Book: Swallow me, NOW!
Author: Melissa Gijsbers
Novel/chapter book: 112 pages (also available as Kindle edition)
Publisher: Lilly Pilly Press
Language: English
ISBN-13: 9780992450861
RRP: $15.30 (paperback) or $4.99 (Kindle edition)

Reviewed By: Penny Reeve

Blurb: ‘All Sam wants to do is fit in at her new school. Feeling alone, and desperately trying to find her place in the world, she concocts an AMAZING story – BUT it backfires on her and she becomes known as the ‘Evil Genius’s Daughter!’ Can her life get any worse?’

About the book:Swallow me, Now! is Aussie author Melissa Gijsbers‘ first chapter book for young children and is based on the author’s own experiences. In the story Sam is an a newly returned missionary kid, trying to find her place in her new Australian school. She’s acutely aware of the differences between herself and the other students and her attempts to make friends seem to fail. In fact she ends up being actively ‘bullied’ by some of the members of her new class which she attempts to face by making up a story about her mother’s plans for world domination. As the story progresses Sam realises she needs to tell her peers the whole truth about her background in Nepal, but also that she can be herself and stand up/speak out against being bullied.

Melissa Gijsbers

What I thought: I found Swallow me, NOW! an interesting book to read as not only was I once a missionary kid who had to adjust to life back in my parents’ home country, my daughter is one too. The links to Nepal (and the references to the school my daughter attended many years after the author did) were also special. Because of these personal experiences I knew the emotional struggles of the main character, Sam, to be authentically written. Melissa Gijsbers has captured the intense feeling of not belonging that many missionary kids experience when they ‘return home’.
Unfortunately for me, I felt this struggle was not adequately explored from a faith perspective in this story. This may have been a deliberate decision by the author to keep the book accessible for a mainstream audience, but I felt that if a family was willing to go and serve as ‘missionaries’ overseas, they would be quick to pray about struggles on their return – even in a book aimed at a wide audience. Having said that, I doubt children reading the book would consciously notice the omission.

Although the main character in the story is in grade 5 I’d probably pitch the story to a younger age bracket due to the layout, pace and language use. It’s certainly a very accessible book for younger but confident readers.

The theme against bullying in schools is fairly strong in this little chapter book. Mostly it is dealt with through characters, dialogue and story events, until it is expanded on as a ‘lesson’ towards the end of the book. Because of this, the book may be a helpful tool for children experiencing similar situations at school. And certainly for those who are finding it difficult to be themselves. Swallow me, NOW! looks to be the first in a series of books about the same character. It will be interesting to see what Sam gets up to next.

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Where to buy: Swallow me, NOW! is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions. Aussie readers can also purchase this book online from Light The Dark.