The Other Ducks by Ellen Yeomans illustrated by Chris Sheban

"Two is not a line. Two is a follow. A line is more ducky."

Blurb: This Duck and That Duck are inseparable, but they long for more friends to waddle with. When they discover The Other Ducks beneath the water, their excitement turns to frustration as these new companions refuse to leave the pond. With winter approaching and their feathers itching for warmth, will This Duck and That Duck find a way to bring The Other Ducks into their world? Dive into this charming tale of friendship and discovery as these ducks navigate the challenges of expanding their circle.

The two ducks in this story, male and female, are so naive about the world (something your young reading companion will both relate to and laugh over). They are only two but they want to form a line so they need more ducks. In the pond/puddle of water they discover two more companions but very strangely on cloudy days these two others disappear and for some reason they won't follow This Duck and That Duck out of the pond. Then suddenly they discover they can fly and in the sky they do find other ducks - but where are they going and why?  The final page of this book will give you the biggest smile. 

This Duck (a confident female) and That Duck (a trepidatious male) enjoy each other’s companionship in the “wadey-water” until discovering a wider world makes the extrovert wish for more friends.This Duck yearns to lead a “more ducky” line when they move about, prompting her to wish for Other Ducks. Yeomans’ language is a delightful combination of the childlike and the existential. When questioned about the meaning of “Other Ducks,” she replies, “Like us, only not us.” Sheban’s soft, textured compositions are rendered in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite; they start out sunny, with warm greens and yellows in the foreground and cool lavender shadows and shapes on the horizon. The lighting and mood change with the seasons and situations. ... A marvelous portrayal of the humor and uncertainty surrounding growth—and the comfort in having a fellow traveler. Kirkus Star review

This book was published in 2018 so it is now out of print BUT if you can find a copy in a library (as I did) you should grab it with both hands and settle down to read this with your young reading companion or borrow it to share with your preschool group. I live near a lake/lagoon with plenty of ducks - it would be so brilliant to read this book during or after your visit to see my ducks. 

Reading a wonderful picture book with a young child is such a meaningful way to discover rich words. In this book we have rushes, lush, wadey-water, waddle, splashed and splished, fretted, and this wonderful final sentence:

"And every single one of them felt downright ducky."

Chris Sheban is the illustrator of these two books below. I would like to see Three Squeezes, Someone like me (Patricia MacLachlan) and Job Wanted. He also illustrated What to do with a box which I will borrow next term from my friend's school library AND I now discover he did the covers of Because of Winn Dixie, Tiger Rising and Paperboy. See more here.

The Lonely Book

The story of a seagull and the cat who taught her to fly

The Amazing Spencer Gray by Deb Fitzgerald

"It wasn't a decision; there was no choice. 

Spencer was going to have to go and get help himself."

Blurb from the author page: Spencer Gray is twelve — finally old enough to join Dad in his glider. His mates are going to be so jealous! Going up is awesome. Spencer can’t believe they’re actually there; can’t believe he and his dad are flying in an aircraft with no engine high above the earth, the paddocks green and yellow squares below them. Crazy. And, as it turns out, it is. When disaster strikes the glider mid-flight, Spencer will need to be nothing short of amazing.

I was sent a copy of The Amazing Spencer Gray by Fremantle Press. This is not a new book. It was first published in 2013, but it has been reissued with a new cover. It was shortlisted in 2016 for the West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards. The second book is The Spectacular Spencer Gray (here is the 2017 Reading Time review).

Here is the original cover from 2013. I have talked before about a useful lesson you could plan for your school library where you compare covers such as these and lead a discussion about student preferences and reasons for liking one cover over the other:

I also found this cover which might be the one from the US:

Boys who enjoy adventure stories are the intended audience for this book (ages 9+) but if I was sharing this book in my former school library I would encourage readers to either be prepared to read 74 pages before the action kicks in or if this seems too hard I think it would be okay to jump to chapter 17 and read on from there. The glider accident is probably not going to be a surprise for readers who read the book blurb. Reviewers mention Hatchet (the ultimate plane crash survival story as a similiar title but I am not sure I would link The Amazing Spencer Gray with that classic book which I think better suits an older audience. When I worked in a Canadian High School, Hatchet was a Grade 9 text and amazingly in 1994 the small class of students all took turns to experience flight in a small plane. I am not sure this would happen now.

