Balthasar's Odyssey by Amin Maalouf

Balthasar's Odyssey is my introduction to Amin Maalouf and I will certainly read more. It is most interesting that I pick up this title having just finished I, Coriander. The latter was set in 1650's, in London and is a book written for children. Balthasar's Odyssey which ends in London is set mainly in 1666 and is written for adults.

Maalouf's tale encompasses a huge map, taking us on a trek along the Mediterranean coast, overland to Constantinople, by sea to Genoa, and an even more perilous sea journey to Amsterdam and eventually London. Along the way Balthasar, a Christian, meets and talks with Jews, Moslems, smugglers, traders, scholars. He has long conversations and learns much about the world and how it works. He is honourable, yet naive. He has some insight into human nature, but often too late to benefit the people he loves most. His Odyssey is not just a journey but ( like Jason's) a wandering through unexpected places and frightening adventures.

Written as a journal, the book manages to convey a picture of the Levant (Middle East) and of 1666, a year when many people expected the world to end. It shows us the relationships between Christians, Jews and Muslims at that time. But it does all this from a very personal point of view, Balthasar's point of view. As we get to know Balthasar and his shortcomings, we understand the shortcomings of the view of the world we see through his eyes. It emphasizes that our view of history is always from a particular perspective, and it was a pleasure to have Balthasar show me around.

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

Here it is! A strong story in an historical setting with action abounding. The setting is Oliver Cromwell's London and outlines the rise of the Puritans and the effect on one family, particularly our heroine Coriander.

The writing is rich in both description and action. I can open the book at any page for an example:

p73. My stepmother was like bindweed that grows where it is not wanted, slowly spreading its sticky tendrils over everything. She had been in our house for nine months and I had counted every moment, every hour, every day. Little by little she smothered all the joy out of my life, leaving only dullness and sore knees. For there was a lot of praying......

Written in the first person it allows the language of the time to give you the feeling of that time.

The cover and endpapers fill you with expectation and firmly place the book in time and show the River Thames and London Bridge being the main stage and Corinander herself firmly in the middle. In all this richness Sally Gardner has also added a fantasy element that blends almost seamlessly and provides another set of villians to overcome. This does not take away the strong sense of the historical setting, with Puritan London giving the chief flavour to the book.

Coriander is strong and resilient and fiesty, yet true to her time and place. Although she does not talk with a modern voice, we understand her feeling and desires because they are universal. other characters are three dimensonal and we come to care for Danes, Master Thankless, Hester, Gabriel and even understand the Bedwells, Thomas, Nell, Maud and Arise Fell.

A great story with a great characters and setting.

Bridies Fire by Kirsty Murray

Bridies Fire is an historical novel set in Ireland and Australia. It starts in the potato famine of the 1840s. We watch with Bridie as the potato crop fails and her family die of starvation. It is a a desperate beginning and keeps you interested in the time and place. Bridie presents as a resilient child, determined and caring.

Bridie immigrates to Australia under the Earl Grey Orphan Scheme and becomes an indentured servant. I didn't find this part of the story so interesting. The voyage (4 months) seemed to be without incident yet we did not get a feeling of the boredom or hardships of the trip. We did however get introduced to other girls and tracking their fates - nicely done in the story - gives an insight into the terrible conditions endured by these girls.

Historical novels, to me, offer a fine opportunity for action and adventure. Kirsty Murray sets up good opportunities int he story but fails to deliver the action scenes. For instance, the scene where the camp is attacked by bushrangers and Bridie saves the day by arousing the camp and finally shooting one of them takes only 2 pages. Nor do we really feel the terror or the guilt she tells us she feels. Bridie seems to be resilient but she lacks bravdo. Historical novels used to be action packed. Authors like Rosemany Sutcliff (Eagle of the Ninth) Cynthia Hartnett (The Woolpack) RM Ballantyne (Coral Island) Nan Chauncey (They Found a Cave) gave us a thrilling adventure as well as a trip back in time. I am still looking for it.

Bad Bad Thing by Julia Lawrinson

The cover of this book is well designed to give us an idea of the sort of issues involved in the story. Bullying is the central theme and the "Bad Bad Thing" is the sort of incident that many people do not recover from.

I remeber once being a victim of the class bully. She took my tennis ball and refused to give it back. I resorted to violence immediately and she ended up with a blood nose and I ended up in front of the teacher with a lecture - and still no understanding of what else I could have done - apart from give up my tennis ball. (In those days you only had one tennis ball and that would have meant giving up tennis!)

The book outlines how easy it is to become part of a bullying culture. And it was completely compelling. I had to know what horrible things were going to happen and then I had to know if people could survive them. I was hooked from page one.

The story assumes an understanding of sexual behavior and, surprisingly, introduces the idea of religion being a positive force in the lives of teenagers. Parents are also treated quite well - although not in the depth shown by Ursula Duborsarsky in Theodora's Gift.

Theodora's Gift

My first book for the holidays is Theod0ra's Gift by Ursula Dubosarsky. Wow! that guy at the Claytons, from CYL, was right. It is beautiful. Many of Ursula's books have effected me in the past, and this is no exception. It is exceptional writing and gives me a new uderstanding of people and consequently effects my life and the way I live it. She reminds me of the wonderful writing of David Almond (UK) and Jerry Spinelli (USA). With all 3 authors I often finish the book in tears and with an insight not only into the characters in the book but also into the people around me.

Then I wonder: Who am I going to get to read this book? What child can I give it to? How will I convince them to give it a go? All hard questions for a librarian. Yet I know the struggle is worthwhile because the children in my own family, who have trusted me to find them good books to read, have all loved these books.

I remember my neice at the age of 13 (now 24) who was so passionate about Ursula Duborsarsky's The White Guinea Pig that I had to take her to the Clayton's Awards dinner. She wanted it to win the Children's Book of the Year, and she wanted to make her opinion known. My daughter (now 18) still says David Almond's Kits Wilderness is her favourite book of all time. These authors are really worth our promotion.

Theodora's Gift is stunning on many counts. Firstly, Theodora has many gifts. Her writing is described as a gift, her present to her father a is more tangible gift, or is it the gift of second sight that the title refers to? Secondly, it is easy to read - it flows and carries you on a wave of wonderful language "She ran out of the room into loose sunshine." Thirdly Ursula is an author for children and she tells us what she means. I was so grateful for the last 2 paragraphs of the book because it gave me a way to think about the whole book. Fourthly, the adults in the story are real characters that are part of the story. She is able to reach across generations and tell a story from the point of view of the child that is about all the people in a family. Fifthly, she gives us an understanding of being Jewish without even mentoning it. Sixthly, the cover has so much meaning after you finish. The designer, Marina Messiha, has done a beautiful job. And I love turning to the front after I have finished and understanding all the clues. It is part of the "extra" time with a book when you have finished but you want it to go on. You hug the book to yourself because you don't want to let it go. Then you look at the cover again and it has meaning that you could not have got before you finished. SEnsational! Its the "Now I understand" reaction.
I loved it!

Holiday Reading

One always thinks one has soooo much time on holidays, but it often does not turn out that way.

I am taking home one of Isacs favourite authors. He is very interested in International literature and recommended Amin Maalouf.

I have also raided the shelves and am trying to catch up on the very fine suggestions from the Clayton's night.

Therefore I have taken home to read
Malouf. Lost property
Wilinson. Garden of the purple dragon
Murray. Slightly bruised glory....
Lawrinson. Bad,bad thing.
Dubosarsky. theodors gift
Crowley. Chasing Charlie Duskin
Condon. No worries
Jonsberg. its not all about you Calma

Sonia has her own blog now

Wow! 20 minutes after I showed Sonia my blog and described how it worked, she had created one too.
See Sonias blog at http://sonsreading.blogspot.com
This could be the start of something. I thought it might be a good way to share our reading with one another. I mean mainly for the Wesley College Librarians. We could all have our own blogs or we could share one where we all posted the latest books we have read on the blog.
Blogs are very casual things like journals. They are first thoughts and quick impressions. The sentences don't have to be perfect. But its a great way to share our enthusiasim.

