Truly Tan: Jinxed! (Jen Storer, illus by Clare Robertson, HarperCollins)

With a similar look and pitch as Lauren Child’s ‘Clarice Bean’ books, ‘Truly Tan’ is a fantastic new series for all those girls (and boys) who are outgrowing Sally Rippin’s ‘Billie B Brown’. The first ‘Truly Tan’ book was released just prior to Christmas last year. In this second instalment, Tan’s dad has bought a spooky old tram from a deceased estate and plonked it next to the dam on their country property. When some things start to go topsy turvy, Tan realises the tram must be jinxed, so she and her friends come up with a brilliant plan to set everything right (and also to get on the telly). The first ‘Truly Tan’ book had a stronger plot, as it was based around Tan’s arrival in the countryside as a new girl from the city, forging new friends and discovering the charms of her new life. Yet this book was still an absolute joy to read. Tan is a curious and vivacious character and her world is utterly blooming with possibility and adventure, not least because the books have an idyllic rural setting and slightly spooky plotlines. Jen Storer is a wonderful children’s writer and it’s good news that we now have a compelling Australian series pitched at this demographic.

Hannah Francis is a bookseller at the Younger Sun Bookshop in Yarraville

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews