Nina of the Dark by Ken Catran

Children's Fantasy approx 9-12

Nina is raised as a slave, but her special abilities mean that she is the only person capable of saving the world.

Yes, as you can probably tell by the opening paragraph -- this book is full of thinly disguised cliché fantasy stereotypes, so if that's what you're after, you'll probably love it. I didn't, and unusually it wasn't the writing that put me off -- it was the characters. Not only were they shallow, but they acted like puppets to be directed by nothing more than the plot, and often heavily directed by author devices like "the balance of the world," and the completely new "thumb hurting."

The action is episodic, a little bit like a random Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Now, that's not entirely a bad thing, and the action was mostly fun, except when, for no reason at all, important fight scenes are skipped and then revisited in retrospect. And the reason for this seemed to be that the book wasn't written around the action, so much as things being explained to Nina. Those one-way dialogues are the big turning points of the story. This having stuff explained, and having objects and events fall into Nina's lap in my view are plot flaws, and trumpeting them undermines her character, the decisions she makes, and how she fights for them. If only more emphasis had been put on those moments, instead of the jiggery-pokery behind the scenes stuff, the story might have worked.

My overall impression was simply that the author did not have respect for his audience, and if that is the case, I suggest he turns his very able pen toward the adult market.

Review by Alicia Ponder

The Very Very Late Rona Gallery Awards for 2008

Children's Awards

Best Children's Book:

Verdigris Deep by Francis Hardinge - Macmillan Children's Books

Simply the most satisfying, well written book I think I've ever read.






The children's children award for best children's adventure: The Roar by Emma Clayton - The Chicken House

The Roar is nothing more than an aeroplane read for children nevertheless it was the fastest devoured children's book I know of - with five readers finishing the book in as many days.



Crossover Book Awards

Best Adult Teen Crossover: The Nostradamus Prophecy by Theresa Breslin --Doubleday

Best Book for Adults Disguised as a Book for Children: The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E L. Koningsburg - Ginee Seo Books



Adult's Book Awards


And the winner is...
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - The Dial Press

I can't count the number of people who raved about this book. Absolutely delightful, you'll wish it would never end.

Best Produced book : CK Stead Collected Poems - Auckland University Press

Best Non fiction - Outliers: the story of success
by Malcom Gladwell -Penguin.

Best Aeroplane Read, sheer fast-paced, leave your brain at the door fun:
A Prisoner of Birth by Jefrey Archer - St. Martin's Press

The Reformed Vampire's Support Club by Catherine Jinks

The perfect antidote to Twilight, funny, undeniably original, and there's a plot!

So you think being a Vampire is cool? Think again. Nina has been cooped up in her room, barely able to go out -- except to her vampire support group.
When one of her fellow vampires is killed they are all terrified a mis-informed vampire-killer is on the loose. Something has to be done - but it means risking everything. And it's dangerous, just think about it, for a vampire sunlight is deadly!

Catherine Jinks is always a great read, so there were a few arguments about who would read this book first -- and second -- and third...


Review by Alicia Ponder

Nation by Terry Pratchett

What? not Discworld??

Surely we cant be in the real world? It's too funny, but what exactly am I reading?

According to the author, Nation is set in -- "a world that's remarkably similar to earth." But not Earth. At least not Earth as we know it. Must be some parallel universe where there are pirates and pistols and parrots. A universe where the world is funny and fresh and dangerous. A universe where the sweetness isn't Hollywood and the lessons-- or more accurately -- the really cool stuff, isn't preached, but folds its way into the story like chocolate chips into cookies.

It's just a shame that it takes so long for the plot to really get kicking. Apart from a tsunami and the culture clash of Mau and Ermintrude (Daphne), all the real action seems to kick off about half way through, when the "Nation" our characters have built must stand or fall, not only on their actions, but on their wits.

A great story, in many places this is being touted as his best yet.

