The Lies We Tell Ourselves

The Lies We Tell Ourselves by Maura Pierlot (Big Ideas Press) PB RRP $22.99

ISBN 9780645099836

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Harley is struggling with the recent death of her nan as well as her parent’s deteriorating marriage. Despite this, she is looking forward to starting Year 10 and, even though her best friend did not contact her over the school break, she is optimistic about the year ahead. Harley sets her intentions for the year: get a job, get a boyfriend, get a life.

 

When Harley establishes a friendship with Carter, the hot new guy at school, she cannot help but imagine a future with him as her boyfriend. However, her critical inner voice tells her she needs to lose weight and reinvent herself. Harley’s hopes are high. But, why is her manifesting failing? Why are her friendships crumbling? Why is everything going wrong?

 

The Lies We Tell Ourselves is a young adult novel about staying true to yourself and the futile nature of seeking approval from others. This coming-of-age narrative is written in the first person by 15-year-old Harley and gives off 2004, American teen comedy film, Mean Girl vibes. Its themes include body image, toxic friendships, first love, belonging, family dynamics and grief. The Lies We Tell Ourselves is recommended for an audience aged 13 years and older.

Clutterbugs

Clutterbugs (Big Ideas Press) Maura Pierlot & Maya Bora PB RRP $27.99 ISBN 9780645099829

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Maura Pierlot is an award-winning author, playwright, and filmmaker based in Canberra, Australia. Her creative work spans multiple genres and art forms, focusing on themes such as identity, mental health, ethics, and environmental sustainability.

Maya Bora is a Turkish illustrator and visual artist renowned for her vibrant and imaginative work in children's books, comics, editorial illustrations, and game design. She is the founder of Megami, a creative studio, and developed Okku, a mobile app dedicated to the creation and publishing of digital books.

In her wildly cluttered bedroom, Steff loses Jay’s birthday gift—until buzzing clutterbugs appear and help her turn mess into a thoughtful present.

Maura Pierlot writes rhyme in a fun and thoughtful way crafting a highly imaginative story, that helps young children understand the problems that clutter can create and how to deal with it. Her rhyming text is well written, and this is not easy to do. The opening sentence introduces the clutter problem immediately. Steff's room was quite messy, but she didn't mind. Whatever she needed, she managed to find. Her believable story world is filled with real life tips about clutter, repurposing and gifting. Even Steff’s dog, Pierre disappears in the mess. A boss clutterbug appears declaring, 'We love mess, said the bug, 'though it may sound absurd. 'We?' Steff repeated. 'You mean there are more?" Steff is faced with the unsettling idea that her belongings might be taken away.

Pierlot thoughtfully highlights that people value the freedom to choose what to keep and what to give away. Woven through the story is a gentle message about recycling and repurposing, emphasizing the responsibility that comes with decluttering. The narrative offers multiple meaningful layers, making it adaptable for exploration with readers of varying ages. The text has clever twists and the ending is surprising.

Maya Bora’s illustrative style is characterised by bold colours, whimsical characters, and a playful approach, making her work appealing to young readers. Her illustrations carry the themes of sustainability, creativity, and the joys of childhood imagination. Her delightfully eye-catching cover shows a pile of clutter, Steff, her dog Pierre and a cheeky clutterbug on top of Steff’s head. The characters and theme are introduced right away, with a playful energy shining through in vibrant colours and expressive illustrations.

As a reader, I could feel the overwhelming impact of the clutter—it's practically bursting off the pages. Bora’s visual storytelling unfolds across dynamic double-page spreads that beautifully complement and enhance the text. There is lots of movement and action. I love her depiction of the clutterbugs, they are cute and cheeky.  

Clutterbugs is a picture book with an important message, about the impact of clutter in lives and how to deal with it. This book is ideal for children aged 4 years and up, and its charm will resonate with parents and teachers as well. I can already imagine children excitedly talking about clutterbugs showing up in their own bedrooms. It’s both an engaging story and a valuable tool for sparking conversations about clutter, creativity, and responsibility.

 

Alphabetter

Alphabetter by Maura Pierlot, illustrated by Jorge Garcia Redondo (Affirm Press) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781922863942

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

Learning the alphabet has never been more inspiring! From A for adventurous to Z for zestful, each letter is accompanied by a positive personal virtue to which kids can aspire, as well as a simple description of the trait (which is particularly helpful for the trickier words, such as optimistic and resilient). A question at the end of every page encourages readers to proactively better themselves.

Maura Pierlot’s selection of words emphasises the value of making sensible decisions and being the best person possible. If children mess up, then that’s fine – as long as they think about their actions and choose a more appropriate path next time. Maura’s language is perfect for four- to eight-year-olds, as it explains the sometimes abstract concepts in an engaging and child-friendly manner.

A kaleidoscope of colour sambas across the spreads, reflecting the can-do attitude of the text. In a visual nod to I for inclusive, Jorge Garcia Redondo’s images feature children of all races, religions and abilities – and readers are sure to find themselves somewhere among the pages. The eye-catching and exuberant cartoon style will keep kids entertained as they seek out every detail.

Alphabetter emboldens children to be the change they wish to see. If they want to live in a kind, honest and tolerant world, then they must first nurture these beneficial attributes – and many others – within themselves. In this way, the alphabet becomes a syllabary of self-growth.

