Book 68 - Calling the Gods by Jack Lazenby -

Winner of the New Zealand Post Children's Book Award 2012. I saw the proof copy of this when I was in New Zealand last year and couldn't wait to read the actual book. As soon as I arrived back in Auckland I headed for my local library and had to reserve it (a good sign).

This book is set in the future and follows the banishment from her village of a young woman named Selene. Selene has the gift of calling the gods to her village each year - whales. Her village makes the most of the gift of one of the gods to them by preserving the meat, making oil, using every part of the whale to sustain their precarious existence. We meet Selene as she is banished and we travel with her on her journey of survival against amazing odds. She has to bury her lover at sea as his attempt to join her is discovered and he is killed by the villagers as he attempts to sail to her. She rescues her brothers and a few others from the burned out remains of the village and they flee north to try to make a new life for themselves.

As they find a bay that is inhabitable and begin to create their own village Selene is 'seen' by an elderly man in our time. He sees Selene and her new tribe as ghosts and begins to understand that they are not from the past but of the future. His observations bring a kind of anthropological commentary to the story. It is this aspect of the novel that is troubling for some readers. The novel does demand a lot from its readers but gives us an inspirational person in the character of Selene. She shows courage in the face of overwhelming odds. She is forced to take risks in her efforts to build a future for her family. Her leadership provides the younger children with security. 

Review from Tomorrow's Schools today and a less than favourable review from Aleisha Cotterall posting in a forum of Booksellers NZ

Book 48 - Trash by Andy Mulligan - South East Asia, somewhere

Raphael is a trash sifter. That is all he has known all of his life. He lives on the rubbish piles of the large city (unnamed country) and goes through the trash sorting it for plastic, wire and other bits you can sell. Like every other person on the rubbish dump he dreams of making a big find which will change his life and then one day - he does.

The only trouble is lots of other people are looking for the things Raphael found - including the police. Instinctively Raphael knows to keep his find a secret even though some amazing rewards are being offered for it. His friends Gardo and Rat help him. They suddenly find themselves in the middle of a dangerous murder and embezzlement situation. It takes all their cunning and courage to find a way to bring justice to the people who most deserve it.

This book has had mixed reviews. Some think it is too  violent and inappropriately candid about the poverty of the boys and the corruption of the police and those in authority. The method of narration is interesting and demands attention from the reader. Mulligan has many of the characters involved telling their part of the story so the narrator changes throughout the book. I enjoyed this and found the pace even more compelling as a result. I will be recommending this book to my students and I will see if those who enjoyed the Hunger Games will also enjoy this tale of determined survival and triumph over the odds. 

The Guardian review - calling the book controversial. Bookish Blogger review and Andy Mulligan's website