A vividly portrayed classic, Ciara McLellan

The Changeover
Margaret Mahy
Hachette
First published 1984

 

 

 

 

December 20, 2022

Margaret Mahy’s The Changeover follows the journey of Laura Chant and her family. When her little brother Jacko gets stamped by the evil Carmody Braque and falls terribly ill, Laura must find her true magical potential to overcome and reverse this horrible incident.

Fourteen-year-old Laura Chant, who lives with her mum Kate and three-year-old brother Jacko in Gardendale, Christchurch, gets premonitions, and is what is known as a ‘sensitive.’ Laura’s had premonitions before, so when one morning before school, she gets another one, described by the author as ‘the vibration of a plucked string…’ and ‘that inexplicable tremble in her blood…’ she doesn’t pay too much attention, briefly mentioning it to her mother, who also brushes it aside.  Read more

January, 2023 Melissa Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , ,

A heartfelt and poignant story, Nell Mace-David

The 10 PM Question
Kate De Goldi
Longacre Press
Published 2008

 

 

 

 

 

November 21, 2022

The 10 PM Question by Kate De Goldi is a profound book about the unsolvable problems of real life and finding courage in the face of adversity.

Twelve-year-old Frankie Parsons is an average boy. Or, he’d like to be anyway. It is kind of hard to be normal when your mother never leaves the house, but then again, that is Frankie’s normal. And on top of that, Frankie has questions. Questions like ‘are the smoke alarm batteries flat?,’ and ‘does the Fat Controller (Frankie’s cat) have worms, and does that mean he does too?’  Read more

November, 2022 Melissa Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , , ,

A moving story about determination and change, Ruby Bartlett

The Whale Rider
Witi Ihimaera
Penguin NZ
First pub. 1987

 

 

 

October 21, 2022

“I suppose that if this story has a beginning it is with Kahu. After all, it was Kahu who was there at the end, and it was Kahu’s intervention which perhaps saved us all.”

Witi Ihimaera tells us the thrilling story of The Whale Rider. This adventure follows Kahu, a young girl wanting to do things a female wouldn’t normally do in Māori culture. She lives with her grandparents because her dad is always working and her mum died during childbirth.

Kahu is a determined young lady with a passion for adventure.  Read more

October, 2022 Melissa Scroll down to see reviews submitted by YA readers: , ,

A story of darkness told with warmth, Ciara McLellan

The Haunting
Margaret Mahy
Hachette
Originally published 1982
Republished 2017

 

 

 

August 24, 2022

From the opening of The Haunting to its satisfying conclusion, Margaret Mahy delves into the secret legacy gifted to select members of the family, and how the family’s secrets, even ones deeply buried in the past, constrain the relationships of the Scholar family.

Eight-year-old Barney has been haunted before, but this time, it’s different. We see this in the very first sentence of the book, which hooks us nicely into the beginning of this wonderful adventure. “When, suddenly, on an ordinary Wednesday, it seemed to Barney that the world tilted and ran downhill in all directions, he knew he was about to be haunted again.”  Read more

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