Description
Remember daughter, the world is a lot bigger than anyone knows. There are things that science may never explain. Maybe some things that shouldn't be explained.
Stacey and Laney are twins - mirror images of each other - and yet they're as different as the sun and moon. Stacey works hard at school, determined to get out of their small town. Laney skips school and sneaks out of the house to meet her boyfriend. But when Laney disappears one night, Stacey can't believe she's just run off without telling her.
As the days pass and Laney doesn't return, Stacey starts dreaming of her twin. The dreams are dark and terrifying, difficult to understand and hard to shake, but at least they tell Stacey one key thing - Laney is alive. It's hard for Stacey to know what's real and what's imagined and even harder to know who to trust. All she knows for sure is that Laney needs her help.
Stacey is the only one who can find her sister. Will she find her in time?
Review
Stacey Thompson is a good student and wants to make a success of her life - unlike her twin sister Laney who skips school regularly and sneaks out at night.
But things go horribly wrong when Laney and her boyfriend Troy are sneaking around and they trespass onto land owned by a notoriously cruel and racist farming family, and suddenly Laney disappears. Something similar happened years ago in the town when May Miller disappeared and returned as Mad May Miller, who is a joke around town and was the never same again.
So when the whole Thompson mob begin the search for her they tell Stacey she is too young and should keep going to school instead. But Stacey can see Laney’s plight in her dreams, and knows she must go and find her before it is too late. Stacey knows May Miller holds the key to finding Laney, but how does she approach her with the famous Thompson versus Miller feud? But time is running out and lines need to be crossed...
Exploring Indigenous culture and family, dealing with taboos, and exploring ancient beliefs and dreaming, Ghost Bird opens the reader’s eyes to these beliefs in the context of a captivating story. Ghost Bird is a wonderful novel that really ties together both modern life and ancient traditions.
With some strong language and themes of culture, racism, family ties and persistence, Ghost Bird will best suit teenagers 14 and older.
Reviewed by Rob
