Wonder by RJ Palacio

Teachers often ask for books that others recommend to read to children in their classes.  One book that has often been favourably recommended over the last year was RJ Palacio's novel Wonder.  Teachers spoke of it being written from a the point of view of the central character, as well as other children in his life.  They also spoke of the content being very valuable for children.

Currently I am a relief teacher, and one class I was in recently was having this book read to them.  I certainly wasn't going to spoil it for the teacher by reading it to the class, but while the class did their silent reading I started dipping into this book (good teachers model the behaviours of reading).  I enjoyed the first 50 pages so much that the next time I was in town I searched the book out in the Paper Plus I was in and purchased my own copy to read.

So hear is the front cover, and the ever so brief blurb:

The book is written mostly from the point of view of a boy called August Pullman.  August is 10 years old.  He has never been to school because he was born with a serious cleft pallet issue as well as another facio cranial issue.  As a result, August was home schooled due to medical issues, numerous surgeries and to protect him from the reactions of others.  However, at age 10, his parents decide it is time that August start school, in 5th grade, the beginning of Middle School.

Beecher Prep's Middle School Director, Mr Tushman, arranges for three students to give August a tour around the school during the summer break and so August will know three students on his first day of school.  The reactions of these students vary, but August is used to reactions to his appearance and tries to put on a good front to these fellow students, the staff and his family.

The book covers the journey August has during his fifth grade year.  It covers how he forms relationships with other students, deals with rejection, bullying, ignorance and fear - some of it from parents of other children. 

Occasionally the point of view switches.  His older sister Via, his friends Summer and Jack, and his sister's friends Justin and Miranda talk about their own journeys and their journey with August during this time, as they also face the challenges of forming new relationships, rejection, bullying, ignorance and fear.

I think this would be a brilliant book for instigating discussion with students, or your own children, on people who are different due to an accident or by birth in appearance.  It would be a great read to for a class, but I would then make it available to students afterwards to read at their own leisure because I think a 10 year old child and up would be able to handle this book as an independent reader.

Vicious Circle by Wilbur Smith

I love reading Wilbur Smith books.  They are an indulgence into a worlds and places I am never likely to go.  He has a superb knack of describing the environment and transporting you there, and can write some raunchy scenes with heroes who are manly yet romantic the next.  I love getting his books in hardback too because it is so much more of a decadent read too.  So often these are the books I give my Dad for Christmas, to spoil him.  It helps that our reading tastes often cross over for my benefit.

Vicious Circle is the second book in what I assume will at least be a trilogy.  The book this follows on from is called Those in Peril, and I have not read that, so I guess I will need to track it down.  The third book, Predator, is being released now in 2016.

Below is the cover and the blurb.

As you can tell from the blurb, this is a rollicking adventure.  It is violent and, at times, vile to read, but with moments of desolation, tenderness and adoration.

Hector is devastated by the loss of his wife Hazel, and soon realises that his baby daughter Catherine is at continued sustained risk from an enemy that just won't quit.  He has to secure her safety first, and turns to those he trusts the most to secure that safety, before he and his team work to identify who is targeting him and his daughter.

Along the way a family secret from Hazel's first late husband's past is found to be the catalyst to this violence and explains the, until then, background to the actions in Those in Peril.  And I am picking that because you know that there is a third book, that the threat is not totally annihilated at the end of Vicious Circle.

There is an aspect of 'as if' as you read parts of this book, but that is the decadence of reading such a book.  And it is why I keep reading Wilbur Smith books because I am transported to a world that is definitely not mine.

A Tattooed Heart by Deborah Challinor

A Tattooed Heart is the fourth and final book by Deborah Challinor in her series about four convicts deported from Newgate Gaol to Sydney in the early 1830s.  I had been hanging out for the release of this book in late 2015 since I polished off The Silk Thief in December 2014.  So I pounced on it when I first saw it in store in November, and I tried eking this book out over a number weeks, but once a weekend came I just devoured it.

So check out the cover and blurb here below.

Each book has covered the story of all the girls, but a little more focus is placed on one girl in each book.  The initial book, Behind the Sun, focuses on all four girls, introducing the characters and exploring their growing bond.  In Girl of Shadows the focus was more on Sarah; in The Silk Thief it was Harriet that was the focus.  So if you have read the previous three books, it stands to reason that Friday is more of the focus in A Tattooed Heart.

This book picks up where the previous, The Silk Thief, leaves off.  Harriet seems to be over the demons that afflicted her in the previous book.  Although still fragile, she has realised the love and support she has from her husband and friends and endeavours to live her life.  Her husband, James, plots to ensure Harriet has even more to live for, surprising her with a reunion that bolsters Harriet and brings fresh characters into the series that impact on the story lines.

Friday mopes about until a surprise return by Aria and a new direction in her career proposed by Mrs Hislop give her a much needed boost.  Despite these events, the blackmail still weighs heavily upon her and her weakness for the booze threatens to lose both Aria and the dedication of Mrs Hislop from her life.  Friday also finds that Bella Jackson throws a curve ball into her life as well as a possible solution for a problem Mrs Hislop has long kept secret.

Aria also has revenge against Bella Jackson on her mind, after the theft of her uncle's tattooed head.  But her mother and father and fiancée also come looking for her in an effort to drag her away from Friday.

Sarah continues to use her unique talents to help the group figure out Bella Jackson's secrets and hold over them.  While she tries to keep the blackmail secret from her husband, Adam, he actually knows more than she realises and in the end gets the story more or less out of Sarah. 

Meanwhile, Jonah O'Leary lurks ominously around, convinced Harriet is the key to finding his brother and thinks baby Charlotte is the leverage he needs.  Leo makes a deal with Bella to protect young Walter who has returned despite the danger to his life.  Matthew is heartbroken by one young lady, but James' surprise for Harriet opens up new opportunities for Matthew.  And when the worst comes to the worst, Mrs Hislop's assistance is required and it brings back Captain Rian Farrell and his crew (from The Smuggler's Wife series and Girl of Shadows) back into the story to help Harriet, Sarah and Friday to save baby Charlotte.

Once again the book submerges you into the life of 1830s Sydney with apt description, a story line that sucks you in and then some twists and turns and a conclusion that rounds up the stories of these characters.  While you are sad to leave these characters, as it is the end of the series, the storylines are completed and it is the end.

Jack of Diamonds by Bryce Courtenay

Bryce Courtenay is a legendary writer.  South African born and raised, Courtenay was a married man and father well established in the advertising world in Australia (he is credited with Louie the Fly and the Milky Bar Kid) when he began getting his writing published.  A quick glance through the titles he has had published, starting with The Power of One in 1989, shows me I only have a handful left to read.

Sadly, Bryce Courtenay passed away from gastric cancer in 2012 and his final book was Jack of Diamonds.  Here is the cover and blurb from the cover flap.

This book begins in the depressed slum of Toronto, Canada, in the Great Depression.  The title character, Jack Spayd, is lucky enough to catch the ear of a jazz pianist while playing a harmonica his father gave him out the back of a piano club and so begins his education thanks to a benefactor.  Jack serves a short apprenticeship playing piano in a prairie city out west before becoming a media and army entertainer in WWII Europe. 

On his return from war, Jack moves to Las Vegas after being prompted by an old war friend, who is from a mob family.  This is an exciting time, when Las Vegas rapidly developed from a small desert town into the neon flashing, 24 hour entertainment and gambling capital of the US.  Alas, another old war time friend is a constant threat to all who Jack holds dear in Las Vegas and finally an event tips the balance and Jack is left to contemplate his future without his dearest passion and the woman he loves.

This takes Jack to Africa, to a new adventure, where his talents with the cards win him friends and enemies, but his colour blind attitude to race causes him greater problems again.

At the end of the book, there is a footnote from Courtenay claiming he had material for a second book about Jack.... but he had run out of life to write it.  Instead his second book was squished into 13 page Epilogue which ties up the lose ends of the story of Jack Spayd.

What I love about Bryce Courtenay is that he is a great thinker of stories.  His novels have an epic quality.  However, they all have a degree of waffle that get on my goat.  The detail that Courtenay goes to his books can be a bit monotonous and longwinded.  It is as consistent in each of his novel as his voice is in the story telling.  I can picture Courtenay and his editor battling out how much waffle could be trimmed from each novel.  As much as the waffle irritates me, his epic story telling engulfs me in each of his novels every time.... and Jack of Diamonds is no exception.

I think this meme below sums up me as a reader and how easy it is to be enveloped into the world of story telling by Bryce Courtenay.

Pacific by Judy Nunn

Fun fact about this author: Judy Nunn is a well known Australian actress, particularly well known for her role in Home and Away as Ailsa Stewart, Alf's wife, and a screenwriter.  She has proven that not only is she a talent on the stage and screen, but Judy Nunn is also an engaging story teller.

Pacific is about a young Australian soap actress, Samantha, who goes to England to star in a pantomime in a seaside town.  She is boarded in a stately home which now offers luxury accommodation.  This is where time shifts back into the decades leading up to the second World War, focusing on the young girl who lived in the house and her working class best friend growing up into young ladies as WWII breaks out.

 

Samantha is offered a breakout film role to be filmed in Vanuatu.  The film is loosely based on a woman called Mumma Tack and her love affair with an American soldier in Vanuatu during WWII - a story which links back to the house Samantha stayed in in England while acting in the pantomime. 

 

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The switching back and forth between the modern and past times added texture and intrigue to the story.  Judy Nunn paints a vivid picture with words of the characters, places and times.

The Silk Thief by Deborah Challinor

I've already reviewed the first to books in this series by Deborah Challinor, Behind the Sun and Girl of Shadows.  The Silk Thief is the third book, with a fourth and final book released before the end of 2015.

Deborah Challinor has written another gripping story, with the action starting right from the first page.  Here is the front cover and back blurb:

 

This story continues where Girl of Shadows left off in the tale of Friday, Sarah and Harriet and their many friends and enemies.  Bella Jackson is still trying to extort the girls as she holds knowledge of their past deeds over them, and to add to that is the death of Bella's most hideous partner in crime by the young cabin boy on the journey from England to Sydney after Friday handed over the bribe money.

 

Add to the mix Harriet's frail mind, Friday discovering her soul mate, Sarah's determination to keep the blackmail by Bella under wraps from her husband and the discovery of some secrets and talents of several other characters, and this rich tale envelops you into the routine and the rhythm of their lives.

 

I read this book during the summer of 2014/2015 and I was left hanging for the final book to finish the story and tie up all the loose ends - particularly why Bella Jackson wanted to have such control over Friday, Sarah and Harriet.

Brave Company by David Hill

Anzac Day is one of the most important days in the history of New Zealand.  It was the ignition of a series of events that began the formation of the New Zealand identity and loosened the apron ties of Mother England.  It was also the beginning of unimagined sacrifice by a country with a small population.

As a teacher, I believe that this important part of our history should never be forgotten and is a valuable part of the learning journey for our children.  Consequently I teach an Anzac Day unit each year and supply and read a selection of war stories to the children.

Last year I reviewed the David Hill novel My Brother's War set in WWI about two brothers, one who volunteered to serve and one who was a conscientious objector but was forced onto the battlefield against his beliefs.  Since that review I purchased another David Hill book focused on a different war.

Brave Company is set during the Korean Conflict and the main character is 16 year old Russell who is a member of the New Zealand Navy serving on a ship called HMNZS Taupo which has been sent to participate in the Korean Conflict.  Korea is war rarely discussed in terms of every day conversations on war, but New Zealand sent 4700 soldiers to serve during the 1950-1953 war and then as a peace keeping force during the armistice until 1957, and 1300 sailors served on frigates during the war and armistice, and all up 45 military personnel were lost.  (www.nzhistory.net.nz - Korean War)

I had a great uncle serve in Korea.  The first time I did an Anzac Day unit my Gran lent me a postcard Uncle T sent home about Christmas time with the Christmas Day menu on it.  I also treasure the photo I acquired of him in uniform with my great grandfather (who served in WWI) and great grandmother.  Uncle T saw enough of war in Korea to oppose his own son joining the army to serve in Vietnam.

This is the front cover and the blurb on the back cover:

 

 

Russell's family has a secret about an uncle who served and died in WWII who Russell once looked up to.  During his time in Korea Russell finds out about his uncle and discovers not all in what it appears to be.

 

Russell is a boy seaman on a frigate and the battle scene the frigate is involved in is tense and described in detail.  The tension is built throughout the book with innuendo about his uncle weaved through.  Hill doesn't reveal the questions asked about Russell's uncle early in the book.  They emerge as Russell's character is revealed and he meets a man who served with his uncle as he makes several trips into the battlefields of Korea. 

 

The book also reveals the plight of the Korean people as they fled their homes in the battle zone and the impact upon the children in particular.  Russell makes connections with a brother and sister in this predicament and demonstrates another side to his character as his understanding of their situation develops.

 

Again this is a great book to engage children in the realities and impacts of war.  It is a particularly good book to target boys aged 10 up to read, but I believe girls will also read this book.