Meet Stevie Louise Mason. Yes, Stevie, and NOT Steven, as everyone else likes to call her – even her own mother! She’s a spirited twelve-year-old who’s an entrepreneur, an entertainer, and an introverted-extrovert. She loves reading, English and watching musicals, and she hates olives, maths and when people say she asks too many questions.
Stevie lives in a cul-de-sac with her best friends on Brooke Street. They call themselves The Brooke Street crew and attend the same school. And today, Stevie’s going to ask the Brooke Street kids the most important question of their lives!
Stevie has a brilliant plan – an amazing idea to make money and, more importantly, make sure the Brooke Street kids stay best friends forever. But then a neighbour threatens to derail all of Stevie’s plans, and soon, real disaster strikes! But the show must go on. After all, Stevie is a professional…
Drum Roll Please, It’s Stevie Louise is a gloriously warm and funny story from multi-media sensation Tanya Hennessy. The best way to describe Stevie: an extrovert on the inside and an introvert on the outside. Stevie’s perspective is one I can read from all day. She’s witty, funny, and utterly relatable. I was drawn in from the first sentence.
I loved Hennessy’s focus on inclusion. This is shown through the variety of characters and personality types in the book, making space for readers to see themselves recognised in some way. I found myself relating to Stevie most. We’re both introverts, we enjoy reading and watching musicals, and have been embarrassed by our parents – but I guess that’s one thing most of us can relate to.
If Amy Schumer and Rebel Wilson had a love child, you’d get Tanya Hennessy – comedian, radio announcer, and social media sensation. In 2017, Tanya’s rising stardom was recognised when she won the Junkee Award for Breakthrough Artist, was nominated for Cosmopolitan Woman of the Year, selected to perform at Australia’s VIDCON, and won best radio documentary at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards. Talented and hilarious, Tanya is a true multi-media star.
Drum Roll Please, It’s Stevie Louise is assistive and targets readers aged 7+. Illustrations by Leigh Hedstrom are vivid enough to help readers visualise characters and emotions, but minimal enough for imaginative freedom. And Hennessy’s stylistic word choices highlight key emotions and names that help readers keep track of the storyline and characters. I can see this book becoming a must-have on every kid’s TBR list.
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