Review: The Kaboom Kid #2: Playing Up

The Kaboom Kid #2: Playing Up

Author: David Warner

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

Age group: 8-11

Pages: 160 pages

Release date:  December 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

For Ages: 8 - 11

Meet Little Davey Warner. He lives in Sandhill Flats with his mum and dad and his brother Steve – and his stinky dog Max. Davey and his schoolmates – even Max – are MAD for cricket. All they want to do is play … but there’s always something getting in their way.

In this second book in the series, Davey wishes he could be as good a cricketer as his older brother Steve, who’s always telling him to practise more. And there’s nothing else that Davey and his mates like to do more – the classroom is as good as the playground, right? Mr Mudge, the Year 6 teacher and absolute grump, doesn’t think so, especially after being donked on the head by the ball, and confiscates Davey’s precious bat, ‘Kaboom’.

What’s Davey going to do without his precious bat? It’s like a part of his body. And of course a selector has turned up at club training, and Davey’s HOPELESS without his bat. He’s really happy for his mate, Sunil, though, who the selector taps on the shoulder.

Davey’s feeling pretty down – that is, until Steve asks him to play up and fill in on his team for a big match. Davey’s ecstatic, but then realises that without Kaboom, he’ll let his brother down. He’s GOT to get Kaboom back … but how? And why does Mo Clouter think he can find it? In the meantime, Davey will keep practising, but will he be good enough to be play with his brother?

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book for review from the publishers, Simon & Schuster Australia.

Our main character is Davey Warner who lives in Sandhill Flats with his parents, his brother Steve and his dog Max. Davey absolutely loves cricket and tries to play it at any opportunity he can get.

When grumpy Mr Mudge, his year six teacher that despises cricket confiscates Kaboom, Davey’s beloved cricket bat Davey is more than dismayed. He is encouraged to practice his bowling but with the selectors due to view his game he didn’t feel he could do it without his special bat.

My 9 year old is a big fan of this series; he loved the first book The Big Switch but said this one was just as great! He did agree with Mr Mudge on Davey’s punishment which surprised me, he thought if he broke the rules he should be punished.

With easy to read text, short paragraphs and some wonderful illustrations – I highly recommend this series, especially to sports loving boys.

Thank you to Simon & Shuster Australia for the opportunity to read and review The Kaboom Kid #2: Playing Up.

Review: The Kaboom Kid #1: The Big Switch by David Warner

The Kaboom Kid #1: The Big Switch

Author: David Warner

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

Age group: 8-11

Pages: 160 pages

Release date:  December 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

For ages 8-11

Meet Little Davey Warner. He lives in Sandhill Flats with his mum and dad and his brother Steve – and his stinky dog Max. Davey and his schoolmates – even Max – are MAD for cricket. All they want to do is play … but there’s always something getting in their way.

In this first book in the series, Davey and his friends have a big game coming up against Shimmer Bay, their arch rivals in the local comp. They need to practise, and spend all their free time at school – in the morning and at lunchtime – making sure they’ll be ready.

But disaster strikes. Davey and his friends find out their new teacher is Mr Mudge, a strict grump who HATES cricket even more than he hates Year 6 boys, and thanks to bully Mo Clouter, they find themselves on detention. Which means no cricket.

The boys are desperate. They’re going to need to pull something special out of the bag to win against Shimmer Bay. Davey’s mates have some ideas, one that could really get them into trouble, but it means getting around Mo, who seems to be everywhere they turn.

But Davey has an idea that he thinks may just work … he just needs to practise. Will he pull it off in time for the game against Shimmer Bay?

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

The Kaboom Kid is part of a new series written by David Warner and aimed for children between the ages of 8-11.

Our main character is Davey Warner who lives in Sandhill Flats with his parents, his brother Steve and his dog Max. Davey absolutely loves cricket and tries to play it at any opportunity he can get.

Davey and his mates came across a problem when the start of the school year they get Mr Mudge as their Year 6 teacher, a man who would do anything to prevent the boys from playing a sport they all love. We enjoyed the way this problem was dealt with as well as the preparations and game against their arch rivals Shimmer Bay.

All of the characters were written well but we especially liked Davey who was likeable, we especially loved the background details on his cricket bat which was passed on from his grandfather and named Kaboom.

The chapters and short which really appealed to my 9 year old and there are illustrations throughout so it was visually entertaining.

The Kaboom Kid #1: The Big Switch is written well and my son didn’t find it difficult, confusing or overwhelming – I highly recommend this book, especially for young boys.

Thank you to Simon & Shuster Australia for the opportunity to read and review The Kaboom Kid #1: The Big Switch.

