Johnny Swanson

Author: Eleanor Updale

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There are some interesting and unusual features to this novel. It is set in England, just after the 2nd World War. Families are struggling without husbands who died on the battle field, soldiers who have returned face the challenge of lost jobs or wounds. Not every character we meet is admirable. There are crooks, school bullies, and police who leap too quickly to conclusions.

Johnny has only his Mum to look after him. He is obsessed with making money to help his Mum, and is a bright boy, so starts his own private scheme of placing ads in local papers that promise impressive outcomes (“make your money go further”) but delivers only a slip of paper saying “roll it down a hill”. He makes up a number of lies to ensure he can cash postal notes and place the ads.

While all this is happening he finds out about TB (tuberculosis), and discovers that his friend, a local retired doctor, is actually experimenting with a vaccine illegally imported from France. The doctor disappears, then a few days later Johnny’s world comes tumbling down. His lies are uncovered, and his friend the doctor is murdered! To make matters worse his mother is suspected of killing the doctor.

The rest of the story unrolls in a somewhat predictable manner. It is certainly a “ripping yarn” rather than a thought provoking narrative, and some of the story links depend on unlikely co-incidences. Still, I read to the end and was interested enough in the detail of the story. There is a puzzling unevenness that I can’t quite explain. Johnny is a likable enough character, and there is plenty of imagination in the details of the story. However I thought the detective/mystery second half depended on a character revelation that was not flagged in any way, so it seemed rather like an author’s manipulation rather than something the reader could understand.

The book would suit younger teens looking for some mystery and adventure writing in a well painted modern historical setting. There is little for parents to be concerned about by way of language or themes, though of course there is at least one murder and a good deal of nasty adult behaviour.

Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre.

Caleb’s Crossing

Author: Geraldine Brooks

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Readers of fiction written by Geraldine Brooks always discover interesting details of the history of some part of the world. Caleb may be a Biblical name, but it was given to this Caleb by a Puritan, Calvanistic missionary, not by his parents. The setting is the east coast of North America in the seventeenth century.

In 1665, a young man from what is now Martha’s Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. His was the son of a chieftain of the Wompanoag. The young daughter of the charismatic missionary from whose perspective the book is written is a female in a patriarchal society. Women must provide, men and boys must be educated. At twelve, she encounters the young son of a chieftain, who will be later known as Caleb, and the two forge a tentative, secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other. As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island’s glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants. Bethia’s minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the island’s strongest pawaaw, against whose ritual magic he must test his own beliefs.

In a journal written on scraps of paper, Bethia records her internal conflicts. How can she teach herself to exist within the narrow confines of the lives women in her world are expected to lead? Her quick mind seeks the knowledge that is imparted to her brother. Her domestic responsibilities are unreasonable, but she is loyal.

The triumph of “Caleb’s Crossing” is that Bethia succeeds as a convincing woman of her time, and also in communicating across centuries of change in circumstance, custom and language. She tells a story that is suspenseful and involving. It is also a story that is tragically recognizable and deeply sad.

I found the beginning of the book contrived. However, once connected with Harvard’s history, found it a worthwhile read.

Reviewed by Gayle Davidson
Odell Learning Resources Centre

In Japan the Crickets Cry

Author: Ronald Clements, with Steve Metcalf

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I was bought up on a diet of amazing mission stories, told earnestly, but mostly not well written. I am delighted to discover “In Japan the Crickets Cry” which is a really well written, engrossing missionary story. What makes it all work so well? Certainly Steve Metcalf’s story is quite remarkable: raised in Taku (south-west China) by missionary parents, sent to Chefoo school, there when the area was taken over by Japan. He lived in a concentration camp for a while, but was eventually re-united with his family in Australia. His God-given passion then became the people of Japan: an extraordinary move in the post war atmosphere of recrimination, not reconciliation, as more and more became known about the horrors of torture, forced prostitution and concentration camps. He devoted his life to preaching and serving in Japan, a country to this day notoriously unreceptive to the Christian message.

I have to declare my initial interest was simply my own personal fascination with Japan, but Steve Metcalf’s story touched me on many levels. He does not spare himself as he tells the story of his early heartbreak when a young women who he was deeply in love with turned her back on him as she could not face the idea of being a missionary wife. I am always moved to read about the dilemmas facing missionaries when it comes to their own children, and Steve not only lived these difficulties himself, but later on had to make the same agonizing decision about his own children.

I appreciated the fine balance kept between large picture analyses of the missionary work in Japan and the illuminating minutiae of daily life… and found especially helpful the sections where he reflects on the psychology and sociology of the Japanese people as they struggled to deal with the aftermath of war. The book is not overloaded with detail about language and custom but again the balance is stuck quite well for those who are interested in Japan for its own sake.

Steve Metcalf “retired” in 1990 but has continued to work with Japanese people in the UK and Europe, and the closing chapters detail some of these stories.

Suitable for any age; parents could read snippets to younger children. The book is a rich source of discussion points for the thoughtful teenager (or adult).

Andrew Lack

Advance Australia…Where?

Author: Hugh Mackay

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I have discussed in other reviews the idea of a “dipping book”, one that can be read by taking pages almost at random. Hugh Mackay’s most recent social analysis book came out in 2007, but I am still finding it fascinating and fresh.

The author’s special gift is to connect seemingly disparate trends, thus suggesting causal connections that I find illuminating. In case you are not familiar with his work, he is a psychologist and social researcher, and produced for many years a quarterly report on trends in Australian society. He has a wealth of research data both from his own social research and focus groups, and from the work of other researchers.

To give you an example, I have been aware for some years about statistics on the growing number of single occupancy households… in 2007 around 20% of Sydney dwellings had only one occupant, but the number is predicted to grow dramatically by 2020. This is interesting, even alarming, but the reason I enjoy his book so much is that it is not merely a report on the “what” (statistics) or “what next”, he also offers suggestions for the “why”. In this case he targets the society wide focus on self fulfilment and self worth, and suggests that this has led to an increased preference for being comfortable by one’s self. Of course there are many other reasons and he canvases those as well.

While 2007 is not 2011, it is interesting to examine the chapters that touch on the emerging Internet and social media culture, with its benefits and horrors.

I have taken to reading a page or two while eating my breakfast cereal, and enjoy jumping to random sections… almost always providing a challenging insight into the culture I move and work in. There is no reason why this could not be ready by a student of any age, however interest is likely to be higher for older students who are already curious about the forces shaping and driving our corner of the world.

Andrew Lack

American Born Chinese

Author: Gene Luen Yang

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This is a cross between a graphical novel and a manga style comic with simple, firm illustrations and a complex layered story. It is a relatively quick read but is certainly not a light weight with over 230 pages and a larger format. Jin Wang is a young teenager whose parents are Chinese immigrants. He quickly discovers that Asian looking boys face a number of challenges at school. An older lady tells him “It is easy to become anything you wish…so long as you’re willing to forfeit your soul”. He betrays his heritage and decides to simply try to blend in, with unfortunate results.

This could have been a somewhat didactic tale with little chance of engaging its readers… instead it is told in a fascinating and initially bewildering way. We end up with three alternating threads of a story. First there is the story from Chinese mythology about the Monkey King and his aspirations to be accepted as a god like other gods. Then we see various events in the life of Jin Wang as a younger teen… and this is interspersed with stories from his life as an older, now very Caucasian teenager. Bizarrely he is visited for one month in each year by a “cousin from China” who is an outrageous caricature with a pigtail, round glasses, huge round face, amorous intent and boundless cleverness.

It is not clear till the end of the story what is really going on… and I shan’t be giving away any secrets here! The tale is poignant and thought provoking. It contains a real challenge to respect one's own heritage and maintain personal integrity.

 I was also rather astonished to find a whole slab of Psalm 139 quoted in the mouth of one of the Chinese gods, and a visit by a Chinese sage to the baby Jesus. At the very least I would have to put this down to 21st Century intertextuality, but others may see a deeper meaning.

Despite the disarming pictures of monkeys, this is a complex story that requires thought and interpretation… perhaps best for Year Eight and up.


Andrew Lack

Painting Out the Stars

Authors: Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham

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This delightful book contains three tales from different lands. The stories have the essence of traditional fables yet speak with the freshness of a contemporary voice. Each story has a child as a main character. Yazul, Tashi and Mariama each make a difference in the lives of those around them in unexpected ways in the mountain and dessert regions of their lands.

It is suitable for age 8 and upwards.

Helen Sillar

The Travelling Restaurant: Jasper’s Voyage in Three Parts

Author: Barbara Else

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This fantasy novel details the adventures of a young twelve year old boy, Jasper Ludlow. By all accounts he is an ordinary boy who is trying to cross Old Ocean and Lake Riversea. Readers can follow a map inside the book cover to help track Jasper’s quest to find his baby sister…  and to save the kingdom of Fontania from the Provisional Monarch, Lady Gall.

There are hungry pirates, troublesome monkeys and a whirlpool for Jasper and the crew of the Restaurant to negotiate. Mystery surrounds many of the characters and it is hard to know who to trust.

This is suitable for age nine and up.  

Helen Sillar

A Straight Line to My Heart

Author: Bill Condon

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You know it is not an American or British book when the man in charge of the Football Club is a "Prezzie", and where one of the main characters is called Reggie and is obsessed with finally getting his Ford back on the road after years of trying to restore it.

Tiff (never Tiffany) has just finished Year Twelve, and is about to start some work experience at the local newspaper. She has a complicated family setup but is well cared for by Reggie and Bull. Being Australian males they show their genuine affection by constant teasing.  Life is about to take a number of twists and turns, which will lead to self doubt, sorrow, laughter and reflection.

The story is told in the first person, so we get to know the small country town where Tiff lives through her eyes. I can only imagine that the book would be a bit of  puzzle to a reader from another country, as Tiff's vernacular is a distinctively Aussie, without being contrived. While the events that take place are largely of only local concern, they impact Tiff dramatically, so ultimately this becomes a book about change and the inevitable progression of living.

The author has deliberately chosen to write a story that is positive, and has comendably avoided the swearing, drugs and sex scenes that are increasingly common in teenage stories. This does not make it any less real, and some big issues are touched on including alcoholism, single mothers with children from multiple partners, smoking and cancer. It is interesting to compare this story to Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There (reviewed) which is also about a student after Year Twelve and a newspaper job, though in an urban environment.

An easy and pleasant read for teenagers (even young ones) with a little romance and a lot about life, all the more engaging for being distinctively Australian.

Andrew Lack

The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

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Haven't seen the movie, loved the book.

Stockett deals with a major topic by looking at an area that has largely been ignored in both documentary and fiction... domestic help in Southern USA during the 1960s. The topic? Racism. The big events surrounding the KKK and Martin Luther are in evidence, but as background. We hear about a protest march, about some events surrounding a forced school de-segregation, and a black American is murdered by whites near where the story takes place. However the bulk of this long novel is about the equally rancid and devastating racism present on an hourly and daily basis in the relationship between white women and the black servants they employ. The only other work I can recall that touches on this was The Colour Purple, though perhaps I'm less likely to come across such material as white Australian male.

While the author has a very definite point to make, the story works because the story is intriguing and the characters are interesting and complex. The whites are not portrayed as universally unlikable (though there is a villain), and the black women are far from perfect (though there is a heroine).

The narrator's voice moves agilely and effectively between Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter, with occasional interludes from a third person narrator. Aibileen and Minny are domestic servants, and Miss Skeeter is the young adult daughter of local farmers. She probably should have turned out similar to other white Southern women in either ignoring or actively becoming involved in the oppression of black domestic helpers, but has become distant from her mother and remembers with great affection the care lavished on her as a child by a domestic helper who has since mysteriously vanished.

She is not allowed the kudos of being anti-racist on principle. Her involvement in the main part of the story comes when her burning ambition to become a writer meets a stumbling block: a well placed editor indicates that she will consider her manuscripts providing she can find something worth writing about... and circumstances result in the story of the book. Just to be clear for those who have not seen the movie, this book is actually about the writing of a book... partly by Miss Skeeter as she tells the stories of some of the less well educated women, and partly by Aibileen, who, it turns out, is an able writer herself.

I had to read this in short bursts, as I found the injustice of the working conditions, pay scales, and demeaning protocols difficult to take in large quantities. Still, one has a reasonable idea that at least some injustices will be righted before the end of the book. As matters reached a crescendo however I simply couldn't stop.

This is a book that has rich characterisation, intense drama and focuses on a very significant and thought provoking topic. There is no reason any teenager should not read this, and adults will love it: the sad and terrible reality of racism is confronting but the story is deeply engaging. For bibliophiles in particular this is a story about how writing and publishing can change lives and culture.

Andrew  Lack

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Author: Patrick Ness

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Interesting title, interesting concept, interesting typography... so why am I hesitant?

Todd is a thirteen year old boy... the youngest in his village, on a far planet. The village is in desperate straits, as a virus released by the alien inhabitants of the planet has killed all the women and left the men telepathic with unpleasant results. Tod is facing his coming-of-age ceremony with eagerness.

Everything changes when he stumbles on a "hole in the noise" in a trip to the nearby woods. The noise is the constant clamour of mental activity from other humans, even from animals and insects. He runs to tell his carers Ben and Cilian, and they react by telling him he has to flee the village immediately.

The story is well told. For instance, Todd has a dog, which is able to speak in one or two word sentences. The dog provides an amusing and sometimes poignant commentary on the drama that ensues. It quickly becomes clear that Ben is in danger from his own village, and that almost everything he has been told is a lie.

The "noise" is handled creatively with slabs of  rough "handwriting" text interposed to represent other's thoughts. This probably means the book will be a nightmare to turn into an eBook. The pace is frantic, and this is one of the problems I ultimately had. Despite the quirky ideas and competent writing, I thought there should be an ebb and flow in the pace. Instead, it is quite relentless seemingly from cover to cover.

The other problem I have is with the level of violence. Todd is pursued by Aaron, a semi crazed religious figure who seems unfazed by normal pain and damage (think Rasputin). We are presented with some fairly appalling descriptions of Aaron's increasingly hideous appearance and also a graphical depiction of a knife killing that Aaron becomes involved with.

Consequently a book that could have been a very imaginative and gripping read for younger students I am now inclined to put on the Senior Fiction shelves. The other problem is that I would rather this have been written as a book with its own natural arc and conclusion. Instead, the author has ended on a cliffhanger with the promise of a second (and no doubt a third) book. Some of the best sci-fi writers in the world manage book series without stooping to this device (for instance Ender's Game).

It is worth a read, but the creative ideas and style promise more than is, I think, ultimately delivered.

Andrew Lack

The Man Who Loved Children

Author: Christina Stead

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(disclaimer: I simply can't do a 350 word review of this book!)

I heard this book discussed on the ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club, and I was not surprised to hear it passionately defended by two guests, and savagely attacked by another. I bought this book for the school library because I believe it to be an outstanding (nearly) Australian novel. I suspect it will only be read by Extension English students, but I would encourage parents with a literary bent to borrow it. What is all the fuss about?

Those who do not like it find it intricately detailed and overwhelming in size… the larger format paperback I have is over 500 pages in length. It is also distressing because the story is a painfully close look at a family that we would now call dysfunctional. The cruelty to the children is not really physical, certainly not sexual… rather they are drafted into a world of warring parents who use endless tricks to co-opt the children to their side. This is all the more difficult because the parents each believe they are on high moral ground and do what they do for the sake of right and for the children… especially Sam, the father who loves his children so much that he cannot leave them alone for a moment to have their own thoughts or feelings.

I have long wondered why I loved this book from the first time I read it over 30 years ago. I think I know now… it is the extraordinary language that Sam (the father) uses with his family. This is not a trivial rendition by Christina Stead of a family’s “in house” language… not just the application of a few nick names or a special name for a mood or event. She actually creates a totally believable stream of language for Sam, who plays with words constantly, twists and distorts words, brings in without explanation scientific names, patches of Malay, literary references and phantasms of his own imagining. The effect of reading his monologues is like being immersed in a modern stream-of-consciousness text, or perhaps slabs of Finnegan’s Wake.

Stead does not speculate on the impact this strange life of inconsistent messages, cloying love and adult fury will have on the children. Ultimately she is telling the story of the eldest, Louise, who is very bright, constantly reading, and constantly called on by her parents to be a “little mother”. Her response is to shoulder responsibility beyond her age: defending the other children and challenging her parents. It is her story that ultimately reaches a tragic climax that brings the book to a close, without any hint of what will happen next.

There is just one clue… but it is not in the book, it is in the writer. There is a reasonable ground to believe that Stead drew on some aspects of her own childhood, and if that is true, then “Louise” went on to become a political activist and writer… and someone who lived most of her life away from her homeland.

Suitable for older students, the difficulty will be the size of the book and the characters who are appealing at times but enmeshed in tragedy none of them seem able to escape. The language is wonderful and worth close study.

Andrew Lack

Tinkers

Author: Paul Harding

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George is not a hero. He lives in a comfortable house, and it would seem has had fulfilling life. He has a loving family, and is surrounded by the evidence of his passion for clocks.

In this densely written book Harding sets out to challenge our assessment of people like George. He certainly does not set out to prove that George is a hero, but does an extraordinary job in showing how rich and complex an ordinary life can be, how deeply connected to others, and fascinating any human would become if we were able to see through their eyes, and listen in to their thoughts.

This is not a simple book, though unlike Andrew Davidson (The Gargoyle) he has not felt the need to immerse the reader in overwhelming details of pain, savagery, mysticism and sex. All of these dimensions are there in the stories we read about George and his father, but we experience the pain all the more poignantly for being vectored in rather than directly immersed.

It is no book to skim read. Large and complex stories are often told in as little as a paragraph or a page, rich with imagery and haunting evocations of other's lives and struggles. The voice and focus flicks between George (who is in the last hours of his life), his family who surround him, and for a good part of the book, an independently told tale about his father.

George's father was a backwoods tinker... who carried a small general store in a carriage from farm to farm and did odd jobs as well. Tragically, he suffered from epilepsy with potentially terrible consequences in an age when this was treated as a form of insanity.

It is not usual for me to finish a relatively small book, set in normal type, less than 200 pages long, and feel as though I have been running in a mental marathon. I will read this again. Once you finish and realise the scope and breadth of the story, you are ready to read again from the start as a more understanding reader. This is suitable for any age but the complex and redolent writing suggests only older teens with some staying power will really enjoy this book.

Andrew Lack

The Great Expedition

Author: Peter Carnavas

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This book is about a team of brave young explorers, a group of little kids who have been directed by their mum to deliver a parcel to their grandma. Some of the explorers don’t make it and in the end there are only two explorers left who have made it across the wild country.

This may sound serious but when you look inside the book you find the wild country is in fact a local playground. The inspiration for this story has come from the story of Burke and Wills, the two men who led an 1860-61 expedition to become the first Europeans to cross the Australian continent from south to north.

The illustrations are delightful and there is a great play between the words and pictures. A wordless double page illustration shows the land the children have crossed. This is suitable for young folk age four and up.

Helen Sillar

Just a Dog

Author: Michael Gerard Bauer

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Every year books by Australian authors compete for the “best book” award during Australian Children’s Book Week. The 2011 winners were announced on Friday 19th August. “Just a Dog” came in second in the Younger Readers Book of the Year section.

“Just a Dog” is the story of a pup that came to be more than a dog in ten year old Corey’s family. Corey had the choice of the litter when the family went to the kennel for a new puppy. The litter was a “real mixed bag”. They were supposed to be Dalmatians, but Uncle Gavin forgot to shut the kennel door one night.

Corey chooses the mostly white pup. He grows to be a big, gangly Dalmatian-and-something cross. It is Corey who tells of the family’s ups and downs, as well as the joys and love that come to his family because of Mr Mosely. Moe is such a great dog-character! Corey doesn't entirely understand everything that's going on in his family, but he does, at the heart of it, understand Family. Corey’s stories of Mr Mosely give a gentle but insightful picture of this suburban family and of the journey of self discovery that Corey is on.

Note: Keep a box of tissues handy.

Reviewed by Gayle Davidson
Odell Learning Resources Centre

Blowing My Own Trumpet

Author: James Morrison

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It was a relief after reading some torrid and challenging books recently to come across this autobiography that was fascinating, amusing and delightful. For the very few people who do not yet know, James is one of Australia’s leading jazz instrumentalists and has played all round the world in elite company.

This book is as idiosyncratic as James himself. The layout is roughly chronological, but he groups recollections thematically as well (“Girls”, “Europe”, “The Best Jever”). Reading it is much more like sitting listening to a polished raconteur telling his favourite stories than reading a “history of”.

James on stage is a bubbly, infectiously joyful musician. He also looks anything but heroic: relatively short, dressed in a dark suit and with a bald pate shining in the stage lights. His book will surprise some as tells of his lifelong fascination with boats, and the various bizarre and even deadly situations he has dealt with. He has trained for and run triathlons; much more than most of us can claim, and of course, there is the music.

He does not hold back, those who want to know more about this side of his life. He talks about his own musical journey, the strange and wonderful situations he has been in as a musician, and reflects discreetly on what he loves about jazz and performing. As he has played with luminaries of the jazz world such as Ray Brown and Dizzy Gillespie the stories about the music and the individuals are engrossing. For those who want to know more about James the man, there are stories about how he met his wife, tales he tells against himself about their relationship, and even some stories about his children.

There is much in this for the Australian reader to connect with. James was bought up in country towns, and people of roughly his vintage will recognise and relate to the customs, sights and smells of the time that he describes. This is a great read for anyone who has been touched by his music, or would like to find out more about a very special Australian.

Andrew Lack

NO!

Author: David McPhail

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This slim book is a moral lesson in picture book clothing. The story is simple and told almost entirely without words. A little boy writes a letter to the president of his country. As he walks to the letter box to post it, he sees various horrors of war. There are bombers and explosions, a tank, jack booted soldiers, a policeman who sets his dog on an older man.

The boy is physically unscathed, but when he reaches the letterbox, an older boy starts to bully him. Much to the surprise of the bully, the little boy delivers his big line… “NO!”. You can read the book in a minute, but the issues that it raises are far from easily dealt with. While I thought the key question about “what has happened to the rules?” was effectively asked, I was less comfortable with the apparently instant resolution of the cities problems… if only it was that easy!

The book is supported unobtrusively by Amnesty International, who give a brief reflection inside the back cover.
The pictures are quaintly drawn with a partially naïve style, and much play of light and dark. Would you actually give this book to a five year old? I actually think that that might be a bit of a problem. There is a fair amount of implicit violence: the policeman’s dog is shown biting the older man, and the soldiers are kicking in the door of a mother with young children. I wonder if the instant resolution actually is more likely to give false hope.

The book is therefore a bit lost between younger readers for whom it may not be suitable, and older readers who may demand significantly more from any work on the subject of war and violence. I think it would be best used by a teacher in Middle School as a talking point, and indeed the book is dedicated “for teachers everywhere”.

Andrew Lack

Graffiti Moon

Author: Cath Crowley

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It is so pleasing to see this author exploring the lives of three teenagers who are deeply affected by art and poetry. This is made all the more delightful because their passion for art has emerged in a working class suburb.

Lucy has just finished Year 12, and seems to lead a relatively uncomplicated life. Her parents do have some unusual arrangements, and she does worry about them, but they are loving parents who care for her. She has become interested in glass blowing and used that medium to create her HSC major work. She does not have a boyfriend at the moment, partly due to an unfortunate incident where a boy asked her out and when he touched her bottom she lashed out and broke his nose. Lucy also has developed a passion for a local graffiti artist called “Shadow”. Unfortunately, Lucy knows him only by his evocative and soulful works, and has never actually met him. She is sure if she can only catch up with him (and his friend “Poet” ) she will have found her soul mate.

It is hardly a surprise that this plan of action goes drastically wrong, and the author tells the story by swapping between two first person narrators, Lucy, and a boy who agrees to help her find Shadow. On the way we meet their friends (and enemies). Interestingly the events actually take place over a single night.

This is not an overly subtle book. To create a dramatic situation in ordinary suburbia there is a sub-plot involving a minor gangster like figure who I did not find entirely convincing. Don’t imagine, by the way, that the book cruises along on some ethereal level discussing high art. Lucy’s friends are mostly interested in partying, relationships and drinking. There is a smattering of swearing, and quite a lot of discussion about “doing it” though no actual sex scenes.

Recommended for Senior School and above, though do be mindful of the swearing and adult themes.

Andrew Lack

Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre

I Am Number Four

Author: Pittacus Lore

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I approached this teen novel with anticipation... "Now a major Motion Picture" proclaims the cover. Unfortunately I found myself getting rather terse with the author. There is a disconcerting unevenness and other faults.

The opening half of the book sets the scene... young John and his carer are one of only nine pairs of survivors of a planet destroyed by the hateful Mogadorians. Each pair consists of a younger person who will gradually develop special powers, and a mentor. They are hiding on Earth, but the Mogadorians are on the hunt, which means John has to shift towns constantly.

The first half is about John's arrival at a new town, a new school, and a new raft of emotions as he falls passionately in love with the prettiest girl in the school. The second part of the book reads like the script for the main action scene of a movie. It is breathlessly intense with constant cliff-edge moments.

The book overall has some interesting concepts, but before I got to the end I found I was struggling with annoyance at the writer, who seems to have watched too many TV shows to find out how to "do action". The classic trope is there: John is about to be blown away by a Mogadarian with a gun... hears a shot, looks up to see that his friend has arrived and shot the assailant.

The author can't seem to decide whether he is writing sci-fi or fantasy. There is some semi science explanations, but at other times the ideas especially of the Mogidarian powers (to do with "pulling the life force out of nearby trees") seems much more to do with magic.

There is swearing but it stays in the "minor" category. The book does espouse commendable themes of loyalty and friendship, but also has a good deal of detailed violence. The book is set up for lots of sequels. Disconcertingly key information emerges only when the plot requires it, rather than having been set up through the first half of the story. Suitable for Year Nine and above.

Andrew Lack

My Uncle's Donkey

Author: Tobhy Riddle

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I was quite surprised when I finally closed this book. I had thought this book was just for children because of the adorable illustrations. When children read this book, they will think the donkey is cute and funny, but I suspect they won't care about the existence of the uncle.
I read the title and thought that this book would be a delightful story about the uncle and the donkey. The donkey was acting like a human: watching TV, playing piano and eating food with a fork. However when I saw the uncle's face I was surprised because his face is so emotionless. The donkey doesn't look sad at all. It looks like it is used to having fun.

It is interesting that the narrator is a little kid. The book starts with the sentence "My uncle's donkey is allowed in the house!". The kid starts to enumerate how donkey acts, and the story ends with the question "I wonder if my uncle's donkey would be allowed in our house?". It seems that the kid envies the uncle very much for having a donkey in his house, and would like the donkey to be in his/her home, too. That is because the kid thinks that it will be great to be with the donkey which is very friendly and funny. But the uncle, it seems, never thinks like that. He looks bored.

We realise that we can't find the uncle in every pages of the book. We only can find him in the pages about eating, working and watching TV. His life is tedious compared to the donkey's life which includes cartwheels, hanging out with friends and staying up late reading a favorite book.. I think Riddle tried to describe a life of a contemporary man who is so busy so he can't enjoy his life at all and so starts to become emotionally flat.

This book is an adorable picture book however I don't think that it is only for children. The narrator is just talking about what the donkey does, but we can find the true meaning of this story through the illustrations. I love this kind of book. An author doesn't need to write a 500 page book to express his thoughts. Through pictures an author can make people understand his opinion just as effectively.

Noelle Lee (Year 10)

Words Fail Me: A Journey Through Australia's Lost Language

Author: Hugh Lunn

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This is a solid book, at over 400 pages, but is designed to be fun to read rather than a dense academic work. After his earlier book “Lost for Words” about phrases from his own childhood, the author was inundated with letters from people wanting to share their own memories. He has managed to categorise all this material into chapters like “Wisecracks”, “Name-Calling” and “Parenting” then into sub sections within each chapter. There are photos in each chapter, with added speech balloons, and the text includes both lists of words and phrases and excerpts from letters with personal stories.


I’m not sure I would ever read this cover to cover, but it is a great “dipping” book. Some of the material is poignant but most is entertaining. Australians have a wonderful turn of phrase! I always like the creative nicknames, such as the carpenter called Lightning, ‘cause his hammer never struck in the same place twice… or the thieving workmate called Hydraulic… always lifting things.


I have seen books of Australian slang and phraseology that are rife with the most horrendous foul language and vulgar and demeaning epithets. Lunn has taken a gentler approach, and the worst of the language has been left out. There are still sections on “the dunny” and things inside it, as well as milder swear words, so this is probably not for the younger readers.


I must say one of the reasons the book appealed to me was the discovery of a lot of language from my own childhood home… such as saying after dinner one was “full up to Dolly’s wax”. I’m also collecting great Dad jokes such as “What is the hardest thing in the world to do… Shell Petrol or Milk Arrowroot Biscuits?”


This is an engaging collection of language and stories that will bring back memories for many of us. Just remember before reading it out loud at the table there is a good smattering of mild swearing and references to a range of body parts and functions.
Andrew Lack

Me…Jane

Author: Patrick McDonnell

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This is a great information book about Dr Jane Goodall, who has recently visited Australia. She is a primatologist, environmentalist, humanitarian and United Nations Messenger of Peace.


Little Jane Goodall and Jubilee (her toy chimpanzee) ramble outside their English country home observing everyday animal miracles and dreaming of a life in Africa, "living with, / and helping, / all animals”. There are simple ink-and-watercolour illustrations . Included is a brief biography, additional photographs and a letter and drawing from Jane herself.


Many publishers are producing information books that are in the picture book style so they can reach children who are visual learners. Expect to see more like this. This is suitable for students from Year Four up.


Helen Sillar

Six Impossible Things

Author: Fiona Wood
Fourteen year old Dan feels like his whole world has ended. His Dad has lost all their money on a failed business… then abandoned Dan and his Mum, and announced he is gay. Their house has been repossessed, and they have been forced to go and live in an old smelly house provided by a relative. True, the girl next door catches Dan’s eye, and goes to his school, but seems aloof. Every effort he makes to attract her attention ends up a disaster.


Finally he makes a list of six impossible things he wants to achieve, such as getting a job and cheering up his Mum. The story is about what happens when he tries to achieve each of these goals. It is always a great sign when you are engaged as a reader within the first two pages. I was a little disappointed that the author decided on a series of happy endings. A book like Life on a Refrigerator Door touches similar themes of parent and child conflict and family tragedy, is largely positive, yet ends with the teen protagonist realising there are things she simply cannot fix. Despite that reservation, I thoroughly enjoyed Six Impossible Things. It is written with a wry sense of humour.


This is a book that could quite comfortably be given to students down to Year Five, though some of the issues canvased and the general reading level probably points to Year Seven and up. This is not a didactic book, and is not written “to help kids deal with divorce”… that is simply the setting for the opening scenes of disaster facing Dan. It is told in the first person in a diary format. It does espouse the value of tolerance and respect for individual choices.

Andrew Lack

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Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There

Author: Ruth Starke

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Thumbs up for a book that made me giggle while sending shivers of recognition up my spine. Nearby students appeared quite concerned when I evidenced that particular combination of symptoms. Ruth Starke’s “first novel for older readers” is a tongue in cheek harrowing tale of the trials faced by Hailee Moxie when she decides to look for work after leaving school. Hailee imagines this will be easy and casual work a breeze, but it turns out she has much to learn. She journeys into the arcane worlds of fashion sales, checkout chick and untrained “social column” editor for a local newspaper.


Hailee is an engaging character… I was willing her to success and was pleased that after the final page the author added a “what happens next” summary for each of the characters. Hailee tells her own story in diary form. This made me reflect on that most poignant of tales The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Age 13 ¾ . Part of the fun of reading a story like this is the dramatic irony. We know Haillee is going to make herself sick on the first day selling chocolates (staff can eat all they want) and we enjoy the sense of “I told you so” when it happens. For me, however, the life of Adrian Mole was very remote (suburban England in the 70s) while the world Hailee lives in is both very Australian and very up-to-date. She is no nerd, but has to keep helping her Dad with his battles with technology (“what’s an ISP thingy?”). The journalism intern who steals her job at the paper but is later fired promptly “defriends” everyone in the office on her Facebook page.


This is a book for teens and above. Bad language is relatively mild (a few bad words are included but “beeped” out with asterisks). There are a few references to other people’s sexual dalliances and drink or drug consumption, but she is a surprisingly innocent young lady and so the tone stays light and humorous. Ideal for Year Ten and up.


