Monday, January 27, 2014

The four seasons of Lucy McKenzie by Kirsty Murray

"I reckon you really could be twins anyway,' said Tom. 'Sometimes one twin is bigger than the other. We should call them Big and Little."

Lucy is the youngest child in a family of five.  Her two older siblings are adults.  "Lucy McKenzie was an afterthought. By the time she had arrived ... Jack and Claire were almost grown-up."

Claire is living in Paris but as the story opens she has been involved in a serious accident and so mum needs to rush to France.  Meanwhile dad has an important contract which involves visiting mines in remote Queensland so Lucy is sent to stay with her elderly aunt - Aunty Big.

The four seasons of the title refers to a special room in the old home of Avendale.  Each wall has a mural with a scene showing the different seasons of the landscape around the house.  "Lucy wanted to like the room, but there was something about it that made her uneasy."

The Four seasons of Lucy McKenzie is a simple timeslip.  Using the murals Lucy visits the family of her relations starting with 1939.  While there she helps with a major bush fire, saves Alice from a flood, finds some special friends and makes discoveries about her own heritage.

Here is a detailed review.  Here is the web site for the illustrator.  You might also enjoy Playing Beatie Bow, Cicada Summer, The Ivory Rose or Tom's midnight garden.  This book is also part of the NSW School Magazine bookshelf for 2014.  I am not a huge fan of timeslip stories but this one had a terrific setting, very like able characters and most important of all - an emotional ending.

No comments: