mahtab’s story -...
TRANSCRIPT
This is just a short note to say hello to all our new readers and thanks to all our devoted fans that just keep coming back for more. We have some great books this month which all seem to have the same theme of people and adversities. Enjoy. Please note that “man’s best friend” (the computer—hah!!) decided to be a bit temperamental this month so we are a bit late in coming out. Reader reviews can be emailed to thereadingstack –at- people.net.au (replace –at– with @ when emailing)
Welcome Issue 8, May 2008
Crime
Mystery
Romance
Science
Fiction
Adult Other Adult Non-
Fiction
Picture
Young
Reader
Junior
Young
Adult
Children’s
Non-Fiction
What’s
Inside
History
Fantasy
Interview
Biographical
Australian
Author
Editor’s Choice
This is the story every primary
school student should know.
While Mahtab is not a real
person, her history is
woven from many first
hand accounts told to
author Libby Gleeson,
during her visits to schools
in western Sydney.
Twelve-year-old Mahtab
lives with her mother,
father, brother Farhad and
sister Soraya in Herat, in
Afghanistan. When friends
and neighbours begin to
disappear, Mahtab’s father
becomes uneasy. No-one
wants to leave their home
but after Mahtab’s father is beaten
and her grandfather ‘doesn’t
return’, the decision is made. As a
young university student, Mahtab’s
father met an Australian man who
told him wonderful stories of a
free and beautiful country.
Mahtab’s father decides to take his
family to where they can be safe -
Australia.
They escape in secret across the
mountains to Pakistan, through
nights filled with
fear and the
uneasy security
of bribes made
in the darkness.
In Pakistan,
Mahtab’s father
leaves to go on ahead to
Australia. He will
get a job and
make a home for
them all. The
family wait but
hear no news.
Pakistan
becomes less
safe and Mahtab’s mother makes the
decision to follow her husband.
After flying to Indonesia, they buy a
passage on an open boat to Darwin.
After a journey filled with fear,
sickness and hunger, they are
eventually escorted into Darwin.
The welcome they find is totally
unexpected. Instead of freedom,
they are sent to a detention centre.
Mahtab walks the wire fence
wondering where her father is
and worrying her family will be
returned to Afghanistan
Mahtab’s story deals with many
topical issues - political and
religious persecution, immigrants
and refugees, detention centres
and assimilation. What makes it a truly wonderful book is the
sensitive and insightful way it
makes these complex issues
accessible to younger readers.
Children from from 10 – 13
years, will identify with Mahtab
and begin to understand her
culture and her plight.
This book will no doubt provoke
animated discussion in the
classroom as readers are given
the opportunity to experience
something most of them will
only have seen on the news. This
book gives the issue a far more
human edge than any news
report ever could.
www.libbygleeson.com.au
by Libby Gleeson - Allen & Unwin. Paperback rrp $15.95 Mahtab’s Story
T H E R E A D I N G S T A C K
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 8 P A G E 2
Oskar is a 12 year old boy living in
Stockholm in 1981. Nicknamed Piggy,
he is bullied continually by Jonny and
his gang. He has to squeal and grunt
like a pig to avoid harsh beatings. But
even that doesn’t always work. Oskar
wants revenge and fantasises about
stabbing his perpetrators. If only he
had the courage!
Oskar is alone.
His drunkard
father lives far
away. His
mother works
all day. The local
school children
are friendly but
none help him
when he is being
bullied. Then Eli
moves in next
door. She, like Oskar, doesn’t fit in. So
begins a unique romance story about a
boy and a vampire.
Let The Right One In is a scary, gripping
read. But to my surprise, I found myself
sympathising with the young vampire.
‘Are you really that old?’
‘Yes. No. I was born about two hundred and twenty years ago, but half the time I’ve
slept… And then when I wake up I’m …
little again. And weak. That’s when I need
help. That’s maybe why I’ve been able to
survive. Because I’m small. And people want
to help me…’ Eli and Oskar talking.
While this is Oscar and Eli’s story, the
supporting characters are skilfully and
purposefully sketched. From Oskar’s
bullies to Eli’s “father”, they help Oskar
to grow, become independent and be
strong; learn to assess situations; to
realise everyone has a role to play.
