William Wenton and the Liridium Thief by Bobbie Peers translated by Tara Chace

 

The opening scenes in this book reminded me of The Graveyard book by Neil Gaiman. Do you remember the scene where the assassin arrived to murder the baby? In my book today William Wenton and his family are living in hiding in Norway. Young William is a skilled code breaker, but his parents have banned him from all codes and puzzles and also told him he must keep a low profile. He even has to remember his new name at school. But William reads in the newspaper that there will be a one-day exhibit at the local museum of the Impossible Puzzle. William is desperate to see this object which has been touring the world and luckily his class are going to the museum on an excursion. The exhibition is too full for the children to visit but William finds a way inside and amazingly he finds himself on the stage with the puzzle - and yes, also amazingly, he solves it. Oh no - he has drawn attention to himself and now his family are in grave danger.

"Suddenly he spotted a large shadow, which moved along the wall then disappeared. William was about to call out, but he was interrupted by his father who suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, "WILLIAM GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! RUN! RUN! William stood on the landing, completely paralyzed. He heard his father wail and then his father shouted again. "RUN, WILLIAM, RUN!"

William does escape only to be captured moments later and then the roller coaster ride of this thrilling story begins. William's grandfather has been missing for many years. He was a famous code breaker, and he also founded a school called the Institue for Post-Human Research and this is where William is taken. He is told his mother and father are safe and so William settles into school life - a school which is perfect for his intellect and abilities BUT William is a curious boy and he really needs to know about his missing grandfather and so the adventure takes on another enormous plot twist with William searching disused railway tunnels searching for the cryogenically frozen body of his grandfather. Little does he know he is heading straight into danger because it is William's own body that holds a secret and the evil Abraham Talley will stop at nothing to get the precious liridium (of the title) and this means William will need to be killed.

If you are in need of a page turner, then this is THE BOOK for you! I started this in the morning and finished it later that night. In fact, I was visiting friends and I had to ask them to stop interrupting me so I could keep reading. I now see this book is part of a series but luckily this installment has a good ending and so I have not been left hanging around waiting for book two or three. Book one of the William Wenton series has also been issued with a different title. [9781481478267]

I also need to mention there are fabulous robots in this story. I will say that again - fabulous fabulous robots! I think this series will be enjoyed by fans of Harry Potter (of course) and fans of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I also recommend look for The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards.

Bobbie Peers is a Norwegian author film director and screen writer.  

Bobbie Peers made his mark on Norwegian film history when he won a Palme d’Or in 2006 for Sniffer, written and directed by Peers himself. The award became the first of many milestones in the London International Film School graduate’s career as a director and film writer. The first book in the William Wenton series, William Wenton and the Luridium Thief was published in 2017, has been translated into over 30 languages.

Here is the original cover of The Liridium Thief.

This novel received the Norwegian Ark Children's Book Award in 2015. Peer's imaginative and intense cybernetic world add excitement and danger to William's dangerous quest for the truth, and this would make an exciting class novel for Upper Primary students. Read Plus

Here is the Reading Time review.

It also won the Box Hatcher Award 2017 (Bokslukerprisen award) which is a Norwegian children's choice award. This award uses an interesting form:

Middle school pupils will vote for their favourites based on excerpts from an anthology with excerpts from 10 books for the target group.

Use Google translate to read the text extract the students read as they judged this book their winner. 

Awards:

• Shortlisted for the Fantastic Book Awards 2018-19 UK 2019
• Parents’ Choice Award recommended title US 2017
• The Bokslukerprisen Award Norway 2017
• Children’s Book Award Norway 2016
• Book of the Year Norway 2016
• The Ark’s Children’s Book Award Norway 2015

Here is the German cover:

Never, Not Ever! by Beatrice Alemagna translated by Jill Davis

"She is five years old with furry ears and pink wings and she knows exactly what she likes."

Pascaline is a young bat. Everyone is heading off for their first day of school but NOT Pascaline. She shrieks:

Never, not ever!

The parents try to explain "you'll learn so many things ... you'll make lots of new friends."

But Pascaline yells so loudly her parents shrivel down to the size of two peanuts. Problem solved. Pascaline can take them to school under her wing. Inside the classroom Pascaline discovers the other kids are nervous too. Trouble is her tiny parents keep joining in with the day - they sing and then complain about the food. Dad even falls into the soup. Pascaline has such a hard time controlling them. 

"Finally, school is over. Everyone gets hugs and kisses. Poor Pascaline. She has nobody to pick her up. Of course. How can your parents come and get you when they've been clinging to you for five hours?"

And now for the important question - can mum and dad come to school tomorrow?

Never, not ever!

Back to school is just a few days away here in Australia. It might be fun to share this book with a young reader who is about move from preschool to 'big school.'

Here is the French cover:

There are hundreds or even thousands of books about starting school. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything and I have put some of our favourites into this Pinterest collection. 

Pair this with:

The Starting School list by Kitty Black illustrated by Cate James

You’ll learn where the loos are, and all about bugs.

You’ll learn a sad friend could do with a hug.

You’ll learn the best spot for sand that is slushy.

You’ll learn that tomato makes sandwiches mushy.

School begins in just over a week and so this is a PERFECT book to share TODAY. 

If you have a new child starting to Kindergarten (big school) please try to find this book. 

I especially enjoyed following the story of the different children in the class room - watch out for the little boy who sits alone and then you will smile when he finally makes a friend. 

Here is the website for Cate James. I have talked about her work in a previous post. Here is an interview with the author Kitty Black. 

I do hope this book has been entered into our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) awards - in Early Childhood and if it has I expect to see it listed as a Notable title when they are announced on 27th February. It could/should even make the short list!

I have a Pinterest collection of Starting School books. 

If you share The Starting School list with an older child (maybe Grade 2 and up) it would be fun to compare the kindness of the older brother with the advice given in this book (1988 so out of print but it might be in a library).

Book shopping in Melbourne

 

My friends and I recently visited Melbourne and we were able to visit several independent bookstores:

Younger Sun in Yarraville

The Little Bookroom in Fitzroy North

Readings in Carlton

Hill of Content Melbourne CBD

We also looked at picture books in number of specialty stores and we found an antiques store with a very good selection of picture books - I should have bought Satin by Sophie Masson for only $10 but as usual I do worry about heavy luggage.

Here are the books I purchased and have already read - most will appear on this blog over the coming days.

Click this link to read about the first two books in this series

This one is an action packed page turner. The first in a series.

This is a verse novel

I Know You're Lying

Sea Glass

I Know you're lying by Daphne Benedis Grab

 

Sasha is blackmailing kids in middle school at Snow Valley Secondary School. Her backpack has been taken from her locker in the early hours of the morning and the school security camera shows four students who were in the school well before the time they should arrive. WHY? 

This book is sure to totally engross readers aged 10+. The four kids work so hard and in such a clever way to solve the school crime of a stolen backpack. Each of the four - Nora, Maddie, Jack and Henry have their own back story which is slowly revealed as they open up to one another.

I started this book last night and finished it early this morning - it really is a page turner!

Bookseller blurb: There's been a theft at the middle school! Sasha's bag has been stolen from her locker. The security cameras on the school's front entrance captured four students entering the building early. Present at the time of the crime, Maddie, Jack, Nora, and Henry become top suspects. Each of them has a reason to dislike Sasha. Each has something to hide. But which of them is responsible for the break-in? And can they figure out who the thief is before Sasha gets her revenge ... on all of them. Set during a single day of school, this is a gripping, twisty read about what happens when bullying goes too far, written by Daphne Benedis-Grab, author of I Know Your Secret.

Set after the Covid-19 lockdowns, the novel also addresses repercussions from the pandemic. Jack, who has a Vietnamese American father and White mother, experiences anti-Asian racism, and Henry’s father’s restaurant closed due to the pandemic, leaving the household financially insecure. The author links these diverging storylines in just the right places to drive the twists and turns, bolstering an underlying anti-bullying theme. Kirkus

Companion reads:

Because of Mr Terupt

The Year Mrs Montague Cried

One Day - a first dictionary by Ann James

 One day I woke up. 
I got dressed.

I ate my breakfast.

I played outside.

Accompanying each of these simple sentences we follow a child through their day - ending with I read a story and I went to bed. On one side of the page we see the family and the activity and on the other are two frames with two letters and four images that can be found in the scene. For example - I ate my breakfast we see an egg in an egg cup, a fruit bowl from their table and two drawings that can be found on the 'fridge. This would be a perfect book to share with a very young child and it is you could revisit often. There is a very special warmth to each of the family scenes and mum and dad have simply perfect expressions which really interpret each event. IF you can find this book from 1989 look at the page where the goat is eating mum's hat and mum's eyes when she is trying to dress the little child early in the morning. The realistic domestic scenes in One Day reminded me of Sunshine by Jan Ormerod. 

I was thrilled to visit Dromkeen last week and even better I was able to purchase an original illustration by Ann James.  I already own a limited edition print of an illustration from It's a Miroocool. Ann James, Mark Wilson, Leigh Hoobs and Gabrielle Wang have works included in an exhibition at Dromkeen.

Along with art to purchase at this exhibition they also had lots of books to buy and so that is where I picked up One Day - a first dictionary which was published, as I said, in 1989 and so I assume is long out of print.

The piece I purchased comes from this book - it is an image intended for the back cover.

Read a review

I do hope the State Library of Victoria have a plan to showcase the original Dromkeen collection which was gifted to the library. It contains 7500 original art works collected by Joyce and Court Oldmeadow. 

In 1973, Dromkeen was purchased by Joyce and Court Oldmeadow, who used the homestead as a private residence and storage centre for their educational bookshop. Before long their love and interest in children’s literature led to the establishment of the Dromkeen Collection, and the house became a home for Australian children’s literature. The Oldmeadows dedicated their lives to preserving the original artwork and manuscripts of Australian children’s literature for public display. Following Court’s death in 1977, Scholastic Australia took over responsibility for maintaining the Collection. Joyce Oldmeadow continued to develop Dromkeen and in 1982, she inaugurated the Dromkeen Medal, awarded annually to an Australian citizen whose work has significantly contributed to the appreciation and development of children's literature. To guarantee a permanent home for the Collection, Scholastic Australia purchased the homestead in 1985. In 2012, the Dromkeen Foundation and Scholastic Australia gifted the entire Dromkeen Collection, along with the Dromkeen archive, to State Library Victoria.

Sea Glass by Rebecca Fraser

Over the last few weeks I have been trying to find and read Australian middle grade or junior novels published in 2023 which might be listed as CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) notable titles or even possible short list contenders. I am fairly sure this book would have been submitted and I was pleased to find it in a Melbourne bookshop perhaps it will be a notable title. I was interested to see this independent bookstore (Readings) short listed Sea Glass for their own prize. The Readings judge said:

There are no great adventures to be had, or mysteries to be solved in this book. It is instead a slim, simple story about a world which children, and their parents and grandparents, will easily recognise. Perfect for reading together. — Kate McIntosh

I did want this book to have a deeper emotional impact on me. Some of the confusion and disappointments felt by Cailin seemed to somehow resolve a little too quickly. I guess I anticipated a slightly different story line based on my reading of the blurb. This is a very short book which can easily be read in one sitting. It is a sweet story for younger readers aged 9+ who enjoy stories about family relationships. It certainly is a very Australian book with the references to a Summer Christmas celebration, cricket, Don Bradman, the Christmas day Queen's message, and eating fish and chips at the beach. Grandpa also has a colloquial Australian accent. 

Publisher blurb: When Cailin has to spend Christmas at her eccentric grandfather's shack at Whitefoam Cove, her holiday plans are ruined. She barely remembers him, let alone knows him. Memories of her father are everywhere and, to make matters worse, she's left her cricket bat at home. It's going to be the worst summer ever. But there's treasure to be found at Whitefoam Cove! However just when it seems she and Grandpa are finally making a connection, disaster strikes ... and Cailin knows it's all her fault.

Sea Glass - "Every piece has a story to tell." "Cailin picked up a few pieces from the table and examined them more closely. They really were beautiful, with their perfectly smooth edges and frosted surface. She could see why Grandpa had chosen to decorate his Christmas tree with them." "The sea glass was all different shapes and sizes. Some were round like pebbles and others were oblong, triangular, or whatever-shaped." "Every piece has a tale to tell ... It all starts with what it used to be and where it came from." "Anything that originally started out as glass. Broken bottles that once held beer, wine, juice, milk, even perfume. ... You'd be surprised what ends up in the sea ... It sinks to the bottom of the ocean, breaks apart as it tosses against coral and rocks, and little pieces of it gradually become smoother and smoother after years of rolling against the ocean floor. Until finally, the sea glass gets tossed up on the shore as beautiful sea gems for us to find."

Image Source: Galicia Spain

Here is an interview with Melbourne author Rebecca Fraser. Read more about Rebecca Fraser here. And here are ten questions with Rebecca Fraser.  Listen to an audio sample here. Here is a 39 minute interview by Reading with a Chance of Tacos.

Click these review comments to read more plot details:

Every word in every sentence is beautiful. Visual descriptions place the reader directly in the characters’ lives and helps them experience the emotions that are portrayed on the page. Kids'  Book Review

Sea Glass is a calm yet captivating book about reconnecting with family, how grief and loss affects people, the importance of keeping memories and traditions alive for the next generation, and owning up to your mistakes and prejudices. This is a deceptively complex book with strong themes hidden in quiet and unadorned writing, making it a joy to read. Story Links

This tender story explores the power of family, unbreakable family ties, the diverse ways loss and grief may impact individuals and how they cope in the aftermath of such loss. It also explores what at times can feel like a massive intergenerational chasm, yet one that can be bridged by sharing an interest, exploring nature and treasure hunting. This story is also a celebration of the many and beautiful ways a grandparent can influence family dynamics – they are caregivers, teachers, a link to the past, keepers of stories, sharers of knowledge and wisdom. Reading Opens Doors