Thunderhead

Thunderhead by Sophie Beer. Allen and Unwin 2024. MG fiction paperback RRP $17.99. ISBN 9781761180958 

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Meet Thunderhead, who is twelve, shortly to turn thirteen. Thunderhead is awkward, music-obsessed and a magnet for bad luck. Thunderhead's favourite things in life are listening to records, especially retro records from their grandparent’s era and hanging out with their best friend Moonflower, who has been their bestie since Grade 2. But Thunderhead is hiding a huge medical secret. When Moonflower moves schools, Thunderhead is faced with the dual prospect of making new friends and navigating high school alone.

Beset by the dim, dark secret, Thunderhead begins to post diary entries and playlists to try and make sense of their rapidly changing world. Thunderhead desires to make a career in music journalism, but the elephant in the room would seemingly make it impossible after the big secret is revealed.

Sophie Beer has drawn on her hearing-loss experience. She says: “The grief of losing one’s hearing as a music lover is a singular yet poignant situation, which I struggled to find represented in media. I wrote this book to aid the representation for D/deaf or hard-of-hearing people in Australian Middle-Grade literature, as well as those suffering from neurofibromatosis, acoustic neuromas, or even those going through the surreal experience of having a brain tumour.

More broadly, this book is for introverted middle-grade readers who are struggling socially or perhaps are scared when starting at a new school or having to meet new people, and for anyone who loves music.”

This is a relatable tale for those who struggle, as mentioned above, as Thunderhead pours out their heart and soul in their diary entries. Thunderhead finds an unexpected ally toward the end of the story, a fellow musician with their own health struggle. And the friends who seemed to be great at first turn out otherwise. However, some stick by the protagonist (whose real identity is revealed towards the end) and offer wonderful friendship and support.