Andrew Lack

The Shadow of the Sun : My African Life

Author: Ryszard Kapuscinski

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Those who plan to travel usually research destinations on line, in guide books or through travel agencies. Then, when they reach their destination, they are surprised by the attitude and life-style of its people. Reading this book will give those planning travel in any African country an understanding of why Africa and its people are the way they are.


Ryszard Kapuscinski is a Polish journalist. This book is a collection of his reports from Ghana (1950) and, more recently, Tanzania. Kapuscinski has covered a revolution in Zanzibar, a coup in Nigeria, civil war in Liberia, and genocide in Rwanda, wars in the Sudan and Ethiopia, child soldiers and refugees. He gives insights about the causes and effects of these brutal and tragic events. He investigates the reasons why colonising Europeans ignored the fact that Africa is a collection of thousands of mini kingdoms. He sheds light on the power struggles and politics, deprivations and survivals, and the constant inflow of foreign aid that never can satisfy the millions of refugees whose survival depends on it.


There are no visuals in this book, just word pictures, with beautiful descriptions, even if the subjects are not so lovely. There is no simple solution to Africa’s troubles. It is a country where the majority of people just want food in their bellies, land to farm, and complete annihilation of their enemies.


Reviewed by Gayle Davidson
Odell Learning Resources Centre

That’s not a daffodil!

Author Elizabeth Honey

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This is a lovely picture book with bright illustrations.

It is about a boy named Tom who receives a daffodil bulb from his elderly neighbour Mr Yilmaz to plant. They plant the bulb together and Mr Yilmaz comes in regularly asking “How’s the daffodil?”and Tom replies each time with “That’s not a daffodil!.” During the process Tom imagines the daffodil and its pot in all sorts of ways. Initially he thinks the bulb is like an onion, and then after the bulb was planted he thought of a desert. When the bulb sprouts he then goes on to describe it as a “green beak” which he proceeds to measure as it grows. It becomes like “Grandpa’s hairs in the wind” and “wet rocket” before it finally becomes a “Trumpet of gold”. The daffodil does have a tumble during the story due to an encounter by Mr Yilmaz’ grandchildren’s dog but Mr Yilmaz shows Tom how to fix it up so it can keep growing.

This is a funny and playful book which has a lovely story about the relationship between an elderly man and a young boy. The friendship between the two and the great imagination of a young child is priceless. As a parent I would enjoy sharing this good-humoured book with children over and over again.

By Kellie Geoghegan

The Paradise Garden

Author: Colin Thompson

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The Paradise Garden is a richly illustrated book ostensibly for younger readers… if you are going to measure by the limited amount of text and simple storyline. However the only character Peter is not a little boy: he looks more like Year Seven than Year Three. Moreover his story is actually about running away from home, and this is presented as a good, even vital thing for him to have done.


I would be much more comfortable giving this book to an older student (Year Seven and up) who either had a strong visual bent, or who needed a story with not too many words. Another great way the book could be used would be to support someone who was having an unhappy time: a book like this provides great cues for talking about unhappiness, and suggests by metaphor ways to cope.


The story follows Peter whose home and neighbourhood are noisy and upsetting due to arguments, and whose heart is lonely because his parents have split up. He tells his Mum he is going on holiday with his Dad, but actually goes and camps out in botanical garden in the middle of the city. Here he finds a time of respite and healing. He eventually goes back home determined to take some of the garden with him so that he can find peace at home.


The outstanding feature of the book is the intricate and intriguing illustrations. Each page is filled with detail, factual and fantastic. As Peter is walking home through the bare winter trees, a family of hedgehogs is trailing him through the grass, but at the same time on a branch that frames the page, a tiny wooden house has been built with smoke pouring out of the chimney, and a toy biplane about the size of a grain of rice is revealed trapped in one of the trees.


This book will satisfy someone who loves to pore over pages delving into tiny detail in illustrations… and at the same time is a poignant reminder of the pain some children carry inside themselves.


Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre

Revisiting the Narnian Books

Author: C S Lewis

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I have had some interesting discussions about C. S. Lewis’s Narnian books recently. One was with a Middle School girl this morning. She was borrowing “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” to read because her family was about to watch the video of the recently released film.


The seven Narnian stories were very important to me as a young reader. We were living in Kuala Lumpur at the time, and I discovered the series at a house my parents were visiting. The gentleman there kindly allowed me to borrow one book, and then for the next seven weeks I would finish the book by Monday evening and wait with anxiety for Sunday to come around, as he bought a new book each week to church to lend to me.


What is the correct order to read them? The series scans the whole existence of Narnia… “The Magician’s Nephew” deals with its creation, then comes “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. “The Horse and His Boy” occurs during the second book. “Prince Caspian” comes next, and then “Voyage”. “The Silver Chair” follows, and then “The Last Battle” includes the final end to Narnia.

I confess I no longer really enjoy reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. The language is dated in parts, and in some ways Lewis seems to grown more confident in his style in the books he wrote after this. I think “The Last Battle” contains the most radical and challenging ideas. There is some provocative thinking about faithfulness, humanism and heaven. My all time favourite however is “The Silver Chair”. It is (to me) the most “stand alone” of the stories, and has a wonderful dramatic arc. Some like it less because it does not feature the original four children. I just love Puddleglum the Marshwiggle! (You will have to read it to find out about Marshwiggles). His dialogue with the underground witch queen about knowing what is true and right by faith is very powerful.

As a set, definitely worth a revisit!

The Art of the Japanese Garden

Authors: David and Michiko Young

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I confess to a passionate interest in Japanese art, culture and aesthetics, so this book was too wonderful to pass over. I’m not sure how many students will borrow it, but it will be on display and like many of our books of colourful and fascinating photographs will get lots of passing interest.

Japanese gardens do not exist to merely look quaint. They are intended as expressions of various aspects of both Buddhist and Shinto philosophy, and are designed to act upon the viewer’s mind or spirit as much as to please the eye. Any book about Japanese gardens that deals only with lists of plants or landscape techniques would really fail to grapple with the function of these exquisite art forms. The authors, fortunately, give a good historical and philosophical introduction, many fascinating details of techniques, and then extensive illustrations and descriptions of famous gardens of many sorts.

I was especially pleased to see that as well as quarter page photographs illustrating points in the text, they have included a number of full double page spreads, and also used nicely detailed drawings to clarify details of special techniques and garden layouts. Each chapter is richly supported with illustrations. There is a lot of text, despite all the illustrations. The book runs to over 170 pages... my main quibble would be that a rather small font size has been used for body text and illustration captions.

It is far beyond the capacity of most of us to re-create the larger temple or palace gardens... I was fascinated by one photograph showing at least six workers busy shaping and manicuring four incredible old trees. The book isn’t really designed to show one “how to do it”. It would be a wonderful resource for someone planning to travel to Japan, and is certainly a beautiful presentation in reasonable depth for those with an interest in the gardens Japan has created for the world to wonder at.

I could not resist adding my own photograph of one of the mysterious sand mounds discussed in the book.

Andrew Lack

Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre

Chapter House Dune

Author: Frank Herbert

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This is the final book of the outstanding Dune series. There are other books authored by Herbert’s son after his death, but I have not been able to warm to these after the epic creation and fascinating writing of the originals.


The series has enormous scope in space and time. One of the problems when an author chooses to tell a story covering millennia is how to engage the reader with not one major character but a series of characters. Some of the “middle” books of the series start to loose momentum, though Herbert’s imagination never run dry. This book recaptured me and it seemed fitting that it ends with a whole series of unanswered questions. Herbert probably intended one more book but passed away in 1986.


For those unaware of Herbert’s writing, I’ll note that he creates a future universe complete with antagonistic philosophies (e.g. the Bene Gesserit, a secretive order who manipulate human breeding lines, and the reviled Tleilaxu who have mastered the manipulation of genetic material). There are quotes from philosophical and religious writings (created by the author) and dazzlingly complex machinations between power blocks and individuals.


In the first books Duke Leto has been manoeuvred into taking control of an arid world... a world that slowly reveals incredible secrets. In some ways the novels are ecological science fiction, but the themes Herbert touches on are very wide ranging, including ethics, eugenics, politics, warfare, leadership, honour and parenting. In this final, densebook, the terrifying “Honoured Matres” seem intent on enslaving the universe. A small group of Bene Gesserit seek to outwit them and preserve hope for the future of humans.

This is not for younger readers: it is full of political and personal reflection by different characters, and the Honoured Matres enslave males by using sophisticated but soulless sexual practices. These are not dwelt on salaciously but certainly earn the book an “Adult Themes” tag from me. “Dune” is the best book to read for those new to the series, but this is a book to look forward to.

Andrew Lack

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Author: Richard C Morais

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This story is for those who enjoy cooking and are interested in other cultures. The reader is invited to share in the family life of Hassan Haji. Born above his grandfather’s modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan Haji first experiences life through tastes and smells like spicy fish curry, the local markets, and outings with his mother involving gourmet food.


Tragedy means the family has to leave India. They emigreate to France and set up home in Lumiere, a small village in the French Alps. The Hassan’s father establishes an Indian restaurant, “Maison Mumbai” just near Mademoiselle Mallory’s French restaurant. The two restaurants battle each other for customers and prestige. Life becomes complicated when young Hassan discovers French cuisine for himself, and decides to become a French chef!


The Hundred-Foot Journey is about the gulf between different cultures and the difficulties in store for someone who wants to move beyond cultural and family expectations.


Helen Sillar

The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

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I have been struggling for a while to explain to others what genre Gaiman writes in. I very much like Neverwhere and Anansi Boys, and have been looking forward to this book, written more for teenagers. The best way I can explain what he does is to say that Gaiman writes modern “ghost stories”. Not horror stories, not “occult fantasy” but stories about people who encounter ghosts. This is certainly true for Coraline (reviewed last year).
 
In The Graveyard Book, a family is murdered by a mysterious figure, and only a toddler escapes. The toddler makes his way to a nearby cemetery inhabited by the homely and idiosyncratic ghosts of each person buried there. The child is adopted by a ghostly couple, and is protected by them from the murderer who is still seeking to destroy the boy.

So the child grows up and does his schoolwork with various odd and intriguing characters from various periods of English history. Bod (short for “Nobody” the name he has been given) gets into all sorts of scrapes, and challenges the ability of his slightly transparent adopted parents to keep him safe. As he enters his teen years he inevitably tries to go into the local village, with curious consequences.

This is written with Gaiman’s normal confidence and flair. I found it slightly uneven, as sometimes he seems to be writing down (given its younger teen intended audience). At other times the characters and events are delightful and the challenges Bod faces are engrossing.

I can’t see this is my favourite Neil Gaiman book, but I was glad to have read it. It is not a book whose main purpose is to be scarey, though Bod faces some scarey situations and foes. It certainly does contain a werewolf and a reformed vampire, as well as the viscious murderer we originally meet and his dark organisation. Miss this one if you find any reference to these things unpleasant, otherwise it is a good yarn from a very competent writer aimed at younger teens.

Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre