four stars | Lost in a Good Book

The 26-Storey Treehouse (#2) by Andy Griffiths

09 Jan 2018 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Junior Fiction, Treehouse Series Tags: andy griffiths, aussie books, australian, four stars, Treehouse Series

Published: 3rd September 2012 (print)/28 September 2012 (audio)
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia /Bolinda Audio
Pages: 348/1 Disc
Narrator: Stig Wemyss
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

If you’re like most readers, you’re probably wondering just how Andy and Terry met. Well, it’s a long story, but a pretty exciting one, and it’s mostly true! Come on up, choose a hammock, and they’ll tell you all about it (just don’t go in the maze they’re still ironing out a few bugs…).

I read the 13-Storey Treehouse as an ebook and discovered this is a very text and picture supportive book. When I realised this I couldn’t fathom how this would possibly work as an audiobook but it works really well. I might have to listen to the rest as audiobooks, it was like a wonderful audio drama. The pictures aren’t explained, but there is a change in tone and style that does end up giving a little side comment that accompanies what Andy is telling us about. It also goes one step extra by adding sound effects and musical accompaniment to the narrative. There are some bits when you know you’re missing out on a great and detailed picture, but honestly, that’s the same with any audiobook, especially junior ones. With these additions I quite liked the audiobook experience, maybe a bit more than reading the book. Stig Wemyss does a great job in conveying tone and the adventure and humour of the book, but I think it’s also that the story is much better than the one in The 13 Storey Treehouse.

This time around we’ve added 13 new storeys and the boys are still writing their books and having fun in their grand treehouse. This time Andy wants to tell us how he met Terry but one thing leads to another and we’re thrown into a great pirate adventure. Griffiths links together this seemingly silly story and while it seems like it jumps all over the place it doesn’t really. Everything connects to one another and builds up a great narrative. Overall it’s quirky and absurd but it’s also delightful without being too silly. There are some great jokes in there, 78 flavours of ice creams, Jill’s numerous animals, and Andy and Terry’s numerous inventions. If you haven’t yet picked up Griffith’s Treehouse series you definitely should.

You can purchase The 26-Storey Treehouse via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Book Depository

Booktopia | Bookworld | Fishpond

Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Wordery | Publisher

Bro by Helen Chebatte

27 Dec 2017 2 Comments

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: #aww17, Audiobook, australian, australian women writers challenge, aww, aww 2017, four stars, helen chebatte, young adult

Published: 1st February 2016 (print)/1st June 2016 (audio)
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont/ABC Audio
Pages: 240/MP3
Narrator: Julian Maroun
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

What happens when you mix teenage boys, a fight club, and ethnic rivalries?

You get war.

Romeo Makhlouf knows the rules.

Stick with your own kind. Don’t dob on your mates or even on your enemies. Respect the family.

But even unwritten rules are made for breaking.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like Bro but Chebatte definitely surprised me. It isn’t a long book but it one that is important as it talks about trying to fit in when people class you as different on both sides, and the pressure of being loyal to your family roots, all with a delightfully Australian feel.

This is Boys ‘R’ Us meets Hate is Such a Strong Word in all the best ways. It is, I’ll admit, very Australian. One could say too Australian, but I have heard teenage boys speak to one another and aside from the lack of swearing, it sounds like this for the most part (so many bros!). It takes some getting used to but I quite liked the tone of voice Chebatte used, especially how Julian Maroun narrated, it felt very real; you really get the sense of these teenage boys who are trying to be cooler and tougher than they actually are and the tired effort the adults are going to to try and help them

Chebatte uses the male point of view quite well, demonstrating the conflicts between the races at school, girl trouble, and trying to find where you belong, something which reminded me of Ayoub’s Hate is Such a Strong Word for the female perspective. I liked Romeo as a narrator, I also liked that Chebatte balanced him but not too evenly. He has some sensibilities but he is still a young boy with wild ideas and a feeling of invincibility. You clearly understand his conflict about who he is and whether he is Lebanese or Australian, and how even though he was born here he still doesn’t feel like he belongs. This conflict drives his decisions and affects the decisions he makes, right or wrong they may be.

There are many aspects I recall from my own high school days in here, just the scenes Chebatte has set up about classes, canteen lines, and group dynamics, even though my experience wasn’t the same as Romeo’s school in a lot of ways, it still feels familiar. The plot can be criticised as childish and absurd, but in the way that most teenage conflicts are, they are petty and ridiculous and fought for nothing, and yet at the time, it’s the fight you are willing to stand for no matter the consequences.

I was apprehensive about this book, I genuinely thought I wouldn’t like it but I’m glad I read it. It tells the story of the danger of boys and their masculinity, peer pressure, “national pride”, racism, and trying to belong. It’s a book people should read about feeling different, and the consequences of male pride.

You can purchase Bro via the following

Dymocks | QBD

Booktopia | BookWorld

Amazon | Amazon Aust

Moonstruck by Nikki Rae

12 Dec 2017 Leave a comment

by Amy in Paranormal, Sunshine Series Tags: ebook, four stars, new adult, nikki rae, paranormal, sunshine series

Published: 30 November 2017
Publisher: Self Published
Pages: 315
Format: ebook
Genre: Paranormal
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Myles Lott left this town ten years ago. He never wanted to come back unless he had to. Now he has to. Sophie Jean, the girl he was supposed to protect from monsters of his world, has finally grown up. She’s familiar with monsters, just not vampires like him. Hers are harder to defeat; they’re in her own mind. Myles has returned to protect her and nothing more, but his feelings for Sophie develop quicker than he ever could have imagined. Torn between their worlds, Myles must fight for the girl he’s loved all along without causing any more damage. Unfortunately, a past enemy has other plans.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author

I read Sunshine year ago when Rae first released it, so reading Moonstruck it was easy to see elements of Sunshine in there. But having said that, it isn’t the same story. Retelling Sunshine from the perspective of Myles has opened up the story to have new insight and allow readers to see the characters they know in a new light. With this rewrite Rae opens us up to Myles’ life, away from Sophie’s, but also his thoughts and emotions surrounding her to be told too.

Even when he is with Sophie, being shown his intentions and justifications adds another element. It was interesting reading the story from a new perspective; even the scenes that were familiar had a different feel about them because we were inside Myles’ head and not Sophie’s. Seeing Sophie’s life from the outside changes her character a lot. Having gotten to know her from Sunshine, it was interesting not having the full emotional thought and feelings from her, instead only seeing what Myles’ sees and what she allows him to see. Who she is alters slightly as we are shown her through new eyes. I think I would see her differently if I didn’t already know her story. It would be interesting if you read this without having read Sophie’s POV how it would read differently.

It didn’t feel like I was rereading the original story, and yet it was comfortable and familiar at the same time, with a few new surprises as we saw more of Myles’ life. What I also loved, even though it was brief, was seeing Jade and Stevie again. Since this wasn’t Sophie’s POV we don’t see the awesome sibling relationship between her and Jade, but just having them there reminded me of how much I love them. Even when the story isn’t about them I will latch onto them.

Rae has done a great job in keeping the same story structure while adding new and interesting scenes, filling in the gaps as it were when Myles is away from Sophie. Moonstruck is a story that can easily stand alone, it isn’t just a switch of POV of Sunshine, Rae makes it its own story and she does so very well.

You can purchase Moonstruck via the following

Amazon | Amazon Aust

A Day with Dad by Bo R. Holmberg

01 Sep 2017 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, The Picture Book Corner Tags: Bo R. Holmberg, children's picture book, four stars

Published: 22nd April 2008
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Illustrator: Eva Eriksson
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover Picture Book
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Tim lives with his mom. Tim’s dad lives in another town. Tim doesn’t see him often. So a day with Dad is very special – and Tim wants to show just how must he loves him!

This is a great book about divorce/separation that doesn’t mention it outright but implies it and shows that even when parents live separately, time with an absent parent is still possible. More importantly, it demonstrates that just because parents don’t live together, it doesn’t mean that they stop loving their children.

From the text on page one it’s evident the separation is a new event as Tim has just moved to the new town. He waits for his dad to arrive on the train and looks forward to a day with just the two of them. Tim’s dad lets Tim take control of the day, you can tell he wants to make the day special for Tim and make sure he has fun. Tim and his dad pack a lot of activities into the day and it’s evident how much Tim loves his dad and he tells everyone they meet who he is.

The illustrations by Eriksson are realistic and heart warming as they depict the various activities Tim and his dad partake in during his visit. It reminds me very much of what Russell says in the Pixar film Up, that it’s the boring things he remembers most. And while Holmberg doesn’t write Tim’s day to be boring, it does show that simple activities like sitting silently reading side by side in the library can be the most enjoyable activity because he is with his dad.

I found this book to be very sweet and it’s ideal for letting young kids know that their parents love them and things can be a bit different but your dad will always be your dad.

You can purchase A Day With Dad via the following

Amazon | Book Depository

Booktopia | Dymocks

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

21 Aug 2017 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Fantasy, Young Adult Tags: fantasy, four stars, horror, movie, patrick ness, siobhan dowd, young adult

Published: 5th May 2011
Publisher: Walker Books
Pages: 216
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn’t the monster Connor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Connor.
It wants the truth.

I had an interesting experience reading this, I was told there’d be a dog in it, and aside from thinking about when this non-existent dog was going to show up, it was a sad and beautiful story. This is not a full Ness original, it was written based on ideas conceptualised by Siobhan Dowd. Having read nothing else by either author I had no idea what to expect but I was not disappointed.

There is so much to love about this book; I love Connor’s fierce bravery and protectiveness of his mum, I love the mystery and the suspense of waiting for the monster and the uncertainty about what it means. I even loved Connor’s frustration. Ness depicts perfectly Connor’s conscious and unconscious desire to be seen, to be punished, to be treated normally. You can sense it bubbling under the surface and Ness builds up suspense slowly with excellent pacing that makes you eagerly turn the page. Ness doesn’t state outright what is wrong with her but there are enough clues to figure it out. The bond between them is evident and Connor’s determination to keep things as they were is heartbreaking but admirable.

The edition I read was filled with wonderfully dark black and white sketches by Jim Kay (the same man who is currently illustrating Harry Potter). These illustrations reinforced the eerie, mysterious nature of the book and Connor’s interactions with the monster. They captured the nightmare feel and the mystical and Kay manages to keep it very simple but still show so much.

As a character, the monster is an intriguing one. He doesn’t seem evil, but he does seem formidable and unforgiving. I really enjoyed his interactions with Connor, and Kay brings him to life on the page wonderfully as well.

This may be a tough book for some people due to the depiction and description of experiencing cancer and the impact it has on the family, but it is also a very important story about it as well. I fully recommend this book to people, it’s a very strong story told very simply and very imaginatively.

You can purchase A Monster Calls via the following

Dymocks | Booktopia

Book Depository | BookWorld

Amazon | Amazon Aust

QBD | Fishpond