Maddy West and the Tongue Taker is the latest action-packed, magic-filled adventure from New Zealand author Brian Falkner. I’m a huge fan of Brian Falkner and I’ve read nearly all of his books. Maddy West and the Tongue Taker is a great read, especially for fans of his last book, Northwood.
Thanks to everyone who entered. This competition is now closed.
Last year Scholastic NZ brought Kiwi legends, The Topp Twins, together with one of our top illustrators, Jenny Cooper, to produce a wonderful illustrated edition of the song, There’s a Hole in my Bucket. Now, this fantastic team have come together once again to produce a very cute and funny, illustrated edition of the song, Do Your Ears Hang Low.
Based on the original song, Do Your Ears Hang Low? is a new arrangement by The Topp Twins, that ties in perfectly with Jenny Cooper’s illustrations. I’d love to know what came first, the lyrics or the illustrations, because they’re made for each other. The Topp Twins’ lyrics are funny and you can add some easy actions for children to sing and play along. Who would have thought there were so many uses for big ears? The CD of the Topp Twins performing the song (that comes with the book) is a great addition to the book and it’s that classic Topp Twins sound that we love.
I absolutely love Jenny Cooper’s big-eared illustrations! They’re cute and made me crack up laughing. Jenny is amazing at capturing animals, especially the wrinkled skin of the dog and the curly fur of the llamas. The expressions on animals faces are hilarious too. I love the shock on the dogs face as the mouse ties up his ears, the mellow look on the llama’s face, and the expression of pure joy on the pig’s face. The animals all look so cuddly and loveable that you just want to give them a big hug. Book Design have also done a fantastic job of the design of the book, from the layout and size of the very cool font, to the flaps and the cute end papers.
As well as the wonderful song and illustrations, you also get the added extras of some strange, but true facts about ears. Do Your Ears Hang Low? is the perfect book for Kiwi kids with ears of all shapes and sizes.
4 out of 5 stars
Come to the magical land of Fandango! There’s dancing and music, with bears, bisons, baboons, kangaroos and even dinosaurs. Most amazing of all is the Man from the Land of Fandango himself. He bingles and bangles and bounces, and he’s coming to give you a call. Are you ready for the party?
Reading The Man from the Land of Fandango is like stepping into Margaret Mahy’s imagination. You can imagine that all these wonderful things would have been flying inside her head. When she describes the man from the Land of Fandango it’s like she is describing herself. Someone who brings joy and excitement to children and ‘is given to dancing and dreams’ sounds exactly like Margaret. Her wonderful poem is full of her characteristic wordplay, and the rhythm and rhyme bounces you along. I especially love the alliteration, like ‘jingles and jongles and jangles’ and ‘he juggles with junkets and jam in a jar.’ This is the third book of Margaret’s that Polly Dunbar has illustrated and her style is just perfect for Margaret’s wacky poems. Polly’s illustrations are magical and full of joy and laughter. I love that the children never stop smiling from beginning to end. Her illustrations make you want to jump right into the book and join in the fun with the bears, baboons, dinosaurs and The Man from the Land of Fandango. Even the words on the page look like they’re having fun in this book, as they dance all over the place.
You won’t be able to stop yourself from reading The Man from the Land of Fandango out loud, because the words just roll off your tongue. Just like Margaret and Polly’s other collaborations, Bubble Trouble and Down the Back of the Chair, this will certainly become a favourite that children will beg to be read again and again.
5 out of 5 stars
Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate are amazing authors in their own right, but when they combine their talents the result is the exciting, futuristic thriller, Eve and Adam. They’ve written over 100 books together, including one of the coolest series from my childhood, Animorphs. I was lucky enough to catch up with Michael and Katherine to ask them a few questions about Eve and Adam, and their collaborative writing process.
How does the collaborative writing process work for the two of you?
MG – Poorly.
KA – Well, in the past. Better this time. It was actually pretty smooth.
MG — I’ve matured.
Did you write a character each for Eve and Adam?
KA – That was one of the approaches we took, but quickly decided it didn’t work. In order to do that we would need to be able to plan things out in advance. Michael doesn’t plan. I plan and then don’t follow my plan.
MG – The real story is that Katherine realized Eve would have a lot more scenes so she’d have to do more of the work.
Does it make it harder or easier writing collaboratively when you live in the same house?
MG – Much easier. The commute is shorter. It’s like three feet.
KA – Being in the same house means we can share a pot of coffee as opposed to writers who aren’t married who probably have to make twice as many pots.
MG – The horror.
The first sentence of Eve and Adam is explosive and totally hooks you. Are the opening scenes of a book the hardest thing to write?
MG – We are very different on this. I barely think about it because I know I’ll go back later and write something different.
KA – I need to have the opening right, even if it takes days. Or weeks.
MG – Months. Years.
Eve and Adam is so shocking because the story could be happening somewhere in the world right now. Was it a story that you did lots of research for before you started writing or is it purely from your imaginations?
