Series: Phyllis Wong Mysteries (Middle Grade Fic)

AUTHOR: Geoffrey McSkimming (US)
PUBLISHED: Allen & Unwin ; 2014.
PAGES/ILL: ~390 pages.
SERIES: Phyllis Wong Mysteries. Phyllis Wong and the Forgotten Secrets of Mr Okyto ; Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror ; Phyllis Wong and the Waking of the Wizard.

PLOT: (Book 2: Phyllis Wong and the Return of the Conjuror)
Phyllis Wong, the girl magician, returns to solve a crime from history. Someone has been selling mint-condition copies of Shakespeare's collected plays and Phyllis suspects someone is up to no good. With a secret from her great-grandfather, and with help from her friends Clement and Chief Inspector Inglis, it's up to Phyllis to solve the puzzle and prevent the theft of Shakespeare's missing play.

REVIEW:
This is a fun story, and although I won't go out of my way to read another in the series for my personal choice, I can see it being popular with middle-grade girls. I would have no problem recommending it to children who like 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl.
The book series also has a web-site.

AGE: 9+.
GENRE: Realistic fantasy.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.

Series: Endgame (YA Fic)

AUTHOR: James Frey (US)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins ; 2014.
PAGES/ILL: ~460 pages.
SERIES: Endgame. The Calling, Sky Key, (third book title TBA).
TIE-INS: Website, Game, Movie.

PLOT: (First book: The Calling)
At the beginning of civilisation on Earth, "They" descended from the sky. They needed gold and they built our earliest civilisations to mine it for them. Then They left, but they told the the 12 lines of the human race that they would be back, and when they did, a game would be played, with a teenaged Player from each line. For ten thousand years the lines have each had a Player prepared at all times. They have trained generation after generation after generation. In weapons, languages, history, tactics, disguise assassination. Together the players are everything: strong, kind, ruthless, loyal, smart, stupid, ugly, lustful, mean, fickle, beautiful, calculating, lazy, exuberant, weak.
Now the game has started. It started in death and will end in death, with only one winner. The one whose line will continue. The Players must find three Keys, in order. In the first book, The Calling, they are searching for the first, Earth Key. Some bonds will form. Some Players will die.

REVIEW:
This book is like the Hunger Games with aliens. Teenagers who like maths and geography will particularly like it. The books, together with the accompanying website, give clues so that the reader can play along with the characters to solve the puzzles. In fact, there is a competition where if you solve all the clues you can win half a million dollars! (Competition ends on or before October 7, 2016).
This is a book that would probably need librarians to promote it, especially to teens who are interested in codes and puzzles.

Overall, it's an appealing dystopia for sci-fi fans.

AGE: 14+.
GENRE: Science fiction, Dystopia, Adventure.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.

The Ant Patrol - books to teach social skills (PB)

This series came across my desk the other day, and I think they are worth sharing. This series, Ant Patrol, is primarily for parents and teachers to use with children who may require additional help with social skills, particularly those with ASD (but not exclusively).

They are published by M.A.ST.E.R, which has additional information and resources on their website.
They are also available from SkillBuilders, a site with extensive resources for building foundational skills, from socio-emotional to physical, etc.

The stories revolve around a colony of ants. Different ants have different traits.

 - Felix the Fire Ant struggles to control his temper and easily flies into a rage when things don't go his way.
 - Wilbur the Worry Ant is fearful of new experiences and is hesitant to participate.
 - Me-Me the Self-Focused Ant can only see her own perspective of things. She expects everyone else to do the things that she likes to do.
 - Hugo the Socially Unaware Ant also struggles to see others' perspectives. When another ant falls over, Hugo laughs because he thinks it looks like fun. He struggles to understand emotions in others.
 - Iris the Inattentive Ant can't concentrate. She is constantly day-dreaming and struggles to focus.
 - Alfie the Hyperactive Ant just can't sit still. He has so much energy and doesn't think before he jumps into something. He has a lot of trouble waiting for things.

Throughout the stories, big leader ants, Hoppy the Helpful Ant and Sergeant Ant, guide the other ants through life. Hoppy helps the other ants with their difficulties and teaches them ways to be more socially aware.
The books include significant information to help parents and teachers to guide their own children in learning the same lessons.
Some tips include focusing on breathing, being aware of and monitoring their own emotions (e.g. level of anger, and what situations may provoke angry feelings), and learning to tune in to others' feelings.

AGE: 4-8, with adult guidance.

RATING: 5 stars.

Favourite Roald Dahl Characters

For International Book Week, Roalddahl.com has a list of Top 5 Dahl heroes and heroines.

I really can't disagree with their choices, but there are a few I think give top 5 a run for their money and at least deserve an honourable mention. They include:

Grandma from The Witches. She's unflappable, knowledgeable, wise, experienced, and an all-round fun person it would be a pleasure to know.

Mr. Hoppy, the retired bachelor from Esio Trot. This sweet man is ingenious. I envy any woman who is lucky enough to find a man who will go to such lengths to gain her affection. (I should also let you know that this book will have a movie tie-in this year!)

And I absolutely must give accolades to Roald Dahl himself as the lead in his autobiography Boy. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it.

What character would you nominate?

(I would also add, that though they aren't characters, Dahl's books Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts. HILARIOUS and a must in every upper primary school class).

Series: The Ranger's Apprentice (Fic)

AUTHOR: John Flanagan (Aust)
PUBLISHED: 2004+
SERIES: The Ranger's Apprentice
FIRST BOOK: The Ranger's Apprentice

PLOT: Will is small for his age, but agile and energetic. All his life, he has dreamed of becoming a great knight like the father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected as an apprentice to Castle Redmont's Battleschool. Instead he is apprenticed to Halt, the mysterious Ranger whose uncanny ability to move unseen is thought to be the result of black magic. Reluctantly, Will learns to use a Ranger’s secret weapons: a bow and arrow, a mottled cloak and a stubborn little pony. It may not be the sword and battlehorse he longs for, but when Will and Halt set out on a desperate mission to prevent the assassination of the King, Will finds that a Ranger’s weapons are not so useless after all . . .

REVIEW:
The author wrote the series for his 12 year old son (who was apparently very small) to show him that you don't need to be big and buff to be extraordinary. Issues dealt with include orphanage, responsibility, death, war, friendship, trust, bullying, overcoming adversity.

Links to a website, and the books are also available as e-books. At the date of this post, a movie is in the works.

A good one to start out with if children aren't sure if they enjoy the fantasy genre or not.

AGE: Average reading age would be 10+. Exciting enough to engage adults as well as children.
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure
RATING: a strong 5 stars

Series: Rainbow Magic (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Daisy Meadows (UK) (2004)

PLOT: Two young girls help the fairies recover wands and other magic items stolen by Jack Frost, who uses them to wreak havoc across Fairyland and the real world.

NOTES: Linked to a website, there are several sub-series: 7 books for 13 types of fairies (Weather Fairies, Rainbow Fairies, Ocean Fairies, PetKeeper Fairies, Party Fairies, Dance Fairies, etc) and a 3-book series for a further three types of fairies (Holiday, Christmas, Special Fairies), etc. They are now published in "reader" format, too.

AGES: Girls aged 6-8.
GENRE: Fantasy.
RATING: 4 stars.

Series: Deltora Quest

AUTHOR: Emily Rodda (AUST) (2000)
PAGES: ~ 120 pages, 16 chapters.
PLOT: A group of young people search for the keys to release their land from the clutches of the evil Shadow Lord. In their travels they must discern good from evil, and learn that what you see initially is not always the truth.

NOTES: Deltora Quest 1: 8-book series. The characters must solve puzzles that children will delight in (mirror-image writing, people talking backwards, riddles). Some parts could be quite scary for some young children.
There are several sub-series. Deltora Quest 2: 3 books; Quest 3: 4 books.
Also includes How to Draw Deltora Monsters/Dragons books, Deltora Quiz book, Tales of Deltora, Deltora Monsters.
Includes a website, card game, video game, cartoon (anime).

ISSUES: good vs evil, friendship, trust, responsibility, courage, coming-of-age.

AGES: 8-13.
GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure.
RATING: 5 stars.

Series: Scream Street (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR: Tommy Bonbavand (UK) (2008)
PAGES: ~150 pages, 13 chapters.

PLOT: A young boy who has recently transformed into a werewolf and his family are 'banished' to Scream Street. He befriends a wannabe-vampire and a young mummy, as well as a surfer-dude-zombie and witch, who help him in his quest to find a way for his 'normal' parents to go home.

REVIEW: Similar to Freak Street series, but more advanced in plot and language.
This is an 8-book series. Linked to a website.
Well-written.

AGES: 7+. Focus age would be about 8-9.
GENRE: Horror, Humor.
RATING: 5 stars.