Read the First Chapter of Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters!

Don’t just take our word for how fun Squishy’s adventures are – download the first chapter and start reading more about Squishy’s adventures in Book #1, ‘Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters!’

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!

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.

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

You can also read an interview with the author here or a Book List of their inspirations here!