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Good Reading : July 2009
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word of mouth younger readers Vibe K the ib s Amy Kathleen Ryan risty has body image problems. She masks them with attitude, takeaway food and clothes she makes out of anything found. She is cre eative and intelligent, confused and full of contempt for everyone. Chaos fills her world for she has the ability to read people’s minds. This Kristy surfaced when her father disappeared two years ago; at the same time that adolescence stole her friends. Kristy’s unconventional school curriculum focuses on personal improvement courses. A school assignment on character education throws Kristy together with her secret love, and former childhood friend, Gusty. During the course of the assignment they learn a lot about themselves as individuals, and they are forced to face the misconceptions they have harboured for so long about each other, and others. This is a powerful book which shows incredible insight into the reason why young people wear masks; why what shows outside shields them from what’s really happening on the inside. It’s superbly crafted, filled with clever dialogue, unique characters, humour, anger and truth. ★★★★★ Lothian $16.99 Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis Age guide 14+ Indian Summer Pratima Mitchell traditional Indian grandparents. She is more used to greasy takeaway than curry and dahl. Indian Summer presents a balance of fiery brilliance and a darker subdued reality. The book immerses the reader in the heat and complexity of Indian life. In the hills of Northern India, on the smart and orderly estate of her S 46 goodreading ı JULY 2009 arla is a cosmopolitan English girl forced to spend the summer with her The Highest Tide Jim Lynch fill his life, he turns to the natural world that surrounds him. He is an avid reader and can recite Rachel Carson’s books on sea life. He no M iles is an insomniac and to ow knows the sea and its inhabitants intimately. As a way of earning pocket money he collects unusual sea creatures and sells them to aquariums. It is during a night exploration that he discovers the giant squid in the mud Dust Christine Bongers Du Ch d of mouth younger readers Vibe K the ib s Amy Kathleen Ryan risty has body image problems. She masks them with attitude, takeaway food and clothes she makes out of anything found. She is cre eative and intelligent, confused and full of contempt for everyone. Chaos fills her world for she has the ability to read people’s minds. This Kristy surfaced when her father disappeared two years ago; at the same time that adolescence stole her friends. Kristy’s unconventional school curriculum focuses on personal improvement courses. A school assignment on character education throws Kristy together with her secret love, and former childhood friend, Gusty. During the course of the assignment they learn a lot about themselves as individuals, and they are forced to face the misconceptions they have harboured for so long about each other, and others. This is a powerful book which shows incredible insight into the reason why young people wear masks; why what shows outside shields them from what’s really happening on the inside. It’s superbly crafted, filled with clever dialogue, unique characters, humour, anger and truth. ★★★★★ Lothian $16.99 Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis Age guide 14+ Indian Summer Pratima Mitchell traditional Indian grandparents. She is more used to greasy takeaway than curry and dahl. Indian Summer presents a balance of fiery brilliance and a darker subdued reality. The book immerses the reader in the heat and complexity of Indian life. In the hills of Northern India, on the smart and orderly estate of her S 46 goodreading ı JULY 2009 arla is a cosmopolitan English girl forced to spend the summer with her The Highest Tide Jim Lynch fill his life, he turns to the natural world that surrounds him. He is an avid reader and can recite Rachel Carson’s books on sea life. He no M iles is an insomniac and to ow knows the sea and its inhabitants intimately. As a way of earning pocket money he collects unusual sea creatures and sells them to aquariums. It is during a night exploration that he discovers the giant squid in the mud Dust Christine Bongers Du Ch her her Q th th con t’t s the 1970s. Cecilia Vanderbomm lives with he five brothers on a drought-stricken farm in Queensland. Her enemies, the Kapernicky girls, live on the neighbouring property. constant irritation to Cecilia, creeping into the pores of her skin and covering everything with a gritty blanket. But Cecilia will discover something that Guantanamo Boy Anna Perera Gu An K hi his halid’s life in England revolves around his mates, his football and school. Terrible th things are happening overseas, bu him. Khalid learns the terror of being different; of being thought guilty with no proof and no opportunity to prove grandparents, Sarla discovers, and begins to understand, the importance of her Indian heritage. She befriends Bina, the mysterious granddaughter of the servants on the estate, and also Sidharhta, a charming prince struggling with the social constraints of his nobility. As the summer unfolds, troubles deepen. Bina’s grandfather, a strict traditionalist, tries to force her into marriage with a total stranger. When rebel nto Everything about books ONLINE www.goodreadingmagazine.com ut they don’t mean anything to him. Until his family goes to Pakistan to visit relatives and hi life is wrenched away from obsessed, is playing with her life. This is a clever and moving story of loneliness, dedication and love, with unique characters, clever prose and a lot of humour. older girl with whom he’s always been ob ★★★★ Bloomsbury Children’s $17.95 Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis Age guide 13+ changes everything, and regret will cover her life like a fine layer of dust. Will she be able to shake it off ? Bongers’s main character, Cecilia, is a smart, gutsy and lovable girl, with a delightful rebellious streak. But this is much more than an Australian Anne of Green Gables. It is amusing and light-hearted, yet it steadily builds to a profoundly sad and disturbing crescendo. I loved it. ★★★★ Woolshed Press $18.95 Reviewed by Wendy Noble Age guide 12+ himself. He ends up in a place where torture, terror and madness are the norm. No child should endure such things, but unfortunately the world is full of children enduring the stuff of nightmares. Perera draws us into the nightmare that Khalid is forced to endure, with an inevitability that is as tragic as it is certain. The result is one of the most disturbing, heart-wrenching, compelling books I’ve read in a long time. ★★★★ Angus & Robertson $19.99 Reviewed by Wendy Noble Age guide 14+ groups, who worship the bandit queen of the hills, become violently active in the surrounding regions, Bina finds it t a increasingly difficult to keep her parentage a secret – a revelation that could change everything. Indian Summer is an easy and delightful read with such vividness that a whiff of curry seems to float from the pages! ★★★ Walker $16.95 in p th an se ★ Reviewed by Beatrice Paull Age guide 12+ ading towards divorce, his psychic friiend Florence is dying, and Angie, the old flats and his uneventful life is turned upside-down. Quickly Miles becomes the focus of many unusual people. But all Miles wants to do is stop things from changing. His parents are wa fl u th th
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