Nanberry: Black Brother White

Title: Nanberry: Black Brother White
Author: Jackie French
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Children
Format: Book - library

From Goodreads: It's 1789, and as the new colony in Sydney Cove is established, Surgeon John White defies convention and adopts Nanberry, an Aboriginal boy, to raise as his son. Nanberry is clever and uses his unique gifts as an interpreter to bridge the two worlds he lives in. With his white brother, Andrew, he witnesses the struggles of the colonists to keep their precarious grip on a hostile wilderness. And yet he is haunted by the memories of the Cadigal warriors who will one day come to claim him as one of their own. This true story follows the brothers as they make their way in the world - one as a sailor, serving in the Royal Navy, the other a hero of the Battle of Waterloo. No less incredible is the enduring love between the gentleman surgeon and the convict girl, saved from the death penalty, to become a great lady in her own right.
 
What I thought: This is the sixth and last book from the The Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Reader's Short list and I loved it. Jackie French is such a wonderful, talented author and in Nanberry she brings the early years of colonial life in Australia to life.
Jackie French has done a lot of research for this book. It is based on true events with, of course, French filling in the gaps in research and knowledge. It highlights the difficulties and issues suffered with the coming of Europeans to Australi, without demeaning either the indigenous or European communities. It raises some excellent talking points, but does cover some issues (such as a gentleman having a convict mistress, the 'Rampaging Lusts' of men and the high levels of drunkenness and abuse in the early colony, that I would be concerned about sharing with a younger audience.
Once again, like The Outcasts and Crow Country, it sits on the Teenage shelves at the library I work at. However, unlike those two books, I'm not sure this can cross the boundary of the two categories. The CBC FAQ page states "the YR category covers middle primary to junior secondary" This, I must admit, leaves me feeling confused. I would not class Bungawitta as middle primary - more lower. While Nanberry does fit into this category (just) at the junior secondary end, I'm finding it difficult to compare to something like Bungawitta and wonder how the judges for the CBC manage it. In fact, it makes me wonder with the growth in the number and quality of children's literature whether it's worth the CBC revisiting, renaming and recategorising their awards - but that is probably a whole other post!

Challenges: Library Challenge

Bungawitta

Title: Bungawitta
Author: Emily Rodda
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Children
Format: Book - library

From Goodreads: It's crunch time in Bungawitta. The land's as dry as a dead galah, there's no rain in sight, and only twelve people left in town. Little Glory-Alice blames it all on the TV weatherman. Jay knows better. Nobody can make it rain. But a shower of money would help keep Bungawitta alive. And a festival would attract city tourists with money to spend, Jay's sure of it. But can twelve people, two dogs and a Shetland pony put on a proper festival? Only time, and the ABC, will tell.
 
What I thought: This is the fifth book from the The Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Reader's Short list, and Emily Rodda's second on the short list - the first being The Golden Door.
Having two Rodda books on the list only serves to highlight her versatility as a writer. Bungawitta is aimed at the younger end of the market, with fantastic illustrations from Craig Smith. Once again Rodda's characters are wonderful and this a lovely read of how a town sets out to save itself from the crippling drought.

Challenges: Library Challenge

The Golden Door

Title: The Golden Door
Author: Emily Rodda
Series: The Three Doors Trilogy
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Children
Format: Book - library

From Goodreads: The walled city of Weld is under attack from ferocious flying creatures that raid in the night, bringing death and destruction. The Warden calls for Volunteers to find and destroy the Enemy who is sending the invaders. The heroes of Weld answer the call one by one, never to return. Rye is officially too young to go, but his brothers are among the lost, and he must find them.

What I thought: This is the third book from the The Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Reader's Short list.
Emily Rodda has long been a favourite Australian children's author. Her Rowan of Rin and Deltora Quest series' are fantastic - a great introduction to fantasy fiction. Once again she has produced an excellent book which promises another wonderful series. It's full of the adventure and action needed to keep children interested. At the same time she has created a world of fantastic monsters, strange people and perplexing characters. Her hero, Rye, is reminiscent of Rowan from the Rin series. A quiet boy - nothing special - who finds himself in the middle of a quest to save his people, and in doing so, finds hidden strengths and talents. My personal feeling is you can't go wrong with a Rodda book. I'm already looking forward to going through the Silver Door.  It will however have to wait until after my library challenge!

