Growing up in a remote part of Australia in the 1930s, Audrey relies on her imagination for friendship and entertainment and, with her best friend Stumpy, she explores the Outback, thinks about life's puzzles, and tries on various identities. It turns out that being a "swaggie" would be lonely, men have to pretend they know what they are doing, and teaching is just plain too hard. Full of fascinating detail about rural Australian life, this gentle story will appeal to fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series and Louise Erdrich's The Birchbark House (1999) who can persevere through the unfamiliar vocabulary. Although there is a glossary for a number of words and phrases, others have to be puzzled out, like "chaff bag," "tea billy," and "whingeing," and lines like "the hessian walls on the long drop dunny" may defeat some readers completely, which is too bad because the explosion of the burlap-curtained outhouse is quite wonderful. Winner of the White Raven International Award, this Australian import may need a knowledgeable adult interpreter to reach its potential American audience.

Gr 3-5 Living in the Australian outback during the 1930s creates many opportunities for Audrey to have adventures. Her creative spirit leads her into many experiences that keep readers wondering what she will do next. She befriends a "swaggie," a bush traveler named Toothless, and, while trying to become a grown-up, she and her older brother blow up the outhouse. New plotlines keep the story moving, but the Australian words make reading some sections confusing. The glossary is limited and leaves out several unusual words. Still, children will love the fast pace of the plot, and the character development gives the book a nice depth. Rachel Artley, Watertown Elementary School, TN