Pond Magic
Pond Magic
Twelve-year-old Lily Padd's name is the least of her problems: she can't stop burping, her skin seems to be going green and now she has webbing growing between her toes! Can Lily really be turning into a frog and will she find a cure before it's too late?
As if that isn't bad enough, an exchange student from France has come to stay and Lily's best friend Maureen thinks he's gorgeous. Why has Lily's life become so confusing, and will things ever be normal again?
Editor: Catherine McCredie (Penguin)
Illustrator: Lisa Coutts
ISBN - 13:9780143305545
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Reviews:
"Beautifully written, cleverly detailed and reminiscent of fairytales... This fun and fabulous froggy tale is interspersed with magic, wonderful characters and a not-so-perfect heroine kids will really relate to. The fairytale ending is perfectly timed, the text is rhythmic and beautifully edited, making this an impressive inaugural book from the talented Sunde." Read more
Kids Book Review
"A refreshing and surprising short novel. Sunde sweeps the reader up into Lily's world... anything but predictable. Overall this is a captivating story for young readers and especially perfect for tween girls."
Magpies
"I love fairytales. There's something timeless and classic about their stories. Pond Magic is proof of this – a thoroughly modern setting and cast with a familiar ring of magic and message..." Read more
Stories are Light - Sandy Fussell
"This delightful story ticks all the right boxes when it delves into the insecurities facing a 12-year-old girl; embarrassing parents, a school bully and concerns about her appearance. The real tension in this story is couched in fantasy – Lily Padd is experiencing all these normal tween hangups while something extraordinary is happening." Read more
ABC Radio Gold Coast - March Book Club
"Told with humour and a great understanding of the language and interests of the age group, readers will be right on side with Lily... All these are good ingredients of a story that just itches to be read." Read more
Write and Read with Dale - Dale Harcombe
"There's a great sense of comedy in this book and plenty of tension as Lily's symptoms increase daily. Lily is a great character, as are her best friend Maureen and the mysterious and attractive exchange student Rainier le Dauphin de France. Chomp lovers will enjoy the humour, action and hint of romance to be found in Pond Magic. This is a cleverly crafted and well written first novel." Read more
Kids' Book Capers - Boomerang Books
"Another in the highly successful series, Aussie Chomps, this very funny story has poor Lily watching herself turn into a frog... A great read with lots of puns and jokes around frogs and green things, this deceptively uncomplicated writing will engage the Aussie Chomps audience, looking for something with bite, a sound plot and amiable characters and yet still not be too complex or overlong."
Read Plus - Fran Knight, reviewer
“Pond Magic is a book about a 12 year old girl called Lily Padd and she can’t stop burping! Because she is turning into a frog and she thinks someone put a spell on her – and she’s right! … Will Lily ever be a normal girl again? You will have to read this book to find out. I rate this book 5 out of 5.” Read more
Tilly – 9 years old – Paper Dolls Tween and Teen Review blog
“My favourite character is Mrs Swan, because I liked the fact that she liked to not walk but shuffle and that for her age she was very fast. I also liked that Lily’s ‘happenings’ happened at random times wherever she was, pretty much. I really enjoyed this book… I liked how there is French in the book as I actually did France for my World Expo last year. It was nice to read this book because it’s nothing that’s been told before, I thought it was very creative!!” Read more
Teesh – 11 years old – Family Beat website for families
I really enjoyed it. I thought it was imaginative and really surprised me at the end. I just loved the way it kept you hanging at the end of the chapters. And also how it tied in with the show at school. I thought it was really funny.”
Ellen – 11 years old – Auckland, New Zealand