Where the Water Takes Us

Debut author Alan Barillaro delivers a stirring story about a sensitive young girl who must face that growing up means coming to terms with the things you cannot change – and taking responsibility for the things you can.

Ava’s mum is about to have twins, and the pregnancy isn’t going well. All Ava wants to do is stay by her mother’s side, but instead, she is sent away to stay with her grandparents. Normally, spending time at the lake with Nonna and Nonno is wonderful. But everything is different now. While her mum’s hospital visits are getting serious back home, Ava grapples with anxiety. As summer storms rock the island, electricity goes out at the cabin, and an annoyingly cheerful boy named Cody seems determined to pop up everywhere she goes. Ava can’t be distracted from the feeling that something terrible is going to happen to her mum while she is gone.

When a bird dies in front of her, Ava is sure it is a sign that she is cursed – the last thing she, or her family, needs. But if a curse has been placed on her, there must a way to break it. So Ava makes a deal: If she can take care of two orphaned bird eggs, she will have paid off her debt, and her family will be OK...

A really lovely story, with some beautiful illustrations from the author that make a flick book that readers will enjoy, as I did...will appeal enormously to those in Year 4 upwards who are growing in confidence and stamina and who are looking for something a bit different from much of what is available. Mrs Sydney's Famous World's Smallest Library
Where the Water Takes Us is [Alan's] debut children’s novel and demonstrates the strong, engaging storytelling that characterises the work he’s been associated with in the world of cinema...Barillaro has perfectly captured the sort of anxiety youngsters feel about their parents and the way they can internalise their anxieties when events that might threaten their family’s wellbeing are out of their control. The Letterpress Project

Alan Barillaro is the Academy Award-winning writer and director of the animated short film Piper and has been supervising animator on many other popular theatrical releases, including The Incredibles, Incredibles 2, WALL-E and Brave. He began his career in animation at the age of sixteen and spent more than twenty-five years at Pixar Animation Studios. Alan Barillaro lives in Vancouver, Canada.

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