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The Secret Library of Hummingbird House
Hattie Maxwell is stressed. Ever since the Big Split, Hattie and her little sister Ivy, live a week with their mum and a week with their dad. They call it week-about. Now her beloved abandoned mansion, Hummingbird House, along with the best mulberry tree in the city, is going to be demolished to make way for apartments.
And if that’s not enough, if the apartments go ahead, her mum might move to the country and her family will never be together again. And if that is not enough, there is her friend-not-friend Taylor Dellabella, the terror of Ivy’s imaginary Eagle and her friend Patrick thinks his parents are breaking up. And if that's not enough, the rule obsessed school principal, The Enforcer (yes-not-her-real-name),wants to ban the monkey bars. And to top it all off, she has lost her library book.
When the moon is full, Hattie discovers a different Hummingbird House, where a strange orphan girl, Hypatia hides in a secret library. Could this be where she finds a way to save the house? Could saving the house get her parents back together? Can Hattie overcome her anxieties and save the house – and perhaps fix some other things in her life along the way?
And if that’s not enough, if the apartments go ahead, her mum might move to the country and her family will never be together again. And if that is not enough, there is her friend-not-friend Taylor Dellabella, the terror of Ivy’s imaginary Eagle and her friend Patrick thinks his parents are breaking up. And if that's not enough, the rule obsessed school principal, The Enforcer (yes-not-her-real-name),wants to ban the monkey bars. And to top it all off, she has lost her library book.
When the moon is full, Hattie discovers a different Hummingbird House, where a strange orphan girl, Hypatia hides in a secret library. Could this be where she finds a way to save the house? Could saving the house get her parents back together? Can Hattie overcome her anxieties and save the house – and perhaps fix some other things in her life along the way?
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First published January 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 23, 2020
I loved this book so much. I wish Hummingbird House were real so I could explore it myself (and the time travel would be a plus too!). There's a lot of great insight into the impact of divorce - or The Big Split as it's called in the book - on kids, and the intricacies of friendship too.
Julianne has written a magical, warm, funny debut and Hattie Maxwell is one of my favourite book characters this year. Such a beautiful cover illustration by Marco Guadalupi too - and that gorgeous colourful book spine & the sparkles on the front! Amazing.
Julianne has written a magical, warm, funny debut and Hattie Maxwell is one of my favourite book characters this year. Such a beautiful cover illustration by Marco Guadalupi too - and that gorgeous colourful book spine & the sparkles on the front! Amazing.
August 7, 2020
When I was ten, I would have devoured this gem of a book, several times over!
The Secret Library of Hummingbird House features a mysterious old house, a secret book and time travel (amusingly, back in time to the 1970's when I was ten)! What's not to love?
Especially when it's all wrapped up with a very likeable protagonist, Hattie, going through some stuff with her recently separated parents, a younger sister with an imaginary eagle as a friend, a best friend who will no doubt realise he is gay when he is a little bit older and a mean girl at school to avoid at all costs.
Hattie already feels that life is careening out of her control, when she discovers that the crumbling mansion next door to her dad's house is slated for demolition to make way for...you guessed it, another apartment block. The house and the ancient mulberry tree growing in its grounds, hold many happy family memories for Hattie, pre-separation.
Her plans to save the house lead to a full-moon midnight escapade to the house and a chance to slip back in time to meet another young girl also feeling lost in time. A young girl who also collects lost words and has a story of her own to tell.
Set in a pre-covid Melbourne with a secret yarn-bomber covering the trees, fences and signs with crochet wraps, Julianne Negri has written a story about standing up for yourself and letting go of the past. Adapting to the inevitable changes that occur in all our lives at every stage is the thread that joins all the characters together. Everyone has their own way of avoiding or denying change before coming around to accepting that change doesn't have to be all bad, it's just different.
A delightful read for 10+ readers. Lots of fun and full of positive messages woven naturally into the story.
Full review here - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com/2020/...
The Secret Library of Hummingbird House features a mysterious old house, a secret book and time travel (amusingly, back in time to the 1970's when I was ten)! What's not to love?
Especially when it's all wrapped up with a very likeable protagonist, Hattie, going through some stuff with her recently separated parents, a younger sister with an imaginary eagle as a friend, a best friend who will no doubt realise he is gay when he is a little bit older and a mean girl at school to avoid at all costs.
Hattie already feels that life is careening out of her control, when she discovers that the crumbling mansion next door to her dad's house is slated for demolition to make way for...you guessed it, another apartment block. The house and the ancient mulberry tree growing in its grounds, hold many happy family memories for Hattie, pre-separation.
Her plans to save the house lead to a full-moon midnight escapade to the house and a chance to slip back in time to meet another young girl also feeling lost in time. A young girl who also collects lost words and has a story of her own to tell.
Set in a pre-covid Melbourne with a secret yarn-bomber covering the trees, fences and signs with crochet wraps, Julianne Negri has written a story about standing up for yourself and letting go of the past. Adapting to the inevitable changes that occur in all our lives at every stage is the thread that joins all the characters together. Everyone has their own way of avoiding or denying change before coming around to accepting that change doesn't have to be all bad, it's just different.
A delightful read for 10+ readers. Lots of fun and full of positive messages woven naturally into the story.
Full review here - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com/2020/...
July 6, 2020
This book has everything an 8-12 year old reader will love, including a mystery, time travel, derring do, and an honest-to-a-painful-degree depiction of family breakdown from a kid's POV. Go forth and recommend.
July 25, 2020
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!
January 22, 2021
I do not proclaim this lightly, but I truly think Julianne Negri has a career in front of her that will see her one day cemented as an Australian classic children’s author.
The laying of this foundation is right here in Hummingbird House, a time slip novel with heart and a keening understanding of loss & change in young people’s lives.
I love this book, and genuinely think it’s author has stardom in her future forevermore.
The laying of this foundation is right here in Hummingbird House, a time slip novel with heart and a keening understanding of loss & change in young people’s lives.
I love this book, and genuinely think it’s author has stardom in her future forevermore.
July 13, 2020
Completely fantabulous!
August 1, 2020
I loved this book, I was hooked right from page 1.
The characters were quirky but at the same time completely believable. The story is exciting, and although some serious issues are dealt with, it felt fun and light. The time travel was brilliant, and I didn’t see the twist at the end. I want to visit Hummingbird House and the Mullolly tree, and see all the books in the library, and I want to know more about Hattie and her life and adventures. All in all a perfect children’s book with just the right amount of everything.
The characters were quirky but at the same time completely believable. The story is exciting, and although some serious issues are dealt with, it felt fun and light. The time travel was brilliant, and I didn’t see the twist at the end. I want to visit Hummingbird House and the Mullolly tree, and see all the books in the library, and I want to know more about Hattie and her life and adventures. All in all a perfect children’s book with just the right amount of everything.
September 28, 2020
A gorgeous, magical story filled with wonderful characters and heartwarming messages of hope and resilience. Perfect for middle primary students.
November 1, 2020
Form: physical
What a gorgeous book! I absolutely adored this book and finished it within a day, so it’s pretty easy to say I loved it!
This book is beautiful both inside and out. You can tell the cover and inside illustrations were designed with so much care and attention to detail and they add so much to the magical feeling of the book.
I adored the mystery elements and I loved how they weren’t overly simplified just because its a “kids” book. There were so many elements to this story but each element was handled with so much care and explained so well! I was intrigued the whole way through and I loved how it all pieced together in the end.
Part of the reason I love reading middle-grade is reading about different familial relationships and how families fit together and this one absolutely broke my heart! To see the effects of a messy divorce (or “big-split” as they call it) had on Hattie and Ivy was so devastating and *spoiler* I appreciated how everything wasn’t perfect in the end and had a more realistic ending.
Overall this book is a beautiful read whether you are 12 or a fully fledged adult and I enjoyed reading this one the whole way through!
What a gorgeous book! I absolutely adored this book and finished it within a day, so it’s pretty easy to say I loved it!
This book is beautiful both inside and out. You can tell the cover and inside illustrations were designed with so much care and attention to detail and they add so much to the magical feeling of the book.
I adored the mystery elements and I loved how they weren’t overly simplified just because its a “kids” book. There were so many elements to this story but each element was handled with so much care and explained so well! I was intrigued the whole way through and I loved how it all pieced together in the end.
Part of the reason I love reading middle-grade is reading about different familial relationships and how families fit together and this one absolutely broke my heart! To see the effects of a messy divorce (or “big-split” as they call it) had on Hattie and Ivy was so devastating and *spoiler* I appreciated how everything wasn’t perfect in the end and had a more realistic ending.
Overall this book is a beautiful read whether you are 12 or a fully fledged adult and I enjoyed reading this one the whole way through!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2021
A beautiful captivating book!
Telling the story of a family breakdown from a kids point of view is heart wrenching… perhaps should be de rigueur reading for separating parents!
Hattie is brave and kind - I want her for a not-friend!
I also want to visit Hummingbird House and read in the Nonesuch Library 📚
Telling the story of a family breakdown from a kids point of view is heart wrenching… perhaps should be de rigueur reading for separating parents!
Hattie is brave and kind - I want her for a not-friend!
I also want to visit Hummingbird House and read in the Nonesuch Library 📚
June 6, 2020
Full of charm, mystery and quirk!
August 1, 2020
What a brilliant, beautiful book!!! I absolutely loved it!
This is a perfect mix of heartwarming characters, realistic and relatable problems to overcome, mystery, adventure and time travel. What else could you ask for?
Hattie is struggling with the new week-about arrangements since the Big Split. She’s struggling with her often strange sister. She’s struggling with the school bully, Taylor Dellabella, and sometimes even with her best friend, Patrick. Hattie does not have a perfect life, but it’s a very real one.
Which is why we totally believe it when Hattie somehow finds a way to slip through time, meets a ghost, uncovers a mystery, and has to find a way to save her favourite place - Hummingbird House and the Mullolly Tree.
There is so much to enjoy in this book, from the introduction of fabulous out-of-use old words to the inspirational messages about family, friendship and bravery, and the plot is so fun and exciting that none of it feels preachy.
I highly recommend this book for independent readers from about Year 4-Year 6, and as a great option for parents to read with younger children too.
I can’t wait to see what else Julianne Negri comes up with!
This is a perfect mix of heartwarming characters, realistic and relatable problems to overcome, mystery, adventure and time travel. What else could you ask for?
Hattie is struggling with the new week-about arrangements since the Big Split. She’s struggling with her often strange sister. She’s struggling with the school bully, Taylor Dellabella, and sometimes even with her best friend, Patrick. Hattie does not have a perfect life, but it’s a very real one.
Which is why we totally believe it when Hattie somehow finds a way to slip through time, meets a ghost, uncovers a mystery, and has to find a way to save her favourite place - Hummingbird House and the Mullolly Tree.
There is so much to enjoy in this book, from the introduction of fabulous out-of-use old words to the inspirational messages about family, friendship and bravery, and the plot is so fun and exciting that none of it feels preachy.
I highly recommend this book for independent readers from about Year 4-Year 6, and as a great option for parents to read with younger children too.
I can’t wait to see what else Julianne Negri comes up with!
October 26, 2021
Not sure how a junior fiction book got onto my reading list but I enjoyed it.
October 24, 2020
Review from my 10 year old:
Loved the setting of the mysterious old house, good characters and dialogue (vocabulary), loved the time travel, and the pace of the story as they worked to save the house.
Would definitely read a follow up book with these characters, or another book by this order.
Note from mum: demolished over two sittings. 289 pages but not dense text. Loved the cover artwork.
Loved the setting of the mysterious old house, good characters and dialogue (vocabulary), loved the time travel, and the pace of the story as they worked to save the house.
Would definitely read a follow up book with these characters, or another book by this order.
Note from mum: demolished over two sittings. 289 pages but not dense text. Loved the cover artwork.
July 28, 2020
You could give this book to almost any child, and they’d find something to love in it, even if they are fussy with their genre preferences.
This is a book that will speak to a child whose parents are going through a rough patch in the relationship, or a permanent split. It will speak to a child who feels on the outer at school. Or who yearns for the right kind of friend. Or who loves to think about time travel. Or who enjoys stories about Brunswick in Melbourne, Australia. Or who dreams of books and libraries and curious old words. Or who likes spooky houses. Or imaginary friends (who may be of the feathered variety). Or who loves it when brave kids find allies and triumph over selfish adults.
But it’s also very funny. And crazy in parts. And sweetly sad. These are characters you’ll want to keep in your heart.
It’s punchy and bright throughout, with a dependable structure. And it’s beautifully designed and feels just right in the hand, and on the eye. And when you re-shelve it, you’ll look at its pretty spine and want to pull it out when anyone near middle grade reading age visits.
What a joy this one is.
This is a book that will speak to a child whose parents are going through a rough patch in the relationship, or a permanent split. It will speak to a child who feels on the outer at school. Or who yearns for the right kind of friend. Or who loves to think about time travel. Or who enjoys stories about Brunswick in Melbourne, Australia. Or who dreams of books and libraries and curious old words. Or who likes spooky houses. Or imaginary friends (who may be of the feathered variety). Or who loves it when brave kids find allies and triumph over selfish adults.
But it’s also very funny. And crazy in parts. And sweetly sad. These are characters you’ll want to keep in your heart.
It’s punchy and bright throughout, with a dependable structure. And it’s beautifully designed and feels just right in the hand, and on the eye. And when you re-shelve it, you’ll look at its pretty spine and want to pull it out when anyone near middle grade reading age visits.
What a joy this one is.
December 11, 2020
Clever, entertaining and well-crafted novel aimed at primary school-aged children. Good characters and a great plot. If you're looking for a Christmas present for children in that age group, I highly recommend this.
November 13, 2020
Children 10 to 12 years of age will enjoy this book. A book of friendship, mystery, magic, time travel and dealing with family issues (the Big Split).
December 2, 2020
A delightful book for young readers.
February 1, 2021
This book is amazing!!!!! I just wanted to keep reading and reading all day every day it was so good so enjoyable and at the end of every chapter was a cliffhanger I just wanted to keep going
March 7, 2021
Delightful!
March 17, 2021
Big hearted novel for younger readers, well written, imaginative and not shy of tackling the tough emotions faced by children during a family breakup.
April 1, 2021
IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL
i even relate to hattie, and she is 11 years younger than me, i loved her.
i even relate to hattie, and she is 11 years younger than me, i loved her.
November 8, 2020
Quaint story and very relatable for children from split families and the juggling of having 2 houses etc
Focused on family relationships - what mum does and what dad does etc
And the Hummingbird House mansion that is run down and they are trying to save from being demolished
Hattie the main character then goes into a time travel to learn about the history of the house - so the story gets a bit magical with ghosts and stories and libraries of the past
Obviously at the end the mansion is saved
Focused on family relationships - what mum does and what dad does etc
And the Hummingbird House mansion that is run down and they are trying to save from being demolished
Hattie the main character then goes into a time travel to learn about the history of the house - so the story gets a bit magical with ghosts and stories and libraries of the past
Obviously at the end the mansion is saved
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2020
✔️ a book with a bird on the cover
August 2, 2020
beast book ever!
October 10, 2021
Great read. I thought it was flippercanorious - loved the language - all the 'lost words'
Read
November 9, 2021Interesting book with an unexpected yet no less exciting, plot twist!
I recommend this book to people of all ages, and I shall be reading this book again!
I recommend this book to people of all ages, and I shall be reading this book again!
April 10, 2022
Inventive story beautifully told with most interesting characters, sending an important message. I highly recommend. A book worth reading for one and all.
Read
May 16, 2022Nice to read a (very) local middle-grade book (with my 12-yr-old) with relatable relationships alongside time travel.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews