We Saw What You Started

By Carla Salmon

Pan Australia 2025

Teaching notes

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

There are similarities between California and Queensland – beautiful beaches, incredible surf, year-round sunshine, and wildfires. Otto left his life in California behind, moving to Red Sands with his mum, but both the good and the bad seem to have followed him.

We Saw What You Started is the debut novel from Brisbane author Carla Salmon, and is on the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers Shortlist. Tension, mystery and friendship are splashed along the beach in this gripping thrill-ride for young adult readers of all ages.

When a fire suddenly sparks in the bush, Otto is there. Fighting flashbacks, Otto races off to find his new friend Jasper and get to safety. While the town is still reeling from the unexpected and suspicious bush fire, another fire is lit in town, then another. And Otto is there every time. Just a coincidence, right?

Milly wants to believe it is just a coincidence. She’s getting to know Otto, who is spending time with her brother, Jasper, and has joined the surf lifesaving team. Talk around town is there’s more to Otto than anyone knows, but Milly understands better than anyone that talk doesn’t always mean truth. As much as she wants to believe in Otto, to help him, she’s focused on proving herself by winning the upcoming surf lifesaving competition so her dad will name her captain of the club he runs.

Neither Otto nor Milly are sure who they can trust – not even Jasper. Especially when all signs seem to be pointing in one direction. Otto is desperate to prove his innocence, but it doesn’t seem like enough time or people are on his side.

Reading We Saw What You Started is like running a race – a little daunting at the outset, there’s a lot of tension and stress, you have no idea how it’s going to end until the very last step, and it’s over before you know it. Conjuring the feeling of being in the heart of an actual small beachside tourist town, Salmon brings the story of Otto, Milly and all the supporting characters to life with descriptive and realistic language. Emphasising how it feels to be the new kid in a town where everyone has known each other since their grandparents were kids, the budding friendships and trust being questioned feel gut-wrenching, genuine and hopeful in varying degrees. Salmon’s writing caters well to younger YA readers while still holding its own alongside thrillers aimed at the older teens.