Jinny and Cooper: My Teacher’s Big Bad Secret

Jinny and Cooper: My Teacher’s Big Bad Secret by Tania Ingram (Puffin Books) PB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9780143308751

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Readers aged 7 to 10 years who’ve discovered the Jinny and Cooper book series, no doubt will have eagerly been awaiting this latest book of the adventures of Jinny, a girl, and her guinea pig, Cooper. This story starts when, after years of begging for a pet guinea pig, Jinny goes with her mum and brother Tyrone to a pet shop. There are plenty of beautiful, shiny guinea pigs for sale, but the shop-keeper has a dirty, scruffy pig under the counter which he’s keen to let go. (Wonder why? Mmm…) Mum is in charge so when she’s offered freebies to go with the guinea pig, a bargain is grabbed and Jinny is forced to take on this particular one.

At first Jinny names the guinea pig ‘Frizzy’, but a few days later, to her and Tyrone’s astonishment, said pig starts talking, telling them that his name is Cooper. This is no ordinary guinea pig, folks! Not only does he refuse typical guinea pig food – carrots, lettuce and the like – but he’s a glutton for anything sweet or any junk food. And there’s more: Cooper is able to make himself invisible. He can teleport, too! All of this leads to misadventures throughout this book and the book that follows.

Child readers will love the fact that Cooper is so determined to go to Jinny’s school that he makes use of his magical powers. But once there, Cooper becomes convinced that Jinny’s kind, elderly teacher, Miss Bunney, is a witch. Sorry, there is no spoiler alert in this review; suffice to say that Cooper turns out, through misadventure, to be the hero of the tale.

A teacher as a witch? Seems politically incorrect at a time when society is trying to show women in a good light. But kids don’t care – many fantasise about their teachers’ private lives. Some schools might not want a chapter book about witches in their library (but Roald Dahl’s The Witches was immensely popular). Each to her own…

My Teacher’s Big Bad Secret is a fast-paced, easy to read book with feisty child (and animal) characters (but not so nice adults). Having a talking pet is a dream of many children and thus this book is likely to find a happy and wide readership.

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 Yelling Stones

The Yelling Stones by Oskar Jensen (Hot Key Books)

PB RRP $14.95
ISBN: 9781471404115

Reviewed by Jade Harmer

I must confess to having never read a book about Vikings until Oskar Jensen’s The Yelling Stones arrived in my mailbox, but now perhaps I could be tempted to read another.

In his debut novel, Jensen successfully blends historical facts with fiction, adding a princess and a poet to the mix and shaping a year teeming with adventure, magic, turbulence and change.

Set in the Viking court of Jelling, Denmark, in 958 AD, Jensen describes the journey of Princess Astrid and the ambitious poet, Leif. At fourteen, Astrid and Leif come from different worlds, yet it falls to this unlikely pair to unravel the visions sent by The Yelling Stones – three witches turned to stone while screaming a spell – and to save Jelling from a powerful force conjured to help abolish the old, mythological ways of the court.

Astrid and Leif’s friendship develops with humour and compassion – Astrid’s strong-will and determination complementing Leif’s patience and thoughtfulness.

Astrid is a staunch supporter of her father – King Gorm’s – court and her place within it, but soon realises that in times of feud, her own family is not beyond using her as a pawn to further their plans.

Jensen’s characters are full and interesting and I found the simplicity of his descriptions appealing. Astrid’s oldest brother and heir to the throne, Knut, became a favourite of mine after this endearing first impression: ‘He looked like he sounded: big, brown and shaggy’.

Alongside the traditional feasting and drunken debauchery associated with Vikings, Jensen introduces hungry wolves and bears, witches, trolls and a powerful winged beast as the story flows through the seasons with their rich, magical undercurrents.

The line between man and beast is often blurred.

Acknowledging the potential difficulties younger readers may have with the Norse language used throughout the novel, Jensen has included a useful quick reference key to important characters and some commonly used words; however, I never found the language distracting or misplaced.

Jensen also includes an historical note about the true events and people of Jelling, which helps to bring a degree of authenticity to the story. I enjoyed the fact that you can actually visit The Yelling Stones.

Although recommended for readers nine years and older, The Yelling Stones does contain some animal sacrifice and a draugur (or awakened corpse), so I would suggest a slightly older readership with an interest in magic, mythology, adventure, friendship or historical fiction.

Creatures of Magic

Creatures of Magic by Maree Fenton-Smith, illustrated by Lilly Piri (Walker Books)
PB RRP $ 19.95
ISBN 9781922077738
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

Maree Fenton-Smith’s first publication comes with a strong, first person narrative voice that directly addresses the reader. This serves to bring us more intimately into every scene, and we experience the goings on more sharply than from a different point of view.

 Anna and her sister Greta are thrilled at the appearance of their new neighbours the Browns and their two girls, Violet and Tabitha. It is the last day of school and having other children around means holidays full of fun and play.

The Brown family bring an assortment of unusual belongings that include stuffed rodents, lots of mice in cages, cats, and magic. It will be a summer not easily forgotten full of adventure and excitement, great revelations and many experiences.

Strange and interesting things begin to happen from the first day of the Brown’s arrival when the girls realize that they can access each other’s rooms through the attic. The Brown women all wear cat broaches, and cats invade and are welcome in their house. They own books on magic and spells and an air of anticipation and discovery flows through every pore of both buildings.

But creatures of magic, also known as witches, trying to live in a non-magical world, are exposed to danger and dangerous situations. Why have the previous neighbours reappeared and what connection do they have with the Browns? Who are the men in the dark cloaks and what goes on at night in the garden?

This is a fairytale ‘without fairies’ that contains lots of adventure, mystery and adventure which makes it an ideal read for the 10+ age group. The black and white illustrations by Lilly Piri enhance the magical element of the story.

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats by Michele Dodd (Brolly Books)
HB RRP $21.95 (PB RRP $16.95)
ISBN 9781921756306
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats is illustrator Michelle Dodd's debut as an author. At midnight, witches emerge from under the witches' hats on the road and create havoc with their magic brews until the sun begins to rise and they return to from whence they came.

Written in rhyme, the text plays cleverly on the terminology of the road: witches' hats, cats' eyes, road hog, zebra crossing, traffic jam and more. Children will be sure to enjoy the word play and will love the book being read aloud.

The illustrations are bold, colourful and humorous and make full use of each double spread. Each turn of the page provides a new surprise for the reader and I love the mayhem of the last spread which has the results of the witches' spells, such as a zebra, camel, bull and hog roaming the bush during the daylight hours once the witches have returned to their hidey-holes.

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats is wonderfully presented with illustrated endpapers and has a quality feel about it. This is Michele Dodd's first release following the loss of her home and studio in the tragic Black Saturday Bushfires in Victoria in February 2009.