The Middle of Nowhere (Usborne Modern Classics) - Hardcover

'A clear-sighted, beautifully written examination of racism and courage' - The Metro; 'McCaughrean is one of the greatest living children's authors' - The Bookseller; 'In The Middle of Nowhere Geraldine McCaughrean's gift for manipulating words to create atmosphere is well to the fore, and readers of 10s-plus will find this latest story from the award-winning author exciting and absorbing' - Newbury Weekly News; 'Award-winning Geraldine McCaughrean captures a far off landscape and a far off time in her fabulously dramatic nineteenth century story interwoven with the magic of the mysterious and stories of the Aboriginal Dreamtime' - Lovereading4kids; 'Warmly recommended... a fast-paced, quirky, original and unpredictable novel' - SLA Newsletter; 'Superbly constructed and beautifully written' - Newham Bookshop; 'Geraldine McCaughrean's The Middle of Nowhere was a real breath of fresh air - beautifully written and drawing you in to the time and environment with great skill. I loved the characters, too. Geraldine's very good at dialogue - the different voices of the aboriginal boy, the Punjabi camel driver, the young girl, the upright, uptight dad, the horrible army veteran, the snooty relatives in Adelaide - they all ring true. It's also a story with a very contemporary resonance' - Young Quills Historical Fiction Award; 'McCaughrean's writing is glorious... as relevant as ever' - Little Rebels Book Awards; 'Geraldine McCaughrean writes a superb sentence, and they come thick and fast in The Middle of Nowhere' - Booktrust; 'Full of phrases, images and ideas that pull you up short, and is a brilliant adventure too' - Books for Keeps; 'What could be classed as a 'sweeping epic', The Middle of Nowhere is essentially a love letter to the Outback - richly layered, peppered with seamless similes and wonderfully evocative... a truly beautiful book' - Gobblefunked; 'This novel about courage, love and tolerance sings with McCaughrean's glorious, new-minted phrase-making' - The Sunday Times; 'Geraldine McCaughrean is an awe-inspiring writer with a miraculous talent for bringing to life past times and faraway lands' - Sunday Telegraph; 'Everything Geraldine McCaughrean touches turns to gold' - Sunday Times

When Mary Pinny dies from a snakebite, she leaves her young daughter, Comity, and husband Herbert in the Middle of Nowhere. As Stationmaster of the Kinkindele Repeater Station, Herbert Pinny takes great pride in his job; receiving morse messages and passing them down the Wire to the rest of Australia and beyond. But Comity dreams of a different life - where her mother is alive and she has her own horse and a new piano - and sends letters to her grandmother and her snooty aunt full of colourful tales of her imaginary life. That is, until the new station assistant, Quartz Hogg, arrives and brings Comity and her father sharply back down to earth.