From bestselling, multi-award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad comes a new heartwarming novel set in 1950s Australia.
Nettie Sweeney has a dad, three big sisters, a farm full of cows, and a cat called Mittens. But it’s not enough. She longs for a mother. One with a gentle touch and sparkles in her eyes. Instead, she has Aunty Edith with slappy hands, a sharp tongue and the disturbing belief that peas are proper food.
When Dad marries Alice, all Nettie’s dreams come true. The Sweeney home overflows with laughter, love and, in time, a baby brother. Billy. The light of Nettie’s life.
Then tragedy strikes. The Sweeney family crumbles. Nettie tries to make things right, but has she made everything so much worse?
Silver Linings is a heartbreakingly beautiful and uplifting historical novel. Life and death. Weddings and floods. Coronation joy and post-war grief. Nettie Sweeney and her community experience it all. Together. With humour, kindness and love.
BR Kids readers love Nannestad’s writing, from We Are Wolves to Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief and The Travelling Bookshop series. She has a way of recounting stories from the past in a way that is both heart-wrenchingly moving and at the same time beautifully accessible for young readers.
Silver Linings is no different, containing an emotionally rich narrative with big, complex themes, told in a way that’s irresistibly immersive for middle-grade readers. Nettie is a captivating protagonist with a huge heart. While her naive innocence at the beginning of the book makes her immediately endearing, the resilience and courage she develops over the course of the book’s tragic events will earn her a special forever-place in readers’ hearts.
This book does not shy away from harsh realities – those particular to the historic time period in which it’s set, and those that are enduring facets of human experience. But grief and loss are deftly handled in Nannestad’s expert hands, and while some younger readers may benefit from a post-read debrief about the book’s events, the takeaway message is ultimately a life-affirming ode to community, hope and the resilience of the human spirit.
Silver Linings is a gorgeous, memorable read for ages 11+. The beautiful hardback format makes this an extra special gift for a curious young reader, sure to encourage thoughtful conversations and questions about ‘life back then’.
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