Paul Jennings is probably best known for his humorous, quirky short stories and the television series ‘Round the Twist’. His latest novel is much more sombre, dealing as it does with the death of a parent and coping with the fear of what will happen in the future.
Emily and Alex are 15-year-old twins who live with their widowed father on a property near Warrnambool. Their dad bought the property when it was in dire need of resuscitation and he has spent many years replanting and nurturing the forest trees which used to thrive there. His efforts have been rewarded and the forest’s new growth has attracted much native wildlife, including rainbow lorikeets in abundance, which flock to the one remaining old, huge manna gum.
However, now Dad has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and has only months to live. Each twin copes with this devastating news in their own way. Alex escapes to the treehouse in the manna gum and sets about renovating and adding to it in the hope he will delay his father’s death. He wants to keep a kitten from a litter born to a feral mother under their house but Emily is dead set against the idea because of the risk the cat will pose to the native birdlife. She can’t believe it when her father asks her to allow him to keep the kitten – and feels their environmental principles have been betrayed. She copes by writing down her memoir and submitting it in parts, delineated by the seasons, to her English teacher. And this is the text we are reading.
While this synopsis may sound morbid and depressing, The Lorikeet Tree is surprisingly engaging and easy to read. Major topics are tackled matter-of-factly and the twins’ support network of doctor, teachers and wildlife ranger are realistically portrayed. Emily grows and matures into a more compassionate person while Alex finally accepts the inevitable.
In the 1980s, London is a place where magic is real. The story follows Susan Arkshaw, an 18-year-old woman who travels to London to find her father, whom she has never met. She soon discovers a hidden world of magical booksellers, who use their powers to police the mystical ‘Old World’ when it affects the ’New World’.
The booksellers are divided into two groups: the right-handed booksellers are the intellectuals and the left-handed booksellers are the fighters. Susan finds herself caught up in the booksellers’ world when she meets Merlin, a very stylish fighter and a left-handed bookseller who is investigating his own mother’s death. Together they embark on a quest to uncover the truth about Susan’s father and the mysterious organisation that is hunting her.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is a novel full of ancient, mythical beings and magic. I like how Merlin is introduced as not seeming to have a definite gender and the booksellers can change gender whenever they want. The many different creatures such as the Urchins (creepy clownish children that try to dance you to death) and the Cauldron Born (reanimated corpses) make this a really fascinating book.
Reviewed by Laura, Year 8
Burwood Girls High, Croydon NSW
Age Guide 14+
Garth Nix has been a full-time writer since 2001, but has also worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, bookseller, and as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve.
Garth’s books include the ‘Old Kingdom’ fantasy series: Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, Clariel, Goldenhand and Terciel and Elinor; SF novels Shade’s Children and A Confusion of Princes; fantasy novels Angel Mage and The Left-Handed Booksellers of London; and a Regency romance with magic, Newt’s Emerald. His novels for children include The Ragwitch; the six books of ‘The Seventh Tower’ sequence; ‘The Keys to the Kingdom’ series and Frogkisser! His short fiction includes more than 60 published stories, some of them collected in Across the Wall and To Hold the Bridge.
He has co-written several books with Sean Williams, including the ‘Troubletwisters’ series; Spirit Animals Book Three: Blood Ties; Have Sword, Will Travel; and Let Sleeping Dragons Lie.
More than six million copies of Garth’s books have been sold around the world, they have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times and his work has been translated into 42 languages. He has won multiple Aurealis Awards, the Ditmar Award, the Mythopoeic Award, CBCA Honour Book, and has been shortlisted for the Locus Awards, the Shirley Jackson Award and others.
When Perry Firekeeper-Birch’s plans of a lazy summer holiday are interrupted by her aunt, she takes on several internships throughout the course of the break. She meets new people, learns more about her past and ancestors as an Ojibwe woman, and works to claim that past back. Eventually, doing whatever it takes.
All the characters are realistic and compelling, and I fell in love with them quickly. Perry is an incredible protagonist to follow throughout the novel, and the supporting characters are charming in their own ways. The action and the foreshadowing, clues and mystery are amazing and lead to a conclusion that I believe could use more foreshadowing to really drive it home.
Warrior Girl Unearthed is an incredible novel about family, the past and attempting to make amends, it feels honest and truthful and it is a delightful read.
Reviewed by Ella, Launceston College, Launceston Tas
Age Guide 12+
Where the Light Goes follows teenager Emmy Beck in the loss of her celebrity sister to suicide. Readers join Emmy as she grieves, searches for answers and searches for herself. But as she thrashes out a new identity in a world without her star, Emmy risks becoming exactly what destroyed her sister.
Wrapped up in the story, I felt as though I grieved, cried, laughed and raged alongside Emmy. In a story pushing the boundaries of print media, readers explore the complex and ugly side to grief, navigating identity after a bereavement, and the role of the media in responsibly reporting suicide. An unflinching yet tender exploration of grief, Where the Light Goes humanises hugely stigmatised issues and opens up conversations for us all.
Reviewed by Erin, Launceston College, Launceston Tas
Age Guide 14+
In the third of Kate Gordon’s books about three young people grappling with various mental health issues, we find out more about Indigo. She was removed from her mother’s care after years of dysfunction and neglect and now lives in the care of Noni. But she still loves her Mum, who has left and severed all contact, and the rage she feels sometimes is why she feels like running away or reacting with fits of violent outbursts.
These are mainly under control now, with the help of Dr Sutherland and a daily tablet, but it is Indigo’s struggles to maintain that control, and maybe allow the wall she has built around herself to break down so she can let friends in, that is at the heart of this novel. A new boy, Liam, arrives at their school and Indigo finds she has a lot in common with this person, who wants to change the world with his graffiti art. But when Liam does something that crosses the line, Indigo has a major relapse.
The three novels in this series provide a deep insight into young people grappling with major issues. Kate Gordon has drawn these characters with insight and understanding. Indigo In The Storm is perhaps not quite as well-crafted as the other two, especially in terms of timeframes, but it still gives the reader empathy for those grappling with mental health problems. The tragedy is, that many young readers grappling with the same issues will not have the wonderful supportive network and community around them and the optimistic futures of Aster, Xavier and Indigo.
Laini Taylor weaves together three short stories of enchantment and dark passion. This is a book for anyone who has ever longed to be kissed.
In ‘Goblin Fruit’, Kizzy is desperate to fall in love, and does not even question the strange boy who turns up at her school and seems all too eager to date her. ‘Spicy Little Curses Such As These’ is set in 1920’s Jaipur, where an English widow makes a deal with a demon and a curse soon spirals out of control. And in ‘Hatchling’, one day Esme’s eyes abruptly change from brown to icy blue. Her mother Mab is terrified, as she knows from her own past that a race of magical immortals, called the Druj, are gathering to hunt her and Esme down.
Laini Taylor’s writing is always absolutely beautiful in everything she writes. Her prose sparkles with imagination and enchanting details, she puts so much attention into describing everything from a fantastical citadel of spires, to a beaten-up thrift store filled with vintage clothing.
Each entry is a love story, and Taylor captures all different kinds of love – from sensual to pining, to unconditional to romantic. But despite its shiny surface, this book still manages to convey some horrifying concepts and imagery.
My only criticism is with ‘Goblin Fruit’, which is a contemporary story. The dialogue between Kizzy and her two teenage friends is quite juvenile compared to the rest of the characters in the compilation. All faults aside, Lips Touch is an incredible dark fantasy read for hopeless romantics.
A wonderful read for fantasy lovers.