Myra in the Middle

'Myra in the Middle' immediately makes you feel like you are Myra, a seven-year-old girl. She is all about lists and explaining her working, which makes the book quite interactive. Myra is talented with mathematics, loves soccer, and just wants life to stay the same. Having a younger sibling is not what Myra had in mind, but now she's going to be the middle child. Seetha Dodd incorporates her Malaysian Indian heritage in the book by including traditional foods and names, like her grandma who is called Muthashi.

The book is wholesome, honest, and relatable, especially if you were a middle child. As it is written from Myra’s point of view, you feel the emotions she feels, whether sadness, not belonging, happiness, or astonishment. The most important message of the book is to stand up for yourself and understand that you do belong, whether you are the eldest, youngest, or the child in the middle.

On the University of Queensland Press website, you can find Muthashi's coconut candy recipe. This is such a wonderful idea, and a way you can incorporate hands-on learning for your class or kids at home. There are also teacher notes that can be downloaded on the website.