Illus. by Laura Hughes. Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781526606303.
Recommended. We're going on an elf chase is a cute little
board book that encompasses a 'life the flap' on most pages.
It is the perfect size to read on the couch/bed with your little
ones but also great to pop into your bag for a day out (it has a
nice and sturdy cover so I think it will hold up well with lots of
use). The story follows 4 lovely little rabbits who are going on an
elf chase through the snow, where they come across winter animals
like penguins, birds, polar bears and even some festive reindeer!
As the reader lifts the flaps and find the elves, they can identify
the number they are up to (under each flap the numbers are written-
a great numeracy link!), and practice counting to 10.
The story also following a repetitive style with every second page
being the same text, allowing the reader to learn and join in with
the 'reading' of the book. My newly 5-year-old is just starting to
be interested in actual reading and this helped her begin to
identify words as she could predict what they were based on the
repetition of the book. I also liked how the author used some sounds
and noises associated with the animals they were creeping around.
This added interest and definitely increased engagement in the
story. We pretended to be reindeer who went cloppy, cloppy, clip and
birds who went chirpy, chirpy, cheep!
I really liked this book, as although it is a fairly simple story, I
was able to stretch that into the worlds of numeracy, literacy and
even some drama. Both my daughter and I enjoyed the illustrations
too, they are whimsical and free flowing and you can almost see the
freezing wind blowing across the landscape behind the rabbits!
I give We're going on an elf chase by Martha Mumford 4 out
5, a great Christmas book for children aged up to 6 years.
Lauren Fountain
Peppa's Christmas jumper day
Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241371589.
Most parents of young children know the phenomenon that is Peppa
Pig, and probably can't help but sing the tune when it comes on the
TV! On top of the show, kids also have the ability to read about
Peppa and her friends!
This story is called Peppa's Christmas Jumper Day, and
follows the story of Peppa and her brother George who need Christmas
Jumpers for a special day at playgroup, but unfortunately theirs are
too small. It all ends with Daddy Pig coming to the rescue . . .
turning a normal jumper into a Christmas one with lots of baubles
and glitter.
Peppa Pig books follow the same predictable lines as the TV show,
and whilst reading it is easy to hear the characters' voices (if you
have had the privilege of hearing the shows over and over again!) in
your head. This will be comforting to young children who will feel
familiar with not only Peppa, her family and friends but also the
text.
The illustrations are exactly as they are seen on TV, bright
colourful and relatively simple.
I must admit that Peppa Pig was not one of my favourite TV or book
characters, however my daughter loved the show which meant that it
was a regular during quiet time at our house.
For children who love the Peppa Pig franchise, this Christmas
edition will be a fitting addition to their bookshelf. 3 out of 5
stars.
Lauren Fountain
The Underhills: a tooth fairy story by Bob Graham
Walker Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781536211122.
(Age: 3+) Highly recommended. Themes: Teeth, Tooth fairies, Fairies,
Cupid, Angels, Airports, Immigration, Grandparents. With the
Underhill parents called to a job, the girls and their baby brother
go to their grandparents' house, a teapot by the airport, to stay.
Here a splendid time awaits: fairy cakes, pancakes for breakfast,
feather beds and chocolate. And the girls bring a jar of tadpoles
for Grandma. But an urgent call comes in: a tooth is arriving from
Ghana, and they are close to the airport. Grandpa is left reading
his poetry book in the garden with baby Vincent tied to him lest his
wings take him up like a balloon.
Grandma, Esme and April (seen first in April
Underhill: tooth fairy, 2010) fly to the terminal, there to
wait for the plane. Cupids and angels are there too, waiting to ply
their skills: cupids to help loving people greet each other, and the
angels to comfort those who are alone and sad, enfolding them with
their wings and helping to push their trolleys.
An announcement alerts the family to the plane's arrival and the
girls watch out for the Ghanan family and the young girl whose tooth
has fallen out. Grandma reminds the girls about where to find the
tooth and the girls fly to the young girl and climb into her pocket.
They retrieve the tooth, leaving a small coin behind, whispering in
Akuba's ear that she will not remember the event.
Grandma was worried about the girls doing their first extraction but
had confidence in them.
That night the girls sleep in the feather bed, the tooth safely
beside them, while Akuba sleeps on the other side of town with her
small coin, unsure of how it got there.
