A review by pwbalto
Red by Libby Gleeson

4.0

You are all alone, covered in mud, your memory gone. Things could hardly get worse - or so you might think. In the aftermath of a disastrous storm that has devastated the city of Sydney, Australia, a young girl struggles to discover who she is and where she comes from. But for Red - as she is called by the homeless boy who befriends her - the more she learns about herself, the more dangerous her situation appears to be. Soon, she is on the run from the police, learning to rely on her courage and resourcefulness and the kindness of strangers.

Australian author Libby Gleeson has won many awards for her books for children, and her craftsmanship is evident in Red. Hiding out in ruined buildings and scavenging for food, Red’s physical and psychological pain is at the fore, but when she reconnects with an old friend and is once more in comfortable surroundings, she is, if anything, even less at ease. Swift, smart plotting makes this short novel a compulsive read.

—Paula Willey