by Margo Lanagan
[Blurb: A HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL NOVEL FROM THE WINNER OF FOUR WORLD FANTASY AWARDS.
'Why would I? People are uneasy enough with me - if I start bringing up sea-wives, they'll take against me good and proper.'
'It could be secret.'
'Could it?'
On remote Rollrock Island, the sea-witch Misskaella discovers she can draw a girl from the heart of a seal. So, for a price, any man might buy himself a bride; an irresistibly enchanting sea-wife. But what cost will be borne by the people of Rollrock - the men, the women, the children - once Misskaella sets her heart on doing such a thing?Margo Lanagan weaves an extraordinary tale of desire and revenge, of loyalty, heartache and human weakness, and of the unforeseen consequences of all-consuming love.]
A CBCA short listed novel for older readers, which I was anticipating would be great, but I was thoroughly disappointed. From the start it was difficult to get into, and I thought, even the older readers, would find hard to understand and may not persevere past the first chapter. I thought this a strange book to be short listed and there weren't that many redeeming features, be it a very different kind of story, seals becoming human form. Although I was a little intrigued by it, as it promised to capture a Scottish style of oral history, it was not enjoyable at all and I was glad to finish it, which is very disappointing. Some say it's poetic and a wonderfully woven story but it wasn't for me.
by Vikki Wakefield
[Blurb: ‘I am Friday Brown. I buried my mother. My grandfather buried a swimming pool. A boy who can’t speak has adopted me. A girl kissed me. I broke and entered. Now I’m fantasising about a guy who’s a victim of crime and I am the criminal. I’m going nowhere and every minute I’m not moving, I’m being tail-gated by a curse that may or may not be real. They call me Friday. It has been foretold that on a Saturday I will drown…’]
This is a short listed book for older readers for CBCA awards this year so was eager to read it. I was blown away by it. The first chapter drew me in as I took in each word that was so craftily written. The descriptions were beautiful yet haunting, with each character reeling me in.
I so loved the relationship and special kind of love she formed with Silence, her new friend, which was so special since her whole life she had only really known her mother, and travelled from town to town as a loner. When she meets Silence her world changes dramatically but life in the 'gang' doesn't sit well with her from the start. She is running from life, from herself, from memories, but along this new journey she eventually finds her inner self. She must make some hard decisions.
I have to admit that I cried through most of the last few chapters, which made me feel silly, as this was just a YA fiction, but I was totally hooked by then, and the story didn't quite turn out how I had expected.
VINNIE'S WAR by David McRobbie (YA fiction)
This is a fabulous book that was really easy to read. Set in London, at the start of World War II, the book tells the story of a homeless boy named Vinnie who makes a life with the owners of a pub and a refugee boy from Poland. Vinnie's life is crushed when the first bombings in London take place and he loses everything. Now branded as a 'vaccie' (children evacuated from their own town) he must board a train to live with families in country towns. He meets Kathleen and her younger brother Joey and another boy his age called Dobbs. They are all sent to the same town and placed in different families, some nice, some not-so-nice for the duration of the war.
They find that some of the townsfolk open their hearts to these children while other families and their children don't want the new-comers invading their town and way of life, and there are many difficult times. Settling into the families and school are challenging but they are happy to have their friendship with each other. After uncovering a secret in the town they soon start to make new friends.
