The secret of the stone by Kathryn Lefroy
The secret of the stone, written by Western Australian author Kathryn Lefroy and published by Fremantle Press, is an enjoyable and accessible story for readers aged from late primary years through the Middle years.
One might be tired of the old trope of the magic object that grants wishes (think Enid Blyton's Adventures of the wishing chair, think Aladdin and the wonderful lamp) but though this thought may flash through the mind, the reader soon becomes engrossed in the drama of the stone.
Olive Selverston-Myers, during her last year of primary school, discovers a very strange stone in the back of a cave in San Francisco Bay. During Science lesson the next day she manages, on a wish, to make her dead frog revive. She and her friends experiment and learn by trial and error how to harness the power of the stone and each take turn to see their wishes granted. Strangely there is an unforeseen and often disturbing downside to each wish that comes true. Will Olive be able to see her dearest wishes come true? Worryingly there are other increasingly dangerous people after the stone and the adventures of the children start to take on a frightening turn. Using their combined problem solving skills and the strength of their friendships the children must outwit unknown adults who will stop at nothing including bribery, intimidation, threats, manipulation, family and business infiltration and kidnapping. The plot twists and turns with high-energy action making for a page-turning adventure story.
Family, in all its variations, is a powerful theme in The secret of the stone. Olive has two dads, a five-year-old-brother and an ageing, sick grandmother. Theo is the son of a struggling single mother who has to work two jobs. His father was killed overseas on active duty. Jake Webster..." stabber of dead frogs and all-round unpleasant human being" is the son of distant and neglectful parents. Lola tries to impress her sarcastic eighteen-year-old sister Max. Although, this presentation of varied families may seem obligatory for authors these days, somehow the warmth and the importance of family shines through.
This stone that could act..."as a conduit between known and unknown realms, transforming the world as we know it and reshaping reality" is ofcourse a powerful object, desired by all who want power. The interplay of use and misuse of power and of power in the wrong hands is explored in this book. Ultimately the children come to the understanding that such power is just too dangerous and that it is best to understand that in life sometimes thing go wrong and sometimes right. Olive comes to realise that one thing that is sure is that things change and human beings can't control it.
After a very dramatic finale, families are changed for the better and even an unlikely romance is begun. There is a surprise in the epilogue which points to the circularity and repetition of life...
As the subtitle warns: Be careful what you wish for...
Themes: Family, loyalty, friendship, being careful what you wish for, use and misuse of power.
Wendy Jeffrey