Nona & Me (Clare Atkins, Black Inc.)

Nona & Me is one of those wonderful books that takes you deeply into a rarely seen world and brings it vibrantly to life. Set in a remote part of the Northern Territory, it explores a host of political and social issues through the eyes of a teenage girl caught between two very different worlds. Rosie may be white, but growing up her life revolved around her adopted family in the Aboriginal community of Yirrkala—until her best friend Nona left. Now Rosie has new friends, a new crush and a whole new world. But when Nona comes back, it all threatens to come crashing down. Rosie is such a relatable character, despite occasionally being awful to everyone. Her struggles are universal, as she deals with conflicts over family versus friends, and personal values over fitting in. Debut author Clare Atkins writes about a place and a time with love and care, and explores a complicated and fraught situation with honesty and respect. Nona & Me belongs to that category of YA that appeals to adults as well as teens; I highly recommended this for readers aged 14 and up.

Meg Whelan is the children’s book buyer at the Hill of Content Bookshop in Melbourne 

Category: Reviews