The Jammer by Nova Weetman

Publisher blurb: Fred has moved around her whole life, one small town after another, and never minded starting over. She’s always had her mum, her dad, and her love of roller derby. On the track she’s Fred or Dead, the star jammer, a gun at smashing through a line of bodies and scoring for her team. But Fred’s life has fallen apart, and now she can’t imagine ever putting her skates on again. On a road trip to Melbourne with her dad, Fred meets a bunch of people who think they know what’s best for her. And although Fred tries to avoid it, roller derby has a way of barging back into her life. A true jammer could push through anything, but Fred doesn’t know who she is anymore. What do you do when the thing that could save you is the thing that hurts the most? This moving story of broken bones and healing hearts is a must-read for Nova Weetman’s fans and will find her many new ones.

I found this blurb a little bit strange - most the story takes place in Melbourne and that is where Fred meets people who want to help her - not "on the road".  Also in the story Fred catches a tram with her new friend Sammy. The book says they pull the cord on the tram but if this book is set in 2022 (which I think it is) I'm confused. I thought I used a button on a Melbourne tram on my recent visit to the city, but Nova Weetman is from Melbourne so perhaps I am wrong. 

This is sweet story of self discovery. Fred is a memorable character. I have read stories exactly like this in the past with a grieving father and angry confused child so there is nothing especially original here but readers aged 10+ will enjoy this book. As an adult reader I was not especially interested in the roller derby scenes but readers who play sport - especially roller derby - are sure to really enjoy these references and games. 

Here is Nova Weetman's web site. And here are a set of teachers notes for The Jammer. Read more of the plot here in the Reading Time review. And here is an extensive author interview by Joy Lawn on her blog Paperbark Words.

There are plenty of words that seem appropriate to describe this story; heart-breaking, heart-warming and poignant being amongst them. But the two words that sprang to mind for me were real and raw. Weetman has spoken about hers and her children’s grief after the death of her partner, and how that grief fed into this book. This story gives a palpable sense of that period in Weetman’s life. However, at no stage does the story feel morbid or hopeless. Story Links

I have previously talked about these books by Nova Weetman.

Sick Bay

The Secrets we Keep

Queen Narelle by Sally Murphy illustrated by Simon O'Carrigan

I am Narelle.

Narelle is me.

I am the Queen of this place.

Ruler of the domain.

Keeper of the kingdom.

You would do well to know it

and pay me due respect.

Queen Narelle is the family cat and she knows she is truly the Queen of this Kingdom. Her servants (mum, dad, Maddie and even baby Will) mostly understand Narelle and her daily needs - food, hugs, time outside in her run, and of course someone to attend to her toilet box. 

In alternating voices, after meeting Narelle with her pompous entitled tone, we then meet young Maddie. Things are going badly at school. She has had a falling out with her two, supposed best, friends and now they won't talk to her and worse they seem to be spreading rumours about her with the rest of the class. Her family seem too busy to listen but at least Narelle can see something is badly wrong. Maddie suffers so much at school each day and at night she cries in her room. For all her superior ways, Narelle realises mum needs to talk to Maddie, so instead of running to her food dish in the kitchen she waits with Maddie until mum comes looking for her and this gives Maddie and Mum, finally, a chance to talk about school. The answer to the bullying is not simple but mum gives Maddie some strategies and mum also goes to school to privately talk with the teacher. 

The end of the story is hopeful but not unrealistic. Maddie will need to reach out to others and be brave enough to take new steps to find different friends.

This is a junior verse novel for readers aged 8+. I loved the distinct voices of Narelle and Maddie. As with all good verse novels, Sally Murphy tugs at our emotions. This beautifully balanced against the antics of little Will who calls Narelle 'Relle. He just wants to chase her.

The smallest, noisy one

adores me loudly,

following me for hours,

calling my name and wanting to carry me.

The verses are upbeat at times, but also have a heaviness at times that give a sense of what so many of us go through at all stages in our lives, and how hard it is to lose friends and to have friendships end – sometimes over silly little things, sometimes because we just grow apart. The Book Muse

Here are a couple more text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

And they do not see

the midnight dreams that disturb

My Maddie,

making her toss

and turn

in her bed.

But I see it all.

...

My Maddie is not asleep.

She is very much awake,

crying silent tears

into her pillow.

I think she needs some love.

Her are some other verse novels by Sally Murphy:

Worse Things

Pearl verses the World

Toppling

I'm Sticking with you by Smriti Halls illustrated by Steve Small

Bear and Squirrel do everything together and they seem to be the best of friends until a small disaster with a sneeze upsets Squirrel so much she just walks away. At first Squirrel enjoys being alone but of course it does not take long for her to realise she does need her true friend.

Here is some of this text - which reads like a jolly song:

Wherever you're going, I'm going too.

Whatever you're doing, I'm sticking with you.

Whether you're grumpy, or silly, or mad,

Good times ... and bad times, happy or sad. 

Whatever you're thinking, I am ALL EARS,

I'm ready to listen to ALL your ideas.

I'm sticking with you was short listed for the Klaus Flugge Prize in 2021 and the Oscar's Book Prize. Here is an interview with the illustrator.

How did I miss this book? It is GEM - add it to your list today and then share it with a child. When I was judging the CBCA Picture Book of the Year in 2021 and 2022 we were sent so MANY book in rhyme and nearly all were, sorry to be blunt, nearly all were hopeless. This book should be supplied to authors as an exemplar of how to write a perfect rhyming picture book. The pace, page turns, and the way the rhythm is maintained are all perfect. I also marvel (again) at the way an illustrator can take a deceptively simply text and then interpret it in such a clever and very appealing way. Luckily the three books in this series are all still available. 

I have talked about the problems of rhyming in past posts.Take a look at this blog post:  Do you control the verse, or does the verse control you? by Michelle Robinson. As I already said, there is absolutely no problem with the rhyme in this book - it has been created with huge care. 

Here are the sequels - I'm Sticking with you too and Let's Stick Together.

The second book - I'm sticking with you too - is the tried and true trope of two is company three is a crowd but in this case, of course, Bear and Squirrel work out that Chicken should join their band and that a chicken can be a really good friend.

The third book - Let's stick together - blurb: Much-loved characters Bear and Squirrel are back and it's time to party! Squirrel is the expert at throwing parties and knows exactly what to do to make this the biggest and best EVER, but Bear isn't so sure and is feeling a bit shy. Can the two friends find a way to work through their worries and wobbles and stick together?

Take a look at Steve Small's web site.

Here is another book by Smriti Halls:

The Little Island

The Baker by the Sea by Paula White

We have fish merchants, and smokers that smoke the fish, blacksmiths and basketmakers, butchers and bakers. There are cosy cafes and tiny shops that sell everything you might need. 

Every aspect of life in this village revolves around the sea. There are fishermen, net makers, sail makers, boat builders, coopers who make the barrels for the pickled fish and young girls who process each catch ready for pickling. 

"The sea is the beating heart of all he we do."

But this boy's father is not a fisherman. He is the town baker. The boy is not sure this is as important as being a fisherman but his father explains how everyone enjoys his baking - the boat builders buy bacon butties from the cafe, the fisher-girls enjoy piping hot buns to warm their fingers, and out at sea the fishermen dip their biscuits in their hot tea.

"I look at my father and feel proud. For without the bread, buns and biscuits, ... the people of the village could not go on as they do. When I am older I am going to be a baker, just like my father, in the village by the sea."

Bonus - there is a recipe at the back of the book for hot coconut buns - yum.

The Baker by the sea was short listed in 2023 for the Klaus Flugge Prize.

The Baker by the Sea has wonderful illustrations done in black and white pencil with pale blue spot colour. 

Relying upon a limited palette of greys and tonal blues for the most part (except for the warm yellow glow of the baker’s oven), her visual and written narrative crosses over the village, passing over the bustle of residents’ hard-working day-to-day lives and its centring around the fishing trade. Books for Keeps

The Baker by the Sea celebrates those small-village communities in which everyone worked hard together and looked after each other. It is quite poignant that the village then has been lost to the elements but perhaps readers can take something from the idea that something special happens when communities come together. Books for Keeps

I highly recommend The Baker by the Sea for your school library. Read it for Father's Day; read it for the junior history topic Life in the Past; read if your class are talking about workers in the community; but most of all just read it for pure enjoyment. 

The perfect companion book would be:

Nobody likes me by Raoul Krischanitz translated by Rosemary Lanning

"Buddy was the new dog in town. He sat outside his house with nothing to do. He was bored."

Stop reading after each of these short sentences and ask your young reading companion or group of children to think about each sentence one at a time. Buddy was new - how does this feel? How might Buddy make friends? Have you ever tried to make a new friend? What advice would you give to Buddy. 

He sat outside with nothing to do. Is this the way to make friends? Should Buddy just wait for friends to come along and talk to him? Is this likely to happen? What would you do?

What does the word bored mean? Do you have some suggestions for Buddy? 

Then Buddy sees a mouse looking out of her hole. He asks her to play but she says NO. Think about why the little mouse might react this way. I guarantee that no one will predict the true reason which is revealed at the end of the story. At this point we have only explored half of the first page of this book.

Buddy is sure the mouse doesn't like him. He walks on and tries to talk to a group of cats but you can imagine their reaction. Then he approaches three rabbits, a small flock of sheep and even another dog but in the end it is only the fox who offers to help him. The fox suggests Buddy should try again - go back and talk to the other animals and explain he is just looking for a friend or two or three or more! And YES as with all good books this one has a happy ending and a party!

Here is nearly all of the Kirkus review: Buddy is the new dog on the block, a chartreuse pudge-ball of immense visual appeal. His problem is that he can't make any friends; every creature in the vicinity - mouse to sheep, cats, rabbits, and even other dogs - either leaves him, glowers at him, or chases him off. Buddy, reduced to tears, is approached by a sympathetic fox. When Buddy relates that nobody seems to like him, the fox suggests he ask why, a question that demands courage. The fox accompanies Buddy on his friendship quest, ... , it turns out to be a case of mistaken intentions - the cats thought Buddy was going to attack them, the sheep thought he was going to herd them, and so forth. Once things get straightened out, they all become friends. Krischanitz's message - that making that second effort is fraught with emotional landmines, but might be worth the effort - is a noble one, and that it was recommended by a fox will give it the seal of approval with children.

This is a wonderful book about how to make friends and about the importance of communication. At an even deeper level it is also about stereotypes and even perhaps prejudice. AND the end papers are brilliant.

Nobody likes me was published in 1999 by North South. This company seek or sought out fabulous European books in a range of languages and then organised to translate them into English. Their picture books are all of a similar large size in hardcover. Collecting these for a library allowed our Australian children to see different illustration styles. Nobody likes me is also a cumulative tale which makes it perfect as a book to read to a group of preschool children. 

I am very keen to find Molto (published in 2001). 

Molto the tiger cat wants to be able to fly. With the help of his friends, he can fulfill his wish. But on his second try, Molto finds out that experiences are best when you can share them with friends.

My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson

Reading this book you will quickly fall into the gentle rhythm of the writing. The story, told here by Katherine Paterson, is easy to read but it also offers an amazing insight into a piece of history, especially the history of Cuba, that I knew absolutely nothing about.

Based on the true experiences of those involved in Fidel Castro’s universal literacy programme, which aimed to bring literacy to all of Cuba in just 12 months, this is a fascinating look at a period of recent world history seen through the eyes of an idealistic young woman. A vivid portrayal of the value of education in empowering even the poorest people. Book Trust

750,000 volunteers signed up to teach people in remote areas of Cuba how to read and write. In just one year the United Nations declared Cuba to be an "illiteracy-free" nation.

Lora aged only 13, travels to a remote farming area where she meets a wonderful family - all of whom are determined to learn to read and write even though at the beginning none can even write their own name. Lora is patient and also very keen to learn farm chores so she can assist the family. The materials supplied for teaching do contain propaganda about Castro but Katherine Paterson does not dwell on this. For myself, I was curious to see these primers used by the young teachers. As a reader I was totally caught up in watching Lora work and live with this family. Some learn quickly others have to work very hard and the whole time Lora shows a quiet wisdom well beyond her years. Katherine Paterson also creates just the right amount of tension in her story when we read that a year ago another young volunteer eighteen year old Conrado Benitez was murdered by insurgents. Lora's team are named after this young man. "Conrado Benitez Brigadistas—100,000 young volunteers (ages 10–19) who left school to live and work with students in the countryside." All of the young teachers are on edge throughout the year knowing these insurgents are still very active. 

Here are some text quotes:

"Even if they didn't like me, they had asked for a teacher and volunteered to take one into their home - so they must want to learn - they must want to be able to read and write. ... But was I up to the task of teaching them?"

"Step by step, students would move from learning vowels and consonants to learning words, short phrases, then sentences. At the same time the lessons would help our students understand about our country after the revolution - about land reform, cooperative stories, the conversion of buildings that once belonged to the rich into homes and schools for the poor."

"I learned a lot that day - how to fill the large cans with water from the river ... how to boil coffee, how to wash clothes on the rocks by the river, ... how to feed the chickens and the goats and the oxen, how to prepare a meal. I would even learn how to skilfully milk a goat, cut corn with a machete, ride a horse, and plow a field behind a team of oxen."

Publisher blurb: When thirteen-year-old Lora tells her parents that she wants to join Premier Castro’s army of young literacy teachers, her mother screeches to high heaven, and her father roars like a lion. Lora has barely been outside of Havana — why would she throw away her life in a remote shack with no electricity, sleeping on a hammock in somebody’s kitchen? But Lora is stubborn: didn’t her parents teach her to share what she has with someone in need? Surprisingly, Lora’s abuela takes her side, even as she makes Lora promise to come home if things get too hard. But how will Lora know for sure when that time has come? Shining light on a little-known moment in history, Katherine Paterson traces a young teen’s coming-of-age journey from a sheltered life to a singular mission: teaching fellow Cubans of all ages to read and write, while helping with the work of their daily lives and sharing the dangers posed by counterrevolutionaries hiding in the hills nearby.

Readers should not expect an action-packed tale, but the writing is straightforward and moves at a swift pace. ...  Paterson offers a glimpse of the daily life of a brigadista, redressing the cursory associations many have about Castro’s Cuba. Hers is a positive study of an amazing moment in history that nonetheless acknowledges the darker political machinations at play. Kirkus

Foremost this is an engaging story about a young girl asserting her independence at a time of change and following through with her convictions. A strong message to share with young girls, especially. Just Imagine

Here is an interview with Katherine Paterson where she talks about this book. The video is 40 minutes but it is well worth taking the time to listen.  You can read here why Katherine Paterson wrote this book. Read more about the literacy program in 1961 here. Five Questions plus one with Katherine Paterson. 

The endorsement on the back of this book is so wonderful - it is from an actual brigadista. Emilia says: "it was an experience of solidarity, in the very best sense of what each of us as a human being has to offer."

When I was helping a friend re-shelve her extensive book collection recently we discovered she had two copies of My Brigadista Year and so she offered this copy to me. This is the real joy of reading - walking for a few hours in the shoes of another person. Lora is a quiet hero and I am thrilled to have discovered her story. 

Here are some quotes from the book review by Dr Robin Morrow for Magpies Magazine (Paterson, Katherine (My Brigadista Year) Magpies Vol.33 No.1 March 2018 p.37):

The arresting cover accurately signals the content of this book. A bright-eyed girl strides purposefully forward, clad in khaki uniform, carrying not a gun but books and pencil, against a background of workers in the fields. 

With short sentences and plenty of dialogue, veteran storyteller Katherine Paterson uses Lora’s first-person narration to draw the reader into this tale of resilience and deep change ...

This late-career book from Katherine Paterson shows she has retained her courage, deft touch and depth of feeling.

Companion books set in Cuba:

Meet the illustrator Antoinette Portis

Hey, Water!

A New Green Day

Antoinette Portis is an award winning US author and illustrator. Antoinette made her picture-book debut with the New York Times best-selling Not A Box, an American Library Association Seuss Geisel Honor book, and one of the New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year. She was a recipient of the 2010 Sendak Fellowship. 

I borrowed Now from a school library this week.  This library add a little sticker to their books if they are special favourites - they call them "Our Picks". I love this idea and always feel a little thrill when I borrow a book with one of those stickers.

Portis perfectly captures how children experience the world, the immediacy and magic of it all; exuberant and quiet, simple and complex, and extremely satisfying. Kirkus Star review

This is my favourite breeze.

This is my favourite leaf.

This is my favourite hole (this one) because it's the one I am digging.

This is my favourite mud. This is my favourite worm.

That is my favourite cloud because it's the one I am watching.

The structure of this text reads like a poem and in poetry every word is so carefully selected and placed. With young children you could use each page of this book as a discussion starter and with older children you could use this text as a model for writing. It would also be terrific to discuss the cover design - half the face on the front with the huge leaf and half when you stretch the book out.

I would pair this with another book by Antoinette Portis - Wait. 

Beautifully controlled pacing and an immensely satisfying rainbow resolution make this book an effective refutation of frenzied schedules. Kirkus Star review

A New House for Mouse by Petr Horácek

Little Mouse has a problem. She lives in a tiny hole. She sees a delicious apple on her doorstep but it is way too big to bring into her little home. 

"My house is too small ... perhaps I should look for a bigger one.' So off she set."

As she moves through the forest Little Mouse sees lots of new homes but alas all of them are occupied. 

"Looking for a new house makes you hungry,' said Little Mouse as she took a few bites of the juicy apple."

Have you worked this out?  Your preschool reader might too.  Yes, that apple is going to get smaller and smaller. Mole says no, Rabbit says no, Badger says no, and bear - well bear seems a bit too scary. Then Mouse arrives at the perfect little hole. 

"There was no one at home. Little Mouse went right in and pulled her apple behind her. It fitted perfectly ... and she climbed into her own bed and feel fast asleep."

Now for the sad news. This book was published in 2006 and so it is now out of print. The illustrations are scrumptious - I do hope you can find a copy in a library. This book is perfect to share with a group of preschool children and it would make a fabulous board book . I wonder if the publisher ever considered doing this. It has peep through holes and a very satisfying story reminiscent of books by Pat Hutchins such as Shrinking Mouse.

I haven't seen these mouse books by Petr Horácek, but I imagine they also explore different concepts and follow the adventures of this same little mouse character. 

Petr’s books have received international accolades and recognition, including Best Picture Book of the Year in Holland for A New House for Mouse. Petr Horacek is a Czech born illustrator who studied for six years at the Academy of Fine Art in Prague before become a graphic designer, painter and author-illustrator. Now living in England, he made his publishing debut with “Strawberries Are Red” and “What is Black and White?”  Puffin Peter was short-listed for the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal.

Here are some other books illustrated by Petr Horacek. 

The Memory String by Eve Bunting illustrated by Ted Rand

I seem to read so many middle grade novels where the main character, often a young girl, is grieving the death of a parent, usually her mother. The child is usually very angry and confused about this loss and often shows this through resentment of other adults who may have formed a relationship with their remaining parent. In this book Laura's mum has died and dad has a new partner named Jane.  

Laura cannot talk to Jane. In fact she is openly rude and even hostile towards her. Laura finds some comfort in a string of buttons left to her by her mum. There are buttons from her great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, father and even a couple of her own childhood buttons. 

Unlike the books I mentioned previously - this book is a picture book. In the space of just 32 pages Eve Bunting explores and resolves a huge emotional journey. One evening, while Laura is holding her memory string and trying to recount all the stories to her feisty cat the string breaks and the buttons are scattered all over the garden. Jane is not an evil stepmother. She and Laura's dad hunt far and wide and retrieve all but one of the buttons. Later that evening, when Laura is supposed to be in bed asleep, Jane finds the final button - it is from dad's army shirt and was a button that was very precious to Laura's mum. The way Jane lets Laura find this button is filled with wisdom and kindness. 

The final scenes in this book made me cry - that is a refection of the power of this writing. This is an older long form picture book published in 2000 but paperback copies from 2015 are still available (June 2023). I enjoyed the story journey in this book but sadly I am not a fan of the art - especially the images of the angry cat. 

Eve Bunting is now 94 years old. She has written over 250 books. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything often talks about her book Fly Away Home. Look for Swan in Love and Whales Passing in your school library.  Here are some other titles you might recognise:

A simple, moving tale of a family in transition  Kirkus Star review

I have also talked about the importance of buttons and button collections in a previous post.