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Murray, Martine
4 Reviews
(3)
4-6
Introspective Joey discovers that a girl has built a treehouse (mistaken for a spaceship) on the hill he visits alone to play his guitar. He nicknames the girl "Marsh," short for Martian, and is baffled and fascinated by her. As the two forge a friendship based on music, Marsh's poignant backstory emerges. This well-crafted Australian novel explores the nuances of friendship and family.
Reviewer: Renée Wheeler
(3)
4-6
Molly envies her best friend, whose mom runs a traditional household. Her own mother, a fey vegetarian, gathers plants to make potions. When her mother accidentally turns herself into a tree, devastated Molly wants her old mom back. With the help of Pim, another outsider at school, she gets just that. Accompanied by Murray's delicate black-and-white spot art, this middle-grade fantasy is charming, whimsical, and satisfying.
Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene
(3)
YA
Seventeen-year-old Mannie has spent her life waiting for something she doesn't know is coming. But when tragedy strikes twice, she's compelled to start searching. Leaving her small Australian hometown for the big city, she makes unexpected discoveries about love, her family, and herself. Told through flashbacks and Mannie's introspective narration, this is a vivid story.
Reviewer: Lana Barnes
(2)
4-6
In this captivating first novel, twelve-year-old Cedar grapples with her older brother's absence, the truth about her dead father, and a new friendship--and performs in a circus--all in the context of the day-to-day events of a suburban Australian neighborhood. Cedar's first-person narration features an originality of expression that will carry readers through both the particularities of an unfamiliar setting and a large cast of eclectic characters.
Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2003
4 reviews
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