The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       September 26, 2020

 

Author  Kate Gordon

Distributor:      UQP
ISBN:                 9780702262821
Publisher:         University of Queensland Press (UQP)
Release Date:   September 2020  

Website:    https://www.uqp.com.au 

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The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn is pure enchant from the first page in this delightful fairy story about friendship from Kate Gordon. Wonder Quinn lives in an attic room in the library at the top of a very, very old school called Direleafe Hall.

Wonder has read all the books on the shelves over the years she has lived there and realises that she is very lonely. Her only friend is a rather grumpy, very old and temperamental crow called Hollowbeak, who has been her only companion for such a long time.

The first day of a new year at Direleafe Hall, finds Wonder and Hollowbeak sitting on their favourite place on the roof, watching the girls arrive, looking for faces Quinn knew and maybe could be her friend this year. All of a sudden Quinn spots the face of a new girl, a very pale face with a mess of long, red hair. , I wonder,’ thought Quinn, ‘if she could be my new friend’.

Mabel Clattersham chooses to sit next to Wonder  in class, the first girl to do this, well ever and so begins what many would consider as an unlikely friendship, as Mabel is on a mission to complete at least once in her life, a long list of things. Wonder ponders on why this rather strange list is so important to Mabel and when she realises Mabel is not always able to do what she wants to and why, Quinn begins to wonder if once again her heart will break.

Through the wonderful medium of storytelling, the many layers of love and loss are explored in a gentle and enchanting style along with just enough illustrations to add an additional layer to the story and text.