Review: Bums & Tums by Mandy Foot

Author: Mandy Foot

Publisher/Source: Hachette Australia

Release date: April 2015

Synopsis: The first lift-the-flap book from best-selling illustrator Mandy Foot.

Who has an orange bellybutton and hangs from a tree?

Who's big all over, but especially on their ears?

Who lives in Africa and has stripes on their knees?

Make a guess from the clue and the close-up picture, then lift the flap to see if you are right!

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

I feel Bums & Tums is more for the younger reader, it is a vibrant and wonderfully illustrated lift the flap book that introduces you to some wonderful animals - it was a great guessing game for the kids.

As a lover of all animals, my daughter especially loved Bums & Tums and loved pulling out each of the pages to see which animal was hiding behind it - she made a bit of a fun game out of it and enjoyed learning more about each of the animals.

The illustrations were detailed, I was quite impressed by the quality and talent.

Thank you to Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read and review Bums & Tums.

Biographical Notes 

Mandy Foot is a self-proclaimed animal nut and horse lover and works in a studio in the Adelaide Hills. Mandy's picture books for Lothian include the very popular Captain Kangaroo series and the bestsellers THE WHEELS ON THE BUS and OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM.

For free music and other fun downloads visit www.mandyfoot.com.au or follow her on twitter.com/mandy_foot

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• ISBN: 9780734415936
• Publication date: 31 Mar 2015
• Page count: 24

Review: The Blue Polar Bear by Samantha Tidy

Author: Samantha Tidy

Illustrator: Ian Forss

Published by DoCs, NSW, 2006

Synopsis: Billy the polar bear has noticed that his father has been behaving strangely lately - why does he like to eat Bluespike Eels when all the other polar bears eat Silvertail fish like Billy? When Father Bear eats a Bluespike Eel, something terrible happens and the other bears have to come and look after him, whilst Billy stays with his auntie. A poignant story for children affected by parental dual diagnosis (mental illness/substance abuse).

A commissioned book, to assist Australian children aged 5 - 7 with parental dual diagnosis (mental illness/substance abuse), transition towards understanding and acceptance.

Read The Blue Polar Bear online by clicking here or order one for free through this link.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

My daughters favourite animal is the polar bear so she was more than keen to read The Blue Polar Bear.

We meet a sweet little growing bear named Billy Bear who is starting to notice changes in his dad, Father Bear which usually meant he was becoming sick. On a day out fishing, Father Bear caught a Bluespike Eel which made him feel very sad, confused and apologetic to his son, he didn't know what had come over him - it had also turned his white coat to blue.

The Blue Polar Bear has a wonderful message and was developed as part of the Dual Diagnosis Support kit for the Department of Community Services, this book is aimed at children between the ages of 5-7 years old and aims to introduce the issues of mental illness and substance misuse. It was written in a way that was easy to understand and with kindness and compassion.

The Blue Polar Bear was beautifully written, it was detailed and Billy Bear was wonderful, you could tell how much he worried for his dad - all he wanted was for him to get better. Aunty Bear also played a pivotal role in the care of Billy.

I highly recommend The Blue Polar Bear, I was moved by the message.

About the author: Proudly born and bred in Fremantle, Western Australia, Samantha Tidy is a Canberra-based writer of adult, young adult and children's fiction. In addition to her own writing, she works passionately as a literary mentor and publishing consultant, helping other writers overcome many of the narrative hurdles that wordsmithery brings.

A Brief History

Samantha's first novel was originally titled The Goodbye Kisses. She entered it into the T.A.G. Hungerford Award for Fiction, in 2000 and received Runner Up. Promptly, she quit her day job and went and lived in a derelict caravan by the beach in Hamelin Bay, Western Australia, to write her next novel. After a few months, the West Australian winter crept in and she quickly realised that writers rarely get to quit their day job and she set about learning to balance her passion for writing, with more promising and regular income streams. She never did publish the novel that she wrote in that caravan, but it taught her a thing or two about learning to write when no one is watching.

Samantha re-titled that first novel, and it was published as Cappuccino Diva in 2003 by Black Coffee Press. The novel tells the story of a year (1997) in the life of urban Fremantle. This novel was listed on the WA ESL curriculum for several years, and is studied in some schools in Western Australia.

In October 2004, Samantha participated in the Inaugural Ubud Writers' and Readers' Festival in Bali Indonesia, where she presented a writing workshop and gave readings of her first novel.

In 2005, Samantha was commissioned by the NSW Government to write two children's picture books, The Flying Dream (illustrated by Connah Brecon) and The Blue Polar Bear (illustrated by Ian Forss) which were published in January 2006 by the Department of Community Services, NSW. Both books have a current circulation of around 30,000 each. These two texts help children understand when a parent has Dual Diagnosis (where mental illness is combined with substance abuse). The project won a major trans-Tasman award (Mental Health Service, Australia/New Zealand - Gold Award for promotion of Mental Health) and a Highly Commended in the 2006 NSW Premier's Public Sector Awards.

Interspersed with travel overseas, Samantha spent the first seven years of her career as an English and French teacher, which enabled her to live in several beautiful parts of Western Australia, including a remote Aboriginal community (which was the inspiration for the Kimberley desert setting for her novel, The Happiness Jar).

Her main career focus for the past ten years has been in museum and arts education, developing a strong passion for Australian history and cultural heritage, notably at the Australian War Memorial and the State Library of Victoria, where she has led teams of passionate educators, towards communicating Australia’s heritage to young people. Her most recent role was Head of Education at Australia's national touring company, Bell Shakespeare.

In 2008, her professional contribution in this field was acknowledged and she lived and worked in Paris for 4 months, as the recipient of a research fellowship, at the Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF). She wrote a 20,000 word paper on how international libraries can learn from each other, when catering for youth and future generations within the changing world of information. Samantha now consults to the library/museum sector, on education resources and programs.

Along the way, Samantha has also freelanced in writing non-fiction for magazines and newspapers, with work published in Australia, Ireland and Indonesia, and she has been commissioned to write pieces for major international publishers such as Dorling Kindersley, UK.

In 2009, Samantha completed her Masters in Creative Writing at The University of RMIT, Melbourne, titled "In Heaven as it is on Earth: Created Heavens in Contemporary Literature, focussing on The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold."  Her most recent novel, The Happiness Jarwas the project text to her Masters degree.

In March 2011, the unpublished manuscript of The Happiness Jar received Commended (3rd place out of 81 entries) in the 2010 FAW National Jim Hamilton Award for an unpublished manuscript.

In June 2011, it was shortlisted for a Penguin Varuna Scholarship and also shortlisted in November 2011 for a Harper Collins Varuna Award for Manuscript Development.

The Happiness Jar was published by Storytorch Press in September 2013, whereupon it received Highly Commended in the FAW Christina Stead Award, 2013. The Happiness Jar also won the ACT Writing and Publishing Award for Fiction in December 2014.

In 2014, Samantha presented at the Southern Highland Writers' Festival in July and atCorrugated Lines: a festival of words (Broome Writers' Festival) in August, which included some very wonderful workshops with primary students on cultivating and capturing happiness.

In 2015, she will be running similar workshops for young people at the Jugiong Writers' Festivalin March and a writing workshop at the ACT Writers' Centre in May. Other events are also in the pipeline and will be listed here when confirmed.

On a more personal note, Samantha is a passionate permaculturalist, pantheist, and potter. 

Review: The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend by Felicity Gardner

Author:  Felicity Gardner

Illustrator: David West

Publisher/Source: Hachette Australia

Release date: 24/012/2015

Paperback $14.99

Synopsis: Have you ever wondered what your dog is really thinking? Read this book to find out!

An older, wiser dog offers hilarious advice to puppies about how to be a pet, including quickly grabbing any snacks left laying around before your owner changes their mind, helping out by 'sorting' the rubbish and always leading the way on walks.

All dog-lovers will laugh with recognition at this very funny story from a talented husband-and-wife duo.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend by Felicity Gardner is a wonderfully illustrated and humorous story about how to choose your new best friend - your pet dog.

My daughter was able to read this book easily and with understanding, with large text and some wonderful humour, it was written from the point of view of an older, wiser dog, you get a glimpse into what they're thinking which the kids found to be quite funny, we could relate to their antics.

The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend is a delightful, easy read that I highly recommend, especially for dog lovers. The pictures by David West are detailed and vibrant.

Thank you to Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read and review The Complete Guide to a Dog's Best Friend.

Biographical Notes 

Felicity Gardner is an illustrator from South West Sydney who studied illustration and design at the Design Centre, Enmore. Her work has featured in various magazines, advertisements and exhibitions and she is the illustrator of WHERE'S MY POTTY, SNOWY AND SNUFFLES, MY GRUMPY DAY and THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO A DOG'S BEST FRIEND. As well as illustrating THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO A DOG'S BEST FRIEND, she also co-authored the story with her husband David West. They based the story around their own dog, Banjo, who is the bossiest member of their family.

David West is a primary school teacher from South West Sydney. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO A DOG'S BEST FRIEND is the first children's book that he has co-authored with his wife Felicity Gardner, but this is not his first book. With the help of his students, he has created multiple other books that have been self published and distributed around the playground.

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• ISBN: 9780734415424
• Publication date: 24 Feb 2015
• Page count: 24

Review: Nightbird by Alice Hoffman

Nightbird

Author: Alice Hoffman

Publisher/Source: Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 206

Release date: 5^th March 2015

Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Twig lives in a remote area of town with her mysterious brother and her mother, baker of irresistible apple pies. A new girl in town might just be Twig's first true friend, and ally in vanquishing an ancient family curse. A spellbinding tale of modern folklore set in the Berkshires, where rumours of a winged beast draw in as much tourism as the town's famed apple orchards.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman was kindly provided to me by Simon and Schuster Australia and is perfect for those interested in Middle Grade novels.

Nightbird is set in Sidwell, apple-country in New England and follows the story of Teresa or Twig as she more commonly known, she is a part of a family with a very big secret so she doesn’t allow anyone to get close but things quickly change when a wonderful family move in next door.

I liked Twig as a character, she had a great imagination, was likeable and you could get a real feel for her loneliness which really tugs at your heart strings, I enjoyed the friendship she came to have with her neighbour Julia.

Nightbird is a well written, magical fantasy with interesting, likeable characters – filled with many surprises, curses, witches and a small town setting it was a delightful little fairy tale that also showcased a lovely friendship. I am not much of a MG reader but certain parts I would get my 10 year-old to read out loud and he quite enjoyed it so he has actually started to read it himself.

Despite enjoying this book, there was a lot of telling rather than showing and a few plot holes but overall it was a quick and entertaining read. This book is written for the younger audience who enjoy fairy tales about magic, fantasy and things that stretch beyond the imagination.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia for the opportunity to read and review Nightbird by Alice Hoffman.

  

About the author: Alice Hoffman was born in New York City on March 16, 1952 and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Adelphi University, from which she received a BA, and then received a Mirrellees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which she attended in 1973 and 74, receiving an MA in creative writing. She currently lives in Boston and New York. 

Hoffman’s first novel, PROPERTY OF, was written at the age of twenty-one, while she was studying at Stanford, and published shortly thereafter by Farrar Straus and Giroux. She credits her mentor, professor and writer Albert J. Guerard, and his wife, the writer Maclin Bocock Guerard, for helping her to publish her first short story in the magazine Fiction. Editor Ted Solotaroff then contacted her to ask if she had a novel, at which point she quickly began to write what was to become PROPERTY OF, a section of which was published in Mr. Solotaroff’s magazine, American Review. 

Since that remarkable beginning, Alice Hoffman has become one of our most distinguished novelists. She has published a total of sixteen novels, two books of short fiction, and eight books for children and young adults. Her novel, HERE ON EARTH, an Oprah Book Club choice, was a modern reworking of some of the themes of Emily Bronte’s masterpiece Wuthering Heights. PRACTICAL MAGIC was made into a Warner film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Her novel, AT RISK, which concerns a family dealing with AIDS, can be found on the reading lists of many universities, colleges and secondary schools. Hoffman’s advance from LOCAL GIRLS, a collection of inter-related fictions about love and loss on Long Island, was donated to help create the Hoffman Breast Center at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. BLACKBIRD HOUSE is a book of stories centering around an old farm on Cape Cod. Hoffman's recent books include AQUARMARINE and INDIGO, novels for pre-teens, and The New York Times bestsellers THE RIVER KING, BLUE DIARY, THE PROBABLE FUTURE, and THE ICE QUEEN. GREEN ANGEL, a post-apocalyptic fairy tale about loss and love, was published by Scholastic and THE FORETELLING, a book about an Amazon girl in the Bronze Age, was published by Little Brown. This fall Little Brown published the teen novel INCANTATION, a story about hidden Jews during the Spanish Inquisition, which Publishers Weekly has chosen as one of the best books of the year. In January 2007, SKYLIGHT CONFESSIONS, a novel about one family’s secret history, was released on the 30th anniversary of the publication of Hoffman’s first novel.

Hoffman’s work has been published in more than twenty translations and more than one hundred foreign editions. Her novels have received mention as notable books of the year by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, Library Journal, and People Magazine. She has also worked as a screenwriter and is the author of the original screenplay “Independence Day,” a film starring Kathleen Quinlan and Diane Weist. Her short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe Magazine, Kenyon Review, Redbook, Architectural Digest, Gourmet, Self, and other magazines. Her teen novel AQUAMARINE was recently made into a film starring Emma Roberts.