Leaf Letters (Lorena Carrington, Christmas Press)

Nine-year-old Hazel Bird loves to explore her local area and collect little treasures. When her baby sister is born, she can no longer bring home ‘choke-ables’ and is gifted an old phone so she can take photos instead. While on one of her daily adventures, Hazel meets Cole, a boy with a hundred pockets who communicates using the things he collects rather than through speaking. Hazel loves puzzles and takes great delight in communicating with Cole in this way. Their exploration leads to all kinds of discoveries, including a box of treasure containing a book of puzzles. Together, Hazel and Cole set out to crack the codes, solve the riddles and find the owner of the treasure. Hazel is a gorgeously curious character who prefers her own company and is naturally a little wary of other people. Her friendship with Cole blossoms organically, and although there is some tension at times, it is lovely to see how the two connect, bridging their different means of communicating. Lorena Carrington’s Leaf Letters is a delightful and warm novel for younger readers aged 7–9 who enjoyed Peter Carnavas’s The Elephant. Using text, illustrations, and photographs makes it a great confidence builder for newly independent readers, who will also enjoy the interactive element, and the challenge of deciphering codes and solving puzzles along the way.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Erin Wamala is a teacher librarian and owner of The Kids' Bookshop. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews