Seth is a troll. Not the ugly, warty, smelly type of troll, but a troll that looks just like a normal boy. Looks are
deceiving however because Seth survives by eating human memories. Seth is a stone statue by day and only roams free at night. Don’t worry though, he lives behind the iron gates of a park which are locked when the sun goes down.
Early one morning, just before dawn, Seth hears a voice. A girl is calling for someone. Seth investigates and comes face to face with a dark haired girl looking for her cat. He can tell this girl named Stella is different, and for once his need for company outweighs his need to feed.
The more time he spends with her, the more he feels he is changing – on the inside. He has to concentrate in order to not feed on her memories, enjoying his first ever friendship. Stella might be safe from Seth, but he’s not the only threat in the gardens. Something older, more experienced and hungrier lies deeper between the trees.
Stella is not only different, she’s clever too. When she offers Seth a deal, he takes it, not knowing he will learn more about himself and the world beyond the park gates, than he’s ever known. Does he have a past and can he really trust himself around his new friend?
The more I read, the more intrigued I became. Leonie Agnew has done it again, giving readers an imaginative, thought-provoking novel (this time with a bit of creepy stirred in). Memories are important to us all, even the bad ones – but you’ll have to read The Memory Thief to learn why.
Based on a Scandinavian Troll myth, The Memory Thief is set in a NZ garden where tui call out over the characters and geckos scramble around concrete statues. The opposite natures of the characters draw you into their friendship, as you get to know Seth (Main POV), and wonder about Stella’s past.
Sometimes what you wish for isn’t really what you want. Tension and awareness build up to a nail-biting and unexpected conclusion.
Kieran Rynhart’s double spread illustrations capture moment’s in the novel and also provide a lush beginning to each chapter, not to mention the cover.
WINNER – WRIGHT FAMILY FOUNDATION /ESTHER GLEN JUNIOR FICTION AWARD – NZ Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards 2022
Author – Leonie Agnew
Illustrator – Kieran Rynhart
Age – 10+
Find Teacher’s Notes here
(2021, Penguin NZ, Action, Friendship, Family, Secret, Mystery, Troll, Myths, Gardens, Gardener, Dementia, Memories, Confidence, Feelings, Trust, Love, Fantasy, NZ Author, New Zealand, NZ, NZ Gardens, Aotearoa, Award Winning Author)