The Wild West Witches by Michael Molloy

I did enjoy this book and I think it might be a good one to recommend to Harry Potter fans but I would have liked a character list perhaps under headings of good and evil. There are so many bad characters in this book with similar evil intentions that I did get a little confused at times. This book does stand alone but things might be clearer if you read the first two books in the series before this one – The Witch Trade and Time Witches.

Our heroes are Abby and Spike two gifted kids who, with their Light Witch friends, travel back to the Wild West in order to save the world from the evil Wolfbane. There are two sources of magic in this book one for good used by the Light Witches called Ice Dust and one very evil. Wolfbane needs more of the evil one called Black Dust and he needs Excalibur to get it.

I fear there might be too many literary and historical references in this book and that readers might find it confusing. Mention is made to vaudeville, Excalibur, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley to mention just a few.

Putting aside this criticism, there are fabulous character descriptions in this book and these might be useful for teachers when they are working on narratives with students.

Sir Chadwick Street : Tall and slender, he was a handsome man with a bold Roman nose dominating his face and , in the chill air he was looking pinker than usual. His battered tweed hat was pulled casually over his long marmalade-coloured hair and he worse a flowing red polka-dot bow tie with his stylish, fine-cut tweed suit. Page 18

Polartius the librarian : His sliver hair lay in coiled pools on the stone-flagged floor. … The ancient man looked at her over his wire-rimmed spectacles. Page 53

Homer P Stout : Dressed in black, he was quite thin except for a protruding stomach that swelled his waistcoat and drew attention to his heavy gold watch chain. He wasn’t very tall but he nonetheless seemed to be looking down at them. Page 104

Just like Harry Potter and his cloak of invisibility, Abby and Spike have wonderful Atlantis capes which can be cleaned and dried with just a shake and which transform themselves into any appropriate clothing for the climate and place.


If you like an action packed fantasy story and know something about the Wild West during the goldrush times then this might be the book for you. I have given some hints about the plot in this review but really this book is quite complicated so I can only say read it and see what YOU think!

Barnaby Grimes Curse of the Night Wolf by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

This fabulous gothic horror story is set in the London of Charles Dickens. Barnaby is a tick tock lad or messenger. He uses the roof tops as a quick route across the city and he knows all the nooks and crannies like the back of his hand.

The first page sets the tone for this book “Have you ever felt your skin being peeled slowly away from your arms and legs. Your muscles being torn and shredded as every bone in your body fights to burst through your flesh? Have you ever felt every tendon and sinew stretched to breaking point as your skeleton attempts to rip itself apart from the inside? I have and I’ll never forget it.”
Barnaby finds himself in the employ of the mysterious Dr Cadallader. Read more about the plot here.

Paul Stewart gives marvelous descriptions of his characters. Dr Cadallader had long white hair, parted in the centre, a pale, almost chalky pallor to his face and a pair of pince-nez spectacles. The illustrations by Chris Riddell are so detailed and fine. I especially liked the one on page 62 which shows Barnaby descending from a rooftop in a maneuver called a rolling derby. You can read more about these moves on the web site for this book listed below.

If you enjoy a touch of horror, werewolves, sinister characters and things that go bump in the night look for this book in our library you will not be disappointed. The web site for this book is outstanding - don't miss it. Turn on your computer and listen to the web site sound effects as you begin to read this story. Good news there are at least two more books in this series for you to enjoy too! Look for Legion of the dead and Return of the emerald skull.

Diego's Pride by Deborah Ellis

Sometimes sequels can let you down but this one certainly doesn’t. The action here begins from the end of the first book. Mando and the drug lord are both dead, Diego is on the run and he is now sheltering with a simple farming family in a rural district of Bolivia.

Deborah Ellis has that special gift of writing a narrative that allows you to really feel part of the action. Her books are like reading the movie.

Diego’s Pride is based on real events in Bolivia when the government used the army to destroy the country’s coca crops, bringing hardship to the local farmers. These farmers, called cocaleros, organised themselves into a union and blockaded highways all over the country. This protest movement continued for nearly 5 years and many people were injured and killed.

Diego and the Ricardo family, who have befriended him, are caught up in these events. “A loud bang jolted him out of his sleep and onto his feet .. for a long moment there was just the shrieking of the birds to show that there had been an actual noise, that Diego hadn’t dreamed it. Then it happened again – three bangs in a row, like gunshots. Could of smoke rose up from the bridge. All around him Diego heard people coughing and screaming. ‘Tear has!’ he heard some one shout. ‘They’re shooting tear has at us!’.”

If you enjoyed Diego, Run! you will not be disappointed when you go to the library and grab our copy of the sequel. This is a powerful action packed story with a hero that you will never forget. A great read for Senior Primary students.

In the shadow of the Palace by Judith A Simpson

Warning here is another title with a sequel and the ending is a cliff hanger and alas the sequel is not yet published but don’t let this put you off. Get your hands on In the Shadow of the Palace and read it today. This is a marvelous book set in the mystic and colourful culture of India.

If you enjoyed the Sun Sword trilogy and you are perhaps a fan of Tamora Pierce, especially her series Protector of the small about Keladry with the titles First Test, Page, Squire and Lady Knight then you will adore this book.

Just as with the Sun Sword books the opening scene is a kidnapping. This time it is of three Indian princesses at their betrothal ceremony. In a nice twist it is the middle daughter who has to change into a boy to disguise herself in the far away kingdom where all three are taken. Rani must learn to shoot arrows, fight with a sword and stop arguing like a girl! Only one high ranking officer seems suspicious of the new recruit Ram, as Rani calls herself. There is just the tiniest shimmer of love in the air between these two although the story does not go for long enough for this to be discovered by Rani or Sanjay.

There is an excellent glossary to help with Indian terminology but I rarely referred to this as the contexts usually explained the meanings. I think readers in senior primary will love this action packed exotic story. As a bonus for readers Judith Simpson is an Australian author. I also appreciated the larger print size and use of white space. There was no effort involved in reading this engrossing story and there were just enough twists to keep me coming back with great anticipation over the last couple of days.

On the morning of the kidnapping the girls are put into beautiful robes. “She had never worn so much jewellery. It covered her neck, her arms and her ankles and she tinkled, clinked and jangled as she walked. She felt grand but uncomfortable…Rani felt so heavy she was sure she would sing into the earth as she walked.”

Just like Rangers Apprentice and Sun Sword this is a book about friendship, loyalty, over coming prejudices about class and the victory of good over evil. As our four heroes ride off to continue their adventure I will eagerly await the sequel hope it is not too far away.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

When I saw ABC Television would screen The Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild I knew I wanted to re-read this childhood classic before the screening. This is the book Meg Ryan talked about in “You’ve got mail” when her exquisite book store “The shop around the corner” has been closed. My copy of this book is very old and the print size is far too small for the modern reader and yet I do feel the story does pass the test of time. 

The three girls, unrelated, living in the home of Gum (Great Uncle Matthew) and Sylvia are lucky that some interesting borders have come to live in this large rambling house. Each adds a special magic to the destinies of the three girls. There is a dancing teacher (perfect for Posy), two retired academics (who can train Pauline) and a motor enthusiast (so Petrova can pursue her passion). 

I read this book when I was a child because I wanted to read ballet stories but I have to say this is not really a book about ballet, rather it is about the whole range of performing arts including drama and recitation and it is a story about growing up and finding talents. I did enjoy the BBC production especially after such a recent re-reading of the novel I could see the way they adapted the plot to include all the major incidents in a nicely paced story. 

You can read more about Noel Streatfeild and other productions of this book and a little of the history of this writer who won the Carnegie Medal. I did find the ending disappointing because this time I really wanted a sequel. Thinking the story might continue I have just read Ballet Shoes for Anna but it is a totally unrelated story except for the references to ballet. This is the last book written by Noel Streatfeild who died in 1986. This second story does make a good read but the dialogue annoyed me. Noel's  attempts at writing broken English were not very successful. I do think, however, that Middle Primary readers will enjoy Ballet shoes for Anna even though the ending is predictable, The story has so much tension and this makes the plot move along very quickly. If you thought the Dursleys were horrible to Harry Potter you need to meet The Uncle - Cecil - he is totally horrible!

Here are some more covers for Ballet Shoes:

The Medici Curse by Matt Chamings

Ever since I read Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet I have been interested in the idea of weaving art into a story. It is with this in mind that I picked up The Medici Curse by Matt Chamings and I was certainly not disappointed.

This book has alternating stories in each chapter. There is a modern day family on holiday in Florence with Maria the central character who is drawn to the painting of Alessandra. In the alternate chapters we read about Arnaldo the younger painter in Renaissance Florence who is working for Verrocchnio. Arnaldo is an apprentice and a friend to Leonardo da Vinci. Arnaldo is painting the beautiful, young Alessandra prior to her marriage to the very elderly Signor Paolo Orsini. The painting has two canvases linked by a arch of flowers which are held by the subject of each portrait.

This painting is, however, cursed and so when Maria’s father uncovers it under a rather plain landscape that he has purchased on impulse, a series of disasters linked to the curse befall this family. Woven into this story there are also references to the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci especially his experiments with flying and his study of anatomy. Leonardo is working on the portrait of Orsini.

This book is certainly a page turner filled with mystery, intrigue, love, feuds and sword fights. I would highly recommend it to keen readers in Year 6. I found myself reading this book every spare minute I could grab. The historical notes at the end only added to my enjoyment.

Read more at in these teacher notes.

Little Rat makes Music By Monika Bang-Campbell illustrated by Molly Bang

This is the second Little Rat title in our library collection. We already have Little Rat sets sail.

In this newest book Little Rat wants to be a musician but she needs to learn the patience of practice and that the rewards of beautiful music take time. Her instrument is the violin and at first she is frustrated by the slow pace of her lessons.

The final chapter when Little Rat and her mentor Kitty take to the stage of the Community Hall is just magical. This is a tiny story with a heartwarming message.

I have always loved the work of Molly Bang - look for The paper crane in our library.