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.

Eric by Shaun Tan

How excited was I when I found this little gem! I have a large collection of Tan's works and was not aware of this existence of this littler number. Turns out that this is a mini gift edition of one of the most loved stories from the multi-award-winning, internationally lauded masterpiece Tales from Outer Suburbia. Despite the fact that in general we tend to think of book with fewer words are reserved for children, this is really a book for all ages.

Some years ago we had a foreign exchange student come to live with us. We found it difficult to pronounce his name correctly, but he didn't mind.

Thus begins the story of the very amiable  "Eric," the name he chose for himself to make life easier for others. Eric chooses to live on a shelf in the pantry rather than in the freshly decorated room the family had provided for him.  Tan showcases Eric's interest in the smaller and less obvious things in the world; those things we often neglect to notice. His illustrations are what make this book so memorable as they are unique and whimsical, with the final illustration which makes you go tingly inside. It is a beautiful and fitting conclusion which makes everything else in the books suddenly very meaningful.

A Dog So Small by Philippa Pearce

First published in 1962 this book may not appeal to many of today's young readers as they may not be able to relate to everything in the text. But, some will find it quite enchanting, especially if they enjoyed Philippa Pearce's award winning novel Tom's Midnight Garden. Ben, the main character, would dearly love a dog and when his grandfather promises him one for his birthday he is very excited. However, his excitement turns to dismay on his special day when he receives a hand embroidered picture of a chihuahua in a frame from his grandparents. It seems nobody thinks a dog is a good idea when you live in a small abode in the middle of a busy city like London. As it so happens, the reader learns, that this picture has special significance to his grandmother and was lovingly stitched in Mexico. As the novel progresses we see Ben visit his grandparents, as he does regularly, and enjoy the company of their dog Tilly. Upon his return to London he starts to obsess over the picture of the miniature chihuahua dog to the point where it nearly costs him his life. Some readers will find Ben's attitude in the final chapter very disconcerting and unexpected. Avid upper primary readers with good comprehension skills would definitely take away more from this book than a less capable reader. It contains some powerful insights into life.

He saw clearly that you couldn't have impossible things, however much you wanted them. He saw that if you didn't have the possible things, then you had nothing.

Ink drawing by Anthony Maitland are regularly dispersed through this book and are very representative of the way children's novels were illustrated in the sixties and seventies. I really enjoyed the illustrations as much as the story.

The hand embroidered picture

One of Ben's visions

Click on the link below to hear famous actress Judy Dench tell part of the story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUHwGqSKWe4

Spider and the King by Diana Kidd

Sam leaves home without thinking it through. He is tired of not been noticed, and jealous of all the attention his sister Kate is getting since her life-changing accident. However, life on the streets in the city is not all it seemed cracked up to be and Sam feels an intense loneliness. Not only this, but he is also hassled by a gang who seem out to cause him harm. Then, it's Rissole to his rescue and little by little Rissole tests him and allows him into his life. They both share a love of a stray kitten called Pinball and both have their own issues to come to terms with. Rissole wants desperately to find his mum and Sam, now nicknamed Spider, struggles to come to terms with his feelings of guilt at having left home and the enormous obstacle that his sister faces.

Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French

Mark, Anna, Ben and Little Tracey have a game they play each morning as they wait for the school bus; they make up stories. This time it's Anna's turn and she has an enthralling one to tell about Hitler's daughter, a daughter only a few select people in the Third Reich know about. Mark is particularly captivated with the story and Germany's dark history. But what is reality and what is imagination? It's difficult to tell until Anna reveals some startling news at the end of her two week narration. This book skips between the two stories, the one about the lives of the bus stop friends, and the one about Heidi, the unacknowledged daughter of Adolf Hitler, story set back in World War 11 Germany. It throws up many questions, like what it would be like to be a child of someone evil?  How can someone love someone who commits terrible crimes? This novel was first published in 1999 and has sold over 100, 000 copies in Australia alone. It has also received a lot of critical acclaim in many countries and it would be great if every upper primary student had the opportunity to read this book.

The Cabbage Patch Fib by Paul Jennings

One evening around the tea table Dad insists on intelligent discussion, and that's when Chris pops the question, "Where do babies come from, Dad?" Well, Dad doesn't give an intelligent answer at all, in fact he tells Chris that they grow out of cabbages at night. Intrigued by this, later that evening just before bedtime Chris grabs a torch and begins his search for a baby in the family's cabbage patch. Bingo! He finds one and it  is a little boy and it is green. He is suitably impressed, but about to find out the hard way just how demanding caring for a baby can be, especially this one which starts to change colour and die if he so much as hands it to anyone else to care for for more than a minute. He has to take it to school with him, miss out on his favourite lessons and playing British Bulldog in the breaks, and what's even worse, he has to change the disgusting yellow nappies whilst the whole class looks on! So what can he possibly do to make his life easier? Craig Smith's ink illustrations are entertaining within themselves.  This book is an easy read but entertaining.

This one of Jenning's stories included in the Round the Twist series. Click on the link below to preview it. It is a little different from the story but just as enjoyable as the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4QJ2Uexz4M

The Monster Diaries by Luciano Saracino & Poly Bernatene

The Monster Diaries is a monster-sized book and is not a story so much as a series of diary entries from twelve different monsters including the well known ones like Dracula, The Abominable Snowman and Frankenstein. "The Federation of Fright" believes that human children have run out of nightmares and is running a competition to find the grisliest ghoul and will be judging each of the entries on their terror tactics. Each diary entry is accompanied by a photo of the in many cases hapless writer engaged in one of his/her favourite pastimes. There are some links made between some of the characters but generally speaking each entry is self-contained.The dimensions of the book may make it a difficult hardback to add to your bookshelf having the dimensions 250mm x 340. However, it is a stunning hardback book. It is also a  humorous read with many play on words which could even result in some readers laughing out loud. The large, detailed illustration are a strong point of the book. And, as to who deserves to win the competition? Well, you decide for yourself.