Books of the Week: The Squishy Taylor series

‘Squishy Taylor’ is a brand new Australian series for early readers. We can’t wait to share it with some of the kids we know!

Why we love it:

The Squishy stories are fresh and lively, with a realistic inner-city Australian setting; an engaging blend of intrigue, problem solving and family dynamics; and – best of all – great characters.

Squishy (real name Sita) is an energetic, imaginative and determined eleven-year-old. She lives in an apartment with her dad, step-mum, their baby and her twin stepsisters, who are five months older than her.

She and the other child characters do many of the things the kids we know do – they Skype and play with apps on the ipad, learn violin, go rock climbing, perform acrobatics on their bunk beds, catch the tram, and enjoy family rituals like ‘roll your own rice paper roll’ dinners and Saturday movie nights.

The books are also very well-designed, so the text is appealing, not daunting. The margins are wide, Word Art is used to emphasise some of the key phrases, and scattered illustrations bring the characters to life. The books sit at around the same reading level as the ‘Lulu Bell’, ‘EJ12’ and ‘WeirDo’ series.

The Publishers have pitched ‘Squishy Taylor’ as ‘Modern Family meets Harriet the Spy’, and Squishy does love a good mystery, whether it’s figuring out the real identity of the runaway boy hiding in the basement or finding out how her cranky neighbour is connected to a diamond theft!

She’s brave and bold. Sometimes she gets things wrong – but she’s always willing to learn from her mistakes!

(Learn more about the inspiration behind the Squishy Taylor books and how Ailsa Wild and Ben Wood created the characters here)

Funny in places, with some serious themes handled with a light touch, these books are so engaging that we’re very much looking forward to reading more!

We recommend the Squishy Taylor series for readers of around 7 and up.

Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters and Squishy Taylor and a Question of Trust are available now; Squishy Taylor and the Vase that Wasn’t and Squishy Taylor and the Mess Makers will follow in March and April.

Educators might be interested in the Teachers Notes, available on the Publisher’s website.

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