Beth Montgomery

Azzie Artbuckle is quite a talented artist and loves to create things. But, what she doesn't love is reading. Every Sunday, Azzie dreads having to go back to school because she just doesn't like reading and spelling words. It seems to be so much more difficult for her compared to her friends.

Azzie expresses her frustration through the pages of this book and as someone who works in the school system, her feelings are very common. Her friends tire of waiting for her to read out loud and it takes her hours to do her homework when it takes her friends 20 minutes. Finally, Azzie's mom takes her to the doctor and a diagnosis changes Azzie's life forever.

Since Azzie is an artist, the pages of this book are full of creative, multi-media images that make Azzie's mixed up letters pop off the page. The author makes the child feel like they are truly reading and seeing Azzie's story. Even though Azzie is British and calls her mom, "Mum" and talks about having tea, children anywhere will identify with her frustrations and struggles with school. This book is written for younger elementary-aged kids. All of the books from this imprint should definitely be in counseling offices and reading recovery rooms in schools across the country. I'll be donating my copy to our elementary school counselor.… (mer)

On his first day exploring the farm property that Adam has come to live at with his mother to escape his abusive father, Adam discovers a body in a silage pit. It is suspected that this is the body of Emma, his landlord's daughter, who disappeared ( along with a city girl Lina) six years ago. Adam sets out to try and solve the mystery of what happened by unraveling the clues he has discovered in Lina's diary. But what is truth and who is who they seem to be? There is his landord, the surly Colin and his unhinged born-again wife "the Brolga'. Their strange son Matt who says Emma loved him and changes the subject everytime the questioning gets too hard. There are the local rough boys Loody and Mongrel who are antagonistic one moment, friendly the next. And then there is his school mate Snake and his petrol head sister Toot - can he trust them with the secrets of Lina's diary?
Not to mention the ever present fear that his father may discover them and they will have to flee again. there is a lot of swearing in this novel (including the F-word) , and sexual content so it for older readers. The plot moves very fast and the setting seems very believable - a small country town where everyone knows everyone else. I found the murderer's identity a bit of a stretch though, but then it is a kid's booK!
The Murderer's thumb relates to the shape of the farm where the body and diary are found - it is similar to a hand, and following palmistry rules, Adam and Snake are able to pinpoint where Lina has left parts of her diary.… (mer)