Butterfly Butterfly by Petr Horáček

Petr Horáček's illustration style is bright, engaging and full of life and movement. So when you sit down to read a book about colours set in the garden, you know you're in for a treat!


When Lucy finds a butterfly in the garden and chases it around, we are introduced to lots of different colours visually, just by her garden setting. When she returns the following day, she can't find the butterfly, but she does find a pink earthworm, a brown spider, a green beetle and some spotty red ladybirds.


By this point in the story, we have been introduced to some cut outs that add an extra level of enjoyment to the pictures. It continues with other insects, colours and cutouts until the finale which sees the beautiful butterfly springing from the page in a fantastic simple pop-up.

I've heard people say that Petr's illustrations are "like Eric Carle's" but I wouldn't really say that. It's true there is a feeling of collage and a bright use of colour, but other than The Very Hungry Caterpillar his illustrations really haven't done much for me. Petr Horáček, on the other hand, I engage with each of his books immediately. I think you will too. This is a fantastic colours book because there's more to it than just colours.

 

4 Silver Stars

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Milli, Jack and the Dancing Cat by Stephen Michael King

Milli dreams of making wonderful and out of the ordinary things, but she has to spend her time making plain brown and black shoes and boots for the people in the town who don't like anything unusual.

That is until two wandering vagabond minstrels wander into town and offer to give her dancing lessons in exchange for some new shoes.

The dancing makes Milli brave, and she discovers she has the courage to follow her dreams and make extraordinary things.

This is such a sweet book which encourages following your dreams and unleashing your creativity. Stephen Michael King just has a brilliance about him that shines out from his deceptively simple stories.

 

4 Gold Stars

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Pure by Julianna Baggott

I kept getting told how fantastic this book was, but how off-putting and gross it was because of all the malformed bodies etc that it contains (post nuclear holocaust). Some even said it was hard going because of this. So, I thought to myself, let's see what all the fuss is about.

I found that because I knew that it would have deformities left, right and center, I wasn't grossed out at all. In fact, putting aside the fact that I really think that most of these afflicted people would be dead (which is explained briefly with chemical and nanotechnology which was designed to create this grotesque fusing), I wouldn't have expected any less for the world which was being created.

So, did it all work?

Yes, absoultely! Julianna Baggott has given us a world so vivid and alive and filled with the horror and hope of survival it's almost palpable. You nearly feel gritty, yourself, as you read about the soot and ash and dust that permanently grays they sky and every thing else. All of which is perfectly contrasted with the pure 'Dome' that is so clean and spotless, it's ripe for conspiracy.

I really enjoyed the journey this book took me on. My only criticism is that it felt a little long and perhaps could have been pared back in places to create a slightly more fast pace story. But, even as it stands, it was a great read!

 

4 Gold Stars

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Tales From The Tower Vol 1: The Wilful Eye Edited by Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab

Is this my type of thing? Yes, absolutely! I love me some fairy tales and their adaptations So I've been hanging out to read this since its beautiful cover started gracing bookstores with its presence.

I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm not terribly versed in the world of short stories, and the cover leads us to believe that the stories inside are all magical, mystical - fantasy in every sense. Were they quite that? I'm not sure. They certainly had a fantasy vein running through them, I mean they're all re-workings of fairy tales, how could they not have? But I found myself having very mixed reactions.

The contributors were:

Margo Lanagan - Catastrophic Disruption of the Head (Retelling of The Tinderbox)
Isobelle Carmody - Moth's Tale (Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin)
Rosie Borella - Eternity (Retelling of The Snow Queen)
Richard Harland - Heart of the Beast (Retelling of Beauty and the Beast)
Margaret Mahy - Wolf Night (Retelling of Babes in the Woods)
Martine Murry - One Window (Retelling of The Steadfast Tin Soldier)


Of these authors, I have read the most of Margo Lanangan. In fact, other than some of Margaret Mahy's picture books, I haven't read anything by any of the other authors. So perhaps I was a little more used to Margo's style, but talk about opening with a bang!

