This book is very much of it's time. I find it difficult that young people would actually connect with the storytoday, which is a pity as it has some lovely scenes and characters.

Intriguing and engaging from the first page, Whispering in the Wind takes its young readers away to a magical and dream-like world inspired by the Australian outback. Marshall’s writing is breath-taking: descriptive and evocative, this book really lends itself well to being read out-loud and becomes a wonderful shared experience for reader and listeners. Kind, brave and caring, this book goes surprisingly deep into the human psyche and weaves in important philosophical questions in an approachable, child-friendly way, while taking note to never talk down to its readers. My 8-year-old in particular was very taken with this story and always begged for “one more chapter, please!” during our nightly reading sessions. It’s so wonderful to see this children’s classic republished for a new generation to enjoy.

DNF. I thought I'd really like this – an undiscovered fantasy from the house that brought me to Ash Road several years ago. But for a book that the introduction says is not didactic, the message of spreading love is archly apparent, and everything weird and wonderful the story comes across seemed really loaded. More importantly, it was too off-kilter wacky for my taste. I doubt I'd have enjoyed it that much as a kid, and I certainly didn't now.