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A review by emilyrainsford
The Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm by Karen Foxlee
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
4.5
"'Keep going' was a plan of sorts, and that's what they needed right now, Mary-Kate decided. Plans were good, even if they were as simple as that. Keep going. One red sparkly footstep in front of another."
Some things make 9 year old Mary-Kate feel good - sparkly gel pens, her lucky pack of gum, a neatly ordered notebook. But some things make her feel icky and wrong - the colour brown, sitting backwards on the train, changes and beginnings. And accompanying her archeologist mother on a trip to a strange small village is definitely a big change. Luckily Mary-Kate has some strategies to deal with her anxiety. And when it turns out the mysterious creature in this little village might not be a myth after all, Mary-Kate might be just the one to solve the puzzle, stress ball and all.
The Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm is a lovely little middle grade read, peppered with beautiful illustrations full of whimsical personality. The aim of the book is to incorporate the experience of anxiety into an engaging tale, and along the way give both kids and parents some insight into it and also tips for dealing with it.
With anxiety being something a lot of modern kids deal with, I think this is a really timely goal and indeed the book succeeds admirably in its aim, telling a fun mystery story while making anxious kids feel seen. Indeed, my frequently anxious 10 year old daughter who doesn't usually read books without a picture on every page, picked this up after me and said "I'm only 9 pages in but this is really good!"
The story, in which this possible mythological creature's lair is being disturbed by corporate land development, even manages to incorporate some nice messages about looking after our land and our communities, and being compassionate to all beings that we share the earth with.
I think this story will really resonate with a lot of kids and make them feel seen, and maybe even help their parents understand their experiences also. I think the aim of this book is really commendable and has been beautifully realised. There is also a snippet in the back of a follow up book, so I think there will be more adventures for Mary-Kate yet!
Some things make 9 year old Mary-Kate feel good - sparkly gel pens, her lucky pack of gum, a neatly ordered notebook. But some things make her feel icky and wrong - the colour brown, sitting backwards on the train, changes and beginnings. And accompanying her archeologist mother on a trip to a strange small village is definitely a big change. Luckily Mary-Kate has some strategies to deal with her anxiety. And when it turns out the mysterious creature in this little village might not be a myth after all, Mary-Kate might be just the one to solve the puzzle, stress ball and all.
The Wrath of the Woolington Wyrm is a lovely little middle grade read, peppered with beautiful illustrations full of whimsical personality. The aim of the book is to incorporate the experience of anxiety into an engaging tale, and along the way give both kids and parents some insight into it and also tips for dealing with it.
With anxiety being something a lot of modern kids deal with, I think this is a really timely goal and indeed the book succeeds admirably in its aim, telling a fun mystery story while making anxious kids feel seen. Indeed, my frequently anxious 10 year old daughter who doesn't usually read books without a picture on every page, picked this up after me and said "I'm only 9 pages in but this is really good!"
The story, in which this possible mythological creature's lair is being disturbed by corporate land development, even manages to incorporate some nice messages about looking after our land and our communities, and being compassionate to all beings that we share the earth with.
I think this story will really resonate with a lot of kids and make them feel seen, and maybe even help their parents understand their experiences also. I think the aim of this book is really commendable and has been beautifully realised. There is also a snippet in the back of a follow up book, so I think there will be more adventures for Mary-Kate yet!