This charming story full of hope and love, shows the Underhill
family plying their trade. The girls are supported by their gran on
their first job at the airport, searching for the Ghanan family as
they come into England. They are successful and the Ghanan family is
at peace in their new home.
Graham's playful illustrations reveal the lure of staying with
grandparents, while the children take on a role usually done by the
parents. But his delightful micro world always pays homage to what
is happening around us. The endpapers have huge planes landing over
the tea pot house, wire fences and bright lights surrounding the
airfield, the outline of the plane overshadowing the nearby suburbs,
Gran has a mobile phone. In the airport, a soldier returns from
duty, older people come in alone, people arrive from other
countries, some heads covered by a hijab, but all hopeful and full
of anticipation. While outside the now quiet airport, some tadpoles
turn into frogs and slip away into the night.
Graham's work always leaves readers with a warm glow: recognition of
a familiar scene, reworked to reveal a different perspective.
Children will look again at the images presented here, not only the
loving family, but the background figures, those coming into the
airport for a variety of reasons, but all finding a safe haven.
Fran Knight
Have you seen Mr Robinson? by Arwen Huang
Starfish Bay Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781760360818.
(Age: 4+) Themes: Loss, Shyness, Isolation, Friendship. Anna makes
friends easily with the characters in her beloved books. The pages
are illustrated with the many characters that she likes: a unicorn,
Red Riding Hood and William Shakespeare to name a few. Her love of
books sees her going to the library with her grandfather to get even
more books and he suggests she might to go outside to play. She
watches the other children at play but cannot join them. Looking
into the pond a small boy appears asking if she has seen his cat, Mr
Robinson. He describes the animal to her and together they go off
looking for the cat. They hunt high and low in the streets, even
asking a police officer who suggests that they need to get a higher
view over the town. They climb the tower and using binoculars, spy
the cat high in a tree.
The boy climbs the tree to retrieve his cat and together they wander
off to look for the next adventure together.
A sweet tale of two children finding friends, this book will be
loved by many children who pick it up. The clear illustrations will
delight the readers as they spot the characters Anna so loves, at
the same time noting the activities undertaken by the children in
the park.
A charming tale, well told.
Born in Taiwan, author illustrator Arwen Huang studied at Taipei
National University of Arts before studying for a masters in the UK.
Fran Knight
The wishing bones by Michelle Lovric
Orion Children's Books, 2019. ISBN: 9781444009972.
(Ages 14+) Recommended. A magical and mysterious adventure novel
that follows a young orphan named Lily who has been raised in a
cruel and lonesome convent at the inhumane hands of the badessa.
Upon accidentally setting the convent aflame, Lily is sent to work
in the Hotel of What You Want. Here she meets Ivo Peruch, the
hotel's mysterious Boy-of-All-Trades who is cold and tight-lipped
and makes her an accomplice in a dark act before she realises what
she is partaking in. As the dark secrets of the hotel come to her
attention, Lily's desperation to leave is only exacerbated with the
arrival of a new guest, Deidre 'Darling' Dearworthy, who has a
direct connection to the dark act still haunting Lily. As Darling
quickly becomes Lily's first and best friend, she will do anything
to keep her from suffering a deadly fate at the hands of the
Signorina, the manager of the hotel. After the bones of Saint Lucy
are stolen, Lily, Ivo and Darling band together to save Venice;
facing countless dangers and adventures and meeting some magical
allies along the way.
Lovric creates a vivid and historically detailed Venice with rich
characters that provide a powerful message to the reader that you
are not your past and that you can still be a good person if you've
done things you regret. A powerful ode to resilience and the
importance of the family that you make for yourself. It should be
noted that this book is very grim and dark at times, with warnings
for substantial themes of death, grief, loss, murder, supernatural
themes and graphic discussion of dismemberment. Recommended for
children aged 14+ for these reasons.
Daniella Chiarolli
Footprints in the clouds by Zhiwei Xing
Starfish Bay Children's Books, 2019. ISBN 9781760360559.
(Age: 4+) Themes: Fantasy, Imagination, Adventure. Tom is an
adventurous young boy, donning his red socks which take him to
places he wants to go. His magical socks allow him to climb onto
rooftops and high mountains, swim in the deep rivers, play hide and
seek in the clouds. But one day an animal tells him that his socks
are not on his feet. Bereft, Tom then retraces his steps, swimming
the deep rivers, climbing the high mountains, sitting on rooftops
and talking to the animals, asking the same question, 'Have you see
my magical red socks?'
But one animal takes him to see Zebra, the clever animal who points
out that Tom has no need of his red socks as he has done all the
work himself.
This is a witty look at imagination and how it comes from inside,
reinforcing the idea that everyone has an imagination to be
nourished and used.
Starfish Bay Children's Books is an independent publishing house
located in Adelaide, South Australia. It aims to publish quality
picture books for children primarily aged 3 to 8, from international
and national sources, with first-rate literary and artistic content.
Established in 2014, by Luke Hau, this philosophy continues as his
company breaks into the USA market.
While some of the publications offer an imaginative exploration of
the world, some of the Starfish Bay books need to be looked at more
closely to see what the book offers your school.
With Footsteps in the clouds, although I liked the idea of
the book, the layout left the boy half hidden in the fold in the
centre of the book several times, and I found the busy-ness of the
pages somewhat overwhelming.
Fran Knight
The surprising power of a good dumpling by Wai Chim
Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN: 9781760631581. 400p; p/b.
Anna Chiu tries to support her younger siblings as her parents fail
the family. For a story as personal as this, the writing of the
characters is absolutely crucial, and Chim gets it spot on. It's
immediately clear what kind of person each character is, largely
without relying on shallow archetypes. The plot is one of personal
dramas, about how characters react in different situations in their
lives. The pacing is somewhat uneven, with quite an extended period
of setting things up before the major incident that changes the
characters' lives, followed by the consequences feeling rather
rushed and abridged.
The novel has a bit of a complicated relationship with its themes.
Initially, Anna is dealing with her erratic, neglectful and abusive
mother, and her passive acceptance and normalisation of that puts
her younger siblings and her own mental health at risk. The novel
seems to be building up to the point that she can't accept it and
needs to change the situation, when suddenly her mother has a
psychotic episode and the focus shifts entirely on the mother's
mental health. Now the message has suddenly changed to one of duty,
saying that, yes, Anna does need to look after her poor mother, and
any condemnation of the abuse is forgotten. This mixed messaging is
extremely strange and undermines both points presented.
The setting is well established in modern day Sydney, with
characters communicating by online messaging apps regularly. The
novel is full of Romanised Cantonese, which as an English-speaking
reader, increases the sense of being an outsider, causing sympathy
with Anna as she feels further alienated from her family. Teacher's
tips and author's discussion notes are available from the publisher's
website.
Vincent Hermann
The good, the bad and the silly : Stories of our past by John Dickson
Illus. by Bern Emmerichs. Berbay Publishing, 2019. ISBN:
9780648397373.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Themes: History, Australian history, Humour.
Especially for those kids who love tidbits of information, facts and
unusual stories, this volume of tales of people and events of
Australia's colonial past, half hidden by more mundane historical
accounts of early settlement, will intrigue and entertain as they
delve into the more shadowy aspects of our past.
Kids will thrill with the story of the amazing Mary Wade, the
youngest convict sent to Norfolk Island, who had two babies while
residing there. Returning to New South Wales in 1806, she proceeded
to have sixteen more, making her truly the 'mother of Australia'.
And the accompanying very funny illustration shows her descendants -
all of them. And they will love the tale of the hulks, not only
jails in England, housing convicts on the River Thames but also
moored off the coast of Victoria and South Australia to house
inmates, first of a jail in Melbourne, and of a reform school in
Adelaide, the illustrations allowing no doubt about the quality of
the accommodation in both cases.
Quirky stories are given to entice the readers: 1932 saw the
government of Western Australia declare war upon the bands of emu
destroying crops to no avail, while in 1840, explorer John Horrocks
atop his camel after expeditions into the north of South Australia,
was shot by his own gun when the animal lurched. And in 1860,
another explorer, equally ill fated, set off from Melbourne with so
much luggage that it took hours to get the pack horses moving. The
story of Robert O'Hara Burke is as funny as it is cautionary, and
will intrigue younger readers.
The tale of early sightings of the platypus, a brief look at child
labour in Britain at the time, the story the convict belief that
China was a short walk north of the convict settlement, or the tale
of the early Chinese immigrants to Australia, seeking their fortunes
in the gold fields in the 1850's, each is fascinating and supported
with illuminating illustrations designed to entice and entertain. I
loved rereading stories read long ago, but also new stories added to
interest me gave me new slant on the history of the past and
especially the way it is presented.
