The Susie K Files by Shamini Flint
Ill. by Sally Heinrich. Allen and Unwin, 2018.
Life of the Party! File no. 1. ISBN: 9781760296681
Game Changer! File no. 2. ISBN: 9781760296698
(Age: 7-9) Recommended. Themes: Self-perception, Identity, Problem
solving, School life, Parties. Shamini Flint's new series The
Susie K Files brings a fresh new approach to the graphic novel
diary genre. Susi K is one of a kind, she is a problem-solver,
analytical, willing to stay home and read rather than attend a
classmate's party, or participate in her school's sports day. She
uses her creativity and resolve to stand up to her mother's demands
that she fit in and be accepted by the popular girls. Her mother's
constant comparisons to her war-torn childhood drive these demands.
The narrative is driven by the funny dialogue with plenty of speech
bubbles, even George has something to say!
File No 1 Life of the Party introduces us to the Smith
Family, her soccer-loving dad, her ambitious mother, handsome and
popular teenage brother Jack and nine year old Susie K. She loves
science, reading and problem solving, her life is so organised she
even keeps records of her experiments. Her Sri Lankan mother wants
the best for her daughter, including success and popularity much to
Susie K's dismay. Susie K likes science instead of netball and uses
the class goldfish as a sounding board. When Mum overhears that
popular Clementine has invited the whole class to her birthday party
she is pleased. Unfortunately Susie K hasn't received an invite yet.
What does Susie K do, she applies her five step approach to problem
solving to come up with a solution? When Clementine's mother bans
the use of party balloons because of their environmental impact, our
problem solving girl comes up with some crazy, creative
alternatives.
Sports Day looms at Susie K's school, everyone is signing up for the
usual events, javelin, discus, races in Game Changer File No. 2.
Susie K has two weeks to choose a suitable sport, unfortunately
netball is not an option. After some spectacular failures, Susie K
rules out team sports and individual events. With her best friend
George the goldfish and Bones her real size skeleton, this problem
solver comes up with a creative solution. Susie K's surprising
answer helps the Purple Team in their quest for house points.
Sally Heinrich's fun cartoon sketches add energy to the humorous
story, with Susie K's lively expressions, her problems solved by
drawing scientific diagrams and the class goldfish George's fishbowl
antics.
Shamini Flint's The Susie K Files are just right to share
with middle primary classes, perfect for introducing problem solving
skills, for creative writing and for teaching scientific strategies.
Rhyllis Bignell