Three Things About Daisy Blue grabs readers in its first paragraph: here is a girl writing in her diary, declaring her hatred of diaries. Soon she reveals a parental requirement to keep a diary and Daisy (or Zee, as she prefers to be called) referring to said diary as 'Angelina' in order to feel as though she's rebelling from writing in a 'diary'. This is a girl with a mind of her own, and we know there is going to be an interesting path ahead of us.
Then we learn of a trip to Bali, a trip on which Daisy is being forced to go by her mother.
Paulina, meanwhile, is also writing in her diary (AKA 'journal of the historical investigations of the island of Bali'), in a somewhat different fashion. Paulina is a facts-based, no-nonsense and, according to Daisy, boring girl.
Once they reach Bali, though, things begin to change for these two girls. They meet boys, they discover new sides to themselves and do things they never thought possible.
As part of the Girlfriend fiction list, this novel has been selected for its appeal to teenaged girls - but it can't be shrugged off as 'just another book for teenagers.'
With Three Things About Daisy Blue, author Gordon has created a believable, funny and touching story about two girls searching for happiness - a tough thing to find as a teenager. Written in diary format for the book's entirety, the voices of each character are genuine and never fail to hit a chord of emotion, whether it be laughter or a tug at the heart.
Serious topics are covered with the honesty of teenagers: body image, eating disorders, losing parents and learning to connect with adults and make new friends.
This book is well worth a read.
Title: Three Things About Daisy Blue
Author: Kate Gordon
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $14.99 RRP
Publication Date: October 2010
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781742372129
For ages: 13 - 16
Type: Novel
This book is available online
