Book Review: Dunger, by Joy Cowley

William and his sister Melissa have been looking forward to summer…but what their parents have in mind for them is far from their idea of a holiday. Staying with their cranky grandparents and helping them fix up their ancient bach? No thanks!  However, there’s a catch. Grandma and Grandpa are going to pay them each $1000 dollars if they decide to go.

$1000 dollars is more money than either of the siblings has ever had. Perhaps this holiday won’t be so bad. It’s only ten days, after all…

Willam and Melissa’s plan to get rich soon proves to be more challenging than they thought. Grandma and Grandpa argue non-stop, the bach is filthy and the work is very hard (not to mention gross). To fourteen-year-old Melissa’s horror, there is no cellphone reception- she is stranded, with only William and her grandparents for company. William is equally disgusted that he must spend time with his annoying older sister – but when his grandfather introduces him to the car, or “old dunger”, William is thrilled.

It soon becomes clear that their grandparents are not as boring as they seemed to be  – although this isn’t always a good thing. William and Melissa begin to understand what it means to be a family…and just as they do, disaster strikes. Have the siblings learnt enough to work together and save the family from crumbling?

NZ author Joy Cowley’s new novel Dunger is an excellent read, laced with humour, irony and written using such excellent imagery that readers can imagine that they are at the bach, or in the car, or playing guitar with Melissa. A great book for both kids and adults alike, Dunger will be loved by people of all ages. The characters are vivid and lovable, and readers will find themselves wishing that this book went on long after the last page.

Reviewed by Tierney Reardon

Dunger
by Joy Cowley
Published by Gecko Press
ISBN 9781877579462