Red by Libby Gleeson

Cyclone wipes out the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Hundreds dead; even more missing and injured!

This is the horrific news headline that would best describe Libby Gleeson's latest novel for young teens.

After an unprecedented natural disaster 'Red' wakes up covered in mud and scratches unable to remember who she is and what happened. She is unearthed by Peri who calls her 'Red' because of the colour of her shirt. The first words out of her mouth are, "jaymartinjaymartinjaymartin".

What follows is a suspenseful adventure (which occasionally teeters on the edges of believablility) through the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne as Red tries to regain her memory and find her father.

I had issues with plausibility throughout the story, but it was fast-paced and snappy enough to give me little time to ponder these flaws too closely.

Recommended for 11+ readers