Pony by RJ Palacio

 Begin with the book trailer from Random House Kids - it's exquisite. 

Silas Bird and his father Martin Bird, or Pa as Silas calls him, live in a remote part of Ohio. Martin Bird is a highly intelligent man who has tried and succeeded at various occupations including boot making. His latest enterprise is photography which, up until now, has consisted of daguerreotypes but Martin has developed a new form using paper soaked in a solution of iron and salt. This process is called the collodion process. The author notes at the back of Pony give more details about the various forms of photography which were used during the 1800s. 

Late one night three armed men arrive and demand Pa and Silas ride with them to meet Roscoe Ollerenshaw. They claim he has a lucrative business proposition. Later we discover this involves counterfeiting. The men have two extra horses with them one of which is a small pony. This is clearly a very dangerous situation and at first Pa refuses to go but as things escalate he agrees to set off with the men but he refuses to take his son. 

Silas is left alone in this remote place. Well actually he is not entirely alone because he has his friend Mittenwood. Who is Mittenwood? 

The next day the pony appears in the yard.

"He was not as small in the daylight as he had seemed in the dark. Maybe the other horses around him had been especially big. I don't know. But now, grazing by the charred oak, the pony seemed of average height for a horse. His coat gleamed black in the sunlight, and his neck was arched and muscular, topped by that bright white head, which made for a most peculiar spectacle."

Silas knows his father has ordered him to stay home assuring him he will return in seven days but to Silas the arrival of the pony is a sign. Mittenwood (I am not going to tell you about him here) cautions against setting off but Silas knows his father is in danger and so their long and dangerous journey begins. 

Colby Sharp loved Pony which is why I put it on my shopping list. I am guessing he loved the survival aspect because he always says his own number one book (from when he was young) is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Colby also likens the writing in Pony to Holes by Louis Sachar. Oddly, it is the aspect of survival that concerned me the most in Pony but there are lots of tiny threads in this story which RJ Palacio neatly sews into a perfect pattern which feels very satisfying when you reach the final page.

Colby Sharp - "It's mind blowing ... when you read it the second time you see all of these clues that the author leaves for readers ... It's just a masterpiece ... It is really amazing. 

The journey undertaken by Silas is very long but he seems to go for days with no food and no water and even worse, while he clearly loves Pony, we never read about him taking the horse to a river or lake to drink nor does he complete the basic horse care I have read about in other books such as rubbing Pony down, giving him enough rest, and making sure Pony has food each day. Kirkus agree: "Among other horse-related slip-ups, novice rider Silas manages a 12-hour day without either himself or the pony dropping from exhaustion."  This will go part of the way to explaining why I gave Pony four stars. I truly enjoyed this book (as evidenced by the way I read 272 pages of very small print in one day) but I kept wanting someone to offer food to Silas and I did worry about Pony. Luckily at the end, Silas does find a new family and there is a brief mention (page 243) of eating pudding and smelling freshly baked bread but I was hanging out for a feast of delicious treats. 

This book is sure to appeal to readers aged 11+. The final gun fight scenes are utterly gripping and I mentioned tiny threads. One of these is the violin Silas takes on his journey. You are sure to wonder about this. Another is the mysterious Mac Boat and of course Marshal Farmer who guides Silas through the so many dangerous landscapes. Colby Sharp is writing teaching notes to go with Pony - they don't seem to have been published yet but I add the link here when they appear. 

The Wall Street Journal begins their review with the word 'perfection' going on to say "Ms. Palacio interleaves her chapters with antique daguerreotypes, and she evokes the journeys of Odysseus and Telemachus, as well as other classical tales, to create a brilliant story of love and courage."

R. J. Palacio spins a harrowing yet distinctly beautiful coming-of-age story about the power of love and the ties that bind us across distance and time. With the poignant depth of War Horse and the singular voice of True Grit, this is one of those rare books poised to become an instant classic for readers of all ages. Penguin Random House

In this beautifully crafted story, we meet strangers, loved ones, those dedicated to the law, and those dedicated to honor, integrity, loyalty, friendship, and above all, love.  Some of them you want to see in jail and others you wish you could make a part of your own life because the power of the connections is so amazingly wonderful and that is what really matters after all. A Book and a Hug

Here are some more review comments.

You will know RJ Palacio from her previous books including Wonder. As I read Pony I kept thinking about a book I read a long time ago - Jim Ugly by Sid Fleischman. My memory is that it had similar themes of a boy alone, travelling vast distances to find his father and the promise of lost millions.

