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Cross Tides, Lorraine Orman
Longacre Press
Reviewed by Tess Novak, 14, (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

Imagine that at 16 you were lost in a bet, married off to a whaler with an unruly reputation and taken to the distant land of New Zealand.

In the 1820s all this happened to Lizzie Dawson and now, years after her death, she would like to share her story. The recipient of this tale is Bel, who experiences Lizzie's story through her ghost. Meanwhile, putting aside the presence of Lizzie's ghost, Bel's own life is falling apart.

One day her parents decide they don't love each other any more and Bel's father is going overseas for a few years. Her mother has been having an affair with someone else for the last six months and now they are planning to marry.

Bel is sent to the Marlborough Sounds to stay with her hick cousins with no shops, no social life, no nothing. But her stay with the family takes an unusual turn when she first notices Lizzie.

New Zealand author Lorraine Orman has written countless short stories but this is her first novel. She has always been an avid reader and, after being a librarian for some time, she thought that maybe she'd give writing a go.

With this novel, I believe she has succeeded in creating a plausible plot that fits into the teenage drama genre. Cross Tides has a great link from the past to the present, complete with thorough research and powerful language.