A Place called Perfect by Helena Duggan

About halfway through this book I was sure I would give it five stars but then things became a little too tangled and complicated, so I have settled on four stars. This book is fast paced and so I read it all in one day. I would be very happy to recommend this book to readers aged 10+.

The premise that the whole town is controlled taking away the sight of every citizen and then providing them with special glasses that allow them to see, is intriguing. Yes, the glasses do work, the way people view the world through these lenses has been manipulated and so the people see perfection everywhere in the town of Perfect. And the glasses have another even more sinister function. They contain a device that robs everyone of their imagination. Imaginations are stored in glass jars after being collected late at the night. How did everyone become blind? It is all linked to some special tea which is provided to everyone, every day, several times each day. Even the children in school stop for regular 'tea' breaks. The tea is addictive and delicious because it tastes like your personal favourite flavour. 

There is an issue though with these glasses.  They only work when they are kept on your face. No one would be prepared to wear glasses in bed, so every night there is curfew which is designed to stop people hearing any sounds from the other side of the wall. This is where any people have been sent who haven't conformed to the regime imposed by Edward and George Archer. Why have they set up these schemes to manipulate the people in this town? Of course it is all about power and also we learn it is about jealousy. The people in No-Mans-Land are only allowed out at night and they are guarded by thugs called Watchers. They seem to have lost any urge to rebel. 

Violet becomes caught up in all of this because her father is a skilled ophthalmologist. She has moved with her father and mother to Perfect. Her mother very quickly changes into a 'perfect' person baking cakes and joining community events such as a the local book club but right from the start Violet is suspicious of the brothers, of the tea, and of this seemingly perfect town. 

Meanwhile (spoiler alert) the Archer brothers are working on making or growing eyes (you can see them on the cover). They have this very disturbing plan to operate and transplant these 'special' eyes into everyone. Luckily Violet meets Boy - he is an orphan who lives in No-Mans-Land and he is desperate to uncover the evil work by the Archers. It will take courage, teamwork, and determination to stop these evil men. You will be sitting on the edge of your seat because Helena Duggan makes her reader live through every terrifying situation. There were so many times when I was sure Violet and Boy would be captured and punished by the Archers. 

Publisher blurb (Usborne): Violet never wanted to move to Perfect. Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time? But Violet quickly discovers there's something weird going on in the town - she keeps hearing voices, her mam is acting strange and her dad has disappeared. When she meets Boy she realizes that her dad is not the only person to have vanished... and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a perfectly creepy secret!

A place called Perfect was published in 2017. I picked up my copy for just AUS$3 at a charity book fair. 

This quirky, creepy mystery adventure story is an original debut that should intrigue 9+ readers who like their stories with an offbeat, uneasy atmosphere.  There are plenty of macabre details, particularly to do with eyes, and some fast-paced action but the plot does become rather over-complicated by the end and readers will need to concentrate.  This book provides plenty of dark humour amidst the action and some key messages about not following the crowd, being brave, looking beneath the surface and resisting controlling bullies.  Books for Keeps

I have now discovered there are three books in the series:

This book opens with a terrific map:

Helena Duggan is a children's author, graphic designer and illustrator from Kilkenny, a medieval town in Ireland, which was the inspiration for A Place Called Perfect. She writes in a treehouse built by her husband Robbie and his brother in the bottom of their garden.

Companion books:

Eventown

Masterminds

Simon Sort of Says

The Parrot and the Merchant by Marjan Vafaian translated by Azita Rassi

Mah Jahan was a merchant. She collected beautiful things to sell but she also collected birds.

"She kept them in cages or in chains so they couldn't fly away and leave her."

Her favourite bird was a colourful talking parrot from India. Setting off to trade in India, Mah Jahan asked her parrot:

"Tell me what I can bring you to make you happy."

Do you know what will make this parrot happy? 

Here are all her goods loaded onto her camels:

Just as she was about to head back home, Mah Jahan remembered to ask the wild parrots for advice - what will make her parrot at home happy? These parrots cannot talk of course and sadly one dies after hearing the question. On her return, Mah Jahan tells her parrot she has no answer to the question of happiness and that one of the wild parrots had dropped dead. 

"Mah Jahan's parrot said nothing, but after a moment it too suddenly went still, and it dropped to the floor of the cage."

Can you guess what happens when Mah Jahan opens the cage and gently lifts out her precious parrot. YES, it is a trick, and the parrot flies off to freedom (and back to India).

This book has the most wonderful art and a very satisfying story. Be quick - this book in hardcover is available now for a really good price. Since it was published in 2017, I am sure it will soon be out of print. I highly recommend adding this one to your library collection - the art is scrumptious. Or look for the paperback edition [9781910328255]. 

Publisher (Tiny Owl) blurb: This exquisitely illustrated story is an enchanting fable exploring how hard it is to give something you love freedom. The merchant Mah Jahan loves to keep colourful birds in cages, especially a parrot who can talk to her. But when the parrot asks her to bring something back from her trading trip to India, Mah Jahan learns a valuable lesson about how to treat the things and people you love.

This old Rumi tale is adapted by making the merchant a woman but is not otherwise significantly modernized. Iranian illustrator Vafaeian’s ornamented, often surreal illustrations depict Mah Jahan in enormous, colorful skirts and frequently surrounded by comparatively tiny servants. The parrot’s cage is likewise stylized, an ornamented circle that contains the unhappy captive. ...  This 900-year-old story has not lost its classic feel. Kirkus

Read about Marjan Vafaian here.

Try to find some other books about the thirteenth century poet and philosopher Rumi.

Read more about this book here.

Read more about this book here.

This story might remind you of The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen.

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers makes it clear from the first sentence that our story narrator is a dog. 

"I turn I turn I turn before I lie to sleep and rise before the Sun."

This is confirmed in the second paragraph:

"I am a dog called Johannes and I have seen you. I have seen you in this park, my home. If you have come to this park, my vast green windblown park by the sea, I have seen you."

This park is a wild environment but it is also a place frequented by humans for all sorts of activities many of which are a mystery to Johannes and his friends. Living in the park, behind a high fence, there are three Bison. I guess they are there as a draw-card for visitors but Johannes and the other animals know Freya, Meredith and Samuel are really the Keepers of the Equilibrium. Johannes is a free dog, a wild dog which means he can roam around the park. He has the important job of the Eyes reporting on all the park activities to the Bison. His friends are Bertrand a huge seagull; Sonja a squirrel; Yolanda a pelican; and Angus a raccoon. This team are the Assistant Eyes. All of them report to the Johannes and he then talks to Freya, Meredith and Samuel. Each of the animal characters has a very distinct personality. 

Yoland "like all pelicans, prefers to fly low low over the water, inches above the surface of the water. Yolanda also happens to be the only one among us who can read human written language, a gift she wear lightly."

Sonja "has a habit of showing up without saying hello, as if she's barged in on a private meeting. She's been on of the Assistants coming meet us on our rock, for probably six hundred years, so we cannot understand this, the way she persists with this initial shyness. She is missing an  eye, and the easy answer would be that this missing eye, lost in a fight with a crow, has caused her reticence."

Things are changing in the park. It is not exactly specified but I gathered the new building is an art gallery. The problem is, Johannes finds the art mesmerising and this means he puts himself in danger from the park authorities and the control-the-animals-people. Johannes is captured but it is by some hippies. This is a terrifying scene and a heroic rescue. Then a huge herd goats arrive to clear a large area of spiky weeds. His capture has made Johannes think about freedom and so he makes the huge decision to set the Bison free. This will take a huge team effort and while it seems completely impossible the outcome is sure to surprise you.

I held my breath when I looked to see IF Betsy Bird had read this book and then to see if she loved it as much as I did - YES she sure did! Here is an extract but please read her whole review - it is, as usual, eloquent and perfect. "You will find a thoroughly well-written, occasionally touching, funny, strange little book that sticks both its landing and in your memory. "

A confident writer that is confident for good reason is deeply satisfying. ... I devoured this book in a single sitting and would reread it happily if asked to do so, which I cannot say for every kids book I pick up. It’s the writing, man. It dares to be better, but doesn’t lose young readers along the way. There’s excitement and goats and near drownings and ridiculous disguises. It’s a legitimately fun book that soaked itself in great writing and isn’t afraid to show that writing off. I don’t know if it has what it takes to become a massive hit. I don’t know if other adult gatekeepers will agree with me on what it is doing (and how well). Fuse 8 SLJ Betsy Bird

There is a deeper story here, too, about being yourself and finding freedom. It is hinted at in the natural beauty of the deluxe version of the book, with its solid-wood front and back covers, and in Shawn Harris’s sublime illustrations. New York Times

Listen to an audio sample from the first chapter here. And the trailer is here. I highly recommend you share this trailer with a group of students when you introduce this wonderful book. More review comments here. 

One of the aspects of this writing that I found utterly delicious were the brilliant words and phrases used by Dave Eggers. Here are some examples: odorous, reticence, gravitas, all the hassles inherent in highly concentrated humanity, partake, maniacal, enumerate, privy to our deliberations and  judgements, sutured, paragon of valour, and validity. 

This book would be a perfect read aloud to a Grade 5 or 6 class. I wish I could, right now, put this book into the hands of a skilled teacher. This book is also perfect for animal lovers and readers who enjoy exploring a different perspective. In some ways this is a moving and serious story but there are so many quietly funny moments such as the way Johannes has absolutely no idea about numbers which means he exaggerates every time he talks about time or about the number of creatures in the park, especially the goats. Oh, and there is also the running joke about ducks and loons. 

Read this description of trucks that have a reversing beep - it will show you the way Dave Eggers adds touches of humour to his story and I am guessing he also dislikes this sound:

"And here I should say that of all the horrible things human have created, the most maniacal and wrong of them all is this, this intermittent screaming sound as their vehicles go backward. All of life stops when the screaming begins. All beauty ends, all music ends, clouds cleave, hearts break, and all of the world nearby waits, with breath held, for the sound to end. Nothing can be done during this mechanical wailing. No thinking, no eating, no running, no living."

And this one of the goats:

"The way they were eating the weeds was chilling. Would they eat us too? They seemed like vegetarians, but how could we be sure? There were so many of them. A thousand? A million? They could disappear the five of us in seconds."

There are two covers at the top of this post. The one that looks like wood is actually wood! and that is the one I bought. It also has gold embossed silky page edges and rich coloured art based illustrations.  This is the most expensive middle grade book I have ever bought at AUS$50 but it sure was worth it. The cover intrigued me and the Kirkus review convinced me and today, in one huge gulp, I read the whole book of 249 pages. 

Bison are such fascinating beasts. When I lived in Alberta there were several in a paddock near the town and very occasionally I would see them from my car. 

Betsy Bird said many people are not fans of animal books but this is not true for me. I did cry in Charlotte's Web but I also loved every word and similarly The Underneath is a book that moved me so profoundly - I have read it twice. Once you have read, and YES you must read The Eyes and the Impossible - head off to your library and try to find these:

Firstborn

A Wolf called Wonder

The way of Dog

Pax

Endling - The Last

Seekers - The Quest Begins

The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi illustrated by Farshid Mesghali translator Azita Rassi

ماهی سیاه کوچولو

"There was something wrong with Little Black Fish. He ached with longing to go beyond the stream, and to discover for himself what might be there. ... 'I must swim beyond the stream. I want to see if the stream goes on and on, or whether it comes to an end."

Everyone in this part of the stream warns Little Black Fish against the ridiculous, dangerous and unnecessary idea of leaving.  Little Black Fish tells his mother: "Perhaps there is more to life, and perhaps the world is more than our stream.' (No) 'Our stream is the world!' said his mother." Finally Little Black fish takes the plunge and and he slides down the waterfall. His journey has begun and, yes, the is a world beyond his home. He meets other creatures such as tadpoles, a frog, a crab and a shepherd boy with his sheep. A lizard warns him about the dangers that will be ahead - especially the danger of pelicans and later the danger of seabirds.

The lizard kindly gives Little Black Fish a small knife which he explains can be used to cut his way out of the pelican's pouch. 

"The more that Little Black Fish found out about the world, the more he realised that it was a dangerous as well as a beautiful place."

I am not going to share the ending because it is sure to shock you and lead to some very interesting discussions with your reading companion or senior Primary class. 

Publisher blurb Tiny Owl: Little Black Fish may be small, but he has big questions and a determination to find answers to them. While his fellow fish are too scared to do anything different from their set routine, Little Black Fish swims over the edge of the pool, into the stream and river which will show him much more of the world. He meets wonders and adventures, dangers and beauty. He makes it all the way to the sea, and finds his answers.

In 2012 I attended the IBBY Congress in London.  In one of the concurrent sessions the presenter Rosana Faría from Venezuela (illustrator of The Black Book of Colours) talked about her book Jacaraca, Perereca och Tiririca which she described as: An examination of the process of illustrating a story by Brazilian author Ana Maria Machado which resonated with the situation in Venezuela, a country which received immigrants in the 19th & 20th centuries and is now experiencing emigration. The story shows that strength is in unity and perseverance.  This session has lingered with me all these years later because Rosana astonished me when she explained how this book was actually a way to share a very powerful political message and how proud she was that the government authorities had not detected this. Her book could so easily have been banned but it was dismissed as a simple children's book - and therefore harmless!

When I ordered and received The Little Black Fish I thought again about Rosana's book.  The Little Black Fish could also be viewed as a simple fable for children but in this case Samad Behrangi's book written in 1968, did come to the attention of the authorities in Iran and it was banned but today it is one of their most famous children's books. I know the banning of books is a shocking thing but in this instance I am cheering because it shows this is not just a children's book - it can a powerful device with an important and a message!

Here is a quote from the final pages of The Little Black Fish: 

" First published in 1968, The Little Black Fish was written and read as a allegory for a nation in which is was dangerous to dare to be politically different. The book was banned in pre-revolutionary Iran. The simplicity of a 'children's story' about a fish daring to mix with other kids of creatures and other ways of life, offers a useful case for discussion by all ages about the big questions at the heart of political debate. Meanwhile, younger children will engage with the more individual experience of Little Black Fish. Would they dare go against what their protective mothers tell them? Can that ever be a good idea? The dangers are clear in this story, but so too are the rewards. Can they imagine what it was like for Little Black Fish, seeing new creatures and places for the first time? Being attacked and making new friends?"

You can see more art from this book here on Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast. And take a look at the book trailer from Tiny Owl. 

About the author and illustrator: Samad Behrangi was an Azeri teacher born in Tabriz. He collected folk tales and wrote tales for children in Azeri, Turkish and Persian. He was one of Iran's most influential authors and teachers. His tragically early death, rumoured to have been ordered by the Iranian government, has given him a legendary status. Farshid Mesghali is an Iranian animator, graphic designer, illustrator, animator and writer. In 1974, he received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his "lasting contribution" as a children's illustrator.

At long last, books beloved by Iranian children can be enjoyed by children. ... It’s a book is about freedom, confinement, human possibility.  Like all the best picture books, it is both simple and profound. David Almond

Here is the cover from Iran:

The Wooden Fish by Cao Wenxuan illustrated by Yanling Gong

"There was a great river flowing all year round. 

There were no bridges, but a few boats floated upon it. 

The villagers had planned to build a bridge over the river, but for some strange reason, 

only one wooden post was ever put up. 

That wooden post stood amid the river, lonely."

This book is the story of the wooden post. Told by the wooden post. It is not an entirely happy story. It is a tale about loneliness, friendship, and freedom. The post observes the world. It notices that stars, birds and trees all have companions. The post is useful but also feels used. A bird sharpens its beak, a fisherman ties up his boat and then the next day he leaves, and a young shepherd boy uses the post for his target practice. Eventually the post is dislodged in a wild storm. In a moment of heroism the post rescues the shepherd boy and then the post is carried away, like a fish, now set free.

Publisher blurb Starfish Bay: A quirky yet thoughtful story about a lonely wooden pole and its unspoken friendship with a quiet shepherd boy, which shows readers that everyone has something they are good at and that no one is truly useless.In the middle of a great big river, there stands a single wooden post. It is a seemingly useless piece of wood, because the lone post cannot form a bridge by itself. Day after day, the wooden post longs to have friends and to be free. Instead, it is rooted to the riverbed and forced to watch each time its newfound friends leave him. Its days are brightened when a shepherd boy sits by the riverbank, keeping it company. When danger befalls its new friend, will the wooden post be able to help despite being stuck in one spot?

This is a very puzzling book with beautiful illustrations.  Kirkus sum this up when they say: A whimsically morose story that is elevated by its illustrations. Another puzzle with this book is the author name which I list as Cao Wenxuan but Starfish Bay (Publisher) reverse as Wenxuan Cao. This book could be used in a High School class in a philosophy class or with older Primary students who are sure to have different interpretations of the message Cao Wenxuan wants to give his readers.

Here is the Chinese cover:

In 2016 Cao Wenxuan won the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen award. I have previously discussed these books:

Bronze and Sunflower

Lemon Butterfly

Summer

Smoke

Here is another book translated into English with illustrations by Yanling Gong.

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

"In my mind I did this book for Syrian kids ... but when I read it here in the UK it was an amazing experience ... children are curious about what's going on ... they empathise in a beautiful way." Nadine Kaadine

"The whole idea of the book (is) how do you go out of your dark space. How do you deal with what's going on around you? ... You can do drawing and painting.  And tomorrow will be better." Nadine Kaadine

Yazan wants to play outside. He wants to go to the park. He wants to ride his bike. He wants his mum and dad to spend time with him. He wants things to back back to the way they were before.

"Now the minute (his mum) woke up she would watch the news with the volume turned up so loud."

Yazan tries to keep busy with drawing and the construction of a pillow castle but looking at his red bike his need to get outside becomes quite desperate. 

"He knew his mother would be angry if he left without her permission."

Yazan steps outside but everything is different. There are no other children playing on the street, the food vendors are gone. Yazan does not know where to go or what to do. Then his father arrives and takes him back inside. No one is cross. His mother picks up her paintbrushes and paints and the pair head into Yazan's room where she paints the park of his dreams. For now it is not safe to go outside but there is a sense of hope that one day, perhaps even tomorrow, that might change.

Tomorrow was originally written in Arabic. Lantana, the publisher do not list a translator so I am assuming that since Nadine now lives in London she may have done the translation herself. I purchased this book as part of my preparation for a library conference on the topic International Picture books. The organisers have asked me to focus on books for students aged 10-14. 

The war in Syria is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. As of March 2020, nearly 600 thousand people have been killed or are missing as a result of the war. More than 2 million people have been injured and now live with permanent disabilities. 

More than 6.7 million people have had to leave their homes due to violence, but remain in Syria and are known as internally displaced persons. Another 6.6 million people have had to leave Syria, becoming refugees. Together, that’s more than 13.5 million people who have fled their homes. That number is more than half of Syria’s pre-war population. Since the war started, more than 1 million Syrian children have been born in neighbouring countries as refugees. Kidsboostimmunity

Tomorrow is a book you could share with a group of younger children aged 7+ but I think it could also be used as a discussion starter with an older group. You might like to use this video as a way to help your students understand a little more about the impact of the war in Syria and how it has affected the children. 

Kaadan crafts a happy ending within an active war context, no easy feat ... Kirkus

Yazan used to go to the park, he used to ride his bike, he used to paint pictures with his mother but things have changed; now his mother watches the television news with the sound turned up loud and his father makes lots of phone calls.  Simple, stark, gloomy and dark watercolor and pencil illustrations show Yazan’s empty world where he is not even allowed to go outside.  It is not safe.  There is a war on.  This is Syria and it is the present day.  As the author tells us, many Syrian children are living a life like Yazan’s, waiting and hoping for a better, happier tomorrow. Youth Services Book reviews

This story is unique in a number of ways. Instead of focusing on people fleeing their country it focuses on the experience of a boy in his home as it is besieged by war. Reading Pebbles

A book which promotes empathy and gives children a space to ask questions about the more frightening things in the world. Book Murmurmation

In this video Nadine talks about the impact of the war in Syria on her work. You can see Nadine's other books here on her website. Only two are available in English - Tomorrow and The Jasmine Sneeze.  Nadine was born in Syria but moved to the UK in 2012 when the war began. You can read more about this experience here.  In this interview, Nadine talks about the importance of book translation and the implications for publishers. You can hear Nadine read he book in Arabic and then English on this video (I suggest you begin around the 19 minute mark). 

Companion reads:

Azzi in Between

The Colour of Home

Vanishing Colors

If you are working with a group of older students you might introduce them to these middle grade novels about the war in Syria:

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

A House without Walls

Dreams for our Daughters by Ruth Doyle illustrated by Ashling Lindsay

 

"Born on this star-scattered night,

kissed by the cosmos - 

A child made of moonbeams."

"Never be labelled as less than you are.

Be brave and believe in your own guiding star."

"Oyster-child, your true beauty shines inside as it grows - 

You're the hidden pearl, not the shell that the mirror shows."

This book is a wonderful new discovery.  I love it. Published 2021 by Andersen Press UK Distributed in Australia by Walker Books. Add this book to your shopping list - it would be the perfect gift for a new baby. In this video Ruth Doyle reads her book. Here is an interview with Ruth. I have mentioned the Irish illustrator Ashling Doyle previously when I talked about The Night Box. 

Publisher blurb: A star-scattered night, a brand new baby girl, and all the potential in the world… This is a poetic introduction to what it means to grow up as a girl in the challenging times we live in, and all of the dazzling possibilities the world has to offer. The poignant message at the heart of this book is that we can be whoever we want to be. This lavishly foiled, inspiring picture book is the perfect gift for every key moment in a girl's life, from birth to graduation.

A lovely dream to offer any child. Kirkus

Warm, loving rhymes and tenderly detailed illustrations help readers imagine the thousands of adventures up ahead. Emma Suffield - Little blog of Library Treasures

Here is the second volume Songs for our Sons - the hardcover and paperback (due in September) editions.