Text Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 9781922790408. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
American author Sara Shepard has had huge success in the young adult market with both Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game book series having been turned into television shows. The Penny Draws series is Shepard's first foray into the middle grade space, with this book being second in the series. Although it would be ideal to read the series in order, it would be absolutely fine to read this one as a stand alone novel as it contains enough context to understand what has already occurred.
Penny Lowry is in fifth grade and, although she suffers from anxiety, she thinks life is under control at the moment. Her Feelings Teacher (counsellor) has suggested she keep a journal, and Penny does this in the form of writing letters/diary entries to her dog, Cosmo. Most pages of her journal are about 50% words and 50% little comic strips - the comic strips don't just illustrate the story, they are an integral part of the story.
From being under control, suddenly there is a lot going on for Penny - moving house, twin siblings on the way, a class play that everyone must be part of, weird behaviour of her little brother, strange noises in her new house, figuring out how to bring together friends from two different parts of her life, and keeping a list of Worst Things to Possibly Happen to Me (no. 25 is 'waking up and realizing I'm a squirrel').
Penny learns strategies for managing her anxiety and is very brave in giving things a go and coping with change. Her friends, family and teachers are a wonderful, warm network who all offer support in their own unique ways.
The comic strips and humour throughout this book make it very appealing for young readers who will take on the messages about never knowing what's really going on in someone else's head, it being okay if things don't always go to plan, and rolling with the changes and being brave.
Fans of Wimpy Kid will love this format as well as the main character who is funny, warm and relatable.
Text Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781922790712. (Age:9-11) Recommended.
Penny Lowry is in Grade 5 and is sometimes troubled by anxious thoughts. When her class gets given an opportunity to visit New York, she manages to swallow most of her fears to experience the Big Apple. But first she has to deal with a friendship dilemma with her former friend Violet, who has been made her trip buddy. Learning how to work together with her classmates and overcome her own uncertainties reveals that Penny is learning strategies that reveal a potential for leadership and for helping others.
This is a charming story, told through ‘letters’ to Penny’s pet dog, and illustrated with short graphic-novel style comic strips. With pre-teen issues and solutions for friendship and anxiety concerns, this is a light but warm story. It has occasional funny moments, but it is mostly a gentle child-friendly story set on a school trip in a recognisable USA location. This is Book 4 in the series, and it is good to meet a central character who must overcome her personal issues in psychologically healthy ways.
Recommended for readers aged 9-11.
Themes Anxiety, New York, Friendship.
Carolyn Hull
Penny draws: A secret adventure by Sara Shepherd
Text Publishing, 2024. ISBN: 9781922790569. (Age:9+) Highly recommended.
For fans of Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid comes this new installment in the highly-illustrated Penny Draws series. Penny Draws a Secret Adventure is the third in the series, with a fourth on the way shortly. Sara Shepard is the American author of popular teen series Pretty Little Liars and the Penny Draws series is her first foray into middle grade books. The books are funny but heartfelt with comic style illustrations taking up half of the page space. Written in diary form, Penny writes to her dog Cosmo about her life and feelings. Dry humour abounds and Shepard has a clear understanding of contemporary tween and teen life; the teenage babysitter spends her time on her phone ordering smoothie deliveries and watching Tik Tok. There are also Penny's funny wonderings, such as her musings on the holey plot lines of Charlotte's Web.
Penny is in Grade 5 and has new twin siblings, one of whom will not stop crying. Her mind is taken off the house chaos though when she discovers a treasure map in her attic. The clues lead the group of friends around their community, including the theme park and the school music room and end with them discovering that not everything is as it first appears. The writing style is witty and revolves around Penny's friendship dramas and family life, as well as giving voice to her ever-present self-doubt and lapses in self-confidence. She's a worrier - she even visits the Feelings Teacher (school counsellor) on a regular basis - and is worried because two of her friends are getting closer and have lots of the same interests. There is also the inevitable enemy who turns out to be a friend after all.
Themes Friendship, Family, Anxiety, School Stories.
