Kate

Kate by Kevin Burgemeestre (Morris Publishing Australia)
PB RRP $22.00
ISBN 9780987543448
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

All the four main characters in this story have lost something significant which has changed their lives. Kate has lost her mother to illness, her obscurity due to her changing body, and her best friend Jess to Canada. Jess lost all that was familiar and her sense of belonging. Wilde the dog had his faith in humans and his freedom snatched from him by the brutality of his owner. Mal lost his sister to drugs and his life to crime. These four broken beings are brought together by a strange serendipity.

Kate, Mal, Wilde and later Jess who returns from Canada, are drawn into a mystifying, suspenseful and life-threatening adventure that stems from Mal’s secret past. Who is the complex Mal really? What is he hiding?

Kevin Burgemeetre’s first novel with themes of loss, grief and renewal, and complicated human relationships is fast-paced and impressive. It holds the reader’s attention from start to finish by keeping its mysteries undisclosed, allowing only tiny particles of information to float into view at specific times. This generates a sense of urgency; a need to discover what is being hidden and why.

The story is sharp and witty with excellent main characters, a strong story line and lots of humour flowing in and out. The excellent art work in black and white accentuates the characters and adds elegance to a surprising debut novel.

Blog Tour: Kevin Burgemeestre and Kate

Buzz Words chats to Kevin Burgemeestre about his debut YA book Kate (Morris Publishing Australia). Kevin is no stranger to readers with over 60 published books that contain his illustrations. Kate contains five illustrations which were exhibited at the Stonnington Literature Alive exhibition earlier in 2013. He has recently turned his hand to writing. Kate was completed as part of a Copyright Agency residency at the University of New England in 2012. It is a story of growth and mistakes, danger and excitement, loss and discovery.

Comment on this post to be in the draw to win a copy of Kate.

1. Welcome Kevin. Please describe your new novel in five words or less.

Teenage mistakes not the end!

2. How did the ideas for your book come to you?

I am shocked how quickly we are willing to write young people off. Young people are meant to make mistakes. I made a ton of them.

I was aware that teenagers in our circle from happy families were making unexpected decisions. They were going off the map. They were getting into creepy stuff. I wondered if our teenage judgement is a little impaired. I also reflected on the importance of friendships in those years. I got Kate to collide into someone she may not even have given a second glance. Mum and Dad, who survived a war, told me that when the duck fat hits the fan it was often the people they least expected that stood up and did the right thing.

3. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I remembered what good companions our dogs were when I was going through my lumpy and bumpy teenage years. On a really bad day, ten minutes with one of our dogs would totally bring me out of myself. If you want a dog get a mutt from the pound, its got a harpoon pointed at its head. Full breed dogs will always find a home.

Be the friend to your friends. Be to them what you are looking for in a mate. Forgive a true mate even if they've hurt you. Find adventure, and I don't mean crazy danger, but try some things that take you a little out of your comfort zone. You will be surprised what you are capable of.

4. Why did you choose to write in this genre?

As an adult, I often reflect on my formative years. I was so lucky, and yet I saw what was happening to children from my neighbourhood, what they were going through. Not all of them survived, yet they were people just like me. How does that happen?

I also like teenagers, I have respect for the challenges they face. I like to listen to their stories and hear their opinions. I'm not sure adults often ask them what they think. I feel blessed that I came from simpler times, we had less, but the pressures were far less.

As part of the blog tour, we will give away a copy of Kate. To be in the draw, simply comment on the post and send an email of your comment to submissions@morrispublishingaustralia.com with the subject "Kate competition". Competition closes midnight EDST 17 December.

Kate by Kevin Burgemeestre  (Morris Publishing Australia)
PB RRP $22 (eBook coming soon)
ISBN 978-0-9875434-4-8

Kate is struggling to deal with her best friend leaving, a school bully and with the death of her mother. She believes that life is hard. Then a chance encounter with a battered, heroic hound she rescues from the streets, and Mal, a troubled young man with a dark past, leads Kate into more danger and excitement than she could have wished for.

She wonders about her unusual friendship with this damaged young man, but when things go really wrong, they’ll need each other ... and they’ll have to run!

To see more of Kevin's blog tour go to:

Tuesday 3rd Dec - 10  writing tips http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com

Wednesday 4th Dec - Interview http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

Thursday 5th Dec - Interview http://www.alisonreynolds.com.au

Friday 6th - article http://sherylgwyther.wordpress.com

Saturday 7th Interview http://bookmusterdownunder.blogspot.com.au

Sunday 8th Dec www.jackiehoskingpio.wordpress.com

Monday 9th Interview  http://www.kidsbookreview.com

Monday 9th Interview http://UncommonYA.com

Tuesday 10th Review http://www.melissawray.blogspot.com.au

Wednesday 11th Review www.karentyrrell.com

Thursday 12th Interview http://aussiereviews.com/reviews/blog/

Friday 13th Interview http://lorrainemarwoodwordsintowriting.blogspot.com

Saturday 14th Article http://clancytucker.blogspot.com.au

Sunday 15th Dec Interview http://www.morrispublishingaustralia.com/news-update-blog.html

Monday 16th Dec Interview http://diannedibates.blogspot.com.au

Tuesday 17th Dec Interview http://elaineoustonauthor.com.au