The Raven’s Eye Runaways

By Claire Mabey

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Claire Mabey is very active in the New Zealand literary world – she is the founder of Verb Wellington, LitCrawl Wellington and Lōemis. She is also books editor at The Spinoff, book critic at RNZ and co-curator of the writers’ programme at the Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts. This is her debut children’s novel and it’s a delight!

Getwin and her mother, Gunnora, are sought after bookbinders in a world where only special and rare scholar families are allowed to read and write, everyone else  is strictly forbidden to engage with the written word in any way, but, and this is no surprise, both of them are secret readers.

When Gunnora doesn’t come back from a job at a scholar’s house Getwin reads her mother’s hidden book and discovers a secret underground group who are trying to change the rigid hierarchy under which they all live. Together she and Lea, an escaped scribe, her neighbour Buckle and Sharp, the raven seek Gunnora and discover a  rich world of mystery and magic.

Claire Mabey has created some original characters that spring immediately to life. In the beginning Getwin is ripe for action as she is tired of the relentless work and wants more time for ‘fun, rest and adventure’, so she thrives on change even though worried about her mother. Lea the scribe, previously kept subservient by her addiction to Specialtea, is only just discovering the marvels of a wider world. The renegade scholar Mir, one of those who ‘could read, write and think whatever they wanted and tread and trample and condescend wherever they pleased’ (37) is a tantalizing character, someone who left me wanting to know more.

There is plenty of action and suspense, of horror and delight in this richly imagined world of original magic. The rhythmic sentences ebb and flow in a densely written story of adventure and mystery where words have their own power. Themes of family, of friendship, courage and resilience and more are skilfully interwoven in this fast moving narrative.

Children in middle grade who love something different and are looking for an original fantasy will devour this story about  runaways who ‘ found so many secrets. And caused so much wonderful trouble’. (329)

A&U Children’s NZ 2024