Keepinitreal by Don Henderson

Keepinitreal is the name of Kid Kabula’s racing greyhound and it also describes his attitude to life. Throughout most of the book the Kid is fully expecting a bashing from Fatts Charvetto , chief of the Victory Rats, the local bikie gang. He just can’t seem to keep out of their way, so his relaxed attitude helps him through the day.
Stevie Goodes is the Kid’s friend and the main character in Keepinitreal. Stevie was found in a dumpster as a baby and brought up by Uncle Boffs and Aunty Pat. Look out for a big shock when he finds out who is really his father !
Readers will enjoy Stevie’s humorous and slightly cynical observations of life in the suburb of Victory Gardens. The characters remind me of the cast of the The Castle, Aussie “battlers” fighting against a system which seems designed to keep working class people in their place. Stevie and Uncle Boff are “scrapin ‘by”, collecting cans and other scrap for refunds at the Trojan Rd Recycling Centre, where, happily for Stevie , he is served by Helen, a girl with a beautiful smile. He looks forward to the day when he can actually think of something to say to her.
The humour of the book is balanced by Aunty Pat’s serious illness and the effect her death has on the remaining two members of their little family. The author has captured beautifully the slow days and feeling of grim inevitability of a family who are sitting by the bedside of a loved one who is dying.
Readers will enjoy Stevies’s slowly developing confidence as the Kid and Helen encourage him to take risks and to move out of his comfort zone.
I will be surprised if the CBCA doesn’t shortlist this one next year.

The 'Now’ trilogy by Morris Gleitzman

'Now’, written by Morris Gleitzman, is the final book of a trilogy beginning in 1942 and ending in the present. We first meet the main character Felix, a ten year old Jewish boy, in the first book, ‘Once’, set in Poland, in 1942, during the Holocaust. He is a refugee who escapes from an orphanage, in search of his parents. He is on the run from the Nazis and must survive in harsh and dangerous conditions. He meets Zelda, an six year old girl, who he rescues after her parents are killed. They form a friendship and a bond that sees them through events of peril and despair. Felix is a brave and compassionate boy who protects Zelda from the violence and oppression that they have learnt to endure.
In the second book, ‘Then’, Felix and Zelda are still on the run, again pursued by the Nazis and in constant fear of their lives. They meet a kind and sympathetic farmer’s wife named Genia who, at the risk of her own life, harbours them and cares for them in her own home. After many harrowing incidences and through tragic circumstances, Zelda is killed.
‘Now’ is the final book of the trilogy, set in the current day. It tells the story of Felix, now a successful, retired surgeon, a father and a grandfather living in Australia. Felix is now leading the life he so desired and promised to himself, ‘to be the best human being I can for the rest of my life’. His granddaughter, named Zelda, comes to stay with him while her parents, both doctors, are away. Felix had buried the painful and horrendous memories of his past, however, now he must relive the trauma that dominated his young life. Zelda is dealing with personal issues at school, ones of bullying and harassment,she turns to her grandfather for advice and support. Together, Felix and his granddaughter, deal with the past, live in the present and look towards the future.
The trilogy is one of relationships, tragedies, survival and hope. A great read for any age!

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Gemma has been drugged , kidnapped and brought to a remote unmapped location in the Australian outback. It’s a stark , dry place of sand, blinding light , poisonous snakes and only one other human , her captor, Ty.
The reader follows Gemma through her terror and her first desperate attempts to escape , then her gradual acclimatisation to the desert environment and her slow acceptance of Ty. Gemma finds Ty physically attractive but is very uncomfortable with these feelings , realising their incongruity under the horrific circumstances.
The author has created a very complex character in Ty. While on the one hand he seems to be the embodiment of evil , for snatching and terrorising a young girl , he does not harm her or touch her and finally gives up his freedom in order to save her.
Gemma’s feelings about Ty fluctuate throughout the novel until little by little she views him as her companion and protector. While she understands that he has lied to her about her parents she finds it difficult to summon up any negative feelings about him , a process known to happen to long-term kidnap victims. A satisfying level of suspense is maintained while the reader is unsure whether Ty will harm Gemma in any way.
The desert environment is beautifully described , with much emphasis on the quality of the light. Gemma’s difficulty of seeing in the desert light is perhaps a metaphor for the way in which she views her captor , half blinded to his manipulation by her dependence on him for her physical safety
Stolen is a disturbing novel of a relationship developing under the most harrowing conditions , nurtured by lies and unreality.

Shortlisted in CBCA Older Readers category 2010

Jarvis 24 by David Metzenthen

Marc Jarvis, Jarvy to his friends, has lost someone special. He thinks of her every day and her death will cause an ache in his heart forever. But life goes on and the story opens with Marc’s Work Experience week at Gateway Auto. Marc’s friendship with his two co-workers, Mikey and Belinda, gives him opportunities to reflect on life and relationships which he does in a gently humorous way throughout the book. Mikey is gay and the reader follows Marc’s initial feelings of confrontation which develop into a genuine admiration for Mikey’s strength of character.
Marc falls in love immediately upon meeting the beautiful Electra, but they are soon to be separated in order for Electra to accept a place in Canberra at the AIS. Their parting moments are credibly portrayed as sweetly sad, romantic without being corny.
Cameo characters like Rocco Galtieri the gym-owner “ like a planet with his own onion-scented atmosphere”, and the ever-exasperated Coach Tindale, provide a balance to the more serious characters like Mikey.
Travis is Marc’s best mate, sounding board and fellow admirer of the local girls. He is tougher and more cynical than the slightly under-confident Marc, who sees his friend as something of a role model.
The author has created a very likeable character in Marc Jarvis and the reader will enjoy his growing appreciation for the different kinds of loves and friendships that surround him.

Shortlisted in CBCA Older Readers category 2010

The Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke

In truly tragic style Fan’s life was doomed from the beginning. She was never sure when she would feel the sting of her mother’s violent temper and longed to escape to the blue hills she could see from her bedroom window. Shy and timid Clementine thought there was something magical about her cousin Fan and admired her feistiness and determination.
Clementine had a cosy life with a loving mother and father, private school education and then university ,fulfilling all her parents' dreams , but she worried often about her country cousin , writing letters but expecting no reply because she knew poor Fan found reading and writing difficult.
The author describes Fans life as “ a kind of anguished disappointment [as] if you were in the desert and had this single flask of water you’d been saving for the moment you got so thirsty you couldn’t stand it any more – and then the moment came and [you ]found the water had trickled away through a hole you hadn’t known was there”
A poignant and tragic ending to the story reminds the reader of the importance of offering a little kindness to a fellow human being in trouble.

Shortlisted in CBCA Older Readers category 2010

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Micha is the liar of the title and in the first half of the book, lying is her defining characteristic. Her more outrageous lies are discovered quickly, such as pretending she is a boy at her new school, so she gets used to being called a freak.
But as Micha tells us “if you’ve got a big secret its best to paper it over with little ones” So the source of her unusual speed and strength remains a mystery and the writer maintains a high level of suspense until the secret of “the family illness” is revealed.
The characters of Micah’s classmates, Zach and Tayshawn are very engaging ; although they are the popular jocks they are also sensitive and kindhearted boys. Tayshawn’s grief at Zach’s murder early in the story is very touching .
A minor character takes on huge significance and the writer maintains the early suspense until the end as the search for Zach’s murderer continues.
Authentic teenage characters combined with layers of suspense and agonising choices for Micah make this book well worth a place on the ACBC short list

Shortlisted in CBCA Older Readers category 2010