Lowly’s Book Blog

Often I am asked if I like every book I read. I seem to find something positive to say about everything. This book is certainly the exception. There is nothing good about this rubbish.

This is essentially a bad science textbook loosely strung together with a ludicrous story about Columbus’ discovery of America. There is no attempt to make the story flow, that might get in the way of the science lectures. The plot. if there is any, is ludicrous. Imagine a common seaman lecturing Columbus about tides.

As a science teacher I found this book offensive.

It seems like it has been ages since I read something for younger children. All these adult books for review are certainly modifying my reading habits. However, I heard a lot of positive comments about this book at a recent conference, so it eventually came to the top of the list.

As the book begins Aunt Bethany has recently died leaving a music box to her nephew Leo. He has always been fascinated by the box and she knew he was responsible enough to follow the rules. However his cousin Mimi comes to stay for a few weeks and she is an established rule breaker. Without spoiling the story, I can reveal that this is a quest fantasy.

Regular readers will know that I am always crying out for fantasy novels to reflect a real cultural heritage. Rodda has accomplished this brilliantly with her references to Farmer Jack Macdonald, trolls under bridges, and lots more.

This book has been shortlisted on the CBC Younger Readers list. I haven’t read the complete list yet, but I would think this one has a very good chance of winning.

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 seen a lot of Greg Pyers books over the years. Mostly they are information books nicely written to give good reliable information to 8-12 year olds. Personally, I think Pyers should have stayed with that format and not tried to make a go of it writing fiction.

This book is very clearly number 2 in the Jack Brown series, and clearly there are, or were, plans for many more. Jack is a young man passionate about animals. Not at all surprising since he can speak to any animal telepathically. Naturally the bad guys are out to destroy rare animals, rob a zoo, or otherwise upset the beasts. Conveniently Jack’s cousin Molly lives near the City Zoo, so his R&R after his first big adventure is interrupted again.

Yes this book, and the series has it’s place. It is very difficult to find something not too long, and not too complex for 12 year old boys who have decided that they cannot read, or will not read. They need something that is short so it is not scary, and gets straight into the action without wasting time developing characters. This book fits the bill. At 150 pages long, most boys will at least give it a go.

But I believe the plot is too predictable, even too childish to stand up to a long series. Since I can’t find any more in the series after book 2, it looks like the publishers agreed with me.

What can you say about a Katherine Paterson book? They are always warm, affirming stories about children finding hidden strength. And The Same Stuff as Stars is no different.

Angel and her brother have been abandoned, literally, in a supermarket carpark. Her father is in jail and her mother has just dumped her and walked away. The only place for Angel and her little brother to go is to her grandmother who lives in Vermont on a dying farm. Sound familiar? I thought for a long time I was reading Cynthia Voigt’s The Homecoming.

But Grandmother has a boarder living in a caravan on the property. This mysterious man is fascinated by the stars, and leads Angel into a world of wonder and imagination. However, their friendship must remain secret. For some reason Grandmother is always angry with this boarder.

So many books I read are about teenagers finding maturity and a strength they never knew they had. This book is in many ways the reverse, a young girl who has been forced to grow up far too early discovers the child within.

I found this book a pleasant read, but I guess I prefer to read something that is going to challenge my thinking. This was just too gentle and sweet for my taste.

And another end to a favourite series… This time the wonderful Dragonkeeper trilogy set in a mythical Imperial China.

The story so far…. Ping was a lonely slave girl working for a cruel master who claimed to be the Imperial Dragonkeeper. Although he had care of several dragons, they were gradually dying. Ping, the true dragonkeeper, helped one dragon escape and traveled with him to the ocean carrying a strange stone all the way. Once bathed in seawater the stone hatched and Ping became ‘mother’ to a baby dragon.

In this book Kai, the young dragon, has reached adolescence and together he and Ping head off to find a safe home for Kai. A coded map is found, and eventually they find a small group of dragons surviving in the mountains. Because of the broken relationship with humans, the dragon tribe refuse to help humanity and as a result China is starving in drought.

I have greatly enjoyed these three books, especially the last. Ping has truly grown up over the series, becoming a confident young woman able to make decisions and face dangers. There is enough adventure to keep the story flowing, and the fantasy element is handled without becoming silly. These books provide entertaining reading for anyone over age 10.

Before I begin, I will admit that I am not a fan of Glenda Millard. Other books of hers that I have read in the past are full of good ideas, that unfortunately go nowhere. This time the book is supposedly one of the best written in Australia for kids during 2006. So I gave it a chance. How bad can it be?

Layla is a sweet little girl. She is an only child, but is best friends with a family full of colourful children. We last encountered Layla in the book The Naming of Tishkin Silk, also shortlisted for the CBC book prize. Now she is a little older, and minus her beloved Nana. She thinks that she is managing here grief successfully until Senior Citizen’s day is announced at school. Enter Miss Amilie, an Senior Citizen with Alzheimers.

The book is a very gentle story about a growing friendship across generations. And on that level it is a very good read. However I do have a couple of problems. Firstly, I found Layla annoyingly false. Her favourite clothing is a dress covered in hearts. When is the last time you met a child who loved dressing up? Most kids I know don’t even own a skirt beyond a school uniform. And the loss of the grandparents troubles me. With the longer life expectancy now, most children know their grandparents well into adulthood, and even know their great-grandparents for most of their childhood. So why did Layla lose all of hers? To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, it smacks of carelessness. And then when Miss Amilie gets lost too… suddenly everything is beyond belief.

Sorry folks, but I have not changed my opinion about Glenda Millard with this offering. Maybe next time.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started this book. The cover and blurb give very few clues about what is inside. The artwork says ‘children or YA’ and the blurb says ‘Celtic’ with the implication of adventure and magic. However, the book is anything but. If anything I would call it ‘coming of age’ but the main character seems to be aged about 10.

Quickly, 6 children have been apprenticed to a druid. However, only one can be trained. Over a period of 5 new moons one child will be sent home after the welcoming ceremony. The book then becomes a series of stories a>involving each child and exposing their true character. Our ‘hero’ is as fallible as any of the children. Eventually he discovers the druid is selling his support and the young boy stands against the druid, apparently sealing his fate.

As you can guess, this is very unusual. Almost every historical story for children, and I think this one is for the upper primary more than lower secondary, involves lots and lots of adventure. This is much more introspective. The reader is required to understand motives, reject selfish behavior and generally make very mature judgements. It can be quite a ‘morality’ tale without being preachy or judgemental.

I will be very interested in finding this book’s audience and it will take some work. Certainly I don’t see it outselling Harry Potter.

Before I begin, I will admit that I hate this growing trend to republish good books shortened, sanitised and ‘safe’ for children. The Power of One used to be read by young adults as well as old, but the young reader’s edition just makes some readers think they can read and absorb the whole thing in 300 pages. Or Mao’s Last Dancer is made non-confrontational for year 7 and 8. To my mind kids should wait until they can handle the contents of the original story, violence, sex and social confrontation included and then read the full story rather than reading weaker version of the same plot, and assuming there is nothing more in the original text. It’s like seeing the movie and skipping the book.

Having said that, you know I will not have liked this book. Garimara’s original story Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence is already short and accessible. A movie has been made of the highlights just to make sure everyone understands the achievement. The film is rated PG and I know several primary schools that show it in years 5 or 6. So why on earth did UQP feel they had to publish this very simple, short-cut version of the story?

The book is in large print, liberally illustrated and under 100 pages long. The whole stolen children event is covered in 2 pages with the line ‘I’ve come to take … [the girls] … to school down south’ and the mothers crying as they drive away as the critical events. The rest of the book is about escaping the school and the walk home.

If this was published to help children understand the stolen generation, it misses the mark badly. Going to school is something families face every day. Mothers cry every year as children head off for their first days of school. The power of the original story lies in the darker moments highlighting the brighter memories of home and thereby motivating the long walk.

Sorry, but I believe this book is a waste of resources.

Shey has been dumped with her artist uncle while her parents go on holidays. His house is full of paintings and Shey is BORED until she discovers an old pair of opera glasses studded with rubies.

Then Shey happens to look at a painting through the glasses and finds herself inside the action of the painting. Imagine her surprise as she is racing a sandstorm in ancient Egypt! And what is Uncle Ruben doing inside these paintings as well? Are there really clues left by his missing wife to enable Ruben to follow her?

This book is almost impossible to place in one simple category or genre. There is a fair bit of adventure, a touch of mystery and even the love story between Ruben and Maria. But mostly it is a gentle fantasy full of magic and wonderful stories based on some very real artwork. Just some of the paintings included in the story are
Children’s Games by Peter Bruegel
The Pyramids Road by Edward Lear