The Messenger Bird

By Rosanne Hawke

The story unfurls around the family's old farmhouse which sits in the heart of old Cornwall in SA. The house is steeped in history which carries you on a historical journey encompassing the past, present and future. A tragedy to the family early on leaves you feeling their loss. The girl Tamar and her Dad aren't coping and the township are not able to help, but a family new to the township, and not knowing the tragedy, bring life back for Tamara and her Dad.

"Beautifully written, descriptive and a honest account of country life for a gregarious teenage girl and her family. There are many twist and turns, and the refreshing thing is, you don't see them coming. It may be pegged as a young adult novel, but I didn't read it this way, I read it as a family in crisis, a step back in time and a way forward. A must read". Sue Hill, General Manager, TBBC.

"Told from the perspective of Tamar and her neighbour Gavin it puts you in the heads of these teenagers who have experienced their own respective losses. The different time periods shown give insights into life in a country town in the 1800s and the present. It could be enjoyed by both teenagers and adults". Annie TBBC.

 

Author

 

Rosanne Hawke is an award-winning South Australian author. She has lived in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates as an aid worker for ten years. Her books include The Keeper, Soraya, the Storyteller, Mustara, Taj and the Great Camel Trek (winner of the 2012 Adelaide Festival Children's Literature Award) and The Messenger Bird. She is a Carclew, Asialink, Varuna and May Gibbs Fellow, and a Bard of Cornwall. She teaches Creative Writing at Tabor Adelaide, and writes in an old Cornish farmhouse with underground rooms near Kapunda.

Many of her books have been recognised by The Childrens' Book Council of Australia.

 

Rosanne Hawke's website

 

Publisher

 

Other titles by Rosanne Hawke -

 

Mountain Wolf

Taj and the Great Camel Trek

Marrying Ameera

The Wishgiver

Mustara

The Last Virgin in Year 10

Soraya, the Storyteller

The Collector

Yardil

Across the Creek

Borderland

Wolfchild

Zenna Dare

Sailmaker

A Kiss in Every WAve

The Keeper