Little Ash (series)
Little Ash (series)
9781460764664
9781460764657
HarperCollins, 2024
64pp., pbk., RRP $A9.99
As the French Open gathers momentum, and Wimbledon on the horizon, the thoughts of many will be turning to tennis and remembering Australian Ash Barty’s win at Wimbledon in 2021 as well as her other achievements including being only the second Australian woman to be ranked #1 and holding that position for 121 weeks. So this is a timely release of two more titles in this popular series for young, newly independent readers.
As with the others in the series, each story deals with a situation that will be familiar to many. In Sleepover Surprise, she hosts a sleepover for her friends, trying to make everything perfect for then, but she discovers that after all the fun and it’s time to actually settle down, not everyone feels confident not being in their own bed. Her friend Ruthie is homesick and with her Gran being too far away to come to get her, Ash has to work out how to make her feel safe and okay.
Meanwhile, in Big Break, it’s the annual family tennis tournament at the beach and while Ash is ready, her little sister Ali has broken her arm. Ali is bewildered when Ash doesn’t pick her for a partner, but that’s because Ash has a plan that will mean Ali can join in properly and have fun too.
Like their predecessors, each story is bound up in themes of family, friendship and fun and show the readers that even the most extraordinary adults have had ordinary childhoods with all the activities and anxieties that they enjoy and endure too. Those they admire most face similar dilemmas and choices as they do, making them more real and, at the same time, showing them that they do have power to determine things for themselves.
With 10 in the collection now, this is a series that, with its attention to theme, characters, formatting, and language choices, is ideal for those transitioning to “chapter books” and which will have broad appeal to those who like to put themselves in the shoes of their heroes.