Myra in the Middle is a heart-warming chapter book for newly independent readers featuring a loving family of Indian heritage. Seven-year-old Myra has trouble adapting to her new position in the family after the birth of her baby brother. She is no longer the youngest or the little sister. Now she is caught in the middle and feels a bit lost and invisible.
When she tries out for and is selected in the soccer team, the coach puts her in mid-field, reinforcing her feeling of being middling. However, Myra’s grandmother lives with them, not only cooking delicious traditional Indian fare but imparting cuddles and wisdom.
This well-written novel includes drawings, diagrams and tables. My only reservation is that the newborn baby, only a few days old, is shown on people’s laps in a sitting position. Otherwise, it’s a realistic, warm story.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
Age Guide 5+
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Seetha Dodd is an emerging children’s author who loves wordplay, humorous rhyme and lyrical prose. Her fiction has been published in The School Magazine and in print and audio anthologies by Spineless Wonders and Hunter Writers’ Centre. Drawing on her Malaysian–Indian heritage, and themes of family, identity and belonging, Seetha writes stories that empower children to challenge stereotypes and to celebrate uniqueness in all forms. She lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband and three children.
Follow Seetha Dodd on Instagram here
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Books have always been a vital part of Peter Cheong’s life. Growing up reading Roald Dahl and having adventures with Calvin and Hobbes, Peter was heavily influenced by the way Quentin Blake and Bill Watterson brought stories to life. After spending several years in the Australian Army, Peter decided to pursue his dream of a career in books. He is the illustrator of I’m a HeroToo, Nothing Alike and Anh Do’s Pow Pow Pig series, and has written and illustrated his own children’s books, Every Night at Midnight and Where We Can Hear the Giants Sing. Peter lives in Perth (Whadjuk Country), Western Australia, with his very understanding wife and sons, and less understanding cat.
Photo credit: Michael Cheong
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