MG – We both went out and got PhD’s.
KA – It really took a lot of commitment from Michael since he’s a high school drop-out.
MG – We attended the University of Google.
KA – College of Wikipedia.
If you could create the perfect version of yourself what would you change?
MG – There was a time when I’d have said hair. But that’s no longer an issue. Honestly? I’d be one of those people who can eat without gaining weight.
KA – I have weak ankles.
MG – That is pathetic. That’s all you’d change? Weak ankles?
KA – There’s plenty of things about you I’d change. I could make a list.
MG – I wouldn’t change anything about you. Hah! There, I trumped you and now people will think I’m the nice one.
Eve and Adam reads like it could be a standalone book or part of a new series. Do you plan to write more about these characters?
KA – There’s rumour of a sequel.
Enter my competition to win a copy of Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate.
Take some ordinary teenagers, throw in a billion-dollar biopharmaceuticals company, genetic engineering, morally corrupt scientists and some sexual tension, and you have Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate’s fantastic new book, Eve and Adam.
To celebrate the release of Eve and Adam I’m giving away 2 hardback copies.
Thanks to everyone who entered. This competition is now closed.
Ever since I first heard about Lemony Snicket’s new series a few months ago I’ve been eagerly awaiting October so that I can get my hands on the first book. Like his last series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, you know that it’s going to be something spectacularly strange, as only he can do. Read all about his new series below and make sure you get your hands on a copy from 23 October.
ALL THE WRONG QUESTIONS is Lemony Snicket’s first authorised autobiographical account of his childhood and will be told in four volumes featuring illustrations throughout by critically acclaimed artist Seth.
“Who Could That Be at This Hour?”, the first volume in the series, launches internationally in e-book and print formats on October 23, 2012.
The series reveals how a young Lemony Snicket, in a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, began an apprenticeship in a secret organization. He began to ask a series of questions—wrong questions that should not have been on his mind. “Who Could That Be at This Hour?” is Snicket’s account of the first wrong question.
This is the first new series by Lemony Snicket since his phenomenally successful A Series of Unfortunate Events, which has sold over 60 million copies worldwide and has been translated into thirty-nine languages. Thousands of fervent fans who are eager to learn more about the mysterious author have already discovered the LemonySnicketLibrary.com website, which promises to reveal future developments of Snicket’s series.
I think I’m probably James Dashner’s number one fan (outside of the US). His Maze Runner Trilogy is one of my favourite series and the first book, The Maze Runner, is in my top 5 books. It’s one of those books that keeps you constantly on edge, trying to figure out what the heck is going on, and James Dashner’s amazing storytelling sends a shiver down your spine. Although the first book is my favourite of the series, James keeps you in suspense and reveals little pieces of the puzzle throughout the rest of the trilogy (The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure), making you eagerly await the next installment. The Death Cure was the perfect ending to the series, but James felt there was still more of the story he wanted to tell, specifically how the world went to hell in a hand basket and why there needed to be a maze in the first place. The prequel to the Maze Runner Trilogy, The Kill Order, has just been released in the US and I had to know how it all started.
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next.
Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.
I felt completely satisfied after finishing The Death Cure, but The Kill Order is like dessert. James reveals even more pieces of this wonderful puzzle of a story, connects them with pieces from the other books in the trilogy, and turns everything you thought you knew on its head. The story shows us what happened after the sun flares struck the earth, how people coped in the aftermath, where the Flare virus came from and how it spread. It’s told through the eyes of completely new characters, Mark and Trina, and we follow their fight for survival after the sun flares strike the earth. The things that Mark and Trina see are terrifying, horrific and sometimes incredibly creepy. Several times I thought twice about reading it before bed, in case those images stayed in my head. Although they’re different characters, you feel for them just as you felt for Thomas, Teresa and their friends.
Now that I’ve read The Kill Order I desperately want to start the series all over again, because there’s all this new information I didn’t know the first time around. One thing I especially love about The Kill Order is that Thomas and Teresa make an appearance, which really connects this book with the rest of the series. James’ ability to connect all the pieces of his story together left me shaking my head in amazement and thinking ‘Wow, this guy is good!’
If you want a series that blows The Hunger Games out of the water, read The Maze Runner Series.
5 out of 5 stars
N.B. This is the US hardback edition of The Kill Order. The paperback edition, published by Chicken House, will be available in NZ in March 2013. I’m an impatient reader, especially when it comes to series, so I couldn’t wait.
Earlier this year we lost one of our national treasures, Margaret Mahy. Margaret wrote many wonderful stories in her time, from picture books to novels, that are treasured by children all over the world. October sees the publication of two of Margaret’s last stories, including the wonderful Mister Whistler, featuring gorgeous illustrations by Gavin Bishop.
Absentminded Mister Whistler always has a song in his head and a dance in his feet. In a rush to catch the train, he is so distracted he loses his ticket.
Is it in the bottom pockets of his big coat or the top pockets of his jacket? Perhaps he slipped it into his waistcoat…
Where is Mister Whistler’s ticket?
Mister Whistler is an absolute treasure. It’s Margaret and Gavin’s first collaboration and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect pairing for this story. Margaret’s story is delightfully old-fashioned and Gavin matches this with the styles and fashions of another era. Mister Whistler is a rather distracted fellow, one of those people who would forget his head if it wasn’t screwed on. He gets carried away by the music in his head, that makes his twitching feet long to dance. While he is looking for his ticket he’s dancing out of his coat and tap dancing impatiently. Children will love that they know something that Mister Whistler doesn’t – where his ticket is – and they’ll want to yell it out and tell him.
Gavin Bishop’s illustrations for Mister Whistler are my favourite of all of his work. There’s so much joy and energy in the illustrations and you can see it bursting out of Mister Whistler, who is always smiling. I love the way that Gavin has made the story flow from one page to the next, both my Mister Whistler’s dancing body and the musical notes which follow him. Mister Whistler himself is quite gangly and I love the way that Gavin has him throwing his long limbs all over the place as he dances. Gavin’s use of colour is spectacular, from Mister Whistler’s blue, checked trousers and very loud wall-paper, to the flaming sunrise in the background. Gavin has added a real spark to Mister Whistler’s character too by giving him a crazy dress sense.
Once again, Gecko Press have produced an absolutely beautiful book that will be treasured by children and adults alike. Mister Whistler is my favourite New Zealand picture book of the year and my pick for the winner of next year’s New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.
5 out of 5 stars
The Cybils are awards given each year by bloggers for the year’s best children’s and young adult titles. I’m lucky enough this year to be a round 2 judge for the Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy category, which means I get to help choose the top book in this category for 2012. It’s a really exciting opportunity and I’m looking forward to reading all the shortlisted books when they’re announced on 1 January 2013.
You can get involved by voting for your favourite in each category – Book Apps, Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fiction Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade Fiction, Non-Fiction Picture Books, Non-Fiction: Middle Grade and Young Adult, Poetry, and Young Adult Fiction. You can vote from today until 15 October and any English or bilingual books published in the U.S. or Canada between Oct. 16, 2011 and Oct. 15, 2012 are eligible.
Anyone can vote and all you have to do to vote is go to www.cybils.com and fill out the form.
Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate have introduced us to characters that we both love and love to hate. They’ve coauthored over 100 books together, including one of the coolest series of my childhood, Animorphs. Michael is the author of the fantastic Gone series and BZRK, and Katherine stole our hearts earlier this year when she introduced us to the loveable, One and Only Ivan. They’ve joined forces once again to bring us creation story like no other, Eve and Adam.
Evening Spiker is recuperating from a freak accident in her mum’s medical facility. She is healing at a remarkable rate, faster than physically possible. As she grows closer to the hot lab assistant Solo, who seems to be hanging around a lot, she realises that things at Spiker Biotech are not quite as they seem. Joining forces, Solo and Eve uncover a secret so huge it could change the world completely. Spiker Biotech is about more than just saving lives. It’s about creating them.
Eve and Adam is an exciting, futuristic thriller, and one hell of a cool book! Take some ordinary teenagers, throw in a billion-dollar biopharmaceuticals company, genetic engineering, morally corrupt scientists and some sexual tension, and you have Eve and Adam. Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate sure know how to write and they suck you in from the very first sentence. This has to be one of the best first sentences ever – ‘I am thinking of an apple when the streetcar hits and my leg severs and my ribs crumble and my arm is no longer an arm but something unrecognizable, wet and red.’
The narration of the story alternates between Eve (Evening or E.V. to her friends), the daughter of Terra Spiker (head of Spiker Biopharmaceuticals) and Solo who is Terra’s ward. After her accident, Terra gives Eve the task of designing the perfect boy, using special software that her company has developed. After some initial skepticism Eve takes to the task and it takes her mind off her injuries, but it’s not long before she starts to wonder why her leg doesn’t hurt and there are no scars. Solo is a mysterious character and you wonder what his motives are. He seems to be sneaking around looking for something in particular, and puts on an act to make himself seem dumber than he actually is. When he finds what he has been searching for it’s shocking and neither him or Eve are quite prepared for the trouble that follows. Into this mix comes Adam, Eve’s perfect boy. I love the way that Eve describes him when she first sees him in person,
“He’s the most beautiful male I’ve ever seen. Ever. Anywhere. George Clooney and Johnny Depp and Justin Timberlake and all of them, all of them, would be cast as Adam’s less attractive best friend.”
The story is so gripping that I read it in one day. The end left me wondering whether Eve and Adam is the start of a new series or whether it is a stand alone novel. I felt like there were a few unanswered questions so this may not be the last we see of Eve, Adam, Aislin and Solo.
5 out of 5 stars
My Best Friends Are Books 