In the Secret Place

 by Gary Crew (c) 2023

It has been a long time since I have read an engaging story which I would class as ‘gentle’ in its tone. ‘In the Secret Place’ has all the hallmarks of a good story without any of the angst and desperation of the hard-hitting issues of today which are so prevalent in YA Fiction In that regard, I think students from Year 5 – Year 8 (10 – 13 year olds) would appreciate this novel.

The story is about Ben Gardner, likeable and smart (he’s good at chess) yet carrying a painful secret which is somehow tied to his mildly crippled foot. Of course the bullies (called The Six, or, The Stupid Six!)) smell his fear and often torment him about his disability. Ben finds solace in his new friendship with Sonya (she doesn’t judge him) and the fact he has found a secret place down by the beach – a cave, which was only discovered by him because of a ‘disappearing’ fox.

              Yes, the fox had gone but, as he groped, pressing his fingertips against the chilly rock, all of a sudden, he fell forward.

              No cliff.

No rock.

He pulled back ono the track, lowering his backside onto the cushioning mac, crumpled there. His hand went to his mouth. The thought dawned: ‘There’s a hole behind there. A hole no one can see. The fox’s den, I bet…

In the deeper dark behind the bush, and with his torch battery useless, it wasn’t easy to access this secret place. (pp.73-4)

Crew has ensured that there are many plotlines that are all deliciously tied together by the final pages. The protagonist is ‘everyboy’ (as opposed to everyman) whose ‘coming of age’ embraces concerns ranging from the need to find your people, to self-worth, to the maybe flourishes of a first crush, to navigating a broken family, to the classic avoidance of the ‘mean boys’, to making your own adventure, to finding your inner strength, all of which are gender neutral, making the story ideal for all readers.

If I have one criticism, it would be that the protagonist’s dad drinks. Beer. Every time he is mentioned (it seems) and his lady companion is also usually chugging down wine when she isn't riding her Harley. The couple cannot 'do life' without downing a cold one. Crew does not comment on this, and it is certainly not key to any part of the plot – I am just on a bit of a bandwagon personally in a bid to stop the cultural acceptance of drinking. That aside, a do give this book a hearty recommendation. It is no wonder that Crew is heralded as ‘award-winning’.