The Life and Times of Eddie McGrath
Brigid Feehan
OneTree House
Pub. 2021

January 18, 2022

The Life and Times of Eddie McGrath is an enjoyable read that centres around Eddie, a young teen who loves hiding behind a good book snuggled up with her pet cat, Olaf. The story is written in first person from Eddie’s point of view. Her love of books is evident in the way she thinks, talks, and writes. It was cool to see things from her perspective.

She loves being in the background and staying inside her comfort zone, so when she wins a writing competition to spend the day with a Member of Parliament, and then later give a speech in front of the Prime Minister on TV, Eddie is terrified and wants to turn the prize down.

Eddie’s older sister Beth, however, cares too much about her social image to let her younger sister embarrass her by saying no!

Eddie’s oldest sister Claire, a university student studying politics, also wants her to take the prize. The pressure is on Eddie to do it, although it seems to be her worst nightmare.

Eddie goes through many exciting events with her best friends, Meri and Liam. Meri is the pretty one of the group who always has perfect style, heaps of friends, and popularity. Liam is a devout animal lover and science geek. He’ll do anything if he thinks an animal is in trouble, which sometimes isn’t the best thing…

Although interesting, I did find the book quite slow moving, and it took a while before I understood the main point of the story, and where it was all going. More mystery would’ve made it more exciting, however, I still enjoyed the book nonetheless.

I would recommend The Life and Times of Eddie McGrath to kids aged 8-12 (it really depends on reading level). The story brings messages of hope, perseverance, thoughtfulness, and kindness. Another great Kiwi novel.

• Aimee Goga is 14 and lives in Palmerston North.

Readers might also enjoy this Q&A with the author over on the Read NZ blog