Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie
Kirsty Murray · 2013
82/100
👍 Worth It
Murray's time-travel portal hidden inside painted murals is genuinely inventive, and the Australian bush setting gives the book a texture you don't often find in middle-grade fantasy. The pacing asks for patient readers and the mystery resolves a little too neatly, but the character work between Lucy and her prickly great-aunt is the real draw — and the Aurealis Award nod confirms this isn't just a regional curiosity.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety92
substance80
craft83
originality82
accuracy85
hype72
age-fit84
human-eye82
Penny’s verdict82
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