Cross Currents (Janeen Brian, Lothian, $17.99 pb, ISBN 9780734410078, October) * 1/2

Julia is on an extended camping trip with her stepfather Jeff and his son, Robbie. This is the first time Julia and Robbie have actually met and the two have developed a firm dislike for each other. To top it off, Julia is very worried that her mum has been left alone while everyone in the family is away. Julia’s mum is only three weeks away from having a new baby, the first that she and Jeff have had together. Disaster strikes—the car breaks down, the river floods, Jeff is injured—and Julia’s fears are realised. The plot device is tried and true—throw the warring characters into a life-or-death situation. As they are forced to work together in order to survive, they come to appreciate each other. Unfortunately, this novel for ages 11 to 13 doesn’t work well at all. For me, the book failed to generate any sense of suspense or sympathy for the characters. The string of mishaps that befalls them is somewhat plausible but frankly, I was impatient with their bull-headedness rather than sympathetic to their plight. I found the writing disjointed and choppy—frequently leading to confusion. It really feels as though the author needed to work through a few more drafts before publication.

Liz Riley is a former bookseller and now works for the Australian Booksellers Association

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2007, Thorpe-Bowker