Wendy Milton and one of her middle primary novels. Photo: Supplied.
It’s no secret that while many adults turned to books to pass the time during COVID-related lockdowns, children’s reading habits suffered when their schools were shut and, without their teachers’ encouragement, they lagged behind when it came to picking up books for pleasure.
But according to children’s author Wendy Milton, creator of the Zach’s Story series (for 8- to 12-year-olds), books help with not only literacy and comprehension, but also with perseverance. ‘The best books for building resilience are adventure books with storylines that involve the characters having to solve mysteries,’ Milton says.
Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian.
Her debut, a collection of poetry called Turbulence, came out in 2020 and was released by University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP). Her second collection, Decadence, was published in July 2022, also by UWAP. Her third book, Essence, will be published in 2025.
Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy
