The Ghosts of Iron Bottom Sound by Sandy Nelson

The Ghosts of Iron
 Bottom Sound
(2010, Harper Collins)

I was really interested to read this thinking it would have scary ghosts haunting Honiara or Bonegi Beach but no, it's not so dark. They are actually quite benevolent ghosts that reside in a book that the protagonist Paddy repeatedly borrows from the library. They hound the boy to ask his grandfather about the battle for Savo Island and the sinking of HMAS Canberra during WW2. Paddy's grandfather was a crew member on the fated ship and was rescued but hundreds weren't so lucky. Unfortunately his grandfather doesn't like to talk about his war experiences but he lets Paddy read his journal which outlines the full horror of the sea battle.
   The story is pitched at younger readers and the journal account of life on board the warship is fascinating and well presented for 8 to 12 year olds. I get a feeling older readers wouldn't be as captivated by the plot however.
   Nelson has obviously done a lot of research and the photographs in the back are a great addition to the story.

Commonwealth Shorts

There is a great creative venture going on right now in the Pacific where a group of Islander film-makers,writers and directors are working on some short films along the theme of relationships. The scheme is called Commonwealth Shorts and it is a partnership between Commonwealth Writers, B3 Media and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association/Worldview. The five short films, one documentary and four dramas, will be premiered in Auckland New Zealand on February the 26th.

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J.Maarten Troost

Swampy land near the airport.
B. Montgomery, 1992

In 1992 I visited Kiribati for a week and stayed at the only decent hotel on Tarawa. I was amazed at how thin the atoll was. In some places it seemed only 50 metres from one side of the island, the lagoon, to the other side, the ocean. The whole place was awash with water and swampy areas made agriculture impossible. (I imagine with climate change things will only get worse.) The shops had even less variety than those in Nauru and there wasn't much to do except sit in the shade and try to cool down.

The Sex Lives of Cannibals
(Broadway Books, 2004)

   The Sex Lives Of Cannibals is a travel book which goes into far more detail of life on Tarawa. The author, J. Maarten Troost, spent two years in Kiribati and writes a refreshingly funny account of his experiences there. His frustrations with obtaining fresh water and something interesting to eat are familiar ones to expats in the central Pacific. Troost's quirky voice and sometimes contrary nature make some of his anecdotes hilarious. His way of solving the neighbourhood's noise pollution (ie: loud irritating music) is one that had me chuckling.
   There is a fair amount of swearing, so if you can't stomach profanities you may have to give it a miss. But I highly recommend this to expats throughout the Pacific and other island nations. So much of the content will make you nod and say 'That's right..., island time.'

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.