Don't Breathe a word

Mackenzie Carew has a lot on her plate. She has to redo a school assignment (apparently 'A History of Toilets through the Ages' just wasn't going to cut it), she thinks she's getting a crush on a boy from school and her best friend always wants to play with the twitty twins Tegan and Regan. But her biggest problem is that something strange is going on with her Grandpa Pirate (so called because he has a sunken chest - bom bom) and her 'hormonal' sister Tahlia has made her promise that she won't tell anyone about it. Tahlia is worried that if someone finds out that Pirate, their guardian, is behaving erratically then their family will be split up and they don't want that to happen.
The girls decide that Pirate's state of health is temporary and they will keep an eye on him until he gets better, hopefully before school holidays finish. As the holidays draw on and Pirate seems to be getting worse, the responsibility of keeping the situation secret falls on Mackenzie's shoulders and she finds it increasingly difficult to hide Pirate's confused state of mind and his midnight ramblings. With the holidays drawing to a close and no miraculous recovery in sight Mackenzie is getting worried, particularly when her heavily pregnant half sister and a well meaning neighbour become suspicious and threaten to interfere.

Dementia is a difficult issue for adults to understand, let alone kids. Books like this and Layla Queen of Hearts by Glenda Millard, engage with the subject well without getting maudlin and bogged down in boringly good intentions. Don't Breathe a Word is sensitively written, but it also describes the bizarrely funny situations that can occur when loved ones suffer from this bewildering disease. It deals with a serious issue and shows that it is okay to see the funny side of it. I got a big laugh out of Mackenzie's inspired problem solving like when she decides to deal with her grandfather's incontinence by wrapping his mattress in bubble wrap.

' "I head pop pop popping coming from Grandpa's room.
"What the dickens?" he said.
I smiled in the dark. Even at the worst of times, little things could lift your spirits."

Through Mackenzie Marianne describes that difficult 'tween' age somewhere between childhood and adulthood where Mackenzie takes on adult responsibilities but is treated like a child by those outside her family. Added to this the confusion of a 'BFF' who suddenly looks elsewhere for friendship, sibling rivalry, starting high school and a first crush and Marianne has covered a gamut of emotions and experiences that so many kids could relate to.