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Amy is a keen children’s book nerd and spends a lot of time reading and reviewing picture books with her toddler, Fenrir. But it’s not all colourful pictures! Her passion is getting kids reading, and her life's mission is to get the right books in the right hands. Ask her for advice or recommend something to her and watch her eyes light up!
Julia Lawrinson was in store with the YA Club on February 3rd 2017. Read the transcript here for a glimpse into the thought and writing process.
Amelia is a seventeen year old Year 12 student in Perth, whose life is turned upside down when she finds out her father has younger onset Alzheimer’s disease.
While it is a fairly quick read, the message behind it is so powerful and deep, I felt tears building as I read and often found I had to put the book down and think about a lot of the points raised in the story.
I could identify with Amelia so much. She pours herself into her art and the approval of her teacher becomes a very focused thing. I like the raw admittance of her reveries as she imagines what Ms M will say about her piece. It’s also something she associates with her dad.
Her friendship circle is small but she is fiercely loyal and her best friend Gemma suffering from an eating disorder adds another layer to this incredible story.
The way she describes her relationship with her father is very similar to what I have with my own. So with every memory or thought she shared, I was nodding my head and remembering things I did with my dad that made me feel the same way and with that in mind, my heart broke for Amelia as every bad turn broke hers.
With all of this happening in her life, Amelia stays true to herself and keeps going even when she feels like throwing her hands up in the air and walking away. I really admired that the author did this and didn’t make the teen protagonist overly dramatic and selfish.
The emphasis on the importance of supporting each other and using information available to better understand what is happening and cope as a family is a major key to this story.
I love books that reference places I’ve been, so being set in Perth, WA and the descriptive way Julia Lawrinson writes put me there in Amelia’s world, walking right beside her.
Thank you for this story. It has so much meaning to me as I know it has meaning to the author. I think all readers will appreciate the honesty and the urgency of getting this perspective out.
I also recommend this to book clubs, schools and libraries for discussion, alongside Dianne Touchell’s Forgetting Foster.
