The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Doubleday, 2011. ISBN 9780857530196.
Highly recommended. Katherine looks after her little brother and sister after a promise she gave to her mum when Kate was four when the children were taken from their beds in the darkest hour of the night. Ten years later Kate and her younger siblings have lived in a string of orphanages, and all this time Kate kept her promise and watches over her brother and sister. In a strange twist of fate the children are sent to a new orphanage where they are the only orphans in the building and it becomes difficult for Kate to keep her promise. While investigating their new home, the children stumble onto a book in a hidden room. This book unlocks the secrets of what happened to them and who they really are.
This book was stunning. I couldn't put it down. It kept me guessing at what was next. I felt very sympathetic towards Kate. She acts twice the age that she really is. Extremely magical and beautifully crafted, a must have on my book list.
Cecilia Richards (student)