This first book in the series comes to America from Australia’s best selling female author, Sally Rippin. The third person narration stays close to our young witch, Polly, as she hides her friendship with Buster. In the witching world monsters are disgusting creatures one should never get near. Polly can’t understand that thinking since Buster is the most faithful companion anyone could have.
Themes of family, peer pressure, being a good friend, and acceptance of others weave their way through the fast paced story. Illustrations scattered throughout add a whimsical touch. Here’s a sample. The book is a perfect addition to an emerging reader’s shelf, especially those who enjoy fantasy.
THE OFFICIAL PLOT (From Kane Miller):
If Polly and Buster walk past each other in the street, they never say hello. After all, who ever heard of a witch being friends with a monster? But every day after school, Polly climbs to the top of their tree and calls out, “Awroooooo!” And Buster always comes. Yet one day, Polly and Buster’s schools go on a field trip to the same museum on the same day, and things go horribly awry. When their secret friendship is exposed, Polly must make the hardest decision of her life.
All she’s ever wanted is to fit in and be a great witch … but is she willing to lose her best friend for it?_________________
With read-aloud potential, Polly and Buster are great characters and you’ll find parallels to some of us human creatures. Although the title fits in well with Halloween just around the corner, it’s not a Halloween story. The book can be enjoyed anytime of the year. In our own world filled with hate in the headlines every day, a story like this proves kindness always wins out.
A Little Bit About the Author
Sally Rippin was born in Darwin, but grew up mainly in South-East Asia. As a young adult she lived in China for three years, studying traditional Chinese painting. Sally has over seventy books published, many of them award-winning, including two novels for young adults. Her work includes the highly acclaimed Polly and Buster trilogy and the popular Billie B Brown and Hey Jack! books, which became the highest selling series for 6-8 year olds in Australia within the first year of their release. Sally is Australia’s highest selling female author and her books have sold more than 4.5 million copies in 14 languages. (For more visit Sally’s author web site)
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Love the cover! I like your description of the characters and the plot! What a fun book. And, it sounds like a good Halloween story, even thought it can be read any time.
This sounds pretty cute and perfect for this time of year. Thanks for the post.