A tween tale for a kid who’s different

Between

By Adele Broadbent, OneTree House, $20

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Olly loves hanging out with his mates, playing soccer and is fascinated by ghosts and weird things that happen.

However, he tends to keep the latter to himself because his mates think ghosts are something only little kids believe in.

Olly, 12, lives with his mum (his dad died before he was born) but sometimes it feels as if his aunty is running his life.

She’s always snitching on him especially when it comes to “mad Martha” who for some reason he’s not allowed to have anything to do with.

Olly also must deal with Regan, the captain of his soccer team and his arch rival. Regan can be really mean.

Napier author Adele Broadbent builds the tension and suspense expertly. Why won’t Olly’s mum talk about his dad, why does aunty Claire have so much say in what goes on, why isn’t Olly allowed to talk to Martha and why is Regan so mean?

I loved this story. Olly and his mates Egg and Loon are fantastic characters.

Broadbent is an awardwinning author of junior and young adult fiction. Between is her fifth novel for children and she has also had several educational titles with Wendy Pye Publishers and Learning Media. —