books

• for kids (9)
• kids and reading (12)
• kids book reviews (9)
• Teen book reviews (8)

articles

• Book review: Stranger Moon by Heather Zydek
• Inspiring reluctant little readers
• The Official Lego Annual 2013 (Ladybird Books)
• The Guinness World Records 2013
• My Friend Is Sad, and other books by Mo Willems
• Book review: Masquerade by Cambria Hebert
• Book Review: My Copan Adventure by Eugene Ruble
• Book Review: Guinevere On the Eve of a Legend by Cheryl Carpinello
• Book review: Fated (Book 1 of The Soul Seekers) by Alyson Noel
• Book review: Underworld by Meg Cabot (book 2 in the Abandon series)
• Review of iPad eBooks for kids
• Choosing books for your kids
• Reviews of great kids books for 2-5yr olds
• All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin, a book review
• What does ‘reading’ mean in the e-age?
• Review of “The Trap” by Sarah Wray, a teen adventure book
• A Kite’s Flight by William Gumede – Quick Review
• Will Solvit Mysteries – a child’s review
• Recommended Xmas books and a CD
• Why do some children struggle with reading?
• Jock of the Bushveld on stage, family entertainment at its best!
• Jock of the Bushveld soon in 3D and as theatre
• Getting kids enthusiastic about reading
• Reviews of kids recipe and activity books
• Dandylion and Here comes Frankie: children’s books reviewed
• Finding time to share reading with your child
• The wonderful world of books – one child’s journey
• Lets make a list of great kids books
• Loving books with kids

Reviewer: Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s author site and find out about her recently published children’s adventure novel

Genre: Tween
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Paperback: 170 pages
Publisher: Moth Wing Press (November 6, 2011)

Moths, mystery, and growing up are the focus of Stranger Moon. Twelve-year-old Gaia (and she hates her name!) is not your typical tweenager. Anyone who can recite screeds of information about moths, and in particular the elusive Luna moth, just has to be labeled ‘nerd.’ Gaia finds refuge in her love of unusual insects and her little gang of equally geeky friends. Her dad is glued to his computer, her mom died when she was little, and she is bullied by the ghastly duo, ‘The Emmas,’ at school. Could life get any worse? The night she and her friends go on a moth hunt, they find a bug-eating, scary wild woman living in the woods, in an abandoned ice cream van. They spend the summer spying on her, as they investigate her history, as well as defending their tree house from invasion by the Emmas. They discover the identity of the crazy lady, and must decide if they should use the information to exact revenge on Gaia’s worst enemy.

This book is so much more than a story about kids growing up. Gaia and her friends display typical tweenager idiosyncrasies as the author taps right into what makes a tween tick. Each character is well drawn and believable. As the story unfolds, the gang find themselves tested on several levels. They need to learn friendship, compassion, and
basic kindness: to boring Leonard with his yo-yo and his crippled hand, and to the mad woman herself. The ultimate challenge comes with how they deal with the vital information about the woman’s identity. Gaia’s strained relationship with her emotionally distant father also changes, bringing some interesting revelations. I loved the tone of thinking that author Heather Zydeck instils in Gaia’s inner narrative. As in most tween lives, everything is Dramatic and Tragic, with some Big Words to enhance the seriousness of it all. I laughed aloud at various points.

The fragile and sometimes uncertain life cycle of the Luna moth resembles the rite-of-passage that Gaia and some of the other characters experience. The completion of the cycle offers redemption, understanding, and acceptance as they move onto a happier level. There are moments of great sensitivity as Gaia tries to understand life and people, and wrestles with conflicting emotions and ideas. A sensitive and humorous look at the angst and conflicts of tweenagers and their issues. The author impressed me with her perception and insight. I found the resolution and tying up of loose threads a little rushed at the end. However, a great book for tweens, and for parents to learn how tweens think. Highly recommended.

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by Corinne Lamoral, a freelance writer and editor living with her husband and three children on a beautiful koppie in Johannesburg. Her ingenious idea of the day is Eau de New Book. She would wear it everyday.

Being a bookworm I was bewildered when I had not one but two children who didn’t seem to love reading.  They loved being read to, and could read well, but choosing a book over running outside, playing with lego or watching TV? Not so much.

Research shows that well-read children have an improved vocabulary and general knowledge, are more world-aware, have more empathy, and are better overall students.   I also think reading is a life tool – you’ll never be lonely or bored with a book in your hand.

So I persevered. I brought lots of books – many second hand – so it didn’t matter too much if they didn’t love them. We visited the local library and I tried not to moan when books were returned half read.  I tried different genres – from horsey to sci-fi and friendship dramas. When they yelled ‘I’m bored’, I yelled back – ‘read a book!’

And then came the breakthrough – one December holiday my eldest daughter, then 10, watched her older cousins sit and devour books like little book vampires.

My daughter was intrigued and left out – so she started to read.  Snuck in a corner on the couch she finished her first book and quietly began the next, then the next, and then the next… She was hooked.

Now my 8 year old has found her way to books too, and I’m in luck with the third, because he’s a born bookworm just like me – and we are finally becoming a book reading family!

10 Reading Tips

Gill Haggis, a former teacher and founder of Imaginate  where stories are springboards for creative art and craft adventures, has these essential tips to nudge your children’s reading habits:

1. Create opportunities by surrounding them with books and reading to them often, from birth.

2. Make a book corner in your home where they can curl up and read.

3. Lead by example. Let your children see you and your partner reading.

4. Encourage them to try lots of different books to find the stories and authors they love.

5. Create a story language in your family by referring to books and their lessons.  For example, be brave and clever like the mouse in The Gruffalo.

6.In the beginning encourage reading of anything and everything – from road signs and DVD captions to the backs of cereal boxes and cook book recipes.

7. Buy books and book vouchers as presents.

8. Buy audio books for struggling readers and expose them to the magic of stories.

9. Create a children’s book club so they can swop and try different books.

10. Relax.  Make reading happy, not a chore and don’t give up on them!

Click here to find a list of places that sell books, magazines and audiobooks for kids on Jozikids

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Review by Tiffany Markman, mom to a one-year-old, tries to balance her workaholism with cuddling her daughter, reading books, consuming caffeine & reining in her intrinsic kugelry. Follow her on twitter.

Our daughter is almost 20 months old, and a major milestone in our family was when she developed an interest in Lego. Some parents get excited about their child being able to ride a scooter or draw a picture or eat with a fork – for us, it was Lego.

Granted, she’s still busy with the big Lego, called Duplo, but we’re all having a ball. She’s constantly asking to ‘build a tower, mommy’. Her daddy is in heaven. And so I was super-chuffed to see that Lego publishes nice big books as well.

The Official Lego Annual 2013 starts out very cool, featuring on its cover a plastic window that has ‘2013’ spelled out in Lego pieces. Inside are stories, activities and sections with different themes, like policemen, firemen, ambulance drivers, pilots, ninjas, warriors, etc. There are puzzles, word searches, spot-the-difference challenges and true or false questions, and every now and then there’s a comic strip.

It’s all bright and busy, with lots to do and loads of little details to come back to.

However, I have two problems with the Annual.

One is that, in parts, it appears to highlight violent behaviour: there are lots of weapons, a prison break, nasty baddies, dangerous missions, etc. (but I could be completely out of touch with what’s involved in entertaining a five-year-old, given that 5+ is the recommended age for this book).

The other is that little girls like Lego too, but there is little in this book that my daughter would love – barring some fun references to emoticons, doctors and Red Riding Hood. Again, I may expect too much.

Bottom line? If you have or know a little boy who is Lego-obsessed and knows all about Ninjago, the Masters of Spinjitzu and the Hero Factory, the Annual is a must.

 Click here to order this book online from Red Pepper Books

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Review by Tiffany Markman, mom to a one-year-old, tries to balance her workaholism with cuddling her daughter, reading books, consuming caffeine & reining in her intrinsic kugelry. Follow her on twitter.

I’ve been told more than once by friends who work at bookstores that the most commonly stolen book is the bible. Who’d have thought? Well, this book is allegedly number two on that list of dubious distinction: The Guinness World Records.

It’s an annual reference book that contains a collection of world records: both human achievements and extremes of the natural world. In the 2013 edition we find out:

Who’d win in a race – the world’s fastest man or the new fastest sheep?

This edition has all of the stuff I loved as a kid: the disgusting metre-long fingernails, the full-body tattoos and the mammoth spiders, but there’s a free Augmented Reality app (for both iOS and Android) that supposedly brings records to life in 3D.

The layout is bright, if a little busy, and the ‘Actual Size’ button is fabulous. The range of topics is also broader than I remember, extending into tiny niches of pop culture, space travel, sports and engineering. Star Wars even has a dedicated section.

Kids from age 7 or so up will pore over the new Guinness World Records, exclaiming at the coolness, the grossness and the amazingness. Adults just won’t be able to help themselves. And it’s an interesting tome to have lying around the house.

(Quick-‘n’-quiet confession: We keep our Guinness World Records in the loo.)

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 Reviewer: Tiffany Markman, mom to a one-year-old, tries to balance her workaholism with cuddling her daughter, reading books, consuming caffeine & reining in her intrinsic kugelry. Follow her on twitter.

Elephant and Piggie is a book series by Mo Willems. It has a fantastic comic book style, and features two friends: an elephant, Gerald, and a pig, Piggie.

Issues of friendship are addressed: My Friend Is Sad, Should I Share My Ice Cream? Can I Play Too? I Will Surprise My Friend! And my favourite, We Are In A Book!

My Friend Is Sad begins with Gerald, the ellie, who has a very sad face. Piggie tries all sorts of things to cheer him up: dressing up as a cowboy, a clown and a robot. But Gerald remains sad. Eventually we discover that Gerald is sad because Piggie isn’t there, and because he can’t share the cool cowboy, clown and robot with Piggie – whom he is unable to recognise beyond the disguise. Happily, it all works out in theend, with a clever twist (that I subsequently spotted in all of the Elephant and Piggie books).

Mo Willems’s books are not only gorgeous to look at and easy to read, with very clean, well-designed pages and simple text – they’re also widely recognised: Two books in the series have been listed on Time magazine’s ‘Top 10 Children’s Books of the Year’: Today I Will Fly in 2007 and Elephants Cannot Dance! in 2009.

In terms of target reader, I’d say parents could read these books to toddlers from age 1, but – as the pages are paper rather than board – solo reading would probably be best from ages 2 to 4. And the range of books would be good to keep, to come back to in primary school, when it comes to navigating friendships and conflicts.

Reviewer: Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s author site and find out about her recently published children’s adventure novel

Genre: Young Adult

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Paperback: 360 pages

Publisher: Otherworld Publications LLC (December 7, 2011)

ISBN-13: 978-1936593255

Rating: 4 stars

Available from Kalahari

Golden girl Heven Montgomery had it all: the looks, the body, the talent, the popularity, the good grades, and she is (of course) a cheerleader. Life is perfect…until one day something dreadful happens. Heven is attacked by some horrific creature while walking home from the library and she ends up terribly disfigured. Her life goes from hero to zero in one foul swoop. She can’t even remember what really happened. She hides away from the world, dresses in unattractive clothing, and is left with only one true friend, Kimber. Then gorgeous hunk Sam Kavanagh arrives at her school and things change. Although Heven is sure Sam must be put off by her appearance, he is not. Only Sam sees Heven’s inner beauty, which is still part of her. However, Sam also has terrible secrets; he is not who Heven thinks he is. And he is consumed by guilt about it.

This is a different kind of YA love story, involving the paranormal. It also reverses the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ theme in an interesting way. Just as Beauty discovered the Beast’s inner worth, so does Sam see Heven for who she really is. Heven also rediscovers her sense of self worth. Told from multiple points of view, the story unfolds to reveal an astonishing array of twists and turns, keeping the reader guessing until the very last page.

Author Cambria Hebert has done well with this first novel, getting into the YA thought patterns and expressions, really conveying the emotional highs and lows of the YA experience. Love, the first fluttering feelings, the angst, and ecstasy, and the intensity of each moment are all well described. Emotion, drama, action, horror, and character development make this a YA novel that stands apart from the rest. There is some violence but it is in keeping with the paranormal angle and is acceptable. I found some coincidences a little too convenient and editing issues were distracting, but the story is compelling. YA and paranormal fans will love this book, especially since the ending leads the reader into the next story.

Reviewer: Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s author siteand find out about her recently published children’s adventure novel

Genre: Adventure/Historical

Reading Level: 7-12

Paperback: 20 pages

Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing

ISBN: 9781616331986

Rating: 4 four stars 

Available from Kalahari

Twelve-year-old James Questor accompanies his father, a Harvard professor, to the Copan Valley, Central America where the professor is investigating the ancient ruins of the city of Copan. Not only is this an adventure for the curious boy, brimful of questions, but it’s also a way of stepping back in time and learning about the ancient Mayan culture that disappeared inexplicably. Experts have proposed a variety of theories: was it war, famine, overbuilding, the lack of water? No one knows, but for James, this is an opportunity to study history up close by exploring the ruins and examining the remains of frescoes, artifacts, and hieroglyphics. Filling in as his father’s assistant is a great way of digging into the past. James is fascinated by what they find on their expedition: not only ruins, but also the remains of huge pyramids, and tall stone slabs called stelae, covered in ancient Mayan writing. Through his questions, James learns about the magnificent Mayan culture that stretched from southern Mexico to northern Honduras.

This is a wonderful book for curious and adventurous kids, eager to learn through having fun. James uses maps to trace their journey, and the beautifully detailed illustrations and maps are a visual feast. The author is a gifted artist and his images are simply wonderful. Just studying the illustrations will teach a keen young reader so much. This is the kind of book that makes learning fun and which young readers will want to treasure.

Reviewer: Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s author site and find out about her recently published children’s adventure novel

Length: 122 pages

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN-10: 143273704X

ISBN-13: 978-1432737047

Genre: Children’s Fiction/YA

Rating: 5  stars

Suitable For: Ages 10+

Available from Kalahari

The Arthurian legends have timeless appeal and Cheryl Carpinello’s book Guinevere: On the Eve of a Legend is no exception. As an educator dedicated to encouraging reluctant readers, and having taught the legends of Arthur to high school classes for nearly 20 years, the author knows her stuff and her love of the legend shines from every page. Although much has been written about Arthur both as boy and king, and books have been devoted to the adult Guinevere and her ill-fated marriage to Arthur, this book comes as a surprise by introducing Guinevere as a young girl. In fact, our heroine is truly on the eve of a legend as the book centers around Guinevere’s 13th Birth Day, the turning point for her, when she crosses over from being a child to a young woman. We find Guinevere in the opening pages having the time of her life. With her friend, seven-year-old Cedwyn, she spends most of her time playing, roaming the castle grounds and occasionally the forest, hunting for rabbits or mythical creatures.

But life has plans for her, as Guinevere finds out, and life’s plans, a combination of what her father and the wizard Merlyn have decided for her, do not sit well with this fiery-tempered and independent young girl. Upon hearing she will be betrothed to the young brave King Arthur and then married to him on her fifteenth Birth Day, Guinevere decides to run away from home. She is not interested in being married and is even less interested in becoming a queen. Her attempt at fleeing is short-lived, partly because Cedwyn’s legs are too short to do much running, partly because foraging for food in the wilds loses its appeal very quickly, and partly because Guinevere realizes that she must eventually grow up and grasp her destiny with both hands. In this coming-of-age story, her friend and advisor Merlyn is there to guide and instruct her. With magicality, tenderness, and spinning a sense of enchantment, Merlyn uses the teachings of legends and the forest to illustrate the lessons one must face in life. In this way Guinevere realizes that if she enjoyed being a princess so much, it is just a small step to enjoying being a queen. She also understands how much her father loves her and that her happiness is all he desires. Besides, she still has two whole years to enjoy before having to really grow up.

Cheryl Carpinello’s take on the Arthurian theme is unique and enchanting. Her descriptions of everyday life, food, behavior, weapons, and attitudes of the early Middle Ages display a wealth of research. Information is subtly introduced to enhance the story and does not overpower the reader. Her descriptions are rich, palpable, and appropriate to whatever scene one reads. The moment when the children see the unicorns is one of poignant magicality. The scene with the brachet, the rabbit, King Pellinore, and the hapless Painted Dragon is roaringly funny! Cheryl Carpinello has created a book along the lines of The Once and Future King, with the same kind of appealing humor and dry wit in her Merlyn. She has included an interesting glossary for young readers to fully enjoy their understanding of an historical environment; as well as Q&A for educators, and a recommended reading list. I look forward to reading Cheryl’s next book Young Knights of the Round Table: The King’s Ransom.

Reviewer: Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s author site and find out about her recently published children’s adventure novel

Genre: Young Adult

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Paperback: 440 pages

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

ISBN-13: 97-1-4472-0680-4

Rating: 4.5 stars

Available: Exclusive Books and Kalahari

Life changes for Daire Santos at age seventeen. In fact, things get so weird that her mother, Jennika, a film make-up artist, sends Daire to her grandmother in a little town called Enchantment, New Mexico. For a rebellious teen like Daire, this dusty backwater is anything but enchanting. She is also scared of what’s been happening to her: animals follow her; crows mock her; the atmosphere turns hazy and glowing people appear from out the blue. Daire wonders if she is actually having the nervous breakdown her mother thinks she is. Once in Enchantment, her grandmother starts piecing together the puzzle that Daire’s life has become. She is not going nuts. Daire has a role in life that ultimately she’s not too keen on accepting. Her father was a gifted Soul Seeker, as is Daire. His death points to the ominous force looming, one that Daire needs to battle. To do this, she has to learn her craft as a mystical Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the Upperworld, Middleworld, and the dark Underworld. Daire must also connect with her Shaman bloodlines and her animal guide to harness the kind of magickal powers she’ll need. Added to this, Daire meets Dace, the boy she has dreamed about. He is a handsome, pure young man, with similar powers. Alas, his twin, Cade is the exact opposite, and represents evil incarnate. The fight for control of Enchantment begins…

In a novel twist, this book introduces Native American traditions, mythology, and legends to the YA market. This makes for an intriguing story as the reader learns with heroine Daire. Admittedly, Daire starts out a little whiney, but that’s understandable with so many seemingly crazy things happening to her. Daire also loses control when nightmarish visions plague her, and that’s not good for the people around her. Daire’s grandmother is a fount of wisdom and it’s a unique way for the author to weave in the kind of traditions and history that give this book its unusual slant. Fated is filled with a rich mythology in the soul visions, the spiritual quest, and the animal guides that all have meaning for Daire. This book does focus on spiritual growth in a fascinating way, and makes a nice change from the usual menu of vampires/werewolves and other undead elements in the young adult market. Daire learns about love, trust, faith and hope; all the things that have eluded her up until now. Teens keen on an interesting read will love this book. Fated is Book One in the Soul Seekers series. Look out for Book Two: Echo later in 2012

Reviewer: Fiona Ingram, a  South African writer who loves books, travel, animals, antiques, and adventures of all kinds! Read Fiona’s author site and find out about her recently published children’s adventure novel

Genre: Young Adult

Reading level: Ages 14 and up

Paperback: 308 pages

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books

ISBN-13: 978-0-330-45387-5

Rating: 4 stars

(Available from Kalahari and Exclusive Books)

Imagine if your boyfriend is actually the ruler of the underworld, yep, that’ll be Hades. Now imagine that having died and been revived by him in the past, you’re back in Hades, faced with a choice of – do I stay or do I go? Keep imagining because things are going to get worse! Your grandmother is possessed by a Fury, yes, an evil creature from Greek mythology. She’s trying to kill you so as to punish your boyfriend. Hurting you will hurt him. Now imagine, your cousin Alex is going to be trapped in a coffin on the night when everyone in your hometown of Isla Huesos (which, by the way,means Island of Bones) celebrates a kind of Festival of the Dead tradition. This festival involves lots of coffins … and your cousin is going to suffocate in one of them. Oh, did I mention that a fabulous necklace, given to you by your hunky (dead) boyfriend actually contains the Persephone Diamond, which turns black when Furies are about.

Pierce Oliviera has an extraordinary life. Although she started out as a normal girl, family events took a strange turn. In Book 1: Abandon, Pierce died but was brought back to life by John Hayden, ruler of Hades. Now she finds herself half in the world of the living and half in the world of the dead. Underworld is the second book in the series and expands upon the Hades/Persephone Greek myth, where (if you’ve done your homework) you’ll remember that Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds while in the underworld. As a result, she must spend six months on earth, and six months with her dark consort.

In Underworld, Pierce finds herself more intrigued than ever by the mysterious John Hayden and his smouldering good looks. He is everything a seventeen-year-old girl could want … or maybe not? John has a guilty secret that’s eating him up because basically he is lying to Pierce. Pierce also finds out more about the convoluted and corrupt relationships between the aristocratic and wealthy families on the island. Their histories are intertwined with John’s previous human life. Unfortunately, the rich and powerful of Isla Huesos stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe and their wicked future plans on track. If this involves killing people, then so be it. John, Pierce, and their friends find themselves targeted at every turn by enemies, both human and eternal.

This enchanting and surreal reworking of the Greek legend will definitely intrigue romantic teens as John and Pierce develop their relationship. After all, it’s not every day that a girl says goodbye to the land of the living. The author depicts a plausible underworld, which also has a cast of eccentric characters to assist John as he ferries souls from life into death. Although this is the second book, the author filters enough back history into the story, enabling readers to get the picture. John and Pierce’s otherworldly romance continues in Book 3: Awaken.