Hitler’s Daughter
by Jackie French (HarperCollins, 1999); audiobook read by Caroline Lee (Bolinda, 2014)
The framing narrative of this cleverly structured middle grade book sees three rural Aussie kids sharing a story while waiting for their school bus. The tale of Hitler’s daughter raises the disturbing question: should children be held responsible for their parents’ beliefs.
Doctor Who: The Ribos Operation
by Ian Marter (Target, 1979); audiobook read by John Leeson (Chivers, 2011)
As a TV serial ‘The Ribos Operation’ is respected for its production values, script and performances. As a novelisation it becomes saggy and tedious. Wholehearted writer Ian Marter assiduously seizes every conceivable opportunity to unerringly inject knee-hammer adjectives and slavishly conceived adverbs.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (George Newnes, 1905); audiobook read by Stephen Fry (ABC, 2017)
Stephen Fry takes seriously the task of voicing Conan Doyle’s stories, yet with faint echoes of his own comedic characters seeping through (in contrast sufficient to add further gravitas to the great detective). Sherlock Holmes resumes practice post-Reichenbach, as superior as ever.
George’s Marvellous Medicine
by Roald Dahl (Jonathan Cape, 1981); audiobook read by Derek Jacobi (Penguin, 2013)
Despite this being one of Dahl’s less substantial (yet somehow belaboured) stories, the freewheeling absurdity of George’s concoction and the subsequent karmic comeuppance to his grandma will appeal to middle grade readers. Derek Jacobi narrates with the glee of a mischievous grandparent.
Playing Beatie Bow
by Ruth Park (Thomas Nelson, 1980); audiobook read by Kate Hood (Bolinda, 2012)
Ruth Park mixes time displacement with coming-of-age in a classic of Australian literature. 14-year-old Abigail Kirk, having fought with her mother, finds herself transported back to Sydney of 1873. Amidst the historical realism unfolds a beautifully told tale of hardship and self-discovery.
The Blind Watchmaker
by Richard Dawkins (Norton, 1986); audiobook read by Richard Dawkins & Lalla Ward (Bolinda, 2014)
In this measured (pre-confrontational) treatise on evolution, biologist Richard Dawkins cites numerous real-world examples and constructs thoughtful analogies to make accessible a topic of vast complexity. Sections of the audiobook are read alternately by Dawkins and Lalla Ward, which invigorates the text.
Doctor Who: Galaxy Four
by William Emms (Target, 1985); audiobook read by Maureen O’Brien (BBC Audio, 2017)
Galaxy Four is perhaps the closest Doctor Who ever came to straight-up exploration science fiction, complete with doomed planet and rampant xenophobia. William Emms, novelising his own script, delves into the characters’ thoughts and so adds considerable depth to the on-screen action.
Great Day For Up
by Dr. Seuss; ill. Quentin Blake (Random House, 1974)
The first Dr Seuss book not illustrated by the man himself, Great Day For Up was brought to life instead by the redoubtable — and equally inimitable — Quentin Blake. The rhythm is slippery at times but the book verily fizzes with joyous exuberance.
Feet of Clay
by Terry Pratchett (Victor Gollancz, 1996); audiobook read by Nigel Planer (ISIS, 1999)
Feet of Clay continues the examination of racism (on the Discworld, species-ism) begun in Men at Arms, adding little except welcome reiteration. Although the golems make for interesting characters, Fred Colon and Nobby Nobbs—two of Pratchett’s less explicably favoured creations—don’t.
Doctor Who: Survival
by Rona Munro (Target, 1990); audiobook read by Lisa Bowerman (BBC Audio, 2018)
The Target range of Doctor Who books for the most part offered mere echoes of the televised serials. Survival is something of an exception, Rona Munro turning her scripts into a straightforward but effective novel operating free of the story’s on-screen limitations.