Dappled Annie and the Tigrish
Mary McCallum
Gecko Press
Pub. 2014

October 4, 2021

Dappled Annie and the Tigrish by Mary McCallum is quite an adventurous and courageous story. It’s the story of Annie, a girl who talks to faces in the hedge.

There is a really big earthquake that brings Annie and her younger brother together. Her father works in a lighthouse, but he does not come home after the earthquake. So she goes out to find what she has lost.

I think the author’s aim of this book was to tell people that there are little things everywhere and we just have to open our eyes and see.

I feel quite sorry for Annie. I think she starts talking to the hedges because her father was too busy to spend time with her. I could tell there was a bit of loneliness in the way she talked about her dad.

Robbie, sadly, was at the other end of this. He also misses his father but he is quite young so does not really understand. I think the reason he is so loud is that he is just trying to get Annie to join in with his playing.

I think it would have been better if Annie had just tried to communicate her problems with her brother because they both are on the same page. But instead, she pushes him away. But in the end, Robbie finds a way to help his sister.

It was a bit hard to keep up with what was happening in the book, but I did like how explicitly the author talked about the way pinecones rained down on Robbie and Annie. By the end of the book, I could tell this story was about imagination and believing.

I also thought it was kind of cute, and it would be an excellent read for a slightly younger age group.

I don’t know if the Tigrish and talking hedges were maybe all Annie playing with her mind. I think the author has done a good job at describing familiar sounds – I knew exactly what she meant.

• Jessica Dowling is 13 and lives in Hamilton.