Eli helps Oskar open his eyes to his
true potential, making him feel more
needed than he has ever felt before.
Lindqvist has described in great
detail what happens to vampires and
their victims. Yes, there is more than
one vampire throughout the book. I have seen many vampire cult movies
but Let The Right One In has raised
the bar even higher. Lindqvist’s
words are more real than any
celluloid image! By the end of the
book, I found myself unconsciously
rubbing my neck. And even though I
don’t believe in the supernatural,
surely it can’t hurt to have some
matches nearby. Just in case!
by John Ajvide Lindqvist - The Text Publishing Company. Paperback rrp $24.95
Let the Right One In
Katrina Shonsky should not have been
driving home. She’d had too many drinks
and her designated driver left with
another man. That didn’t stop Katrina.
Unfortunately, her car ran out of petrol
on a quiet backstreet in the hills above
Los Angeles. She is thankful when an
older lady driving a brand new Bentley
stops and offers her a lift. As she slips into a comfortable drink induced sleep
in the front seat, she can’t wait to tell all
her friends.
Katrina never gets that chance.
The following day Detective Milo Sturgis
and his psychologist friend Alex
Delaware are called out to investigate
the theft of a new Bentley. Stolen but
left only a few blocks away from the
owner’s house in the exclusive area of
Brentwood. Undamaged … except for
the small bloodstain on the front seat.
A retired schoolteacher is viciously
stabbed to death whilst she is collecting
her newspaper from the front footpath
in broad daylight. Her neighbour
witnesses the murder and even tries to
approach the attacker who drives away in a brand new black
Mercedes Benz.
Milo and Alex delve into the
schoolteacher’s murder and uncover
another two cold cases from many years
before - one a husband and wife’s
disappearance in New York and the
other, a vicious killing of two
hairdressers in a tiny village that isn’t
even marked on the map. Are all these
incidents related?
Whenever Milo and Alex think they
are getting close to the killer, they find
he has changed his persona and moved on. They can’t even get a positive
identification. For all they know they
might even have met him!
This is a great read. The guessing game
continues throughout the book and
there were times where I went back
and re-read parts as the clues started
to fall into place. Compulsion is
certainly a “compulsive” read.
www.jonathankellerman.com
by Jonathan Kellerman - Penguin. Paperback rrp $32.95
Compulsion
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 8 P A G E 3
T H E R E A D I N G S T A C K
by Melissa Hawach - Harper Collins Publishers. Paperback rrp $35.00
her two girls, Hannah and Cedar - but at a
huge cost – more than dollars can
measure. The children, Hannah in
particular, have asked many unsettling
questions since their ordeal … ‘Why didn’t
Daddy take care of my teeth?’ ‘Why did
Daddy lie to me and say you had left us?’
Melissa hopes that over time these things
will be forgotten and the girls will grow.
In the book, Melissa takes the opportunity
to thank those who helped her and to
redress the media hype. Two of the men
who aided Melissa’s recovery of her
children were portrayed by the media as
hired mercenaries. The description wasn’t
true. They were her knights in shining
armour and if it wasn’t for them Melissa
would probably still be waiting to get her
girls back. These men (one an Australian
and the other a New Zealander) took
great risks to help. They were jailed in
Lebanon for a number of months for
assisting Melissa into “kidnapping” her
daughters. These charges were finally
dismissed and they were free to return to
their native homes and their families.
The dragonfly
is a symbol of
hope. While
Melissa was
searching for
her girls, she
and family
members
made thousands of dragonfly pendants marked with the letters H & C (Hannah
and Cedar), one letter under each
dragonfly wing. They gave them away or
sold them to help raise funds for the rescue
attempt.
This is a wonderful story. I had to rewrite
this review several times as I found myself
becoming so personally attached it was
hard to write a book review. It is appalling
to think of the children who are never
returned and I struggled not to rant and
rave at the governments and nations who
refuse to help.
Melissa deserves our support and praise.
Her story deserves to be read.
Flight of the Dragonfly is the heart
wrenching story of a mother’s fight to
get her daughters back from their
father. It is a story for EVERY parent to
read – about how much psychological
and emotional damage two adults can
inflict on each another and how much a
parent will risk to be with their
children.
The story begins when Australian Joe
Hawach illegally takes his two children
from their home in Canada to war-torn
Lebanon. Why would a father take two
children he loves to somewhere they
could easily be killed? Is it to punish his
ex-wife Melissa? His family support his
actions and his mother even travels
with him when he abducts the children.
Flight of the Dragonfly is truthful,
heartfelt and frank. It will make you
laugh and cry and sometimes it will even
make you want to lash out at inert and
ineffective bureaucracies. The final
outcome of the story is well known to
most people. Melissa finally retrieves
Flight of the Dragonfly
teacher who was with Sophie that first
day to the ambulance driver, doctors
and nurses. Her
parents and family and
friends too. All have a
tale to tell and it is
amazing how many
people were touched
by Sophie’s experience
and generous nature.
The journey reveals
different perspectives
from different people.
Some thought Sophie
should not suffer and
go to sleep forever
while others thought
she was a strong
individual who could
get through anything!
The family struggled to
Most people will remember the name
and if not, the little girl who survived
after 85% of her body
was burnt in a horrific
child care centre motor
accident, only to be hit
by another car two
years later. Sophie
Delezio.
If we all know the story,
why read this book?
Because Sophie’s Journey
is much more than we
could ever imagine.
Freelance writer and
editor Sally Collings has
interviewed many of the
individuals who met
Sophie on her journey
to recovery. This is
their story as well. From the preschool
by Sally Collings - Harper Collins Publishers. Paperback rrp $24.99 decide whether to keep her on life
support. Committed Christians,
Sophie’s parents’ faith supported them
through their decision making and the
consequences.
Over 80 people contributed to this
journey and the telling is a wonderful
story. I found it hard to read more than
a few pages at a time as it was so heart wrenching. But every day I returned to
read a little more. It is a truly
inspirational story and I feel that I am a
stronger person, more able to cope …
but who really knows how anyone
copes when something as horrific as
this happens to someone close. Sophie’s
Journey is a record of how some people
coped and how others didn’t. And how
Sophie herself reached out to them all.
www.dayofdifference.org.au
Sophie’s Journey
T H E R E A D I N G S T A C K
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 8 P A G E 4
Ever been to a hospital emergency
waiting room? Ever thought that you
were there first so you should be seen
to first? Ever wondered why you know
you are dying and no-one at the
hospital is racing to get you off to the
operating theatre? Bloodletting and
Miraculous Cures explains the other side
of these questions.
With clever tongue–in-cheek black
humour, Lam has created a very
realistic portrayal of today’s medical
profession in any first world hospital.
Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
introduces a group of prospective
medical school students and their
accomplishments. It then follows the
lives of four students, through to their
forties.
As students, they debate the dilemma of
how to dissect a decorated arm – do
they cut as the textbook dictates or do
they “go around” a beautiful tattoo? As
they mature and become great doctors,
their dilemma’s increase in difficulty –
both anatomical and moral. Consider the
case of the comatose man dying en route
to Canada. A death certificate is required
to bring a dead body into the
country. Do they
pretend he is still
alive?
Dr Lam has
captured the
universal spirit of
the medical
profession and its
patients. I felt a
sense of almost guilty deja vu when I read
about how the doctors know the longer a
certain type of person waits in emergency
they can develop more “symptoms”
either for attention or watching others
and sitting thinking about themselves – I
have experienced that myself.
I loved this book – it is quirky and has an
unusual way of looking at patients and doctors and
how they both perceive life.
I would recommend it to
everyone - doctors and
patients alike. From now on,
I promise to be more
sensitive to the needs of the
doctor in emergency at 2 in
the morning.
www.vincentlam.ca
by Vincent Lam - Harper Collins Publishers. Paperback rrp $27.99
Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
The first few chapters are all about wine
– and Wilberforce’s appreciation,
alcoholism and addiction. This worried
me. I am not interested in descriptions of
wines, their decanting, or their collection.
