Review

Otto is a new kid in a small, coastal town. He was a pretty good surfer in California, so he’s joined the surf lifesaving club, which is the biggest deal in town. But then a bushfire mysteriously starts and the local police start digging into his past history. He’s been mixed up with fire before, and suspicious eyes start to fall on him.

Millie doesn’t believe it. Otto doesn’t seem the type, and with the surf comp coming up, there’s plenty of other aggro egos floating about, making trouble. Anyway, she’s got her work cut out for her trying to make her dad see that she, not her twin brother, is the responsible one, the one who should be captain of the club.

But then there are more fires, graffiti, and vandalism. Throw in a high stakes surf comp, aggro egos, and a growing attraction between Otto and Millie, and the tension ratchets up. Can they find the real culprit before Otto’s new life is destroyed?

*

When I started this novel, I thought it was a bit too blokey to appeal to my all-girl readers. But I changed my mind. It’s a tense and action-packed narrative that I think will have a lot of appeal for boys, but also girls. It has alternating first person perspectives – Otto and Millie – quality writing and a tiny touch of romance. It’s very Australian, although Otto grew up in the U.S., so there’s also that perspective.

Quality Aus YA, suitable for Year 7 & up. 336 pp.

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Dangerous bushfires and arson; bullying; posting of embarrassing content online; vandalism; perilous situations; concerns about parental favouritism and sexist expectations; divorced parents; trespass; peer pressure; small-town gossip and prejudice against Otto as a new kid in town; near-drowning (all ends well); shark threat (all ends well); one very chaste kiss; no swearing that I recall. Relationships are mlw (as far as I recall).

*

Salmon, C. (2025). We saw what you started. Pan Macmillan Australia.

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I read this novel for free thanks to a school library — support your school library by visiting & borrowing!