Alyzon Whitestarr

by Isobelle Carmody

Overview

Most people have six limited senses.

But after a freak accident, Alyzon Whitestarr finds her senses growing. She hears and sees and smells things no one else can detect.

She begins to smell something truly terrible; a sickness of the spirit infecting some people, leading them to violence and destruction. It is only as she strives to discover its origin that she realises the infection is targeting people she loves, and that it is aware.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925272185
Publisher:	Ford Street Press
Publication date:	04/01/2016
Pages:	610
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 1.35(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Isobelle Carmody wrote her first book, Obernewtyn, at fourteen. The first publisher she sent it to accepted it. It was short-listed for Children's Book of the Year. Almost 30 years later, Obernewtyn is a Classic Penguin and Isobelle is a multi award-winning writer of more than thirty novels and many short stories, and aside from the Peace Prize, she has won the Children's Book Council Book of the Year twice, in two different categories, the Golden Aurealis, in the one year it was run and a White Raven at Bologna Book Fair for Greylands, now in development as a screenplay.Isobelle lived with her partner and daughter for ten years in Prague in Eastern Europe until recently, when she returned to Australia to undertake a PhD at the University of Queensland.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 7 Up—Alyzon feels like a chicken among peacocks as the only "normal" member of her sprawling, eccentric family. When she awakens from a monthlong coma after an accident, she finds that her heightened sense of smell may make her the oddest Whitestarr of all. Able to sense the wishes, feelings, and character of others by the smells they give off, Alyzon slowly begins to understand her gift, to recognize that her friends and family aren't always who they seem, and to realize that she may be the only one who can prevent an impending tragedy involving her father and her moody younger sister. The Australian setting and vocabulary add spice to Carmody's prose. Her gorgeous, evocative descriptions of the smells Alyzon experiences, which include lavender, caramelized sugar, hot strawberries, and chocolate, are delightful. The novel is too long for reluctant readers, and probably longer than it needs to be, but fans of fantasy, paranormal, and romance tales will find Alyzon and her friends appealing enough to stay with it to the end. Carmody leaves the door open for a sequel.—Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD

School Library Journal

Exceptional for her practicality and plain looks in a family of flamboyant dreamers and artists, Alyzon is at first overwhelmed and alarmed but then entranced by the power of her newly heightened senses, brought on by a concussion. Most remarkable is Alyzon's sensitivity to smell: People smell not of perfume, sweat or fabric softener, but of something more essential. Caramelized sugar and coffee grounds waft from her loving father, while alpha-cute boy Harlen, who should smell scrumptious, reeks of rotting filth. Could someone's essential smells indicate the state of his soul? With support from her ocean breeze-scented friend Gilly's talented Scooby Gang of pals, Alyzon struggles to solve the increasingly complex mystery of metaphysical aromas, which threatens not only her family but the entire world. The premise is interesting, but the pace ponderous, as Alyzon inches ever so slowly toward understanding and using her power to protect her loved ones. Carmody's detailed exposition, bold theorizing and somewhat saggy plotting will leave readers who persevere disappointed to learn that Alyzon's adventures end with this stand-alone. (Paranormal mystery. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews