Millie Mak Makes Her Mark (Millie Mak, #3) by Alice Pung, Sher Rill Ng

Title: Millie Mak Makes Her Mark (Millie Mak, #3)

Author: Alice Pung, Sher Rill Ng

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 26^th August 2025

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 240

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: The final title in the series about Millie Mak – the clever maker and problem-solver.

Millie Mak and her friends are trying to start a business creating and selling their upcycled designs. But it’s school holidays, and looking after their annoying younger siblings is really slowing them down.

Meanwhile, Millie’s friend Veesa wonders whether she should continue to help her mother work. Veesa’s mother sews fast fashion and Veesa feels worried and guilty about its impact on the planet.

Can Millie and her mates resolve these dilemmas? And can Millie overcome her own challenges and learn how to make her mark?

From the creators of Millie Mak the Maker and Millie Mak the Mender, comes another inspiring book that celebrates the joy of creativity and the immense power of friendship.

An earlier version of this review appeared in Good Reading Magazine in December 2025/January 2026.

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Mille Mak and the Fru-Gals, Veesa, Rita and Shanelle are back, and they’re building their business, babysitting, and spending their school holidays getting ready for Book Week and Halloween. In the third and final book, their upcycled designs are starting to have an impact, even though they have to wrangle younger siblings and an irate neighbour who thinks children should be seen and not heard. But things are tough for all of them, and Veesa, Shanelle, and Millie feel left out as Rita goes on an overseas holiday whilst they’re at home.

Fast fashion is a hot topic in this book. It has been through the series, and as the girls are growing up, they’re seeing the impact it is having on the world. Veesa is very passionate, because her mother sews fast fashion for a living. Veesa feels guilty about its impact on the planet, so Millie is determined to help her upcycle clothes and find ways to help.

But they’re all growing up as well, and aware that once things change, they might not see each other as much as they currently do. And for Shanelle, whose life is hard, finding the joy in everything she can is important. Like the first two Millie Mak books, there are two stories in this one that cover the school holidays and heading back to school. They touch on the stark differences in the girls lives and the wealth of their families. This reflects the economic diversity amidst the racial diversity of their community, and shows that there is something unique about having friends with similar experiences to your or whose family have had similar experiences.

They explore the idea of fast fashion, where people are buying more than they need, and things that aren’t always made well. in doing so, it tells readers about the people who are working in this industry, often through no choice and discusses the ethical implications of this. One of my favourite moments was the Book Week costume plot, because every year when Book Week rolls around, there are so many people talking about costumes and how hard it is. When all it really takes is a bit of imagination and some upcycling to create easy costumes like Millie and her friends.

The social commentary in this book is a gentle way of teaching children about aging, history, and immigrant communities, and the cultures and backgrounds they come from. And why some people have adverse reactions to things that other people might see as innocuous. It goes just deep enough for readers to learn about these differences, and does it in a way that is accessible and can spark conversations. One of the most important conversations it sparks is about fast fashion, and why people might not upcycle or use ethical clothing lines more. I felt like it was clear that there’d be no easy answer other than everyone needs to try and do whatever they can to tackle these issues in their own lives. This is what makes children’s books so powerful, they can teach us something we need to know.

This delightfully diverse series has been such fun to read, and will delight readers aged eight and over. I love to dabble in a bit of hand sewing, and hopefully this series will inspire others to get creative too.