Catherine Bateson

While this story is set in Australia by an Australian author, it is not rooted in place - Bee's difficulty adjusting to her father's new romantic partner could be sympathetic to any reader. Bee and Jazzi's struggle to get along for the sake of Bee's dad changes when Jazzi has to tell Bee a secret.
The characters in this story, especially Bee and Jazzi are easy to like, you can see how hard they try, and exactly how they'd rub each other the wrong way. The conflicts aren't silly - when Jazzi show more accidentally throws out Bee's box of mementoes it is a truly awful thing, and you can feel Bee's heart breaking. The resolution at the end is stronger because it isn't pat - the characters really have to work hard to build a new family.
I would recommend this because it doesn't trivialise the changes that occur when forming a step family, and because the characters are very real. There are lovely moments of humour, like the letters to and from the hamsters, that ease the tension, and keep the story enjoyable. show less

In this story of love and loss and acceptance, the painted love letters of the title are two coffins painted with love by an artist dying of lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking.

This is not a story of doctors, cold hospital corridors and bedside vigils. Chrissie, the daughter, tells the story of a family turned upside-down, and of the ways the members intimately connected with death and dying handle it: Dave (Dad), Mum, Nan, and in particular, Chrissie.

A book of courage and hope, show more Painted Love Letters has an authentic feel to it and lingers with the reader long after the final page. It is beautifully crafted and an art motif runs throughout, enlivening and brightening it.

Honour CBCA, Book of the Year: Older Readers, 2003
Very short and easy to read. show less

Posted this review in Children's Books' group Fiction Club August 2020.

It's Australian, so the child is a little more world-wise in some ways than kids in most American MG books. And it's just a teeny bit too happy to be real. I, personally, loved it, however.

And I really like how Magenta learned more about writing as she was learning more about how to be a good friend and daughter. So many interesting characters, not really a cliche among them, whether adults or children. Mostly funny, show more but some moments of poignancy, too.

I thought the scene with the wombat especially funny, and am impressed that Australia's version of the black bear is easier to deal with, though so many of their creatures are more dangerous than those in the US.

Question, though. A deal was made about library fines. I understand that in the US most libraries don't charge them anymore, and are reluctant to suspend accounts for relatively small amounts of money. Is it different in Australia?

I will def. look for more by the author. And if she were a real person, I would read her own novel, too. Oh, and I will read [b:The Tough Guide to Fantasyland|1058174|The Tough Guide to Fantasyland|Diana Wynne Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1180624522l/1058174._SY75_.jpg|1044747] too. show less

Magenta and best friend Polly are too precocious by half, what with dialog like this: "I'm telling you, that woman has already cost me years of income in future therapy." Adults sharing this with young friends will likely get more out of the sophisticated humor and adult themes (which will go straight over kids' heads), but kids will understand Magenta's desire to make her father happy, in this case by finding him a girlfriend via an online dating service. Very amusing.