Young Adult Fiction

Australian Writer

Suzy Zail

Alexander Altmann A10567

Black Dog Books 2014  $21.99pb 282pp

ISBN 978 1 9221 7999 9

Themes: Auschwitz/ Horses/ Survival/ World War 1939-1945

When fourteen-year-old Alexander’s father said to him ‘never let them see you are scared’ he was talking about horses on their farm out in the country. But now Alexander is imprisoned in Auschwitz, he has a number tattooed on his arm and being scared has taken on a much more sinister meaning.  Based on the true experiences of a man the writer met while visiting the Holocaust Centre in Melbourne, and not just about the horrors of the concentration camps – it is a story about horses and their training.

There are many things in the book that are upsetting to read but ultimately it is a story of hope.

Year 9 up/ Age 13 up

Also by Suzy Zail, also about Auschwitz but also about music (and falling in love)

Picture Books (Preschool)

NZ Writer and Illustrator

Joy Cowley, illustrated by Richard Holt

Buzzy Bee’s Birthday Party (and three other stories)

ISBN 978 1 9272 6206 1

Buzzy Bee Baby-Sitter (and three other stories)

ISBN 978 1 9272 6209 2

Upstart Press 2014  $29.94pb each 64pp

Themes: Colours/ Left and right/ Fractions/ Maths concepts/ Sizes/ Shapes

Maybe you had Buzzy Bee, the brightly coloured pull-along toy that has become a New Zealand icon, as a child? Maybe your children or grandchildren play with them? Joy Cowley does it again! I would never have thought of equating Joy with Buzzy Bee (and Dorable Duck and Mary Lou and the rest of the gang) but here they are in all their jellybean colour glory showing us maths concepts, distinguishing between left and right, looking at sizes and shapes.

Richard Holt has illustrated the toys absolutely faithfully and the results really do leap off the page. All this is in eight simple stories (in the two books) that small children will relate to completely. Do Google Buzzy Bee for a history of the toys and a list of famous people who have visited New Zealand and gone home with one in their luggage as a present. Was Prince George presented with one while he was here? Surely!

Preschool up / Age 3 up

Enquiries to Kevin Chapman (09) 280 3202, or (021) 338 553.
 Email kevin@upstartpress.co.nz

 

Joy in her Featherston Garden 2012

Image Terry Coles (copyright)

Young Adult Fiction

NZ Writer

Catherine Mayo

The Bow

Walker Books 2014  $17.95pb 362pp

ISBN 978 1 9250 8101 5

Themes: Bronze Age Greece/ Love stories/ Odysseus/ Sequels

In this sequel to Murder at Mykenai Catherine Mayo has continued to bring the world of Ancient Greece vibrantly to life. Odysseus is the central character and he has problems to face  - to shoot a bow with only one arrow available, to find Arkeisios’s, his grandfather’s, gold which is hidden away and then there is a love story which he must resolve. As in the earlier book, the language and writing is crisp and fresh and entirely accessible but at no time do we forget where we are in time and space. Catherine Mayo is a practical writer and is not afraid to tackle some of the problems that must have occurred for people living at the time.

Recommended.

Year 9 up/ Age 13 up

From Cath Mayo's Facebook Page

 

Picture Books

NZ Writer and Illustrator

Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Jenny Cooper

The Moose and the Goose

Scholastic New Zealand 2014  $19.50pb 32pp

ISBN 978 1 7754 3150 3

Themes: Bears/ Funny stories/ Geese/ Moose/ Stories in rhyme/ Train rides

Bear and Moose and Miss Lucy-Ruth Goose go on a train trip together – a very special train that boasts a caboose. And, I have to confess I was a bit shaky about what a caboose actually was – it turns out to be a shelter for the crew coupled on at the end of a freight train and was in use up until the 1980s.

Amazing rhyme (some needs a bit of practise because of its tongue twister nature) and a great team collaboration from the writer and the illustrator. Maybe nothing much happens as far as plot goes (except to say there IS a marriage) but everyone – the characters, the listeners and the reader aloud have a lot of fun and the frantic pace never stops.

Preschool up/ Age 4 up

New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2014

Advice to Young Writers from Yvonne Morrison

Shortlisted in the Picture Book Section of the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for
The Three Bears (Sort Of) Illustrated by Donovan Bixley

Photo: Thanks to Yvonne Morrison

Just two things: read and practise.

The more you read good writing, the more you will get a feeling for what works and what doesn’t. You might want to keep a notebook, and if you come across a really striking sentence or clever simile, jot it down.

Then – practise. You don’t have to write complete stories when you practise your writing. Paragraphs, or even sentences are fine. What you want to do is re-craft your work to make it as interesting as possible. Character or scene descriptions are a good starting point. Observe people around you. How would you describe them in a few sentences?

Many writers like the phrase “Show, don’t tell,” and so do I! How much better it is to write: “The man’s skin was wrinkled like discarded tissue paper, and as he shuffled forward I imaged I could hear his tired joints creak…” rather than “The man was old…”

Okay – now it’s your turn. How would you describe: a crying newborn baby, a rough looking criminal, a busy young mum?

From: Too Good to Miss Volume 2 May 2011

Storylines 2014

The Australians Are Coming! – 

So is Storylines 2014

Storylines Committees up and down the country are already well ahead with their planning for this year’s Family Days for 2014.

The actual dates for The Day are:

Dunedin Family Day, Saturday 23 August.
Christchurch Family Day, Sunday 24 August.
Wellington Family Day, Sunday 24 August.
Northland Family Day, Whangarei, Saturday 30 August.
South Auckland Family Day, Saturday 30 August.
Auckland Family Day, Sunday 31 August.

And as usual there is the excitement of overseas writers and  illustrators who visit as part of the festival.

This year we welcome two amazingly prolific writers from Australia:

Jackie French and Gary Crew

Photo: Australian Writers’ Centre

Photo: From Dr. Gary Crew’s collection

Jackie will be at the Family Day for Storylines in Auckland then heading to Christchurch for the Writers’ Festival. She will have come from the Melbourne Writers’ Festival then, after Christchurch, heads to Brisbane for yet another festival. Gary (who will be equally busy, I just don’t have the details,) will be attending the Wellington Family Day.

Jackie was here a couple of years ago for the Wellington Storylines and I remember well, to my great embarrassment, that I managed to lose her at Wellington Airport where I had gone to meet her. In spite of making contact on our mobiles she eluded me as we went up and down on escalators and planned meeting places in the cafes, and finally took a taxi to her hotel.  

Picture Books - Matariki

NZ Writers and Illustrator

Rebecca Beyer and Linley Wellington, illustrated by Christine Ross

Daniel’s Matariki Feast

Duck Creek Press 2014   $19.99pb 32pp

ISBN 978 1 8773 7891 1

Themes: Elements of Matariki/ First days at school/ Maori New Year

Daniel is off for his first day at school and is full of anxieties and worries about meeting new children and leaving his mum behind.  But who could be shy for long when there is so much to do to prepare for the Matariki Feast? All the elements of Matariki are cleverly woven into Daniel’s story – the appearance of the stars/ the honouring and remembering of ancestors/ the harvesting and planning for replanting and the sharing at the feast. Christine Ross has brought her magic to the illustrations making it a special book to share with a group and for stimulating discussion and many activities.   

Year 2 up/ Age 6

 

This year Matariki will start on 28th June.

Source:  Manatu Taonga  - Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Another great book for this time is:

Matariki by Sharon Holt, illustrated by Deborah Hinde and reviewed on this blog on May 1^st 2014. 

(Do you remember a time when there was absolutely nothing, no books, no pictures to share the excitement of Maori New Year with children? Google the words for more material)