This is another in a series of books using the same format, telling
of our past: books about Bennelong, Lachlan Macquarie and William
Bligh were followed by M is
for Mutiny in 2018.
Fran Knight
The days of in between by Peter Valentine Fenton
Omnibus, 2019. ISBN: 9781760662523.
(Age: 10-13) Recommended. Toby decides to leave the family home, his
Mum, brother and sister to live with his father and new stepmother
Judy. He does this out of a strong feeling of loyalty to his Dad but
is sad to leave his family behind. He is to have a holiday with his
Dad and Judy in the family caravan in that gap summer in between
leaving primary school and starting high school. Although he has
looked forward to time at the beach with his Dad, nothing goes right
from the moment they arrive at the caravan site. Judy and his Dad
argue and leave, so Toby is left alone to find something to eat and
to fend for himself.
He meets Tara who lives nearby and a new friendship develops.
Tara has issues with her own family, having lost her mother in an
accident and she has to deal with her overprotective father.
Tara's father is a shark fisherman and a pivotal part of the novel
is the incident on the wharf with a newly captured shark, which
starts a series of events that have repercussions for everyone
involved.
This novel is set in the late 1970's and for all of us who remember
that time, Peter Fenton has captured many aspects of the era. The
'slip and slides', plastic strip curtaining and the latest game Space
Invaders are all reminders of the time.
This is Peter Fenton's first novel and is an insightful look into
growing up, family relationships and dealing with past 'ghosts'.
Toby's Dad carries a huge burden from his time in the Vietnam War
and Tara's Dad has to deal with the death of his wife.
Peter Fenton is best known for his past as a member of the band Crow
and as an actor.
The cover painting of Toby and Tara looking out towards the sea is
instantly recognisable as David Bromley's work.
I recommend this novel to 10 to 13-year-old readers.
Jane Moore
All of us: A History of Southeast Asia by Jackie French and Virginia Hooker
Illus. by Mark Wilson. Angus and Robertson, 2019. ISBN:
9781460750025.
Recommended for Library collections. Themes: Southeast Asian
History; Poetry. Combining historical timelines, poetry and
interesting illustrations, this is an overview of the changes in
Southeast Asia from 200,000BCE to the present. With geo-political
changes, human exploration and movements, conflicts and some
geological and environmental events described with one sentence
explanations in the timeline, this is a very brief overview of the
significant changes in the region. The poetry creates a lyrical
response to the changes, and the illustrations include an evocative
conglomeration of images relevant to the particular era of history.
This is a book that is a worthy inclusion in a library collection
for the summary detail of the history of Southeast Asia. The
scholarship of Emeritus Professor Virginia Hooker is evident. This
book is unlikely to be read from cover to cover and were it not for
the names of Jackie French and Mark Wilson it may not have made as
much of a splash, however the information is valuable to those who
are interested in the history of our near neighbours.
Carolyn Hull
Cursed by Thomas Wheeler
Illus. by Frank Miller. Penguin, 2019. ISBN: 9780241376614.
(Age: 14+) As daughter of her village's chief Druid, 16 year old
Nimue would always be different from the other villagers but her
strangely scarred back and ability to powerfully experience hidden
forces further sets her apart. Dewdenn is a 'fey' village, in touch
with nature spirits and as such a target for the Red Paladins,
terrorising the countryside seeking out heresy on behalf of the
church, crucifying the fey folk accusing them of witchcraft. Tired
of being unwanted in her village Nimue decides to leave on a ship
from the nearest town but when she gets there the boat has left.
