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The Bravest Word by Kate Foster

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The Bravest Word by Kate Foster

Matt can’t work out what’s going on. Football, which was everything to him, he can’t do it anymore. In the last game, his chest got so tight, he felt sick. He was subbed off. That wasn’t right. He was the champion. Why couldn’t he do it anymore?

School was a nightmare. He couldn’t do the homework, couldn’t concentrate in class, couldn’t do it. He was a failure, sleeping, crying, and letting his friends down.

Matt always wanted a dog. Will he be allowed to keep the dog they found abandoned in the forest? Having a dog will fix matt. He is sure of it. Only it doesn’t. What is going on with Matt?

I enjoyed the richness of the story. Anxiety and depression are common in children and adults, but still, it is stigmatised, hidden and often hard to talk about—a great introduction to these common health issues.

Recommended for middle grade and older people.

Published by Walker Books2022

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Arrowhead by Ruth Eastham

The Bravest Word by Kate Foster

Worst Week Ever Monday by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove

Jack is the new kid, Lukas the school bully and Skuli, the victim. Jack is conflicted. If he helps Skuli, Lukas might turn on him but if he leaves the boy he could get badly hurt. Emma stands apart from the chanting mass of children.

Jack decides to help Skuli, and their lives are turned upside down. First, Skuli shows Jack a gold arrowhead and then, deep in an ice cave, there’s a boy, a dead boy, who looks remarkably like Jack.

As Jack touches the dead boy’s hand, an instant connection leaves Jack shattered. He knows what the runes say. He’s seen evil. He knows the arrowhead must be returned. Jack, Skuli and Emma set out to end the curse.

I enjoyed the Nordic theme, the ballad and the tension in the story.

Worst Week Ever Monday by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove

Life is complicated for Justin Chase. First, he has the same name as the celebrity Justin Chase. His mum is getting married, and he’s going to live with his dad. That means a change of schools.

Mum likes rules, and Justin wishes his dad would follow some. At least one – don’t embarrass your kid. No such luck. Dad takes his plumbing business very seriously and drives around on a huge toilet-shaped truck.

Day one at the new school gets off to a rough start with Justin’s uniform being too small and Dad driving him to school in the toilet truck.

Justin is a good swimmer and day one is the swimming carnival. What could go wrong with his togs – the ones grandma croqueted for him? The rest of the day nose-dives too. What happens?

I enjoyed the humour of the story. The illustrations added richness too.

The Bakery of Happiness by Ian Beck

Worst Week Ever Monday by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove

The Man in the Water by David Burton

Paul du Pain was a baker in a shabby part of Paris. His bread has beautiful hard crusts and soft insides. Children call at the shop on their way to school, and people on their way to work. Marie, his assistant, serves them.

Marie is special. She knew everyone’s names, and her greeting make them feel special. One day Paul hopes to have the courage to ask her out.

A man from the opera hears how Marie calls each person’s name. He offers her a new life. What did she choose?

I enjoyed the joy of the story.

The Man in the Water by David Burton

Worst Week Ever Monday by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove

The Man in the Water by David Burton

Shaun has one friend, Will. He makes life in the small mining town and school bearable. Shaun is injured in class when as teacher smashes on his desk. Shain consoles himself by running away and sitting beside a lake out of town.

A body floats to the lake's surface, and stunned, Shaun, isn't sure what he's seeing. When he touches the dead man's hand, Shaun knows exactly what he's found – a body.

The police reluctantly follow Shaun to the lake, but the body's gone. Nobody believes he saw the body except Bill. Their decision to find the killer leads them into danger and trouble far greater than anything they have ever experienced. What do they uncover?

Recommended for readers aged 10 years and above.

Published by UQP 2019

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Finding Gobi By Dion Leonard

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Dion Leonard strives to be a world-class multi-stage ultra-marathon runner. He wasn't always a runner but was inspired and supported by his wife and fellow runner Lucja.

A multi-stage, seven-day run in China was Dion's chance to convince himself and his sponsors that he was the real deal and could make a life for himself running. It was not unusual for him to see spectators and local stray dogs – belonging to no one and surviving by their wits during a run.

A small yellow mutt ran beside Duion for two days – the equivalent of running marathons. No dog had ever done that, and Dion began first to admire the dog and then to care about the dog and promised to bring her home to Edinburgh. Getting a dog from China to Scotland was much harder than Dion and Lucja expected and took a mountain of ingenuity and support from people everywhere to achieve.

I enjoyed the non-fiction story of the runner and the dog. Both had endured hardship.

Recommend for readers aged 10 years and above.

Published by HarperCollins 2018

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Christopher is not like other children. He doesn’t like change, people touching him or shouting at him, and he wanders the neighbourhood at night when he can’t sleep. He finds Mrs Shears’ dog dead in her front yard and sets out to discover who killed her dog.

This book is written in first-person, with Christopher’s perspective leading the story. Christopher is unusual, and his behaviour is hard to cope with for the people around him. He attends a special school and is very good at maths.

The story follows him searching for answers for the dead dog and results in him uncovering terrible family secrets. What does he find?

I found the first-person point of view and the main characters’ difficulties with life insightful.

Recommended for readers aged 12 years and more.

Published by David Flicking Books an imprint of Random House Children’s Books 2003, this edition 2010.

Winner Whitebread Book of the Year.

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee

Lenny, her brother and their single mother live in a small apartment in a large city in the USA in the 1970s. Life is tough most of the time, with money being short. When Lenny’s little brother Davey is born, her mother has a hunch that something is wrong.

Lenny manages school, but she is not one of the pretty, popular girls. Easily distracted, she struggles in the classroom but loves reading the encyclopedia posted to her home every week.

School gets harder when Lenny’s younger brother starts. He is the size of an eight-year-old, but his lovely personality helps him fit in. He grows taller and taller. Lenny is ashamed of being ashamed of him. His size, his awkwardness, and his complete lack of guile.

Finally, Davey’s size results in a visit to the family doctor. What does he diagnose? What are the implications for the whole family?

I enjoyed the rich characters and the vivid descriptions of the story world.

Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner

Alia Henry and the Ghost Writer by Christine Betts

Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee

This non-fiction account of the murder of Joe Cinque and the subsequent trials of Anu Singh and her friend Madhavi Rao is both gripping and chilling.

The focus of the story is the outcome for Joe’s family, his brother, and his parents. Helen Garner asks the question how can the law possibly address the trauma, grief and suffering of the murder victim’s family?

The question around mental Illness and diminished responsibility is addressed raising the dilemma that a lighter sentence may be reasonable in the presence of diminished responsibility but that further alienates and distresses the victim’s family. How can the concept of justice be served for both the person with diminished responsibility and the victim’s family?

A provocative read recommended for young adults 15+ and adult readers.

Published by Picador 2004

Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin

Alia Henry and the Ghost Writer by Christine Betts

Alia leads a hedonistic lifestyle that she loves, but she is causing trouble for herself, and her manager and it looks like she’ll miss the deadline for the books she promised her publisher.

Drastic action from her manager follows and Alia finds herself in not quite house arrest but certainly very much curtailed and she must write. Much to her surprise, the French mansion she is held in has secrets and odd goings-on that catch her interest. What does Alia find and how does it affect her?

I enjoyed the multiple mysteries surrounding a number of characters.

Recommended for young adult and adult readers.

Published by Christine Betts 2018

Henry Hamlet’s Heart by Rhiannon Wilde

Alia Henry and the Ghost Writer by Christine Betts

Henry, known as Hamlet at school, loves the Arts and Drama at his all-boys school. He and his friend Len attend a year 12 party where Henry sees the girl who invited him making out with her boyfriend. Henry hits the vodka big time to console himself.

He wanders through the house and garden and finds other drunk schoolmates, including his best from Len, playing Truth or Dare. Very drunk, Henry joins in even though he doesn’t like the boys playing the game.

Len is dared to kiss Henry, and Henry nods in agreement.

That kiss throws Henry’s world upside down. The soul searching that follows, the doubts, the questions and the uncertainty he feels are a crisis on top of the pressure that is Year 12.

I enjoyed the insights into 17-18-year-old boys’ sexual awakening.