Lucy and Linh

Lucy Lam, a Vietnam War refugee, lives in a dilapidated Australian town among families like her own: poor, hardworking immigrants who dream of a better life for their children. Lucy gets a chance to make her parents proud when she wins a scholarship to a prestigious private school, but when she arrives at Laurinda, where “the beauty snuck up on you, like a femme fatale with a rock,” it’s like landing in another world, where her parents’ work ethic doesn’t apply. At Laurinda, power is valued over brilliance, and the school is ruled by a trio of girls, the “Cabinet,” who brazenly torment weaker classmates and undermine teachers. Lucy is both repelled and fascinated by these girls, but to be accepted into their clique means leaving her old ideals behind. In a novel filled with strong visual images, Pung (An Unpolished Gem) draws a sharp contrast between authenticity and deception, integrity and manipulation. Against the vividly painted backdrops of two very different communities, she traces Lucy’s struggle to form a new identity without compromising the values she holds closest to her heart. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)