The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Having read and enjoyed a couple of Neil Gaiman's books - notabably the Anansi Boys and Stardust - I was given The Graveyard Book to read, and I'm so glad I did.

Aimed at all ages, but principally a children's book, it is a typical Neil Gaiman book - just a little off centre, or almost normal,but with a supernatural twist.

A toddler escapes his bed at the precise moment that the rest of his family are murdered by a knife wielding "Jack". The child toddles out, along the road and into an old graveyard where the residents take it upon themselves to protect and look after him by giving him the Freedom of the Graveyard.

He becomes Nobody (Bod) Owens and grows up quite normal - even if he does happen to have parents, carers, teachers and friends that have long since passed over and are invisible to everyone else. Chats with, for example, long dead poets, an old Roman, ghouls and even the non-dead (but not alive either) make for a emminently enjoyable read.

His education is, to say the least, interesting. Of course instruction in things like how to Fade, Dreamwalk and ask for help in numerous supernatural languages, is of questionable benefit in the land of the living. Nevertheless, he IS a living boy and as such does long to be outside the graveyard. However venturing outside also means that his protectors have limited power to help him and the mysterious Jack could find him again and finally finish his work of so many years ago.

An adventure story sprinkled with wisdom, mystery and excitement, I urge you to read and enjoy.... and start looking for more books by this wonderful author.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

A Newberry Medal winner, this book was recommended to me as a classic in children's literature and I really enjoyed the story.

Set in the late 17th century the story is about Kit Tyler, an independent and confident young lady (age 16) who travels from a relatively carefree life in Barbados to an Aunt who resides in cold and bleak Connecticut.

Having come from a life where she had been free to do as she wished, never expected to work and with a personal servant who had been with her since childhood, Kit finds her Aunt and Uncle's Puritan household to be overly strict and she can't help but rebel against the rules and restrictions they expect her to follow as a member of their family.

Kit is constantly at conflict with her Uncle and the expectations of the community's Puritan beliefs. After one such conflict she escapes the confines of the house to the peaceful meadows outside of the town. An old quaker widow, Hannah, lives there and all are warned to stay away as there are suspicions the woman could be a witch. However Kit finds comfort with Hannah who seems to have a calming influence on her and makes the rest of her life more bearable.

There are young men in Kit's life - the keen suitor William, the annoying but good looking sailor, Nat, and a divinity student John who is one of the few people she feels able to talk to beside her cousins Mercy and Judith.

As she has been well educated, Kit helps Mercy in 'the dame school' and befriends a little girl, Prudence, who she met on the last leg of her voyage and who is somewhat dazzled by the capable Kit. Kit works hard to overcome early objections to her by the community but her continued friendship with Hannah fuels suspicions. Combined with jealousy and fear this culminates in Kit being accused of witchcraft.

The book moves with a fast pace and there are occasions when you are filled with terror for what could happen to Kit. She is an easy character to identify with - after all, haven't we all wanted to rebel against people telling us what we can and can't do?

A great read for older children/young adults, or just the young at heart!

Some bestselling books and award winners from 2009

I picked up a great reading guide from my local bookshop call "the Independent Book Guide" (Summer 2009) put out by a group of Australian independent booksellers.

Here are some interesting lists from the guide.

Bestsellers 2009 (Jan-Oct):

Fiction

The elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Breath by Tim Winton
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Non Fiction

Dreams From My Father by Barak Obama
The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
The Audacity of Hope by Barak Obama
Heaven and Earth by Ian Plimer
Geed Me Now by Bill Granger
The House At Salvation Creek by Susan Duncan
The SMH Food Guide
A Lion Called Christan by Bourke and Rendell

Children's books

Twilight Saga
The Diary of A Whimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
The Henderson Boys by Robert Muchamore
Zac Power by H I Larry
Cherub by Robert Muchamore
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
The Magic Ballerina by Darcey Bussell
The 39 Clues by various authors
Harry Potter by J K Rowling
Grug by Ted Prior
Rainbow Magic by Daisy Meadows

Other children's bestsellers not necessarily part of a series were:

Evernight by Claudia Gray
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Imagine by Alison Lester
Where Is The Green Sheep by Mem Fox
Ten Little Fingers by Mem Fox
Tales of Beedle the Bard by J K Rowling
Possum Magic by Mem Fox
Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. Awdry
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Todd
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

The booklet also mentioned some 2009 award winners:

The Crime Writers Association 2009 Gold Dagger Awards

Winner:
A Whispered Nam by William Brodrick

Shorlist:
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
In the Dark by Mark Billingham
Hit and Run by Lawrence Block
A Whispered Name by William Brodrick
The Coroner by M R Hall
Dark Times in the City by Gene Kerrigan

The Australian Independent Booksellers Indie Award 2009
(decided by popular vote of independent bookshops Australia wide). Prize: $15,000 AUD

Category Winners:
Non Fiction - The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper
Debut Fiction - The Virtuoso by Sonia Orchard
Children's book - Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy and Heather Potter
Fiction - Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

The overall award went to the Fiction winner, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.


The Miles Franklin Award 2009
(Awarded for the novel of the year which is of "the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases"). Prize: $42,000AUD

Shortlist:
Breath by Tim Winton
Ice by Louis Nowra
The Pages by Murray Bail
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Wanting by Richard Flanagan

Winner: Breath by Tim Winton

The Orange Prize for Fiction 2009
(open only to women, established by journalists and publishers). Prize: 30,000 pounds

Shortlist:
Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman
The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

Winner: Home by Marilynne Robinson


The Man Booker Award 2009
(awarded to works of literary fiction written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the republic o Ireland). Prize: 50,000 pounds.

Shorlist:
The Children's Book by A S Byatt
Summertime by J M Coetzee
The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Winner: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Finalists:
The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
All Souls by Christine Schutt
Oliver Kitterdige by Elizabeth Strout

Winner: Olive Kitterdige by Elizabeth Strout



Looks like I have some reading to do!

50 Books You Can't Put Down

From the 2008 Books Alive Guide (Australia)



The Household Guide to Dying - Debra Adelaide (fiction)
Breath - Tim Winton (fiction)
People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks (fiction)
The Spare Room - Helen Garner (fiction)
Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis (biography)
The Six Sacred Stones - Matthew Reilly (fiction)
Exit Music - Ian Rankin (fiction)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (fiction)
Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali (autobiography)
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini (fiction)
God's Callgirl - Carla van Raay (autobiography)
Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult (fiction)
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (autobiography)
Those Faraday Girls - Monic McInerney (fiction)
Skin and Bone - Kathryn Fox (fiction)
7th Heaven - James Patterson with Maxine Paetro (fiction)
Secrets of the Red Lantern - Pauline Nguyen with Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen (autobiography)
The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton (fiction)
Somme Mud - EPF Lynch (biography/war)
Vietnam: The Australian War - Paul Ham (war)
Les Norton and the Case of the Talking Pie Crust - Robert G Barrett (fiction)
Turn Turn Turn ... Please - Kerry O'Keeffe (sport)
Over the Top with Jim - Hugh Lunn (autobiography)
That'd Be Right - William McInnes (autobiography)
The Day After Tomorrow - Allan Folsom (fiction)
Nothing to Lose - Lee Child (fiction)
The Memory Room - Christopher Koch (fiction)
Addition - Toni Jordan (fiction)
Voodoo Doll - Leah Giarratano (fiction)
The Rouseabout - Rachael Treasure (fiction)
Avoiding Mr Right - Anita Heiss (fiction)
This Charming Man - Marian Keyes (fiction)
Back from the Brink - Peter Andrews (environment/agriculture)
True Green - Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin (environment)
He'll Be OK - Celia Lashlie (family/health)
Girl Stuff - Kaz Cooke (family/health)
Lucky for Me - Frank Robson (autobiography)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling (fiction/fantasy)
Obernewtyn (book 1 of Obernewtyn Chronicles) - Isobelle Carmody (fiction/fantasy)
The Gift (book 1 of Pellinor series) - Alison Croggon (fiction/fantasy)
Superior Saturday (book 6 of The Keys to the Kingdom series) - Garth Nix (fiction/fantasy)
Twilight - Stephanie Myer (fiction)
George's Secret Key to the Universe - Lucy and Stephen Hawking (children's nonfiction)
Treasure Fever (book 1 in the Schooling Around series) - Andy Griffiths (children's fiction)
Water Witcher - Jan Ormerod (children)
The Waterhole - Graeme Base (children)
Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books - Frances Watts and David Legge (children)
Quest for the Crown (book 1 in the Faraway Fairies series) - Eleanor Coombe (children's fiction)
Go Girl! Angels: Anniversary Edition - Chrissie Perry and Meredith Badger (children's fiction)
Nim's Island - Wendy Orr (children's fiction)

The Northern Lights (aka The Golden Compass)

My son (age 10) read this book – it took him a couple of months but he did get through it, understood it and enjoyed it. He recently started the second book so I took the plunge and read The Northern Lights – part 1 of the trilogy. It was actually a terrific read, fast paced and straight forward. The book introduces you to some wonderful characters that are very easy to like - or dislike, as the case may be!

The story is set in a parallel world – similar to our own but slightly different. The main character of the book is Lyra, a pre-teen who is apparently orphaned. She lives with scholars at Oxford where as the only child (apart from servant’s children) she runs wild and her education is rather hotch-potch. All humans in Lyra’s world have a demon, a companion that takes the form of an animal (but can speak) and when the human dies, so does the demon – the demon is compared to a soul in the book.

WARNING: STORYLINE SPOILERS!

Lyra’s uncle Lord Asriel is an explorer and scientist (and a powerful personality) who visits the college where Lyra is early in the book, but soon returns North to his mysterious research into “Dust”. Shortly after he leaves, children start to go missing from their families and the story of the “Gobblers” arises. Soon, children go missing in Oxford and one of Lyra’s friends is taken. At the same time, the Master of the college sends Lyra to live with Mrs Coulter, an educated and beautiful woman who has apparently had some contact with Lyra’s uncle. Before Lyra leaves, the Master entrusts to her care an aleithometer which he instructs to keep secret and tells her she must learn to use it herself. So begins an amazing journey for Lyra.

Initially she is well looked after and even pampered, but Mrs Coulter shows her dark edge and Lyra runs away. She is captured/saved by the Gyptians and in their endeavours to retrieve their missing children accompanies them North. There she has more adventures befriending an armoured bear, witches and finding the stolen children. The reader learns of Lyra’s importance and a prophecy concerning her.

Hearing Lord Asriel is imprisioned, Lyra sets off to free him and in the process becomes known as Lyra Silvertongue. She finds Asriel, who in his research, has discovered another world through the Northern Lights – he makes a bridge to this world and crosses over, unaware that Lyra has followed him.

I would highly recommend this book to any youngster capable of reading a novel and it’s a quick and entertaining read for the adults too!

100 books every child should read

I stumbled upon this wonderful recommendation in the Daily Telegraph of 100 books every child should read:

Younger Children:
The Twits, Roald Dahl
Burglar Bill, Janet & Allan Ahlberg
The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Judith Kerr
Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, Beatrix Potter
Yertle the Turtle, Dr. Seuss
Fungus the Bogeyman, Raymond Briggs
The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None Of His Business, Werner Holzwarth & Wolf Erlbruch
Room on the Broom, Julia Donaldson
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
The Cat in the Hat, Dr Seuss
Charlotte’s Web, EB White
The Story of Babar, Jean de Brunhoff
Winnie-the-Pooh, AA Milne,

Middle Years:
Stig of the Dump, Clive King
Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfield
Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling
The Borrowers, Mary Norton
Struwwelpeter, Heinrich Hoffman
The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
Danny, the Champion of the World, Roald Dahl
George’s Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
Underwater Adventure, Williard Price
Tintin in Tibet, Herge
The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
Erik the Viking, Terry Jones
When the Wind Blows, Raymond Briggs
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, TS Eliot
The Iron Man, Ted Hughes
The Owl and the Pussycat, Edward Lear
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Graeme
The Worst Witch Collection, Jill Murphy
Peter Pan, JM Barrie
Mr Majeika, Humphrey Carpenter
The Water Babies, Charles Kingsley
A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett
I’m the King of the Castle, Susan Hill
The Wave, Morton Rhue
Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Bambert’s Book of Missing Stories, Reinhardt Jung
The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, Philip Pullman
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillippa Pearce
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Silver Sword, Ian Serrallier
Cue for Treason, Geoffrey Trease
The Sword in the Stone, TH White
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursulla K LeGuin
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling
The Chronicles of Narnia, CS Lewis
His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
The BFG, Roald Dahl
Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome
Clarice Bean, Don’t Look Now, Lauren Child
The Railway Children, E Nesbit
The Selfish Giant, Oscar Wilde
Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
Just William, Richmal Crompton
Jennings Goes to School, Anthony Buckeridge
Comet in Moominland, Tove Jansson
The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket

Early Teens:
Call of the Wild, Jack London
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll
The Outsiders, SE Hinton
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
The Owl Service, Alan Garner
The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, Mildren D Taylor
A Kestrel for a Knave, Barry Hines
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkein
War Horse, Michael Morpurgo
Beowulf, Michael Morpurgo
King Solomon’s Mines, H Rider Haggard
Kim, Rudyard Kipling
The Road of Bones, Anne Fine
Frenchman’s Creek, Daphne Du Maurier
Treasure Island, RL Stephenson
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
Junk, Melvin Burgess
Cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee
The Go-Between, LP Hartley
The Rattle Bag, edited by Seamus Heaney & Ted Hughes
The Song of Hiawatha, HW Longfellow
Watership Down, Richard Adams
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain
True Grit, Charles Portis
Holes, Louis Sachar
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
Carrie’s War, Nina Bawden
The Story of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
The Lantern Bearers, Rosemary Sutcliffe


Hmmm, I’m not doing too well. I always thought of myself as a voracious reader, but maybe I read the wrong sort of books LOL. Out of the above list I only recall reading about 30 which may mean my essential reading is a bit down on the average. I did read more Dickens, Bronte and Durrell than they mention and I also read quite a bit of Austen, so maybe that ups my list a bit!

One book on the list, Comet in Moominland, brought back quite vivid memories of reading the whole series of these books. I don’t know how old I was but I clearly remember the books themselves and their illustrations. I may have to seek those out again for my children!

I don’t know if all these books are easily available here in Australia, but I am going armed with this list to the local library in a fortnight when school resumes and will see what I can locate.

I need to jump on the younger readers quickly as the girls have just turned seven! I also need to encourage my son to read more. He was a poor reader until the last couple of years when he has worked his way through The Secret Seven and The Famous Five. Having read all the volumes in these series that he could find, he was searching around for a book and saw The Golden Compass, which he is attempting to read. It is more of a novel for an older child – the print is small, the book is thick and the style of writing he is unaccustomed to, but I am happy to let him try.

How many of the above list have you read? Have they missed out on any books?


See the comprehensive listings with a short synopsis of each book here:

part 1 (younger children)
Part 2 (middle years)
Part 3: (early teens)