suggested texts for australian curriculum - helen sykes

8/9/2019 Suggested Texts for Australian Curriculum - Helen Sykes

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exts for the Australian curriculum

The following notes cover the titles Helen Sykes presented at theAIS Annual English Teachers' Conference 20! Helen gave twopresentations " one on Asian te#ts and one on indigenous te#ts! Thenotes cover those two areas$ plus so%e suggestions a&out te#ts

related to sustaina&ility and$ at the end$ so%e notes on so%eworthwhile recent pu&lications!

So%e of the annotations were provided &y e& (c)herson and Ernie Tucker$ as part of their *oint presentation with Helen at ETA+S,Conference 20! Helen thanks e& and Ernie for their per%issionto re"use their %aterial here " and for the ongoing inspiration theyo-er to English teachers!

The list is as co%prehensive as possi&le to %ake it clear that there

is a whole range of solutions to ensuring that the cross"curriculu%priorities are satis.ed! The titles in each category are listed in alpha&etical order! At theend of each section$ there is an /E#tension te#t section 1 te#ts that%ay not e#actly %eet the reuire%ents of the category &ut willcontri&ute to students understanding! 3or e#a%ple$ Shaun TansThe Arrival does not have speci.c Asian content &ut it is an essentialte#t to know a&out when looking at the e#perience of %igration!(any of these titles are also reviewed in the &ook$ Choices forEnglish: books, lms and other texts that work 4Cengage 5earningAustralia$ 20067!

3or any uestions$ contact Helen Sykes on 0289 22: ;;6 or athelen!sykes This is a picture &ook for younger readers thatcan still &e en*oyed &y secondary school students! This would &e agreat introduction to a cross"curricular unit on traditional Asian arts$in cooperation with your ra%a$ Art and (usic depart%ents!

Barry Noodles and DaKillerBs &y Hung 5e! This is currently out of print!Ai%ed at &oys in the ?ear :"; age group$ this is a funny story a&outa young @ietna%ese &oy who arrives in Australia with no English &utwho uickly acuires a passion for A35$ enhanced with so%e %oves

inspired &y ung 3u! The te#t %akes little sense to anyone

1

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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unacuainted with this particular foot&all code! The &ook is very(el&ourne"centric!Recommendation: This hu%orous look at the %igrant e#perience issuita&le for wide reading for the ?ear :"; age group!

The Beauty of Humanity Movement &y Ca%illa Bi&&! Atlantic=ooks$ 200! 69;0;:9;69! 269 pp!Hung is an old %an who %akes great phD$ and this gentle and&ittersweet novel tells an intergenerational tale of loss and love setin conte%porary @ietna%! Recommendation> This could &e a winnerwith an advanced ?ear 0! It has a great sense of ur&anrural lifeand history fro% a @ietna%ese perspective!

Beijing Condential !ost and "ound in the "or#idden City &y Fan ,ong! HarperCollins )u&lishers 200; 420097! 69;09G22;9898!G20 pp!

This is a non".ction te#t written for an adult audience! Canadian,ong was a student in =ei*ing during the 90s$ during which ti%e she&etrayed a fellow 4Chinese7 student to the authorities for har&ouringwestern sy%pathies! She returns to a very di-erent country thirty"three years later to try to .nd the wo%an she &etrayed! This is avery interesting insight into the lifestyle of %odern ur&an Chineseand the huge di-erences fro% *ust a couple of decades ago!Recommendation> This would &e &est with girls in ?ears 0 or !

The picture of conte%porary China is insightful and interesting! ?oucould add it to a selection of non".ction te#ts for %iddle"secondary

readers$ as suggested in the ,ide eading Suggestions section&elow!

Bend it !i$e Bec$ham directed &y Burinder Chadha! 2002! ating>)B!

This .l% e#plores the world of wo%en's foot&all with hu%our andpassion! Set in ,est 5ondon and Ha%&urg$ the .l% follows twoeighteen"year"olds who love foot&all and *oin a local a%ateurwo%en's foot&all clu&! Fes%inder is a =ritish girl of Indian Sikh&ackground who struggles against her fa%ily's traditional attitudesto follow her drea% of playing professional foot&all! Fuliette /Fules

)a#ton is a white girl who has to co%&at her %other's stereotypesa&out athletic prowess and les&ianis%! The tea%s coach$ Foe$ is ayoung %an whose drea%s of foot&all stardo% were shattered whenhe in*ured his knee$ and &oth girls have a keen interest in hi%! The.l%'s title is a reference to the English superstar$ avid =eckha%$and his skill at scoring fro% free kicks &y &ending or curving the &allin the air!Recommendation se this e#cellent co%edy in the ?ear 6classroo% to discuss cultural and gender assu%ptions!

Bound &y onna Fo +apoli! Si%on )ulse$ 200! 69;0;6;9;6!; pp!

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This is an intriguing retelling of the Cinderella story$ set in +orthernChina during the seventeenth"century (ing dynasty! After the deathof her &eloved father$ Jing Jing appears &ound to a life of servitude&y her cruel step%other! =ut she escapes another type of &ondage$as it is her stepsister who %ust endure the terri&le &inding of her

feet to %ake her %ore attractive to potential suitors! ,hen a festivaloccurs$ Jiang Jiang %eets a prince and her life changes!Recommendation> se Bound with ?ear 9 or ; as a great way toe#plore the ways authors can appropriate classic tales and revitaliseand su&vert the%!

Boy %ver#oard &y (orris BleitK%an! )uLn 2002! 69;08G0;G;;!; pp!In %any ways this is the sa%e &ook that BleitK%an has &een writingfor years> a story told &y an innocent .rst"person narrator 4whether)o%%y %igrant kid$ a %ute or a cane toad7 who has a so%eti%esachingly painful sense of responsi&ility for the fa%ilys welfare! Thenarrators an#ious and often ill"conceived atte%pts to i%prove thefa%ilys lot lead to all kinds of co%ic disasters! At their &est$BleitK%ans &ooks achieve a re%arka&le tension &etween realsadness and laugh"aloud co%edy!In this case$ the narrator is an Afghan &oy whose fa%ily are Meeingthe Tali&an and who &eco%e en%eshed in Fohn Howards )aci.csolution! So%e adults will &e unco%forta&le with the apparentlyMippant treat%ent of such a su&*ect$ &ut I think it can &e verysuccessful in helping Australian kids understand that those

de%onised &oat people are fa%ilies not all that di-erent fro% theirown$ with kids with who% they can identify! Alongside the hu%our$there is horror as well as sadness> wo%en &eing e#ecuted in thesoccer stadiu% in a&ulN pirates searching the refugees &oat foryoung girlsN Fa%als fear that his parents have drownedN the newsthat they are not welco%e in Australia! The hu%our is a &lessedre%inder of the resilience of hu%an &eings$ even in the face ofterri&le inhu%anity!BleitK%ans opposition to the Australian govern%ents treat%ent ofthe &oat people is clear$ &ut his anger is ad%ira&ly restrained$li%ited to the occasional irony such as> /Thank goodness Australians

are so good at thinking of others!Recommendation> Teachers will .nd this very rewarding forclassroo% study! It is a fairly easy read and could &e used fro% ?ear8 to ?ear 6$ although %ost schools will opt for ?ear 9! It would &einteresting to e#plore with gifted kids the advantages andli%itations of telling the story di-erently$ without the hu%our! It can&e added to wide reading selections on refugees$ hu%our$ soccer$and other countriesN see the ,ide eading Suggestions section&elow for a selection of titles for ?ears 9 or ; a&out the refugeee#perience! BleitK%an's novel could &e linked with the .l% Bend it

like Beckham> like Fess%inder in the .l%$ Fa%als sister =i&i is atalented soccer play for&idden to play &y her culture!

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Brea$ of Day &y Tony )al%er! )enguin =ooks$ 2009!69;08G00892! 20: pp!

This accessi&le story &egins on the okoda Track$ where young$untrained Australians 1 without resources or leadership 1 are &eing

stalked through the *ungle &y a %uch larger Fapanese force! This isan i%portant insight into the e#perience of okoda$ &ut it is not *usta war story! There are Mash&acks to the young %ens lives growingup in Australia$ with a focus on two &rothers fro% rural @ictoria andtheir relationship with the local &ully! The younger &rother$ (urray$has long thought of hi%self as a coward$ &ecause of his ina&ility tostand up to the &ully$ Sid! Eventually$ there on the okoda Track$ he.nds hi%self alone with a wounded Sid and has to decide whetherto a&andon or stay with the &ully who has %ade his life %isera&lefor so %any years! This is an insightful look at the nature ofcourage&Recommendation> There is huge interest now in the e#perience ofokoda$ and this is a very accessi&le introduction to it for students!=oys will relish the war scenes$ &ut &ecause this is a&outrelationships as %uch as it is a&out war$ girls too will en*oy it! ?oucould use it for whole class study with a %i#ed"a&ility group in ?ears; or 6$ or add it to a wide reading &o# of war stories! (ake up a uniton okoda$ supple%enting Break of a! with the non".ction te#t"okoda Track: #$# a!s and the picture &ook %hotogra&hs in the'ud!

Bro$en 'lass &y Sally Brindley! =loo%s&ury$ 200;!69;0989:;:6! 29: pp!This is an easy-to-read novel for the Year 5 to 8 age group about two boys who run

away from a violent home, believing that their depressed father will stop mistreating

their mother once they are gone They have lived a comfortable e!istence in an "ndian

village in a two-bedroom house with a #itchen and a room in which to watch

television $nli#e some others in their village, they have always gone to school, and

they have always had shoes to wear %ut now & at ages twelve and nine & they find

themselves homeless on the streets of a large city, sleeping at night on a traffic island

and scavenging through the rubbish for bro#en glass, in order to ma#e enough money

to feed themselves

This is a realistic picture of the conditions of homeless children in "ndia The author iscareful to e!pose the grimness of the life without traumatising young readers too

much 'he provides some hope at the end for the boys The novel provides an

opportunity for e!posing readers to other worlds

Recommendation( $se this alongside other stories that will open the eyes of

)ustralian young people to the lives of children in other countries 'ee the *ide

+eading 'uggestions section below for ideas about other suitable titles for Years and

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Chen(i and the "oreigner &y Sally ippin! Te#t )u&lishing$ 200;420027! 69;62G:G:;$ 20; pp!

This is a newly revised edition in which the Australian %aincharacters na%e is changed to Anna and the political focus is


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sharpened &y %oving the events to the period approaching the%assacre in Tianan%en Suare!

?oung$ handso%e Chen#i has &een appointed liaison person for ;"year"old Anna$ daughter of an Australian &usiness%an in Shanghai!Anna is living in China for a year to study traditional Chinese art!

Sally ippin o&viously knows Chinese people well and selects herdetails to give readers not only the sensual e#perience of Shanghai&ut also the &eginnings of an understanding of di-erent attitudes tohu%an relationships! Anna is increasingly infatuated with Chen#iand initiates se#ual contact with hi%! She naively thinks that shecan live %ore in har%ony with Chinese culture with hi%! ,hen herrelationship with Chen#i develops$ it should &e clear to the youngreader that Anna has learnt a&out Chinese culture at his e#pense!Recommendation> The co%&ination of the setting$ co%edy and

ro%ance %ake this a very accessi&le novel for a %i#ed"a&ility ?ear 6

class and &oth &oys and girls respond well to it! This is still$ &y far$the &est novel for adolescents a&out the Australian"Chinese

e#perience$ and &eyond that is the interesting concept a&out the

representation of Chen#i as the unknowa&le other and even as the

%ale se# o&*ect! There is so%e selective swearing of the Australian

&ut not the Chinese kind! The single se#ual liaison is tenderly

descri&ed!

The China Coin &y Allan =aillie! )uLn$ 662! 69;080G89:G! 62

pp! This has &een a popular class te#t$ %ainly in ?ears 9 and ;$ althoughit has &een used successfully with older classes of ES5 students! It isthe story of an Australian"&orn Chinese girl %aking a trip to Chinawith her (alaysian"Chinese %u%! The opening section$ where thegirl is in a plane heading for a /ho%e that is totally unknown to her$in the co%pany of a %other who is &eco%ing %ore Chinese &y the%inute$ strikes a fa%iliar chord with %any kids who have had thee#perience of &eing taken /ho%e to the country of origin!=aillie has used the device of a &roken coin as an e#cuse to send hischaracters travelling around China> they are searching for the otherhalf of the coin$ held &y fa%ily %e%&ers so%ewhere in China! ,esee a range of lifestyles in China> %ost interestingly$ that of a two"thousand"year"old village that has scarcely changed through thecenturies! And$ .nally$ we see =ei*ing at the ti%e of the Tianan%enSuare distur&ances! =aillie was actually there in =ei*ing at the ti%e$and the .nal scenes of the &ook have a great deal of authenticity!Recommendation> ?ou can use this as part of a unit on countries oron *ourneys! Collect e#a%ples of other works &y =aillie set in Asiancountries for a worthwhile author study for ?ear ;! See the ,ideeading Suggestions section &elow!

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Chinese Cinderella and the )ecret Dragon )ociety &y Adeline ?en (ah! Allen O nwin$ 2008! 69;;:0;;::! G08 pp!Adeline ?en (ah is &est"known as the author of the auto&iography$(allen )eaves$ and its si%pli.ed$ a&ridged version$ ChineseCinderella: The *ecret *tor! of an +nwanted aughter $ which is

widely studied as a non".ction te#t in *unior secondary! This is anovel for readers in ?ears : to ;$ &ased on stories the author wrotein her childhood to escape her loneliness! Its a kung fu adventureset against the &ackground of Shanghai in ,orld ,ar II!Recommendation> se this as one of a selection of titles for anaction adventure genre study for ?ear 9 or ;$ as outlined in the ,ideeading Suggestions section &elow! There is a good range of titlesall set in Asia!

Chinese Cinderella The Mystery of the )ong DynastyPainting &y Adeline ?en (ah! Allen O nwin$ 2006!69;988GG! 280 pp!

This is a ti%e"slip story> in a co%a$ the heroine of Chinese Cinderellaand the *ecret ragon *ociet! discovers a for%er life ;00 yearspreviously at the ti%e of the Song ynasty!Recommendation> This is %ore historical novel than adventure$ &utit could &e added to a selection of action adventure titles for ?ears 9and ;$ as suggested in the ,ide eading Suggestions section &elow!

Chinese Cinderella The )ecret )tory of an *n+antedDaughter &y Adeline ?en (ah! )uLn$ 666! 69;08G08;9;! 2:2

pp! This very useful te#t is widely used to %eet the non".ctionreuire%ent for ?ear 9 or ;! Its a si%pli.ed$ a&ridged version of(alling )eaves$ a&out growing up as the unwanted daughter in awealthy fa%ily in pre"revolutionary China! It is a fascinating pictureof the culture and it also %eets the need for te#ts fro% other ti%esand places! It is also a very o&vious e#a%ple of the way theco%poser positions the responder> in this case$ to see the characterof the step%other as every &it as evil as any fairytale step%other!Recommendation: Chinese Cinderella is very widely used in ?ear 9$&ut it is also used at ?ear 6 level with less acade%ic classes! The full

adult version 1 (alling )eaves 4)enguin 69;0802:6;67 " is oftenused in ?ears 6 to 0$ especially with girls$ alongside otherauto&iographical &ooks set in China such as ild *wans and 'ao-s)ast ancer !

Con,nerd &y Pliver )ho%%avanh! )uLn =ooks$ 20!69;08GG08;6! 2 pp!

This is even funnier than the authors previous title$ Thai.ri/c 1 and$again$ at ti%es uite %oving! The %ain character is an Australian &oy of Chinese &ackground who is &eing forced to attend high"

pressure coaching classes$ when all he wants to do is draw cartoons!He is an engaging character$ as is his persistent$ %isguided &ut well"

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%eaning %other! The characters are perhaps stereotyped$ &ut this is%itigated &y the fact that the protagonist is struggling so hard toescape that stereotype!Recommendation> This is delightful &ut %ay &e a &it young for classset use at secondary level! The &oy and his friends are in ?ear !

3ind an e#cuse for using it for wide reading anywhere fro% ?ear : to ?ear ;! It is great to have titles like this that reMect the %ulticulturalnature of our society 1 and to have titles so wonderfully funny!

Divine -ind &y Barry isher! This is currently out of print!isher graphically depicts life in =roo%e in the years 6G; " 68:within the fra%e of the intense e%otions$ heightened &y war$ whichtransfor%ed the traditional working and personal relations &etween

Fapanese$ A&original and European Australians! ishers laconicnarrator$ Hartley$ ad%ires his pearling captain fathers sense of afair go and contrasts this attitude with that of a suatter and a%ilitary adviser who are for%ing a local defence unit as a Fapaneseinvasion see%s likely> /?our A&o is unrelia&le Q Hell guide the Fapsthrough the &ush Q ?ou wont .nd this written down anywhere$ &utif the A&os cause trou&le we can shoot the%$ no uestions asked!

The father and son are re%oved fro% court when they uestion thearrest of an A&original %an! Si%ilarly$ after )earl Har&our$ they seekto defend their Fapanese friends and e%ployees$ %ost of who% areinterned " e#cept Hartleys girlfriend$ a nurse and the daughter of a

Fapanese diver! Harts sister$ also a nurse$ is %issing after the fall ofSingapore! The Fapanese are now /%arked people in the town$ even

though %any of the% have &een &orn in Australia! Afterwards$(itsy$ despite her uali.cations as a nurse$ is interned$ &ecauseafter the Fapanese air attacks on =roo%e$ gaol is the safest place forher! isher uotes a epart%ent of Infor%ation radio &roadcast>/The principle of ,hite Australia shall never &e overturned &y ar%edaggression!isher co%&ines the pace of his warti%e ro%ance story with theauthenticity of the setting and the co%ple# and changing attitudesof the characters! The air attacks on =roo%e$ especially the plight of those caught in the sea"planes out with the sharks in the &urningwaters of the oe&uck =ay after their rescue fro% Indonesia$ is

realistic$ &ut without dwelling on the &loodshed! The rivetingrepresentation of these little1known episodes will suit thosestudents who %ay &e &ored &y how the te#t&ooks write Australianhistory!Recommendation> =oth &oy and girl average"a&ility readers in ?ears6 and 0 will respond to this very accessi&le novel! The few se#references of the inter"cultural ro%ance are well %ediated whenHart and (itsy &eco%e lovers! The tension on the friendship as warapproaches leads into the action of the &o%&ing scenes! ,hile thenovel is currently out of print$ you will .nd inclass sets in %any

&ookroo%s!


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Dragon$ee.er &y Carole ,ilkinson! &lack dog &ooks$ 200G!69;9820G0:6G! G; pp!

This is =ook of the ragonkee&er Trilog!, followed &y 0arden ofthe %ur&le ragon 1 69;9820G0067 and ragon 'oon1 69;9820G07! There is also a pre"uel$ ragon awn

469;9820G02G7! This terri.c series introduces students to a fantastic world set inancient China! In =ook a slave girl called )ing rescues a dragonand Mees across the country to escape the dragon hunters! In =ook2 )ing hides fro% her ene%ies near the Tai Shan %ountains whereshe tries to care for the &a&y dragon ai she has inherited! In =ook G)ing seeks the ragon Haven and ai %atures to &eco%e a dragonof %any colours and leader of the dragons! )ing realises that she%ust end dragon reliance on hu%ans! The three &ooks deliver vividcharacterisation$ a richly i%agined world &ased on Chinese historyand culture and a fascinating relationship &etween hu%ans anddragons!Recommendation> ragonkee&er works as a ?ear 9 class set$although it is &est with girls! Include all four titles in an actionadventure genre study for ?ears 9 or ;$ as reco%%ended in the,ide eading Suggestions section &elow! Consider as well using thetitles for an author or a fantasy genre study!

/on &y Alison Bood%an2 HarperCollins$ 2006! 69;09G2260! 88;pp!

This is also pu&lished as The Two %earls of isdom2

/ona &y Alison Bood%an2 HarperCollins$ 20! 69;09G22;8689!8;0 pp! This is also pu&lished as 3ecklace of the 0ods!Eon is a girl dressed as a %ale$ who is training to &e a ragoneye$one of the people who control the %agical dragons of China!Bood%an &uilds a wonderfully &elieva&le and intricate world as Eonis thrust into the heart of the i%perial court when she &eco%es theragoneye of the fe%ale (irror ragon!Recommendation> 5ove$ loss$ control$ gender roles and power areissues to e#plore with ?ear 6$ who should relish this outstandingfantasy duo! This is strong fe%inist .ctionN %ake sure that your girls

have an opportunity to e#plore it!

"alling !eaves The True )tory of an *n+anted ChineseDaughter &y Adeline ?en (ah! )enguin$ 669! 69;0802:6;622;; pp!

This is the adult version of the auto&iography that is pu&lished foryounger readers as Chinese Cinderella! The author re"visits herchildhood in an aRuent Chinese fa%ily$ where she su-eredcontinual e%otional a&use as the unwanted stepdaughter! It is afascinating picture of the i%pact on the fa%ily of the tur&ulent

changes that ca%e with the Co%%unist evolution! (any readers.nd it inspiring$ as the author rises a&ove the e%otional a&use of

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her childhood to carve out for herself a successful career 1 .rst as adoctor$ then as a writer 1 in the nited States!Recommendation> This works well as a class"set te#t with girls in

?ears 6 to !

"ilm Asia Ne+ Pers.ectives on "ilm for /nglish &y Fuanitawok and 5ucinda (cnight ! Curiculu% Corporation$ 2002!69;;G:88G;! 89 pp!Although this is o&viously a little out of date now$ it is a useful guideto .l%s that you could use for this cross"curriculu% perspective!

"rom Kingla$e to Ka#ul edited &y +eil Brant and avid ,illia%s!Allen O nwin$ 20! 69;982G9:G08! 26 pp!

This non".ction te#t is an account of an e#change of stories &etweena school in a&ul and a school devastated &y &ush.res in inglake!As writer in residence$ +eil Brant encourages the trau%atiKedAustralian students to %ake contact with their counterparts in aninternational school in a&ul! Their contact leads to a great deal ofwriting$ including .ctional pieces in which they e#periencevicariously the lives of others!Recommendation> This could &e added to a wide reading selectionof non".ction te#ts for ?ear 0! It could also &e a useful resource forteachers!

The 'arden of /m.ress Cassia &y Ba&rielle ,ang! )uLn$ 2002! 69;08GG00298! 0; pp!

This char%ing story was ,ang's .rst pu&lished novel! ,ang herselfis third"generation Australian Chinese$ and (i%i's longing to &eaccepted as fully Australian %ay have so%e echoes in the author'sown childhood! Through the gift of a set of pastels that ena&le (i%ito create a %agical world$ (i%i &rings healing and har%ony to herneigh&ourhood " and gains acceptance &y her peers!Recommendation> This is ai%ed at readers in upper pri%ary school$especially girls!

A 'host in My )uitcase &y Ba&rielle ,ang! )uLn$ 2006! 69;08GG0G968! 62 pp!

This award"winning novel highlights the di-erences &etweenAustralia and China$ especially in the perception of 'ghosts'! Thewonderfully"realised setting is the ancient Chinese water town of,uKhen$ with what ,ang descri&es as 'its dark alleyways$ greatwooden houses standing in water$ &eautiful %oon &ridges andwinding canals'! Australian"&orn Celeste goes to ,uKhen to spendti%e with her Chinese grand%other$ a fa%ous ghost"hunter$ and&eco%es caught up in a terrifying adventure!Recommendation> This is pro&a&ly a &it young to use as a class"setnovel in secondary$ &ut it is a great read! Include it in an action

adventure study$ as outlined in the ,ide eading Suggestionssection &elow!

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'irl *nderground &y (orris BleitK%an! )uLn 2008! IS=+ 0 8GG008 ! ; pp!5ike Bo! 4verboard, this is uite short and si%ple and again useshu%our to e#plore so%e confronting issues! In this case$ it is theplight of asylu% seekers in detention in Australia! BleitK%an is

clearly successful &ecause the &ook caused howls of protest thatsuch issues were inappropriate for children!Recommendation> This is suita&le for ?ears :";! se it in a selectionof titles for wide reading a&out the refugee e#perience!

'ro+ing *. Asian in Australia edited &y Alice )ung! =lack Inc$200;! 69;;G6:6G! 2;; pp!

This non".ction anthology is a very rich collection of true storiesa&out the e#periences of Asians in Australia 1 fro% A=Cs who have&een here for generations$ &ut who still look Asian$ to very recent%igrants! All the stories are uite short 1 %any are only three pageslong 1 and they cover a diverse range of e#periences and a widevariety of tone! There are stories of discri%ination and pre*udicethat still o&viously hurt$ even when the %e%ories are decades old$and there are stories of co%ic %isunderstandings! The stories aregrouped under the%atic headings such as /Strine$ /nAustralianand /5eaving Ho%e! (any of the stories are a&out the conMict thatis felt &y second"generation %igrant children as they are torn&etween fa%ily values and traditions and those of their peers! Thereare %any stories that show how language can divide as well asunite! 3ood and fa%ily traditions are freuent the%es!

Recommendation> This is a rich resource for all students! It would &ea worthwhile te#t to study in its own right in ?ears 0 or ! It is asource of stories to use alongside other te#ts in a range of units ofwork on topics like fa%ily$ %igration$ di-erence and diversity$ schoollife! It is an e#cellent source of related te#ts for =elonging! se italongside other collections of life stories such as The 0lor! 0arage:0rowing u& )ebanese and 'uslim in Australia &y +adia Fa%al and

Taghred Chanda& and %la!ground: )istening to stories from countr!and from inside the heart co%piled &y +adia ,heatley!

'uantanamo Boy &y Anna )erera! Angus O o&ertson$ 200;!

69;09G22;;6:2! G:; pp!This is a very significant boo# that should be widely available to young adult readers

"t0s by a first-time author who has wor#ed as a teacher of difficult0 boys, and one of

its strengths is that the fifteen-year-old male protagonist is someone that any teacher

who has taught in the poorer suburbs of a big city will recognise e0s ust an ordinary

#id & more motivated to do well at school than most, but not averse to the occasional

bit of shoplifting or s#ylar#ing %ut he is also a 4uslim and, although %ritish-born,

has a a#istani father ost /611 he has been shoc#ed to realise that even at home, in

%ritain, the fact that he is a young 4uslim male ma#es him a threatening figure to

some people To the )merican authorities desperate to fight the war on terror0, he is a

suspicious character *hile visiting family in 7arachi, he is #idnapped from his aunt0s

house and enters a nightmare world of interrogations, beatings, sensory deprivation,

isolation, water torture, and forced confessions e is finally incarcerated in

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9uantanamo %ay as an enemy combatant0, without rights of any #ind or any contact

with lawyers or family )lthough the story is told in the third-person, the reader sees

everything through 7halid0s eyes and we sin# into the nightmare with him, at times

unable to distinguish between reality and madness

This is very moving, especially at those times when 7halid is struggling to hold on to

his sanity & for e!ample, after days of being deprived of sleep and subected endlesslyto what seem to be nonsensical :uestions is crime; 'ome of the )merican

interrogators are convinced that he loo#s as if he0s in his early twenties & they dismiss

as nonsense his claim to be fifteen )nd he was playing an online computer game with

his cousin and some others 7halid is bewildered by his treatment, but another

strength of the boo# is that he refuses to hate, #nowing how destructive hatred can be

Recommendation( This is an absorbing and affecting read for students in Years / to

11 *hile it is reasonably long, it is not a difficult read, and the reader turns the pages

compulsively, an!ious to #now 7halid0s fate "t would be a fascinating companion

piece to %any photographs of Hana and his fa%ily! His side of the story .llsin the gaps of Hanas short life!

This was the seuence of the research$ &ut 5evine has reconstructedHanas &rief thirteen years of life fro% &eing in the only Fewishfa%ily in a s%all town in CKechoslovakia to &eing separated fro%the%$ %eeting Beorge again in Theresienstadt$ then travelling in afreight train to &e gassed on arrival at AuschwitK! Interwoven withthis$ and acco%panied with Beorges photographs and Hanas

drawings$ 5evine tells the other story of 3u%ikos persistent search

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that &rings it all together! 5evines spare narrative gets the tone *ustright for this co%&ination of *oy$ sadness and hope!Recommendation> This is very accessi&le as an easy read for %i#ed"

a&ility classes$ ?ears 9"6! It is invalua&le for those whose school is

too far away fro% a Fewish (useu% and it is a valua&le te#t to

support those who can take students on an e#cursion there! The te#t

de%onstrates how infor%ation &eco%es powerful when it &eco%es

personal! Plder students %ay &e directed to the uestion of the

relationship &etween the personal and the political! This te#t has

relevance in our study of Asia$ e%phasising as it does our co%%on

hu%anity!

Hannah0s -inter &y ierin (eehan! )uLn$ 200! 69;08000882!20: pp!

This is a char%ing ghost story set in %odern Fapan$ although theghost &elongs of course to a distant past! Australian Hannah isspending three %onths in Fapan with a Fapanese fa%ily$ each ofwho% is lovingly drawn! Hannah &eco%es friends with the daughterof the fa%ily$ (iki$ and together they stu%&le on an intriguingpuKKle that %ust &e told!

The eventual revelation of the connection &etween the ghost andHannah rather stretches &elief$ &ut that is not i%portant! Thestrength of the novel lies .r%ly in its depiction of Fapanese culturethrough Hannah's eyes$ with all its oddities and wonders!

Recommendation> This is an en*oya&le read for girls in ?ears 8"9! Itis pro&a&ly a little young to &e considered for class set use in ?ear 9!It would work &eautifully as one of a selection of action adventurewide reading titles$ providing girls with an alternative to the %anynovels with a %artial arts focus!

The Ha..iest 1efugee &y Anh o! Allen O nwin$ 200!69;982G92G;6! 2G2pp!The 5a&&iest Refugee could turn the tide of %isinfor%ation and feara&out &oat people and$ linked with S=Ss stunning series 0o Back to

here 6ou Came (rom, could for% a transfor%ative unit inclassroo%s in ?ears 6 and 0!Anh o is one of the %ost ad%ired standup co%edians in Australia!He also graduated in law fro% the niversity of Technology and%ade the .l%s The (inished %eo&le and (ootie )egends with his&rother hoa! His account of his *ourney as a &oat person fro%@ietna% with his fa%ily is understated yet deeply distressing! Hisfather was the captain and had to deal with the crew andpassengers &eing terrorised &y pirates! A pirate held os younger&rother over the side of the &oat! Towards the end of the *ourneythey ran out of food and water! They were rescued and taken to a(alaysian refugee ca%p! They .nally %ade their way to Australia asrefugees!

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o tells his story with characteristic good hu%our and wonderfulanecdotes a&out fa%ily and friends! His story %akes a signi.canti%pact on the reader! Recommendation> Consider this as a class settitle for ?ear 0! ?ou could also use it alongside +n&olished 0em &yAlice )ung!

The Hidden Monastery &y Ba&rielle ,ang! )uLn$ 200!69;08G902;! ;0 pp!

This has an Asian setting &ut it is strongly &ased in Chinese%ythology! Chinese"&orn Fa# %igrated to Australia as a seven"year"old &ut is unhappy here$ as his parents work %enial *o&s inconsecutive shifts to survive! Fa# has &een %arked as a &a&y &y thesign of the %ythical creature$ )eng$ whose role is to ensure that the&alance of nature is %aintained! In the northern Uueenslandrainforest$ Fa# %eets a %ysterious girl called ?u ?u who helps hi% inhis uest to .nd )eng!Recommendation> This is pure fantasy$ unlike The 0host in the*uitcase which co%&ines the strong narrative a&out the paranor%alwith a vivid picture of Chinese life! It is suita&le for readers in the

?ear 8"9 age group! Add it to an action adventure study$ assuggested in the ,ide eading Suggestions section &elow!

Homeless Bird &y Bloria ,helan! 3rances 5incoln Childrens =ooks$2006 42007! 69;;8:096992! 9 pp!oly is o&liged to enter a traditional Indian arranged %arriage atthirteenN a few %onths later she is a widow$ i%prisoned in a kind of

social li%&o where she is lower than a servant in her hus&andsfa%ily! She is eventually a&andoned &y her %other"in"law in the holycity of @rindavan$ ho%e to thousands of unwanted widows whospend their days worshipping in order to &e fed &y the %onks! olyis rescued &y a charity that helps these widows 4%any of the% veryyoung7 to earn their own living!oly is an appealing character and the story has a ro%antic endingthat will please readers! The &ook is sensitively written and couldlead to so%e vigorous discussion a&out the tension &etweentraditional cultural practices and &asic hu%an rights!Recommendation> This is a fairly easy read and could &e used as a

class set for less acade%ic students in ?ear 9 and ;$ especially forgirls! Include it in a wide reading selection of titles a&out the lives ofchildren in other countries$ as suggested in the ,ide eadingSuggestions section &elow! 2nter.reter of Maladies &y Fhu%pa 5ahiri! 3la%ingo 2000 46667!69;000::966! 6; pp!This is a superb collection of short stories There are nine in all - some set in "ndia,

some in )merica & all related in some way to the e!perience of %engali "ndians 4any

of these stories are about alienation and the longing for home The stories are

beautifully written, with a range of narrative viewpoints

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Recommendation( This is probably best at Year 11 but it is worth considering for a

talented Year 1 class 'tudents will relate to the characters0 e!periences, while

learning a great deal about how short stories are written

3ameela &y ukhsana han! Allen O nwin$ (arch 200!

69;982G92:68! 62 pp! This is set in post"Tali&an Afghanistan! Fa%eela lives in a re%oterural village in a wartorn country! Her life &eco%es i%possi&le whenher %other dies and her father re%arries$ with her new step%otherdeter%ined to %arry her o-! Thrown on her own resources$ sheeventually .nds refuge in an orphanage! The novel is &ased on thelife of a real girl and the orphanage actually e#ists!Recommendation> se this with ?ears 9 and ;$ especially girls! (akeup a wide reading &o# a&out the lives of teenage girls in othercountries$ including 5omeless 0irl$ *&illed ater $ %arvana$ Torn%ages and *old!

3a.an Diary My Dou#le )ummer &y Trudy ,hite!Curriculu%Corporation$ 20 4200:7! 69;;G:680! G pp!

This is a si%ple diary of two di-erent students 4one Australian andone Fapanese7 who recount their personal *ourneys as e#changestudents! ,hat is engaging a&out these two diaries are the waysthey e#plore the di-erences and si%ilarities in the two cultures andcountries!Recommendation> se 7a&an iar! with ?ear 9 to get studentswriting their own *ournals and also to support tolerance and

understanding of other cultures!

The 3oy !uc$ Clu# &y A%y Tan! @intage$ 668 46;67!69;0986G66:9G! 2;; pp!

This story of four Chinese %others and their four .rst"generation"A%erican daughters has &eco%e so%ething of a classic! Set in San3rancisco and &ased on the %others' %eetings for their regularga%e of %ah*ong$ the novel e#plores the diLculties of %igrantfa%ilies coping with the inevita&le changes in their children as theygrow up &etween two cultures in a new world!Recommendation> This is a popular senior te#t that could &e

suita&le for a %ature class of ?ear 0 girls!

The Killing )ea &y ichard 5ewis! Si%on and Schuster Childrens=ooks$ 200! 69;8622;G! ;: pp!

This A%erican novel is set in Aceh in Indonesia$ at the ti%e of the2008 tsuna%i! It follows the fate of two teenagers in the after%athof the disaster> (usli% &oy$ uslan$ searching for his %issing father$and A%erican girl$ Sarah$ whose fa%ily had &een holidaying on ayacht *ust o- the coast when the tsuna%i hit! Sarah is culturallyinsensitive and arrogant! The pair are thrown together &y

circu%stances and$ despite their di-erences$ uslan helps Sarah tocare for her seriously ill younger &rother! The cli%a# of the story is

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their encounter with a frenKied %edia pack when they .nally reachsafety! The indi-erence of the *ournalists to the young people'scondition in their eagerness to get a good story is shocking$ as is theclear %essage that the life of wealthy A%erican Sarah is of %uchgreater value than that of uslan or of the thousands of Indonesian

children who have died! Sarah has learnt otherwise$ her newunderstanding de%onstrated &y the fact that she insists onfollowing local custo% and dressing %odestly for the %ediainterview$ in contrast to her conte%ptuous refusal to 'pander' tolocal sensitivities &efore the tsuna%i!

This is a %oving story a&out the tsuna%i and its e-ects$ as &othyoung people search for their %issing fathers against a &ackgroundof devastating chaos! It is very %uch a&out the essential hu%anitythat we share$ despite cultural di-erences!Recommendation> This is an e#cellent te#t for e#posing students toan understanding that people of other cultures are not to &e fearedas 'the other' and that di-erent cultural practices are si%plydi-erent$ not necessarily &etter or worse! This is suita&le for use asa class set te#t for ?ears 9 or ;! se it as one of a selection of te#tsa&out children fro% di-erent cultures learning to understand eachother$ as outlined in the ,ide eading Suggestions section &elow!

The novel could also &e used as a co%panion te#t to Allan =aillie's"rakatoa )ighthouse$ a&out the tsuna%i in ;;G!

Ko$oda Trac$ 454 Days &y )eter (aconnis! &lack dog &ooks$2009! 69;;9G926:! 96 pp!

This is a very reada&le account of the s%all Australian force thatslowed and eventually stopped the advance of a %uch larger and%ore e#perienced Fapanese ar%y who were atte%pting to cross thePwen Stanley range into +ew Buinea! 5ike other non".ction titlesfro% this pu&lisher$ the story uses .rst"person .ctional accounts4although often in the voice of real people7 to introduce eachchapter!Recommendation> This is an e#cellent overview of this iconic eventfor readers in the ?ear to 6 age group! se it alongside the novelBreak of a! and the picture &ook %hotogra&hs in the 'ud!

Kra$atoa !ighthouse &y Allan =aillie! )uLn$ 2006!69;08GG0G:6! 2:2 pp!'et in 1883 during the period of


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Recommendation( This is an e!cellent class set choice for Years or 8 "t has the

e!citement of the survival story and the sadness of the loss, as well as great insight

into the nature of colonialism and its impact on both the rulers and the oppressed "t

could be used alongside The Killing Sea by +ichard >ewis, which is about the 25

tsunami "t could also be used as part of an Allan =aillie author study$ as

outlined in the ,ide eading Suggestions section &elow!

!ittle Brother &y Allan =aillie! )uLn$ 2008 46;:7!69;08GG098:! ; pp!This is a novel about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia that may still be found in many

English bookrooms. Mang and his younger brother are separated as they try to flee the

soldiers who are destroying life and society in Cambodia. Vithy has a dangerous and

difficult task to find his way to the border to be reunited with his brother.

Recommendation: It’s thirty years since the killing fields formed the context of this

moving story; many students in Year 7 and 8 will be unaware of this context and

would benefit from reading and discussing this novel.

!ittle Paradise &y Ba&rielle ,ang! )enguin =ooks 200!69;08G0899! G8 pp!

This ro%ance is inspired &y the e#perience of the authors parents!,ang is third"generation Chinese Australian! Her protagonist$(ira&el or 5ei An$ is &ased on her Australian"&orn %other! Atseventeen (ira&el falls in love with a young Chinese soldier who is&rieMy posted to (el&ourne! FF has to return to China where the civilwar is raging! (ira&el$ with her &a&y daughter$ sets o- against allwarnings to a chaotic Shanghai to .nd hi%!

The strength of the novel lies in the vivid depiction of China in theearly forties!Recommendation> Birls in %iddle secondary will thoroughly en*oythis unusual ro%ance and its courageous protagonist and willacuire a good deal of knowledge a&out Chinese history at the sa%eti%e!

Mahta#0s )tory &y 5i&&y Bleeson! Allen O nwin$ 200;!69;989:GG86! 62 pp!=ased on true stories of Afghan girls now living in Australia$ this isthe story of a girl whose fa%ily is forced to Mee Afghanistan! ,ithher %other and younger sister and &rother$ (ahta& spends al%osttwo weeks cra%%ed under furniture in the &ack of a truck as they%ake the *ourney across the %ountains into )akistan! There followlonely$ isolated %onths in a shed$ when their father decides to goahead and .nd a ho%e for the%! Eventually$ not knowing whethertheir father is alive or dead$ (ahta&s fa%ily risks the *ourneythrough Indonesia to an overcrowded$ leaking &oat that eventuallyreaches the Australian %ainland! The welco%e they e#pected$however$ is not there!

This is an accessi&le account that ena&les young readers to

e#perience the situation through (ahta&s eyes! The e%phasis is onthe disco%fort and &oredo%$ as %uch as it is on the fear and

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loneliness! ,orst of all for (ahta& is her ignorance of her fathersfate!Recommendation> This is an e#cellent &ook for readers in the ?ear :to ; age group! ?ou could use it as a core te#t in a unit of work onasylu% seekers$ as outlined in the ,ide eading Suggestions

section &elow! Mao0s !ast Dancer &y 5i Cun#in! )enguin 2006 4200G7!69;09009G8;! :0; pp!

This auto&iography is a&solutely wonderful and has &een widelyused in schools at senior levels$ despite its siKe! This .l% tie"inedition is even &igger$ with additional chapters added to cover theperiod fro% the pu&lication of the &ook$ through the years of fa%eas a writer$ to the release of the .l%! espite its length$ the &ook isvery accessi&le! The author$ &orn in 6$ grew up in severe povertyin China 1 one of seven &oys in a fa%ily whose diet consisted oftenof nothing &ut dried ya%s! Selected &y chance as a student in(ada%e (aos &allet school$ he &eca%e a great dancer$ eventuallydefecting to the ,est where he esta&lished an internationalreputation! A&out three"uarters of the &ook is a&out the years inChina 1 in the fa%ily village and then in the &allet school in =ei*ing$and it is this part of the story that is so fascinating! Its also a verypositive story! The representation of the poverty of his childhood is%e%ora&le$ &ut so is his picture of the war%th of a loving fa%ily!

There is no &etter e#a%ple of literature fro% other places 1 and ofother ti%es$ &ecause there are %any di-erences &etween the China

of 5i Cun#ins childhood and China today! The author$ now a (el&ourne stock&roker$ has &eco%e so%ething of a %edia star and your li&rarian will pro&a&ly &e a&le to accessvideotaped interviews with hi%! He is also often availa&le to speakto schools!A si%pli.ed and a&ridged ?oung eaders Edition is also availa&le469;08GG087!Recommendation> se the ?oung eaders Edition in ?ears 9 and ;and for %i#ed"a&ility classes in ?ears 6 and 0! se the una&ridgedoriginal edition for &etter readers In ?ears 6 to 2! This is stronglyreco%%ended for whole class study$ or use it as part of a wide

reading unit on other countries or other cultures$ as part of a widereading selection of auto&iographies$ or as a related te#t in an/Pverco%ing adversity unit of work!

Mao0s !ast Dancer directed &y =ruce =eresford! 2006! )B! The .l% of 5i Cun#in's &est"selling auto&iography achieved that rareaccolade for Australian .l%s " &o#"oLce success in Australiancine%as! ,hile the &allet scenes are pro&a&ly the strongest in the.l%$ the scenes in the reconstructed village of 5i's childhood are ofgreat interest!

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Recommendation> This can &e used alongside a version of theauto&iography 4including the picture &ook version$ The %easant%rince7 or as a .l% study in its own right$ especially in ?ears ; or 6!

Mao0s !ast Dancer 6oung 1eaders /dition &y 5i Cun#in! )uLn$

200:! 69;08GG08! G20 pp!5i Cun#in 4 pronounced )ee *chwin *ing7 was &orn in 6$ one ofseven &oys in a very poor fa%ily in China! =y chance 4his peasantstatus and a&ility to withstand pain were helpful attri&utes7$ he wasselected to &eco%e a student in (ada%e (aos &allet school! Hegrew up to &eco%e a talented &allet dancer$ and$ after defecting tothe ,est$ an international &allet star! The contrasts of 5i's life fro%his poor fa%ily village$ to the de%anding &allet school in =ei*ing$ tolife as a fa%ous dancer$ and then to senior %anager in a stock&roking .r% in (el&ourne are fascinating! Students will .nd hisdescriptions of his fa%ilys struggles to survive and their love andsupport inspiring!Recommendation se this engrossing and very positive story with

?ear 9 to help the% appreciate the conventions of auto&iographicalwriting$ to sti%ulate their own writing and to support theirunderstanding of a di-erent culture and country! The original versionof 'ao-s )ast ancer won The Australian8s =ook of the ?ear award in200G! It has &een reprinted %ore than thirty ti%es$ with a newe#tended .l% tie"in edition pu&lished in 2006 to cover the yearssince the pu&lication of the &ook! The %easant %rince is the picture&ook version!

The Moonshadow series &y Si%on Higgins! ando% HouseAustralia!

The author descri&es this series of action adventure novels as &eingset in a /ro%anticised historical Fapan$ loosely &ased on the periodof the Tokugawa shogunate! (oonshadow is a teenage warrior$highly trained in %artial arts$ who survives a series of dangerousevents! There is a fantasy ele%ent$ with so%e characterspossessing %agical powers! The stories are fast"paced$ with a stronge%phasis on the%es of loyalty and friendship! The &ooks have adetailed Fapanese glossary!

Recommendation> These are very popular with readers in ?ears 9and ;$ especially &oys who are interested in the %artial arts! Theyare an easier read than the 6oung *amurai series$ and although theyare fairly long the font is uite large! Add these to a wide readingselection of action adventure novels$ as outlined in the ,ideeading Suggestions section &elow!

Titles in the series in reading order>The E!e of the Beast 69;982;G2The rath of *ilver olf 69;9880:;The Twilight ar 69;;896992

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Nine Hours North &y Ti% Sinclair! )enguin$ 200! 69;08G00G92&2 pp!

This is set in Fapan! The title refers to the Mying ti%e fro% Australia$&ut not the cultural distance! Ada% is a fair"haired twenty"one"year"old Australian who teaches English at a language school in +agoya!

As a dedicated push&ike rider$ he does not have a good opinion ofhi%self$ slu%ped in the train like the rest of the /salary%en! Hisgirlfriend$ Sarah$ also teaches &ut see%s to take things %uch %oreseriously! ,hen (arianne arrives to suash into their concrete &lock%ini"apart%ent$ Ada% and Sarahs relationship see%s to &e /slidingaway!

The pair look forward to their long pro%ised push&ike tour to seethe hidden Fapan$ &ut their increasingly di-erent responses to life in

Fapan will separate the%! They each transfer their repressedfeelings into resent%ents a&out the rural Fapan that they encounter!

The %ountain lake is overcrowdedN a lu#ury %o&ile ho%e with itssatellite dish$ %icrowave oven and screa%ing children parks ne#t totheir tent! (orning &rings *et skiers and /the pre"dawn Keal of theca%p"ground inspector! The ne#t night &rings a stor%$ and they.nd the%selves having /a you and %e discussion!Ada% has reached that stage of the trans"cultural e#perience that&egins with the wonder at the perfection of the new culture$ %ovesto fear and depression that you will never cope with it$ and then%oves to frustration and anger &efore$ if you persist$ you %ayprogress to acceptance$ as you &egin to pretend that youre one ofthe natives! Sinclairs free verse %irrors this e#perience$ pro*ecting

the collapse of the personal relationship on to Ada%s perception of Fapan!Recommendation> This is accessi&le and interesting for readers in

?ears 0 or for its ironic co%%entary on an Australian young%ans e#perience as a gai*in or long nose$ in Fapan! se it inco%parison with the cherry &losso% travel &rochures and travelinternet sites! )eter Carey s rong About 7a&an is an euallyaccessi&le non".ction account of his si%ilar e#perience inco%parison to the e#perience of his young son!

%nly the Heart &y =rian Caswell and avid )hu An Chie%!

niversity of Uueensland )ress$ 669! 69;09022GG90! 228 pp! This super& novel a&out the Australian"@ietna%ese e#perience is&ased on the real"life e#perience of co"author$ avid )hu An Chie%!

To write the &ook$ =rian Caswell would listen to avids true storiesof his e#periences! These stories were then .ctionalised$ using two%ain characters> a &oy character &ased closely on avid hi%selfand a slightly older girl cousin!

The novel uses Caswells characteristic narrative> %ultiple voices%oving &ackwards and forwards in ti%e and space in a style verylike that of cine%a! The &ook is tightly structured! It presents the

classic refugee story> the escape fro% @ietna% in the %iddle of thenight$ the encounter with pirates in the China Sea$ the (alaysian

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refugee ca%p$ and then the long hard years &eco%ing esta&lishedin Australia! It does not avoid the diLculties! ,e %eet the@ietna%ese gangs on the streets of Ca&ra%atta and we see howdangerous they are! =ut weve also seen the origins of the gangs inthe (alaysian ca%ps$ so although we are aware of the tragic

conseuences of their actions$ we have so%e understanding of thegang %e%&ers as well!Recommendation> This was widely used as a class set in ?ears 6 and0 and was also very successful with older ES5 students! ?ou %aystill want to use it in class sets! It would &e particularly interesting toe#plore how the world of Australian"@ietna%ese people has changedsince the &ook was written$ and how the e#periences of %ore recentrefugees are si%ilar and di-erent to that of the @ietna%ese &oatpeople! It would &e interesting for students to read alongside The5a&&iest Refugee!

Parvana &y e&orah Ellis! Allen O nwin$ 2002!

69;;:0;68!

;0 pp!,hen her &rother dies and her father is i%prisoned &y theauthorities$ twelve"year"old )arvana and her %other and sister areuna&le to leave the fa%ily ho%e! nder Tali&an law$ wo%en andgirls are not allowed to leave ho%e without a %an$ so )arvana$ her%other and sisters %ust stay inside! 5iving in Afghanistan under the

Tali&an regi%e %eans that all the li&erties we take for granted asfree people are denied )arvana and her fa%ily! ,hen their food runsout$ they face starvation$ so )arvana decides to try and support her

fa%ily! She dresses as a &oy$ to %ake a living in the %arketplace ofa&ul$ knowing that discovery could %ean a &eating$ i%prison%ent$torture or death! Her courage in the face of crushing fear andrepression is inspiring!Recommendation This is the .rst &ook of a trilogy! It is followed &y%arvana-s 7ourne! 469;;:0;66697 and *hau9ia 469;9882;87!se this novel and its seuels in ?ears 9 or ;! Asking students toi%agine living in a country where wo%en and girls are not allowedto leave the house without a %an will allow for discussions a&outhu%an rights and the treat%ent of wo%en$ in a conte#t of culturaldiversity and di-erence! A co%parison with Isla%ic wo%ens

e#periences in Australia in such te#ts as oes '! 5ead )ook Big inThis and The 0lor! 0arage would &e i%portant in esta&lishing thatpre*udice knows no &orders!

The Peasant Prince &y 5i Cun#in$ illustrated &y Anne Spudvilas!@iking$ 2009! IS=+ 69;090090:8

This is the picture &ook version of 'ao-s )ast ancer ! It is si%plyand lyrically told$ using two %ain unifying sy%&ols 1 the kite thatthe &oy and his father are Mying on the .rst dou&le page spread$and the fathers story of the frog who wants to escape fro% the well!

Recommendation> ?ou can use this with students in ?ears 8 to ; whohave not read any other version of 5i Cun#ins story$ or you could

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e#plore with older students the way in which the long and detailedauto&iography has &een transfor%ed into this visual %ediu%!

Photogra.hs in the Mud &y ianne ,olfer and =rian Harrison"5ever! 3re%antle Arts Centre )ress$ 200:! Hardcover

69;6209G202! This picture &ook tells the parallel stories of a young Australian anda young Fapanese on the okoda Track during ,orld ,ar II! There isa very clever use of fra%ing$ %ainly reMecting the do%estic lives ofthe two %en 1 lives that are very si%ilar! At the end the fra%edphotographs are found$ stuck together &y the %ud of the track andthe &lood of the dying %en! /,ars a %ugs ga%e$ hey says Fack toHoshi as they lie dying$ and although they cannot understand eachother they recognise their co%%on hu%anity!Recommendation> This is a powerful story a&out the conseuencesof war and is worth reading for its own sake$ &ut you could use it aswell &eside other te#ts a&out okoda$ such as Tony )al%ers novelsBreak of a! and the non".ction te#t$ )eter (acinniss "okodaTrack: #$# a!s2

1e#el7 &y Allan =aillie$ illustrated &y i ,u! )hoeni# Education$20 466G7! 69;62:;28;!

This super& picture &ook has recently &een re"issued in paper&ack$%aking it accessi&le for classroo% use! Set in =ur%a$ it tells thestory of one of the generals co%ing to the village to &ully andthreaten the villagers! A &rave protester succeeds in %aking the

general look ridiculous! The resolution is very satisfying!Recommendation> This can &e read &y pri%ary school students &utit resonates with readers of all ages! Consider using it for closestudy as a te#t in its own right! se it as one of a group of te#tsa&out hu%an rights a&uses$ including The China Coin, Revolution isnot a inner %art! and Trash!

The 1eluctant "undamentalist &y (ohsin Ha%id! )enguin =ooks$200; 420097! 69;08026:82! 206 pp!

This is a super& te#t for senior study! It is short enough and easyenough to &e accessi&le to less acade%ic strea%s$ &ut the ideas

e#plored will challenge your %ost talented students! The wholenovel is a dra%atic %onologue! The speaker is a young )akistaniwho has spent a lot of ti%e in the nited States where he had greatsuccess$ .rst as a student and then as a &usiness%an! =ut 6changed everything for hi%! Here he is in a cafe in 5ahore$ talking toa stranger! Pver the course of the afternoon and evening we learnhis story$ as he tells it to the stranger! ,e never hear the strangerdirectly$ although we can guess at so%e of what he says and whathe does fro% the narrators co%%ents! The stranger is pro&a&ly anA%erican$ possi&ly a %ilitary type$ and he &eco%es an increasingly

sinister .gure as the afternoon progresses! Is it a wallet or perhaps agun that is in his inside coat pocket ,hat is his purpose there in

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5ahore The tension %ounts$ cli%a#ing in a violent &ut a%&iguousending!Recommendation> I have had very positive reports of the success ofthis in the classroo%! It allows for an intelligent e#ploration of issuesraised &y the /war on terror> the si%ple goodevil$ &lackwhite

dichoto%ies are uestioned! It is %ostly &eing used in ?ear $ andin @ictoria it is set for study for ?ear 2$ &ut it is within thecapa&ilities of a good ?ear 0 class!

1evolution is not a Dinner Party &y ?ing Chang Co%pestine!)uLn$ 200;! 69;08GG0G;::! 288 pp!

The title is one of the uotations fro% Chair%an (ao that Chineseschool students in the 90s had to chant /lovingly! There is anauthors note that$ although this is .ction$ a great deal of this storyis auto&iographical! I read along with the .rst"person narration of5ing fro% the age of nine to thirteen$ as she reluctantly adapts tothe fact that she is the only student without a red scarf! Her parentsare doctors> her father$ a surgeon$ had &een to the SA for %edicaleducation! ,hen co%rade 5i co%es to live in her fathers study$ thenaVve narrator at this stage wonders a&out her %others unusuallystern looks when (r 5i is around$ and why (r 5i cuts the power o-freuently! After 5ings dress$ %ade &y friendly (rs ,ong upstairs$ is%ocked as &ourgeois$ r ,ong disappears$ red guards co%e andtrash (rs ,ongs roo%s$ and events speed towards 5ings ownfathers de%otion to hospital cleaner$ then gaol! They live intraditional courtyard housing$ where co%pulsory attendance at

hu%iliation sessions$ led &y 5i$ increases$ as the gardener$ then (rs,ong and her son$ have their hair savagely cut$ &efore &eing takenaway to a la&our ca%p! After &urning the fa%ily photo al&u%s andall A%erican evidence$ 5ings father hides the photo of the San3rancisco Bolden Bate =ridge$ &ecause it is the one sy%&ol of hopefor his fa%ilys future! After nu%erous and e#citing events$ 5ingsurvives$ and the fa%ily is reunited when the ed Buards .ght eachother after the arrest of (aos wife!Recommendation> This is an easy read for %ost ?ear 9 students> thetwelve"point font and generous spacing &elie the length of the te#tthat %oves swiftly through the events that develop the character of

5ing fro% innocent$ wondering o&server to street"wise survivor!

)ada$o and the Thousand Pa.er Cranes &y Eleanor Coerr! )uLnS$ 666 46997! 69;06;;029! ;0 pp!Sadako Sasaki was two years old when the ato% &o%& was droppedon Hiroshi%a$ Fapan$ on August $ 68:! In 6::$ at age $ Sadakowas diagnosed with leuke%ia$ caused &y radiation fro% the ato%&o%&! Sadako's &est friend told her of an old Fapanese legend$which said that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes would &egranted a wish! Sadako hoped that the gods would grant her wish to

get well! She started to work on the paper cranes and co%pletedover one thousand &efore dying on Pcto&er 2:$ 6::$ at the age of

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twelve! A statue of Sadako holding a golden crane has &een placedin Hiroshi%a )eace )ark! Inscri&ed at the &otto% of the statue is theprayer> This is our cr!, This is our &ra!er, %eace in the world! EleanorCoerrs retelling of the Sadako story is a powerful and e%otionalone!

Recommendation> This si%ple tale of love and death$ courage andhope can &e read to a ?ear 9 or ; class in a forty"%inute period$ andthe aural e#perience can &e a powerful one for the reader and theaudience! eep a few tissues handy and not *ust for the studentsW,ith such a uick read$ students could &e asked to write a *ournalresponse$ %ake so%e paper cranes and research the &ackground tothe &ook and the plight of others a-ected &y radiation sickness overthe generations!

)hado+ &y (ichael (orpurgo$ illustrated &y Christian =ir%ingha%!HarperCollins Childrens =ooks$ 200! 69;0009GG600! 2;; pp!

This is a %oving story a&out the refugee e#perience fro% one of thes &est writers for children! (orpurgo was inspired &y the story ofthe Australian sni-er dog that went %issing in Afghanistan for 8%onths! The dog he writes a&out was used &y the =ritish to detecte#plosives$ &ut it disappeared after an attack and was presu%ed tohave &een killed! The dog turned up %onths later %any hundreds of kilo%etres away in the caves where A%an$ his %other andgrand%other are trying to survive!A%an and his %other %ake the terri&le *ourney fro% Afghanistan totry to *oin relatives in England$ including several days locked in the

&ack of a truck with %any others without food or water! The story isnarrated &y :"year"old (att$ who &eco%es A%ans &est friend atschool and who is horri.ed when$ after si# years living in the $A%an and his %other are denied refugee status$ are arrested andare a&out to &e deported! (atts narration is interspersed withA%ans story$ told to (atts grandfather in the visiting roo% at thedetention centre!Recommendation> (orpurgo achieves ad%ira&ly his purpose ofallowing young readers to understand that &oys like A%an are *ustlike the%$ not /the other! This would %ake a great ?ear 9 class set!However$ you %ay have to struggle against students initial

assu%ption that the &ook looks a &it young for the%! The font is aco%forta&le siKe and there are =ir%ingha%s wonderful illustrations$so that the for%at see%s to &e that of a &ook for younger readers!However$ the characters are in their %id"teens and the content isperfect for *unior secondary!

)hau8ia &y e&orah Ellis! Allen O nwin$ 200G! 69;9882;8!; pp!

This co%panion volu%e to %arvana and %arvana-s 7ourne! takes up

the story of a %inor character in the previous &ooks! ShauKia

escapes fro% a )akistani refugee ca%p and tries to survive on thestreets of the city! e&orah Ellis$ who has worked in the refugee

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ca%ps$ provides a realistic picture of life in the ca%ps and of

childrens desperate struggle to survive on the streets! ShauKia is

eventually taken in &y an A%erican fa%ily and e#posed to levels of

%aterial co%fort that she has never drea%ed of$ &ut there is a

serious clash of values$ particularly over the notion of /sharing$ andshe is returned to the ca%p! As the novel ends$ the A%ericans have

&egun &o%&ing Afghanistan and ShauKia chooses to return to her

ho%eland with a group of nurses!

Recommendation> 3or ?ears 9";! This is a useful te#t for e#posing

students to lifestyles very di-erent fro% their own!

)old &y )atricia (cCor%ick! Allen O nwin$ 2009 42007!69;989:0::! 2;; pp!In *old, thirteen"year"old 5aksh%i lives with her fa%ily in the%ountains of +epal! ,hen the fa%ily falls deeper into poverty$5aksh%i is sold to work in a &rothel as a prostitute! This .rst"personaccount is horrifying and diLcult to read &ut does end with so%ehope when atte%pts are %ade to rescue girls fro% the &rothel! Thispowerful te#t will %ake a strong i%pression on ?ear ; students!

)ongman &y Allan =aillie! This is currently out of print! This a&sor&ing adventure story is set in the north of Australia$ long&efore European settle%ent! (acassan .sher%en fro% the islandsto the north regularly visited the coast and traded with the

Indigenous population! An A&original &oy$ ?ukuwa$ and his fathertravel to the islands with the (acassans in order to show the% howto %ake &ark canoes! ?ukuwa is e#posed to a whole range of newe#periences " not only the superior technology of other peoples$ &utalso the &rutality of 'civilised' *ustice syste%s and racis%! Thereader sees this new world through the eyes of the &oy!Recommendation> This is an e#citing read for ?ears 9 and ;! It is alsoa cleverly i%agined recreation of Indigenous life prior to Europeansettle%ent and a critical look at the e-ects of colonisation!

)oraya the )toryteller &y osanne Hawke! 5othian =ooks$ 2008!

69;09G8809062! 9 pp!Soraya is a twelve"year"old Afghan girl whose fa%ily has &eenpersecuted &y the Tali&an! Their atte%pt to .nd sanctuary inAustralia results in a period in the ,oo%era etention Centre$followed &y an uncertain future in the co%%unity on Te%porary)rotection @isas! 5ike her father$ Soraya is a storyteller$ and it is herstories that ena&le her to %ake connections &etween the diLcultiesof the present and the traditions of her ho%eland!Recommendation> This is an accessi&le account$ &ased closely onreal e#periences$ of the asylu% seeker e#perience during the years

when T)@s were in place! It is ai%ed at readers in ?ears 9 and ;!

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The ).are 1oom &y athryn 5o%er! U) 2008! 69;09022G8998!;0 pp!

This e#cellent Australian novel is a&out culture shock> thee#perience of a young Fapanese %an sent &y his fa%ily to Tas%aniato learn English! His ho%estay fa%ily are not uite what he was

e#pecting! The tension &etween Akira and his Australian fa%ily is.nally resolved when they discover that they have so%ething veryi%portant in co%%on> a shared grief! This is an e#cellent look at thee#perience of trying to learn to survive in an alien culture$ with%uch hu%our &ased on strange Australian custo%s and thepeculiarities of the Australian idio%! espite &eing uite short$ thisis fairly %ature in its appeal! It is &oth %oving and funny!Recommendation> This works as a class set in ?ear 0! It isespecially useful if you have students of English as a Second5anguage!

).illed -ater &y Sally Brindley! =loo%s&ury 2008!69;0989:986! 228 pp!

This is a char%ing story of a young Chinese girl fro% a poor &uthappy fa%ily$ whose life is transfor%ed when her father dies! She istrapped .rst in do%estic servitude in the apart%ent of a wealthyfa%ily who are looking for a wife for their %entally disa&led sonNthen$ when she Mees$ she &eco%es a virtual prisoner in one ofChinas %any factories$ %aking toys for the ,est$ the youngest of ahorde of very young girls working very long hours of /voluntaryoverti%e in appalling conditions!

How can the word /char%ing &e used a&out a story of suchadversity The girl has great courage and resilience and$ in even theharshest of conditions$ she .nds friendship and so%eti%es even fun!

This is a girl who refuses to &e a victi%! She re%e%&ers always herfathers words that /The *ourney of a thousand %iles starts fro%&eneath your feet! Her story is narrated in the .rst person and it isan appealing voice! There is even a happy ending!Recommendation> 3or ?ears :";$ especially girls! It could &e used forshared reading 1 as a class set novel$ for group work or even forreading aloud! Although it is over 200 pages long$ the print is largeand the language accessi&le! Add it to a wide reading &o# on other

cultures$ on fa%ily or on *ourneys! Consider it as a title to e#ploreconcepts like courage and resilience! Consider also including it in astudy of gender> it is &ecause she is a girl that her uncle insists thatthe fa%ily can no longer support her after her fathers death!

).irited A+ay directed &y Hayao (iyaKaki! 200! )B! Chihiro is a child who falls into a fantastic world and %ust .nd herway &ack to reality and rescue her parents as she %akes her wayfro% childhood to adulthood! *&irited Awa! is a co%ple# .l%! Ito-ers students fro% 9"0 an array of issues and cine%atography for

discussion$ including a wealth of Fapanese folklore$ a criticalco%%entary on environ%ental pollution$ and an e#a%ination of

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nostalgia for the past against the reality and pro&le%s of a %odern Fapanese society! wok and (c+ightXs (ilm Asia devotes a chapterto it! The .l% won an Acade%y Award for &est"ani%ated feature!

)tones into )chools &y Breg (ortensen! )enguin =ooks$ 200

420067! 69;0808980! 820 pp!(ortensen is an A%erican who has a %ission to &uild schools "especially for girls " in the %ost re%ote parts of Afghanistan and)akistan! He e%ploys an interesting group of locals to assist hi% inhis %ission! He esta&lished a charity " the Central Asia Institute "a&out 9 years ago and works tirelessly pro%oting the cause! Hetold the story of how he was inspired to take up this %ission inThree Cu&s of Tea$ which is also availa&le in a version for youngerreaders 4see &elow7! This seuel$ ai%ed at an adult audience$provides a great deal of insight into life in re%ote rural areas!Recommendation> ?ear 0 students with an interest in world issueswill .nd this infor%ative!

Tales of the %tori &y 5ian Hearn! Hodder!=ook is Across the 3ightingale (loor 469;09GG2267N =ook 2 is0rass for 5is %illow 469;09GG6;9;7N =ook G is Brilliance of the'oon 469;09GG6;62 ;2 A preuel$ 5arsh Cr! of the 5eron469;09GG2607$ was added in 2009!,ritten &y one of Australias %ost e%inent writers for children andpu&lished as adult &ooks$ these te#ts contain nothing that wouldworry teachers and li&rarians> the violence is e-ectively conveyed

with carefully selected details entirely appropriate to the settingaround the si#teenth century in Fapan! The opening of =ook is the %ost violent part$ &ut it is super&lynarrated in the persona of Ti%asu$ a &oy on the cusp of %anhoodand a %e%&er of the group known as The Hidden$ who are/for&idden to kill and taught to forgive each other! He .nds hisvillage in Ma%es and his people %assacred! ,orse for hi%$ in hisatte%pt to escape he caused 5ord Iida of the Tohan clan to lose face!,hen he is pursued through the forest$ 5ord Shigeru of the Ptoriclan saves his life! Several of the pursuit group are killed$ &ut onewolf"faced %an loses an ar% in his escape! Thus revenge is set up

as one future develop%ent!5ord Shigeru is in grief for the loss of his &rother at the hands of the

Tohan clan in the feudal anarchy of the ti%es! He is also separatedfro% his love$ the lady (aruya%a$ fro% another clan and they are&oth entangled in the we& of inheritance vows$ traditions andarranged %arriages!

Travelling incognito$ Shigeru takes the &oy to the Ptori clan castle$rena%ing hi% Takeo as his Hidden na%e is too dangerous! There$5ord Shigeru declares that he will adopt the &oy! Takeo is %uch tooold now$ at si#teen$ to &eco%e acco%plished in either the

representational$ literary or %artial arts$ &ut he will &eco%e a %i%icwho can attain a useful standard of practice! /A %ad hunger for

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learning e%erges in Takeo &ut so%ething else will also transfor%his life$ so%ething unknown which /goes &ack to the ti%e when%agic was greater than the strength of ar%s!In =ook 2$ 0rass for 5is %illow, Hearn changes to a third"personnarration that uickly draws the reader into the world of the warring

clans of Fapan and the parallel stories of Takeo and aede! =othcharacters are faced with apparently insur%ounta&le conMicts thatgive e#citing tension to the narrative! aede will either follow thetraditional path and %arry according to her fathers selection of asuita&le lord to prop up his failing estates or take up the %oreco%plicated inheritance which she legally can de%and and rule inher own right! Takeo is strung out &y the tension of his twoinheritances> as the adopted son of 5ord Shigeru and as the lower"class son who has inherited the %ystic powers of the Tri&e!The Brilliance of the 'oon &rings the trilogy to a close$ perhaps in adarker %ood! Takeo is predicted to face success after .ghting .ve&attles " four to win and one to lose " and will &e safe fro% all e#cepthis own son! /eath co%es suddenly and life is fragile and &rief Q Itwas the fragility of life that %ade it so precious!Recommendation> ,hile you will pro&a&ly regard these as suita&lefor good readers in %id"secondary upwards$ keen younger fantasyreaders will also devour the% for the tension and action! The seriesis read enthusiastically &y fantasy fans of all ages! Consider usingthe% as part of a fantasy selection of Asian"&ased titles for a widereading unit for ?ears 6 or 0$ as suggested in the ,ide eadingSuggestions section &elow!

Tam#urlaine0s /le.hants &y Beraldine (cCaughrean! )u&lisher>s&orne$ 200; 420097! 69;0980606G0! 20; pp!(cCaughrean transports the reader with e-ortless ease tofourteenth"century elhi$ where the Hindus surprise the (ongolsleader Ta%&urlaine &y attacking with an ar%y led &y terrifying$unknown giant &easts! usti$ a twelve"year"old$ is ordered to take ayoung elephant prisoner> such is the arrogance of e%perorsW(cCaughrean conMates the terror of usti and avi$ the Indian &oy%ahout$ with the terror of the young elephant (u%u$ who lifts up&oth &oys with her trunk and runs into Ta%&urlaines ca%p! There$

a%id the swirling dust of the plain and the wails of one hundredthousand prisoners$ /life was as worthless as a My in a *ug of %ilk!usti$ now in charge of the e%perors elephant$ needs to save avito teach hi% to look after (u%u! In the ne#t attack on elhi$ avi$ inturn$ saves usti! Their interdependence gradually &eco%esfriendship!usti disguises avi as a girl 4a (ongol &oy would rather die7 andthe two have happy days$ as avi teaches usti the skills of a%ahout! 3urther adventures co%e when the e%perors chroniclerdiscovers avis disguise! However$ the chronicler is conspiring to

assassinate Ta%&urlaine$ and all their lives are threatened! There is

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a wonderful cli%a# when the elephants perfor% for Ta%&urlaineslatest %arriage a%id the chaos of the assassination atte%pt!(cCaughrean is unafraid to co%%ent on the di-erent culturalvalues of the racial and religious groups! avi escapes attention&ecause foreigners /all look the sa%e! ,hen ustis &rother dies$

his wife has to %arry hi%! 3inally$ Sa%arand is a city where allnationalities live$ and usti learns fro% the chronicler the inter"racialsecret of his &irth!Recommendation> This super& writer has won every %a*or award forchildrens &ooks! The continued pace and tension of the (ongolwars and avis endangered life in disguise$ set against the personalintrigues of ustis fa%ily and the chronicler$ ensure that the ideasin the te#t are always accessi&le &ut do not ever detract fro% theaction! The &ook is al%ost an easy read for reluctant readers$ who%ay well &e drawn into the reading &y their enchant%ent with theelephants! It is a great ?ear 9 class set! se it with related te#tsa&out children fro% very di-erent cultures learning to understandeach other$ as outlined in the ,ide eading Suggestions section&elow!

A Taste of Coc$roach &y Allan =aillie! This is currently out of print! This is a terri.c collection of =aillie's stories$ al%ost all set in South"East Asia! They are all .ction$ apart fro% the introductory storya&out =aillie's trip as a young %an$ recently disa&led$ into the%ountains of +epal and his dile%%a when o-ered &y a village elder$as a welco%ing courtesy$ a drink of water that he knows is highly

likely to &e uite dodgy!Recommendation> This collection is a great resource for this cross"curriculu% priority and is worth looking for! ?ou will use the storiesacross ?ears 9 to 0!

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Three Cu.s of Tea 4young readers edition7 &y Breg (ortensen andavid Pliver elin! )uLn =ooks$ 2006!

This is an inspirational account of the successful esta&lish%ent ofschools in so%e of the %ost re%ote regions of Afghanistan and

)akistan!Recommendation> This is suita&le for ?ears 9"; non".ction classstudy!

Throne of 3ade &y +ao%i +ovak! HarperCollins$ 200;$69;00092:;;929! :2 pp!

This is the second &ook in the %agni.cent Temeraire series$ set inan alternate world &ased very closely on that of the +apoleonic,ars! In =ook the strong &ond &etween Captain ,ill 5aurence andthe dragon Te%eraire is esta&lished$ and together they have &eenpart of an ar%y of dragons defending =ritain against +apoleon! =utthe dragon's egg had &een intended &y China as a gift to +apoleon$and in the second &ook 5aurence and Te%eraire are forced to travelto China$ to the i%perial court of the eighteenth century! Althoughthis is fantasy$ there is %uch to fascinate the reader in the depictionof the court and in the Chinese worldview$ so di-erent fro% that ofthe =ritish! The =ritish$ for e#a%ple$ have never &een a&le to acceptthat the dragons' intelligence is superior to their own> in China$dragons " especially the rare Celestial dragons like Te%eraire " aretreated with proper respect!Recommendation> This is a great read for %ature fantasy fans$ ?ear

6 upwards! ?ou could use it as part of a fantasy wide reading unit$ asoutlined int he ,ide eading Suggestions &elow!

Trash &y Andy (ulligan! avid 3ickling$ 200! 69;0G;:602;! 2pp!

This i%pressive novel is a perfect class set te#t for ?ears 9"6! Set inthe )hilippines$ it is narrated &y %ultiple voices$ including those ofthree young &oys who %ake a %eagre living scavenging on a hugetip in (anila! The tip is their ho%e as well as their workplace! Pneday one of the &oys discovers a &ag$ containing an identity card$ akey and so%e %oney! The %oney is very welco%e$ &ut it soon

&eco%es clear that the &ag is %uch %ore valua&le than it appears$when hordes of police descend on the tip o-ering large rewards forits recovery! The &ag holds a deadly secret and the &oys decision tosolve the %ystery propels the% into a very dangerous situation!

This is a &reathtaking thriller with wonderfully appealing characters! The surprising ending is astonishingly right! This will give students insight into the lives of the very poor in third"world countries and the i%possi&ility of social *ustice in corruptregi%es! It will also give the% an appreciation of the possi&ilities of%ultiple narration!

Recommendation> I would use this with a ?ear ; class$ &ut it willwork with &right ?ear 9s and it would &e a satisfying te#t for those

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?ear 6 students who %ight not cope with so%ething longer and%ore diLcult! It is a fairly easy read! It &egs to &e acco%panied &yso%e research into the lives of children growing up in intensepoverty! It also lends itself to an investigation of the conseuencesof stereotyping people> these kids have &een la&elled /trash! This is

an outstanding novel$ ideal for use with the Australian curriculu%!

Treasure Hunters &y Allan =aillie! )uLn$ 2002! 69;08G0009!2; pp!This is vintage %aillie( an e!citing adventure story set against the bac#ground of a

troubled 'outh-east )sian country & in this case an "ndonesian island where the army

is ruthlessly suppressing the local independence movement at has oined his father

in a search for treasure in the many wrec#s off the coast The action is e!citing and

the danger deadly but this is much more than ust a boys0 adventure story %aillie0s

characteristic narrative techni:ue is perfect for the e!ploration of what motivates

people to ta#e life-threatening ris#s e moves bac#wards and forwards from third-

person narration into a #ind of stream-of-consciousness style that allows the reader to

slip into the mind of the main character There is also a strong sense of history and its

influence on the present, with at0s vividly imagined stories of what might have

happened to the people on board the ancient wrec#s

Recommendation( This is an e!cellent class set novel, especially with boys in Years .-/

*n.olished 'em &y Alice )ung! =lack Inc$ 200! 69;;G6::;!2;2 pp!Always entertaining and often hu%orous a&out the %igrant

e#perience$ Alice Chungs %e%oir contri&utes to our understandingof the Chinese e#perience in Australia! /This story does not &egin ona &oat$ she insists in the opening sentence$ and the reader isplunged into the 3ootscray %arkets in (el&ourne$ /the loudest andgrottiest in Australia! Alice represents her %other as a shouterrather than a talker and en*oys telling co%ic stories against her inher role as the constant har&inger of doo% and the a%usedo&server of the /white ghost European Australians$ like a scientisto&serving slides under a %icroscope$ e#clai%ing /,ahW at their/vo%it food and the /round red"headed de%ons! )ung often usespresent tense liveliness to dra%atise fa%ily events and tensions!

She uses italics to give the reader her thoughts a&out her very %ildre&ellion in getting a /skip &oyfriend! /?oure like his third world tripQ his su&stitute e#otic e#perience! oes he like her$ *ust to spite hisparents She feels like /,oody Allen in a &lack wig! However$ thereare %ore tender re%inders a&out ad*usting to life in /paradise aftersurviving )ol )ots rape of Ca%&odia! Her %other su-ers &lackclouds of depression$ &oredo% and frustration a&out learningEnglish and &eing dependent on her daughter! Alice &eco%es thego"&etween in the war &etween %other and grand%a! This roleleads to so%e ti%e leaps and co%pressions$ as old wounds fro% thepast are revealed! (u% .nally .nds that her .erce &argaininginstincts can &e reversed to help her &eco%e a successfulsalesperson in her hus&ands white goods franchise!

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Alice$ too$ su-ers depression$ &eing %ute at school and adopting her/ru&&er %ask of a face! 3earful of her end of school results$ shewins a )re%iers )riKe and heads for 5aw study! After her &riefre&ellion$ there is a tender scene where she &reaks up with her&oyfriend to resu%e her role as /dutiful daughter!

Recommendation> This is a prescri&ed te#t for HSC$ &ut that shouldnot prevent you fro% using it at ?ear 0 level! =oth European

Australians and those with Asian parents en*oy this entertaining and

hu%orous %e%oir! It is a valua&le &ook written fro% the Chinese

point of view and one that is &rave enough to go &eyond %e%oir

into not so gentle satire!

The :ermonia series &y ?o"?o! ,alker =ooks ! Titles in reading order>

=uest for the *ilver Tiger Call of the inged %anther Release of the Red %hoenix The Rukan %ro&hec! The arriors- TrialTo the %illar of ind

This is an authentic %anga series of adventures$ presented inuniue hardcover for%ats! They are graphic novels to &e read$ as in

Fapanese$ fro% the &ack to the front and$ on each page$ fro% rightto left! There are full colour inserts and gateway foldouts thatprovide teasers to following episodes! oug$ Fi%$ +ao%i and (el arefaced with a series of life"threatening challenges which they canoverco%e only &y releasing their inner warriors! The series has we&support$ including online ga%es with clues to &e found in thestories!Recommendation> Students in ?ears :"; who have &eco%e fans ofani%e %ovies will e%&race these with enthusias%!

-al$ in My )hoes &y Alwyn Evans! )enguin$ 2008!69;08G002G8! G0 pp!Strongly &ased on the authors research into the real e#periences of

suggested texts for australian curriculum - helen sykes

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