The Disappearing TV Star
by Emily Rodda [with Mary Forrest] (Scholastic, 1994); audiobook read by Rebecca Macauley (Bolinda, 2005)
Not much of a mystery. Also, while the Teen Power kids prove fractious as ever, Richelle’s character is difficult to stomach in the first person. Her surprise revelation (which would have made sense from Nick’s POV) comes across as an authorial cheat.
On the Jellicoe Road
by Melina Marchetta (Penguin, 2006); audiobook read by Rebecca Macauley (Bolinda, 2010)
Looking for Alaska meets Picnic at Hanging Rock. An Australian school story that builds slowly and earns its character development, trusting the reader to get by without exposition. Australian accent warning on the audiobook (for those not cultured enough to appreciate it!).
Cry of the Cat
by Emily Rodda and Mary Forrest (Ashton Scholastic, 1995); audiobook read by Rebecca Macauley (Bolinda, 2006)
Although the Teen Power kids argue amongst themselves and display a refreshingly real-world dynamic, the mystery itself is spoiled somewhat by their dubious decision-making and an authorial recourse to the worst kind of tropey plot twist. The audiobook reading is nicely Australian.