Millie Mak the Maker
Nine-year-old Millie Mak has discovered she has a superpower!
Using everyday objects, Millie turns them into something new, beautiful and useful. Who would ever think that a sunhat could be made from an old bedsheet, a skirt from a tea-towel, or some hair scrunchies from a scarf?
Through her creativity and clever thinking, Millie also deals with different friendships, tricky family challenges, and contributes to the school fete.
You can make the special objects Millie creates from the detailed and yet easy-to-follow instructions included in the book. And best of all, nothing needs to be bought!
From award-winning author-illustrator team, Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng, comes the first book in an inspiring new series for young and old makers.
Praise for Millie Mak the Maker:
'Millie Mak is a girl for our times - resourceful, kind, real and creative, able to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary at every turn.' - Rebecca Lim
'I gulped Millie Mak down like a drink of fresh water. Crafty, creative, and courageous, it shines with hope, cosiness, industriousness, and a rare kind of bravery. It explores timely topics in a way that feels honest, and does so with a fierce, tender joy.' - Sophie Beer
'Clever, whip smart, with a touch of whimsy. Young readers will find the Mak and Singh families relatable and wonderfully refreshing. I loved it!' - Wai Chim
'A big-hearted book about transformation, creativity and discovery, and how we should start where we are and use what we have. It teaches us that we don't need to buy things to have things and that each of us is a maker. The potential of everything and everyone that surrounds us is unlocked in beautiful prose from Alice Pung and delightful illustrations by Sher Rill Ng. The power of kindness and kinship is at the heart of these stories.' - Jaclyn Crupi
'A celebration of creativity and ingenuity whip-stitched into an authentic and refreshingly honest portrayal of families and life in multicultural Australia - Millie Mak the Maker will warm the hearts of many young readers.' - Sue Whiting
'A gentle story about family, friendship and making old things new again.' - Deborah Abela
Be Careful, Xiao Xin!
Xiao Xin believes he is a red fire warrior but his family are always telling him to be careful. They believe the world is a dangerous place. Too dangerous for a little boy on his own.
They don't understand what I can do!
They don't understand what I can be!
Be Careful Xiao Xin is the first dual language (English and Chinese) story about a boy and his parents conquering their fears. The English and Chinese storylines are specifically written to be slightly different in subtle ways, to speak directly to those children and parents who understand both languages and cultures.
The talented Sher Rill Ng's moving and spectacular illustrations bring this story to life for a universal audience.
Teacher's notes for this book can be accessed here.
When Granny Came To Stay
Everything changes when Granny comes to stay.
She doesn't drive, she is worried about germs all the time, and she boils French Fries!
But when she finally leaves, will things ever go back to the way they were?
A new series of memorable, funny and diverse stories on First Nations lands.
'Stories to help kids accept each other and themselves' - Randa Abdel-Fattah, series editor
Meet Marly - Our Australian Girl series
IN 2015, Alice's collection of children's books for Penguin's 'Our Australian Girl' series was released, beginning with 'Meet Marly'.
Marly is a 10 year old girl growing up in Sunshine, Victoria in 1983. Based on Alice's own experiences as a child in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, the Marly series explores what life was like for many refugee kids adapting to new circumstances.
It's 1983 in Sunshine, Melbourne, and everyone at Marly's school is collecting Donkey Kong cards. Marly desperately wants some cards too, but she has no money to buy them. Then she has a fantastic idea – to start her own business! Marly's money-making venture brings her something she hadn't planned on: new friends in a part of Melbourne that she never knew existed. And of course she knows how to find her way home again. Or does she?
It's 1983 . . . and there's excitement in Marly's house. Her grandparents have arrived from Vietnam, and soon her mum will have a new baby. While Grandma tries to make Marly into a 'young lady', Grandpa digs up the back yard. Then he brings home Agnes, a goat! But the neighbours want Agnes taken away, and then things get dangerous. Will Marly be able to protect her grandpa and her pet?
Follow Marly on her adventure in the third of four stories about a daring girl torn between two worlds.
The long-awaited baby has finally arrived! But Marly never realised that a new baby would take up so much of everyone’s time! No one’s helping her with her costume for the school concert and she feels like she’s invisible.
Marly’s secret plan is to perform the Moonwalk, the dance she’s been practising all year. But will she be ready in time, and can she dance in front of the whole school?
Join Marly in the final of four stories about a daring girl torn between two worlds.
About the series - for parents and teachers
The Our Australian Girl series is a historical series of books aimed at girls aged 8 and above.
The idea for the series was born when Jane Godwin, Publisher of books for Children and Young Adults at Penguin, noticed 'little girls reading a lot of mass market, tween-oriented material with an emphasis on fashion, make-up and celebrity... I felt that young female readers deserved something more. I also know that parents are concerned about the impact of 'tween' titles, worried that they're making this generation of girls grow up too quickly."
Jane thought about the books she'd read and loved as a child. "Certain books had stayed with me to this day, like Little House on the Prairie, where there was a strong central female heroine who even if her life was very different to yours, you really identified with her."
For more information, see the Our Australian Girl website: