Archive | January 2016

The Anti-Princess Club (series)

Jan19
The Anti-Princess Club

The Anti-Princess Club

Emily’s Tiara Trouble

9781743319840

Bella’s Backyard Bullies

9781743319857

Grace’s Dance Disaster

9781743319864

Chloe’s River Rescue

9781743319871

Cruise Control

9781760291884

Samantha Turnbull

Allen & Unwin, 2015

144pp., pbk., RRP $A9.99 – $A12.99 

 

Emily, Bella, Chloe and Grace are 10-year-old best friends and they are the Anti-Princess Club.  Dismayed that even their parents see them as pretty girls who will need rescuing by a “handsome prince” despite their individual talents and interests, the girls unite to show them they are strong, independent young women. There seems to be one set of rules for their brothers and a different set for them. As Bella says, “I don’t want to be a boring old fairytale princess. What do any of them even do, other than look pretty and get rescued by princesses?”

Even though she herself is a neurosurgeon, Bella’s mum insists on buying and reading her fairytales even though Bella, who is a talented artist, would rather have the comics bought for her young brother.  Emily’s mum is fixated on physical appearance while Emily is fixated on all things mathematical.  Grace’s parents believe she should be a ‘lady’ and learn ballet and leave the athletics she loves and is very good at to the boys in her family.  Chloe’s parents see her future as continuing in their Greek restaurant, not in the science that is her passion.  The only person who seems to understand their frustration is Chloe’s yiayia who tells them of the frustrations she and her friends faced as girls in an even more conservative society and the secret club they formed.  And so an idea is born, and when Emily’s mum enters her into the local beauty pageant the girls have their first mission…

This is a new series, with each episode focusing on trying to turn each girl’s parents and teachers away from their preconceptions about what girls should be and do so they can be who they are.  Deliberately designed to challenge the status quo and provoke thought, discussion and even debate the series is intent on showing that there is more to life for this age group apart from the ‘princessification’ of their world.  While it would seem that such a focus should be redundant now, when we examine the world of the modern 3-9 year old it seems that once again we have returned to an emphasis on looking and behaving like a princess.  Perhaps this has been inspired by the Disney movies of several of the classic fairytales and young girls see themselves as the new Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas or Mulan – there’s certainly enough merchandise to support their dreams – and the more practical, real-life world of girls has slipped by the wayside. 

Determined to show her daughter that “there was more than one way to being a girl” when she discovered that even everyday items like babies’ nappies had princesses on them and deciding that wasn’t a healthy image to be projecting from the day she was born, journalist Samantha Turnbull decided it was time for something different, something that showed that girls could be strong, independent, confident, resourceful and empowered, and so she created the club whose motto is “we don’t need rescuing.”

This is not just a series for girls though – if we are to challenge and change the stereotypical thinking that is creeping back into our society, they need to be shared with the boys and their underlying message discussed.  One of the critical aspects of being information literate is to be able to determine the author’s perspective and identify bias towards a preconceived belief that might shape their writing.  Promoting this series of books as a class read would be a perfect platform to start an examination of widely-held beliefs and encourage our students to start questioning the status quo – just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s correct.

Big tick to Samantha Turnbull for creating more than just another series of stories for girls.  Not only is this not staying on my library’s shelves because of appeal and demand, it was in Miss 9’s Christmas stocking and she loves it.

You Choose…

Jan18
You Choose

You Choose

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Treasure of Dead Man’s Cove

9780857983831

 

Mayhem at Magic School

9780857983848

 

The Haunting of Spook House

9780857983862

 

Maze of Doom

9780857983855

 

Night of the Creepy Carnival

9780857986696

 

Alien Invaders from Beyond the Stars

9780857986719

 

Super Sports Spectacular 

9780857988416

 

Trapped in the Games Grid

9780857988430

George Ivanoff

Random House,2014-2016

pbk, 140pp., RRP $A14.99

 

It seems even our youngest children have been lured by the appeal of computer-based games as they allow each player to have control of what happens to the characters driven by the decisions he/she makes about the decisions the characters make. So when that power is made available in book form, propelled not by graphics and a controller but by words, reading and understanding, everyone is happy – those who like to control the adventure and those who like to see their children reading.  Harking back to a very popular format of about 20 years ago, where books were the most accessible form of self-driven entertainment and where the reader chose their own adventure by making a choice about what action to take and therefore where to move next in the story, this series ‘You Choose’ puts the power back in the reader’s hands, rather than the author’s predetermined storyline. And each time the book is read a different choice can be made and a new story created.

Written by an author who, himself, was a devotee of this sort of format and only became an avid reader after he discovered it – something I found happened frequently when I offered them to my reluctant readers of both genders- this is a series that not only combines interactivity and reading, but also enables the reader to think about cause and effect, to consider the options, to take the time to make a decision, and to take risks in a safe environment -all traits we encourage. 

The settings are those that will appeal to adventurers with just enough of the dark stuff in them to maintain the suspense but not scare them off completely.  

In ‘The Treasure of Dead Man’s Cove’ the reader finds an old map supposedly belonging to One-Eyed William, a fierce pirate who was buried with his treasure.  So the first decision has to be made – to follow the clues in case it’s real or hand it in to a museum curator. In ‘Mayhem at Magic School’ the reader suddenly discovers magic powers which cause strange things to happen so a decision has to be made about whether to visit a therapist and seek help or keep them secret and use them?  Is the outcome a place in Magic School, a spy for the government or something else?

 Maze of Doom is set in a “lame-looking” sideshow at the fun fair.  However, its exterior belies what it contains inside and if the reader doesn’t discover its secrets, they may be trapped inside forever. The Haunting of Spook House is all that is expected.  The reader is dared to go inside to investigate if a man was indeed mummified there and now haunts the place. 

Night of the Creepy Carnival is set in the new funfair in town but there is something very strange about the creepy clowns and something scary about the freak show tent with its disturbing display cases.  Alien Invaders from Beyond the Stars takes on a science fiction slant when a flying saucer lands and lizard aliens disguised as humans emerge intent on invading the planet.. 

Super Sports Spectacular has the reader involved in a scary game of basketball while Trapped in the Games Grid has the reader is all set for an afternoon of arcade games but not all the games are not what they seem with secret programs, alien tests and other worlds inside a new virtual reality. 

Extreme Machine Challenge and In the Realm of the Dragons are due for release in June 2016.

The appeal and importance of gaming within the formal education setting is becoming the focus of a lot of research and literature and this series provides a great foundation to actively engage and explore options.  Map the story, its choices and consequences on a flow chart; have students add a few twists of their own and discuss how these can have an exponential effect on the outcomes; perhaps even venture down the Technologies strand of the Australian Curriculum and let your budding programmers start to design the coding.  Then set a new scenario and start to explore the pathways and fun of “what if…”, encouraging the students to let their imaginations go, push the boundaries, think beyond the usual as they draw on all they’ve seen and experienced.  As well as offering an engaging read, skilled teachers could use these books as models for an absorbing, integrated project that would draw in their writers, their illustrators, their mathematicians, their computer experts, and their gamers to create something new that accentuates the need for a team, encourages negotiation and compromise as well as the skills of seeing things from another perspective and looking for alternatives, and perhaps, even, the concept of empathy.

So glad this format is back on the reading agenda of the younger readers in my life.

Adventure Time Which Way Dude: BMO’s Day Out

Jan17
Adventure Time Which Way Dude: BMO's Day Out

Adventure Time Which Way Dude: BMO’s Day Out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adventure Time Which Way Dude: BMO’s Day Out

Cartoon Network, 2015

124pp., pbk., RRP $A14.95

9781760123208

BMO is the cutest, tiniest little robot in the Land of Ooo but the future of Ooo is in the hands of the reader because at the end of each chapter it is up to the reader to decide what happens next.  By solving riddles, puzzles and codes the reader can alter the characters paths thus leading them on to new adventures.  It’s a chance to let BMO be the hero for once.  Along the way the reader gathers Adventure Minutes and the challenge is to read the book many times, make different choices and try to better the number of Adventure Minutes gained.

A new take on the popular Choose Your Own Adventure format, written in the present tense to increase the pace and sense of urgency, this is likely to appeal to those who enjoy cartoons and computer games and can visualise the action. They will enjoy its interactivity as they try to solve the puzzles and the challenge to gain Adventure Minutes gives that competitive element that is a characteristic of the gaming environment.

If we are looking to capitalise of the interest in cartoons and computer games that our younger readers are so familiar with, offering them that in print format may be the way to hook them into a whole new world of adventure.

Australians All

Jan15

australians_all 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Australians All

Nadia Wheatley

Ken Searle

Allen & Unwin, 2015

280pp., pbk., RRP $A29.99

9781760290498

 

In 1988 Australia marked the bicentennial of European settlement and one of the stand-out, enduring legacies of that time was the magnificent My Place by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins in which the history of our nation over those 200 years was viewed through the lens of the children who lived in each decade in a particular house in Sydney.  It is a seminal piece of work that is used to this day in the study of Australian history by young students, having been complemented with a television series, websites and a host of units of work. Its key point of difference from a lot of other texts at the time which also explored our history was that by looking at the past through the eyes of the children who were the age of its target audience, Wheatley made history accessible and meaningful for the age group. They could relate to what happened by comparing it with their own lives.

In Australians All Wheatley has taken a similar approach.  Beginning in the Ice Age when the Law held the balance in the land and through the forming of the rocks and soil, through the making of mountains and the rivers, it held, through to the Apology to the Stolen Generation in 2008, Wheatley has stayed true to her belief that “story is everything”.  This is not some dry tome with facts and figures and grainy pictures – through the telling of the stories of the time, amplified by the inclusion of 80 mini-biographies of real people who were there.  They are the stories of the children and the youth whose tales are rarely told – the “passive accessories” to the actions and decisions of the adults around them – and they are the stories of the children who became adults and changed the nation’s philosophies and direction because of the impact on them of those actions and decisions.  For example, with many of our students in single parent or blended families, the stories of the fate of Amy Currie after the death of her mother and the younger Facey children whose father had left for the Kalgoorlie goldfield s in a desperate attempt to support his family bring the real life and times alive and will give pause for thought about why we have the support systems we do today.

Using just one or two pages to explore each topic, Wheatley gives the reader not only the essential information they need so we are not left overwhelmed or confused, but it is written in a conversational tone that engages and reflects.

For example, on p137 under the heading ‘Being an Australian’ she asks “So what is an Australian?” and after giving some of the characteristics we associate with us, she then points out the stark definition given by The Bulletin at the turn of the 20th century when Federation and nationalism were ablaze.  The Bulletin declared, “By the term Australian we mean…all white men who come to these shores with a clean record”.  As Wheatley then points out, over 50% of the population were excluded because women, children, and the Aboriginal and Chinese peoples were ignored, and with the phrase “with a clean record” it denied our convict heritage on which our traits of egalitarianism and a fair go are founded.  This is followed by the stories of Bill Morrow, the Facey family, Amy Currie and Charles Swancott Just one page could be the starting point for an investigation of what it means to be Australian in 2016, the key changes that brought us to where we are, and, in conjunction with the publication of Armin Greder’s Australia to z (Allen & Unwin, 2016) there are riches indeed.  For not only are we asked who are we and where have we come from, but we are confronted with “Are we going back there?”

Richly illustrated throughout by Ken Searle with the inclusion of a range of complementary photos, accompanied by fascinating thumbnail sketches of what happened to those whose stories are featured, a glossary, index and bibliography, this is a must in the collection for Year 5 upwards that all teachers should be aware of so they can enrich and enhance their curriculum with real stories and real people. Perhaps students could pick a period and investigate the life of a child in that time, writing in the mini-biography style of the book or they could add another chapter of what the life of a child of 2016 is like.  Much has changed in eight short years…

Released and reviewed in perfect timing for the new school year, Australians All puts the story in history bringing to life what we should know about this nation’s past (even if it is confronting) so we can march into the future with understanding, confidence and hope.

New Year Surprise

Jan14
New Year Surprise

New Year Surprise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Year Surprise

Christopher Cheng

Di Wu

National Library of Australia, 2016

36pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9780642278838

 

The huge celebration that is Chinese New Year is fast approaching and Little Brother’s family are making all the traditional preparations. This Spring Festival is such a big occasion in Little Brother’s snowy, winter-bound village that it is impossible to sleep Little Brother is very excited because he has been told he has a special job this year.  But what could it be?  It seems he is too young to fly a kite, too short to hang the lanterns, too slow to choose the duck from the hawker and too small to carry the dragon through the village.  He’s already done things like serving tea and lighting crackers so what is there that is left for him to do?

Then he learns that he is to accompany his father in carrying the Pearl of Wisdom at the head on the dragon parade which entices good fortune to the village.  An honour indeed!

That night Little Brother and all his family sleep very well indeed.

Chris Cheng is the master of faction – the art of blending fact and fiction into a seamless story that both entertains and educates.  In New Year Surprise he draws on his own heritage to tell a tale that keeps the reader engaged while introducing many of the traditions that the Western world is now becoming familiar with while Di Wu’s amazing artwork reflecting the traditional Chinese techniques of brushes, watercolours and rice paper is the perfect accompaniment.  The story is followed by four pages of information about festivals in China drawn from the National Library of Australia’s extensive Chinese Collection, itself part of an even bigger Asian collection. If you’re looking for authority this writer-illustrator-publisher triumvirate could not be bettered.

As we approach the beginning of the Year of the Fire Monkey on February 8, 2016, the timing of the release of New Year Surprise is perfect.  Apart from acknowledging this important time in the lives of so many of our students, Chinese New Year is rich in investigations that span all areas of the Australian Curriculum.  From looking at the origins and meanings behind the traditions, to investigating the structure of the Chinese calendar with its stem-branch system, to making ang pow, to comparing the custom of inserting a lucky coin into the dumplings with similar practices throughout the world or even the development of fireworks which has become synonymous with new year celebrations around the world, there is much to draw on that will not only keep students engaged but will also promote an inclusive curriculum.

Extensive teachers’ notes are available that lead the reader on a “See, Think, Wonder” journey through the story encouraging a focus on the details of the illustrations and drawing out even greater understanding of Chinese culture. For example, the endpapers feature a cat and while it plays no visible part in the story, it clearly has a purpose.  What is it?  Similarly, the reader is encouraged to ponder about the choice of colour of the Little Brother’s clothes; the stories told in quilts and the wisdom in letting children light fireworks while all the while comparing what they are seeing with what they already know. Text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world connections abound.

With so few books for young readers on this subject available, Chris Cheng and Di Wu have created a must-have for both teachers and students and it’s a cracker!.  A superb way to start a year of investigations and displays.

A Chinese New Year display

A Chinese New Year display

 

Netball Gems (series)

Jan14
Netball Gems

Netball Gems

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netball Gems: Pivot and Win

9780857987686

 

Netball Gems: Defend to the End

9780857987709

Lisa Gibbs and Bernadette Hellard

Penguin Random House, 2015,

144pp., pbk., RRP $A12.99

 

Written in association with Netball Australia by sisters Lisa Gibbs and Bernadette Hellard who have been involved in all aspects of netball for many years, these are the third and the fourth in this series which began with Hooked on Netball and Chase Your Goal with four more additions planned for publication this year.

Similar in format to several series featuring cricket and football that have proven to be really popular, each title focuses on one of the team members as they face personal and game challenges as they pursue their dream to play for the Diamonds, the Australian national team.  Throughout the stories the girls learn the intricacies of one of the fastest growing sports in Australia while, at the same time, learning how to deal with life itself.  Pivot and Win sees Lily trying to prove herself as a contender even though she is short – something she has no control over – while in Defend to the End, New Zealander Maia is homesick and feels that she doesn’t belong.  Even the way they play netball is Australia is different from the way she has mastered and she needs to almost start again.

Packed with tips and drills that budding netballers can try, this series will inspire all those young girls with dreams to work hard to achieve them.  Certainly Miss 9 said she can’t wait for her season to start again so she can try out some of the things, although if she ever achieves her dream of playing for the Diamonds there could be conversations with her grandmother about whether Australia or New Zealand are the world champions!  Regardless, this series has captured her imagination and provided her with some great reading for some time. I know it will be popular with readers from about Year 3 who enjoy netball and are ready for a longer story.

The Fairiest Fairy

Jan12
The Fairiest Fairy

The Fairiest Fairy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fairiest Fairy

Anna Booth

Rosalind Beardshaw

Nosy Crow, 2015

32pp., hbk., RRP $A22.99

9780857633156

 

Betty was a fairy who just never got things right,

She was always in a muddle

Though she tried with all her might…

No matter what Betty tried to do at fairy school, she just couldn’t get herself sorted.  Even her wand was tied on with elastic so she wouldn’t lose it!  And her first attempts at spells did not have the desired results. She can’t scatter dewdrops or wake up the flowers or paint rainbows and she is terribly upset. But Betty has something else – she is compassionate and empathetic and as she wends her way through the book many of nature’s gentle creatures are thankful for what she offers. 

So when it is time for the Fairy Ball, Betty is disconsolate for she knows she will not be chosen as the fairiest fairy until…

This is a charming story- that focuses on friendship, persistence, resilience and individuality in a setting that will definitely appeal to most very young girls.  Betty could become a role model as she refuses to give up but puts the needs of others first when she could be practising. Booth has chosen to write the story in rhyme so it has that rhythm that little ones like and Beardshaw’s gentle, bright illustrations are a delightful accompaniment. 

Given the continued popularity of stories about fairies that never seems to wane as each new class of preschoolers and Kindy kids comes to the library, this will be a popular addition to the New-For-You display at the beginning of term.

Box

Jan11
Box

Box

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Box

Min Flyte

Rosalind Beardshaw

Nosy Crow, 2105

20pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9780857634146

 

Thomas has a box and so does Alice.  Her box is bigger that Thomas’s but it is not as big as Sam’s and Nancy has the biggest box of all.  And there are five more boxes inside that one! My goodness.  What could be inside them? 

Very young children will delight in predicting what might be in each box and then lifting the flaps to find out.  But the greatest fun comes when, like most littlies, the friends find the boxes more intriguing than their contents.  What might they nake with them?  Well, with some imagination they could…

Such a simple concept such, a delightful story that will keep children engaged as they predict and confirm, use their imaginations and explore flaps and fold-outs and double page spreads. There is even a net for them to make their own teeny, tiny box to start their own collection and plenty of suggestions in Rosalind’s Beardshaw’s pictures for what can be done with them.

Perfect for the preschool brigade.

Awesome Animal Stories for Kids

Jan8
Awesome Animal Stories for Kids

Awesome Animal Stories for Kids

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome Animal Stories for Kids

Aleesah Darlison

Penguin Random House, 2015

208pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9780857989680

Author Aleesah Darlison’s lifelong love of animals shines through in this collection of short stories that is just perfect for the newly independent reader to curl up and enjoy. 

There are twelve delightful stories that embrace animals of all kinds from the real to the fantastic, the large to the small – each unique and for the lover of the animal story genre, a treasure trove for the imagination.  Each story is complete and long and detailed enough to make a great stand-alone read for those few minutes that can only be filled by a story.

My personal favourite is that of Swoop, the story of Kasey’s care for a baby magpie who has fallen out of its nest.  Living in the bush and with a couple of Mother Magpies who bring their new babies to visit each day and care for them for months, it is a heart-warming story that has many a lesson to learn.  Kasey wants to keep Swoop as her personal pet rather than letting be the wild bird she is and so she puts her in a cage.  Some days she would forget to let her out and poor Swoop would stay imprisoned just listening to the call of the other wild magpies.  When Swoop doesn’t return home one night, Kasey is heart-broken but her mother is wise. 

“You have to learn to let go, Kasey…Sometimes that’s what being a mum means… You’ll always be her mum. But she’s grown up now.  It’s best to let her come and go as she pleases, otherwise she won’t want to come home at all.” 

It’s a hard lesson for a little girl to learn but nevertheless Kasey has to learn it.  And she is rewarded in the end.

Other stories include the legend of Alvorado, King of Cats; Sea Sprites and Rock Pools (perfect for those having a beach adventure this holiday); Orphan Foal which is a heart-wrenching story of survival and the hilarious Pig-napped.

I love Aleesah’s writing.  Not only does she always tell an engaging story but each one has a depth and integrity to it that means it lingers in the mind of the reader well after the last page is turned. Miss 9 stuck her nose in this on Christmas Day and that was pretty much the last we saw of her!  No greater recommendation can be made.

 

Silver Shoes (series)

Jan8
Silver Shoes

Silver Shoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhythm and Blues

9780857989079

 

Studio Showdown

9780857989093

 

Samantha-Ellen Bound

Random House, 2016

pbk., 144pp., RRP $A14.99

 

Three or four times a week, Eleanor Irvin and her friends attend the Silver Shoes Dance Academy to learn to dance. Jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, ballroom, lyrical – whatever the style it’s on offer and each girl has her favourite genre although they are also challenged to go beyond their comfort zone and take on new challenges.

This is particularly true for Riley in Rhythm and Blues when Riley takes on the role of being Miss Caroline’s personal assistant.  Having sprained her ankle playing tennis and forced to take a break from dance, Riley finds sitting at home on the couch really frustrating so this new position will at least get her back into that realm again.  But trouble is brewing because she finds she has access to private information and power to use it that threatens her friendships. On top of that, she is so determined to get back to dancing that she risks making her injury worse and causing permanent damage.

Similarly, Paige is challenged in Studio Showdown when she is asked to choreograph the Under8/9s’  item for the end-of-year concert with her friend Ellie.  The theme is ‘Hollywood glamour” and while Paige is intent on it being jive-based, Ellie has different ideas.  Rather than letting the younger dancers shine, she wants to be able to be the star with a support group.  It looks like the team is going to be 90% Ellie and 10% Paige and Paige has to dig deep to find the confidence to have her voice heard.

As usual each book has information about the featured genre and a full glossary and because the author is a dancer, dance teacher and choreographer herself you know they have authority.

Miss 9 was especially excited that Santa had managed to get his hands on some advance copies of these two new additions  and it is certainly a series that never stays on the shelves.  The reserve list for new titles is always long. Even though dance of some sort is the second most popular sport in Australia with over 4 000 000 participants, not all who would like to get the opportunity to dance, so this series continues to fuel their dreams. 

Click here for a review of the first two in the series

Click here for a review of the first two in the series

Click here for a review of others in the series

Click here for a review of others in the series

Click here for others in the series

Click here for others in the series