Description
Discover a land steeped in magic and danger, a girl left behind, and the animals who need her help. From debut graphic novelist Andrea Innocent comes this wildly gorgeous, immersive adventure set deep within the Australian bush.
Ever since a great flood wiped out her home, Lamington has lived alone in the Australian wilderness – until the day she stumbles upon a ragtag family of animals hiding underground. Lamington is astonished to discover she can understand the animals, and they can understand her.
They need her help to find a precious library of seeds – but the journey will be perilous, and there are troublemakers who want the seeds for themselves. Yet if Lamington and her new friends don’t try, the forest will die. And this could be Lamington’s only chance to find her mother again …
With extraordinary full-colour artwork, Lamington Left Behind is a middle-grade adventure story that will captivate readers with its richly detailed world, twisting plot and vivid cast of characters – including brave koalas, talking mushrooms and a gang of feral children.
Review
When a girl and her mum find themselves having to evacuate from their home at the Wildseeds Animal Shelter, little do they know what awaits them. When they become separated, the girl finds herself alone, with only her new pet spider Ulysses for company.
As the years pass, she has to fend for herself. But as food becomes more scarce, she knows she must venture further in order to survive. And this is where the adventure begins!
Having come across an angry axodragon, a koala riding a tiger, and a glowing cave - where she finds a delicious lamington to eat - she then encounters the mycelium, who speak for the trees. It is then she discovers that there is now only one living tree left.
When the girl comes across a group of animals, including koalas and a pelican, and realises she can talk to them and understand what they are saying! They decide to call her Lamington, and together they realise that they must try to find the seeds that can save the forest.
But this is going to be easier said than done, as they are not the only ones hunting the seeds! And with clues appearing about her mum, Lamington is also holding onto hope that she might find the answers she is desperately searching for about her mum’s disappearance.
This is a fabulous, engaging and adventurous graphic novel that combines magic and realism. Lamington is a determined and courageous young girl, and with themes of trust, working together, friendship and environmental impacts, it is perfectly suited to those in middle to upper primary.
