The Making of Martha Mayfield by Jo Dabrowski

"I make sets. At least that's what I call them. My sets aren't life-sized, of course. I make them in boxes. ... I've made loads of sets. One of nearly every room in our house. ... I've also made a set for every shop on Charlotte Street ... (and) I've made every classroom I've ever had up to Year Five. ... Oh yes, I made paper people too. ... I use my sets to practice first days of school, excursions and sports days. I've practiced tricky conversations and playdates too. When something is coming up that makes me nervous I do a 'dress rehearsal' with my sets."

Grade five is a time of change for Martha. Mum loses her job. Iris, her sister gets yet another boyfriend, it is the time at school with elections for School Captain, and all of Grade five have to prepare things to sell at a Market Day. Martha is so shy she cannot talk at school, at all. At home she wants to tell her mum about school but she holds back because mum seems so distracted and sad. 

Could Martha run for School Captain? She makes a list from the application form and then she puts the words into two origami boxes - green and red. She has these covered - cares, listens, organised. She needs to find a way to achieve these - contributes, voices ideas, good at teamwork, and confident public speaker. 

About halfway through The Making of Martha Mayfield I stopped to think about the title. Martha does indeed do some making but then a couple of hours after I finished this book, which is a 2026 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title, I realised of course this book is about the 'making' of Martha herself. Martha moves from a very shy and quiet girl who rarely if ever speaks to a girl who finds her voice and a way to express all those terrific ideas she has had bubbling away in her brain and even a way to try out for School Captain.

This book was published in August last year but I overlooked it in many bookshops. The cover didn't really appeal to me but you can see I should not have let this guide me as I have given this book four stars.

The Making of Martha Mayfield is a long book with close to 300 pages of fairly small print so keen readers aged 10+ will need some reading stamina but I did read the final half of this book in one sitting because I become quite invested in Martha hoping she would be able to overcome her shyness and succeed with both the Grade 5 Market Day Project and the bigger challenge of the School Captain elections. In fact as a shy kid with a shy mother some parts of this story really did touch my heart. 

Jo Dabrowski creates four distinct characters:

Martha - "I know why Mum says being quiet is a good thing, and why she goes on about me noticing stuff. She does it to make me feel better about myself. So I feel quiet and interesting, not quiet and boring, which is what the kids in my class think I am. If they think of me at all, that is. I might be good at noticing but I'm even better at going unnoticed."

Iris her sister has no emotional intelligence. The new boyfriend is awful but Iris is so set on having a boy friend she will do anything to please him including taking on a whole new 'goth' style and of course ignoring or dismissing her little sister. There is an awful scene in this book in the chapter entitled 'Sticky Notes' that broke my heart - it is so cruel.

Mum is shy and still grieving the loss of her husband. She finds social situations especially difficult. I imagine she was herself, badly bullied at school. "I picture Mum staying behind, sitting at her machine, too shy to join in." Mum is also a bit overwhelmed by Stella, her husband's mother, who is never short on advice. 

Stella, the grandmother - the girls have to call her Stella not grandma. She's obsessed with Michelle Obama and with looking young and stylish. Stella's character is so well described to the point where I actually did not like her at all. This is so different from most books where the grandmother character is usually compassionate and wise. Stella is so egotistical that she turns every conversation back into a boast about herself. Here is a quote from Stella:

"Stella talks about Dad all the time, without anyone asking. She doesn't tell stories so much as facts. They start out being about Dad but end up being about her. Like, she'll say he was a wonderful son ('He absolutely adored me.'); he could turn the most ordinary event into a funny story ('He got his sense of humour from me, you know.'); people were drawn to him ('He got that from me too,') ... "

I did love creativity of Martha. As you read in the quote at the beginning of this post, she makes models of her home, classroom, and even the shops in her street. These projects are given detailed descriptions in the story - you can almost see her work. And her idea for the market day is brilliant.

Publisher blurb: Martha Mayfield has always been the quiet kid. Martha is, after all, her mother's daughter. The shy child of an even shyer mum. And she likes it this way. That is, until Martha's mum loses her job. And Martha's teacher overlooks her at school. And soon, Martha realises something has to give. Can she really go through life being so quiet that nobody takes her seriously? Should she really keep all her good ideas to herself forever? Putting yourself out there is every quiet kid's worst nightmare, but Martha is determined to make the most of it. And perhaps to make something of herself along the way ...

Click these review comments for more plot details:

The pace is perfect, leading to a dramatic climax that is surprising and very satisfying to read. Kids' Book Review

Whether you’re an anxious fifth grader or not, The Making of Martha Mayfield is an endearing and highly relatable read, with multifaceted characters that you’ll fall in love with. Story Links

Here are the CBCA Judges comments from the Notables booklet:

Jo Dabrowski is the author of two other Notables - Dear Broccoli a 2026 CBCA Notable (Picture Book) and The Thing about Christmas (Early Childhood).

Dear Broccoli

Sequins and Secrets - The House of Serendipity by Lucy Ivison illustrated by Catharine Collingridge

Myrtle Mathers has lost her tailor father and her mother has been forced to move back to Ireland. Myrtle has stayed in London and she is sent to work as a maid with the Cartwright family. It is 1926 and it is the debutante season. Sylvia Cartwright is too young to be "out" but her sister has been presented at court and she is now ready to attend a series of balls with the purpose of finding a wealthy husband. None of this interests Sylvia. She is more interested in drawing, especially drawing stage costumes and elaborate clothes.  When Myrtle arrives in their household it seems like the perfect match. Myrtle has worked with her father since she was a young child. She is a very skilled seamstress and she can interpret drawings in to patterns.

The problem here, though, is one of class.  Myrtle is a servant. Sylvia is a lady.  Myrtle cannot afford to loose her job but Sylvia is a wild girl who encourages Myrtle to take bigger and bigger risks - making a daring ball gown firstly for Sylvia's sister Delphine and then for Sylvia's friend Agapantha Portland-Price who wants to escape the world of debutantes and travel to the Amazon. Agapantha will attend her ball before she runs away but she is determined to wear pants - this is sure to cause a huge scandal. 

I also loved the clothing sketches and designs.

Here is a text quote to give you a flavour of this book. In this scene Agapantha is wearing her disguise so she looks like a young man when she sets off on the voyage to the Amazon.

"See how I am just eating away at this apple? Mother says ladies should never eat in public. I mean, I could go anywhere right now and no one would say a word. I could climb that tree without getting my skirt caught or being told off for being unladylike. I could buy a bicycle from Harrods and ride it right through the park. I feel like everyone looks at you differently, or more they don't even notice you."

This is a story which will really sweep you away to the glamorous times of the 1920s. There are some tiny issues of credibility in this story but really you just need to put these aside and just enjoy meeting Myrtle and Syliva. For example it seems quite impossible that Myrtle could work really hard all day in her job as a maid and then spend all night sewing very elaborate clothes. We know her fingers are worked until they are red raw but surely she did need some sleep. Her work certainly made me feel very tired.

The descriptions of the outfits are divine and to be coveted! My Shelves are Full

A charming tale of sisterhood woven together with fashion, history, and subterfuge. Kirkus

Full of historical detail, ‘Sequins and Secrets’ is also a story of great courage and determination- of having dreams and pursuing them.  North Somerset Teachers book Award

Here is an alternate cover:

This book is the first in a planned series.  Take a look at the Usborne Books trailer.  Book two will arrive in 2022 with the title Movie Stars and Mystery.

Companion reads - first off one for younger readers followed by two which would be perfect for readers aged 10+.

Rose's Dress of Dreams

The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow

The Truth about Verity Sparks

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

It is 1880, same time period as Little House on the Prairie. Hanna and her father are looking for somewhere to settle. They arrive in LaForge (Dakota) and begin to set up their shop which will sell Dress Goods but Hanna has a bigger dream. Her late mother has taught her well. Hanna knows she can be a dressmaker if only Papa will agree. In the meantime LaForge has a school and Hanna really wants to honour her mother's wishes and graduate. Hanna has never been to school but she does have a set of the school books and so she can read really well and, while it is not easy, she can do Grade Five mathematics. 

Settling into this new town should be easy but some people in LaForge are suspicious of strangers and to them Hannah seems strange. 

"Standing behind Hanna at the mirror, Mama moved the braid to rest on Hanna's shoulder. Hanna saw the red silk cord against her black hair, both of them smooth and shining. From that moment on, Hana never again wished for blond curls."

"Hanna didn't know a singe person beside herself who was half-Chinese and half-white. Mama always said it made her special. (but) Most of the time ... (it meant) special in a hurtful way."