Challenges: Library Challenge

The Truth About Verity Sparks

Title: The Truth About Verity Sparks
Author: Susan Green
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Children
Format: Book - library

From Goodreads: Verity Sparks is a thirteen-year-old orphan working as a milliner in Victorian London. But Verity is no ordinary girl – she has an almost perfect memory and possesses the talent of Teleagtivism. She can easily find things that are lost! When Verity is wrongly accused of theft and dismissed from her job, she goes to live with the Plushes – a slightly Bohemian family who run a Confidential Inquiry Agency. Verity helps them solve cases and slowly becomes one of the family. But patches of the truth about her past begin to surface, along with the special talent that Professor Plush is helping her explore. Who were her real parents? Is she the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter? Who is sending poison pen letters about Verity to the Plushes? Who doesn’t want them to learn the truth about Verity Sparks? An adventure/mystery with a dash of the supernatural thrown in; The Truth About Verity Sparks is packed with chases through the dark alleys of London, séances in high-class dining rooms, pet pythons named Anthony and Cleopatra, murdered opera singers and much, much more.

What I thought: This is the second book from the The Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Reader's Short list.
I seem to have this ting at the moment where children's/ young adult books I read are reflected or have something in common. It happened with When We Were Two and Cloudstreet and now with The Truth About Verity Sparks and The Potato Factory.
Verity Sparks is set in England at a time when transportation to Australia is not common any more, but the class system is alive and thriving. Verity herself is incredibly lucky to have found herself apprenticed to a hat maker. However, a false accusation sees her out on the street where she comes into contact with the wealthy Plush family and embarks on an adventure to discover her past. The thing I really liked about this book was the adult feel to it. Yes, some of the characters were stereotypical - the down on her luck poor girl, the single minded professor, the evil doctor and the friendly benefactor, but it has enough twists and turns to impress Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! It's theme of supernatural and psychic abilities and the inclusion of a séance may concern some people, but most good books are controversial in some way! I personally would love to see some more Verity Sparks books!

Challenges: Library Challenge

Crow Country

Title: Crow Country
Author: Kate Constable
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Children
Format: Book - library

From Goodreads: Sadie isn't thrilled when her mother drags her from the city to live in the country town of Boort. But soon she starts making connections—with the country, with the past, with two boys, Lachie and Walter, and, most surprisingly, with the ever-present crows. When Sadie is tumbled back in time to view a terrible crime, she is pulled into a strange mystery. Can Sadie, Walter, and Lachie figure out a way to right old wrongs, or will they be condemned to repeat them? A fantasy ground in mythology, this novel has the backing of a full consultative process on the use of indigenous lore.

What I thought: This is the first book from the The Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Reader's Short list.
What is really interesting is it's on the teenage shelves at the library I work at, so I was very interested to see what I though - younger reader or young adult. And the thing is, there are themes for both. It would be a great book to read to younger readers while working on a theme centred around the Aboriginal Dreamtime - why it was important and it's ongoing relevance to today's Aboriginals. It would also be a great way to look at the changes in Australia, attitudes to our indigenous population and ownership of land.
On the young adult side, there is a lot to be harvested from this book - reconciliation, mateship, friendship groups and ownership of land just to name a few.
In the end, I think Crow Country can fit comfortably in either category. If I was still working as a primary school teacher librarian, I would definitely have purchased and recommended it for year 3 and up.


Challenges: Library Challenge

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Author: J.K Rowling
Series: Harry Potter
Genre: Fiction
Audience: Children/ Young Adult
Format: Book - Personal Collection

Synopsis: Harry Potter is just an ordinary boy living with his horrible aunt, uncle and cousin. Then one day, Harry finds out he is not as ordinary as he thinks. Not only is he a wizard, he is famous in the wizarding world. So off he goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary to begin on the path of his true destiny.

What I thought: The other week a friend and I went to see the final movie in the Harry Potter series. I loved it, thought they did an excellent job. Of course, it did mean that the moment I went home I wanted to read the books again! So being the anal person I am, I started with the first and plan to work my way through! What I am pleased to say is that the book stands the test of time. Given I have re read it every time a new book came out, plus a few extras, you could expect the thrill of it to diminish each time. It doesn’t. It’s just as exciting to read it this time as it was the first time I read it. In fact, in some ways it is better, as you know to look for little things and you become aware as the books go just how much the characters are growing. My only regret at the moment is I have a stack of library books (what’s new!) that I have to get through before I move onto book 2!

Recommended for: everyone! A true classic

Challenges: 100+ Challenge. I’m not adding this to my YA challenges as I feel it’s not really a YA book, more a children’s.

Ranger's Apprentice 1: The Ruins of Gorlan

The Ruins of Gorlan - John Flanagan

I've known about this series for awhile, but have only just decided to read it. And how glad I am that I did!

After his parents died, Will became a ward of Baron Arald. As one of five wards to turn 15,  he will be part of the Choosing where the Craftmasters choose their apprentices. More than anything,  he wants to go to BattleSchool, convinced his father was a great warrior. When Baron Arald's Ranger, Halt, attends the choosing, Will thinks little of it. The Rangers are a mysterious bunch, whose ability to move silently and seemingly appear out of nowhere have given them a reputation of being magical to the superstitious villagers. When the Battlemaster rejects Will due to his small size, he is surprised and a little concerned to find himself apprenticed to Halt. But as will is to discover, maybe being a Ranger isn't as bad as he thinks.

I often find Fantasy Fiction aimed at children to be over simplistic, with very little substance. I often feel that the writer rushes to the end, with problems that seemed completely unsolvable suddenly having a solution. It is almost like they have an idea for a series, but are unsure if they will be given the green light to write more, so end abruptly or simplistically, just in case. With The Ruins of Gorlan, I found none of this.

Flanagan seems to have realised he was in this for the long haul. There would be more than one book, and he would tell his story properly. In an area of fiction where people are more than happy to jump on the band wagon and put out any rubbish to catch the current trend, Flanagan's book stand out as being well written, well thought out with substantial characters and a world that I am looking forward to exploring further.

Gregor the Overlander

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Having really enjoyed Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games and Catching Fire (desperately waiting for Mockingjay to come into the library!), I went searching to see if she had written any other stuff and discovered the children's series - The Underland Chronicles.

I quite enjoyed this. It took a bit to get into, but it wasn't long until I was engrossed in the story of Gregor and his quest in the Underland.

Collins' has conjured a marvelous world. I love authors who can take the ordinary - cockroaches, rats and bats - and make them extraordinary. And who can resist a quest!

I'm looking forward to the sequel and discovering what happens next to Gregor, Boots and the rest.

Left Shoe and the Foundling

Left Shoe and the Foundling by Annie O'Dowd

Seadogs live along the coast in small burrows. In many ways they are like humans, they live in families, eat off plates and drink out of cups. When they have babies, they always have two (a boy and a girl) and the children are named at sunrise after treasures found on the beach.

When Left Shoe is born, his twin sister dies. As he grows up, he notices he is different - he has no twin.

One day, instead of going to the school sports day (which he hates) he goes fishing instead. There is a storm brewing, the giant squid to contend with, and a floating basket...

This was a beautiful book. The story is gorgeous and O'Dowd has a lovely writing style. The pictures are simply done and add to the beautiful feeling of the book. It would be a lovely read aloud for about 5 up.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

I discovered this in a box of books I had to cover for my son's school. As I have previously mentioned, my son is attending a school that is in it's first year this year, which means a lot of covering to be done! As a former teacher librarian, I had to offer my services and am lucky that the librarian is happy for me to keep a few to read.

From the blurb:

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, ther lived a china rabbit named Eduward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reaseon: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.
 And then, one day, he was lost.

Katherine Paterson from Publishers Weekly (and I am assuming it's the Katherine Paterson who wrote such classics as Bridge to Terabithia),summed it up perfectly for me when she said "Why should I care what happens to an arrogant, overdressed china rabbit? But I did care, desperately, and I think I can safely predict you will, too."

Edward Tulane is a beautiful book. I read it in one sitting because I had to know what happened. As Edward gets tossed from person to person, he slowly learns to love and to realise it's not what you look like that matters, but what is inside. I'm going to have to buy my own copy as I see it becoming a firm read aloud favourite not only for my kids, but kids in my classroom. (if I ever manage to get back into teaching!)
 

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Started: 11/1
Finished 12/1

Review: I first read this book a few years ago and actually threw it across the room when I got to the end. I almost did it again, but I was on the ferry and so resisted the urge.
Bruno's father is a very important man. He's not sure what his father does, but after the Fury came to dinner and everyone started calling his father Commandant, they had to move away from their house in Berlin and go to Out-With. Here, Bruno walks along the fence one day until he finds Shmuel, a little boy the same age as Bruno who lives on the other side of the fence. Thus begins a friendship with far reaching consequences.
The Boy in Striped Pyjamas would be a great way to open up discussion with children - especially those around the 10-12 age group about the holocaust and the events surrounding it. The ending is not pretty - in fact it is pretty confronting. Bruno is incredibly innocent and at times comes across as extremely naive, even for a 9 year old. He has absolutely no idea what goes on behind the fence, or why he and Shmuel can't play together like normal kids. It's a book I'd love to do with a class - although it would have to be a year 6 or 7 group, towards the end of the year and with parental involvement.  It has been made into a movie, which I would like to see, just to see how closely they stick to the story.