Caro Was Here (Elizabeth Farrelly, Walker Books)

Think 80s cult movie The Breakfast Club crossed with 80s TV stalwart MacGyver, played by a group of middle-class kids in Sydney. A day of wagging school for this oddly matched group of kids—the oldest is around 12 and the youngest is only seven—finds them abandoned overnight on Goat Island after the last ferry has left, where they uncover some highly illegal activity, and are forced to use their ingenuity, and work together, to foil the ‘baddies’ and save the day. But can they salvage their damaged friendships, and ignite new ones in the process? Through their adventures, the kids learn to appreciate one another, and grow to see their differences as strengths rather than weaknesses. This is certainly a page-turning read, although the suspension of disbelief required is almost too much. The bad guys, supposedly hardened drug-runners, are buffoons who are outsmarted by the kids on several occasions, while the kids’ access to the materials needed (kerosene and matches, anyone?) is often beyond miraculous. Caro Was Here offers young readers an escape from reality with plenty of action thrown in—and is recommended for readers aged 10 and up who enjoy adventure with a little mystery on the side.

Bronwyn Chamberlain is a consultant for The Kids’ Bookshop