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Monday 27 October 2014

Review: The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie

Lucy’s big sister Claire had a terrible fall in Paris so her mother is rushing to be by Claire’s side. Lucy’s Dad is on contract, working in the outback so that means Lucy has to stay with Aunty Big at Avendale, an isolated country property.

There is no T.V. or computer and you can forget about the internet: Aunty Big likes to read and paint. She’s just plain crotchety and a little bit frail and there’s not a lot to do at Avendale. How will Lucy last the weeks and weeks of summer holidays out there, alone with Aunty Big? To top it all off, the family won’t be together for Christmas. Lucy is convinced that life sucks.


On the very first night at Avendale, Lucy wakes to the sound of someone calling her name, but it’s not Aunty Big. She wanders the house until she is in the inside-outside room where the seasons of Avendale are painted from floor to ceiling, one season for each wall. As Lucy reaches out to touch the spring flowers that seem to be swaying in the breeze, her hand goes right through the wall.

And so begins the biggest adventure you could ever imagine. Where does Lucy go when she walks through walls? Who is calling her name? Will it all end in disaster? And what about Aunty Big? Is there more to her story than Lucy realises?

This gentle holiday tale is perfect for anyone wanting to escape into a different, but very real world.

Title: The Four Seasons of Lucy MsKenzie
Author: Kirsty Murray
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $14.99 RRP
Publication Date: August 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781743317020
For ages: 8+ years
Type: Middle Fiction