Another Night in Mullet Town by Steven Herrick

Another Night in Mullet Town by Steven Herrick is a verse novel for teens set in a small coastal town with lots of fishing references.

How's that for a hard sell?

The trouble is, I adore Herrick's writing and his ability to draw complex, authentic characters with so few words.

He could probably write a story about boxing or a spider plague and I would still love it, although I hope he doesn't test me out on that score!

Of course, Another Night is Mullet Town is not just about fishing.

Herrick explores his usually themes of belonging, friendship, family and community. He also touches on trust and everyday courage.

I grew up with boys like Jonah and Manx. Herrick writes their stories very sympathetically, however I didn't feel the emotional impact with this story as I have with his earlier books.

People like you and me, Jonah, we drag down the price of everything we touch. 

Life for Jonah and Manx means fishing for mullet at the lake, watching their school mates party on Friday night and wishing they had the courage to talk to Ella and Rachel.
But now their lakeside town is being sold off, life doesn't seem so simple. Manx holds a grudge against the wealthy blow-ins from the city and Jonah just wants his parents to stop arguing. 

One memorable night at the lake will change everything.

Another Night in Mullet Town has a teen sex scene, drinking and some drug references.
This was one of my reads for Dewey's readathon in April.

The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick
Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend by Steven Herrick

Sister Heart by Sally Morgan

Nominated for this year's CBCA Younger Readers shortlist, Sister Heart is a verse novel that highlights the plight of the Stolen Generation.

Sally Morgan's autobiography, My Place was one of the publishing super stories of the late 1980's. Her story was fascinating but has since been surrounded by various controversies and academic debates.

Morgan has also gone on to publish an untold number of children's books and picture books featuring Aboriginal culture and stories.

Some are these books have been beautifully illustrated but the stories fall flat somehow. Sometimes the stories are fine, but the illustrations fail to inspire.

Every now and again, one of these books gets both the story and its execution just right.

Sister Heart is one of those.

Beautifully packaged in a lovely hardcover book, each verse chapter is discreetly headed by a simple line drawing of Australian flora.

The verse novel format will put some readers off which is a shame, because I find them such a wonderful way to tell a story that has a lot of emotional impact.

Following young Annie from capture in far northern West Australia to her boat trip to Perth then to her time at the missionary run school, emotional impact is never far from the reader's experience.

The story is told entirely from Annie's perspective, so the reader, like Annie cannot fathom why this is happening to her. All she wants is to be with her family living her familiar life. And that's all we want for her too. Except of course we know exactly how this forced assimilation process turned out. There were no happy home comings. There were no happy endings.

And Morgan stays true to this reality without leaving the reader (and Annie) without some hope.

Suitable for mature 10+ readers.

My CBCA shortlist post is here.

El Dorado by Dorothy Porter

El Dorado (2007) was the final verse novel written by Dorothy Porter before her death in 2008.

It's another dark crime story with a psychological twist, but unlike Monkey Mask, her earliest work, this one is set in Melbourne.
We follow Detective Inspector Bill Buchanan in his attempt to solve a spate of child killings. He calls in his childhood friend Cath (now a successful Hollywood mover & shaker) to help with some of the more curious details of the murders.

The writing is crisp, clean & evocative. But I have to admit it wasn't as gritty, lucid or as passionate as Monkey Mask.
MM got under my skin in major way. It moved me, it captured my attention and took me along for the ride, big time.

I enjoyed El Dorado but it didn't sweep me up and carry me away like I was expecting... or hoping.... but maybe my expectations were impossibly high.

You could also say that El Dorado was more polished - a mature story compared to the raw, soul-searing newness of Monkey Mask. It was still full of wonderful imagery as only a verse novel can achieve (that continues to linger days after I finished reading it). Porter also had lots of interesting commentary about the aging process & the impact of childhood memories.

Falling in love also gets a look-in as Cath describes that crazy feeling...

my heart is falling
into her beautiful face

my heart is tearing open
its presents
in a giddying storm
of Christmas beetles' wings.

As well as love of Sydney...(you can take the girl out of Sydney but not Sydney out of the girl...)

And his Sydney had always
loved him lavishly back.

The arching surrender
of her scorching blue skies,
the silky shiver
of her rolling-him-over
surf.

Her beautiful smell.
The Harbour on a hot midnight
oozing ferry diesel and oily green water
while glowing Luna Park
sprawled and clutched
like a drunk date.

Oh Sydney.

The ending felt a little rushed with a whoosh of smoke and mirrors, but sometimes tying everything up in a pretty bow isn't the thing to do.

This post is part of the Australian Women's Writers Challenge & also part of the Birthday Reading Challange as Dorothy Porter's birthday is today, the 26th March 1954. Happy Birthday Dot!

Gap by Rebecca Jessen

Another day; another verse novel.

This time set in Queenland with more of a YA feel to it.

Gap won the 2013 Queensland Literary Award for Jessen as Best Emerging Author.

A few years ago I would never have thought that verse novels were my thing. But thanks to some fabulous Aussie children's writers like Steven Herrick and Emma Cameron I have been converted.

Jessen also cites Dorothy Porter as one her inspirations; another award winning Aussie poet well-known for verse novels, who I have recently 'discovered'.

Jessen's novel is a story about the young people who fall through the cracks in our society (which does seem to be a common theme for the verse novels that I've read so far.)

Ana's life has been spent on the run, on the wrong side of the tracks. But in an effort to help her kid sister from falling into the same trap, Ana cleans herself up and takes over caring for her sister when their dysfunctional mother kicks her out too. But things don't always go to plan.

An old school romance is rekindled when the female cop who knocks on Ana's door one night turns out to be an old love. But can she save Ana from her past, her mother and years of bad associations?

I pile in
more stuff
necessary
for a quick exit

Indie grabs me
demands a reason
for this
onset
of madness

'Ana' she says
holding both my arms

'Are you in trouble
is that it?'
I can't leave
what about my exams?

'Shit' I sigh
sinking into the couch
head in hands

Indie sits
wraps an arm
around me

is this what I call
looking out
for my kid sister?

Not as powerful or as raw with gritty emotion as Porter's work (although to my mind, Porter has set the bar very high!), but Gap is a very worthy attempt by an emerging young writer. I'll be curious to see what Jessen does next.

This post is part of my Australian Women Writers challenge.

The Monkey's Mask by Dorothy Porter

After rereading some of my Porter poems for a recent post, I felt a very strong desire to read one her verse novels.

But I had none to hand.

However I did have a copy of Rebecca Jessen's verse novel Gap on my TBR pile.
I thought, that will do for now.

But for some unknown reason, I googled Jessen before starting the book.

For the record, I never pre-google.

I post-google; I just-out-of-curiosity-even-though-I-will-probably-regret-it-google; I even procrastinate-google. But I never pre-google.

For the record, my pre-google search found an article Jessen wrote for Readings last year, citing the influence of the one and only Dorothy Porter on her writing.

The gods had spoken.

Before I could read Jessen, I simply had to read the source; the beginning of it all; The Monkey's Mask.

Fortunately I work in a small Indy bookshop.
Three days later, the book was in my hand.

24 hrs later, I had devoured it, dreamt it & dropped it in the bath (the water had got cold as I had to finish the book before I got out!)

The Monkey's Mask is part crime thriller (Jill is an ex-cop turned private eye), part sexy romp (Jill is a lonely lesbian), part romance (Jill falls in love), part poetry appreciation 101 (Jill's case is a murdered poetry student).

Jill's voice is ironic, brash and vulnerable "I've got no head for heights/but plenty of stomach/for trouble".

There are times Jill sounds like a poetic Philip Marlowe!

And just like Marlowe's cases you feel the tension rise. You can see the mystery unfold until you want to cry out "look out! behind you!"

But none of this does Porter's story justice.
The Monkey's Mask is gritty, exciting & passionate.
Not one single word is out of place.

Porter's words have captured me - they will haunt me for years to come.
I am not done with her yet!

This post is part of my Australian Women Writers challenge.

The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick

I read my first Herrick last year when I fell in love with Pookie Aleera. I knew I would have to read more.

The Simple Gift is an older teen read, written in verse. (Please, please, please do not be put off by the fact that this is a verse novel. Herrick writes so simply and cleanly that you quickly forget that you're reading a verse novel.)

Billy is growing up tough. An alcoholic, abusive father and neighbours who don't give a shit. He decides to run away.

The Simple Gift is his story on the road...or to be more accurate, on the tracks.

He hitches a ride on a freight train, meets with kindness from strangers, works things out for himself & repays the kindness to others.

With very few words, Herrick packs an emotional punch. We enter into Billy's world completely for an enriching, nuanced story about belonging, self-discovery, kindness, generosity & love.

The story does contain some sex scenes & sexual references (appropriate for 14+ readers).

My only beef with Billy's story is the heart-warming, happy ending.
Anyone working with runaway youths would know that most of the real-life stories don't end out as well as Billy's did.

The Simple Gift was shortlised for the 2001 CBCA & NSW Premier's Literary Award.

The Odyssey - Finale

Finishing The Odyssey has been...well, an odyssey!

I started (re)reading it July last year (see previous posts here), which is the middle of our winter months. I enjoyed dipping into it a chapter at a time as our dark wintry evenings drew in. I reveled in the poetry - often reading sections out loud to savour the sounds as well.

But then I got stuck in the Kingdom of the Dead!

The roll call of names did my head in and I lost my way. My momentum was disrupted and the story slipped from my grasp.

Now - a New Year - a renewed resolution - a new Classics Club Spin #5.

I sneakily added The Odyssey to the end of my spin list in an attempt to help me finish it...and its number was drawn. I thought it was a sign from the ancient gods - it was meant to be!

However February and March, in Australia are the end of our summer months. It's still very hot & sultry. Our evenings are lovely long twilights suffused with the scent of frangipani and the sounds of mating fruit bats!

Personally, we're also very busy with the start of a new school year & pre-season soccer training and friendlies. February & March also sees a last flurry of end of summer BBQ'ing opportunities with family and friends!

As a result, I found it very difficult to find time to sit down and enjoy the slow pace of storytelling that is the second half of The Odyssey.

I finally got out of the Kingdom of the Dead, only to hit my own personal doldrums!
I was bored. I wanted things to hurry up. I got tired of all the tricks and strategies of the gods and Odysseus.
I got tired of the repetitions (necessary, I know, for an oral retelling, but tiresome to read).

I was ready to move on long before Homer was prepared to stop!

I cant help but think, that I would have been one of the buffoons nodding off to sleep over my mulled wine 3000 years ago long before the story ended!

The Odyssey is a boys own adventure from start to finish. It's a world of gods & men doing their share of great & dastardly deeds.

Robert Fagles translation is certainly a beauty. I highly recommend his verse version over the prosaic prose of E. V. Rieu's Penguin Classic text that I read twenty years ago.

I also recommend time - slow, leisurely time - to do this story justice.

My final suggestion is to source a quality audio version.
Listening to this story allows the language to weave its magic the way Homer meant it.

Classic Spin #5

The best thing about The Classics Club blog being based in the USA, is that it is still the 10th of February there.

Which means that it is still my birthday!

Happy Birthday Me!!

I've believed for sometime now that my birthday should not be constrained to just one day.

I've been claiming the closest weekend to my birthday as my special weekend for quite some time. In fact, I'm not far off claiming the entire month of February as mine!

So imagine my delight when The Classics Club choose my birthday as their next spin date! It has given me the perfect excuse to extend my day - the 10th - by nearly 24hrs thanks to the International Dateline!

And our lucky spin number on the 10th Feb is ...... 20!!

Which means the spin has been kind to me and my cheats methods of finishing chunksters.

I started the Odyssey last year with Allie's readalong at A Literary Odyssey, but I got stuck half way. I put it on this spin in the hope that it would encourage me to finish it :-)

I will be reading along with Plethora of Books who also had The Odyssey as book no. 20.

The aim is to finish it by the 2nd April and post my review on The Classics Club.

Happy Reading.

The Odyssey #3

I have a confession.

I'm stuck.

I was thoroughly enjoying my first ever reading of The Odyssey in verse thanks to Robert Fagles translation. I had even tempted Mr BB to try a little of it and he was impressed with the language and rhythm.

But then I hit Book 11.

OMG!

The long, tedious roll call of the dead had me pulling my hair out. I checked my prose version to see if that was any better, but no....name after name, woe after woe...the dead just kept on coming. (I had obviously read it through once upon a time as I had highlighted all the names of the dead! Although maybe I was just keeping a body count?!)

Help!

I've given myself a half-way break (joining in a To Kill A Mockingbird readalong and now the Austen in August) but I fear I'm just avoiding it now and won't find my way back.

Could this be my own private Odyssey?
Is is my own trial and tribulation? Do I need a wily, cunning trick to get back on track?

Anyone?
What am I missing?

The Odyssey by Homer #2

I first read The Odyssey when I was in my final year of school.

I was studying Ancient History and I had the (bad) habit of not only reading my required texts but also all the optional extra texts from start to finish...just for fun! My Ancient History teacher was delighted, but the rest of my subjects suffered from this little obsession.

Five years later, I took off overseas to work in London and travel around as much of Europe as I could afford to in the 10 months I had up my sleeve. Space was an issue in my luggage. The one book that took the entire trip with me was my prose penguin edition of The Odyssey. I borrowed, bought and released untold numbers of other book whilst traveling, but Homer was my constant companion.

Fortunately my traveling adventures shared nothing in common with Odysseus. The most hardship I endured was 6 months nannying a rather horrid 6 year old, a nasty tummy bug in Egypt and breaking up long distance with my boyfriend (the same boyfriend who became my husband 18 years and many, many adventures later!)

Any discomfort with Youth Hostel beds, or annoyance at smoke filled over-heated buses, late trains or currency exchange rates paled into insignificance every time I picked up The Odyssey. Certainly, there was one YH manager in Scotland that could have been mistaken for a modern day Cyclops and one young man at a Hyde Park concert that had nymph-like tendencies! But I made it home safe and sound with lots of wonderful memories and in a timely fashion.

This readalong has given me a chance to rehash old times as well as creating new ones thanks to my first reading of a verse edition of The Odyssey.

I have found it interesting to compare the two versions as I go along (below).
The Fagles verse is definitely more poetic whilst Rieu's translation can be quite prosaic and pragmatic.

Book 1: "You must not cling to your boyhood any longer -
               it's time you were a man."     (lines 341-342)

"You are no longer a child: you must put childish thoughts away." (pg 34)

Book 2: "Few sons are the equal of their fathers;
              most fall short, all too few surpass them.
              But you, brave and adept from this day on -
              Odysseus' cunning has hardly given out in you -
              there's every hope that you will reach your goal."   (lines 309- 312)

"Few sons, indeed, are like their fathers. Generally they are worse; but just a few are better. And since we have seen that you are by no means lacking in Odysseus' wits, and that no fool's or coward's role awaits you in life, why then, you have every reason to feel that you will make a success of this undertaking." (pg 45)

Book 4: "...when all you Achaeans
              fought at Troy, launching your headlong battles
              just for my sake, shameless whore that I was."   (lines 160-162) 

"...when you Achaeans boldly declared war and took the field against Troy for my sake, shameless creature that I was!"   (pg 68)

              "What other tribute can we pay to wretched men              
               than to cut a lock, let tears roll down our cheeks?"   (lines 220-221) 

"Indeed, what other tribute can one pay to poor mortality than a lock of hair from the head and a tear on a cheek?" (pg 69)

             "Zeus can present us              times of joy and times of grief in turn."  (lines264-265)

"...each of us has his happy times, and each his spell of pains."  (pg 70)

Book 6: "And out he stalked
              as a mountain lion exultant in his power
              strides through wind and rain and his eyes ablaze" (lines 142-144)

"Then he advanced on them like a mountain lion who sallies out, defying wind and rain in the pride of his power, with fire in his eyes." (pg 105)

I've included Helen's line in Book 4 about being a "shameless whore" because this struck me like a slap on the cheek. It reminded me that this book was written (and before that told) in a time when the lives of men were paramount. Women's issues and stories were only told in relation to what was important to men.

My stance on 'his'tory and 'her'story has changed over the last twenty years, but my enjoyment of this rolicking story has not.

Bring on the second half!

The Odyssey Read-a-long

Allie at A Literary Odyssey is hosting an Odyssey read-a-long this month.

She obviously LOVES this book with a passion, enthusiasm and knowledge that I usually reserve for Jane Austen.

Her opening posts for the read-a-long are truly inspirational (click on the link above to see for yourself).

Allie is reading the Fagles verse translation...which is when I realised that my 30 year old edition of The Odyssey is the Penguin Classic PROSE edition translated by E.V. Rieu in 1946!

I decided to do a little comparison of the opening lines to get me started on my own personal odyssey.

I give you Fagles verse translation (thanks to Allie)...

“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,
fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove—
the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun
and the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return.
Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
start from where you will-sing for our time too.”


And now for good old E.V's prose translation...

The hero of the tale which I beg the Muse to help me tell is that resourceful man who roamed the wide world after he had sacked the holy citadel of Troy.
He saw the cities of many peoples and he learnt their ways.
He suffered many hardships on the high seas in his struggles to preserve his life and bring his comrades home.
But he failed to save those comrades, in spite of all his efforts.
It was their own sin that brought them their doom, for in their folly they devoured the oxen of Hyperion the Sun, and the god saw to it that they should never return.
This is the tale I pray the divine Muse to unfold to us.
Begin it, goddess, at whatever point you will.

Hmmmmm.
I think we have a clear winner!

I was rather curious to see the Christian reference to sin in Rieu's version. 
To me this highlights the problems with many translations...the feelings and opinions of the translator often filter their way into the work. Feelings and opinions not intended by the original author or even relevant to the times of the story.

"start from where you will-sing for our time too" is magic stuff.

It melts into you. It prepares you for the storytelling ahead.

You feel yourself relax; mentally you put up your feet, wiggle down comfortably into your seat & sip your mulled wine.

It weaves the past, present and future into one moment.

Let the story begin....

Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend by Steven Herrick

I'm not quite sure how I've managed to work 5 years in an Independent bookshop that specialises in children's books and NOT read a Steven Herrick book before today, but there you have it!

Thankfully that situation has now been remedied. And you are looking at a Steven Herrick convert.

'Pookie Aleera' is a book written in verse and an 'in joke' between the teacher, Ms Arthur and her class, 6A.
Each chapter is told from a different perspective.

Mick is the school captain, struggling with his role as leader. His younger brother Jacob, dreams of flying and likes to jump off the shed roof.
Laura is shy and friendless, Pete is coming to terms with the recent death of his grandpa and Selina is popular and rather interested in the boys...one in particular! 
Cameron is the class clown, Ms Arthur is the new teacher, Mr Korsky is the elderly groundsman with a heart of gold, Alex misses his dad and Rachel is the peace-maker with a sensitive soul.

This story is read quickly, but the episodes linger much longer.
The brief verses pack an emotional punch that allow you to create your own images and your own memories.

I walked the corridors with Mick each time, to the Principal's office. I delighted in Ms Arthur's wonderful teaching moments. I laughed out loud at the unsuspecting Constable Dawe during his pedestrian safety talks with the class. I loved the gentle Mr Korsky who reminded me of the school groundsman I had during my primary school years. Rachel's character crept into my heart as a literary kindred spirit for my youngest stepson. The butterfly episode haunts me still. And by the end of the book, I had the gorgeous aroma of Anzac biscuits on the tip of my memory.

Below is a taster of one of the early verses.

Alex

I thought it was a simple question, really.
Ms Arthur asked each of us to stand up, in turn,
and say what we want to be
when we grow up.
The first five students said,
'farmer.'
then Rachel said,
'pilot'.
And we went slowly around the class,
'teacher.'
'doctor.'
'truck driver.'
'vet.'
'soldier.'
When it was my turn,
I stood up
and, in a very clear voice, said,
'a dad.'
A few people giggled
as if I said something rude,
or stupid.
I sat down again,
red-faced and confused.
It was the truth.
I wanted to be a dad.
I've never seen my dad
and I wouldn't wish that
on anyone.
Rachel stood up again,
and said,
'Ms Arthur, I want to be a pilot
and a mum!'

This is a funny, heart-warming book for good 8+ readers, and a wonderful story to share with your Y5 or Y6 class.

Pookie Aleera has been shortlisted for the youngers readers 2013 CBCA awards.

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

Kenilworth Castle...

So he takes me to Kenilworth
On the bus with him.
To see the ruins in the rain.
Elizabeth
Kept her favourite here,
In Kenilworth.

And Time stood still when she came:
The Great Clock Tower
Stopped
For her
And they feasted and frolicked,
Elizabeth and her favourite -
Right here.

And it is the most romantic place I've ever seen:
Kenilworth Castle continuing to
Crumble, as it should,
   in the rain.

This is an excerpt from pg 140 of The Weight of Water. It was one of my favourite pages/poems and when I read the author blurb at the end, it was also Sarah's favourite piece.

The Weight of Water is the story of Kasienka who arrives in England from Poland with her mother, looking for her run-away father.

What follows is a heart-breaking, poignant but ultimately uplifting story of one girl's search for belonging, acceptance and love.

A superb read for mature 12+ readers.

Cinnamon Rain by Emma Cameron

When I opened this book and realised it was a verse novel, I groaned out loud. So I checked the back cover and groaned out loud again - another issues-based YA novel!!
This was not going to be my lucky day.

So imagine my surprise when I found myself staying up reading this book in one sitting until 1am.
I couldn't stop. I had to know what happened to Luke, Bongo & Casey. I cared about them. I wanted things to work out okay for them. I was on their side.

I wont give away the ending, so I will just tell you that these kids have taken some hard knocks in their young lives. They have to make tough decisions that will affect the rest of their lives.

It's hard-hitting stuff, but not graphic. There are drug & sex references. This will be classified as YA material, but mature teen readers will manage the content fine and the story is worth it.

I'll end with part of Emma Cameron's note at the back of the book as I think it gives you a good feel for what happens in her story.

"I am fascinated by watching people finding their way in life. I delight in their resilience, resourcefulness and ability to continue seeking what they feel is best for them....I always hope that where people end up is not too far away from where they had aimed to be. It's nice to think that picking uncertain paths may not necessarily alter their destination too drastically, simply the journey undertaken to reach it."