The Cloud Road by Isobelle Carmody

Before you read this book it is essential to begin by reading The Red Wind and then I guarantee you will be desperate to get your hands on The Cloud Road.

I don't give books stars but if I did then I would give The Cloud Road five out of five.

Bily and Zluty have been forced to leave their little home and make a long and perilous journey firstly across a burning desert and then into the snow covered mountains.  Adding to their burden they have loaded the Monster onto their cart - a large cat like creature who seems dangerous and wise at the same time.

In this second book we learn a little more about the strange world where Bily and Zluty live and also the brothers themselves grow.  Bily gains enormous courage and Zluty grows in his compassion towards others.
I knew I was in safe hands with Isobelle Carmody but I must say as our heroes find themselves in series of incredibly dangerous situations I just held my breath and hoped they would be safe.

"He heard the sound of something metallic falling to the ground and the Monk gave a growl of interest.  Zluty thought of the metal egg he had found in the Northern Forest and he must have made some slight sound, for suddenly the Monk gave a snarling growl and great long claw-tipped fingers closed around his ankle. Zluty cried out in fright as he was hauled roughly from this hiding place and lifted into the air."

You can read a detailed review here.  I hope I do not have to wait too long for the third book in this exciting fantasy series.

The boy with lightning feet by Sally Gardner

All the books in this Magical Children series have such appealing covers although I will say the colour here is not quite as bright as my copy.  The boy with lightning feet is such a happy book (although there are some awful bullies) and a story that will be enjoyed by all sport fans especially children who play football (soccer).

"In that moment something in Timmy clicked, like a light being turned on in a dark room.  He stood up and it seemed everyone on the pitch had disappeared. He rubbed his eyes.  There next to him was the lad he had met my the canal.  'Timmy Twinkle, I've told you already.  You've got lightning in your feet. Use it."

Just like the Billy in The boy with magic numbers, Timmy has lost one parent - in this case his mum. He has been raised by his grandparents but as the story opens we read that his precious grandmother has recently died.  Gramps had been a baker and after the death of wife Timmy is the only customer and so over the weeks and months Timmy has been packing on weight eating cakes and scones and not much else.  In an old photo album Timmy sees a photo of his Great Uncle Vernon known as Twinkletoes and from that moment we know Timmy's life is set to change.

The Boy with Lightning feet is a terrific book for readers who enjoy a satisfying story that is quick to read with lively characters and a very happy ending.  You might also enjoy Extra Time by Morris Gleitzman which is also about soccer and the determination of one boy and his very special younger sister to play and enjoy the game.  I was interested to read Morris Gleitzman actually met families in the UK of young boys who had been selected as football rising stars.

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale problem by Mac Barnett illustrated by Adam Rex

When I saw the cover of this book Billy Twitters and his blue whale problem I immediately thought of one of my most favourite picture books Billy's Bucket.  In addition to the main character called Billy there are a lot of things that could link these two books.  The main thing is that these boys both have gumption.

Billy's parents constantly threaten him :  "clean up your room ...brush your teeth ... finish your baked peas or we're buying you a blue whale."  Billy our narrator is, however, a very smart boy.  He knows this is impossible since a blue whale is the biggest animal in the world.  "It's not like you can just have one delivered to your house overnight" or can you?  The next page has no words just a double spread showing an enormous delivery truck arriving from the company called "Fedup delivering punishments worldwide." The delivery guy even has Fedup on his cap and in the distance you can see another man with two large flashlights directing the truck which contains the blue whale.

Mum and dad explain the blue whale is Billy's responsibility and this includes taking the whale to school. Billy tucks his skateboard under the whale and tows him with his bike up the hill.   When he arrives the science teacher is delighted.  Even though Billy enjoys talking about his whale he has to endure a hard time among his peers.  On the way home the bus breaks down but the whale saves the day.

Billy arrives home but his torture is not complete.  Dad gives Billy the blue whale owner's manual and Billy sees all the instructions for washing, waxing and checking the whale for barnacles but his biggest problem is how can he feed the whale.  He needs krill and ten thousand gallons of sea water.  How will Billy solve this problem? The ending is such a terrific twist this is a book you will want to read over and over again.

One more thing you must look closely under the dust jacket and at the marvelous end papers which reminded me of an old fashioned newspaper.  You can read about the process of illustrating this book here. Here is the web site for the author.  Extra Yarn also by Mac Barnett is a very special title which I will review in coming weeks. Here are some lesson ideas.

Definitely funny and slyly subversive.

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Next weekend I have tickets to see a theatre production of Frog and Toad.  I remembered I had an old cassette tape of these books and to my great delight I find the stories are narrated by Arnold Lobel himself.  I have listened to each of the stories as a bedtime treat each night this week.

Frog and Toad are so famous they even have a Wikipedia entry!  There are four books in this series.

Frog and Toad are friends 1970
Frog and Toad together 1972
Frog and Toad all year 1976
Days with Frog and Toad 1979

It is hard to single out stories from the collection of twenty but I think my favourites are : The Garden, A lost button, The Letter (see snail mail image below.  I like to think Arnold Lobel invented the idea of snail mail long before email was even thought of) and Tomorrow.

Here is a link to a little video of The List.  These stories are very old but they are also timeless.  I absolutely guarantee you will love them.  Well worth looking for in your library today!

Wishbird by Gabrielle Wang

"A plate of crisp, flaky pastries filled with lotus-nut paste was placed on the table.  Then hot spring-onion pancakes sprinkled with salt. And after that, Lady Butterfly served up a bowl of sweet walnut soup infused with scented cassia flowers. Boy was a common thief who have lived off the picking of others for most of his life.  He had never eaten such delicacies before.  He bit into a small bun and licked the sesame seeds off his fingers.  The porcelain bowls and plates the food was served on were so fine he could almost see through them."

I have been trying to think of a word to describe the experience of reading The Wishbird. The word I have settled on is inadequate but I am just going to say this is a lovely story.

Boy is an Oliver Twist type of character who has been taken in as a tiny child by a man like Fagan who trains Boy to work as a pickpocket or lightfinger.  Oriole is a orphan who has been raised by birds in a far away forest.  Wishbird nurtures and cares for Oriole but now his life is in danger.  Oriole needs to travel to the city where she will try to ask the King for help.  These two young people will meet and their destinies entwine in the city called Solace or Soulless.  Many years ago the King lost his only son and so he ordered all the trees be cut down and all birds to be killed or banished.  Music and even musical speech has been banned as have all the pretty colours. The city is indeed soulless.

At its heart this is a book about identity.  Boy needs to discover his true name and family background and Oriole will find her mother was Nightingale.  To fully appreciate this connection I recommend you read The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen.  I also recommend taking some time to visit the author web site.  There is a little video of the book launch and an audio recording of a interview with Gabrielle plus teacher notes for this book. I highly recommend this book.   I read it in one sitting late into the night - such a special treat.

If you enjoy The Wishbird you should look for other books by Gabrielle Wang. You might also enjoy The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park or the Dragon Keeper series by Carole Wilkinson.

I am excited to see my blog has now reached 100,000 hits.  Thank you to my readers - as a blog writer seeing all those hits is such an encouragement to keep writing.

My reading pile

It is nearly school holidays so I have bought home quite a large pile of books to read and blog.  I just thought I would give you a preview.

The last thirteen by James Phelan - I was sent this was an advance copy.  The first few pages are so action packed I had to stop reading and recharge my own energy levels.  I think fans of Conspiracy 365 will be keen to start this new series.

Word Hunters :The Curious Dictionary by Nick Earls - I have read such brilliant reviews of this first book in a trilogy.

Extra Time by Morris Gleitzman - oddly I am not a fan of Gleitzman but I did love Too Small to Fail.

The Wishbird by Gabrielle Wang - this looks like my kind of book. I do like the cover.

The secret Hen House Theatre by Helen Peters - this one has been on my reading pile for many months.  I have started to read it three or four times.  I have a friend who loved this book and she always mentions it when we meet.  I am determined to settle down and read this one right through.

The Cloud Road by Isobelle Carmody - this is the book I am looking forward to the most.  I found The Red Wind was just so wonderful and Isobelle Carmody is a brilliant writer.  Even though I have put this at the bottom of the list this will probably be the first book I read starting today!

The Book Uncle and me by Uma Krishnaswami

So much about this book intrigues me.  I have questions but my copy of the book cannot answer them.

The Book Uncle and me was the 2011 winner of the Scholastic Asian Book Award (SABA). I have not heard of this award.  Is it open to any book published in Asia? Or only titles from Scholastic?  What is the criteria for this award?  An Asian author, Asian setting, a book in an Asian language?

An internet search reveals SABA is a joint initiative by Scholastic and the National Book Development Council of Singapore, the award is an attempt to recognise and celebrate children’s writers of Asian origin and books that reflect Asian experiences.

Most intriguing of all though, for me, is who did the illustrations for this book - I love them and was this book originally written in English or another language?  The imprint page lists Scholastic as the copyright holder of the illustrations. This does not help me.

Book Uncle is not Yasmin's uncle - Uncle is a title used by the community as a form of respect to an older person.  The Book Uncle is, however, a book person.  In his retirement from teaching he has set up a barrow lending library in a busy Indian city. He happily lends books to anyone for free - the perfect library!  He is also happy to recommend books.  Yasmin herself is the perfect customer.  She has set herself a target of reading "one book every day, forever. I started last year right after I turned eight, which ready feels like a billions years ago, because now I am past four hundred.  Books, I mean."

This book is about activism.  The city planners are now requesting a huge licence fee from the Book Uncle.  He cannot pay this and thus packs up his library and heads home.  Yasmin is devastated.  Then she finds an effective way have this unjust requirement reversed.  In schools we often look for books that show democracy in action and Book Uncle and me is perfect for this purpose.  I really enjoyed Book Uncle and me - it is quick to read, and celebrates a strong sense of community.

If you enjoy this book you might also look for The Battle of the Galah Trees by Christobel Mattingley or My name is Will Thompson by Robert Newton.