RIP Nanny Tobbins by Lucie Stevens

I don't often read 'ghost' stories because it is one of a very few genres that I do not really enjoy but the author of this book Lucie Stevens spoke at a recent conference held here in Sydney at our State Library and her brief author talk intrigued me (which I am sure was her intention).

Since I am not an expert on middle grade ghost stories I may be generalising but I thought that usually a ghost had a reason for their return. Coming back to right a wrong or assist a person from when they were alive. The young girl in this story Albertine Waldblumen had no concept of death (she is very young and naive). Adults have protected her from this.  We learn her father first off won't take her to Nanny Tobbins funeral and then we also discover she is not allowed to go near the churchyard cemetery. I suspected, correctly, that she had never seen her mother's grave. Poor child believes her mother is flying in the sky with the angels and so she spends a lot of time looking up hoping to see her. So why did Nanny Tobbins return? I guess she may have returned to help Albertine discover the truth about death or to help her in some way to cope with her new Stepmother and changing relationship with her father but that all feels a bit too vague.

Back to Nanny Tobbins (real name Nanette) who was indeed a nanny to Albertine (nick name Bert) we never actually find out about the Great Exhibition of 1851 but alas as Albertine and her new stepmother set off to attend this amazing event the story quite suddenly ends. I was very disappointed not to read about the sights and wonders through Albertine's eyes. Here is some information about The Great Exhibition aimed at youger readers. How did Nanny Tobbins die? It was a horse-riding accident but we are given no further details. I kept wondering if Albertine perhaps saw the accident or worse if she was in some way involved.  One of the gruesome aspects about this ghost is the way her head is not quite attached to her body. She also seems to attract lots of moths but just why this happens is never explained. At night Albertine is locked inside her room - I did find that quite distressing and I desperately hoped the would not be a fire in their house.  

Only Albertine can see the ghost of Nanny Tobbins, but her precious dog named Quiver seems to sense when she is here. There are a number of stereotypes in this story - the evil stepmother; the absent father; the fearful and bumbling servant; and the warm-hearted cook who makes fabulous foods for little Albertine. Of course, the spooky moments happen at midnight. The author Lucie Stevens did say she was thinking of the classic book Mary Poppins when she wrote the short piece as part of an assignment that then led to this longer novel. 

Was there really elephant at The Great Exhibition? Yes and No.  Not a living one but there was a taxidermy one. 

Image source: Victoria and Albert Museum

You can hear Lucie Stevens talk about her book here on the Podcast Your Kids Next Read (start at 15.60). RIP Nanny Tobbins is her debut Middle Grade Novel. RIP Nanny Tobbins will be published tomorrow! And she mentioned there will be a sequel next year and one of the books she lists as recent enjoyable reads was Little Bones. 

Bookseller blurb: When Nanny Tobbins fell off a horse and broke her neck, the grown-ups told nine-year-old Albertine she'd never see her beloved governess again. But it simply isn't true. For every night, when the clock strikes twelve, Nanny returns to the nursery. Yet in her new ghostly state, Nanny Tobbins quickly causes chaos in the household -- and the timing couldn't be more inconvenient. Albertine's stepmother is struggling to settle in, and Papa is much occupied working with Prince Albert on the Great Exhibition. To make matters worse, the grown-ups don't believe in ghosts at all, leaving Albertine to take the blame for Nanny's unruly antics. How will Albertine restore peace to her home before the unthinkable occurs?

RIP Nanny Tobbins is an easy book to read - I think it will appeal to readers aged 10+ but it may not be scary enough for the readers who love to find ghost stories that can tingle your spine. 

About the author: Lucie Stevens is a children’s writer who grew up in a semi-rural area of Dharug Country, north-west of Sydney. After working in Australian publishing houses for many years, she moved to Berlin, where she helped make education outreach programs for the UK and European Space Agencies. Now, having resettled in Gadigal Country, Sydney, Lucie works as a freelance editor for NGOs and not-for-profit organisations. She has authored and co-authored several books for the education market, on topics ranging from mudlarks to Mars. R.I.P. Nanny Tobbins is Lucie’s first novel for children.

I know I said at the start of this post that I don't seek out ghost stories but here are a few I have read and enjoyed (aimed at a similar audience to RIP Nanny Tobbins).

Out of the Wild Night

The Haunting of Charity Delafield

The Ghost of Grosswater

Her Perilous Mansion

Elizabeth and Zenobia

Not a ghost story but this wonderful book has a similar feel or setting

Withering by Sea

Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle illustrated by Rafael Lopez

On an island of music

in a city of drumbeats

the drum dream girl

dreamed

 

of pounding tall conga drums

tapping small bongó drums

and boom boom booming

with long, loud sticks

on big, round, silvery

moon-bright timbales.

 

But everyone

on the island of music

in the city of drumbeats

believed that only boys

should play drums

 

so the drum dream girl

had to keep dreaming

quiet

secret

drumbeat

dreams.

You can read the whole poem which is the text of this picture book biography here. 

A beautiful account of a young girl’s bravery and her important contribution toward gender equality in the creative arts. Kirkus Star review

Here is a video (very well done) of the whole book. You can see more books by Margarita Engle here. And more books by Rafael Lopez here. And here is some more information about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga.

Blurb from author web page: Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule—until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream. Released in March 2015, this story is inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers.

I borrowed this book from a library because it is one of the titles on the Kirkus Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far). This book is still available but you will need to shop around - I have seen prices ranging from AUS$39 up to AUS$48. I would expect this book to be found in many public libraries. If you can find this book it would be a good one to share with a group of Grade 5 or 6 students or better yet pop it into the hands of your school music teacher especially if he/she is planning on doing some drumming or your school have invited drums for a performance. 

Some of the awards for Drum Dream Girl:

• Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the 21st Century So Far
• NYPL 125 Books We Love For Kids
• National Geographic Around the World in 20 Books for Kids
• This Picture Book Life's 20 Terrific and True Picture Books
• Charlotte Zolotow Award for best picture book written in 2015
• 2016 Pura Belpré Award for illustration (Rafael Lopez)
• ALA Notable Children's Book
• APALA Award Honor
• International Latino Book Award, Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book
• Book Riot's List of 100 Must-Read Picture Books For Kids and Adults
• A Mighty Girl 25 Books to Inspire Your Mighty Girl in 2017
• We're the People 2016 Summer Reading List
• Finalist, California Book Awards
• 2016 Bank Street Best Books of the Year
• School Library Journal Top 10 Latino Books for 2015
• School Library Journal Best Books of 2015
• Kirkus Best Informational Picture Books of 2015
• Top 15 Mighty Girl Books of 2015
• 100 magnificent Children’s Books of 2015 – SLJ Fuse#8
• 10 Books That Empower Kids to Stand Up and Speak Brightly Readbrightly.com

The Girl Who Noticed Everything by Jane Porter illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring

There are a couple of moments in this book which made me feel very sad. Stella does notice 'everything' and at times this is lucky for her dad for example when he misplaces his hat. She is a naturally curious girl but dad sometimes feels uncomfortable when she points out differences:

"They passed a man wearing a furry hat with big ear flaps. Stella turned to look. 'Is he wearing a cat on his head?' she asked loudly. 'Shhhh! He might be embarrassed if he hears you say that,' said Dad ... "

Stella can sense she has done the wrong thing so she becomes very quiet. She stops telling dad about all the amazing things she can see on their way to the park. When they arrive she sees a lady in wearing all the colours of the rainbow but dad says:

"Let's play at NOT noticing things for a while, shall we?"

Luckily Stella does still notice things, but she keeps her thoughts to herself. That lady in the rainbow had been calling sadly 'Frankie! Frankie!'. Stella finds a beautiful blue feather and then she sees a bright flash of feathers in a tall tree. Yes - it is Frankie. She takes her dad's hand, and they find the rainbow lady then Stella leads them both back to the tree and the rainbow lady is reunited with her special companion.

Luckily all of this means dad changes his mind and indeed he begins to notice the tiny and beautiful things on their walk home.

Here is a video of the author Jane Porter talking about her book with the illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring. This book is available in paperback (published January 2023) - a perfect addition to your library. 

The combination of dad being loving yet slightly distracted is highly relatable and Stella feels totally real to me. The adult learning from the child is a nice touch which is subtly done ... Letterbox Library

The Girl Who Noticed Everything addresses relevant (and potentially quite challenging) issues by drawing its audience in and delighting rather than instructing them. Its focus on the visual and imaginative joys of connecting and observing are particularly welcome, and embedded within the story and images are prompts for learning and discussion. Jane Porter’s cheerful text has a natural, real-world feel, and Maisie Paradise Shearring’s characters also burst with life. Plenty of location-specific spreads anchor the action in familiar settings (a rumpled sitting room, an urban street, a sandpit…) but good use is made of white backgrounds to focus attention on Stella’s internal world. Books for Keeps

Publisher blurb: Stella is a great detective. She can’t help noticing everything around her – clouds shaped like horses, wheelie bins with faces, a lonely glove on a fence, people that look like their dogs and even a man with a furry hat that looks like a cat on his head. Stella tells Dad about everything she’s seen but Dad is worried that she’s going to hurt people’s feelings. But when Stella spots a sad lady in the park she knows that speaking up is just the right thing to do.

