Running in Circles by Shivaun Plozza and published by University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an inventive, thought provoking and intriguing story where the themes of climate change, crop circles and conspiracies collide. The book explores how theories, conflicting viewpoints and blinding obsessions can fuel suspicion and speculation, polarising not only a family, but an entire community. Plozza offers a refreshing exploration of the lesson about fighting for what matters and accepting the outcomes of a hard-fought campaign.
Set in Tully, in Far North Queensland where sugar cane is a dominant crop, twelve-year-old Dell lives with her Dad and older sister, Summer and two younger sisters, Prim and Una. Her adored Mo-Mo and Grandpa Four also come to live with them. Dell’s Mum, Andrea left the family five years ago to pursue her dream of researching extraterrestrial activity and hoping to make contact with alien life. In her absence, Dell’s Dad has raised the four girls and provided a loving, stable and happy home full of unwavering love.
The family dynamic suddenly and swiftly changes when Dell spots her Mum in town and heartbreakingly learns she has not returned to see her family, but rather to study the newly formed crop circles. Dell makes the difficult and selfless decision to not share with her family that she saw her Mum. She remembers all too well the immense pain and devastation her mother’s departure caused. Instead, she chooses to protect her family from reliving this hurt again. However, despite Dell’s conviction to carry this huge burden alone her decision is taken out of her hands when her family spot Andrea in the shops. The family is then thrust back into the painful world of unanswered questions, emotional conflict and ultimately painful and difficult truths.
The crop circles quickly dominate the news in Tully and Dell’s mum who has joined forces with the questionable Quentin Higgs attracts intense media attention. This escalates when Andrea and Higg’s announce a date, time and place in Tully, when they claim aliens will make contact.
Dell, a budding meteorologist who meticulously tracks the weather is more determined than ever to prove and expose her Mum and Higgins as a fraud to drive them out of town. She and her best friend Teddy, an equally enthusiastic budding scientist, hatch a plan to gather the necessary evidence. The stakes are high as Dell’s sisters are charmed by their Mum’s empty promises, swept up in her dazzling smiles and disingenuous ways.
Plozza cleverly uses the setting, Tully, the “wettest town in Australia” and its weather as a metaphor to vividly describe Dell’s emotions. She weaves scientific detail throughout the text drawing on the Channel-billed cuckoos deceptive behaviours and introduced pests to describe and illuminate Andrea’s misleading tendencies and actions. The story is brimming with rich figurative language that supports readers building deep connections with the characters and setting with striking clarity.
This coming-of-age story, suitable for readers 11+, explores themes that will resonate deeply with its audience. While the heartbreak Andrea leaves in her wake is palpable, the narrative is anchored by unwavering love and support in the form of unbreakable family bonds, steadfast best friends, a former foe turned ally and Mo-Mo whose steady presence and wisdom consistently softens even the sharpest moments of pain. It is ultimately a story about connection, trust, the power of acceptance and the support networks who help navigate uncertainty, loss, change and guide situations towards clarity and hope.
Comprehensive teachers’ notes are avaialbe from UQP here.