Alphabetter

Maura Pierlot holds a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in philosophy, specialising in ethics, and has worked as an ethicist in various capacities. She wrote Alphabetter (Affirm Press) to encourage families to make ethics part of everyday conversations. Maura believes character education helps children develop into ethical, responsible, and civic-minded individuals, equipping them with skills to navigate life’s complexities with clarity and integrity.

Alphabetter presents fun, realistic scenarios and thought-provoking questions that encourage children to grow in their mindset, while assisting parents, caregivers, and teachers in navigating tricky conversations about morals and ethics.

Maura says, ‘I wanted to write a book that could be used as a resource for this important journey. It’s vital that young readers can see themselves on the pages, so I aimed to devise scenarios that children could relate to both as a concept and in action. Character development starts at an early age and by starting conversations around ethics and morals as soon as possible, we give children the best chance to grow into good and kind people. Using real life examples that embody positive traits, Alphabetter presents easy-to-understand concepts in a holistic manner that helps children to explore who they are, and who they would like to be, in a safe and supportive manner.'

Alphabetter can be used as an educational resource by parents to start conversations around morals and ethics. One of the best ways for children to build positive character traits – such as loyalty, tolerance, gratitude, and resilience – is to not only understand what the traits mean, but to experience them in practice. As parents/caregivers are the main role models that children will look up to, what choices adults make in everyday life will model to the child which ethics are important.

Alphabetter focuses on character-building as the foundation for ethics, based on Aristotle’s theory of virtue: choosing the right course of action comes from habit – the more we display good character traits, the more second nature they become. Alphabetter can be used as a tool to present elements of agency and choice, and active learning.

 

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection

• Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection by Maura Pierlot (Big Ideas Press) YA hybrid RRP $24.96 ISBN 9780645099812

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Maura Pierlot is a talented award-winning author and playwright who writes across art forms for both children and adults. Her work often explores the complex intersection of self, identity, belonging, culture, and memory. She often writes what she feels needs to be heard rather than for a particular market. She brilliantly shows how our modern world has become complicated for teenagers, and actively promotes kindness, empathy, tolerance, and mental health. Her writer’s voice speaks with wisdom and truth. Pierlot spends her time between Canberra and Jamberoo in NSW, Australia.

Fragments is a riveting read about eight ordinary teens (Will, Freya, Reena, Vijay, Mila, Nicky, Lexy, & Mason.) The teens are given a creative task that requires each to explore their own mental health and well-being. As each teen’s story unfolds and goes into the depth of their psyche, it reveals hidden truths about themselves and their worlds. Each teen’s story becomes a fragment of an elusive whole as they search to connect, be seen, and to be heard.

Fragments shows that stress at home, at school and in life is challenging young people beyond their usual coping abilities: this leaves them vulnerable and disenchanted. The book starts with preface about Pierlot and why she wrote Fragments. This is followed by a contents page, The Task, and a Current Forecast. Each teen is then introduced by a short paragraph. The book moves onto each teen’s story and ends with Tomorrow’s Forecast, an author interview, feedback, and author information.

Pierlot has realistically written monologues for both the male and female characters unbelievably well.  Last night when I showed my father the estimate for my final marks, I thought he’d crack open the champagne. But instead, his mouth formed a straight line, all because I’m a point off the max. ‘I didn’t raise you to become second best.’

The language used reflects current teen speak and the voice of each teen is realistic and compelling. Problem is everyone thinks you have to be bleeding or bandaged to be in pain, like if they can’t see the damage, it’s not real. If you could see inside my head, you’d know it’s real. The text is heartfelt, and the monologues can stand alone or be part of the whole.

Fragments: Journeys from Isolation to Connection is a recommended text for children 12 years and older. Although set in Australia, the stories could take place anywhere in the world. Fragments was first produced by The Street and enjoyed a premier sell-out season at the Street Theatre, Canberra. It is also a Web Series and is published online by Australian Plays Transform. It won best Screenplay and best TV/Web series at the Canberra Short Film Festival 2022. 

Fragments is a highly recommend text for high school teachers and parents. This new book is Edition 2 and is available March 2023.

Excerpt from Freefalling

by Maura Pierlot

(YA fiction, unpublished)

Carter walks down the aisle, nodding to everyone, in a friendly, gotcha kind of way, his peacock-blue eyes casting a spell upon contact. There’s too much to take in as my eyes dart from one fine feature to the next. His straight, well-proportioned nose, full lips and strong jaw coexist harmoniously on his enviable face; his broad shoulders complement his tall and lanky frame; and his tousled, sun-streaked locks give new respect to blonds worldwide. Eden is salivating; she keeps wiping the sides of her mouth like she can’t stop the drool from escaping. Talia smiles, having just spotted the same thing. She holds out a tissue for Eden, like a bib, but Eden’s too busy slobbering to notice.

It’s Carter’s walk that reels me in: he moves without ego, effort or entitlement, seemingly oblivious to Mother Nature’s many blessings. Nervous energy takes over. My hands have a life of their own, like I’m having a fit, so I quickly sit on them. My heart is racing, my chest feels tight, and there’s a weird tingling in my arm. I think I’m having a stroke – I remember these signs from a medical show Mum made me watch over the summer – but I quickly work out that my bum is cutting off circulation to my hands. Target locked: Carter’s eyes meet mine and his mouth is taken over by a wide grin, revealing killer dimples. Could this guy be any cuter?