Reviewed by Wendy Lipke
It was just Lavender and her mum and often Lavender found herself sitting outside waiting for her mum, when she went in for a noggin of rum, with the promise of fetching something to fill their bellies. One day as she was waiting in the fine cold rain, she was rescued by Big Agatha who was always on the lookout for children with magic inside them. Agatha took her on board The Good Marchioness which was in port at that time.
This ship was the most magical and cursed pirate ship that ever sailed the seven seas. It was on a mission to break a curse that changed people from their normal appearance. To do this they must find a ghost ship to retrieve a map providing the whereabouts of the stolen treasure which had to be returned to the ship, The Marigold. If this was not accomplished within a given time they would all be turned to sand.
All saved children had inside them a special gift though many were unaware of what that special gift was. Lavender was to become the kitchen rat, Hans Whitby, under the control of Big Agatha before being apprenticed to the top deck and the Worshipful company of Uncommon Seamen.
It was during this adventure that she was able to learn to read and write and found herself wanting to write her story, in a real book, with a blue silk cover and silver letters (356). This is her adventure.
Written with her first-person narration, the book is divided into six parts – Whitby, Caribbean Sea, the Kingdom of Spain, the Barbary Coast, North Atlantic Ocean and Whitby. She was Lavender Wolfe in the first tale, Hans Whitby in the second and then she was becoming someone else. This book shares a tale, within a tale, within a tale.
She, Lavender/Hans, was able to write this book because she was always full of questions which she needed to be answered. On The Good Marchioness things were always changing, people leaving and others arriving. There were always new things to be learned.
This is a children’s book full of pirates and dangerous land and sea adventures. It is also a story of growing up and being there for others. It is about a growing awareness. Lavender was to learn that all of us are much more than what we first seem (338). We all have a tale within us. Even within the worst of us, goodness can be found. There are fair winds trapped within storms and even love hidden in bad spells (339).
Karen Foxlee is an Australian author for both children and adults, and her award-winning novels are published around the world. She now also provides manuscript assessment and a mentoring service. Her first novel for children was published internationally in 2014 to much acclaim. It was an E.B. White Read Aloud finalist that year.
This is an easy-to-read book with words well-spaced on the page and a font size appropriate for the young reader. Black and white sketches accompany the text, and many chapters are accompanied by information about the food Agatha produced within her kitchen domain. This inventive and playful fantasy, set in 1719, is a delightful read for children and those who are children at heart.
The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe
(2025)
by Karen Foxlee
Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 978-1-76118-202-0
$24.99; 404pp