Returning, Nimue finds her village destroyed by the Red Paladins and
her dying mother charges her to take a sacred object to Merlin. The
object is the legendary 'Sword of Power' and Nimue finds she can
channel the power of the 'hidden' through the sword. Merlin is at
the court of Uther Pendragon, on her way there Nimue meets and falls
in love with Arthur, a mercenary son of a knight. The sword's legend
says that 'whosoever wields the Sword of Power shall be the one true
king' so it becomes the focus for competing powers vying for
possession. As violence escalates, Nimue's world descends into chaos
as the fey villages are destroyed at an ever increasing rate. She
responds violently channelling the sword's destructive power against
her enemies, becoming a rallying point for the fey refugees. The
struggle for the sword of power becomes tied up with the
annihilation of the fey villages by the Church, with the involvement
of Uther, leading to confusing and ultra-violent battles, no doubt
linked to the fact that the book is basically a screenplay for a
Netflix series. Other than familiar names and a magical sword the
story owes little to the Arthurian legends. The characters are
poorly developed, sometimes with the feeling that they are
placeholders for more detail in later instalments. Little effort is
spent on establishing a consistent sense of time or place, this will
probably be better realised in the Netflix version. The
illustrations have a sense of energy, in powerful compositions with
strong lines. While the wrapped and laced costumes are great,
inconsistencies in outfits make it hard sometimes to identify the
character. Where there is a double page spread, the focal point
often disappears into the book's gutter. Middle school fans of Game
of Thrones and violent fantasies might like this but be aware
that the violence is quite graphic. (It has been picked up to be a
Netflix original series).
Themes: Fantasy, medieval times, Arthurian Legends, magic.
Sue Speck
The Lost Tide Warriors by Catherine Doyle
Bloomsbury, 2019. ISBN: 9781408896907.
Recommended for lovers of fantasy, aged 10+. Fionn is the anointed
'Stormkeeper', but it seems that his magic is not like other
Stormkeepers and his island is depending on him to protect them from
the return of the awful Morrigan and her supporters, the
Soulstalkers. The uncertainty and self-doubt that surrounds Fionn,
under the pressure of a deadline, places pressure on the young man .
. . but he must carry on, the island of Arronmore needs him. His
Grandfather, the previous Stormkeeper, is losing his hold on his own
magic and his memory, and Fionn must rely on his close friends and
mother and sister to create a plan to turn back the tide of evil
that is encroaching. With a long history of magical events and
intra-island rivalry there is drama at every turn and the
approaching 'storm' of conflict needs the outside help of the
merrows - ocean-based fantasy creatures. But how will they get word
to these creatures in time?
This is the sequel to The
Stormkeeper's Island and although it could be read as a
stand-alone book, it is best read in sequence so the understanding
of the magic, the time shifts and the candles that store memories
would be clear. The book is a delight as the internal self-doubt of
the young Fionn drives the tension as the islanders face the threat
of annihilation at the hands of the advancing evil 'army'. This
series deserves to be recommended to young readers who love fantasy
adventure. In no way is it like Harry Potter, but the reticent
central hero is akin to Harry in being intensely likeable and
supported by loyal friends. The magic is different, but the
atmospheric adventure is worth following. Catherine Boyle also
manages to capture the atmosphere of the small Irish island with its
storms, fogs and swells. It almost takes on a personality of its
own.
And there is another book in the series to come!
Themes: Magic; Fantasy; Adventure; Good vs Evil.
Carolyn Hull
Hasina by Michelle Aung Thin
Through My Eyes series. Allen and Unwin, 2019. ISBN:
9781760637286. pbk., 215pgs.
(Age: Upper pimary) Oh wow, what a gripping a story of one child's
experience of persecution in Myanmar (Burma). Hasina is the
latest book out in the Through My Eyes series. Each book in
the series is written by a different author writing to help us
understand about the courage and plight of forced migration and
refugee situations seen through the eyes of a child.
As a teacher who works with children from Myanmar, I was hooked from
the start and could not put the book Hasina down. My eyes
were opened to the innocence of children living in Myanmar and how
their families and world was torn apart. My heart goes out to
everyone over there and other places around the world. Hasina
is one book that I would share with my students. You can also find
teachers notes on the Through My Eyes books' website.
Hasina was a happy teenager when overnight everything changed. Her
father and aunt yell to her to get up and run and not to stop.
Hasina, her little brother Araf and her cousin Ghadiya run into the
Rakine forest. When they emerge from the forest their world has
changed. With no food, no family, their fight for survival starts.
Their lives are under constant threat from the natural elements,
people they know and meet and of cause the soldiers.
I did like how the author described how Hasina's numal, her head
scarf did not make her feel dignified or modest anymore and it felt
like it was making her a target that drew attention to her for being
Muslim. This is also something that happens in Australia.
Hasina is another story in the Through My Eyes series for
upper primary. It shows, once again, that although we may live in
different parts of the world and face different struggles some
things remain the same. Family, survival and belief in peace are
strong themes in this book. The main characters are believable and
their various responses to their situation authentically written.
A great addition to a bookshelf that includes stories about children
from around the world that tell stories of young people living in
conflict zones around the world.
Maria Komninos
Wearing paper dresses by Anne Brinsden
Macmillan, 2019. ISBN: 9781760784850.
(Age: Adult - Adolescent) Highly recommended. This stunning work, a
story of love and terrible loss, and of the struggle to survive,
tells the story of a family who live in on a farm in the Mallee in
the 1950s. The narrative is set in this dry, hard country of
northern Victoria, an area that is so often starved for rain, where
people, Brinsden writes, found survival 'precarious'. When his wife
dies, Pa asks his son and family to move back to the family farm.
While this region of Australia experiences frequent droughts, and
the earth is difficult to farm, Bill is determined to help his
father. It is clear from the start of the story that his wife,
Elise, is not at ease, and her mental state fluctuates wildly, yet
she loves her family and tries to understand the culture of the
countryside. She is angry with the girls, Marjorie and Ruby, whom
she sees as becoming rough and unladylike. Yet we are positioned to
see that her struggle to fit in, to understand the alien culture, is
clearly weakening her mind.
Told from the point of view of Marjorie, one of the daughters, the
narrative creates a world of growing stress, as the family struggle
with the climate, the terrible lack of water, and the tempestuous
nature of the mother's illness. Yet creating and wearing paper
dresses (albeit extraordinarily beautiful ones), even planting
plastic flowers and fake greenery so that at least there is some
colour in the garden, only places her in the 'odd' basket where the
locals are concerned.
We cannot help but be completely drawn into the tragic world of this
family and its heart-rending times, the disasters and the recovery.
When Brinsden writes of the wind, the 'willy-willy feeding on
itself', lurching and swaying in the dust and the heat, crazy and
wild and ruinous and beautiful', her words so reflect so aptly both
the weather and Elise. Her word choice elicits our empathy and
indeed a sense of deep sadness for this family and the world of the
text. She stirs the soul, lifts the emotions and the spirit, yet
enables us to empathise, to feel a deep sense of the heartbreak of
the place and people, and of the triumph of surviving.
Utterly captivating, lyrical and tender, this is storytelling at its
best, and this book is an exciting new narrative that depicts
Australia and its changing culture. Suitable for adolescent and
adult reading.
Elizabeth Bondar
Alice-Miranda friends forever movie tie in books by Jacqueline Harvey
Penguin, 2019. Alice-Miranda friends forever official movie script. ISBN:
9781760896867. Alice-Miranda friends forever : The most positively perfect
journal! ISBN: 9781760896874. Alice-Miranda friends forever activity book. ISBN:
9781760896881. Alice-Miranda 3 in 1. ISBN: 9781760894962.
(Age: 7-10) Highly recommended. Fans of the highly popular Alice-Miranda
series will be thrilled to hear that Alice-Miranda is coming to the
big screen as 'an 80-minute animated movie
with a treasure trove of marvellous mysteries, midnight feasts,
ponies and pyjama parties'. Penguin Books has released a group of
fabulous books to coincide with the movie's release. Alice-Miranda
friends forever official movie script will be a boon for
children as they get the opportunity to actually read a real movie
script with their favourite characters. The book also contains
colour pictures of the characters, Alice-Miranda and Millie's
bedroom, horse-riding, The Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale grounds and
inside Fayle School for Boys. The Alice-Miranda friends forever activity book will provide
hours of fun with quizzes, colouring, drawing faces and word
searches, while the Alice-Miranda friends forever : The most
positively perfect journal! is a beautifully bound, hard-back
journal, with illustrations of the friends on each page just waiting
for eager young authors to write their thoughts, poems, stories and
draw their own illustrations. Alice-Miranda 3 in 1 combines three of the favourite books, Alice-Miranda
at school,Alice-Miranda
on Holiday and Alice-Miranda
Takes the Lead. All three books have been
recommended by ReadPlus reviewers in the past. As one reviewer
writes, 'As much as this little girl is too good to be true, she is
an utterly loveable character, able to endear herself to all with
whom she comes in contact. She proves to be totally unselfish,
thoughtful and equally as engaging a character as was Pollyanna in
my childhood reading.'
This group of books will be a wonderful gift to young children,
while the movie script and Alice-Miranda 3 in 1 should prove
to be very popular in libraries. And the movie is sure to delight
kids as well.
Pat Pledger
