Friday, December 31, 2021

Interned by Pamela Rushby


Authors of historical fiction set themselves a huge task. They need to be dedicated to their project in order to complete the hours of research needed so their book is accurate. At the same time the writer needs to weave together a story with an engaging narrative. In some books of historical fiction it feels as though the author has a pages of facts which they want to showcase or even shove into the plot.  That is not the case here with Interned.  It is very clear Pamela Rushby has done an enormous amount of research for her book but then, as I heard Jackie French once say, the author needs to throw all of that away and just let the flavour of the historical period naturally percolate through the story. 

Jackie says: Perhaps that’s what my books really are -- a whisper that becomes an obsession; years of research that suddenly crystallise into a story, and then the labour of turning the past into fiction, woven with facts.

In this article for Writers Digest I found these wise words about writing historical fiction. Pamela Rushby follows all of this advice:

1. Have fun with the research, but do your homework. 

This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Borrow some good reference books. Become comfortable with the time period. Try to understand both the larger scope of the period, while examining aspects of daily life. This will help create an authentic backdrop for your novel.

2. Let the characters engage with the historical details. 

This goes along with that “show don’t tell” truism writers are told all the time. Rather than just dumping a bunch of facts on the poor reader, let your characters interact with these details with all these senses. Let them smell the offal dumped onto the cobblestone streets. Let them squint in the fading light of the tallow candles. Let them feel the tingling sensation as the physician places a leech on their bare skin.

3. Allow your characters to question and explore their place in society. 

This will help reveal the larger political, social, cultural context of the time. What were the expectations for women? For sailors? For criminals? How did people from different parts of society interact with one another?

Interned is set in 1914. Gretta lives in Singapore and Tilly lives in Brisbane. 

"When war breaks out and both countries turn on their families for being German , the two girls find themselves taken from their homes, interned at a camp in rural New South Wales. Far away from everything they have ever know, Gretta and Tilly are forced to face prejudice, overcome adversity and to make their own community."

This story is told though the eyes of these two very different girls using alternating voices. Both girls demonstrate enormous courage and enormous care of their families. 

I knew about the internment camps which were set up here in Australia during WWII but I had no idea about the situation during WWI. Pamela Rushby gives her readers a strong sense of the place, the confusion, the harsh climate, the recurring heartbreak, and the strong bonds of family relationships. Pamela wrote this book because she discovered her own grandfather came to Australia from Germany as a tiny baby in 1880 and the family settled in Queensland. In 1900 the largest non-British immigrant group in Australia were people of German descent. Many lived in Queensland and South Australia. 

In the author notes Pamela writes about the beginning of World War I:

"Almost immediately after war was declared, a wave of anti-German propaganda swept the nation. ... German schools and clubs were forced to close. German music was banned. Communities with German names were renamed. ... Almost seven thousand people of German descent were detained... (including) German families that had been living and working in British colonies in New Guinea or south-east Asia."

I highly recommend this book for readers aged 10+ especially for those with an interest in history. Interned will be published in March 2022. Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy. 

Companion reads (note these are all set during WWII):






Wednesday, December 29, 2021

2022 The International Year of Glass




My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything alerted me to The International Year of Glass for 2022.  She has begun a collection of books from her K-2 library to set up a display ready for Term One when the children return in February. 

Glass - what books can you think of?

Cinderella wears glass slippers



Sometimes characters wear magical eye glasses


Castles and palaces can be made of glass



Mirrors are often important in stories







Children can read about glass as a material and the way it is manufactured. Check your library at the Dewey number 666


Windows often feature in picture books



Snow globes are made from glass


Glass can be recycled



Perhaps you put your tooth in a glass for the tooth fairy



I wish milk bottles were still made from glass but at least we still have glass jars and sometimes lucky people even find a message in a bottle















Lighthouses rely on glass 



People grow beautiful plants in a glasshouse



I love my glass button jar. The buttons in these two books are in tins but I thought I would share them anyway.




In this book the girl herself is made from glass



You might have glass ornaments in your home or a torch. You might look through a microscope or a magnifying glass. Your television, computer screen and phone are all made from glass. You could visit a church to enjoy the stained glass windows which often tell stories. There are hundreds of way we use glass in the world. Here are some other things to think about - Glasses; genie in a bottle; Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator; Alice through the Looking Glass; and a ship in a bottle.

Here are a few resources about glass

Kiddle Glass Facts for kids

Britannica for Kids - Glass

History of Glass Video  (7 minutes)

How is Glass Made? Method & Process - Science for Kids by Mocomi (1.5minutes)

How was it made? Stained glass window | V&A (4 minutes)


Image Source: Live Enhanced

Why dedicate a year to glass?

  • Because it is the material that, since the dawn of human civilisation, has accompanied us in art and work, becoming a work of art, an instrument, a jewel.
  • Because it is an eco-sustainable material that, if well disposed of (and we have been able to do so for a long time), can be recycled practically indefinitely, truly being “friendly” towards the planet’s resources.
  • Because it is an invaluable material for its conservation properties and for the protection from any contamination it offers. Plus it looks amazing!
This Christmas my friend gifted me some drinking glasses with images by Max Velthuijs. 


Take a look around your home. I am sure you will discover you have many treasures made from glass and perhaps you have some books that feature glass too. It will be great to see the display in my friend's school library and see all the different books she has collected - I will share a few more here over the coming months. 


Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga


Our town used to be 
a place for people to laugh and enjoy
all the things that unite them like
family and sunshine and the sea and good food.
Not the things that divide them like
opinions and political loyalties.

Other words for Home is a verse novel and as is always the way with this genre it packs an emotional punch and it contains a strong, truthful, heartfelt and emotional journey for the reader. 

Publisher blurb Harper Collins: Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.

Poetic, immersive, hopeful. Kirkus Star review

Free Verse makes the story feel more personal and accessible for all reading levels. Reading Ladies

I enjoyed this book tremendously, and thought it was a great depiction of a student struggling in a new country. As both a mirror and a window book, this is fantastic. Ms Yingling Reads

Read some more review comments here

Awards

  • 2020 JOHN NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
  • 2020 WALTER AWARDS HONOR BOOK
  • 2020 LEE BENNET HOPKINS POETRY PRIZE HONOR
  • 2020 CHARLOTTE HUCK AWARD HONOR BOOK
  • ALSC 2020 NOTABLE BOOK
  • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
  • 2019 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

Companion reads:







Sunday, December 26, 2021

The Adventures of a Girl called Bicycle by Christina Uss

 



This book has so many ingredients that I enjoy in a good Middle Grade book:

  • It's a page turner - there is just the right amount of tension
  • Our hero is a young orphan of unknown heritage on a mission
  • She must rely on her own determination, good sense and luck
  • There is a map and a journey in this case right across the whole of the USA
  • The journey contains hazards but as a reader you are sure the main character will make it!
  • The food eaten on the journey, at times, is delicious and mentioned often enough that I was not worried that Bicycle would be hungry. She also has a comfortable tent to sleep in.
  • Friendship is at the heart of this book
  • There are wonderful inventions that are mentioned and the bicycles in this book are characters too and one has a collection of utterly perfect gadgets that I guarantee will amaze you

A little girl turns up at the monastery. She is wearing a t-shirt with the word bicycle. Now you know how she got her name.

The monastery is a very different place. The monks who live there are mostly silent. Actually that should say Mostly Silent. There is, however, one person who lives there who is allowed to talk - Sister Wanda Magdalena. She is a retired nun who works at the monastery doing all the "things that require a lot more talking than silence, like answering phones, making sure deliveries got where they were supposed to go, scheduling washing machines repairmen."  Sister Wanda previously belonged to the order of Nearly-Silent-Nuns but now that this little girl has turned up she will need to take care of her.

"If you don't live near a Mostly Silent Monastery, you may wonder what they are. The Mostly Silent Monasteries are part of an old an venerated order, founded centuries ago by a monk named Bob. One day, Bob observed that the human body is made with two ears but only one mouth. He felt this meant that we humans are supposed to listen more than we speak, so he vowed to be Mostly Silent and dedicated his life to listening to others."

Young Bicycle grows up in the monastery and she learns to be a good listener but Sister Wanda worries that Bicycle has no friends her own age so she organises to send the young girl to the Friendship Factory. Bicycle does not want to do this. She just wants to enjoy riding her own bike called Clunk. She also loves to read magazines about bicycles and watch movies about bicycle races. Watching these she discovers a famous bike rider named Zbigniew Sienkiewica or Zbig. He is from Poland but the exciting news is that he is coming to America. He will be at the blessing of the bicycles in San Fransisco on 8th July. Bicycle lives in Washington DC.  It is now late April. Bicycle has her bike, $154.20 in cash, her bike Clunk and a map of her route right across the country. Will she make it in time to meet her hero? What will Sister Wanda do? 

How did I come to buy this book?  A large chain store was having a book sale. I am always determined to find a book at these sales. I know books that mention the Texas Blue Bonnet award are usually splendid. Kirkus gave this book a star. AND most importantly I really like the cover. It is designed by Jonathan Bean.

There are a wealth of additional resources to use with this book (you could consider it as a class read aloud) here on the Texas Blue Bonnet page. Here is a list of  bicycle books curated by Christina Uss. This is her debut novel,

I won't explain this but here are the eight sacred words the silent monks can use:

yes, no, maybe, help, now, later, sleep (and) sandwich.

Publisher Blurb: Introverted Bicycle has lived most of her life at the Mostly Silent Monastery in Washington, D.C. When her guardian, Sister Wanda, announces that Bicycle is going to attend a camp where she will learn to make friends, Bicycle says no way and sets off on her bike for San Francisco to meet her idol, a famous cyclist, certain he will be her first true friend. Who knew that a ghost would haunt her handlebars and that she would have to contend with bike-hating dogs, a bike-loving horse, bike-crushing pigs, and a mysterious lady dressed in black. Over the uphills and downhills of her journey, Bicycle discovers that friends are not such a bad thing to have after all, and that a dozen cookies really can solve most problems.

Readers will eagerly join Bicycle and “pedal headfirst” into this terrific adventure, which is chock-full of heart and humor. Kirkus Star

The better news is that the book is also a hoot and a half. Filled to brimming with a good smattering of healthy quirk, it’s a quixotic quest book, a paean to the American landscape, and there are pigs. What else could you want? ... I can’t wait to read this one to my daughter when she’s just a little bit older. Elizabeth Bird School Library Journal

About the Texas Blue Bonnet Award:

The Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) reading program was established in 1979 to encourage Texas children to read more books, explore a variety of current books, develop powers of discrimination, and identify their favourite books. How does a book become a Bluebonnet book?...  In January, students vote for their favourite title. The author of the book receiving the most votes wins the Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) which is presented at the Texas Bluebonnet Award presentation held in the spring. You can see previous master list titles here. And here is the 2022-23 Master List

One more thing - you might like to investigate these Polish words. The first part here is what Bicycle intended to say:

Cześć, jak się masz
Mam na imię rower i przebyłem długą drogę, aby cię poznać
But what she says is: 
Chcesz włożyć zebrę do nosa?

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Christmas Day


This is my final post for my 2021 Twelve Australian Books for Christmas because today is Christmas Day!


Kathleen screamed with delight as she saw him. Father Christmas. 
His beard was blinding. 
His clothes were so Christmas red! Just like all the pictures she had ever seen of him. 
And here he was. Real. Here, in the middle of the desert. 



Blurb  by Jane Jolly: The Tea and Sugar Train only came once a week on a Thursday. But the special Christmas train only came once a year. Today was Sunday. Four more days without sugar. Four more days until the Christmas train. Please, please be on time. Please don’t be late. Join Kathleen in the Australian outback as she eagerly awaits the Christmas Tea and Sugar Train. Will she meet Father Christmas? Will she receive a gift from him? A delightful, heartwarming story from the National Library of Australia that will intrigue and captivate readers, and introduce them to a slice of the past.

Tea and Sugar Christmas by Jane Jolly illustrated by Robert Ingpen would seem to be a perfect choice because:

  • The scenes in this book could only happen in Australia
  • The setting of this book is outback South Australia (the end papers are maps)
  • Jane Jolly comes from South Australia
  • Father Christmas gives Kathleen the best present possible - a book to read
  • The illustrator of this book - Robert Ingpen - won the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award
  • This is a longer picture book which can be shared with older children (and younger ones too)
  • Tea and Sugar Christmas is based on real events (watch the video on this link) - from 1915 until 1996, the Tea and Sugar train travelled from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie one a week. 
  • Tea and Sugar Christmas was an Honour Book for the CBCA Eve Pownall Award in 2015. The winner that year was A–Z of Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land by Simon Barnard. 
  • You can see the whole book on Story Box Library if you have a subscription. It is beautifully read by Ursula Yovich.
  • Here is a very comprehensive set of teaching notes
  • Good news this book is still available

Try to find some other books by Jane Jolly - One Step at a Time; Glass Tears; Ali the Bold Heart; Limpopo Lullaby; and Radio Rescue (also illustrated by Robert). Jane has a new book but I can't talk about it here because it has been entered for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year award (and I am a judge and so it has to stay a secret!). 

This book was also included by Natalia Bragaru on her blog Kids Book Explorer this year as a Christmas favourites. Take a look because her post contains many pages from this scrumptious book. You can also read about other books illustrated by Robert on this her blog

IBBY Australia will have a special presentation for International Children's Book Day in 2022 where you can discover a little more about Robert Ingpen and our other Australian nominees for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Save the date - 2nd April and join IBBY Australia.

Robert Ingpen's timeless, soul-stirring illustrations and paintings make for a goosebumpling and emotional production. Featuring striking, monochrome pencil sketches that fold out into divine, full colour vistas, the book is a true feat in striking production. The four-page-fold-out scene of the inside of the train is just breathtaking, and the landscape vistas are equally beautiful. The pencil sketch of Kathleen when she sees Santa will not fail to bring a tear to the eye. Kids' Book Review

Friday, December 24, 2021

Christmas is coming to Australia try an ABC book for fun




B is for beach; I is for ice-cream; K is for koalas kissing; and P is for pavolva.





Last week I visited a large city bookstore (because they were offering a good discount on all purchases) and I spied The Aussie ABC Christmas.  This is not a new book, it was published in 2018, but I had not seen it and because I am starting to collect Alphabet books in preparation for an IBBY talk with Dr Robin Morrow early in 2022 I decided it to add it to my own Christmas book collection. 

Perhaps if you read this book with a young child you could begin by trying to guess some of the possible word choices for your favourite letters.  I like the letters M and L and E and C.  My guesses would be mince pies; laughter; excitement; and candy canes. Of course I was wrong. The Aussie ABC Christmas has M for milk; L for lights; E for emu; and C for carols.

Inside this book you will also find a frilled necked lizard; two kangaroos; kookaburras laughing in a gum tree; a hills hoist clothes line; the Sydney Opera House; and a gum leaf wreath. 

You can read more about this book on the blog  - The Bottom Shelf. My own favourite Christmas alphabet book is the one by Robert Sabuda (sadly out of print). You can see the pages here

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Christmas is coming to Australia - take time to read about the past

We have reached day ten of my twelve books of Christmas for 2021. 

My good friend from Kinderbookswitheverything suggested I should share this book with you as another title for my Australian Christmas books because it is a good one to follow-up to my WWII story from yesterday - The Angel with a Mouth-Organ


Early on Christmas morning the guns stop firing. A deathly silence creeps over the pitted and ruined landscape. A young soldier peers through a periscope over the top of the trench. Way out in no-man’sland, he sees a small red shape moving on the barbed wire. A brightly coloured robin is trapped. One wing is flapping helplessly. An eloquent counterpoint to the senselessness and inhumanity of war, In Flanders Fields tells the story of a young homesick World War I soldier, who risks his life to cross the no-man’s land and rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire that separates the opposing forces, dug into their trenches. This moving picture book is a plea for compassion. Norman Jorgensen 

In Flanders Fields by Australian author Norman Jorgensen and Australian illustrator Brian Harrison-Lever is set at Christmas during World War I. The small robin is trapped in the barbed wire fence.  A young solider bravely ventures out of his trench over to the wire to free the bird. As he turns to return to his comrades he hears singing - Silent Night - sung in German and back safely in the trench his mates are singing the same song.


I am pleased to say this book from 2002 is still available and for a really good price. In Flanders Fields won the CBCA Picture Book of the Year award in 2003. Here is a video of the whole book but I suggest you watch it without sound and read the text yourself. 

The title of this book is taken from the famous poem by Canadian John McCrae. 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.


We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.


Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.


Take a look at this post from Kinderbookswitheverything and these companion reads: