Doris Kozlowski’s life is anything but normal. Her mum plays singing vegetables in TV commercials. Her little brother befriends pebbles and potatoes. And don’t even get her started on her babcia.
But Doris is good at pretending to be just like everyone else, and she has a plan to get through Year Six: keep her head down, keep her family away from the school, and keep her best and only friend, the perfect Felicity.
So when Felicity ditches her for the popular girls before their first class even starts, Doris needs a new plan. She figures if she can win the talent show, Felicity will want to be friends again, and Doris can get her life back. That is, if her babcia stops trying to ‘help’. And if her mum avoids more embarrassing commercials. And if her brother manages to keep her secrets.
Who is she kidding? Doris is DOOMED.
In 2021, we introduced author Jo Dabrowski to BR Kids readers with her fun and interactive debut lift-the-flap book. With it, I could foresee Dabrowski becoming a household name for newborns and toddlers. Now she returns with her first middle-grade novel, and I have no doubt children aged 9+ will be running to the stores to read and discuss the fantasticness of this novel!
Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski is a hilarious yet touching middle-grade debut about embracing who you are, finding your true friends and the unstoppable magic of a good musical number.
Young readers will delight in our protagonist, Doris – Dabrowski nails Doris’ conversational and quirky tone of voice. Being a pre-teen is an embarrassing journey in and of itself. Mix in an embarrassing family and complex friendship dynamics, and you have the recipe for disaster.
But really, this is about pushing past a feeling of embarrassment, and learning to step into your own spotlight – quirky family and all – rather than fit the mould of a society that deems you different. As someone with a mixed-ethnic background myself, I could very easily relate to bringing ‘unusual’ lunches to school. But it’s about loving those lunches and what they symbolise, and that’s the journey Doris Kozlowski takes us on.
This novel is truly funny, laced with themes of discovering who you are and sharing it with the world; staying true to yourself is never overrated. Get Your Act Together, Doris Kozlowski covers themes of displacement, navigating transitional years, cultural differences and finding your tribe. Every child can relate to this story.
The chapters are short and punchy, with catchy, fun chapter headings that will keep kids engaged from beginning to end – reluctant readers, I’m looking at you! This is contemporary fiction that finds humour in the most cringe-worthy pre-teen moments.
I’d describe this novel as Hating Alison Ashley meets Looking for Alibrandi and Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. Essentially, this is the contemporary middle-grade fiction Australia has been missing for so long. While this will appeal to any child who has an embarrassing family (and who doesn’t?), I recommend it for every young reader.
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