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.
About the Author
Alice Pung is the bestselling author of the memoirs Unpolished Gem and Her Father's Daughter (winner of the 2011 WA Premier's Award) and the essay collection Close to Home, as well as the editor of the anthologies Growing Up Asian in Australia and My First Lesson. Her debut novel Laurinda won the Ethel Turner Prize at the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Awards and has been adapted into a successful play. Her second novel, One Hundred Days, was shortlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Award and has been optioned for a film. She is the author of children's books including Be Careful, Xiao Xin! (ill. Sher Rill Ng), which was a CBCA 2023 Notable book and shortlisted for the ABIA and Australian Book Designers Awards, When Granny Came to Stay (ill. Sally Soweol Han) and theMeet Marly books (ill. Lucia Masciullo). Alice was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to literature in 2022.
About the Illustrator
Sher Rill Ng is a Melbourne-based author and illustrator. She designed and illustrated for software companies before releasing her debut picture book, Our Little Inventor. Her work also includes contributing Thumbelina's illustrations to the anthology Fairytales for Feisty Girls by Susannah McFarlane, illustrating Emma Allen's The Night of the Hiding Moon and co-creating Be Careful, Xiao Xin! with Alice Pung, which was shortlisted in the 2023 Australian Book Designers Awards - Best Designed Children's Book, and the 2023 ABIA awards.
Industry Reviews
'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
