A New Kind of Dreaming

When teenager, Jamie Riley, arrives at Port Barren on the coast of Western Australia he does not know what to expect. After Jamie had been caught stealing cars he was told that this was his last chance. His brother is in gaol. Next time he too would end up in gaol. Instead he has been sent to what might be the most isolated place on earth. On three sides Cape Barren is surrounded by desert - sand with a few scrubby bushes. The ocean borders the fourth side. On arrival in the town Jamie was greeted by his social worker, Lorraine, who introduced him to Archie who owned the house where Jamie would be staying.

Jamie gradually became familiar with his new surroundings but had difficulty fitting in at school. It was not long before he met the town police sergeant who made it clear that he would be watching Jamie very closely. If anything happened in the town it was obvious that Jamie would be blamed.

One day Jamie found an old boat on the beach and went to investigate. The story of how the boat ended up on the beach is an important part of the story. The boat is also where Jamie meets a fellow student, Cameron, and over time they become friends. Jamie knew that something bad happened in the town and was determined to investigate. He did not expect, however, that his life would be in danger.

 A New Kind of Dreaming by Anthony Eaton is a YA crime novel with some of the themes being friendship, trust, refugees, finding your place in the world, learning to belong in a new and strange environment and survival in the desert. It is one of the books that my grandson needed to read for school in year eight. As we read the book together, the story captured his imagination and he looked forward to discovering what happened next.

A New Kind Of Dreaming - Notes - University of Queensland Press 

The Protected

Hannah is struggling with life. At fifteen she has had to live with extreme bullying for a protracted time at school and then her older sister died in a car crash. Hannah's father was seriously injured and her mother rarely leaves her room since her elder daughter died. After Katie's death the bullying stopped but Hannah constantly feels isolated and insecure. 

Her father cannot remember what happened when the car collided with a truck and one year on the police are still trying to put together what happened. An investigation is to be held and Hannah's testimony will be crucial to the case. A school councillor works with Hannah to help her come to grips with the changes and challenges in her life. Hannah also has to cope with the growing tension between her parents at home.

When she meets Josh, a new student at her school, Hannah is reluctant to accept his attempts at friendship however, over time, she realises that she needs to learn to trust people.

The Protected by Claire Zorn has many themes. A major one is the complicated relationship that existed between the two very different sisters, Katie and Hannah. It is also a story about grief and how family members cope, or don't cope, in extremely difficult situations. Hannah's grandparents and the next door neighbour, Mrs Van, try to help the family, especially as the anniversary of the accident approaches but people react to grief in different ways. Another theme is the effect of school yard bullying, not just on the main victim but the pressure on former friends to join the dominant group.

The story is revealed in different time frames. As well as life in the present we learn of life before the accident. At times in present situations Hannah is aware of her sister's voice commenting in the background. It is only towards the end of the book that we learn what happened on the day of the accident and the grief and guilt that followed. It takes time for the family to realise that life goes on and they need to gradually move on though they will never forget what happened on that fateful day.

The Protected is a novel being studied this year in year 10 at the school my grand-daughter attends. The novel contains many opportunities for discussion.

The Protected won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Older Readers in 2015. It also won the 2015 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Young Adult Fiction, 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards Young Adult Fiction Prize and was shortlisted in the 2015 Inky Awards. 

Online reviews:

BookReview by Lisa Fleetwood 

Book review by The Hermit Librarian 

TeachersNotes – University of Queensland Press 

 Liz McShane review

 Children’sBooks Daily

Good Reads reviews