Teachers'+Wide+Reading+Reviews

This isn't one for the year 9s, by any means, but I've just finished what I'd describe as a brilliant adult novel, by Catherine Jinks. //The Notary// is a story, set in Avignon, circa 1320. It's a murder mystery. The main protagonist, and narrator, is Raymond Maillot, a notary, that is, one of the literati, putting him a cut above the others in his community. He is hired by a Dominican Friar, Father Amiel, to take notes during an enquiry - an 'inquisitio' - into the gruesome death of Father Guillaume Monier. Monier was found dead sans his 'virilia'; his genitalia.

It's a bawdy romping sort of narrative, reminiscent in tone of //Blackadder//. Jinks, a medieval history specialist, gives a detailed insight into what daily life might have been like as we tiptoe along the streets of Avignon, with our skirts hoisted - and that's the men - dodging the free flowing excrement that courses down the streets.

That'll do. It's supposed to be a brief review. I rate it very highly. Humorous, intriguing, fascinating, saucy and excellent writing. Good special combo. I'm happy to pass my copy around. Might be a bit too racy to have on the Rosehill library shelves - although Stephen King seems to go under the radar.

I've just checked Jinks' website and find that //The Notary// is out of print in Australia. However, should one wish, I'm sure one could get a copy on Amazon, or Ebay. Suddenly, my op shop copy, bought for $6, is even more precious.

By the way, if you're one of the oldies who didn't like //The Future Trap//, by the same author, this book bears no resemblance!! Cheers. JT

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Just finished reading //A small free kiss in the dark// by Glenda Millard. Skip, the narrator, is about eleven and at the start of the story he is planning to run away from a series of unsatisfactory foster placements. He makes it into the city - which is reminiscent of Melbourne - and lives on the streets. He meets a homeless old man, Billy, and tags along with him. The major complication is that the city is unexpectedly bombed. Skip, Billy and a six year old boy, Max, who they find in the bombed state library, escape and find refuge of sorts in 'Dreamland' - read Luna Park ( - clearly the author hasn't been on a year 8 end of year excursion to Luna Park or she'd know it's not a place one would willingly hang out in!!) Here they meet fifteen year old Tia, who has a very new baby. The story is about surviving on what one can scrounge in a city at war. It had the same sort of appeal as Gary Paulsen's //Hatchet//; that is, a child surviving on his wits in extreme circumstances.

//A small free kiss in the dark// was very engaging. It's effectively written from the perspective of Skip, who is an artist and an insightful kid. I can't be bothered writing a full on 'book report' because it's Sunday and I have washing to hang out. Suffice it to say I didn't feel inclined to put this novel aside, unfinished. (Two other of my sample texts from Allen and Unwin - //The Killer's Tears// and //Shifty// went straight to my 'don't bother' pile. I just couldn't get into them. And life's too short to read unengaging young adult fiction. Just my personal taste though.)

I think it would be worthwhile buying ten copies of this text for wide reading and 'literature circles' - which I'm going to call literature groups.

Here's a link to a much better review than the one I've written.

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Actually, the 'aussie reviews' site is really worthwhile. Cheers. Judi The Nest is suitable for 14 yrs plus readers. The setting is the Victorian Alps in winter. Everyone seems to be messing with Robin's head. His mum walked out when he was a toddler, his dad is bitter and cruel and Charlie, the girl of his dreams, thinks he's a sadistic maniac due to a misunderstanding about strangling a bird. He feels moments of intense rage; so powerful, in fact, he worries that one day he'll snap. I had no idea where this story was going to end up - but end it does in a flurry of action and intrigue. Not every question is answered and the reader is left a bit bemused. Suitable for literature circles for a Year 9 class maybe.

(Thanks, GP!! Don't be anonymous, be proud!)

Grace-Morris Gleitzman Morris Gleitzman, himself a lapsed Christian, writes the novel __Grace__ as a girl witnessing the destruction of her family. The elders of the church (read ‘cult’), including her own grandfather, set about expelling her slightly rebellious father from the church. They see him as responsible for the demons in his daughter (Grace writes ‘The Book of Mum’, a most sacrilegious act!). The elders get down-right scurrilous in their attempts to set the family on the right track, stooping to remarrying-off the mother to a more-godly church member. With the assistance of a working class and rather rough father and son team (the novel is politically correct!), Grace’s native intelligence saves the day and the family is ultimately reunited. The beauty of the book, and its humour is present in the novel’s innocent, and quasi-biblical style. Grace has written ‘The Book of Grace’ in retaliation. There are lots of ‘and it came to pass’s and ‘behold’s and, ‘upon us’s and ‘smites and smitten’s. Whether this will engage the young reader, especially ‘year niners’, I don’t know. Personally I found the book most engaging and entertaining because of its style and plot. Perhaps the book would be better suited to year eight kids. Of course, we run the risk upsetting a few of the humourless, fundamentalist, parent zealots that exist in our community! (Even my initials have upset a few).Certainly a set of ten books would be OK.

(Thanks, JC!!)

I've just dumped Kate De Goldi's //The 10pm Question//. Well written - in fact I could use the first couple of pages with my creative writing class to demonstrate 'show, don't tell' - but I was struggling to get into the lives of the quirky characters in the text. I picked it up a few times but it failed to engage. Given how much I gush over anything even half-way passable, I'm trusting my instincts in thinking that most of our kids wouldn't be impressed. They wouldn't want to identify with the daggy main protagonist in the story.