Marsh & Me by Martine Murray

Abstract

Reviewed by: Marsh & Me by Martine Murray Quinita Balderson Murray, Martine Marsh & Me. Knopf, 2019 [160p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55045-4 $19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55044-7 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55046-1 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-6 Joey is the brooding older brother at home, the quiet loner at school, and on his own time an artist-dreamer who plays guitar on a hilltop where the solitude alleviates his fear of judgment. When his personal space is infringed upon by a “wild girl” who has built a spaceship-looking treehouse on his hill, Joey initially plans to reclaim his fortress by force but ends up befriending the mysterious girl, who refuses to tell him her name. They settles on the nickname Marsh, short for Martian, because of her alien behaviors. Joey doesn’t understand Marsh’s circumstances, but he senses that she needs help, and, in turn, she ends up returning the favor. This Australian import is an appealing tale of two dreamers, and it’s interesting to see Joey ending up as the comparatively down to earth one. It takes the far-out free spirit Marsh (really Ruzica, grieving her Serbian mother’s death) to encourage him to step outside of his comfort zone and try as they prepare an entry for the Battle of the Bands. The pacing is stately to the point of being sometimes slow and much is left to a young reader’s inference, but ultimately the story of unusual friendship brings reward. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois