Do You Dare: Fighting Bones (1836) by S. Laguna – Book Review

By guest reviewer Liz Bray

In this historical adventure for boys, Declan and his younger brother Dan have been sentenced to transportation to Australia for stealing a pudding and a bowl of custard. They’re sent to Point Puer Boys’ Prison near Tasmania’s Port Arthur, where they join with 2 other Irish boys to create a little ‘gang’ called ‘Fighting Bones’.

When Dan sees something which could incriminate the prison bully, Striker, he is threatened with serious harm – or even death – and the boys decide the only solution is to escape the prison. What follows is a pacy, tense adventure with plenty of hair-raising moments that will test the boys’ courage and ingenuity. When they’re captured, and one boy is killed in the process, it seems all might be lost. But *spoiler alert* they do ultimately find safety and leave the prison – just not in the way we first expect.

There’s plenty of action in this story, and it champions values of mateship, honour, heroic sacrifice and looking after your family and friends. The boys learn trades such as bootmaking and gardening and we are shown that self-worth comes from working hard and creating things.

There is quite a bit of violence in the book, including institutional cruelty (lashing, solitary confinement) and fighting, physical bullying and even murder among the boy convicts. The boys also knock out a guard during their escape. The descriptions aren’t graphic, and it’s all seen through the lens of the past, but be aware of how sensitive the young reader in your life might, or might not, be about this.

There is also grief and loss and S. (Sofie) Laguna does a very good job of acknowledging and conveying these emotions in a realistic, kid-appropriate way.

Some of the plot elements did stretch my credulity a bit but I doubt young readers will care – they’ll simply be swept up in the action!

Fighting Bones is part of a series of Australian historical stories targeted specifically at boys (other books in the series cover topics including the Eureka Stockade, bushrangers and WWI). There’s some information in the back about the real Point Puer Prison and a list of other major events which happened in 1836.

The new Australian Curriculum requires that students read Historical Fiction and narratives, but I think there are plenty of reasons to offer kids historical novels outside of school, too.

I’ve recently been lucky enough to read some wonderful historical tales for adults by the likes of Elizabeth Gilbert, Christine Piper and Hilary Mantel, and travelling to the ‘exotic’ world of the past—a world like ours, but changed—and imagining myself navigating events and societal expectations back then is a real treat. The everyday details of how people lived can be fascinating. And the ‘distance’ of history somehow makes it feel ‘safer’ to read about difficult or disturbing events.

I’ve read comments from a number of educators and parents who say that historical fiction, if it's well written and not ‘dry’, has all those same benefits for kids. And because they show us so many different perspectives, historical stories can also help kids build empathy and teach them not to accept stereotypes.

I wasn’t sure about the boy-appeal of the Fighting Bones cover and the general series look, so I gave it the ‘nephew test’. Initially my nephew screwed up his nose and told me it looked ‘funky’ (not a compliment), but then he added that there are boys in his class who ‘like that sort of book’ and they would think the cover looks ‘good’.

Who’ll love this: Boys of about ten who love classic-style action and adventure. (The only girl character appears at the very end and is a spoilt pain!)

Teachers looking for texts to support the historical fiction requirements in the new Australian Curriculum will also love it.

Price: $14.99

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia

John Williamson’s Christmas in Australia illustrated by Mitch Vane – Book Review

By guest reviewer Liz Bray

Sharing favourite stories, songs and jokes can be a wonderful part of family Christmas traditions. And Christmas stories can also be a great tool in the classroom as kids wind down for the year and prepare for the festive season.

There are now a number of Australian-themed Christmas picture books around, from Mem Fox and Kerry Argent’s gorgeous classic Wombat Divine to the jokier Aussie Night Before Christmas, Santa’s Secret, Santa Koala and many more.

In this book, Mitch Vane has illustrated the lyrics of John Williamson’s very funny song about a family celebrating Christmas and trying to snap the ultimate family photo. Everyone has to be in the photo, but in each stanza someone goes missing…

The text works best if you’re familiar with the song and music. As a straight read-aloud it’s a little bit ‘flat’, but if you have Williamson’s laconic voice and the bouncy, guitar-strumming background music in your mind, it’s a lot of fun. (You can find the song on YouTube here or on Williamson’s website).

The song pays tribute to plenty of Australian Christmas experiences, including Santa arriving in a ute, the Christmas Day family cricket match and associated squabbles, and some wonderful dialogue among the adults (‘yum, yum, pig’s bum’; ‘How ya been, Tangles…I hear young Greg is playing fullback.’). And a couple of clichés (the men being useless while the women organise everything; and rather a lot of beer being drunk).

For me, the best thing about this book is definitely Mitch Vane’s very detailed, humorous illustrations, which tell us so much about each family member. Looking closely as we turn each page, we can see the baby pluck the head from the Christmas fairy and then be safely caught before it goes in its mouth; a teenage cousin transfixed by her phone as chaos descends around her; and naughty Nick filling a water bomb. There are other cheeky, irreverent details including an embarrassed adult returning from the campground amenities with a toilet roll.

Who’ll love this: Irreverent kids of around 6 and up, who’ll enjoy poring over the details in the illustrations.

It’s also a great gift for family overseas – especially if they’ve spent a Christmas in Australia and are familiar with some of our traditions.

As part of a classroom Christmas library, and prompt conversations about what Christmas means in Australia.

Price: $19.99

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia

Wilderness Fairies: Daisy’s Secret by Jodie Wells-Slowgrove and Kerry Millard – Book Review

By guest reviewer Liz Bray

I’ve worked with books for children of all ages and both genders for pretty much my whole professional life, but in my personal life the kids closest to me are boys, so I’ve been spared bedtime read-alouds with fairy-obsessed girls.

If you have a fairy-mad little girl in your life and are a little bit ‘over’ the slightly, erm, predictable plots and one-dimensional characters in some series, then ‘The Wilderness Fairies’ might be for you. The series has been widely welcomed as more parent-friendly than others because there is more depth to the characters, more charm in the illustrations and they have a generally sweet-natured approach. As one reviewer on goodreads put it, ‘Seriously if you have a kid who is into fairies get them into these books they won't make you want to stab yourself in the face.’

Daisy’s Secret is the fourth of four books in ‘The Wilderness Fairies’ series and while it can definitely be enjoyed on its own, I can see how the character and her world and friendships would have developed over the previous books. This would be very rewarding for kids who follow the whole series.

This book is well-structured in short chapters, each of which ends with a little hint of what’s coming next—great for reading in small  ‘bites’ while keeping kids interested.

While the plot elements might not be all that original (fairy Daisy is not the first magical creature in a book to fail to follow instructions, encounter human beings, or find her ‘calling’), there is real heart to the story. Daisy is resourceful, curious and courageous with a desire to do well and help others.

The major point of difference for this series is that it’s set in a tiny magic world within the Australian bush, so in this book the young fairies ride on skinks rather than mice and a human girl explores mangroves rather than a forest. The descriptions of the plants and animals have a real charm to them without feeling ‘gimmicky’.

 There’s a map of the fairy world at the front of the book, detailed illustrations throughout, and some information about some of the Australian plants and animals at the back. There’s also an explanation of how to write and decode ‘secret’ messages like those that appear in the book. This would work better for older readers who are confident with words and spelling.

Who’ll love this: Fairy-mad girls of about 6 to 7 for read-aloud or independent reading. And their long-suffering parents!

Price: $9.99

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia