BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: How do you know what's good?

While there are many places (especially on the internet) where you can read book reviews, how do you really know if it's a good book or not when a single book might receive anywhere from one to five stars?
The answer: read the reviews of a book-addicted teacher librarian.


NOTE:
** The age recommendations are guidelines only; whether or not a certain book is suitable for a particular child depends on multiple factors, including their maturity, reading level, interests, and in some cases their experiences.
** While the ratings are largely based on my own personal appreciation/enjoyment of the book, they are also influenced by my experiences as a teacher and the potential attraction for the target-aged child (acknowledging that what one child may love, another may find exceptionally boring). A rating of 5 indicates the book is likely to be popular with the majority.


Saturday, November 23, 2013

Heap House (Jnr Fic)

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR: Edward Carey
PUBLISHED: London : Hot Key Books, 2013.
PLOT: (spoiler alert)
In an alternate England, all of London's garbage is owned by one family (the Iremongers), and has been for generations. All the garbage is shipped to one location - the Heaps, which spread for miles in enormous mounds. In the middle of the heaps is a mansion, put together from bits and pieces of houses that have been acquired over the years by the Iremonger forefathers. Here live the Iremongers - generations of them. All the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. They also intermarry by pre-arrangement (the fact that this leads to genetic abnormalities is not addressed directly, but is hinted at). The 'pure blood' Iremongers live in the top part of the house, and the non-pure bloods, distant relations, are their servants. Because the family's wealth is built from what is scavenged from the heaps, objects are treasured. In fact, they have a bizarre ritual that every Iremonger (pure-blood and servants alike) are given a birth object at birth. (We find that they mix a piece of the object with the Iremonger's blood and then inject it back into the Iremonger, which causes the object and Iremonger to be bound to each other - the Iremonger will die without their birth object).

Clod, a pure-blood, has the unusual gift that he can hear the birth objects talking. They call out names; their own names. Clod's birth object, a bath plug, says 'James Henry Haywood'.
We discover that there in a strange disease around which causes people to turn into objects, and in fact that is what all the birth objects are - people. If a birth object and Iremonger are separated for too long, the object will turn back into a person (with no memory), and the Iremonger will turn into an object.

Trouble starts when a non-Iremonger, Lucy, is accidentally bought into the house as a servant and given a birth object. This is such a terrible trespass that the objects take on a life of their own beyond simply saying their names; they being to move of their own accord and revolt, joining together to form a Gathering (they become sort of robotic, the objects becoming one Being intent on destruction and growing larger with every object that joins it). If it escapes the house into the heaps, it will become a monster, gathering all the objects from the massive heaps of garbage surrounding the house.

Lucy, being a non-Iremonger, can't understand their way of life, but she strikes up a friendship with Clod, who, predictably, falls in love with her. Any relationship between the servants and the upper house is forbidden, so their friendship is secret, until the chaos starts and it comes out that a servant has been mixing (even kissing! oh the horror!) an upper house Iremonger. This sin is, of course, part of the reason why the objects are in revolt, and the servant Iremongers are out for Lucy's blood (literally).

As chaos rages through the house, Lucy escapes and hides about the house, and Clod is chased by the Gathering. Eventually, they meet up again, with plans to escape the house (another thing that is forbidden) and live together happily ever after. Just as the Gathering is about to let all hell break lose, the Grandfather comes in and destroys it. Clod and Lucy are then turned into objects, their birth objects turn back into people. and here the story ends, presumably with life for the Iremongers returning to how it has been - uninterrupted by Iremongers, servants, and objects which don't know their place.

Woven throughout the story are themes of dysfunctional families, friendship, bullying, death, and social taboos.

REVIEW:
I have to say, I found it really hard to get into this book. The story struggled and dragged in many parts. Everything was predictable. The author failed to draw the reader in, and I had little empathy for anyone other than Clod and his friend, Tummis (a bullied and misunderstood teen who eventually commits suicide).

The story is slightly enhanced by portraits of the different Iremonger family and servant members and  illustrations of the cross sections of the upper and lower house on the front and back pages, but these illustrations are not enough to pull it up a notch.
Apparently, the book is the first in what will be a trilogy, but I will be avoiding it. It's not the most rubbish book I've ever picked up (it was a struggle, but I did finish), but I found it a waste of my time and I would not recommend it to anyone. For children who like quirky ideas, there are FAR FAR better titles (such a Lemony Snicket, Skulduggery Pleasant, or The Graveyard Book - comparing The Graveyard Book to Heap House is like comparing chocolate mousse to a mud pie).

AGE: it is marketed at ages 9-12, but I would hesitate to recommend it to under 11's.
RATING: 2 stars

Friday, November 22, 2013

Bugs (NF) (Pop-up)

FULL TITLE: Bugs : a pop-up journey into the world of insects, spiders and creepy-crawlies
AUTHOR: George McGavin ; ILLUSTRATOR: Jim Kay ; PAPER ENGINEERING: Richard Ferguson
PUBLISHED: London : Walker books, 2013

PLOT:
Larger-than-life bugs spring from the pages, peek out from behind flaps and hide under tabs, inviting young entomologists to marvel at the mind-boggling variety of arthropod life. What reader can resist a chance to peel back the flaps to look inside a cockroach's body to see how it works, or open a wasps nest to see what's inside? Useful information (why does the world need bees?) and scientific trivia (which beetles are strongest and fastest?) pack every page, while exquisite art, dramatic pop-ups, and a multitude of lift-the-flaps bring the world of bugs to life. Presented in a field diary format, with hand-written notes and specimen samples.

REVIEW:
Absolutely enthralling. I can't see that anyone, child or adult, would be able to simply flick through this book - no, every page must be analysed for what can be lifted, folded out, and taken out of little pockets.

AGE: 7-77 (adult supervision and guidance required for younger ages; the paper crafting is quite fragile).
RATING: STRONG 5 stars

Rainforest VS Rainforest (NF) (compare)

For the first time, I am comparing two titles. Both are Non Fiction for Primary school ages (middle primary and up), on the topic of rainforests around the world, published in the same year and in the same country.

1)
AUTHOR: Penny Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris.
PUBLISHED: England : Scholastic, 2013.

2)
AUTHOR: Elinor Greenwood.
PUBLISHED: England : Dorling Kindersley, 2013.

Both present roughly the same information (e.g the different layers of the rainforest, where they grow, what animals live there, what is unique about the ecosystem, why they are important to the environment of the world, etc). The most significant difference is that the second title does not make mention of the Papua New Guinea rainforest (the first one does). PNG rainforest is one of the most significant in the world. New species are discovered there each year. It's like writing a book about deserts, but leaving out the Middle East.

There ARE different approaches to how the titles present the information, and what facts are given prominence. Each title has information the other does not, but the absence of PNG in the second is starkly notable. There is nothing wrong with the second title (it has its place in a school and public library), but it highlights the importance of having a range of titles on the same topic available to children, and in some cases they will need adult guidance to help them understand that accessing more than one title will give them a more comprehensive view of the topic.

AGE: Middle to upper primary. RATING: Both are more than adequate NF resources.


The Boring Book (PB)

AUTHOR: Vasanti Unka (NZ)
PUBLISHED: 2013

PLOT:
There was once a book so boring that everyone who tried to read it fell asleep. One day the words in the book said "We're tired of standing in rows, let's have fun instead!" So they escaped from the boring book, went out into the world, and things would never be the same again. The words jump into street signs, they leap onto shop signs, they decorate pathways and roadways and ponds. They change size and font. But one day they go too far...

REVIEW:
This is quite a complex book, complete with lift-the-flaps, fold-outs, and pull-out inserts in the form of books within books (ingenious and delightful). The Boring Book explores the importance of books and words in a fun and imaginative way. Children and adults alike will love it. The Boring Book is NOT a boring book.

AGE: 4-9
RATING: 4 1/2 stars

The Emu That Laid The Golden Egg (PB)

AUTHOR: Yvonne Morrison ; ILLUSTRATOR: Heath McKenzie
PUBLISHED: 2012

PLOT:
A hungry emu eats what she thinks is some corn...and ends up laying a golden egg! Two scoundrels discover this phenomenon, and thinking to make a quick buck, lock her up and try to make her lay some more. But when the emu eats more than gold, something strange happens - and everyone learns it doesn't pay to be greedy.

REVIEW:
Very cute story, with lovely pictures. Young children will love knowing the secret of the golden egg before the thieves do.

AGE: 3-5
RATING: 4 stars

Goose On The Farm (PB)

AUTHOR: Laura Wall
PUBLISHED: 2013

PLOT:
When Sophie and Goose go on a trip to the farm, they meet lots of new animals, but soon Goose feels left out and wanders off to have his own adventure and make a new friends. One of which follows them home.

REVIEW:
Another title in the "Goose" series. An absolutely adorable character, sure to be a favourite in all pre-schools. The story line and humour can have subtle nuances, which is enough that adults won't be driven mad by having to read it for the 5th time (although it's simple enough that madness may set in after the 10th time...)

AGE: 2-5
RATING: 4 stars

The Nowhere Box (PB)

AUTHOR: Sam Zuppardi
PUBLISHED: 2013?

PLOT:
George's little brothers wreck his toys and his games and trail after him wherever he goes. Try as he might, there's just no hiding from them. George has had enough! So he commandeers an empty washing-machine box and goes to the one place his brothers can't follow: Nowhere. Nowhere is amazing! It's magnificent! It's also, however, free of pirates and dragons and...well, anyone at all. Eventually George decides that Nowhere isn't as fun as he thought it would be, and returns home to his adoring younger brothers, who are more than happy to play pirates and dragons.

REVIEW:
An ode to imagination - and annoying but indispensable siblings. A great book for early primary school ages learning that younger brothers and sisters may be annoying, (and it is important to have you own space), but also that they can be a lot of fun to play with, and you can't do without them.

AGE: 4-7
RATING: 4 stars

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

My Friend Fred (PB)

AUTHOR: Hiawyn Oram ; ILLUSTRATOR: Rosie Reeve
PUBLISHED: 2011

PLOT:
Rose's big sister tells her that Fred the dog belongs to the whole family, but Rose knows better - Fred is HER friend. Her friend Fred. But when Roe tries to keep Fred all to herself, she learns that sometimes sharing your best friend is the best way to stay best friends.

REVIEW:
A sweet story about family, pets, friendship, and sharing.

AGE: 3-5
RATING: 4 stars

The Swap (PB)

AUTHOR: Jan Ormerod ; ILLUSTRATOR: Andrew Joyner
PUBLISHED: 2013

PLOT:
"This baby brother is not exactly what I want. It's smelly and it dribbles, it's no fun, and it takes up all the room on my mama's lap." Jealous and not happy with her baby brother, Caroline Crocodile trades him in at The Baby Shop for other animal infants, but soon finds they all have issues - the baby panda is a fussy eater, and the baby elephant squirts water everywhere. Eventually, Caroline finds a baby that is just right.

REVIEW: A new take on the relationship between an older sibling and a new baby, with sweet pictures and a feel-good ending. Perfect for the pre-schooler with a new baby in the family.

AGE: 3-6
RATING: 4 stars

Black Dog (PB)

AUTHOR: Levi Pinfold
PUBLISHED: 2012, c2011
AWARDS: 2013 Kate Greenway Medal Winner

PLOT:
One day, a black dog appeared outside the Hope family home. Dad was the first to see it - it was the size of a tiger! When Mum saw it, it was the size of an elephant! The black dog grows and grows the more family members see it. Only Small, the youngest of the Hope family, has the courage to face it, and as she shows no fear, it grows smaller and smaller.

REVIEW:
With gorgeous, stunning pictures, this story is about exaggeration and facing fears.

AGE: 3-7
RATING: 4 1/2 stars