Joanna Orwin: Out of Tune

Joanna Orwin has been a significant part of the New Zealand literary scene for many years. Her first children's book, Ihaka and the Summer Wandering, was published in 1983. She followed this with a number of other titles, all with underlying themes of Maori folklore and heritage, and the natural environment of New Zealand.

In 2001 Orwin released a book called Owl. Based on the legend of the man-eating Pouakai, it once again drew on themes of Maori folklore. Owl was written for an older age group than Orwin's earlier titles and went on to win the senior fiction category of the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards.

Orwin has stayed with the older age group with her latest title, Out of Tune. Moving away from the fantasy element of Owl, Out of Tune is rooted firmly in the real world. It follows the stories of two young women in very different circumstances, one in the present and one in the19th century.

Jaz Chapman is determined to fit in with the cool crowd at school. She is tired of being little goodie-two-shoes, tired of being the dutiful daughter, and fed up with being overlooked by her busy parents.

Jaz's new image is designed to fulfil the dual purpose of enabling her to blend in with sophisticated Ange and her friends, and to force her parents to pay attention. It's not that easy, though.

When her father, a high-flying businessman, is unexpectedly made redundant, he loses his self esteem and barely notices Jaz. Her mother, who has dedicated herself to being the perfect corporate wife, becomes increasingly brittle as she tries to cope with the new family circumstances while pretending nothing is wrong to the outside world.

Although Jaz has a good relationship with her older brother, he soon leaves home rather than put up with the friction in the family. The one stable influence in her life is her great-grandmother, Gi-Gi. Even though Jaz is desperate to win the approval of her new friends at school, and suspects they would find her friendship with Gi-Gi a cause for ridicule, she is unwilling to give up her afternoon visits to the rest home. It is on one of these visits that Gi-Gi introduces Jaz to Maggie.

Maggie is Jasmine's ancestor, her great-great-great grandmother. A Shetlander by birth, Maggie and her family emigrated to New Zealand with fellow Shetlanders in 1872. They settled on Stewart Island with the promise of free land packages.

Out of Tune moves between the two different stories, that of contemporary Jaz and 19th-century Maggie. Jaz reads Maggie's story through her diaries, passed down through the generations. As Jaz finds out more about the hardships Maggie experiences, she comes to admire the woman's courage.

Jaz has found it hard to empathise with the way her parents are reacting to her father's redundancy. Her primary concern has been with the way the changed circumstances and her parents' stress have affected on her own life. Maggie's story, however, forces Jaz to think more about family and friendship. It gives her the strength to be her own person.

There are two very different stories in Out of Tune, but Orwin's thoughtful writing integrates the two with great credibility.

Many readers will recognise the pressures that Jaz faces, both at home and at school. They will appreciate that although Jaz does not have to experience the daily struggles of her ancestor, she also demonstrates strength of character when she finally decides to be honest with herself and make her own decisions about her life.

Publisher: Longacre Press

Price: $18.99

Age: 12-16 yrs

Recommended by: Jenni Keestra