The Boy who Knew Everything by Victoria Forester

 

In the first book of this series by Victoria Forester - The Girl who could Fly -  we meet Piper McCloud and read about her daring escape from the evil Dr Hellion. Piper has made friends with a wonderful group of "special kids" but her best friend is most certainly Conrad. In this second instalment we can now discover more about this super intelligent boy and why his father, who has now become the US President, has declared his son dead.

As this story begins Piper McCloud and Conrad Harrington have moved home to Piper's family farm in Lowland County. Conrad's brilliant mind has helped Joe McCloud in so many practical ways and the farm is flourishing. Conrad has also been experimenting with a time machine. On the day of his twelfth birthday Piper gives Conrad the missing ingredient - weapons grade plutonium. Conrad should be happy but after his father makes his dreadful announcement on national television, Conrad sinks very low. Luckily a momentous event involving Joe jolts Conrad back into action and all of the kids are now reunited to form a crack team who rescue people from danger all over the world. Again things are going well for Piper, Conrad and all the kids until the day, in Fall, of the Lowland County Festival. 

One event at the festival is a science fair. The entries are sure to be very simple so Conrad has no intention of entering but someone takes his time machine and puts it on display. The thief is a "boy" called Max and meeting this strange guy who is actually hundreds if not thousands of years old - an immortal - a dangerous fellow with a wicked sense of "fun", will change Conrad and Piper's lives in way you will never imagine or anticipate.

Publisher blurb: Conrad Harrington III doesn't want to be a super genius; he just wants to live a normal life. But his father is the newly elected president of the United States, so he knows being normal isn't really an option. When suspicious disasters suddenly start happening all over the globe, his best friend, Piper McCloud, knows the world needs Conrad's gifts - and that all of the exceptional children need him to lead them to put a stop to the events.  Can they work together to save themselves... and the world? Pan Macmillan

A few weeks ago I talked about re-reading The Girl who could Fly. I was very keen to read the sequels and so I decided to purchase them. I plan to gift them to a school library. One warning though - The Boy who Knew Everything ends with a cliff hanger and so you will be desperate (as I was) to read the third and final instalment which was published this year. It is a fabulous conclusion to the series.

Listen to an audio sample of The Boy who Knew Everything from early in chapter one - Page 6 to Page 9. 

Shoestring the boy who walks on air by Julie Hunt illustrated by Dale Newman

An extraordinary graphic fable about a boy who inherits a dangerous musical gift, from a multi-award-winning author. Allen and Unwin

A gripping illustrated adventure about a travelling circus troupe, a future-telling macaw and a cursed pair of gloves that Shoestring must conquer once and for all. A companion to the award-winning KidGlovz. Allen and Unwin

Shoestring has joined the Troupe of Marvels. He has an amazing act using an invisible tightrope. He seems to walk on air and his performance always thrills the crowds BUT the gloves are back. These gloves are dangerous. They control and manipulate the wearer. Why are these gloves so powerful? Who is the evil Madame Adamantine? Why is she so set on revenge? And most importantly can these dreadful gloves ever be destroyed?

Here is the publisher blurb:

"Shoestring loved the sudden intake of breath when he stepped onto the rope. The upturned faces of the audience made him think of coins scattered at his feet, more coins than he had ever taken when he was a pickpocket.'

Twelve-year-old Shoestring is leaving behind his life of crime and starting a new career with the Troupe of Marvels. Their lead performer, he has an invisible tightrope and an act to die for. But trouble is brewing - the magical gloves that caused so much turmoil for KidGlovz are back.

When he's wearing the gloves, the world is at Shoestring's fingertips. It's so easy to help himself to whatever he likes - even other people's hopes and dreams. But when he steals his best friend's mind, he's at risk of losing all he values most."

I think the most inventive part of this story for me came when Julie Hunt revealed the source of the thread used to make the gloves.  The friends journey to a remote place called Spindle Reach. It is located beyond the town of Loom.  (I love those names). The troupe meet three ladies Peg, Fray and Twill. They tell the group they need to talk to Braid. Things have gone terribly wrong in their world and all of the threads are breaking. There can be no new cloth. Madame Adamantine has caused all this:

"I knew I could make that thread. When I plucked a silver hair from the old woman's head and plied with the coloured rays. But as soon as the job was finished I wished I hadn't done it. I don't know why the woman wanted the thread but it can't have been for any good purpose, because since then no thread will hold. Even the spider's webs break."

Here is the book trailer.  You can see some of the amazing art in this book by Dale Newman. If you loved Wonderstruck and The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick you will really appreciate the wonderful black and white pencil art in Shoestring the boy who walks on air. 

Parts of this story reminded me of Holes by Louis Sacher and also the betrayal and powerful friendships echoed another book I read very recently - Skycircus by Peter Bunzl.

