Jasper Jones

Set in 1965, Craig Silvey has written a coming of age novel set in a remote Western Australian mining town. Thirteen year old Charlie Bucktin recounts the events that resulted from a knock on his bedroom window one night when Jasper Jones asked for his help. Charlie agrees to go with Jasper and they discover the body of a sister of a friend hidden in the bush. If they go to the police they know that Jasper will be accused of murder because he has Aboriginal heritage. They therefore decide to hide the body while attempting to determine who the killer might be.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey is largely a book about relationships, often in dysfunctional families. It is soon obvious that the town has many secrets and the situation becomes worse with the fear that other crimes have / might occur. Trying to discover the truth proves to be a challenge. Meanwhile Charlie strives to maintain his friendship with his best fried, Jeffrey Lu, whose family are refugees from South Vietnam, as well as with Eliza, a girl he admires. Most of the story occurs in the summer holidays, however, Charlie also attempts to reduce the bullying that he encounters from a group of fellow students.

The novel Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey was published in 2009. It won the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010, Indie Book of the Year Award and the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Fiction. It was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award and a number of other awards. Jasper Jones was produced as a play in 2024 and was released as a film in 2017.

Runt

Runt is a ragged looking dog. He doesn't have a home and roams about the country town of Upson Downs scavenging for food. That is until he finds Annie Shearer and they become best friends. Eleven year old Annie lives on a sheep farm with her parents, Bryan and Susie, her brother Max and her grandma Dolly. Times are hard on the farm and the family is in debt. A large landowner in the area controls the water supply and want to purchase their farm. Annie desperately looks for some way to assist her family.

Annie discovers that Runt has a special talent for tackling agility courses however he will not perform in front of an audience. Annie must find a way of resolving this challenge if Runt is to take part in dog agility competitions and win prize money that will help save the farm.

My eleven year old grandson and I have enjoyed reading and discussing Runt by Craig Silvey. The book is a delight to read. Themes in the novel include the importance of family, friendship, tolerance, resilience, strength of human spirit, acceptance and learning to be yourself. The book deserves the awards it has won including the Australian Book Industry Award, Children's Book Council Award and Indie Book Awards for 2023 as well as the Dymocks' Book of the Year for Younger Readers 2022.

In 2025, Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping - the sequel to Runt - by Craig Silvey was published. My grandson enthusiastically read this book with me and enjoyed trying to anticipate what will happen next, as well as who the baddie is. 

Runt has been dognapped and will only be returned if Annie wins the dog championships to be held at Upson Downs. With Runt missing Annie has to find and train another dog. Fortunately Annie and her family are looking after a dog, also named Annie, and the two Annies train to enter the dance section of the dog show.

Throughout the book we learn not only about the current events in the town but also additional information about events that occurred in the the initial book, Runt. We also learn the story about the mystery of Runt's disappearance. This is another fun book to read with lots of amusing situations and characters.

Honeybee

When fourteen year old Sam Watson was standing on the bridge of an overpass planning to jump he noticed an elderly man further along the bridge watching him. Sam changed his mind and eventually a friendship formed between Sam and Vic. 

As the story, told by Sam, develops we learn of the lives of Sam and Vic and their struggle to continue living. Sam has escaped from an unhappy home environment while Vic mourns the death of his wife and companion, Edie. Sam also struggles in accepting who he is and how he wants to live his life. Over time he meets Aggie and Peter who also befriend and assist him.

This is a readable and moving account of the journey of a young man learning to trust and understand others and himself.