Trainsurfer book review

Written by Kate S Richards

Available from Kiwi Kids Read Kiwi Books

This book sang to my heart the moment I began reading it. Quite simply I could not put it down. Set in South Africa, it brought memories to the fore of my travels prior to Nelson Mandela’s election. The writer deals with several challenging universal themes including white privilege, conveying them in a gentle, easy to digest way. Some scenes are filled with tear jerking sadness, and are soothed by others of hope and joy.

The star of Trainsurfer is Jabu, an underprivileged boy who lives in a slum. The story begins with his mother’s death in a Johannesburg hospital in the 1980s, during a time when becoming an orphan in apartheid South Africa was particularly unsafe.

The story is action-packed, and quickly moves to Durban where Jabu forms a camaraderie with street kids and learns how to survive with no income. At a local beach he forms an unlikely friendship with a group of privileged white surfers. He meets Billie first, a girl with a huge heart and strong moral compass, and later her surfer friends, Josh and Kyle, the latter whom has a lot to learn. The characters forge strong bonds, confront their insecurities, and overcome racist views. Multiple threads make up this story, and all are satisfyingly sewn up by the end.

This novel includes a language glossary located at the front of the book. It lists South African slang and surfing jargon, and references Bantu, Zulu and Afrikaans languages.  Although meaning is readily derived from the text, I enjoyed referring to it to discover deeper meaning.  

Trainsurfer is a coming of age adventure tackling weighty issues, and is suitable for readers aged eleven plus. It’s also a must-read for anyone of any age who enjoys a jolly good yarn.

Highly recommended.

Arturo and the Glitter Glue book review

By Elaine Williams, illustrated by Hannah Sames

Available from Kiwi Kids Read Kiwi Books

Arturo is my new best friend. I bet he’d be full of amazing stories to share over a cuppa. Bold and daring, this is a mouse who likes to live dangerously. He ventures from his mouse hole to collect food scraps on his nightly raids, hauling back anything that takes his fancy. His stash is a sight to behold – spoons, buttons, stamps, Lego blocks, dice, shells, jewellery – you name it, beautifully decorating his homely mouse hole.

However, someone is on to his thievery. Balou, the most cunning and feared cat around. Arturo and Balou have already had a run in, and Arturo has a scar to prove it, running across his face and down his chest. The mark of a hard won battle. The day Arturo got away. A boastful little beast he’s quite proud of it, believing himself to be the bravest and most daring mouse ever. It’s this brazen fearlessness that finally gets him into big trouble.

 Pride comes before a fall, and so it is in this fast-paced tale of rollicking rhyme. Arturo’s comes in a moment of over-excitement, when he discovers a glitter pen. He is so enamoured, he forgets he must be quiet. When ever-watchful, Balou “twitches her tail and narrows her eyes”, suddenly it’s all on.

 As Balou chases him relentlessly around the house, Arturo loses all of the items he’s collected that night, using them one by one to aid in his escape. What ensues is a classic cat and mouse chase, with all the thrills, spills, and excitement you’d expect from a story written to enthral children aged three plus.

 This picture book is an absolute joy to read and is a fine addition to the bookshelf. The illustrations, completed in a textured layering of watercolour paint, pen and pencil, are enchanting. I particularly enjoyed Arturo’s sweet inquisitive face with his long white whiskers, as well as his treasure trove of a mouse-house. Although the story is set at night, the illustrator has cleverly brightened key features, but without losing the sense of mousey sneakiness and shadowy night time effects.

Judging Huanui College's Flash Fiction competition

What a wonderful job it was to judge the Huanui College Flash Fiction Competition. The quality of the submissions was high and in every story I found sentences that made my heart sing, and description I could clearly imagine. Well done to everyone who entered.

The standard of writing in the Junior Section was extremely high and it was a tight race to the finish line.

There are a few writers who narrowly missed out and I would like to acknowledge the effort they put into their stories. Liam He, Katie McGregor, Carolyn Betterman, and Eliana Richling.

Third Place went to a story that was short but entirely complete.  I loved the beginning, I was instantly involved in the action and could see it all unfolding right in front of me. The first person viewpoint was a great choice for this story, and a sense of urgency pervaded throughout. “Carnage” by Lucas Ulrich

Second Place went to a story that was descriptive with a strong sense of place. It featured faultless language choices and used all of the senses to evoke atmosphere. “Agent” by Toby Hamilton.

First Place. In the end the story that took first place was nuanced, instantly engaging, and used a range of writing techniques. One of its greatest strengths is the writer’s voice which is natural and unforced. The icing on the cake for me was its well timed twist of humour; it was totally unexpected.  Simply brilliant! The settings and description are easy to follow and I’d happily follow this character into any land they may wish to take me. “Breathing Fire” by Rachael Jackson.

In the Senior Section the first and second place were hotly contested. But all the stories were high quality including story that is highly commended.: “For Myself” by Ellen Strachan.

Third Place. This writer displayed an excellent balance of dialogue and character movement.  The entry contained a lot of dialogue so it was quite different to the other entries in this field.   “I’ve Got Your Back” by Aroha Snowsill.

Second place The second place winner’s story was riveting, with perfectly polished poetic prose. It was a joy to read. “Zero O’Clock” by Natalya Newman.

First place. The winning piece was a complete story written in less than 300 words; and it haunted me for hours. It’s opening sentence “The rain cried into his clothes...” set the tone for this raw and thought provoking piece. In the end it left a question and an image that lingered, long after the last word had been read. “Desolation” by Kate Roberts.

Congratulations to all the winners! And a big thank you to Tracie Lark and everyone at Huanui College for putting this competition together and inviting me to be a judge!

Waata the Weta book review

Written by Jo Carson-Barr; illustrated by Simon Barr

Available from Kiwi Kids Read Kiwi Books

Waata the Weta has a wild mop of funky red hair, the hugest teethy grin, an adventurous spirit, and more facial expressions than you could ever imagine in one so small.

Except Waata is not small, he is tall. What’s more, he’s brave not scared, he likes eating strange food, and he wants to have fun. Bored with the woodpile, he flies away in a bubble to find a new home, all the while asking himself, what could possibly go wrong? Plenty it would seem for an adventurous weta!

This is great story with short snappy text and lots of imagination. After the first read-through, it’s easy to retell Waata’s adventures in your own words, following the illustrations. Young children will also be able to relay the story, once they learn to follow the pictures in the right order.

There’s a lot of value in this book; it punches well above its 42 pages, courtesy of its illustrations. A quick count reveals 120 pictures; the vast majority comprising complex scenes. There’s hours worth of exploring and learning to be enjoyed (with a little person on your knee), discovering all the fine detailing. Five and six year olds will gobble this book up, and it will be popular with reluctant readers. 

This is a Kiwi story through and through. I love the cool names like Sticky Beak (the chicken), and the quirky expressions we can all relate to like “finger licking good”. The author uses onomatopoeia throughout, and it works really well to draw the reader in.

The rural scenes are spot on: the woodpile, the chicken coop, the tractor shed, as well as the larger landscapes and finer details such as flaxes and ferns, grass growing in the gutter (LOL!), jandals and work boots, and even red socks. Nice.

I gravitate towards maps and info graphics, so the inside front cover, which features the pictures and names of the main characters, is instantly appealing. Even better it doubles as a size guide of sorts comparing Waata the Weta with the likes of Banjo the dog. Constant layering is a highlight of this book; the more you look, the more you see.

There’s also a page showing the layout of the farm, and at the back there’s a nifty blackboard of facts, an age-appropriate everything-you-need-to-know about New Zealand weta, providing further opportunities for learning.

I would happily purchase this story for pre-schoolers, and primary school children aged 5-7 years. As previously mentioned it’s also a valuable resource for older, reluctant readers. At home, this book will become a firm favourite, and it deserves space in every library, pre-school and primary school.

Tropical treatery

Oh my! What else is there to say? I spent an hour of my morning enjoying a raw food chocolate treat at the Quail Cafe, washed down with a latte, and riveting conversation with a like-minded friend. Set in the lush subtropical shade of the Quarry Gardens in Whangarei, this is honestly set to become my new happy place!

Just quietly it’s a secret I’d rather keep, but for readers of my Just Series of books, who are heading out to Whale Bay, it must be shared as it’s only a couple of minutes drive off of State Highway 1. You can Google it for directions.

So now the secret’s out I guess I’ll see you there... I’ll be the one tucked up in a corner of the terrace reading, or writing, looking smugly content with a belly filled with... you guessed it... chocolate.

Just End It - the stone is real

Not everyone knows this, but the obsidian stone in Just End It, that twelve-year-old Jessie finds at Whale Bay, is a real stone I found during the summer of 2016. I was walking along the waterline and suddenly there it was, sitting atop freshly washed sand.

In Just End It the stone is the device through which Jessie finds herself swept into the past, where she meets Hine, a moa hunter girl from long ago. While Jessie is dealing with an overwhelming amount of modern-day issues including cyberbullying (courtesy of her ex-bestie), the story of the stone unfolds.

I absolutely love this stone. It’s the perfect size to hold in my hand and the grooves cut into it make comfortable finger holds. It’s a solid and reassuring piece, glassy in places, rough and glittery in others as if it’s been tumbled in the ocean for a long time.

Whether or not it did actually belong to a Moa Hunter remains to be seen, but my imagination says it was so. I like to take the stone on school visits and talk about the power of using objects in your writing. The stories you write can come from everywhere. Even from special rocks you find on the beach.

My bubble your bubble

Wrote this wee ditty this morning for all the little people out there staying safe in their bubbles. Keep strong, sing along, and let's go round and round like a tumbleweed on the beach… or the song that has no end. Sorry mums and dads!

“My bubble, your bubble,

Let’s keep grinning.

My bubble, your bubble,

Let’s keep giving,

My bubble, your bubble,

Let’s keep singing.

Let’s go round and round.

(Then sing again from the top)