But I continued reading. Paul Torday is
also the author of Salmon Fishing in
Yemen, one of my all time favourite
books. I decided to wait and let the story
breathe, like one would do with a bottle of good Bordeaux (I was learning
something whether I wanted to or not!).
As the story unfolded, I was hooked.
Wilberforce is a familiar stereotype – the
young software engineer who made a
fortune in IT working long hours and
forgoing any social life. Then one day,
inexplicably, he deviates from his pattern.
He turns off the road on the way home,
follows a lane to a sign - ‘Francis Black:
Fine Bordeaux Wines’. A new life opens
for Wilberforce. Through Francis he
meets ‘fun’ friends whereas he only ever
had ‘work’ friends before. He learns to
love a good wine and he falls in love with
Catherine.
Wilberforce and
Catherine are
married but cracks
soon appear.
Catherine tells
Wilberforce he must choose her or the
wine. He chooses
Catherine but after
she is killed in a
tragic accident, he
finds he can choose
both.
His health begins to
deteriorate and he is
diagnosed with a rare
fatal condition, associated with his
drinking. The inability to tell truth from
reality is a symptom and Wilberforce’s
life begins to blur. Nothing is quite
what is seems. His ‘inheritance’ of
Francis Black’s estate and
its wine collection is a
fabrication. He bought the
property and its cellar for a
million pounds. Now even
the collection’s value is in
doubt.
But Wilberforce solves
each problem the same
way – he opens another
bottle of wine.
I was looking for a novel
similar to Salmon Fishing in
Yemen. I found something
completely different. But
The Irresistible Inheritance of
Wilberforce is almost as
good and on my comparative scale,
that’s high praise.
by Paul Torday - Hachette (Orion). Paperback rrp $32.99
The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 8 P A G E 5
T H E R E A D I N G S T A C K
trust me! is a book of short stories and
poems for teenagers written by over 45
Australian writers. Each writer was
specifically given the task
of writing a story in a
genre they loved and
admired.
I thought that the best
person to review this was my teenage son, a boy
who prefers to avoid
books or anything with
more than a few
sentences. He reads for
school but that’s
homework, not for
enjoyment. I begged him
to give this book a try –
“Just read one or two stories
and tell me what you think.”
I implored. “It’s a bit thick.”
was his reply. “Just a few
short stories.” I kept nagging,
“Oh. Ok.” He finally gave
in. It’s so hard to get a teenage boy to
read!
After a few days I snuck into his
bedroom to see if he had even opened
the book. Boy was I surprised – not
only had he
started to read it
but the
bookmark was
already three-
quarters of the
way through! And yes he was
reading every
story in
chronological
order.
So I approached
him to write a
short review on
what he thought
of the book so
far. That was
harder than
getting him to
read - trust me!
(the perfect pun!). But then I thought –
he has just paid the highest compliment
a teenager can bestow upon a book –
he has read the first few pages and
continued to read on! When asked if he
liked the stories, his reply was “yeah!
Some were really good and others OK!”
High praise indeed. As a mother, reading
between the lines, I can tell you it also
means there were no stories he didn’t
like.
The collection – is organised into Adventure, Crime, Contemporary,
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance,
Thriller, Horror, Twilight Zone,
Historical, Humour, Poetry and
Graphics. Every genre is covered and the
book is a good introduction to them all.
For my son to read poetry without being
forced says more than any words I could
write here.
I would recommend this as a present for
those “too hard to buy for” teenagers.
To quote from the introduction by best-
selling author Isobelle Carmody: ‘This fat
and juicy collection is like one of those
dessert plates where you get to try a little bit
of everything … it can be dipped into and
explored in any order…’
Edited by Paul Collins - Ford Street Publishing. Paperback rrp $22.95
trust me
I was immediately attracted to the storyline.
This is a uniquely skewed look at the world
of the Wizard of Oz. In Wicked, Gregory
Maguire tells the story of Elphaba, the
Wicked Witch of the West. It’s a story that
dares to challenge the original. A brave
approach - but if it succeeds then you have a
masterpiece. And Wicked does succeed.
