The Secrets of Magnolia Moon
Magnolia Moon is a character whose irrepressible joy and vivid imagination will remind readers just how much can happen in a year of being nine.
Magnolia Moon is nine years old, likes Greek mythology, her best friend Imogen May, wishing trees and talking crows. She knows instinctively that buffadillos are armadillos crossed with buffalos and believes there are walramingos living in her garden. She's also the kind of person who can be entrusted with a great many secrets.
In her year of being nine, Magnolia must keep a great secret, cope with her best friend moving and the birth of her little brother Finnegan. She navigates every challenge and secret that comes her way with the kind of authenticity and innocence that comes from being nine years wise.
Creators
Edwina Wyatt is an award-winning Australian children’s author. She grew up in Sydney, and worked as a lawyer and a high school teacher before becoming a writer of books for young readers. Her debut junior fiction novel was The Secrets of Magnolia Moon.
Reviews
Edwina Wyatt’s prose is lyrical and heartfelt, with a glorious use of imagery. And Katherine Quinn has captured the fanciful nature of Magnolia Moon with warmth and joy. This is not a fast-paced read, brimming with dramatic tension. Calling to mind the writing of Astrid Lindgren and Kate DiCamillo, The Secrets of Magnolia Moon is a whimsical and gentle portrayal of friendship and problem solving, with each page to be savoured. And I think young readers could do with more of that.
Kids' Book Review
The Secrets of Magnolia Moon is written in a distinctive style with metaphors that are charmingly quirky and conjure gorgeous images of friendship and loving families. It is such a happy story; it reads beautifully and has sweet, intermittent illustrations that make it the perfect present for kids aged 7+.
Readings
The Secrets of Magnolia Moon is aimed at the readership of the Ruby Red Shoes or Clementine Rose series—eight to 10-year-olds who like whimsical, cutesy books about friendship and emotional problem solving. It could also make a good read-aloud book for a slightly younger reader.
Books+Publishing
