What’s the book about?
Navigation skills have many uses, but can they help Hester find her place in the universe?
It’s 1866 and Hester Hitchins’ father is missing at sea.
Determined to find him, eleven-year-old Hester wins a place at Addington’s Nautical Navigation Academy, where she will learn to navigate by the stars. But the academy is just for boys, and what’s more, no one seems to be in charge.
Bumbling schoolmaster Captain Slingsby doesn’t know anything about navigation. Lord Addington is obsessed with building the world’s biggest telescope and Lady Addington believes that falling stars are the souls of the dead.
With the help of a lodestone, her new friends Pru and Nelson, and a dazzling meteor storm, can Hester set things right – and find her own place in the universe?
Recommended for:
Ages 10+.
Three reasons to read it:
- In Norton’s newest book, readers follow Hester Hitchins, a fantastically well-written and fun character that is perfect for young readers. Hester is smart and brave, but also not perfect. Along her adventure, she makes many mistakes, and over time, once the last page is turned, learns important lessons that make her a stronger person.
- Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars is an innovative kid’s book as it takes place in 1866. Norton has done an immaculate job at conveying atmosphere in the historical setting through her profound writing. The detail is very refined and accurate, making this a must-read for parents who want to share some history with their kids.
- The characters are memorable, and one day, will be iconic. From Lord and Lady Addington, Pru and Nelson, to Captain Slingsby, readers will fall in love with the crazy cast. Norton does a great job at making each character feel real and three-dimensional as they help Hester on her wild journey.
Buy a copy of Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars here.
About the author:
Catherine Norton’s first novel, Crossing, was joint winner of the Patricia Wrightson Prize in the 2015 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. It was also a CBCA Notable Book. She was born in the UK but grew up mostly in Adelaide, where she lives with her husband, children and a very lazy whippet called Archer. She has had dozens of jobs, including travel agent, cleaner, packer of tulip bulbs and novelty stationery, publishing assistant and academic, but she has only ever been fired from two of them. Writing novels is by far her favourite.
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