Viola Vincent Reporting – Troubled Water
Anna Kenna
Tiromoana Publishing
Pub. 2020

March 7, 2022

“Fierce gusts jostled the car and, every few seconds, a wave reared over the sea wall and smashed against Caitlin’s window. She watched the salty tendrils slide down the glass before another pounced… the familiar landmarks were lost in greyness that merged the sea, land and sky… As they sat wandering what to do next, a new sound emerged, a distant roar that was getting louder by the second. They froze and looked at one another… Grandad suddenly gripped the sides of his seat. “The river!” he yelled.”

I had read the first two books in Anna Kenna’s Viola Vincent Reporting series, so I already knew the characters in the book. I believe that the books should be read in order, because otherwise you don’t know some of what is going on. The first books are Viola Vincent Reporting, and Viola Vincent Reporting: Underdog. The books are about real-life issues, such as river pollution and selling faulty products. Caitlin is 13 throughout the series.

I found that very quickly the book launched into action, starting when Caitlin and her grandfather were trapped in their car during a storm, and I was hooked from the first page. The book continues to be just as exciting as the first page led me to believe it would be.

The story is centered around river pollution from dairy farms, and since the river opposite my house is polluted, I liked how the story was bringing attention to that issue. I wish that dairy farms would stop letting their waste go into rivers, so I enjoyed that part of the book.

I also enjoyed the fact that it used a lot of Māori language and how Māori culture was a big part of the story. I am not Māori, but I am interested in that culture and language, and since there are very few books about Māori for kids, I liked that about this book.

The author, has an engaging writing style, and knows how to make a reader enjoy the story! I can’t find anything that I didn’t enjoy about the book, which for me is a sign of a great read.

I found that I could relate to Caitlin, as my mum has a defibrillator and cannot do many things that most parents can do. I am around the same age as Caitlin as well, so I can also relate to her in that aspect of the story. The characters were very well created, and they seemed realistic. Overall, I found that the book was very interesting and I wish there were more books like this one. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

• Luie is 13 years old and lives in Auckland.