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I loved the historical incorporation of the Robin Hood saga of old and the futuristic dystopic good versus evil. Robin is a forgettable high school boy, small for their age and held in disdain by most of his peers. He’s a geek and into medieval stuff and bows and arrows.
His father is also a geek and a genius, one of three original developers of a scheme to help people struggling to get low-interest loans. When the business turned into a harsh money-making exercise and ordinary people got screwed, Mr Hood got out, which made him enemies across the whole town. Corruption is rife, and Mr Hood is jailed for a crime he didn’t do.
That corruption and endangering of his father pushes Robin over the edge. How does he respond?
I enjoyed the mix of historical characters, a dystopic world and the fast pace.
Recommended for readers aged ten years or more.
Published by Hot Key Books 2020
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin
A fast-moving, high-tension story of a pair of teenage boys who witness a kidnapping and find a pair of glasses and an earpiece left on the table.
Keiran tries the glasses, and the weirdest things happen. He can see his friend Sam through them, but he can also see another scene where he hears a woman talking. It turns out that the glasses are for communicating between ground support and a spy in the field and sucks them into a world of sleuths, spies and deadly weapons.
Bex knows something is up, but does she trust the kid with Bradley’s gear? Danger is around every corner. Bradley has been taken who knows where, and a teenager she doesn’t know is using the gear. How do they sort out what is going on?
I enjoyed the extended reality of the story, the pace and the subtle humour.
Recommended for readers ten years and older.
Published by Piccadilly Press 2018.
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin.
Fergus loved riding his bike, and he was good at it. He dreamed of his team, the Hercules’ Hopefuls,’ winning the National Championships. He wished his dad was there to coach their team, but he was stuck in a parallel universe, and Fergus still had to figure out a way to rescue him.
Competition for the Nationals was tough, and the main rivals for the Hercules’ Hopefuls’ were the Velociraptors. They were a team with style, matching uniforms, a coach, and speed. The other rival team was the Wallace’s Wheels. Their captain was determined to take down the Hercules’ Hopefuls’ until disaster struck both teams. Both teams must find a solution, or the Velociraptors will take home the trophy. Can they pull together?
I enjoyed the touch of fantasy in a sport-focused story.
Recommended for readers eight years and older or young readers looking for chapter books.
Published by Piccadilly Press 2017
Illustrated by Clare Elsom
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin
Quinn is the youngest in his family, and his older brother likes to remind him of this, but he loves them and sees himself growing up on the family farm just like his older brother Shad.
His life is turned upside down when the king selects him to be trained as a mapmaker. Three boys are selected, and the captain and ship that completes the first map of the world will receive wealth Quinn’s family only dreams of.
Quinn’s phenomenal memory is recognised as highly valuable by Captain Zain, a slave who wishes to win freedom for himself and his family. However, life onboard ship travelling to the end of the world is terrifying for novice and experienced sailors alike. The competition is fierce, and the tactics are not always fair. Who will win the competition?
I enjoyed the rich characters. They have strengths and weaknesses we all have and, like us, struggle to overcome problems and celebrate success.
Recommended for readers eight years and older.
Published by Lothian 2014
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin
After all the adults disappear, things run wild for most of the town’s children, but Lucy is determined to find her mother. Her father disappeared months ago, and she thinks the disappearance might be linked.
One night, Lucy is in her wardrobe looking at her treasured possessions when she thinks she spots an eye under her bed. Initially terrified, she leaps into bed, but then she finds her courage and explores under her bed. That's when she finds things are not as she expected. What did she find?
A fun read that explores difference and acceptance.
Recommended for readers eight years and older.
Published by Puffin 2018
Illustrated by Shane Devries
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin
The sequel to Hatchet adds another adventure for Brian. Specialist survival guys come to his home and ask him to repeat this survival in the forest so they can learn to train special ops people who may find themselves stranded.
Dropped into a forest with Derek, a physiologist, it’s all too easy until a severe weather event, and Derek is struck by lightning. Once again, Brian must rely on himself to survive—this time with the added burden of an unconscious adult to save, too.
This short story is stand-alone, but if readers hadn’t read Hatchett, they might not have known the level of skill and expertise that Brian had developed to survive his time alone in the woods of Canada.
I enjoyed the tension and the resourcefulness the main character showed.
Recommended for readers eight years and older, reluctant readers looking for fast-paced action.
Published by Ember 1991
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin
This work of fiction is fabulous. An eleven-year-old girl befriends a polar bear while living on Bear Island in the Arctic Circle, where her father is posted to monitor the weather.
April Wood is a lonely, self-contained child who has experienced great grief with the death of her mother and the loss of her father, who is so overwhelmed with his grief that he is oblivious to his daughter’s needs.
Isolated and bored, April begins to explore Bear Island. She knew she was right and had glimpsed a bear on their first day. Time passes, and the Bear and April grow to trust and love each other, but the impending departure of April from the island worries her. How did Bear get left on the island all alone? Research the melting ice floats. April realises it was an accident, and Bear must get to Svalbard, where there are other polar bears. What extraordinary lengths does April go to, to save the bear?
I enjoyed the intense emotion and fantasy of the story. As the author says, polar bears are wild, dangerous animals no one should befriend. The impossibility of the friendship adds to the story.
Recommended for readers aged eight years or more.
Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2021
Illustrated by Levi Pinfold
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin
A group of teenagers are running, trying to escape capture by men in a black van. They eventually hide in an underground tunnel. Across Sydney, Dru wakes screaming, having a dentist nightmare. His identical twin, Kal, is not interested. Their class is up for a mandatory dental visit. Dru is terrified and convinces Kal to go in twice and pretend he’s Dru.
Kal has amazing strength and speed. Dru wonders what’s behind the mystery and hacks into Global Child Initiative. The company does the mandatory dental checks and realises something is seriously wrong. As Kal’s strength and speed grow, Dru's suspicions harden. Tim, who refused the dental check, has vanished, and his parents have been kidnapped. Someone is after Dru, and Kal is not sure anything is wrong. On the run, they find the teenagers hiding in the tunnels. What is the link?
I enjoyed the Sydney location and the dystopic atmosphere.
Recommended for readers eleven years and older.
Published by Lothian Children’s Books
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin
Tarin is different. He has one weak leg and is often left out and left behind. He causes a herd of mammoths to escape the hunt, and his tribe fears they will starve to death. Desperate to appease the gods, they must send an offering. Not to anywhere but the highest mountain peak is home to the god.
Tarin is ashamed and shunned for his role in the impending starvation in the coming inter. The tribe argues about who should take the offering until Tarin tells them he will go. His family are sad to see him go, but he will win the respect of the group if he is successful and be gone and probably die otherwise. With winter already starting, the journey is long, hard and cold. Can Tarin take the gift to the god, or will he live up to his reputation of being a failure?
I enjoyed the mix of cave people's history and the fear and excitement the journey holds for the main character. The twist makes the story more believable.
Recommended for readers aged eight years and older.
Published by Puffin Books 2017
CBCA notable book
Read and reviewed by Judy Wollin