Dostluk Ormanı 5: Fındık Tüylükuyruk Yardıma Koşuyor!-Daisy Meadows itibaren Beyaz Balina Yayınları içinde LIT biçim

Shiva Adl sh_adl652e — The end of the world as we know it is one of the greatest fears we have. Having everything we know and love taken away is a powerful fear and one that is far too real and horrific for young Ben. Victor Kelleher has constructed a terrifying glimpse into an Australia without laws and government; a world where children must fight for their survival. Taronga (1986) is a very confronting and thought provoking view of Australia after the post-apocalyptic, ‘Last Days’. Taronga is the story of a young boy named Ben who has a very unusual power; he can talk to and control animals which he refers to as ‘Calling’. For Ben life as an orphan in a ruined Australia is a difficult task especially as he must manipulate innocent animals in order to survive. He grows to hate this gift and so flees from his brutal life in the Blue Mountains to a better one in his old home of Sydney. What he finds is far from the warm memories of his family home. Ben arrives to Sydney only to find it in ruins and surrounded by desperate people doing desperate things to live. His gift drives him on to the Taronga Zoo where he must use his power to protect the animals, himself, other survivors and his new found friend Ellie. Whilst protected from the outside by the great walls of Taronga Ben faces new dangers from the survivors and most of all a fierce and angry tiger appropriately named Raja. Raja, meaning ‘king’, will not stand down to another as their slave; he is strong willed and powerful and is not afraid to show it. This imposing figure that dominates Taronga is one that will gladly take Ben’s life if he isn’t careful. Kelleher has woven together the most wondrous and confronting moments of a destroyed world into this book. The beauty and danger of this world drives you deeper into your greatest fears as Ben faces danger around every corner and an enemy in every face. Whilst the end of the world is a common theme in literature it is rare to see a book that can show the repercussions with such power and vivacity. This is not the only post apocalyptic story that Kelleher has written nor is it the only one set in Australia as seen in The Other (2001) and Red Heart (2001). The defining difference in Taronga is that Kelleher focused on the power and control of animals and also on captivity. There are many layers of captivity that Kelleher explores in this book that spread out through the characters and locations. Ben himself is a captive of his own power because he does not like to force the animals to obey him and yet is forced to in order to protect himself. This branches out to the captivity of the animals, the enclosed Taronga, the cut off world of Sydney and even further into the remoteness of Ben’s original captivity in the Blue Mountains. The varying level of captivity and control begs the question all through the book; who has the right to control another and to what means? Kelleher constantly changes the way you think about the characters as well as your feelings towards Ben’s situation. The elements in the book are so interwoven that you cannot help but find yourself feeling helpless at one moment and in another hopeful for Ben’s happiness. There are many correlations with other children’s literature such as books by John Marsden and in particular Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993). This idea of children surviving at all cost where adults cannot is an uplifting component of both books and is very must an element of Australian identity. There is nothing more common in Australian literature and effective than an unlikely hero or an underdog. In not only Taronga but the majority of Kelleher’s books the unlikely heroes are children and young adults that face challenges no everyday child ever would. This has such a strong effect on the identity of Australian literature and is what makes it so interesting to read. It is the essence of the child hero that makes Taronga a book that can be enjoyed by any age group and gender. Young boys and girls will find themselves wishing they could have the same adventures as Ellie and Ben, whilst adults will wonder at the complexity and beauty of their struggle. Kelleher has managed to pack so many exciting and intriguing elements into one book that can be enjoyed by anyone. It provides a dark and provoking look at where Australia and the world can end up as well as the hope held in the children that will inherit it. Truly Taronga is a book that can and will be loved on many different levels. It is a must read for all lovers of Australian literature.

Camille Piasco campiascobdbc — Roald Dahl has a great trust in his readers. He has a fantastic talent for breaking off from his stories at just the right point to let you imagine something bizarre and delicious to go along with the build up, so that there's almost never an anti-climax. This collection is full of petty, terrible people enacting (or failing to enact) weird vengences and crazy get-rich-quick schemes and impossible inventions. Hilarious and unnerving; I'll be giving people the side-eye for days.

Brian Herman _rian_erman — Honestly I read this book as a sixteen year old girl and I've never had a character speak for teenagers as well as Phoebe does. I know a lot of people complain about the multiple theme, but to be honest it had no clear message about war, sexuality, or anything like that. It was more about Phoebe coming to grips with people not thinking the same way she thinks or her mind changing as we read. She's not use to change and she's still adjusting to her families divorce. When her cousin, Leonard, comes to live with her she's clearly bugged and hates him. As a teenager you can relate a lot to Phoebe, because when your in her mind you understand what she's going through. Change is hard and the biggest changes happen during your teen years. Morals change, people change, and you just have to learn to deal with it and move on. The novel dealt with so many themes that I had no idea where it was going and I was kind of a shocked, but at the same time it was beautiful.