Sunday, September 13, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Olive of Groves (Jnr Fic)
AUTHOR: Louis Nowra (Aust)
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 262 pages.
PLOT:
When Olive arrives at Mrs Groves' Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers, it is not the boarding school she thought it would be. However, she is determined to make the best of the situation and earn her place. She pretends to be an acrobat, and makes friends with her talking rat roommates.
She eventually earns a place in the heart of other Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers... All except Pig McKenzie, the most Dastardly Fiend who is Up to No Good.
Eventually she foils a Dastardly Plot, and Pig is kicked out of the school. And all ends well.
REVIEW:
This is a rather cute story about acceptance, belonging, friendship, and standing up against bullies. It is quite silly - maybe a little too much at times, and not quite to the sophistication of Roald Dahl's silliness, but young children will love it.
AGE: 7+.
GENRE: Realistic Fantasy fiction.
RATING: 3 1/2 - 4 stars.
PUBLISHED: HarperCollins ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 262 pages.
PLOT:
When Olive arrives at Mrs Groves' Boarding School for Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers, it is not the boarding school she thought it would be. However, she is determined to make the best of the situation and earn her place. She pretends to be an acrobat, and makes friends with her talking rat roommates.
She eventually earns a place in the heart of other Naughty Boys, Talking Animals and Circus Performers... All except Pig McKenzie, the most Dastardly Fiend who is Up to No Good.
Eventually she foils a Dastardly Plot, and Pig is kicked out of the school. And all ends well.
REVIEW:
This is a rather cute story about acceptance, belonging, friendship, and standing up against bullies. It is quite silly - maybe a little too much at times, and not quite to the sophistication of Roald Dahl's silliness, but young children will love it.
AGE: 7+.
GENRE: Realistic Fantasy fiction.
RATING: 3 1/2 - 4 stars.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Nuts to You (Jnr Fic)
AUTHOR: Lynne Rae Perkins (US)
PUBLISHED: Greenwillow Books ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 235 pages ; ill.
PLOT:
When Jed the squirrel get taken by a hawk, his two best friends go on an adventure to rescue him. When Jed manages to escape the hawk's talons, he falls into unfamiliar territory, meets an interesting species of squirrel, and makes a discovery which puts his home in danger. He and his friends must get back home to warn the other squirrels.
REVIEW:
This is a cute story told through an omniscient narrator, who comments and explains elements of the story through the use of end-of-chapter footnotes and interrupting inserts. Most of these work, but some don't. Some comments are unnecessary and don't add anything to the reader's engagement or enjoyment or understanding. The footnotes would have worked better at end-of-page rather than end-of-chapter - it's distracting having to flick pages to find out what is being referenced.
The author also uses a lot of sentence fragments, including those which begin with "because" (e.g. "He did look around to see if there was a wolf. Because he was irritated, but he was not stupid.") While I'll let a fair bit slide, I get annoyed with children's literature which does not model correct grammar and sentence structure.
When Jed meets the red squirrels, they speak differently (which is spelt differently). E.g. "Tell abowt the wolf" "You'll be roight b'fore y'knowit" "Be loik wooter" [Tell about the wolf / You'll be right before you know it / Be like water]. While I think this works well, some children may struggle to understand and decode this.
All-in-all, I liked this story a lot more than I thought I would, and would freely recommend it to most children aged 8-12, and read it to ages 6 and 7 (leaving out the footnotes, which generally just interrupt the story when reading aloud).
AGE: 8-12.
GENRE: Adventure.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.
PUBLISHED: Greenwillow Books ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: 235 pages ; ill.
PLOT:
When Jed the squirrel get taken by a hawk, his two best friends go on an adventure to rescue him. When Jed manages to escape the hawk's talons, he falls into unfamiliar territory, meets an interesting species of squirrel, and makes a discovery which puts his home in danger. He and his friends must get back home to warn the other squirrels.
REVIEW:
This is a cute story told through an omniscient narrator, who comments and explains elements of the story through the use of end-of-chapter footnotes and interrupting inserts. Most of these work, but some don't. Some comments are unnecessary and don't add anything to the reader's engagement or enjoyment or understanding. The footnotes would have worked better at end-of-page rather than end-of-chapter - it's distracting having to flick pages to find out what is being referenced.
The author also uses a lot of sentence fragments, including those which begin with "because" (e.g. "He did look around to see if there was a wolf. Because he was irritated, but he was not stupid.") While I'll let a fair bit slide, I get annoyed with children's literature which does not model correct grammar and sentence structure.
When Jed meets the red squirrels, they speak differently (which is spelt differently). E.g. "Tell abowt the wolf" "You'll be roight b'fore y'knowit" "Be loik wooter" [Tell about the wolf / You'll be right before you know it / Be like water]. While I think this works well, some children may struggle to understand and decode this.
All-in-all, I liked this story a lot more than I thought I would, and would freely recommend it to most children aged 8-12, and read it to ages 6 and 7 (leaving out the footnotes, which generally just interrupt the story when reading aloud).
AGE: 8-12.
GENRE: Adventure.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
The Scavengers (Middle Grade Fic)
AUTHOR: Michael Perry (US)
PUBLISHED: Harper ; 2014.
PAGES/ILL: ~322 pages.
PLOT:
When the world started to fall apart, the government gave everyone two choices: move into the Bubble Cities...or take their chances outside. Maggie's family chose the latter, and they have been living off the land ever since. They have friends, and Maggie seems to have found her place, renaming herself Ford Falcon after the rusted out car in which she lives.
Then one day she returns from visiting their friends to find her family's house ransacked and her parents missing.
As she uncovers the secrets her father has kept from her, as well as the truth about how the government took over, she must find the strength to be true to herself and save her family at the same time.
REVIEW:
This story was a lot better than I thought it would be. It has very strong underlying political messages (such as big government, control, genetically modified foods, and the environment), so I would recommend parents or teachers reading it first so that they can discuss any questions that might come up.
This book has a strong heroine, and emphasises family and friendship. This is a middle-grade book and would be a suitable first-dystopia for children in upper primary school as an introduction to the genre. I've classed it as Middle Grade because it's below YA, but this is one where you would need to know the child and the book to make your own judgement about whether it is appropriate for a child at the younger end of Middle Grade.
AGE: 11+.
GENRE: Adventure, Soft dystopia.
RATING: 4 1/2 stars.
Cody and the Fountain of Happiness (Jnr Fic)
AUTHOR: Tricia Springstubb (US)
PUBLISHED: Candlewick ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~150 pages ; ill.
PLOT:
Cody loves talking to ants, her family, and summer vacation. When her summer camp is cancelled, she thinks the summer might have taken a turn for the worse, with a teenage brother who is moping after a girl and a mother who has started a new job. But then she meets a new neighbour - a boy who is staying with his grandmother for the summer - and finds that that friendship and family is the fountain of happiness.
REVIEW:
This is a cute little story about a young girl and her relationships with her family and new friend. It would be an appropriate read-aloud for a year 1 class, or for children who are moving on to reading chapter books on their own.
AGE: 6+.
GENRE: Realistic fiction
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.
PUBLISHED: Candlewick ; 2015.
PAGES/ILL: ~150 pages ; ill.
PLOT:
Cody loves talking to ants, her family, and summer vacation. When her summer camp is cancelled, she thinks the summer might have taken a turn for the worse, with a teenage brother who is moping after a girl and a mother who has started a new job. But then she meets a new neighbour - a boy who is staying with his grandmother for the summer - and finds that that friendship and family is the fountain of happiness.
REVIEW:
This is a cute little story about a young girl and her relationships with her family and new friend. It would be an appropriate read-aloud for a year 1 class, or for children who are moving on to reading chapter books on their own.
AGE: 6+.
GENRE: Realistic fiction
RATING: 3 1/2 stars.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Grammar and Punctuation in Children's Books
I am a stickler for grammar and punctuation. No one is perfect, and I can pretty much guarantee that I've made errors in this blog, but I feel that any error detracts from the fluidity of a story because it 'catches' in your mind like a fish hook. Published works can and should be held to a high standard.
I feel no different about children's books. Children gain so much language by reading and being read to, that we shouldn't be reading them things which don't facilitate this.
These two books in particular really got my goat. I cringe just knowing that they exist.
The first is an obvious one.
Please burn any copy you may come across.
Hooray for hat. No. Just no. No. No. No.
Hooray for hatS. Yes. Fine. Good!
Hooray for MY hat. Yes. Great!
Hooray for THE hat. Yes. Fine. Not as good, but perfectly acceptable.
'Hat' should not be used as a proper noun unless it is anthropomorphised (which it is not in this case).
The story is about animals which are upset and a friend gives them a party hat and they cheer up and say, "Hooray for hat".
Sure, perhaps the author was trying to connect with his audience by failing to use correct grammar, but he has failed if this was his approach. The only time this ploy works is when the story features direct speech from a toddler who can't speak properly.
Which brings me to the next example.
Did you notice? Missing quotation marks.
Reported speech does not need quotation marks, e.g.: Milana's grandfather noted that there were many children there. Milana's grandfather told her to look at all the people.
However, this is quoted speech and REQUIRES quotation marks.
"Wow! Look at all the people. And [there are] so many children," said Milana's grandfather.
This may be a small thing that children (and some adults) won't consciously pick up, but language is picked up subliminally in young children, and I could not have a child look at this without correcting it.
All I can say to these authors is, "Fire your editor", or maybe get one in the first place.
I feel no different about children's books. Children gain so much language by reading and being read to, that we shouldn't be reading them things which don't facilitate this.
These two books in particular really got my goat. I cringe just knowing that they exist.
The first is an obvious one.
Please burn any copy you may come across.
Hooray for hat. No. Just no. No. No. No.
Hooray for hatS. Yes. Fine. Good!
Hooray for MY hat. Yes. Great!
Hooray for THE hat. Yes. Fine. Not as good, but perfectly acceptable.
'Hat' should not be used as a proper noun unless it is anthropomorphised (which it is not in this case).
The story is about animals which are upset and a friend gives them a party hat and they cheer up and say, "Hooray for hat".
Sure, perhaps the author was trying to connect with his audience by failing to use correct grammar, but he has failed if this was his approach. The only time this ploy works is when the story features direct speech from a toddler who can't speak properly.
Which brings me to the next example.
Did you notice? Missing quotation marks.
Reported speech does not need quotation marks, e.g.: Milana's grandfather noted that there were many children there. Milana's grandfather told her to look at all the people.
However, this is quoted speech and REQUIRES quotation marks.
"Wow! Look at all the people. And [there are] so many children," said Milana's grandfather.
This may be a small thing that children (and some adults) won't consciously pick up, but language is picked up subliminally in young children, and I could not have a child look at this without correcting it.
All I can say to these authors is, "Fire your editor", or maybe get one in the first place.
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.
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.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
The Lost Thing (video)
The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan is a picture book for upper primary school students about a teenager who finds something (a cross between a robot, a dog, an octopus, a crab, and something unknown) lost and looks for a place where it could belong. It has quite a lot of social commentary embedded in the pictures and sub-text.
It was made into a short 15-minute film.
This book and film could be used together in a literature study for middle school students.
It was made into a short 15-minute film.
This book and film could be used together in a literature study for middle school students.
100 Books for Primary School Children
Here is a list of 100 fiction books all children should read before leaving primary school, as chosen by teachers.
Rather than specific books, I would just list authors and recommend you read anything by:
- Roald Dahl. "Danny, champion of the world" would actually be my choice over "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". And "Boy" would be my non-fic pick.
- Oliver Jeffers. The pop-up version of "Lost and Found" is a favoutite, but I also like The Hueys.
- Mem Fox. "Wilfrid Gordon Mcdonald Partridge" = thoughtful brilliance. And every child should be read "Possum Magic" at least once in their life. For parents, Mem has written a wonderful little book called "Reading Magic" about the importance of reading from birth. It should be required reading, given out along with pre-natal vitamins.
- Enid Blyton. Ok, so her writing is a little old, now, but I don't think the Secret Seven, the Famous Five, or her stories of magic and fantasy will ever be completely irrelevant in children's lives.
- Dr. Seuss. Kids should read him on a train, or in the rain, or on a boat with a goat.
OK, who am I kidding? I would be listing authors for years if I continued this post! There are just so many good books and authors, there is not enough time in the day read them all.
Rather than specific books, I would just list authors and recommend you read anything by:
- Roald Dahl. "Danny, champion of the world" would actually be my choice over "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". And "Boy" would be my non-fic pick.
- Oliver Jeffers. The pop-up version of "Lost and Found" is a favoutite, but I also like The Hueys.
- Mem Fox. "Wilfrid Gordon Mcdonald Partridge" = thoughtful brilliance. And every child should be read "Possum Magic" at least once in their life. For parents, Mem has written a wonderful little book called "Reading Magic" about the importance of reading from birth. It should be required reading, given out along with pre-natal vitamins.
- Enid Blyton. Ok, so her writing is a little old, now, but I don't think the Secret Seven, the Famous Five, or her stories of magic and fantasy will ever be completely irrelevant in children's lives.
- Dr. Seuss. Kids should read him on a train, or in the rain, or on a boat with a goat.
OK, who am I kidding? I would be listing authors for years if I continued this post! There are just so many good books and authors, there is not enough time in the day read them all.
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