Nettie lives on her family’s dairy farm in a small town of New South Wales Australia. She is the youngest of four daughters and has never known a mother figure. Their Aunt Edith has looked after their family since they lost their mother, but she is strict, old-fashioned and doesn’t give smiles, let alone comfort or cuddles.

When their father remarries, life changes on the farm. It is now full of love, laughter and fun, and Aunt Edith is sent packing with a thank you very much, but thank you for leaving, feeling from the entire family. She is still in the wings when needed however, especially when their new baby brother becomes sick.

Things seem to go backwards for Nettie as all the love she has become used to and which has transformed her sisters just as much, is suddenly gone overnight. Six year old Nettie tries everything she can think of to put things right again, only to make things worse for herself.

Inadvertently she finds a solution to help her family heal and move forward again.

A very personal story from this multi-award winning author, Silver Linings came from a family loss. Other family member’s lives and stories have also been added within a framework of 1950’s small town Australia.

There is love, loss, and family fun. There is a new stepmother who breaks all the terrible stepmother stereotypes, bringing life and laughter to a man and his daughters. A strict, lonely aunt brings order when required, but her outdated ideas also wreak havoc.

Silver Linings is told from the youngest daughter’s point of view, which holds much humour as she misunderstands words and meanings, but at the same time allows her view of the world around her to be appreciated and understood by the reader.  Nettie is five years old, turning six during the story. She is full of energy, curiosity and the need for a mother figure after losing her own when she was born.

Nettie has fights and ongoing feuds with her best friend Robyn, resulting in lessons learned and a terrible guilt. This guilty secret brings tension into the story, but also sparks the healing this family desperately needs.

Key themes are family, sisterhood, loss and love – all gently stirred into another great read by Katrina Nannestad.

Author – Katrina Nannestad

Age – 8+

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(2023, Harper Collins Aust, Australia, 1950’s, Queen Elizabeth, Coronation, Royal visit, School, Friendship, Family, Sisters, Siblings, Baby, Loss, Grief, Aunt, Stepmother, Love, Laughter, Funny, Kindness, Secret, Flood, Poverty, Real Life, Animals, Growing up, Historical)