Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is a large book about a small girl, an accordianist, some fanatical Germans and the power of words. Set in Germany during the 2nd World War, the book centres primarily on Liesel. Liesel's father has been taken by the Nazis because he is a communist, her brother has died tragically of sickness, and Liesel is adopted out by her mother as the last hope for survival. She lives with the accordionist who is a gentle and lovely man who helps her overcome the trauma of her brother’s death, her abandonment, and who teaches her to read. Books become the inspiration for her survival. She is 'the book thief' and steals her first book at the graveside of her brother. It’s a little book about how to dig graves. She goes on to steal other books, including saving books from the bonfires of the Nazis. The book about graves is significant because it is an ongoing link with her family, especially her brother. Stealing books from the Nazis is significant. She steals them from the library of the mayor, a collaborator with the Nazis. She reads them to her friends and to her community in the bomb shelters.

The Book Thief has a unique narrator too--death. The grim reaper. He is fascinated by this little girl who repeatedly cheats him. She evades the sickness that claimed her brother, and the concentration camps that killed her father and probably her mother. She even survives the bombing of her city.

At one of the most moving moments in the story, Liesel and her family take in a Jew hiding from the Nazis. It’s a very tense and dangerous situation. There is a beautiful relationship that develops between Liesel and Max. I think I cried most when Max presents Liesel with a beautiful book he’s painstakingly created for her. The paper he uses is white-washed pages from Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf, My Struggle. In this way Max reclaims the words of Hitler which have been used to steal people’s identity and lives; and he creates new possibilities for Liesel; words and images of hope and beauty.

This book is about the power of words. Zusak comments: “It was words (and Hitler’s ability to use them) that contained the power to murder and ostracise. What I set out to create was a character to juxtapose the way Hitler used words. She would be a stealer of books and a prolific reader. She, too, would occasionally use words to hurt, but she would understand their power to heal and give life through stories.” Ultimately the message of the book is that love is stronger than death.

This is a wonderful book. There are pictures and poetry and songs and images: the flames from bombs lighting up the skies like day; a man being beaten for daring to offer bread to the Jews... It’s creative and lyrical and significant and charming and funny and sad. It is a tremendous achievement, and so awesome that the author is young and Australian. He has much to give. My only warning is, the book is big, it builds your biceps just reading it; but one you will still be sad to finish!

“Love is Stronger than Death”
Review of The Submerged Cathedral, Charlotte Wood, by Kara Martin

Australian author Charlotte Wood has written just three novels in ten years, following a career as a journalist. Her books tend to have strong biographical elements, and The Submerged Cathedral is based on the love story of her parents, who met on a boat sailing from England: her Mum was a florist starting a new life in Australia, and her Dad was coming out to join a Cistercian Monastery. They fell in love, but John Wood decided to continue with his vocation, at least for a year. Charlotte’s Mother was dissatisfied with the plain letters she received, and travelled across Australia to visit him. The next day he asked her to marry him and left the Order!

There are elements of her parents’ story in this novel but almost in reverse. Jocelyn and Martin meet and fall in love, and are living together when Jocelyn’s elder sister unexpectedly turns up having left her husband in England. Ellen has a young daughter and is pregnant. Jocelyn agrees to Ellen’s demands to be cared for, and is forced increasingly further apart from Martin. Eventually he leaves in grief and joins a monastery.

The theme of the book is from Song of Songs: “See me as a seal on your heart, for love is stronger than death.” In fact Jocelyn has competing loves: for Martin, for Ellen her sister, for Ellen’s troubled daughter Cassandra. Martin looks for the love of God after having his heart broken for Jocelyn. Ultimately they are looking for something that is passionate and fulfilling. The resolution of the story is an affirmation of romantic love.

Charlotte’s writing mentor described the book as paradise and exile with Ellen as the snake! Creation is a really significant motif in the book. As is nature, with the bush used as a metaphor for the wild and passionate love that Jocelyn and Martin initially enjoy. When they are separated Jocelyn becomes a landscape architect, taming nature and designing beautiful gardens. In a way this is a metaphor for the need to harness the energy of love. Ultimately love is only seen as useful when it is fruitful. So, Ellen is demanding and manipulating and destroys those around her; whereas Martin and Jocelyn’s love is creative and freeing.

The Submerged Cathedral is rich in symbolism. Alongside the Creation narrative, and nature, there is the image of a lost child that comes from a newspaper story and is weaved in and out of the story. Another potent symbol is water as baptismal and healing. Martin’s prayers are described as “like swimming in green water”. There are also strong elements of sacrifice and rebirth, and spiritual calling.

There is much to love about this book: the richness of the imagery, the honest exploration of human relationships... There are some frustrations as well. Marriage is portrayed very negatively in the book; and the sense of spiritual calling that Martin has is never fully examined. For him it is a running away from rather than a running to. However the strength of the book is that it raises such a variety of significant questions. I strongly recommend it.

Open House fiction reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and is an avid reader and book group attendee.

“Becoming all we can be”
Review of A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines, by Kara Martin

Ernest J. Gaines was born on a plantation in Louisiana, United States, and draws heavily on his own experiences of that community in this powerful novel about racism and transformation, about community and dignity.
In the novel, set in the 1940s, Jefferson, a plantation worker is guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when a white man is killed. As the only survivor on the scene, and black, he is arrested and convicted and sentenced to death; a situation that impacts his whole community.

In a final, desperate attempt to get Jefferson’s sentence commuted to life imprisonment rather than “death”, his lawyer mounts a defence which sounds ridiculous in the 21st Century, he argues that Jefferson is not worth killing because he is just an animal, a hog. It then becomes Jefferson’s godmother’s goal to ensure that her godson dies a man, not a hog; that her godson will be remembered as a human being, not an animal.
Jefferson’s godmother decides that her best friend’s son, Grant Wiggins, the most educated member of his community, is going to be the means of this transformation from hog to man. However, it is a long, slow, frustrating and humiliating process for Grant; as he is ridiculed by the whites and ignored by Jefferson, who becomes deeply depressed from the moment of his incarceration.

However, over time, through dialogue, respect and encouragement, Grant helps Jefferson to discover a new way of seeing himself. By the end, Jefferson realises that he can set an example for his community of maturity and dignity; that even though he has been separated from his community by prison walls, he still belongs to his community, and can still give hope to his community.

The theme of community is very strong; along with the concept that education is not just knowledge, it is about transformation; but really this book is SO rich in lessons for all of us.

Ernest J. Gaines manages to take us out of our comfortable lives and right into the prison cell with Jefferson; we feel his pain as the victimised member of an oppressed community. It is a deeply moving book because we experience all the emotions of those who are suffering. This is a sad and confronting book, but it is also uplifting, because in the end it celebrates all that is possible.

I was reading this book at the time of Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generation, and it challenged me to wonder how different I am to the whites in this book. How do I react to the complex situation faced by those who are marked as different in this country; whether it is the way they look or behave?
Perhaps the most important message of A Lesson Before Dying is that each of us has been created by God with the potential to be whole, and to help others to become whole. This is a poetic book which deeply resonates with truth.

KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), an avid reader, book group attendee, and fiction reviewer for Open House (www.theopenhouse.net.au).

“Imagination should be nurtured”
Review of The Book of Everything, Guus Kuijer, by Kara Martin

Thomas is a nine-year-old with a vivid imagination, but he soon realises that not many other people see the world the way he does. He decides to copy what he sees down in a book, called the Book of Everything.

One day, Thomas sees tropical fish swimming in the local river, a whole school of fish, he knows no-one will believe him but he tells one of his sister Margot’s friends Eliza, and she explains that it is because people flush fish down their toilets when they go on holidays, and in fact she saw a crocodile in her toilet bowl once. People like Eliza help Thomas to feel more comfortable about what he sees.

Although the book sounds fun and quirky, there is a darker side. The quirkiness is in contrast to what is happening in Thomas’ home. His father is a strong character, a bully, who uses his religious beliefs to keep his family under his tight control. He is a joyless character, stern and prone to violence in the name of headship and not sparing a rod to spoil the child.

Thomas is at the age where he is bursting with ideas and curiosity, but there is no room for questions or flippancy at home. His Mother is sweet but reasonably ineffectual. His sister is defiant but clever and avoids the brunt of their father’s anger.

However the situation does change for Thomas. The novel traces a movement from restriction to freedom and from fear to love that is brought about by three things:

1. Firstly, there is his journaling in his Book of Everything, which allows his imagination to roam.
   
2. Secondly there is affirmation and nurturing from Eliza, and Mrs van Amersfoort, a widow neighbour who is labelled a witch because she is strong and independent.
   
3. The third aspect is Thomas’ regular chats with Jesus. This is where Kuijer’s skill as an author is particularly adept. Conversing with Jesus could have degenerated into something saccharine or plain farce, but the conversations are beautiful and Jesus has a pretty good sense of humour.

There is a contrast between the God of Thomas’ father, who is mean and tough; and the Jesus that comes to Thomas when he prays, who is a loving and encouraging figure showing Thomas he is special.

There is so much in this book, about how restricting relationships can be; how people can twist the Bible for their selfish means; and how Jesus will not be restricted in his access to people. The book is about Thomas’ journey of integrating his inner world, which is stimulating and curious and courageous, with his outer world which has been full of fear and regimentation.

There are some weaknesses in this book, but they come from its structure, because the narrator is a nine-year-old. For example, the father seems one-dimensional, and there is a stereotypical portrayal of fundamentalist Christian beliefs. Also, this review comes with a warning that the domestic violence is described quite graphically... but maybe we need to be shaken up, to see it for what it is.

Ultimately, though this book is a fascinating story, beautifully told, it focuses warmly on Jesus and is ultimately life-affirming and heart-expanding.

Open House fiction reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and an avid reader and book group attendee. 

When cultures clash
Review of The Gospel of Gods and Crocodiles, Elizabeth Stead.

By Kara Martin

Pastor Morley is a Seventh Day Adventist missionary who travels to an island north of Australia convinced that he is bringing God to the islanders. Unfortunately he discovers they already have their own gods and crocodiles, and they are tempted to feed him to them! In this beautifully written novel, Elizabeth Stead brings alive her own experiences of living with her husband and three children on just such an island.

Elizabeth told the ABC that she saw the impact of the missionaries: “They just went in and changed everything. That wasn’t right... it makes me angry when I think about it.”

In this novel the tables are turned on the missionaries who probably learn more than they teach. The initial lessons are about surviving in a place without electricity ad running water, and then dealing with the very secular settlers also arriving on the island in droves. In the midst of it the natives are the core of calm beauty, rapidly losing their idyllic lifestyle.

One criticism of the book is that all the missionaries are flawed characters, and sometimes in stereotypical ways: the Catholic priest is a child molester, the Anglican is a gambling drunk, the Mormon just wants to compromise the native women... However, beneath the heavy-handedness there are some eccentric characters and lots of wisdom.

Primarily this is a book about the clash of cultures. The missionaries end up trying to change so much that has nothing to do with the Gospel: what to eat, what to wear, where to live... In the end Pastor Morley does become a revered character among missionaries, settlers and the natives, but only because he is humble enough to start appreciating their ways, and act more like Jesus with his integrity and faithfulness and care toward the people.

