My Brother Otto (Ingrid Laguna, Text)

In My Brother Otto, Ingrid Laguna (Edie Tells a Lie) explores the emotional upheaval of welcoming and losing a new sibling. Quinn is 11 years old and happy being an only child. Since her mother’s pregnancy began, Quinn feels her mum no longer has time for her, and her stepfather, Alex, seems constantly preoccupied. Everything in her life already seems to revolve around the baby, leaving Quinn feeling overlooked and unsure of her place in the family. When Quinn’s mother goes into labour three months early, baby Otto is born in a fragile state. As Quinn spends time in the neonatal intensive care unit, she develops a deep and protective love for her baby brother. Amid fear, exhaustion and uncertainty, the family must draw on their collective strength to support one another through an overwhelming period of change. My Brother Otto delves into the experience of devastating loss with warmth and sensitivity. Middle-grade literature rarely explores the complex emotions of older children expecting new siblings, and Laguna handles Quinn’s hurt, jealousy and isolation with honesty and compassion. Laguna’s own experience of loss lends the story a tenderness that makes it accessible to younger readers aged 9 to 12, though some may find it difficult to read due to its content. Recommended for fans of Pip Harry and Caroline Stills’s A Gift From the Birds, My Brother Otto is best suited to emotionally mature middle-grade readers.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Erin Wamala is a teacher librarian and owner of The Kids' Bookshop. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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