The Song from Somewhere Else by AF Harrold illustrated by Levi Pinfold

First of all a warning. The Song from Somewhere else is a book for a very mature reader in my view - I found the bullying scenes raw and confronting. I remember when this book was released in 2016 I was unsure whether to purchase it for my school library.  Having at last read this powerful story I do think it is suitable for a Primary library but I would restrict the loans to Grade 6 students.  I found these comments by one reviewer which confirm my feelings :  a palpable sense of dread, mystery and growing up ...

Francesca, known as Frank, has been having awful confrontations with a bully called Neil Noble and his two henchmen although she has no idea why they keep attacking her. There is also a boy at school called Nick Underbridge.  He is the outsider. He is shunned by the other children. They think his size is odd and his smell strange but it is Nick who bravely comes to her after an especially horrid attack by Neil.  Now Frank is torn.  Can she be friends with Nick? What will the others say? Then when she visits his home she hears the most beautiful music :

"No piece of music she'd ever heard on the radio or in the background of a tv show had ever made her feel so special, had made her feel so cared for, so improved.  ... that music. There was something in it, ... that lifted her spirits, that made her feel light and hollow and almost happy."

Frank is so curious about this music that she overcomes her inner voice and visits Nick again. Discovering the source of the music is a shock. There are connections to another world and now she has knowledge of a deep secret that must not be revealed.  The cruelty of Neil becomes extreme and to her horror Frank is forced to reveal Nick's secret. The battle between good and evil cannot be avoided but will Nick survive, will he forgive her, will Frank forgive herself?

The action in this tightly constructed story takes place over just five days and you will be on the edge of your seat and, perhaps as I was, also filled with horror as Frank endures the physical torture inflicted by Neil and her own personal torture as she struggles with her conscious.

You might like to read my review of The Imaginary another book by AF Harrold. There is a strong connection between these two books especially in the scenes of battles between good and evil.  For readers who want to explore other books which explore the violence inflicted by bullies you might look for The Present Takers by Aidan Chambers, Benjamin Dove and Wolf Hollow.  You might also look for an old book called Under the Mountain by New Zealand author Maurice Gee which has this same concept of other worlds.

The publisher web site has a first chapter extract and teacher notes.  You can see some of the brilliant art from this book below and on Levi Pinfold's web site.  I was excited to read he is from Australia. By chance the next book on my reading pile is also illustrated by Levi - The Secret Horses of Briar Hill.  Here is a Q&A with Levi.

Here are some reviews and it is interesting to see all have listed a younger recommended age group :

• Kirkus
• Kids' Book Review
• School Library Journal

The tale of Angelino Brown by David Almond illustrated by Alex T Smith

Bert Brown has been driving this same bus route for ten years and for the previous ten years he drove another bus route.  By now he is tired of the stopping, the passengers, the naughty children "traffic lights, traffic jams, hold-ups, roadworks, glaring sun, fog and puddles, ice and bloomin' snow."

Yes it is time for a change - but perhaps all Bert needs is a change of focus - something special in his life - and this arrives in the form of a tiny angel he finds in his pocket.  He takes the little angel home and his wife, who is a very happy school lunch lady, adores him.  They name him Angelino and take delight in every tiny thing the boy does even his little farts (there are hundreds in this story).  Betty takes him along to her school and it is there he finds his voice.  Angelino sits through a very serious and, for a reader, a very funny English lesson with Professor Smellie.  When Angelino declares "I don't know nowt."  The professor explodes!

Meanwhile there are some baddies (of course) and they are plotting to kidnap Angelino and sell him to the highest bidder.  One of the 'criminals' is a master of disguise or so he thinks but he is also a former school student and Betty recognises him as Kevin Hawkins. His cover is blown. From this point on things become quite crazy with chases and more bullies and heroic children and even though little (he is growing actually) Angelino is kidnapped it all works out in the end with large helpings of happiness for everyone.

I don't think it is a coincidence that Bert reads or tells the story of Pinocchio to little Angelino when Angelino first sleeps in Paul's bed.  Paul was the son of Bert and Betty "He came a long time ago but he couldn't stay. He got very ill and very tired. He had to go back to heaven."  Bert and Betty have lost Paul but they have found Angelino.

When you pick up this book don't rush to open it.  Take time to stretch out the whole cover and then peek under the dust jacket and then puzzle over the end papers (no I don't know what these little illustrations represent.)  I think this book would be a winner as a class read-aloud with a middle Primary group.  It would be fun to talk about all the names invented by David Almond - Cornelius Nutt the Government Advisor and Narcissus Spleen the Secretary of State for Education.  You might also try some art activities such as those done by the children in the wonderful Mrs Monteverdi's class using Angelino as a model.

Australian children reading this book may be curious about the sweets that Angelino enjoys called Midget Gems.

I would follow this book with Conrad the story of a factory-made boy (an old favourite of mine), Noah Barleywater runs away, Skellig - also by David Almond and Eep!

Just for fun take a look at this web site where you can see Alex T Smith and David Almond enjoying some chocolate cake with custard - yes this treat is mentioned several times in this story.

This story is about goodness and kindness versus badness and unkindness; of opportunity reborn; the reinvention of the self and second chances. It is a story of love and hope rekindled. Kids Book Review

David Almond inspires readers’ imagination and raises questions about definitions of good and bad. It is a Wonderful book. Love Reading4Kids

The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski

"There once was a little girl who loved stories. She loved how words and pictures took her to new and secret places that existed in a world all her own. The characters became her friends, and quite often she grew to love them."

The Whisper is a very special book which appears on so many book lists since it was published in 2015. A little girl borrows a book from her teacher but on the way home the words all spill out. Luckily they are caught in a net by a fox.

When the little girl sits down to enjoy her book she is so disappointed to find there are no words but then she hears a whisper.

"You can imagine the words.
You can imagine the stories. ...
There are never any rules, rights, or wrongs in imagining - imagining just is."

Each double page spread has a scrumptious illustration and a title.
Blue Bear's visit
The Secret
The Quest
Tiger's Prayer
A birthday party
The magical clock
The golden key

"Hour after hour the little girl imagined an entire story for each page."  And this is something your students or reading companion can do too.  As the little girl returns to school with the book she meets the fox. He returns the words in return for a favour reminiscent of the Aesop Fable The Fox and the Grapes.

You can see a huge selection of the exquisite art work by Pamela Zagarenski here at Seven Impossible Things.  Here is a video of the whole book.  You should also look for Red Sings from the Treetops a very special book of poetry by Joyce Sidman also illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski.

Here are some more reviews
School Library Journal
Kirkus
The Reading Castle

I would pair this magical book with The Mysteries of Harris Burdick and Phileas's fortune : a story about self-expression.

Norman Speak! by Caroline Adderson and Qin Leng

... an affectionate look into the surprises of 

bringing home a new pet  Kirkus

One of my most loved books is Let's get a pup by Bob Graham.  Norman Speak! is the perfect book partner.

Norman Speak!
"We went to the animal shelter. So many kinds of dogs were there - brown, black, white, gray, large and small, curly and straight ... the sad way those dogs looked at us made me want to cry."

Let's get a pup
"At the Rescue Centre they found plenty of dogs without a home, and lots of dogs all alone. They found big dogs, small dogs, sniffers and sleepers, wire-haired, short-haireds, scratchers and leapers."

The family select Norman because he has been in the shelter the longest.  "His wag was a hula dance of happiness" compares well with Dave from Let's get a pup.  "Dave was so excited he came out sideways ... and he turned a complete circle in the air."

Norman seems happy but he just doesn't want to do anything the boy asks such as sit, come, speak.  The family decide he is not very smart. Then one day at the park a man calls out to his dog and Norman runs over to this stranger.  The man speaks Chinese and Norman understands.

"We signed up for Chinese lessons on Saturday mornings in the basement of a church."  Mrs Wang teaches the whole family Chinese words so they can talk to Norman - he such a smart dog!

Here is the web site for the author Caroline Adderson.

The Seven Seas by Ellen Jackson illustrated by Bill Slavin and Esperanca Melo

The Seven Seas will take readers on an unforgettable, 

rollicking trek to the seven seas and beyond. CBC

When you dip into my blog here at Momotimetoread do you sometimes wonder at the variety of books I seem to talk about?  Here again we have a book that is not new.  The Seven Seas was published in 2011 but I think it might be a good one to hunt out for a school library.

At the end of last year I was able to spend a few glorious hours in a very well stocked junior library which caters for children from Preschool to Grade 2.  The kind Teacher-Librarian was happy for me to fill a basket with picture books and novels. If I get the chance to do this again I will be a little more systematic but on this first visit I just fluttered around from shelf to shelf like a butterfly gathering nectar.

Told in rhyme the narrator (a rabbit) daydreams during a geography lesson and imagines exploring the seven seas.  His thoughts come in the form of a rhyme.

The Yellow Sea's a mystery, 
a sight that's worth the trip.
They say it's made of lemonade
and quite all right to sip.

This imaginative fellow visits the yellow sea, red sea, brown sea, black sea, purple sea and even pink sea.  I did start to question were all of these real.  "Yes, I have seen the seven seas, I've checked them off my list. Can you surmise which ones are lies and which of them exist?"

No need to grab an atlas - at the back of the book there is a world map and several fact pages including an explanation of the term sea and a set of questions and answers.  The flamingos flying east and west on the end papers are also fun.

I would link The Seven Seas with Jeremy's Tale by Duncan Ball and A Pet for Mrs Arbuckle. Sadly both of these books are out of print but if you can find them they will give you so much inspiration for plotting on maps of the world and exploring different forms of transport.  These books would be perfect use with the youngest students as they begin their exploration of world geography. Here is a review with more details.  I was interested to read about this author - Ellen Jackson  - she has written so many and such varied books but I had not seen her work until I read The Seven Seas.

Tales from a tall forest by Shaun Micallef

“As a kid, I found the peripheral characters in these stories slightly more interesting. Like the old woman who built the confectionery house. How would she get planning permission for that?” Shaun demands, eyebrow cocked askance.

Shaun Micallef is able to seamlessly weave so many famous fairy tales into the first story in this collection. We meet two builders who are excited by a new project commissioned by an old crone called Baba Yaga to build :

"a sweet little cottage with liquorice-allsort stones, candy-cane door frames and a rooftop of chocolate pieces all grouted together with marzipan."

Any astute reader will know at some point we are going to meet Hansel and Gretel and that there may even be a trail of breadcrumbs but before we reach these scenes the focus shifts to the castle where the new Queen is practicing her smiles and seething with rage over the natural beauty of her step daughter.  The Queen summons the Royal Woodsman to chaperone Princess Mathilda into the forest.  The puzzling thing is the Queen "also wanted her stepdaughter's heart cut out and bought back in a jewellery box." Naturally the Woodsman cannot go through with this plan and luckily, as chance would have it, along comes a terrified little girl in a red poncho.  Her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf.  They hurry off to the grandmother's cottage, the Woodsman cuts open the belly of the sleeping wolf and releases the grateful grandmother and takes out the wolf's heart.  The wolf is still alive (yes this is amazing) and really mad, especially now he has no heart. The panicked group follow a trail of breadcrumbs but end up at the Candy Slaughterhouse. The wolf arrives and devours Baba Yaga. The children and Tiny Poncho Girl deliver the beautiful Princess to the dwarves' house where she will be safe but her bed is occupied by that girl with the curly blonde-hair.  Eventually the Princess is able to return home, the wolf is killed in an accident and the Woodsman receives a knighthood. AND of course they all live happily ever after.

There are three main stories in this collection book-ended with Begin the Beginning and Ending the End.  The first story The Wolf and the Princess and the Trail of Crumbs as I described above was my favourite.  Many reviewers list Tales from a tall forest as a Young Adult title but I think older Primary students would enjoy this book. The only topic that is mentioned that might be more suitable for older students are the consequences that come from first cousins who marry and have children. Before reading the second story The Fisherman and the monkey and the Three wishes I recommend you revisit The Fisherman and his wife. 

This whole book is a thorough romp but there is one poignant moment which lingers with me.  When the Woodsman explains why the Queen is jealous and wants Mathilda killed he tells her this is because she is beautiful.

"The Princess had never thought of herself as beautiful before and the realisation changed her forever. She lost something of her innocence that day by the pond and, in a cosmic injustice that regrettably is the stuff of life, the young Princess would never quite be as enchantingly lovely as she was before she had her enchanting loveliness pointed out to her. The witless would be quick to call that 'irony' - but it was sadder than that."

Peter Bentley is also the illustrator of Blue Sky, Yellow Kite which was a book I loved reading earlier this year.  You can read more about Tales from a tall forest here.  Since this book is Australian and published in 2017 I wonder if it might be selected the the CBCA shortlist?

In this rich and rambunctious tapestry of tales, satirist Shaun Micallef unravels the traditional fairy story and nimbly weaves your favourite characters into new and surprising adventures. 
Better Reading

The runaway punt by Michael Page illustrated by Robert Ingpen

The Runaway Punt is a vintage book published in 1976 but I want to talk about it here for a couple of reasons.  I am reading some of our Australian IBBY Honour books at the moment in preparation for a special display in Canberra in October.  I also wanted to re-read this book because in 1979 I used it with one of my first ever practice teaching classes and I have happy memories of reading this book with a small group of students sitting on the veranda outside their classroom.  By coincidence the school where I read this book later became the school where I worked.

For nearly 50 years Mr Parrut, who is known as Polly, is happy to drive his punt across the Murray River in South Australia but he would dearly like a holiday.  Unfortunately the engine cannot cope with any change. It happily goes rug-a-bug, rug-a-bug, rug-a-bug for Polly but when a relief driver comes it changes to rug-a-bong, rug-a-bong, rug-a-bong. A huge variety of people catch his punt because it is the only way to cross the river - the bridges are all miles away. Each morning he transports the school bus with their teacher, motor bikes, cars, trucks and "once he carried an elephant and a clown and a camel and a dwarf and a man on stilts on his punt, because a circus wanted to cross the river."  People even ask to cross the river at night.  He watches the seasons change and pelicans making nests and raising their young.  In his heart, though, Polly wants to know more about the river. He longs to go down to the sea not just from side to side.

One morning when the river is running high, the school bus with the teacher and four children on board drive onto the punt along with Mr Fullagrab a businessman, MacWirr and MacGirr two men with bagpipes off the the Annual General Meeting of the Scottish Bagpipe-playing and Porridge Eating Club, and a farmer, Mr Bert Plowman with two cows and two calves in his truck.  Perhaps it is the river, perhaps the ropes are old but whatever the reason there is a SNAP! and the punt goes "whirling and swirling away down the river."

One of the funny parts of this story comes when the two bagpipe players, who are not really Scotsmen, decide to play different tunes - sad and happy - sometimes at the same time.  Here are some of the tunes they play :

• Over the sea to sky
• The dashing white sergeant
• Lady Fiona Macdonald's farewell to the Gallant Soldiers of Scotland ...
• When you've got no salt for your porridge, the sun doesn't shine so bright
• The fisherman's wedding breakfast was on a bright Midsummer day
• The dogs all barked and the cats meow'd on Sir Archibald's Wedding day

I have a friend who really does play the bagpies so I asked him about these tunes but he is sure only the first two are 'real'.

The punt eventually arrives at a small island.  The cows move onto the land happy to have found grass, the children run around exploring and Mr Fullagrab rediscovers an old talent for wood carving. They can survive quite happily with porridge from the "Scotsmen", milk (from the cows), spoons carved by Mr Fullagrab and even a little salt.  Eventually they are rescued but poor Polly does not want to go back to his life as a punt driver. Luckily there is a solution which leaves everyone happy.

I know this book will be difficult to find perhaps even impossible but I did enjoy reading it again after all these years and of course the illustrations by Robert Ingpen are amazing especially the one where we see again the famous pelicans (think of Storm Boy).

The other book in our school library by Michael Page and Robert Ingpen has long been a favourite of mine.