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From Governor General's Literary Award finalist Michelle Kadarusman comes a novel about a young violinist who discovers her mother's family secretly harbor a sanctuary for extinct Tasmanian tigers in the remote Australian rainforest
Shipped halfway around the world to spend the summer with her mom's eccentric Australian relatives, middle schooler and passionate violinist Louisa is prepared to be resentful. But life at the family's remote camp in the Tasmanian rainforest is intriguing, to say the least. There are pig-footed bandicoots, scary spiders, weird noises and odors in the night, and a quirky boy named Colin who cooks the most amazing meals. Not the least strange is her Uncle Ruff, with his unusual pet and veiled hints about something named Convict Rock.
Finally, Louisa learns the truth: Convict Rock is a sanctuary established by her great-grandmother Eleanor--a sanctuary for Tasmanian tigers, Australia's huge marsupials that were famously hunted into extinction almost a hundred years ago. Or so the world believes. Hidden in the rainforest at Convict Rock, one tiger remains. But now the sanctuary is threatened by a mining operation, and the last Tasmanian tiger must be lured deeper into the forest. The problem is, not since her great-grandmother has a member of the family been able to earn the shy tigers' trust.
As the summer progresses, Louisa forges unexpected connections with Colin, with the forest, and--through Eleanor's journal--with her great-grandmother. She begins to suspect the key to saving the tiger is her very own music. But will her plan work? Or will the enigmatic Tasmanian tiger disappear once again, this time forever?
A moving coming-of-age story wrapped up in the moss, leaves, and blue gums of the Tasmanian rainforest where, hidden under giant ferns, crouches its most beloved, and lost, creature.
Gr 5-7--The last place Louisa wants to be for the summer is the middle of the Tasmanian bush with an uncle she barely knows. She should be back home in Canada, relentlessly practicing violin for her orchestra audition. But with her biologist parents studying a frog habitat away from home, Louisa finds herself halfway around the world on an unrequested adventure. She always considered herself a musician and quite unlike her animal crazy family, but will the summer uncover secrets about the past to change her mind? Could it be her musical talents run deeper in her family line than she ever expected? And then there is Colin, a boy with autism spectrum disorder who is overflowing with knowledge about her new surroundings but oblivious about how to handle his bullies. Saving the last of a supposedly extinct species, caring for baby Tasmanian devils, facing her fears, and standing up for what's right are just a few of the adventures in store for Louisa. This is a well-told and timely story, which gently but firmly addresses topics such as environmental impact, endangered species, neurodiversity, friendship, bullying, and being your best self. Some of the vocabulary could be daunting for developing readers but short chapters and narrative style make a fantastic amount of information highly accessible. VERDICT A solid choice for middle grade collections providing a balanced and comprehensible voice to the environmental discussion for young people.--Emily Beasley, Omaha Public Schools
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