52 Mondays

Title: 52 Mondays
Author: Anna Ciddor
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Year: 2019
Genre: Realistic fiction, Historical fiction
Rating: 3.5 stars

"When Anna sets out to find the doll of her dreams, her two younger sisters are eager to help. But it's not easy. This is 1960s Australia and there's no computer or internet yet. This is a time when teachers still write with chalk, cars have no seatbelts, and Mr Whippy sells ice-cream cones for half a penny.
Anna and her sisters fill their days with fun, mischief and adventure - like the time Anna glues a block of wood to her middle sister's foot, then worries it will be stuck there forever! They celebrate birthdays and Passover together, cope with friends being mean, and feed peanuts to the bears at the zoo.
But through it all, Anna never loses sight of her dream.
Inspired by the author's real childhood, this is a warm, funny and fascinating family story from the author of The Family with Two Front Doors."

- From the back of the book

This book is written in very short chapters that work as vignettes recounting various important incidents in the childhood life of Anna. Though each chapter could almost stand alone, the thread that ties them together is Anna's hunt for an antique doll. It's evident as you read these stories that Ciddor is using a lot of material from her own childhood experiences - the stories are evocative and rich in imagery and make you feel almost as if you are recalling your own memories.

There are sweet depictions of family life, with Mummy, Daddy, and sisters Mirabelle and Bubby taking the main focus, and extended family always close by. But Ciddor doesn't just show the rosy moments - there are stories that depict Anna's shame when she has done something wrong just as we see the happy family moments. Having never read anything by Anna Ciddor before, one of the things I most enjoyed about this book was the insight it provides into Jewish culture, which is not so common in the children's fiction I have read.

The writing style is simple and unadorned, and sounds convincingly like the child Anna. This is not a fast-paced book, but I would still recommend it to reluctant readers as the short chapters would work really well as a quick read before bed each night.

• Shortlisted for the 2019 Kids Own Australian Literature Awards (KOALA) - Older Readers

Teachers notes are available on the author's website: https://annaciddor.com/books-by-anna-ciddor/52-mondays/