Worse than school?

“There are lots of things worse than school.”

This comment, made by Charlotte, begins an argument between her and Luke’s best mate, Blake; on a day they decide to skip school. It later becomes something Luke ponders more deeply, as he gets to know Charlotte a little better.

In usual Steven Herrick style, ‘the Bogan Mondrian’ is told in a clear, waste-no-words fashion.

Luke and his friends are relatable characters – teens biding their time at school, but preferring to spend a more casual existence away from school. As regular visitors to the principal’s office for truanting and cheekiness, they are nonetheless likeable.

Luke is still coming to grips with life after his father’s premature death from cancer. Charlotte has recently enrolled in the local public high school he attends, though she is clearly from a wealthy background and could attend a costly private school. Even though they live in contrasting worlds of wealth, their friendship evolves as they work through their own personal issues, and occasionally gain support from each other.

That said, it is not always an easy relationship, with aggression and flareups often arising. Luke is uneasy about Charlotte’s homelife, and Charlotte is not very willing to be open and honest with everyone – under attack and often quite aggressive herself.

Other characters woven into the story provide interesting levels of support for Luke, in the absence of his father. Rodney, a petty local criminal, gives Luke a few pointers/things to think about at times, and later in the story, tools for action. Neighbour, Mr Rosetti, also provides advice and amusing banter each time they cross paths. Even Buster (the local mutt that Luke adopts for his walks) has a important place in grounding Luke’s emotions throughout the story.

For Blue Mountains readers, there will be places and names you may well enjoy recognising. On the other hand, you may have to allow poetic licence to Herrick as he tells his tale – with the cultural divide north and south of the highway a bit irksome, and the efforts of the Mr Pakula, the school principal, (seeking out truants himself) a bit questionable. But still the story must be told.

You will find that there are worse things than school; things sadly that some young people face daily. Herrick’s fictional youth tackle these the best way they can – though not always with glowing success. Lots of food for thought and highly recommended reading.

# Those who wonder about the title and cover design can find information on Mondrian here.

## More importantly, after you have finished ‘the Bogan Mondrian’, you can read here the reasons why Steven Herrick wrote this book.

### Shortlisted for CBCA Older Readers 2019.

CBCA – promoting Australian Children’s literature

Link to CBCA Book Week details

Can you recall what you read as a young child?

  • Was it suited to a young child?
  • Was it age-appropriate?
  • Was it something you understood?
  • Was it from an Australian author?

At a recent Blue Mountains CBCA gathering in the school holidays, I was reminded of how far Australian children’s literature has come over the years. We were lucky to have author Libby Gleeson speak at the dinner function.

Libby, who has been writing children’s literature for 35 years, reminisced that we were not always blessed to have such a great amount ‘children’s literature’ from Australian authors. And, that writing quality books for younger age groups has also been a much more recent development.

How fortunate are young readers now? There are so many quality books for 0-5 year olds!

However, the abundance of children’s books about – some far cheaper and in greater supply than others – may sometimes mean it is hard to find the best. This, of course, is where the CBCA is invaluable. Since its inception in 1945, it has been fundamental in promoting children’s books of high literary and artistic quality, and in fostering a vibrant community of Australian authors and illustrators of children’s literature.

Our Vision is to be the premier voice on literature for young Australians and to inform, promote critical debate, foster creative responses, and engage with and encourage Australian authors and illustrators to produce quality literature. Through these efforts, we are nurturing a literate, educated and creative society. (from CBCA website – https://www.cbca.org.au/about)

As Children’s Book Week (17 – 23 August 2019) nears, schools and libraries are keenly aware of the CBCA (preparing book parades, competitions and all kinds of literary promotions). Through out year, this community is also involved in lots of professional activities – it doesn’t all just happen in Book Week!

For those who would like to see this furthered locally, you can vote for the Blue Mountains branch of the CBCA to gain funding from My Community Project. It is looking for a grant to support a Blue Mountains Festival of Children’s Literature in 2020. For details (and to vote) go to: My Community Project. Please have a look and make your vote count for children’s literature! (Note: Voting ends 15/08/2019)

Perspectives – And the Ocean was our Sky

Patrick Ness, the author of ‘a Monster Calls‘ and ‘the Chaos Walking‘ trilogy,  is known for looking at things from a different perspective – so the inverted point of view in ‘And the Ocean was our Sky‘ should come as no surprise.

It is a tale told from the point of view of Bathsheba. Who or what Bathsheba is, takes a while for the reader to determine. However, when this comes about, it really turns your thoughts upside down.

Thankfully, there is some revelation of the setting in the beautiful illustrations of Rovina Cai. These play an integral part of the story, creating a time to pause and reflect on the events in the text. They are also a  reminder that different worldviews exist; their swirling colours echo the turbulence of the tale. (Warning: some of these may upset young readers.)

Key character Bathsheba reluctantly works as an apprentice under Captain Alexandra, in brutal battles against their foe. She bemoans that she never wished to be a hunter, and it becomes clear that her acute thinking skills will come to the fore. She constantly questions the morality and reasons for their obsessive searches for the devil known as ‘Toby Wick’, and their aggressive hunt for ‘man-ships’.

And the Ocean was our Sky‘ begins with ‘Call me Bathsheba…’ – a line that mimics one from Herman Melville’s famous ‘Moby Dick’. Indeed, there are many clever nods to this famous tale – now told by Ness from a far different perspective, where the hunted becomes the hunter! Ness has also made some interesting choices when naming characters like Bathsheba, Alexandra, Demetrius and Wilhelmina – the work of a master craftsman, don’t you think?

The story questions the things which we may use to justify our actions, emotions and prejudices. Should there be a never-ending war, just because “So it has been, so it shall always be.”? Is the enemy real or a myth? Do we keep enemies in our minds without really knowing why? Can moral choice instead override the historical biases laid on a culture? Must Bathsheba continue to follow in her assigned role forever?

Below, Patrick Ness introduces his book:

 # This was read as an audiobook – but fortunately with the beautifully illustrated copy on hand. This was definitely a time where the physical book was essential!! 

## ‘A Monster Calls‘ was previously reviewed here.

Inspiration, lockdown, detention

What inspires a writer? Well, just about anything in everyday life, it seems.

Listening to Tristan Bancks being interviewed on TV the other day made this quite clear. His new book, Detention, was inspired during a school visit when there was a lockdown. As a school visitor, he was involved in the drill, and listened as the teachers and students discussed examples of lockdown situations they had experienced in the past.

Spinning on from this, his creative mind pondered what else might generate a lockdown situation. Then an actual news item, about asylum seekers on the run, further sparked his ideas for a story involving a young girl whose family attempts to escape a detention centre.

While I have not yet read Detention, early reviews suggest that fans of Two Wolves and the Fall will again enjoy a thriller from Bancks. (You can also view the first part of his book – and then submit your own reviews directly back to Tristan! Just click on the link in the quote below.)

And now it’s your turn. You’ve read the early Detention book reviews and I’d love to read your review. The first three chapters are free and you can buy it in Australian bookstores big and small from 2 July. (from Tristan’s website)

Detention tackles the issues faced by young asylum seekers, giving readers lots to think about – putting them in the shoes of those caught in the politics of the world through no fault of their own. You can expect real characters which you can identify with, as well as a situation which you may need to think about carefully, dealing with the tragic experience faced by many fleeing conflicts around the globe.

Of course, there is a lot more work involved in story-writing, including lots of authentic research (which Tristan discusses in the TV interview here). But then, you wouldn’t expect anything less for a result like this!