Description
Dara longs to have a best friend, someone she can hang out with. But it seems like Josh, her new assignment partner, will land her in popularity purgatory.
At least their assignment topic is perfect — Ned Kelly’s death mask. Now, Dara can drop words like ‘pseudomedicine’ and ‘phrenological analysis’ in casual conversation.
When ‘Ned’s head’ is stolen, Josh is convinced the culprit is their new art teacher, Ms Isoba.
As Josh hunts for clues to prove his theory, he discovers that Ms Isoba isn’t the only person with a secret.
What’s Dara hiding?
And will it impact her dreams of popularity?
Review
Dara is in Year 6 and trying to fit into a new school. She has a plan to become besties with the popular girls, but she keeps being paired with Josh instead! Josh seems nice enough, but he is an outcast and there is no way he will lead Dara into the cool group.
Dara has cystic fibrosis, but she is used to living with it and she doesn’t want to be defined as the sick kid. But her contant coughing doesn’t help, particularly in a Covid-fearing world. Dara is a wordsmith, and she regularly regales Josh with her fabulous words.
After their school visits the museum and Ned Kelly’s Death mask is stolen, Dara and Josh embark on a mission to discover who stole it. And the truth may be much closer than they think!
These are two great characters, with their own challenges and personalities - Dara with her illness and love of words, Josh with his desire to be a super-sleuth, and their joint desire to find out the truth. They are both honest and nice characters, and I loved this easy-to-read book that handles tough topics in a way that will suit its target audience of those aged 8 to 11 years.
