Ilona Urquhart is a children’s and youth services librarian on the Surf Coast and has a PhD in literary studies. When a former police officer and paramedic writes a novel inspired by true stories of online predators and love gone wrong, you know youre getting the real deal. It’s a bit of a bumpy ride, but Seven Days will suit readers aged 10 and up who enjoy fast-moving adventure stories like Jack Heath’s ‘Liars’ series. The book’s implication that the children of today can make up for the actions of previous generations is a very timely one. However, the novel’s greater purpose is exploring the ongoing effects of wrongs committed in the past. There are a number of major twists and the novel is action-packed, with Ben and Josh making decisions as extreme as breaking into the zoo in order to solve the mystery in seven days. Ben and-with reluctance-his cousin Josh soon find themselves uncovering generations-old family secrets and on the hunt for buried treasure. The only child of distant parents, Ben Parker is sent to stay with his father’s family for a week in the home town of generations of Parkers. Seven Days is a peculiar mix of gothic tropes, ‘boys’ own adventure’ and introspection in rural Australia. Ferris’s second middle-grade novel after the environmental fairytale Nullaboo Hullabaloo is thematically much closer to her YA novels. Of a Young Australian Best Book Award (YABBA) for her debut YA novel Risk, Fleur Ferris has subsequently built a reputation for dark and compelling YA thrillers.
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