Wolf Siren by Beth O'Brien

"I think about this chain of violence that began with human greed, the desire to take and take until the trees lost their protectors and many wolves and humans lost their lives."

Red lives in a village with her mother and younger brother and sister. The village is controlled by the mayor and by the fear of attack by the wolves who live in the forest. In past years wolves attacked the village men but not the women so, while everyone lives behind a high fence, the men especially can never leave. The mayor controls everything including the distribution of food, marriage and the dispensing of punishments.

Red's father has been killed many years ago - purportedly by a wolf. Her grandmother has also disappeared and Red has not seen her for many years but as this story opens Red does meet her grandmother in the forest. People from the village are not supposed to visit the forest but Red feels a strong affinity with the trees - they even seem to reach out and touch and caress her. Then her grandmother shows her something even more surprising. Red is able to summon a small pack of wolves. They gather around her and walk in a diamond formation. There are two women who can be found in the forest - an old lady who is suspected of witchcraft called Ms Blaeberry and the woodcutter - a woman named Caragh. It is not directly stated in the story but there is an implication that Caragh has been banished to work as a woodcutter because she refused to marry the mayor. He is so jealous of Raif because he an Caragh are in love and in fact have a plan to run away. 

The changes to Red continue when she discovers not only can she summon her wolf pack but she herself can transform into a wolf. This ability coincides with the menarche. There are all sorts of rules about girls and their periods. This is considered a dark secret and even the water she uses to wash her rags can only be disposed of after dark in a secret place. Red knows she is in great danger if anyone, especially the mayor, finds out that she can transform. Added to this is the worry that her sister, Aerona, might also be able transform too and the day of Aerona's first period is approaching. 

One of the most interesting characters in this story - that I was desperate to know more about - is the wife of the mayor. His treatment of her is an example of domestic violence but Nova also gives tiny signals to Red that seem to mean she has a deeper knowledge of her oppression. 

There are some interesting life rituals and manners explored in this book such as the way people greet each other and their procedures following a death.  Girls are also expected to wear skirts - another sign of control and oppression. 

I also loved the way, as a previously explained, the trees support Red:

The woods seemed more alive after the rain, as though the very air was releasing a sigh of pleasure. But there was something else there, too, a feeling that was much harder to identify. The tree curled her twig branches over my shoulder as though she was preparing to steady me, and I covered the rough twigs with my hand to reassure her. I turned slowly, looking from tree to tree, scanning the ground, peering up into the lower branches for whatever the woods thought deserved my focus.

Beth O'Brien uses language so skillfully.  Think about her word choices in these sentences:

"The thud of the plate and cup sounded dismal in the quiet house."

"The cacophony is beautiful, the disjointed sounds creating a melodious echo."

I recommend this book for very mature readers aged 11+. Here is a list of other "Little Red Riding Hood" based books for Young Adults aged 13+. 

Publisher blurb: Red is not allowed to go into the woods. Everyone knows that they are dangerous – because of their strange magic and the wolves that lurk there… But Red finds herself increasingly drawn to the woods and the place where her grandmother disappeared without a trace three years ago. When the woodcutter fails to return home one night and wolves are spotted close to the village boundary, fear drives a deep and dangerous divide between the villagers and the nature they live alongside. Only Red seems to hold the key – but she has a secret, and exposing it could ruin her family forever …

You can read a chapter sample on the Harper Collins (Australia) webpage. This book was published in 2025 and I picked up my print copy here in Australia from a local bookseller for AUS$18.

Here are a few text quotes:

"Father was one of many men to be taken by the wolves. Where once our village had been famous for its lucrative wolf-fur trade, courtesy of our skilled hunters, soon it was associated with nothing but violent attacks. No matter how many men the mayor conscripted to try and keep the wolves at bay, our losses continued to mount up. Shortly after my father’s death, the mayor was forced to admit defeat, disband the hunters entirely and forbid all men and boys from entering the woods. This worked in so much as the attacks stopped. But the restrictions the mayor placed on our village after that meant the fear of the wolves was impossible to forget."

"I want you to imagine there’s a wolf in front of you. She has her back to you and she’s going to stay in front of you wherever you walk.’ There was a pause as she let me form that image in my mind. ‘Now, to your left and to your right are two more. They come up to your waist and if you reach out your hands, you’d be able to brush their fur, but they are no closer than that.’ Another pause. ‘Finally, there is a fourth wolf. This one is behind you, so the four of them form a diamond."

"I turned my own face up to smile at Grandmother and saw she was holding a bundle out towards me. I stood up and my wolves parted, letting me step closer to her. It was a coat. By full daylight, it would be a vivid scarlet, but under the dappled light of the trees it looked much deeper, much darker. More like blood."

"The mayor depends on us all being frightened of the woods, whether it's fear of attack or of shame."

"Nearly all the girls and women of this village know the woods aren't a bad place. They're a place where bad things happen, ... but bad things happen within our village wall, too."

Wolf Siren is a debut novel for UK author Beth O'Brien. She is the author of four adult poetry books. Having been born visually impaired and with an upper-limb difference, Beth is passionate about the representation of disability in literature and is currently studying for a PHD researching the (mis) representation of disability in fairytale retellings. She is the founder and editor of Disabled Tales.

Here is a map of Young Adult Fairy tale retellings:

Image source: Epic Reads

I think my interest in these 'grown-up' versions of fairy tales goes back to my reading a book by Donna Jo Napoli although it was not about Red Riding Hood. 

I found this collage of versions of Little Red Riding Hood on Library Thing. When you go to the link you can hover over each title for a brief plot summary.

Image Source: Library Thing tag "Little Red Riding Hood"

I have had this book, Red, on my to-read list for a long time so this might be the next "Red Riding Hood" based story that I read:

The Only Branch on the Family Tree by Sherryl Clark illustrated by Astred Hicks

Gemma's teacher sets a school assignment - draw and present your family tree. Everyone seems to be able to this easily - all except Gemma. Her family is just two people. No grandparents, no dad, no siblings, no cousins. Luckily Gemma is a problem solver so she decides to make a collage of pictures of 'mum and me'.

I started with the old photos

she'd put away

in boxes

and saved on the computer.

...

I found pictures of Mum

with her mum and dad

it's awful that they're gone

'they died,' she said

but then I found one photo

on the computer

that said something different.

Gemma discovers she does have a grandmother, and that she is alive, and even more surprising she does not live very far away. 

So now as a reader you will have lots of questions:

• Why did mum tell Gemma her grandmother had died?
• Will Gemma be able to find her grandmother?
• What will her grandmother say when she meets Gemma?
• Can Gemma solve this mystery and can she be brave and confront her mum about this lie?
• And are we heading for a happy ending for this family?

As with all good verse novels there is a deep emotional layer to this story. Readers aged 9+ are sure to enjoy this book and because it is so very short it is also perfect for reluctant readers. I also think this book might hook a few kids onto reading. Congratulations to UQP on the fabulous cover design - very appealing. 

This lovely verse novel from UQP and Sherryl Clark looks at family dynamics from a different perspective – about estrangement and isolation within families, because not every family is the same. ... Whilst the book doesn’t touch on the specifics of the conflict and estrangement, I think this is what makes it so much more powerful and allows readers to see themselves in this novel, especially if they have been through similar experiences to Gemma. The Book Muse

A couple of weeks ago I read Just Like Jackie. It is such a similar story and would be a perfect companion book to read after The Only Branch of the Family Tree.

Just like Jackie

I was so excited when UQP offered to send me this new verse novel by Sherryl Clark - I am a huge fan of her work and we had a brilliant day many years ago when she visited my school. I read all of these to children in my school library over many years:

This is one of my favourite Verse Novels

I need to find a copy for my own shelves

Hope you can find this one - perfect for all girls in Grade Six

Motormouth

 Mina and the whole wide world

POST UPDATE: I just discovered another book that includes the plot point of drawing up a family tree as part of a class project. I have added this book to my own "to read" list.

Publisher blurb: It’s the first week of middle school, and Ash (don’t call her “Ashley”) already has a class assignment: Make a family tree. But how can Ash make a family tree if she doesn’t have a family? Ever since she was four years old, Ash has been in foster care, living with one so-called family after another. Now she’s stuck with Gladys. And the only place Ash feels safe is in the branches of her favorite tree, drawing in her sketchbook, hidden from the view of Gladys’ son Jordan. As Jordan becomes harder to hide from, and more dangerous to be around, Ash isn’t sure who she can trust. A new friend, an old friend, some teachers at school? Sometimes the hardest part of asking for help is knowing who to ask.

Here is the Kirkus Star review.

Something Somewhere by Richard Yaxley

"From his earliest memory, it had always been just his mum and him. Which was not perfect by any means, but it was okay because there was a pattern to how everything operated. Malt understood the dips and rises. ... 

How to recognise his mother's, her shifts between flashing anger or deep love, 

her wins and losses, her desire for something somewhere."

It has always been just Malt and his mother Bonnie. Their lives are unsettled, chaotic and fragmented.  Then one day she declares they are moving to Pembrook her childhood town and they are moving in with Malt's Grandmother. Malt, aged eleven, has never met his grandmother Zelda Zeglar. She lives alone in an old house with a small cherry orchard. So much is left unsaid in the relationship between this mother and daughter. It is clear Bonnie does not like her mother. There are some obviously heart-wrenching topics that neither will discuss. 

Bonnie decides Malt will not go to school so his days are spent wandering alone in the bush. He is free to roam but he is forbidden to visit a place called Bushman's Valley.

Malt and his dog Banjo enjoy exploring the countryside. Then out of the corner of his eye he thinks he sees someone. A girl appears in front of him.

"He was about to move forward when he glanced slightly to his left and saw her: a girl in a pale dress. She was standing within the trees looking in his direction. She seemed older than him, maybe fourteen or fifteen. ... She was very still and vigilant, like a wild animal checking it's surrounding. Her face was so white and expressionless ..."

At home, Bonnie declares Malt will now meet his father. Willo is the name of Malt's father. Bonnie tells Malt his father in in Greece, Alaska and other wildly fanciful places:  "his mother would spin the world globe, she'd been given as a gift on her last day of being a cleaner. when the globe stopped spinning she'd point to a country. 'There.' ... 'Don't tell anyone, but he's fighting a secret war ... "

Thinking about this book - How do you create a memorable character? 

• Give him an interesting name - as I have already said - in this book the main character is a boy named Malt. (I love the way Emily calls him Malteser).
• Give him a problem or worries or some difficulty in his life - in this case throughout his whole life Malt has tried to please his mother. He has learnt to read her moods and he knows how to carefully answer her questions. He endures her bad television and movie taste and worse, he somehow copes when they constantly have to pack up and move on in the hope of finding something somewhere. Malt has had to become a loner because they move way too often for him to form friendships. He also has no compass that might allow him to check the validity of the tales his mother spins especially about his absent father. 
• Give your readers reasons to feel deeply compassionate about, in this case, Malts welfare and awful live circumstances.

Add this this a wonderful, loving and wise grandmother and, as is often the case in books like this, add that she is able to cook delicious food which goes beyond just nourishment.

This is a thoroughly engrossing story with a plot line that you may have encountered before but that does not take away from this wonderful reading experience.

Familiar pieces of the plot that I am sure I have read in other stories:

• A lonely child encounters another child in a remote location - probably in a place he has been forbidden to visit
• The lonely child does not tell any adults about this new friend - there is strong sense this should all be kept a secret
• The new friend is somewhat mysterious. There are small pointers that something is not quite right but this is usually knowledge reserved for the reader and not the main character of the story
• The clothes of the other child are often slightly strange or old-fashioned or perhaps their manner of speaking is different (other worldly)
• The new friend is often braver and more fearless - the sense of danger is strong
• Through the course of their friendship the main character changes, growing more confident or gaining a stronger identity
• The lost child (the new friend) needs to complete a tasks or tasks to be 'set free'
• There can be themes of grief, mental health, missing children, mystery, and the setting is usually a forbidden bush land or forest

I did put the label 'ghost' on this post but please do not think of it as a lighthearted simple 'ghost' story. In fact Emily herself says she is not a ghost:

"Are you a ghost?' he whispered. 'Not in the way that you're thinking. Ghosts like that are a human invention. Believe me, there are no ghosts, not like people imagine them. None of that silly haunting stuff, like eerie noises and clanking chains ... I'm in between.  ... Ever since I left, I've been stuck in the middle."

"I'm a Middle ... which means my body isn't alive anymore, but my other part is. The trouble being, it hasn't been released to wherever the other parts go. Certain things need to happen, and until they do, I'm stuck."

After reading Something Somewhere please go back and read the first chapter 'Before'. 

One of the powerful parts of the writing in this book come from the descriptions of Bonnie and her driving. I was so sure on many occasions that Bonnie would have a major car accident. Her driving filled me with real terror. And if you need a scene for a book talk read the Christmas scene in the chapter entitled 'Puppets'. 

Another strength of this book is the way a fragment of an idea or a few words in phrase resonate with meaning. Look at these sentences:

This is the scene in his grandmother's kitchen - you can feel the possibility of kindness and comfort: "Inside the vase was a single flower, its pink petals basking within a final ray of sunlight."

And these words confirm her kindness: "she put her hand on Malt's shoulder ... It felt odd to be touched  in that way by someone else, but good because his grandmother's hand was light, like having a tiny friend perched there."

These words hint at the transience of their lives: "his mother was leaving ... Only the faint smell of her perfume lingered, and then not for long."

This is beyond my expertise, but I think Richard Yaxley included the owl as a visitor to Malt because in some mythologies such as Celtic mythology the owl "is a messenger from the otherworld, bringing knowledge and insight to humans." (Source). I also read this: "In Greek mythology, owls are associated with the goddess Athena, who is often depicted with an owl on her shoulder. Owls are seen as symbols of wisdom, knowledge, and protection in Greek mythology."

I am certain Something Somewhere will be a 2025 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title, and I do hope it is also shortlisted. In some ways this book made me think of the famous Australian movie Picnic at Hanging Rock.

