Pookie Aleera Is Not My Boyfriend (Steven Herrick, UQP)

This novel, written in verse, tells the story of Class 6A of a primary school in a small country town. The different stories range from the hilarious—such as the local police constable’s attempt to give talks on road safety (‘Shouldn’t it be called pedestrian safety? Because no-one can hurt a road, it’s just a big piece of concrete’)—to the tragic, as Pete talks about the recent death of his grandfather and the fact that the road to their house was in such disrepair that the ambulance couldn’t make it in time. Laura watches the groups of kids from afar and wonders what it is about her that means she eats lunch alone every day. Mick (who gets in trouble quite a lot) comes up with a great idea: everyone should go out of their way to do something special for someone else and see what happens. Many, many biscuits follow. The way Steven Herrick writes about such simple things as taking the roll in class, swimming in the creek and sneaking up to the (possibly haunted) deserted house in town is incredibly touching. His verse has the ability to instantly put you in someone else’s shoes with very few words.

Amelia Vahtrick is the children’s book buyer at Better Read Than Dead in Newtown

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews