Julie Hunt

Trigger warnings: Animal death, fire

6/10, I was hoping that I would enjoy this novel much like I enjoyed Green Rising by Lauren James which is a flawed but overall enjoyable story however I did not enjoy this one since there was only a single shred of hope at the end and most of the book was a depressing slog which was difficult to read. It begins with Tyenna living in Tasmania with her two mothers and a few pages into the action starts when she hears about the bushfires developing on the news, it steadily grows more suspenseful and harrowing as they get closer however I couldn't care for her or Bailey when he was introduced as they weren't well written and didn't develop their character in any way. As the bushfires intensify Tyenna and Bailey are left stuck in the town as almost everything burns to the ground and some animals are killed yet somehow they survive all of it and are left mostly unscathed as the fire planes extinguish the flames of what appears to be the most devastating bushfire in Tasmania's history. I'm glad it's all fictional otherwise it would've been a reminder of climate change that'd hit too close to home. In the end, there was a bit of hope as the book shows the town recovering from the fires and the trees resiliently growing back. That wasn't enough to stop this book from becoming disheartening and sometimes I enjoy sad novels but only when there's something to balance it however this is not the case here. If you like stories about environmental disasters pick this but other better ones are out there that you can try.… (mais)

Über Handschuh-Kid bin ich bei einer Verlosung hier gestolpert. Es handelt sich um eine Graphic Novel mit 286 Seiten in einer schön gebundenen Ausgabe, und eine der wenigen Geschichten, die es von Australien bis in den deutschen Markt geschafft haben.

Handschuh-Kid ist ein musikalisches Wunderkind und wird von seinem Onkel ausgebeutet - isoliert von der Welt, nur mit Kontakt zur Klavierlehrerin, die aber auch machtlos ist. Denn die Klavierspielfähigkeiten haben auch etwas mit den magischen Handschuhen zu tun, die Kid Tag und Nacht trägt. Eines Nachts bekommt er Besuch von Shoestring, der seine Seiltänzer-Fähigkeiten auch für Einbrüche nutzt. Und Handschuh-Kid die Möglichkeit bietet, sich zu befreien...

Eine magische Geschichte über Gier, Musik und Freundschaft, mit feinen Bleistiftzeichnungen erzählt. Für mich hatte die Geschichte auch etwas träumerisches, und die beiden müssen gemeinsam durch die Unterwelt, um sich von ihren Zwängen zu befreien.

Sowohl thematisch als auch gestalterisch eine schön erzählte, vielleicht etwas märchenhafte Geschichte.… (mais)

Very good. A bit like LOTR in that an object has been cursed as Ellie must take it back to where it was made to destroy it and lift the curse. In this case, the object is an accordion ( called a button-box) which when played cause firstly good things to happen and then terrible things. Ellie learns before she sets out on her quest to save her grandmother from the curse that he life has been one huge lie and that she was an orphan given to the family after being found on a hillside with a large Nanny goat. The goat is still alive and follows Ellie on her quest to the Gleam Country as if she returns the button-box and destroys it, a terrible drought that has befallen the land will be lifted as well as her family surviving an illness. On the way she must survive with gypsies, learn who to trust and not trust and also discover who she really is, if not Ellie from Spit Farm.… (mais)

Not bad as far as graphic novels go. I read this in 1 hour. Also good for fans of Shaun Tan - the black and white illustrations are reminiscent of his work.
This is the story of a child pianist prodigy Kidglovz who is controlled by his uncle and made to pretend he is only 6 when he is really 9 years old. Kidglovz wears gloves and can play any music but he is starved and kept a prisoner by his "uncle" who also has hands insured for a considerable amount. Enter Shoestring, a tightrope walking boy thief who sees an opportunity to cash in by kidnapping KIdglovz and ransoming him but pretends he is helping the boy pianist escape his cruel life..
When things go horribly wrong at the kidnapping and Kidglovz loses 3 fingers, both Kidglovz and Shoestring are taken into the woods to be shot by the kidnappers. Shoestring's uncle lets them go but they end up lost and frozen in snowdrifts. They are rescued by 3 giant shepherds and have to stay with them over winter in a world populated by magic.
This would have been one for younger readers except for the missing fingers part, so I have put it at Year 7. Interesting story and illustrations.… (mais)