The Astrologer's Daughter

Gr 9 Up—Set in Melbourne, Australia, Lim's novel is the elegantly written story of Avicenna Crowe, following the disappearance of her mother, Joanne. Avicenna is the last in a long line of Crowe women—all gifted astrologers with the ability to read people and see death. While Avicenna is resistant to use her gift, Joanne had dedicated her life to developing and reading her client's astrology charts. Willing to do anything to find her mother, the teen begins to use her gifts in astrology and her considerable intelligence to assist the police in their search and uncovers a link between her mother's disappearance and a decades-old murder. Teaming up with a former foe, Simon Thorn, to solve the mystery, the protagonist discovers that her mother had been living a secret life. Weaving the past and the present seamlessly, the book feels realistic, even as Lim straddles reality and superstition. A winning and relatable heroine, Avicenna's lack of confidence in her appearance, particularly her embarrassment over a facial scar caused by a childhood accident, often overwhelms and detracts from the narrative. Despite this, readers will root for the tragedy-prone Avicenna and her brooding ally, Simon.