Fiction - Age 10 and up

NZ Writer
J E Ryan
The Glass Projector
The Witches of Autumn Book One
Steam Press 2014  $20.00 179pp
ISBN 978 0 9941 0894 4
Themes:  Fantasy/ Funny stories
We first meet Thistle and her familiar, a small fruit bat named Mappo as they  speed through the city on their way to their new home.  This

belongs to Thistle’s auntie, a woman of indeterminate years who is never far from her revolver which she keeps strapped around her  waist in case of an invasion. Thistle (and Mappo) can no longer live at home as she has a father who has vanished and a mother in a mental hospital where she has been incarcerated since throwing a pickled pumpkin through the windows of the War Office. Thistle however, is a resourceful child and is determined to make the most of what seems like a very tricky life style in this energetic story which is vibrant in both plot and language. I lent the book to a 12-year-old last week and he returned it (rather reluctantly) simply saying ‘more please’. It is just as well a sequel – The Amber Fountain  - will be released in February next year (2015)
Year 6 up/ Age 10 up