Julie Hunt’s storytelling is captivating; she creates dark-edged adventures with echoes of folklore. A colourful cast of characters and a vivid setting transport the reader into a world of circus, music and magic. Books and Publishing

I thoroughly enjoyed Shoestring the boy who walks on air. Julie Hunt has an amazing imagination and her descriptions of place are so vivid. I made this same comment previously when I talked about her book Shine Mountain. Shoestring the boy who walks on air can stand alone but I think your reading experience will be more rewarding and far richer if you try to read the earlier volume KidGlovz first.

You can read the background to each story on Julie's web site:
Background to KidGlovz
Background to Shoestring the boy who walks on air

I then recommend you go back and read The Coat which inspired Julie to think further about these sinister gloves.

Her Perilous Mansion by Sean Williams

Almanac (I love that name) receives a letter inviting him to take up a job in a grand house as an apprentice second footman. Having spent his whole life living in an orphanage this sounds like a dream come true but his arrival is very odd.  There is no one to greet him and stepping across the threshold of the house is very disturbing. His feet fly out from under him and pain shoots through him. He recovers quite quickly but still no one appears. Instead he finds a letter instructing him to put on his uniform and expect the arrival of another new staff member. Next to arrive is Etta. She comes from a huge family and as the youngest child of twelve she has felt unwanted her whole life. Just like Almanac, Etta is also 'attacked' as she crosses the threshold of this mysterious house.

What is going on here? Almanac and Etta seem to be the only servants. There are voices of others in the house but they cannot be seen in person - are they ghosts? Right from the start is is clear Almanac and Etta have different talents and that they will need to work together and use their talents to solve the mystery of the house starting with its name which Etta thinks is Spoilnieu Manors while Almanac is certain the sign said Sir Palemoon's Ruin.

Now onto those talents.  Etta knows all about magic and the way it is sometimes hidden in libraries. Searching for and then searching in the library of this strange mansion becomes Etta's task. Meanwhile Almanac has a talent for organisation. He is skilled at putting things in order and the basement of contains years of mess and muck that need clearing and sorting.

Etta is sure there is a spell on the house. The ghosts - Ugo the chimney sweep and Olive who lives in the boiler room can communicate with Almanac and Etta but they have to follow certain rules. While they cannot lie they are also unable to answer urgent questions about the house itself which is surely under a powerful spell and more importantly they are not able to talk about the way Almanac and Etta can escape.

Every so often I am able to start a book like Her Perilous Mansion and find myself enjoying it so much that I finish the whole book in just over one day. Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy. Her Perilous Mansion will be published in May, 2020. I think it will appeal to readers aged 10+.

One strength of this fantasy comes from the beautifully drawn main characters. Sean Williams tells his reader just enough background details so that it is easy to understand why and how Etta and Almanac react to their strange situation and cope with their own differences of upbringing and temperament. I especially loved Almanac. There is a great scene where Etta and Almanac are fighting over their theories about the spell. Etta flings water from a full glass all over Almanac. His reaction is to laugh. What a brilliant way to diffuse the tension of this moment.

The other big character in this book is the house itself. It is so well described that I felt able to see every grand room and enjoy every hot chocolate in the warm kitchen.

I am going to make a huge (early) prediction that this book will be listed as CBCA Notable title in 2021.

I would follow this book with these:

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

Floors by Patrick Carman

Accidental Heroes - The Rogues Book 1 by Lian Tanner

Be warned: it is not for the very young or faint-hearted. There are some truly terrifying scenes of the Wild Hunt and not a small amount of bloodthirstiness. Books and Publishing

I have had Accidental Heroes - The Rogues Book One on my reading pile since late last year. I know books by Lian Tanner always contain richly imagined worlds and strong characters so I wanted take my time to read her newest book.

The opening scene really drew me in.  Duckling lives with her grandpa and he "had the sweetest smile you could imagine ... It made him look kind-hearted and trustworthy and good. But Duckling new better."  I just knew Duckling would be a hero I could really get behind.

Grandfather is a schemer.  He needs a boy for his newest plan which he promises Duckling will be his last. The power of this writing is that while nothing is directly stated it seems obvious that this actually won't be the last scheme.  Duckling goes into the town to look for a boy "strong. Not too bright. ... a disposable boy."  The boy she finds is Pummel - a farm boy who has come into town to find a job so he can support his mum who is struggling back on their farm. 

