Emily Rodda
Emily Rodda is one of Australia's most successful, popular and versatile writers, who has won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award for a record five times.
A former editor of The Australian Women's Weekly, Emily is also the best-selling author of adult mysteries under her own name of Jennifer Rowe. Her children's book, for a range of ages and genres, exhibit a mastery of plot and character. Emily is also the writer of the hit TV series, Murder Call. Among her many books, she is most well known for her Deltora Quest series, which has had phenomenal success both here and overseas. Last year Deltora Quest proved to be Australia's best-selling local series, making regular appearances on the best seller lists around the nation. In Australia the first book of the series has sold in excess of 100,000 with the others not far behind. The series has been reprinted several times and there are now over 615,000 copies in print in Australia.
Among her many books, she has written Crumbs!, Finders Keepers and The Timekeeper (both serialized for television). Emily Rodda's Teen Power Inc mystery adventure series for young readers, published by Scholastic Australia, attracts an enthusiastic, devoted following. Power and Glory, her first picture book, was short-listed in the CBC Picture Book of the Year Award in 1995. Yay!, a second picture book published by Omnibus Books, once again takes us inside a child's roller coaster world of emotions - a fun park! She also wrote Dog Tales in 2001, which is a hilarious book about a gang of dogs. Emily lives in Leura, New South Wales, with her husband and her children.
For further information about Emily and her books, visit her website www.emilyrodda.com.
Contributor: Cécile Ferguson
Reviews
Dog Tales
Emily Rodda
This is the story of the Dolan Street dogs, Scruffy, Gina, Barney, Max 1, Max 2 and Mavis. Actually, Mavis is a goat but no one has told her yet and no one intends to! Life is certainly eventful for them but some things happen which they can never tell the pet humans. One of these is the night when the burglars came and another is Barney's magic sausage-making trick. They even saved the world without anyone knowing about it! Despite their adventures, they are still ordinary enough dogs, having to go for walks to catch up on all the gossip and make sure it is not them that is being talked about! Life isn't easy, what with rumors and gossiping birds, not to mention bossy chickens and dubious travelling sales-dogs. Will they ever get their revenge against Gobble-guts either? After all that, you can see why they deserve to sit back and watch a bit of Dog Hospital on TV! This is a collection of hilarious stories, all written from the dog point of view. Each chapter has a separate story, leading on from the last. These are really interesting to read because they refer to their pets (us!) a lot and you'd be amazed at what they can get up to! I'll never look the same way at my "owners" again! 2001, Scholastic Australia, Ages 10 to 13, $14.95. Reviewer: Stephanie, Year 11 (Lollipops Australia, September 2001)
ISBN: 1-86291-481-8
Finders Keepers
Emily Rodda
Patrick finds himself on a game show trying to make his dream come true by winning a computer. The TV show is on Channel 8 but that channel does not exist in Patrick's town. Where is he? In a parallel world entered via the TV set in his town's shopping mall. His task is to find the missing treasures of 3 contestants who give him clues in the form of riddles. The show and the book are titled Finders Keepers. It is well plotted, has a likeable hero, good adventure and some humorous episodes. 1996 (orig. 1991), Greenwillow, Ages 9 to 11, $12.95 and $3.95. Reviewer: Jan Lieberman
ISBN: 0-688-10516-5
ISBN: 0-688-10517-3
ISBN: 0-688-11846-1
Best Books:
Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6, Tenth Edition, 1993; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Children's Books of the Year Awards Winner 1991 Australia
Young Australians' Best Book Awards (YABBA) Winner 1991 Junior Australia
The Flower Fairies, Book Two of the Fairy Realm Series
Emily Rodda
Illustrations by Raoul Vitale
Jessie is called back to the Fairy Realm to help the fairies deal with a new menace: griffins! Before confronting the griffins, Jessie meets both old and new friends. She dances with the fairies and wishes that she could dance like that in her world, where she has the lead in the school play. Jessie solves the griffin problem and returns to her world, unaware that some of the flower fairies and the griffins have followed her. She manages to rescue the fairies from sugar bowls, puddles, and a butterfly-collecting girl before going to dance in the play. Jessie thinks that the wings she is wearing in the school play are the magical ones given to her by the flower fairies, but later finds out that they are the ordinary wings that her grandmother made. The story is light and entertaining, but the plot falls a bit short at times. For example, Jessie knows that the griffins have entered her world, but there is never a scene with them (which could be very enjoyable), and Jessie later finds out that her grandmother got rid of them. The revelation that the wings of Jessie's costume aren't magical after all is a bit cliché, but a younger child might enjoy it. Vitale's black and white illustrations add a true sense of magic to the story. He draws fantastic beasts in a very realistic way, thus blurring the lines between Jessie's world and the Fairy Realm. 2003, HarperCollins, Ages 7 to 10, $8.99. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck
ISBN: 0-06-009586-5
Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal
Emily Rodda
In this third book of the "Rowan of Rin" series, Rowan's mother, Jiller, is selected by the man from the Maris tribe to be the Chooser of the next Keeper of the Crystal. The Chooser serves as the one to select the Keeper from three candidates--one from the Fisk tribe, one from Umbrary, and one from Pandellis. In this way, the Mirril tribe has nothing to gain or lose in the choosing. Jiller explains that Rowan must accompany her on the perilous journey and be ready to step into her place should she die. Jiller is poisoned with the Sleep of Death, and Rowan must fulfill the duties of the Chooser. He, however, first takes the three candidates on a quest for the ingredients to save his mother. In a fast-paced fantasy adventure, Rowan not only succeeds in saving his mother's life, but also in selecting the right Keeper who provides all the people protection against the invading Zebak forces. The book stands alone without the necessity of reading the first two in the series; however, readers who read this will feel compelled to read the others. The book was first published in Australia in 1996. 2001 (orig. 1996), Greenwillow, Ages 9 to 12, $15.95 and $5.99. Reviewer: J. B. Petty
ISBN: 0-06-029776-X
ISBN: 0-06-441025-0
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2003; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Choices, 2003; Cooperative Children's Book Center; United States
Rowan and the Travelers
Emily Rodda
Rowan can't seem to stop sneezing. It's as if the air around him has become his enemy, and only the vile potion brewed by the witch Sheba can calm his nose. As he rounds up the cow-like bukshah one evening, he sees something unusual. The people known as the Travelers come to the town of Rin every couple of years, to trade goods and songs and stories. But last year they were here, and now Rowan sees the Forerunners who herald their coming. Why are they coming again so soon? Have they heard about the new type of berries, the scent of which is sweeter than sweet? Will they steal the secret of growing the mountain berries? The people of Rin decide to lock up their gardens and let no word of the berries escape their lips. When the Travelers learn that they won't be allowed their usual free run of Rin, they are understandably miffed. Then Rin's gardeners discover that their plots' soil has hardened, and they are sure the Travelers have put a curse on the land. After that, misunderstandings multiply, until, when nearly the entire population of Rin falls mysteriously asleep, Rowan and Zeel of the forerunners, are charged with the mission of finding out what is really going on. Rodda describes even the strangest of happenings so clearly that we willingly suspend disbelief and wait for the explanation that comes too soon. The story could lead to family or classroom discussions about politics, foreign relations, trust and ethnic differences. Recommended; besides having some real meaning, this is a good read. And yes, Rowan's allergies have a terrific explanation. 2001 (orig. 1994), Greenwillow, Ages 10 up, $15.95. Reviewer: Judy Silverman
ISBN: 0060297751
ISBN: 0060297743
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Rowan and the Zebak
Emily Rodda
When Rowan of Rin's younger sister is captured by a flying grach and whisked away to the land of the Zebak, Rowan knows he must try to rescue her. He seeks guidance from the wise woman, Sheba, who gives him a prophecy and a bundle of items. Together with his friends Zeel, Perlain, and Allun, Rowan sets off first by kite, then by ship, until the whole party is washed up on an arid and hostile land of the Zebak. When Rowan opens the package from Sheba for the first time, Rowan finds only a piece of metal, some grass, and twigs--all seemingly meaningless objects. For each peril along the way, however, the objects and Sheba's riddles guide the way. They cross a desert and have to find their way into a walled city where they face even greater peril before they complete their mission. This fourth book in a series that began with Rowan of Rin, which won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Younger Readers Award, represents tightly woven fantasy at its best. 2002 (orig. 1999), Greenwillow/HarperCollins, Ages 7 to 12, $15.95. Reviewer: Valerie O. Patterson
ISBN: 0060297786
ISBN: 0060297794
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Children's Books of the Year Awards Short List 2000 Younger Readers Australia
Rowan of Rin
Emily Rodda
Fatherless Rowan is a scrawny, shy outcast among the children of his village, eclipsed in everyone's eyes by memories of his dead father and uncomfortable at the emerging relationship between his widowed mother and Allun the baker, who seems to view the boy with pitying scorn. But when the waters of Rin unexpectedly cease to flow, Rowan is permitted to join the quest to uncover this mystery, as he is the only one able to read the enchanted map given to the questers by Sheba, the local herb-woman and witch. Along the way the small band encounters swarming spiders, murky swamps, frigid waters, narrow caves and, finally, a fire-breathing dragon. The other six questers one by one abandon the quest, leaving Rowan to become the unlikely hero when he defeats the dragon, restores the flow of water to Rin, and saves his future stepfather's life. Rhoda, an Australian author, has created a convincing, quasi-medieval world, with a (somewhat overly) large cast of characters presented in refreshingly non-sexist roles. Rowan's story is narrated in a simple, classic storytelling style, and the ending, though hardly surprising, is undeniably satisfying. 2001 (orig. 1993), Scholastic, Ages 7 up, $14.95. Reviewer: Claudia Mills
ISBN: 0060297077
ISBN: 0060297085
Best Books:
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2002; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2002; H.W. Wilson; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Children's Books of the Year Awards Winner 1994 Australia
Young Australians' Best Book Awards (YABBA) Winner 1994 Older Australia
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2003; Kentucky
Where Do You Hide Two Elephants?
Emily Rodda
Illustrated by Andrew McLean
Using rhyme and repetition, this funny story tells the tale of two elephants on the run from the circus. They encounter a small boy who promises to hide them. But, have you ever tried to hide an elephant? Each time the boy finds a hiding place, something goes wrong. It isn't always evident, so the young reader is drawn into the story by completing the sentence, "But then as you can see..." by being a careful observer. The colored chalk illustrations are perfect and the ending is a warm one. Preschoolers will love it and soon be "reading" it themselves. 2001, Gareth Stevens, Ages 3 to 6, $22.60. Reviewer: Meredith Kiger
ISBN: 0836828984
Zouk La Mouche
Emily Rodda
This short novel is based on the adventures of Zouk, a local fly, and his friends and family. They lead a very active life at the park, feasting on crumbs and leftover food whenever possible. One day, Zouk is fortunate enough to be photographed with a famous lady. He and his friends are thrilled to see Zouk's picture in the newspaper the very next day. His grandmother offers Zouk her words of wisdom and pushes him to go out and see the world, now that he is famous. He gets to ride in big cars, visit high-class garbage cans and meet the elite of society. All is well, until Zouk realizes how much he misses his friends and family. Somehow, fame and fortune do not measure up to true happiness. In the final chapter, our hero manages to find his way back to the park and finds out that "even for a famous fly--there's no place like home". The illustrations of Zouk in action are quite delightful. They are appealing in their simplicity and the black and white shades add to the tone of the story. The descriptive language combined with the drawings make this story a fun one to read, both for students and teachers. It's great to see another series that will appeal to LFI readers-it's high in content, yet not too difficult linguistically. I found the story to be rich in new vocabulary words and can certainly be tied to a variety of curricular links. From the "Petit Roman" (Solo Reading) series. Thematic Links: Insects. Resource Links Rating: E (Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!), Grade 1-2 EFI, GRADE 6 LFI. 2002, Scholastic, Ages 6 to 8, $5.99. Reviewer: Janice Ling (Resource Links, April 2002)
ISBN: 0-439-98893-4
Added 08/01/03
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If you're interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.