Kids into books - Comes Naturally

This weeks title - Comes Naturally

Author: David Hill

Illustrator: Trevor Pye

Publisher: Mallinson Rendel, $15.95

Age group: 9-12 years


'That Ruth Rivers makes good sense.' Jake Bremner's father folded up the Calcott Advocate and put it in his briefcase.

Mrs Bremner looked right, then turned left. 'What's she on about this morning?'

"Too much trendy stuff in school classrooms.' Jake's father nodded approvingly. 'Time kids learned the basics. She's right - that new guy in our office can't add without a calculator.' 'I thought that was what calculators were for.' Mrs Bremner sounded the horn. A flock of small birds, pecking and hopping on the road ahead, scattered upwards.

Behind his parents, Jake thought of his trendy classroom at Calcott Intermediate - Darren McCracken announcing that pollution from cars meant people in Tokyo had to wear smog masks; Matt Pene complaining that Science sucked, and could they do PE? Jake's father checked his watch. 'Can you hurry it up, Sally? I've a meeting first thing. We're hoping to do the budgets for a big new project.'

Jake's mother was silent as the car speeded up. So was Jake. His mum and dad seemed to live different lives these days. His dad wore suits and needed to know what time it was. His mum sorted and cut and glued in her sculpture studio, and sometimes didn't know what day it was.