Full Review

Dan’s parents are divorced. His mum is in Europe on her honeymoon. His dad is a ruthless business man who suddenly has to go overseas to finalise a dodgy deal that will be bad for the environment. So, at the last minute, Dan is farmed out to his country uncle for the holidays. His aunt, uncle and cousin (Josh) love outdoorsy, action man stuff, and raising bitey animals. Dan… doesn’t. He sets a timer. He wants to know exactly how much time he has left in this country hell-hole.

Then he discovers an old diary belonging to his great grandfather, Archibald, who was shot dead by three men from another local family, the Rhinestones. These men, who claimed that Archibald had stolen their valuable jewellery, were convicted and hanged for robbery and murder. The resulting family feud is still going strong: too bad for Josh’s crush on the gorgeous Olivia Rhinestone. Dan thinks that if he can find the missing jewellery, with the help of the old diary, he can end the feud and give the Rhinestone family justice. And Josh is there to lend a hand.

This was a fun, very easy read with some adventures, lots of humour, and a couple of twists. I thought the final twist was a bit out of left field – insufficient pre-preparation, even in retrospect – but hey, it made for an interesting ending.

Verdict: funny & accessible action-adventure

*

Title: Seven Days

Tagline: Watch your step… time is ticking.

Author: Fleur Ferris

Cover: Cover design by Tony Palmer. Cover images: digital clock © VectorV/Shutterstock.com, dangling legs © yanik88/Shutterstock.com, hippo © PACO COMO/Shutterstock.com

First published: Puffin Books, 2022

Length: 229 pages

ISBN: 9781761043352

Awards: Winner – 2023 Davitt Award (Sisters in Crime Australia), Best Young Adult Crime Novel

Genre: crime fiction; action adventure

Representation: none I can remember

Suitability: years 7-9

>>> Click here for content warnings (potential minor spoilers)

comical animal attacks; past theft, murder and hangings; problem gambling; attempted murder; feelings of abandonment; running away.

Themes: belonging; justice; resilience; confidence and self-belief; family relationships

Literary features/tropes: first person narrative perspective; the ‘fish out of water’ trope; humour; some crime novel features, including detective(s), victims, red herrings, clues, denouement/reveal. Action adventure features, including action sequences at a zoo and some big twists, particularly at the end. Some intertextuality, e.g. Evel Knievel.

Cover notes: I like the scary looking hippo and the off-kilter title. I think it captures the action adventure vibe.

NSW syllabus: a very accessible wide reading choice for all junior high school ages.

If you like this, try: other accessible action novels, e.g. The Recruit by Robert Muchamore. Other funny ‘fish out of water’ adventure novels, e.g. Unplugged by Gordon Korman. Novels about solving a long ago mystery, e.g. The Cousins by Karen McManus or Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious series. Novels with small town mystery vibes, e.g. Eleanor Jones Is Not a Murderer. Or humorous mystery novels that involve friendships developing between very different cousins, like Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (great book!).

*

Images are used on this blog post under the “Fair dealing for criticism or review” provision of the Commonwealth Copyright Act, 1968.