Charlie, Tam and the Singing Canary
Recommended
Reviewed by Claire Cheeseman, Teacher, Laingholm Primary School, Auckland
| Author & Illustrator: | Monica Koster (illustrator) |
| Publisher: | Copy Press |
| ISBN: | 9780473780630 |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Publication: | July 2026 |
| Ages: | 9+ years |
| Themes: | Graves and cemeteries, friendship, family secrets |
Recommended
Reviewed by Claire Cheeseman, Teacher, Laingholm Primary School, Auckland
Opening sentence
Tam's principal, Mrs. Clemence - who's also the Year 7-8 class teacher - asks Tam to buddy up with a new girl, Charlotte, during her first week at Coalburn School.
'Charlie, Tam and the Singing Canary' is a nice chapter book for children just getting the reading bug, broken up into small chapters of about 3-4 pages each. The story centres on a small town on the West Coast. Charlie is new to the school and Tam is charged with looking after her. They discover they have a lot in common, both coming from single parent families, and they both join the rugby team and develop a firm friendship.
Tam and Charlie discover a grave, uncovering some deep family secrets that Nan won't talk about - but somehow, Charlie's family is involved as well.
It's a fabulous yarn of friendship, family dynamics and discovery. I love the fact that the book includes one of the characters using a thesaurus to learn new words and research their family backgrounds.
Tam and Charlie discover a grave, uncovering some deep family secrets that Nan won't talk about - but somehow, Charlie's family is involved as well.
It's a fabulous yarn of friendship, family dynamics and discovery. I love the fact that the book includes one of the characters using a thesaurus to learn new words and research their family backgrounds.
| Author & Illustrator: | Monica Koster (illustrator) |
| Publisher: | Copy Press |
| ISBN: | 9780473780630 |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Publication: | July 2026 |
| Ages: | 9+ years |
| Themes: | Graves and cemeteries, friendship, family secrets |
Recommended
