Jen Storer

I loved this! Set in a Dickensian world, this novel is a mixture of Oliver Twist, Annie and Jane Eyre with a good tablespoon of celestial fantasy thrown in. I love idea of the Guardian Angels (or GAs) as part of a bureaucracy with branches such as Angel Allocation and the contracts library, all in a lower stratum than the “Arcs” who serve a higher purpose, but don’t always tell the GAs what it is. Tensy is a strong, feisty, charismatic character who fulfils her destiny in a very show more satisfying manner, and the other children are all very distinct characters. Matron Pluckrose is GREAT - a fantastic vehicle for injection of humour! And Lythia is a scary, disgusting and horrible villain. show less

Story is not bad but let down a bit by the illustrations that look very "self-published" even though this is an ABC book. Read for the VPRC. Angus Jack and his sister Martha and father "The Prof" have just moved to a beachside town in Australia from England. Angus is upset with his father for doing this and for basically ignoring him and his sister since his mother died. Next door to their terrace house, a strange woman called Reafen opens up a shop full of antiques and Martha is drawn to show more something that looks like an oversize snow globe. Enter the great character of the russian Donut Lady who lives in a caravan on the beach and helps the children out of all sorts of sticky situations with unusual people such as running from the horrible tall man with a monkey on his shoulder, and the strange elf like girls called Graini and Ava. But it is when their father is kidnapped that things start to really go awry and only the Navarre of Mervas (the giant snow globe that everyone wants) can bring him safely back.
Contains a lot of Viking mythology and humour and the side characters are the best. Possibly the first in a series. show less

From a drive in the jar, no wait the car, to a gift of red noses, I mean roses, Clarrie’s Pig Day Out is loads of sun (oops, I meant fun). With silly situations and crazy commotion, readers follow farmer Clarrie as he heads out for a day of errands, but nothing goes as planned since he can’t seem to find the right words.

This is a truly unique picture book that lends to an interactive reading experience and lots of opportunities to learn. And it's just plain fun to read out loud.

Full show more review posted on CBCA's Reading Time: http://go.shr.lc/1YGMopM. show less

Didn't like it! While this book is beautifully presented with short, accessible chapters I found the whole ghost/guardian angel theme irritating. Like Oliver Twist, Annie, Bindi Irwin and many children I've taught, Tensy Farlow was precocious and I could not take to her at all. As for the ending . . . . Let's just say I was glad to finally reach the last page!!!