Suzanne Maree Leal

Two major themes in this novel- fundamentalist Christianity and sexual assault in schools. I knew nothing about the Free Church of Scotland (and its place in Australia) and am perturbed to think about its influence on young minds happening not far away from me today.
Easy reading and a page turner.

I wasn't a big fan of "Running with Ivan" although it is receiving very positive reviews from many readers. I didn't like the timeslip element and I couldn't emotionally connect with any of the characters. I usually enjoy middle-school novels but this one never won me over. However, I did appreciate how the novel ended.