Author: Sonya Hartnett

Published: 2000

Publisher: Penguin Books

Format: Paperback

Pages: 261

Suitable: Secondary

Harper Flute records her family's struggle for life itself as the great depression grips Australia. As life on the hot, dusty land becomes harsher, Harper watches helplessly as her father descends into alcoholism while the rest of the family struggle to keep going. Her younger brother Tim, who "was born on a Thursday and so fated to his wanderings" escapes into a maze of tunnels he digs compulsively - a subterranean world of darkness and secrets.

What's the hook? Mesmerising writing and a stunning story draws the reader in from the beginning. What are the themes? Families, generations, love and other cultures. Teaching points? An excellent model for exploring metaphor and symbolism with lyrical descriptive passages that offer fantastic models for pupils' own writing. This different culture text offers cross-curricular links to History and Geography.