On the anniversary of her father’s death, Sharni returns to the place they both loved – the tingle forest. She wants to visit their secret place, to feel her father around her. But Sharni didn’t tell anyone where she was going, and, with night approaching, she is lost. She will have to spend the night in the forest.
Alone in the dark, Sharni discovers another secret that the forest holds, and vows never to tell. SOmetimes, though, promises are hard to keep. What if telling the secret could save someone’s life, or at least give them their life back?
Secrets in the Tingle Forest is a gentle, uplifting children’s story with a delightful blend of adventure and personal growth. Twelve year old Sharni works through her own problems and also reaches out to others. She is helped by a wise and understanding, a similarly canny woman who was her father’s girlfriend, and the mysterious man in the forest.
A lovely offering.
Secrets in the Tingle Forest, by Louise Schofield
Fremantle Aarts Centre Press, 2003