This is a companion book to The Boy who loved Everyone.

Here are some other books illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring:

Over and Over by MH Clark illustrated by Beya Rebai

"And all the while, we'll watch the clouds change, making rabbits and fish in the sky. 
They will never quite look this way again, and neither will you or I."

This is a beautifully illustrated book that falls into a category I previous discussed - Poetry with Pictures. There is no real plot just a series of slightly philosophical statements or homilies. The words are also a series of wisdoms shared by an adult to their child. I put one of my favourite lines under the cover above.

"Over and over, the sun will rise and touch the sky above. And over and over you'll open your eyes, good morning to you, my love."

"Over and over we'll put on our shoes and our coats and our warm wool hats. And I'll open the door to the world with you. And we'll greet the day like that."

From the publisher: In a world marked by uncertainty, this reassuring tale celebrates the gentle rituals that ground a child’s day. Over and Over follows a young girl and her father as they enjoy life’s simple everyday pleasures—from sitting down for breakfast to gazing at the clouds to counting the stars before lying down to sleep. With poetic storytelling and captivating imagery, each page honors the calming magic of togetherness and the comforts in routine. 

And we will leave angels and footprints and tracks in the field, all gone sparkling and white.

Near the end of the book the pages fold out to reveal all four seasons. 

Here is a very detailed interview with the author MH Clark and the illustrator Beya Rebai. Read more about MH Clark and see inside other books here. See more art by French illustrator Beta Rebai here. 

There are other books in this series by MH Clark:

And I found these too - I am keen to see more of her work:

The Fix-it man by Dimity Powell illustrated by Nicky Johnston

I had not seen this book from 2017. I picked it up at the library where I volunteer at Westmead Children's Hospital.  The little girl loves the way her dad can repair things but what about mum? At first we see her sitting and watching as the girl and her dad work together. You might notice mum has a rug over her knees and a scarf tied over her hair perhaps showing she has been having chemotherapy. 

"She's too sore on the inside to help us, but her fingers still work fine."

Closer look shows mum is adding ribbons to a hoop. 

"Dad makes Mama's bad days better too, with his soothing peach and honey brew."

The teapot breaks but dad is able to mend it - well it is almost as good as new - but then on turning the page (even though the text does not directly say the words) we know her Mama has died. On early pages the picture frames in the lounge room are filled with happy images of their family of three. Now the page is monotone, and the picture frames are empty. Mum's wool basket sits to one side untouched. Tea does spill out of the teapot - the cracks are too wide - just like the cracks in their hearts.

Bookseller blurb: It's handy having a dad who can fix just about anything. A young girl believes her father is the king of fixing things, but following the death of her mother, she discovers that broken hearts are not as easy to repair as damaged toys and cracked teapots. Together, she and her father find a way to glue back the pieces of their lives. The Fix-It Man is a poignant picture book that explores how a child can cope with the loss of a parent (in this case, the young girl's mother). Repairing damaged emotions is not as straightforward as gluing a broken kite back together or sewing up a torn toy. And grief affects all members of a family, with each responding in their own way to the loss. By sticking with her father, the young girl is able to strengthen her resilience and ability to cope with one of life's harshest experiences.

This is a book where the cover does not really hint at the content - this is a book adults should read first to check your child is ready for this story which deals with the illness and death of a parent. Please take a minute to read my previous post about books that deal with death and the timing for reading them. Read what Dimity Powell says about her book. From her link you can also read a large number of review comments. Here is a link to the trailer - the soundtrack might make you cry now that you know that the mum has died. 

This is a poignant story of loss and one that will resonate with many children who have lost a parent or other loved one.  With its gentle text and soft palette, even though it is sad it is not gloomy because the love between this family oozes from the page and from that, the hope is tangible. ... Grief is a natural part of life and while we might like to protect our children from it, nevertheless it happens and we often struggle helping them to cope with their loss.  This book allows conversations to start and explores the way it is an emotion that we each express and deal with in our own way. The Bottom Shelf

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

 

"The secret to surviving childhood

so far has been knowing when 

to keep my mouth shut.

But I am not a child anymore.

I have feelings.

I have thoughts.

I have the right to express them both."

I have no idea how to talk about this book because it has affected me so deeply so I am just going to share the blurb and some review comments and then say every high school library and public library should have this book - if you have a book shopping list add this title to the top of your list now. As Colby Sharp says (see link below) this is a book for teacher, teacher-librarians, gate keepers and all sorts of readers - bullies, kids with weight issues, and every other kid too. 

