Reviews
'The Raven’s Song is a special and thought-provoking book. It’s a story that lingers in your mind long after you finish it. With strong messages about caring for our earth and being wary of where overconsumption will lead us, it explores very topical and important issues...
But there is something else in this story — a fantastical element that speaks to the soul. The otherness of the spirit world, the wonder of believing that there’s something else out there, that hope has power and can change the world.
Author duo extraordinaire Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble really deliver the goods on this one. It’s powerful, mesmerizing and unforgettable.
(Shaye Wardrop, Kids Book Review)
'An extraordinary tale, a weaving of narratives exploring present and future. A brilliant story from two incredibly talented writers, each voice adding further depth to the worlds created by Fraillon and MacDibble. Highly original, and thought provoking. I loved it.'
(Gill Lewis, Author)
‘The triumph is when these two narratives are stitched together and become a whole, become something that is evocative, uniting, and wholly engaging. This book is sensitively written, engaging, and fulfills something we all need right now – hope for the future.'
(Ashleigh Meikle;The Book Muse)
'The Raven’s Song is a fantastic collaboration between Fraillon and MacDibble. The story will open up your mind, placing an emphasis on the connections that we have with people, caring for our planet and ancestry. These three messages interconnect throughout the novel, and I was left pondering about what kind of ancestor I’d like to be and the little things that I can do to make a difference in the world. This novel shows that you don’t have to become a famous historical figure in order to make a difference...The Raven’s Song is a story that has stuck with me long after closing it. With a unique storyline and deep subject matter, this book will resonate with both middle-grade readers aged 9+ and adult readers alike. I couldn’t recommend it more.'
(Better Reading)
'This is an exhilarating, thought-provoking book that is perfect to read in the time of a pandemic, a time when we are reassessing so much. How we care for our planet and each other. What is important and what is less so. The power of hope and the necessity of resilience. The strength of friendship, family and neighbours. The ability to find joy in our daily lives, no matter the challenges. I hope this terrific novel finds a universe of readers. Wonderful.'
(Paula Green, Poetry Box)
Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble have created a superbly satisfying dual-voice narrative, one which is alternately harrowing, dream-like, challenging and tender. The love Phoenix and Shelby share for a beautiful, broken land is matched only by their tenacious spirit and fierce family loyalty. Readers are inexorably brought full circle in a truly remarkable novel: hope lives in a seed and an ancient song. (Alison Brumwell)
The Raven's Song
By Zana Fraillon and Bren MacDibble
Shortlisted for the Aurealis Book of the Year
Shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year
A CBCA Book of the Year Honour Book
A wonderful children's novel by two stellar writers featuring Shelby and Phoenix, living 100 years apart yet unexpectedly joined across time - and each make the discovery of a lifetime that has the potential to upend their worlds.
'This is how we have to live now.'
Shelby and her best friend Davy live quiet low-tech lives in a closed community that is made up of exactly three hundred and fifty kind, ethical people living on exactly seven hundred hectares.
When they climb through a hole in the perimeter fence to venture into the surrounding jungle, what they find is more astonishing than anything they could have imagined.
And when Shelby realises the terrible danger that is unfolding, it will take all of her daring and determination to ensure the past does not repeat itself.
Intriguing, absorbing and spine-tinglingly good, The Raven's Song is a brilliant novel by two esteemed writers at the height of their powers.
'A Masterpiece for young readers. A literary vodka for kids...The writing is lively and exquisite, lyrical but not self-consciously so. It’s wonderful to read a children’s book that takes such care with the prose. It builds atmosphere and a sense of place without sacrificing pacing and story. The two writers working together produce some kind of alchemy...Alan Garner said, “We have to find parables; we have to tell stories to unriddle the world.” The Raven's Song will help children unriddle the world, find their boundaries, know they have agency, and imagine what they can do with it. It might make them feel a little less hopeless than some of their adults about the future. Read it with your kid if you can, and talk about it afterwards.'
(Rachel King, Newsroom.co.nz)
'When two of Australia’s finest, award-winning authors combine their talents on a gripping eco-novel that time travels between present and future, the result is The Raven’s Song, a thrilling adventure full of danger and daring.
The Raven’s Song is a vision of hope for the future, seen through the eyes of the young people who will fight for it...this is an inspirational story of survival, determination and courage... both a call to arms and a timely reminder that changes in the present mean a better life for all in the years to come.'
(The Lancashire Post)
'This book should be in every school and public library and like ravens themselves, will stand the test of time. I cannot recommend this book enough.'
(Liz Derouet, Talking About Books)
'Utterly brilliant in every way, with much to think about and discuss beyond the story.'
(Miss Cleaveland is Reading...)
'The connections across time between the narratives emerge in a plot which combines ecological science with poetic mythology. The duality of a fully preserved human child emerging from the liquid depths of a bog, and child victims of an incurable virus being suspended in time awaiting a scientific breakthrough is perfectly rendered in a complex and intriguing mystery. The themes of children teetering on the brink of adulthood and having their futures sacrificed by adult carelessness is as heart-breaking as it is beautifully and metaphorically written.
(Veronica Price, V's View From The Bookshelves)
‘The Raven’s Song had me spellbound and quite often holding my breath while reading.
The Raven’s Song is a powerful and haunting read.'
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
(Beauty and Lace Bookclub)