Snakes and Ladders by Mary-Anne Scott. Pub. Scholastic, 2012.
The subject of school balls and their after parties was going to be the subject of a young adult novel sooner or later and this first novel by Mary-Anne Scott is a good one.
Finn’s Grandparents decide his friends at Waimea are a bunch of dropkicks so they send him to a prestigious boarding school in Auckland to cough cough cough put him in contact with a better class of person.
Finn is carrying a secret that could ruin his status in the new school. His father has been charged with reckless driving causing death and is likely to go to prison. School bully Eddie threatens to expose Finn and his life turns to one of lying and deceit.
Finn meets and is dominated by the richest girl in school, Mia, and they go to the School Ball and after party. Finn is out of his depth and tragedy strikes at the ball changing lives forever.
Well written with an authentic teenage voice. The banter between the boys is a particular highlight and the issue and after effects of a school ball and after party that goes horribly wrong, will be of strong interest to teenagers.
Other Brother by Simon French. Pub. Walker Books, 2012.
Kieran meets his cousin on the day of his father’s birthday and it comes as a complete shock to him. He has never been forced to share before, and is not used to his parents, grandmother and younger sister giving another person their attention.
His cousin’s name is Bon, he is not sporty like Kieran and he looks and acts differently. Kieran decides he doesn’t want him around.
Two years later Bon comes back for good and goes to Kieran’s school and meets all his friends. Worst of all a girl named Julia starts school on the same day as Bon and Bon gets on very well with her. The trouble is kieran really likes Julia and resentment builds.
When Kieran’s jock friends start bullying Bon, Kieran has some tough decisions to make.
There are a few surprises too.
Perceptively written by a new author to me. Good boy appeal this for intermediate students.
Middle School the worst years of my life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts. Pub. Young Arrow, 2011.
A bit of a laugh this but it has a serious side. Great for boys who like the silly stuff like Andy Griffiths books.
Rafe Khatchadorian lives with his mother Jules his sister Georgia and their mothers pretty awful boyfriend who the kids call Bear. Rafe also has an imaginary friend who we find out about later in the story but is instrumental in setting Rafe on a plan of disruption that will change his life forever.
On his first day at school Rafe along with all the other children, is given the big talk at assembly in which the school Code of Conduct is read. Rafe being artistic and imaginative decides on a course of disruption. He sets out to break every code on the Code of Conduct but balks at hurting anybody else. His actions are absurd and funny at the same time and they are excellently illustrated by Laura Park’s illustrations.
Will appeal to year 5,6,7,8 children with reading ages 9-12years. Totally harmless but fun and does deal with serious issues like bullying and bad step-parenting.
My Sister lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher. Pub.Orion Children’s Books, 2011.
This novel was advertised as an “emotional rollercoaster ride” and it is. A first novel for Annabel Pitcher and it is really good.
Jasmine and Rose are twins and their brother Jamie narrates this story. Rose was killed by a terrorist bomb when she 10 years old and the whole family fell apart. The father hates anything Muslim and builds a shrine to his lost daughter around an urn that contains the ashes of what was left of Rose after the bomb.
The mother leaves the father for another man and the father sells the house (too many Muslims in London) and moves Jasmine and Jamie to the Lake District.
Jamie doesn’t understand the death he was only 5 years old at the time and now 5 years later he is searching for his own identity and becomes friends with a Muslim girl, Sunya, who is the really bright spot in this novel.
Jasmine is now 15 years and goes wild. She cuts her hair, dyes it pink and gets herself a boyfriend. The father just drinks and gets angry.
Somber stuff but it has a positive ending and deals with coming to terms with death and grieving, bullying, race relationships and families under pressure.
Aimed at Intermediate and High school students. It is a compulsive read.
Billionaire Boy by David Walliams. Illus Tony Ross. Pub.HarperCollins, 2010.
Another insane book by Little Britain writer and actor David Walliams. This time Walliams takes a swipe at money, it’s importance and it’s effects on people. He looks at old money, new money and no money and has a good old time about it.
Joe Spud is an ordinary school boy whose father struck it rich when he invented a new type of toilet paper. Filthy rich as it were, the bog roll king. Joe is embarrassed by this and leaves his posh Private School because he is bullied mercilessly about his new money.
He decides to go incognito to the local school in an effort to be ordinary and to meet his greatest desire to have a genuine friend. Isn’t that lovely! Well he does. He meets fat boy, Bob, who is mercilessly bullied by the Grubb twins. Joe helps his friend by bribing the bullies with money and when Bob finds out he doesn’t want a bar of it. Then something happens that you will have to read the book to find out. Or you couild bribe me to tell you.
In between time Walliams has a dig at school lunches, the school system as a whole and the worst human behaviours concerned with money. It is a great deal of fun and if you have read The Boy in the Dress (reviewed below) or Mr Stink then you will know what I mean.
While this book is over 250 pages it is in large print and has Tony Ross’s excellent illustrations throughout, making it an easiy to read book. Ideal for boys with an absurd sense of humour, and lets face it many boys are like that.
Wide appeal in age group from primary through to junior secondary students. Have fun and read it.
Now by Morris Gleitzman. Pub. Viking, 2010.
After the stunning ending of Once I wondered where Morris Gleitzman would go with Now and I am not disappointed. In fact I am in awe.
What he has done is bring Felix and his memories and grand daughter, to Australia and introduces a bushfire to create a comparable wartime situation to that experienced by people in World War 2. Just as Felix hid down a hole from the Nazis, so Felix and granddaughter Zelda, (named after Felix’s 6 year old companion in Once), with dog Jumbles hide down a hole from the firestorm that destroys their home.
Throughout the novel Gleitzman fills us in in what happened to Felix after the horrors at the end of Once, and we learn of his life as a brilliant surgeon in Australia. Felix is now 80 years old and is still haunted by the holocaust, how could he not be. Zelda his granddaughter shows the same spirit and innocence that Felix did in his troubles, and it is very uplifting.
This book reaffirms the need to never forget what has happened. History has a habit of repeating itself. Surely there is a lesson to be learnt from history. Perhaps not!
A great story written in Gleitzman’s easy accessible and humorous style. A must read and must purchase for every school library. A very good class read-a-loud.
This is for everybody but mostly for middle and Intermediate school children
