WEXLER, Django The Forbidden Library Random House, 2014 328pp NZ$19.99 pbk ISBN 9780552572286 SCIS 1656726 To a degree, the heart of Wexler’s fantasy is where the reader is invited to see the richness of life and the real dilemmas of what it is to become a Reader, a person who literally enters in to the Forbidden Library where ancient texts hold a form of magic that reaches out across time and space, such that, for those truly open to the telling, they can become Readers who are possessed and potentially powerful players in this world and all possible worlds. Young…
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WEST, Ella Night Vision Allen & Unwin, 2014 180pp A$14.99 NZ$18.99 pbk ISBN 9781743317662 SCIS 1653945 There is little doubt that the pace of this novel and the thriller elements will keep many young readers enthralled. However, there is more to it than these features. It is written in the first person by the main character Viola, who has a rare and deadly disease, Xerodermia Pigmentosum, commonly abbreviated to XP with sufferers referred to as moon kids. As a consequence, any exposure to sunlight or ultra violet light can result in life threatening problems. Viola functions as a nocturnal being,…
WELSHMAN, Kate Anais Butt and the Hairy Handed Gent TWCS Pub House, 2013 155pp $17.99 pbk ISBN 9781612131870 SCIS 1639729 There are a number of unconventional things about this book, its size for one and its title. Although it doesn’t look like your typical young adult novel, its title is a good indicator of the tenor of the story in this coming of age, romance/mystery with a touch of the paranormal and a big dose of tongue-in-cheek humour. Seventeen year old Anais has just been expelled from her fifth boarding school in three years and her parents have decided she…
WALLACE, Desna Canterbury Quake Scholastic (NZ) (My New Zealand Story), 2014 176pp NZ$19.50 pbk ISBN 9781775431824 SCIS 1646914 There is something uncanny for me in reviewing this book that retells, through the eyes and voice of an eleven year old girl, Maddy, the ‘story’ of the Christchurch earthquakes. Of course, there are multiple stories that can be told and so, I weave my own story into the reading of this book. For example, the mentioning of the devastation of the Victoria Street Children’s Bookshop in the story (plus a photograph at the end) resonates deeply as this space, and the…
Andrew, SMITH Grasshopper Jungle Hardie Grant Egmont, 2014 394pp $19.95 pbk ISBN 9781742978802 SCIS 1647163 Grasshopper Jungle is set in fictional Ealing, Iowa, in decline since the local McKeon factory closed down, this novel relies on the assumption of malaise in contemporary social and economic circumstances, as well as aspects of old fashioned science fiction. The three main characters, Austin Szerba, the narrator, preoccupied by his own sexuality, Robby Brees, and Shannon Collins attend school and spend their time like all the other teenagers in town, until they find themselves closely involved with the end of the world. Spawned by irresponsible,…
PRYOR, Michael Machine Wars Random House, 2014 279pp $17.99 pbk ISBN 9780857982766 SCIS 1654107 When artificial intelligence suddenly gains understanding and emotion it becomes exceedingly dangerous. Bram and his friend Stella are at its mercy. The story is written in the first person and the characters are not too deeply shaped, but do present as both caring and heroic personalities which offer positive virtues without being preachy. The AI is called Ahriman and it slowly takes over the whole of the internet as well as producing killer bots. With the help of Bob, another AI in the form of a…
MORGAN, Michelle Racing the Moon Allen & Unwin, 2014 224 pp $15.99 pbk ISBN 9781743316351 SCIS 1641869 Although the cover illustration and the early chapters seem to indicate a primary school audience, the style, language and content would certainly be more suited to an older audience as topics such as domestic violence and sexual abuse may distress some readers. This is the life of a working class Catholic family in the time of the Great Depression. Mother in particular aspires to ‘better things’ for their eldest son Joe Riley. Dad is an illegal bookie who has no qualms about hopping…
McDONALD, Nelika The Vale Girl Pan, 2013 309pp $29.99 pbk ISBN 9781742612423 SCIS 1627490 This is a thriller about a 15 year old girl who goes missing in a small Australian town to the almost complete apathy of the people of that town. Sarah Vale is the daughter of the town prostitute and therefore her disappearance is considered of less interest than the upcoming Grevillea Festival and the lucky girl who might be crowned Grevillea Princess that year. Only two people appear to be concerned about her fate: the resident police officer Sergeant Henson and Sarah’s only friend Tommy, who…
LOUNSBURY, Lynnette Afterworld Allen & Unwin, 2014 414pp $17.99 pbk ISBN 9781743315101 SCIS 1644335 Fifteen year old Domenic Mathers dies in a car crash and discovers that heaven, hell, Nirvana or any other post death expectation are not to be realized. Instead, he finds himself in the Necropolis, a city where the dead must wait and work to gain the ‘minutes’ required to move on through the Maze and across the River of Lost Souls and into the next stage of their existence. Domenic has a Guide and a Guardian to help him with this task, but he is tormented…
Benny LINDELAUF (text) John Nieuwenhuizen (trans) Nine Open Arms Allen & Unwin, 2014 257pp $16.99 pbk ISBN 9781743315859 SCIS 1642254 This is a ‘literary’ and heart-warming novel for discerning readers. It is told in three overlapping parts and is a kind of literary puzzle in which the sections ultimately fit together to form an enthralling study of a family whose past weaves a pattern that gives depth and meaning to the present. Part One is set in 1937, Part Two in 1863, Part Three connects and embellishes the previous parts. The title refers to the name of the rickety building in…