Review by Alicia Ponder

Dead People's music by Sarah Laing

One of our picks for 2009

City Of Glass - Cassandra Claire

City of Glass is the third instalment from the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series. The two prequels City of Bones and City of Ashes build up to a dramatic finish in the third book.
Clary, the stubborn redhead is determined to make her way to Alicante, the City of Glass, believing the answers to all her problems lie there. But when Jace sneaks behind her back in an attempt to protect her, Simon, the new vampire, is dragged unwillingly into the melee. Using her new found powers Clary makes her way to the far outskirts of the City of Glass, but at a price.
Clary, Jace and Simon struggle with their feelings for another and with themselves, is everything really as it seems?
As more of the Shadowhunter history is uncovered, the closer they become to destroying Valentine, but will they really do it?
A full-on fast paced book from modern fantasy writer Cassandra Clare, City of Glass leaves you breathless, twisting and turning through the streets of Alicante. Dangerous new characters, thrilling new powers, and a scandalous history; City of Glass is an exceptional addition to the Mortal Instruments series.

(It is recommended to read the first two books first)

The list of books nominated so far....

We're still making our final decisions, and wondering if we've forgotten something -- so feel free to e-mail us if you feel we've forgotten about your favourite book!

NOMINATIONS SO FAR

Best Produced book :

CK Stead Collected Poems -- Auckland University Press (2008)

Best Book Non fiction - Encyclopaedia of Bob Dylan (2006 - not eligible) Continuum

Outliers: the story of success by Malcom Gladwell. Penguin.

A Writer's Tale - Dr Who (2008) BBC books

Children's

The Roar , Emma Clayton (2008) The Chicken House

Verdigris Deep pub - Macmillan Children's Books (May 4, 2007)

Juno of Taris - Fleur Beale 1/7/08 Random House

The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman - Sept 30 2008 Harpercollins

Best Adults Book Disguised as a Book for Children

The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World - E L. Koningsburg - Ginee Seo Books (September 25, 2007)

The 10 Pm Question by Kate De Goldi , Longacre Press 09/08

Then - Gleisman

A small free kiss in the dark - Glenda Millard

Best Adult Teen Crossover

The Nostradamus Prophecy by Theresa Breslin -- Doubleday (1 May 2008)

Best Adult -- The Other Hand by Chris Cleave - Sceptre (7 Aug 2008)
The Guernsey Potato pie society - The Dial Press (July 29, 2008)

Rona Gallery Book Awards Coming Soon

Any day now

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2009 Newberry Award Winner)

This book grabbed me with the very first sentence -- "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife..." and after that it just didn't let go.

The macabre setting made the perfect backdrop for Neil Gaiman's subtle humour and agreeably offbeat characterisation. And unlike many popular authors this is not a by the numbers book, there is real heart to the story -- unsurprising in a work that has twenty-two years to fully realize. Moreover this is only one of many glowing reviews. Still I would warn you not to read them, for fear of spoiling any of the twists and turns along the way. So I in turn will choose my words very carefully, and say only that -- A killer comes in the night for a young boy, and the events of that one night shape the life of all the souls in the graveyard for some time to come.

Go, on, open the first page and see if you can put it down.

Review by Alicia Ponder

Thornspell, by Helen Lowe

A loving recreation of the Sleeping Beauty tale, Thornspell is not without it's flaws. It's beautiful and sweet and captures the romanticism of the original, and yet, it did not hold my attention until some way through the book. I found the plot thin, and every time the hero acted someone thwarted him or pulled him out of trouble, and then there would be explanations -- or as many people call them, "infodumps." Not that they were terrible, but I like things to become apparent as a story unravels -- characters shouldn't have to explain things so that the reader can catch on.

On the other hand...

Sigismund, the young prince is a delightfully earnest character, determined to do his best and make the right decisions, even as everybody in his life seems just as determined to keep him out of trouble. (And bore us with explanations.) Only when we get to the half-way mark do the antagonists in this story really begin to make their mark and there are swords and dragons and danger aplenty. Even better, it is Sigismund's connections to the people around him that make him realize what is important so that he can forge a path through good and evil, and fight his way through to the princess.

Review by Alicia Ponder

More reviews available at
http://www.thornspell.info/reviews.html

Ink Exchange, Melissa Marr

The stunning sequel to bestelling Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange leaves you wishing it were real.

Leslie is drowning in her own world of lies, unable to tell the truth of her awful family life, she feels the only way to restore her pride is by claiming a one time tattoo, something to call her own. Tattoo artist Rabbit warns her that this tattoo will change her, but without revealing the link it will create, but Leslie is sure. This is what she wants.
Despite the protection of the Summer Court, Leslie is tangled and trapped in the world of Faery war and rivalry, caught bewteen the love of a summer faery and the irresitible pull of the tattoo that binds her to Irial, King of the Dark Court.
As capturing as it's predecessor, Ink Exchange leads you away from reality into the complex world of the Immortals, leaving you hanging on for the next chapter, and dying for the next dose of Marr.

Praise for Wicked Lovely “Riveting and dark: I love this tale of a smart, tough girl who walks the razor’s edge between an ancient fairy curse and her future!”-- Tamora Pierce, bestselling author

Hit http://www.melissa-marr.com/ for more awesome reviews and upcoming info

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

The world was on the verge of destruction, before it was tamed. Set in the shining city of Panem, built on the ruins of what was once North America, surrounded by twelve districts each unique from the other and each represented by 2 Tributes aged between 12 and 18 who must participate in The Hunger Games, a glamorous fight to the death designed to remind the Districts who holds the authority, and televised 24/7.

Our heroine Katniss comes from the poorest of the disctricts, 12, nicknamed the Seam, she must hunt illegally with best/almost friend Gale (a smoldering boy of course) in the nearby woods and sell it for what she can to support herself, younger sister Prim and an emotionally unstable mother. That is before she volunteers to take her sisters place as this years Tribute, of course the viewers love this, not to mention the fake romance between her and tribute partner, the sweet Peeta Mellark, Katniss can only hope she'll have enough sponsors to keep lying until the twisted end.

But fighting for her own survival in this confusing web of deceit, truth and love and that of the few friends she finds, whilst also taking down the other tributes is more than difficult, there is no option, and there can only be one winner.

Brilliantly written, utterly addictive, full of humour and quirky, loveable characters this futuristic gladiator book is suitable for anyone from age 12 up ( as long as you don't a mind a bit of blood).

For information on the sequel (because it WILL leave you drooling for more) visit http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/

City of Bones, Cassandra Clare

A riveting book for all teen readers! Set in modern day New York, Clare drags out every one of New Yorks secrets, from Shadow Hunter hating Downworlders including everyone's favourite vampires and werewolves to the creepy Silent Brothers and hard partying Warlock who knows more than he's letting on.

Clary thoguht she was just a slightly geeky 15 yr old girl, but when her mother goes missing and Clary returns to a demented croccodile demon stalking her destroyed house, Clary is forced into taking things into her own hands. In this fast paced teen novel Clary faces sexy tattoed boys, jealous girls, and dangerous weapons in the quest to find her imprisioned mother, while still keeping her friendships intact.

"Cassie's writing makes my toes curl with envy. She is the rare writer who can write fast-paced dramatic fantasy with gorgeous language and memorable characters that you grow to love and worry about, as well as really funny bits that will make you honestly laugh and remember them and repeat them to your friends. It is rare to find someone who can do any one of those things well; to find someone who can do them all is just dangerous."
- Holly Black, author of Tithe and Valiant

For information on the next installment City of Ashes visit http://www.mortalinstruments.com/

Outliers - The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

We all know the myths, that people make it big because they're so awesome, that they are in some way- a genius.

Outliers dispels those myths with a vengeance, in a way that's not ony informative but highly entertaining. Now you can pick and mix and just choose to read what interests you, murder planecrashes, success -- but you almost certainly wont because Outliers draws you in to find out more about yourself and how you work, how we all learn and why, and the ways in which society completely totally and uterly throws away so much raw potential.

The theories within are as liberating as they are constricting, as sensible as they are irreverant, as Malcolm Gladwell shines a spotlight on how success really works.

Review by Alicia Ponder

The Roar by Emma Clayton

Science Fiction meets the 21st century. It's the sort of book that can distract children from television, now how often do you see that!

Ellie is chased across New London in a fighter, her pet capuchin monkey eating popcorn. Somewhere below, her twin brother has been told that she's dead, but he doesn't believe it, and he's determined to find her.

There's lies, animals, outrage, adults being so stupid only children could believe it, and this rollercoaster of a book doesn't let up until - the end - and not even then - we're all expecting a sequel.

So my advice is, strap yourself into your fighter cockpit, make sure your most trusted dog, mouse, parakeet is by your side -- and escape!

Review by Alicia Ponder


PS. becasue I've been asked so many times I believe the release date for "The Whisper" in NZ is February 2012.  Cross your fingers. :)

Gool by Maurice Gee

OK I admit I haven't read Salt, and so perhaps I shouldn't even be reviewing Gool, but here goes. I found the beginning was strained, but that's often the case with book number two and most particularly, I found it difficult to get into because of the language. It was too simplistic, almost as if Maurice Gee was too scared to write words of more than two syllables and I found that stultifying. Of course, once underway, the plot was great and the ideas were of the callibre that they stayed with you, developing slowly into larger ideas -- that would be completely ruined if I telegraphed them in this review.

So instead of posting a review right away I talked to other people about their reaction to this book, given that mine wasn't exactly what I had expected, because you see, I LOVED Maurice Gee's Half Men of O series, and I know this man can write -- not just, ah that's nice, he's a New Zealander and the writing's ok., but Fiona Kidman -- this is a national treasure -- can write.

And the big thing that they all agreed on was that the writing for Gool and Salt was very simplistic - which is absolutely great if you want to be able to make sure a whole class will be able to read the book, but for the upper end of the market, for those children who read widely and are sensitive to style there's a certain something lacking. In fact in some ways this is true fantasy science fiction of the traditional kind where the plot is terribly important and the writing is merely a scaffold for the ideas --ideas that seem greater than the sum of their parts.

Anyway, if you liked Salt, you'll probably like Gool, some of the locations and characters are obviously revisited and there's nothing like going back and revisiting a world you love and finding hidden depths and dangers -- and the human spirit to confront them.

Review by Alicia Ponder

The Gone-Away World - Nick Harkaway

Interesting book, the brilliant writing dragged me along even though at first I wasn't that engaged by the story. Something was missing. Something was wrong, and I couldn't figure out what it was until about half way through, when suddenly it clicked. This isn't fantasy, or science fiction it's political in the same way that Animal Farm is a rubbish Fantasy/Science fiction story, but a brilliant political commentary. Ok, I dare say if you liked Animal farm you'll hate this because in every other way they are completely different, but if you're going to get the best out of this book, that's the way to read it!

Have fun reading

And a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

from Alicia Ponder and everyone at Rona Gallery

Celebrate - A Calender of Cakes for Special Dates - By Annabel Langbein Illustrated by Annie Hayward

A book to be treasured, "this beautiful book will become a compact treasury of your favourite cake recipes and the most important dates in the lives of family and friends - An heirloom to be passed down through generations."

The Illustrator, Annie Hayward will be exhibiting "Twelve New Myth Paintings" originals from the book in Rona Gallery between the twelth and twentyfourth of December.

Francis Hardinger, Gullstruck Island

Yes, the next Francis Hardinger book is coming soon. It should be here sometime January and I have to say - I couldn't wait. I had to read the preview. And for just a moment I thought I was going to be disappointed. Partly because the first ten pages seemed a little slow, but mostly because the wonderfully dense prose has lightened to something easier to read and I missed that sinfully dense experience.

First impressions are often deceptive and I admit I was deceived. Francis Hardinger has done what few authors can, re-invented her prose to best suit the story she is telling. With treachery and danger all around Hathin must convince others her sister has special powers, although she has only ever showed signs of being vegetative.

Treachery, murder, escape and revenge lurk within the pages. These must all be faced along with the concomitant forces of greed, envy and distrust by adversaries both outrageous and fantastical and there is a quiet cleverness that is reserved for the main character, quiet as dust, strong as hurricane, determined to right the terrible things that are happening to her people. Can she do all this, keep her sister alive and not become a soulless killer who lives only for revenge? Read on, adventure awaits.

Congratulations to Peter Friend for pulling off a win in the Jack Lazenby competition.

http://www.the-wcba.blogspot.com/

Peter Friend is a contributing poet in Richard Ponder's Caught on Canvas and I feel it is only time before he becomes far better known as a master of the short story, despite his style being somewhat different from traditional NZ writing.