M. T. ANDERSON, Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad Candlewick Press/Walker Books Australia, 1 Dec 2015, 456pp., $27.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780763668181 This superb book of history tells the story of the life of Russian modernist composer Dmitri Shostakovich, leading up to his writing of his seventh symphony during the siege of Leningrad in 1941 as the Germans surrounded the city and decided to wait until the population starved before moving in. throughout the book there are many rare and interesting photographs of individuals and street scenes. M. T. Anderson has a wonderful…
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Jo Nelson, Jo (text), Richard Wilkinson (illus.) Historium (Welcome to the Museum). Five Mile Press, 1 Oct 2015, 96pp., $39.95 (large format hbk) ISBN 9781760068202 This educational book on the meaning of human artefacts from past civilisations is itself a remarkable artefact. At 37cm x 28cm it is as large as a small coffee table, but remarkably easy to handle and exquisitely made. The paper is of high quality, and Richard Wilkinson’s illustrations based on photographs, created in pen and ink, then coloured digitally, are breathtaking. The premise of the book is that you are entering a museum that houses…
Pat Schmatz, Lizard Radio. Candlewick Press/Walker Books Australia, 1 Dec 2015. 280pp., $24.95 (hbk) ISBN 9780763676353 This beautifully produced book is a lively speculative novel that leaves the reader in no doubt that it is a coming-of-age story for teens. The novel takes place in a world that is something like ours, but not ours. In the world of Kivali Kerwin, gender is a fluid affair where some youngsters who are in an indeterminate state must make decisions about what gender they will adopt for the future. Kivali has chosen to become a woman, though she might be a ‘samer’…
Rosie Smith (text), Bruce Whatley (illus.), My First Day at School, Scholastic Australia, 1 Jan 2016, 24pp., $16.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781743622964 Over the years, this remarkable duo have brought us many wonderful books and this is no exception, setting out to explore the first day at school. The initial character introduced is a young duckling and the text is written in the first person, as the timetable for the day is unpacked with amusing, unexpected and appealing illustrations. The importance of the characters is foregrounded in the way that all the illustrations simply use a pastel colour background so there is nothing…
Mem Fox (text), Mike Austin (illus.), Nellie Belle. Scholastic Australia, 1 Jan 2016, 32pp., $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760274108 In this book, Mem Fox draws on all the skills that she has developed over the years to write for young children. Her language captures the natural rhythms of speech, incorporating rhyme and repetition while she also uses the security of the circular plot, as Nellie Belle, a little brown pup, leaves the safety of her teddy and her yard to explore the world, before returning home. Aligned with this is the joyous, colourful artwork of Mike Austin who captures…
William Shakespeare + Brett Wright, OMG Shakespeare: YOLO Juliet . Random House Australia, 2 Nov 2015, 112pp., $19.99 (hbk) ISBN 9780857989307 and William Shakespeare + Courtney Carbone, OMG Shakespeare: SRSLY Hamlet. Random House Australia, 2 Nov 2015, 128pp., $19.99 (hbk) ISBN 9780857989314 It is hardly surprising that these books have caused considerable debate about the status of Shakespeare as an esteemed part of our literary culture, being reinterpreted into the most recent form of texting. Is it a case of simply reducing quality classical work to a form that will be consumed in the context of current popular culture or…
Author and Clinical and Forensic Psychologist Shona Innes explains the origins of her series of children’s books, the Big Hug series, and then goes on to offer advice to assist children transition to school in a positive and healthy way. I’m a clinical psychologist and Big Hug books had their origins in actual psychological treatment of real children with problems like school refusal, complex grief, separated families, domestic violence and anxieties. They are unlike many other picture books in that they were purposely designed to elicit conversations about how a child may be managing troubling times. Big Hugs are designed…
Samantha-Ellen Bound graciously answered questions relating to her Silver Shoes series. The latest additions, Rhythm and Blues, and Studio Showdown (published January 4) will be reviewed here soon. Let’s meet Samantha-Ellen Bound. Samantha-Ellen is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, author and bookseller. What was it like combining all her passions for this one series? This is exactly what I love and enjoy so much about being an author – that you can take all the things you love and turn them into something that is going to speak to someone else on their own personal level. It was seriously an absolute…
Kaz Delaney, The Reluctant Jillaroo. Allen & Unwin 4 Jan 2016. 352 pp., $16.99 ISBN 9781925266061 Not having read any of Delaney’s previous novels, I don’t know how this book compares in style; however her latest novel, The Reluctant Jillaroo, was a jumpy read. Protagonist Heidi’s narrative is all over the place, which makes sense given she’s in a place she doesn’t want to be, and is completing new challenges. Even though it’s her own fault and her own choices, she’s still not totally committed. The Reluctant Jillaroo starts off the way many books with identical twins begin: one has…
We put some questions to the author of Friday Barnes. She answers them generously. There is a new Friday Barnes out, and a review will be up soon! Enjoy! Science stars in the Friday Barnes’ books, particularly the new No Rules. Was that an intention right from the start? My starting point with a character is usually the way they think. With Friday, I did consciously decide to make her logical and extremely good at deductive reasoning. But with the books as a whole I never set out to feature science. The Friday Barnes series also has a lot of…