Tilly & Thandeka: The Star Siblings

by Nicole Rimensberger, Cristy Zinn (illustrator)

108 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2024

Reviews

[SammiKoalaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, accessible read! This book has gone to great lengths to be relevant to the target audience, with just the right amount of illustrations, a glossary to explain words that may feel daunting to a young reader as well as weaving in explainations in the body of the story without breaking the flow of the story so the reader is learning while enjoying the book without even realising it. It has a fantastically diverse cast that is not tokenistic and instead is very representative of the eclectic nature of South African diversity. It's awesome seeing characters that aren't usually represented so authentically embedded into the narrative, for example Professor Brighton, and an older black man in a powerful role: Professor Mchunu. It's lovely also seeing Great Aunt in this story instead of the typical nuclear family representation of guardians in children's books of mom and dad - it makes readers from non-traditional family set ups feel seen. The book is engaging and the mystery is intriguing, as an adult I was drawn in with just the right amount of tension building up in the story, and a great "whodunnit" feel to the narrative. Overall I am impressed by the quality of writing, the wit and feel of the story and the beautiful illustrations that brought the story to life. A fabulous book through and through.