Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars (Catherine Norton, HarperCollins)

The year is 1866, and 11-year-old Hester’s life looks like something out of A Series of Unfortunate Events: her father is lost at sea, her mother dies giving birth to twins, and she and her siblings are left to live with a cruel uncle who uses them as free labour. But Hester is convinced her father is still alive, and she’s going to go find him herself. Her chance comes when she earns a scholarship to a navigation school, but it turns out the academy is just for boys, and the teacher is a charlatan. Hester’s new world is populated by diverse and unexpected characters who defy the period’s social conventions: Mildred Sink, a maid with an angelic voice; Nelson Wu, a budding engineer, Hester’s only schoolmate who is a person of colour; and Pru Catfford, a vicar’s daughter, who is a keen botanist. Author Catherine Norton is realistic about the historical limitations placed on people, while empowering readers by allowing the characters to flourish and find their unique skills. Hester is stubborn, determined, resourceful, and undeterred by society’s expectations of her (and others). She’s wily in a well-meaning way that is fun to read about; she’s willing to bend the rules to do what she thinks is right. Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars is a rollicking story for readers aged 10+ and fans of Adam Gidwitz and Katrina Nannestad.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Fay Helfenbaum is a freelance writer and editor and was a bookseller for five years. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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