Review of Ink Blood Sister ScribeEmma Törzs

SOME BOOKS SHOULD NEVER BE OPENED.

Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that will allow someone to walk through walls or turn water into wine. Books of magic.

Her estranged older sister Esther moves between countries and jobs, constantly changing, never staying anywhere longer than a year, desperate to avoid the deadly magic that killed her mother. Currently working on a research base in Antarctica, she has found love and perhaps a sort of happiness.

But when she finds spots of blood on the mirrors in the research base, she knows someone is coming for her, and that Joanna and her collection are in danger.

If they are to survive, she and Joanna must unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden from them – secrets that span centuries and continents, and could cost them their lives …

Review of Ink Blood Sister Scribe

Emma Törzs

Century

\Supplied by Penguin Random House New Zealand

\Reviewed by Jacqui Smith

I’m going to call this work an urban fantasy rather than a paranormal romance, although there isn’t a whole lot of urban setting in it. There is a strong thread of romance involved, but the main storyline is more that of a magical thriller. Even something of a murder mystery. With a particularly heinous villain.

Magic is hidden in this world, and can only be performed by reading books that must be written by a scribe with their own blood. Magic books are valuable and rare. Some may be used only once, others more than once, and others can be a trap that drains the lifeblood of the reader. One sister is the guardian of her family’s small arcane library, while the other knows only that she needs to move and keep moving, every year on 2nd November. When the story begins, she is about as far as it is possible to get from anywhere, at the south pole. This time, Esther does not want to leave. And that’s when her life all goes very, very awry.

There was one point where I did have to remind myself that this was not the real world, and that was in chapter twenty where Esther arrives in Auckland on her way away from Antarctica. Now, while it is evident from the acknowledgements that the author did her homework on the Antarctic setting, there were so many inaccuracies in this chapter that it jarred me right out of the book. For starters, it’s not a bay, it’s the Manukau Harbour, and it really doesn’t do sparkling blue, especially not at the late hour that planes fly out to LA. That said, this is a very personal criticism, and is probably only going to be noticed by a few readers.

Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable story with strong and interesting characters, and a strong plot. A bit long-winded to start with, but after the characters get together, albeit in highly unlikely fashion, it gets going and sets a rollicking pace. Definitely a fun read for lovers of urban fantasy.

Review of My First Words about Tikanga Māori – Stacey Morrison, illustrated by Kurawaka Productions

From the marae to the whare, from getting to know each other to sharing kai, this illustrated picture dictionary is a fabulous guide to the Māori way of life!

From removing our shoes as we enter a building to introducing ourselves and sharing kai, My First Words about Tikanga Māori is an excellent and practical guide for children and adults, Māori and Pākehā, New Zealanders and visitors to Aotearoa.

Designed for parents and tamariki to read together by Māori language champion and broadcaster Stacey Morrison, with engaging pictures by a team of young Māori artists, this is the perfect book to strengthen your language journey and embrace Māoritanga at home, at school, and out in the wider world.

My First Words about Tikanga Māori

Stacey Morrison

illustrated by Kurawaka Productions

Puffin

Supplied by Penguin Random House New Zealand

Reviewed by Jan Butterworth

This is a guide to Māori customs, practices and ways of doing things, and to the special words we use when talking about tikanga. Officially written for children, this guide is incredibly useful for adults as well. The pages are divided into various settings or terms a person might experience such as;

Karakia (Words of power)

Pōwhiri (Formal welcome)

Hongi (Our unique greeting)

Waiata (Songs, singing)

Hui, Mihimihi (Meetings, greetings and introductions)

Kōrero ki ngā pakeke (Talking to adults)

Whakarākei (Adornments)

Te taiao (The environment)

Whakaaro Māori (Māori concepts)

Pā, marae, papa kāinga (Māori communities)

Matariki, Puanga and Puaka

Kai Māori (Māori foods)

Tikanga o te kāinga (Tikanga at home)

Moko (Traditional Māori tattoo)

Te arūpu Māori (the Māori alphabet)

Each of the terms has a short explanation of the meaning and some words and concepts relevant to it, like whare (meeting house) in Pōwhiri, koro (grandfather, elderly man) in Kōrero ki ngā pakeke, and ua (rain) in Te taiao. They are accompanied with vibrant illustrations labelled in Māori and the English translation underneath. There are also phrases you might encounter or want to say.

The illustrations are so lifelike and engaging, drawn by a team of young Māori artists. The colours are restful and soothing while also being bright and compelling. The text is bold and easy to read against a subdued background. The layout groups things together so they’re easy to find and it just makes sense.

I’ve picked up a lot of these words and concepts unconsciously and they’re just naturally as part of life so its nice to understand the why of them and be reassured I‘m not causing offence by mistaking a words meaning and using it wrongly. This book is an excellent and practical guide for everyone and a pleasure to read. I like how practical it is and every home needs to add it to their shelves.

Review of Annie and Moon / Ko Annie raua ko Marama – Miriam Smith, illustrated by Lesley Moyes, translated by A. T. Mahuika

A new bilingual English and Māori edition of the classic and award-winning story about Annie and her black cat Moon and their long search for home, for 3 to 6-year-olds.

Annie, her mum Meg and her pet cat Moon are always shifting house. One day Grandma offers the perfect solution – but will Moon like their new home too?

He kōrero ātawhai mō tētahi kōtiro mō Annie, mō tana poti pango mō Marama, mō tana māmā mō Meg, a, mō tā rātau rapu whare hou hoki hei kaengā noho mō rātau.
He pukauka mā ngā tamariki ē toru – e ono ngā tau.

Annie and Moon / Ko Annie raua ko Marama

Miriam Smith

illustrated by Lesley Moyes

translated by A. T. Mahuika

Puffin

Supplied by Penguin Random House New Zealand

Reviewed by Jan Butterworth

This a republishing of a classic picture book in time for Maori Language Week. Winner of the Picture Book of the Year Award 1989, this warm and hopeful story about a loving family working through a precarious situation which resolves well in the end resonates as much today as when it was first published.

Annie lived in the country with her mum and dad in a cute little house. When her dad left to move somewhere else, Annie and her mum packed up all their stuff and moved to town. Annie was lonely as she had no other kids to play with, so her mum brought home a little black kitten for her. Annie named him Moon. The rent on the flat was too much so they packed up all their stuff and moved in with Annie’s aunt. There were plenty of kids for Annie to play with but Moon had to sleep outside, which made Annie sad. So they packed up all their stuff and moved in with Annie’s mum’s friends.

Babies there were unintentionally too rough with Moon and Annie was lonely as her mum spent all her time with her friends and not her. Then her grandad passed and her gran asked if Annie, her mum, and Moon would move in with her. So they packed up all their stuff and moved in with gran and her dog Brutus. Annie was never lonely as she had her gran but Moon and Brutus did not get on at all. One day there was a horrible fight and Moon escaped out the window and ran away. That night Annie’s mum slept with her and they waited and waited.Finally Moon came back the next morning.

It took a while but Moon and Brutus learnt to get along.

The text is divided into two separate blocks with English at the top and the te reo translation underneath. The simple black lettering against a white background is clear and easy to read. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and have so much detail – the longer you look the more you see. The colours are restful and soothing, perfect for a pre-nap snuggle as you read aloud to a little one.

Highly recommended for any klwi kid’s personal library.

Review of Ruby and The Pen – David Lawrence & Cherie Dignam

Ruby and the Pen is the story of a 12-year-old, cartoon-drawing girl who buys a pen from a mysterious market stall. She soon learns that the pen has a magical power: whatever she draws, happens! Initially the pen protects Ruby from the meanest girls at her new school, but over time the pen’s power becomes dangerous. Soon, Ruby has problems galore and one big question to be answered — should she fix all of her problems with the stroke of a pen?

Ruby and The Pen

David Lawrence & Cherie Dignam

Exisle Publishing

Supplied by Fantail Communications

Reviewed by Jan Butterworth

\Ruby is a talented artist like her late dad. Her mum’s latest dropkick boyfriend, Dodgy Dave, is paying for her to go to an exclusive boarding school – to give him and her mum more private time together. On one of her remaining nights Ruby slips out to do some busking – drawing cartoons of people for $10 each. With the weather turning cold and foggy, she decides to pack up and go home, after first exploring a local street market. Stumbling on a junk stall that is shrouded in mist, where a gold antique fountain pen catches her eye. It’s exactly the amount she made from busking and the wizened stallholder even gives her a free bottle of ink. Ruby hurries home to try out her find.

The next day Ruby leaves for boarding school by herself, excited by getting to travel on a plane for the first time. Hetherington Hall has several imposing buildings set in impressive manicured grounds and Ruby gets a cold welcome at the reception desk. Heading to the girls boarding house, she runs into a pair of teachers who instantly make her feel at home. That feeling didn’t last long when she met her boarding house mistress and some of the girls in her dormitory. Ruby finds a friend in a fellow bullied student, Fav, and takes refuge in her art, drawing cartoons with her new pen. After a particularly nasty bullying incident, she flees the boarding house and finds a thickly forested piece of land behind the school and befriends a rainbow patterned bird she names Chirpy.

Ruby uses the gold pen to draw things she wishes would happen to her bullies as a way to vent. Weirdly, they actually happen, so she draws one of herself saving the day in an unlikely scenario, which also happens. As others figure out Ruby’s drawings come true, the bullies quickly figure out out to mess with her. After one of her drawings has unexpected consequences, Fav pleads with her to stop using the gold pen. Ruby has bigger things to worry about though. Someone has bought the forested land behind the school and, plans to build on it.

Can Ruby and Chirpy save the day? And will the pen help or hinder them?

This was an entertaining read that is illustrated with clever drawings of the story. It was a little unrealistic – some of the characters were like caricatures and you knew who the bullies were straight away – but that just added to the fun! I really hope no teacher is as oblivious to bullying as some in these pages though. I look forward to the pens next adventure.