Showing Sonia and Cam

Haven't been reading since yesterday but I showed this site to Sonia and Cam. And they loved it! Cams beard is flapping in the breeze.

CBC "Clayton's" Awards

Last night I went to the CBC "Clayton's" Awards night, where experts try to second guess the announcement of the CBC shortlist. Nerida, Barbara, Robyn T, Meg, Lyn, Carly, Sonia, and Robyn K were there too.
There were too many books I had not read at all. How embarassing! At least I had heard of most of them.
The ones I have read were

Once by Morris Gleitzman
I loved this one because it introduces the subject of the holocaust from the point of view of a child who is still too young to understand prejudice. His naivity is offset by resilience giving the story a balance and leaving the reader with hope.
It is interesting to compare this to The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas by Johhn Boyne which is also recently published, and although it features a 9 year old boy, it is not a book for a young audience. This tale is a fable with sinister undertones. It seems to me to point out that children cannot understand the prejudice and horror of the holocaust because they are too young, but if, as adults, if we view the same evidence and choose not to understand its impact on the lives of others it is because we are acting as childen not adults.

How Hedley Hopkins Did A Dare, Robbed A Grave, Made A New Friend Who Might Not Really Have Been There At All And While He Was At It Committed A Terrible Sin Which Everyone Was Doing Even Though He Didn't Know It ..... by Paul Jennings
Well fancy Paul Jennings and Moris Gleitzman both being choosen for a literary awrd (albeit a Clayton's one) in the same year. Both these popular authors are very rarely shortlisted because of the very elements that make them so popular! (They both shockingly often make reference to bodily functions and other unmentionables.)
Hedly Hopkins is a funny book that I found immediately appealing. I loved the intertwining of the personal (masturbation), the unmentionable (people with intellictual disablites) and the unknowable (aboriginal culture and sensibilities). and how Hedley faces then all at once!

Dogboy by Victor Kelleher
I might not have taken this one home to read over the holidays but for its appealing title and a personal recommendation from Cam. I am glad I read it. It certainly has a compelling beginning with a baby being born and immediately abandoned on the hillside, swept away by a flash flood, adopted by a dog, facing an uncertain upbringing on the outskirts of the village. But I felt the later stages of the story which takes us into the 'city' society has not the same impact and loses its way a little.

Other people from Wesley had read lots of the titles mentioned. Robyn T. was very pleased with the picture books mentioned as they were many of her favourites.

Other titles mentioned were
Short and incredible life of Reilly
Rex
Irving the Magician
Castles
A monster wrote me a letter
Little boys (Yes it is about little red sausages!)
Memory book
Helicopter man
Mostly true story of Matthew and Trim
Slightly bruised glory of Cedar B. Hartley
Chasing Charlie Duskin
Bad,bad thing
No worries
Theodora's gift

The list includes

• 2 sequels (Slightly bruised... and Theodora's gift - although the latter is 18 years after the first book)
• 3 potrayals of mental illness (Helicopter man, How Hedley Hopkins... and No worries)
• 2 by Ursual Dubosarsky (Rex and Theodora's gift)

The beginning of the blog

Today is the first day of recording my reading. Susan Bell at Wesley is doing this PD on how to create your own blog. It seems simple and I think it will be a great idea to keep a reading diary. I hope to share it with the librarians at Wesley, and maybe the wider world too. It is going to be my impressions of books. First impressions, later impressons, likes and dislikes, and other ideas. It is a personal journal - for my ideas and thoughts. I hope the writing will help me clarify my thoughts about the books I read. But I hope it will encourage other librarians to share their knowledge in a similar fashion. I know I would love the opportunity to hear their views and share their thoughts about books.