It’s dawn, on an empty road in the countryside. Empty, except for the girl in the long, red evening gown, standing next to a bicycle, and looking back at the home she’s about to leave. Mannie’s ready to start a new life and forget the terrible things that have happened here, but there are questions that need to be answered before she can let go. Questions about her elegant but unstable mother, her brother who’s always overshadowed her, and his friend Harry Jacob, who just might be Mannie’s boyfriend. And her only clue is an unfamiliar address in Melbourne, written on a scrap of paper found in her brother’s room. As she makes her journey to the city, the mystery of this vulnerable, quirky girl is revealed piece by piece in her search for a way to become whole again. With rare sensitivity and a poetic voice that is unmistakably her own, Martine Murray tells a story about growing up and listening to your heart.
Fiction
Fiction genre
No and Me
The international award-winning story of two girls from different backgrounds, united in friendship Parisian teenager Lou has an IQ of 160, OCD tendencies, and a mother who has suffered from depression for years. But Lou is about to change her life—and that of her parents—all because of a school project about homeless teens. While doing research, Lou meets No, a teenage girl living on the streets. As their friendship grows, Lou bravely asks her parents if No can live with them, and is astonished when they agree. No’s presence forces Lou’s family to come to terms with a secret tragedy. But can this shaky, newfound family continue to live together when No’s own past comes back to haunt her? Winner of the prestigious Booksellers’ Prize in France, No and Me is a timely and thought-provoking novel about homelessness that has far-reaching appeal.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 1
Anno’s Spain
The imaginative Anno takes us through Spain in his newest journey book, depicting the enchanting cities and eras of this intriguing country. Wordless book.
Anno’s Alphabet
Each letter of the alphabet accompanies a full-page picture puzzle of an object whose name begins with that letter.
Anno’s U.S.A.
In wordless panoramas, Anno travels through history in his search for things American.
Anno’s Journey
A colorful, wordless book takes young readers on a wonderous tour of northern Europe, seeing its landscape, geography, and architecture along the way
Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar
Simple text and pictures combine to present a fascinating and fun lesson demonstrating the mathematical concept of factorials.
A Not Scary Story About Big Scary Things
A little boy walking through an ordinary forest encounters an extraordinary monster.
The Secret Message
Alone, imprisoned in a golden cage, and far from the jungles of home, a parrot longs for freedom. Will he ever escape?
Thanks to a secret mesage passed along by his friends in India, the parrot outwits his wealthy owner and soars to freedom. Based on an ancient Persian poem, The Secret Message is a story of surprising cleverness, powerful solidarity, exotic travels, and a simple wish fulfilled.
A Bottle In The Gaza Sea
Seventeen-year-old Tal Levine of Jerusalem, despondent over the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, puts her hopes for peace in a bottle and asks her brother, a military nurse in the Gaza Strip, to toss it into the sea, leading ultimately to friendship and understanding.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 3