With 3 million copies in print, I’m not the
first one to say so.
Life is not easy for Elphaba, born green,
struggling for her father’s affection and
developing a political conscience which
brings her into conflict with her friends and
teachers at the University of Shiz, the
Government of Oz and The Wizard himself.
There are disconcertingly familiar political
and social struggles – such as the Animals
that talk and want to be treated as equals,
the Munchkinlanders who strive to
lift themselves from their lowly
position on the social scale just
above the Quadlings. The
government keeps them all in their
place. The Wizard has his own
agenda.
This is a novel that questions good
and evil and how they come into being. Could the Wicked Witches
of the East and West be just
inaptly named? What if they were
good hearted and their real names
were Nessarose and Elphaba? Is Glinda
really the Good Witch? Could Elphaba
be the heroine and Dorothy the evil
assassin? After reading Wicked, it’s
possible to see new answers to these
questions.
Wicked is
not a light
read but I
recommend
it to those
who like
good
fantasy or satire, and
have a
quirky
sense of
humour. If you love the classic Wizard
of Oz you might love this – or hate it.
But either way, you will enjoy reading it.
www.gregorymaguire.com
by Gregory Maguire - Harper Collins. Paperback rrp $22.99
Wicked
T H E R E A D I N G S T A C K
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 8 P A G E 6
computer science and genetics. She
also gave credit to a friend who
teaches cryptography (enciphering and
‘hiding’ information from plain view)
and computer security
at University. ‘I suck
information from people.
You don’t need to be an
expert. I have a
journalist’s instinct,’ Catherine told me.
Evil Genius begins the
story of Cadel Piggott,
genius and (suspected)
son of the evil
mastermind Prosper
English. Cadel is
anarchistic, destructive
and not nice at all. But
try as they
might (I
tried) the
reader can’t
dislike Cadel. He would
never agree, but, he is an
innocent child victim.
Catherine Jink’s skill in
creating this character is
even more evident when
in Genius Squad we find
Cadel trying to ‘be good’
and use his skills to help
bring down a corrupt
corporation. The cards
have been cleverly
switched and finally the
reader is ‘allowed’ to like
Cadel.
Catherine also spoke about her new
adult novel Dark Mountain (to be
released by Allen & Unwin in June
2008). Set on an estate near Sutton
Forest in the NSW Southern
Highlands and based on historical fact,
After talking to Catherine Jinks,
author of the sinister, technology
based Evil Genius and its sequel
Genius Squad, it’s soon obvious she’s
not a computer geek and there’s
certainly nothing evil about her. My
office phone died mid interview and
when I finally located my mobile 15
mins later she generously extended
the interview despite her busy schedule.
So where did the idea for Evil Genius
come from? Being open to ideas,
having a wonderful imagination, a
journalist’s skill for research – it all
came together with a little family
help. Her nephew’s hideous looking
Professor Gangrene doll (arch
enemy of Action Man) prompted
Catherine’s
husband to
ask: ‘Where
did he get his
degree from?’
Her brother
replied: ‘From
the University
of Evil’.
Catherine
began to
wonder
about the
Professor’s
branch of
study – was it
Pure Evil or
perhaps a
doctorate in
Applied Evil.
The idea for the Axis Institute was
forming.
Catherine spoke of her interest in
cutting edge technology such as
Allen & Unwin. Paperback rrp $18.95 each
Interview—Catherine Jinks
Evil Genius & Genius Squad
it was an enormous research project
which came together as a story that
includes Australia’s first notorious
serial killer and our first female
novelist, as well
as madness,
mystery and
bushrangers.
Watch future
issues of The Reading Stack for
a review.
A prolific and
versatile author,
Catherine’s work
includes picture
books, junior
fiction and adult
fiction. Her
novels span
across many
different genres
such as murder
mysteries, historical fiction, horror
and science fiction. I asked her if she
had a favourite type of writing -
perhaps children’s and young adult
fiction? After all she has won the
Children Book Council of Australia
Children's Book of the Year Award
three times. ‘It’s not up to me,’ she
explained, ‘The idea dictates the story.’
And perhaps this is why there is such
a wonderful range of stories, the
author is full of ideas.
And finally, I couldn’t help it, I asked
that question many authors of series
dread and all fans are desperate to
know, ‘Will there be another Cadel
Piggot story?’ I breathed a sigh of relief.
Genius Wars is on its way.
www.catherinejinks.com
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 8 P A G E 7
T H E R E A D I N G S T A C K
by Richard Plunkett - black dog books. Paperback rrp $16.99 Stuck on History. The Story of Australia in
Stamps by Chris Miles. black dog books.
Paperback $16.99. Children’s Non-Fiction
Australian
Do you find reading
history is really
boring? I do! But Stuck
on History is a
completely different approach - Australian
history through
stamps. The format is
characterised by short
paragraphs with catchy
titles such as ‘Off with
the King’s head’ to
describe how in 1912
George V was replaced with a kangaroo
and map on our stamp. A reproduction
of the corresponding stamp is shown
against each historical snippet.
A time line along the
bottom of each page
provides additional
interesting facts from
Australia’s history. In June 1893 Gold is discovered near
where the town of Kalgoorlie
would come to be built.
Australian stamps tell our
history from an enormous
range of perspectives –
from the boats that came
over with the First Fleet to Prime
Ministers, from the wars our country
fought in to the special days we
celebrate. Something to interest
everyone, not just avid stamp collectors
like me.
Readers will discover that not only are
our stamps both beautiful and colourful
but they are rich with history. Stuck on History is a delightful book to read and a
great reference for children and adults
alike.
Now I am going to dust off my old
stamp albums and compare notes …
www.chrismiles.com.au
Stuck on History. The Story of Australia in Stamps
by James Patterson – Random House. Paperback rrp $27.95
If I could have just one word to
describe this book I would say –
“Action”. And then, I would beg for a
few more words –
“Adventure”, “Suspense”
and “Mystery” - with a
dash of “Science Fiction”.
The Final Warning is a real
page turner in the most
literal sense. I was turning pages as fast as I
could read them.
That’s when I flipped to
the cover to see who
wrote this book. James
Patterson! One of the
best known and best
selling adult authors in
the world! Maximum Ride
is his first series for
children and in the
tradition of Harry Potter, has already
been issued with ‘adult’ and ‘child’
friendly covers. This is a series with
appeal for a wide age range.
The Final Warning is fourth title in the
Maximum Ride series but it is a stand
alone read. It’s the
story of six kids –
Max, Fang, Izzy,
Nudge, Gazzy and
Angel. They’re very
different. Created by
the Uber Director as a science experiment,
they are part bird and
can all fly. Max is the
flock leader – 98%
human girl and 2%
avian.
The kids are always
on the run from
those who seek to
use the flock’s special
talents for illicit gain
and evil schemes. This time the Uber
Director has decided to auction them to
the highest bidder, as soon as they are
captured by his army of mutants. But
even he doesn’t realise their powers
are growing and expanding.
At the same time, the flock are
offered an important mission - to
travel to the South Pole to work
against global warming. It’s safe there
at the bottom of the world.
Max is not convinced – of their safety, of the threat of global
warming or the way Fang looks at
the prettiest scientist. And Max’s
intuition for the flock’s safety is
never wrong.
This is a fast paced high action book
with a gutsy girl heroine and a freaky
science twist. Lost of kids will love it.
And lots of adults will enjoy a James
Patterson easy read – shorter on
pages but not shorter on storytelling
style.
www.jamespatterson.com
Maximum Ride - The Final Warning
T H E R E A D I N G S T A C K
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 8 P A G E 8
This is the ninth book in the
internationally successful Pearlie series by
media personality and author Wendy
Harmer. Pearlie and her Pink Shell is
beautifully presented – shiny pink and
glowing with all the colours of the
rainbow. A guaranteed fashion accessory
for any young girl whether she is a keen
reader or not. If she’s not inclined to
read, this book might be just the inspiration required.
Pearlie is a fairy who lives in a pink shell
on the park fountain. When the fountain
undergoes renovations, Pearlie must find
a temporary place to live. That’s not as
easy as it sounds and meanwhile, her
beloved pink shell has been painted grey.
Pearlie and her Pink Shell is
recommended reading for girls 7 – 9
years. An animated series is currently
in production with Channel 10.
www.wendyharmer.com
by Wendy Harmer. Illustrated by Gypsy Taylor - Random House. Paperback rrp $14.95
Pearlie and Her Pink Shell
Jasper the Elf decides to redecorate
to surprise his friend. Naughty fairy
Sapphire, Pearlie’s cousin, convinces
Jasper to give her a chance to do a
good deed for a change. But she
can’t be trusted and together with
two ratty felons, Scrag and Mr Flea,
she plots to make sure Pearlie loses
her home and her magic.
Pearlie returns home to find not
only her shell painted horrible
purple with green stripes but her
precious wand in the hands of the
rats. With the help of her friends
Jasper and Opal, Pearlie retrieves
her wand and repaints her shell. A
happy ending of course - this is a
fairy story after all.
Skulduggery Pleasant
Two days ago I met Skulduggery Pleasant
and I’ve been singing his praises ever since.
Tall, debonair, stylish and the top detective
of an elite agency, he’s got a sense of
humour to die for. I should also mention
he’s a skeleton, a fire wielding magician and
very dead.
Skulduggery Pleasant Playing with Fire is the
second book in the Skulduggery series which pits our hero against a vampire, a
necromancer and assorted other villains of
the black night. It’s wonderful comic horror.
It won’t frighten you but it will make you
shiver. This is the most quirky and unusual
book I have read for years and I’m not
surprised at all that Skulduggery Pleasant (the
first book), was the most successful
children’s debut of 2007.
The character names are wonderful – dark
and gothic with overtones of the legendary
heroes of Marvel comics. We meet the good
guys – China Sorrows, Professor Kenspeckle
Grouse, Tanith Low; and the bad guys –
Baron Vengeous, Lord Vile, Hieronymous
Deadfall. And of course there is always one
or two in the middle like The Torment
and Springheeled Jack.
Skulduggery’s sidekick is a 14 year old
girl, Valkyrie Cain, a descendant of the
Ancient Ones. Her uncle Gordon was a
best selling horror novelist (until he was
murdered) – and a friend of Skuldggery
Pleasant.
Baron Vengeous is trying to bring back
The Faceless Ones, powerful evil beings
who have been exiled to another
dimension. Together with their followers
they will rule the world and destroy
mankind. The loyal Baron has created
The Grotesquery, a creature who will
provide a portal for The Faceless Ones
to enter the real world. Baron Vengeous
needs two things to make his plan work
– a special suit of armour and the blood
of the Ancients. And if he can’t get the
latter, he’ll get the next best thing …
Valkyrie.
The Baron isn’t the only one after
Valkyrie’s blood. In a tussle she scars
Vengeous’ offsider, Dusk. Dusk is a
powerful vampire who only knows one
form of revenge. Luckily there is a wise-
cracking action hero skeleton around to
save the day. Sort of.
Recommended for ages 9 to 13, this is
also the perfect book for the older
teenager who is not necessarily a good
reader. The story line and genre will still
appeal and the cover is definitely cool.
And as for adults… I loved it.
www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk
by Derek Landy - Harper Collins. Paperback rrp $19.99
Web Site: www.jodipicoult.com.au &
www.jodipicoult.com
Visit our webpage at www.thereadingstack.com
Jodi Picoult is the author of fifteen best selling novels and the recipient of
many awards including a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction
from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest novel, Change of Heart,
was released in 2008. And she has a website especially for Australian fans!
Visit www.jodipicoult.com.au to sign up for her dedicated Aussie newsletter
(picoult psst)
and keep an eye
out for local events. Jodi was
in Australia in
May so if you
missed her then
– stay tuned.
Visit her US
website to learn
even more
about the author and her books. You can post to her message board or
listen to podcasts including What Led to ‘Change of Heart’.
Click on the Jackets tab to see the international book covers for different
countries. Or check out the local angle and click on the About tab to read
Jodi‘s answers to questions asked by fans from Australia.
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