All The Little Tricky Things by Karys McEwen.Supplied
While there are no great quests in the pages of these books,no dragons to slay,and no one to rescue or conquer,that’s not to say that each of these young protagonists doesn’t have a fight on their hands. For some,the battle is to become their true selves;for others,it’s more about learning to trust and take risks. What they all share,ultimately,is hard-won resilience,and an unwavering self-belief.
InAll The Little Tricky Things (Text),12-year-old Bertie has six weeks of summer to enjoy,but lurking at the end of the holidays is the first day at St Martin’s,a private high school in the city,geographically and emotionally miles away from small-town Merri High,home to all that’s familiar and her best friend Claire.
The two are tight,but also chalk and cheese. Claire’s matured early,has flawless olive skin,and is the best netballer in town. Bertie is on the short side,with freckles and a fringe long enough to hide behind. Deep down,Bertie’s worried she’s the frumpy one in the duo,but when Claire comes up with the Summer List,11 tasks aimed to give Bertie a confidence boost,life gets interesting.
The tasks range from low risk (shaving legs,reading Judy Blume),to kissing someone and venturing into the city alone. Each activity pushes Bertie out of her comfort zone,and as the challenges become more difficult,cracks in the girls’ friendship begins to appear.
Debut writer and high-school librarian Karys McEwen astutely homes in on that complicated and specific space between leaving primary school and facing a completely new stage in life. Between impending periods,crushes,making new friends and keeping old ones,McEwen honours the complexity of the tween-experience,and infuses it with warmth and originality. Ultimately,Bertie discovers that although all of her experiences and anxieties feel unique,she’s far from alone.
The Greatest Thing
Sarah Winifred Searle
Allen&Unwin,$19.99
Another young protagonist is dreading the start of the school year in Sarah Winifred Searle’s graphic novel,The Greatest Thing (Allen&Unwin).
Winifred Rose Cunningham,a shy,creative student,is returning to her high school … alone – her two best friends have transferred to a private school. Win feels abandoned and worse,out of place. Her childhood friend Mathilda does her best to make Win feel better,but nothing can stifle simmering feelings of self-loathing.
The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred SearleSupplied
To fill the void,Win loads up on extra classes,including Photo 101,where she meets Oscar and April. The trio bond over a shared love for zines,movies,crushes and pondering life’s existential questions,but a not-so-harmless game of truth or dare exposes a secret. The closer Win gets to her new friends,the harder it is to hide certain parts of her life.
Consider yourself made of stone if you readThe Greatest Thing and don’t feel a tsunami of emotions as Fred grapples with body image,panic attacks and finding the confidence to treat herself with the same kindness she so generously extends to everyone else.
Searle’s graphic novel focuses on acutely painful feelings,but instead of labelling them shameful,they are gently teased out into the light where they can be explored with tenderness and honesty. The illustrations are beautifully executed and full of subtlety,from the rising tint on Win’s cheeks,to furtive glances and moments of high drama.
The Way of Dog
Zana Fraillon
UQP,$16.99
The Way of Dogby Zana FraillonSupplied
Prepare to have your heart smooshed in the best possible way in Zana Fraillon’s tender and grittyThe Way of Dog(UQP). Born in a puppy farm run by GrowlMan,Scruffity’s days are marred by fear and distress as he watches his mamma and siblings disappear one at time. Manpup,the owner’s stepson,bonds with Scruffity and together they decide to break free from their mental and physical cages and hit the wide open road together.
What follows is an irresistible adventure,and with each difficult encounter,Scruffity learns more about what it is to be human,and what it takes to be a dog – a verygood dog.
Fraillon’s unique verse novel zings with energy as she skilfully plays with language in a way that gives voice to Scruffity. His joys,losses,fears and hopes are all vividly conveyed thanks to Fraillon’s gift with words,and Sean Buckingham’s evocative illustrations.The Way of Dog has dark moments,but it’s a story that will warm readers’ hearts,not break them.
Tracks of the Missing
Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler
Magabala Books,$16.99
Tracks of the Missing by Carl Merrison and Hakea HustlerSupplied
Tracks of the Missing by Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler (Magabala Books) is a gripping First Nations thriller about Deklan ‘Dek’ Archer,a promising young footy player.
As Dek makes his way to school,he can sense something isn’t right in his small home town,and he’s right. When old Mr Henry,an unpopular local who was sly grogging,is found face down in a dam,Officer Thomas,a new cop from the city,has lots of questions.
But that isn’t the 15-year-old’s only concern. A group of year 12 students,including his cousin,and potential girlfriend Jenny,haven’t returned from a science and geography camp and Dek fears he might be,at least in part,responsible. Reluctantly,Dek agrees to join a search party,with his grandfather,who is a legendary tracker,and Officer Thomas.
As the trio head deeper into Country,Dek is both drawn to and unsettled by his grandfather’s deep connection with the land and his ability to sense the unknown.
In the later part of the book,there is a distinct and satisfying gear change. The pace backs off and draws readers even deeper into the heart of the story and Country – you can almost feel the heat and the red dirt in your hands.
Ultimately this cracking read,which was shortlisted for the 2018 Daisy Utemorrah Award,veers off into unexpected places while exploring all the shades of grey that exist between right and wrong,black and white,justice and forgiveness. The dual authors expertly build tension while layering powerful messages about intergenerational trauma,racism,Indigenous culture and spirituality.
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