Say Cheese by Mary Blakeslee

This is definitely a girly book and focuses on the issues of fitting into a new school, friendships and peer pressure. Fifteen year old Granada (Granny) has just returned to Canada to attend Fineacre High after many years of studying at an exclusive school in Switzerland. She initially has trouble settling in, and is faced with further trouble when she sets her sights on Steve Williams, the editor of the school newspaper Fi High Speaker, and who is under the constant watch of his girlfriend of three years, Lonnie Kaye Borgnine. Granny is so infatuated with Steve that she lies about her photography skills to gain a place on the newspaper. There are a few fiascos to start off with, but after spending many hours studying the art of photography with her father who is  renown for his accomplished photojournalism, she starts to gain Steve's appreciation and attention. Gary, the guy in charge of the photography section, is not so easily impressed, and like Kaye, it seems he is out to make her life miserable. Thank goodness for her new friend Maureen who is there to offer advice, and support her through the tricky situations. On the home front, Granny is trying to develop a relationship with her new step mother Judy and help out with the energetic five year old twins Trixie and Trina. Judy firmly believes they are destined to be great child models.  

Pup by John Heffernan

This novel is an engaging follow-up to the books Chip and  Spud by the same author, and focuses on the life of Pup, another one of Farmer Morton's abused dogs. It follows the friendship of a young boy called Jack with the young kelpie whom he rescues from his cruel master. On the advice of one of his father's friends, Jack sets out to train Pup to a professional level in the rounding up of sheep. Jack doesn't enjoy school is currently struggling with reading, and is the brunt of ongoing jokes and verbal abuse at his school. Pup bring a new joy to his life and slowly things start to improve with his studies. Morton whose wife has left him along with his daughter, has spiralled further into the ugly tunnel of alcohol abuse and he is determined that Pup be returned to him. He is reckless in his pursuit of all he has lost. It is a hard book to put down and very suitable to an upper primary audience.

Go Eat Worms! by R.L. Stine

Go Eat Worms! The title echoes the words of Regina Barstow who is sick and tired of all her brother Todd's practical jokes with worms. Todd has collected worms for years and plans to win the computer prize at the school Science Expo with his worm house display. All is going well, until along comes the new kid, Patrick, who tells him outrightly that he has pinched his idea about worms for the expo and that he  has something exceptional planned. Todd is furious, and along with his friend, Danny, plots to find out about Patrick's project. One day whilst annoying Regina with worms yet again down in the basement of his house, Todd decides to cut one in half as shock value, but as Regina points out, the worms in his tank are watching! Now it seems they want their revenge. Todd's life becomes a nightmare and it seems that worms are plaguing him at every turn. This is a fast moving book following the usual cliff hanging chapter style of R.L. Stine. I read it in one sitting.

Change the Locks by Simon French

Jacket illustration by Greg Rogers

Change the Locks by Australian author Simon French tackles issues about identity and life in a single parent family. Although it is quite slow moving, this book will not disappoint. The action revolves around Steven who is struggling to remember something traumatic from the past.  One day at school he is given a pen pal to write to as part of the current class project, and the name Elise Turnball stirs something deep in his memory.

"I remember when you were five," Patrick tells his friend Steven. "I remember. You were strange when you first started at the school in town...You don't know where you and your mum came from, it's like you... materialised. It's a mystery, Steven. You should try to solve it or something."

It is these were the words along with the name that start Steven on his journey to uncover the past. He can remember fragments, like being alone on a road in the middle of nowhere and a house full of people in a city environment, far different from where he now resides. His mother flatly refuses to answers his questions. Why?  Things at home aren't too crash hot either, the family car has just been stolen, and baby Dylan keeps him pretty busy as his mum finds it a battle as a single parent. Darryl, Dylan's father has left and his mum is depressed.  And at school, there's Redmond Hall, always ready with a smart remark and out to makes his life difficult. The only thing keeping him sane is his friendship with Patrick Hetherington. Then one day whilst ripping old linoleum an old newspaper from seven years ago is discovered, and it has Steven's photo in it.

Twice Upon a Time by John Pinkney

Sara and her sister Ella have been  full time boarders at St Ann's College ever since their parents died in a car crash and their grandmother had become too frail to adequately care for them. Ella is a sad little girl who is finding school difficult and who is about to be moved to the new junior campus. Sara has been sleepwalking and is also very concerned for the welfare of her younger sibling, and is desperately trying to shield her from the unorthodox disciplinary measures of the junior headmistress, Miss Sharp. One day Sara discovers a strange wooden door  beneath the school at the end of a maze of tunnels. This door offers Sara some optimism for the future, but that which is on the other side is not always the happy life Sara discovered the first time she passed through it. The book looks at the possibility of parallel universes and is a hard book to put down. 

Size Twelve by Robert Westall

I am a big fan of Robert Westall and have read the majority of his books and it's sad he is not here to write any more books. This novel is a much easier read than his novels like The Machine Gunners and BiltzCat. Valley Road Primary School is very run down, the students are disinterested and unruly...and the teachers have given up. Then along comes one black cat with incredibly large paws who makes friends with one of the most feared boys in the school, Taffy Thomas. Taffy names him Size Twelve and school becomes a much nicer place to be. Students and parents start to see the school in new light and revamp the tired old school. However, Edward Druel, the psychologically-damaged school bully is not won over and Size Twelve is suddenly in grave danger. Westall had a facination for cats and they feature in many of his novels. There are ink drawings by Mark Robertson throughout the book which help bring the characters to life.

Penny Pollard's Diary by Robin Klein

There are two copies of this book in our little library, one hardback and one soft cover. Penny Pollard has been one of Australia's best known characters since 1983. Penny hates going to school and abhors homework. She finds old people hard to get along with and refuses to wear dresses but, she does love horses. You could say she is obsessed with them. Whist on a school excursion, she meets an old lady just as rebellious as she is, Mrs Edith Bettany, who is nearly eighty-one years old and they become friends. This diary relates their experiences and Penny's ups and downs at school and is filled with sketches and photos and lots of information on horses.

Girl Underground by Morris Gleitzman

This book follows on from the book Boy Overboard but as with all of Gleitzman's books, it is not necessary to read this novel in order to understand or enjoy this one. The book is signed by the author himself. I bought it for my son, Travis, when I attended one of his seminars. This is a story of friendship, courage and a bit of crime. Bridget wants a quiet life and this is difficult when your Dad is a wheeler and dealer and your brother is in gaol. Bridget doesn't really care for the new, posh school her parents have enrolled her in, but after making the acquaintance with Menzies, son of politician, life becomes more interesting. Menzies makes her an offer she can't refuse, and they set off on a job of their own. It's a desperate, daring plan to rescue two kids, Jamal and Bibi, from a desert detention centre. Can Bridget and Menzies pull off their very first jail break, or will they end up behind bars too? Listen to the first chapter by clicking on the link below:

http://www.morrisgleitzman.com/books/fst_girl_audio.html

How to Tame a Bully by Nancy Wilcox Richards

This is a small, easy-read chapter book which focuses on a girl called Lauren and her efforts to cope with Bethany's constant bullying. Lauren's first day at school is great, she is in the same class as her best friend Claire and even has scored her favourite teacher, Ms MacArthur. The only problem is she finds herself seated next to Bethany who goes out of her way to be completely obnoxious. Bethany steals her food, makes fun of her and sabotages her classwork. Sadly there doesn't seem to be any upstanders to help her out. Even her best friend can't help her. Suddenly the Lauren and Bethany have to do a project together and Lauren is wondering how this is ever going to work out! The text is accompanied with ink illustrations and is a book you could quite easily read in two silent reading sessions.

Chasing Rainbows by Lucinda Haslinger

Trevor is different from everyone; he is blind and now he finds himself away from his beloved farm life and thrust into city life by his foster parents in order to learn more about his background. He has his own system of measurement, his steps being measured in pumpkins (big steps), cabbages and broccoli. Whilst he has friends at the school he has to attend for a month, he also senses animosity and is the target for bullying. Brian is a student to be avoided at all costs, continually taunting him and making life difficult. Ronnie is desperate to be his friend but backs off every time Brian is around, and then there's Talia, the angel who takes him under her wing. This book doesn't reveal its secret until close to the end and it certainly surprised me. The books deals with the differences between country and city, cultures and interpersonal relationships. All the action is filtered through Trevor who struggles to understand his new environment.

I am Trevor.

My world is black.

The nightmare is just beginning.

Alvin's Famous No-Horse by William Harry Harding

Alvin is hung up about school; he's really worried about the art exhibit his teacher is planning to hold for the parents. You see Alvin can play ball, he's a great speller and has good friends, but he can't draw. Every child in the class is expected to submit a drawing by the end of the week and his horse is more like "a blob of brown Jell-O." And what's Jell-O an Australian reader might well ask? Well, it is the brand name of a dessert a bit like jelly which is sold prepared or in powder form. The book revolves around that week at school and the strategies Simon tries in order to produce an adequate drawing. The book is a bit slow, but middle primary students might like it.

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

My daughter, Nicola, and I just loved this debut novel and also the ensuing, award-winning film which was scripted by the author herself. I am a fan of Melina Marchetta and have recently finished reading her latest release, The Piper's Son. Looking for Alibrandi is a coming of age story which is set in Sydney in 1999 and revolves around Josie Alibrandi, a seventeen year old Australian of Italian descent. Life with her Mum in a terraced house in Glebe has its ups and downs and her interfering grandmother certainly doesn't make things easier. Josie is at that age where she is trying to take control of her own life. and in her final year at high school she is planning to turn over a new leaf, get good grades and eventually go to uni to study law. She finds that her Italian heritage and the fact that she is a "scholarship" girl seem to go against her given the predominant snobby and bigoted clientele of the school. John, the school captain at a neighboring school is a refreshing distraction from all of this. Then her father unexpectedly moves to Sydney and tragedy strikes.

Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt

Before, the accident, Izzy's life had been wonderful, she was an attractive cheerleader with lots of friends. But now the greyness of her life is swallowing her up, and whilst her family try to make things okay, her friends are too uncomfortable to be around and she is finding life as an amputee difficult. Then Rosamunde bounds into her life, providing her with support and teaching her persistence to overcome the hurdles of school. This book is all about human survival and growth. Izzy makes you laugh and cry, but mostly she makes you want to stand and applaud.