I really enjoyed this slightly strange story of two girls who meet in the desertlands of Australia. One wakes, exhausted, parched, with no memory and near death, to find the other, a First Country girl called Tarni, standing over her. Tarni proves herself a wonderful friend, and her bush skills save her new companion's life. Zillah Bethell, who lived in Papua New Guinea as a child, evokes wonderfully both the landscape of the outback and the tenacity and rich depths of its people - Tarni is a wonderful ambassador for her tribe, showcasing the incredible talent and skills handed down over generations to enable First Country people to survive in such inhospitable and harsh conditions. The two girls develop a deep friendship, and, in the course of the book, as the lost girl remembers who she is, she realises the shallowness and restrictions of her old life in comparison to Tarni's generosity and freedom. She goes home changed, and with a new friend, having never had one before.

This is a fabulous book for early teens wanting to experience the outback - somewhere entirely new and different - and learn something of what it takes to survive there, as well as the beliefs and values of the people who have lived there for generations.