It is both compelling and poignant, and the mystery unravels in a hugely satisfying way. Most of all, the reader will feel like cheering when realising that Malt will stay with his grandmother, safe and loved and nurtured, while his mother flits off into the sunset. I know I did. Just so Stories

Yaxley’s voice is compelling, you feel like you are experiencing what Malt does. ... Yaxley has a way with words that creates a world that is both believable and immersive. He knows and understands the dynamics of relationships between people and how their own life experiences and circumstances determine how they interact with others. His language choices and dialogue are strong and placed expertly in the right place at the right time. Malt has learnt to act small and knows how to react to his mother and her actions. As the story unfolds, and more characters are woven into the story little pieces of the puzzle slowly unfold. The reader is left asking the same questions as Malt. ... It is a gripping read that will not disappoint its young readers. Buzz Words

Companion books:

Ettie and the Midnight pool

Sunshine

Waiting for Normal

Small as an elephant

The Midnight Children

Pieces of Georgia

Being Jimmy Baxter

The Book of Chance

Who is Richard Yaxley?

Richard Yaxley lives in Queensland. His main writing is for Young Adults. WriteLinks have an event with Richard Yaxley in February 2025. 

• Leonardo Forever (Scholastic 2023)
• Harmony (Scholastic 2021; Long-listed for the ARA Historical Prize – CYA Section)
• A New Kind of Everything (Scholastic 2020)
• The Happiness Quest (Scholastic 2018; CBCA Notable Book for Older Readers 2019)
• This Is My Song (Scholastic 2017; ACU Book Of The Year 2019; Winner of the 2018 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Young Adult Literature; Finalist in the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards; also published in the Czech Republic by Albatros Media)
• Joyous and Moonbeam (Scholastic 2013; Finalist in the 2014 West Australian Premier’s Awards for Young Adult Literature)
• Spring Rain (Self-published 2011)
• Drink the Air (Strictly Literary: Winner of the 2010 Queensland Premier’s Award for Young Adult Fiction)
• Bloodlines (Strictly Literary 2009)
• The Rose Leopard (University of Queensland Press 2003)

Awards

• Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2011 for services to education, literature and performing arts
• Winner of the 2024 StoryLinks Short Story Competition for Fly High
• Recipient of the 2022 Queensland Writers Centre – Varuna Fellowship for Established Writers
• Judge for the 2021 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards (Children’s and Young Adult Literature)
• Recipient of a 2015 May Gibbs Literature Trust Creative Time Fellowship for the creation of This Is My Song
• Winner of the 2016 FAW NSW Walter Stone Award for Life Writing for Homecoming

Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu

Elodee and Naomi are twin sisters, good friends and girls with so much in common but over the course of the next few weeks and months we watch them grow apart. The family have been living in Juniper but after a visit to Eventown they decide to move. There is a hint early on that the family need a new start, but you need to read the whole book to discover why.

Naomi is good at gymnastics and good at 'fitting in'. Elodee loves to experiment with cooking. She watches her sister and wonders why Naomi now copies the clothes and behaviours of her new friends. Why have they become so different?

Eventown is a very strange place - well as a reader you are sure to think it is strange - but it takes quite a while for Elodee to realise this. I think the turning point comes when the girls finally visit the town library. More about that in a minute. Before this scene we read that there are only three ice cream flavours which are on rotation; every garden in the town has an identical manicured yard with perfect rose bushes; there is no internet and no television; no cars; and it never rains and every day ends with a perfect sunset. In the music class at school the students only play one song - the same song - week after week and when Elodee questions this she seems to get into trouble with the teacher.

Now onto the library:

"Naomi likes books about animals and magic. I like books about people and food, so we go to the cooking section and the animal section and the fantasy section and choose titles that sound right. We have a mix of everything we love. ... We open one book each. 

I turn a page.

Then another.

Another.

Another.

They are blank.

I flip through the whole book. Every page is blank. It is a book of blank pages. A book of nothing. ... I pick up another book. Blank pages. Over a hundred of them."

Apart from all of this though, there is a deeply sinister layer to this story. Every member of the family has to go to the Welcome Centre. When Elodee has her turn, we discover this is all about telling stories - there are six stories. Your most scared moment; your most embarrassed moment; your most heartbreaking moment; your loneliest moment; your angriest moment and your most joyful moment.

BUT something goes wrong, and Elodee only tells three of her stories. AND even worse once the stories are told, the teller has no memory of them - the stories are lost forever. Why? 

Eventown is at times a heart breaking and difficult book to read. I did have to keep stopping to take a breath. I would recommend this book for mature readers aged 11+. I don't want to spoil the ending but the final reveal about why the family needed to move could worry or upset some readers. Having said that please do not skip to the end if you are reading this book - let Corey Ann Haydu take you on her compelling journey. 

Here are some text quotes to give you an idea about this story:

"I haven't thought to look around to see what else we aren't bringing, but do it now with Naomi, running from room to room to see what's left behind. Mom's not bringing her old-timey record player or all the records she's collected over the years ... She's leaving behind shelves of books and a bunch of framed photographs of the family ... She's leaving behind all our winter coats and hats and scarves, our silver sled and a painting of the sun that has been in our living room forever."

"When mum and Naomi get back from grocery shopping I get right to work, and the cooking comes easily. The instructions are clear, and following the recipe feels like a dance with the kitchen. The result is incredible. The chicken is golden brown, crispy on the outside and buttery on the inside. ... I've never made anything this delicious. ... The recipes I invented back in our old kitchen in Juniper were never like this."

"And we're hoping we can learn a little more about your life before today. Part of our welcoming you here to town is making sure you're able to start fresh here in Eventown. We want to help you say goodbye to everything that made life before hard ... "

Here are some quotes from the review by Betsy Bird for SLJ. Do click the link Besty's review is fabulous:

In Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu, you’ll find a marvelous defense of messiness, mistakes, and uncomfortable conversations. We all want to run away from our problems, but it’s like that old phrase says: Be careful what you wish for. ... Need a novel for 9-12 year olds that epitomizes the very definition of “foreshadowing”? Meet my little friend here. It knows that some of the most effective horror comes from the people we love the most. Elodee’s whole family has drunk the Eventown Kool-Aid without so much as a blink, but she doesn’t see that for a long time.

Betsy refers to this book:

Orphan Island

Publisher blurb: The world tilted for Elodee this year, and now it’s impossible for her to be the same as she was before. Not when her feelings have such a strong grip on her heart. Not when she and her twin sister, Naomi, seem to be drifting apart. So when Elodee’s mom gets a new job in Eventown, moving seems like it might just fix everything. Indeed, life in Eventown is comforting and exciting all at once. Their kitchen comes with a box of recipes for Elodee to try. Everyone takes the scenic way to school or work—past rows of rosebushes and unexpected waterfalls. On blueberry-picking field trips, every berry is perfectly ripe. Sure, there are a few odd rules, and the houses all look exactly alike, but it’s easy enough to explain—until Elodee realizes that there are only three ice cream flavors in Eventown. Ever. And they play only one song in music class. Everything may be “even” in Eventown, but is there a price to pay for perfection—and pretending?

Part mystery, part fabulism, with a dash of dystopia, this story is as layered and delicious as one of Elodee’s concoctions. At once enchanting, heart-rending, and bittersweet ... Kirkus Star review

Website for Corey Ann Haydu. I am keen to hunt out more of her books. 

Awards:

• A Kirkus Best of 2019 Selection
• A Junior Library Guild Selection
• An Amazon Best Books of the Month Selection
• A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021
• Edgar Award Nominee

Eventown reminded me of movies like The Truman Show; The Stepford wives and Pleasantville.

Companion books:

The probability of Everything

Right as Rain

Ettie and the Midnight Pool by Julia Green illustrated by Pam Smy

I spied this book in Melbourne (Ladyhawke, Ivanhoe) and I recognised the author name but I couldn't think which book I had previously read. I was delighted to find it was House of Light. I said in that post that I would like to read more books by Julia Green but sadly I didn't really love Ettie and the Midnight Pool in the same way. I found the anger Ettie levels against her grandmother quite awful. I know Ettie is growing up and questioning the way her grandmother seems to set so many rules. Ettie is also desperate to know more about her absent mother and she wants her grandmother to acknowledge life is not like a story with a happy ending. In fact, when Ettie finds out that the famous myths and other classic stories her grandmother has told her do not have the endings her grandmother always shared and that these stories are actually filled with tragedy and sadness Ettie becomes even more determined to defy her grandmother.

Near their home there is a disused slate mine. Ettie is not supposed to venture beyond a certain point, and she is most definitely not allowed to swim in the lake at the bottom of the mine. I am sure you have worked out she breaks both of these rules and that her behaviour has dangerous consequences. Ettie is not alone though and perhaps she would not have been so defiant or attempted such dangerous activities if she had not met the mysterious Cora.

It would have been good to find a list of the famous stories referred to in Ettie and the Midnight Pool such as Pandora's box, Persephone and Demeter, Orpheus and Eurydice, and Icarus. Familiarity with these might help readers more deeply appreciate Ettie and the Midnight Pool. There are also references to Little Red Riding Hood (think of the cautionary tale) and The Incredible Journey by Shelia Burnford which is a book I loved as a child. I also wanted to know more about Ettie's absent mother. The story implies she cannot travel home because of Covid restrictions but there is also a hint that her mother has no plan to return and that she thinks Ettie should be raised by her grandmother. 

Readers aged 11+ might enjoy Ettie and the Midnight Pool. These reviewers all enjoyed this book (way more than I did) and you can click these for more plot details. 

Not everything is spelled out for the reader who is given space to form their own conclusions in this haunting, intriguing tale. There is a wonderful use of myth and traditional tales to underpin the message that you cannot, and should not, try to protect children from the dark side of life. We cannot fully appreciate the light without understanding the darkness that exists. Superbly descriptive writing, evocative illustration and psychological depth make this an unforgettable read. Love Reading4Kids 
This review also includes an interview with Julia Green (27 minutes).

'Powerful, haunting and incredibly atmospheric . . . told with all Julia Green's great skill and shot through with a vein of dark mystery. A truly special book' Nicola Davies

Enhanced by Pam Smy’s powerfully evocative illustrations, Julia Green’s wonderful descriptions of the countryside, in combination with intrigue and nail-biting moments, make this a mesmerising story that lingers in your mind long after you’ve set the book aside. Red Reading Hub

This would make the perfect read for those children who are thinkers, who want something different or special to read. Every class has them and it’s always a joy to have a gem like this to offer when they are ready for their next book! It is a wonderful, layered story, full of love, longing and life. Through the Bookshelf

Julia Green’s writing is always incredibly powerful – an ode to nature with a hopeful call to action. Ettie and the Midnight Pool is no different. Readers feel the rhythm of the earth – the peace, the heartbeat, the story of the land – as they think about their own place in it. From the freshness of the hay meadows to the oak trees to the iciness of the water, nature is enchanting and the most beautiful place to be. Scope for Imagination

Ettie and the Midnight Pool companion book:

October and October

Julia Green is an author of over twenty novels and stories for children and young adults. She has worked as a publicity assistant for a publisher, a library assistant, an English teacher, and is currently Emeritus Professor of Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. 

Olivetti by Allie Millington

"Memories are like heartbeats. They keep things alive. They make us who we are."

"Typewriters are not allowed to tell the words that have been told to use. That is our typewriter code - to never let what has been typed into us back out. Communication with humans is strictly forbidden."

Olivetti lives with the Brindle family. I love the names of the children - Ezra, Adalyn, Ernest, Arlo. Dad is Felix and mum is Beatrice. It was Beatrice who found Olivetti many years ago. She uses him to write her most personal thoughts along with stories and poems. The family do own a computer but as Olivetti explains:

"I was not familiar with what files were, but I was certain I had more storage. In fact, I had unlimited storage. I held an endless amount of memories inside me. Decades worth of words. Not to mention I was much more low maintenance. I did not need to be constantly charged or connected to some higher power called the internet."

"Remembering is the very language we speak. I am a patchwork of pasts, stitched together with stories. A tapestry of tales."

These tiny extracts show you the unique and witty voice of Olivetti - yes he can 'speak'! 

Now look back at the list of children. Ernest is our story hero. He is a loner. His main companion is the Oxford dictionary. He has memorized hundreds of word definitions, and these are scattered throughout the book. Ernest is also silent. There is a hint early on in the story that something truly dreadful has happened and that this is why he has retreated into silence. I cannot explain this further - you need to read the whole book to make this discovery for yourself.

"My family didn't understand why I spent all my time reading (the dictionary). But there was a lot they didn't understand about me, so that wasn't exactly breaking news. Compared to them, I was different, defined as: not the same as another or each other; unlike in nature, form or quality."

"I wasn't big on meeting new people. Once you meet people, you might get close to them. And once you get close to them, you might lose them for good. You're less likely to get hurt, the farther you stay away."

Beatrice has disappeared and she has taken Olivetti to a pawn shop. Why? Where has she gone? 

The chapters in this book alternate between the voices of Olivetti and Ernest. By accident Ernest finds Olivetti. Mum has sold him for the strange amount of $126. Ernest will now need help from the pawn shop owner's granddaughter to solve this urgent mystery and find mum. Quinn is character you will love. She is a problem solver, she is patient, she is persistent and most of all she really likes Ernest even though he tries so hard to ignore her. 

After reading this book you will want to revisit the classic story - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis. 

If you enjoy a good mystery especially one where two kids work together to gather clues not realising that through this process, they are forming a wonderful friendship, then this is a book you will really enjoy. Hopefully modern kids do know a little bit about typewriters but if they don't you (the adult reader) can easily answer any questions or find photos an actual Olivetti. I read this book in one sitting - the plot just races along. I highly recommend Olivetti for readers aged 10+. And I love the cover too! When I was in London last week I saw a couple of guys with typewriters sitting near Tate Modern offering to compose and type a poem for anyone passing by for a small fee. What an enchanting idea. 

Millington captures the essence of why typewriters are such extraordinary creations, and why everyone should have one: Olivetti takes no side, shakes no finger. (A typewriter simply reflects what you put into it.) And he cares. So when Ernest tracks down Olivetti, inexplicably pawned by Beatrice for $126 (remember that amount), and begins tearfully typing on him, desperate to communicate with her, Olivetti does the unthinkable: He types back. “Do not be alarmed. … I am Olivetti. … I can help you.” Tom Hanks New York Times (try to read this review it contains lots of plot details. I do wonder how this famous actor came to read and review Olivetti but I happy to have found his piece.)

The author winningly blends magic and realism, poignancy and mystery, as her characters close in on what’s happened to Beatrice, bonding through adversity along the way. Her lovely notion of a typewriter as a repository of secrets and dreams is finely rendered, and she imbues Olivetti’s heavy steel case and clackity keys with compassion and determination. This heartfelt tale movingly explores the beauty and importance of communication—whatever form it may come in—while encouraging readers to welcome the singular joy of finding kindred spirits in unexpected places. Bookpage

I'll Keep you Close by Jeska Verstegen translated by Bill Nagelkerke

"I'm sick of the silence. ... Even when you don't speak, you're still saying something."

I picked up this book in a Melbourne bookshop. Why? I liked the cover (first impressions do count). The cover of the English version of this book is by David Weisner (you may know his fabulous books such as his wordless book Tuesday). Then I read that it was originally published in Dutch (translating books costs a lot of money so usually these books are well worth reading). Finally, I read the blurb and I was intrigued. 

Listen to an audio sample (5 minutes) from the beginning of the book. Here is a video video introduction from the publisher. Here is the review from Lamont Books (this book was included with their Lower Secondary standing order).  I have listed this book as Young Adult. Some booksellers suggest age nine but I think this book is more suited to mature readers aged 11+. 

Publisher blurb: Jeska doesn’t know why her mother keeps the curtains drawn so tightly every day. And what exactly is she trying to drown out when she floods the house with Mozart? What are they hiding from?  When Jeska’s grandmother accidentally calls her by a stranger’s name, she seizes her first clue to uncovering her family’s past, and hopefully to all that’s gone unsaid. With the help of an old family photo album, her father’s encyclopedia collection, and the unquestioning friendship of a stray cat, the silence begins to melt into frightening clarity: Jeska’s family survived a terror that they’ve worked hard to keep secret all her life. And somehow, it has both nothing and everything to do with her, all at once. A true story of navigating generational trauma as a child, I’ll Keep You Close is about what comes after disaster: how survivors move forward, what they bring with them when they do, and the promise of beginning again while always keeping the past close.

Jeska's class are studying World War II and in particular the impact of these events on The Netherlands. At home no one will answer her questions, so she starts a list with the words - who, what, where, how, why and when and every time she hears or learns even the tiniest fragment of information, she adds it to her notebook. Her teacher has talked about the terrible treatment of the Jewish people. He is planning to read a book to the class - Winter in Wartime - but when her mother discovers this, she tells the school Jeska cannot attend this class and instead must sit in a different part of the school each afternoon. Jeska has no idea why. Also no one will talk about Hesje - the name her grandmother used when she was confused during one of their visits to the nursing home. Bomma has a photo album but who are these people and what happened to them?

Going back to what I said about this book being a translation, I did marvel at the poetic language and phrases - here are a few examples:

"A school is a king of monster with a belly full of children. In the morning it gobbles children up, and in the afternoon, it spits them all out again. Me included."

"I step onto the red gravel of our driveway. When you walk on it, it sounds like you're crunching on a biscuit."

"Mr Schouderland is going bald. His hairline is shaped like a small harbour where two boats could anchor."

"I watch my mirror image brush away the tears. I trace the outline of my face in the mirror. My light-coloured eyes stare back at me, a little sad perhaps, but still sparkling. A small face, pale skin, dark hair. Ordinary. A forehead, a jaw, a nose. Nothing special. Except it's my face. Hidden behind it are my thoughts and stories, including today's. Is it a Jewish face that looks back at me? It doesn't feel Jewish. But how does that actually feel? I have no idea."

Here is an interview with Jeska about her book.

Jeska Verstegen is an author and illustrator living in Amsterdam. She is a descendant of Emanuel Querido, the revolutionary Jewish-Dutch publisher who was captured and killed by the Nazis in World War II. Jeska began her career in 1990 as an illustrator for magazines and children's books. I’ll Keep You Close is her debut novel, based on the true story of her own family history.

Debut author Vestergen tells this true story of her family’s previously unrevealed identity and history. ... Setting this book apart from other Holocaust survivor stories are the language and imagery, a family story that focuses on very young children, the Dutch setting, and the attempts of a sensitive young person to understand mystifying adult behavior and PTSD—in its specificity, it finds the universal. Kirkus Star review

Here is the Dutch cover of I'll Keep you Close.

Read about the translator Bill Nagelkerke here. He translated has some books I have read and enjoyed: Eep! by Joke van Leeuwen; The Day My Father Became a Bush by Joke Van Leeuwan; and Wolf and Dog by Sylvia Vanden Heede.

The Letter with the Golden Stamp by Onjali Q Rauf

Audrey lives with her mum (Mam) and twin younger siblings. Things are very tough for the family and Audrey knows it is her job, even though she is only nine years old, to keep everyone safe. To do this she has to keep her mum's illness secret. And she has to be sure the authorities (Them) don't find out about mam or the bills they can't pay or their shortage of food. Her days are a roller coaster of emotions as she assesses her Mam's pain levels, wrangles her brother and sister and tries to maintain a web of lies with her two best friends. There is one person, though, who brightens every day - Mo the postman. Audrey collects stamps and Mo brings her all sorts of interesting ones he also has a cheerful smile at her door each morning. I love the way everyone recognises his door knocking pattern. The doctor also does home visits and so he tries to help especially when the pain medications need increasing but things are coming to a head for Mam and Audrey.

Mam's bedroom is upstairs and the bathroom is downstairs. Mam finds it so hard on some days to go up and down. Audrey calls these nightmare days. The doctor tells Mam - in a conversation overheard by Audrey, that Mam needs a wheelchair, a stair lift and they need to add an ensuite bathroom upstairs. But how could they ever possibly afford even one of these things? There is government assistance, but this could take up to a year and Mam needs these things now. 

"After I made up my mind to get Mam everything she needed for the doctor's orders, I tried to think of what I could do to afford them ... I knew we needed thousands of pounds - electric wheelchairs and getting a whole bathroom and a stairlift would probably cost more than everything we owned all put together. So I made a list of all the things I might try ..."

Audrey thinks of winning the lottery - but she has no money for a ticket and she is too young to buy one anyway. Holding a bake sale - but she cannot cook and has no money for ingredients. Do a sponsored run - but who would sponsor her for thousands of pounds to run around their small town?

Adding to the pressure strange people have moved in across the road and Audrey is convinced it is THEM - the welfare authorities sent to spy on the family.

Audrey's dad left two years ago. Audrey is Welsh, so she calls her dad Tad. Just as a side note Onjali who has Bangladeshi heritage now lives in Swansea, Wales. I enjoyed the way she added Welsh words - just a few - into this story. Every Christmas the children receive every item on their Santa wish lists. Audrey is sure these expensive and generous gifts come from Tad. Audrey is a problem solver. Her Mam needs help. The family need money. Tad must be rich. She finds an old envelope with his address. Surely if Audrey writes to Tad and explains their dire circumstances, he will rush to help them. Mo helps with the posting. The letter is sent. But then just a few days later it is returned with red 'return to sender' stamps all over the envelope. 

This story is told in the form of a police confession. Audrey has done something quite desperate to try to reach her Tad. She recounts the events leading up to her wild postal journey and the desperate chase by the authorities as they try to catch her. By the end of the book I was sobbing! One of the reviewers below uses the word 'compelling' and that is SO true. I just kept turning page after to page desperate to find out what Audrey did that led to her interview at the police station and also desperate to reach, what I hoped would be, a happy ending. I think readers aged 10+ will really enjoy this personal recount of Audrey's journey to help her mother and her family. The writing style may be very different from other books but it is well worth persevering until the rhythm of the writing feels natural - this is what happened to me as I was reading. 

Through Amy’s vivid storytelling we get a beautiful sense of the characters and the warm local community around her and especially of Mo, the local postman who keeps secret his own hidden support for Audrey and her family. The author explains her own fascination with stamps and her admiration for these community champions and I can see this gem of a book inspiring a whole new generation of letter writers. Love Reading4Kids

The story is very compelling, and Audrey makes a brave, funny, kind protagonist. Despite the serious subject, it’s a fun, fast-paced easy read with a very hopeful ending.The book shines a light on the challenges faced by over a million young carers in the UK. Book Trust

Publisher blurb: Deep in the heart of Swansea, Wales, lives a small girl with some big secrets to keep. Secrets that make her one of the best actresses on the planet – because no-one would ever think that, away from school, Audrey is the sole carer for her increasingly sick mam and her two younger siblings … or a seasoned thief. With her worlds threatened by the arrival of a mysterious, invisible neighbour, behind whose closed curtains and shut front door may lie a spy, Audrey must take matters into her own hands to save her family. Inspired by her beloved collection of stamps, her friendly neighbourhood postman (and fellow stamp collector), and her two best friends, off Audrey must go: on an adventure that will lead her to places – and hearts – she never knew existed.

Just look at that cover of The Letter with the Golden Stamp - I knew I HAD to read this book and then I saw the author. I really, really enjoyed four of her previous books:

The Boy at the Back of the Class

Night Bus Hero

The Star outside my Window

The Lion above the Door

In a couple of days I will talk about a new Australian book - The Kindness Project by Deborah Abela - it would be a perfect companion book to read after The Letter with the Golden Stamp.

You might also look for these:

The Meaning of Maggie

The Honest Truth