Haywire

by | May 2020

Haywire - author Claire Saxby

Haywire

Novel

Published by: Omnibus Books

ISBN 9781942769196

Awards:

  • Shortlisted NSW Premier’s History Awards 2020
  • CBC Notable 2021
  • Booklinks History Shortlist 2021

In 1939, fourteen-year-old Tom Hanlan lives in Hay in rural Australia, dreaming of bigger things. But then World War 2 is declared, two of his brothers join the army to fight in faraway Europe, and Tom must take his place in the family bakery.

In Germany, Max Gruber’s life is disrupted when Hitler declares war on Poland. He is sent to stay with his Uncle Ferdy in London, and soon both of them are shipped as ‘enemy aliens’ to Australia on the Dunera, and then to an internment camp in Hay.

Tome and Max form a fast friendship, findiing they share hopes and dreams. Both long to escape. But escaping your life isn’t easy, especially when the world is at war, life is chaotic and everything has gone haywire

Reviews

Haywire is a gripping historical novel for young adults. Set in World War II, and moving between Hay in rural New South Wales and Europe in the frantic early stages of the war, Claire Saxby’s wonderful story brings 14-year-old Tom Hanlan together with Max Gruber, a German refugee. This impressive historical novel uses their unlikely friendship to explore enduring themes of adolescence, family, war and migration.

Saxby’s book is richly imagined and convincingly inhabits the minds and lives of these two teenagers at a moment in history. Switching between the perspectives of the two boys, the story moves forward with an energetic tempo that conjures the urgency and anxiety of lives in war. But it also shows that even in extraordinary times, there’s still friendship, boredom and fun. Saxby never takes her readers for granted, bringing them along for the ride. Haywire is a creative, original contribution to Australian history. Full Article

This is a novel that deserves a wide readership among young readers with an appetite for learning something about our history while being taken on an adventure. Recommended for readers from nine years to thirteen years among the young, and for anyone beyond that who is looking for historical fiction of a high quality.

In Germany, Max Gruber’s life is disrupted when Hitler declares war on Poland. He is sent to stay with his Uncle Ferdy in London, and soon both of them are shipped as ‘enemy aliens’ to Australia on the Dunera, and then to an internment camp in Hay.

Tome and Max form a fast friendship, findiing they share hopes and dreams. Both long to escape. But escaping your life isn’t easy, especially when the world is at war, life is chaotic and everything has gone haywire

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Reviews

Haywire is a gripping historical novel for young adults. Set in World War II, and moving between Hay in rural New South Wales and Europe in the frantic early stages of the war, Claire Saxby’s wonderful story brings 14-year-old Tom Hanlan together with Max Gruber, a German refugee. This impressive historical novel uses their unlikely friendship to explore enduring themes of adolescence, family, war and migration.

Saxby’s book is richly imagined and convincingly inhabits the minds and lives of these two teenagers at a moment in history. Switching between the perspectives of the two boys, the story moves forward with an energetic tempo that conjures the urgency and anxiety of lives in war. But it also shows that even in extraordinary times, there’s still friendship, boredom and fun. Saxby never takes her readers for granted, bringing them along for the ride. Haywire is a creative, original contribution to Australian history. Full Article

This is a novel that deserves a wide readership among young readers with an appetite for learning something about our history while being taken on an adventure. Recommended for readers from nine years to thirteen years among the young, and for anyone beyond that who is looking for historical fiction of a high quality.

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