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The Champ vs the Werewolf Warriorz

Aug19
The Champ vs the Werewolf Warriorz

The Champ vs the Werewolf Warriorz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Champ vs the Werewolf Warriorz

Anh Do

Dave Atze

A & U Children’s, 2023

280pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781761065637

Summer loves sport, and there is nothing she would love more than to charge down the field towards an open goal, or soar through the air over the basket. She would love to be part of a team but instead she always seems to be the last one picked, probably because of her lack of co-ordination which even she recognises. Then one day something amazing happens and Summer discovers she is no longer the spectator but the superstar. The purple gloop that covered her and landed her in hospital has turned her life around. However what is magical for Summer is misery for her older brother Carl who goes from being a talented upcoming footballer to being in a wheelchair, and Summer finds herself with a lot more responsibility.

With her new expertise, Summer decides to enter contests to earn money to support her family, but as it turns out, there are far more important things for her to do, starting with sorting out a witch who looks strangely familiar and is causing trouble in her home town while keeping her new powers secret because  a government agency, armed with a robotic minion, begin to take an interest in her. 

In this episode, the third in this series, the Book Witch and her army of Werewolf Warriorz threaten to ruin the Rockstone Autumn Fair, Summer’s powers are put to the test. Will she be able to save the day, and the fair, without revealing her secret identity? 

Written for those on the cusp of being independent readers with lots of support such as larger font and plenty of illustrations, this is a series that will appeal to those who are taking an interest in the plethora of sport available at the moment, particularly that featuring women. But rather than being blessed with super powers to achieve their goals and vanquish their ‘enemies”, they face seemingly interminable  routine and repetition, recovery and resilience setting up the opportunity for a discussion about just what it takes to get to the top.  

Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

Aug4
Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pick a Story: A Dinosaur Unicorn Robot Adventure

Sarah Coyle

Adam Walker-Parker

Farshore, 2023

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781405299053

Gwen was very excited about having a fancy-dress birthday party,  the decorations are up and the food set out.  But suddenly the birthday cake that Dad has made disappears!  Who has taken it?

Well, that depends on what the reader decides because depending on whether they choose the unicorn, robot or dinosaur they are taken on a different adventure, each time being able to choose the next chapter in their story.

While choose-your-own adventures have been in novel format for years and been immensely popular because of all the possibilities they open up, a picture book format is unusual. Young readers will love the interactivity that takes them beyond the more familiar lift-the-flap and gives them the power to decide the direction of the story.  And when one is told, they can return to the beginning and start another…  The power of choice.

There are three in this series now – a pirate/alien/jungle/adventure already available and a dragon/mermaid/superhero adventure to be released in time for Christmas – so all those characters that young readers love are covered and they can follow all sorts of paths and trails through the stories. Putting the reader in the writer’s seat is empowering and they might even be able to suggest a new combination or adventure, teaching them that they can not only be readers but writers too.  

 

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A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

Jul27
A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Boy, His Dog and the Sea

Anthony Browne

Walker Books, 2023

32pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781529507058

Danny is bored. He would have liked to have been playing with his brother Mick but he’s off with his mates so, instead, he takes his dog Scruff for a walk on the beach.  Even though Danny thinks it’s a vast, boring nothingness, especially on a cool wintry day. Scruff loves it and it’s not too long before they are having a game of fetch as Scruff continually chases a stick into the water and brings it back.  But it’s when they see a crowd of people shouting and laughing and waving to someone in the water, that Danny’s afternoon takes a remarkable turn…

As usual, master storyteller Browne offers a visual feast as he combines fairly straight-forward text with his rich illustrations and, just as Danny’ mother suggests he use his eyes closely because “you never know what you might see”, so too should the reader.  But, for me, as much as I love the sea in all its changing moods and colours, and the treasures found along its shore, it is the dedication that underpins this story.  “In loving memory of my big brother Michael” suggests there is a poignant undertone of loss and longing that there could have been a different ending to his brother’s real-life story and this is echoed in the muted palette and flat, almost featureless seascape with just the odd break on the horizon.

So, as well as offering young readers the opportunity to think about what Danny’s mother suggests about finding hidden treasures and sharing their stories of seaside adventures, it is also an opportunity to think about friends and things lost forever and the emotions attached to this.  Given this is the third book about loss and  grief that I have read and reviewed in the last three days, perhaps I am overthinking what might seem a simple story but my experience of Browne’s writing is that like, the beach, there are always hidden treasures to discover. You just have to look. 

 

Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures

Jul7
Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures

Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures

Jason Pamment

A & U Children’s, 2023

288pp., graphic novel, RRP $A19.99

9781761067488

Fitting in can be hard, especially when you’re as small as Ember. He can’t remember anything from before he lived in an attic in a city where everything was giant-sized. He longed for friendship, but when he ventured out to try to make a connection, he was accidentally swept into a storm drain and out to a beach. He hopes his his luck will change when Lua, a kindly sea turtle, escorts him across the ocean to a school for little creatures on a wondrous island, and he meets creatures like Ana, a salamander, and Viggo, a stroppy blue-tongued lizard.   Ember learns that first days can also be hard – especially when your friends read your journal and mock you.  Lessons at school involve intriguing discussions of camouflage and mimicry and introductions to the unique denizens of the island and surrounding sea but it his adventures involving  fantastical cave-dwellers, ferocious storms and classmates that aren’t interested in making friends that teach him the most.
As he struggles to adapt to his school, Ember finds himself at the heart of an otherworldly mystery, facing a strange monster from the deep. And though Ember’s classmates may seem of little help, any good student knows appearances can be deceiving – and friendship can come from the most unexpected of places.
For those independent readers who like the graphic novel format, this is an intriguing story with clear, detailed pictures that in a lot of cases carry the story without speech, that reinforces the message of being and accepting yourself, building friendships with unlikely folk, persevering to get to know them better, and being open to new ideas and perspectives. 

Meet the Weather

Jun27
Meet the Weather

Meet the Weather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet the Weather

Caryl Hart

Bethan Woollvin

Bloomsbury, 2023

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781526639813

Join the children in their hot air balloon as they journey through the skies to encounter all sorts of weather and learn a little more about it.  

Like its predecessors  Meet the Planets and Meet the Oceans , this is one for younger readers who are just beginning to notice the phenomenon of changing weather patterns and starting to ask why it’s windy or sunny or who might be frightened by the lightning and thunder.  Written in rhyme with bold illustrations,  this respects the child’s intelligence by offering them the basic facts in a format that takes them on a journey of learning as well as discovery so they have a basic understanding of the science that will either satisfy their curiosity for now, or lead them to seek more information.  

This is a series of non fiction titles that most definitely has a place in the school library collection as it offers information at the child’s level of understanding in a style and format that is appealing without being overwhelming.  Given acknowledgement of the date and the weather forms part of the morning routine of any Kindergarten classroom, this is a great introduction that takes the learner beyond the basic observations and may even invoke a discussion about the impact of the weather on their daily lives beginning a basic understanding of cause and effect. 

 

Tumbleglass

Jun23
Tumbleglass

Tumbleglass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tumbleglass

Kate Constable

A & U Children’s, 2023

288pp., pbk., RRP $A17.99

9781760526962

Thirteen-year-old Rowan is helping her older sister Ash paint her bedroom when she discovers a mysterious silver ring  and when she slips it on it transports them both back in time 20 years to 1999. To a party being held in the very same house!

While Ash dances, Rowan unwittingly disrupts the laws of time, and when she wakes up back in the present day, her sister is missing, and – even worse – everyone in their family seems to have forgotten she ever existed.

With the help of her magical neighbour Verity, Rowan must find the courage to travel back through the history of the house. But can she find everything she needs to rescue Ash before her sister disappears forever?

This is one for older independent readers who enjoy time-slip novels with a fantasy twist.  

A Girl Called Corpse

Jun22
A Girl Called Corpse

A Girl Called Corpse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Girl Called Corpse

Reece Carter

Simon Howe

Allen & Unwin, 2022

352pp., pbk., RRP $A17.99

9781761066788

Find the thing the Witches call a treasure,’ says Old Man, ‘and you’ll get back all those memories you’re missing.’

With a body made of wax, seaweed for hair and polished abalone shells for eyes, Corpse is bound to haunt the Witches’ sea shack forever. She has no memory of the kid she was before she was snatched and ended up on the rock-that-doesn’t-exist, using magic to hold herself together so she doesn’t cross over the Death Proper. Her dearest wish is to escape the rock, find her family and live. But she appears to be bound on the rock off the coast of the tiny forgotten town of Elston-Fright forever, until the delivery of an unexpected message sets her off on a surprising quest, searching for answers to the old and familiar questions that have filled her not-brain since the day she first woke up a ghost. Questions about her name. Questions about her family. With only her eight-legged friend Simon for company, Corpse heads into the unknown. There will be danger – cruel witches, a silver-eyed sea monster and a cunning merchant with a hungry grin – but Corpse is not afraid. She’ll stop at nothing to uncover the truth about her past. Only some answers, it turns out, are much closer than she thinks.

Shortlisted for the ABIA Book of the Year for Younger Children (7-12 years) this is a debut novel that has a strong message about the power of family, friendship, trust and believing  and trusting in yourself and what you stand for.  For older, independent readers who can let reality go and cope with twists and turns in the plot, this is a new series that will captivate those who like the Nevermoor series, with a sequel The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright being released in October 2023.

