Ring Through Time by Felicity Pulman

Ring Through Time

When I first read the blurb of this book, I thought it might be a time slip novel, but that is not the case.  The story is told in two parts. One story is told in present day, that of Allie Bennett who has just moved to Norfolk Island with her family and Alice Bennett who lived on Norfolk in the 1840s.

Allie Bennett moves to Norfolk Island knowing that she is the ancestor of an extremely well known commandant who lorded over the island in the 1840s.  It doesn't take too long for her to realise that the ancestors of the convicts still living on the island don't think too highly of John Bennett.  In fact they hate him and therefore they don't think much of Allie either.  Allie plans to find out the truth about John Bennett, and in doing so she finds out about his daughter, who according to recorded history, didn't even exist!

It is Romeo and Juliet,  Australian style set in 1847. This book falls into the genre of 'Fact-ion'. The facts relating to the general history of Norfolk Island are accurate, but the characters in this story are fictional as are the events that take place relating to these characters.

There is the modern day romance between Allie and Noah O'Brien , which doesn't start well and when reading the diary we learn of Alice's romance with a convict... which doesn't end well.

What I really got from this book was a look at a part of Australia's history that I knew nothing about. As often happens to me when I read historical fiction, I found that I wanted to find out more, so here's a few links that you may find interesting.

http://www.discovernorfolkisland.com/norfolk/history.html

http://www.norfolkonlinenews.com/History.html

Caddy's World by Hilary McKay

I am a self confessed Casson Family tragic.  I love them, and after reading Forever Rose, I was actually quite sad that I wouldn't get to visit this crazy lovely family anymore.  Imagine my joy on hearing that a new book was coming out, and while it doesn't carry on from where Forever Rose left off, it does take us right back to the beginning.

If you haven't read the Casson family stories, I cannot recommend them highly enough.  They are funny, quirky and heartfelt, they made me laugh out loud as well as needing to have the tissues on hand to mop up the tears.

The Casson family consists of the Mother: Eve, Father: Bill and children, Caddy, Indigo, Saffy and Rose.  Their family dynamic is quite unique, Bill spends his time in London, he even lives there the majority of the time and Eve is an artist, who spends a lot of time down in her studio at the bottom of the garden and very little time doing 'normal' motherly things.  Each of the books focuses on a particular family member as they make their way in life.

This book takes us back to the very beginning, when Caddy is 12 and Indigo and Saffy are about 8 and 6.  It's the story about how Rose came into the world and turned the family upside down, for once Bill has to be in charge of the household, and it's not quite what he expected!  It's also a time of change for Caddy, and her three best friends Ali, Beth and Ruby.  The girls are all growing up, on the verge of becoming teenagers, and each of them share their different fears, concerns and struggles.  There are a lot of laugh out loud moments in this book, Indigo and Saffy are a hysterical duo, they really do get up to some trouble, and it's these two that Bill finds the most trying. 

What I really like was that this story finishes with a jump to a few years later when Caddy is about to take her very first driving lesson, this is the same time as we first meet the family in Saffy's Angel, with an instructor who ends up being much more than that!

The cover image above is for the new edition published in March 2013, but there was also a hardback edition (see pic to the right) that didn't really seem to appeal to many readers.  Which do you prefer?

Nancy Drew Diaries: Curse of the Arctic Star

Nancy Drew is back with her latest mystery. I will admit to being a big Nancy Drew reader when I was young, so I am always keen to see how the new versions shape up.

This story feels to me like the Nancy Drew of old.  Nancy and her trusted sidekicks Bess and George have been invited on the maiden voyage of the brand new cruise liner the Arctic Star. The cruise has been receiving threats and Nancy and her cousins are there to find out who is behind it.

There's a dead body in the pool (turns out to be a dummy), Nancy nearly gets knocked out by a falling moose head on the mini gold course, and a giant spider gets loose in the buffet! It's all very 'old school' mystery with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure.

I liked it a lot, and apart from the introduction of mobile phones and email, I don't think Nancy Drew has changed that much at all, and for me that's a good thing. Two more titles due in May, Strangers On a Train continues Nancy's Alaskan adventure, while the action of Mystery of the Midnight Rider takes place at the River Heights Horse Show.

New Guinea Moon by Kate Constable

It's interesting that there were two words written under the '1' on the first chapter of this book, that I didn't read.  It wasn't until page 31, where after dinner Barbara '...pushes back her chair and lights up a cigarette', at the table that I think...that doesn't sound right?  Lo and behold when I go back to chapter one, I see the words December 1974, and it all makes so much more sense!

The story of of 16 year old Julie, who is spending the summer holidays in Papua New Guinea with a father that she doesn't know.  Julie's Dad is one of many expats who have made Papua New Guinea their homes, but things are changing, as Papua New Guinea is about to become an independent nation in 1975.  In this summer Julie gets to know her Dad, she falls in love, and then out of it and then in love again, and she also starts to seriously think about what she wants to do with her life, in a time when so many more opportunities are opening up for women.

I had quite a personal connection with this book, as I lived in a small town in Sarawak called Miri for 4 years when I was 8 years old.  My time in Sarawak was a bit later than 1974, more like 1980, but I could really identify with the expat (expatriate) life.  In this book they have housekeepers (maids) called meri, while we had an ahma (excuse the spelling?!), and in both communities the locals and the expats live quite separate lives.  

It was an amazing place to grow up, and I feel so lucky to have had such a blessed childhood filled with such unique experiences.  I remember visiting and staying in a longhouse, trekking through the jungle to swim in pools beneath waterfalls, finding cobras in the garden, satays at the open air 'restaurant' by the sea, things that most Aussie kids in the 80s would never have experienced.

So this book is a coming of age story for Julie, but it's also a coming of age story for PNG.  I also like the fact that it's a glimpse into our recent history, a time that I can remember, where social attitudes were changing and women were beginning to realise they could be anything they wanted to be.

Lost World Circus Book 1 The Last Elephant by Justin D'Ath

Justin D'Ath is back with a new series, that has a slight twist on his popular adventure series Extreme Adventures and Mission Fox. This series is set 12 years in the future (no actual year mentioned, so it will always be 12 years from whichever year the reader is from). In this version of the future there are no animals. There has been a white rat virus that has wiped out every species of animal. One exception to this is Noah's Lost Animal Circus, where we has the last of a number of different species, the star of this book is the elephant, Lucy.

Our hero Colt, finds himself at the circus, and when a white rat infiltrates the circus tent and bites the elephant, he finds himself on an adventure to save this amazing animal. Being bitten by the rat means it has to be put down, but Colt is sure that his Mum's vaccine will do it's thing and the elephant will survive.

With the help of the circuses youngest acrobat Birdy, they endeavour to free the trapped elephant from it's inevitable death.

It's a series for animal lovers and adventure lovers alike, and I think it will appeal to girls and boys which is quite a rare find. There's also a quiz in the back of the book relating to endangered animals, which I like, because I like those little added extras in books.

Book 2 Out Now

Book 3 Due April 24th

         

Excuses Excuses

I know I wasn't going to write everyday, but I really had intended to write more often than this!

It's not that I am not reading, I am, it's just getting back into the habit of writing about what I read. 

My other excuse is that we had the launch of Anzac Biscuits by Phil Cummings and Owen Swan at Pegi Williams Book Shop on March 8th.  It was an epic event, that was months in the planning and has taken a couple of weeks to come down from the high!  We were lucky enough to have the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR launch the books, and I have attached the video below in case anyone is interested in seeing some footage.

Creating Room to Read by John Wood

This is my first rave for the year.  It's a book that I would not normally have picked up, but I had a chance to read an advance copy and I was blown away.  I have been talking about this book everywhere I go, encouraging anyone with even a tiny interest in children, education or reading to put it on their reading lists. The book (shown to the left) is called Creating a Room To Read by John Wood, and it's due for release on February 28th.

Nelson Mandela said,
'Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.'

These words and variations of these words have been heard over and over again, some might say to the point that nobody really hears it anymore. Let me tell you, after reading this book, I just wanted to shout it from rooftops and tell everyone I knew about the amazing work of the Room to Read organization.