Take to the skies by Anh Do
Illus. by James Hart. Sky Dragon. Allen & Unwin, 2020.
ISBN: 9781760876364.
(Age: 10+) Highly recommended. When her parents are killed in a
house fire, from which she is pulled with scarring facial injuries
and her brother left in a coma, Amber finds that she has new powers.
The fire began with a purple ball of fire hurtling form the sky,
burning the house to the ground. Always interested in insects and
their habitat, she finds that she can to some extent, communicate
with them, initially able to direct where they go, using simple mind
messages. So she foils the bullies as they pour milk over her,
directing a dragonfly to mess Trish's hair, resulting in a public
down grading.
A well scripted story, Do has got this genre to a 't', resulting in
a fast paced adventure story, full of interest and mayhem, with
believable characters that readers can identify from their own
family and school groups. Amber receives some stick from a trio of
bullies because of how she looks and her unusual interests, but you
know that they will get some sort of come-uppance by the end of the
story. Justin who shares Amber's interest is a good sidekick, loyal
and supportive when needed.
Anh Do is now seemingly churning out these series for the mid
primary readership, full of recognisable characters, high adventure
and pace, and illustrated by James Hart, adding a layer of
excitement and wit to the story. The second in the series is 'coming
soon' but readers will be able to turn to the other involving series
penned by Do for Allen & Unwin: Wolf girl, Mythrix,
and Eboy. Reading
group notes are available.
Themes: Adventure, Fantasy.
Fran Knight