Red Rocks by Rachael King

Red Rocks by Rachael King. Pub.Random House, 2012.

The legend of the selkie or seal woman is an old one in Irish, Scottish and Norse legend. Why not New Zealand? We have seals so why not selkie?

Well Rachael King says we do and this is a selkie story that pays homage to the old legend, for primary and intermediate school readers.

Jake’s father writes natural history books and he lives on the Wellington Coast in lonely conditions. When Jake visits him from Auckland he discovers a fur skin in a cave which he takes home and hides.

The old selkie legend in which a selkie comes ashore, loses her skin and is forced to live in the human world until she finds it has started again.

Jake doesn’t realise what he has done and when he meets a young girl Jessie who is wild haired and wild eyed she tells him of the legend. meanwhile Jake’s father has met a wild woman called Cara who is wandering the coast seeking her lost skin. Yes she is a selkie.

Will the legend be repeated? An exciting tale emerges that will keep young readers on their toes.

The Nature of Ash by Mandy Hager

The Nature of Ash by mandy hager. Pub. Random House, 2012.

Very powerful novel of a dystopian New Zealand in which many of the social, political, economic and family concerns of today’s world are extrapolated into the future. One of the themes  is “freedom has a very thin veneer if you look too closely at it”.

Teenager Ash loves his father and his down syndrome brother Mikey. When his outspoken Trade Union father is assassinated by a bomb all truth flies out the window. Who can he trust to find the truth?

It is world in which two big alliances are playing games with each other and New Zealand is but a pawn in the game. Our economy is controlled by the Asian United Peoples Republic and the Western Alliance of USA and Australia. The Prime Minister is corrupt, the police and army are controlled so that no-one knows the truth. Everybody is lying. Bread is 12 bucks a loaf.

When Ash’s father dies he discovers his mother is still alive and working for a terrorist group called Muru. Ash, Mikey and Asian girl Jiao go looking for answers in this action packed thriller. The ending will amaze you.

Senior secondary and young adult in appeal.

Forget me not by Sue Lawson

Forget me not The story of one family’s voyage on the Titanic. by Sue Lawson. Pub. black dog books, 2012.

“We weren’t supposed to arrive in New York like this were we?” So sayeth one of the survivors of the Titanic in this recent novel for Intermediate and high school students about the sinking 100 years ago.

Told from the point of view of teenage brother and sister Thomas and Evie it is a story of a ship riven by social class and conformity.

Thomas and Evie are able to explore all areas of the Titanic and life on board. Relationships develop that personalise the tragedy and fortunately none as absurd as those in James Camerons film.

The hitting of the iceberg and sinking of the ship are well told as is the time in the lifeboats and the rescue onto the ship Carpathia.

Narrated by Thomas and Evie in consecutive chapters and divided by days on board, this is an easy read about the best known disaster in world history.

Other Brother by Simon French

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.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Pub. Macmillan Children’s Books, 2011.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a twenty three windowed Samba Bus, the kind beloved by adventurous famillies, and the Tooting family are an adventurous family.

In order to keep Mr Tooting busy after he is made redundant Mrs Tooting buys him an old camper van to do up thinking that he had no chance of doing so, but it would keep him out of mischief.

How wrong could she be. With the help of son Jem he does the camper van up and fits it with an engine that is fit for an aircraft and unbeknown to him has wings.

The family which also includes  Little Harry, the baby, and oldest daughter Lucy who likes to paint everything black, set off on a holiday to France and Egypt amongst other places. On the way they find out that the Samba Bus has a mind of it’s own and adventure springs up all around them.

A well written, witty and feelgood adventure story for primary and intermediate students who like a good laugh.

The Scent of Apples by Jacquie McRae

The Scent of Apples by Jacquie McRae. Pub. Huia, 2011.

Lovely story this about grieving, emotions, feelings and growing up. The main message that come across is “if you hold on too tight to the past, the future can’t come in,”

Libby is going on 13 years old and she is very close to her grandfather who she calls Poppa. She lives on an orchard that grows apples to be made into cider. Libby loves the land, she loves plants, she is tomboyish in character and this all rankles with her snobbish and uptight mother.

When Poppa dies suddenly and her Nan has a stroke and is taken into a retirement home, Libby grieves. Home life is not good as her father and mother drift apart and Libby starts to pull her hair out leaving bald patches on her scalp.

Then her mother checks her into a boarding school where she meets a Maori girl called Charlie which turns out to be the start of Libby’s recovery from all her grief.

There is more to this book than that though including family secrets, Maori Medicice and the meaning of friendship.

Mainly for girls aged 10 to 14 years but there is something for everybody in this very perceptive novel.

Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner

Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner. Pub. William Heinemann, imprint Random House, 2011.

This is an outstanding novel for secondary school students and young adults. I doubt whether adult writers could write as well as this.  It is the story of the life and destiny of three people and at the heart of it is a despicable hurt.

Vaclav and Lena are immigrants to America from Russia in the 1990′s and they settle in the Brighton area of New York. Lena lives a neglected life with her aunt, while Vaclav lives a protected life with his magnificent mother, Rasia, and his aloof vodka drinking father Oleg.

Vaclav meets Lena when they are  4 & 5 years old and by the time they are 9 & 10 Vaclav has enveigled Lena into his dreams of becoming a magician. They are as close as two friends can get. Then one night Rasia sees something that she keeps to herself and Lena is taken in for her own protection and the two do not see each other until they are 17 years old.

Although apart Vaclav and Lena are with each other all the time in their thoughts. When they meet again  the explosive truth is revealed and they are opened up like a couple of eggs hitting the floor.

Just brilliant. Once you start this book you will get so involved you won’t want to put it down. The writing as told in a Russian accent will nail you to the floor. The lives of Lena and Vaclav are laid bare before your eyes in a style that will make you weep with desire.

Simply one of the best novels I have ever read.

The Chocolate Box Girls Part 2 Marshmallow Skye by Cathy Cassidy

Marshmallow Skye by Cathy Cassidy. Pub. Penguin Australia, 2011.

Skye has a twin sister, Summer, who she feels is better than her and she is wrong.  The twins are in those pre teen years and on the verge of big changes including discovering boys.

They are part of a family that is changing. Mother is remarrying a nice man involved in making chocolates but his daughter Cherry waltzes off with elder sister Honey’s boyfriend. There is tension in the house.

When an old trunk belonging to a girl, Clara, who disappeared decades ago, is found in the attic, Skye starts to wear all the old fashion clothes from within and the dreams start. Dreams of a dark haired handsome gypsy boy who was rumoured to have caught Clara’s fancy before she disappeared. Spooky!

Great story of family relations told in a witty and positive fashion by Cathy Cassidy. This Chocolate Box Girls series will have seven more parts and girls of primary and intermediate school age will love them. I  really enjoyed this one.

An Act of Love by Alan Gibbons

An Act of Love by Alan Gibbons. Pub. Orion Children’s Books, 2011.

This is an outstanding novel telling of the conflict between Islam and the West over Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan and the effect it is having on the streets and society of the UK.

Chris and Imran are boyhood friends and have been since they were seven years old. They grew up in a northern town, probably Bradford and were neighbours. Both families knew each other and mixed socially in spite of differing cultural and religious beliefs. Both fathers are “old school” and believe in the right and proper way to do things. But the world and society has hardened

9/11 changed everything and tensions between Islamic communities and British people smoldered.

After racial taunts and acts in Bradford the Islamic community went on the rampage. The leading culprits received harsh prison sentences, one of them was Imran’s brother Rafique. His actions split  family and friends and the two boys drift apart.

Imran becomes radicalised and groomed for holy jihad.

Chris joins the British army and is sent to fight in Afghanistan and we know from the start of the book that he loses a leg in a roadside bomb set by the Taleban.

The story is told in two time sequences. Firstly the present in which Chris is being decorated at a ceremony in an army base when he receives a message from his old friend Imran that a bomber is present. Secondly we have a countdown from New Years Eve 1999 up till the time of the bomb threat and all relevant conflicts between British and Muslim groups.

Alan Gibbons skillfully outlines the effects of the conflict on British society as both sides harden attitudes. He concentrates on the most fanatical of groups on both sides and shows the effects it has on neighbors,  families, friends and the law.

This is an outstanding work. Very readible with short sharp chapters. Gibbons stands aside  and puts it all in perspective in a gripping story. One of the best novels of the year for High School students and young adults.

At The Lake by Jill Harris

At The Lake by Jill Harris. Pub. HarperCollins, 2011.

Simon and his younger brother Jem have been going to the Lake for their holidays for years. They love the place and they like staying with their grandfather who they call Barney.

But this year things are different. There is a big wire fence surrounding re-locatable houses, that is patrolled by a mean man called Squint Lewis and his dog Ace who Lewis says is a man killer. Keep out or else.

Simon tries to get in to see what is going on, is caught by Lewis and is roughed up badly. He tells no-one but is this a mistake?

When younger brother Jem finds another way into the fenced off property and the brothers meet Squint Lewis’s children Rose and Tom things start to happen and the action is thrilling. I can tell you no more except to say crimes involving children are always the most sinister.

This is NZ writer Jill Harris’s third bookj and she links it beautifully with a sound plot,  realistic dialogue and a song by a local singer. A very good children’s adventure story with many family issues highlighted as well.

Middle primary and Intermediate children will love this story or children with reading ages 9-12 years.