Story-Go-Round

Note: these reviews are for books for totally independent readers in primary and elementary classes, and age indications are a general guide only. 

Recent Favourites:

• Me and Jason Ballinger  Sandy MacKay, illus. Fraser Williamson  (Penguin NZ)  ISBN 978 0 14 330382 4

One of the better Kiwi Bites titles, this story should be popular with both boys and girls. Louisa is going to camp - but she has to take some nappy-pants for her "wee" night-time problem. When show-off Jason spots the pants, Louisa is petrified that he'll tell everybody. But when it comes time to abseil down a cliff face, Jason has his own problems ... and the two of them end up as friends. A light-hearted look at a common childhood problem.  (Nov)

• The Wish Pony  Catherine Bateson  (Woolshed Press, Random House Australia)  ISBN 978 1 74166 324 2

Ruby's mother is having a baby, and Ruby isn't very happy about her parents being so preoccupied. She is looked after by an elderly neighbour called Magda, who gives her a small glass pony. Both Magda and the glass pony are apparently not what they seem - Magda is a bit like a fairy godmother, and the pony is able to grant wishes. Ruby becomes friends with Bailey, a schoolmate who has also been helped by Magda. It's a warm-hearted story with a strong child focus - best for upper primary girls.  (Nov)

• Freaky Fish  Feana Tu'akoi  (Penguin NZ)  ISBN 978 0 14 330364 0

In this Kiwi Bites title two boys must create a costume for the school Wearable Arts competition. They're not particularly keen. Once they finally decide on a fish costume, they have to sort out a few problems - like sewing the front and back together in the wrong places. It's a funny and pertinent story based on the experiences of two real-life boys. Primary-aged children will identify with it.  (Oct)

• Tamberlaine's Elephants  Geraldine McCaughrean  (Usborne)  ISBN 9780746078778

Rusti is a warrior with Tamberlaine's Mongol horde. When the horde overcomes Delhi, Rusti captures a young mahout, Kavi, and his elephant. Kavi disguises himself as a female slave in order to help Rusti look after all the captured elephants. An exciting story with lots of action and battle scenes; best for advanced primary and intermediate-aged readers, particularly boys. (Oct) 

• The Water Fight  Feana Tu'akoi, illus. Christopher White; Rugby For Rosie  Frances Adlam, illus. Jenny Cooper; Quin Majik and the Marvellous Machine  Fleur Beale, illus. Philip Webb  (Mallinson Rendel)  ISBN 978-1-877423-18-5; 978-1-877423-16-1; 978-1-877423-23-9 

These three chapter books for new readers are not a series, but they look similar. The publishers admit the books are a new venture into a market that is notoriously difficult. I enjoyed all three, so I hope the venture is successful. The Water Fight looks at the difficult consequences of some hijinks that get out of control - how does Vili cope when he finds his elderly neighbour with a broken leg? Rugby For Rosie humorously outlines Rosie's difficulties in joining a rugby team when all the other girls just want to play with dolls. And Quin Majik and the Marvellous Machine is a quirky little tale which describes how an enterprising lad named Quin and his family successfully ignore the rules of Tidy Street. All three books are illustrated in a very lively fashion, with pictures on every double spread. I can see these user-friendly books being worthwhile additions to the Easy Reading boxes in schools and libraries. (Sept)

• Jiminy Shows Off  Melanie Drewery  (Mallinson Rendel)  ISBN 978-1-877423-21-5

I don't usually like horse stories because they are often formulaic, but I enjoyed this one. Although the story is fiction, much of it is based on fact - Jiminy is a real Appaloosa pony, and some of the events of the plot really happened. Jiminy belongs to Madeline, but he's high-spirited and naughty, and Madeline can't control him. However the family take him to an In Hand show, which doesn't involve actual riding competitions - and at last Madeline is able to enjoy her beautiful pony. Best for horse fanatics of late primary and intermediate ages.  (Sept)

• Beeware  Pat Flynn, illus. Gus Gordon  (University of Queensland Press)  ISBN 978-07022-3622-8

This is Book 1 in Adventures of Danny; Book 2 is called Treeified, and is very similar in content and format. Danny is a fairly typical boy - he doesn't always think ahead. As a result he gets into some sticky situations. The stories are loosely organised into a series of adventures where Danny is saved more by good luck than good management. Danny survives the loss of his togs, an attack by a magpie, a pursuit by some angry bees, and an encounter with a vicious dog. Not to mention an older brother and a very annoying younger sister. Especially good fun for boys who are newly confident readers.  (Sept)

• A Birthday in the Life of Ozzie Kingsford  Val Bird, illus. Rebecca Cundy  (Random House NZ)  ISBN 978-1-86941-986-8

Ozzie is celebrating his 11th birthday. Along with his best friend (Fletch) and family dog (Snoops), the family set off for a picnic at the beach. But a series of disasters strikes. They take a shortcut, get lost, leave the car in a ditch, get lost again, survive a violent thunderstorm. Help finally arrives in the form of a farmer and a truckload of terriers. Funny, fast-moving, and plenty of action.  (Aug)

• Ottoline and the Yellow Cat  Chris Riddell  (Macmillan)  ISBN 978-1-4050-5057-9

A wacky story told with a minimum of text and lots of Riddell's finely-detailed black pen illustrations. Ottoline's parents are away, and her only companion in her huge inner-city apartment is a small, hairy bog person (mute, with hair from head to toe) called Mr Munroe. With the help of a horde of household service contractors and a bear who lives in the laundry, Ottoline and Mr Munroe solve the case of the missing lapdogs - and the subsequent string of burglaries. Good fun for readers who like lots of pictures.  (Aug)

• Jamie and Angus Together  Anne Fine, illus. Penny Dale  (Walker Books)  ISBN 978 1 4063 0180 9

A sequel to The Jamie and Angus Stories, this made me want to read the first book. Each of the six chapters describes an event in the life of pre-schooler Jamie and his soft toy, a Highland bull named Angus. These low-key and warm-hearted stories beautifully capture the relationship between a little boy and his favourite companion. The child focus can't be bettered. The stories are complemented by soft, realistic pencil drawings. Great for new readers. (July)

• Awesome Animal Stories  Compiled by Elizabeth Holland  (Kingfisher)  ISBN 978 0 7534 1508 5

Labelled "Super Shorts", this is a collection of short, humorous fable-like stories for new readers. It includes writers such as John Yeoman, Dick King-Smith, Sally Grindley, Michael Rosen and Mary Rayner. Cheeky cartoon illustrations by Kate Pankhurst add to the easy-reading factor. These stories would make good read-alouds to fill in a spare five minutes in the classroom.  (July)

• Eureka!  Sandy McKay  (Mallinson Rendel)  ISBN 978 1 877423 15 4

Todd and Joey have to come up with an idea for the science fair. As usual, they can't think of a thing. Joey is fed up with his (solo) mother being too busy and too tired to help him with his homework - and suddenly he decides to turn his mother and her lifestyle into his experiment. With the help of a wise old neighbour, Joey starts doing chores round the place, such as washing the dishes and doing the vacuuming. It's a cheeky, funny little story for readers who have just graduated to chapter books. One question - what's in the jar of Elbow Grease???  (June)

• Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat  Lynne Jonell  (Henry Holt)  ISBN 978 0 8050 8150 3

Emmy is a good girl - so good that everyone ignores her, while her evil-minded nanny, Miss Barmy, controls every aspect of her life. But then Emmy hears the caged rat in her classroom speak - and everything changes. She embarks on a dangerous adventure to find out the source of Miss Barmy's extraordinary magical powers. This is an action-packed story that should appeal to fans of Lemony Snicket's books. (June)

• Snake and Lizard  Joy Cowley/Gavin Bishop  (Gecko Press)  ISBN 978 0 9582787 3 7

This beautifully presented little book is the overall Book of the Year Award winner for the  2008 NZ Post Awards. Joy Cowley tells some gentle, moralistic tales about two unlikely friends, Snake and Lizard - one tale per chapter. Gavin Bishop has provided numerous illustrations in muted watercolours, at least one per double spread. The end papers, covered in pictures of small animals and insects, are a delight. This book would be fun to read aloud to junior classes, chapter by chapter, but confident readers of about 8 to 10 would enjoy having their own copy. (March)

• Born to Run  Michael Morpurgo  (HarperCollins)  ISBN 978 0 00 723057 0

An ultimately happy, but at times heart-rending story about a greyhound. As a puppy, he's rescued from drowning in the river by Patrick, and named Best Mate. However he's a very good runner, and he is stolen and taken to a greyhound racer. Now named Bright Eyes, he has more adventures and eventually ends up with an old man who sells hot potatoes for a living. He's now called Paddywack. Some chapters are written from the point of view of the dog, which adds interest. A good read for dog fanciers in upper primary classes. (March)

• The Mozart Question  Michael Morpurgo, illus. Michael Foreman  (Walker)  ISBN 978 1 4063 0648 4

This hardback book is beautifully illustrated with soft watercolours. A elderly and world-famous violinist decides it's time to explain his aversion to playing Mozart. He tells a tale of his childhood, when he heard a busker playing a violin. He secretly takes lessons with the busker, but eventually his parents find out. They tell a tale in turn of their experiences as violinists in an orchestra in a concentration camp during WWII. They were forced to play Mozart to calm the new arrivals. Once freed, they were never able to play again. This is an interesting look at a difficult and heartwrenching topic. (Feb)

• The Silver Dragon  Sherryl Jordan  (Scholastic NZ)  ISBN 978 1 86943 841 8

This is the fourth book in the Denzil series. Denzil (a boy wizard from long ago) decides to bring back a person from the 21st century in order to invent a printing machine. Unfortunately he manages to bring back the whole family together with their new car. The car causes huge consternation among the villagers, who think it's a silver dragon - and eventually they "kill" it. Meanwhile the time travellers are kidnapped by a wicked wizard who also wants a printing press. Eventually they are rescued and Denzil understands that the press can't be invented for another 200 years. Light-hearted fun.  (Feb) 

• The Puffin Treasury of New Zealand Children's Stories, Volume 4  Edited by Jenni Keestra   (Penguin NZ)  ISBN 978 0 14 330346 6

As with previous volumes in the series, this collection offers a pot pourri of story extracts, poetry, short stories, and picture book texts. All entries are lavishly illustrated by different illustrators. Some old favourites are: The Tree Witches by Glenda Turner, The Legend of the Kea by Philip Temple, The Wind Between the Stars by Margaret Mahy, and Annie & Moon by Miriam Smith. This would make a great Christmas present for grandchildren... (Dec)

• Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools  Philip Caveney  (Bodley Head)  ISBN 978 0 370 32915 4

This large hardback book would be good to offer young readers who are regretting the end of the Harry Potter series. Sebastian is a jester who's not very funny. On the way to the king's court he teams up with an extremely small soldier called Cornelius. Together with Sebastian's talking buffalope, they rescue Princess Kerin from brigands. But when they arrive at King Septimus's court, they find that he wants to keep the throne and get rid of his niece, the Princess. Plenty of old-fashioned adventure and action, and there will be more titles in the series.  (Dec)

• Dare & Double Dare: New Zealand Sporty Stories  Edited by Barbara Else, illus. Philip Webb  (Random House NZ)  ISBN 978 1 86941 874 8

The most recent volume in this popular series of anthologies will be just as much in demand as the others - maybe even more so, given its recreational theme. As always, there are funny stories and serious ones; stories by well-known authors and stories by new writers. Each story is enlivened by Philip Webb's cheeky cartoons. I hope you enjoy my story called Having A Go - I wrote it for all the people who are hopeless at sport - like me. (Nov)

• Jack Plank Tells Tales  Natalie Babbitt  (Scholastic; Michael di Capua Books)  ISBN 978 0 545 00496 1

The stories-within-a-story format means that this could easily be read aloud to classes, chapter by chapter. Jack Plank is a retired pirate (around 1720 in Jamaica). He's meant to be finding himself a new career, but he spends his time entertaining his fellow-lodgers with tall tales of his pirating days. Naturally he ends up becoming a storyteller. Beautifully illustrated with pencil sketches by the author. (Nov)