Blackbeard’s Treasure

Jun20
Blackbeard's Treasure

Blackbeard’s Treasure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blackbeard’s Treasure

Iszi Lawrence

Bloomsbury, 2023

288pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

97818010967

It’s 1718: pirate ships sail the oceans and brutal slave masters control the plantations so that those in Europe can enjoy luxuries like sugar, cotton and tobacco.

Eleven-year-old Abigail Buckler lives with her father in the Caribbean. Her clothes are made of finest muslin so she can’t play in them, not that there’s anyone to play with anyway. Her only “companion” is Boubacar, a slave boy whose whole family would be punished if their friendship became public knowledge. Such are the protocols of the time, she isn’t even allowed to go out alone. But when pirates attack the settlement, Abigail’s life changes forever, particularly her beliefs about and relationship with her father. Suddenly her old certainties about right and wrong, good and bad start to unravel. 

Maybe Abigail doesn’t have to be so ladylike after all… in fact she can’t be as she dresses like a boy to escape and the twists and turns of her new life show her there are many sides to people, and not all stereotypes are true. 

Fast-paced, action-filled this is a tense drama packed with characters who actually existed including Blackbeard himself, historical detail about the Atlantic slave trade, the ravages of empire and imperialism and the human cost of providing those luxuries to a Europe obsessed with displays of wealth and power, and which takes a look at the real pirates of the Caribbean, making it more than just a swashbuckling adventure and perhaps the start of an investigation that could help readers start to understand old practices and current attitudes. 

Super Sloth: The Shar-Wolf of New York City

Jun16
Super Sloth: The Shar-Wolf of New York City

Super Sloth: The Shar-Wolf of New York City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super Sloth: The Shar-Wolf of New York City

Aleesah Darlison

Cheri Hughes

Big Sky, 2023

140pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781922896537

On a remote itty-bitty island off the coast of Panama there is an itty-bitty community of itty-bitty creatures. And while the rest of these pygmy sloths are content to dwell in the trees and move around “as slow as a rainy winter weekend”, Romeo Fortez, is different.  At his naming ceremony, the heavens do spectacular and amazing things and  Romeo is imbibed with powers of speed, intelligence, and irresistibly hypnotic good looks. As he grows up, Romeo craves speed and adventure and even his parents know that Escudo Island would never be big enough for him. But then he overhears a reference to New York – the city that never sleeps – and he knows that that is where he must be…

But when Romeo eventually gets there after a journey involving a boat, a bus, a rusted bicycle, a logging truck, two trains and a plane,  he discovers that Professor Ian Weird-Warp, a geneticist obsessed with splicing animal genes together, has unleashed a gigantic mutant shar-wolf on the city. With the help of some new human and animal friends, Romeo forms a team of crime fighters to save the city from the evil Professor Weird-Warp and his mutant creation.

This is a new action-packed series for newly independent readers which combines the author’s love of sloths and superheroes with fast-paced adventures and humour underpinned by friendship and teamwork and the opportunity to learn a little more about one of the planet’s more curious species.. Darlison says, “My goal was to craft an engaging read that allows kids to escape from reality and enter an exciting and intriguing world where animals and humans can accomplish amazing things together,” and she has done this well. 

Miss Penny Dreadful and the Malicious Maze

Jun10
Miss Penny Dreadful and the Malicious Maze

Miss Penny Dreadful and the Malicious Maze

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Penny Dreadful and the Malicious Maze

Allison Rushby

Bronte Rose Marando

Walker Books, 2023

144pp., pbk., RRP $A15.99

9781760654047

1872 and although Penny Pickering  has often dreamed of being taken away from Miss Strickland’s School for Girls of an Enquiring Mind by her Aunt Harriet who writes very popular short stories known as “penny dreadfuls” (hence the nickname other girls in the school have given Penny), she is most surprised when it actually happens and she finds herself embroiled in curious mysteries which, with her enquiring mind guided by the echoes of Miss Strickland’s words, she is able to solve. Firstly it was some bewitched kittens who were apparently partying at midnight and this time it’s a maze that apparently swallows the servants! 

But underpinning the immediate adventures is the mystery of what has happened to her scientist parents and why she has been taken from the school by her aunt.  What is behind the cryptic messages on the picture postcards supposedly sent by them from Switzerland?  And why would they up sticks and leave in such a hurry that there laboratory is left in a mess when they are so meticulous about its tidiness. What role does the secretive and sinister Mr Crowley play in all this, particularly when Penny catches him out in a lie by telling her a solicitor is on her parents’ case, but she discovers that solicitor doesn’t exist?

Perhaps the answer lies in the third and final in this series for young, independent readers who enjoy mysteries which is scheduled for release in November.