Fiction 9 years and up (Fantasy/ Series)

Australian Writers

Garth Nix and Sean Williams

Missing, Presumed Evil

Trouble Twisters Series Number 4

Allen & Unwin, 2014   $24.00pb  342pp

ISBN 978 1 7423 7401 7

Themes: Family/ Fantasy/ Friendship/ Good v evil/ Series/ Twins

The magical twins, Jack and Jaide have faced The Evil before but even they, with all their experience (in the first three books) of true scariness could not have imagined what is to come! I am always surprised to find that writers, exploring such well worn pathways as good versus evil and the end of the world are able to infuse freshness and new twists to the old story and make us read it as though for the first time – especially when tempered with the well-known, sometimes OTT humour of this duo.  Readers don’t have to have read the first books in this series but it will make it a more rounded experience if they have. The Trouble Twister series have been given (in my opinion) particularly enticing jackets, which may act as a lure to more reluctant readers although the first two chapters require quite a bit of concentration – it seems to become much easier reading after that.

Year 5 up/ Age 9 up

My apologies this has been sitting on my desk for a couple of months...

Fiction (readers 12 and up)

USA Writer

James Patterson (with Emily Raymond)

The Lost

Witch & Wizard series

Young Arrow 2015 (2014)   $29.99pb 347pp

ISBN 978 0 0995 6775 2

Themes: Good v. evil/ Magic/ Power/ Series

Whit and Wisty Allgood, the brother and sister team, have fought against and now seemingly defeated the evil dictator The One Who is the One and all that he stands for. But. This is no time for complacency for a catastrophic evil is pending and if it takes control not even the Allgoods will be able to prevent it taking over. This is the fifth and final title in the series and hopefully the many fans of the series will feel satisfaction at the ending – and be happy to now have the book in paperback format.     

Year 8 up/ Age 12 up

Fiction 9 up

NZ Writer & Illustrator

Johanna Knox, illustrated by Sabrina Malcolm

The Sundew Stalks

Book Two in The Fly Papers series

Hinterlands   2013       $23.00pb         173pp

ISBN  978 0 4732 2663 3

Themes:  Carnivorous plants/ Genetic engineering/ Protection of the environment / Wrestling

 

Zany characters, including a set of carnivorous plants with personalities of their own, an outrageously over the top but still totally believable plot and a wicked sense of humour are the components of this book. Tora de Ronde, plus characters from the first book, leads a full on life of excitement and adventure as she battles scheming wrestlers, tries to rescue the plants and to help a scientist in great danger.  An easy to read, accessible writing style make Johanna Knox’s Fly Paper series one that children from around nine to intermediate level will really latch into. The illustrations by Sabrina Malcolm match the text perfectly and the whole production has a feeling of careful planning and quality. The next book in the series, The Aldrovanda Turns is promised ‘soon’.  As far as I know there are six more books to come… 

Year 5 up/ Age 9 up

Fiction - Age 6 up

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Australian Writer &  Illustrator

Susan Halliday, illustrated by Tom Jellett

Marcy: Lost Dogs

Ford Street Australia 2013           $12.99pb           56 pages

ISBN 978 1 9216 6574 5

Marcy Series Number 2/ Book 14

Themes: Easy-to-read/ Grandmothers/ Self confidence/ Series

Armed with a clipboard of essential tips for new dog owners, Marcy and her friend Bella walk the neighbourhood trying to match suitable homes with lost dogs from the local ‘pound’.  Easily read, funny and with a strong message of good pet ownership, this is just one new title in a very full series that I have only just come across.  For teachers wanting to get younger children ‘hooked’ into an attractive series I think these books would be well worth considering. There is a companion series Toocool with a male main ‘lead’ although Marcy and Bella also appear in them.    

Year 2- 3/ Ages 6-7

Fiction - Age 9 up

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NZ Writer and Photographers

Kath Beattie

Cyclone Bola – Gisborne 1988

Scholastic 2013       $18.50pb         171 pages

Series: My New Zealand Story

ISBN 978 1 7754 3100 8

Themes: Disasters, New Zealand/ Vineyards

       It is 1988 and Amy’s parents have just told her they are about to go to Vanuatu and sail a friend’s yacht back to New Zealand. This means Amy, much against her will, is to be sent off to her Uncle’s farm and vineyard in Gisborne. Amy tells the story, which does take a while to really find its feet, in the form of a diary and some readers who are looking for the adventure side of it all (and there is plenty later) may find the inclusion of so many Facts about life in the area, pre-cyclone a bit off-putting. However, once the cyclone hits, the reader is whirled into the devastating events of those weeks and is left with an unforgettable picture of what it must have been like to be living through it. Added to the tensions is the fact that no one has heard from Amy’s parents since they set sail from the port up in the Pacific. 
Black and white photos are included at the back of the book plus you will find excellent teachers' notes on the Scholastic NZ webpage www.scholastic.co.nz 

Year 5 up/ Age 9 up

March this year was the 25^th anniversary of Cyclone Bola, an event that proved to be one of the costliest cyclones in the history of this country. 

Non-Fiction

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NZ Writer and Photographer

Jill MacGregor

Tareima’s String

Puriri Paddocks (33 Puriri Road Waikanae) 2013        $29.99pb   28 pages

ISBN 978 0 4732 1918 5

Themes:  Kiribati, Pacific Ocean/  Pacific Islands -Life and culture

Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) is a large area of low-lying islands in the Pacific Ocean north west of New Guinea. On the Tarawa Atoll in the village of Abatao 

lives Tareima who, from the photos, looks around 7 or 8 years old.  She has been given a certificate showing her good work at school and needs some string to hang it on the classroom wall so she goes to Kabuatekai, the string maker. In what is almost a photo essay we see the whole process of string making from the gathering of the green coconuts, the removal of the husks and the soaking in the salty waters of the lagoon. Tareima then begins the long and painstaking job of rubbing the fibres into strands. This is one of those great books where the photos don’t just accompany the text, they tell the story as well. One of an on-going collection of titles in the Children of the Pacific series produced by an author who believes in documenting the life and culture of the Pacific Islands in a time of great change. (Soon Tareima will just go into the supermarket and buy a ball of string or even just stick it up with cellotape.) 

Other titles in the series to date are:

Wrapping it up – Samoa

Kelea’s clothes – Tonga

A nest of pigs – Cook Islands

They are all available from the author at the address given above.

I am sure teachers (and individuals too) will fall gratefully upon these books as a much needed part of the Pacific Islands collection.

Year 2 up/ Age 6 up