Bundy High Library

It is no surprise that this book has one so many accolades and that we are considering using it in some way with our 2012 classes. Parvana is a young Afghan girl living in Kabul under the watchful eye of the Taliban government. The various restrictions placed on her and other women mean that they have to come up with creative solutions to the problems in their life, especially after Parvana’s father is imprisoned for no apparent reason.

The hardships faced can only be imagined by us in Australia and add poignancy to current news items about refugees and asylum seekers. While the narrative style is simple, in a Morris Gleitzman fashion, it is powerful and should be read by all.

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 The author of the Ranger’s Apprentice series has done it again, creating another set of characters which both interest and inspire readers. This, the first book in what promises to be another lengthy series, deals with the same world as his earlier group of books but is set in fictional Skandia, a vaguely Scandinavian/Viking-like land which was described in some detail in the other books but is now the main attraction.

The focus of the tale is Hal, growing up without his father and under the tutelage of the man who was once the town drunk, Thorn. Their relationship is very similar to that between Will and Halt, the pair from the Ranger’s Apprentice books, and that would be the only real fault. We have characters learning about their own limitations, rising to challenges and defeating obstacles. These books are really instruction manuals for boys (and fathers) on how to survive adolescence. Even though they are set in a pseudo-fantasy world, full of action, violence and rough humour, they work perfectly well in our own world. Why the criticism, then?

It is a touch familiar, that’s all…I guess that is okay, giving people what they want. I enjoyed the book immensely, as I did the other series, and look forward to the next book. Will Hal redeem himself and the name of his band of brothers? (There are very few women in these books, being instruction manuals for boys! Hal’s mother is suitably strong, having survived without a husband for some years, but the rest? A possible girlfriend here and there, that is all.) Only time will tell…

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 The Invention of Hugo Cabret was a surprise (for me, anyway) with its lovely charcoal drawings, coupled with a delightful and warm story. Was it a picture book? A graphic novel? A book with pictures? A picture book with words? No matter how you looked at it, it was great and a deserving award winner.

Now we have more of the same. Wonder Struck seems to start with two narratives that intertwine, one told with words, one with drawings. Ben is partially deaf and living with family, though not his immediate family, his mother having died recently and his father a mystery. He longs to hold on to the memories of his mother and while looking through her stuff one day, he finds a clue which leads him away and on an adventure to find out more about her and his father. The pictures tell Rose’s story, a young deaf girl, who likewise is not sure of her place in the world.

Without giving too much away, the two stories connect in a way that is both predictable and beautiful. Like its predecessor, this is a book for all ages, one to give away to someone who wants a tale to appreciate and can also savour the images.

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 Respected and prize-winning Australian author Andrew McGahan has written his first novel for young adults and it is a cracker. It is a fantasy of sorts and the first in a series of four to come over the next few years, I imagine.

Why a fantasy of sorts? It is not a high fantasy tale with swords and sorcery (not yet, anyway). The characters are very human and real. The main character is Dow Amber, eldest son of a timber cutter and destined to follow his father in the time-honoured fashion. Until the day he climbs a peak above the timberline and sees the sea for the first time. From that moment on, he dreams of nothing else a nd knows that his fate lies elsewhere. There is a bind between himself and the open sea. This compulsion forces him to leave his family and travel to a small fishing village across the bay from the largest city on the island, Stone Port, where the fabled Ship Kings rule over New Island.

This takes us through the first third or so of the book, with Dow meeting his reluctant host, the old man who agreed to take him on, and he begins his education on the water. From this point, Dow learns of the history surrounding his own heritage and that of the island, specifically how the Ship Kings won the war eighty years ago which has allowed them to rule the land. They are fearsome and militant conquerors, taking half of everything for their own lands. Nevertheless, Dow is intrigued and continues to feel thet compulsion which makes him question his destiny. What is it that draws him to the water? Why does he appear to have some unnatural skill with the sailing boats? Why do the villagers both hate and fear him?

There is also the water itself which emerges as a major character in its own right. The title and cover give a little of the game away. Yes, there is a whirlpool and it plays a major role in the narrative. The author’s depictions of the whirlpool and sailing are vivid and set this apart from the run-of-the-mill.

The novel has few faults; sometimes events happen in the blink of an eye and the fantasy fan in me wants more detail in the world. Parts of it remind me of Le Guin’s Earthsea and like most fantasy, we see the world through the character’s eyes. This can be a bit limiting but I am looking foward to the next instalment.

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I was only thinking the other day how quickly the year has flown by…don’t we all! And I realised that 12 months ago, the library was a small room, with books in various shipping containers and other small rooms around the school. Lunch times were exceptionally quiet with a few kids reading in the noisy classroom we had been assigned to. The building itself was a mess.

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As most might know, I am not a hardcore horror fan. I will read it if I have to, but I much prefer fantasy and crime books, genre-wise, anyway. Yet The Enemy had been taking up space on my shelf for some time and I finally thought to pull it down and start…

This is one of the most intense books I have read, which just goes to show that maybe I haven’t read that much! The premise is that a mystery disease has struck down everyone over the age of 15 or so and they turn into flesh-eating zombies. All that are left in London are packs of children, hiding in wrecked buildings, fortifying the Tower of London and shopping centres as they eke out an existence of fighting and scavenging. There are various groups of children that are introduced and then gradually reduced by the packs of zombies. Kids die, fairly graphically, and the action quickly moves on to save readers from mourning them for too long!

Where does the horror come from, then? Scenes of mutilated adults lumbering down the London streets, torturing children and destroying their corpses. Try that for a start! The battle scenes are graphic and well-written. The characters are equally memorable though some of them only last a few chapters before being swamped by decaying adults! And the best bit?

There are two other novels which follow the first! And another one is planned for 2012! Each of the current three adds to the Gone-like (and Lord of the Flies) scenario and I cannot wait for the next!

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