Yellow (Megan Jacobson, Penguin)

4 February 2016 Unlocked content from the archive. Books+Publishing

Yellow is a surprising and engaging story from debut author Megan Jacobsen. Fourteen-year-old Kirra has a rocky home life: her father has left the family for another woman and her mother has turned to alcohol to help her cope. Her school life is difficult and she is bullied by her so-called-friends, although things start looking up with the promise of a new friendship and a love interest. When Kirra answers a call in an abandoned phone booth and encounters a teenage ghost at the other end of the line begging for help to find his murderer, her life is thrown into even more emotional turmoil. Jacobsen’s novel wonderfully evokes a small Australian beach town and manages to blend various elements—family and friends, school and bullying, supernatural and mystery—into a full and engaging story grounded in the reader’s attachment to Kirra. The scenes dealing with Kirra’s attempts to help her mother detox are confronting, and the supernatural storyline is suitably creepy with a twist that will delight readers as it tests Kirra with a range of problems and decisions. Yellow is recommended for readers aged 13 and up who enjoy reality tales with a twist.

Susan La Marca is Head of Library Services at Genazzano FCJ College

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