Sympathetic account of the Stolen Generation

Jack is deaf, aged 6, and lives with his mum, older sister Janey, Great-gram and three great-aunts, Jess, Bette and Annie.

Amrei, Phin and Baby Sal are also resident, having been dropped off to stay while their parents ''sorted themselves out''. One night Amrei has a vision in which all the younger children are taken away.

The vision becomes fact; the children are members of the Stolen Generation, taken from their homes at the behest of the Australian Government to live in sometimes strict homes run by uncaring adults.

Author Zana Fraillon, while sympathetic towards that generation's plight, is not specific about the children's race, although she says funding from the Government through the Australian Council for the Arts did not impact on the content of the book.

Ages 12+.

- By René Nol