Crime Time: Australians Behaving Badly is a collection of true Australian crime stories ranging from bushrangers such as Ned Kelly and Mad Dan Morgan through to serial killers, fraudsters and modern celebrity criminals. Crime Time contains details of the crimes, biographical details, portraits by Louise Prout and interesting trivia in Did You Know boxes.
George Ivanoff
Chocka-block with fascinating facts and true stories of Australia's most infamous, Crime Time really does have something for everyone. Following an introduction by Kerry Greenwood, stories ranging from Jeronimus Cornelisz's blood-thirsty mutiny in 1629 off the coast of Western Australia, to modern day thug, Carl Williams systematically chart four centuries of murderous mayhem that despite, or perhaps because of their subject matter, make for riveting reading. For example: Did you know that Australia's youngest murderer was only seven years old? Or that our country's first work of art was the Charlotte Medal? Commissioned by First Fleet Charlotte's surgeon, the medal was fashioned from, of all things, a silver kidney dish. With an average story length of three pages, interspersed with black and white illustrations by Louise Prout and dozens of Did You Know? segments these terrible tales will entice even the most reluctant reader. The narrative consists of simple, easy to absorb sentences and is delivered in a conversational style that kids will relate to. And it's hardly surprising: Sue Bursztynski has proven herself a skilled writer with nine titles to her credit, one of which earned her a CBC Notable Book Award. Finding a book for kids that will entertain as well as inform is a grand thing. Readers will be hard put to find a title that does this more thoroughly than Crime Time. Boys 10+ in particular will love this one.
Guest, 14/05/2010
Crime Time: Australians Behaving Badly
Crime. Violence. Nasty things. Could there be anything more appealing to kids? Crime Time is a who's who of Australian crime. From infamous past criminals such as Ned Kelly, to more current underworld figures such as Tony Mokbel, there is plenty in this book to entertain and horrify kids who are hungry for a little mayhem and blood. Sensitive parents need not fear too much, as the book doesn't get overly graphic. Don't expect in-depth study or detailed life histories. This book's purpose it to whet the appetite and provide a broad overview of our country's infamous criminals. And this it does very well. Each entry is long enough to provide all the pertinent facts; whilst being short enough to maintain the attention of easily distracted kids. Author, Sue Bursztynski has obviously done an awful lot of research for this book. And she presents the information in an engaging and interesting manner. Not that I had any doubts about this. I've read a number of Bursztynski's other books, and they are always well researched and engagingly written. She has a real talent for non-fiction. The book includes an introduction by well-know crime writer Kerry Greenwood and illustrations by Louise Prout. The illustrations are all portraits of the criminals, reminiscent of courtroom sketches. A nice touch. The cover, showing partially dug up skeletons at a police crime scene, is eye-catching and sure to grab the attention of potential readers.
Katrina, 21/06/2009
