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Millie Mak the Maker
An inspiring series for young and old makers by the award-winning author-illustrator team Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng.
Nine-year-old Millie Mak has discovered she has a superpower!
Using everyday objects, Millie turns them into something new, beautiful and useful. Who would ever think that a sunhat could be made from an old bedsheet, a skirt from a tea-towel, or some hair scrunchies from a scarf?
Through her creativity and clever thinking, Millie also deals with different friendships, tricky family challenges, and contributes to the school fete.
You can make the special objects Millie creates from the detailed and yet easy-to-follow instructions included in the book. And best of all, nothing needs to be bought!
From award-winning author-illustrator team, Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng, comes the first book in an inspiring new series for young and old makers.
Praise for Millie Mak the Maker:
'A gentle story about family, friendship and making old things new again.' - Deborah Abela
'I gulped Millie Mak down like a drink of fresh water. Crafty, creative, and courageous, it shines with hope, cosiness, industriousness, and a rare kind of bravery. It explores timely topics in a way that feels honest, and does so with a fierce, tender joy.' - Sophie Beer
'Clever, whip smart, with a touch of whimsy. Young readers will find the Mak and Singh families relatable and wonderfully refreshing. I loved it!' - Wai Chim
'A big-hearted book about transformation, creativity and discovery, and how we should start where we are and use what we have. It teaches us that we don't need to buy things to have things and that each of us is a maker. The potential of everything and everyone that surrounds us is unlocked in beautiful prose from Alice Pung and delightful illustrations by Sher Rill Ng. The power of kindness and kinship is at the heart of these stories.' - Jaclyn Crupi
'Millie Mak is a girl for our times - resourceful, kind, real and creative, able to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary at every turn.' - Rebecca Lim
'A celebration of creativity and ingenuity whip-stitched into an authentic and refreshingly honest portrayal of families and life in multicultural Australia - Millie Mak the Maker will warm the hearts of many young readers.' - Sue Whiting
Nine-year-old Millie Mak has discovered she has a superpower!
Using everyday objects, Millie turns them into something new, beautiful and useful. Who would ever think that a sunhat could be made from an old bedsheet, a skirt from a tea-towel, or some hair scrunchies from a scarf?
Through her creativity and clever thinking, Millie also deals with different friendships, tricky family challenges, and contributes to the school fete.
You can make the special objects Millie creates from the detailed and yet easy-to-follow instructions included in the book. And best of all, nothing needs to be bought!
From award-winning author-illustrator team, Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng, comes the first book in an inspiring new series for young and old makers.
Praise for Millie Mak the Maker:
'A gentle story about family, friendship and making old things new again.' - Deborah Abela
'I gulped Millie Mak down like a drink of fresh water. Crafty, creative, and courageous, it shines with hope, cosiness, industriousness, and a rare kind of bravery. It explores timely topics in a way that feels honest, and does so with a fierce, tender joy.' - Sophie Beer
'Clever, whip smart, with a touch of whimsy. Young readers will find the Mak and Singh families relatable and wonderfully refreshing. I loved it!' - Wai Chim
'A big-hearted book about transformation, creativity and discovery, and how we should start where we are and use what we have. It teaches us that we don't need to buy things to have things and that each of us is a maker. The potential of everything and everyone that surrounds us is unlocked in beautiful prose from Alice Pung and delightful illustrations by Sher Rill Ng. The power of kindness and kinship is at the heart of these stories.' - Jaclyn Crupi
'Millie Mak is a girl for our times - resourceful, kind, real and creative, able to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary at every turn.' - Rebecca Lim
'A celebration of creativity and ingenuity whip-stitched into an authentic and refreshingly honest portrayal of families and life in multicultural Australia - Millie Mak the Maker will warm the hearts of many young readers.' - Sue Whiting
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2023
4 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Alice Pung
39 books370 followersAlice was born in Footscray, Victoria, a month after her parents Kuan and Kien arrived in Australia. Alice’s father, Kuan - a survivor of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime - named her after Lewis Carroll’s character because after surviving the Killing Fields, he thought Australia was a Wonderland. Alice is the oldest of four - she has a brother, Alexander, and two sisters, Alison and Alina.
Alice grew up in Footscray and Braybrook, and changed high schools five times - almost once every year! These experiences have shaped her as a writer because they taught her how to pay attention to the quiet young adults that others might overlook or miss.
Alice Pung’s first book, Unpolished Gem, is an Australian bestseller which won the Australian Book Industry Newcomer of the Year Award and was shortlisted in the Victorian and NSW Premiers’ Literary awards. It was published in the UK and USA in separate editions and has been translated into several languages including Italian, German and Indonesian.
Alice’s next book, Her Father’s Daughter, won the Western Australia Premier’s Award for Non-Fiction and was shortlisted for the Victorian and NSW Premiers’ Literary awards and the Queensland Literary Awards.
Alice also edited the collection Growing Up Asian in Australia and her writing has appeared in the Monthly, the Age, and The Best Australian Stories and The Best Australian Essays.
Alice is a qualified lawyer and still works as a legal researcher in the area of minimum wages and pay equity. She lives with her husband Nick at Janet Clarke Hall, the University of Melbourne, where she is the Artist in Residence.
Alice grew up in Footscray and Braybrook, and changed high schools five times - almost once every year! These experiences have shaped her as a writer because they taught her how to pay attention to the quiet young adults that others might overlook or miss.
Alice Pung’s first book, Unpolished Gem, is an Australian bestseller which won the Australian Book Industry Newcomer of the Year Award and was shortlisted in the Victorian and NSW Premiers’ Literary awards. It was published in the UK and USA in separate editions and has been translated into several languages including Italian, German and Indonesian.
Alice’s next book, Her Father’s Daughter, won the Western Australia Premier’s Award for Non-Fiction and was shortlisted for the Victorian and NSW Premiers’ Literary awards and the Queensland Literary Awards.
Alice also edited the collection Growing Up Asian in Australia and her writing has appeared in the Monthly, the Age, and The Best Australian Stories and The Best Australian Essays.
Alice is a qualified lawyer and still works as a legal researcher in the area of minimum wages and pay equity. She lives with her husband Nick at Janet Clarke Hall, the University of Melbourne, where she is the Artist in Residence.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 24, 2024
Beautiful journey through the book with my granddaughters. We love it so much.
September 24, 2023
Alice Pung and the book cover pulled me in and I was not disappointed, a brilliant read. I hadn’t realised there were two stories in one volume, but appreciated the beauty of this volume with it’s wonderful design and modern greyscale illustrations. I was so invested in Millie’s world of of mixed heritage, of what family life can be when living on a budget in dense housing, and the diversity of the characters. These themes gave depth to what could have been just a craft series for girls. But nothing twee here, these fast, authentic and warm stories are so modern and positive. More please.
January 3, 2024
A super sweet read. Loved the sewing instructions that come with each story (of which there are two in this book). Millie Mak is one spunky character (as are her two feisty grandmothers!)
December 20, 2023
Such a lovely book to read. It celebrates creativity, recycling, multiculturalism, friendships and family.
December 18, 2024
Millie Mak the Maker is a chapter book for kids by Alice Pung, and illustrated by Sher Rill Ng. It features the character, Millie Mak. In the beginning of the book, she experiences bullying and mentions feeling socially distant from people; such as feeling like she doesn’t have many friends. Throughout the book, she finds an enjoyment of crafts and sewing and finds all sorts of ways she can use crafts to improve the life of her and her family. The book is split into two primary sections, featuring different stories; but both stories featuring Millie Mak and her wanting to create. The first is about her making some friends at a community centre and enjoying spending time making crafty things with them. The second book is about making a new friend at school, and wanting to craft things for an upcoming event.
My first thought about the book is that I wasn’t particularly enjoying it at first. But, throughout the chapters, I definitely began to enjoy it more. One of my initial dislikes for the book was that I felt like there were a lot of characters introduced to us in such a short amount of time; so, it felt a bit difficult to keep track of. However, I think the author tempered it out reasonably well. They were able to expanded a lot on who these characters are, give us a bit more depth to them, and little explanations of their history. I definitely appreciated that one of the primary themes of the book was the family aspects. The author was able to show that, on either side of the family, Millie had strong influences, and that sometimes those influences didn’t mix with the other side of the family. Which I think is a good, thoughtful aspect of the book; I think a lot of readers can relate to family dramas in the same way. Not all branches of a family tree get along with each other, and sometimes there disagreements. I also like the way that the author was able to tie a lot of these aspects into the book’s primary crafting themes. It was great to read about both grandmothers contributing to Millie’s love of creating; teaching her how to do new things and how to respect the materials.
