Meixing (Mayzing) Lim and her parents have moved to a new home in Australia. They were invited by Ma Ma’s older brother to live with him, but before they arrived he passed away suddenly.

The new house is now officially theirs but much larger than they are used to back on their island. Meixing calls the house Big Scary, believing it to be staring back at her.

Ba Ba finds a job as a labourer to support his heavily pregnant wife and 7 year old daughter, but complains every evening from back ache and mistreatment. This causes tension in the family, and Meixing is also struggling at school.

She can speak the new language but struggles to read it or express herself among her peers. She has been raised to be quiet, compliant and ever respectful of elders and hardly speaks a word to anyone as she tries to understand her new life.

Luckily, a friendly neighbour helps them out as they settle in, even though they don’t speak the same language. Their son named Kevin is also struggling to fit in, even though he has been in Australia for much longer.

Suddenly their lives are turned upside down again and Meixing is even more isolated. Her own private solace is a glasshouse behind Big Scary. It’s a wonderful place with a friendly face to greet her, and magic to fill her heart. This magic also shows her others that have been through even worse struggles to find and fit into new lives.

Through her endeavours, she gradually finds the courage she needs to make friends, find her voice and finally ask for what she truly needs.

This multi-award winning novel is set in Australia and shares personal experiences of the trauma of immigrating to a new land. Unfortunately it brings a new language, confusing customs and too high expectations.

Magical dreamscapes inspired by the character’s perceptions and imagination of her new world not only give her solace, but allows the reader to share in other’s emigrating experiences.

As in all communities in this situation, there are supportive folk and those who only spit hate and racism. This Own Voices novel is a window into the good and bad repercussions of that behaviour.

Author – Shirley Marr

Age – 9+

Winner of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year – Younger Readers 2022

Winner of the Western Australia Premier’s Book Awards 2022

Finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards

Read more reviews of Award winning books on moving to a new land (Click on the Cover)

(2022, Award winner, Feelings, Emotions, Immigrant, New Home, New Land, New language, Loss, Grief, Fears, Confusion, Racism, Asian, New Baby, Imagination, Magic, Courage, Australian, Family, Glass House, Orange Trees, 30 steps, Amazing, School, New friends, Fitting in, Acceptance, Diversity, Poverty)