Wolf Siren

What a joy to be transported to the magical fantasy world Beth O’Brien has created. Do not be fooled by the cover or the main character's name into thinking you know what you are getting with this story. You do not.

Incredibly rich writing immerses you in a far-off land, though parallel to our own in many ways as it carries many of the issues we see as a society today. Red, our protagonist, is as inspiring as she is resilient, a fantastic role model who takes risks, asks questions and leads with a gentle hand.

While aimed at young women, it is an interesting read from a parents perspective and I found myself thinking about the fine line between protecting our children and giving them the power of information.

This story evoked big emotions, and I am looking forward to reading it a second time to catch some of the nuance I'm sure I missed the first time round.

Content advisory: Contains talk of getting your period and has a death of a main character.

As to whether this would be a good read-aloud book, you would have to know your class/children really well and make that judgement for yourself.