They want someone they can shape, someone who will grow from the experience they have at the school and Lucy’s creative writing exercise is what clinches the scholarship offer. Along with several of her friends from her Catholic high school, Lucy Lam sits the scholarship exam for Laurinda but it isn’t that she’s the smartest girl to take the test. Then the Cabinet themselves begin showing an interest in her and Lucy sees what it can be like when you’re a part of that, a part of them.īut all things come with a price and Lucy struggles to hold onto herself and her beliefs against the will and pressure of the Cabinet.Īlice Pung breathes fresh life into the Aussie YA world with her debut novel Laurinda a look at a student from a non-wealthy background being accepted into a very prestigious school. Although Lucy sees through them she can’t help but also be fascinated by them and she finds herself increasingly drawn into their world when taken the mother of one of the Cabinet takes Lucy under her wing. Laurinda is ruled by ‘the Cabinet’ – a trio of girls who not only control their classmates but also some of their teachers. When she’s not at school or doing her homework, Lucy spends a lot of time helping her mother work or looking after The Lamb, her younger brother. Her father works long shifts in a factory and her mother sews clothes in the family garage. Her parents are immigrants from Vietnam (although were born in China) and she comes from a very different background to the other students. Pung tackles big issues with a light touch.Lucy Lam has just received the first Equal Access scholarship to Laurinda, an exclusive girls school. “Schoolgirl Lucy Lam was one of this year’s best characters – smart, hardworking and brave. ‘Based loosely on Pung’s own experiences, the book has an unmissable ring of truth to it, making it all the more compelling and horrifying.’ - Sydney Morning Herald ‘In her debut novel successfully dramatizes the high stakes when an impoverished Chinese girl is parachuted into the private system … Pung’s forceful writing reveals the diverse and often difficult lives of her immigrant compatriots too often hidden away from us by masks of discretion.’ -the Age ‘A candid and powerful exploration of family, culture and class … it is those of us who take our fortune and privilege for granted that I wish would read this powerful book.’ - Readings Monthly ‘Pung continues to impress with her nuanced storytelling Laurinda will surely resonate with anyone who remembers the cliquey, hierarchical nature of the playground.’ - Sunday Age

Funny, horrifying, and sharp as a serpent’s fangs.’ -John Marsden ‘Alice Pung totally nails it with Laurinda. ‘Biting yet compassionate’ -Books of the Year, Australian Book Review

Laurinda by Alice Pung