The Remarkable Secret of Aurelia Bonhoffen

Deborah Abela (author)

Random House, Australia: 2009; 288pp

ISBN: 9781741660951

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: crime, ethics, family, friendship, identity, imagination, loyalty

A delightful,adventure touched with fantasy, packed with whimsical characters and humour, and very much about love and friendship.

Aurelia Bonhoffen and her family own a seaside pier in Britain. One of those places where holiday makers go to see a show, enjoy the rides, the games the novelties - and the atmosphere. Aurelia has grown up in this atmosphere and has a remarkable talent for juggling, acting and generally entertaining a crowd. It might be seen by conservatives as a strange life for a child but it is all she has ever known - and she loves every minute of it. But on her twelfth birthday she learns that her family's talents extend far beyond her wildest imagination - and that even such remarkable abilities may not be enough to save them from a dark and dastardly plot to ruin the pier.

Deborah Abela is an experienced writer of page-turning adventures for young readers as demonstrated by her ‘Max Remy' series. In Aurelia Bonhoffen and family she has created delightfully eccentric characters with great comic appeal. The narrative shows great use of all the best elements of circus - high drama, comic interludes, slapstick, pathos and, most of all, energy. The reader is caught up in a whirlwind of adventures that emphasise the nature of true friendship and challenge social conventions.

A very entertaining read - one to share with a family or class.