Cameron Nunn

Will and his younger sister are sent to live with his estranged grandparents after his father can't cope with looking after him following the death of Will's mother. When he gets there, Will starts having strange dream-like memories of another boy like him who lived in the area a long time ago. He also has to cope with his strange grandfather who seems to have taken an instant disliking to Will but really has much more in common with Will than they both think.
Basically, Will channels the memories of a convict boy - his crime, his transportation and relocation from Sydney to a remote sheep station that is haunted by its recent past dealings with the indigenous peoples of the area. Interspersed with these recollections we see the difficulties Will has to face in his new life on a farm which is so different to his past life in the city. Parallels can be drawn between Will's life and that of the boy. The publishers have used a different font to differentiate between the two timelines which assists the reader to swap between past and present.
All in all, a good story even though I thought it petered out a little at the end.… (more)

Blurb: In the corridors of Hamilton College lies a secret. Behind the façade is a world of brutality, where rugby rules all and boys must learn to be men… even if it kills them. When one student makes a stand, another must decide what really matters. Events of the past avalanche into the present and bring students face to face with the shadows in the mirror.

Links:
http://www.insideadog.com.au/books/chapters/chapter1_0007.html
Read a chapter.

http://www.insideadog.com.au/residence/interviews/cameron_nunn.html
Interview with Cameron Nunn.
Interesting info from interview:
Nunn is a Christian (‘As a Christian I am moved by those who see need in the world and do something about it. They’re not the high profile people who make the headlines. They’re just ordinary people with enormous compassion and a faith that empowers them to be willing to make a difference in the lives of others’.)

Nunn didn’t always like reading books (‘I wasn’t a reader at school and didn’t really even begin to like books until the very end of school’.)

How Nunn summarises what his book is about:
‘It’s about bullying but it’s also about standing up for what you know is right even if it costs you personally. It’s about being true to yourself’.

Link to a student review of the book:
http://www.insideadog.com.au/books/book_reviews.php/review/cameronnunn/1/1135… (more)