Aggie Flea is Not a Liar! (Tania Ingram, illus A Yi, Scholastic)

Aggie Flea is greatly misunderstood. Her teacher, Mrs Fossy, definitely doesn’t like her and regularly sends her to the principal’s office. Aggie loves the fictitious Princess Zombie books about a princess cursed by a wicked witch who turns into a zombie, a situation Aggie believes to be far preferable to her own real life with separated parents and an annoying older brother. When someone new moves in next door during the night, Aggie’s imagination runs wild, and she thinks they just might be a vampire. When her class is set a competition to write about a neighbourhood elder, Aggie chooses to write about him, which means she’ll need to interview a vampire! Aggie Flea is Not a Liar! is an early chapter book similar in layout to The Ella Diaries and will appeal to a similar market. Aggie is aged 10, very funny and has a vivid imagination — the very thing that gets her in so much trouble. Author Tania Ingram is a comic writer who has previously written the Jinny & Cooper junior fiction series. Alongside the captivating story, visual enhancements including words highlighted in pink for emphasis, illustrations by A Yi scattered throughout the book, and comic panels from the Princess Zombie books further enhance the reading experience. This is a promising start to a fun junior fiction series that will appeal primarily to girls aged 6–9.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Angela Crocombe is a senior buyer and bookseller at Readings Kids. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews