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The Apprentice Witnesser
Bastienne Scull is nearly twelve years old and lives a simple life as an apprentice to the Witnesser of Miracles in a small village mostly populated by women and girls. Basti knows that miracle-hunting is a lot like mystery-solving, and her little world is full of wonder and intrigue and unexpected adventure. A supremely enjoyable middle grade novel from the multi award-winning, bestselling author of How to Bee, The Dog Runner and The Raven's Song.
"That's what my photos are. Little moments. All the good moments, the kind moments, the moments of care and love that, if you add them all together, make a life sweet."
Bastienne Scull is a young orphan who lives with the local Witnesser of Miracles, Lodyma Darsey, who investigates 'miraculous events' and spins them into stories she tells at the night markets.
After Lodyma's husband and oldest son died of a sickness that continues to sweep the land, she sent her teenage son Osmin into the hills to live with the mountain men. That was ten years ago and Lodyma doesn't know if he's alive or dead. And she's taken Bastienne as an apprentice to fill the void of her lost family. One day, two young boys arrive in town asking Lodyma to go on a mysterious mission to a monastery. And when Lodyma and Bastienne arrive, what they discover will change their lives.A wonderful novel, full of hope, courage, resilience and family.
'A classic young Basti is a delight as she searches for her strength and a family in a post-apocalyptic world, leaving us with a glimmer of hope for her future and our own.' - Wendy Orr
"That's what my photos are. Little moments. All the good moments, the kind moments, the moments of care and love that, if you add them all together, make a life sweet."
Bastienne Scull is a young orphan who lives with the local Witnesser of Miracles, Lodyma Darsey, who investigates 'miraculous events' and spins them into stories she tells at the night markets.
After Lodyma's husband and oldest son died of a sickness that continues to sweep the land, she sent her teenage son Osmin into the hills to live with the mountain men. That was ten years ago and Lodyma doesn't know if he's alive or dead. And she's taken Bastienne as an apprentice to fill the void of her lost family. One day, two young boys arrive in town asking Lodyma to go on a mysterious mission to a monastery. And when Lodyma and Bastienne arrive, what they discover will change their lives.A wonderful novel, full of hope, courage, resilience and family.
'A classic young Basti is a delight as she searches for her strength and a family in a post-apocalyptic world, leaving us with a glimmer of hope for her future and our own.' - Wendy Orr
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2024
7 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Bren MacDibble
28 books84 followersBren lives in Kalbarri on the amazing Coral Coast of Western Australia.
Her first children's novel: How to Bee (2017) won multiple awards, The Dog Runner (2019) and Across the Risen Sea (2020) also won and were shortlisted in multiple awards. The Raven's Song (2022) written with the amazing award-winning Zana Fraillon, has recently been launched.
All her novels are packed full of wild adventures and feature children surviving environmentally changed futures. They are stories that don't mask the realities of the world children see all around them, but do offer hope, safe fictional exploration of climate issues and examples of resilience.
Bren grew up on the land in NZ, and hopes that while children enjoy these wild adventures with colourful characters, they're also acquiring ideas and language to express themselves in whatever future awaits. "It's only by talking about it that children can express their fears and develop the critical thinking they'll need to create the solutions in the future. The natural instinct to turn away from difficult discussions has not served us well so far.'
Her first children's novel: How to Bee (2017) won multiple awards, The Dog Runner (2019) and Across the Risen Sea (2020) also won and were shortlisted in multiple awards. The Raven's Song (2022) written with the amazing award-winning Zana Fraillon, has recently been launched.
All her novels are packed full of wild adventures and feature children surviving environmentally changed futures. They are stories that don't mask the realities of the world children see all around them, but do offer hope, safe fictional exploration of climate issues and examples of resilience.
Bren grew up on the land in NZ, and hopes that while children enjoy these wild adventures with colourful characters, they're also acquiring ideas and language to express themselves in whatever future awaits. "It's only by talking about it that children can express their fears and develop the critical thinking they'll need to create the solutions in the future. The natural instinct to turn away from difficult discussions has not served us well so far.'
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 10, 2024
The Apprentice Witnesser is set in a post-apocalyptic world. A sickness is sweeping the land however the people have learnt how to live and adapt to keep themselves safe.
Twelve-year-old Basti is the apprentice of Lodyma Darsey, a storyteller and witnesser of miracles. Basti and Lodyma have both lost their families and come together in a work / familial relationship.
Bren MacDibble has created a post pandemic world where there is a sense of self-care and communities working together to minimise further risk.
The Apprentice Witnesser is a story that lets children and teens see that there can still be a beautiful and meaningful life after a catastrophic event. Humans are resilient and can change and adapt to the environment around them.
What I loved about this story is that it shows how everyone can work together for a more natural, sustainable world and that miracles can be found in all number of places.
The Apprentice Witnesser is a story rich in wonder, intrigue, hope and resilience.
Twelve-year-old Basti is the apprentice of Lodyma Darsey, a storyteller and witnesser of miracles. Basti and Lodyma have both lost their families and come together in a work / familial relationship.
Bren MacDibble has created a post pandemic world where there is a sense of self-care and communities working together to minimise further risk.
The Apprentice Witnesser is a story that lets children and teens see that there can still be a beautiful and meaningful life after a catastrophic event. Humans are resilient and can change and adapt to the environment around them.
What I loved about this story is that it shows how everyone can work together for a more natural, sustainable world and that miracles can be found in all number of places.
The Apprentice Witnesser is a story rich in wonder, intrigue, hope and resilience.
October 18, 2025
Awards/nominations:
• Winner — 2024 Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction (Australia) allenandunwin.com+2Fantastic Fiction+2
• Shortlisted — 2025 Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award (New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults) Wikipedia
• Shortlisted — Wilderness Society’s Environmental Award for Children’s Literature (nomination)
The Apprentice Witnesser is a meaningful middle-grade story set in a future where climate change has made life very difficult. People live under strict rules to survive, and resources are limited. Author Bren MacDibble, is known for writing about the environment,
The main character is a young girl who is chosen to be a Witnesser. Bastienne Scull is nearly twelve years old and lives a simple life as an apprentice to the Witnesser of Miracles in a small village mostly populated by women and girls. Basti knows that miracle-hunting is a lot like mystery-solving, and her little world is full of wonder and intrigue and unexpected adventure. Her job is to watch what happens and record the truth, even when she sees something unfair. She is not allowed to interfere, which makes her question whether staying silent is the right thing to do. Instead of showing rebellion through fighting, the story explores a different kind of courage, the bravery it takes to speak the truth.
The story is emotional but easy to follow. Readers get to see the character’s internal struggle as she learns that telling the truth can also be a powerful form of action. The world feels real because it connects to issues like climate change and fairness that young people understand today.
This Book Is Important because It talks about climate change in a way that young readers can understand. It also shows that being brave doesn’t always mean fighting—sometimes it means speaking up. It opens up conversations about justice, voice, and doing what is right. The Apprentice Witnesser is not just a story about survival—it’s about empathy, honesty, and using your voice to make a difference, even when it feels small.
This is a good book for small group reading in grades 5 to 7.
• Winner — 2024 Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction (Australia) allenandunwin.com+2Fantastic Fiction+2
• Shortlisted — 2025 Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award (New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults) Wikipedia
• Shortlisted — Wilderness Society’s Environmental Award for Children’s Literature (nomination)
The Apprentice Witnesser is a meaningful middle-grade story set in a future where climate change has made life very difficult. People live under strict rules to survive, and resources are limited. Author Bren MacDibble, is known for writing about the environment,
The main character is a young girl who is chosen to be a Witnesser. Bastienne Scull is nearly twelve years old and lives a simple life as an apprentice to the Witnesser of Miracles in a small village mostly populated by women and girls. Basti knows that miracle-hunting is a lot like mystery-solving, and her little world is full of wonder and intrigue and unexpected adventure. Her job is to watch what happens and record the truth, even when she sees something unfair. She is not allowed to interfere, which makes her question whether staying silent is the right thing to do. Instead of showing rebellion through fighting, the story explores a different kind of courage, the bravery it takes to speak the truth.
The story is emotional but easy to follow. Readers get to see the character’s internal struggle as she learns that telling the truth can also be a powerful form of action. The world feels real because it connects to issues like climate change and fairness that young people understand today.
This Book Is Important because It talks about climate change in a way that young readers can understand. It also shows that being brave doesn’t always mean fighting—sometimes it means speaking up. It opens up conversations about justice, voice, and doing what is right. The Apprentice Witnesser is not just a story about survival—it’s about empathy, honesty, and using your voice to make a difference, even when it feels small.
This is a good book for small group reading in grades 5 to 7.
August 23, 2024
Been MacDibble does dystopian climate fiction for young people so well. Love the strong female characters and the fact that this title has short chapters to help hook young readers in.
April 5, 2024
Absolutely loved this tender beautiful novel and will now go back to read the two books of Bren’s I’ve missed. (I was holding back the tears for the final 30 pages)
July 19, 2025
Another fantastic glimpse into the possible future by Bren MacDibble! As with all her middle-grade books that I have read, The Apprentice Witnesser is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where climate change, overpopulation and greed have lead to a collapse of civilisation. The seas have risen, destroying the coastal cities, and wave after wave of sickness has drastically reduced the population. Where possible, people have moved inland and set up small, subsistence communities. For soem reason, the men are more prone to dying from the sickness, so they live solitary lives in the wilderness in order to survive. Occasionally they will visit the villages and towns where the women and children live, but there are very few children and even fewer boys.
In this world, we meet Bastienne Scull, apprentice to the Witnesser of Miracles, Lodyma Darsey. Lodyma is a woman all alone, after her husband and elder son died of the sickness, and she sent her younger son off into the wilderness 10 years ago to keep him safe. She has had no news of him ever since. Basti lives and works with Lodyma, unsure whether she is an employee or a foster daughter.
We learn about Basti's life and the life of the townsfolk. Life is hard and requires a lot of work, but for Basti, she thinks life is pretty sweet. People earn a living from the land, look out for each other and are living in harmony with the world instead of fighting against it. All this potentially changes for Basti when she and Lodyma are called away to witness a miracle at a nearby convent. What they discover there could change their little family forever.
I loved this story, as I have most of Bren's other work. While at one level the story presents a grim picture of the future, one of the things I enjoy is how she also adds a lot of hope into her stories. Hope that humanity will learn from its mistakes, learn to look after each other and live within our planet's means. Basti (and many other of Bren's characters) take joy from the simple things in life and live happy, contented lives despite the challenges they face.
Bren herself says in the acknowledgements, "I apologise that so many people die in my futures, but they are fictional! The future is not yet written. Your future is not yet written. The sweetest and most gentle souls I know exist in the bodies of children and if we keep imagining and working towards the future we want, if we let all children stay gentle and true to themselves, we'll get there one day."
In this world, we meet Bastienne Scull, apprentice to the Witnesser of Miracles, Lodyma Darsey. Lodyma is a woman all alone, after her husband and elder son died of the sickness, and she sent her younger son off into the wilderness 10 years ago to keep him safe. She has had no news of him ever since. Basti lives and works with Lodyma, unsure whether she is an employee or a foster daughter.
We learn about Basti's life and the life of the townsfolk. Life is hard and requires a lot of work, but for Basti, she thinks life is pretty sweet. People earn a living from the land, look out for each other and are living in harmony with the world instead of fighting against it. All this potentially changes for Basti when she and Lodyma are called away to witness a miracle at a nearby convent. What they discover there could change their little family forever.
I loved this story, as I have most of Bren's other work. While at one level the story presents a grim picture of the future, one of the things I enjoy is how she also adds a lot of hope into her stories. Hope that humanity will learn from its mistakes, learn to look after each other and live within our planet's means. Basti (and many other of Bren's characters) take joy from the simple things in life and live happy, contented lives despite the challenges they face.
Bren herself says in the acknowledgements, "I apologise that so many people die in my futures, but they are fictional! The future is not yet written. Your future is not yet written. The sweetest and most gentle souls I know exist in the bodies of children and if we keep imagining and working towards the future we want, if we let all children stay gentle and true to themselves, we'll get there one day."
May 6, 2024
Basti is happy in her life as the Apprentice Witnesser in her small town. Her guardian and main miracle witnesser is a tall, beautiful black woman named Lodyma Darsey. She is an expert storyteller at the town markets, and wows the crowds with her tales taken from real-life events and her glamorous if-a-little-worn cloaks.
Lodyma has other things collected from the past and a world Basti never experienced. Basti was born into this new harsher world, with less people, and the ongoing threat of illnesses sweeping through populations at random.
"Far as I can tell, the big collapse was when the climate got hotter, the cities washed into the sea and the pollution and diseases took out most of the people."
Now it is most dangerous for men and older boys to live in the towns, as they are more susceptible to the virus'. Most have left their families and live in the hills away from people, surviving on what they can catch and kill.
Farm stock are non-existent due to the illnesses that spread from them to humans. Chickens are also under suspicion by most and rare for the same reason.
Basti, Lodyma and their town, barter, exchange and look out for one another. But Basti believes Lodyma only took her in because she was missing her son who she'd sent into the hills alone, to protect him from the sickness.
Basti reveres her home in Lodyma's caravan and when another child arrives, she worries she will lose her position as Lodyma's apprentice. She knows she has always worked hard for Lodyma, but can this young, clever, and spirited newcomer take her place?
Based in an all too possible future, Bren MacDibble takes readers into a different way of life. Less people, and more care within communities, but within a subsistence, bartering world with simple pleasures and no electricity.
I found the backdrop of main character Basti's world fascinating as this is the only world she knows. Her guardian remembers how the world used to be and has survived the changes when many haven't.
Basti herself is a caring, hard-working, and thoughtful soul, and has a knack for capturing the beautiful moments in life around her.
Regardless of the backdrop or the time it is set, the theme of a mother's love is eternal wherever and whenever, and this is a key theme in The Apprentice Witnesser. Unsure where Basti fits within a family suddenly morphing before her, it is heart-wrenching to watch her uncertainty at her future.
Loved the ending.
Age - 9+
Lodyma has other things collected from the past and a world Basti never experienced. Basti was born into this new harsher world, with less people, and the ongoing threat of illnesses sweeping through populations at random.
"Far as I can tell, the big collapse was when the climate got hotter, the cities washed into the sea and the pollution and diseases took out most of the people."
Now it is most dangerous for men and older boys to live in the towns, as they are more susceptible to the virus'. Most have left their families and live in the hills away from people, surviving on what they can catch and kill.
Farm stock are non-existent due to the illnesses that spread from them to humans. Chickens are also under suspicion by most and rare for the same reason.
Basti, Lodyma and their town, barter, exchange and look out for one another. But Basti believes Lodyma only took her in because she was missing her son who she'd sent into the hills alone, to protect him from the sickness.
Basti reveres her home in Lodyma's caravan and when another child arrives, she worries she will lose her position as Lodyma's apprentice. She knows she has always worked hard for Lodyma, but can this young, clever, and spirited newcomer take her place?
Based in an all too possible future, Bren MacDibble takes readers into a different way of life. Less people, and more care within communities, but within a subsistence, bartering world with simple pleasures and no electricity.
I found the backdrop of main character Basti's world fascinating as this is the only world she knows. Her guardian remembers how the world used to be and has survived the changes when many haven't.
Basti herself is a caring, hard-working, and thoughtful soul, and has a knack for capturing the beautiful moments in life around her.
Regardless of the backdrop or the time it is set, the theme of a mother's love is eternal wherever and whenever, and this is a key theme in The Apprentice Witnesser. Unsure where Basti fits within a family suddenly morphing before her, it is heart-wrenching to watch her uncertainty at her future.
Loved the ending.
Age - 9+
January 6, 2026
Bastienne Scull is a young orphan who lives with the local Witnesser of Miracles, Lodyma Darsey, who investigates 'miraculous events' and spins them into stories she tells at the night markets. Ten years ago, after Lodyma's husband and elder son died of a sickness that continues to sweep the land, she sent her teenage son Osmin into the hills to live with the mountain men and hasn’t seen him since. She's taken Bastienne as an apprentice to fill the void of her lost family.
I’m kicking myself for not reading this earlier! The dystopian world portrayal was wonderful, and it was so creative to invent a Witnesser as a profession. It made sense in the setting, as without technology and recording devices, people could only record events in their memories. A witnesser was a cross between a journalist and a theatre performer.
I loved Bastienne and Lodyma as characters, and I loved their relationship. I’m always a sucker for found-family trope! This was a self-finding, coming-of-age, sense of belonging story. It was wonderfully written and managed to transport me to this dystopian world without fail. I’m going to read more books by the author!
(Thanks to Allen & Unwin for a gifted review copy)
See my bookstagram review.
I’m kicking myself for not reading this earlier! The dystopian world portrayal was wonderful, and it was so creative to invent a Witnesser as a profession. It made sense in the setting, as without technology and recording devices, people could only record events in their memories. A witnesser was a cross between a journalist and a theatre performer.
I loved Bastienne and Lodyma as characters, and I loved their relationship. I’m always a sucker for found-family trope! This was a self-finding, coming-of-age, sense of belonging story. It was wonderfully written and managed to transport me to this dystopian world without fail. I’m going to read more books by the author!
(Thanks to Allen & Unwin for a gifted review copy)
See my bookstagram review.
August 29, 2024
Young Bastienne Skull lives with and is apprentice for the enigmatic Lodymer Darsey, Witnesser of Miracles, in a functional dystopian world where the female characters live off the land, care for animals and where menfolk are prone to illness and death, so have literally fled for the Hills. She’s the kind of curious, courageous, hard-working, common-sense orphan who wants nothing more than to find a family that will allow her to nurture and be nurtured. That’s really at the heart of this new middle grade novel: the journey from abandonment to finding family. Along the way, a cast of unselfconscious characters blaze a trail of trying to understand and respect their own and others’ diversity against the tremulous backdrop of disease and fear.
MacDibble’s obvious love for these characters and for language colloquialisms infuse this novel with playfulness and delightful tenderness; at the same time drawing out vital themes of respect for earth and for ‘other(s)’. In our increasingly troubled world, such exhortations are sorely needed: the Apprentice Witnesser is a timely reminder that it’s never too late to care…
MacDibble’s obvious love for these characters and for language colloquialisms infuse this novel with playfulness and delightful tenderness; at the same time drawing out vital themes of respect for earth and for ‘other(s)’. In our increasingly troubled world, such exhortations are sorely needed: the Apprentice Witnesser is a timely reminder that it’s never too late to care…
October 7, 2025
Bren MacDibble seems to have an undiviating style. A dystopian society where a great many people have been wiped out by disease and we need to live more harmoniously with nature. I don't hate it but it does feel a bit dogmatic, borderlining propaganda for environmentalist ideology, but the stories of the characters are endearing enough I can overlook it. I like the way this story ended, tho it is pretty predictable, with no great plot twists you didn't see coming.
I've only read 2 of Brens books so far. why does it seem all of his female leads need to be illiterate and speak poorly while everyone else is just fine??
I've only read 2 of Brens books so far. why does it seem all of his female leads need to be illiterate and speak poorly while everyone else is just fine??
August 16, 2024
Thoughtful and wonderful middle grade set in post-apocalyptic Queensland, this was full of heart, family, and was a fascinating look at life in the future. Practical protagonist Bastienne Scull, or Basti for short, led this book with charm and wit; I loved her voice. In the woman's world of markets and trade, Basti is apprentice to Lodyma, who barters stories as a Witnesser of miracles. One day, they set off to encounter one that changes their lives, forever.
July 7, 2025
Girl, I’m sorry you didn’t know how much I love you. I shouldn’t have been so careful with my love.”
Bren MacDibble is the master of the post-pandemic/apocalyptic world with a tendency towards strong female protagonists. After reading her previous 4 novels (How to Bee, The Dog Runner, Across the Risen Sea and The Raven’s Song) I was keen to see how she continued this theme with a new storyline.
The Apprentice Witnesser tells the story of a young orphan, Bastienne Scull, living in a predominantly female occupied post-pandemic Australia, after a sickness has swept through the country and decimated the male population. Basti spends her days working hard for Lodyma Darsey, the town’s visionary storyteller. Both Lodyma and Basti share the pain of grief and loss and make a good partnership before the arrival of two young boys with the promise of a mysterious mission to a monastery that starts to unravel their bond. Basti then embarks on a journey of self-discovery and belonging as she aims to find her place in this new world. Will Basti’s hardworking determination lead her to a life of fulfilment and healing or a life of abandonment in the bush?
Bren MacDibble goes 5/5 in a novel full of hope with a formidable female lead, heartfelt exchanges and a touch of thrilling adventure that subtly reminds us to take care of what we have now. Can’t wait for your next read Bren!
Bren MacDibble is the master of the post-pandemic/apocalyptic world with a tendency towards strong female protagonists. After reading her previous 4 novels (How to Bee, The Dog Runner, Across the Risen Sea and The Raven’s Song) I was keen to see how she continued this theme with a new storyline.
The Apprentice Witnesser tells the story of a young orphan, Bastienne Scull, living in a predominantly female occupied post-pandemic Australia, after a sickness has swept through the country and decimated the male population. Basti spends her days working hard for Lodyma Darsey, the town’s visionary storyteller. Both Lodyma and Basti share the pain of grief and loss and make a good partnership before the arrival of two young boys with the promise of a mysterious mission to a monastery that starts to unravel their bond. Basti then embarks on a journey of self-discovery and belonging as she aims to find her place in this new world. Will Basti’s hardworking determination lead her to a life of fulfilment and healing or a life of abandonment in the bush?
Bren MacDibble goes 5/5 in a novel full of hope with a formidable female lead, heartfelt exchanges and a touch of thrilling adventure that subtly reminds us to take care of what we have now. Can’t wait for your next read Bren!
February 5, 2026
A fantastic work of older children's fiction recommended to me by our wonderful school librarian. An adventure story set in North Queensland in the year 2070. Climate change has destroyed the world as we know it - most men are dead, children are rare, technology has long been forgotten, but the world is peaceful. It sounds bleak, but it wasn't! A lovely story that emphasises that you don't have to share DNA with people to be family ♥️
June 10, 2024
This book articulates everything I feel about the environment. What a concept. What a world! without a doubt, a must read. Loved every minute.
June 22, 2024
An enjoyable book. Great characters and a beautiful story. I loved the images that Basti was capturing, they sound like wonderful.
June 30, 2024
Heartwarming children's novel, can't wait to pick up more of her writing. Also the most beautiful cover design 😍
Read
July 7, 2024Another wonderful book from Bren MacDibble. Totally loved the sense of community and environmental awareness in this one.
Read
November 17, 2024I abandoned this about 25% in which is disappointing as I generally love anything Bren MacDibble writes. This was just too fantasy for me - weird animals and unusual names.
December 17, 2024
Love Bren Macdibble’s books. They are dystopian but are full of hope not violence. Great middle grade (years6-8) read.
February 26, 2025
Really good
July 26, 2025
I really enjoyed this one. It was a little bit confusing at the start as I find most dystopian reads. But I’m glad I kept going. It has so much heart, even had me shedding some tears at the end.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews