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Marianne Musgrove wrote her first full-length novel at the age of eleven: a romantic thriller featuring her unfortunate classmates. Although the unpublished manuscript met with only localised acclaim, she never gave up her dream of becoming an author. A descendant of King Henry VIII's librarian, you could say books are in her blood! Marianne grew up in Sydney then moved to Adelaide to go to university. There, she studied English (which she loved), law (which she loathed) and social work (which she made her career for several years). Marianne's first children's novel, THE WORRY TREE, is the winner of the Australian Family Therapists Award for Children's Literature 2008 and has been shortlisted for three other awards. LUCY THE GOOD is available now, and DON'T BREATHE A WORD will be published in 2009. To read up on Marianne's exploits, check out www.mariannemusgrove.com.au
In this Australian import, Juliet's three-generation family is both supportive and difficult. Mom's psychology, Dad's fascination with making inventions out of junk, Nana's hated craft classes and sister Ophelia's Irritating Song can drive Juliet crazy. Her collections (dried cicada shells, erasers, license-plate numbers and perfect-attendance ribbons) soothe, but Juliet's bully and best-friend worries seem insurmountable. When Juliet gets her own bedroom, away from Oaf, Nana's old Worry Tree appears from under crumbling wallpaper, complete with painted animals that specialize in helping with certain kinds of worries - and goodness knows, she's got plenty. This delightfully normal and realistically flawed family both hinders and helps as Juliet gradually learns that she is not responsible for all ill, and that with assistance, she can handle any unpleasantness in her life. Most children will not be interested in the final pages for recording worries or the downloadable poster, but Juliet's mantra is just right for everyone: I am a capable person who can handle any crisis. Charming. (Fiction. 8-12) (Kirkus Reviews)
