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Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite
No Ordinary Excuse is a novel written by Michelle Adams. Twelve-year-old Gemma Martin is the queen of excuses and her teacher, Miss Haven, and best friends, Callum and Kellie, have heard them all. When Gemma forgets to do yet another class assignment, she is sentenced to lunch time detention for an indefinite period, but Gemma decides to come up with an excuse that Miss Haven cannot possibly fail to accept. Although this excuse is not about alien abductions, kidnapping, or her homework having been eaten by a dog, it certainly is unusual and requires the assistance of her agreeable aunt who is just about to take a tour of Sydney, Australia. Initially, Gemma plans on doing an assignment about Cyclone Larry, but her father tells her about a disaster far exceeding that of Cyclone Larry. Cyclone Tracy, one of Australia’s worst national disasters, had devastated Darwin at Christmas in 1974. Gemma becomes intrigued by the infamous cyclone's legacy which had caused almost one billion dollars in damage and had left so many people with nothing more than the shirt on their back. While her assignment goes on tour, Gemma suddenly realizes that doing your homework is easier (and far more interesting) than not doing it.
I found this book rather ingenious in that it is not only written in a way that will appeal to younger audiences, but it also has an educational value about a day which is imprinted on so many people’s minds. I found myself in tears in some places as the recollections were so vivid and precise. The letter from someone who'd lived through the terror of that night was the perfect touch. No Ordinary Excuse teaches children that every assignment has a reason, with each giving them a real opportunity to learn valuable lessons in their own time. Michelle Adams has used every stretch of her imagination to produce a wonderful children’s book filled with mean girls, best friends, and life lessons. I very much enjoyed reading No Ordinary Excuse and recommend it to readers who enjoy adventure, humor, and intrigue while learning some important historical facts about Australia.