'It seems like these rules

would make you think about

and hate your body

every minute of every day.'

'That's what society wants.'

'What about what you want, Ellie?' ...

'I want people to accept me,

just as I am.'

Blurb: Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules like "no making waves," "avoid eating in public," and "don't move so fast that your body jiggles." And she's found her safe space her swimming pool where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It's also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie's weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

Here is Colby Sharp talking about Starfish. "This is a book you NEED to read!" "You need to experience this story."

This is absolutely on point when it comes to modern feelings about body image in young girls, and shows Ellie's struggles in a way I haven't seen very often in middle grade books. This is not a book about a girl struggling to lose weight (as books in the past would have been), but a book about a girl struggling to come to terms with her body and the people around her who constantly harass her. Ms Yingling

The text places readers in Ellie’s shoes, showing how she is attacked in many spaces—including by strangers on public transit—while clearly asserting that it’s other people who need to change. ... Make room in your heart for this cathartic novel. Kirkus Star review

I have had this book on my "to buy or borrow" list since reviewers first talked about it back in 2021. Every word of praise for this book is true - this is an engrossing, heart-breaking story of courage. I loved every word of this honest and emotional verse novel.

Awards - a selection:

• 2022 Association for Library Service to Children Notable Children’s Book
• 2022 International Literacy Association Notable Books for a Global Society Award Winner
• 2022 National Council of Teachers of English
• Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book
• 2022 NCTE/Children’s Literature Assembly
• 2021 Internationale Jugendbibliothek  White Raven

Starfish is available in English, Turkish, Korean, Spanish, Chinese and large print.

I would pair this book with;

Out of my Mind

Dirt by Sea by Michael Wagner illustrated by Tom Jellett

 

Australians all let us rejoice, 

For we are one and free; 

We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil; 

Our home is girt by sea; 

Our land abounds in nature’s gifts 

Of beauty rich and rare; 

In history’s page, let every stage 

Advance Australia Fair. 

In joyful strains then let us sing, 

Advance Australia Fair.

Our home is 'girt' by sea is so confusing - what does this mean? Daisy thinks the words are 'our home is dirt by sea'. Dad realises that because they live inland in Australia Daisy has no sense that Australia is an island continent surrounded by water - girt by sea. So, Daisy and her dad set off on a journey around Australia leaving their home in outback Queensland just after Christmas and returning home about 4-6 weeks later. 

Places they visit:

• Airle Beach, Queensland
• Great Barrier Reef Queenland
• Northern New South Wales - Byron Bay
• Sydney
• Southern New South Wales
• Wilson's Promontory Victoria
• Melbourne
• Freycinet Pennisula Tasmania
• Great Ocean Road Victoria
• Adelaide
• Eyre Peninsula South Australia
• Nullabor National Park South Australia
• Bunda Cliffs South Australia
• Eucla Western Australia
• Perth
• The Kimberley Western Australia
• Broome Western Australia
• Darwin

On the cover you can see Daisy and her dad in their Combi van. You do need to notice the number plate which says Sarah. Sarah is Daisy's mum, and she has sadly died but the lovely thing is she is very much with this father and daughter on their journey because Dad and Sarah made this same journey many many years ago. Now turn to the end papers. They are different front and back and they are brilliant showing a child's drawing of the map of Australia. 

I love the way Daisy and her dad have such a warm relationship. They are so easy in each other's company with lots of shared jokes and little sayings. There is a touch of sadness over the loss of Daisy’s mum, but this is handled so beautifully. I love the emotional intelligence of young Daisy. 

As you turn the pages the background colours change reflecting each of the different environments we have in Australia and the page of repeated strips as they drive across the Nullabor is perfect – it feels like a welcome break after previously hectic paneled pages. The graphic novel/comic format works perfectly for this story as a way to convey the enormity of their journey across time and place and this format also allows the writer/illustrator to zoom in on more intimate father/daughter moments. 

Dirt by Sea manages to be quite informative about our country as well as a thoughtful portrayal of a loving father and daughter having a great holiday together. It would be a great gift for an overseas visitor or an at home armchair traveller and deserves to be in every school library. Storylinks

Dirt by Sea will charm a large audience, from young to old. Kids' Book Review

The obvious companion text is Are we there yet by Alison Lester.

See more books by Michael Wagner here. I loved a really early book by Michael Wagner - The Undies. And here are more books by Tom Jellett. Here are some detailed teachers notes for Dirt by Sea.