Maggie is the best flyer, she can do rolls and skydives. The dragons’ work is to patrol the skies, keeping the kingdom safe, and with her skills she is patrolling the faraway edges of the kingdom. Here she uses her fire breathing skills to repel unwanted visitors. But she wants to see the rest of the kingdom. She longs for a holiday. But last time she tried this, she frightened the villagers with her fire breathing and their wizard put up a shield to keep her out.
One cold morning as she set out on her patrol, she sees a green flash of lightning. Every protector knows that this is the warning of an incredible storm and it is up to her to alert the kingdom. But as she sets out she is overcome with a case of hiccups. This is so debilitating, she needs help in stopping them. She notices the wizard and his friend from the village. George and Harriet stop to help, encouraging Maggie to calm down and breathe. This simple instruction works and the hiccups stop. Maggie and George climbed onto Maggie’s back and they fly through the storm to warn Summervale.
But the storm comes more quickly than expected so George once again climbs onto Maggie’s back and the two fly into the heart of the storm. George’s magic keeps the storm at bay and together they save the village.
Bright vivacious illustrations cover each page illuminating the wonderful Maggie, a bright red dragon living on her mountain. Children will empathise with the dragon, repelled by the villagers because of her fire breathing, but showing just how useful she can be in an emergency. The story and the eye catching illustrations show a character looking for acceptance and a place where she belongs. Kids will love reading about her dilemma, knowing that this is a universal concern, one which is obvious to them all. They will be able to suggest ways to find their place, a place they feel safe and comfortable. The solution to Maggie’s problem is one that is comparable to their own lives, as they offer different skills to those around them.
A pleasing sequel to George the wizard (2024) which introduced the kingdom and some of its inhabitants.
Scarlet Defender of the Universe, is a smart, 9-year-old redhead who answers an advertisement for the role of Defender of the Universe to prove to her annoying younger brother that it's not a real thing. Thus, she's a little surprised to be told that she's got the job and is now responsible for the safety of the entire galaxy. Along with her co-Defender Jasper, Pom-Pom, the cutest alien in existence, and Bot, the cleverest AI robot that's ever been invented, Scarlet is thrown into a whirlwind adventure that takes her to the furthest reaches of the cosmos and back again, on a mission to prevent the destruction of planet Earth by an alien species who will do anything for a warm cup of hot chocolate.
The genre 'fantasy adventure' is described as combining "the elements of fantasy (supernatural, magical, and often imaginary worlds) with the adventure genre (epic journeys, quests, and exciting undertakings), resulting in stories with magic, danger, and exploration." Unique landscapes, societies and cultures are the background to seemingly ordinary human characters embarking on personal quests that involve action, risk and danger and usually in company or conflict with imaginary beings to quell the malicious intent of those who seek to harm them. As they seek to ensure that good triumphs over evil, often with unique and mysterious powers, they also learn much about themselves, who they are, what they stand for and what they can accomplish and achieve as regular people.
Popular since the days of Enid Blyton's Magic Faraway Tree series when young readers transported themselves away from the horrors of World War II to lands where fairies, elves and other magical beings dwelt and life was so different to their lived reality, continued through the 50s as my generation went through the wardrobe into Narnia, then brought into the realm of the modern young reader through the exploits of Harry Potter and his friends and the making of the movies based on Tolkien's classics of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and perpetuated through any number of video and computer games, it is a firm favourite with independent readers across the ages. Those written for children not only allow the child to dwell in an alternative world that may be more appealing than the one they are in, but also enable them to become the hero with both power and powers that the real world denies them. They are in charge, they are calling the shots and making the decisions - something rare in the pre-teen's life.
Scarlet: Defender of the Universe fits the genre, the demand and the library collection perfectly. It features those essential elements of the fantasy adventure genre with fast-paced narrative that draws the reader into both the setting and the action, while dropping tiny but important clues along the way whose significance only becomes apparent as the climax approaches. There are elements that echo the reader's world making the transition to the imaginary one seem more seamless as they take on the role of the protagonist as they are able to relate, perhaps even empathise, with the struggles they face, yet each features a lightness of touch that makes them ideal read-alones or read-alouds. They also all seem to set themselves as the possible beginning of a new series that keen readers will seek out.
Currently, in the school library in which I volunteer, it is series like these that seem to be constantly circulating, so to be able to bring some new reads to the selections will definitely spike interest as our long winter nights approach.
Themes Heroes, Life on other planets, Robots, Aliens.
Fascinating! Absolutely enthralling! Ann Dombroski has created an exciting thriller, set in a very believable future world, after a historic ‘Great Storm’. Storms have become a regular event, and ‘Great Storm no.5’ is another that uproots trees, cracks buildings apart, and derails transport Sliders.
Alice Kaczmarek’s husband Daniel is imprisoned in the Maximum Security Vertical Farm, convicted of sabotaging a Slider and causing the deaths of seven people. Convinced of his innocence, and that he has been framed, Alice is desperately juggling finances to pay for appeal lawyers, IVF fees, her Eterne anti-aging treatment, residential care for her grandmother, her brother-in-law’s special care, storm damage to her home, and possibly even bribe money to get Daniel out.
Communication during prison visits has to be covert, secret messages implied in casual conversation. Outside, there is the tension of constant surveillance, cameras, vans, people watching, calls tapped. Alice doesn’t know who to trust. Is Daniel’s friend Lowell really his friend, or a spy? Amidst all this, a strange creature drags onto her doorstep, half human, half bat, injured and seriously ill.
Dombroski’s novel is both speculative fiction and tense thriller. The elements of the modern world are not described in detail, they are just taken for granted that this is the usual way of things: transport by Sliders and autopods, communication by wrist-phone, biometric scanning, automatically operating homes. Alice’s job is creating patient-specific implants: heart valves, kidneys, bones. The medical world experiments with genetic selection and xenotransplantation. ‘Mission to Mars’ televises in real-time the daily lives of astronauts on their seven month trip.
At the same time, Alice has to navigate the world of secret surveillance, corporate corruption, and the dark underworld of criminals and thugs. There is constant suspicion, and constant questioning of morals and ethics. It makes for a tense thriller that keeps readers engaged to the end, raising many issues that will linger in the mind long afterwards. It’s an absorbing novel, highly recommended, even for those who might not normally select speculative fiction.
Themes Thriller, Future, Ethics, Surveillance, Corruption, Medical experimentation.
Helen Eddy
When Haru was here by Dustin Thao
Pan Macmillan, 2024. ISBN: 9781761264511. (Age:14+)
Eric and his best friend Daniel are excited for their final year of school, their summer trip to Japan, where Eric has a chance encounter with an amazing local teen called Haru. Back home in America, Eric and Daniel are looking forward to life after school, and Eric is hoping his friendship with Daniel might be something more, but a few crossed signals means that amounts to nothing and then the unexpected loss of Daniel leave Eric grappling. To cope with the changes, Eric sees and talks to Daniel in his own way, while working at whatever job he can find, no longer pursing his filmmaking aspirations. Then one day, he runs into Haru, who is travelling from Japan, and Eric feels the chance to connect and be less alone - but something feels a bit off.
Thao has written about several different kinds of losses and grieving in this novel, and varying levels of friendship. The novel moves between present and past, with a 'before' section, and then some flashbacks through the story. The beginning of the novel feels stilted, and multiple characters appear to only know how to smirk, however the pacing works well for the story. There are some questionable judgement calls by several characters, hence for slightly older readers. Good for fans of They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera or Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland.
Themes LGBTQIA+, Contemporary, High School to Life after School, Tragedy, Loss, Grief, Romance, Japan.
Birthday wishes can come true and for Frankie, hers finally does when she receives a much longed for puppy. But unfortunately, right from the start a series of mishaps occur one after the other. From Frankie being piddled on, then knocking over the snake tank which leads to a hungry snake swallowing the birthday wish, this calamitous story will have readers wondering what will happen next.
All through the story though, Frankie and her family stay positive and keep using the word ‘lucky’ each time something occurs. The roller coaster of events, that might just include candles setting wrapping paper on fire, cats stuck in trees and the arrival of emergency services, will keep young readers on their toes.
This story is full of action and energy with bold and colourful graphic style illustrations often presented in a variety of formats including panels to further engage the reader. An entertaining read.
Themes Luck, Family, Mishaps, Neighbours, Police, Fire brigade, Animals, Humour.
A beautiful homage to life in the suburbs where those families with a smaller income than most live closer to the train line. While some see this as a negative, this boy is bedazzled by the movement, colours, noise and style of trains that roar past. And this book heralds the passion he feels documenting the landscape of his childhood.
The family can hear the trains and see them as they walk to the station to farewell Mum when she goes to work. They come back at home time to welcome her back. Passing through their station they can see old trains and new trains, coloured trains and freight trains, trains that go to cities a long way away, and on very special days they can spy a steam train.
On weekends the family goes to the station to catch a train to somewhere else. The routines they follow are shown clearly by Jellett as Dad buys the ticket, then checks them on the station. They all wait behind the yellow line, and board the train when the doors open. The two levels of the train offer opportunities to see people’s heads or feet. On their trip they take snacks to eat and watch the different styles of stations they pass. They pass old stations and new stations, those with long platforms and short ones, some have lifts, while others only have stairs, some are underground, and the city station is the biggest of all, with many trains and lots of people. But best of all is their station because it means they are coming home.
Jellett gently underlines the family as they use the train for work and pleasure, unphased by the closeness of their house to the train lines. Jellett’s images show modest houses by the line, and subtle touches show a modest family living in the suburbs a long way from the city. The family is a nuclear family with one adult working. Mum takes a coffee with her on her way to work, and the family enjoys food they take with them on their weekend trip. The closeness of the family is shown to the reader, as they walk to the station, enjoy their outing on the train, and tired and sleepy, wend their way home.
As lovely images of the train roll by on every page, children will see a large range of trains, the stations where they stop and the surroundings of the stations and the tracks. For younger readers this will be a wonderful introduction, to older people it will remind them of the fascination of trains and the service they offer us all, and for older readers again, helping a younger child reading the book, the images will remind them of train watching as a child and the opportunities offered them when younger.
I love this book: each time I open its pages I see something new to admire.
Minty Bay is a long way from the city, there are areas of bushland near the station, the train bears the name, so is this the last station? The station manager comes out to wave hello to passengers. With the first endpapers the trains begin their morning services in the light, eventually coming to the end of day at the end of the book, the train still running through the night on the last endpaper.
A lovely book to encourage children’s interest in trains. And have them see one of the services governments provide.
Themes Trains, Railway stations, Family, Humour.
Fran Knight
Extasia by Claire Legrand
Katherine Tegen Books, 2023. ISBN: 9780062696649. (Age:13+)
Haven. A safe village, with elders who will anoint the fourth saint of the village. We meet her on her day of anointing, where her name is unimportant, as she will be given her new name, her Saint name. She has endured the trials, extra to make up for her mother's wickedness. She will become a saint for the village and don the red hood, be marked by the elders, join her sisters, the other saints. Today she will become Saint Amity. Together they will save the village from the evil that invades their village, nine men dead already.
But after her anointing, men still die. Amity still sees the faceless gray women, the black birds, the white-eyed beasts... Maybe to save the village, she will have to raise the devil and make a bargain...
This relatively slow paced supernatural/paranormal horror gives The Village (movie by M. Night Shyamalam) vibes along with powerful feminism movement vibes. Much of the 484 pages was given to the religious zealousness of the cult, with men being the authority and the 'saints' being the 'honoured' members of the village - who were to be beaten by the villagers. Somewhat strange interpretation of sainthood, much of the writing was to fuel the rage against men - not sure it's really needed, there is an entire history of men treating women poorly available, though it does build an aspect of the story. Ending was short given the length of the book, suggesting perhaps another to come. It would suit fans of horror, supernatural or those who have read the series by Suzanne Young, Girls with Sharp Sticks.
The first endpaper shows an array of cats and the things they get up to, causing mayhem and damage in the house. Readers will love seeing the looks on their faces, the damage they are causing, and their wonderful names. But the book is about dogs, so the stage is set for conflict between these two animals.
Percy is cross, he gets all the blame when things go awry, especially after he chases the cats around the lounge room, knocking over plants, upsetting the board game, causing mayhem. In rhyming lines, we see poor old Percy take the situation in hand, as he leaves home in search of something new away from the cats. A dog park! He finds a bunch of dogs! Absolute heaven. Again readers will love looking at the varieties of dogs, their facial expressions and the wonderful things they do. Initially Percy is absolutely rapt, he will have fun all day long. He will be free to do what he wants to do: roll in the grass, settle under a tree or dig a hole to bury something nice and smelly. But soon he runs foul of some of the other dogs. He gives up the smelly thing he wanted to bury, but when they want the bone he finds, he takes a stand.
Things are not so free! He finds them bossy and tough, and unwilling to play, so he heads home for his cats. Initially he is not sure of where to go, but hears the cats calling for him, and he is able to go back to the place where he is always top dog.
A funny story of friendship and belonging, Percy presents the feeling we may all share at some stage, that of not fitting in. He tries the alternative and finds that home is the best, a place where he feels he is understood and part of the fabric of the community.
The wonderful illustrations by Lucinda Gifford, accentuate the different cats and dogs that serve as pets. The endpapers are covered with the various breeds, and the images between show the personalities of all of them. Kids will enjoy poring over the range of dogs and cats sharing their knowledge of the animals and their own pets. They will love looking at the expressions on each dog/cat face, sharing their attributes.
Themes Dogs, Cats, Friendship, Relationships, Home, Dog parks, Humour.
Fran Knight
Little Rabbit and the Moon by Inda Ahmad Zahri. Illus. by Claire Wee
Little Book Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781923141339. (Age:0-5) Highly recommended.
This delightful bedtime story will provide joy and comfort to younger children. Told in well-constructed lyrical rhyming text, the story begins with the moon shining brightly on little Rabbit who should be sleeping like his siblings. But this little rabbit is ready to play the night away on an outside adventure.
Bats are flying in the glow. Fireflies come to say hello. Moon’s a mirror lost in space – Rabbit finds his little face. Craters, lakes and mountains, too, Whiskers tickle, ah-ah-choo!
Finally, after a glorious night under the moon, a tired little Rabbit settles down to sleep as the dawn is breaking. The softly toned illustrations in the colours of night sky across the hours, perfectly complement this engaging story for young readers. The endpapers cleverly reflect the traditional bedroom quilt shown in the beginning and ending of the story.
For those who might not have read Shelley Burr’s earlier novels, the first thing to say is that her detective investigator is in prison. Lane Holland has been convicted for murder and kidnapping. However there is an unsolved crime that the prison governor Patton Carver is keen to enlist Holland’s assistance to solve: the disappearance, twenty years ago, of his daughter Matilda. For that reason he is prepared to show Holland some leniency and allow the detective to follow up leads as a prisoner on a study release program on Karpathy farm.
Karpathy farm is new-age community that attracts anxious young people looking for escape from their troubles. In other words, it operates very much like a cult, and Lane Holland suspects that the community is linked to a number of disappearances in the region. It is up to him to make the connections, and work out what happened to Matilda. But a problem looms early on, when he meets up with someone from his past.
This novel works well as a stand-alone, although there are obvious threads linking to the earlier two books. There is enough back story to fill in the picture. It begins with a prologue describing an unnamed person struggling to gather consciousness, painfully labouring to move. Gradually a little more is added to that excerpt as we read through chapters that follow the present time experience of Holland. The tension increases as we learn more with each discovery Holland makes.
Burr’s character-building is fascinating. How do you draw the line between a detective who is obsessive and manipulative in order to get information, and the tunnel vision and ruthlessness of a so-called cult leader? How is one good and one bad? It’s an intriguing twist which along with the building tension, keeps the reader glued to the book. Added to that, Burr’s knowledge of permaculture and sustainable agriculture provides an authenticity of detail that keeps the story within the realms of believability. There are even suspect mushrooms!
Burr’s earlier novels are reviewed on ReadPlus: Wake (2022) and Ripper (2023). If you haven’t already read them, I’m sure you will want to seek them out.
Themes Detective, Mystery, Missing persons, Cult.
Helen Eddy
The book of disappearance by Ibtisam Azem. Trans. by Sinan Antoon
Text Publishing, 2025. ISBN: 9781923058620. (Age:16+) Highly recommended.
Originally written in Arabic in 2014 and translated into English in 2019, this latest edition of The book of disappearance is now available to Australian and UK readers, and was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025. Most disturbing for readers of this novel is the realisation that the central premise of a book written over ten years ago, can today be an infamously touted slogan in the current political environment with the call by a world leader to solve all problems in the contested Middle Eastern lands by simply clearing the Palestinians out of the region. Ten years ago, author Ibtisam Azem actually explored this idea and imagined what would happen if the Arabs all just disappeared from Israel overnight.
The varied reactions are her focus; from those who suspect a devious Arab plot to strike while the Israelis are complacent, to those who think the government has secretly achieved its objective, to those who thank divine intervention. The situation is confounding: there are no refugee workers for the flower farm, buses wait for bus drivers who don’t turn up, a surgery is cancelled, a prison guard robbed of his torture victim suffers an anxiety attack. Everyone is aghast, and anxiously awaits the government’s explanation.
At the start of the novel there is a personal experience of disappearance, as Alaa joins his mother in searching for his grandmother, who has gone missing from their house. They are a Palestinian family; Alaa’s grandmother was the keeper of memories of their home, the city of Jaffa now renamed and subsumed within the greater Tel Aviv. His grandmother remembers the old city, the original places and streets, the ghosts of the past before the Nakba of 1948, the ethnic cleansing of their land and property, and suppression of their rights. Obstinately she would eat the famous Jaffa oranges, though she didn’t actually like the fruit, in memory of the past and in symbolic defiance of the current Israeli regime. Alaa holds on to those precious memories in a red covered journal.
It is Alaa’s journal that provides the framework of the novel, as Ariel, Alaa’s ‘liberal’ Jewish journalist friend reads chapters between crafting articles on the Palestinian disappearance for the newspapers. Yet even the friend, the moderate Ariel, once served in a troop that fired on a child throwing rocks, and despite his professed liberal views, he has no compunction about moving into his missing friend’s apartment, eating his food and sleeping in his bed.
There are reminders of the history, of the Palestinians displaced from their land, their homes taken, people turned out, children killed and women raped. Even after their disappearance, the regime that has been set up to control the Palestinians continues, with policing of the districts, searches of people entering buildings, and demands that everyone produce documentation of their identity. The so-called democratic nation of the Middle East is as authoritarian as ever.
This is a powerful novel, enduring in the issues it exposes, with the recurring themes of oppression and ‘disappearance’ of people. It is a novel that will stay in your mind, and provides a compelling case for dialogue about a story that is ongoing. For another outstanding literary work on this subject, read Hasib Hourani’s award-winning poem Rock flight.
Laugh in the bath by Rory H. Mather. Illus. by Brent Wilson
Little Book Press, 2025. ISBN: 9781923141483. (Age:2-6) Highly recommended.
Giraffe bathtime is lots of fun for the two main characters and will be very relatable for younger readers. The front and back endpapers showcase the pink bathroom tiles and lots of bubbles which might be a clue of what is to come.
The spirited and lively rhyming text flows easily across the pages and the addition of the bath song is a welcome and engaging addition. The bright, bold colour palette used, combined with the large character images will draw the reader’s attention to the playfulness and rambunctious antics of the giraffe family. The expressions on the faces reflect the delight the young giraffes are feeling.
In this lively household, bathtime is most definitely a fun family affair and this wonderful story, full of jokes and humour reflect this special time.
Themes Bathtime, Giraffes, Humour, Family, Rhyme.
Kathryn Beilby
Heartseer: The Tale of Anise Star by Rowan Foxwood
In Heartseer: The Tale of Anise Star the reader discovers that there are more deities and daemons in the world than stars in the sky but only Heartseers like Anise Star can see them because only they still believe... Anise's job is to help humans and daemons live happily together. But when the villainous Mr Babbitt tries to steal her home in the White Woods and drive the daemons out, she is forced to travel to the capital to ask the High King for help. First, though, she'll have to convince him that daemons still exist. Accompanied by loyal daemon-dog Wolf, Anise sets out on a spellbinding and treacherous journey, meeting magical musician Robin and fox god Whin, and facing the cunning Magpie Queen and a deadly poisonous ink monster. In the midst of her battles she learns that it's not just the daemons of the White Wood she must save, but all the daemons of the world.
The genre 'fantasy adventure' is described as combining "the elements of fantasy (supernatural, magical, and often imaginary worlds) with the adventure genre (epic journeys, quests, and exciting undertakings), resulting in stories with magic, danger, and exploration." Unique landscapes, societies and cultures are the background to seemingly ordinary human characters embarking on personal quests that involve action, risk and danger and usually in company or conflict with imaginary beings to quell the malicious intent of those who seek to harm them. As they seek to ensure that good triumphs over evil, often with unique and mysterious powers, they also learn much about themselves, who they are, what they stand for and what they can accomplish and achieve as regular people.
Popular since the days of Enid Blyton's Magic Faraway Tree series when young readers transported themselves away from the horrors of World War II to lands where fairies, elves and other magical beings dwelt and life was so different to their lived reality, continued through the 50s as my generation went through the wardrobe into Narnia, then brought into the realm of the modern young reader through the exploits of Harry Potter and his friends and the making of the movies based on Tolkien's classics of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and perpetuated through any number of video and computer games, it is a firm favourite with independent readers across the ages. Those written for children not only allow the child to dwell in an alternative world that may be more appealing than the one they are in, but also enable them to become the hero with both power and powers that the real world denies them. They are in charge, they are calling the shots and making the decisions - something rare in the pre-teen's life.
Heartseer: The Tale of Anise Star fits the genre, the demand and the library collection perfectly. It features those essential elements of the fantasy adventure genre with fast-paced narrative that draws the reader into both the setting and the action, while dropping tiny but important clues along the way whose significance only becomes apparent as the climax approaches. There are elements that echo the reader's world making the transition to the imaginary one seem more seamless as they take on the role of the protagonist as they are able to relate, perhaps even empathise, with the struggles they face, yet each features a lightness of touch that makes them ideal read-alones or read-alouds. They also all seem to set themselves as the possible beginning of a new series that keen readers will seek out.
Currently, in the school library in which I volunteer, it is series like these that seem to be constantly circulating, so to be able to bring some new reads to the selections will definitely spike interest as our long winter nights approach. An activity is available.
241p. Grace off the Court is the third title in Maddy Proud’s Netball series. Given her previous books are, Grace on the Court and Grace Back on the Court, it's not hard to predict Grace's new dilemma. Grace is still in Year 9 and determined to make Netball her thing. A star player for the Lions, she is thrilled to be invited to try out for the Australian U15 team at the AIS in Canberra with Daisy - that is when not chilling with her family and Lions teamates plus her brothers and boyfriend Seb, who play in a local rockband together.
The AIS is everything Grace imagined it would be. She thrives on the deep dive into the professional life of an athlete, rigorous training sessions and mountains of food to fuel her physical and mental performances. Both Grace and Daisy impress the selectors. Tragically only Daisy is accepted because Grace is rushed to hospital for surgery on her knee, injured during tryout sessions. It's bad news and Grace is out of the running, facing weeks of rehab on crutches, which means she may not even return to play in the finals for her own club.
Her 'village' including team mates Stella, Mia, Amber and Daisy gather round to support Grace as she heals. How will she manage to be inactive and miss weeks of school, which also necessitates extra study to catch up on her missed school work. Mum and Dad, Ethan and Angus all empathize with her disappointment and restrictions, but she reverts to being overwhelmed and sends Seb mixed signals causing Grace to become jealous and the two simply break up in anger. Is the whole world against Grace? Hardly, she leads a full balanced life and her happiness is not dependent on one single part. Her family and friends provide necessary support, pushing her to attend netball practice if only to participate in assisting Coach Peters with canny strategy and team insights. Will Grace have time to feel sorry for herself? Will rehab give her time to re-evaluate so everything works out better in the end.
Like all of Maddy Proud’s books, being herself a co-captain of the NSW Swifts and in the Australian Netball squad 2022-23, the on-court commentary is authentic and high action. Her themes of loyaty, sportmanship and perseverance foster growth mindset in all Netball loving tweens. However the disproportionate boy talk amongst the girls, while never improper, is more age appropriate to 13+ readers in high school.
Hugs still feel the same by Kiralee Strong and Jenni Barrand
EK Books, 2025. ISBN: 9781922539960. (Age:4-8)
Even though once again the rain is lashing the window, the clouds hide the morning sun and paint the outside grey, things will be okay because morning hugs are still the same. And as the day progresses, the little girl is still calm and optimistic because everyone's hugs feel the same. Even when her life is turned upside down, even the hugs of strangers are reassuring because a hug can get us through so many tough times.
This story starts like the beginning of any wet day - there might be a bit of regret as plans have to be changed, but a hug from a loved one will soothe that away. But as the rain continues and the refrain is repeated, you know there is something brewing - what has gone wrong? Whose hug is going to be missing?
Sadly, this is a story that is going to resonate with many of its readers, particularly children, and particularly those in coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales right now, and while its message is a positive one of resilience, the kindness and care of strangers and the power of a hug, it could be a trigger because the climax is the family having to evacuate their home as floodwaters rise, and are rescued by the SES and taken to a community shelter as they watch their home float away. (I'm disclosing the end because it could also be a trigger for the adult sharing it.)
Inspired by the author's real-life experience of the severe flooding that engulfed the Northern Rivers of NSW, Australia in 2022 and being a volunteer for the recovery efforts, it was important to look for the beauty amongst the devastation and regardless of what was going on around, the comfort that a hug from a loved one was palpable. It's just sad that it's publication comes at this time, so soon after the events on the Gold Coast and Brisbane and the current events in Townsville, but then, perhaps fortuitous because it could be a timely reminder that hugs are still the same. They still offer a consoling message of a shared experience and emotion.
But even for those who haven't been through the trauma of such scary weather events, there is still a strong message for anyone who has gone through similar profound tragedy - that reaching out and physical connection between loved ones and even strangers gives so much comfort and empathy and works so well when words won't. While teachers' notes help explore the book more deeply, to me its essence is in its reassurance of family resilience, of community connection and that, no matter whether you're giving or getting them, hugs still feel the same.
