Old Bertie is J.D. Salinger meets Taika Waititi, with a sprinkling of George Orwell. It asks readers to consider how much power a 15-year-old girl might wield in a world that demands complete compliance.

George Jones is fed up and hungry for change. She’s stuck on an island with a bunch of compliant suckers who all live in fearful deference to Old Bertie, a Giant Squid. Old Bertie devoured George’s mother, and swallowed up her father’s heart, and his will.

But George’s world changes when a mysterious stranger washes ashore. Fernandez is the first person to ever enter Old Bertie’s watery domain and live to tell the tale. If Fernandez was spared by the Great Beast, could her mum still be out there? And is George willing to break her dad’s heart in her quest to know the truth?

This story will appeal to readers looking for a satisfying blend of heart and humour, with a speculative, fantastical twist.

Age Guide 12+