The Slap
Christos Tsiolkas Read by Alex Dimitriades Bolinda audio (2010) An oldie but a goodie. I’d watched the series, I’d read other books by Tsiolkas, but I hadn’t thought to read this one until now. I love Tsiolkas’ books. They can be rough and gritty, and even hard to stomach at times, but they make me think. This one would have to be my favourite. I’ve only just finished it and I almost want to listen/read it all over again. Now. The story evolves from and revolves around the incident of ‘the slap’. Aisha and Hector are holding a barbeque. Family and friends are invited. Rosie, Aisha’s friend from school days, attends with her husband Gary and four year old son Hugo. Their parenting ideas are far different from Hector and Harry’s (Cousins) Greek upbringing. Hugo behaves differently to the other children and no one is impressed. Then Harry, a grown man, slaps Hugo. Friends and family are thrown into a violent hurricane of emotions where loyalties and values are tested. The book is written from eight different voices. The reader dives into each perspective and is forced to make judgements, connections and inner confessions. No one is as idealistic or true to their beliefs as they make out. How does Tsiolkas manage to get into so many minds? From Greek grandparents, to teenagers, white Australians with damaged pasts, to an Indian career woman, he nails them all. I am in awe. The Slap was Christos Tsiolkas’ fourth novel. It won the 2009 Commonwealth Writer’s prize for best novel in South East Asia and South Pacific Area. It was adapted into an Australian Miniseries, and later a US miniseries.
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Aussie Kids
Penguin Random House Australia Meet Katie at the Beach Rebecca Johnson & Lucia Masciullo (2020) Meet Sam at the Mangrove Creek Paul Seden & Brenton McKenna (2020) Meet Mia by the Jetty Janeen Brian & Danny Snell (2020) Meet Eve in the Outback Raewyn Caisley & Karen Blair (2020) Say hello to a lovable bunch of kids that come from all parts of Australia. Katie lives in an apartment in Queensland right across from the beach. She spends plenty of time down at the water, catching waves and building castles with her family. Unfortunately, on this particular day she has a very wobbly and sore tooth and a trip to the beach feels a little too much. Sam and his best mate Peter love to go fishing at the creek up in the Northern Territory. They know all about the tides and the fish. The only problem is, they aren’t really sure how to use their net and Peter brings banana lollies. Sam is sure there’ll be a disaster (Bananas are bad luck on a fishing trip!). Eve lives in Nowhere in Western Australia and she thinks it’s magical. There are lizards, kangaroos and even camels roaming wild around the bush. Her cousin Will comes to visit and Eve is a little worried that her magical place won’t compare to the dolphins he has back home. The thought of chores during a visit to the neighbour doesn’t sound too appealing to Will either until he experiences the joys of driving across bumping paddocks to visit new born lambs. Mia lives at Victor Harbour in South Australia. She loves being by the beach and fossicking along the sand. Mia is a little nervous when a boy comes to stay with them, but then decides that being a tour guide can be a lot of fun. This series of books is a wonderful celebration of the diversity that Australia offers. Each character is proud of who they are and where they live, and their unique stories and experiences are enticing for any reader. The books are pitched for emerging readers aged between five and eight. There are short sentences and short chapters complimented with simple vocabulary and two-colour illustrations. The characters highlight that no matter what surrounds you, there is always something interesting to find and do, a wonderful lesson for the youth of today. The language and voice of each character has been carefully selected to reflect children from different parts of Australia, making this a great set of stories to work through inferring and connections within the classroom. Children in Year one and two will love the independence of reading these short chapter books while having the opportunity to peek into the lives and homes of different kids. Good Girl Bad Girl
Michael Robotham 2019 Hachette Australia A wild eyed girl is found hiding in a secret room while her tortured captor rots inside the house. She won’t reveal anything about her past, so the courts give her the name Evie. A boy comes home to find his parents and twin sisters murdered by his older brother. He is spared but alone. His name is Cyrus. This is not what ‘Good Girl Bad Girl’ is all about. Cyrus is now a grown man; a psychologist. He has been assigned Evie’s case to assess whether she is safe to be released into the world. She has an intriguing gift and claims to be an adult, however no birth certificate can be found. Meanwhile he is also investigating the murder of a teenager, a semi ice skating pro, who has been found on the edge of a walking track, covered in branches. The girls’ stories and histories at first seem completely removed from each other. Michael Robotham expertly plots the seemingly parallel paths until they eventually connect and cross over. The tale is written from two perspectives, Cyrus’ and Evie’s, with a ratio of approximately three to one. This results in a deeper connection and sympathy to Cyrus’ character and build-up of intrigue and fondness for Evie. The book has won Robotham the CWA Gold Dagger for 2020 and is a number one best seller. Thankfully, he has now released a sequel, ‘When she was good’, that I am dying to read (pun intended). The Colouring Competition
Heath McKenzie (2020) Scholastic Australia Oscar and Henry are in it to win it. Then they take their eyes off the prize. Oscar learns of the colouring competition in a shop window. He is determined and wants to begin colouring immediately. Very quickly, however, he discovers that he has competition. Henry is just as determined. Their colouring takes them on a wild adventure through the park, the zoo and the city. They colour everything that stands in their way, creating hilarious scenarios of painted prams, trees, animals and buildings. This book will have readers falling in love from the moment they lay eyes on the front cover (I did!). The illustrations are spectacular due to the expanse of black and white with vibrant splashes of colour helping to tell the story of where the boys have been. These splashes of colour also appear strategically within the black text, creating novelty and variety for the reader. Also entertaining, are the facial expressions on the characters as they vary from unaware, to shock, anger and laughter at the boys’ antics. This is a picture story book that will be loved for different reasons depending on age and context. Young children will delight in following the colourful trail the boys make, while early primary school students will appreciate the lessons on friendship and fun. At an older level, the illustrations can be analysed in more depth by using the pictures to understand story structure and plot. Heath McKenzie is well known for many of his author/illustrator books. You may recognise his unique style in his illustrations for Anh Do’s ‘There’s a big green frog in the toilet’ and Andy Lee’s ‘Do not open this book!’ Heart and Soul
Carol Ann Martin (2020) Scholastic Press A story about friendship, loyalty and a love of the arts. Carol Ann Martin has added this exquisite tale to her large collection of published picture books. Louis, a rescued dog, forms a loyal and loving friendship with his jazz loving owner Charlie. Together they connect over their passion for music; Charlie plays the trumpet and Louis sings along. The reader is immediately captivated by the two precious characters- their personalities evident within reading the first page. Readers then fall straight into the tension of the story by page two when one of the lovable characters fall ill. Heart and Soul follows a narrative structure beautifully through the introduction of characters and setting, followed by tension, then problem, and eventual unravelling of the resolution. Throughout the story, Martin continually revisits the message of ‘heart and soul’, a reference to being true to oneself and feeling the music. She uses interesting and unique adjectives to build connection to the characters such as ‘scrambled-up, no-name pup’, and evocative verbs such as ‘drifted’, ‘rushed’ and ‘floated’. Tull Suwannakit, a Melbourne based illustrator from Thailand, complements the story with stunning water colour pictures and expressive faces. Both the theme and illustrations are reminiscent of Mem Fox and Julie Vivas’ ‘Wilfred Gordan McDonald Patridge’ and would pair perfectly for teaching text-to-text connections. With flowing sentences and unique word choices, ‘Christmas was coming, all bustle and dash’, the story appeals to a range of age groups starting from four. A joyful book that can be enjoyed by all. The Wonderful Wisdom of ants.
Philip Bunting (2020) Omnibus Books: Scholastic The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants is a playful picture book written by the highly recognised author of Mopoke, Philip Bunting. It sets out to answer life’s biggest questions through the often unnoticed yet insightful world of ants. Bunting takes us on a factual journey to discover the hidden talents of these little creatures while subtly drawing comparisons to humans, their relationships with each other and the earth. Bunting’s known quirky style does not disappoint in this factual book. Similar to conventional non-fiction texts, the book provides facts about its topic’s (ants) likes, dislikes, community and hierarchy. The reader will learn about communication and diet, with exposure to a range of technical language. The uniqueness in this text, however, comes from the comedy and graphic design which is far from a typical information text. Bold blocks of earthy colours cover each page with large, simple illustrations. Facts are presented through smoothly structured sentences, diagrams and picture labels. Bunting maintains engagement for the reader, employing strategies such as repetition, single word and complex sentences, to convey meaning while keeping the explanations comprehendible for a range of readers. He adds characterisation to the ants through humorous dialogue in the form of speech bubbles and quotes. The book is a perfect intergenerational text that can be read to a younger audience while still being enjoyed by the older reader. As a mentor text for the classroom, this book would be perfect to teach the comprehension strategy Making Connections as the author leads the reader to connect and compare the information with their knowledge of the world, humans and relationships. The study of sentence fluency could also highlight the clever way that short sentences, repetition and more complex sentences can be carefully crafted to engage the reader. From the illustrations, graphic design, humour and facts, there is something for everyone in this delightful book. The Cage
Lloyd Jones (2018) Bolinda Audio Read by Amos Phillips Strangers. They’ve experienced an inexplicable trauma, arrive without documentation and cannot explain who they are. No birth certificates, passports or ID. We want to help them but how do we know we can trust them? Without documentation, substantiated history, how do we know their true purpose? Keep them detained- to protect us, to protect them. Until… The Cage by Lloyd Jones tells this initially innocent tale that becomes more and more immoral as the story progresses. The protagonist is a reliable yet naïve narrator and the reader joins him in observing the happenings from a distance. But at what point should our storyteller stop observing and intervene? At what point should we? The allegory Jones writes is expertly woven into a fictional account set in a small country town. The community is tight and cooperative. They create and follow protocols as they incarcerate two distressed and suffering strangers who cannot explain themselves adequately for the townspeople. The reader is positioned to wonder what they hope to achieve with this cage and for how long the ordeal will last. Salt- Selected Stories and Essays
Bruce Pascoe 2019 Black Inc. Challenging. This book challenged my understanding of the history of Australia. It challenged my vocabulary knowledge and comprehension. It challenged me because I couldn’t always relate to the situations that characters were in. It was a book I could put down, and I often did. I kept coming back to it, however, because I knew that these challenges were an essential way for me to crawl my way out of ignorance. Pascoe has a way with words that is poetic, at times gritty and highly intelligent. Throughout this book, as well as Dark Emu and Young Dark Emu, Pascoe brings to light, cultural identity that exists within many Indigenous Australian communities. Salt is a collection of short stories and essays. The essays reflect on a version of Australian history that has been taught for centuries in contrast to the truth of Australian history that should be taught. He explores people’s general perceptions about the origins of farming, bread making and science concepts while exposing the ignorance of many through his research from the written transcripts of the European explorers. At times, his essays are angry and sometimes sarcastic, however, always informed and informative. Pascoe’s stories can be abrasive. They talk of relationships and give voice to interesting and diverse characters. At times, his stories are so personal, one might feel embarrassed to be reading, as is the case in Dawn. Romantic stories such as Pittosporum invite the senses as readers feel the texture of words on their tongues, visualise smells and experience colours. A book worth persisting with. Edie’s experiments- How to be the best
Charlotte Barkla Penguin Random House Australia (2020) Tales of an epic school project, a science obsessed Year five student and a nasty new arrival to the class; Charlotte Barkla incorporates humour, competition and life lessons into this entertaining tale of a Year five student who wants to be the best. Barkla is a former civil engineer and physics teacher who has turned to writing to spread the joy and importance of science, engineering and sustainability. ‘Edie’s experiments- How to be the best’ is the second book in the ‘Edie’s experiments’ series. Barkla has also published ‘All bodies are good bodies’ and is prolific in her article writing for the likes of The Australian Education Union, Engineers Australian as well as other publications. Teacher resources relating to science and sustainability, with a connection to the Edie books, can be found on her website. Edie is ambitious, persistent and energetic. And she loves science! She jumps at any opportunity to get involved in a good experiment. Edie doesn’t just leave science for school, however, her whole family, even her little brother Max, endures her constant data collecting and experimentations. An Eco Fair competition is announced with a fabulous prize as the incentive. Edie is excited and confident until rivalry in the form of a conceited classmate, Dean Starlight, shifts her attitude. With his fabulous hair and Science Academy training, Edie knows that the competition will be tight. What she doesn’t realise is that Dean plays dirty. Will competitiveness see Edie succumb to these nasty tactics? Only time, and reading, will tell. This playful novel is perfect for children between the ages of 7 to 12. At a younger age, children will enjoy having the saga read to them. The cartoonish pictures and science experiments embedded within the text add to the engagement and are perfect for use by teachers as a sample scientific procedure text type. The book would also useful for critiquing how an author organises and presents fictional information in a variety of ways. My Year twos give it The Thumbs Up! The Testaments Margaret Atwood (2019) Bolinda Audio Read by Ann Dowd, Bryce Dallas Howard, Derek Jacobi, Mae Whitman, Margaret Atwood and Tantoo Cardinal. The Testaments is the long awaited sequel to the Handmaid’s tale (published in 1985). 38 years later, Atwood has gifted us with a sequel that is set 15 years post the final scene in The Handmaid’s tale. Receiving a joint award for the Man Booker Prize 2019 (along with Bernardine Evaristo's novel Girl, Woman, Other), it does not disappoint. Where the Handmaid’s Tale had many bleak and despairing moments, The Testaments give hope. The story is set through a sequential series of transcripts by three women involved in the fall of the dystopian world of Gilliad. Through their painful stories we learn more of the horrific and unfair treatment of woman in the misogynist regime, and their eventual strength and activism. We hear from the voice of Aunt Lydia, a prominent enforcer of the laws that see women treated as commodities for trading. Daisy is a young teenager who has had the good fortune of growing up in Canada, and Agnes, a little older than Daisy, who has only known the life of a devout and obedient Gilliad citizen. Harnessing strengths from polar opposites, the unlikely three work together for a common purpose. Ann Dowd, the actress that plays Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s tale T.V. series also reads for Aunt Lydia in this recording. Her voice engaging and immediately familiar for anyone who has watched the T.V. show. Daisy and Agnes have younger sounding voices. Atwood herself has a part in reading each chapter title with a haunting voice that adds a sorrowful flavour to the reading. A question that I and I’m sure many others had when reading or watching The Handmaid’s Tale is how could Aunt Lydia act the way that she does towards women, her own kind. It is exciting and relieving to hear her perspective in The Testaments. The result is an intensly satisfying sequel and conclusion to the saga. Highly recommended as an audiobook, the only reason it took me so long to sink my teeth into this book is because it was released as a hard back, which I am not fond of (uncomfortable when reading in bed). The audiobook was a compromise, however, I am glad I did consume the book in this form. I devoured it as fast as I could, only allowing myself to listen when running or walking. Consequently my exercise regularity increased considerably during the listening of this story. |
What's this about?As a lover of books and a teacher, I read widely. Here you will find book reviews of many genres including picture story, middle grade fiction, graphic novels, women's fiction, short story anthologies, non-fiction and anything else that takes my fancy. Archives
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