The Gospel of Gods and Crocodiles is a book that will keep the reader pondering for weeks and months after it is finished. It is a disturbing book because it is very clear about the impact of “civilisation” on a native culture. The whites are an ugly people compared to the beauty of the native lifestyle. However, the reality is that the modern world was going to encroach on this paradise in time; and at least the presence of the missionaries was a controlling force on the extent of exploitation. These are not simple issues.

This review has focused on a particular element of this book, however there are many other characters and stories. Most of the people Elizabeth Stead writes about are very eccentric, but amidst the whimsy and fancy, there are characters who become the reader’s friends, and enemies.
Another highlight is the sheer beauty of the language. The writing is very poetic, for example, Stead introduces one character who is awkward as a boy, as “all slow bones and grazes, chewed nails and blurred vision.”

Elizabeth Stead has written a challenging book with much to offer.

Open House book reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and is an avid reader and book group attendee.

“A New Earth though a New Me”
by Kara Martin

Eckhart Tolle has shot to superstar status with the publication of his first book in eight years: A New Earth. It has been embraced by Oprah Winfrey and she hosted an on-line series of interviews which attracted more than two million subscribers. The book has been top of the Self-Help titles since its release.

Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany, but now lives in Canada. He was a student at Cambridge University when, at the age of 29, he was “awakened”. Until then he had been suffering from depression and a sense of unhappiness that almost drove him to suicide. The awakening led him to a place of peace and serenity.

The first book that brought him fame was The Power of Now, but this new book is more complex, while retaining the use of stories which makes him slightly more accessible than some other New Age gurus. The “big idea” in A New Earth is the belief that if we are each “awakened” then we will have the ability to regenerate a new earth. We will discover our true selves, merged with god, and will be detached from the destructive ego forces that usually drive us.

There are a lot of strengths in this book. Eckhart sees the essential problem facing humanity as sin, or suffering, driven by ego, or selfishness. He is helpful in his suggestions for reducing the drive to selfishness, becoming more aware when we are trying to dominate others or feed our own egos. He is also very good in the area of unexpressed emotion, or the “pain-body” as he refers to it, which we carry around with us, the accumulation of anger and jealousy and hurt.

However, I was annoyed by this book as well. Eckhart seems to borrow from many religious traditions without including any of the hard bits! He likes Jesus’ teaching but there is no judgment or hell. He borrows the bulk of his teaching from Buddhism but has skipped all the difficult disciplines required to achieve detachment.

So ultimately he oversimplifies any path to spiritual connection with God, and he quotes spiritual leaders out of context. In fact virtually every one of the 21 Scripture references are quoted out of context and retranslated to suit Eckhart’s message. Now, that is not a new thing in the area of self-help books, but it is aggravating when Eckhart says: “that is what Jesus meant when he said...”

Even in the title, he says that Jesus is talking about a New Earth now, here, which is really only half the story. The New Earth, in the state of perfection Tolle is referring to will only be recreated when Jesus returns in glory. Tolle wants to emphasise the present without acknowledging the waiting, the future; and especially avoiding any concept of Judgment.

Eckhart Tolle chose his name after becoming awakened. He named himself after Meister Eckhart, the German Medieval mystic who taught about meditating on the Godhead (Father, Son and Spirit) to know oneself, and create the man or woman you truly are. Unlike his contemporaries, such as Francis of Assisi, Eckhart’s mysticism was not Christ-centred. His surname, Tolle, is old German for fabulous or wonderful, so the name he has chosen sums up his spirituality. Look inside yourself for that wonderful place.

There is some useful advice in A New Earth, and its adherents may consume less and be less aggressive. However, one of my big concerns is that readers of this book may think Jesus actually taught what Tolle is teaching. I suggest people check out the New Testament part of the Bible in one of the modern translations to find out what Jesus really said. When he said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except by me,” it was an exclusive claim to be the path to God. Ultimately relationship with God through Jesus, alongside other believers is the only way a New Earth will be created, now and in the future.

Open House book reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and is an avid reader and book group attendee.

The struggle to find harmony with our spirit
Review of Breath, Tim Winton,

Kara Martin

For me a new book by Tim Winton is like opening a box of your favourite chocolates. You know you are not going to be disappointed, and there might be some surprises, and much of the joy is in the anticipation of the delights within. Winton is Australia’s most celebrated author having won the Miles Franklin award three times, and twice been nominated for the Booker Prize. He is probably Australia’s most recognised author in terms of an international audience.

Breath is his latest offering. Bruce Pike is the narrator of the book, and the story follows his life from a kid, when he was known as “Pikelet”, through to late middle age, with the intensity of the focus on his teenage years. It is about him making sense of his life looking back at some of the events that formed him.
This is a very autobiographical book, in terms of the place and the initial subject matter. At the age of 12 Winton went to live in Albany, which was an isolated country town on the coast of Western Australia in the 70s; and he continues to love the thrill of surfing. Tim also almost drowned several times, and that’s a recurring theme in this book.

Some reviewers have made the connection between the title of the book with the Hebrew definition of “breath” as “spirit” or “life force”. There is very much a sense that all the characters are trying to control what should be natural, breathing. So they try and tame waves, they take risks and fool with the risk of death by drowning or asphyxiation. It’s about fear and risk and thrills and hedonism. In reality though, the activities that Pikelet gets involved with as a teenager end up stealing his spirit, draining his lifeforce, such that he suffocates in the midst of his family and marriage. All the characters are struggling for breath in some way.

This is essentially a book about taking risks. Most of the riskiness involves surfing: trying to catch the biggest waves, surfing in shark breeding areas, surfing over reefs, swimming long distances to get there or back, surfing alone. However there is also some drug sampling, hanging out with people who don’t have your best interests at heart, the riskiness of lying to your parents or cutting off your options at school...

Pikelet seems to be searching for a sense of feeling alive. He becomes an adrenaline junkie. He has begun to define himself by the riskiness of his behaviour, his courage. There’s a sense of control and mastery that he gets when he surfs a wave, it’s a moment of dancing and freedom. He gets intense highs from experiencing intense fear, and after that everything seems boring or ordinary.

This is an extraordinary book in that the crisis moment comes right at the end of the book; although there are hints and a sense of brooding danger all the way through. Pikelet ends up having an affair with an older woman and this relationship damages him forever. It’s the sort of book where you just want to yell at the character, this silly but brave 15-yr-old: “Don’t do it!” You want to reach in and rescue him. But there’s no saviour available, and he must suffer the consequences.
There is much wisdom in this book, although Winton never preaches. I particularly was struck by the risk-taking behaviour even more prevalent among the young. I guess surfing is usually relatively harmless, while drug taking or binge drinking is the urban equivalent, or driving cars fast. It confirms for me that we need to provide challenging and real but safe risks for our kids, to help them to explore and develop their characters: activities such as hiking or abseiling or going to help out in a developing country. We also need to surround our teenagers with mentors and guides we can trust.

It also brought home a comment that Tim Winton made in an interview with Andrew Denton that middle age is the time when we tend to understand fully the impact of the risks we took in those teenage years. That’s when it comes back to bite, or we see the mess we have made of our relationships since.

This is a beautiful and lyrical book that grabs you from the first breath. It isn’t epic like some of Winton’s previous work: Dirt Music or cloudstreet; but it is rich and deep and evocative and challenging. I cherished the reading, even if it did sometimes take me places I didn’t want to go.

Open House book reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and is an avid reader and book group attendee.

“Christ the Lord, and Man”
Review of Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, Anne Rice.

By Kara Martin

I was so suspicious opening the pages of this book: Anne Rice, the Vampire novelist writing a biography of Jesus? As usual, I deliberately made sure I knew very little about the background so I would not have been prejudiced. Instead, I found out my own prejudices.

It started when Jesus was getting excited about seeing a woman in the village, Avigail. Maybe I was worried about another Last Temptation of Christ, instead I had to face the fact that I might be worried about Jesus being human after all.

However, what we are working with here is a master story-teller, supplementing truth with plot innovation, dialogue and characterisation that is based on scholarly research. We are also dealing with a woman who has had a profound reawakening to God, and has dedicated the remainder of her years to writing about Jesus.

The result is a book of depth that has been recognised by scholars as accurate in setting, by theologians as consistent with conservative doctrine, and by readers everywhere as a revelation.

This book is the second in Anne Rice’s biography of Jesus. The first was Out of Egypt, telling the story of Jesus’ birth and childhood. In Road to Cana, Jesus is working as a carpenter in his village, and approaching the start of his public ministry. As the title suggests, it covers his baptism, temptation and the miracle at the wedding in Cana.

Rice doesn’t stick strictly to the Gospel text. There is a little bit of licence, for example, Rice portrays Jesus’ first miracle as the healing of Mary Magdalene from evil spirits, and she has tended to pick and choose between the gospels rather than focusing on one account. So purists will be a little disappointed; but her material is carefully researched and what she has done has added depth and colour and continuity; with reverence.

Some may also be disappointed with the sense of Jesus’ gradual awakening to his divinity; and the fact that his brothers are from an earlier marriage of Joseph. Mostly, however, the theology will satisfy bible lovers.

Rice has added to our understanding of Jesus: this is a Jesus who is human as well as Lord, who eats and drinks, and faces challenges. He is sinless but NOT an automaton: there is humour and gentleness and joy. She makes Jesus more real, and more approachable, and possibly more likable. Rice makes you realise how much of our Jesus may be more ritual and stained glass window than biblical.

Christ is the Lord, and Yeshua bar Joseph. He is the Messiah, and a simple carpenter from Nazareth. He is loving, caring, just, and able to perform miracles. It all comes alive from the pages of this book.

This is a wonderful work, completed with great skill and integrity. It would be an excellent way in for seekers, and it is a faith-affirming experience for Christians. I’m encouraged that it has been endorsed by CS Lewis biographer Peter Kreeft, renowned Jesus scholar Ben Witherington, and others. I am really looking forward to the rest in the series.

Readers may need to be reminded that this is a narrative account, a work of fiction, however well-researched and based on fact. It is a book best read hand-in-hand with the Gospels.

Open House book reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and is an avid reader and book group attendee.

“Our Longing for Intimacy”
Review of Sexuality and Holy Longing, Lisa Graham McMinn,

Kara Martin

There is so much talk about sexuality in our society; and so much concern about the impact of a more open attitude to sex. Lisa Graham McMinn is a Christian sociologist who opens up the topic of sexuality for honest and frank examination. She starts by widening the definition of sexuality to include anything that impacts on us as women and men. Ultimately, she believes sexuality is a longing God has placed in us for intimacy, for belonging. A longing can only be fulfilled by union with God.

She then talks about the brokenness in our society: the increasing availability of porn, unwanted pregnancies, the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, the attitudes to beauty that enslave women, the consumer attitudes toward desire that leads us to want instant gratification, and all the issues around infertility.

To illustrate her material, McMinn draws on anonymous responses from the students she has taught as a lecturer at Wheaton College and George Fox University in the United States. These sometimes painfully honest stories provide colour, and allow us to examine our own lives in their light.

Her main concern is the need for a healthy view of sexuality in our society; and this requires an understanding of ourselves as created by God, in God’s image. She points out that because of sin we will never have the “perfect” marriage; others will never meet totally our needs for intimacy; we may be prevented from feeling fulfilled sexually... Yet God can redeem the deeper needs for intimacy and belonging that lie underneath.

Part of this redemption involves taking our disappointments and frustrations to God. Another part is the actions of our faith communities in providing safe places to find healing and help. McMinn admits that it takes courage for churches to tackle issues of sexuality publicly; but that they are the best places for teaching about healthy relationships.

Her comments on celibacy are very helpful, focusing NOT on the negatives but on the positives. Celibacy helps us to focus on our calling, and enabling us to develop deep and meaningful relationships with both genders, and frees us to love widely and serve lavishly and focus on the needs of others, and frees us to use touch to nurture and affirm friends without compromising integrity.

She also warns churches to beware over-emphasising marriage, thereby marginalizing the increasing number of singles in our society and congregations. Churches may also focus too much on children, causing much hurt to those struggling with issues of infertility. What is needed is openness to all the ways we struggle with broken sexuality.

In her writing Lisa Graham McMinn is honest and forthright, yet sensitive and affirming. She combines the research of an academic with the insights of a theologian and the compassion of a mother. Her goal is to encourage us to be authentic and vulnerable in our search for intimacy, recognizing that ultimately our desire is to be one with God; but in the meantime we can still experience the limited abundance of what it means to be created women and men, and catch a glimpse of the fulfillment yet to come.

Open House book reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and an avid reader and book group attendee.

“A Celebration of Difference”
Review of Stargirl and Love, Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli, 

Kara Martin

Jerry Spinelli is an award-winning author for teenagers, known for his witty dialogue, his mix of fantasy and realism, and his unforgettable characters. Stargirl is one of those characters. Stargirl chose her own name and changed it by deed poll. As the cover says she is: “as magical as the desert sky. As strange as her pet rat. As mysterious as her own name.”

Stargirl has been homeschooled, but decides she should give high school a go. She goes in true to herself: a dancing, ukulele-playing, rat-loving, colourful-dressing enigma. At first the other kids see her as a freak, but she wears them down with her cheerfulness and kindness and intelligence. She then becomes popular, although she wasn’t looking for that.

However the other students turn on her after she, as a cheerleader, congratulates the opposition basketball team on good play when they win. The narrator of the book, Leo, has fallen in love with her, but finds he has to make a choice, between Stargirl, and the rest of the school. He ends up trying to get both by telling her she must change, conform, fit in.

That is the crisis moment for the first book, and also sets the scene for the sequel. At first Stargirl tries to follow what Leo wants, but not being true to herself has terrible consequences for her identity and self-esteem, and for Leo. In the end, in a glorious moment, she chooses to be true, even if it means being unpopular, and losing the love of her life. In the second book, she examines her feelings for Leo, and the choices she made, as well as continuing to live her colourful life bring grace and joy into the lives of others.

I think the Stargirl books should be mandatory for teenagers! It is about identity and self-esteem being rooted in something other than consumerism and popularity. It exposes the whole cult of celebrity that is around us. It is a coming of age novel, about first love, and life choices. It speaks to that critical issue of “who am I apart from my parents and my peers” that confronts all teenagers. Both books are about bringing joy to others, and building community, and finding connections that are meaningful.

But do they communicate to teenagers? My teenage daughter said: “I really love these books because they aren’t like any other books. In all other books, the characters are normal people just like us, but Stargirl is different. She has a different opinion to everyone else on every single subject. She likes to make herself heard, whereas others would prefer just to stay in the corner. She gets out her ukulele at lunchtime in the Cafeteria and sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to whoever’s birthday it is.

“I also really enjoyed these books because the love is subtle and not ‘out there’ like other books, and is perfect in the amount of lovey-dovey stuff provided for the age group it’s written for. I was challenged by these two books to be creative in my opinion of life, and in the way I look after and care for others. I would definitely recommend these books to anyone, boy or girl, who loves a quirky read and enjoys reading about someone’s opinion on when they first fall in love.”

These are terrific books, creative, part real and part legend, wonderful values. They are an antidote to the apparent celebrity-obsessed, self-focused images of modern youth. I think reading these books would make us all think about the compromises we make to our true selves, to fit in or conform.

Open House book reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and is an avid reader and book group attendee.