Hoot #33 Mice Gordon Reece

This psychological thriller had me hooked very quickly. Shelly and her mum are both victims of abuse; Shelly is bullied my her previous 'friends' in some horrible ways. Her mother is bullied by her ex-husband in a messy divorce and she is also bullied in the workplace. The two little mice scurry off to the country to lick their wounds. But, their bad luck doesn't end there. 

The pace of this book is just right. It builds and builds until Shelly and her mum finally fight back.

Something that irked a little for me was the repetitive characterisation of the two of them as mice. It was a little heavy handed for my liking, but, is probably about right for the young adult readership.

The tone and tension reminded me a little of Beautiful Malice, a big hit with every teen girl I've recommended it to. However this has more depth I think. It will certainly make readers think about the ethics of fighting back and how far you would/ should go to protect yourself and your loved ones. It also has some lovely connections to Macbeth running through the story (Shelly is studying the play for her examinations.)

All the characters are well drawn. And if you have ever been bullied, which lets face it a lot of people have, then the scenes where poor Shelly is retreating further and further into herself because of horrible girls at her school will resonate with you. And no, I don't think the bullying is at all unrealistic or too violent.

Four hoots out of five

Happy tales,
Barking Owl

Book H00t #32 Pippi Longstocking

Happy Book Week to you all! As you can see from this post, Book Week is a particularly big one at my school, culminating in dress up day. Now we teachers always find this a source of much discussion, if not angst.

This year the theme is "Across The Story Bridge." What does that suggest to you? We went through characters that are associated with bridges but trolls and billy goats didn't really appeal. So we decided to choose characters that have crossed the bridge from print to film.

All this is leading up to my re-reading of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking. For costume inspiration, I bought the lovely new edition illustrated by Lauren Child. And I am enjoying reading it so much. It reminded me how much I loved her sassiness.

Pippi is an excellent example of a strong girl who knows her mind, is independent and has fun at the same time. She also has a pet monkey!

If you haven't read Pippi Longstocking, or need a refresher, this edition is a lovely read.

5 Hoots out of 5

Happy tales,
Barking Owl

Book Hoot #31 The Ask And The Answer

The second in the Chaos Walking trilogy, The Ask And The Answer is a story of dictatorship and rebellion. It picks up moments after The Knife Of Never Letting Go left off. Viola and Todd are being kept apart by the Mayor of New Prentisstown, formally Haven.

For a lot of the story, each believes that they are fighting on the right side of the conflict. Todd is a part of The Ask and Viola The Answer. And this is one of the book's main themes; in war, is there a 'right side'? I imagine this would quite a challenging idea for some readers. But there are other themes here that show Patrick Ness is certainly not talking down to his readers.

The Spackle, an alien race who make a small appearance in Chaos #1, are more central to the plot in this book. The Mayor puts his son, Davy, and Todd in charge of using the Spackle as slave labour. They even brand them in an eerily similar way to the Jewish race being tattooed in the Holocaust. There are also moments of torture and ethnic cleansing in this story line. And as Todd struggles with his conscience; the old excuse of 'just doing my job' works for a while.

Meanwhile Viola finds herself in a group of terrorists. Just as The Ask is primarily made up of men, The Answer is primarily women and so there are themes of female emancipation in her sections. Mistress Coyle the leader of The Answer carries out a series of bombings and the book asks the reader to consider 'collateral damage'. Viola struggles with the actions of the rebels, but like Todd is blinded by the charisma of her leader and what seems at first to be their just cause.

I would highly recommend this series. I'm about to start Monsters of Men and can't wait to see how the series is concluded.

Five out of five Hoots!

Happy Tales,
Barking Owl

Book Hoot #30 Sugar, Sugar

Sugar Sugar seems an uninspired title for such a good book. Carole Wilkinson sets the story in 1972, so far in the past that for YA readers it may seem like another planet!

Jackie has left suburban Adelaide chasing her dreams of being a fashion designer. She travels from London to Paris for the weekend, thinking that she will show her marsupial and native fauna clothing ideas to a famous fashion designer. It is in Paris that the adventures begin. Jackie loses her folio and chases it across Europe, ending up in Afghanistan. Instead of swearing, she says sugar, hence the title.

Being a wanna-be fashion designer, Jackie is always snappily dressed:

I had a wash and changed into my grey velvet hot-pants and green pigskin boots... my maroon tights perfectly matched the swirls in my paisley blouse, and my over the knee high heeled boots looked great.

As she moves from Paris heading gradually east, we see Jackie transform and mature. Clothes are a constant motif throughout the story, but as she sees the poverty and conditions some people live in, she realises that there are more important things than fashion. Friendship and loyalty are two themes running through the book.

As I said earlier, the time period would be very unfamiliar for today's YA readers, the lack of communication with family when you're overseas is certainly a thing of the past. Jackie sends aerograms, doesn't telephone because of the expense and she doesn't have a camera either. in the endnotes Carole Wilkinson says:

When we travelled through the Middle East, photographic film was expensive and the need to record one's life in minute detail belonged to the distant future. We took ten photos.

It's a bit of a shame that this ability to be out of touch has gone; even when you're on the other side of the world today, you can still read emails, and your parents can be in touch immediately. I think that the setting, the time especially, would interest readers.

The places and landscapes are also especially well written. The sort of risk taking adventures that Jackie has make you want to stuff your hot-pants and thigh high boots into a yellow rucksack and hit the overland Hippie Trail.

Four Hoots/ Five

Recommended for older readers, being hippies there are some drug experiences...

Happy Tales,

Barking Owl

Book H00t #29 The Help

Kathryn Stockett's best selling, first novel The Help is about three women: two black maids and one white university graduate, who live in Jackson Mississipi. Set in the early sixties, the multi-voiced narrative shows their different experiences of the dawning of the civil rights movement. Their determination to find their own voices and make their own protest makes this book an engaging and compelling read.

There are hints of what is happening in the wider world, references to the march on Washington and Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech for example. So, I think this would make an excellent novel to read as a companion to a study of this historical period. But it is a compelling page turner in its own right. *I was reading on an IPad, so that page turning was silent :) *

While the stories of the mistreatment of the maids are compelling, it is the kindness of these women to their charges that also stays with the reader.

Aibileen is raising her seventeenth child, and she teaches her all that she is "good and kind and important", lessons her mother does her best to undermine. She has recently lost her son, and this has been a catalyst that makes her change. She is a woman who shows the power of commitment and faith.

Minny, has a "sassy mouth", is an excellent cook and is regularly beaten by her husband. She takes some pretty memorable revenge on the nastiest of the white women in the book, Hilly, and this is the impetus for her placement with another employer who doesn't know her reputation, and doesn't really know how to treat 'the help.' She cares more for this silly woman than you would think possible, and they have a friendship which seems remarkable given the circumstances.

Skeeter has just graduated from Ole Miss, and despite earning a degree and wanting to become a journalist, is pushed into blind dates by her friends and overbearing mother, until she has that ring on her finger. The mysterious disappearance from the family plantation of the woman who raised her makes Skeeter look closer at the lives of the black women around her. This is an awakening for her and the start of the book that brings them all together.

I really enjoyed this novel, it was a quick read, but a really satisfying one at the same time.

4 hoots/ 5

Happy tales,

Barking Owl

Book Hoot #28 Beautiful Malice

Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James was subject to a huge bidding war apparently. I can see why the editors were crazy for it: pacy narrative, likable characters, sad ending. All the elements for a successful YA book, except this one crosses that mythical genre line. It is perfect for an adult read, especially adults who like psychologial thrillers.

I was reading this while waiting for an operation, waiting most of the day as it happens, but the narrative kept me entertained and my mind off my knee. I got it pretty much done before the op, and finished it that night. Such is the captivating power of a good story.

Katherine is trying to escape her horrible past. She meets a charismatic and attractive girl who seems to have not a trouble in the world. Just what Katherine needs. Of course, as anyone who has read or watched one of these kinds of stories before knows, Alice has hidden troubles of her own, and secrets that aren't revealed until the last chapter.

This is a tightly written and interestingly structured story which flips from a more mature and reflective Katherine's point of view, back to chronological time during Katherine's HSC year, and also to the year before when something horrible happens that destroys her family. To say anything more would ruin the carefully built tension and probably the most interesting part of the book.

While I don't like to read stories that represent girls as victims, and yes it goes against my whole kick-ass theme here, along the way in this book are messages for teens about toxic friendships and irresponsible drinking. If some readers are scared out of their wits here, it wouldn't be such a bad thing!

3 and a half H00Ts /Five

Until next time,
Happy tales

Barking Owl

B00k H00t #27 Loving Richard Feynman

Fifteen year old Catherine is a science loving, geekish girl who is finding her place in Kyneton and highschool. When her dad gives her a poster of Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize winning physicist who assisted in the development of the atomic bomb, she develops an unusual crush and begins to write her diary in letters to him. Over the course of the book, she reads his biography as well and reflects on his involvement in the bomb. She learns about love, maths and friendships.

Penny Tangey's novel has been short listed for the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year for older readers, along with previously reviewed Liar and Stolen. It is a much gentler read than those two, but equally well written and the plotting wasn't too predictable.

Also, Tangey does write an authentic teenage voice. Catherine is quirky and funny, her quick temper and mood swings are well captured. Because Catherine is a maths wizz, this brings her together with other like minded students, is the start of some friendships, and teaches her humility as well as confidence.

She also learns that people are flawed, her parents and her beloved Feyman included. Getting through high school is a common theme in teen reads, the portrayal of adults as complex and flawed probably not so much. So, this is certainly refreshing.

But, I don't know how many teenagers would identify with her obsession for Feynman. The kissing of the poster was a bit cringey for me. (It made me recollect my obsession for Davy Jones, from the Monkees that is not at the bottom of the ocean! That's showing my age...)

So, I'd recommend this one for thirteen or fourteen year readers. The letter style diary narration is easy to read, so reluctant readers might also enjoy this one too.

Any embarrassing teen crushes you'd like to share?

Happy Tales,
Barking Owl