The Art of Magic — Ann Harth

Devastated and confused by his father's death, Andrew, almost thirteen and dubbed 'a gifted artist', abandons his painting and turns his back on those who care. He trudges through school and his job delivering newspapers, mainly expending his energy to stay one step ahead of the Thickwit Twits, the local thugs. A gift from his dying father sits abandoned in the corner of the kitchen in the tiny flat he now shares with his mom. That is, until Andrew meets Max, an aging and eccentric artist, at the local markets in their coastal Australian town. Max's stall is filled with dozens of paintings, but they portray only one thing â€" a specific 19th century cottage. Through his friendship with Max, Andrew embarks on a quest to discover the importance of his father's gift and whether Max's obsession with the cottage is touched with magic â€" or madness.