New Clothes for New Year's Day by Hyun-Ju Bae

"Today is New Year's Day.

It's a new year

it's a new day, and

it's a new morning.

It's the first day for the beginning of everything."

New Year's Day is an important holiday in Korea. Children wear special clothes. In this book the little girl carefully puts on each piece of clothing:

"She wears a crimson silk skirt, a rainbow-striped jacket and a furry vest. She puts on cotton socks and shoes, both embroidered with flowers. She also wears a headband and ties a hair of ribbon of red and gold to the end of the braid. Her hat protects her from the cold as she makes her New Year visits. She also has a lucky charm and bag to hang from the jacket string."

Symbolism

• Rainbow-striped jacket represents things such as water, fire, metal, wood and earth.
• The striped patter represents the wish that the wearer be in harmony.
• The embroidery on the socks is for good luck.

You can see the whole book here on this video. Sadly, this book is long out of print but it might be in your school or local library. Today marks the beginning of Chinese New Year celebrations but it would be good to share this book to show how this event is also celebrated in Korea. New Clothes for New Year was a 2008 USBBY notable book.

KOREAN NEW YEAR ACTIVITIES 2024 Saturday 10th February

Give gifts

In addition to yummy food and family reunions, another reason that Seollal is a special holiday is the custom of giving and receiving gifts. This gift-giving extends beyond homes to workplaces when companies usually offer each of their employees a gift as well. So the best way to celebrate would be by giving gifts.

Play folk games

We can also celebrate by participating in traditional folk games. Folk games are a major part of New Year festivities for Koreans. The most commonly played game is ‘Yut Nori,’ a traditional Korean board game. Men also go out for some kite flying, starting on the Lunar New Year and in the days leading up to the new year’s first full-moon day. For young women, ‘neol ddwigi’ is also a popular activity.

Eat Korean food

Almost any large family gathering in any culture generally revolves largely around food. So an amazing way to celebrate Korean New Year is by eating Korean food. One main dish that is considered comfort food during Korean New Year is ‘Tteokguk’ (rice cake soup). This starchy and soothing bowl of soup is a beloved New Year's tradition.

More information here. 

Out of the Wild Night by Blue Balliett

"These old houses were built to survive, and their materials actually last longer and adapt better than most modern materials. An old wooden house expands and shrinks, it understands how to be 

moist and then dry without damage, it breathes."

"As long as the settled landscape of an old house remains, we spirits, those of us whose lives were anchored in its walls and floors, who were born, gave birth, and died inside them, can stay. 

As can our dreams."

Beautiful old homes are being knocked down all over Nantucket. This has stirred up the ghosts. The developer is like a vulture waiting for older residents die or move out of the homes. He promises to keep all the heritage features but in truth he just knocks everything down and throws away all the beautiful timbers and fixtures. A group of young children, who are islanders, are dismayed to see all this destruction and one of the ghosts - Mary Chase, who has been dead over 100 years has woken up. She can see what is happening now in the 21st Century. She is frustrated, though, because no one on the island can hear her. The children can however see other ghosts of people and children from long ago. The children have always played at the graveyard and so they are familiar with the names of children from long ago. The island ghosts begin to take action by sabotaging the building works and frightening the workers and officials. But can these beautiful old homes be saved in time and will this help the ghosts to settle back into their graves?

Here are some real Nantucket homes:

It did take me nearly a week to read this book and it won't feature as my favourite by Blue Balliett but the premise and relationships between the children and several of the adults held my attention. Best of all the ending was a huge shock. By coincidence, while I was reading this book, I watched as a sweet little mid-century modern home was demolished just around the corner from my house so some parts of this story were extra poignant.

"Sorry house. I should have asked. I'm Phoebe Folger Antoine (Phee). I live inside the home in your picture, and my family always has. Can I take this and keep it safe? I promise I'll hang it right up.' The door blows back open, and a yellow-handled screwdriver rolls across the floor, stopping in front of the group. The kids stand quietly for a moment, looking at it. 'I think that's a yes ... and may be the house wants us to replace the old front door before we go."

Publisher blurb: Ghosts are alive on the island of Nantucket. You can hear them in the wind, and in the creaks of the old homes. They want to be remembered. And, even more, they want to protect what was once theirs. The ghosts seem to have chosen a few local kids to be their messengers -- and to help save the island. But in this mystery, the line between those who haunt and those who are haunted is a thin one -- and the past and the present must come to terms with one another in order to secure the future.

