Audrey's Big Secret #3
Author: Christine Harris
Illustrator: Ann James
ISBN: 978-1-921272-53-0
Publisher: Little Hare Books Sept 2009
Audrey Barlow has a secret. What will she do about it? She is torn between keeping a promise and telling the truth. Should she keep the secret or tell her family?
Choices are never easy. Especially when someone could be hurt.
Awards
- South Australian Festival Awards 2010 - shortlisted
- Children's Book Council of Australia 2010 - Notable Book
Buy this Book
Also available:
UK - Amazon;
USA - Amazon
More Info
Reviews
'Audrey Barlow has the difficult job of solving a mystery and then keeping it secret – no easy feat for the lively and imaginative eight year old. Christine Harris has created an unforgettable character in this well crafted and beautifully written novel. With her wisdom, quaint humour and belief in miracles, Audrey bravely helps right a wrong by keeping a runaway in her cubby in the bush. The third in a series set in outback SA during the depression years, this original stand alone novel makes accessible for young readers not only an historical period and the issue of the Stolen Generation, but the richness of family and community life. The story is enhanced by Ann James’ illustrations which are as delightful as Audrey herself.'
Judges Report SA Festival Awards shortlisting 2010
'The third in this Adelaide author’s engaging 1930s series about a little girl with an inquiring mind, a lively imagination and an extensive vocabulary in Australian slang introduces young readers to the concept of the stolen generations. Audrey finds a child on the run from the mission. With her own close-knit Outback family and her recent discovery that her mother talks to the two little dead sisters in their graves by the well, Audrey feels sympathy for Janet and fiercely guards her secret. Harris organises a neat, believable solution to the dilemma in this most original and satisfying novel of the series.'
Katherine England, SA Advertiser October 2009
'I was immediately immersed in Audrey's life in a bush hut in outback South Asutralia in the early part of last century. Audrey personifies every isolated girl who has a rich inner life ... she works with the magical possibilities of the ordinary. Two visitors to the property ... have secrets they entrust to Audrey, which she must conceal from not only her family but Authority at large. Part social history, part backyard adventure, this will be very popular with children and parents ... Christine Harris has created Audrey's world, and in particular her sense of time, in a way which mmakes it very accessible. The pen and ink illustrations by Ann James support and extend the story and the whole is a satisfying package for the reader new to chapter books.'
Margaret Robson Kett, Magpies, September 2009
'A ghost in the night, a stranger in the cubby house and an encounter with the law are all in store for Audrey in this latest book in the 'Audrey of the Outback' series ... Audrey knows only too well the importance of family and what it means to be apart from those you love but in order to protect her friend, Audrey will need to keep the truth from her parents. Our heroine is placed in an awkward position ... Audrey is a likeable character who is loyal and caring and it is through her child's eyes that Christine Harris can weave the themes of the love, loss and the Stolen Generation through the story and present them in a way that is ideally suited to readers six - ten years.'
Junior Bookseller Publisher, September - October 2009
External Reviews
If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:
Book categories