Jacqueline Harvey (text) and A.Yi (illustrator), Wedding Rescue (Willa and Woof #4), Penguin Random House, Australia, April 2023, 128 pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761043345
Wedding rescue is the fourth book in the Willa and Woof series by best-selling author Jacqueline Harvey. It is about the adventures of 8-year-old Willa, and her intelligent, amiable, coat wearing dog, named Woof.
In Wedding Rescue, Willa’s idyllic beach side village has a last-minute reprieve from a bushfire. But Willa’s Aunty Jane is not so lucky. The reception centre that she had booked for her wedding was burned down, ruining the wedding plans. Adding to Willa’s worries is Woof’s discovery that the school bully, Robbie, has locked some surviving koalas in a barn. How can Willa and her best friend, Tae, release the koalas without Robbie carrying out his blackmail to reveal Willa’s embarrassing secret? And can Willa organise another (surprise) wedding for Aunty Jane with the help of her friends at the neighbourhood aged care home?
Knowing how popular Harvey’s Clementine Rose and Alice Miranda series are, I was keen to find out if Willa and Woof is just as engaging. And it certainly is. A feel-good and eventful storyline with good doses of humour, a bold, likable protagonist who has a “can do” attitude and several other interesting characters, make Wedding Rescue an enjoyable read.
I also love how Yi’s humorous black and white drawings provide a visual portrayal of the characters and add to the upbeat feel of the story.
Being a short novel with large print, several images and plenty of dialogue, makes Wedding Rescue a manageable read for newly independent readers.
I highly recommend Wedding Rescue for 6-8 year olds.
Reviewed by Barbara Swartz
