Eliza Berry A Second Chance

Book excerpt: Should a young girl save her father at the cost of trillions of fathers? Eliza, a tormented thirteen-year-old, lives in the near future in a city called Cresco. After her dad disappears down a wormhole, she’s catapulted into the intrigues of an incredible, unfamiliar alien world on Earth. Realising that everything she once knew was a lie, and with her emerging but unreliable special powers, Eliza teams up with her new friends, TrueBias, Yardley and Zeno, and sets out on a quest to save her father. She soon discovers that it’s not only her dad who is in mortal danger, but so is the survival of the whole galaxy. She has to protect the precious Luxlumen stone from the Viscorpus race. But even if she secures the stone, as the only bargaining tool, does she use it to save her father or the galaxy? How can she save them both? A note from Daniella. Choosing an appropriate book for your child, or even for yourself, can be challenge, and with so many on offer, sometimes making the right choice is a lucky dip! The Look Inside feature is excellent, as it gives you the opportunity to see the style of writing, and the initial direction of the story. It is important to highlight that this book is written in British-English and has not been ‘translated’ into American-English; therefore, for younger readers, there may be some confusion with language, such as: Lift = Elevator Flat = Apartment Pavement = Sidewalk I thought I would also add some further information to help you with your choice. Eliza Berry–A Second Chance does not contain any foul language, drug use/misuse, and there is no reference to sex or any sexual scenes or associated language. The story does however contain fight scenes, which although are not heavily graphic, and some are quite comical, sometimes Eliza and her pals are in real danger, and there are descriptions of being strangled and held by the throat or hair, and other characters being hurt. We assume one character is dragged into outer space, but this is not confirmed. This is a light science fiction novel for children from the age of 10 upwards. Eliza Berry, the main character, is a girl of little confidence and, as much as this is a story is about adventure and discovery, it is also a story of how Eliza transforms from an individual with low self-esteem and poor self-worth. As many 13-year-olds, she is struggling to find her place in the world, and this story, I’d like to think, takes us on a journey where Eliza learns to love and accept herself for her uniqueness. Accepting who we are is an important part of growing up, and I touch on the themes of domestic violence, low self-esteem, love, family, feelings of abandonment, isolation, fear, friendship, trust, acceptance and honesty. All of us are special and unique, and we all have a superpower. It’s just hard sometimes to find it!