The Marshall Islands~~~

The Marshall Islands~~~, a photo by Island-Life on Flickr.

Happy New Year to everyone in the islands and beyond. May 2013 be a year of peace and prosperity, love and laughter.

2012: a year of firsts

2012 was the year I...

1. ...had my first ever science books published. Thanks to Blake Education!

2. ...bought my first ever e-reader and started reading ebooks. Thanks Kobo!

3. ...read my first ever selkie story. Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan is just awesome!

4. ...took up my first units of Teacher Librarianship. Thanks to Charles Sturt Uni!

5. ...explored NZ's north Island for the first time. Thanks family for putting up with my travel bug and tagging along!

                                                         

Win a Pacific Stories DVD

Follow this link to the Pacific Stories Facebook page and check out the promotion of their completed DVD called Pacific Stories. It's a series of eight short films exploring Australian Pacific Islander identity. Congratulations Amie on making your project come to life.

Versatile Bananas

Summer desserts are a great joy. I love the raspberries, strawberries and apricots that grow in my garden. (And cherries, mangoes, peaches and passionfruit from the fruit shop) But what about bananas, that most versatile of fruits?

Bananas from our kitchen garden in Makira.
Source: Beth Montgomery 1996

   I once lived on an island that boasted seventeen different varieties of bananas and instead of having a staple starchy food such as a yam or potato, it relied heavily on bananas to feed everyone. There were the super sweet lady finger types and your regular everyday type of banana, but by far the best was the giant orange plantain. Mmmm yum. Boiled or baked they were simply delicious.
   My hausgirl pictured here with my daughter could make a fabulous banana stew. Yes, stew. And then there was the banana pudding that all the women knew how to make. I don't know the recipe but there was grated cassava and coconut cream and stacks of mushy banana, all wrapped in banana leaves and baked on the motu (stone oven). The finished product was sticky, sweet and gluey but fabulously filling.
   Has anyone out there got a recipe for it?

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

My favourite movie is undoubtedly The Whale Rider. I loved the tight storyline, the emotion, the scenery and the cultural attachment to Maori mythology. I hadn't read the book though until last month. It was very different to the movie, which is often the case.

The Whale Rider
(Raupo Publishing, 2002)

   The book has lots of small chapters from the point of view of the mythical old man whale that carried Paikea to the shores of New Zealand. This gives the book a strong mythological core. The tribe of people whose roots derive from the whale rider story are desperate for a new leader. The old chief thinks it will be a male decendant and searches the men young of the village to find a successor. The truth is his young grand-daughter Kahu is destined to lead.
   The relationship between the old man and the young girl is golden. She loves him so much and he ignores her. Over and over she tolerates his gruff ways and even writes her school speech about him and how much she respects him, but still he will not recognise her shining potential.

The Whale Rider
(Penguin, 2008)

   The characterisation of these two in the book is strongly drawn and will make readers cry, just as it did in the film. A delightful and powerful tale!
   This novel is well worth trying, but I would recommend it as a text suitable for secondary school readers and older. There is a glossary at the back for those not familiar with Maori language. The book was first published in 1987 by Reed Books and became so popular because of the movie that it has undergone many reprints, two of which are shown here.

The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

The Other Side of the Island
(Razorbill, 2008)

Honor doesn't remember much about her past in the wilds of the North. She now lives on a tropical island with her parents and soon to be born baby brother. But much to Honor's disgust her family is different from everyone else. They go out at night, they talk about snow and frost, they don't follow the rules. Set somewhere in the not too distant future The Other Side of the Island is a gripping dystopia in a world where the weather is ordered and everything unpredictable is stamped out, re-used or recycled, including people. 
   It's a creepy story that holds you right to the end, and I admit to reading the last few chapters several times because the whole thing went so fast at the climax that I couldn't process it in one go. The characters are well drawn and everylittle detail has some meaning. I think Goodman has written a tight, polished story which stays with you for days after reading it.
   A tremendous book if you like Science Fiction and suitable for both teens and adults.

Josepha and the Vu by Tulia Thompson

Josepha and the Vu
(Huia Publishers, 2007)

Josepha is the youngest of four boys. Overweight and unremarkable, he doesn't have his sibling's  sporting prowess. He is bullied at school by Jack Bucksworth who has stolen a sacred tabua from Josepha's house. When Josepha is determined to get the tabua back, bad things start happening and Josepha finds himself catching glimpses of supernatural beings. With the help of his friend Ming, Josepha confronts Jack on a school excursion with devastating consequences.
   The first chapter of this book was confusing as many characters were introduced quickly. But after a few chapters the characters became more solid and their relationships more obvious. The story really took off when Josepha left his home late at night to spy on the bully Jack.
   I enjoyed this book and found it suitable for late primary/early secondary school readers. It has a lot of action, an interesting plot and Josepha is an endearing character.

Trash by Andy Mulligan

In continuing on with a Philippino theme I have just finished Trash by Andy Mulligan. Although it doesn't mention where it's set it's clear by all the latino names and the reference to Smoky Mountain that this story is about children working in a Philippines rubbish dump. Two boys find a pouch containing some money, a map and a key. When the police come looking for the pouch, the action revs up a gear. Young Raph and Gardo enlist the help of street-wise 'Rat' to help them evade the corrupt policemen and find out more about their mysterious find.

Trash (David Fickling Books, 2010)

   The story moves along quickly and the reader can't help being drawn to the plight of these poor kids who literally have nothing but the clothes on their backs.
   Mulligan uses different viewpoints for each chapter which start simply with 'Rat here...' or 'Gardo now...'. It's an effective startegy as it means the reader doesn't have to grapple with working out who is telling the tale four sentences into the paragraph.
   I enjoyed this book as it has lots of action, good characterisation and themes of corruption, power and personal ethics are strong throughout. The book keeps asking the reader "When is it OK to steal?". Trash is published by David Fickling Books and it is suitable for middle grade readers through to older students.

Shadows Under the Sea by Sally Grindley

Sally Grindley obviously likes writing about far-away places and this book is no different. Set in the Philippines, Shadows Under the Sea is about a young boy called Joe who travels with his family to study seahorses. Whilst staying on one of the outer islands Joe discovers evidence of a criminal gang who threaten the reef with their activities. Joe and his friend Dario end up trying to expose the gang and that's when their lives are in danger.


Shadows Under the Sea
(Bloomsbury, 2012)

   Grindley sets the scene well, depicting the steamy tropical shores and colourful reef that the family explore in some detail. Although Grindley can write powerfully, I do feel this is not her best work. The plot seems to be a device to draw attention to environmental issues with very little conflict until half way through the story. Perhaps this is because the Zoological Society of London helped her to write the book.
   Younger emerging readers with an interest in animals and the environment may not notice the didactic overtones, and simply enjoy the story as an exotic adventure. The book is published by Bloomsbury.