Just what is up there in the sky? The stars and the moon are so far away but they are so fascinating. Think about how you might feel if pieces of space - a meteorite - arrived in neighborhood. How exciting to actually touch a piece of rock from outer space. If you look closely at the end papers in Lucky's Star you can see a falling star - this is the meteorite heading to earth.
Lucky's Star is based on the true story of the Murchison Meteorite. Murchison is a town in Victoria and this meteorite arrived at 10.58 on Sunday 18 September 1969. Mark Greenwood takes this historic event and turns it into the personal story of a young farm girl named Lucky. And how lucky she was to see the meteorite and also to find a small piece.
"It was warm to touch and stinky when Lucky popped it in her pocket."
I really appreciated some of the word choices in this book which is one you could share with children aged 5+ - celestial spectacle; locals gossiped; alien germs; cosmic curiositis; baffled; shallow imprints and dimples; star-white flecks; cloaked in darkness; and contraption. You can find a link to the teachers notes on the publisher web page. With young children in your library you could also talk about the way Mark Greenwood has combined a fictional character such as Lucky (think about her name) with the factual events. There are some excellent information pages at the back of this book.
Lucky decides her little piece of meteorite might mean there is a gap in the sky so she tries to send it back into space. This reminded me of these terrific star books:
Lucky's Star was published last month by CSIRO Publishing. Huge thanks for my review copy. This book is one children in your library are sure to enjoy and it will spark curiosity plus teachers could easily make use this book as part of a mini theme on stars and space. Older children could also use this book as a jumping off point for further research.
This book is nonfiction at its best. An engaging first-person narrative interspersed with all the facts a curious reader needs so they can learn more about the Mars Rover named Curiosity which was launched on 26th November 2011 and after 253 days of space travel Curiosity arrived on the planet Mars which is three hundred and fifty miles away from Earth!
Oversized format, with dramatic black backgrounds and futuristic geometric renderings, make this a good choice for classroom sharing, and text that allows an adult reader to charge ahead with the main information—or to linger over technical details—adds to its flexibility. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
You can see inside this book here. Curiosity: The story of a Mars Rover was shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize 2018.
Even the title is clever - the innocent little word "a" is so important because this is just one Mars Rover there have been others before and after Curiosity. I love knowing a sixth grader from Kansas - Clara Ma - gave Curiosity his/her name. This book ends with a quote from Clara:
"Curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions and to wonder. We will never know everything there is to know, but with our burning curiosity, we have learned so much."
I recently read A Rover's Story. Boy oh boy I wish I had also known about THIS book - it is the perfect companion read. Every Primary library needs BOTH of these books. As I read Curiosity: The story of a Mars Rover I kept nodding my head at all the plot points Jasmine Warga included in her novel - the sterile environment where the rovers were built and tested, the naming of the rover through a nation wide competition, the inclusion of all the cameras and rock testing lab inside the rover and above all the personality of these robots - yes I did say personality!
Freddie has a new obsession - space. He collects every fact he can, and he shares these on post-it notes all around his house. If you met Freddie you could ask him any question about space and he is sure to know the answer. Actually, questions are one theme in this book because five lucky students from Freddie's school have been selected to ask one question each of Astronaut Lilly Jun who is on the International Space Station. She will talk to the students via a video call. Freddie really wants to ask a great question - not something silly. I won't spoil the question he does ask but it is brilliant! You do need to read the whole book which is just over 100 pages, however, before this is revealed.
The other thread in this book, one that keeps the plot moving, is the mystery next door. Freddie is woken by a noise in the night. He looks into the neighbor's backyard and he is shocked to see a huge hole. Freddie is certain a UFO has arrived and that means an alien is now inside the neighbours home. All of this is confirmed when the neighbour almost slams the door in Freddie and his sister's faces and later when Freddie sees a strange red light in the upstairs rooms of their house. There is also the mystery of green slime on the path leading into school. Did the aliens leave this here?
