My Brother, Finch

Written by Kate Gordon
Reviewed by Jamie Willis

Kate Gordon is an award-winning author of children’s and young adult fiction. Her novel Aster’s Good, Right Things won the CBCA Book of the Year for younger readers in 2021, and in 2023, Xavier in the Meantime was shortlisted in the same category. Her other books include Indigo in the Storm and Esme in the Limelight, Whalesong, The Ballad of Melodie Rose and The Calling of Jackdaw Hollow, and the Juno Jones series for younger readers.

My Brother, Finch is a story of family, friendship, loss and grief. Twelve-year-old Wren should be starting high school with her brother, Finch. Except he’s not there. He disappeared three years earlier, when their family was visiting a disused coal mine. Wren had always been envious of Finch. He was bold and funny and she wasn’t.  She still feels him by her side and hears him talking to her. She knows she needs to move on, but she only wants to go back.Wren’s friendships fell apart after Finch disappeared and when she meets a quirky girl, Freddie, on their first day of high school, Wren feels hopeful of friendship. They decide  to investigate what happened to a girl missing from school and as they search for clues, they uncover secrets about themselves and their past.

 It sensitively explores the difficulties in moving on after tragedy and is ultimately a message of hope. The reader is left with the sense that this grief never ends, but it doesn’t preclude experiencing lives of friendship and love.

This exquisite, heart-warming story seems destined to win awards and will be enjoyed by readers aged 11 and older.

Teacher’s Notes
Riveted Press 2024
Kate Gordon