Julia Moscardo Books

A beautiful, tenderhearted story about a blended family spending a holiday at the seaside, with feelings about the new family dynamic being expressed through the metaphor of creating sandcastles.

Reading this to a Year 2 girl made evident how captivating the story is: she acted out building a huge sandcastle. She also liked that the boy’s name matched her brother’s and that he and his new stepsister Lula ended up getting along.

For my part, I liked the book’s design (including the indented lettering on the cover & gloss sheen) and I loved the illustrations which really zing: charming domestic scenes, sunlight sparkling on water, and moody coastal atmospheres. We thus observe the ups and downs of Lula and step-brother Theo’s relationship: rocky at times, but showing promise of becoming quite tender. Perhaps this trip to the seaside as a new family, sharing meals and relaxing together, will be more enduring in a way that sandcastles never are.

A real hit to share at home or in school.