"The world was so often unfair, and she couldn't do a single thing about most of that unfairness. But she had learned from Mama to fight it where she could, and that meant right here in LaForge."

Running alongside Hanna's struggle for acceptance and friendship is the story of the equal and far more devastating struggles of the Native American people. A great deal of criticism has been levelled at Laura Ingalls Wilder books which you can explore for yourself. A thoughtful Australian child reader might be curious to know more about this. Linda Sue Park gives a detailed explanation around this topic in her Authors Note. While the issues about Laura Ingalls Wilder are serious they should not impact your reading of this splendid book. They could even be a motivation to meet Hanna as a way to understand the history of racial discrimination in US History. But putting all of this aside please read this book just to meet Hanna - a little girl you will want to know and a little girl you will never forget.

This book is utterly splendid; important; insightful; honest; and beautifully crafted.  If I still worked in  school library this is a book I would love to put into the hands of all avid readers aged 10+. 

Back in April Colby Sharp talked about Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park. I immediately added it to my shopping list knowing I would have to wait because here in Australia hardcover middle grade novels are very expensive and often take a long while to appear on bookseller lists. Finally in late November I decided I just could not wait any longer and so I ordered the hardcover ($30.00). It arrived yesterday just in time for Christmas - I've decided this can be my Christmas present to myself. Of course I just couldn't wait and so I began to read straight away. Then, because the story is just so wonderful, I simply did not want this book to end. As you have guessed I read the whole book in just a few hours today (Christmas Eve). Linda Sue Park is the author of so many of my most favourite books - A Single Shard; A long walk to Water; See Saw Girl; and The Kite Fighters. I met Linda Sue Park at the Seattle USBBY Conference and I was able to (in a stumbling way) thank her so much for her wonderful books.

When I was in Grade 6 my favourite books were the Little House on the Prairie series (Linda Sue Park talks about reading them too) and Children of the Oregon Trail by Anna Rutgers van der Loeff.  It seems odd because I was living in and growing up in suburban Sydney, Australia but I found these stories of US settlement and travel across the prairie utterly engrossing. As an adult I continue to enjoy and seek out books with this frontier setting such as The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman; Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia McLachlan; and Black-eyed Susan by Jennifer Armstrong.

Listen to this audio sample from page one to page four. Prairie Lotus was the 2020 global read-aloud choice. Here are a set of teaching ideas from the US publisher HMH. Here is a podcast (one hour) where Linda Sue Park talks about her book. Here is an interview with Publisher's Weekly.

Look closely at the cover of Prairie Lotus. You can see the family standing near a pond of lotus flowers. Hanna embroiders a tiny lotus flower on her work as another way to honour her mother. 

Touching the fabric, choosing the thread, working with her hands — Park drew on her childhood memories of sewing to convey a sense of Hanna’s process and pride. The Washington Post

The cover art of Prairie Lotus is by Dion MBD from New York.  I do like his cover of A Single Shard.

Just look at all of these honours showered on Prairie Lotus:

Honors for Prairie Lotus:

• Amazon.com Best Children’s Books of 2020: Ages 9-12
• Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers 2020
• Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Historical Fiction of 2020
• New York Public Library’s Best Books for Kids 2020
• NPR’s Best Books of 2020
• Parents Magazine Best Children’s Books of 2020
• Shelf Awareness Best Children’s & Teen Books of 2020
• Washington Post Best Children’s Books of 2020

Remarkable. Kirkus Star Review

... this is a must-read for middle grades and beyond. School Library Journal

Prairie Lotus is full of immersive everyday details. When I read about the precision of dressmaking (with a particularly vivid look at buttons), I could almost see the buttons clinking in my own hand. In the paragraph or two on sieving flour, I could taste the food being made. Pippa Park

"The writing is distinguished, magical, you can tell Linda Sue Park put so much time and and effort into getting this accurate and so much time and effort and her her heart into making this story and making it accessible for kids."  "This is a great story. Kids are going to be brought in and kids are going to think. ... long after they turn the final page." "I feel happy this book is in the world." Colby Sharp

One more thing to mention.  I am excited to announce Linda Sue Park has been nominated by USBBY for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal along with Kadir Nelson for illustration. Our Australian nominees are Margaret Wild and Tohby Riddle.