Times are tough in the small town of Yallaroo where Ally Simpson has lived her whole life. The whole area is in drought and people are going broke or moving away. Ally has her own struggles, too. As she sits in her year seven science class—her favourite subject—the Tommetti triplets commence their regular bullying of Ally’s weight and bright red hair.
Ally ignores their remarks and focuses on her application to The Australian Scientific Education Association (ASEA) contest. Their teacher Ms Kapoor explains students must work in teams of three to create a science project that shows their understanding of the scientific method. The team that wins gets a trophy and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Smithsonian Museum in the USA.
This is right up Ally’s alley. She enlists her best friends Harmony and Ping to help her plan the most impressive experiment she can imagine, but they’re stuck on ideas, until Ally spots a red balloon in the clear blue sky, and a lightbulb goes off!
The three friends decide their experiment will be to send a video camera to the edge of space, and prove once and for all that the earth is round. At first, Ally is pretty sure she’s got the whole competition stitched up. But then, as one disaster after another derails her plans, she begins to learn the importance of staying grounded even while she’s aiming for the sky!
Author Darrell Pitt has a lifelong appreciation of Sherlock Holmes stories and a love of comics and science fiction, and this shines through Balloon Girl’s combination of mystery and comedy. Readers are taken on a journey of self-discovery, science, and laugher as the characters go through the motions of high school and the challenges they face.
Balloon Girl is an exuberant story that tackles the reality and relatability of starting high school. Characters Ally, Harmony, and Ping represent the kids who are often left in the shadows, and this book gives them a platform to shine. Their desire for success and drive to do well in school gives them the platform to make a difference, making this an important book for readers aged 12+ to kickstart their high school experience.
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