the Shiny Guys – Doug Macleod

Linda J

shiny-guysDr Maximew and Dr Vendra smile. They don’t even look that much like cockroaches. They resemble grasshoppers, except they’re red. And everyone knows grasshoppers are friendly, with nice faces and big round eyes. Whoever heard of evil grasshoppers?

To look at Colin, he would appear to be a normal teenage boy. What isn’t normal is that he spends all day in grey pyjamas, shares a room with Len the basket weaver, and is frequently haunted by visions of ‘shiny guys’.

The reasons why the ‘shiny guys’ visit Colin isn’t clearly apparent in the early stages of the story. However, their visits seem to be of concern to his family and the medical staff. For Colin, they are an accepted part of his day.

Through Colin’s eyes, we view how a mental institution runs – with shades of ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ in some of his descriptions. Like McMurphy, Colin tries to buck the system, sometimes not taking his medication, and often critiquing the methods used in Ward 44:

“Don’t you think it’s in really bad taste to have shell-shocked Vietnam vets weaving things that look like the hats worn by the people who were trying to kill them?” (Colin asks Dr Parkinson in one of his regular sessions.)

Like McMurphy, Colin also plans his escape. He collects supplies, stores them in a secret location and keeps a keen watch on staff movements. He recruits a few friends to join him. Occasionally, the ‘shiny guys’ embolden him, tell him not to take his meds, and help him to see things more clearly (or do they?).

Other characters woven into the story provide a few different perspectives – Mango, who suffers from an attachment disorder, and Anthea, suffering anorexia. Slowly, their stories unfold as they struggle to come closer to ‘normal’ behaviour that society expects of them.

Doug Macleod’s writing is known to be funny and tongue-in-cheek. ‘The Shiny Guys’ meets this expectation, while addressing some serious issues along the way. Macleod even acknowledges himself that much of the story was inspired by real events which occurred in his life: depression and the effects of a stroke, and of course further research into some of their effects. Here is Doug’s own review of ‘the Shiny Guys’ and some interesting insights to how it was written.

As a nominee for the CBCA Older Reader awards, this is another edition which gets my vote.  Do you agree?

Homeless – Friday Brown by Vicki Wakefield

Linda J

friday brownShe had escaped from home – and why not? After all, everything she ever knew was meaningless now her mother was gone. So she was running –  “trying to escape memories of her mother and the family curse.”

After spending all her years in the countryside, Friday Brown ends up homeless in the city. While she was with her mother, wherever the two of them were together – that was home. But now alone, she determined to find herself a place to be.

Through a series of events at a railway station, she develops a friendship with a strange and silent young boy. With Silence, she then comes under the wing of Arden, who along with the smouldering Malik, leads a small band of homeless kids with a Dickensian lifestyle in inner Sydney.

Belonging has always been hard for Friday. With her mother, she would traipse around the countryside – moving on when things became too stressful or demanding. From an early age, she knew the signs of an impending move – when the money ran out, or her mother was out of favour with her current employer.

After her mother’s death (presumably due to her family curse) Friday decides to run. But why is she really running away? Is life going to be any better, homeless, in the city?

Slowly, Friday adjusts to a chaotic life, with some unusual ‘housemates’ – but she is never quite comfortable with everyone, or with life in the city. Technically, they are homeless, squatting in an abandoned building till disaster strikes.

Change takes the dischordant group to the countryside, where Friday’s past gives her the strength and courage to take a stand and, occasionally, to take the lead. Relationships are tried and tested, and all in Arden’s ‘family’ discover different things about themselves and others. Instinct and cunning – are they enough to help Friday survive? Who is friend and who is foe? And what about her family curse?

Some surprising and tragic events throughout.

Selected for CBCA awards this year – it would definitely be one of my choices! What do you think?

For more reviews, see Inside a Dog or GoodReads

Creepy and Maud – just creepy

Linda J

creepyChosen as one of the CBCA Shortlisted books but I can’t see why.

The characters were a bit ‘creepy’ and unrealistic for me – maybe the author was in for shock value.

I usually review the all CBCA books for my blog, but this will be a short one, as I have a rule: if you can’t say something nice then don’t review it…

 

What do you think? I am missing the point?

Chopsticks and Roof Beams

Linda J

chopsticks‘…she only managed to give birth to a handful of chopsticks and no roof-beam.’ I was struck by this way of referring to girls and boys. I had never heard it before, but it seemed to epitomise the manner in which the Chinese view the differences between men and women…

And so begins an explanation of why the narrator and her five sisters were only ever given a number as a name, and why their family faced much disgrace in countryside China – and why Three takes the opportunity as a young girl, to go to the city of Nanjing to find work when her uncle offers.

‘Miss Chopsticks’ is an interesting and unusual story which shows many contrasts between:
1. values placed on girls and boys
2. attitudes in city and rural areas of China
3. old and new ways

Xinran was born in China, but separated from her mother by the Cultural Revolution, and so grew up with her grandparents in Beijing. In China, after the Cultural Revlotion ended, she became a radio broadcaster whose program, “Words on the Night Breeze”, encouraged lots of discussion about true picture of the daily lives of Chinese women. Her high media profile ultimately lead her to leave China for England in 1997, where she began to carve out her current career in journalism and writing.

With this background, you can understand that her stories, including Miss Chopsticks, are well-informed and genuine  reflections of China as she knew it , and China as she hopes it is becoming today. Her girls, Three, Five and Six, are not tragic figures in ‘Miss Chopsticks’ but rather succeed in overcoming their birth consequences. They represent a new generation of Chinese girls. Unlike many other Asian tales, it is a more lighthearted. While it portrays some harsh values which still exist in parts of China, it does offer hope.

‘Miss Chopsticks’ is loosely based on many of the girls and women that Xinran has met –

“For a long time I have wanted to write down some of the stories of the girls I have met…”

Xinran gives an interesting insight to Chinese life and values. There is much to be learned from this tale. It would also be interesting to know how it might have been received in China…

For more detail about Xinran, there are many articles you can read from the Guardian.

Great reviews!!

Linda J
kbr logo reviews a-z

Kids Book Review website

There are so many wonderful blogs to be found on the web – and so many which talk about great books for Australian teenagers! Here’s just a few:

    • # Aussie reviews / Young Adults – providing online reviews of all kinds of Australian books – from adult fiction to children’s books to non-fiction – managed by writer Sally Murphy.
    • # Big Bookcase – news, views and reviews on reading
    • # Books and Reading – TGS – Booklists, recommended reading, book blogs and more from the Trinity Grammar School community.
    • # Fully Booked – the reading blog of Barker College in Sydney, Australia.
    • # Hey! Teenager – teenager/ writer Steph Bowe’s blog about reading and writing YA.
    • # Inside a Dog? – a place for teen readers and the home of Inky, the reading wonder-dog.
    • # JustNew – LibraryThing – link to our library’s newest additions – find reviews and recommendations here.
    • # Kids Book Review – a 100% voluntary children’s literature and book review site that supports and features authors, illustrators and publishers Australia-wide and internationally.
    • # Read Alert – reviews and comments on YA from the State Library of Victoria
    • # Read Plus – a collection of selected books and films reviewed and themed
    • # SpineOut reviews – online digital journal of reviews by kids for kids
    • # storylines – reviews of books and websites from the King’s School community

Many thanks to these communities for adding their thoughts on great reads!!

Are there any others you would like to share?

the Wrong Boy by Suzie Zail

Linda J

13338887“The point is to stay human.” Erika bent over a bowl of brown water and splashed her face. “We musn’t become animals, Hanna. That’s what they want.”

“It’s the only way to beat them, ” Erika said… “Survive, and when you do, tell everyone what you saw – “

If life in Budapest in 1944 had been difficult before, it was only going to get worse for Hanna’s family – they are moved out of the Jewish ghetto that had been their home. Uprooted from their modest home and sent packing with few belongings, they are transported by rail to an uncertain future in Birkenau – a place we now know as a Nazi concentration / extermination camp.

Since the story is told from the point of view of a young (15 year old) girl, the reader is not exposed to the whole extent of the Jewish holocaust. Initially, Hanna and her family naively anticipate that they are simply being relocated temporarily. Hanna’s dreams of becoming a famous concert pianist linger for a while, and she clings to the hope of her family staying together.

The reality of their eventual separations dawns slowly, as Hanna’s mother loses her sanity and her will to survive. Her older sister, Erika, begins as the stronger one, but as their dismal living conditions impact on her health, it is Hanna who looks after them. Hanna’s saving grace is her ability to play the piano and the opportunity to escape Birkenau daily, gives her a marginally better existence than the others detained there.

Music gives Hanna an escape route – both physically (since she leaves the camp to play for the Commandant) and mentally (as she loses herself in her music as she plays). It is also how she connects little by little with the Commandant’s son, Karl – a music student and a Jewish sympathiser. But we do not escape the grim and devastating situation that millions of Jews faced during WWII – the desperation and suffering faced before atrocious deaths.

For Suzy Zail, this children’s book follows on from her father-daughter memoir The Tattooed Flower, published in May 2006. Both tackle a hard subject, about which many tales have already been written. Her own personal connections (her father being a survivor of Auschwitz) have enabled an authentic voice to come through in ‘the Wrong Boy’, as we see things from the point of view of a displaced young teen facing a future far removed from her dreams.

When asked about her book, Suzy made the following comments:

“Writing this book allowed me to revisit my father’s story and remember him and the millions of other children and teenagers who didn’t survive”, Suzy says.

“It was also the perfect way to pass on [my father’s] warning, because only by remembering can we prevent the past from fading. By reading about the Holocaust and trying to understand it we can make sure it never happens again.”

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1359375.Suzy_Zail

Let’s hope that we do learn.

# Selected for CBCA awards 2013 – see previous post on CBCA awards 2013

‘Ten things…’ techniques authors use

Linda J

ten-things-ive-learnt-about-love-978144722249101Books are not always straightforward in their presentation. Some have quirky links and techniques throughout. Some take a while to adapt to, others just make sense.

As ‘Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love’ progresses from chapter to chapter, the story jumps between characters and lists.

One of the characters is Alice, the youngest of 3 sisters, who feels as though she doesn’t ‘fit’ her family. She is, and always has, felt unsettled and disconnected. Then, after months of travelling overseas, she arrives home to the news that her father is dying.

The other narrator who gives voice to the tale is Daniel; a homeless drifter, in search of his daughter. His synaesthesia gives him a special and interesting quality, and he too is both restless and disconnected. Unlike Alice, he lingers in one place, London – for that is where he feels his daughter is to be found.

We can guess that there will ultimately be some kind of connection between Alice and Daniel. Throughout the story they both create lists – of wants and wishes, anxieties and memories, statements of love and sorrows. It is through these lists that the reader experiences the ebb and flow of their emotions, as Sarah Butler weaves her story.

For Butler, this is a debut novel, with a clever and gradual intertwining of their lives now. Past events are slowly revealed to allow the characters to fill in the gaps and make sense of turns that have occurred in their lives. There are many times when you wonder ‘what if?’ something else had happened or ‘why?’ did this event need to occur.

For many readers, there will be time for quiet pondering about their own relationships, in spite of sitting safely in comfortable times with family and friends. As stated in its blurb:

“Heart-wrenching and life -affirming, this is a unique story of love lost and found, of rootlessness and homecoming and the power of the ties that bind. It is a story for fathers and daughters everywhere.”

For more information about Sarah Butler read this article, a guest post written by the author discussing what she learned while writing ‘Ten Things…’

What further questions would you ask if you could talk to Sarah Butler?

Did you like her collection of lists to start each chapter?

Author! Author! (Doctor? Doctor?) Slave of the Lamp – Paula Fogarty

Linda J

slaveAuthors come from many diverse walks of life – and not all of them write their first book straight out of school as many would like to think:

  • # Toni Jordan (Nine Days) has worked as a sales assistant, molecular biologist, quality control chemist and marketing manager.
  • # Sarah Butler (Ten Things I’ve learnt About Love)  runs a consultancy which develops literature and arts projects.
  • # M.L. Stedman (the Light Between Oceans) was working in London as a lawyer in 1997 before hiring a writing coach…

So it is not surprising to discover that another debut author, Paula Fogarty, has ‘real’ job as a doctor – that she has worked in travel medicine for many years, and has a Post Graduate Masters degree in Tropical Medicine and Public Health.

It is also not surprising that Paula’s tale involves a magical genie and heroes of mythology, when you read that “her youth was spent devouring huge volumes of ancient Greek, Arabic and Nordic mythology.” In ‘Slave of the Lamp’, she uses her own interpretation of old tales, combined with adventure, for a young boy who simply wants to earn some money during his holiday break.

In this tale, genies (or ‘apprentice’ djinns, as Rufus might be called) are not all powerful and fearful. Neither do the old-school heroes like Aladdin measure up to our expectations. Instead, for example, Aladdin is a fat, deceitful and lazy son, who uses the djinns, Rufus and Gloria, to carry treasure from a magical cave for his, and only his, greedy pleasures. As a djinn, Rufus does not have the magical powers he first associated with the job he agrees to do, but he simply has to use his own cunning and ability to get by.

As with any tale involving a magical lamp, the fates and fortunes of the djinns within are determined by changing ownership of the lamp. So Rufus and Gloria’s journeys vary through different times and countries. Treasure hunting is a very risky business, which is why they are employed along the way in the endeavours for riches and power by others in charge of the lamp. However, there is the chance that the powers of human ingenuity, even in the shape of a naive 13 year old boy, may triumph.

Fogarty’s travels and exposure to exotic cultures, along with her passion for ancient mythology have surfaced well in this book. You can smell the different locations Rufus faces, you can feel the new situations he has to adapt to, and you cheer his knowledge of the many  diverse lands he comes across. His powers of observation and the decisions he makes are also admirable. Teen readers will love him.

‘Slave of the Lamp’ is a fun book, to be followed by many more in a series – one which will reveal many more of the wonderful places Paula Fogarty has visited. Whether they are real or imaginary locations remains to be seen – whatever the case, there are bound to be many more adventures in store for Rufus as he substitutes as ‘Slave of the Lamp’.

Classic – a Lesson Before Dying – E. Gaines

Linda J

A_Lesson_Before_Dying_novelShades of many past novels here – dare I say ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’? But then, that’s one of the things that make reading interesting.

‘Lesson before Dying’ begins with a young man caught up in an assault and robbery in a liquor store. The trouble is, the white owner and his 2 black assailants are killed in a shootout, and Jefferson, the only survivor, is found guilty of murder simply because he was there.

From the beginning, Jefferson is a condemned man. In fact, his godmother Miss Emma barely listens to the proceedings of his trial, since she knows that he will be found guilty—at this time, black man accused of killing a white man always was.

During the trial, Jefferson remains in a state of hopelessness; even as his defense lawyer speaks of him as a cornered animal, who simply struck out instinctively out of fear. It is this label, “Called him a hog..”, that Miss Emma wants removed before he dies in the electric chair.

The narrator of the tale is Grant Wiggins – a  disillusioned African-American schoolteacher. Gradually, Grant is compelled by his aunt and Miss Emma to begin visiting Jefferson to teach him how to go to his death with the dignity of a man. In doing so, he comes to evaluate his own pathetic existence.

There are many issues raised in ‘Lesson Before Dying’ arising from its setting in the States’ South, before the Civil Rights Movement; a time when African American people were still treated poorly, oppressed and helpless to rise above their downtrodden status. Even as an educated man, Grant Wiggins remains confused and disheartened about his status, and often considers leaving it all behind him – running away with his girlfriend, Vivian.

However, Grant has a lot to learn as he is ‘gently’ persuaded to visit Jefferson by Tante Lou, to try to fulfil Miss Emma’s wishes. Along the way he learns things about himself, his community and family loyalties. Does he have the skills to make a difference to Jefferson’s life (and death)? And what impacts might he and Jefferson ultimately have on the whole community – both black and white? And what will be the impact on Grant Wiggins, teacher, nephew, man?

What lessons did you learn from this powerful tale?

Like many great stories, there is a film version – here’s a trailer:

Choices – Nine Days by Toni Jordan

Linda J

nine daysWe are all connected to our past; to our relatives and to choices – sometimes choices and determinations made by someone else.

‘Nine Days’ opens with the voice of Kip as a young boy, dealing with a grieving mother and the family situation which has resulted from his father’s untimely death. Kip is accepting, but seems unfairly dealt with; he is the younger twin sent out to work, while his spoilt, 7-minutes older brother is able to remain at school.

In his ‘day’ we learn much about the Westaway family, whose history unrolls as further chapters unfold. The days that follow deal with other members of Kip’s family and across four different generations, with many questions along the way…

How was his older sister, Connie trapped/ affected by the attitudes of the times? Did the favouritism offered to his twin brother, Frank, lead to a prosperous and happy lifestyle?

For Toni Jordan, this is her third novel; though it differs from her past books. Inspiration began with a photo – shown on the front cover of the book. From this, Jordan has magically woven and interwoven her tales of the Westaway family, each chapter dealing with a defining day in the life of one of the family members.

‘Nine Days’ feels like a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to me. Since the chapters focus on one individual in the extended Westaway family, then jump across time and back again. As a reader you have to join the pieces together to see how they fit. It raises a number of different issues, and makes you wonder how things might have turned out differently with slight changes to choices made by some of the characters. Indeed, some chapters leave you with a sense that more could be told. In many ways, this is a sign of a good book –  it shows the reader is hooked and wants to know more.

Many people have commented favourably on this book – particularly online at GoodReads (a great site to share everything about great reading!). For a longer review, see http://whisperinggums.com/2012/09/09/toni-jordan-nine-days-review/. For an interview with Toni Jordan about writing ‘Nine Days’, see the video below:

# ‘Nine Days’ was a winner recently in the Indie Awards for Best Fiction 2013 – http://www.indies.com.au/BookAwards.aspx