Koori Princess (Anita Heiss, Magabala)
Anita Heiss is an award-winning author who has published across the gamut of Australian writing: from adult fiction and memoir to children’s novels, she’s seemingly done it all. Koori Princess is her latest book for readers aged eight to 10, featuring Disney princess-obsessed Teish and her princessed-out family. In the face of all objections, Teish maintains her pure love for the princesses she sees in movies, treading her own path between the more ‘worthy’ dreams of her older siblings and friends. Ultimately, the novel is less about Teish’s character arc than her family coming to realise that her love of all things pink and princess doesn’t diminish her strength of character or ability to make her own choices. Gentle learnings about Aboriginal culture and heroes are woven through the book, and the constant ribbing between Teish’s family members belies the deep love that holds them together. Ideas about gender roles, social hierarchies and decolonisation are mixed in with a slightly heavier hand, although perhaps directly addressing these perspectives is appropriate for the age group who may miss more subtle cues. Episodic in nature, the novel is heavy on dialogue and the lengthy chapters may deter less confident readers. This family story about self-confidence and acceptance will appeal to fans of Gabrielle Wang, Sally Morgan and Fiona Hardy.
Annie Waters sells books, writes about books and podcasts about books.