Pummel has found a job as a Snuffigator.  He has to watch out for snares, poisonous vapours and frogs.  The people of Berren do not believe in magic and yet it is clearly everywhere. Meanwhile The Bayam of Saaf, Mistress of Winds and first Hag is dying.  She must pass on her skills. Time is short.  "What she needed was a girl with some Saaf blood in her veins. A cunning girl ... but she could not find such a child. The paths showed her a boy whose great-great-grandmother was Saaf, though he did not know it. They showed her a girl as cunning as any Hag."  And so the magic is shared. Duckling can tame the wind and Pummel has the raashk - an ancient relic that allows him to see ghosts and walk through walls. 

Grandfather takes the children into the castle (at this point we have no idea about his dastardly scheme) and all three are trapped there just as the city ruler, called the Margravine, and her court and son are also trapped in this strong hold.  Someone is trying to assassinate the heir.  Pummel, Duckling and a special cat must now take on a mission to save him but at every turn they also need to make decisions about whom to trust beginning with each other.

I love the way Lian Tanner takes the reader right into the atmosphere of this place - Berren, capital city of Neuhalt.

"Gas-fueled omnibuses blew their horns to announce their importance. Street rigs and butchers' carts rumbled over the cobblestones ... Bells rang, gazette-sellers shouted, men and women hurried down the footpaths talking loudly."

Here is a review in Reading Time.  I will make one of my predictions and say this book is surely certain to be short listed for our CBCA awards.  Accidental Heroes is the first book in a planned trilogy.  I would follow this book A very unusual Pursuit by Catherine Jinks and Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee.  Fans of the Skulduggery series might also enjoy Accidental Heroes.

The Loblolly boy by James Norcliffe

Firstly here is a confession I have bought this book home to read several times over the last few years but it never makes the top of my pile and I keep returning it unread.  Then I noticed something important on the cover.  An endorsement by Margaret Mahy.

"Children's literature is about to be enriched with a new classic"

I didn't even realise this was a New Zealand book.  I have mentioned that we have been culling our shelves.  We purchased this book in 2010 and I don't think it has been borrowed very often. Perhaps it needed to be culled but I was not sure so once again I bought this book home. Oddly when I visited a city book shop this week they had a copy of this book which was published in 2009 so now it was certainly time for me to actually read The Loblolly Boy.

While I don't entirely agree with Margaret Mahy The Loblolly boy is a engrossing book with a couple of heart stopping moments and an interesting supernatural feel.

Michael is living in a children's home.  Life is brutal.  Michael has no knowledge of his previous life. He is a loner and one evening he meets a boy in a remote corner of the garden down by the high wall - it is a  boy who has wings and can fly.  This is a loblolly boy and he contrives to swap lives with Michael.  There are glorious things about being a loblolly boy.  There are also issues :

"It had not occurred to me that being a loblolly boy meant I might never eat food again."
Michael has no shadow, can't feel hot or cold and is also invisible except to exceptional people. Such as Captain Bass.  He explains :
"In your travels ...  you will come across people who can see you and who can speak to you. We call such people Sensitives. ... some will be ... young, innocent and harmless; some will be like me; old and not really of this world ourselves. ... But then there are others who will ... be very dangerous. ... These are the collections; they'll see you as a rare and exotic species and they'll want to keep you in a cage."

Michael sees his future through a mysterious telescope. He finds new friends who are connected to him in a very surprising way.  Things seem to be going well until a collector discovers him. Michael is captured.

"It was only then the true ghastliness of my situation began to sink in. ... I looked around the walls again, at the dead butterflies skewered onto their neatly labelled backing cards. A single pin through the middle of each of these beautiful creatures. ... And this was going to happen to me."


You can listen the whole novel - performed for Radio NZ.

I wonder why James Norcliffe used the name Loblolly.  I have discovered :

• Loblolly is a type of porridge or gruel served to the sick on warships in 1700s
• Loblolly is also a type of small evergreen tree grown in the US
• A loblolly boy was an assistant to a surgeon on a war ship

Winner, New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, Junior Fiction Category, 2010

The quote from Margaret Mahy is just an extract the whole comment says :

'The children in The Loblolly Boy find themselves caught up in a remarkable chain of events. Through an encounter with the fantastic loblolly boy they can become fantastic themselves. This is a rich fantasy - alive with original twists, surprises and mysteries which I dare not reveal. Children's literature is about to be enriched with a new classic.' Margaret Mahy

There is a sequel and the US edition has a different cover and a different title.

Magrit by Lee Battersby

Sometimes books come along to test boundaries 

Magpies Volume 31, issue 2, page 32.

When I read a book from our school library my mind often wanders to thoughts of which student might enjoy it. Magrit is almost impossible to categorise.  While I did enjoy Magrit it is such an odd book and at times feels quite harsh and dark.  Some reviewers suggest age 10 but I think this is really a book for a very senior primary student and certainly one who has read quite widely.

The setting for Magrit is a cemetery.  Magrit lives there with her 'friend' Mister Puppet.  Magrit herself created Mr Puppet.

"Magrit had pieced him together from elements she had found in every corner of the graveyard : a bone here, a stick there, a tin can in one corner and rotten twine from a garbage bag in another. Now he sat at the apex of the roof, with his long arms wrapped around the stone cross, and kept vigil."

Mr Puppet is the voice of doubt, the voice of reason perhaps the voice of authority.  He gives Magrit advice which is presented in a bold hand drawn font.

When a stork drops a tiny baby into the graveyard Mr Puppet orders Magrit to kill it but she does not.  Instead she nurtures and cares for the tiny infant.  She finds ways to feed, clothe and wash her new 'friend' and gives him the name Bugrat. Through care of this child Magrit discovers love and finds happiness. There is, however, one dark corner of the graveyard Magrit never visits.  Everything changes when Bugrat learns to walk and sets of exploring.  He wanders over to the forbidden place and finds the skeleton of a young girl and Magrit is distraught.

"It was a small skeleton, obviously a child, curled up on its side as if sleeping, with its legs drawn up towards its chest and arms folded as if hugging a non-existent teddy ...  Magrit realised that the whole world had fallen silent ... The murmur and hum that always emanated from the surrounding buildings, so prevalent that she never really noticed, was painful in its absence ."

You can read more of the plot here.

Watch this short video to hear the author Lee Battersby from Western Australia talk about Magrit.  I am not sure that I would read this book with a class but here are a set of teacher notes from Walker Books which might give you some further insights into this complex and yet compelling book.

Magrit is a unique book but it does have some links with The Graveyard book, The Unfinished Angel and perhaps Skellig.

You can read some reviews here by clicking these quotes:

Themes include resilience, responsibility and independence, wrapped up in a suspenseful and fantastical mystery. 

Magrit has plenty of soul, sadness, despair, and hope. It’s a delightfully dark fairy tale, full of Battersby’s whimsy and charm.

Magrit is a wonderfully crafted story that is magical, unusual, strange and captivating.  I haven’t read anything quite like it before.  

Withering-by-sea : A Stella Montgomery Intrigue by Judith Rossell

There are so many things that I adored about Withering-by-sea.  Here is a list :

1. The texture of the cover - such a pity we have to put on a plastic cover.
2. The colours used on the cover illustrations and the little illustrations scattered throughout the story
3. The printing is dark blue and the book has a ribbon book mark - quite charming
4. The title which reminded me of seaside towns in England
5. My email last night to the author asking for details about the next in this series and the immediate answer from Judith Rossell.  She is working on the next installment right now and we might see it in 2016.
6. The thought that this terrific action packed story might be short-listed for our CBCA Awards (fingers crossed)
7. Inside this book you will find the most delightful words such as : antimacassar, quadrupeds, tendrils, perambulator, and so many more.  You know how much I appreciate books with a rich vocabulary.
8. There is also a murder, a magic show, some very special friends and a group of talented cats.

Stella is an orphan who lives in a seaside town in the Hotel Majestic.  The time is Victorian when young girls should be seen and not heard and a truly accomplished young woman has excellent deportment and embroidery skills.  Stella's aunts - the aptly named Aunt Deliverance, Aunt Condolence and Aunt Temperance -  live at the hotel so they can partake of the waters.  They have carved out a life of comfort and routine and they are determined to mold Stella into an appropriate young lady.

Stella takes refuge in an atlas which is a book that allows her to visit, vicariously, all the exotic regions of the world.  One morning while she is absorbed in her atlas and hiding in the hotel conservatory, she sees a hotel guest - Mr Filbert furtively place something in Chinese urn holding a potted plant..  Later Mr Filbert is murdered and his dying words to Stella are "Hide it. Keep it safe."

"The little bottle was corked and sealed with red wax.  It was heavier than it looked and as smooth as glass. ... (Stella) shook it and heard a whispering noise, as if something were slithering over shingle. ... A sinuous shape seemed to move inside the bottle ... It was beautiful but it made her skin prickle."

There is so much action in this book.  In just 250 pages you will find your self cheering for the good guy and hissing at the baddies somewhat like a Victorian melodrama.  You might anticipate the action but I am sure you will be wrong.  The twists and turns made me dizzy.  Here are some excellent teaching notes.  Here is a detailed review and the author web site.

If you enjoy Withering by Sea (and I am sure you will) you might also like to look for The Book without Words, Tensy Farlow and the home for mislaid children,  Three times lucky, The truth about Verity Sparks, and The remarkable secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen.