Lowly’s Book Blog

Very rarely do I have the time to read a prize winning book. This one arrived with the Vogel Award badge printed on it’s front cover. But yet it is a new release. Does that mean that the manuscript won the award? Very impressive.

 The book is about a dysfunctional family. George works at the local ten-pin bowling alley at a dead end job. His boss has him pegged, and he gets the garbage jobs, literally. His girlfriend has just left him and he is grieving for the relationship while trying to work out what went wrong, and even dreaming of putting things back together. He is clearly suffering from post traumatic stress after walking in on a home invasion. The details are sketchy, but that constant fear has a serious impact on his behaviour when a prowler is seen in the neighbourhood. His brother Matthew is seriously troubled. He was driving when in a moment of youthful silliness there was an accident and his girlfriend/fiancé was killed. Grief and depression overwhelm the young man who can only find solace in a fantasy relationship with Magda Szubanski. George is looking after his older brother while keeping an eye on sad-but-smiling Mum. Enter Stacey, who seems to provide easy comfort, but what does she really want?

 This book thoroughly deserves the award. The writing is surreal, but absorbing. The reader very quickly comes to care about this family. George’s narration is straightforward and sensible, very clearly indicating the responsible young man that he is. Matthew’s narrations are far more symbolic and literary, but still have a warmth and sincerity that holds your attention. I even liked Mum, clearly suffering from a mental illness, but her love for her sons is genuine.

 As is often the case, I do have a problem with the publisher’s marketing. The cover indicated that I could expect a humorous book. Admittedly everyone has a different taste in humour, but I found this book to be very clearly a family drama examining the nature of grief. Thought-provoking and powerful, yes. Funny, no.

This is a tiny little book designed for the girls in primary school who really are not interested in spending time reading. This simple story told in 60 pages is about a group of friends trying to set up their own fashion design business. This can be difficult if the workroom is haunted. Actually the haunting isn’t as difficult as the fact that friends fall out, and then a business can be in trouble.

Wow…I just finished this amazing book and I am still in shock. Brugman always manages to write powerful books for young adults, and this one is no exception. I knew when it first came out I wanted to read it immediately, but the waiting list was too long. Finally, a year later came its turn.

Mackenzie is an experienced liar. All the way through the book the reader is wondering which version of the story is the truth. All you can be sure of is that she is a troubled girl who has had bad breaks from the time she was a small child. She also has anger management issues, and these land her a mandatory ‘camp’ courtesy of the courts. She choses to do the 24 hours alone in the bush option, and there the demons and muddled memories catch up to her.

Fairly early the reader works out that Mackenzie is the daughter of a druggie. But she is evasive about what happened to her father and step-brother. At the end when she finally finds the courage to admit what happened the reader is caught between cheering her on, and crying that any child could truly be that alone and unloved.

As always Brugman excels in finding a strong voice for her female characters. Mackenzie is no different.

However, some readers may find this difficult to manage the conflicting stories and the minimal action. This is a book for the tearjerker, realistic fiction fan.

Hmmm… I wonder if June Colbert has read anything by Melina Marchetta. This really feels like a ripped off plot if there ever was one.

Sarah is 16 and living happily with her Aunt Willow, a relic of the 70s hippie culture, complete with conspiracy theories. Then one day Willow disappears. Sarah dragged kicking and screaming to live with her estranged father, her stepmonster and three younger siblings, including a teething baby. All she really wants is to find Willow and put life back the way it was.

Her only clue is Willow’s diary from her first year at uni. Willow pours over this every chance she gets, not easy when the stepmonster is determined fill every minute of her days. The diary details life in Willow’s shared house, complete with cryptic nicknames like Sparkle and Tiger Lily. Eventually Hawk, Willow’s boyfriend becomes real, and from there Sarah is on her way to finding out what happened to Willow.

This book is interesting in the way it portrays the youth culture of the 70s. The sit-ins, anti-war marches and even the drug use is clearly shown. Sarah’s real existence is less exciting. The reader as well as Sarah wants to jump back to the diary at every opportunity. Sorry, but I just found the family too trite.

This book has a lot in common with On the Jellicoe Road. So much in common that I believe the story could be considered pale imitation. Both have disappearing relatives, both have a conspiracy of silence and cover-up. Both have an autobiographical source of information that leads to a solution of the puzzle in the end. However, Marchetta adds layers of delicious relationships both current and historical to make her novel a far more satifying read.

Every now and then you run into a book that simply will not fit into a category. This is one of them. I really don’t know that it is really written for lower secondary and a subject heading is impossible. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Paolo is a small boy growing up on a farm and the very southern tip of Chile. Is is so young that he isn’t even sure of his age. The farm gets very few visitors and the family has developed a routine of greeting them, and sending them on their way. But one day a big man arrives, sizes the farm up as an excellent hideout and murders Paolo’s mother and father before they can say or do anything. When Paolo returns from hunting snakes, Angel is unable to completely eliminate the family. A moment of weakness, humanity or just the child’s simple trust, but Angel is caught. He and the boy establish a relationship and continue to live on the farm. A while later a wealthy educated man Luis arrives and builds a shack on the property. When the shack is destroyed in a storm, he joins the others in the farmhouse. For a very long time the three scratch out a subsistence living, but eventually they are forced to go to the local village market. From the moment they arrive in civilisation, nothing is ever the same again.

The tension in the story comes from the personal insecurities and jealousy between Luis and Angel. Luis is wealthy, educated and an artist. He teaches Paolo to read and write and introduces the child to poetry. Angel is strong, tough and practical, but absolutely unwavering in his love for the child.

This book reminded me of Boyne’s The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. It can only be described as a modern fable. But the story is much more complex than Boyne’s tale. And things appear confused. Why did the author name the character who appears to be completely evil, Angel? This is only one of the questions that haunt long after the book is finished.

I will be recommending this book to others, but I am not at all sure where.

This was the darkest book I have read in a very long time, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy every word of this new book from Kevin Brooks.

Pete Boland was a young man bored with life. He had finished school, well the compulsory bit, and was spending the summer vegetating at home trying to decide whether or not to return to school for the final year, or quit and get a job.  And vegetating is the correct term, Pete had spent days in his room, too ‘tired’ to do anything but listen to music and watch TV. Suddenly, out of the blue, Nic, and old friend and love interest rings up. She and her brother are leaving for Paris and they would like to get the old gang together on Saturday night for one last time. The old gang consists of 5 friends that went through school together and used to hang out back when they were ‘little’. Although Nic didn’t invite him, Pete includes Ray who was once part of the group but was dropped by the others when he started hearing voices.

On the night of the reunion the friends get a little too drunk and rapidly the evening spins out of control. The next morning Ray is gone, a minor celebrity has disappeared, and from there life spins out of control.

Brooks maintains the authentic feel for the story with his portrayal of Pete’s anger and confusion. Pete’s frustration when no one seems to care that Ray is gone sends him off searching by himself, against his father’s instructions. Since Dad is a cop, not following advice lands Pete into more and more trouble. Gradually Pete discovers clues that the cops don’t care to know and comes to his own conclusion about what happened to Ray, and everyone else that night. I found Pete’s behavior totally believable and even admirable as he faces his fears.

This is a story primarily about friendship and loyality, but it is certainly a powerful adventure thriller as well.

An interesting title, not a bad cover. I have never read anything by Ken Spillman before, but it is always fun to find someone new.

Ossie is a troubled teen. His father is dead, his mother hates all men, his sister is annoying and life is tough. Somehow he has to survive a plague of post-it notes, a cold sore taking over his face, and a laughing psychologist. Working through these challenges would be difficult enough, but then he meets the girl…

This is a typical adolescent story told with a lightness and fun spirit that keeps the book entertaining, even at the serious points. I didn’t find it laugh-out-loud funny, but it was certainly amusing. The twist at the end came as a real surprise, but again Spillman handled it with a very light touch that respected the serious without dragging the whole book down.

Over the years I have read many books by Moya Simons, but I think this is my favourite.

Kate is 10 and talks to God regularly, about friends, school, family and even her new glasses. Part of these conversations include Stephanie, a new girl in the class. She appears to be a nerd, but proves to be surprisingly interesting. The conversations with God become serious when Stephanie becomes ill, and nothing appears to make her better. Just as Kate is ready to give up on God, things change.

This is a lovely warm book for the older primary student. It doesn’t flinch from reality, but still manages to convey warmth and compassion in what could be a very dark book.

I have been raving about this book all week! It is by far the best book I have read this year for the 11-14 year old reader.

My rave goes on for ages, so here I will only offer a teaser. Three children from a ‘normal’ working family encounter a very old lady living in the 19th century. Through various circumstances, they end up doing jobs for her, and they learn a lot about life before household appliances. But this lady does take the time to work with the children, talk to them, and more importantly, she listens to them. After the week of ‘community service’ all three of the kids continue to visit Miss McAllister most nights after school. The bulk of the book is about the growing friendship as the children introduce Miss McAllister to the 21st century, and she reminds them of what family and responsibility for others really means.

This book is just so warm and lovely. The balloon ride brought tears to my eyes but they were tears of absolute joy. I wanted to be there, but then it wouldn’t have been the same. Inevitably there is a sad ending, but that keeps up the realistic tone of the book. But you just know all three of the children will be far better people for the months they knew Miss McAllister.

I really cannot recommend this book highly enough. In a time when many authors feel they need to focus on negative elements in modern society, this book relishes in the common bond shared by humanity and the good that can come from it. Thank you Elizabeth Fensham.

Every now and then it seems that YA book publishers publish a string of titles on the same theme. A few year’s ago it was teenage pregnancy, or school bullies, or World War 1. About the middle of last year it seems the ‘in’ theme was dealing with grief.

Eve is a normal happy girl, the only daughter of two loving parents. The her mother stops enjoying life, staying in her room, content with TV. And then one day when Eve returns from school, there is no Mum, just a note on lavender stationery, simply saying EVE. Mum is gone, Dad won’t talk about it, and Eve is left to mourn and puzzle out what happened. She is also left to become the homemaker, because Dad starts working longer hours and often away from home. Suddenly an ordered life has become chaos, and a young girl who should have nothing to worry about but her social life, has more responsibilities than many adults.

This is a warm and wonderful story about love, loss, pain and hope, but most of all hope. Thank you Lizzie.