in pacing.

The book, if read in a classroom situation, could raise discussions of death, immortality, and the soul.

Jacque Duffy is the author and illustrator of the book series ‘That’s not a …’ used in all Queensland state primary schools, a picture book The Bear Said Please and one local history coffee table book. www.jacquesartandbooks.com