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| BiP staff review by Cathy and Lucinda Recommended for 15+ |
The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and his Ex
Gabrielle Williams
Apr 2015 | Allen & Unwin | $17.99pb
This excellent new novel by the author of Beatle meets Destiny and The Reluctant Hallelujah should, we hope, see Gabrielle Williams recognised as one of Australia’s best writers for young adults. Set in the streets of inner Melbourne during the late eighties, this extraordinary story revolves around the infamous theft of Picasso’s painting ‘The Weeping Woman’ from the National Gallery of Victoria, a real event that shook the conservative art world to its core at the time and a crime that has not – to this day – been solved.
‘The Artist’ of the title, Luke, is an immensely talented but frustrated painter. He, like many emerging artists, wants more money for young and upcoming creatives and feels the lack of public arts funding keenly. Along with fellow artist and part-time security guard at the NGV, Dipper, they hatch a plan with the enigmatic but shady art dealer, Real, to steal ‘The Weeping Woman’ and replace it with a forgery, an act of cultural terrorism.
‘The Ex’ is Penny, Luke’s long-suffering ex-girlfriend. Penny is doing it tough, bringing up their son, Joshie with absolutely no help or support from the uncaring and selfish Luke. Penny lives in the same building as seventeen year old Rafi, ‘The Girl’. Rafi lives with her mother, a woman haunted by the death, many years earlier, of Rafi’s three year old brother – she believes her son was taken by La Llorona, the tortured spirit of a woman who drowned her children to be with the man she loved. La Llorona, when translated from Spanish becomes, ironically, The Weeping Woman.
When Rafi meets ‘The Guy’ at a party, events are set in motion and the four worlds collide with far reaching consequences for everyone involved.
The characters in this remarkable novel are so well realised and their voices so truthful that as a reader you are completely immersed in their story and care deeply about what happens to them. Every life in this tale is changed irrevocably as they wind into one incredible yet completely believable thread. We really, really loved this book. It’s our hope that stories like this will encourage teenage readers to put down their phone/device for a while and experience the immense pleasure to be had in reading a good book instead. Highly recommended for readers 15+
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| BiP staff review by Karen Recommended for 10+ |
Prince of Afghanistan
Louis Nowra
Apr 2015 | Allen & Unwin | $16.99pb
Mark is a soldier in the Australian Army and has parachuted into Taliban territory on a mission to rescue three doctors who have been taken hostage. Mark’s childhood friend Casey and his Doberman dog Prince are part of the platoon. When the rescue mission takes a turn for the worse, Casey is shot. Shaking with panic, Mark has to make a split second decision – he grabs Prince’s collar and heads off into the unforgiving Afghani terrain, hoping Prince will be able to guide him to safety. Extreme temperatures, not knowing who is friend or who is foe, Mark and Prince must face many challenges as they fight for survival. A taught, gripping thriller set in a very contemporary war zone about the bond between man and beast.
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| BiP staff review by Karen Recommended for 12+ |
Crystal Force
Joe Ducie
Apr 2015 | Hot Key Books | $16.95pb
On the run after escaping from what was supposed to be the world's most secure juvenile facility – the action-packed storyline of the first book in this series, The Rig – Will Drake knows it's only a matter of time before the sinister Alliance catches up with him. But Drake is in need of an alliance of his own. Knowing who to trust is becoming increasingly difficult. To top it off, his arm has started to mutate into an impenetrable black crystal after encountering the mysterious substance Crystal X, and although it gives him a superhuman-like ability to fight, it might also be causing him to lose his mind. Can Drake really keep running forever? And who should he trust - his so-called friends or the voices in his head? This eagerly awaited sequel to The Rig is, at last, in store. For readers of 12 plus.
New Boy
By Nick Earls
Apr 2015 | Puffin | $14.99
Adjusting to a new country and a new school was never going to be easy for Herschelle. The food is strange, it's so different to South Africa and, worst of all, no-one understands the Aussie slang he's learnt on the web. But it's the similarities that make things really hard. Herschelle will have to confront racism, bullying and his own past before Australia can feel like home. Fans of Morris Gleitzman will love this newbie by the wonderful Nick Earls – a funny, warm and touching read. Suitable for readers of 9 and up.
Joe Ducie
Apr 2015 | Hot Key Books | $16.95pb
On the run after escaping from what was supposed to be the world's most secure juvenile facility – the action-packed storyline of the first book in this series, The Rig – Will Drake knows it's only a matter of time before the sinister Alliance catches up with him. But Drake is in need of an alliance of his own. Knowing who to trust is becoming increasingly difficult. To top it off, his arm has started to mutate into an impenetrable black crystal after encountering the mysterious substance Crystal X, and although it gives him a superhuman-like ability to fight, it might also be causing him to lose his mind. Can Drake really keep running forever? And who should he trust - his so-called friends or the voices in his head? This eagerly awaited sequel to The Rig is, at last, in store. For readers of 12 plus.
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| BiP staff review by Karen Recommended for 9+ |
New Boy
By Nick Earls
Apr 2015 | Puffin | $14.99
Adjusting to a new country and a new school was never going to be easy for Herschelle. The food is strange, it's so different to South Africa and, worst of all, no-one understands the Aussie slang he's learnt on the web. But it's the similarities that make things really hard. Herschelle will have to confront racism, bullying and his own past before Australia can feel like home. Fans of Morris Gleitzman will love this newbie by the wonderful Nick Earls – a funny, warm and touching read. Suitable for readers of 9 and up.
