Losing Turtle is a younger reader novel containing three stories, all revolving around the character of Sam, his family and friends. In the first story, ‘Losing Turtle’, Sam has to cope with feeling embarrassed about a jumper with a turtle motif that his Gran has made for him. In ‘Top Secret’, we see him trying to invent the ultimate birthday present for his dad and causing chaos by mistake. The third story, ‘Scrambled Eggs’, catches Sam at his culinary worst trying to make supper for himself and his injured Gran. Although each story is different there is continuity of setting and characters, as well as all of the elements of a great younger reader novel. Adrienne Frater’s stories are told with warmth and humour and there are some lovely messages contained within. Frater really captures the child readers’ enthusiasm and curiosity for the world around them which adds a great deal of realism to the stories. The illustrations by Cat Chapman bring the characters to life and complement the text, while appealing very much to the younger reader. Overall this is a good, solid book which should be successful both in retail and educational settings and is a good addition to what can sometimes be an over-supplied and uninspiring section of the market.
Natalie Crawford is a freelance reviewer and bookseller at Dymocks Claremont, WA. This review first appeared in the Summer issue of Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
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Tags: Adrienne Frater, Cat Chapman, Losing Turtle, Walker Books
