Yvette Poshoglian (text), Danielle McDonald (illus.), Note Perfect (Ella and Olivia #19), Scholastic Australia, 1 June 2017, 64pp., $7.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781743811481
Note Perfect is the 19th book in the popular Australian series — Ella and Olivia. Seven year old Ella and five and a half year old Olivia are sisters and best friends. Note Perfect sees them playing in the Junior Band. It is subtly packed with musical information and gorgeously illustrated by Danielle McDonald.
These books are aimed at readers 5+ so contain large font and lots of illustrations. They are probably more targeted to girls, but boys of this age would enjoy the story too.
I have to admit I have a huge soft spot for stories where siblings get along, Charlie and Lola are one of my all time favourites, (Oh for a brother like Charlie!) so I loved this book from the start. It’s perfectly pegged for this age group, with sentence length and structure kept simple and purposeful, as are the word choices. The chapters are short, so perfect for shortened attention spans and before-bedtime reading. A lot of thought has been put into making this a book kids of this age can read by themselves, while still challenging them enough so they feel like they are reading a ‘grown-up book.’
There are also many idioms sprinkled throughout, which is important for this age.
‘The Jitterbug is getting the better of the girls.’
‘…the whole band goes off track.’
Although for us adults many idioms have become cliches, they are still fresh for kids and, as part of the common vernacular, essential to understand in context.
Ella and Olivia definitely compares favourably to other great junior fiction series like Sally Rippin’s Billy B Brown or James Roy’s Chook Doolan. Overall Note Perfect is a cute, engaging story about two sisters and their day to day adventures.
Reviewed by Renee Mihulka
