Description
Malt’s life is turned upside down when his mother announces they are moving yet again. But this time, it’s to her home town of Pembrooke. And Malt will be meeting his grandmother for the very first time. But things aren’t all that they seem in Pembrooke, leaving Malt with many questions. Like, who is his father really? Who is the mysterious girl who keeps appearing in the trees? Why does a beautiful white owl keep coming to his window? And what sinister things lie within Bushman’s Valley? Will Malt ever find out the truth and a place to truly belong?
Review
It has only ever been Malt and his Mum. And things have never been easy. He knows she loves him, but they have lived a transient life and are always on the move, looking for something somewhere. His Mum is always saying that things that will get better, but Malt has heard it all before.
Moving to her old hometown is supposed to be the answer. But with a grandmother that he has never met, and the promise of meeting his elusive father, who Malt has always been told was a ‘secret-soldier’, Malt finds himself in limbo once again.
Malt soon realises that his mother hasn’t really changed at all, and that the relationship between and his mum and his grandmother is a very strained one, but Malt doesn’t really know why. Malt takes a liking to walking with his dog, Banjo, and exploring their surrounds. And when his elusive father does eventually appear, it is far from the meeting that he dreamed about.
But it is the young, mysterious girl in a pale dress who keeps appearing to him, and who becomes his friend, who will change everything. Malt might finally find the answers he has been looking for, his Mum might finally stop running from the past, and those around him might all find the peace that has eluded them for all these years.
Malt is a wonderful character who you will love, and the relationship that he forms with his grandmother is what he has been longing for his whole life. It is a story that has themes of family, friendship and belonging.
It will be enjoyed by all those in upper primary and lower secondary.