I did not expect to enjoy Freddie Spector Fact Collector as much as I did. This book is the first in a new series and it is one your readers in grades 2 and up are sure to enjoy. The scattering of illustrations by Peter Cheong are also sure to appeal to newly confident readers and they will enjoy the pages filled with Freddie's sticky notes. I did learn a few interesting things about space myself after reading these.
Astronauts on the Internationa Space Station see sixteen sunsets and sunrises over earth every day.
Halley's comet will return in 2061.
Black holes don't last forever - they slowly evaporate.
Mercury's moons are named after famous people like Dr Seuss, Beethoven, and Maya Angelou.
Publisher blurb: Freddie Spector loves collecting facts - about anything and everything. His latest obsession is space. It's all he talks about: stars, planets, galaxies, astronauts, space travel - and, of course UFOs and extraterrestrials. Freddie writes all his facts on sticky notes that his mum and big sister, Henrietta, keep finding in weird places - like in their sock drawers or their sandwiches. But whenever Freddie collects facts on a topic, his very active imagination always gets involved too. And, after noticing some very suspicious goings-on, Freddie realises it's up to him to discover the answer to a burning question: could aliens have landed in his neighborhood? Fast-paced and funny, this series is all about an everyday eight-year-old boy whose love of facts and extraordinary imagination come together with unexpected and hilarious results.
Here is the second book in the series which will also be released in July, 2024.
"His head was filled with questions. Were his footsteps like earthquakes for tiny bugs in the grass. Why was an apple called an apple and cake called cake? What if everyone slept during the day and stayed awake at night?"
One day he sees a white balloon floating in the sky. How long will it float? Will it float forever? Where will it come down? What if the wind blows it higher? Where does the sky end? His mother uses the word forever and so Leo's fascination with space, the universe, aliens, and other worlds begins.
"The whole sky - all that endless space - was suddenly inside him, filling his chest until he thought he might burst. It was the most exciting thing he had ever heard."
Other kids don't exactly reject Leo, but he just doesn't fit in at school. Games are confusing, he takes a long while to answer questions, and all that noise from crowds of kids are just too much for young Leo. Then one day Ralph arrives. Actually, he turns up when Leo sees another white balloon in the tree outside his room. Ralph has come from another planet. Ralph is the perfect friend. Now Leo can cope with life, and he no longer needs to worry that he is disappointing his mum and dad. But Ralph does tell Leo he will stay for "as long as you need me." Does this mean one day Ralph will need to leave?
Allison Tait was also deeply affected by this book - she says it contains a stunning "depiction of loneliness and not fitting in and trying to follow the instructions of well-meaning parents and the sheer overwhelm of trying to make a friend when you're not sure how.""It's a wonderful ode to the power of the imagination."Your Kids Next Read podcast from [10.36- 14.49].
I went to the post office on Friday and there were three parcels waiting for collection. One was this book sent by the publisher University of Queensland Press. I can hardly describe the wonderful experience of reading this book this morning. Peter Carnavas has done it again! There is just the right amount of tension in this story to keep you turning the page and just the right depth of emotion. I cared so much about young Leo - I almost held my breath through the first fifty pages. Things are so hard for young Leo. I also needed those hugs that Peter Carnavas includes in the story from mum, dad, his little sister Peg and especially from Ralph.
I know it is very early in the year, but I am certain this book will be a CBCA (Children's Book of Australia) Younger Readers notable title and surely it will also make the short list. Leo and Ralph will be published on 1st March, 2024.
There are so many FABULOUS things about this book - the writing, the character of Leo, his journey through this early part of his life and the beautifully expressive writing of Peter Carnavas. Here are a few phrases which I loved reading:
"Leo stood in the playground in the shade of his big bucket hat. He looked like a tiny beach umbrella."
"Inside his belly, a thick lump of worry washed away like a fistful of sand in the ocean."
'Dundle was orange-brown. And oven-hot. As Leo stood with his family on the footpath of the main street, he felt like a blob of dough crisping into a biscuit."
I also love the wonderful teachers in this story. Every teacher is kind to Leo and accepting of Ralph culminating with Ms Pengari his Grade Four teacher who wears crazy costumes every day (rather like Ms Frizzle from The Magic School bus series). Her clothes match the class topic. Below are a few descriptions. I know Peter Carnavas is a teacher - I wonder if he might be just like Ms Pengari or perhaps he worked with a colleague like her. I do hope she is a real person. So often I read books about 'out of step kids' like Leo and their teachers are totally demonized. I just wanted to meet and hug every one of Leo's teachers and thank them for their kindness.
Here are some descriptions of Ms Pengari:
"A woman stepped out, wearing a flowery Hawaiian shirt, fluoro yellow boardshorts and a pair of slippers. She had rainbow zinc stiped across her face and she wore a big floppy hat and sunglasses."
"She wore a back witch's hat and carried a plastic wand, ready for the next lesson about the magic of measurement."
"She wore and eyepatch and a pirate hat and waved a plastic sword. 'Yarrrr! What's taking ye so long? we're about to set sail to the land of fractions."
"She wore a pair of pilot's goggles strapped to her head - they were supposed to be flying to the twin islands of Area and Perimeter ..."
I am sure you know the expression show don't tell - there are two utterly wonderful examples of this in Leo and Ralph - one has to do with Leo's friend Gus and the other is something his mother says close to the end of the book - a precious moment of connection that is sure to make you smile.
Leo and Ralph will arrive in schools over the coming weeks. It is a title that has been included in several standing order selections.
If you read this book with an older reader (say 10+) try to find The Watertower by Gary Crew - I had the illustrations in this book in my mind when Leo saw the strange water tower in his new town of Dundle.
I do really enjoy books about imaginary friends. My all-time favourite is O'Diddy but it is a very old book and long long out of print sadly.
Here are the two other junior novels by Peter Carnavas - every Primary school library in Australia (and beyond) should also add these to their library collection.
Stock up on all the food, water, and medicine that you can.
This event could change the world for months or more likely years"
Has this title caught your attention? Are you thinking - oh it's okay this is May - April is far far away. But wait a minute why will the world end in April? Who says this will happen? How do they know? If this is indeed true what do we need to do to prepare? If the world ends will anyone survive?
During the time of COVID-19 it might seem curious that I would pick up this book from my local bookseller (Beachside Bookshop Avalon). So why did I choose this book?
The title caught my attention (and I suspect it has caught yours too!)
I have read some other books by Stacy McAnulty - picture books Beautiful and Brave
I really 'enjoy' dystopian stories and the blurb gave the impression of this genre - in fact it is really more of a school story and the setting is right now in the present not in some imagined future
A previous novel by Stacy McAnulty (as presented on the back cover) received star reviews from Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly - The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl.
Eleanor (Elle or Norie) reads a report on the internet from a Harvard University Professor called Dr Martin Cologne. He has put out a warning to the world that Asteroid 2010PL7, which is more than 5km across, is set to hit our Earth in Spring (US season). We are heading for a global catastrophe. Elle checks the internet further and discovers 2010PL7 is a near earth asteroid but nowhere does NASA say this asteroid is headed toward Earth. Now Elle has a series of huge dilemmas. Should she believe Dr Cologne? Should she tell others in her family and school about this impending terrible event? How can she prepare?
By coincidence Elle's grandfather Joe is prepper - "someone who spends their time and money preparing for the apocalypse." So Elle begins her preparations, she tries to convince the adults in her life, such as her dad, that this disaster is real, she forms a club at school with other kids who believe Dr Cologne and who want to be prepared and she works hard to inform and protect her closest (only) friend Mack who has a vision impairment.
Meanwhile Mack is preparing to leave the school and move to a residential school for the blind. Elle is devastated. She needs Mack and she cannot imagine life especially life at school without him by her side. I should also mention that there are only 130 days to get everything organised.
Impact of other asteroids through history - Chicxulub 66 million years ago; Chesapeake Bay 35 millions years ago; Tunguska 30th June 1908; Chelyabinsk 15th February 2013.
Definitions list - asteroid; comet; meteor; meterorite; meteroid.
NASA Asteroid Facts
Preparing for disasters - Readiness kit; Build a kit; Basic supplies list; Additional emergency supplies
How to identify legitimate sources on the internet
Acronyms - you do need to know TEOTWAWKI - The end of the world as we know it!
Sources used to research this book - website and book list bibliography
I liked the pace of this story, I enjoyed the developing relationships, the disaster preparations were interesting but I did find the final reveal when we discover why Elle is so driven by this potential disaster was not really a strong enough plot point for me. That said I would recommend this book for readers 10+ as it is a fascinating topic especially at this time in our world when we have lockdowns and social isolation and the very real threat of the COVID virus.
Before sending humans into space many countries sent animals as a way to check survival. Some of these stories are very sad but there are a number of children's books on this topic and these animals are truly heroes because without their 'work' we may not have been able to send men and women into space.
Many years ago we purchased a interesting little book series for our school library called Animal Heroes from the Orchard Crunchies range. All of these are now long out of print (published from 1997-1999) but I cannot think of any other books that meet the demand I had from young readers for a simple chapter book about animals that were based on real events. The titles included Pig Detective, Horse of the Year, Donkey leads the way, Dolphin SOS and Dog in Danger. There was also a book about the monkey that was sent into space and, of the whole collection, this was one of the most popular.
I was listening to a radio program today about animals used to test space endurance prior to manned missions. In the Soviet Union dogs were sent into space. You may have heard of Laika. Sadly she did not return to earth but in 1960 two other dogs Belka and Strelka were the first animals to orbit earth and return. The Soviet Union sent 57 dogs into space during the 1950s and 1960s. I have not seen these two books but they look like a perfect way to explore this topic further with Junior primary readers.
On the radio program they mention that France sent a cat into space. I had no idea about this. Here are two stamps commemorating Felicette. I wonder if any one has written a picture book about her. There are plans to erect a statue of Felicette in Paris.
I like the way tension drives this story. I think this list might be a way to explain some of the plot threads and the tension I felt.
It is 1979 and Skylab is falling back to Earth (this is based on true events).
No one knows where Skylab will land - there is huge media coverage and international speculation.
A space station falling to earth could cause enormous damage and injury. Every day people check the sky and NASA send updates as the days count down.
Frankie's Dad is gone, he has died, but mum won't talk about it and Frankie didn't get to say goodbye. Mum even puts his photo away.
Frankie is happy to help out at home but she also needs her mum to stop spending such long hours at work.
Dad loved astronomy and Frankie shared his passion. Who can she talk to now?
Newt, her younger brother, is a gifted boy whose brain is filled with science facts but he is also secretive - what is really going on in his bedroom? Does he know more about Skylab than the adult scientists?
Kat is Frankie's friend in Grade 6 but sometimes the road of true friendship is a rocky one.
Frankie did not mean to get A+ on her Storm Boy assignment and she certainly didn't want to make Kat hate her. If only she could tell Kat how hard it is at home with mum working such long hours, Newt hidden away and her desperate need for answers about her dad.
Mrs Easton has set another almost impossible assignment - Fantastic Futures - which must include two thoughtful and relevant reasons for your choice. Once Frankie would have said she planned to be an astronomer but now that choice seems too hard. Every Friday afternoon is torture hoping Mrs Easton won't ask Frankie to present her futures speech.
Catch a falling star is an honest story about grief and growing up. I really enjoyed the link in this book with the real life event. Skylab did crash near Esperance in Western Australia. The town council did send a fine of $400 for littering. A US newspaper did offer $10,000 to the first person to arrive at their studio in San Francisco with a piece from Skylab. A seventeen year old boy from Esperance won this prize. Take a look at exhibition in the museum at Esperance.
Anna Fienberg said: "A witty and tender story mapping the marvels of science and the human heart. A gripping read."
Read Meg McKinlay's thoughts about Catch a falling Star here. I read an advanced reader copy of this book late in 2018. It will be published in March, 2019. This is a long way off but I predict Catch a Falling Star will reach the CBCA notables list for 2020 - I do hope so. Megan Daley agrees with me - here is her review. I have read other books by Meg McKinlay which I really enjoyed - Once upon a small Rhinoceros and her Duck stories - Duck for a day and Definitely no Ducks!
Tomorrow said Mabel, we will all explore and be bold.
Tomorrow we will be even bolder than we are today.
This book combines some of my favourite story elements - imaginative play, cardboard boxes, sibling relationships and perfect illustrations. This is a book I would love to see in all school libraries.
The children have moved into a new house. This is perfectly described by Linda Urban:
"There were chairs where chairs did not go and sofas where sofas could not stay."
In the midst of the chaos Mabel and her brother Sam find safety inside a large cardboard packing box which instantly becomes a ship sailing on a sea of blue carpet. Mabel patiently explains the ways of the sea to Sam.
"Ahoy!,' said Captain Mabel. 'Welcome aboard the Handle with Care. I am the captain.' 'And I am Ahoy,' said Ahoy. 'You're not Ahoy. Ahoy means hello. You are First Mate Sam."
The pair get to work swabbing the deck, hoisting the sails, riding wild waves and fishing for halibut. In the distance they see an island but Captain Mabel is sure the distant land is full of dangers. They sail on and things slow down, even the fish stop biting, until they see another land. The inhabitants are eating pizza so Captain Mabel agrees they can go ashore.
There are three 'chapters' in this longer format picture book. Each features a different set of colours. In the second section Mabel realises Sam needs a tour of the new home rather like visitors to the museum. She explains about the need for quiet, the importance of artifacts and the rule of no touching. The best thing they find at the museum is a frosted pitty-pat which Sam quietly licks.
I think the frosted pitty-pat is a lovely idea and perhaps they look like this. You could make some after your visit to the museum with Mabel and Sam.
As night falls the pair become astronauts. When things become really dark their mum plugs in the moon. I love the way the parents join the imaginative play at this point, becoming astronaut parents and even allowing Mr Woofie (the dog) to snuggle under the stars. Have you worked out why the boat is named 'Handle with Care'?
I would pair this book with Clancy and Millie and the very fine house by Libby Gleeson, Miss Mae's Saturday and On Sudden Hill. If you want to explore another book series about brothers and sisters take a look at Annie and Simon. Here is a conversation with the author. Linda Urban lives in Vermont and Hadley Hooper lives in Denver.
One of the things I like to recall is exactly how I find great books. More on that in a minute. I also often marvel that there are so many fabulous books out there just waiting to be read and enjoyed. How do authors come up with such wonderul plot ideas? James Roy is a very talented Australian writer. I knew this already from reading Problem Child and I am so happy I have now read his terrific fantasy/science fiction book Edsel Grizzler Book One Voyage to Verdada.
Edsel lives a safe, predictable and boring life and this is reflected in his address Number 58, Bland Street, West Malaise.
The only light in his dull life is his regular trip to the local junk or second hand shop where he has found a friend and more importantly found he has the talent to take junk, repair it and make money. On one such trip to Nicks ‘n’ Nacks Edsel is given something very strange. “This something was roughly the size of a large wheelbarrow, and shaped like half an egg. Standing high on three spindly, chrome legs, it appeared to be made of the same kind of material as bathtubs and vanity basins … embossed into the surface was a small, simple logo: a curly V with a slightly distorted oval around it.”
Have you made a connection between this symbol and the title Voyage to Verdada. This thing looks like a space ship. Perhaps it is a space ship.
Back to my original question how did I find this book? Once again a young boy came to my library counter and enquired about the sequel. I knew this meant he had enjoyed the first book so I grabbed it for a quick read. Several hours later I lifted my head. There is no way you will predict the journey of this book. Edsel does travel to Verdada but why he is there, what happens to him and what the future holds are all things you will only know when you READ THIS BOOK.
This book will make you think about your life choices, your destiny and perhaps even your parents!
I am now ready to grab the sequel called Rescue Mission and this week I also need to purchase the final installment for our library.
This book reminded me a little of The Girl who could fly where you have a team of children doing work for adults and the children need to draw on their special talents to support and ultimately rescue each other. If you have read The Girl who could Fly or even if you haven't go into your library and look for Edsel Grizzler Voyage to Verdada. There are teacher notes here. The author siteis also worth a look.
