‘It’s just a walk in the dark. What is there to worry about?’ That’s what the head teacher, Johan, says. And so the Year Nines from Otway Community School set out on an overnight hike, with no adults.
But doesn’t Johan know that a storm is coming?
When five teenagers head into the forest that late afternoon, none of them is aware of what the night will bring. Each will have to draw on their particular strengths to survive. Each will have to face the unknown, battling the elements, events beyond their control, and their own demons. It’s a night that will change everything.
Five head into the forest, but will all five make it out?
Jane Godwin is a highly acclaimed, internationally published author, whose book When Rain Turns to Snow – a BR Kids favourite – was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers. A Walk in the Dark is Godwin’s latest novel, and I couldn’t put it down.
Set in the rainforest of Victoria’s Otway Ranges, A Walk in the Dark is about friendship and trust, identity and family, consent and boundaries, all wrapped in a compulsively readable, suspense-filled adventure.
Riveting, captivating and thrilling, A Walk in the Dark follows Ash, Fred, Ella, Laila and Chrystal – five Year Nine students grouped together to hike back to school by midnight. This is a unique and intriguing concept that I haven’t seen done before. I was instantly hooked!
We get five different personalities thrown together in this group, all coming from different walks of life. But it’s this experience they need to embark on together. With only very limited resources and the super-moon for light, the group needs to learn to overcome their differences, and the struggles they face, to make it out of the forest before the looming, violent storm hits.
This novel is part thriller and part drama, creating a unique adventure with a dash of romance. There are a lot of relatable themes and lessons that YA readers and children aged 13+ will resonate with: think before you judge, have empathy and be kind, and step out of your comfort zone to reach your full potential. I can easily see this novel being on the school curriculum.
A Walk in the Dark is a gripping and suspenseful rite-of-passage novel about five teenagers and one night that will change them all. Perfect for some weekend and upcoming school holiday reading, I couldn’t recommend it more.
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