Kids

Response to Meet Letty

'This story is perfect...the whole book was great.'
There were no boring bits and the story was just the right length!
Eliesse, age 10

'This is an exciting book, it is filled with adventurous characters and an outrageously good story...I would love to read the next book in the series.'
Carlee, age 11

'I loved the way the book showed an example of true friendship...I thought I was there in the story looking at what happened and when the book finished, I felt as if I'd been jolted back to reality!'
Isabella, age 10

'At the beginning I almost cried! If I was Letty then I would be so upset and frightened! At the end of the story when Abner said he would come and visit I felt happy for Letty...I like the front cover a lot, especially the charm bracelet at the top...I think the book was very cleverly written to make me feel for the character and make me want to read on.'
Joanna, age 10

'A wonderful, inspiring book.'
Amelia, age 10

'This book is completely different to what I have read before...I would like to read the next book in the series... I liked how it was very descriptive and you could actually picture it in your mind... I give this book ten out of ten.'
Elly, age 10

Response to Meet Poppy

'I just finished reading the four books. I loved them . . . my favourite was Meet Poppy because it was detailed and exciting. I'm learning different kinds of words to describe things and feelings. I feel like I am in the scene in that moment and in that time. They are mind-blowing books. I can't wait until the next book in the series.'
Macey, age 8

'It was fantastic. I loved this story because it made me feel like I was Poppy...I wished this book went on forever!'
Paris, age 9

'I liked the story very much. Each page you want to know more and more. I would love to get (these books) as soon as they are available.'
Abbey, age 9

'I couldn't put the book down...I was keen in reading on because it made me very excited about what was going to happen.'
Sanduni, age 10

'A fantastic book with adventure on every page...I liked Poppy because she was brave and she inspired me to build up my courage and try new things...the whole idea (of this series) is creative and new and not something that has been seen before...I would like the author and publisher to know that Meet Poppy is a fantastic book and I think it will be a bestseller!'
Charlotte, age 10

'I liked the story because it felt like I was right there watching it. I like where the story is set. I could not put the book down and I finished the book in one night...I like Poppy because she seems like me. She isn't afraid to take risks. She is up for adventure and she cares about nature...I think it is clever how there is a bracelet on the front.'
Chloe, age 11

'I wanted to know more and more and I can't wait for the series to come out...the cover would attract a lot of girls to read the story...I would get these books as soon as they become available.'
Abbey C, age 9

'It was fabulous! I liked the story because Poppy's life is so different to mine. I thought it was all interesting and made me want to keep reading.
Annalise, age 9

'Once you pick up the book you never want to put it down. It doesn't remind me of any other books and that's why I like it, because it's so original.'
Katerina, age 9

Response to Meet Rose

'I loved this book! I loved all of the characters and how they were played...I loved the cover. I loved the charm bracelet at the top...Rose is a character that you will never give up. You finish the book and you need to know more!'
Madeleine, age 10

'I wanted to keep reading because I felt like the story couldn't end there so I want to know what happens especially at the end of the series...I think these books will be very popular...they seem like good books for many ages... A must-read book from a great Australian series.'
Claudia, age 11

'I liked the story because Rose is a bit like me. I don't want to wear frilly dresses all the time like Rose and I want to play sport like Rose... I really want to read the next book because I want to know what happens...it ended in such a mysterious way and you want to read on...I thought the book was great!'
Ella, age 11

'I would be interested in reading the next book because this one ends on a cliff-hanger and it is a really good book for many reasons.'
Sophie, age 10

'I enjoyed the story because it gave me a chance to see what life was like in 1900...It was a very exciting book! It was a great book and I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did!...The only time when learning about the olden days is fun!'
Charlotte, age 10

'I think the cover has a really good design to it, just by looking at the cover it makes me want to read the book.'
Ruby, age 10

Parents & Teachers

'How fantastic that someone has realised that our girls have nothing of quality to read these days. I have been buying my daughter either reprints of classics or books about horses because there was an overwhelming lack of books demonstrating the importance of a person's character without her being gorgeous, a great singer or a movie star! I saw your books advertised in the newspaper on the weekend and Katie and I have looked over the website with great excitement and look forward to reading these books. Thank you for creating stories for my children that will provide role models worthy of adulation.'
Renee

'Congratulations!! Congratulations on the development of a wonderful series of books.
I have just read Meeting Grace and was thrilled with the historical setting, facts and story. No doubt the other books in the series will be just as great. I was also on the website today and loved the site and what it offers. I am a mother of an 11 year of daughter and it's so hard to find meaningful stories that offer more than fun and laughs. I think this series will offer much.
I am also involved in character development programs for children aged 2 and above, and in looking at the series from this view they also offer amazing insights into 'life' with real life settings for young readers to reflect upon, discuss and compare to their own world. I believe it is important to help children of all ages see beyond their world, see how we are all linked together, what qualities of the human spirit and most important, learn to practice virtues such as love, respect, care, friendship, and help them to discover how they can change the world around them.'
Annette

'My 10 year old daughter Ella started this book yesterday and couldn't put it down. She took time out during the day to finish it and loved it. She can't wait for the next instalment of Grace and while she waits, she's started on Letty! I'm a happy mum.'
No name supplied

'My daughter Sasha is actually a very critical reader and does not like many of the books she tries, but she really likes these books!'
Nicola

'The girls loooooove them! How hard it is to find good books like these with such interesting content. You're on to a winner.'
Caroline

'I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you for sharing with the girls the exciting new book range you are developing. They have been enjoying them enormously. I am really impressed with the series - the books have great stories and the historical context makes them even more interesting. It's actually very refreshing and a nice change...Fleur is so engrossed in them she sets her alarm early every morning to read them before school.'
Catherine

Media

'Each book, which has a different picture of a pretty charm bracelet on the cover, making it eminently collectable, is the first in a quartet, finishing on a cliffhanger. But while they may all be published to the same template, there's nothing formulaic about the stories or the writing in these books. As with Penguin's Aussie Bites series, the publisher has commissioned well-credentialed authors, one for each character, and the writing is vivid and smart. Sofie Laguna writes about Grace, an orphaned mudlark in London's Thames, who is transported to Australia in 1808 after stealing apples to feed a cabbie's horse. Alison Lloyd has Letty as an accidental emigrant, travelling with her more adventurous sister in 1841. Gabrielle Wang's Poppy, daughter of a Chinese father and an Aboriginal mother, escapes a mission in the goldrush of 1864. And in 1900, Rose dreams of an "unladylike" life in Sherryl Clark's contribution. So many commercially published series for primary school children are more about the packaging than the content. These books are a most welcome exception.'
The Saturday Age

'Penguin has just released Our Australian Girl, a great new series aimed at girls and set in four different periods of Australian history. There will be 16 books with the next four titles due in May. The series is well-written with strong female characters and based on excellent historical research.'
Illawarra Mercury

''Meet Grace' is the first in a lovely new series of 16 books for young girls in which a story is told about an Australian girl from different eras. Aimed at ages 8-11 the books capture the spirit of Australian girls through the ages. In Meet Grace, we are introduced to a poor young London girl who steals an apple on an impulse and is then convicted and sentenced to life in the colony at Sydney Cove. Set mainly in prison in England, the story represents an important angle of white Australian history and is presented in a very compelling style by children's author Sofie Laguna.'
Sunday Mail Brisbane

'The writing is of such quality, the plots fast-paced, the themes well handled and the girls so engaging that the package works. This is a great series with which to introduce Australian history to readers aged eight to 12 who aren't quite ready for Scholastic's 'My Australian Story' series.'
Bookseller & Publisher