"Thank you for coming to our Surf's Up movie night
to raise money to pay for Mullin Primary
to come and visit us in Manly ... "
The setting for The Little Wave is in my part of Sydney. I read so many books set in different parts of USA and UK and so it was such a surprise to discover a book set in Manly, Curl Curl and even Narrabeen. I am so appreciative to Beachside Bookshop in Avalon for sharing this book with me. It will certainly appeal to their local readers but I also think it will appeal to other readers here in Australia and beyond.
Noah
Lives on the Northern Beaches of Sydney
He goes to St Teresa's school in Manly
Loves to surf
He is an only child and perhaps a little over protected by his mum
Noah has to endure a bully who purports to be his 'best friend' but now that the teacher has assigned him a project with Lottie things are about to change
"Sometimes I wonder
why I'm still friends
with a bully
and why I can't
stand up to him
when he says
mean things.
Why am I such a coward
when he's around?"
Lottie
Lives on the Northern Beaches of Sydney
She goes to St Teresa's school in Manly
Loves insects
Her mum has died and her dad is not coping. Their house is filled with junk and more seems to be added each day. Lottie wants to help her dad but she does not know how
At school Lottie is a loner but now that the teacher has assigned her a project with Noah things are about to change
"I don't think we need boxes
crammed in every room
or faded magazines from the 90s,
three broken microwaves,
two old fridges,
four rusty kitchen sinks,
or an oven jammed with books.
I'd really like to
have a friend over one day.
If I had any friends."
Jack
Lives in Mullin, a small NSW country town with a population of 3300
Loves cricket not school
Home is with his sister Kirra and their mum but life is hard and mum is always working and sometimes there is not enough food. When mum goes away and things get even harder for Jack
His class have plans to go to Sydney to visit Manly and meet the kids from St Teresa's
Jack wants to meet his pen pal Noah but to do this he will have to get to school on time every day and complete his work
"I never had a
bronze star.
No certificate,
or standing on stage
shaking Mrs Jepson's hand."
This book was only published YESTERDAY! I loved reading The Little Wave. I read it all in one sitting and parts made me cry.
The Little wave is a verse novel and as you know I love to read verse novels especially when, like this one, they have a huge emotional punch. There are some big themes in this book such as grief, bullying and new friendships but all are handled with skill and a light touch. It was also great to read this book after The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary which I read last week. The Little Wave has just three voices which makes it so much easier to navigate than the 18 in The Last Fifth Grade. This new book deserves to be part of the CBCA Notables list for 2020. I do hope I am right with this prediction. It will be added to many school library collections as this book has been included with several standing order services.
One more thing to note. If you are looking for a book that will appeal to a keen surfer The Little Wave is perfect. I felt as though I was riding the waves with Noah. The scenes when Jack is learning to surf are also just right.
"They push me onto a little wave,
which doesn't feel so little when
it lifts up my board and takes me
for a sweet ride.
I cling to the board,
lying flat on my front,
water rushing past me,
so fast!
I try to stand up,
but my board does a
roll-over
and flips me off.
WIPE OUT!"
In her blog post Pip Harry talks about her ideas for this book. The cover by Sophie Beer is also perfect. If you want to explore other excellent Australian verse novels take a look at Farm Kid by Sherryl Clark, Motormouth by Sherryl Clark, Bully on the bus by Kathryn Appel and Too Many friends also by Kathryn Appel.
No comments:
Post a Comment