The Glow by Sofie Laguna and Marc McBride (illustrator)

Title: The Glow

Author: Sofie Laguna and Marc McBride (illustrator)

Genre: Supernatural

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 28^th February 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 192

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Megan and her best friend Li must team up and draw on all their creativity and courage to defeat a strange monster that threatens their town.

Megan is obsessed with drawing fantastical creatures and she shares them with her best friend Li who writes stories to go with the pictures. They are kindred spirits with big creative dreams.

One day everyone in town – except Megan and Li – is immobilised by a strange glow coming from their phones. Megan and Li are initially frightened and alarmed, but when they realise they are somehow immune, they set out to seek help.

Soon a battle unfolds, a thrilling battle that pits all of their creative energies against the terrible monster that has ensnared everyone else around them.

A wonderfully spooky novel from one of Australia’s finest writers, and beautifully illustrated by Marc McBride.

‘McBride’s illustrations take centre stage in this story, no doubt captivating those who love to draw and even those who don’t. Not one for those who scare easily, The Glow keeps the reader guessing the resolution of the all-encompassing and menacing glow until the very end … this new middle-grade novel is imagination at its best.’ Books & Publishing

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Megan loves to draw, and her best friend, Li, creates stories to go with her drawings. Fantastical creatures and places that they daydream about, amidst people who don’t always understand them. Megan is from a sports-obsessed family who are always trying to get her involved in their games, when she’d rather be drawing. And then one day everything and everyone in their small town – Talora– stops moving. They’ve been immobilised by a strange blue glow from their screens. Everyone that is, except Megan and Li, who must find out where the glow is coming from and what it is so they can save the town. To do so, they have to look to their own creative skills – Megan’s pictures, and Li’s stories so they can battle the monster that has captured and ensnared everyone in their town.

Sofie Laguna’s novels, accompanied by her husband, Marc’s illustrations, are often lyrical and creative, and filled with magic, creativity, and a sense of wonder. From picture books to novels aimed at children aged eight and older, she manages to capture the magic of creativity within her stories. In the worlds of fantasy, she creates a sense of home – where everything fits so well it could be our won world but with a slight twist. And in The Glow, which is very much set in our world but with a supernatural twist. It was one that I was pulled into from the beginning, and I loved the main characters. Megan and Li are growing up in a modern world, yet they prefer writing and drawing, reading, and escaping into their own worlds, where they do not feel the pressure of screens and having to fit in.

Megan and Li are the heroes of this story – the quiet girls who don’t really fit in or do what everyone else wants them to do – they are the ones that anyone would least expect to save the day, and yet, the beauty of this book is that they do. The Glow ruminates on the power of imagination and the way technology can take over our lives, and what it means when our imagination gives us the power and strength we need to overcome things. It doesn’t say technology is bad, but rather, looks at what could happen if we let things get too out of control and what might happen if we became slaves to technology. To me, it seemed to also be about balance and being yourself as for me there are some things I use my technology for in terms of creativity and other creative pursuits that do not use technology. This was the kind of book that I would have loved as a kid, just as I love it now, and even though it is set in contemporary times, I did feel like if we took away the twenty-first century technology, it could have been set in the 1990s when I grew up quite easily, with a slight adjustment to available technology yet with the same themes.

Megan and Li were characters I could relate to – we have similar interests and I think this lets kids like them – who aren’t sporty or addicted to screens – see that what they like is still important and valued, and their skills are valued and always should be – not just when everyone needs them to help out. I think this is a fantastic addition to Sofie Laguna’s repertoire, and she is doing so well with these magic and supernatural infused stories, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next! It is a book that I hope readers enjoy and find something joyful about it.