Also, I may have wiped away a tear or two and I rarely cry reading books.Īll in all, this is a terrific book.
The realness of the story without it ever seeming too harsh, although there is plenty of grimness painted here, Binks presents it in a palatable form for a young readership. The diverse and interesting cast of characters, especially the juxtaposition between ‘new Australian’ Vietnamese refugees and the Kosovar-Albanian refugees seeking a ‘safe haven’. The time period of the book – the story takes place in 1999 at an interesting point in Australian politics and Binks manages to make the political landscape accessible to middle-grade readers – not an easy thing to do, but she does it with aplomb. Place is integral to the plot and even though I’m not familiar with the Victorian coastline, I didn’t have any trouble imagining the little coastal town of Sorrento or the range of opinions in the community The way Binks has sketched out a vivid sense of place for the backdrop of this story. Plus, her teacher Mr Khouri is brilliant 12 year-old Fred who I’ve already mentioned, she’s such a relatable kid. 
I really like Fred – I like that her feelings make her a bit uncomfortable and that she’s a bit difficult (aren’t we all?). Throw in a poorly grandad and the mix becomes quite messy. Anika has a son called Sam who is now supposed to be a new brother for Fred. I have to admit to really, really wanting to read this one as soon as I heard about it.įred’s in her last year of primary school and her dad (he’s adoptive, yep, it’s complicated) is having a baby with his girlfriend, Anika. The Year The Maps Changed is a lovely middle-grade book by agent, reviewer and Victorian writer, Danielle Binks.
But that’s another way maps lie, because it felt like the distance travelled was a whole lot further than that. I was eleven when everything started and twelve by the end.
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