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.

Anzac Biscuits

Anzac Biscuits by Phil Cummings illustrated by Owen Swan

I must begin this review by admitting I have a slight bias with regard to this book, more specifically with the author.   I have known Phil Cummings for about 17 years, and I can say hands down that he is one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met.  Luckily for me (and our friendship) I actually liked his new book, in fact when I was handed a copy I actually squealed!

From my book selling point of view, we get asked every year for new books on ANZAC Day that can be used with readers from age 4+.  Teachers and librarians want something that they can use as a starting point to talk about the Anzac's, but they don’t necessarily want anything too graphic for the younger readers, and would like there to be enough substance for older readers...well I am happy to say that this is your book!

This is a story of a family separated by war.  Mother and daughter are shown at home, while the Father is fighting in the trenches.  Each double page spread alternates between home and away, and there are parallels in each illustration linking the two.  An example of this can be seen on the images below.

It's a beautiful and gentle story and while the ending is a positive one I know for a fact that more that one person has needed to reach for the tissues when they read this book, so be warned.

We were lucky enough to have a visit from Phil at the shop, and he kindly had a chat with James about the new book.  Here's the clip of that interview:

A new kind of 'Choose Your Own' series

Worst Case Scenario: Deadly Seas by Dave Borgenicht

This is actually the fourth book in the Worst Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure series, but I haven't seen any of the others. The catch phrase at the bottom of the book (You Decide How to Survive!) gives a good indication about what kind of book this might be, it is a new spin on the old Choose Your Own Adventure.

There are a few ways that this book is quite different form the Choose Your Own books that I remember:

1. This book is a hardback and it's style is very similar to the Dangerous Book For Boys/Girls.


2. There is a section at the back of the book (which you are encouraged to read first) that outlines real life survival tips that you might need to know in order to survive your journey, which in this case is a journey to sail around the world.

3. There are comic book style illustrations throughout the book as well as traditional text.

I really liked this book, but I have to admit that the first time I read it, I only made it to the Great Barrier Reef (not very far into the book at all!), but the beauty is, that I could go back and have another go, and eventually I made it around the world in one piece!  The secret really is in reading the survival tips, one wrong choice and you could end up on your way home...or worse!  There are 24 endings in this book, but only one gets you to the end.  

This book will be a great choice for any reluctant or struggling reader, when they realise that despite its size (it's 208 pages), they don't actually have to read every page to have read the story. 

Shades of London Book One: The Name of the Star

Shades of London Book 1: Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Published October 2011

I have only just posted about my habit of judging books by their covers, well here we go again.  The original cover (see left) really didn't appeal to me (even though I love Maureen Johnson), but when I saw the cover for the second book in this series that's due out in March, and I realised I should probably read the first one, and truth be told I didn’t actually READ it , I listened to the audio version instead!