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Jenni
Connor’s Rapid Reviews for Adolescent Readers
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| New titles |
A Prayer for Blue Delaney,
Kirsty Murray. Allen & Unwin 2005
This quartet of novels comprises an Irish saga that stretches from
the 1850s to contemporary Australia. We’ve had Bridie’s Fire
and Becoming Billy Dare and now A Prayer for Blue
Delaney which is a moving, gripping adventure story set in the
1950s. This is a good yarn, well written with strong
characterisation and a rich, detailed recognisable setting. Colm
(the friend of Billy Dare) has been abandoned at (you guessed it) a
Catholic orphanage when aged 5. The depiction of members of the
religious orders involved echoes Ruth Starke’s Orphans of the
Queen and resonates sadly with recently revealed personal
experiences of cruelty and exploitation. Overall, however, it’s the
kindly friendship of the battlers of the bush that live in our
memories when we close the book. (15+)
Surrender,
Sonya Hartnett. Viking 2005
Hartnett is one of the most poetic and complex of Australia’s
writers and this novel meets both criteria. We’re seduced by her
aptly chosen phrase at the same time as we are appalled by the human
capacity for evil and cruelty that she canvases. Not, of course,
that she reveals events in a transparent or linear way. We stagger
between the story as told by Finnigan, a wild boy who appears to
control poor, troubled Anwell, and Anwell’s story as told by his
alter ego, Gabriel. Who controls who, becomes one of the story’s
mysteries – Finnigan may light the fires, but who instructs him to
do so? The crisis that inevitably emerges from this post-modern
chaos actually centres on the dog, Surrender, and Evangeline,
Anwell’s first and only love. Such a crisis can only end in
violence, blood and pain and it does. A powerful and disturbing
novel by a fine writer. (15+)
Sabrina Fludde,
Pauline Fisk. Bloomsbury 2001
Fisk does magical fantasy with a contemporary twist very well. In
this novel, a little girl, having floated down the Severn, is
befriended by Bentley, the sax playing son of a loving and totally
impractical family. Abren, as she becomes known, is prepared to
stay, as long as ‘no questions are asked’. But, life (even in a
magical space and time) isn’t like that and Abren finds there is
evil and danger in both worlds – new and old. Rescued once more,
this time by Phaze aged 11, Abren is taken to the island, where she
meets Old Sabrina, queen of the river and she begins to piece
together her strange story. A moving, convincing and engrossing
novel in the British tradition of high fantasy. (14+)
Blood Pressure,
Alan Gibbons. Dolphin 2005
Initially, the extremely smug middle class protagonist, Aidan, gets
on one’s nerves. He seems to have it so good, that one hopes
he gets a reality check soon. Well, he does. Visiting ‘grotty’
Liverpool, ostensibly to farewell his much-loved, dying grandfather,
Aidan discovers uncomfortable truths about his own past and its
impact on his present life. His ‘real father’, for instance, is a
ruthless gangster (not the polite, conservative man he’s assumed to
be ‘dad’); said gangster father is in the middle of a very nasty
turf war and being pursued to the death. After a nightmare journey
with his father, Aidan comes to a grudging understanding of him and
accepts his mother’s feelings and actions – in other words, he
finally develops a little less egocentricity and more empathy. As a
result, Aidan moves on to a very different future than the one that
might have been predicted. A thriller that will engage many 15+
readers.
Replay,
Sharon Creech. Bloomsbury 2002
Creech amplifies the voice of the least empowered child, while using
few words; I guess she thinks in verse. Leo is in the school play,
but as the ‘old crone’, it’s hardly the heroic lead. But then, Leo
discovers that his papa used to tap dance when he was happy as a
child, and he begins to realise how the person now is connected to
‘the person then’. From there on, family magic is possible…if you
just believe. (10+)
Once,
Morris Gleitzman. Penguin 2005
An entirely original product from a pen most used to ‘entertaining’.
The novel derives from Gleitzman’s serious reflections on Hitler’s
determined ‘resolution of the Jewish question’ and the subsequent
terrible experiences of Jewish children in the period 1939-45. In
particular, the author uses the historical reality of a Polish
Jewish doctor who devoted his life to bringing some comfort to
Jewish orphans. The narrative devices of the repetition of ‘Once’ to
introduce each harrowing episode and the apparent ingenuousness of
the young narrator, work brilliantly to draw us into the
distressing, but engrossing story. (12+)
The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull,
Barry Jonsberg. Allen & Unwin 2004
Hysterically funny while being deeply moving and insightful,
Kiffo… charts new territory in ‘the school story’. It features
two unlikely, but devoted friends – Calma, who is ‘a bit of a nerd’,
trying not to stand out despite prodigious skill with the English
language; and Jaryd Kiffling (alias Kiffo) who has been written off
by parents and educators alike, because of his ‘unfortunate
background’ and apparent inarticulateness. Until, of course, a new
teacher – ‘the Pitbull’ – takes them full on. Deeply suspicious
about the Pitbull’s night life, Kiffo and Calma appoint themselves
Public Protection Agency Number 1. A tense, but hilarious adventure
ensues resulting in an apparently plausible explanation for these
‘nefarious activities’; but is it quite convincing? As the
CBCA judges noted: a story of true friendship with a crime mystery
thrown in.’ (12+)
Mimus,
Lilli Thal. Allen & Unwin 2005
An extraordinary medieval adventure starring prince Florin (a bit of
a twerp who is easily conned into his enemy’s lair) and Mimus, the
wily Court Jester. Treachery, cruelty and suspense abounds in this
gothic farce and the delight is we never know who to trust, right to
the end. An epic to absorb lovers of weird fantasy. (14+)
Runner,
Robert Newton. Penguin 2005
Set in Richmond, Melbourne in 1919, this historical novel charts the
path of Charlie, a natural runner who moves from running the bitter
streets of his neighbourhood to keep warm, to ‘running errands’ for
the gangster Squizzy Taylor, to running for his life. Charlie lives
with his mum and sickly baby brother Jack, like others in their
street, in grinding poverty. Being a righteous lad, Charlie is a bit
dubious about getting involved with crime, but when Mr Peacock
predates on his mother and Squizzy ‘helps them out’, Charlie feels
trapped. Alice, the baker’s daughter and Charlie’s new love gives
him a ‘moral way out’ by suggesting that he ‘do some good’ with the
money hard-earned from Squizzy. The prose style has Dickensian
undertones and while sentimentality triumphs, it’s a readable,
heart-warming Aussie saga. (15+)
Bringing Rueben Home,
Glenda Millard. ABC Books 2004
Set in the future city of New Carradon, this novel engages the
predictable but significant debate about individual freedoms versus
the power of the state. Replete with memories of the ‘cessation’
(the state’s word for the compulsory demise of the elderly, ill or
disabled), of his dearly loved wife Grace, Rueben is well over the
pretence that this is a brave new world. His ally in challenging
‘the way things are done here’ is the young woman, Cinnebar, whom he
has effectively raised. A science fiction that feels unnervingly
close to our reality, the novel raises and deals with issues of
injustice, untruth, genetic manipulation and what constitutes ‘a
good life’. These issues however, never get in the way of the
gripping plot and Millard has demonstrated a new breadth and depth
to her repertoire.
Kaitangata Twitch,
Margaret Mahy. Allen & Unwin 2005
Mahy is renowned for her ‘domestic fantasy’ novels and this one
weaves enchantment and reality in her time-honoured way. Told
through the narration of Meredith, the family dreamer, the story
revolves around the efforts of the initial residents of Kaitangata
to protect the island from an unscrupulous developer. An engaging
family story with a supernatural twist – or twitch – the novel opens
for discussion with older primary students relevant environmental
and lifestyle issues. (11+)
My Sister’s Keeper,
Jodi Picoult. Allen & Unwin 2005
Jodi Picoult has become one of the most popular ‘cross-over’ authors
having avid fans among adolescents, young adults and the general
adult market. This is an engrossing story of Anna who has almost
‘been bred’ as a compatible blood and bone supply for her older
sister Kate who is dying of leukaemia. The story is told from
multiple points of view so that we experience the perspectives of
parents, siblings, workmates and friends. The moral dilemmas arising
from scientific advances are powerfully canvassed, but the heart is
engaged at least as much as the mind and simplistic judgements on
serious ethical decisions are avoided. (14+)
When I was a Soldier,
Valerie Zenatti. Bloomsbury 2002
A biographical-style novel with a theme that is pertinent to current
events in the Middle East, this is the story of one young woman,
Valerie, who joins the Israeli army. Finishing exams, breaking up
with a boyfriend, leaving home… these are familiar growing up phases
in the lives of most young women. Taking up national service,
wearing a uniform, bearing arms, living in barracks and following
orders, are much less familiar to western readers. The
straightforward personal voice of the telling makes it very readable
and the quandaries Valerie faces are worthy of discussion. (15+)
The Secret Life of Bees,
Sue Monk Kidd. Hodder Headline 2002
In the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird, but refreshingly
original, this novel traces the racial tensions that result in
Rosaleen, the black nursemaid of Lily being arrested and beaten.
Fugitives from justice, Rosaleen and Lily follow the trail left by
Lily’s mother ten years before and find sanctuary, as she had, with
three eccentric, beekeeping sisters. Sad, funny and intriguing, the
story has an authentic southern voice and deepens our understanding
about the world and human behaviour. It manages not to polarise
races or issues, choosing instead to focus on forgiveness, love and
growth. (15+)
Riding the Bus with My Sister,
Rachel Simon. Hodder Headline 2003
Billed as a ‘true life story’, the book charts the novelist’s
amazing experiences as she reluctantly ‘rides the bus’ with her
sister Beth for a year. Beth is intellectually impaired and doggedly
attached to her routines. Rachel’s relationship with Beth has never
been easy. Sometimes embarrassed, often exasperated, she finds
Beth’s fads and inflexibilities maddening and unmanageable. However,
‘going along for the ride’, Rachel develops a new respect for the
way in which Beth’s uncomplicated affection warms people around her
and for the unlikely heroes she meets on the buses. Rachel
undertakes her own journey back into her family’s past and starts to
heal unconscious wounds; she learns at last, to live in the moment.
(15+)
Night Vision,
Rory Barnes, ABC Books 2006
A mixture of ‘intergenerational friendship’ and ‘war retrospective’
the story is told by Kosta, a boy who is good at making a mess of
things. He’s on a good behaviour bond, he’s annoying the heck out of
his girlfriend and he’s having someone else’s dreams. When he starts
to read to Jack as a part-time job, he uncovers not only the
experiences of a young man caught up in the Great Depression and
World War 11, but clues to his own mysterious dreams and insights
into the present day world. It’s a novel about possessiveness,
betrayal, forgiveness and mateship, ideas that transcend time and
place. (13+)
Layla, Queen of Hearts,
Glenda Millard. ABC Books 2006
A sequel to the delicate novel, The Naming of Tishkin Silk,
this slim volume continues the story of the memorable Silk family
and their friend, Layla. The characters are remarkable, not just for
their charming, unworldly qualities, but for their generosity of
spirit. The school is to hold a senior citizens’ day and Layla
wishes she had someone special to take. Nell, Griffin’s empathetic
mother, suggests uncertainly that Miss Amelie might be willing to
assist. Her uncertainty arises because Miss Amelie, who mourns a
long-lost love, does not always exist in the real world, and does
not always remember things. Love and compassion win out and
everyone’s life is enriched by a child believing in small miracles.
(9+)
The Happiness of Kati,
Jane Vejjajiva. Allen & Unwin 2006
This is an exquisite novelette that captures with a gentle touch,
the rhythms of Kati’s life by the canal and her sadness at being
separated from her mother. Grandpa and Kati are especially close and
it is from him that she gains much wisdom and acceptance about how
things have to be. However, there remains a mystery that can only be
solved by Kati going on an unforgettable journey – not just to a
bungalow by the sea and an apartment in the big city – but a journey
to her past and to decisions that will affect her future.
Underpinned by ritual and philosophy, the book gives insight into
another culture and a moving depiction of one child’s experience.
(10+)
Little Wing,
Joanne Horniman. Allen & Unwin 2006
Little Wing
is the sequel to Mahalia, which was an Honour Book in the
2002 CBCA Awards. Mahalia is the name of the baby born to Emily and
Matt while they were still at school. The novel of the same name was
Matt’s story; Little Wing describes Emily’s journey to find
herself while living with her godmother in the Blue Mountains.
There, fortuitously, she meets Martin, a teacher who is an at-home
dad with his delightful four year old, Pete. Through the easy
relationship with Martin and Pete (although the wife and mother Cat,
is less than thrilled by the friendship), ‘Emmy’, as Pete calls her,
moves through the deeply depressive phase arising from the birth,
her mother’s uptight non-acceptance of the situation and her fears
that she might not love the baby enough; might even hurt her. The
unstated condition appears to be a kind of post-natal depression,
including periods of self harm, but Emily is loved and understood in
the novel, not pathologised. The characters are the novel’s greatest
strength. They are delicately captured with respect and affection
and subtly reveal their thoughts and feelings. This is a very fine
novel that should receive accolades as its predecessor did. (15+)
The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean,
Alexander McCall Smith. Bloomsbury 2006
The first in a mini-series starring the indomitable Harriet Bean and
her unusual aunties; it’s from the author of the best-selling No.
1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels. Harriet, who is an
exceptionally resourceful young person, appears to live with her
extremely vague and mildly crabby dad. She assumes this is all the
family she has until her father mentions, in a desultory fashion,
that he has five sisters, so she has five aunts…somewhere.
Naturally, Harriet goes detecting, following small clues until she
has located all of the missing aunties. And a very strange lot they
are: there’s Aunt Veronica who is prodigiously strong; Aunt
Harmonica who is understudy to opera singers (because she can throw
her voice); bossy Aunt Majolica; and the terrible twins, Japonica
and Thessalonika, who run a detective agency, because (of course)
they can read minds. Once assembled, the family can pose to complete
the picture left unfinished many years ago. This little novel is
written with unpretentious, but un-condescending prose and provides
a page-turning chapter book for readers of 9+ to enjoy.
Looking for X,
Deborah Ellis. Allen & Unwin 2003 edition
First published in 2000, this is one of Ellis’s more compact,
coherent and imaginative works. Kyber (her chosen name because she
intends to become an explorer) has a complicated life: with Kyber’s
help, her mum is just coping with autistic twins in a small flat;
money is very scarce and getting through a day in school after a very
disturbed night is a challenge. Being wrongly accused of school
vandalism is the last straw and Kyber risks a journey alone to the
city to try to prove her innocence and the true existence of her
friend ‘X’. The strength of the main character and the family ties of
love and loyalty despite the odds are heartening and convincing. The
novel makes a refreshing change from Ellis’s focus on foreign cultural
contexts to face social realities closer to home. (10+)
Heartbeat,
Sharon Creech. Bloomsbury 2004
A heart warming, Carnegie winning verse novel by this acclaimed
American author captures an intense period of time in Annie’s life:
her grandpa’s health is failing, her Mum’s having a baby and her best
friend Max is facing a test that will dramatically affect his future.
This is a beautiful, moving, lyrical and persuasive text about birth
and death and choices and finding balance in life. (11+)
Clair de Lune,
Cassandra Golds. Puffin 2004
An esoteric little novel about a child who is kept, like a caged bird,
at the top of a very tall, very narrow, very old building. Her mother,
a renowned ballerina, appears to have ‘died of love’ and her
grandmother is determined to protect Clair from the same fate, at any
cost. There is a performing mouse, a mysterious monk and hidden
passage ways for secret journeys – all very peculiar, but engaging and
magical in a fairytale way. (9+)
Being Bindy,
Alyssa Brugman. Allen & Unwin 2004
Written for a younger audience than Brugman’s previous novels, this
one bears the hallmark of her perceptive characterisation, but the
pace is somewhat slow and the use of capitalisation to render dialogue
‘contemporary’ irritates. In fact, I couldn’t quite take the
‘awfulness’ of Bindy’s circumstances seriously, even allowing for the
self-dramatisation of the average pre-teen. Sure, there is school
bitchiness and Bindy is struggling not only with her parents’
separation, but also her father’s potential re-marriage – to the
mother of her erstwhile best friend – but her victimisation by her
peers seems relatively minor and her sudden capacity to forgive
strikes a distinctly unconvincing note. (11+)
How to Make a
Bird,
Martine Murray. Allen & Unwin 2003
Murray is an impressive new talent on the Australian literary scene.
Cedar B Hartley combined humour and pathos with charm,
simplicity and insight and so does this new novel. Mannie is an
unusual child with unusual wisdom, so, when she leaves home in her
mother’s best long red dress to ride her bike to Melbourne, somehow,
we trust her instincts. The journey has a slightly surreal quality
reminiscent of Cormier’s I Am the Cheese, and yet Mannie’s
experiences are very much grounded in the contemporary grit of St
Kilda’s seedy pub scene. It is an intriguing novel written with an
original wry tone; a novel about important matters such as losing and
seeking and creating new futures. (13+)
A Company of
Fools,
Deborah Ellis. Allen & Unwin 2003
This engaging narrative is related by a choir boy at the time of the
Great Plague. Henri, an orphan, has been growing up fairly happily
within the reassuring routines of the Abbey of St Luc. He’s shy,
sickly and solitary until the street urchin, Micah blows into his life
with winds of trouble and change. When the plague begins to devastate
nearby villages and towns, the Abbey forms a ‘Company of Fools’ to
bring some laughter into the climate of misery. Overall, it’s an
interesting tale of greed, pride, desperation and resilience for those
who enjoy historical settings, perhaps including fans of Catherine
Jinx’s Pagan series. (11+)
Girl Underground,
Morris Gleitzman. Penguin 2004
Gleitzman has never hidden his sympathies with the plight of refugees
and his disdain for the politicians who seek to justify incarceration
with what he believes are false arguments. Bridget is looking for a
quiet life, trying to hide the existence of her criminal family as she
attempts to fit in to her new posh school. However, Menzies, with his
privileged upbringing, is determined to rescue two kids from their
desert detention centre and to reunite them with their father.
Naturally, Bridget and her eccentric family have to get involved. The
story narrowly avoids stereotypes and its blatantly biased political
views are open to challenge, but, with Gleitzman’s capacity for
hilarity under dire circumstances, it’s a rollicking good read and
raises issues worthy of thoughtful discussion. (10+)
Brilliance of
the Moon,
(Tales of the Otori Book 3) Lian Hearn. Hodder 2004
While nothing has yet come up to the luminous quality of Book 1, Book
3 reclaims the power of a master storyteller. Perhaps it’s more
gripping than Book 2 because there’s more action and tension; perhaps
it’s because love having been hard won, there’s so much more to lose
and we’re more attached to the star-crossed lovers? Otori Takeo, with
his ill-fated bride Kaede Shirakawa, returns to revenge his adoptive
father, reclaim the domain of the Maruyama and take his place as head
of the kingdom. Inevitably, for peace, a heavy price must be paid in
blood. Kaede is captured as a prize by the chilling Lord Fujiwara,
Takeo survives trials almost beyond endurance, and, as the moon waxes
and wanes, fortunes are made and lost and destinies fulfilled. While
violence may appear necessary to thwart evil, Takeo begins to wonder
whether revenge ever brings solace. The novel is another
tour-de-force, massive in its coverage of time, place, culture and
event (it contains a necessary five page cast list) and indeed, is
‘brilliant’. (16+)
By the River,
Steven Herrick. Allen & Unwin 2004
Herrick is such a natural poet. Who else could take a small town with
its quarrels and sorrows and turn it into a lyrical love story? Who
else could turn a phrase like: Our father’s mood has been left
scattered over the yard, like grass seed, eaten by quiet birds….
Or his father, his wife dead, watches his sons sleeping and goes to:
Listen all night to the miraculous sound of her presence. Harry
the narrator, remembers his life as a fourteen year old in a small
country town. He remembers Linda drowned in the flood, and, in another
flood, realises that he has to leave or be ‘submerged’ pulled down by
the ‘undercurrents’ of parochial life. Another true and tender message
about learning to live with what has been and what might have been and
moving on while respecting the past for what it has given. (14+)
How to Disappear
Completely and Never Be Found,
Sara Nickerson. Harper Collins 2002
A remarkable first novel told from the point of view of a fatherless
12-year-old girl. Margaret’s dad disappeared in a mysterious drowning
accident four years ago and she exists in the silent, over-ordered
world her distraught mother has created for her and her 7-year-old
sister, Sophie. Finally, Margaret resolves to unravel the mystery of
her strange family and, backed by her new friends, she follows the
clues to the bitter end. But, the end, as is so often the way, is
sweet as well as bitter and healing and re-connection glimmer as
possibilities. (11+)
Sleep Rough
Tonight,
Ian Bone. Penguin 2004
I have liked Ian Bone’s work. That Dolphin Thing was a gently
poised emotional experience and The Song of an Innocent Bystander
was enthralling. This novel, however, reads a lot like ‘middle period
Southall’ - full of teen angst and tedious self-pity. So, Alex’s
parents have separated; so, his mum wants to get on with her life; so
he’s a bit lonesome and embroiled in an identity crisis. But his dad
seems an OK guy, a bit tired, but trying to live by solid values and
Marta, Alex’s friend, while staunchly religious, IS prepared to go out
on a very skinny moral limb for him. So, why does Alex bait the
seniors till he gets dunked in the school toilets, and why does he
follow a loser like ‘The Jockey’ into the big city to ‘sleep rough’,
thieve, bash and lose his innocence? Obviously, this is all about Alex
proving how tough he is through a predictable mix of physical trials
and emotional games. I found this among the less interesting
rites-of-passage boy-book things. (14+)
Dragonkeeper,
Carole Wilkinson. Black Dog Books 2003
One of the new sub-genre of ‘exotic’ literature, Dragonkeeper
combines the lure of Ancient China in the Han Dynasty and the magic of
a talking, hurting, questing dragon. ‘The girl’ as she is known by her
brutal master, reluctantly joins ‘the last dragon’, Danzi, on an epic
journey across China carrying a precious ‘stone’ that must be
protected. Ping, as the dragon names her, discovers such unexpected
strength, wisdom and courage that, finally, she willingly accepts the
onerous responsibility of being ‘dragon keeper’ for the rest of her
days. (13+)
Chanda’s Secret,
Allan Stratton. Allen & Unwin 2004
The book is a moving expose of the enormity of the AIDS pandemic in
South Africa and its effects on the lives of ordinary people. Chanda
is 16, her mother is sick and people around her keep dying of a
mysterious illness that seems to strike fear into the heart of the
community. Chanda is determined to tear down the curtain of silence
and secrecy and to reveal the truth so that people can openly find
hope, help and comfort. The ‘novel’ is told in a plain tone of
reportage and it rings true and tells an important story that the
world should hear. (13+)
The Book of Dead
Days,
Marcus Sedgwick. Dolphin 2003
Sedgwick, as we’ll remember from The Dark Horse, writes in a
compelling, melodramatic style and this novel has many of the hall
marks of high Gothic, including evil magical machinations, greedy
pacts with the devil and young and vulnerable protagonists at the
mercy of dark forces. In this, we have as well, an intriguing mixture
of primitive science and sorcery, two engaging young heroes who
display all the qualities of loyalty and persistence lacking in their
elders and an atmospheric chase beneath a decaying, corrupt and
violent city. ‘Boy’, a child with no past, is servant to Valerian, a
magician who is on a desperate search for a book that will save him
from facing his hour of reckoning. By best fortune, Boy meets the
quick witted girl Willow, and, together they unravel the quarrel
between Valerian and Keppler that is at the heart of the mystery. The
endless chase and caricature characterisation wear thin, but if one
can suspend disbelief and enter the genre, the novel is entertaining.
(13+)
Secret Scribbled
Notebooks,
Joanne Horniman. Allen & Unwin 2004
I thought I was over diary-style novels ever since Adrian Mole – or
was it Penny Pollard? Anyway, even John Marsden can’t render it a
complex form and its superficial simplicity soon tires. Horniman,
however, uses the diaries more as device than form and what we really
have is an intimate first person narrative in the red notebook with
‘side stories’ held like dreamscapes in the yellow and blue ones. Kate
is 17; doing final exams, dreaming of escape to the big city and
wondering what it would be like to fall in love. Her sister Sophie
knows all about love. She has just given birth to Anastasia, who,
being her own little person, soon becomes ‘Hettie’. They live with Lil
in a run down guest house, having been abandoned by their shadowy
parents many years ago. From Horniman’s writing in Mahalia, we
have come to expect to be submerged in the milky, sleepy, obsessive
world of a parent and new baby; from A Charm of Powerful Trouble,
we have come to expect a meditation on the forces between sisters and
those between lovers. This is another sensuous, evocative novel based
on reflections about growing up and the circles of connection that
bind us for life. (15+)
Tiff and the
Trout,
David Metzenthen. Puffin 2004
Tiff is in her last year of primary school, loving her life up in the
tiny mountain town of Tilgong, enjoying the reassuring familiarity of
school and long-held friendships. Unfortunately, her mother longs for
the freedom and sunshine of the coast and Tiff has awful intimations
of major change. Her father is living down the mountain with her
9-year-old brother Nathan, and Lane the try-hard butch local has moved
in with Mum, so the comfortable patterns of family life are already
fractured. A dangerous encounter with the wild waters of the Warrigal
and Mum’s offer of a job in Surfers bring things to a head and
decisions have to be made. As the seasons change and ‘Old Bob’ the
giant trout is caught and released, Tiff gains the maturity and
perspective to realise that change is not only inevitable, but it
offers excitement and fun as well as challenge. Metzenthen’s approach
to emotional matters is, as ever, subtle and balanced and this is a
very readable, reflective novel that would help any child confronting
shifts in family life to feel more positive and informed. (12+)
Circles of Stone,
Pamela Rushby. Angus & Robertson 2003
This is an intriguing novel using time slip techniques to bring two
girls, one a contemporary Australian, the other a Celtic girl from
2000 years ago, together. Lea and her friends are hiking in the
predictably bitter highlands of Scotland, when the body of a young
girl is discovered in the peat by a group of student archaeologists.
Lea has already ‘met’ Ana when she accidentally travelled back to that
time at a modern Beltane ceremony. The girls realised immediately that
they both had unusual powers and tried to protect each other from the
violence bred of superstition and fear. Unfortunately, while Lea
‘escapes’ through the time tunnel at the centre of the circle of
stones, Ana is sacrificed by her own people to appease the gods. The
technique of parallel stories in different text types might test some
adolescent readers, but the plot is absorbing and the sinister
backdrop of ‘Scots’ Stonehenge’ adds atmosphere and mystery. (14+)
Wolf Brother,
Michelle Paver. Orion Great Britain 2004
A fascinating tale set in a Nordic wilderness about 6000 years ago.
Roving clans occupy their allocated parts of the land – the Whale by
the sea, the Deer in the forest. Torak is a child born of the union
between Wolf and Red Deer. No longer a child, but not yet a man, he is
left alone when his father is ravaged by bear possessed by demons.
Having lived as an outcast, he knows nothing of clan ways and is not
welcomed when captured by the Raven clan. He is, however, recognised
both because of old grudges and because he fits the image of ‘The
Listener’ who must follow the prophesy and save the forest and all who