Eruption! book gets great reviews

My book has been out for three weeks - now I sit back and wait for the reviews.  So far - the book has had some great reviews.

John McIntyre from The Children's Bookshop in Wellington said on Radio Nz the book is a fine example of how to do it [write non-fiction] properly. It grabs the attention of the passing child, sucks them into reading the whole book ...

"It is a really comprehensive look at the whole world of NZ volcanoes."

He said that children (and adults) won't realise how much information is packed into it because of the way it is designed. Children will read the whole book and tell you they don't read.

John says that Maria has become an expert at writing quality non-fiction and he suspects she not only researches it she is heavily involved in the design and it shows.

I have to confess he is right - I either have a design concept I'd like the designer to start with (and of course they wave their magic wand over it and create something even better) or I have a lot to say during the process.  I'm very lucky that New Holland Publishers allows me to have this input.

Julie Harper also reviews Eruption! in the Magpie Magazine. She says, "In her latest publication, successful nonfiction author, Maria Gill, introduces young readers to the different types of volcanoes featured throughout the country. Adopting the persona of 'Volcanica', a reporter for the Magmatic Press she presents information in an accessible and varied manner."

Julie gives constructive feedback on two items she would have liked to have seen in the book (a diagram to accompany 'Living on Two Plates', and a more extensive glossary) then adds "Eruption! is highly informative and will be a valuable addition to any library collection."

Yesterday, I was interviewed for Plains FM radio 'Women on Air' programme. Rachel Steele said she and her two boys enjoyed the book.  She added that it was very timely with Mt Tongariro alert rating changing from O to 1. I hadn't realised that at the time. I've since read that Mt Tongariro has had a swarm of small earthquakes and this has Volcanologists keeping a closer eye on the volcano. Rachel said that her two boys liked looking up the website links I had recommended for the book under Factopia and Videotopia.

A Librarian from a Whangarei school emailed me to say that she was enjoying reading the book and what she loved about it was that there were other volcanoes in it and not just Ruapehu.

The adults seem to like it - hopefully, kids will feel the same!

Book Reviews

I review New Zealand authored books on http://kidsbooksnz.blogspot.com but sometimes I'm sent books from overseas.  I've just finished two that I'd like to share with you.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio published by Random House

When Augie finds out his mother wants him to attend school he is frightened.  He likes being home schooled - at least there, he doesn't have to deal with kids making fun of him.  Augie has a facial abnormality. His eyes are like diagonal slits and hang halfway down his face. His ears - also lower than they should be - resemble little cauliflours. He doesn't have cheekbones and there are deep creases running down both sides of his nose to his mouth. And that is after the surgery.

After a tour of the school 10-year-old Augie decides to be brave and risk going. For the first couple of months, he endures the stares, and people avoiding touching him but when he overhears his best friend saying he had to befriend him; it all comes crashing down around him.  With the support of Summer, his sister Olivia , loving parents, and Jack who realises he is missing out on a real friend; Augie manages to navigate his first year of school.  This is a heartwarming story of a boy coming of age. It's also about kindness, not judging a
book by its coverboy by his face, and recognising true friends.  The author has written the story from five point of views, which children under 14 years might find difficult to follow. It helps that the designer symbolises those changes by calling them Part 1-8 with a different symbolised face for each person. I think the quotes on those pages, though interesting for sophisticated readers could be confusing for younger readers. However, I'm glad the author gave us the different perspectives, as I thought hearing why Jack had put-down Augie and how he felt bad about it and redressed it, gave an interesting perspective. Also, we heard what it felt like being Augie's sister; a character that would often be largely ignored in a story. The changing perspectives also helped the story not be over-sentimentalised. Though, the last chapter did veer too much into this territory but not so you stop reading it; more like you have to wipe the tears away so you can continue reading it. Highly recommended for 14+ readers but most probably read by adult females. Teachers, it would be a great book to study for Health or English at Intermediate/Highschool level, or read aloud to the class because of the issues it covers, and the warm feeling the book leaves you with. Plenty to talk about afterwards.


Six Days by Philip Webb, Scholastic, UK

Six Days is part dystopian, part fantasy.

Cass and her brother Wilbur make a living with their father ransacking a devastated London.  For hundreds of years the scavengers have been searching for a lost artefact. Wilbur believes he knows where it is.  It is up to Cass to help him find it, help two strangers, and then save the Earth.

This first time author narrates the story through the main character's cockney voice. He skilfully introduces back story - the fight between father and grandfather, the death of their mother, into the story. There's a little bit of romance but not too much because Cass is a tough nut. But ultimately this is a quest story - finding the lost flinder before the Russians use it for evil purposes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story but my 12 year old daughter became confused when it changed style (dystopian to fantasy). For some people this transition is unexpected. You couldn't call it unoriginal though. The characters are three dimensional and likeable (or not likeable as in the case of the bad guys).  However, I'm not sure if I liked one of the main characters changing sides, and some of the characters were given a lot of introduction then they disappeared from the story. I thought it a bit old fashioned to have the bad buys as the Russians. The Cold War has long gone. Worth reading though.

South Island Tour - Zero to Hero

Reading from 'The Call of the Kokako'

I've just come back from touring the lower South Island schools and libraries with my talk 'Zero to Hero'.  I talked to Primary-aged, and Intermediate-aged students about how heroes began with a dream at their age and through hard work and determination they were successful. I also talked to them about the heroes in my books 'New Zealand Hall of Fame' and 'The Call of the Kokako'. I told them that I believe conservationists are heroes as well because they prevent our endangered wildlife from becoming zero populations (and aim to reduce predator populations to zero).  The puppets were a great way of engaging the students - and really show how vulnerable our wildlife are.  I also get students to guess who the remarkable kiwi is from my 'New Zealand Hall of Fame' book by showing them a baby photo of that person then giving them clues.  I try to make my talks engaging, interactive and fun.  Judging by the smiling faces - it looked like it was working.