There are a few chapters towards the end of this book where the action switches back to mum and Spencer's younger sister Pippa. I found these a bit of distraction from the main action of the plane crash and Spencer's need to help his father and also summon help - the big dilemma to stay or go. I also wondered why Spencer did not use the lunch box that mum had sent with sandwiches to collect water but that is just a small niggle.

One more thing - I need to give a fairly serious content warning. On page 110 you will find the word 'spaz'.  In Australia this is a derogatory term that in the past was used to label people who had limited movement similar to people with cerebral palsy. I am sure Deb Fitzgerald did not intend this level of disrespect, but use of this word did somewhat shock me.

Companion books (for readers aged 10+):

 

Swimming against the Storm

Raven's Mountain

The Explorer

I previously enjoyed this book by Deb Fitzpatrick:

At my door

Sophie takes to the sky by Katherine Woodfine illustrated by Briony May Smith

Sophie is a shy child who prefers her own company. She finds many every day things quite frightening and so the family leave her at home when they head off to the Fair. On the poster there are clowns, rides, fireworks and wild animals but most thrilling of all is the huge hot air balloon. Sophie loves the idea of a balloon floating across the sky. 

After the family all head off, Sophie decides she will go, she will be brave. She overcomes some of her fear of dogs and strangers and manages to hitch a ride with a local farmer who is also going to the fair. Once she arrives she finds the hot air balloon which is of course tethered to the ground. She peers inside and then quietly climbs in. At that moment the balloonist arrives and before she can speak, they lift off into the sky. It is thrilling and quiet, after the noisy fair, and simply wonderful. 

Late last year I talked about Sky Chasers by Emma Carroll. My book today is an easier read about a similar time period and the thrill of riding in a hot air balloon.

Sophie takes to the sky is based on the true story of Sophie Blanchard who was born in France in 1778. She was sixteen when she made her first hot air balloon flight. 

"She became famous for her daring night-time flights, for launching fireworks from her balloon and for dangerous adventures like crossing the Alps by balloon."

This book comes from the Little Gems series - click the link below to read about other books in this terrific series which I will say once again should be added to every Primary school library collection. 

Here is another book from the Little Gems series by Katherine Woodfine:

Rose's Dress of Dreams

I do love illustrations by Briony May Smith:

Margaret's Unicorn

Little Goose's Autumn

Wren by Lucy Hope

Wren has the perfect name - she really wants to fly like a bird. Wren does not have a perfect life. Her mother has died from her own attempt to fly. Wren lives with her angry and distant father, cruel younger brother and an aunt who is confined to a coal powered wheel chair because, while Aunty Afa survived the flight with Wren's mother, she was badly injured. 

Wren secretly begins to build her own flying machine using plans from France, but strange things are happening to their ancient home. There are weird noises, huge cracks in the walls and the whole place seems to shudder from time to time but when Wren tries to ask questions about this she is told it is all just her imagination. 

If you look at my labels for this post you will get an idea about the cause of this disturbance. 

Nosy Crow blurb: A dark, Gothic adventure set on the island of Anglesey in North Wales and featuring a very fantastical beast… Wren lives in an ancient castle in the mountains near the sea. The wind whistles through it and the walls sing to her. Wren is busy inventing things, and her father is busy disapproving. But the castle contains a mystery and as Wren is drawn further into it, she realises the answer lies in the very foundations of her home, foundations that are being shaken to their core…

If your young reading companion (age 10+) has good reading stamina then they are sure to enjoy the final scenes in Wren but the journey to reach these moments is quite a long one although I did enjoy "watching" Wren construct her amazing flying machine using her Aunt's dresses, her own small coracle, and hundreds of bird feathers.

Warning Spoiler Alert: I knew/know nothing about Welsh mythology and especially about the famous Mabinogion stories but I have now read one story from this famous collection contains two dragons - one red and one white and a character named Emrys. In Wren, a strange reclusive man called Emrys is mysteriously connected with the dragon. And a boy named Medwyn also knows the story of the dragon under the castle and he helps Wren with her plans for flight and for saving the trapped dragon so I will say if you can find a simple version of this story written for children it might enrich your enjoyment of Wren. Medwyn is a character from Lloyd Alexander's book series The Chronicles of Prydain which are also based on parts of the Mabinogion. 

Here is an interview with Lucy Hope where she talks about the inspiration for her book. Read this review and you will also find some comprehensive teaching notes. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy of Wren which was published in October, 2022. 

Companion read:

Sky Chasers

Wren also made me think of an older Gothic title (which has continued to haunt me):

The Lost Children

The Queen of the Birds by Karine Polwart illustrated by Kate Leiper

Who is the best? Who is the biggest? Who is the strongest? Who can fly high and far? Who has the best song? Who has the brightest feathers? Who should be the king or queen of the birds?

Arguments begin. There has been a huge storm and someone needs to sort it all out. The eagle suggests they need a king and that they way to select a king is to hold a flying contest. 

"They flocked in their millions from all over the kingdom. The ruby-throated hummingbird, the curlew and the cuckoo. The white-crested laughing thrush, the heron and the hoopoe. The robin, the flamingo, the gannet and the crane."

Birds gather and the contest begins. Of course some birds don't fly - such as the penguin. Other birds only fly very short distances such as the pheasant and the partridge. Songbirds need energy for singing. Eagle knows he will be crowned the winner. He will be the King of the Birds! But as he flies high in the sky a tiny bird pops up beside him and then she flies even higher. It is the tiny Jenny Wren. 

"A queen for the birds, not a king!"

Now go back to the problem. All of this was not about winning or ruling it was about cleaning up the mess from the storm. Jenny Wren suggests that everyone can work together. Everyone can use their own special talents and very soon the work will be done. 

This story is based on a Celtic folktale. 

The art in this book is glorious:

My only very tiny quibble (I do adore this book) is the search and find page at the back which shows twenty-five birds for readers to identify does not list the puffin which as you may know is my most favourite bird. There is a puffin on the back cover and you will spy one in this illustration.

Publisher blurb: After a terrible storm, the Kingdom of Birds is looking for a leader. Will it be the bird with the loveliest song, or the brightest plumage? The fastest in the air, or underwater? The bird who flies highest, or those who stick together and work as a team? All across the sky, birds are flocking together. Nightingales and robins, barn owls and blackbirds. The eagle, the flamingo, the birds of the moor. Curlews and cuckoos and herons and hoopoes. And Wee Jenny Wren. Let the contest begin!

The Queen of the Birds has an easy to read lyrical text which uses alliteration, rhyme, consonance and different sized fonts to give it a musical quality. The words are woven around Kate Leiper’s vibrant illustrations which include lots of white background space. Story Snug

Companion reads:

Best Test

The Go-Away Bird

Maxine by Bob Graham

Maxine has arrived.  She is a new baby sister for Max.  Have you met Max? He is a small hero. I adore him. Max (the book), it was a CBCA honour title in 2001. His little sister has taken twenty years to arrive but I think it was worth the wait.

Mum, Superhero Madam Thunderbolt and Dad, Captain Lightning, are delighted to welcome their new baby girl into their family. She is born with her 'mask fully formed' on the stroke of midnight. This must mean she is both Monday's child fair of face and Tuesday's child full of grace. Grandma and Grandad give baby Maxine her first gifts - a hand knitted Super Cape and a pair of boots made from the softest leather. Max gives his sister one of his own favourite books - "Veterinary treatment for Animals." In later pages we see Max in his bedroom and it is clear he is very interest in animals which makes a lot of sense when you think about the baby bird he rescued all those years ago. 

What do we discover about Maxine?

She has red, curly hair. Her very first words may surprise you.

Maxine is very clever "She started school four years ahead." Wait until you see her room which is filled with books and a baby grand piano.

BUT in her heart Maxine would like to be just like the other kids who wear ordinary clothes like t-shirts and jeans. Maxine also wonders about her future, and we the readers wonder about her flying ability.

Things to notice:

Once again, we have the wonderful yellow lightning bolt family home which you will remember from Max. And the family car is a thunderbolt too.

Little dog bandit is back wearing his mask.

If you look really closely you can see the Underhill family are also shopping at Jeans Junction.

Bob Graham gives his readers beautiful end papers, aerial views, tiny details and touches of humour. Do you remember the nappy change scene in Max? You'll need to look closely but baby Maxine needs a new nappy too. I well remember reading Max to groups of students who roared with laughter as we watched the yellow stained nappy deposited into the nappy bucket. 

Check out the book in mum's bag in the scene when Maxine has just been born. I also need to mention Maxine's lunch box and school bag.

Look for the school motto - Tempus Fugit (Time flies).

The dedication quote is perfect 'Be yourself, everyone else is taken' - Oscar Wilde. 

Publisher Blurb Walker Books: Max has a new baby sister – Maxine! Max is there for her first words, her first steps and … her first flight! But as Maxine grows up and starts school, she doesn’t feel like she quite fits in. In fact, she’s not sure if she feels comfortable in her superhero guise at all. Can Maxine convince her family that not all superheroes wear capes? With a strong, incredibly smart girl at its centre, this is a book to inspire any child to dream big and be exactly who, and how, they want to be.

How wonderful to have two books about this superhero family. If you don't already have a copy of Max I suggest you add it to your shopping list along with Maxine. 

This is a pair of books you will want to own and together they would make a very special gift to celebrate the arrival of a new baby. 

How to Make a Bird by Meg McKinlay illustrated by Matt Ottley

"To make a bird ... "

Birds are such wonderful and wondrous creatures. The act of flying seems so impossible, almost miraculous. How do birds make fight look so effortless and natural when we humans cannot jump into the sky without the assistance of huge contraptions such as aeroplanes?

Meg McKinlay explains how birds have hollow bones "so light ... you will hardly feel them." Matt Ottely shows what happens if you gather the bones and some feathers to build a bird. Meg explains you bird will need a heart "that beats faster than any human heart ... a sure, steady heart to carry it across oceans ... " Your bird will also need eyes, a beak, strong claws and one more thing:

"a song to sing."

Now your bird needs to fly so "gather it into your hands and cast it gently upon the air."

Just look at that word placement - gather, cast, gently, upon.

Setting your beautiful, newly created bird free is both a moment of sadness and yet also happiness. Looking in to the wide blue sky painted by Matt Ottley I felt both of those emotions and also an exhilaration as the bird disappears setting off to explore the world.

This book is thrilling on so many levels. I love the care Meg McKinlay has taken with each and every word. The expert craft of artist Matt Ottley shines through every page. This book has been designed beautifully. The cover is tactile, the end papers somehow manage to show the lightness of a feather and the title page looks like it came from the notebook of Leonardo da Vinci. How to Make a Bird also shows how powerful stories can be conveyed through images. We are not told anything about the little girl who is making her bird but careful readers will see there is a whole back story to be discovered from the shadowy room where she sleeps with its makeshift bed, to the precarious solitary tower where she lives.

I hope Walker Books have plans to send this book, like the little bird, out into the world. How to Make a Bird should be seen around the world as a shining example of the best picture books crafted here in Australia.

Here is the publisher blurb:

From award-winning author Meg McKinlay and celebrated artist Matt Ottley comes a moving and visually stunning picture book that celebrates the transformative power of the creative process from inception through recognition to celebration and releasing into the world. We shadow the protagonist as she contemplates the blue print of an idea, collects the things that inspire from the natural world to shape a bird. And breathes life into it before letting it fly free. It shows how small things, combined with a little imagination and a steady heart, can transform into works of magic. A must-have book for collectors of exceptional picture books. Walker Books

Here are a set of very comprehensive and extremely useful teachers notes. These show how this book could easily be read to younger children and then explored with a older group as a discussion starter for deeper meanings.

How to fly like an elephant by Kyoko Nemoto

Here is the blurb:

"Everyone knows that elephants can't fly! 
They're TOO heavy and they have NO wings."

BUT these three elephants have three important qualities:

• persistence
• creativity
• teamwork

You are invited to help the elephants with their quest to fly.  As the story opens the trio have visited the library and borrowed books - "Fly"; "Sky"; and "Amelia Earhart.".  The elephants draw up their plans and then go in search of a propeller.  Up in the attic they need your help to open a cupboard.

Unfortunately the first flight ends in disaster.

"It looks like the wings are the wrong shape!"  So, you the reader, are asked to fold the pages of the book to show the elephants what the wings should like like. Then the elephants make new plans and modify their design. They work as a team. They work really hard. They do not give up! AND woosh off they go into the air.  Moral of the tale:

"If you're good at reading and playing, and thinking and planning, and working together and trying again, and never, EVER giving up ... then maybe YOU can fly, too."

The final pages give an overview of the history of flight which is perfect for young inquisitive minds but wait turn one more page - the elephant have a new idea - they will make a rocket!

Wombats can't fly by Michael Dugan illustrated by Jane Burrell

Tuesday Treasure

One of my favourite books to share with young children is A house for Wombats. It is the perfect book to use when you are exploring the power of the imagination.

Wombats Can't Fly (1996) takes the power of imagination one step further. These young wombats truly believe they CAN fly and they won't let the adults and their rational arguments stop them.

Wombats can chew roots with their strong teeth.
Wombats can dig burrows with their strong claws.
Wombats can find their way through the bush on a dark moonless night.
Wombats can sleep snugly through the cold cays of winter.

The young wombats listen to these facts but all the while they are collecting parts to attach to the huge balloon they have found. Putting all the pieces together our little pair sail off up into the sky proving that wombats truly can fly!

Here is an interview with Jane Burrell by the Tasmanian Premiers Reading Challenge team.

This is the fourth book in a series about these cute wombats. My only small quibble is I wish this book had been made in the same format as the others - landscape not portrait.

Fly by Jess McGeachin

My walk in the sunshine today (a Sunday) was disturbed by the sounds of things flying in the air. In just an hour I counted 5 helicopters, 4 small planes, 2 jets and a amazingly a paraplane. All of these were so noisy unlike the beautiful birds who also shared the sky.

Paraplane image source: https://www.easyflight.com/

I guess people have always been fascinated by flight but since we are not birds our flying machines need engines and these engines are so noisy. I was thinking about this as I walked and then I came home and read debut picture book Fly by Jess McGeachin.

Jess himself says:
While the story is fiction, I wanted the reader to be able to learn about amazing birds that exist in our world.

On one level, yes,  this is a book about birds. Lucy finds a tiny bird - a sparrow - with a broken wing. She is determined to help him fly. We already know Lucy is good at "fixing things".  She lives with her Dad. "It was just the two of them ... "

Dad explains the sparrow has a broken wing. "He won't be able to fly again."

Lucy does not agree. She is determined her little friend Flap will fly again so she draws up elaborate plans and builds an aeroplane. The pair take off into the sky and for a while they fly along happily. Flap sits safely in the back seat and it is lovely to know he can "feel the wind in his feathers again." Sadly the flight does not last long. The plane begins to disintegrate and plummet back to earth.

I'm going to pause here because at this point I would stop reading this book and allow the children to make their  predictions. When I read this book at the CBCA National Conference several months ago the image on the next page made me gasp.

Image Source: https://drawthemoon.com/fly

This book has so many layers.  It is a book about problem solving, inventions, flight, birds, determination, kindness and the power of imagination. On a deeper level it is also a book about grief, healing and relationships.

Here are some questions you could use to explore the deeper themes in this book:

• How do we know mum is absent? What might have happened to Lucy's mum?  Why didn't the author give us any specific details about this? 
• What are some ways Lucy tries to help her dad? (look closely at the illustrations)
• Lucy spends one weekend and a few afternoons making her flying machine - what does this tell you? Does it matter that this is not really possible?
• The back cover says "Not everything that is broken can be fixed."  What do you think the author means by this statement? How does the story demonstrate this idea.
• Talk about Flap.  What do you think the words "But then he was gone" might mean?
• On the last page Jess McGeachin says "it's probably best not to build a plane unless you really know what you're doing."  Do you think he really needed to include these words? Do you think they were his idea or were added by the publisher? Talk about this picture from Rose Meets Mr Wintergarten. The US publisher of this book was concerned children might climb onto roofs. What is your opinion?

I've read a few reviews of Fly and they all seem to focus on different aspects of this story. I like this because it shows this book is open to many interpretations.  The suggested audience for this book generally seems to be ages 5-8 but I would suggest it will also appeal to an older primary group because it contains so many unanswered questions along side the deeper themes of grief and healing.

Take less than a minute to watch the book trailer from Penguin. It is perfect. You can also see some pages from Fly here.

Reviews:
Reading Time
The Bottom Shelf
Better Reading

Fly will surely be included in the CBCA awards for 2020 - yes it is that good! Over the coming months I hope to read a selection of Australian picture books published in 2019 with a view to making predictions about these award.

I would pair this book with How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham;  Pete and Roland by Bob Graham;  Kate, who tamed the Wind by Liz Garton Scanlon and Gary by Leila Rudge. I would also read one of my favourite books Herbert Binns and the Flying Tricycle although this book is sadly long out of print. You could also compare Fly with The Storm Whale by Benji Davies and A Wish for Wings that work by Berkeley Breathed.

The Boy who Flew by Fleur Hitchcock

Written with great gusto but also much subtlety, The Boy Who Flew is a thunderingly good period adventure. And it has a lot to say about the virtues of friendship, family, and courage. The BookBag

Athan is living in very impoverished circumstances. We don't know the date but it feels like the late 19th Century. Suspicion and superstition abound. Athan has a disabled sister. His grandmother thinks the real Beatty has been kidnapped and that the child in their house is a changeling. This is nonsense but it is dangerous nonsense.

Athan is a boy of science. He has been working for a scientist called Mr Chen but everyone around Athan is suspicious of this foreigner. What they don't know is that Mr Chen has been designing a flying machine. Mr Chen is close to completion when a murderer strikes. Mr Chen is dead but Athan has seen the plans and he knows he can build a machine that will fly and better yet a machine that can win the huge reward on offer. But the murderer is still on the loose and worse he has befriended Athan's mother.

This is an action packed story. I loved the way Fleur Hitchcock only gives us fragments of information and as a reader we are expected to 'join the dots'. This is also a highly atmospheric story. Here is a perfect example when Athan looks for the flying machine plans which are hidden in an outside latrine:

"The smell almost makes me vomit, but I gulp it back and breathe thinly through my mouth ... With my chest bare, I stretch my arm down the privy pit and my head gets closer and closer to the seat, and the stench. My fingers brush the cold slimy sides of the pit before I can feel something different."

Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advanced reader copy of The Boy who Flew which was published in March this year.

I would pair this with the Barnaby Grimes series by Paul Stewart. Athan does most of his thinking on the rooftops of the city just like those wonderful tick tock lads in the Barnaby Crimes series. Steam Punk fans will love this book.  I don't often talk about age appropriateness of a text but there are some quite violent scenes in this book and (spoiler) a character does die in awful circumstances. The publisher lists this as suitable for 9-12 but I think 11+ would be a better guide. Some of my labels might give you further ideas about this book.

Here are some review extracts.  You can click the links for more plot details:

a thrilling, murderous tale set among the steep rooftops and slippery characters of Athan's intricately imagined world. Love Reading 4 Kids

This story is set on the gritty, grimy streets  and rickety snow-covered rooftops of the big city where life is cheap and danger lurks around every corner. Library Girl and Book Boy

Fast-paced and thrilling, this truly is a edge-of-your-seat adventure, full of twists and turns that will keep you holding your breath to the very last page. Book Lover Jo

The story flies across the rooftops with an exhilarating plot of danger and intrigue. Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

 No one in our town knew my brother existed. 

Nightbird follows in the tradition of Pie and A snicker of Magic.  It contains delicious food, a small town filled with secrets that relate to past events and a young girl who needs to find her place in her family, her school and her town.

Twig (Teresa) and her mother have moved from New York back to a small town in Massachusetts called Sidwell where generations of the Fowler family have always lived. Mum is a talented baker and this town is famous for their pink apples. It seems Johnny Appleseed once visited. As the seasons change Ms Fowler makes delicious treats such as Pink Apple Pie (recipe), Apple Cider, strawberry rhubarb pie and peach pie. Twig's older brother James is with them too but no one in the town has ever seen him. Twig lives a reclusive life because her mother is so afraid someone will discover the truth about James.

Four generations ago a witch, Agnes Early, put a curse on all men in the Fowler family.

"Let him fly even faster from me if that's what he desires! 

Let him have wings!"

A new family move into Mourning Dove Cottage. It seems this family have a connection with the curse. When James sees the elder daughter Agate Hall he falls in love just as Agnes and Lowell fell in love two hundred years ago. Can Twig and her new friend Julia Hall break the curse which in turn will set her brother free?

Adding to all of this there is a developer who has plans to build a housing development and a shopping mall in the beautiful woods beside the town. James, who loves to fly at night, has a affinity with birds especially owls, but someone is putting graffiti messages all over the town. There is a rumour about a monster. Things disappear from porches, kitchen tables and washing lines. Is the monster James? Are people in danger? Small town gossip is a dangerous thing.

Here are some reviews:
Kirkus - Enchanting
Kids Book Review
The Book Bag - "The prose is elegant and lyrical and it flows like a dream."
KidsReads - Compelling

You can read the first chapter of Nightbird here on the publisher web site. You can read an interview with Alice Hoffman.  I would follow Nightbird with The Girl who Could fly and Night Flying by Rita Murphy. If you also want to pursue the idea of saving a wilderness area and an endangered species you could compare Nightbird with Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.

The Dog with Seven Names by Dianne Wolfer

It is so interesting when real life and the book you are reading coincide. On the weekend I attended the Top Dogs film Festival and at the same time I had been reading The Dog with Seven Names.

If you enjoy reading Historical Fiction then this is a perfect book especially if you are a dog lover. There were many aspects of the impact of World War II on Australia that I did not know about. Luckily this book does contain a timeline and set of facts on the final pages.  Dianne Wolfer explains her research process on her web site.

Dog arrives on the farm in October 1939. He is the runt of the litter but Elsie begs her dad and by Christmas she is allowed to keep Princess.  The pair spend two happy years together.  This is an important bonding time for Princess because she is destined to be separated from Elsie. Their friendship needs to be strong so that this bond is never broken even though Princess goes through many owners and, as the title suggests, many names.

One of the joyous moments in this story comes when the dog, now called Flynn, flies with Doc. He works for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and for me he was one of the heroes of this story.  This quote will give you a sense of the first 'person' narrative.

"Doc let me sit with him in the hole on top of Fox Moth, instead of in the cabin between the top and bottom wings. That was my favourite place. If I balanced carefully I could look over the side and let my ears flap in the breeze. As we soared into the sky, cool air blew across my nostrils and I shivered."

Here is a review with more plot details.  I would follow The Dog with Seven Names with A Dog's Life and Everything for a Dog both by Ann M Martin. To follow this historical time period you might also look for books by Michael Morpurgo such as War Horse.  For an Australian flavour look at My Australian Story series which includes The Bombing of Darwin. From the Our Australian Girl series look for the four titles about Pearlie. I would also recommend looking for other books in your school library by Dianne Wolfer such as Lighthouse Girl, Light Horse boy and In the Lamplight.  Lamont Books list The Dog with Seven Names as a secondary title but I think it will appeal to mature Grade 6 students.

Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Here is a puzzle.  How are the following things connected with this book The Apothecary?

Here is the answer :

• The School Library Journal reviewer Elizabeth Bird began her review by saying she loved the cover of The Apothecary.  This made me curious.  I really like the cover too.
• Ian Schoenherr is the cover designer of The Apothecary so I read about him and discovered :
• Ian Schoenherr is the son of John Schoenherr and :
• John Schoenherr is the award winning illustrator of one of my most favourite picture books of all time Owl Moon.
• Then I investigated the author Maile Meloy and discovered :
• Maile Meloy is the sister of Colin Meloy author of Wildwood which I had already read and reviewed

Sometimes the world of children's books can feel like one big family.

Janie lives in California.  The year is 1952.  It is the McCarthy era and the cold war has begun. Benjamin lives in London.  His neighbourhood has been bombed during World War II and while he and his dad do survive his mum is killed. Mr Burrows, Benjamin's dad (the apothecary) explains :

"Your mum had nursing skills and worked for the Women's Voluntary Service. She was out after the air raid was over, helping to see who was hurt, when the bomb suddenly went off ... she was killed instantly."

Benjamin and Janie meet when Janie's family move to London to get away from appearing before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Benjamin does not want to follow his father and work in a pharmacy or Apothecary.  He would much rather be a spy but what he does not know is that he has been spying on men connected with is own father and his father is involved with trying to save the world from the atom bombs which are being developed by Russia and USA. Yes this is all quite huge.  Janie, Benjamin and another friend named Pip are now on a mission to save the world especially as Benjamin's father appears to have disappeared and the children stumble upon a murder and it seems their Latin teacher is really a Russian spy.  Added to all this is the alchemy.  As he is about to be captured his dad gives Benjamin an ancient book - the Pharmocopoeia.  It contains the formula for potions to turn into a bird, make people invisible, force others to tell the truth and wipe memory.

As you can see this book is a combination of history and magic.  Not quite Science Fiction but almost.  The final scenes are quite thrilling and open the way for the sequels.

I do highly recommend The Apothecary and I would follow this up with The Seven Professors of the far North.  Another book you will enjoy is Disappearing act.  If you want to read more about alchemy take a look at The Book without Words.

The Apothecary is the first of this trilogy as I mentioned so we now need to add the other two titles to our school library.  I have listed this book for Senior Primary but I also think it would appeal to a junior high school reader.  Teaching notes, an extract and authors details can be found on the publisher site. Here are some reviews :

Kirkus
New York Times
Kids Reads

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.