Catastophic Disruption of the Head deals with the corruption of the soul that can come with sudden wealth and power. I won't explain everything about it, that is done in an eloquent way in the Afterward, but I will say that it is a thoughtful and powerful retelling. It sets the story in any of the recent contemporary wars and also deals with how western culture can corrupt as well as the violence of war. As far as 'saying something' with the short story, this one takes the cake from this collection. It is confronting at the capabilities of humans in extraordinary situations.

Moth's Tale was pretty and nice, but didn't engage me as I hoped a Rumpelstiltskin retelling would. It had the feel of a fantasy / fairy tale story but never came alive for me. The constant list of alternate endings also was a little too Meta for my liking. But it was a nice read.

Eternity was the biggest disappointment for me, which was a shame, but I'll tell you why. The Snow Queen is my all time favourite fairy tale. Some days I can articulate why and others all I know is I love it with all my heart and it makes me feel wonderful. Therefore, I had high expectations. (perhaps too high - too unfair). But the one thing about The Snow Queen that stands out from so many other fairy tales is that it is Gerda, the girl, who goes on the adventure and saves the day, it is her steadfast love and care for her friend that gets her through every obstacle she comes across. The Gerda in this story does go on the adventure, and manages to save Kai, but I felt that she was such a weak character! Not weak as in written poorly, but weak as in was constantly controlled and persuaded by everyone she met, she was whiny inside her own head and really irked me. Now, that might just me my reaction, but I'm entitled to it. I should say that I really like the alternate 'Sydney' universe setting and the inclusion of the 'Eternity Man', they were really nice touches.

Heart of the Beast was, I think, my favourite of the six. It was a sensuous and vivid retelling that captured the essence of the original story, kept the setting and feel delightfully 'fairy tale', but introduced some contemporary sensibilities. The ending was changed, but still managed to stay true, but was beautifully done. I loved it! Then how they chose to stay in the humble house rather than the giant chateau really finished on a great note for me. Another thing about fairy tales which sometimes gets to me is that people are happy when they are rich and have everything they would ever want. Now, I have no experience in being rich or having everything I could want, so maybe I can't really say, but I do love a story where people are happy with less. It both reinforces that my happiness despite my lack of wealth is justified and that there is hope for its longevity.

Wolf Night was great. It was the only story where I hadn't read the original. And I really liked it - except that the characters discussed how their adventure was just like 'Babes in the Woods'. Again, this 'Meta' element detracted, rather than added to the story. It was a fantastic realisation of an urban landscape as a setting for a fairy tale story.

And Finally, One Window really brought The Steadfast Tin Soldier to life. The characters were colourful and engaging and I could see them all before me. And I loved how it all tied up in the end, with the dancing princess and Soldier meeting and why and how etc.

Over all, this was a great read! As with every collection of short stories by different authors there were ups and downs, but they all fit together really well!

I cannot wait till I get a chance to read Vol 2!

 

4 Gold Stars

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A Study In Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

This semester just gone, I had the first chapter of the book I'm working on work-shopped in class at uni. One of the questions I asked for feedback on was "what type of society do you feel this story is set in from this introduction?" One classmate came back with "Hasidism meets Armish meets 'Victorian' Vienna meets Conan Doyle's London meets weird-science mechanisation". Now that was pretty close! the Hasidism/Armish side of it isn't so much what I was going for, but I could see how that was read into the first chapter. But what struck me was "Conan Doyle's London". It occurred to me that I had never read any Sherlock Holmes and how much doing so might help put me in the right mindset to understand what I was trying to achieve with my own writing.

I quickly procured a lovely old fashioned bind up of the four novels from a second hand shop and started by reading the first story.

It was fantastic! Even if you're not writing a novel set in a Victorian inspired fantasy world, they make fascinating reading. 

I must admit, I found Sherlock himself to be a bit more conceited than I expected him to be. And this didn't seem designed to be mysteries that the reader is expected to solve before the answer is revealed, as much of the small details that Sherlock uses to figure it all out aren't reviled to us until he is explaining how he came to his conclusion. 

But, all that said it's a great ride to go along with Watson on!

I can't wait to read the rest! Good thing I've got some time off coming up.

 

4 Gold Stars

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JudgeABook: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

I've been seeing this book's cover on the blog circuit for a while now. I can't say I've stopped to read any of the reviews, but I have noticed how engaging the image and title are. I love the simplicity of it. I love the fact that it's called Of Poseidon, not just Poseidon or something else.

I'm a little worried that mermaids are the new vampires. Which doesn't mean there won't be any good books out there, but too much of anything isn't particularly wonderful.

I'm not really sure what I'm going to write about this one (I keep doing this! picking book jackets for JudgeABook that are really sparse. They make great jackets, but then leave me with nothing to make up the story from). Let me see how I go.

She had heard enough. 

Being her father's daughter was difficult. Sure, in some ways she was spoiled, but too often she was burdened with expectations and limitations for fear of what rivals might do. The trouble was, she knew her father was crooked, and the way her mother was happy being a trophy wife, swanning around like some sort of underworld queen. 

She swam away. Fear, anger, hatred spilling from her eyes and mixing immediately with the water. 

She's heard him. That nasty one, Frank, was that his name? He's said he had to take a hit out on Toby. She knew their relationship would find it's way back to her father.

"The Don wants that Toby kid taken care of..."

 

4 Silver Stars

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Ghost At The Point by Charlotte Calder

This book took me by surprise. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it looked interesting and when I started it, there was no turning back.

I guess the most straightforward way to describe it would be Historical, Junior, Australian Fiction. But really, what does that tell you?

What can I tell you about it? That it was really compelling, creepy (the ghost story and set-up works brilliantly), and good fun. It’s set on an island inspired by Kangaroo Island in the 1930s and captures the rural Australian community feeling perfectly. The main character, Dorrie, is a believable, likeable, independently minded girl and is a great protagonist. Her relationship with her grandfather is succinct, yet genuine, what you might expect of people who live in a semi isolated part of an island with a small population. And when her grandfather has an accident and has to spend some time in hospital, she manages to get back to their house unattended because she wanted to stay at home, rather than having to stay with cousins.  But that’s when everything comes to a head.

The persistent and sinister treasure hunters from the mainland turn up in the middle of the night, and the presence of the ghost is felt more than ever. Isn’t that the way? Scary things tend to happen when you’re alone, miles from the next house, and it’s the middle of the night, right?

The no-good treasure hunters, the truth about the ghost, the mystery of it all comes together so well at the end I was reminded of the well constructed mysteries like The Famous Five.

I can strongly recommend this book. Particularly if you (or your child) have a leaning towards stories set in times gone past. But more than that, this book is a well constructed, mysterious ghost story. I really liked it!

 

4 Gold Stars

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Tamar by Mal Peet

People who have been reading my blog might have realised by now how much I love Mal Peet's writing. Only experiencing it for the first time last year when I read his latest novel, Life: An Exploded Diagram, then further this year when I read Keeper and Penalty.

I'm very excited that I get to meet him this week thanks to Sydney Writer's Festival! But I'm a little sad I didn't get time to read Exposure as well. Needless to say, I'll get to it when I can.

Tamar is made up of two stories: one set in Holland in 1944-45 and one set in England in 1995. They overlap, interweave and are tied in more ways than are instantly clear.

In 1995 Tamar, a fifteen year old girl, witnesses the declining physical and mental health of her grandmother, while her grandfather becomes more distant and eventually commits suicide. Her father, the link between that side of the family disappeared without a trace years earlier.

In 1944 two Dutch operatives, code-names Dart and Tamar are parachuted back into Holland after training in the UK to help organise the resistance.

Like the others of Peet's books, this one is brilliantly written. He has a way of crafting words that is inspirational. This compelling novel looks at only some of the devastating generational effects of war on those who fought, or were witness to the horrible things that happened.

I should point out, that I have never had what could be described as 'an interest' in modern history, historical fiction set in recent times, or war in general. Ancient, mythical and magical has always been a lot more engaging for me. But if more of it were written at the high standard that Mal Peet has set, then I would be interested. Between Tamar and Life, I've discovered that when in the hands of the right storyteller, topics outside of my comfort zone are a must read! I mean, look at how Mal got me reading about football (soccer) - and loving it! (not the sport *shudder*, the reading about it...)

Have I convinced you yet to read any of his books? Let me know if I haven't and I'll try harder!

 

4 Gold Stars

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JudgeABook: Ship Kings Bk 1: The Coming of the Whirlpool by Andrew McGhan

I should be upfront with this JudgeABook post, I know I advocate knowing as little as possible about a book so you can purely judge it by its cover, and I do, in fact know practically nothing about the story of this book. But, I have been told by a number of people who's opinion I trust that this is an excellent book. Some even say it's one of their favourite recent reads. So that might be colouring the way I look at this cover, but I still think it's a pretty cool cover. Even more so when you see the finished book: it's a neat little hardback.

Doesn't it look just like a brilliant nautical fantasy? I'm looking forward to when I get the chance to read it!

Step three might be a little difficult because there really isn't a huge amount to decipher plot from. But here we go:

Suddenly, the deck sloped sharply to the left. The Captain rose from his table as his dinner fell to the floor. He had given no instructions to make any deviations from their course, and land, or obstacles of any kind would be another day's sailing away yet.

He emerged from cabin ready to punish the helmsman severely. That's when he saw what was casing the tilt. An enormous whirlpool was forming only a cannon's shot from the port side. Had the gods pulled the plug in their ocean basin? And how, by the gods, would they survive its pull?

That's when the shouting began.

 

 

4 Gold Stars

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Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

If you're looking for really good quality Australian junior fiction, look no further than Meg McKinlay. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and its many layers.

It's set in a town that had relocated to make way for a dam catchment area. The lake now hides the old town, and many secrets. So one Summer, as it gets hotter and hotter, and the water gets lower and lower, what secrets will rise to the surface?

Cassie was born on the day that the town was drowned. She feels like she is missing out on all the shared history that the rest of the population have, and is somewhat obsessed with the underwater town. She likes to sneak far around the edge of the lake, way past the designated swimming areas, past the keep out sign, where it is quiet. Where secrets lurk.

One thing I really liked about this book is how it talks about how history is recorded and the implications of that. Cassie's older sister works for the Mayor and is helping to prepare a celebration for the town's centenary and is putting together a book with all the notable points from their history. Well, all the pleasant, happy points. Cassie can't understand this. Surely history is everything that happened, not just the good things. "History is written by the winners" floats around in her head. By all means, it's not a major part of this book, but it was there enough for me to appreciate what it was saying. That, and that it adds depth and colour to the mystery that unravels.

 

4 Gold Stars

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Blood Brothers (Dragonkeeper 4) by Carole Wilkinson

The Dragonkeeper series has a way of being engaging for such a wide readership. I talked about the first three books in a post here. Book four has a slightly different feel to it, while still being firmly a part of the world Carole Wilkinson has created.

We have moved forward in time from where book three finished, and Kai, our playful dragon character has grown up. He’s effectively a teenager, at the tender age of 465 years old and wants to find his place in the world, as many teenagers do.

It’s true, it is sad to have said goodbye to Ping, but as Carole says in the afterward, she deserved a quiet life after all she had been through. I think this works well in the structure of the series. The first three books work well as a trilogy, then book four begins a new adventure without disturbing the integrity of the first three. Well over 400 years have passed, so we have a whole new cast of human characters to meet.

Tao is a novice monk who loves the quiet monotony of life in the monastery. Do you think that will continue when Kai shows up? No. Thank goodness for us! For what kind of book would that make? Action, adventure, warring barbarian tribes, deceitful monks, enraged dragon opponents… the list goes on! Could Tao be Kai’s new dragonkeeper? But all the signs haven’t shown themselves. And what of his twin brother who has been bedridden since birth, unable to control the movements of his body?

If you’ve read the first three a while ago (book 3 come out in 2009) don’t worry if you feel like you can’t remember everything, it’s all history to this story anyway. If you haven’t read them, technically you could start with number four if you wanted, but you’d be missing such a rich back story! This series is just great! It's suitable for readers over 8 years old, but well written enough that anyone over 8 will enjoy it! I'm 20 years past the target age and it still hit a bulls-eye!

 

4 Gold Stars

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