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booksellersdiary 's review for:
The Year the Maps Changed
by Danielle Binks
'I was eleven when everything started and twelve by the end. But that's another way maps lie, because it felt like the distance travelled was a whole lot further than that.'
Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land-grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.
This #LoveOzMG debut is at once sweet and a little sad. Fred is a highly likeable protagonist, displaying intelligence and compassion far beyond that of a regular tween girl. She has her faults, but ultimately she learns from her errors and has some rad adults guiding her. She has some truly profound moments, there are lessons in this book that some adults I know IRL could do with learning.
Fred and her friends and family immediately make the reader feel comfortable in joining their journey. The detail of local colour in this is wonderful, since I moved to Melbourne reading books set in and around the city and the Bay have been a priority for me. From the title, it’s no surprise that the geography of the local area would come into play - I could smell the briny sea, hear the rumble of the 787 bus and I knew what Fred’s house and street looked like.
I loved that Fred’s parents play a prominent role in the story, often in Middle Grade and YA the focus is solely on the child protagonist and the adults are conveniently cut out. It was really good to have Fred’s insight to some very adult themes and scenes. Kids pick up on more than we realise, and having the adults be allowed to exist in her world allowed for explanation of those themes.
Middle Grade isn’t my usual read, most of you know I am a #LitFic snob. But when a middle grade novel fights through the internet algorithms for me to stumble across it, then I know it’s worth the read. Binks does a tremendous job at dissecting themes of compassion, racism, community, grief and family.
Fred's family is a mess. Fred's mother died when she was six and she's been raised by her Pop and adoptive father, Luca, ever since. But now Pop is at the Rye Rehabilitation Centre recovering from a fall; Luca's girlfriend, Anika, has moved in; and Fred's just found out that Anika and Luca are having a baby of their own. More and more it feels like a land-grab for family and Fred is the one being left off the map.
This #LoveOzMG debut is at once sweet and a little sad. Fred is a highly likeable protagonist, displaying intelligence and compassion far beyond that of a regular tween girl. She has her faults, but ultimately she learns from her errors and has some rad adults guiding her. She has some truly profound moments, there are lessons in this book that some adults I know IRL could do with learning.
Fred and her friends and family immediately make the reader feel comfortable in joining their journey. The detail of local colour in this is wonderful, since I moved to Melbourne reading books set in and around the city and the Bay have been a priority for me. From the title, it’s no surprise that the geography of the local area would come into play - I could smell the briny sea, hear the rumble of the 787 bus and I knew what Fred’s house and street looked like.
I loved that Fred’s parents play a prominent role in the story, often in Middle Grade and YA the focus is solely on the child protagonist and the adults are conveniently cut out. It was really good to have Fred’s insight to some very adult themes and scenes. Kids pick up on more than we realise, and having the adults be allowed to exist in her world allowed for explanation of those themes.
Middle Grade isn’t my usual read, most of you know I am a #LitFic snob. But when a middle grade novel fights through the internet algorithms for me to stumble across it, then I know it’s worth the read. Binks does a tremendous job at dissecting themes of compassion, racism, community, grief and family.