Adele Broadbent's Blog, page 237

Stars at Oktober Bend

(Not in Napier Libraries)

Author – Glenda Millard

Age – 13+

Alice has a brain injury after something terrible happened to her. She is frustrated that her speech sounds so thick and slurred, and that she forgets words she needs to say something. So she expresses herself in poems – lyrical poems that help free her feelings. She leaves her poems where others can read them, share them or keep them, though she’s not sure whether the people of her town bother. But one person has noticed her poems. And he’s noticed Alice too.

Manny is a refugee from Sierra Leone, and he recognises the knowing sadness in Alice’s eyes as the same look his people had when their country was ravaged by war. He is intrigued by Alice and her beautiful poems and wants to know more.

This story is how that happens, with a background of poverty and hardship, love and patience.

Simply beautiful.

(Love, Refugee, Family, Poetry, Growing up, Bullying, Brain Injury, Acceptance, Differences)

In Darkling Wood

ER – CAR

Author – Emma Carroll

Age – 8+

This is a story of family feud’s, fairies and friendship.

When Alice has to go and stay with Nell, a grandmother she has never met; she is worried for her little brother as he receives a heart transplant, angry at her absent father who doesn’t seem to care, and intrigued by a girl she meets in the wood that all but surrounds her grandmother’s house.

But Nell wants to cut the wood down. It’s getting too close and is going to wreck the house. “But what about the fairies in the wood?” Alice’s new friend Flo asks. “If they lose their home they will take their revenge.”

Should Alice ignore Flo’s weird warnings or try and save Darkling Wood?

A very enjoyable read for girls 8+. A little magic, lots of family, and letters from the past that bring it all together.

(Fairies, Mystery, Magic, Conservation, Blended family, Friendship)

Flying Furballs (1) Dogfight

EXT – BIX

Author – Donovan Bixley

Age – 6+

This is the 1st book in this series.

Top pilots from Cat Allied Troups are assembled for a an important briefing. They are told Major Tom has gone missing behind enemy lines! It must be kept secret so the public don’t panic when they learn their hero has been captured by dogz. Not to mention finding him before he is forced to give up any information.

Claude D’Bonair (a young-gun pilot), immediately volunteers to go in and find him. But he’s reminded that his last mission didn’t go that well. He was forced to land by the Red Setter – the top pilot of the enemy – Dogz. Ever since, Claude’s wondered why the ace enemy flyer didn’t shoot him from the sky when he had the chance?

With the help of his expert mechanic friend Manx, he flies out on his new mission, determined to find Major Tom. What he finds is action, stowaways, a jaw dropping leap from the top of a castle and another run-in with enemy fighter pilots.

This was a fantastic start to a new series written and illustrated by NZ’s own, award-winning, Donovan Bixley. Packed full of black & white illustrations, fact pages on Claude’s plane and flying, gadgets and gags, this is going to be a hit series!

(Friendship, Courage, Animals, Action, War, Humour)

Much Ado about Nothing

Junior Non-Fiction

Author/Illustrator – Donovan Bixley

Age – 10+

If you ever thought William Shakespeare was old-fashioned, not relevant to today or even just plain boring, you need to read and pore over the illustrations in this fun but factual (as much as possible) biography of this amazing man from our past.

Beginning from when ‘Will’ was born, Much Ado about Shakespeare takes the reader right through this accomplished playwright’s life to his death at 52. Every stage of his life is accompanied by a stunning full colour illustration, bringing the story to life.

There are also the illustrator’s rough pencil sketches, an illustrated time-line and a list of Shakespeare’s work. Check out the silhouette at the back of the book, showing all the sayings that we use every day that were first said by Shakespeare. You’ll be amazed!

This is non-fiction, but reads like a story, and a very interesting one at that. Roll on the NZ Book Awards!

Nightfall

TEEN – HAL

Author – Jake Halpern/Peter Kujawinkski

Age – 12+

14 years of sunlight, then 14 years of darkness. This is the world of the island called Bliss. The sun is setting and everyone has to leave the island for the next 14 years. No-one can survive the darkness. But when Marin and Kana’s friend goes missing just before they are about to sail, they know they have to try and find him. The ships will wait for them – won’t they?

This story is an excellent example of descriptive writing. The authors had me in the forest with their characters. I could feel the creeping chill and the all encompassing darkness as the characters flee from what hunted them…

(Fantasy, Intrigue, Mystery, Friendship, Courage)

 

Follow me back

TEEN – CLO

Author – Nicci Cloke

Age – 14+

Lizzie has gone missing. Aiden hasn’t spoken to her for a while after they broke up, but the police still want to know if he knows anything. He’s worried, but he’s not about to tell them how close they got. Or the reason why they broke up.

But his worry for her is all encompassing. Where is she? Why did she go to meet a random stranger from Facebook? Did their break-up push her to it? With help from his friend Scobie and support from his mum and step-dad, Aiden is determined to work out her messages on Facebook that she left before she vanished. Did she disappear on purpose to avoid the hate mail she got about her sister on a local reality TV show, or did her online friend do her harm? Where is Lizzie?

This was a story full of twists and turns, and the power of social media. I didn’t figure out what happened to her and the ending was a surprise. The first half of the book is in Aiden’s viewpoint then multiple viewpoints kick in.

Five Children on the Western Front

ER – SAU

Author – Kate Saunders

Age – 9+

Winner of the Costa Book Award 2014

The Sand Fairy’s story continues –

The older children have grown up and are facing going off to war. The Psammead (Sandy Fairy) has turned up unexpectedly, and his magic is off kilter. Through random magical trips forward and back through time, they learn more about him and all realise he needs to do some changing too – to make up for his terrible deeds in the distant past. But how long will that take? And how long will the war rage across the world?

Written in the old fashioned language just like the original, this author has carried on the story from E Nesbit’s classic.

(WWI, Family, Magic, Love, Accountability, Kindness, Loss, Grief)

Magrit

(Not Available Napier Library)

Author – Lee Battersby

Age – 9+

Magrit lives in an abandoned cemetery, surrounded by tenement buildings. When a stork flies by and drops a crying bundle into the cemetery, her only friend Master Puppet (who she made herself out of bones and sticks and rags), tells her to leave it alone. But she can’t and as soon as she picks it up knows what it is. And she also knows, if she doesn’t quieten it, one of the surrounding tenement windows will open and discover her hiding place.

A quick read, but one that holds you until you discover the truth about Magrit, along with her. Her world is the cemetery and as you read, the walls of the buildings and chapel surround you as you join her world. A little creepy, but not too much for young readers, who will enjoy the ending.

Something different.

(Cemetery, Imagination, Survival, Secret, Creepy)

Enemy Camp

TEEN – HIL

Author – David Hill

Age – 13+

This story is told in diary format by a young 12 yr old boy (Ewen) in 1942-1943, when New Zealand is fearful of Japanese invasion, American troops are training nearby, (meeting the locals and going out with the girls), and the home guard is made up of inexperienced teens and old men.

Ewen isn’t happy about having to write a diary for school. His teacher says they are living through ‘special times’ and they should record it. But the more Ewen writes, the more he realises how much is happening around him in normal family life in NZ in the 1940’s.

Ewen is a realistic character – a typical kiwi kid. He’s a good mate to his best friend Barry, a loving son to his mum and dad, concerned about Barry’s little brother who has polio, and not impressed with snobby Susan Proctor at school.

But Ewen does some growing up throughout the novel, learning about the Japanese POW’s at the camp his dad works in, and one prisoner in particular.

Lt Ito is a proud, stern soldier who teaches Ewen and his friends not only about Japan and their language, but about inner strength, humility and honour.

As tensions rise within the camp, those tensions flood through the community, and Ewen and his mates also learn about prejudice and hate. When things reach breaking point, they see what these emotions can do. A terrible event but understandable in such times and circumstances. There is a distressing scene when the boys see the tensions explode and bullets fly.

Another great book by a a multi award winning New Zealand Author, based on a real event and a Japanese POW camp that was near Featherston in early 1940’s, that held up to 800 Japanese prisoners of war.

(War, Conflict, Family, Friendship, Historical, School, NZ, New Zealander, Kiwi)

The Way we Roll

TEEN GAR

Author – Scot Gardner

Age – 16+

Will is in hiding. He lives under a bowling alley by night, and works as a trolley boy in a large mall during the day. He is a complete contrast to Julian, who is a Westie, covered in tattoos and rough round the edges, who is also a trolley boy.

Julian calls Will an Alfie because he used to go to an expensive private school called St Alphaeus. Julian wants to know why someone like Will is sleeping under a bowling alley, and he offers Will a bed at his house. Will meets Julian’s family who accept Will straight away, are kind and caring – which is just what Will needs at the moment and the complete opposite to what he is used to.

When the reason for Will’s hiding catches up with him, he finally has to face the problem. But now he’s not on his own. He has the support of Julian’s entire family behind him.

This is a great story for guys about friendship, relationships, family and how they can be made up in so many different ways. Definitely for older teens due to explicit language and topics.

(Realism, Working, Family, Friendship, Conflict, Anger, Relationships, workmates)