The Courage of Magnolia Moon by Edwina Wyatt illustrated by Katherine Quinn

"For whoever she was and however she changed. Whatever she dared to be. It was a fact. 

Proved to be true. And with that one simple fact she knew that everything would be okay. 

Since love gave you the courage to face anything. Love made you brave. It was the light in the dark. The anchor to the ship. The sticky jam in the jar that caught all the crumbs. 

You could not buy it. It could not be spent and used up. It came free."

Magnolia is ten now, almost eleven. Each chapter of this book describes different life experiences where Magnolia has to find courage and in the process discover a little about herself and others. The final chapter, chapter 10, contains a summary of her year:

"It was true. After all she had been to the dentist, failed a maths test and fought an underwater battle with a pool vacuum cleaner. She had discovered a black hole. Helped save the planet from more rubbish and stood up for what was right when a friend had needed her. Visited her sick grandmother in the hospital. Lost a dog and a brand-new bedroom. She had followed her heart and told the truth even when it was as ugly as the bottom of the compost bucket. And she had almost been to jail!"

In the Magnolia Moon stories, Edwina Wyatt adds sweet little ideas about time. I talked about this in my post for the first book The secrets of Magnolia Moon such as "Four days - that's a lifetime for a stomach lining".  She also plays the fruit game with her best friend Imogen May. I think I would like to be an apple!

Each chapter in this book is a complete story so this book would be a perfect family read aloud. The chapters are given titles about aspect of courage - Bruised courage; Deep courage; Half courage; Dark courage; Heart courage; Big courage; Lost courage; Tough courage; True courage; and New courage.

This is the third book in the series about Magnolia Moon (I wish I was ten years old and her friend - Magnolia is a very special little girl). I decided to re-read the first instalment this week before jumping into book three. I loved The Secrets of Magnolia Moon all over again and then today I read all of The Courage of Magnolia Moon and as you can see I am giving it five stars. The final scene at the school dance is simply perfect. This is such a splendid series and I highly recommend you add them to your primary school library shelves. 

The third Magnolia Moon book is lyrical and delightful, just like the first two. It is a gentle story that shows kids – and adults – that being brave comes in lots of shapes and sizes, and that it can make us feel anxious and uneasy, but there is also power in being brave and courageous. The Book Muse

The Secrets of Magnolia Moon

The Magic of Magnolia Moon

Well done to Walker books on their design of these small hardcover books. I would be happy to add all three to my own shelves - they make such a sweet little set.