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Picture Book
Sam Pylar by Shalesh Vasan, ill. Duncan West, Phantom Tree House
I couldn’t find any information on the internet about this writer, and the publisher’s website at www.phantomhouse.com wasn’t very forthcoming. Recommendation to small publishers: provide plenty of information online for reviewers, booksellers, and librarians. It’s a mildly spooky story about a vampire named Sam Pylar, written from the p.o.v. of Lucy, his 7-year-old classmate. When Sam eats a garlic sausage at Lucy’s birthday party, he is severely indisposed. He later re-visits Lucy as a vampire bat to deliver his good wishes. The production of the book is handsome, with a fold-over glossy cover and top-quality paper. The illustrations are done in an old-fashioned style reminiscent of the Phantom-type comics of the mid-1900s. The illustrator has taken a daring step by rendering the first half of the book in muted colour and the second half in heavy black ink, presumably to emphasis the spookiness of Sam’s transformation into a bat. Children may need this change of style explained to them. Definitely not a book for pre-schoolers.
ISBN 978 0 9864571 6 6 RRP $19.99 PbYA Novel
Snakes and Ladders by Mary-Anne Scott, Scholastic NZ
This is Mary-Anne Scott’s first book, but writing runs in her blood – her mother is Joy Watson, author of the popular Grandpa’s Cardigan series. The novel takes a contemporary look at several current issues such as parent-child relationships, bullying, and peer pressure. Finn’s aging rocker dad is on trial for accidentally killing a pedestrian. Initially Finn is glad to take up his grandmother’s offer to fund him at an exclusive boys’ boarding school – but Finn soon finds out that his family secrets make him a target for a bully. His life becomes more and more complicated as he tries to fulfil the expectations of Mia, a popular girl at a nearby school who has decided Finn will make a nice accessory for the school ball. But a disastrous after-ball party results in heartbreak for Finn and his mates, and Finn finally realises it’s time to face up to his own demons and reveal the truth about earlier events. Finn is an engaging hero, and
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