Millie Mak the Maker (Alice Pung, illus Sher Rill Ng, HarperCollins)

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Alice Pung’s new middle-grade heroine nearly shares a name with Joyce Lankester Brisley’s much-loved creation: if you tried to write a version of Milly-Molly-Mandy in Australia today with social relevance, diversity, and a bit more oomph, you might arrive somewhere like Millie Mak the Maker. Millie, aged nine and settling into her new school and neighbourhood after a family move, shares some of her 1920s counterpart’s sensitivity, resourcefulness, affection and loyalty for friends and family. The modern Millie, however, has more to contend with in her environment, resulting in a bit more narrative tension and, therefore, narrative interest—though, like Brisley’s books, the Millie series will still suit gentle readers searching for a relatively safe journey. The book alludes to mature concerns relating to race, bullying, socioeconomics, culture and intergenerational relationships, but always age-appropriately. Millie discovers a particular flair for repurposing, fixing, and making—from doll’s house furniture to clothing—and develops pride and confidence through her skills and creative problem-solving. (Included are patterns and instructions for readers to make some of the projects.) She also learns to appreciate her stricter Chinese grandmother as well as her easier Scottish granny and proves herself a generous and loyal friend, if only other children will give her half a chance. Sher Rill Ng’s illustrations contribute to the warm, enticing, creative world Millie inhabits, and Pung again demonstrates she is comfortable writing for any age group.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Anica Boulanger-Mashberg is a freelance editor and writer, and a bookseller at the Hobart Bookshop. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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Category: Reviews