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The Fixer of Broken Things

Book Synopsis

What happens when the famous fixer of broken things finds a problem that she can’t solve?

Bea is a fixer. She is the finest fixer, far and wide, and people bring her everything – from tiny sprockets to enormous rockets – because they know she’ll have them working again in no time.

One day, Bea finds a broken thing. It’s very small and very sad, and try as hard as she might, she cannot fix it.

Bea soon realises that not every problem has to be solved alone, and that talking to her friends is the answer she has been looking for.

This heartwarming story sensitively discusses big feelings like sadness, and acts as a reminder for readers young and old that we don’t have to face things alone and can find support in those around us. The perfect companion for readers of Tom Percival’s Big Bright Feelings series, The Way Home for Wolf and books by Oliver Jeffers.

Our Review Panel says...

If you want a story for children that teaches us the value of being there for each other, no matter how confident or accomplished you are, this will hit the mark. Its main character is Bea, the fixer of broken things, and she is good at it. When adults around her seek help with fixing their broken things – even with an enormous spaceship – she responds with, “Don’t worry!” and off she goes and fixes it, and they love her for it.

Everything is going well, until Bea comes across a small item that she cannot fix, no matter how hard she tries. All those that she has helped seem far too busy with their working machines, and so she is left on her own to work out what to do, except she cannot find the solution even though it should be so simple. Sadness is encapsulated in Bea’s failure as she withdraws into her workshop and closes it. The value is not in her skill though, and others recognise that. And so she learns how it is the people around her that count.

As well as the range of emotions experienced by the main character, the illustrations on each page will also give the reader a lot to look at and discuss. This is a picturebook to re-read, share and treasure.