Cora seen and heard by Zanni Louise

Cora is a shy girl who is happier hiding in the library at lunch times than interacting with her classmates at school.  Cora is unhappy with herself and thinks everyone is so much cooler than she could ever be.  So, when her family moves from Brisbane to Tasmania she takes the opportunity to do a little personality renovation while her dad renovates the old theatre they live in.  Cora, her sister Bekah, her mum and her dad move into a derelict theatre that was once host to a famous singer called Clair de Lune.  Cora discovers a letter written by the singer hidden in a book they find about her in the Ticket box.  The letter says she was not as happy with her life as everyone thought, so Cora starts to write her feelings down to this imaginary pen pal and hide them in the book under her bed. Unfortunately, the letters go missing.  Someone starts to send the letters, one by one to the Tribune newspaper and everyone thinks they were written by Clair de Lune. 

A lot happens in this story and the characters, even the minor ones, all contribute to making this a story that could show young girls that being the cool one in the crowd is not necessary as long as you are true to yourself.  Family interactions, juggling friends and dealing with misunderstandings make this a book that will resonate with many young teenagers and provide a great springboard for discussions about identity and self-confidence. 

Teacher notes are available on the Walker books website. 

Themes: Adolescents, Self acceptance, Girls, Friendship, Relationships, Courage.

Gabrielle Anderson