Why? It encourages reading which is such an important skill, it develops imagination (which helps problem and solving and creativity in life), it is a healthy pursuit, it is a change from computer games & TV (it takes more imagination, too) and broadens their horizons.

But buying gifts that suit the child isn’t always easy – knowing which book is for which age group can be tricky. I wish books had it written on their somewhere – I have seen it on a couple of books but it is not the norm.

And it isn’t just reading ability which is easier to judge by looking at the book – the content of the story is critical but impossible to fully comprehend without reading it.

I’ve found one online bookshop that puts books into 3 groups (babies & toddlers, 4 – 8 year olds and over 9s) which is a great start but it is actually the over 10s I find hardest to pick in a store.

Another one divides children and young adults’ books into some detailed categories, which is uncommon, but doesn’t help much with the age range unfortunately.

So if the bookstores & publishers aren’t making it easy, we’ll have to do it ourselves! Over coming days, I’ll add posts for each age range to share some recommendations and hope you all will share your knowledge, too.

Kit’s Law

by Donna Morrissey Viking
Penguin Book Canada Ltd

The bargain table out the front of a bookshop is impossible to resist, I just have to have a look for that special book to appear there. Recently, the book Kit’s Law, caught my eye from such a table and at $2.50 I thought it worth a read.

Kit is a young girl living on the outskirts of a remote fishing town in Canada. She is the illegitimate child of a mentally handicapped woman who is treated as an unpaid whore by many townsmen. Lizzie is Kit’s Grandmother and she cares for her daughter and granddaughter in her cliff top cottage. Lizzie is a determined, hard old woman without a lot of friends in the town, but she does her best to ensure Kit fits in as best she can.

Lizzie tries to let Kit see that she has nothing to be ashamed of and has the right to hold her head high. The morning after such a conversation, Kit finds her grandmother dead in her bed and feels her world fall down around her. Sprouting good intentions, a group of townspeople attempt to take Kit to an orphanage and away from her Mother. The town Doctor, however, steps in and enables Kit to remain in her precious gully home.

Some time later, the same group again try to separate the pair when both are ill. This results in the minister’s son being sent out to regularly cut wood for the women’s stove. The young man, Sid, quickly befriends the mother and tried getting to know Kit as well. Gradually, a relationship builds and they fall in love.

Tragedy strikes in the form of the local rapist attacking the gully cottage and Sid’s defence. Surprisingly, the young lovers are then separated for over a year before their spontaneous elopement. After the wedding, they visit Sid’s parents in time for a second tragedy to hit them. I must admit that I had guessed at this twist a little earlier, but it was hidden by other potential twists, so the story wasn’t too predictable. At this, Sid disappears and Kit again struggles to survive in a hostile township.

The ending is not exactly a happy one, but it does leave Kit reconciled with her life and loving her Mother. No further twists were introduced, and Morrissey openly discounted other predictable endings.

A beautiful picture book that uses poetry, images and questions to introduce children to the wonderful array of nocturnal animals found in Australia.

Most of the book is black with white text and detailed illustrations. Pictures are colourful, but only include minimal background details which adds to the overall charm and the representation of nighttime visions.

Each double page is dedicated to a particular animal or bird. On the left, three verses describe the animal and on the right is an illustration of the animal’s eye(s). The right hand page actually opens out to reveal a full image of the creature underneath, complete with its name.

Older children will enjoy guessing the creatures, whilst younger ones will purely enjoy listening to the poetry and watching the pictures unfold.

A double page at the end of the book provides more details about each of the sixteen animals featured in the book. A map of Australia illustrates where the creature is naturally found, and three paragraphs of facts include the scientific name, the animals’ diet, breeding facts and other information.

This fun and educational book was shortlisted by the Children’s Book Council of Australia in 2002 and was shortlisted by young readers for the Young Australian Readers’ Awards.

by Bryce Courtney
Penguin Books, Australia, 2007

A very different book on World War II in the Pacific, The Persimmon Tree is interesting look at relationships and standards.

Seventeen year old Nick falls in love with Anna in a matter of days and then is separated from her by the war. Nick narrates the story for us, starting with his point of view then giving us Anna’s story (based on what she has told him) and finishing with his own point of view again.

There are a number of relationships developed through the book, beyond the love between Nick and Anna. Courtney shows that stereotypes may exist but within each group people are individuals. For instance Anna has very different relationships with the two Japanese commanders of her town, and with her father and father figure.

The book shows different standards between the japanese and western army comamnds, and between the genders. While Nick has a number of lovers while in Australia, Anna however risks her life to let Nick be her first. Although Anna sets herself this standard, and women around her suggest she gives in, there is an unstated agreement from Nick that she should act that way.

Nick is a likable young bloke, but he becomes a bit too good to be true – he can speak English and Japanese and Pidgin, he undertsands life in the west, Japan and the islands, he is a perfect shot and a top cadet, he’s a loner who gets long well with people, and so on. Courtney stop short of Nick being sickly perfect, but he was less enjoyable as his character developed – Anna became more endearing throughout her story under Japanese rule.

Overall, it is a light and enjoyable read (although not a small or light book!) that gives a number of perspectives on WWII and on Indonesia’s Dutch history. It is very  human and has moments of greatness and suspense, and forms a pleasant way to spend a few winter hours in front of a cracklin fire.

We’ll see about getting some related book reviews up this month, but will also try to review some of the books you tell us about, too.

The following books may be of interest if you want to read about women who have made a difference…

Ornament And Silence: Essays On Women’s Lives From Edith Wharton To Germaine Greer

Who says I can’t? a modern woman trying to help other women succeed in business

Julia Morgan: Architect of beauty

Real Lives Caroline Chisholm learn about one of our first social workers

Helen Keller: A life descirbes the lives of two women – Helen and her extraordinary teacher Annie Sulivan.

Go ask Alice is the story of drugs and our future women.

The Freedom Writers Diary

by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell

Broadway Books, New York 1999

This is a most unusual book in that it is a diary written by about 150 people!

It sounds a bit like a movie plot (partly because a movie has been made from the story), but the Freedom Writers is a real group of students in a Californian school in the late 1990s. Inspired by the LA riots, new teacher Erin Gruwell decides to build tolerance rather than hatred and prejudice amongst her students – her ‘going nowhere’ students. Together, they achieved amazing things including flying Zlata Filipovic to speak to them and holding a peace march in Washington.

Being written by so many people, you would expect difficulties in the flow and different styles. However, the book flows together really well and it isn’t obviously written by a group of people. That is, each story stands alone but all are clear and easy to udnerstand so I moved from entry to entry without having to readjust. Whether it has been heavily edited or the students have been taught in a similar way it’s impossible to tell from the reading.

The diary covers the four years of the freedom writers moving through high school (years 9 to 12.) Apart from Erin Gruwell, who writes a diary entry at the start of each school year, the entries are not identified with a name and each student generally only has one entry included. The lack of names gives the students the chance to be completely honest in their writing and it actually helps the reader. At first, it seems strange to not know the name of someone revealing so much but it becomes easier to focus on their story without distraction of their name, gender, age or race.

What I did find hard was not knowing the entire story. Each student submitted an entry about a life changing or important moment so it is not a consistent flow between events over the four years. Sometimes, the students refer to things in a way that implied knowledge which I didn’t have – for example, little mention was made of their concert except in passing so I understood it more from the photo captions than the text. The result is that I now intend to read Erin Gruwell’s Teach with your heart to fill in the gaps.

Overall, the book is very positive and shows how unimportant the colour of our skin is compared to the person inside. It is an inspiring story of how we each can make a difference in our own lives and in the world around us, but it is not a moralising lecture. Some of those students have been through experiences most of only see in movies, but you can feel their hope as they became Freedom Writers.

To further prove their intent to change the world and strop racial problems, the authors do not get paid for this book; all author proceeds go to the Freedom Writers Foundation to help schools around the world inspire their students.

A book with sadness but hope, with many authors but a single message, with racism met with tolerance. A book worth reading.

Nancy Drew ~ Bad times, big crimes

Just recently I discovered that Nancy Drew has joined the 21st century! Here is my review of one of her new books…

Nancy Drew: bad times, big crimes

Carolyn Keene
Aladdin paperbacks, New York, 2005

Nancy Drew is a dectective character known to many girls – personally, I read a number of her books and they may well have paved the way to my current love of crime/mystery books. So it was interesting to find a new series of Nancy Drew books has been written by Carolyn Keene, the original Nancy Drew author.

I am impressed that Keene has managed to stay true to the style of her original books after so long – the last original book was written something like 40 years prior to this one! The book is still simple enough and appropriate for its young audience, and based on the principles of kindness, generosity and common sense.

It was perhaps a strange book to read as the comparison between the 1970s and 2005 Nancys was mixed in with a 1930s time travel adventure!Young readers will get a simple history lesson about the depression as they read Nancy’s struggles to live without a mobile (cell) phone and computer.

Nancy and her best friends, Bess and George, solve a string of crimes that Nancy heard about in the present, as well as solving some human issues in Riversdale.

The biggest change from the original, apart from technological updates, was the narration style. In theearlier series, Keene wrote in the third person whereas the new books are narated by Nancy. The new series follows the old series, but it isn’t clear how much after they are – Nancy still lives with her Dad and housekeeper and has had Ned Nickerson as her “boyfriend for years”, but there is no mention of her age (whereas we knew she was 18 in the first series.)

Overall, it is an easy read for an adult and suitably paced for 8 to 13 year olds – and I happily recommend it for that age group.

Who Says I can’t? by Catherine DeVrye
Bantam Books, 2005, Australia

A mix of motivation and autobiography rolled into one, this book will inspire to you follow your own path for a satisfying life. And is a very positive gift for anyone you care about.

Adopted out for reasons that were never clear to her, Catherine was raised in Canada by a loving family. A curious child, Catherine dreamed of being a missionary so she could travel the world.

Catherine’s parents died of cancer when she was in her early twenties and her grief sent her to Australia to work for three months. Since then, Australia has become her home.

The book is a clear account of Catherine’s journey to discover herself and her biological family, without being sentimental or self-promoting. The book itself is written at the encouragement of others but there is also a sense of catharsis for Catherine as she relives some of her memories.
As a student PE teacher back in Canada, Catherine would never have imagined the experiences she would later enjoy or the wonderful people she would meet. Her story introduces many of these experiences and people with a sense of awe and appreciation.

With a career including the public service and thirty years at IBM, Catherine had the opportunity to travel the world many times, including a hike up Kilimanjaro, bike riding across the Andes, learning to surf, living in Japan and whitewater rafting in Africa.

Eventually, Catherine left IBM and began her business as a motivational speaker and writer. Like all small businesses, Catherine’s had periods of low activity and others where she was overwhelmed with work. Watching Catherine learn about herself and running a business will inspire other women in business that they can achieve their dreams, too, if they really believe in them.

Although her life may appear glamorous with all of the traveling, Catherine often felt vulnerable and alone. With excerpts from her personal diary, she doesn’t avoid these feelings or talking about disastrous relationships. Instead, Catherine gives a matter of fact account of the events and feelings that is more touching for its simplicity.

Catherine survives an avalanche, broken vertebrae, an exposed kneecap, a bizarre viral infection, parasitic infection and a hairline hip fracture, but the threat of cancer hangs over and frightens her. More than twenty years after her mother’s death, Catherine is finally able to support someone else facing loss to cancer, although her own fears don’t subside.

Named as Australian Executive Woman of the Year 2005, Catherine DeVrye shares her story so that other women, Australian or otherwise, see the possibilities for themselves. Business women everywhere could do no worse than use Catherine DeVrye as a role model and inspiration, starting with reading her memoir.

After having heard this author described as the new Anne Rice I had to go check it out. With high expectations in comparison to Anne Rice’s vampire stories I was wary of being disappointed as I expected the Twilight series to mimic Anne Rice’s style and characters. I was shown wrong.

Meyer depicts a wonderful tale about a young girl, Bella Swan, who has moved to a new town, she is clumsy and describes herself as bland, yet she manages to catch the eye of the handsome and mysterious Edward Cullen. A fairly typical start to a story, but then as it progresses you discover that Edward is more than just good looking; he’s a vampire. Bella is the embodiment of what it is to be human, that is: clumsy, slow and unable to defend yourself. While Edward looks human, he is fast, agile and very strong. The clashing of these two qualities is what draws the pair together as they fall in love.

The descriptions and characteristics of the vampire’s in the Twilight series is very different to any other vampire tale yet. Meyer writes the story so it is very human and believable as she combines the very real world of high school and the fantasy realm of vampires and the supernatural.

With the fourth and final book in the Twilight series having just been released in June 2008 and the first film coming out this Summer, this series is one to get to know.

You can get further details from NSS Homepage.

How did you participate in today’s celebrations? Did you make an extra effort to read something, or to read with/to someone special?

Full moon rising

An action packed adventure story set in mid-twenty-first century Melbourne, this isn’t a book to easily put down. The plot moves along fast, but you don’t always know what is coming or where the plot will lead to, which makes it fun!

Similar to many crime books, Arthur makes it different by introducing non-humans as a known minority in society – and making the lead character a half-breed werewolf and vampire. As long as you allow yourself to believe in these creatures, the story is grounded in reality and is believable.

The most disappointing aspect of the story is that, although Australian, it is written for an American audience – the use of ‘butt’, “cell phone”, “miles” and “candy” is distracting, and the misspelling of favourite is annoying.

The sex scenes are not for the faint hearted, and there is a fair amount of violence, but is within the context of the story.

Overall, a fun way to spend a few hours!

To be diagnosed with breast cancer is to face a frightening, life-changing experience, and many women who undergo this experience demonstrate extraordinary courage, strength, humour, generosity and compassion on their breast cancer journey.

The National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC), the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) came together to work with publisher Moonstone and author and breast cancer survivor Margaret Wright on the development of a book of quotations that would convey those remarkable qualities in an inspiring and moving collection of their quotations.

Women with breast cancer, their partners, families and friends contributed quotations, poems and musings. Illustrated by artist Julianne Lord, A Pocketful of Sequins is moving, powerful, humorous and ultimately very human.

Inspirational reading for yourself or as a gift, or encouragement when someone clsoe is facing difficult times, this is a book that gives to the reader and to breast cancer research.

For more details and instructions on ordering a copy, please visit the NBCF site.