'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Saturday 1 June 2013

Review: Dear Scarlett

On her eleventh birthday, Scarlett receives a box left to her by her dead father. It contains secrets of his life; things she needs to decode. He has left her clues to something more valuable than she can imagine.

Fleur suffers humiliation at school due to her father’s reputation. Her mother has kept his secrets well in order to protect her daughter. From what, Scarlett will discover later, but in the meantime she is tempted to follow what appears to be her father’s trade as a thief. She discovers that deception is a web, that once woven, can’t easily be destroyed.

Together with Ellie, her now best friend, Scarlett sets out to learn the truth about her dad. Was he a thief as everyone believes, or is there another layer to the story waiting to be discovered? Her father’s police friend is now her mother’s boyfriend. Is he concealing information about her dad?

All these things need research based on the articles in the box, otherwise Fleur will never learn the truth about who her father really was. And can she undo the damage she’s done to herself? 

This is a terrific mystery novel about unanswered questions and the power of love, even beyond death. Its short chapters make riveting reading and will encourage reluctant readers to keep turning the pages.

Title: Dear Scarlett
Author: Fleur Hitchcock
Illustrator: Sarah J. Coleman
Publisher: nosy crow, $15.99
Publication Date: April 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780857631503
For ages: 9+
Type: Junior Fiction