For that point, I also think it’s the type of book that can encourage readers to take a little bit more time to appreciate crafts, and maybe get involved more in crafting. It was fun to see the little activities that were included, and I’m sure many readers would love to give them a try. It’s also a good book to talk about thriftiness and the “trash into treasure” aspects of life. It’s great to see that the artist can encourage a little bit of education about the history of such crafts. Like with the dollhouse stuff, as an example; I think it was great for the author to mention little bits of the history of dollhouses.
To continue with the thriftiness aspect, I think the author brought up some interesting talking points about money, throughout the book. In the first story, the author talks a bit about the skirt brand, how costly these skirts can be, and that not all families can afford them. Which is important because a lot of people, regardless of age, have a tendency to buy things because of trends; they see someone else has bought something, think it looks cool and buys it themselves (even though the money can often be better spent elsewhere). It’s something I feel to be an important discussion point; something that can be good for parents (, guardians, carers, etc) to talk to kids about. Because not all kids necessarily know about budgeting and where money needs to go, versus where they want it to go. Also, another important thing was when the author mentioned that one of the kid’s relatives works for the skirt brand, though gets paid very little. I think that reflects real life a lot; a variety of high paid brands have a habit of paying their employees very little. The second story also talks a little bit more about the money aspects and mentions the father and his job woes. Which I think is another good talking point. Not all kids understand where the money comes from; they don’t necessarily understand that working can be difficult for their parents.
I think Millie can be a really positive role model, in many ways; the same with her family. Each family member has a good contribution to the book. My favourite is Millie’s mother. I admire her enrolling Millie into the community centre program, with the aim of helping her spend time with other kids. I think the grandmothers both play important roles, too. Both of them have aims in wanting Millie to be happy.
The illustrations are really beautiful. I think they have a pleasant quality to them, and it’s nice being able to see who the characters are, and get to see bits of what they’re doing. I think the illustrator has done a wonderful job on the book; their work is absolute perfection.
Overall, while I initially didn’t like this book much, I think the author developed it into a really good story. I think the work turned out really well. I definitely recommend this book. The thing I appreciate most about the book is that there are a lot of good talking points that readers can learn from. Such as thriftiness and reusing damaged goods, to turn them into new ones. I think a lot of readers can relate to Millie and her family dramas and her social anxiety. I borrowed a copy of this book from the BorrowBox catalogue of my local library. But I think I’m going to pop it on my wishlist and I’ll see about getting myself my own copy in future.
My first thought about the book is that I wasn’t particularly enjoying it at first. But, throughout the chapters, I definitely began to enjoy it more. One of my initial dislikes for the book was that I felt like there were a lot of characters introduced to us in such a short amount of time; so, it felt a bit difficult to keep track of. However, I think the author tempered it out reasonably well. They were able to expanded a lot on who these characters are, give us a bit more depth to them, and little explanations of their history. I definitely appreciated that one of the primary themes of the book was the family aspects. The author was able to show that, on either side of the family, Millie had strong influences, and that sometimes those influences didn’t mix with the other side of the family. Which I think is a good, thoughtful aspect of the book; I think a lot of readers can relate to family dramas in the same way. Not all branches of a family tree get along with each other, and sometimes there disagreements. I also like the way that the author was able to tie a lot of these aspects into the book’s primary crafting themes. It was great to read about both grandmothers contributing to Millie’s love of creating; teaching her how to do new things and how to respect the materials.
For that point, I also think it’s the type of book that can encourage readers to take a little bit more time to appreciate crafts, and maybe get involved more in crafting. It was fun to see the little activities that were included, and I’m sure many readers would love to give them a try. It’s also a good book to talk about thriftiness and the “trash into treasure” aspects of life. It’s great to see that the artist can encourage a little bit of education about the history of such crafts. Like with the dollhouse stuff, as an example; I think it was great for the author to mention little bits of the history of dollhouses.
To continue with the thriftiness aspect, I think the author brought up some interesting talking points about money, throughout the book. In the first story, the author talks a bit about the skirt brand, how costly these skirts can be, and that not all families can afford them. Which is important because a lot of people, regardless of age, have a tendency to buy things because of trends; they see someone else has bought something, think it looks cool and buys it themselves (even though the money can often be better spent elsewhere). It’s something I feel to be an important discussion point; something that can be good for parents (, guardians, carers, etc) to talk to kids about. Because not all kids necessarily know about budgeting and where money needs to go, versus where they want it to go. Also, another important thing was when the author mentioned that one of the kid’s relatives works for the skirt brand, though gets paid very little. I think that reflects real life a lot; a variety of high paid brands have a habit of paying their employees very little. The second story also talks a little bit more about the money aspects and mentions the father and his job woes. Which I think is another good talking point. Not all kids understand where the money comes from; they don’t necessarily understand that working can be difficult for their parents.
I think Millie can be a really positive role model, in many ways; the same with her family. Each family member has a good contribution to the book. My favourite is Millie’s mother. I admire her enrolling Millie into the community centre program, with the aim of helping her spend time with other kids. I think the grandmothers both play important roles, too. Both of them have aims in wanting Millie to be happy.
The illustrations are really beautiful. I think they have a pleasant quality to them, and it’s nice being able to see who the characters are, and get to see bits of what they’re doing. I think the illustrator has done a wonderful job on the book; their work is absolute perfection.
Overall, while I initially didn’t like this book much, I think the author developed it into a really good story. I think the work turned out really well. I definitely recommend this book. The thing I appreciate most about the book is that there are a lot of good talking points that readers can learn from. Such as thriftiness and reusing damaged goods, to turn them into new ones. I think a lot of readers can relate to Millie and her family dramas and her social anxiety. I borrowed a copy of this book from the BorrowBox catalogue of my local library. But I think I’m going to pop it on my wishlist and I’ll see about getting myself my own copy in future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2023
Charming. I catalogued this book and couldn’t help but notice the lovely concept & illustrations. I’m glad I decided to borrow it - I’m not the target audience but it was a fun read nonetheless. This would make an excellent gift for crafty children.
June 11, 2024
Millie lives with her mother, father, baby sister and one of her grandmothers. Her other grandmother lives close by. Although the older women (one Chinese and one Scottish) don’t always see eye to eye, they do have one thing in common – a talent for creating something new from something old.
It’s this creative flourish that’s at the heart of Millie Mak the Maker. Millie learns how to make furniture for a scavenged dolls’ house, sleeve savers for her messy sister, and scrunchies and hair bands for the school fete.
Just as importantly, she learns about making friends, whether it’s the older girls at her daggy community holiday program who take her under their wing or the newly arrived Sikh girl at school who is feeling displaced and misunderstood. The friendships, like sewing threads, sometimes have snags but Millie successfully untangles her feelings and misjudgements.
Along the way, Millie learns that not all families and homes are like her own. ‘It was so interesting visiting other households – it made you realise that what you thought was normal was not the same as other people’s normal.’ A life lesson for us all.
It’s this creative flourish that’s at the heart of Millie Mak the Maker. Millie learns how to make furniture for a scavenged dolls’ house, sleeve savers for her messy sister, and scrunchies and hair bands for the school fete.
Just as importantly, she learns about making friends, whether it’s the older girls at her daggy community holiday program who take her under their wing or the newly arrived Sikh girl at school who is feeling displaced and misunderstood. The friendships, like sewing threads, sometimes have snags but Millie successfully untangles her feelings and misjudgements.
Along the way, Millie learns that not all families and homes are like her own. ‘It was so interesting visiting other households – it made you realise that what you thought was normal was not the same as other people’s normal.’ A life lesson for us all.
January 11, 2025
The second story in Millie Mak the Maker is an absolute gem, weaving creativity and resilience into an inspiring tale that’s perfect for young readers. While the book centers on Millie’s crafting adventures—complete with relatable challenges and triumphs—it’s so much more than just a craft story. Themes of loss, hardship, and discrimination are subtly interwoven, offering depth and important life lessons in an age-appropriate way.
In the classroom, this story is a fantastic springboard for hands-on activities. Teachers can use it as inspiration for setting up craft stalls, just like Millie does, helping students learn about entrepreneurship, collaboration, and creativity. A particularly fun idea? Have students make scrunchies inspired by Millie’s creations—a simple craft that ties directly to the story while encouraging self-expression.
What makes Millie Mak the Maker stand out is how it balances its uplifting narrative with more serious undertones. It empowers readers to face life’s challenges with optimism and creativity while celebrating diversity and inclusivity. This book is a must-read for primary students and a wonderful resource for classroom engagement.
In the classroom, this story is a fantastic springboard for hands-on activities. Teachers can use it as inspiration for setting up craft stalls, just like Millie does, helping students learn about entrepreneurship, collaboration, and creativity. A particularly fun idea? Have students make scrunchies inspired by Millie’s creations—a simple craft that ties directly to the story while encouraging self-expression.
What makes Millie Mak the Maker stand out is how it balances its uplifting narrative with more serious undertones. It empowers readers to face life’s challenges with optimism and creativity while celebrating diversity and inclusivity. This book is a must-read for primary students and a wonderful resource for classroom engagement.
July 20, 2024
This book has a beautiful hardcover with gold sparkles. Inside are lovely illustrations and details that further make this a perfect gift book. Half way in to the story I wondered why i wasn’t enjoying it more. I think it is more issues driven than pure story. There are actually two complete stories within the book but overall I didn’t warm to them as much as I’d expected to - even though the stories are interesting and multifaceted: mixed race, friendships, families struggles, etc. I loved the whole aspect of reusing/recycling and the patterns instructions for marking things are wonderful - if this ignites interest in a new generation then that’s awesome. I think that as Millie is only nine this book is aimed at years 3-4, however the storyline might be more appealing to a slightly older age group.
June 12, 2023
FYI: I'm Sher Rill Ng's literary agent, so by all means take my HUUUUUUGE love for this book with all the grains of salt you want (but it *is* amazing!)
This is such a beautiful, empathetic and creative children's book - sure to spark imaginations and assure young readers that not everything has to be shiny, new, and expensive to be dear and beloved. That the getting and making of an object - of many helping hands and moulding memories - is more important than the RRP.
This is such a beautiful, empathetic and creative children's book - sure to spark imaginations and assure young readers that not everything has to be shiny, new, and expensive to be dear and beloved. That the getting and making of an object - of many helping hands and moulding memories - is more important than the RRP.
December 12, 2023
My little crafty brain is so happy reading this! Lots of reusing old bedsheets and op shop purchases for sewing projects. Pung also snuck in a lot of heavier issues; poverty, racism, different cultures and a wee bit of mental health, but all worked in the story and perfectly captured primary school in Australia.
Read by Jemma
Read by Jemma
February 11, 2024
This is a very sweet book with two stories in one. The sewing and craft instructions at the end of each section are a great addition! This story celebrates creativity, sustainability, friendship, multiculturalism and family.
A great read for middle to upper primary age and interested in making and creating.
A great read for middle to upper primary age and interested in making and creating.
January 25, 2024
I loved this book for its authenticity, wholesomeness, celebration of family, multiculturalism, illustrations and of course in seeing the beauty of making the old new again. Did I also mention that Alice Pung is a fantastic children's writer as well?
December 16, 2024
Pung Postulations #1
Millie Mak #1
Great story, and beautifully presented book with nice illustrations, but the winning aspect is the great characters, who make you career about them and what happens, and the fact that we start to get a nice world built up. Roll on book #2!
Millie Mak #1
Great story, and beautifully presented book with nice illustrations, but the winning aspect is the great characters, who make you career about them and what happens, and the fact that we start to get a nice world built up. Roll on book #2!
October 17, 2025
I read this books when I was nine years old and at that time I was obsessed with fashion designing, I was lucky enough to get a signed book which was really special I loved this book I recommend it 8 9 and 10 year olds ❤️
February 17, 2025
This was a lovely book. My daughter found it a little too sweet and corny at the end but I enjoyed reading it with her.
June 9, 2025
*2.5/5*
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews