Friday Brown – Vikki Wakefield

Friday Brown runs away from her grandfather’s home soon after her mother dies.   She is lost and alone when found by a boy nicknamed Silence.   Taken into his ‘home’ Friday learns to live rough with a bunch of street kids.  A power play between the leader of this motley group and  Friday has a feel of being highly contrived.  The characters in this story do not seem real.  It’s a strange novel which is a disappointment following Wakefield’s previous book “All I ever wanted” which was quite gripping.

Rating: ***
Theme Fiction:  Person to Person
Suitable:  Year 10-12

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It takes a village – Christine Stinson

Growing up in a small town in post war Australia, Sophie longs to find out the truth about her parentage.   Living with her grandfather who cared for her after her mother’s death when she was very young, Sophie’s ‘family’ watch over her, care for her and befriend her.  None however can give her the one thing she craves: the name of her father.   A warm and fuzzy coming of age story by new author Christine Stinson.

Rating:  ****
Theme Fiction:  Person to person
Suitable:  Year 9-12

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Thursday’s Child – Sonya Hartnett

An exceptionally well written story depicting the devastating life of living off the land during the Great Depression.  The abject poverty and squalor the Flute family lived through, scrounging for food and shelter, is told through the eyes of Harper Flute, one of the family.  Intertwined into this description is the story of Tin, the second youngest of the family who was born to ‘dig’.  Gripping until the final pages.  Shortlisted CBC 2001 – Older Readers.  Another masterpiece by Sonya Hartnett.

Rating:  *****
Theme Fiction:  Person to person
Suitable:  Year 9-12

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The simple gift – Steven Herrick

A free verse novel which, although similar in style to “Love, ghosts and nose hair”, is very different in style.  The anguished story of Billy, a 16 year old who leaves school and home to escape his father’s wrath, is told through the eyes of Billy, Caitlin, a girl he befriends and Old Bill, a derelict, who Billy finds lives in the carriage next door.  Depth of characters and many social issues are explored well by Herrick in this great read!  (Shortlisted for CBC 2001 – Older readers.)

Rating:  *****
Theme Fiction:  Person to Person
Suitable:  Year 9-12

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Annonymity – James Roy

Being a teenager is hard enough, but having to cope with parents who split up, a so called ‘step father’ moving in, a sister who heads off overseas and girlfriends who replace you with boyfriends can all be a little overwhelming.  For Anonymity Jones, life seems to be spinning out of control.  With each page, Roy manages to crank up the complexity and suspense.  An excellent read by an excellent storyteller!
Rating:  *****
Theme Fiction:  Person to person
Suitable:  Year 7-10

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Just a dog – Michael Gerard Bauer

With life disasters piling up, family tension and friction mounting, Mr Mosey, the family dog, loyal, protective and loving is much more than ‘just a dog’, he may well be the one thing holding the family all together.  An evocative story.  Warm, heart breaking but at the same time, quite uplifting.

Rating:  *****
Theme Fiction:  Person to person
Suitable:  Year 5-8

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Black painted fingernails – Steven Herrick

Alone on the road, heading to his first “teaching round” placement, James meets up a young girl who asks him for a lift.  Little did James know that his whole world was to be turned upside down.  Discovering love and what you really want to do in life unfold through Steven Herrick’s characters.   Another moving read by a great story teller.

 

Rating:  ***
Theme Fiction: Person to person
Suitable: Year 10-12

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A straight line to my heart – Bill Condon

Life changes are a plenty for Tiff who, having finished high school, tests out her ability and interest as a journalist with a local paper.   Meeting a boy who is interested in her, as well as coping with the prospect of ‘losing’ the security of family and close friends, Tiff faces a tough week of growing up and going it alone.  A solid read by the great writer Bill Condon.

Rating:  ***
Theme Fiction:  Person to Person
Suitable:  Year 9-10

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Town – James Roy

A great collection of short stories which reflect the love, loss, joy and grief that young people typically experience in their homes, their friendships and their lives.   Roy captures the voices of teenagers in a way that is real and convincing.   The characters we meet in these diverse but vaguely linked stories could be any that we meet in our families, school yards or work places.  Set in a ‘town’ of no description the idiosyncratic feel of the stories resonate with us long after closing the book.  And oh ….. did I mention the unexpected twisted endings or the sharp humour of some of these stories?  A great read by James Roy.

Rating: *****
Theme Fiction: Short Stories; Person to Person
Suitable: Year 10-12

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The beginner’s guide to living – Lia Hills

Coping with the sudden death of his mother, seventeen year old Will is left in turmoil as he tries to cope with his own emotions against the backdrop of his father’s inability to talk, his brother’s inability to grieve and the complexities that go hand in hand with meeting a girl you really like.   An emotion charged novel from debut writer Lia Hill.

 

Rating:***
Theme Fiction: Person to person
Suitable: Year 10-12

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