About 14,000 people live on the island of Nantucket. It is off the coast of Massachusetts. It is a very popular destination with tourists and the population grows to 40,000 in the Summer. In the early days the main industry was whaling. 

Blue Balliett says: I first came to Nantucket as a summer worker at age 18 and fell under the spell of this magical island. I married my husband Bill on Nantucket a few years later, and we’ve lived and worked here, off and on, for many decades. Two of our three kids were born here. I’ve heard many, many ‘real’ ghost stories… and finally, after writing six mysteries set in the Chicago area and published by Scholastic Press, got brave and wild enough to write Out of the Wild Night… It’s my love poem to this extraordinary, unique island and its year-round community, its oldest houses, and their ghosts.

Modern themes and old-fashioned values in a ghostly Nantucket wonder, with a twist. Kirkus Star review

Ms. Balliett kept me captivated, guessing…and second guessing, in this Middle-Grade, ghost-story mystery. Easily evident is her admiration and adoration of Nantucket and I enjoyed learning about the island and its people. Buried Under Books

When you finish this book, you will want to go back and reread chapter 3 (or listen to the audio sample below). You will also want to grab some wonders or donuts to celebrate solving this mystery. This book was published in 2018 and the paperback is still available.

Listen to an audio sample here. 

I have read and loved other books by Blue Balliett so when I spied this book (hardcover with a dust jacket) at a recent charity book sale for just $3 I grabbed it with both hands.

The Calder Game; Hold Fast

Companion book:

Magrit

Tamburlaine's Elephants by Geraldine McCaughrean

Rusti travels with the Mongol Horde as it sweeps over the land, crushing whole cities in a quest for power. 

"The tajiks of India did not stand a chance against Timur the Lame, Conqueror of the World. ... the Horde travelled by moonlight, storming towns and citadels by day, slaughtering thousands and taking prisoners by the tens of thousands."

Now they have arrived in Delhi. Rusti is only twelve but today he will ride out with the army.  What no one expects it that this city will be defended with elephants. Tamburlaine's army do win the battle and then they loot Delhi and murder most of the inhabitants. They took away some of the remaining elephants and this is the basis of this story. Britannica list this as 90 elephants.

In this retelling by Geraldine McCaughrean, Rusti is ordered by Tamburlaine to bring him an elephant. Rusti meets the mahout or elephant handler Kavi, Rusti spares his life and together they march with the army onto Samarkand. Kavi has to be disguised as a girl slave and renamed Kavita. There is one person, however, who knows the truth - Shidurghu, the Royal Chronicler, writer-down of History for the Lord of the Fortunate Conjunction. Rusti is summoned to Shidurghu's tent and he is told a shocking story of women and children locked in a makeshift tower, of a baby and a bracelet thrust through the bars by a desperate mother, and most shocking of all Rusti begins to realise everything he knows about his father and brother are untrue.

This story is based on a real man who set out to conqueror Persia, Northern India, the Ottomans and China. His name was Timur i Lang (1336-1404). Scholars estimate that his military campaigns caused the deaths of 17 million people, amounting to about 5% of the world population at the time. In a play by Christopher Marlow, which inspired Geraldine McGaughrean, he is known as Tamburlaine the Great and that is the name used in this book along with terms such as Great Emir, Gungal Emir, and The Lord of the Fortunate Conjunction. His goal was a restoration of Genghis Khan’s great Mongol Empire. Timur was injured by arrows while stealing sheep in his twenties, and this left him lame in the right leg and caused his right arm to be stiff for the rest of his life. Hence, his Persian name, Timur-i lang (Temur the Lame).

Once again this multi-award-winning author brings history to life by combining meticulous research with a focus on the individual and a very personal story. Set in the war-ravaged arena of fourteenth century India, this fascinating tale will give youngsters a real insight into a way of life which is so very different from our own. Book Trust

The truths Rusti learns are eternal: love, truth, peace; respect for others who are different, for animals, for life. On the surface, this is an epic tale of man’s inhumanity to man, but it is redeemed by the small acts of courage and kindness through which humanity shines. Historical Novel Society

From the cover you might think this is a book for an upper primary reader but there is so much dreadful (but necessary) violence I am going to say this book is for ages 12+ and also add a warning there are some very distressing scenes of battles and harm to animals. Tamburlaine's elephants was first published in 2007 and so sadly it is out of print but I found a copy at a charity book sale. 

Take a look at my review of The Kite Rider also by Geraldine McCaughrean.

On a completely different note, I was so excited to read, in the back notes, that Geraldine McCaughrean loves the junior novel Jeremiah in the dark woods by Allan Ahlberg. She says: I think (this book) ... is literally 'perfect' - not a word wrong, not a comma out of place."

The Vegetable Museum by Michelle Mulder

Chloe and her father move across Canada from Montreal to Victoria the capital of Vancouver Island leaving Chloe's mother behind. Uli, Chloe's grandfather lives across the street from their apartment building. He has an amazing garden but following a stoke he needs help tending his special plants. Shortly after Chloe and her father arrive, Chloe begins to help Uli and as they work together he shares stories of these plants and more importantly of their seeds which he has been collecting and saving for decades. One of the very special things in the garden is a huge apple tree. Uli tells Chloe when he and his mother fled Germany during the war Uli had one apple which he ate but he then kept the seeds. Later he grew the tree in his uncle's garden and then when he moved to Victoria he bought the tree or  a cutting from the tree with him.

There are some strange things about this neighbourhood. Slater is a boy who goes to Chloe's school. He is a bully and his father seems very aggressive. The relationship between Uli and Chloe's father is strained and dysfunctional but no one wants to tell her why.  Luckily, Chloe does find a true friend in Nikko who lives in the same apartment building. Added to the mix are the issues with Chloe's parents and the possibility of divorce. Then everything comes crashing down when Uli suddenly dies. 

Blurb: Thirteen-year-old Chloë left her whole life back in Montreal, including her mom and her best friend. Now she's stuck in Victoria with her dad and her estranged grandfather, Uli, who recently had a stroke. When Chloë agrees to help Uli look after his garden, she's determined to find out why he and her dad didn't speak to each other for years. For decades Uli has collected seeds from people in the community, distinct varieties that have been handed down through generations. The result is a garden full of unusual and endangered produce, from pink broccoli to blue kale to purple potatoes. But Chloë learns that the garden will soon be destroyed to make way for a new apartment complex. And the seed collection is missing! Chloë must somehow find a way to save her grandfather's legacy.

There are some tiny fragments of things hiding in this story which I really wanted the author to develop. Uli, Chloe's grandfather, collects seeds. These are rare seeds which produce heirloom vegetables. He hints at some of the tragic and heroic stories where people saved seeds and then transported them across the world but these stories are not really developed. There are also very complex relationships in this family. Chloe's dad cannot talk to his father Uli because he is carrying a deep hurt from the past and in turn Uli never invites Chloe and her dad to visit inside his house because he is ashamed of his own past. There are two other things which were curious in this story. Chloe digs up a red box and we never discover the contents. Uli plants cherry trees along the street and he explains each will grow different and delicious cherries. I really wanted Chloe to stand in the street and eat some of this special fruit.

Mulder carefully crafts a book about family and vegetables that offers a glimpse into the ways in which gardening can become something more than simply growing plants. The scenes of Chloë and her grandfather are poignant and realistic and might even spark some agricultural interest in middle-graders. Kirkus

The Vegetable Museum also addresses important issues of: divorce, refugees, family relationships, grief, urban development, bullying, friendship, compassion, addiction, sustainability and community. There are powerful lessons about coping with adversity in The Vegetable Museum as Chloë’s father explains, “That garden was where he taught me that even when everything feels too hard to bear, good things can grow.” Canadian Review of Materials

Gardens (and gardening) have long served as therapeutic responses to loss ...  Mulder handles this perceptive psychology subtly and mixes it in with contemporary issues that will appeal to increasingly aware and engaged middle-graders, such as eating healthy, food security, urban gardening, the importance of community, and (Uli’s) cherry tree grafting as a form of public art. The Ormsby Review

There are some things you might be curious about after reading this book. It would be good to find more about heirloom vegetables, seed saver banks, seed libraries, Quaker churches and gardening techniques such as grafting. The author, Michelle Mulder, lives in Victoria on Vancouver Island. This book will be enjoyed by thoughtful readers aged 10+. I knew nothing about this book. I spied it in a bookshop window when I went to pick up a 'click and collect order'.  I really like the cover - do you? It was designed by Julie MacLaughlin who also lives in Victoria.  She did this cover too:

A home for Goddesses and Dogs

The Mulberry Tree by Allison Rushby

"It was more like her dad was balancing - balancing on top of a log, with his arms out, trying to keep steady. She had to hold his hand and help him to get to the other side. She knew from experience that the funny thing about balancing on logs was that most of the time you didn't even need that hand. It was enough to know it was there. Just in case."

Do naught wrong by the mulberry tree or she'll take your daughters - one, two, three

The Mulberry tree is indeed a mystery story but it also about healing and forgiveness. A small family are experiencing profound grief.  Immy's dad is a GP in Australia. He recently refused to allow an elderly man to renew his driving licence but this man, called Bob, drives on anyway and then, he is the cause of a terrible accident and a mother and baby are killed. Andrew (dad) is wracked with remorse, guilt and grief so the family of three have moved away - a long way away - to a small village in Cambridge in the hope this change can help them all heal.

After a morning spent looking at 'suitable' properties, Immy spots Lavender House. From the front it looks perfect:

"Her eyes were fixed upon a house of creamy white with the prettiest canary yellow door. Thatch coated the roof like a thick icing and the cherry on the top was a straw pigeon who strutted about on the roof as though he owned the place. The garden heaved with lavender ... "

Moving to the back garden things couldn't be more different:

"Everything was dark and drenched in shadow because of what lay to the left - a gigantic tree that loomed over the entire garden and the house itself. ... Halfway up, arm-like branches began to shoot out threateningly, dividing into stout, black fingers which poked and taunted the house cruelly. It was summer, yet the tree displayed no green. Not one leaf."

This is the mulberry tree of the title. Mystery and superstition abound. Two girls have disappeared. One, a girl called Bridget, in 1795, and the other, a girl called Elizabeth, on VE Day, 8th May, 1945. These disappearances or abductions happened on the eve of each girl's eleventh birthday. Adding to the mystery two knots appeared on the mulberry tree when the girls disappeared.  Immy will turn eleven in just a few days. Is it safe to live in this house in the shadow of this cursed tree?

It will take a determination and courage for Immy to discover the truth about the tree and about herself and these discoveries may help her father on his road to recovery. Her discoveries may even help the people in this village too.

I kept thinking I needed to know more about mulberry trees as I read this book. The tree takes on all the emotions that Immy is feeling but I wanted the family to care for the tree, to feed it, prune it, to ask an expert why it no longer bore fruit, to find out how long these trees live, does the mulberry need a partner tree to fertilize the flowers? Of course the tree itself is a metaphor but I did do some reading and discovered these mulberry tree facts:

• Mulberry trees can grow, if left alone, to 10 metres
• Mulberry trees grow in full sun
• There are four main varieties - Black English, Hick's Fancy, White Shahtoot and a variety that is  purely ornamental called the White Mulberry
• The fruit can be used in pies and preserves or just eaten straight from the tree but the fruit is fragile and the season is short so they are rarely grown commercially

I am excited to discover that this book was only released into shops 14 days ago! I will make a prediction that it will be one of the 2019 CBCA Notables and perhaps even reach the prestigious short list of six titles for our Australian award - Book of the Year Younger Readers. I think this is a book that will be enjoyed by older students who have a well developed level of emotional intelligence.

Here is a review with lots of plot details. You can also click the review quote below.  I think this book has a perfect cover by Rovina Cai. I do hope it is not changed for other markets in the US or UK. The story itself is certain to be enjoyed by readers beyond our Australian shores. Here is a link to Allison's web site.

On a personal note there was an old mulberry tree in my neighborhood but it was in a back garden. One day my friends and I decided to raid the tree for leaves because we were growing silkworms. It was clear that the home owners were absent so we crept up the side path and climbed the tree. Just as we started pulling off the leaves the family arrived home. I still tingle with the fear we all felt as we inched along high back yard fences, scrambling away, hoping not to be caught. We were safe but had dropped all those precious leaves. I wonder how we fed those poor little silkworms.

A strong, stubborn and compassionate protagonist, Immy takes charge of solving the mulberry mystery – as well as saving injured hedgehogs. As she rides the anxiety and angst that come with change and growing up, her innate empathy for others allows her to not only befriend kids in her class, but the lonely tree in her garden. The Reader The Booksellers New Zealand Blog by Rosalie Elliffe.

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate illustrated by Charles Santoso

Katherine Applegate’s Wishtree is a beautifully written, morally bracing story 
that will leave its imprint on a reader of any age.  NY Times

Please, before you read my thoughts on Wishtree,  watch the publisher trailer - it is just perfect!  Now pick up this book and peel back the dust jacket. You don't want to miss the carefully embossed leaves underneath.

Be patient. Read this book slowly.  Let Katherine Applegate introduce the narrator Red (a tree) and his friend Bongo (a crow).  I hope when you get to page 52 you will have the same reaction I had - I gasped.  Such is the power of just one word.  The tone of this book flips right over :

LEAVE

Red has been growing in this place for over two hundred years. Red is exactly two hundred and sixteen rings old.  Red has watched human families grow and change, Red has sheltered hundreds of small animals and Red has listened to secrets and wishes.  One of the newest residents is Samar and her family. She loves to sit under the tree, being still and gradually the small creatures who shelter there gather around her. Samar writes her wish to tie to the tree - it is for a friend.  Why is this an issue :

"A few months ago, a new family, Samar's family, rented the blue house. They were from a distant country. Their ways were unfamiliar. Their words held new music. ... Our neighborhood had welcomed many families from faraway. What was different this time?"

A few weeks ago I received an invitation from a Goodreads book group to join a discussion about Wishtree.  I put this book on my list and yesterday made a special trip into the city to pick up a copy. Today I read it all in one sitting but really I didn't want the magic to end.

Names are a source of humor in this story.  This lightness of touch balances the heavy themes of intolerance, violence and prejudice.  There are also moments of  wisdom and odd ball jokes shared by Red.

• Trees - all have the same name red oaks are called Red, sugar maples are called Sugar, junipers are called Juniper and so on.
• Crows - some have human names, some are named after manoeuvres and the crow in this story Bongo is named after the bongo drums played by a band in this neighborhood - this is a sound she likes.
• Skunks - all named after pleasant scents such as FreshBakedBread. 
• O'Possums - named after things they are afraid of such as Flashlight.
• Owls - take sensible names like Harold.
• Raccoon mothers are not good with names so all their offspring are called You!

Katherine Applegate talks to Nerdy Book Club and shares her thoughts and hopes for Wishtree.  You can read the first twelve pages here but then please find the book because the most important parts happen after page 52!  Here is a long video with Katherine where she talks about her book.  Take a look at this review which includes discussion questions.

This is my new favourite book! I give it a ten star rating.  It is right up there with Because of Winn Dixie,  Sarah, Plain and Tall and all books by Patricia MacLachlan I have talked about on this blog.  I do hope Wishtree wins some big prizes so then it can come to the attention of book buyers and libraries everywhere.

Wishtrees are real and come from Ireland and here is a photo of one.  They are usually hawthorn trees.  I expect to see lots of school library with wish trees for everyone to fill.

I was excited to discover Charles Santoso is Australian and he lives in Sydney and he also illustrated the precious book Ida Always.

A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph.  Kirkus Star review

Another stunning effort from Applegate. This thoughtful read is a top choice for middle graders.  School Library Journal

The four seasons of Lucy McKenzie by Kirsty Murray

"I reckon you really could be twins anyway,' said Tom. 'Sometimes one twin is bigger than the other. We should call them Big and Little."

Lucy is the youngest child in a family of five.  Her two older siblings are adults.  "Lucy McKenzie was an afterthought. By the time she had arrived ... Jack and Claire were almost grown-up."

Claire is living in Paris but as the story opens she has been involved in a serious accident and so mum needs to rush to France.  Meanwhile dad has an important contract which involves visiting mines in remote Queensland so Lucy is sent to stay with her elderly aunt - Aunty Big.

The four seasons of the title refers to a special room in the old home of Avendale.  Each wall has a mural with a scene showing the different seasons of the landscape around the house.  "Lucy wanted to like the room, but there was something about it that made her uneasy."

The Four seasons of Lucy McKenzie is a simple timeslip.  Using the murals Lucy visits the family of her relations starting with 1939.  While there she helps with a major bush fire, saves Alice from a flood, finds some special friends and makes discoveries about her own heritage.

Here is a detailed review.  Here is the web site for the illustrator.  You might also enjoy Playing Beatie Bow, Cicada Summer, The Ivory Rose or Tom's midnight garden.  This book is also part of the NSW School Magazine bookshelf for 2014.  I am not a huge fan of timeslip stories but this one had a terrific setting, very like able characters and most important of all - an emotional ending.