Based on a successful puppet stage show, The Grimstones: Hatched is a charming gothic fairytale, and the first book in a new fantasy series for readers aged eight to 12. Hatched is the secret diary of Martha Grimstone, a girl determined to discover her special talent and to find a spell that will cure her mother’s sadness. But sneaking into her grandfather’s apothecary to experiment with his healing herbs proves tricky, especially when Martha has to spend three hours a day being tutored by her tedious Aunt Gertrude. In this book adaptation, author and performer Asphyxia takes a suitably creative approach to transplanting her handcrafted puppet characters from stage to page. Hatched sets itself apart from numerous other children’s fantasy novels with its quirky visuals—a beguiling combination of words, drawings, and photos that give it a scrapbook feel. Martha is an engaging and lively narrator, and the images that fill her diary give a wonderful sense of the unique world she inhabits. Despite its gothic leanings, Hatched is light-hearted and sweet, and full of imaginative touches: Martha fashions fantastic household inventions from found objects, and her seamstress mother lines her garments with love. This is an original title that promises—and delivers—something a little different.
Carody Culver is a freelance reviewer, PhD student and bookseller at Black Cat Books in Brisbane. This review first appeared in the Summer issue of Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
The Chemistry of Tears is the 12th novel by two-time Booker Prize winner Peter Carey, and it’s a welcome addition to the substantial oeuvre of one of Australia’s finest prose stylists. After returning to the 19th century in his previous novel, Parrot and Olivier in America, he half stays there in this work, telling parallel stories that switch back and forth between the 19th and 21st centuries.
Published five years ago, Carrie Tiffany’s Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living was a remarkably assured debut novel, recognised as such by the Miles Franklin and Orange Prize judges. She has brought the same clear-eyed intelligence about human relations and seamless narrative style to her second novel, Mateship with Birds. We are in familiar territory, in rural Victoria, this time post WWII rather than WWI. Harry is a divorced dairy farmer, living alone. His next-door neighbour, Betty, is a single mother of two who works at the town’s nursing home. We follow the vicissitudes of Harry and Betty’s daily and seasonal lives through their interactions, and those of Betty’s children, as well as through a window into the inner lives of both. The ‘mateship’ of the title, captured through the birdwatching episodes which feature throughout, is also a deceptive device, as Harry watches (and lusts after) Betty. At the same time, he earnestly attempts to give her son the s-x education he is so aware he himself lacked. This is a splendidly poised and wryly funny novel: human nature and relationships are as beautifully observed as the rich, circadian rhythms (I’ve not read better prose about the intimate intricacy of dairy farming) of country life. It is clever, original and richly rewarding.
Seventeen-year-old Dodie Farnshaw just wanted to finish high school, sit her Year 12 exams and get on with the rest of her life. Delivering a very important dead guy to Sydney just two weeks before her final exams was not in the plan. Neither was her parents going missing, becoming a fugitive and falling in love. And she certainly wasn’t anticipating a road trip that would change her life. Funny, vibrant and at times incredibly moving, The Reluctant Hallelujah is a beautiful novel about finding faith in the strangest of places. With a quirky cast of characters, this novel captures a wide range of relationships and skilfully explores that time in a teenager’s life when everything is changing. Sharp, clever and surprisingly amusing for a book about a dead man, Gabrielle William’s latest YA adventure is a bittersweet story filled with characters you’ll never want to leave behind, and a road trip you’ll wish was your own. This book will appeal to a 15-plus age group, and is a must-read for fans of William’s widely acclaimed first YA novel, Beatle Meets Destiny.
High on a hill, a little old man and a little old lady live together in a house. One evening the little old man looks up at the moon and some questions enter his mind: Does the sky go on forever and ever? Where do we come from? Where do we go, and why are we here? The next morning his loving wife sets off to find some answers for him, asking those she meets along the road. While this might sound like rather heavy subject matter for a picture book, the tone is lightened by the fact that those who answer the little old lady’s questions are in fact a rooster, a cow, a pig and a duck. The illustrations are in Pamela Allen’s signature style, with the same style of introspection as her picture book The Toymaker and the Bird. This story could equally be read as a straight story for younger children, or as a starting point for a deeper discussion between parent and child.
Within the first few pages of The Genome Generation I realised how ignorant I was about the world of scientific research. It didn’t matter, as Elizabeth Finkel offers an excellent explanation of the science of genomes through clever metaphor, which goes beyond the clichéd notion of genomes representing the complexity of a computer. This is not to say that The Genome Generation is pitched at a basic level. Finkel spends a lot of time looking to the future to consider the likely progression of genome research. She examines current debates regarding the potential of genome research, particularly in the field of developing a vaccine for HIV/AIDS, and the ancestral genetic makeup that may be of crucial importance. Finkel also offers readers advice on how to apply the science of genomes to their everyday lives, for example, through the effects of environment on offspring, and warns of the dangers of ‘dabbling where you don’t understand the controls of the system’. Finkel writes that her aim is to ‘empower the reader to know what to ask’ of genomes and in this task she has certainly succeeded. Her wit, knowledge and fascination with the intricacies of genomes is evident, and quite frankly, contagious.
Writing an entertaining book about all of Australia’s prime ministers is an ambitious task, but one that political writer Mungo MacCallum pulls off brilliantly—this book is packed with all the charm, wit and expert knowledge readers have come to expect from MacCallum’s writing. The Good, the Bad and the Unlikely offers a brief chapter on Australia’s 27 prime ministers, from Edmund Barton, nicknamed ‘Tosspot Toby’ because of his fondness for a drink, who dedicated his political career to Australian federation and became the nation’s first prime minister; to Billy Hughes and Joseph Lyons, remembered as ‘the great Labor rats’; Robert Menzies, our longest serving PM who was ‘British to the bootstraps’ and once attempted to have Australia’s decimal currency renamed the Royal in honour of the royal family; Francis Forde, who managed just eight days in office; Bob Hawke, ‘the hard-drinking larrikin’ who ‘surpassed all expectations’; and our current PM Julia Gillard, the first woman to take on the job. While politics junkies will love this book for its amusing anecdotes and careful analysis, The Good, the Bad and the Unlikely will also be a valuable resource for students and those wishing to improve their trivia skills.
Kirsten Tranter’s second novel—following The Legacy—is the story of a group of college friends who travel together each year to Las Vegas. Dylan, the charismatic confidante of the group, the keeper of secrets and solver of problems, has died in an accident, so the remaining four friends plan the annual trip. Elliot, an erudite yet awkward English lecturer, narrates the novel. He is the most naïve of the group, so his perspective makes it easy for the reader to slip into the group and share disgust at Cameron and Brian’s hypocrisy, concern over Tallis’ drinking, and to wonder: what holds these friendships together? There are similarities in this story to The Legacy: both share a naïve, lovelorn and lost character driven by the absence of a friend who still seems all too present. A Common Loss is a potent story of secrets, love, friendship and the bonds that keep people close; in the case of these friends it is a shared history that also threatens to destroy them. Brimming with blackmail and deception and laced with grief, poetry, simmering emotional tension and relationships both budding and exhausted, Tranter’s second novel does not disappoint.
Once again, Stephanie Dowrick has drawn on her extensive experience as a psychotherapist, interfaith minister and writer to deliver a book that will appeal to anyone looking to improve the quality of their life. The premise of Everyday Kindness is that everyone has the power to bring joy or healing to another person’s life, as well as their own, through a simple act of kindness. Whether you’re a longtime spiritual devotee or more of a novice, looking for direction on how to live a life less preoccupied by individual need, this book will be of value to all. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of everyday life, including self-confidence, personal power, moods and relationships, which Dowrick explores through facts and personal stories from the her own experiences. The chapters are short, designed to be read in a single sitting, encouraging reflection before moving onto the next. The book also works as a reference book that can be revisited often. Each new chapter reinforces the overriding theme that kindness should be practiced every day, in all aspects of life. This is insightful, stimulating reading, which will leave readers feeling positive about themselves, and what can be achieved with like-minded people.
Due to a mysterious illness, every bee on the Bell estate has perished. Not only does this mean that no honey will be produced this year but the fruits and vegetables in the Bell orchard will not be pollinated. Those who read Darius Bell’s previous adventure will know that the Bell family has a large house with huge grounds, but very little money. They depend on the bounty from their garden for food and trade. Darius’ father doesn’t grasp how serious the situation is, while the mayor hates the Bell family and is actively working against them. Once again it is up to Darius to find a solution to the problem. Odo Hirsh writes great problem-stories where the kids are resourceful and the grown-ups are mostly incompetent and easily outwitted by Darius. Woven through the story is the science behind pollination, but it fits in well with the narrative and doesn’t seem like a science lesson has been dropped in the middle of a story. This book references Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool, but it is not essential to have read book one to understand this story. This is a very enjoyable read for a thoughtful upper-primary reader.
