Reviewed by Kathleen Grace
The author of this novel is award-winning, and born in
Melbourne of Chinese heritage. Currently she is Australian Children’s Laureate.
Here she publishes a new, heart-warming story set in post-war Melbourne about courage,
friendship, the magic of stories, and one girl’s unwavering love for her dog.
Chapter One starts with the words, ‘The day she turned
eleven was the day Zadie Ma discovered her superpower.’ Zadie writes in her
writing book, a story titled ‘Little Ant, Cassandra’ when her mother tries to
kill some ants invading her kitchen. When she returns to the kitchen, her
brother Teddy says the ants ‘wented away. Disvapowed.’ When Zadie writes
another story called ‘Little Kit’ she realises some of her stories can come
true. Magical!
One day Zadie starts to write about rescuing a poor,
unwanted dog called Jupiter. Will this story bring to life her most important
story of the dog of her dreams?
This, like all of Wang’s books for children, is easy
to reading and compelling. At the front of it is a photo of her as a child of
ten with her grandfather and her dog Rusty. Also at the front of the book are
framed sketches of Zadie with her brother (1955) and father (1951), and another
of her Mama and brother in the family shop (1954). The book has numerous
sketches, including a comic strip of Jupiter the dog rescuing the Ma family
from a fire.
As with other books she’s written, Wang’s stories are
a blend of Chinese and Western culture with a touch of fantasy. This book is
ideal for readers aged 9+ years.
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