Language FUN!

This book deserves a post all of its own....

The Return of the Word Spy : A Funny and Fantastic Voyage into Language, Grammar and Beyond... Ursula Dubosarsky & Tohby Riddle (Penguin)

I adored the first book and this one is just as much fun. I learnt more wordy information too in this books which is all about the joy of sharing the love of language.

Last time it as a discovery of the english langauge and espeically words. .. this time we venture with the Word Spy to discover language and grammar ... learning about it has never been this much fun!

Discover information about language; extinct languages, endangered languages, new languages and silent languages - there is even a braille alphabet that you can feel! And then there is grammar, and the explanation the meaning of verbs, adjectives, articles, conjuctions, prepositions and so much more. There is even information on obsolete words. And as with the Word Spy there are puzzles to solve, and this time twelve words to find - to make this even more fun!!!

This book is a delight with surprises at every page turn.

Enjoy....

Great reads of fiction....

Thai-Riffic! Oliver Phommavanh (Penguin)

If you are ready for lots of giggles (but then what would you expect from a comedian) then this is a book to read.

Albert (Lengy) Lengviriyakul is Thai. His parents run a Thai restaurant called - Thai-riffic!! Albert wants to be an ordinary kid and fit in, after all he has just started year 7 at high school but his parents have other ideas, like making him wear t-shirts that advertise the restaurant) complete with baby photo of Albert), pushing a shopping trolley full of discounted toilet paper! A cultural day at school finds Albert’s parents bringing their Thai dishes to school which Albert tries to sabotage but things don't quite work out as planned and soon the orders are flowing in! When Albert and his best friend finally complete a school project on Thailand Albert realises that maybe being Thai is not too bad after all!

For independent readers.

Takeshita Demons Cristy Burne & Siku (Frances Lincoln)

Are you afraid of ghosts and evil spirits, or the black space under your bed? If you are then put this book down right away and start another.

These are the first words of this title and just wanted me to keep on reading. this is a wonderful book full of action and adventure with creepy demons from Japan that have followed her family all the way from Japan to the UK - worse still the replacement teacher at her new school happens to be the demon Nukekubi a bloodthirsty demon who can turn into a flying head (by unzipping its body at night) and whose favourite snack is children - and it wants to destroy Mika to prevent her learning about the power her grandmother has taught her. To do so the demon visits Miku's house and steals her younger brother forcing Miku and her best friend to face the demons to rescue her brother ... but can she?

For independent readers

Water Geoff Havel (Scholastic)

This title is full of suspense, surprises, twists throughout - and an amazing secret! a great book for older readers.

Tully's father has very strict rules that include stay clear of strangers and never go near the water. When Tully's father has failed to arrive home one night she is kidnapped by a mysterious stranger and taken to a distant scientific lab - where she finds out the secret about who she really is. There are others who are just like Tully ... exactly like Tully for Tully has been genetically engineered and is able to survive under water. Now that Tully has experienced the water she can never go back to her earlier life - but she and the others like her must escape!

Now Morris Gleitzman (Penguin)

I can't believe I haven’t listed this book before - for it is one that I couldn't put this book down and is possible one of the best i have read all year. This is a powerful and emotive read - a book of hope!!

This title Now is the final book in the series that began with Once and Then - books that were moving stories of survival during the holocaust.

Now is set, today and in this book Felix, a retired surgeon in his later years, is the grandfather of Zelda. He has achieved great things in his life, the promise he made to become the best human being he can be has come to fruition. His childhood memories, once buried come alive again when his granddaughter Zelda comes to stay. This time the holocaust is the recent Victorian bushfires - vividly portrayed. Throughout the book Felix reflects on his life long ago and Zelda on her life today. This time Felix and Zelda have to fight to survive and to confront their demons … bullies at school and bullies of the past.

This book for independent readers is shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction prize 2010.

Morris' dedication: For all the children who never had the chance to do their best.

Grab a book and enjoy the read!

Unputdownable Fiction

All these novels are new and I couldn't put them down.

The Red Wind Isobelle Carmody (Viking)
This is the first title in the Kingdom of the Lost series, a delightful fantasy series written for younger readers.
Two brothers live in the middle of a vast bare plain in their simple stone cottage, with gardens and household items crafted with their own hands. In autumn every year the elder brother Zluty travels to the northern forests to gather supplies of mushrooms, tree sap and honey that the two will need to endure the long hard winter on the plain. The younger brother Bily meanwhile nervously waits at home for his brother to return. But this trip a devastating Red Wind sweeps across the land being with it much destruction and torment, destroying everything in its path, including the brother's cottage on the plains. Bily survives by hiding with his animal friends in the cellar, along with a terrifying monster, while Zluty endures the torrential rain and fights to survive! United the two, with their cottage destroyed and little to no food for them to survive the coming winter, must decide what to do.

Get a Grip Cooper Jones Sue Whiting (Walker Books)
Cooper Jones has never known his dad. He lives with his mum (who is mad keen on joining the Women's circus aerial troupe (no matter how embarrassing that is to Cooper) in a small coastal town near the bush close to the beach (and the surf which he wont swim in). and things are changing. He constantly thinks of the father he has never known, he even starts searching the internet for his father, and now things seem different between him and his mother ... especially now that he's taller then her. Life is getting complicated and is no longer simple. Then Abeba arrives, his neighbour's niece and soon Cooper realises that he is not the only one whose life is getting complicated as Abeba has problems of her own with her mother about her heritage. And when the bushfire approaches and Abeba is bitten by a snake, it is Cooper who has to realise that when life is spinning out of control, sometimes you just need to get a grip.
A wonderful story of families and relationships and growing up!

The Wildkin's Curse Kate Forsyth (Pan)
This is the companion book to the earlier novel, The Starthorn Tree, but it most definitely can be read as a standalone novel. The characters are wonderful created in this fantasy world.
Three children who are time-honoured enemies, Merry (a heathkin boy and son of a rebel), Zedrin (a starkin lord and heir) and Liliana (a wildkin girl developing uncanny magical powers) are on a perilous quest to the palace of Zarissa to rescue the wildkin Princess Rozalina (who is also muzzled for she has the power to enchant with her words) from her lifelong imprisonment in a tower in a palace built of glass. But to do so the three must work together and endure family treachery, discover their real heritage and their destinies become clear.

Grimsdon Deborah Abela (Random House)
What a wonderful environmental tale is this novel.
The once modern and grand city of Grimsdon is in ruins much of it submerged having been devastated by a massive flood that broke the barriers. Most survivors have left, while a few remain behind surviving on whatever they can scrounge from the remains, including the children Isabella and Griffin and the three other smaller children they care for. they live in the remains of an opulent mansion and into this world enters Another child, Xavier who has an Aerotrope, a flying bicycle, that can take the children even further into the ruins in search of what they require. But Xavier, should he join the gang, endanger all their lives with his risks - and his past.
As well there are also bounty hunters and pirates, sneaker waves that could cause more damage, as well as something that lies deep beneath the waters.

These are terrific reads.

Mirror

Mirror Jeannie Baker (Walker Books)
This wordless book is something very, very special.
It is two books in one.
It is about two boys and their families from different worlds, one Australian, one Moroccan. It shows two different cultures, two different countries, two different families and the day-to-day life of each family.
The pages reveal how even though the two families are on different sides of the globe, living in different societies and different climates and in worlds under different forms of development, the way they care for each other, and the loving relationships within the family - families are still essentially the same. We are the Mirror of each other.
Created in Jeannie’s wonderful collage style, the pages of this story are two stories opening from the inside out, the two stories to be read "side-by-side".
This is a book to be devoured at all different ages, singularly or shared, looking for similarities and differences and pouring over the exquisite details of each illustration - and looking for the "belonging" of the family.

More Picture Book Delights

Shrieking Violet Emma Quay (Scholastic)

This big / little sister story with humorous illustrations (the facial expression on the mum and the girls are wonderful) is delightful and just perfect for young families.
Big sister is supposed to be the star of this story but younger sister Violet always seems to get in the way and grab the spotlight, Violet is the one who is making all the fuss, who isn't old enough to wear shoes with laces, who only 'think' she is helping, who plays in the water and who can't be woken at sleep ... and much more!
But then big sister suddenly comes up with a situation where both girls can claim the spotlight.

Precious Little Julie Hunt, Sue Moss & Gaye Chapman (Allen&Unwin)
As stated on the cover, a thrilling story about flying high, diving deep and daring to take a chance. The book is filled with very detailed illustrations and swirling text, that sometimes appears upside down and twists and turn over the page which will have readers coming back to check more and more each time.
Precious Little want to fly just like the Light Fantastic trapeze artists she works for as a circus-hand. She practised hard on the ground but was not good enough. Other circus entertainers encourage her to join them but Precious Little only wants to fly the trapeze. Then, when Fat Chance offers he the chance to walk a tightrope strung between the Lucky dip, Precious Little has to take a risk...
a story about perseverance, friendship, and taking a chance.
See the trailer here

It's Bedtime, William Deborah Niland (Viking)
After many excuses (like the goodnight story and the bedtime kiss) William is sent to bed. He finally enters the room only to find a lion in his bed. A quick trip down the stairs to tell his parents who instruct William to ask the lion to "remove itself at once" which the lion does. But now the lion isn't tired anymore and wants to play so it's William's turn to tell the stories and play the games, just like his parents did. Then after many excuses - this time from the lion - a tired William and his lion finally curl up to sleep.
A lovely story and simple but beautiful illustrations. A gorgeous, "go to bed" "I don't want to" book!

Zizzy Penny Matthews & Danny Snell (Scholastic)
Zizzy is a baby sloth, who hangs upside down and walks very slowly and eats (as sloths do) and who dreams about the things he sees in his rainforest. When he glimpses a tiny path of blue - that too becomes part of his dreams. his wondering about the tiny patch of blue is soon answered by a bird who perches in his tree and who also offers to show it to Zizzy. He is reluctant but with coaxing from the bird "you don't know what you can do until you try" Zizzy and the bird set off on their adventure, with a few stumbles and encouragement to never stop dreaming along the way.
A book of encouragement, fulfilment and continued dreaming.

The Truth About Penguins Meg McKinlay & Mark Jackson (Walker Books)
This is fun and zany and all too humorous.
There is much excitement at the zoo for the penguins are coming to stay so when one of the zoo residents poses the questions "what is a penguin?" all the knowledgeable animals contribute to the description of what a penguin really is. Of course the zoo residents’ descriptions of penguins are slightly exaggerated so it is up to the zookeeper to set the animals straight and provide the truth about penguins. But when the penguins do arrive...