Book Reviews
Mitchelstown student Amy O’Brien is a self confessed ‘activist and advocate’, passionate about equity and justice, with a love for reading and baking too.
Amy continues with her book review for readers of TheAvondhu. To access these books for free, visit your local library online or in person. This week’s book is:
Milly is a young
Irish girl who is a proud, brazen rebel.
The child is inspiring, adventurous and she is certainly a loveable, excitable character.
Milly lives in Ballybrogin in Cork and her Gaelscoil, Scoil Eoin are working to win the coveted Green Flag Award. They have come up with lots of ideas to help the environment and have their fingers crossed they win, because ... the competition prize is a private tour of Fota Wildlife Park!
The charming new heroine finds herself mixed into anecdotes of great drama throughout the book. From the get go, chaos ensues when her pristinely white and fluffy dog Fifi rips open a bottle of fake tan. Later, we encounter a butterfly breakout and the unfortunate incident on monkey island!
The author, Leona Forde was also born in Cork and appeared at the West Cork Literary Festival this summer. She studied English and History in UCC and now teaches. As ‘Mammy to 4 crazy kids’, the Milly McCarthy series was inspired by her daughter, Asha. The fabulous illustrator who brings the stories to life is Karen Harte and she loves to draw and design.
I think that if I had read this book as a young girl in primary school, I would have related so much to the protagonist. There are so many Irish references that senior kids reading this will enjoy. Above all else, it’s a gem of hilarious little stories and quibs sure to keep your attention.