At first, Georgia doesn’t pay much attention to Nina, the new kid at school. She’s too busy writing her story about Georgia the Pirate to notice anything Nina is doing. But eventually she realises that this new girl is different. Nina spends a lot of time organising her things but not a lot of time actually doing anything. She doesn’t approve of imagination. She likes to be helpful to the teacher, and she very quickly challenges the position of Myra Jenkins as teacher’s pet.

None of this bothers Georgia; she merely finds it an interesting phenomenon to observe. The one thing that does frustrate Georgia, however, is that Nina doesn’t believe in dragons. Not even though one of them is living with Georgia’s family. Not even though everyone knows Trouble is real. This could cause Trouble a lot of trouble.

This is the third book in the wonderful ‘Trouble’ series. The characters are lively and entertaining. The illustrations highlight the quirky charm of the story. And Georgia and the dragon have a delightful relationship, based on respect and honesty. This episode’s premise is that we should not only be open to new ideas and respect other people’s beliefs but we should also, first and foremost, believe in ourselves.

Reviewed by Wendy Noble

Age Guide 8+