Book Review: Hockey Wars 15: Graduation by Sam lawrence & Ben Jackson

 Hockey Wars 15: Graduation

by

Sam Lawrence & Ben Jackson

illustrated by Tanya Zeinalova

 

Publisher: Indie Publishing Group

Publication day: 2nd June 2024 

Series: Hockey Wars #15

Genre: Tween Fiction

Pages: 142

Source: Courtesy of the authors 

 

Review: Hockey Wars 15 Graduation

 It was a delight to follow this wholesome group of young teens as they celebrated the end of Middle School (grade 8 in the USA) and their academic and sporting achievements, cheering each other on and planning towards their futures.

 

I like that the group of girls and boys have been just friends enjoying hanging out together but now about to enter High School (turning 14) they are beginning to pair up experiencing the first thoughts of a relationship. Sweet, wholesome and good fun!.

 

Young readers will love all the fanfare of getting ready for graduation and will relate to the worries about losing friendships when they go to different high schools.

 

This edition mainly focuses on the graduation and the characters' burgeoning relationships but there are still plenty of sport filled moments with a golf day and a friendly hockey match.

 

Tanya Zeinalova's illustrations are an added delight and I loved trying to pick which illustration was which character.

 

My rating 4 /5 🎓🎓🎓🎓

Recommended age 10 -14 years

Book Review: Father of the Lost Boys (young readers ed.) by Yuot A. Alaak

 Father of the Lost Boys

by

Yuot A. Alaak

THE MECAK AJANG ALAAK STORY

 

Publisher: Fremantle Press

Publication date: 4th June 2024

Genre: Middle Grade / Non Fiction

Pages: 160

RRP: AU$17.99 (softcover)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: Father of the Lost Boys

Father of the Lost Boys for younger readers is a rewrite of the adult edition to be appropriate reading for younger readers aged 8+ years. I haven't read the adult version but I feel this book will have less graphic detail of the death and destruction rained on the people of Sudan. 

 

Yuot recounts the harrowing journey of Mecak Ajang Alaak as he walks 20,000 displaced boys aged 8-12 years, over a period of 2 years, to freedom. He was a man of tremendous moral and ethical stature and he instilled this in his son and the boys that looked to him for guidance

 

Not only is Father of the Lost Boys a wonderful story of courage and perseverance it also teaches a lot about the history of unrest in Sudan and neighbouring countries. I learnt a lot from Yuot's story. 

Reading Father of the Lost Boys gives the opportunity to teach empathy and compassion for refugees and displaced persons. A real eye opener for children to see what children in other countries deal with and how they work together and still manage to find joy in the simplest things in life.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Yuot A. Alaak currently lives in Perth with his family where he works as a mining professional, having attained degrees in geosciences and engineering. 

Recommneded age: 8 -14 years

CONTENT: death of children from hunger and exhaustion

                   children taken by wild animals

                   an execution by firing squad

                   some children drown

See Fremantle Press website for teaching notes and activities.

https://fremantlepress.com.au/books/father-of-the-lost-boys-for-younger-readers/

 

Book Review: When the Lights Went Out by Lian Tanner

 When the Lights Went Out

by

Lian Tanner

Illustrated by Jonathan Bentley

 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Children

Publication date: 2nd July 2024

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Pages: 32

RRP: $24.99 (hardback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: When the Lights Went Out

Lian Tanner and Jonathon Bentley have teamed together to produce a gorgeous picture book that will entrance and delight as we join a young family when one dark, cold night the power goes out. 

Narrated by a young child we follow the family as they get that first startlement when everything goes dark. As they search for candles it is turned into an adventure in the dark.

Just when they are thinking of having an early night they hear someone playing music and singing outside, so the family rug up and go out to see who is singing. All the neighbours come outside and sing and dance late into the night.

 

When the Lights Went Out shows it only took one person to venture outside and play music and sing for the whole neighbourhood to join in, have a marvellous time and celebrate a moment of connectedness.

When the Lights Went Out is a delightful children's book that turns what some may conceive as an inconvenience into a family adventure.

The realistic, full colour sketched illustrations are a lovely depiction of a community coming together.

Jonathon Bentley has cleverly placed nocturnal animals, a fox and an owl, into his illustrations and it was fun to try to spot them in each double spread outdoor illustration.

When the Lights Went Out is a reassuring story for young children during times of fear and uncertainty.

My rating 5 / 5 🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

recommended age: 3 - 6 years

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Kelpie Chaos by Deb Fitzpatrick

 Kelpie Chaos

by

Deb Fitzpatrick

Publisher: Fremantle Press

Publication date: 1st May 2024

Genre: Junior Fiction

Pages: 112

RRP: $14.99AU (paperback)

 

Review: Kelpie Chaos

When Eli's friend Max tells him that a kelpie pup is going to be sent to the pound if it isn't adopted, Eli's family decide they are ready for a new dog in their life. They go as a family to visit the farm and pick up their new dog and name him Zoom.

 

In Kelpie Chaos Deb Fitzpatrick portrays the challenges of having a new pup in the house as Zoom gets up to lots of mischief and the family needs to adjust to his puppy stage.

 

I liked that the whole family took on the job of exercising Zoom and taking him for walks. The parents didn't push the chores solely on the children.

 

Kelpie Chaos is an action packed read with lots of fun moments as Zoom likes to chase lawnmowers, at the local park, as though he is rounding them up. 

Lots of danger and suspense when Zoom goes missing during a picnic in the bush and as night falls they still haven't found him. Eli and his family refuse to give up hope.

Kelpies are fast becoming a popular family pet and Kelpie Chaos shows the fun in owning such an energetic dog and also the commitment required when sharing your life with this breed.

My rating 4.5 / 5 🐕🐕🐕🐕½

Age recommendation: 6 - 10 years

See Fremantle Press website for teaching notes or to read an extract.

https://fremantlepress.com.au/books/kelpie-chaos/

 

Book Review: How to Move a Zoo by Kate Simpson

 How to Move a Zoo

by

Kate Simpson

illustrated by Owen Swan

 

The incredible true story

 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Children's

Publication date: 4th June 2024

Genre: Children's Picture Book

Pages: 38

RRP: $24.99AU (hardcover)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: How to Move a Zoo

How to Move a Zoo is a beautiful picture book that illustrates the true story of how, in 1916, Jessie the elephant walked from Moore Park Zoo to her new home in the Taronga Zoological Park at Mosman.

The pencil full colour illustrations are charming and nostalgic, presented with a hazy softness that encompasses the nighttime setting.

How to Move a Zoo is a wonderful story from a bygone era. The story follows Jessie the elephant as she quietly walks through the streets of Sydney, whilst everyone sleeps.  From Moore Park down Burke street through the Botanical Gardens to Bennelong Point where she boards a barge to take her across the harbour.

Owen Swan's engaging illustrations perfectly portray a long-ago era with milk-carts and street-sweepers. With a little prompting children can spot the many birds that inhabit the area; kookaburras, magpies, seagulls, cockatoos, lorikeets, rosellas, even a brush turkey can be spotted in the pictures.

The picture of Jessie's new home, the elephant house, will be recognised by many children today.

How to Move a Zoo is a heartwarming picture book that will give hours of enjoyment to children and carers alike.

My rating 5 / 5 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

Recommended age: 3 - 8 years

 

Book Review: Into the Blue by Cristy Burne

 Into the Blue

by

Cristy Burne

illustrated by Amanda Burnett

 

Publisher: Fremantle Press

Publication date: 1st may 2024

Genre: Junior Fiction

Pages: 112

RRP: $14.99AU (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Review: Into the Blue

Blair and his cousin Drew go on a school snorkelling trip on the wreck of the Omero. Blair sees this as the perfect opportunity to "borrow" his brother's GoPro. When he accidentally drops the GoPro and it is lost on the ocean floor Blair's excitement turns to panic. But no-one knows he took it so Blair can keep it a secret. If he can live with the guilt!

Into the Blue is a delightful story. We feel Blair's excitement and anticipation of going snorkelling, the chill of the water as he first enters the ocean then the panic and devastation as he realises he has lost his brother's precious camera.

The reader feels Blair's anguish as he goes through days of knowing what he has done but can't face up to the consequences. The guilt gnaws away at him as his brother is punished for losing the GoPro.

 

I loved that Into the Blue is educational as well as fun. I learnt that the Omero wreck is a real shipwreck off Perth's coastline near Coogee Beach and it is a big snorkelling attraction.

Cristy Burne combines a moral message with themes of adventure and this is a fun way to open discussions on honesty and respecting others belongings.

Blair's great-grandmother is introduced as a safe adult for Blair to open up to and I found this a heartwarming inclusion to show that the older generation is full of experience and sound advice.

 

Into the Blue is a story about owning up to your mistakes and facing the consequences. 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Age recommendation: 6 - 11 years

Book Review: Mawson in Antarctica by Joanna Grochowicz

 Mawson in Antarctica:

TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

by

Joanna Grochowicz

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Children's

Publication date: 4th June 2024

Genre: Children's Non Fiction

Pages: 272

RRP: $19.99AU (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: Mawson in Antarctica

I've always been fascinated by the great explorers. Men and women who brave deadly conditions to advance our understanding of the world we live in.

 

Joanna Grochowicz has written a gripping rendition of Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition which ran from 1911 - 1914. Their main goal was to chart a section of the coast.

I liked the addition, in the front of the book, of a list of the men who were part of the expedition and the job each man was assigned to although, once there, it was soon clear that everyone had to pitch in wherever. 

The unforgiving landscape and the men's battle with exhaustion, hunger and frostbite is all vividly described and as I read I was never in doubt of how bitterly cold it was and how dangerous a sudden change in the weather could be.

In Mawson in Antarctica Grochowicz uses the notes and diaries kept by the explorers, plus extensive research, to recreate the ambience and conversations between the men to write a highly engaging story about ordinary men who rose to extraordinary heights of courage and endurance.

Perfectly written for the intended age group of 10 - 14 years. I love that children are not only getting a totally immersive and gripping read but they are also learning an important part of Australian history and I hope, like me, it encourages readers to search for more information on Mawson and his team of adventurers.

 

Includes insert pages of photographs taken during the expedition.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Publisher recommended age: 10 -14 years

My age recommendation 12+ years

CONTENT: The men are reduced to eating the dogs to stay alive.