Cherry Banana Split

Pin-up Post: best literary boys

2012-02-14T20:41:00.005+08:00

happy valentine's day my beautiful readers.
I'm sorry for my absence, teachers do not lie when they say 20% increase in work load for year 11.
this is a list of my favourite literary boys :)
* is for the Aussie lads

1. Will Trombal from The Piper's Son*
i love his awkwardness, his integrity and his intelligence. i love me a smart boy.
the thing i love most is his relationship with Francesca, i wish i could steal him.
favourite quote:“And if I get a little chemically imbalanced in the head, like we all know I tend to get sometimes, and I don't want my parents or brother knowing, Will's like, 'We'll deal with it.' He's never said, 'I'll fix it up.' He just says, 'You're not up to going back to uni to finish your Honours this year? Big deal. There's next year. We'll deal with it.'" She nods. "That's what he does well.”

2. Adam Wilde from Where She Went
oh i love his passion, how strongly he feels it all. i just want to hold him. the music thing i really like as well. i also love how
he gave up his career for her. go Gayle Forman!
favourite quotes: “I get it now. I have to make good on my promise. To let her go. To really let her go. To let us both go.”
“I needed to hate someone and you’re the one I love the most, so it fell on you.”

3. Alex Delaney from After January*
sensitive and awkward, and so keen to get things right. he also writes stuff, which is an added bonus. i like how he's quiet,
and how he's constantly thinking.

4. Cameron Wolfe from the Wolfe Brothers series*
he is so bad, so many faults, but he fights so hard, and there are few things i value more than that. he always says ' if i get a
girl i'll treat her right' and he did. he thinks, and he yearns for so much more. i just want to give him a hug.
favourite quotes: I stopped walking when I knew all the good feeling had vanished from me. Maybe it had slipped out of me and was given to the derelict. Maybe it disappeared somewhere in my stomach and I did’t even notice. All there was now was this anxiety I couldn’t explain. What a sight. What a feeling. This was terrible: a skinny kid, standing, alone. That was the bottom line. Alone, and I didn’t feel equipped to handle it. Yes, quite suddenly, I didn’t feel like I could handle my feeling of aloneness.
Was this how it was always going to be? Would I always with kind of self-doubt, and doubt for the civilization around me? Would I always feel so small it hurt and that even the greatest outcry roaring from my throat was, in reality, just a whimper?

5. Will from I lost my Mobile at the Mall*
he's quiet, and sweet, and calm and doesn't fuss. he's just a beautiful guy who loves surfing.
favourite quote: "that's what i like most about you Ellie, you're strong and independent"

6. harry potter from harry potter
can i just keep him? pleease.

Piper's Son

2012-01-09T22:26:00.003+08:00

Title: The Piper's Son
Author: Melina Marchetta
First Published: 2010 by Penguin

Tom wants out. he wants oblivion and he's seeking it every way he can to escape the death of his uncle, his family falling apart in every direction possible, the best friends he had and lost, one night stands and heart break over Physco Tara Finke. then he finds himself back where he started, at his pregnant aunt Georgie's, with the st Sebastian's girls. he starts remember everything from two years ago, before Joe was blown to smithereens. this time Tom needs saving, so he can put his family back together.

Quotes
“Maybe she'd always been there. Maybe strangers enter your heart first and then you spent the rest of your life searching for them. ”

“He knows bad days. Bad days take him completely by surprise. They make him not trust the good days because it's likely something is lurking twenty-four hours away.”

“And if I get a little chemically imbalanced in the head, like we all know I tend to get sometimes, and I don't want my parents or brother knowing, Will's like, 'We'll deal with it.' He's never said, 'I'll fix it up.' He just says, 'You're not up to going back to uni to finish your Honours this year? Big deal. There's next year. We'll deal with it.'" She nods. "That's what he does well.”

Review
it feels pointless to review it, no matter what i said i could never capture how much i LOVED The Piper's Son. it is now my favourite book. it was heart breaking and HILARIOUS within pages. it seemed like a real story and now i want to know more about Jimmy, more about Anabel and mostly more about the baby. please can their be a 3rd book? when i read Saving Francesca for the first i fell in love with everyone, it seemed so real, so perfect in it's broken way. i wanted more and that is exactly what's delivered in the book.

the way Melina Marchetta understands depression is one of the reasons i love these books so much. it's so hard to capture, to explain, and yet it's done so honestly, nothing left, not a cliche in sight. this is a godsend, especially Francesca who fights it with all she has and talks of it so honestly.

i love all the characters, so flawed, so honest, so messed up. the relationships were portrayed perfectly. i love them all, for all their faults.

i almost cried, i laughed and i sang with this book, because it captured life, the hardness of it and showed the beauty of it and made you want to fight for it. I am in love with this book.

Pan's Whisper Giveaway

2011-12-21T16:58:00.002+08:00

to round off Pan's Whisper day on Cherry Banana Split i'm very happy to tell you their one copy of Pan's Whisper up for grabs on Perth YA Fans Unite.

while you're there sign our petition and follow us. we've got lots of great stuff coming up :D interviews, great reviews and more giveaways.

ENJOY!

Sue Lawson Interview

2011-12-21T14:47:00.005+08:00

having read the review of Sue Lawson's latest novel Pan's Whisper you people are lucky enough to get an interview with her! any of you who've read my other Sue Lawson Reviews will know just how excited i was to have this oppurtunity.

Hi Sue, welcome to Cherry Banana Split. Make yourself at home. I really loved Pan’s Whisper, as well as all your other books.
Thank you so much for answering me questions: D

Thanks Anna. I’m so glad you enjoyed Pan’s story, and it is lovely to drop in on Cherry Banana Split.

The thing I love most about your books is the characters. They’re so realistic. How do you develop or get to know your characters?

Thank you. I’m thrilled you enjoy the characters. They become like real people for me, which I guess makes me rather strange. I spend most of my planning-time working on characters, creating collages and profiles, so I understand not only who these characters are, but what their motivations are.
I don’t use most of the stuff I gather about my characters, but nothing is wasted. Every detail makes the character more rounded and real for me.

You seem to love dramatic endings; they work really well for you. You build tension to have things ‘explode’ at the right moment, and then reveal everything.
Is there a reason you like this technique or does it just work well for you?
Yeah, I guess I am a bit of a drama queen when it comes to endings. I’m glad they are working for you. I must admit, I like to have an idea – a very rough idea – of how the story will end before I start writing. That way it helps me trickle out information to the end, so the ‘explosions’ aren’t deliberate, but just how my books pan out.

It is hard not to use the ‘dramatic event’ as a cop out to solve the problems or as an excuse for character development?
I guess by knowing where I am headed, I avoid the cop out situation. The development occurs along the way, rather than in that dramatic moment. I think my characters, like Pan, cope with the event because they have grown and changed through the course of the book.

Memories are really important in Pan’s Whisper. Could you have told Pan’s story without using Pan and Morgan’s memories as a story telling device?
I don’t think so. Morgan is as important as Pan, and gives us a much better understanding of Kylie’s character and her issues and so why Pan is as angry and mixed up as she is. Having access to Morgan’s memories as well as Pan’s helps the reader build a more rounded understanding of Pan and of the truth.

I love Hunter and Pan’s friendship, can you tell me a bit more about that?
I’m so glad you enjoyed Hunter and Pan – I love Hunter ( not in an old lady pervy way!) He was initially a bit character, but I realised his experience was integral to Pan facing her truth. His friendship, despite Pan’s efforts to chase him away, sparks the biggest leap of faith for her.
I’ve noticed in life people who have been through trauma and tragedy, even if the events are markedly different, often gravitate and have an intrinsic mutual understanding of each other’s situation. They ‘get’ each other’s situation without having to explain, which is why I decided Hunter could recognize pain and loss in Pan.

Do you use music when you write?
It varies. When I am editing I tend to prefer silence, but when I am writing, I usually have a CD playing, but never one I know really well. (Otherwise I’d become distracted and sing – no Powderfinger, Whitlams, The Police, Queen, or Midnight Oil when I write!) While writing Pan, I listened to ABC Digital radio station, Dig Music, relaxation CDs, the soundtrack from the movie Mongol (LOVE that soundtrack – very intense and emotional!), Pete Murray, and South African street music.

If you could befriend one of your characters who would it be and why? What would you like to do or talk about?
I guess I already have befriended them all. While I am writing and editing, I’m ‘talking’ to them the whole time, about how they would react in certain situations, what cards/clothes/stuff they would buy in shops etc.
I sound crazy I know, but the more I do this, the better I know them and the ‘easier’ it is to write about them and understand their situations. I actually miss my characters when I finish writing!

What’s your favourite Australian kids or YA book?
That is a REALLY tough one. Can I pick more than one? Please??
In no particular order…
Jackie French’s A Rose for the Anzacs, Julia Lawrinson’s Bye Beautiful, David Metzenthen’s Black Water ( And Jarvis 24 and Tiff and The Trout – in fact anything by David.) Cath Crowley’s Graffiti Moon and Karen Tayleur’s Six.
OOOH! most of those are my favourites too.

Thank you so much for having me Anna and for the sensational questions. What a great way to finish off a rewarding and fun blog tour!

thank you Sue for an amazing interview :D

Pan's Whisper

2011-12-21T13:41:00.003+08:00

Welcome to Pan's Whisper day. let's kick it off with a review.

Title: Pan's Whisper
Author: Sue Lawson
First Published: 2011 by Black Dog Books

Pan Harper is angry. she's been placed in foster care, and is mad at her mum and older sister. she is sure she knows her life story better than anyone. but does she? memory is a tricky thing. then she meets her foster family, teachers, and most importantly Hunter. is he worth breaking her most important rule, Never Trust Anyone?

Quick Review
Pan's Whisper is a story of family and friends. Pan may be angry, but you can't help but like her. the more of her story you learn, the more you respect her, even as she makes mistakes over and over again. Sue Lawson once again has created an emotional rollercoster of a story which is amazingly true to life.

Quotes
know where i am? right in the heart of legoland, living with plastics and going to a school filled with spastics. why? because of You. Pan- page 37

"come on Panda, we have to get to Grady's before the hairy-nosed, boogie-bummed bunyip catches us." Kylie stomped up the hall..."get back here now"- page 95/96

i grab the 1st harry potter book and settle into read. Sure I've read it 1000 times but there's something comforting about the familiarity of the characters- page 236

babble
Pan's Whisper is told in three forms. most of the story is in 1st person from Pan's point pf view, but the story is also told in letters to Morgan and in memories from Morgan. they link together in little groups to tell the story. you slowly build a picture of what actually happened, as pan does. it's really clever. it builds suspense also me and you get to know Morgan.

they characters are fabulous. you don't really meet Morgan, or Grandy or Kylie but you know them really well, which i think is quite an achievement. in building them up you really get in Pan's head. the new people she meets, like hunter, Ari and her foster family were good characters, but i would have liked to get to know them even more, but you got their background story, which really added to the story.

over all i really enjoyed Pan's Whisper, and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

luckily for all you Perth readers a copy is going to be up for grabs on Perth YA Fans Unite very soon. so follow us to be eligible to enter.

Pan's Whisper Blog Tour

2011-12-11T20:46:00.004+08:00

Cherry Banana Split is excited to announce that we've been invited to take part in the blog tour launching theSue lawson's new book Pan's Whisper. the tour kicks off tomorrow at Let's Have Words and will finish here on the 21st.
i'll have exclusive content including, an interview, a giveaways, reviews and perhaps a guest post from sue lawson herself, here and over at Perth YA Fans Unite, so follow both of us to keep up :)

Brave Love

2011-12-06T17:07:00.002+08:00

Title: Brave Love- a story of being different
Author: Romi Foster from the Dreamy Tree and where the writer comes to write

Brave Love is a mini-zine story written by Romi. each book is hand written and illustrated by Romi herself. this is a sweet story about being yourself. i think everyone could relate to how she felt, that lost feeling Romi talks about. it such an honest little story. I'd love to see it extended, more about the girl and more about the friend she made at the end. i loved how the writing's in different colours and each page is decorated with little pictures. the only thing I'd recommend is not writing in yellow. I'd like to see some Bigger, Bolder images, as well as the little ones.

a sweet story of loving yourself and waiting for friends to find you :)

sorry not to include a picture. for more info on these zines contact romi!

Young Adult Fiction is too Dark for teengers. True or False

2011-10-30T20:49:00.002+08:00

Young Adult Fiction is too Dark for teengers. True or False

this is the question for my history enquiry. we're researching topics which interest us. i'm using Meghan Cox Gurdon's 'article' Darkness to Visable as the jumping board for my research/report.

so if anyone wrote responses or knows of any respones could you send me links or titles via comments.
i'd also appriciate any other information on the topic, books, articles, websites. ANYTHING.
i'm researching book banning and anything relating.

thank you so much.

Have you seen Ally Queen

2011-10-30T20:00:00.004+08:00

yes, I'm a lazy blogger. sorry :) i did in fact read this a week or so ago :/ so if it's a little vague i apologise.

Title: Have you seen Ally Queen
Author: Deb Fitzpatrick
First Published: 2011 by Fremantle Press

Ally Queen is 15 and not happy. forced to move from her home, friends and well-stocked deli down south go the tiny beach town of Melros near Mandurah. and now they've moved things seem to go from bad to worse. all the kids are bogans and surfies. the only good thing she can find is the beach.

i really enjoyed Have you seen Ally Queen for the most part.
to start with Ally annoyed me a bit, she complained quite a bit and she was Dramatic, but to be fair, teenagers are. i grew to like her though, her voice is genuine and the writing is spot on except for a few words, like poxy. Capitalism and her identity are big themes. as she learns to like herself, you find yourself fond of her too. if you find her annoying to start with it IS worth persisting. 100% worth it.

i quite like that her parents are characters too, more prominently than in most YA. i like that they were flawed!! while they showed Ally's faults the parents weren't perfect, which was nice. so often as a teenager i see something the teenager's doing wrong, often something I've done, and the parents being perfect. the author trying to teach the teen (often nicely) that they're over-reacting or upsetting their parents when they shout. never though have i read a book where the parent and child were both responsible for the fight.

the description in the book was good, especially of Ally's feelings, but i feel Deb Fitzpatrick missed a great opportunity to describe the beautiful beaches and scrubby mountains that are down-south of Perth. i really loved how i could picture it all because these are places i know, or at least roughly. it's so nice have a book set in Western Australia. i love it if other people got a little more of the view.

i found the discussions of the happiness a bit full on, though very interesting. i really took a lot of it to heart. characters with such strong convictions made for an strong story. i loved the deceptions of Ally and Rel's relationship, it was much more realistic than normal in YA. they were friends, and the Love stuff was a little awkward, unsure, but beautiful. the descriptions of some of the things Ally did like mountain climbing and fishing made me jealous. it was familiar of holidays and school camps, and made me want to do things like that more often.

the best thing i can say though, is that it captured Australia's love of the beach in the best way I've read.

Mice

2011-10-16T13:15:00.003+08:00

title: Mice
Author: Gordon Reece
Published: Allen and Unwin 2010

Shelley and her mother are mice by nature. they have been bullied their whole lives and in a desperate attempt to escape they move to an isolated cottage in the country. they think they will be safe there, but trouble has a way of finding you. Even Mice have a breaking point.
a mind twisting, electrifying thriller.

Quick Review
i was expecting a typical adventure, thriller story. this wasn't. the boundary between good and evil characters was broken, i had never realised how much i relied on that basic idea. it has the gore, horror, violence and action typical of a thriller, but the interesting part of this story is the psychological side. the journey in Shelley mind is the interesting, in many parts Confronting aspect of Mice. the story shows the effect of violence and it is disgusting, but so fascinating.

Babble
i really thought mice was a good read, but not in an enjoyable way. there was one point where i wanted to stop reading, it was really bothering me, but i had to finish. i found it really confronting, the ideas of violence and personal character were new, even if i don't agree with all of Shelley's views. in the moments where good and evil almost swap places i was shocked, horrified almost. like watching Of Mice and Men almost or The Kite Runner.

Shelley was quite an annoying character, very weak. i still felt sorry for her. while she was always reliant, she had been a victim of great violence. the transformation towards the end was satisfying. the ending was average in general, it was all to sudden and neatly tied up for me. i feel if had been part of the story i would never had recovered that fast. i did think that the change in the character of Shelley and her mother was good to see in a literary and personal sense.

the book was written to build suspense and Reece certainly managed that. the interesting thing about the writing was how in some parts it seem to be told from the present, in past tense, but some bits were like Shelley was remembering it, recounting it later in life. it flowed seamlessly, but had an interesting affect.

a decent book, worth reading, especially on a psychological level.

Perth YA fans Unite!

2011-10-05T18:45:00.004+08:00

do you live in Perth?
are you sick or never meeting your favourite authors?
sick of authors who always skip Perth?
THERE IS AN EASY ANSWER!

a group of us Perth bloggers have decided to band together to bring YA authors to Perth.
to do this we are contacting publishers and authors showing our interest, BUT we have to prove that coming all the way to Perth is worth the time and the money. THIS is where we need your help! we need to show you to show that YOU want them to come.
there are 3 ways to do this:
1. sign our petition
- just click here to sign. by signing you are just showing your support you won't get told anymore information about blogging and author events.
2. subscribe to our blog- Perth YA Fans Unite!
by subscribing you will be kept up to date about what we are doing in terms of meeting up and our plans of action. as well as author events.
3. like us on facebook.
if you have facebook please like us! hopefully this page Will work as a way to spread the word about events and to show publishers the size of our YA fan base.

we are just starting off and desperately need to spread the word about our group and get as many people liking our page and signing the petition as possible.
not only are we aiming to bring authors to Perth, but it's nice to connect our YA book blogging community.

see our blog for more information about us. email ya.perth@gmail.com or cherry-banana-split@hotmail.com if you would like to come along to our meetings or have any ideas.

Graffiti Moon

2011-10-02T16:50:00.003+08:00

Title: Graffiti Moon
Author: Cath Crowley

Lucy is in love with Shadow, a mysterious graffiti artist.

Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose.

Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it.

Jazz and Leo are slowly encircling each other.

An intense and exhilarating 24 hours in the lives of four teenagers on the verge: of adulthood, of HSC, of finding out just who they are, and who they want to be.
From the Pan Macmillan Australia Website

loved it, one of my favourite reads of the year.
i loved the characters, the original plot line, the dynamic writing. it dips into memories building to this night, while driving the adventure forward smoothly.
the use of detail was so good, i could almost feel the heat.
my favourite thing though were the poems. Amazing.
it's funny as well :)
i read this months ago while i was having tests/assessments etc and didn't get t review it, but i feel I've said all i need to.
so sweet, so true. not quite like anything I've read before.

Quotes
"Your idea of romance requires a corset and a time machine. Loosen up for once." - Jazz

"... but I guess love's kind of like a marshmallow in a microwave, on high. After it explodes it's still a marshmallow. But, you know, it's a complicated marshmallow." -Lucy-

"he can't remember when he lost them
But he lost the daytime things" -Leo-

The Friendship Matchmaker

2011-09-29T17:00:00.004+08:00

Title: The Friendship Matchmaker
Author: Randa Abdel-Fattah
First Published: Scholastic 2011

Lara Zany in Potts Court Primary's 'Official Friendship Matchmaker'. she is writer of the Friendship Rules-which she is certain work, all friendships are approved by her and people come to her to sort out all their fights. she can take the Loneliest Loser and find them a best friend. Then Emily Wong turns up on the first day of 2nd term and disagrees to conform, why should she have to eat cheese sandwiches instead of meatballs for lunch? why shouldn't she paint her nails in different colours? Lara's rules are about to be put to the test.

Quick Review
a brilliant book for girls of about the age of nine. a nice reminder of how special friendship is, how it works and the importance of being yourself. it's simply written, with a big font, only about 170 pages with lists of rules from Lara's Friendship Manual.

Quote
She was obviously in the mood for looking like a zebra: black & white striped t-shirt, black skirt with a thick white hem, black headband and white hair tie, and one black and one white earring. Plus black runners and white socks. "is it international Save the Zebra Day?" i asked.
she smoothed and her skirt. "Thanks" she said enthusiastically "i do look great"
What Cheek!

Babble
i enjoyed the friendship matchmaker, though it's clearly meant for a younger audience. though it's clearly bad the way Lara encourages people to completely change who they are to make friends you understand why she does it. it's clear there's a story behind it. this is a laboured point from the beginning, i found it to be a bit too obvious, which would be fine for nine year olds. the back story of Lara comes out at the end, but it was a bit rushed.

Emily's a great character i loved hearing about her ideas and clothes. she has a shirt, but i won't ruin the surprise :) she's also kind, and smart and determined to be true to herself and unique.
Lara's lovely to because behind her rules is actually a desire for everyone to have a best friend, she just isn't sure how to go about it.
it also has a cute cover ans swirls and stars throughout the book.
best of all i think there's going to be a sequel

Nightpeople-The Darklands trilogy

2011-08-19T20:01:00.004+08:00

title: Nightpeople
Author: Anthony Eaton
Published: 2005 Queensland Press

Saria is the last of her kind, the final child of the Darklands, a quarantined expanse of outback desert, contaminated hundreds of years earlier by the remote and mysterious Nightpeople. In a dying world, she is the last ray of hope.

Spirited away at her birth before the Nightpeople could remove her from the genetic pool, Saria, now in her early teens, is summoned to appear before the Council of Dreamers. There she discovers the story of her past, and the nightmare truth of her people's future, and as history draws the Darklanders towards an inevitable fate, Saria determines to take the only course available to her, whatever the cost.

Nightpeople, the first book of the Darklands trilogy, explores a society turned in on itself and a future which readers will find both alien and disturbingly familiar.

I love the sound of this book, fantasy and Aussie books and two of my favourite things so i thought that i was set to love this book. i met Anthony Eaton last term and the way he described it the idea sound fantastic as you'd think from the blurb pinched from his website. i was very excited when i got it for holiday reading from the library.

the book begins really well, you really want to know what's going to happen to this baby saved from the 'nightpeople', and the 2nd chapter was good as well. Eaton has you wanting to know what's going to happen and what makes Saria special, but the story seemed to fizzle out after the first 2 chapters, for me at least. i kept reading but it seemed like nothing was really happening. i tried on many occasions to finish is, but i just didn't get through it. it went back to the library unfinished. I'd like to try it again some time, because i love the idea of an Australian set fantasy and the premise was brilliant, but the writing let t down. not enough happened, or enough was given away to keep me hanging on. it seemed to drag.

this said, i plan to try some of his other novels, because he was just lovely and hilarious.

5 Parts Dead

2011-07-26T22:21:00.001+08:00

Title: 5 Parts Dead
Author: Tim Pegler
First Published: 2010 by Penguin

Dan is 15 and had just dodged death for the 5Th time. his friends weren't so lucky. just weeks after the accident, he goes on holiday to an island on South Australia, staying in the lighthouse keeper's old cottage with his parents, twin sister, and sister's friend. angry and grieving he discovers the old lighthouse log book and a mystery that's gone unsolved for over a century. add in ghosts, romance and the 'twin thing' and you get a powerful story about friendship, death and family.

Quick Review
I LOVED it. the two time lines flow together seamlessly, making for easy reading, except for a few of the boring captain's reports about weather in the log book. this story will get inside your mind so easily it's almost scary and leave you full of questions, wondering about horrible things. the description of the car crash was literally breath-taking, i stopped reading and clutched my throat, read and you'll understand why. the description of how people reacted was perfect, though horrible and the characters were realistic and lovable. you'll fell so sorry for Dan, yet you understood what rested on his shoulders. the ghost story was a great parallel, and the romance sweet, yet sturdy. A MUST READ ESPECIALLY FOR TEENAGERS.

Babble
i feel that my quick review sums it up pretty well.
i want to talk more about the brutal honesty of this book, at least that's the best way i can think to put it.
death in books is pretty much always sad, yet it's so much more than that in 5 Parts Dead. you almost feel Dan's pain and confusion. the feeling that he is, in the smallest way possible, responsible. you know he's going to fight that for the rest of his life. the talk about death, responsibility, and just how people react was so powerful I'm still thinking about it.
it's a sign on an amazing book when you're still thinking about it 6 hours later.

i also just want to say how much I love Pip, she's so strong. she reads Markus Zusak, you guys know how much i love him. her relationship with Dan is so tender, they just need each other. she's individual, but for once that didn't mean really weird.

i also love how the book showed the effect on Dan's family as well.

all in all an amazing book, very powerful and informative. it was sad, yet the ending left me hopeful. i really want to know what happened to Dan once he went back to school, which shows just how much i love him.

please read this book-give it to all the teenagers you know.
you'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll leave with something.

apology

2011-07-20T23:26:00.002+08:00

I'm just doing a quick explanation post. my Internet is being strange and not loading full pages and cutting out and other things.
so i apologise in case this impairs my posting and for my lack of comments.
sorry about this :)

to cheer you up I'll tell you some of the Aussie books on my shelf at the moment, which may be review in the near future
5 Parts Dead by Tim Pegler (currently reading-very powerful)
Last of the Brave by Archimede Fusillo
Hunting Elephants by James Roy
Anonymity Jones by James Roy
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I'll add a couple of jokes as well :)
A dyslexic man walked into a bra.

what do you call Santa's helpers?
subordinate clauses.

Anna and the French Kiss Giveaway

2011-07-17T14:23:00.004+08:00

The lovely Isme from the Book Slooth is having another great competition.

up for grabs is a copy of Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

this competition is open internationally. to enter go to her blog here and fill out this form.

good luck!

Straight Line to my Heart

2011-07-16T10:52:00.006+08:00

title: straight line to my heart
author: Bill Condon
Published: to be published August 2011

Tiff and Kayla have finished school, they know things are about to change. the summer is coming to an end, and decisions are being made about the future and in one week everything is going to change. Tiff has a cadetship at the local news paper, but her boss is a crazy old man who insists everyone calls him 'the shark'. her grandad Reggie seems to be fading away, her uncle/brother Bull's girlfriend is around, her and Kayla can't stay in this small town forever, what will happen once they leave, and most importantly there's a boy who seems to be interested in Tiff. in one week Tiff's world crashes down and she builds it up again stronger than before.

Quick Review Straight Line to my Heart is a great novel. Bill Condon really hits what it's like to be a teenager on the head. without any melo-drama or soppy romance he's created a light-hearted novel all about the massive changes that occur once school finishes forever and first love. add in the great humour, and interesting characters and you've got a clear winner. i was up all night giggling while i finished it.

favourite quotes
"she could help me in my never-ending campaign. some people want to save the river or save the whales, or even save the whole planet-i just want to keep the toilet seat down" the whole book is full of funny lines like this.

Babbling Review
Bill Condon has an incredible style which doesn't fit a genre, it just seems like a real story. the characters are flawed, every character has a different personality. the blokes, Reggie and Bull, are typical Aussie blokes. the love footy, beer, action films and burping, yet they're sweet and kind.

the setting of Gungee creek is also full of character, and well characters! it's a typical town. the thing that got me was the description of footy on the weekends, it just seemed so familiar. everyone cheering, even though they play terribly. it turned out to be rugby as opposed to AFL, which is footy in Perth, but the atmosphere was the same. for us who live in Australia it'll be so familiar that you'll be laughing going 'that;s so true' and to others it'll be just as enjoyable.

i loved Kayla and Tiff's friendship. best friends since they were very young. there was very little talk, just silliness and closeness. they weren't always lovely to each other, but it was so honest.

the romance element in this novel is quite small, but important. he's an idiot, tiff admits he an idiot, but they like each other anyway. it's all awkward, yet sweet moments. it ends just leaving you wondering where it would go.

the humour is also genius. it's a simple, lovely funny novel. a perfect light read dealing some important teenage issues.

Pin-up Post: Great Books with Happy endings

2011-06-13T20:19:00.010+08:00

in that horrible Wall Street Journal article is was suggested by Meghan Cox Gurdon that all YA novels were about "vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark stuff" i felt it would be good to remind people that this is far from the truth. so this Pin-up post is just to show a few Australian books which have no dark content and happy endings.

Blueback by Tim Winton
this book is set in a beautiful deserted beach town. Able grows up spending almost as much time in the water as out of it, even though his father was the victim of a fatal shark attack when able was a little boy. he lives alone with his mother as they run their farm and sustainable house. things intervene with this idyllic life of course, like school, developers, fishermen and growing up. no matter what happens though Able never forgets his friend Blueback, a giant fish.
a sweet, simple tale. short and well written, like all winton's work.

Triple Ripple by Brigid Lowry
this a stories rolled into one. the fairytale of Glory who is sent to work in the castle and uncovers some big secrets, the life of Nov as she battles through high school, and the writer who has to pull the story together. the stories blend together, giving us a great books as yummy as ice cream. it's a book that most girls would enjoy, mixing fantasy and contemporary together.
Ten things i hate about me by Randa Abdel-Fattah
as far as i can remember this book has nothing dark in it, the few mentions of death, racism and other things aren't described, but from the point of view of Jamie. Jamie is fighting to understand her father and his sexist over-protective rules. her brother doesn't have to be home before dark, why does she? through the book Jamie fights with her Muslim identity, and her identity as a person regardless of everyone Else's views. set in a typical Australian school. gives a good cultural insight (at least for me) and as far as i remember mainly very friendly to read.

this is just a small selection of great books, which i see as having nothing that would scare a 13 year old. people should actually read YA before they judge it. I've never found a community like ours :)

Dear Wall Street Journal

2011-06-09T22:01:00.003+08:00

this is my delayed response to Meghan Cox Gurdon's article "Darkness Too Visible" and YA in the Wall Street Journal.

Dear Wall Street Journal,

I am a young adult. I read young adult fiction. As I was reading “Darkness Too Visible” I found myself wondering where Meghan Cox Gurdon had been book shopping. It seemed laughable to me that she was claiming that YA was all about self-harm, rape, drugs or incest. It was been proposed on this piece of ‘journalism’ that all teen fiction is dark, and that it is harming young adults. Not one book that fitted this description came to mind. As I thought about the books I read I had to admit that they had some serious or mature themes, but nothing I would call “ a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is.” Adolescence is a time of creating who you are, becoming an adult. This is why young adult books are about people fighting to become the person they want to be in a scary world. this is what we want and Need to read as we step out of our protected childhoods, or realise that other people have gone through bad things like we have.

Books are one of the best things in my life, and I have a very good life. Nothing bad has ever really happened to me. They allow me to enter a world of experiences I know nothing about. A good book awakes my every nerve in my body and sets it alight. It leaves me feeling charged and actually changed me. These books with there themes which ‘are too scary for teenage girls’, allow me to connect with a character who is going through something I don’t understand, and I come out of it a better person. These books are teachers. They talk to me in a way that the adults me my life don’t. At 13 I read Forever by Judy Bloom, and I will admit that is was confronting. No one had ever really talked me about Sex, I knew what it was and how it worked, but this book taught me the pressures and confusions.

The reason I look to books is because they can often explain what I’m going through. Whether they’re struggling after a horrific event or just struggling with school they sometimes know what it is that I can’t explain and help me to understand. If these books were banned young adults would lose one of the things that really helps them to express themselves and cope in a good way. When I read a good book, like If I Stay about a girl in a coma or Wintergirls about anorexia, it holds me tight as it introduces me to a scary world, it lets me experience it and then it stays with me while I gather the information and leads me to see the beauty in the ending, because both these books have life affirming endings. I now understand life a little better. I am intelligent young woman, I know when I’m reading crap. All teenagers are capable of thinking and forming an opinion; if every little thing that happens around us traumatised us then all girls who played with Barbies would end up with self-confidence issues. If I don’t agree with what a character does it just helps me to realize I don’t want to live like that.

This article really shows the fear Meghan Cox Gurdon has of the world. The problems teenagers are facing cannot be blamed on literature. These dark issue need to be discussed by parents and other people who Really influence their lives. Literature for young adults is better than it has ever been before, with more variety, good quality writing, and significant issues. Books educate, they help us to understand others and ourselves. We relate to them. They are a brilliant form of communication that can be spread globally. Articles like this are discouraging teenagers from reading, and parents from encouraging them to, which would be even more damaging. One day I want to write a book which makes a young person go “she understands me, I now know” this is my aim, to help a person by writing an uplifting book about a serious issue to show the light. The world is a dark place, and adolescence is when we discover this. YA novels just show us how to find the light.

Sincerely
Anna

Reviewer for Australian YA blog Cherry Banana Split.

After January

2011-04-28T12:11:00.005+08:00

title: After January
Author: Nick Earls
first published: 1996 University of Queensland Press

Meet Alex Delaney, awkward teenage boy of 17 waiting for the 20th of January, the day the university offers are printed in the appear. school is over, a far off memory, the future has to wait, and here is Alex stuck in the middle. he and his mum are at their beach house, expecting a normal summer, of early morning swims, reading, pool and poetry with Len next door and cricket. as long as Alex can remember this has been summer, slowly though people have stopped coming and development has changed the little town, this summer Alex meets a girl.

this is a fabulous summer romance told from the perspective of the guy, which I've never read before. it was charming, are very realistic, it was sweet in parts, but in a believable way. i think the thing that made it so true to life was the awkwardness. this was their first relationship, there were awkward moments, meeting parents, being given money for condoms because 'protection is important' or offering to fix a car when you have no clue about engines.

Alex is a quiet, deep thinking, poetry writer, and just gorgeous. he isn't characterture, or based on a stereotype of jerky jock or unbelievably sweet, but not cute guy, which are the typical boys in romance, he fits in the middle. he can't fix a car, but he makes a great loaf of bread. it's nice to get a story that's about average people, not broken souls, like in Sarah dessen (though i love her work) this is about talking to a girl because you have noting to lose, kissing on the beach and falling asleep holding hands. NO SEX! it's a sweet novel about a summer of growth. have i raved enough yet? all the characters are unique and hold their own. the relationships they all have with each other and Alex add to the story. Len and Alex are funny, talking cricket, poetry and pool each summer, and Fortuna's mother and father and so different, yet in love.

it's also has talk of parents lives, not as parents but as people, respecting the environment/anti-development talk and what you're offering the world, where you want to go. this makes it a deep novel and is well aimed for teenagers, though i found it a touch hard to read, but i think that was my mood. it isn't exactly a page turner or an all- time favourite, but it is probably my favourite teenage romance, it's what i want from my 1st boyfriend.

competition time!

2011-04-27T21:50:00.003+08:00

the lovely and talented Romi from where the writer comes to write has two copies of Chasing Odysseus S. D Gentill up for grabs, one to an international reader and one for an Aussie. to win you have to email the answer to these 4 questions:
-why do you love books?
-what do they mean in your life?
-why do you want to read Chasing Odysseus?
-a brief description of what your life would look like without books.

for more information and some interesting posts about the book and author click here

1 girl, 3 brothers... 4 daring young heroes...

Treachery, transformations and a deadly quest.

A thrilling adventure of ancient myth, monsters, gods, sorcerers, sirens, magic and many evils...the fall of Troy and a desperate chase across the seas in a magical ship...

Hero and her three brothers - Mac, Cad and Lycon go on this exciting and dangerous quest to prove their murdered father's honour, the betrayal by King Odysseus and the loyalty of their own people to the conquered city of Troy.

blurb from the publisher Pantera Press. the 1st chapter is available on their website.

Pin-Up Post: Aussie books for ANZAC day

2011-04-25T13:09:00.009+08:00

today is ANZAC day, so I'm posting fabulous war stories by Australian authors (of course). this is our first pin-up post. each Pin-Up post is a list of books fitting a theme, all as Australian as i can manage.

A rose for the ANZAC boys by Jackie French
The 'War to end all Wars', as seen through the eyes of three young women It is 1915. War is being fought on a horrific scale in the trenches of France, but it might as well be a world away from sixteen–year–old New Zealander Midge Macpherson, at school in England learning to be a young lady. But the war is coming closer: Midge's brothers are in the army, and her twin, Tim, is listed as 'missing' in the devastating defeat of the Anzac forces at Gallipoli . Desperate to do their bit – and avoid the boredom of school and the restrictions of Society – Midge and her friends Ethel and Anne start a canteen in France, caring for the endless flow of wounded soldiers returning from the front. Midge, recruited by the over–stretched ambulance service, is thrust into carnage and scenes of courage she could never have imagined. And when the war is over, all three girls – and their Anzac boys as well – discover that even going 'home' can be both strange and wonderful. <

Soldier Boy by Anthony Hill 28 June 1915, young James Martin sailed from Melbourne aboard the troopship Berrima – bound, ultimately, for Gallipoli. He was just fourteen years old.
Soldier Boy is Jim's extraordinary true story, the story of a young and enthusiastic school boy who became Australia's youngest known Anzac.
Four months after leaving his home country he would be numbered among the dead, just one of so many soldier boys who travelled halfway around the world for the chance of adventure.
This is, however, just as much the story of Jim's mother, Amelia Martin. It is the heartbreaking tale of the mother who had to let him go, of his family who lost a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend.
It is about Amelia's boy who, like so many others, just wanted to be in on the action.

Once by Morris Gleitzman
Once I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad.
Once I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house.
Once I made a Nazi with toothache laugh.
My name is Felix.
This is my story.
Everybody deserves to have something good in their life.
At least once.
this is my favourite war story, the perfect balance between emotion, action and facts. the sense of understanding gained is incredible, and it's beautifully written.

Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French
Four kids tell a story at a bus stop in country Australia on a rainy Monday. But the story seems to have a life of it's own. It's the story of a girl in another time and another country. her name was Heide, and she was Hitler's daughter.
Could- just possibly- the story be true?
this was the 1st story i really read about war, i read it in year 6 for our reading groups, and though the protagonist doesn't have a clue what's going on it was an enlightening read, i loved it.

the blurbs to these are from the author's website or penguin, for more details check those websites or our reviews.
I'm planning to do more of these posts, they're quite fun :)
what do you guys think of the name Pin-up posts? like a list of books you plan to read. I'm still working on it.

Soldier Boy

2011-04-24T13:12:00.004+08:00

Happy Easter everyone. in australia tomorrow is ANZAC day,a very important day in australia, so i'm doing an ANZAC series on both my blogs. this is a mini-review i posted in 2009 of a book that i found incredibly interesting, that i thought i'd repost. enjoy!

Title: Soldier Boy: The True Story of Jim Martin, the Youngest Anzac
Author: Anthony Hill
first published: Penguin 2001

i thought Soldier Boy was a fabulous book, but most of my year hated it. It is the true story of Jim Martin the youngest ANZAC, written by Anthony Hill. This story is so thought-provoking in understanding peace and war that I was asking so many question to my parents. Jim Martin was 14 when he went to fight; this I think was the scariest part because I can't imagine people in year nine at my school going off to fight in Iraq.the realistic quality gained from being a true story makes Hill's book really effective at showing bravery and idiocy of war, which is quite an achievement. this is more of a book for a keen reader because it isn't an action book, it isn't like your average YA or kids novel. while most people found it boring i thought the ideas and the questions it made me ask were well worth the more factual writing style. i'd be REALLY interested in your opinions on this book.

Everyone should read this book. You understand so much more of what World War One was really like, why people lied about their age to go and get shot at, why they thought it would be fun and exciting. I have gained a new respect for all soldiers, ones from past wars, ones from the present, dead and alive. it gave me a new understanding of their stories and their importance.

The Diary of a Would-Be Princess

2011-03-20T18:52:00.004+08:00

I've decided to do a series review of The Diary of a Would-Be Princess series, now published just as books 1 to 3. the first to were published as Diary of a would be princess and a Tyranny of Toads, but with the release of the third book this year they have been reprinted and just named books one to three.

This series is aimed at girls of about 9-12. i read the first two books when i was 10 and really loved them, so when i spotted the third in the library last week i grabbed it, and I'll admit i still love Jillian James as much as when i met her when we were both in year 5. these are about the average life of an Australian school girl pretty much, but they're hilarious and interesting. Jillian always struggles with making and keeping friends, and excepting her self in her current situation. the moment she gets things sorted the next year seems to rush in with new challenges. she says in the second book "last year i got in trouble for not compromising enough, now I'm in trouble for compromising too much!" that's an annotated quote because i donated my copy to the local library and can't check the exact quote. every year has adventures and surprises, like the dreaded sports carnival, new teachers, new students, homework, horrible brothers, unfair parents and always a happy ending at the end on the school year. it's hard to explain all 3 books, but that's the best can do. search the titles and you can get good blurbs.

these books start with Jillian in year 5 with the lovely Mrs Bright having to start a journal. the book is scattered with comments by Mrs bright, it's such a nice touch. in the 2nd book, sometimes called a Tyranny of Toads Jillian is in year 6 with the terrifying Mr Rose and her diary is kept carefully at home hidden in her undies draw, as all girls do with their precious things (i swear, i actually do). their are no teacher comments this year, instead her older brother Richard leaves her sticky notes, which get stuck in. in the most recent, third diary Jillian is starting high school, and it's an exciting year. this year Richard leaves her famous, inspiration quotes from a calender he received for Christmas, usually cleverly annotated to annoy his little sister.

Jillian is another of my favourite characters. she's so clever, funny and insightful. i challenge you not to love her. in my last review i talked about how i couldn't believe Cameron Wolfe from Fighting Ruben Wolfe wasn't real, i feel the same way about Jillian.she's so perfectly flawed, always solving her problems, and causing more. I wish she was my best friend, we'd get along so well. her insight makes this a great book for mothers to share with their daughters. Diary of a Would-Be is not yet another, shallow, sugar-coated book, it's a good read, with character development. i was a bit too old for the 3rd book, it really is not the under 12s, but i could understand exactly what Jillian was feeling, and apply parts of it to year 10.all three book are filled with quotes from famous people, books and plays, like hamlet and Buddha, and new words like scapegoat. this is the perfect book for girls about 9-12, funny, interesting, with a happy ending.
honestly, these series is one of my favourites in case you haven't guessed, though all you lovely readers are a tad too old :)

sorry this post is such a mess, i ramble a lot. I'm working on it.

Fighting Ruben Wolfe

2011-03-12T19:55:00.004+08:00

Title:Fighting Ruben Wolfe
Author: Markus Zusak
First Published: 2000

The family is broke, ever since their dad's accident at while on the construction sight no one has wanted to hire him and things are getting desperate. Ruben and Cameron join a boxing competition to try and make some money, though they know their father will never accept charity this is the reason to go into the ring. as they season continues though they both have to realise that it is not their real reason. Fighting Ruben Wolfe is a story about fighting as opposed to winning, a story about family, but most of all it's a story about having heart.

Fighting Ruben Wolfe is the book before Getting the Girl. i never knew they were in an series until i picked up this book in the library last week. i knew that there was another book about the Wolfe Family, but i always thought that with Ruben's name in the title that it would be from his perspective, not Cameron's. this is another boo told by good old, awkward Cameron. i assure you, you will love him. he is so perfectly flawed, and has such a heart you'll want to be his friend, to protect him from everyone. i swear every time i read a Markus Zusak book his characters never leave him, but Cam, i just want to know him more and more. i recommend you read Fighting Ruben Wolfe first and then getting the Girl, their order they were intended to be read in, because you see the characters change in the right order, which is the joy of reading Markus Zusak.

I Am Number 4 Giveaway

2011-02-26T14:03:00.004+08:00

Isme from The Book Slooth is hosting yet another competition. isn't she amazing? i found it effort to organise 1!

John Smith is not what meets the eye.
He looks like your average teenager, but what you don't know is that he is actually an alien from another planet called Lorien.
Invaded by Mogadorians, the people of the planet Lorien are forced to flee to Earth.
There Were Nine. The Mogadorians have killed three.
John Smith is Number Four.
Can he save his life and those of Paradise, Ohio, before it's too late?

Isme has a copy of I am Number Four up for grabs. just go to her blog and comment on the post. just click right here. this competition is open internationally.

you can read her review here

Enjoy!

Dare You

2011-02-19T21:00:00.002+08:00

Title: Dare You
Author: Sue Lawson
First Published: 2010 by black dog books

for those of you have been hanging around this blog for a while you'll know that i love Sue Lawson's novels, so you would guess that when i walked into the school library for a reading period and discovered this little gem on the bookshelf i was extremely happy. this was before I'd even started reading.

Dare You is the story of a childhood friendship that starts to fall apart as Sas, Ruby and Kahden reach the middle of high school. they'd been best friends since the beginning of kindy, they've never known it any other way. Now though, with summer holidays around the corner, all there little problems are coming to light. the girls bickering and competing is reaching a dangerous point and Kahden and Sas are starting to think of each other very differently, but they can't let go. so they cling to their childhood games, but they aren't little kids anymore so the rules start to change. it starts to get scary. each of out main characters has their own secrets and problems hidden away, in usual Lawson style, which are making things tense and come to head at a critical moment.

the story is divided up into chapters from all three of our characters, Ruby's in first person, Sas' in first person diary style, and Kahden's in third person. i thought it worked quite well and though i had a favourite character, i LOVE Kahden, it didn't affect my reading of the story and it was nothing to do with the quality of the writing. there were moments where i wanted to grab Sas and Ruby and yell at them, because they were so believable. i felt the language was spot on, I'm about the age of the characters and it was the way i would speak or write. I'll admit i did sometimes find myself checking which character was supposed to be narrating because i was confused, but this is a common occurrence for me once we get 3 or so characters. i really thought the characters were fantastic. though we don't know much about the parents, you feel their side of the story as well, which is true to life and really nice to read.

one thing to know about this book, DON'T be tempted to flick through. i found myself wanting to know what happened next and flipping forward. this was a mistake because Lawson starts her chapters with sentences about Major events. i was unlucky and flipped to the chapter with i very informative start and regretted it for the rest of the book.

the only significant problem i had was with the ending, I'll try my best to keep this spoiler free.
there is a Massive event towards the very end and then the ending seemed to go very fast. i felt a bit cheated almost. i don't think this big event was a cop out, so she wouldn't have to solve the friendship problems. i would have liked to read a bit more either before the big event or after it, just to see that everything was resolved properly. it might have just been me, I'd really like to hear what you think. keep that in mind if you every read Dare You. i strongly recommend you do.

Apology

2011-02-16T10:30:00.002+08:00

i am very sorry about my lack of posts at the moment. i've just started back at school and i'm very busy, i've also had such busy weekends with birthdays, sports and baptisms top name a few. the other reason i'm out of action for a few more days it that my computer has finally had it. as you know it's been bad for a while now, i told you that it deleted all my photos for the last 3 years, it's really given up now. it would take me 15 minutes just to load this page. i've been working on my mother's laptop which i can't really save the book covers and i just prefer to not post from it. we bought my lovely new macbook pro on monday afternoon, i'm paying for quite a bit of it from my bank account and the rest is my birthday present from last week. it get's put into the network on friday, so from then on i promise to post more.

i've read two brilliant Australian YA books recently, Dare You by Sue Lawon and Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. i owe you lovely people reviews of both these great novels. i'm waiting to get my hands on The book Theif by Markus Zusak, we gave it to my dad for his birthday i cannot wait to read it.

i'm sorry about my lack of posts. i'll review more soon.

A wicked giveaway on The Book Slooth!

2011-01-25T21:37:00.003+08:00

the always lovely Isme is hosting a great competition over on her blog The Book Slooth.
she is offering a copy of Mellisa Marr's book Wicked Lovely. it's open internationally and all you have to do is comment on this post.

it sounds like a brilliant book, sort of like Fairie Wars by Herbie Brennan, which i loved. this is the blurb Isme posted:
Aislinn has always seen faeries. She has always lived by the three rules:
RULE 3: Never stare at Invisible faeries.
RULE 2: Never speak to Invisible faeries.
RULE 1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But these rules alter dramatically when a faerie pursues Aislinn. Disguised as human and oddly trying to become part of her life, can Aislinn keep her secrets, fall in love and make the right choices?
to find out more about Wicked Lovely read the review

Noah's Law

2011-01-20T20:25:00.003+08:00

title: Noah's Law
Author: Randa Abdel-Fattah
First Published: 2011 by Pan Macmillan

Noah's Law is the most recent Randa Abdel-Fattah book. Noah is a prankster, his father is a high ranking barrister in Sydney. this combination can result in some disagreements. Noah's father decides he needs to learn responsibility and to fix his attitude, so he's sent to work at his aunt's law firm for his whole holidays. Noah is outraged to not be spending his holidays sleeping, watching DVDs, swimming at the beach and hanging with his mates. luckily for him he makes friends with a cute, smart girl called Jacinta and an interesting case, to say the least, turns up.

This book is not like Randa Abdel-Fattah's other books. Her other 3 books are on much more serious topics and you get a lot further inside the characters heads. Noah's Law is more of a light summer read than Does my Head look Big in This or Where the Streets Had a Name, which explore identity and religion. while the character's were realistic, i felt i didn't get to know them particularly well.

i also found it just a little far fetched. what is the chance of a 16 year old boy actually getting involved and basically solving a case that large and crazy? it wasn't unbelievable, but it didn't quite fit together perfectly.

Noah's Law also uses a lot of lawyer talk, i think you could easily understand what was going on even if you didn't understand the terms. i am one of those people who always has to ask questions and luckily my dad was a lawyer before he became an English professor, so all my questions were answered. if you aren't this lucky google should be able to help you out.

i thought Noah's Law was a good book, with interesting characters, great humour and a thrilling plot. the law vibe made it quite unique.

Getting the Girl

2011-01-17T09:03:00.004+08:00

title: Getting the Girl
Author: Markus Zusak

Cameron Wolfe is a loser. his brother Steve is the local football star, his brother Ruben has a new girl every week, even his sister Sarah and his parents, in his eyes, are bloody amazing. All this changes though when Octavia comes on to the scene. she may be just another of Ruben's girlfriends, but Cameron is in love with her.

like The Messenger this is set in the poorer parts of the Sydney suburbs, with the same harsh way of talking to each other. similarly it's about someone who has been considered second best, not worth any body's time learning their worth. once Octavia shows up somehow Cam begins realise he is okay. he learns that he is as impressive as either of his brothers, just in his own way.

Cameron has a really awkward, but sincere and lovable voice. he has incredible insights into everything going on around him, which he writes down and calls 'his words'. these are like journaling/poems placed between the chapters. he's hidden away and in this book people finally realise that you just have to stop and look for awhile to see what Cameron is actually like. this is exactly what Octavia and his sister Sarah do.

with a quiet, reactive protagonist like we have in this book, you expect them to be rescued and then be shown about themselves. this is not what Zusak does. Cameron fights for himself this whole book, even before that with visiting his brother Steve, he's doing something not everyone could do. that in essence is what this book is about, knowing that you have something everyone around you doesn't.

Aussie YA Book Challenge 2011

2011-01-14T19:02:00.004+08:00

Nic @ irresistible reads is hosting The Aussie YA Book Challenge 2011. isn't that just great?? thanks Nic. and thanks Nomes who's great blog let me know about it. let me explain the what's happening.

Australian participants - Read at least 12 young adult books by Australian authors from 1st January, 2011 to 31st December, 2011.

International participants - Read at least 6 young adult books by Australian authors from 1st January, 2011 to 31st December, 2011.

and NO RE-READS!!!!!!!

you sign up on Nic's blog, do a sign-up post and then post a review for each book.
check out irresistible reads for more details.

BOOKS I"M PLANNING TO READ

Bridge of clay by Markus Zusak

the book thief by Markus Zusak

Dreaming of Amelia by Jaclyn Moriarty

saving Francesca by Marlina Marchetta

Triple Ripple by Brigid lowry

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Where the Streets Had a Name

2011-01-11T15:58:00.005+08:00

Title: Where the Streets Had a Name
Aurthur: Randa Abdel-Fattah
First Published: 2008 by Pan Macmillan

Where the Streets Had a Name is about the journey that Hayaat and her best friend Samy take from their homes in Bethlehem to Hayaat's grandmother's, Sitti Zeynab, ancestral home in Jerusalem. Hayaat believes that she can save her sick grandmother if she gets soil from her homeland. luckily they have a curfew free day to go ahead with their adventure.

this book tells the story of 3 people's loss and how because of it they lost who they were. we also are shown how strong people find a way to move forward and keep living, even though it's a hard thing to do. those 3 stories are of 13 year old Hayaat, her father and her grandmother. it's written in first person from Hayaat's perspective, but we are learn of the others' through Hayaat and more importantly we can see the effect it has on everyone and how they feel.

i found the book a bit slow to begin with, but it wasn't long before i wanted to know all about what had happened to Hayaat. the story unfolded neatly and naturally, without leaving you in suspense for too long, but not just giving things away either. i think the reason it took me a while to get into was because i knew nothing of the politics relating to Israel/Palistine. i must also admit i was greatful for the glossary at the front of the book as well.

my favourite thing was being about to look at the loses of all the family members and parallel them.. i also LOVED how much Where the Streets Had a Name stresses that all people are people and deserve respect and that live is always worth living brilliantly.

i think everyone should read this book, just as a chance to see what racial conflict can do and how it makes the people feel. the characters are easy to get to know. if you don't know anything about politics in Israel/Palestine just get someone to explain the basics to you, it's well worth it.

Coming Soon

2010-12-24T11:43:00.004+08:00

you all know how much i love Brigid Lowry, i also know lots of my readers do as well.
so i have some Great news, she has a new booking coming out!!!! it's called Triple Ripple. it hasn't got a realise date yet, but I got this information through my Allen and Unwin YA newsletter, so I'm guessing sometime next year. for more information on this book, Brigid Lowry or her other books check out the Allen and Unwin site Here.

Description -Taken from Allen and Unwin

The Writer begins with a sparkly good idea for a fabulous fairytale. A girl called Glory is sent to work in the Royal Palace, where the queen is planning a grand ball and a bad-tempered princess is sorting through jewels and tiaras. And, unknown to Glory, the threads of her destiny are coming together.
Nova is reading the fairytale. Fairytales are not usually her thing, but right now she?s feeling a bit messy and lost. Her best friend has gone away and bitchy Dylan is hassling her. Still, Nova is curious to find out why Glory?s mother is scrabbling under the bed for an old magic book.
Can the Writer make everything turn out happily ever after? Will the princess find true love? Will Glory escape a secret curse? And can Nova smooth out the lumps and bumps in her life?

Couples of Christmas Countdown!

2010-12-12T16:02:00.004+08:00

Alexa from Not Enough Bookshelves has a countdown of her favourite couples from books she's read this year. she is also running a great contest, click here to find out more.
so i get to post about my favourite book couple this year, which is quite fun, but very hard. i thought I'd split it into 3 categories, siblings, friends and romantic relationships. there's 4 books in each category .

Romance
1 Jarvis and Electra in Jarvis 24 by David Metzenthen.
there connection was just so strong and powerful, i was honestly in awe of it.
2 Elly and Will in I Left my Mobile at the Mall by Wendy Harmer
they were so sweet with each other and it was very realistic and Australian teenagery. i was honestly jealous of Elly at points.
these 2 aren't new realises. but i only read them this year.
3 Rosie and Asher in Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid Lowry.
they just had so much fun together, and Asher was so cool.
4 Juice and Val in Juice by Katy Watson.
they both helped each other and needed each other in that moment, yet it was very believable. i liked that.

friendships
1 Alice and Valery in Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman.
they weren't very close friends, but Alice learnt so much from just from the fact that they weren't friends, that it was favourite friendships this year.
2 Bruno and Shamuel in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne.
so sad, but incredible
3 Todd and Viola in the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

Siblings
1 Lia and Emma in Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.
Emma saved her without even knowing it.
2 Annabel, Whitney and Kristen in Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.
the way they connect sometimes, yet sometimes barley know their sisters was quite like me and my brothers.

there is my very long post, but i can never make desisions. ask me what my favourite book is an expect me to talk for half an hour. anyway, 10 great books, read them.

England

2010-12-12T14:15:00.002+08:00

I'm off to England tomorrow. i can't wait.
lots of you guys live in the UK or gave been there, any recommendations of places to go,things to. any shops to visit? what are the best book shops?
and recommendations would be appreciated.

Top 100 YA Books - Persnickety Snark

2010-12-08T15:45:00.003+08:00

this year 735 voted for their top 10 YA novels. Persnickety Snark ran this Pole over here.
but i most admit i got it of nomes on the ever awesome incrush.

here's the list. i'm putting all the books i've read in bold and all the one's i know i'll be reading (for school or that i have waiting on my shelf) in italics.

1. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
3. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
4. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Northern Lights, Philip Pullman
6. The Truth About Forever, Sarah Dessen
7. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak Go Aussie! :)
8. The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton
9. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
10. This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen

11. Looking for Alaska, John Green
12. Just Listen, Sarah Dessen
13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
14. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
15. City of Bones, Cassandra Clare
16. On the Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta (yay!)
1 7. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling
19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
20. Along for the Ride, Sarah Dessen

21. Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater
22. Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead
23. Graceling, Kristin Cashore
24. Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
25. Sloppy Firsts, Megan McCafferty
26. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
27. Alanna: The First Adventure, Tamora Pierce
28. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
29. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
30. Uglies, Scott Westerfeld

31. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
32. Tomorrow, When the War Began, John Marsden
33. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart
34. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
35. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
36. Paper Towns, John Green
37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
38. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
39. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith
40. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie

41. Lock and Key, Sarah Dessen
42. The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman
43. Evernight, Claudia Gray
44. Sabriel, Garth Nix
45. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
46. Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
47. Forever, Judy Blume
48. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
49. Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
50. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot

51. Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
52. Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
53. The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper
54. Hush, Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick
55. Saving Francesca, Melina Marchetta (yeah!)
56. Second Helpings, Megan McCafferty
57. Dreamland, Sarah Dessen
58. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
59. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
60. Fire, Kristin Cashore

61. The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
62. Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block
63. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
64. Looking for Alibrandi, Melina Marchetta
65. How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
66. City of Glass, Cassandra Clare
67. Keeping the Moon, Sarah Dessen
68. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
69. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
70. If I Stay, Gayle Forman

71. The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
72. Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
73. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, Robin McKinley
74. The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley
75. Feed, M.T. Anderson
76. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Ann Brashares
77. Go Ask Alice, Anonymous
78. Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr
79. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
80. Someone Like You, Sarah Dessen

81. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan
82. Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson
83. The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness
84. Poison Study, Maria V. Snyder
85. Shadow Kiss, Richelle Mead
86. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi
87. An Abundance of Katherines, John Green
88. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
89. A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
90. Glass Houses, Rachel Caine

91. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I:The Pox Party, M.T. Anderson
92. Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
93. Whale Talk, Chris Crutcher
94. Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles
95. Going Too Far, Jennifer Echols
96. The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks
97. Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
98. Hatchet, Gary Paulsen
99. The Pigman, Paul Zindel
100. The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley

so i've read about 30 of these books, but many of them are on my 'summer reading' list. to name a few hunger games, saving francesca, the book thief, before i fall and whale talk.
so it's a great list.
which ones have you read?

apology

2010-12-05T08:43:00.002+08:00

i am very sorry i haven't been posting, but i must admit i haven't been reading that many books. i have just reached that point in the year where it is all go, go ,go. i am afraid that this week probably won't be ant better because it is exam week. i will make sure to post at least one review before i go to oxford on the 13th. i'm thinknig of reading either the spell book of listen taylor by jaclyn moriarty or Saving Francesca by melina Marchetta. have you guys read either of them?

Tagged

2010-11-17T18:17:00.004+08:00

I've been tagged by the lovely Naomi from Inkcrush. thank you.

so i have to tell you 10 things you don't know about me. i haven't been tagged in months so I'm really excited!!!

1. i plan to buy a book on every continent. obviously not including Antarctica, anyone who knows me knows that i don't mix well with cold temperatures. for this reason and the fact that i don't think there is a book shop there, Antarctica has been replaced by England. it sounds simple enough, but I'm a perfectionist so i will have to buy the perfect book, with the perfect cover and will have to be hardback of course. :)

2. i have multiple different journal type books each for a slightly different thing.
i have one for creative writing, one for list writing, one that i still things i love in, one for recipes and one that i just journal in.

3. my ipod is loaded with music none of my friends really like, though s few do humour me. my brother is into Ska/party punk/punk music and mainly loads my ipod for me. i love it. to give you an idea as i walked home today i was listening to Beatles, NOFX, mxpx, Chris duke and the royals and the Decline (his band).

4. a church choir practices in my lounge room on Sunday mornings and my brother holds practice for his other band in his room on Sunday afternoons. we're quite a musical household. one of my favourite things is to be lying in my bed late a night while my brother plays his guitar and sings old songs like i will survive, here's to you Mrs Robinson and ones from grease.

5. my favourite definition of love is the one from Deadline by Chris Crutcher. as 14 yr ODs we often make fun of each other and make jokes about who likes who which annoys me no end. this definition helps me to understand that i can love all my friends without it being like that.

"we can say we love each other if my life is better because you're in it and your life is better because I'm in it. The intensity of the love is weighted by how much better."

6. i get really excited over strange things. i sort of have epiphanies when i realise something, some kind of deep thought and i just bubbling about it. just yesterday my baby cousin was born and realised how much of an identity he was from the second he was separated from his mother. how much there already was to know about him.

7. I'm kinda paranoid. not in a crazy, people are out to kill me way, but i always worry people are being nice to me because they're polite. i also worry that my friends are going to make new friends and forget about me.

8. i can clearly remember getting my library card and the first time i reserved a library book. i got my library card at 4 and i remember reserving the Tiger who came to Tea by Judith Kerr when i was 3 and getting terribly excited when my dad got the letter saying i could go get it.

9. i am the biggest harry potter nerd. honestly, i know almost everything about it. i have read all the books at least 3 times each.

10. when i was 4 I told my pediatrician that real girls don't look like barbies. he was trying to distract me as he took the cast of my broken arm so he asked if i had lots of barbies. mum says he was slightly shocked.

Jarvis 24

2010-11-01T21:00:00.004+08:00

title: Jarvis 24
author: David Metzenthen
published: penguin

i actually read this a few weeks ago, but somehow never got round to reviewing it. Jarvis 24 has been a big award winner in Australia this year taking gold in the children's book council, and i gotta agree that it deserves it. it really enjoyed it.

Marc Jarvis has to do work experience, it's either that or spend a week in the school library doing assignments. as he walks past the local second hand car yard he decides to see if they'd let him work there for the week. only partly inspired by the beautiful girl walking out of the gate. from here the story unfolds. new and old friends and relationships.

this book kept me up all night, just because i couldn't bring myself to put it down. I'd also like to say that thanks to David metzenthen everyone who was near me while i was reading this book thinks I'm crazy because i couldn't help but laugh out loud.
i also loved reading from what seemed a typical guy, because it's rare in a non-adventure, sport, action book to have a main protagonist, especially one as realistic at Marc Jarvis.

over all i thought this book had a great, gentle ending, but there was one thing i was left wondering and i actually looked for a way to contact the author so i could ask him, unfortunately i couldn't. apart from that i loved the whole book.

The Winner!

2010-10-15T17:05:00.002+08:00

the winning list is... THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU"RE INVISIBLE.
congratulations.

- Poke an irksome acquaintance in the face until they go insane.
- Pretend I'm a "voice" and whisper bad (but funny) ideas in the Queen's ears.
- Pretend I'm the voice of God, visit the Pope and tell him he looks good in a dress.
- Write "your fly is undone" on fogged up glass in public places.
- Sing (badly) into the mic on an empty stage in a busy bar.
- Trip up "posers" as they walk down the street.
- Continually turn someone's TV to the Bible channel.
- Yell "He IS the Kwizats Hadderach!" at a kid's Christening.
- Carry a penguin around under my arm to make people think they could fly all along.
- Do the above with other animals...particularly household pets.
- Wear a sheet and be a ghost.
- Spy on people I hate and use the gathered information against them. Mwahahahaha!
- Infiltrate and Area 51.
- Go on free flights.
- Never pay for another cinema ticket.
- Confuse the automatic doors that run on pressure sensors.
- Stow away in Johnny Depp's shower...he he he.
- Read top secret government files.
- Convince kids in toy stores that I am a possessed teddy bear.

thank you to all those who entered, they were all great.

could the writer of this list please email me at cherry-banana-split@hotmail.com with the address to send the book to and some information to help me pick a book for you. your age, genre preferences and the titles of a few of your favourite books would be a good start.

Follow the Blue

2010-10-12T20:26:00.003+08:00

Title: Follow the Blue
Author: Brigid Lowry

once again another great book by Brigid Lowry.
Bec is restless, sick of being the responsible one she decided to become a new Bec, in a summer of change for her family. this story start with Bec's father in hospital due to a mental break down. soon after he comes home her mother, a famous cook, is offered a book tour to America and they both disappear for 6 weeks leaving Bec and her little brother and sister with a house keeper. along the way Bec dies her hair red, makes some new friends and falls in love for the first time.

as much as i liked this book i didn't think it was as good as all her others. i felt the characters wern't as well developed and that let the book down. apart from that it was great. like her other books the slightly more scrapbook style, in the case adding in recipes and instructions on things like how to Henna your hair, and the amount of detail really add to the book and make it enjoyable and more realistic. the thing i loved most though is how well she understands and expresses what it feels like to be 15. being almost 15 I identified with Bec a lot. feeling unsure about who you are, not knowing how to relate to her parents and just wanting her life to be more exciting are all things that a teenager goes through.

another beautiful book by brigid lowry.

WARNING

2010-10-10T12:32:00.002+08:00

you only have 2 days left to enter the competition.
I'd really like it if you did because so far only 2 people have entered.
i don't think I'll run another competition because this one was quite unsuccessful.

2010-10-07T21:21:00.002+08:00

i have just found a really great YA website.

betweenthelines.com.au

you guys may know it, it's run by penguin. i just stumbled upon it and i mist admit to love at first sight. it was seeing the cover of Across the Universe and the words up for grabs that did it.

enjoy fellow book nerds!

I Am the Messenger

2010-10-07T13:26:00.004+08:00

Title: I Am the Messenger (even thou my copy just says the messenger his website says I Am the Messenger)
Author: Markus Zusak
First Published: by Pan Macmillan in 2002

before i review this i should warn you that I'm still very mixed up about this book. i know i loved it, but it was very deep and complicated. in fact I'd love to talk to the author so if any of you happen to be Markus Zusak or know him leave a comment.

Ed is ordinary, it's just Ed. he drives a Taxi, he plays cards, talks to his Dog and sucks at sex. then the 1st card turns up and everything changes. Ed is given a mission, a purpose.

from the blurb, i didn't get the story i was expecting, though it would have helped if i had read the blurb properly. i was expecting an Alex rider or Artemis fowl type of mission, but this was much more ordinary. this book wasn't about the extraordinary part of having an adventure or mission, it was about what Ed did.

i feel i should explain a bit more about what this book was about, so I'll try. this is a story about Ed who is chosen to care, but not only for others, for himself, for life in general in a world that sometimes seems to not give a shit. it's about "small things that are big" (page 239.)

i really loved the beginning, it's one of the best intros ever. the story starts in a bank robbery. yes, lying on the floor while a man with a gun steals money and from there it all springs or so we think. Ed becomes the messenger, caring about people, changing things in his town.

the one thing i wasn't too sure about was the ending, in some ways i loved it and in others i hated it. but i can't say because it would spoil it and i HATE people who do that.

over all it was a book about life having meaning, about wanting to live and about the need to care. if somebody as ordinary as Ed can do it, so can the rest of us. we can change things and we can live.

do yourself a favour and read I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. then do me a favour and come chat to me about it, because i want to talk about it, but can't get my head around it to review it.

this book left me feeling like my life was special.

Tomorrow When the War Began

2010-10-06T12:28:00.004+08:00

Title: Tomorrow When the War Began
Author: John Marsden
First Published: 1993 by Pan Macmillan Publishers

Ellie and her friends Corrie, Homer, Robyn, Fi, Kevin and Lee all go on a camping trip. when they return they discover Australia is at war and all there families are being held captive.

i think this is a great book, it's beautifully written. I actually found myself admiring the writing and trying to absorb it to apply to my own as I read. my favourite sentence was
"The, light switched off, the patrol got back into formation and continued down the road like a dark crocodile."

it was very different to most adventure/war/action books, it was really centred around characters which i usually really enjoy, but i found it made the pace a too slow. in the action parts involving guns and bombs found that it wasn't very compelling, there was a lack of suspense, I even managed to put it down in the middle of a shooting and not read it for a week. over all though i think that the characters shone through and made it an incredible book, even if the action wasn't so good.

for some reason, I'm not sure why, i was expecting this book to be in 3rd person. At first i wasn't so sure about reading from Ellie's point of view,I felt i wasn't getting to know her in the same way i was getting to know the other characters. as i read on i became really glad that we could read Ellie's thought, they were so interesting and insightful and i loved knowing what was going through her head.

a brilliant book for action and realistic fiction lovers alike. i can't wait to go and see the movie and read all the other books.

So Much to Tell You

2010-10-02T18:34:00.001+08:00

Title: So Much to Tell You
Author: John Marsden
First Published: 1987 by Walter McVitty Books

So Much to Tell You is the incredible diary of a 14 year old girl sent to boarding school and her family life explodeds. there is one thing making her diffferent from every other girl in the school, she doesn't speak.

slowly through her diary enteries we learn all about her, she didn't plain to put all her secrets into this diary but once she started she couldn't help herself. once she started she couldn't stop. over the course of the novel she slowly starts to be herself again, still silent, but with some patience and kindness from a few other people she starts getting there. slowly.

not only do we learn all about her feelings and her life, we get her insightful observations of the people around her, some of which no one but the silent girl would notice. i loved how she learnt that she wasn't the onlt person feeling things. through English, with her awesome teacher the girls learn that lots of other people are feeling things like they are. it was a great reminder for me.

my faveourite thing was that we didn't find out her name until the last page. i felt is very symbolic, like she had finally found herself in all the mess and put herself back together.

i think that everybody should read this book, it's reallu sticks with you, especiaaly because it is based on a true story. if you are not convinved it's written by the man who wrote Tomorrow When the War began. in my opinion it's even better.

IMPORTANT COMPETITION NOTICE

2010-09-30T11:49:00.004+08:00

i have decided to extend the closing date until the 12Th of October because no one has entered and i am putting it down to people being busy and missing the original post. I'm re posting the details below.

Cherry Banana Split is having their first competition!! (party poppers go bang now while everyone claps).
we are having a write a list like Georgia comp.

now i know you must be thinking 'what on earth does Anna mean?', but that's OK, just keep reading!

in With Lots of Love From Georgia by Brigid Lowry Georgia keeps a notebook full of funny, insightful and interesting lists. she calls herself a list-writer extraordinaire. so here at cherry banana split we are inviting you to become list-writers. it's quite fun, i now have a list notebook myself.
here is an example straight from the book.

Jobs i DO NOT wish for:
dentist (who wants to look up people's noses?)
bike courier wearing disgusting Lycra outfit
filliter in a fish factory
telephones sales of any sort
mortician
Michael Jackson's surgeon
Michael Jackson's lawyer
head of complaint calls centre at the tax dept.
policewoman in hell-rough suburb
fat girl for singing telegram company

the best list wins an Australian book chosen specially for them by Stacey and myself.
all you have to do is follow these simple steps:
1 write a list about ANYTHING you want from things to call a pet zebra to reasons I hate my best friend.
2 post it on your blog and leave a link in the comments here on my other blog
3 wait and see if you win. OR if you want you can enter again.

entries close on the 12Th of October West Australian time.we will post the winning entry after that and I will leave a comment on the winners blog and get in contact from there.

Please enter.

Juice

2010-09-30T10:57:00.004+08:00

Title: Juice
Author: Katy Watson
First Published: 2000 by Fremantle Press

Juice wants to be an Australian sprinter and she thinks she's got what it takes, the Body, the determination, support and her crazy new coach Wiz. soon though, everything is changing. Juice's head is spinning, she thought that she was just changing coaches so she'd become the best 100m sprinter around, but that was just the start. Soon she's crushing on her running partner, who seems to have issues of his own, her best friend seems to have been replaced by an alien, her Gran is moving to sydney and her family is changing completely.

this book is prequel to Mama's Trippin' , but saying that you can read them in any order because there is no necessary information in one for the other and they have different Protagonists.

there are some Big difference between how the two books are written, which i wasn't expecting. Juice is written in 1st person all from Juice's Point of view, while Mama's Trippin' is written in 3rd person from multiple points of view. Mama's Trippin' definitely had more serious themes, but both books i really liked.

my favourite thing about this book was that it was set it Perth, which is a rare treat for me, because it's my city and i knew the places they were talking about and other details just seemed so right to me.

the other thing i loved was the characters, they were so realistic. the way Juice thinks about things, especially her parents, her body and boys was, in my opinion, was really like in my own head. every character had flaws and not silly little things, but there were moments i wanted to yell "you idiot Juice, don't say that! she your best friend" i felt i knew each one.

that brings me to the first thing i didn't like. i felt that the book could have been longer, the ending wasn't rushed, but i felt it could have been stretched out a little further. i also was hoping that Von's feelings about his diabetes would be explored more, because in mama's trippin' i felt I'd like to know more and thought it would be in Juice, but i was a little disappointed, but it was explored.
my only over problem is I'm not sure how well the end of Juice over laps with the start of Mama's Trippin', I'm not sure if they match.

i really liked this book. a simple, yet great read.

Children's Book Council of Australia- 2010 Winners

2010-09-29T13:36:00.004+08:00

the last month or so is the peek of book awards in Australia, at least in YA/children's books, which is all i know. i thought I'd do a post showing you some of the books that have won prizes. this award is only given to books by Australian authors that have been nominated by their publisher.

Older Readers
WINNER: Jarvis 24 by David Metzenthen
HONOUR: The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke
HONOUR: A Small Free Kiss in the Dark

Younger Readers
WINNER:Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool by Odo Hirsch
HONOUR:Running with the Horses by Alison Lester
HONOUR: Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy

Picture Book (meant for children aged 0-18. some books are for mature readers)
WINNER:The Hero of Little Street by Gregory Rogers
HONOUR: Isabella's Garden by Glenda Millard
HONOUR:Fox and Fine Feathers by Narelle Oliver

are you serious

2010-09-23T20:11:00.002+08:00

we have a comp running that could almost any book as the prize and not only has no one entered no one but luisa even commemted. what is wrong with my posts?

Plain White T's - Rhythm Of Love

2010-09-22T22:01:00.000+08:00

my brother may hate plain white t's but i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this song.
and i love you guys. hugs all round.

The Running Man

2010-09-20T09:29:00.004+08:00

Title: The Running Man
Author: Michael Gerard Bauer
First Published: in 2004 by scholastic

Joseph is a quiet, shy boy who lives with his mother, while his father does construction work in far away countries. this story begins when Joseph is asked to mow the Leyton's lawn. Caroline Leyton convinces him to paint a portrait of her brother tom, a reclusive Vietnam war veteran. a very special relationship forms over silkworms, books and secrets. but their can be problems of relationships built on secrets, what happens if someone else says different, who do you trust? Tom and Joseph give each other just what they've needed for a long time.

i love, Love, LOVE this book. i have no criticism, i thought it was perfect. it was perfectly paced, i was hooked from very early in and read it all one Friday night. this is quite a philosophical book, so i was very surprised to find that it was so suspenseful and interesting. most books that are about thoughts, feelings, relationships and life in general usually have a relaxing pace, but The Running Man is quite eventful.

like i said, this book is very philosophical. it talks about life, death, views on life, perspective, judgement of others and even miracles. i learnt so much from just reading it. The Running Man is the kind of book you feeling happy and hopeful after reading, it just sticks in your mind.

i feel i haven't done this book justice in my review, i highly recommend reading it. please give it a go.

Competition Time!

2010-09-16T21:30:00.003+08:00

Cherry Banana Split is having their first competition!! (party poppers go bang now while everyone claps).
we are having a write a list like Georgia comp.

now i know you must be thinking 'what on earth does Anna mean?', but that's OK, just keep reading!

in With Lots of Love From Georgia by Brigid Lowry Georgia keeps a notebook full of funny, insightful and interesting lists. she calls herself a list-writer extraordinaire. so here at cherry banana split we are inviting you to become list-writers. it's quite fun, i now have a list notebook myself.
here is an example:

Jobs i DO NOT wish for:
dentist (who wants to look up people's noses?)
bike courier wearing disgusting Lycra outfit
filliter in a fish factory
telephones sales of any sort
mortician
Michael Jackson's surgeon
Michael Jackson's lawyer
head of complaint calls centre at the tax dept.
policewoman in hell-rough suburb
fat girl for singing telegram company

the best list wins an Australian book chosen specially for them by Stacey and myself.
all you have to do is follow these simple steps:
1 write a list about ANYTHING you want from things to call a pet zebra to reasons i hate my best friend.
2 post it on your blog and leave a link in the comments here on my other blog
3 wait and see if you win. OR if you want you can enter again.

entries close on the 30Th of September west Australian time.we will post the winning entry after that and I will leave a comment on the winners blog and get in contact from there.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Sugar Sugar

2010-09-16T21:00:00.003+08:00

title: Sugar Sugar
Author: Carole Wilkinson
First Published: Black Dog Books in 2010

Jackie sets out for France in 1972 to try and become a famous fashion designer. she has been living a drab life in London, working for a boring fashion company as a sales girl, with a bunch on crabby part-time models who only eat salads and hard boiled eggs. she decides suddenly take a few days off and travel to Paris to show her designs to a famous designer in hope of getting a job.

somehow she ends up chasing two American girls in a vintage British cab to get back her folio. from here she continues chasing people right to Afghanistan, having the worst of luck on the way. she makes quite a few new friends, with the help of some drugs, lack of food, Dolf's guitar and Val's dice.

i quite liked this book it was very different to what i was expecting though, it wasn't your usual girl travels to Paris story.
here are some things that i liked:

-it's slow winding pace. it's very peaceful and appropriate and doesn't make the book boring

-the descriptions of the different places. i loved hearing about Yugoslavia and turkey, it showed how beauty can be all kinds of different things. i especially loved Jackie's descriptions of home, red dirt, the beach, soft green grass and eating peaches in summer.

-the characters were very realistic, they had so many faults and not token faults. one character was 'the moody one' and another 'the one who has a big mouth'. all characters made mistakes and changed and grew. i know this was true because i found myself being mad at Jackie who i quite liked, and liking Dolf something even though i thought he was annoying.

-i like the paisley pattern at the beginning of every chapter.

here are some things i didn't like:

-i felt that i didn't really know Jackie for the first half of the book. i even managed to forget her name, which isn't a good sign. i felt she was a little undeveloped at the beginning.

-there were lots of characters coming and going, and of course they all had names native to there countries. i found myself a little confused at time.

-it somehow felt a little heavy. this must be just be because i don't really know what i mean.

overall i liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes more slowly paced books. it's quite thought provoking at parts and you feel like you get to visit all the countries, while at some points it makes you wish you were traveling across Europe and Asia in a London taxi. my favourite thing about this book is how you could see the characters grow and develop.

Mama's Trippin'

2010-08-28T10:49:00.004+08:00

title: Mama's Trippin'
author: Katy Watson-Kell
first: 2006 by Fremantle Press published

Von leaves the life he knows in fremantle and travels to New Zealand to meet the mother who left when he was 6 and his new baby sister. he feels at a lost end in WA, fighting with her girlfriend, isn't doing so well at school, not sure what he cares about or what he wants anymore and isn't feeling right with his mates. his dad's heading off to the station with his mates for a week, so when Von's mum rings out of the blue and invites him to come stay he jumps on the chance. when he gets to Wellington he realises in an instant things aren't as magical as his mum, Charlene, made out. her boyfriend's running from the cops, she's working all might as a dancer at a nightclub and then their is Stella, his silent sister. it isn't long until things so from slightly hectic to crazy. soon people are turning up dead. Von travels to the place of his Moriori ancestors and they reach out to help him. at this point is he able to trust a culture he's felt no connection to before now. does Von have any choice?

i quite enjoyed this book, it's easy to read and flows really well. their have been other books about sons who find their mothers and have their lives turned upside down, but this one was different. i think the main difference was that it was told from lots of different perspectives. even though this book is written entirely in third person it's always easy to tell who's point of view it is from and if you can't tell you can look at the symbol at the start of the chapter. it was very int resting to get the mother's view of her long, lost son as well as his of her.

i also liked how realistic the relationships in Mama's Trippin are. instead of hating or suddenly loving each other, Von and his mother slowly and clumsily get to know each other. how stella, the 2 year old sister, and Von get along is also right on the mark, at first Von hasn't a clue what to do, but it isn't long before they are inseparable. how henry, the neighbour from down stairs, weaves his way into their lives was quite funny. it's nice to find an authour who remembers that young guys tend to think with what's in their pants not what makes sense.

this book also had a very good ending. not everything was resolved, but we had a feeling things would work themselves out over the next few months.

i felt this book left a few things unexplaned. Von is a diabetic and we get the feeling right from the beggining that he isn't comfortable with it, but that is never explored. we also hear nothing about his mates except his girlfriend Juice. all we know about his guy friends is that they play footy. i think that if i read Katy Watson-Kell's other book, Juice, that both of these things would be in that story.

a bit of background knowledge about the Moriori people could help understand this book a bit better becuase this book really shines when it comes to spiritual and cultural ideas. i plan on finding out more becuase it was the connection with Von's ancestors that made the ending so special.

sorry for the long review. it's a good book and i will deffinetly be trying to get my hands of Juice, which is also about Von.

New Aussie Book Blog

2010-08-21T16:48:00.001+08:00

i thought I'd let you in on an awesome, little secret.
i have found an awesome new blog (well actually she commented on a review but still) it's called The Book Sooth it's run by a girl called Isme. we have a lot in common, we're both 14 year old girls from western Australia who love books.

check out her blog and leave her a lovely comment please. and you can leave one here before you head over to the book slooth.
xxx
by the way, we might be having a competition, but only people who have commented on our blog will be considered.

With Lots of Love from Georgia

2010-08-15T16:22:00.005+08:00

Georgia is a 15 year old girl who would die to get to the natural affinity concert and meet Jakob. to do this she has to save up 500 dollars. Georgia is very mixed up, she loves her best friend, but it isn't quite right. she loves her mum but why does she always think she's right. she loves food, but why does it have to make you fat.

things are changing fast in Georgia's life and she's caught up in a whirlwind she can't control and is left feeling lost and lonely. but in the end, everything leads to something good. sometimes we just have to wait and see what comes next.

like always Brigid Lowry has written a beautiful book, not in the collage style of Guitar Highway Rose, but it is scattered with lists written by Georgia herself. I didn't like this novel as much as Guitar Highway Rose or Tomorrow All Will be Beautiful, but it was still a great read, once again Brigid Lowry has captured the confusion of being a teenager. suddenly your diving into an adult world, your parents no longer holding you up. you're realising that maybe you're a better swimmer anyway, but still you might not be ready to let go.

a beautiful book, read it.

an urgent piece of info

2010-07-23T16:35:00.002+08:00

i haven't asked Stacey about this yet, but i think i might retire from cherry banana split. it's too much effort for how little i get out of it. it's come to my attention that i must be a sucky reviewer because no one ever has anything to say. it's not final yet, i might change my mind. i do that a lot.

The Night They Stormed Eureka

2010-07-16T11:11:00.007+08:00

Title:The Night They Stormed Eureka
Aurthur: Jackie French
First Published:2009 by harpercollins

Sam has lots of family troubles and decides the only thing she can do is to run away. she ends up on the Ballarat gold fields in 1854, not long before the Eureka Stockade. she is picked up by a couple who run the 'best little cook shop on the diggins' and gets everything she's ever wanted, a family that loves her and friends who help her. life in the diggings is very different to life in the 21st century, to Sam seems so simple. the longer she spends there, she realises it is just a hard. she has to make some incredibly hard choices that could effect Australian history and culture from then on. she knows about the bloodshed and death, should she warn them that they will be attacked at dawn on Sunday so they save lives? would Australia be better off as a republic? with the help off her friend the professor she learns that all she can do is ask her self weather this bit is good or bad. Sam's trip back in time teaches her so much. it showed me how far we have come in 150 years, things people thought were impossible, like education for women, are now standard. my favourite lesson, and the most predominate, is that people can achieve things when they stand together that they could never get near alone.

i really enjoyed this book, but i found not a lot really happened. it was not boring in the least, but they're was really only one exciting or major event. this is mainly because even though their are no battles or fights Sam is the characters are constantly fighting themselves. Mrs Puddleham, Sam's adoptive mother, is battling with the memory of the baby she lost on the ship to Australia and her friend George is pushing the strains of being a half aboriginal who wants an education.

this is very easy to read and understand compared to other historical novels because Sam knows as little as we do. there are also appendices at the back including recipes from Mrs Puddleham and an explanation of things that you might not understand, including terms like "redcoats" and some extra information of the stockade which was useful and interesting.

i am very happy that this novel wasn't ruined with an "it was a dream" ending. towards the end i was worried that Jackie Frech would cop out have her wake up and say she was dreaming, but instead she gave us a propper believe ending, which left me wondering what happened to Sam but sure that she would get the help she needed and be happy.

Dodger

2010-07-04T12:24:00.006+08:00

title: Dodger
Aurthur: Libby Gleeson
First Published: 1990 by Turton & Chambers

Mick is cast as the artful dodger in the school musical, Oliver. on the edge of the popular crowd he isn't sure what they'll think but after a couple of mishaps he is convinced to take the risk. but being in the musical doesn't always go smoothly. what mick doesn't know is that his history teacher Penny has stuck out her neck to have him in the musical because she wants to give him a hand. after a run in during the first lesson mick penny's special project, for reason she can't explain she is drawn to him. in a letter to her friend she writes "i see him as one of those immature kids who's got to prove himself to kids who are a bit older and a bit more established in groups or friendships. the responsibility of being in the play could be really good for him, make him grow up a bit". this is exactly what mick does, it also gives him a change to make some friends who aren't footballers who don't give a stuff. with all these changes stuff gets mixed up for mick and lots of old issues come to head, unfortunately in the middle of the play. mick had kept a lid on how he felt about his mother's death and his father working as a long distance truck driver for 3 years.

i really enjoyed this book and found it over all very realistic and easy to understand and relate to. the letters from history teacher penny to a friend help us get a very different view of mick and life as a teacher. for someone like me who is considering being a teacher she is exactly the type i want to be, interesting, nice, but still in control. it shows teachers in a much more human light which i think is a nice change, it's something i forget while I'm at school. the book flows very well but i found the ending a little sudden, i would have liked to know more about what happened after the musical. even though the ending was quite sudden it was a good ending. some novels about grieving over a death have very dramatic endings, with Dodger the ending was much closer to life. though this is a very good, and over all very realistic book i found how quickly and easily Mick turned his life around a bit fake. in my opinion at least, you don't just stop being friends with 2 popular and quite mean guys. especially because at the beginning he was very concerned of what they thought and what they would do. i also felt that time wise it was strange, at the start it was first term and suddenly it was third term. once you are caught in the story neither of those things things matter much. it was only when i got to the end and went WHAT!? that i noticed these faults.

this book was very good and a had subtlety i've never seen before in a book about a child losing their mother.

Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There

2010-05-19T13:45:00.003+08:00

Title: Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There
Author: Ruth Starke
First Published: 2009 Omnibus Books

Thousands of teenagers are employed in today's job market, but who is writing their story? I, Hailee Moxie, am the writer and this is my employment diary.

Hailee just fnished high school and is ready to fullfill her life goal: to go go on a one year backpacking journey to Thailand.

But as her mother points out, she has no job and therefore no money. And so begins her search for the right job. She starts working at her local supermarket SpendUp, and during the time is looking everywhere for a second job.

But working, as she also realises, is awful. Spending hours listening to whiney customers and crabby managers is the worst. And is it really worth the money?

This is a pretty good book, I haven't read anything with this idea before. You kind of dislike Hailee for being a bit selfish and lazy, but she changes as she makes so many new friends. But as a warning, this book does contain a bit of rude stuff, so it's not for everyone.

I liked the way it was written, in a diary form. though sometimes it was a little hard to tell which job she was talking about, and also a bit hard to remember who was who and all. But still, a pretty good story.

Sorry, this was a pretty wacky review, it's just kind of hard to review this book. Ah well, I tried :-)

Requiem for a Beast

2010-05-16T14:14:00.003+08:00

Title:Requiem for a Beast
Authur: Matt Ottley
pages:96
First Published: July 2007

this is a story told from many points of view, but we are mainly told the story of a young stock man trying to capture a bull. at the beginning we are introduced to lots of the aspects of Requiem for a Beast through the young stock man's dream. over the course of this book we unravel what this dream means and what mysteries all these stories and memories hold. this book shows how many stories often are linked together and how it can take many people to get a complete picture. for the about the first 40 pages we are show many different ideas, people and events and it isn't until the end we understand how they fit together.

i love the way the book is put together. it is not just a picture book it is an experience. Matt Ottley did not only write a story, he painted all the incredible pictures and composed the CD that comes with the book. it is all these parts that make this book as amazing as it is. the way the book is written varies, some pages have just an image some have many cells like a graphic novel. some of the text is poetic while some is very colloquial. some times we barely have a sentence per page but others are completely text.

i found this book to be very worth reading and would encourage anyone who tries it not to be put off but it complexity. to really understand and appreciate Requiem for a Beast you need to understand a little Australian history about the relationship between the aboriginals and white Australian and about the stolen generation. part of the beauty of this book was the undertones about that travesty and what is now happening. we see this in not only the aboriginal elders memories, but also in metaphors we are shown throughout. this is a book you have to be dedicated to reading because you need to Analise the images to get the most out of it.

I'm sorry this is such a confusing review, it is not at all like your normal book so it is hard to know what to say. it is definitely worth reading.

NOTE!!

2010-05-03T21:13:00.004+08:00

i just want to know if you guys read cherry banana split. i know it's hard to comment on book reviews, but even when we do other stuff you guys don't say anything. we had an interview with Jacklyn Moriarty and got 1 comment. she's awesome, our questions were awesome!
love you guys but how bout some enthusiasm? (sorry i sound like my teachers. i take it back)
love you
this relates to the poll, which people VOTE on.

Allie Mcgregor's True colours

2010-05-02T12:44:00.003+08:00

title:Allie Mcgregor's True colours
Aurthur: Sue Lawson
First Published: 2006 by Black Dog Books
Pages:218

Allie has her fair share of problems. she is sharing a room with her 6 year old sister because they're having renovations, is trying to fit in at school and is now being called the hormonal one by her Dad on his radio show, which basically everyone in town listens to. oh, and her Mum has cancer. Poor Allie's life is spinning out of control, but slowly Allie learns all about good friends, courage and how to important it is to talk. after a few major mishaps.

As always Sue Lawson has Given as a believable character. Allie is constantly in a Bad mood and earned herself the name 'The Hormonal One', but as her 6 year old sister reminds everyone, she just sad about Mum like me. Allie is trying so hard to ignore the fact that her mum is sick that she can't see what's in front of her. she accuses her best friend of being jealous and finds herself with a bunch of bitches who all where they're hair the same way. i thought that Allie's hair was a brilliant metaphor and i have never would have thought how girls wear would be so clever.

i think this book isn't as good as her other books Finding Darcy and After, but i think it is directed at a slightly younger audience. over all i think she did a good job talking about a common but scary issue. i love how it related into the Cyndi Lauper song True Colours, which is a beautiful song.

click here for the original

and here's the Glee version

~ LOOK!!!!~

2010-04-11T14:39:00.002+08:00

our interview with jacklyn moriarty is up on CBS. come on! id that cool or what??
lots of comments please or i'll guilt trip you later.

Interview With Jaclyn Moriarty!!!

2010-04-10T10:14:00.005+08:00

I'm so sorry we haven't been posting, but guess what!!!!!!!!!!! We have our very first interview with the amazing author Jaclyn Moriarty!!! She wrote lots of awesome books, including Feeling Sorry For Celia (reviewed here) and Finding Cassie Crazy (here). So, without further ado, here it is! (The questions in pink are by me, and Anna's are blue!)

What character from your books would you like to write letters to most and why?

- Actually, I'd like to start a correspondence with Mr Garcia, the History/Drama teacher from 'Dreaming of Amelia'. I've got a crush on him. I'd like to hear from Lydia too, but I think she might get sharp with me.

If you could, which of your books would you transform into? And what would you tell the characters?

- Maybe 'the Spell Book of Listen Taylor', in the part where there's snow in Sydney. And I would tell the characters how unhappy and lonely Listen is, and that they should rescue her, and also that the grown-ups should all grow up and stop cheating on each other. Also, I might steal the book of spells and bring it back to the real world with me.

Or else 'Dreaming of Amelia', I guess, so I could follow up on my correspondence with Mr Garcia. Maybe go get a coffee with him.

Have you ever wished you could turn your books into movies? Which one, and who would play the main character(s)?

- Just about every day I wish that someone would turn my books into movies. I would be happy to see them all as movies, but especially 'Finding Cassie Crazy' and 'Dreaming of Amelia'. I like Ellen Page and Michael Cera a lot; they are both very welcome to be in the movie. Actually, I'd also like to see 'The Spell Book of Listen Taylor' as a movie, and I'd like Joan Cusack in it, as Fancy Zing, and Jennifer Anniston as Marbie Zing, and Dakota Fanning as Listen, and Johnny Depp as Nikolai Valerio.

I thought "Dreaming of Amelia" had a much darker tone than the other Ashbury books, why so?

- I think that each Ashbury book gets a little darker than the one before, so it made sense for the final one to be the darkest. There are gothic elements in 'Finding Cassie Crazy' and 'Bindy Mackenzie' and I wanted to draw them out for the ghost story. I think it's important to look at the shadows as well as the light, and to keep changing the perspective all the time. I hope it is not too dark though, I wanted it to be funny and bright as well, and I think that the ending is bright and hopeful.

Is there a reason your books are written in a varying, scrapbook type style of letters, post-its and school assignments? what made you show Elizabeth's lack of confidence through letters from herself?

- I like to approach a story from as many different angles as possible, so that the truth is always slipping out of reach. I think that a collection of different genres takes us closer to shifting perspectives, and I'm especially drawn to the mystery of the spaces in between documents. The idea of showing Elizabeth's lack of confidence through letters to herself came directly from one of my teenage diaries-- I was re-reading it and saw that I had written whole passages in the second person, saying things to myself like 'You are such a loser!' and 'You are so ugly!'. It was as if somebody else was attacking me, and it made me think about how powerful the critical voices in your own head can be. They're right there so you believe them.

What was your favourite Australian book when you were younger. if you can't think of one,
what was your favourite book as a teenager?

My favourite Australian books were 'Seven Little Australians' by Ethel Turner, and 'Playing Beatie Bow' by Ruth Park; and then I fell in love with everything that John Marsden has written.

so

2010-04-10T09:55:00.003+08:00

i suppose we forgot the hard part about this blog would be we actually have to read AUSSIE books. which there are lots of and we love them, but so many good books are english and american.

also we seem to have a comment issue. in saying that i mean THERE ARE NONE!
oh well.
xxxxxxxx

Guitar Highway Rose

2010-03-26T12:41:00.005+08:00

Title: Guitar Highway Rose

Author: Brigid Lowry

Publisher: Allen & Unwin 1997

My name is Rosie E Moon. I am fifteen years old. My star sign is Aries on the cusp with Pieces, which is why I am a creative warrior-woman from Mars who loves to swim.

Rosie is bored and anxious. She wants a nose ring, to stop fighting with her mother and for her parents to give her space and trust.

One day she meets Asher. Asher, the former gypsy boy with funky clothes and dreadlocks. Asher, with the guitar and the attitude. Who just wants to get away, his head exploding with homesickness and the need to clear his head. . .

I'm thinking of taking off again.

Asher.

What?

I want to come with you.

Exactly how it says on the blurb: Sometimes we know we shouldn't and that's exactly why we do.

This is such an amazing book. Not only is the story wonderful and the characters believable, but the way the book is written is simply...wow. Little bits of what the characters are thinking, conversations, room descriptions, dreams, etc. all written beautifully with juicy words. Loved it.

People Might Hear You.

2010-02-13T08:50:00.003+08:00

Title: People Might Hear You. Author: robin Klein Pages: 199 first published: penguin 1983.

frances has lived with her aunt forever. they've never had much, she always slept on the couch and they move to where her aunt can find work. resently though she' made a best friend and life seems pretty good. when her aunt Loris announces one morning that she's getting married and hand frances a note for the school office saying she won't be coming back frances get slightly confused. she is even more confused when her aunt explains that the wedding is today and that no, frances can't come. that night she and her aunt move to mr tyrell's house under the cover of darkness and frances is thrown into a whole new way of life. she no longer goes to school she stays at home with her new step sisters behind fences so high and frosted windows and study's the rules of the temple. she's taught that the world outside is evil anf that everyone who isn't part of there religion is going to perrish in a great war. but slowly as frances fear subsides she starts to think, " how can the be true?".

though i love the characters in this book in some ways i think frances seemed to be missing something. she was completley beleiveable in her actions though. if someone surrounded me with their religion and told me i would die in a horrific war i sertenley wouldn't question them. but eventually your mistakes like talking in meals or wanting to go outside would show just how crazy it is. my favourite thing is how frances is at first willing not to try because she doesn't want to die, but because she thinks if her aunt is happy there it can't be all wrong. she also didn't want to ruin her aunt's happiness. my only problem with this book was the ending. it left lots of questions, but i supose that they would have been hard to answer, how would anyone know what would happen to a cult if people got out and told the world.

it is a beautiful book and i'm still glad that robin klein let Helen see the stars.

lord sunday

2010-02-01T16:48:00.003+08:00

lord sunday is out today. well, i bought it yesterday and it offically came out today.
it's the final book in a series of seven and if the others are anything to go by it is gonna rock!
here's my review of the first one, mr monday

I Lost my Mobile at the Mall

2010-01-30T17:07:00.001+08:00

Title:I Lost my Mobile at the Mall
Author: Wendy Harmer
First Published: 2009 by random house Australia
Pages: 319

this book is awesome!
at first i thought i wasn't going to love it. you know, OK but not great. but quickly i got to know our main character elly, how she loves words and worries . i kept reading and not only had she lost her mobile, she had a broken heart, no computer, lots of confusing thoughts about society. and a few other problems to tackle. her lack of technology for 2 weeks really changed the way she saw everything.

i love how realistic this book was and how interesting the characters were, her boyfriend defiantly wasn't what i expected. my favourite thing was its take on just how connected we are now compaired to any other time, even though maybe we're less in-touch than we think. also the minor view on cyber bullying that came with it.
when Elly searched cyber bullying this came up " like drinking and driving, emotions and the internet don't mix. Don't react or you could end up being a cyberbully yourself" which reminds me what goes on online is not the same as is in real, saying something is going to come across differently than if you read it.

i also love all the quotes scattered through the book from jane eyre and websites. a very nice touch.

aussie day picnic failure.

2010-01-30T08:58:00.006+08:00

i take it none of you guys listened when i said you had to scroll down to find this months dare?
anyway. here's my entry, i made a Pavlova. it took ages, but was very yummy.

Just as good!

2010-01-15T15:52:00.000+08:00

Just as good is another idea I've thought of. we're going to match Aussie authors we read to more common ones you guys know. we'll do it as often as we find authors we can pair up. their books might not always be quite the same, but we think if you like the English or American you'll like the Aussie one.

Jessica green and Anna and Mary k pershall are just as good as Cathy Cassidy!

i think most of us like Cathy Cassidy books so here are 2 series that are the same genre and that you'll like just as much.

Jessica Green has written 2 books, diary of a would-be princess and it's sequel a tyranny of toads. i think she'll write a third installment about Jillian James' year 7 experience, but i haven't heard anything yet.

Anna and Mary k pershall are a mother and daughter team who have written one series of books together. 2 weeks in year 6, a term in year 7 and escape from year 8. i really like these books and think they do a good job with the bullying theme from both points of view.

Grace

2010-01-12T10:25:00.006+08:00

Title: Grace

Author: Morris Gleitzman

First Published: 2009 by Penguin Group Australia

Grace and her family are Christians - a special type. They believe that they they should have no contact with 'the outside world', aka other people. The church elders make sure of that.

Grace has never before questioned this belief, as she knew God loved her family and her church and would protect them. Until then. The day when she gets called a sinner, and the day where she makes contact with two outsiders and gets locked up in the solitary room, forced to read the Bible out loud until she almost loses her voice. But the most shocking thing of all, her beloved father gets expelled.

That's when Grace sets out on a mission to find him and bring him back, when she discovers that maybe her church isn't full of holy and spiritual people, but of child abusers and liars...

This is the latest book by Morris Gleitzman. I'm glad he started writing books for older readers. Grace really makes you think about the times when church leaders made up rules just so they could get more money, and how some people can be extremely mean. I loved how even in the worst times, Grace never blamed God for anything. The idea of the book was very good, it reminded me of 'I, Coriander' but it was a lot more realistic.

My only criteria was that the book seemed a bit short - it whizzed through some parts faster that others. And something was missing - like the plot had a hole in it. Other than that I really liked it, it's definitely one of Morris Gleitzman's best books.

3½/5.

i dare you january

2010-01-11T11:17:00.004+08:00

hey, i dare you for this month is to have an "aussie picnic" on australia day, the 26th of january. it can be as simple as you like from vegemite on toast for breakfast to a feast with all your friends. you could even make a pavlova for your family.

all you've got to do is make your aussie food and post a picture on your blog with the link to cherry banana split. everyone who takes part will get a blog badge saying "i took part in the cherry banana split australia day picnic"

i'd love to hear what you think of this idea so leave comments. for inspiration look at possum magic or just ask.

thanks
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

possum magic

2010-01-11T10:57:00.004+08:00

Title: Possum Magic
Author: Mem Fox
First Published:1983
pages:27

this is the story of hush and grandma poss and their adventure to make the invisible hush seen again. they travel all round australia and try heaps of different foods. parts of this book are in ryhme and it has adorable pictures, even the invisable ones are cute.

this book was written by Mem fox in uni as an assignment and published when she realised there were so few aussie picture books. this book is a classic. most aussie kids would have read it at some stage. in 2003 for the 20th annaversary of this book we celebrated at school by having each class bring in a dish from the book. my class had to bring in red sauages, i'm not sure why because they aren't mentioned.

unreal!

2010-01-11T10:05:00.004+08:00

title:unreal!
Author: Paul Jennings
first published:1985 by penguin
pages:107

this is a book of crazy stories which happen to be hilarious. they'd be good for almost any age, it would be a great birthday present for a younger sibling because you could steal it after or a good one to read when baby-sitting because not only the 9 years will be in stitches. the first story is about a poor boy who when ever he speaks must add 'with out a shirt' on to the end. admittedly not all the stories are laugh-out-loud funny, but they are good.

some of these stories are a bit weird, but they are written well and some are excellent. another cool thing is the covers. they are two layers, the top one has a hole in it showing part but not all of the under layer and they look really cool. there are lots of other short story books all the same idea but with different stories. in one story the protagonist always says the opposite word. eg yes instead of no, left instead of right. I'm not sure if you guys out of Australia watched Round the Twist, Paul Jennings also wrote that.

warning some of these tales are a bit strange and involve people dying, but not in a gruesome way.

She's Leaving Home

2010-01-10T12:08:00.007+08:00

Title:she's leaving home
Author: monica trapaga
first published: 2009 by Lantern, an imprint of penguin
pages: 155

She's leaving home is a cookbook. it has great recipes all put into chapters like practical, travel, fiesta, comfort food and my family and other animals. now, i know you're thinking why is she reviewing a cook book? but let me tell you, this book is not just a cookbook. it not only has the best recipes it has all manner of useful things on food like which herb is for what and which part of the cow to buy. all this written in a gourgous fun style and surrounded by cute, colourful, creative atrwork.

monica trapaga wrote this book for her oldest daughter who was leaving home. it's a compilment of all their family favourites. my mum loves this book because it has lots of the traditonal spanish recipes her mum used to cook like paella. if any of you readers are australian you might know monica from playschool. she also sings the bananas in payjamas song. do you remember having monica on playschool stacey?

Secret Friends' Stuff

2010-01-10T11:40:00.005+08:00

title: Secret Friends' Stuff
Aurthur: Margaret Clark
first published: 2006 by random house Australia
pages:281

Secret Friends Stuff is very like Letters to Cathy. it's advice given by Margaret to girls who write to her for help. she give great advice (i have experience) through emails and letters. she also writes about her own experiences at a teenager and gives us segments of her old diaries. it's split into five sections to help you find what you're looking for: Friends, more about friends, more and more about friends, boy friends and more about boyfriends. the book is written in a really personal and funny way, Margaret could be right there telling you the advice. in fact it's really like you're getting help from a friend. except for the fact that she a lot smarter than my friends when it comes to boys.

the only thing i dislike about this book is how hard it would be to find certain advice if you were looking for it. it would be useful to have a more specific contents or an index. i know there are lots of non-fiction books on the topic for girls, but i think this one is the best! it makes an interesting read even if you don't want help because it's cool to see how different people deal with different situations.

its short review because i can't really talk about a plot or anything.

Feeling Sorry For Celia

2010-01-10T06:35:00.004+08:00

Title: Feeling Sorry For Celia

Author: Jaclyn Moriarty

First Published: 2000 by Pac Macmillan Australia Pty Limited

When Elizabeth Clarry's English teacher announces that their school and another high school that stands two blocks away will start a letter writing project everyone, including Elizabeth, is extremely annoyed.

Until a girl named Christina starts writing back to Celia. Soon enough the girls form a strong friendship and learn that letter writing is the only thing keeping them sane - what with Elizabeth's best friend Celia running away again, her dad deciding to come back to Sydney for a year (keeping his Canadian wife and son behind in Canada) and the Trail Run coming up.

Christina's life isn't that easy either - she has to juggle her boyfriend Derek with her four brothers and sisters and her boy-crazy best friend/cousin.

This story was truly amazing. It was written in the form of letters between Christina and Libby, notes between Libby and her Mum, and imaginary letters to Libby from societies such as The Association of Teenagers (who advise her to climb in the fridge and never come out again), the COLD HARD TRUTH ASSOCIATION and The Best Friends club, and later on some Anonymous letters from a boy who is on her bus...

The book was really hilarious even in the most shocking and sad bits. Here's a tip: don't read this book before bed because not only will you stay up half the night reading to find out what happens next, but you'll also be laughing so hard you won't be able to close your eyes. Trust me.

I give it a 5/5.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T11:15:00.004+08:00

hey guys, merry christmas!! i wanted to give you guys all something for christmas so i've put together a bunch of carols, not traditional ones thou, aussie ones. take a look! i've linked them because i wanted to put up more than one. at least watch the first one, very funny and a bit true too.
Jingle bells- this is a book as well. very funny.

6 White Boomers- i remember singing this when i was about 6.

Aussie 12 days of christmas- this is a weird one so here's a proper one

TheThree Drovers- much more traditional

A Rose for the ANZAC boys

2009-12-23T10:16:00.004+08:00

A Rose for the ANZAC Boys by Jackie French is a WW1 story through the eyes of 3 young women. don't worry, there still adventure, blood and suspense. Midge is a 16 year old kiwi sent to England to learn how to be 'lady like'. There she meets Ethel and Anne and is flung into the war and the open a canteen for soldiers in France. they not only give out food, but care for many wounded men. later midge ends up in the ambulance service.

these young women also suffer as their young ANZACs fight, brothers, cousins, boyfriends all of. what's worse a death notice or them being on the missing list? my favourite thing that this book shows is how the world radically change in just a few years, especially in a feminist view. Then it changed back again. women worked, ran everything and often faced almost as much as men did. then when the soldiers came back they were honored (which the deserve) and took over again. the women who worked to save men and saw them die were expected to go back home, forget and raise families or play tennis. can you imagine what a hard transition that would be?

i love Jackie French's writing, her picture books, novels and non-fiction. check out her other work as well. this book was defiantly a 'stop and think' novel. a good feminist view on war. i hope you join me in this though: thank you for all the women who serve during war. thank you for the women who helped at the front lines of WW1 and WW2 and the women left at home who kept the world running, sewing uniforms and bandages for them, sending food and running factories.

Cicada Summer

2009-10-20T12:55:00.004+08:00

Title: Cicada Summer
Author: Kate Constable
First Published: 2009 by Allen & Unwin, Australia

Eloise has been mute since her mother died. She doesn't speak, she doesn't laugh, she doesn't even smile. She just gets carried around all time by her father, swimming in a sea of his girlfriends, business plans and strange nicknames and escapes into a world of her own when she decides to draw. Until this summer.

This summer, Eloise's dad decides to re-build his mum's (Mo) old house and turn it into a hotel. Because of that he leaves Eloise with Mo and goes back to the city.

Mo never leaves the house, and all her errands get done by the next door neighbours. She has spent 20 years writing a book about sea voyages, and isn't pleased about Eloise staying.

When Eloise and her dad go to see the house before he leaves, Eloise sees her. The ghostly girl on the staircase. After that, day after day, Eloise comes to the house on her bike and travels back in time....or she thinks. There she meets who she thinks is is the same girl she saw on the staircase, helping her paint the old summer house. Slowly, she finds out that Anna, the girl, is her mother. But is she?

When her dad tells her the awful news on Christmas Day, Eloise realises she has to work harder than ever to save the Anna and her time. But will she find her voice?

This is a really good book, sorry no time for a comment, but I give it a 5/5!

Blueback

2009-10-13T16:55:00.007+08:00

title:blueback
Aurthur: Tim winton
first published: pan Macmillan 1997

Abel has grown up by the sea living from the land. his best friend is a fish, called Blueback and ever since we meet him he has wanted to understand the sea, what fish thought, how does it all hold together. he goes to university and get a degree in marine biology, his mother stays by the sea. in her letters she tells of how things are going wrong, but what can they do?

this book is so beautifully simple, you could read it in an afternoon. it makes you want, like able to be one with the ocean. i think it is a great skill to make someone want what your character wants. this book is all about where we belong and how we belong to the planet, not the other way round. it sounds weird and i might not have read it if it wasn't one of our school books, but i highly recommend it.

i dare you again!

2009-10-12T20:55:00.000+08:00

because no one actually took part in my last dare i get to re-use it.
i dare you to read a book set or written by an Australian Aurthur and post a review on your blog. for inspiration check out our reviews or ask for suggetsions. picture books count so you could check out shaun tan. everyone who takes part will get a badge for their blog.
please take part and leave comments and in anyone knows how to make a badge let me know.

finding darcy

2009-10-08T19:37:00.001+08:00

title: finding Darcey
Aurthur: sue Lawson
first published: 2008 by black dog press

finding Darcy by sue Lawson is the best book in a long time. i couldn't put it down which is what I've been looking for all holiday. Darcy is living with her gran(misery) and her great gran or Grandma(batty). her SOSE teacher the newt or Mr newton has set an assignment about WWII which is a taboo topic in her family, if she mentions it she's more likely to get shot than an interview. the more research she does into her great grand father the harder it is to ignore the elephants sitting the corners of her grans perfectly clean house.

the thing that makes this book sing is how realistic it is, especially Darcy. you couldn't get a more realistic picture of a teenager(my opinion) she is very confused and wants answers and information, she can sulk, lose her temper(i do both of those a lot) and faces bullies. i really love this story and it makes me wonder about my own family history. my only problems with this book is if you're not paying full attention you might get a little confused and that you may need google, a good encyclopedia or someone with a bit of knowledge about australia in WWII.

i'm off to watch 27 dresses and do a little WWII and family research. do you guys have any cool family war stories?

Tomorrow all will be beautiful

2009-10-01T19:28:00.001+08:00

Title:tomorrow all will be beautiful
written by: Brigid lowry
first published: 2007 by allen and unwin

tomorrow all will be beautiful reminded me of warm afternoons talking with my friends and those family stories you know so well yet love to hear again. it showed the glorious belief that we can always find a little good. this books is a collection of short stories and poems done in a collage style, differnt story types and picture in the background.

some of the stories envolve some very sad stuff and there is quite a few mentions of depresion but it left me feeling alive, full of fun and wonder. i was dreaming and playing with a peacock feather. then when for a walk alone matilda bay.

i thought it was a very nice book and i discovered that you can publish short stories and that they can be in all different formats.

it's an odd book to review for me because i can't say what it was about because there was no main story line but for me it show why life should sparkle because there is always a bead of hope if you look.

this doesn't relate to tomorrow all will be beautiful but, i would love some suggestions for our blog and opinions. What would make it better and make people comment?

thanks. remember to look for that little bit of good. where'd you find it?

Once

2009-09-25T17:01:00.001+08:00

Title: Once

Author: Morris Gleitzman

First Published: 2005 by i don't have time to find out who :D

'Once I was living in an orphanage in the mountains and I shouldn't have been and I almost caused a riot. It was because of the carrot.'

Felix is a Jewish boy living in an orphanage in 1942. His parents were Jewish booksellers, and once they all lived together in a cosy house with carrot soup for dinner. But then things start to get hard, and his parents leave Felix at the Catholic orphanage with only a small suitcase, a few books and a creamy white notebook, and promise to come back for him when stuff gets sorted out.

But then one day, the Nazis came ad burned the Jewish books. Felix thought that his parent's book are in trouble, so he ran away hoping to help. Everything was going fine until Felix realises that it's not only the books that the Nazis want and hate, preferably dead...

Together with Zelda, he sets out on a search for his parents and finding himself in more trouble than ever...

This was a truly fabulous book, so sad though. Felix just sounds so honest and innocent, sometimes you just wish his parents would pop up and give him a hug. Until you find out the truth...

I loved all the characters, mainly Mother Minka and Zelda and Felix and Barney. You'll see why. Also, BING BING GOOD NEWS ONCE AND THEN FANS!!! Morris Gleitzman decided to write another sequel to these books called 'Now' (are you psychic or something Anna???). It will be out in 2010, can't wait!!!

Annabel, Again

2009-09-24T20:29:00.001+08:00

Title: Annabel, Again
Aurthur: meg mckinlay
first published: 2007 by walker books australia

Annabel, Again is a cathy cassidy, jaquline wilson genre book, but without the drama and in my opinon better than jacqueline wilson. this book, set in australia envolving 'the sun', stalker crows and some physco chickens is very funny. it's has the kind of jokes my friends and i make all the time.

annabel and livvy have been best friends since elephants brought them together in kindy, not only have they been best friends they were each others only friends. so what happens when annabel has to leave livvy and move to the other side of australia? well according to livvy's mum it's time to move on. livvy throws herself into things to forget and life keeps going on around her. then annabel moves back, things can be the way they were before, but what happens if annabel doesn't want just to slip back into her life with livvy?

this is a great book, a bit easy and writen by a lady my dad works with. i have a signed copy. it says: always keep an eye out for secret tortoises!

ok guys

2009-09-13T18:17:00.001+08:00

sorry i'm very busy at the moment and i'm sure stacey is too. i just discovered a writing contest i want to enter and it closes on tuesday so i'm very busy. i told u i wouldn't put up another dare until someone completed augusts one and i'm not. sorry to be a meany but only one person said they'd take up the challenge. thanks jenny. here fantastical blog is here
i'll try and review but i haven't read much lately. i need to go to a library. only 2 more weeks of school this term.

Then

2009-08-25T18:39:00.001+08:00

then by Morris Gleitzmen is a very sad book. i think the line "then we froze" sums this book up to perfection. you can never tell what's going to happen, though i sometimes got a bit confused, that could have just been me. i also thought the ending was rushed. the description was perfect, it wasn't just their story it was their emotions, these are the only books I've read that show what it would have felt like to be a Jew in the Holocaust. another great thing about this book is it reaches out to lots of age groups, so a 10 year old could read it, but i still loved it at 13. i hope that Morris Gleitzmen writes a third book. what about 'Now'?

dare stuff!

2009-08-20T20:26:00.002+08:00

if people have questions about the dare challenge can we please be specific? I'll try and clarify.

each month this blog will have a challenge for anyone who would like to take part. this month we dare you to read an Australian book, meaning any book by an Australian writer then post a review.

if you have any questions please ask and if you don't know any Aussie books i have lots of recommendations.

First Awards!

2009-08-15T15:55:00.000+08:00

Hi! CherryDiva here. MEGA NEWS: The lovely Sara from Dragonfly Book Reviews has given us our first two awards! Yay! Thanks SO much Sara! Here are the rules...

Kreativ Blogger Award:

Rules: I think you're supposed to write seven of your favourite things and nominate seven other blogs. Well, since there's two of us (Anna Banana and ME!) I think we'll bend the rules a bit and make it that I'll list four, and Anna will list four. Cool. So...

CherryDiva:

1. Blogs

2. Candles

3. Sweet Biscuits

4. Cherry blossoms/cherries!

Anna Banana:

1.this blog: i think we've done almost enough posts to email publishers. nothing like fee books (stacey i gotta talk to u about that)

2. uni book sale next weekend!

3.bubbles. we got little bottles of bubble mix at a 1st party.

4.my bro goes to america on friday. V. excited for him.

Now, seven blogs we nominate. Hmmm....

1. Jenny

2.Lylastar10

3. Amber

4. Kate

5. Beanie

6. Meggin

7. Sasha

Okey dokes.

The Hearthfelt Award:

(The Picture won't upload coz it's an animation. Imagine a cute mouse peeking out from a little tea cup.)

Rules: (Copied cheekily from Sara's blog :] )

Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you're relaxing, seeking comfort, sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy? That is what the Hearthfelt Award is all about, feeling warm inside.

Put the logo on your blog/post. Nominate up to to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside. Be sure to link your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

Okaaay.

1. Blog Of A Jennybean

2. Anna Banana (I, CherryDiva nominated Anna. She isn't that selfish to nominate herself!)

3. This Homeschooling Life

4. stacey if you get to out me i get to put you!

5.we're giving it back to sara leslie. you don't have to do it again thou.

6.kate.

7.amber.

8.sasha

TTYL!

The Slightly True Story Of Cedar B. Hartley (who planned to live an unusual life)

2009-08-10T16:38:00.000+08:00

4 ½ stars

No, I am not kidding, that is the actual title. Pretty long, huh?

Cedar B. Hartley is a dog-loving, almost-but-not-quite-thirteen-year-old girl with hellish red hair. She likes to hang out on the street, do bat-pole positions and take her dog Stinky on walks. But it all changes one day after school. No one greets her at home-not Mum because she's at work, not Dad because he died when Cedar was small, and not Barnaby, her brother, because he ran away a few months back. Not even Stinky is there - he got lost and Cedar goes off to find him. No one has seen him and he's no where TO be seen, so Cedar and her best friend Caramella make posters to hang around town.

Then the boy with the river voice calls. His name is Kite and he's found Stinky. As Stinky and Cedar reunite at th oval, Cedar learns what amazing things Kite can do, and she wants to be able to do them too. Instantly, this changes not only her whole summer, but her whole life.

I think this was a fabulous book. It was Martine Murray's first novel, and it got quite a lot of praise. You should definitely read it.

i dare you!

2009-08-10T10:30:00.001+08:00

each month I'm going to or Stacey might( she doesn't know I'm posting this yet) give you all a dare. they will be Aussie or book related mostly. you have to post about the dare after you complete it leaving a link to our site them comment and let us know you've completed it. after you complete so many dares you will get an award. it will probably be three challenges completed. this dare isn't included because it is a trial run and we will set up a poll to find out what people think of the idea.

august dare 2009
i dare you to find an Australian book and give a review. simple. try and find a book you haven't read before, maybe one by a different author. if your not sure about if a book is australian or not just leave a comment and we'll let you know. you have until the 10th of september to complete the dare and make sure you vote on our poll. their will be a new dare next month for spring YAY!
we really beat you guys in the cricket last night. next game is going to be interesting.

Raven hill/ teen inc series

2009-08-10T10:20:00.001+08:00

these books are way to easy for me but i still love them. they would probably be great for younger brothers or sister. Emily Rodda writes lots of kids books, including the well known Deltora quest series.
this series is about 6 friends and their job finding business, following the original slogan no job is too big or too small. somehow 15 year olds involved in robbery, arisen and other massive events seems believable.
so far i have read about 5 of these books and found them great, my fave is the gignerbread house.
they are publised under two names teen power inc was the name originally but when they were reprinted in america they we're called raven hill mysteries.

if this doesn't make sense i'm sick don't blame me blame my brother.

Finding Cassie Crazy

2009-07-25T22:03:00.001+08:00

Title: finding Cassie crazy
Aurthur: Jaclyn Moriarty
first published: 2003-pan Macmillan Australia
* * * * */5

this is my second review for the DBR b-day challenge for the chick-lit category. at first i thought the book was just ok, then at actually started to dislike it, it seem negative and like nothing was going to happen, yet i was compelled to keep reading. this is an addictive book about best friends, Cassie, Lydia and Emily and they're pen pals from brookfeild. these school already have a rivalry so how is it why in their own way ended up writing and writing all the time to each other? what up with Cassie why won't she share her secrets or letters? and how come no one has heard of her pen pal? for a story i thought needed more events it sure proved me wrong. the humor and character understanding was great, the characters develop, change and behave just as real people do, as i was reading i didn't even notice how different the characters were ending up. the format of letters, diaries and other personal documents is great, though it can be a little confusing because the story is from the point of view of 5 people and only one person can think at a time.

as my grandpa always says this has a sting in the tail meaning their are crazy twists and turns, which as the book progresses get better and better, though some weird people might find it a little dull at first it is well worst sticking with. this is so realistic, except for the going to the movies in double maths, my school does the roll every lesson. the book has everything from what it's like to to be thinking about a career even though it seems so far away and humor to deep questions. the least of which would be 'is Cassie crazy?

Sunny Side Up

2009-07-25T16:58:00.001+08:00

Title: Sunny Side Up

Author: Marion Roberts

Type: Children/Teen Fiction

First Published: January 2008

Suitable For Ages: 8-13

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

*****/5

Sunny Hathaway is a normal, happy 11-year-old living in Melbourne with her Mum on weekdays and her Dad and step-mum on weekends. She's not one of the girly, giggly girls who go gaga over lipstick and Zac Efron. She's just a dog-loving Aussie gal running a pizza-making business with her best friend, Claud. Or she was.

All that ended, or maybe everything started, when Sunny's mum invited her boyfriend Carl and his two kids over to decorate the Christmas tree, Sunny's grandma (who her mum hasn't talked to for years) sending presents and wanting to meet up, Claud falling for Sunny's enemy, Buster, and developing a fake laugh, Carl moving in, not to mention the heat-wave going on. Suddenly Sunny is stuck in a whirl-wind of secrets, lies, growing up, and pizza ingredients. Will life ever go back to being sunny side up?

I loved this book because the author made everything so believable, and it's set in Melbourne which is where I used to live. Sunny is a smart, imaginative list-making character who you'll fall in love with by the end of the book.

Cherry Banana Split

Pin-up Post: best literary boys

Piper's Son

Pan's Whisper Giveaway

Sue Lawson Interview

Pan's Whisper

Pan's Whisper Blog Tour

Brave Love

Young Adult Fiction is too Dark for teengers. True or False

Have you seen Ally Queen

Mice

Perth YA fans Unite!

Graffiti Moon

The Friendship Matchmaker

Nightpeople-The Darklands trilogy

5 Parts Dead

apology

Anna and the French Kiss Giveaway

Straight Line to my Heart

Pin-up Post: Great Books with Happy endings

Dear Wall Street Journal

After January

competition time!

Pin-Up Post: Aussie books for ANZAC day

Soldier Boy

The Diary of a Would-Be Princess

Fighting Ruben Wolfe

I Am Number 4 Giveaway

Dare You

Apology

A wicked giveaway on The Book Slooth!

Noah's Law

Getting the Girl

Aussie YA Book Challenge 2011

Where the Streets Had a Name

Coming Soon

Couples of Christmas Countdown!

England

Top 100 YA Books - Persnickety Snark

apology

Tagged

Jarvis 24

The Winner!

Follow the Blue

WARNING

I Am the Messenger

Tomorrow When the War Began

So Much to Tell You

IMPORTANT COMPETITION NOTICE

Juice

Children's Book Council of Australia- 2010 Winners

are you serious

Plain White T's - Rhythm Of Love

The Running Man

Competition Time!

Sugar Sugar

Mama's Trippin'

New Aussie Book Blog

With Lots of Love from Georgia

an urgent piece of info

The Night They Stormed Eureka

Dodger

Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There

Requiem for a Beast

NOTE!!

Allie Mcgregor's True colours

~~~ LOOK!!!!~~~

Interview With Jaclyn Moriarty!!!

so

Guitar Highway Rose

People Might Hear You.

lord sunday

I Lost my Mobile at the Mall

aussie day picnic failure.

Just as good!

Grace

i dare you january

possum magic

unreal!

She's Leaving Home

~ LOOK!!!!~