Review :: The Glow by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Marc McBride

What is The Glow about?

Megan and her best friend Li must team up and draw on all their creativity and courage to defeat a strange monster that threatens their town.

Megan is obsessed with drawing fantastical creatures and she shares them with her best friend Li who writes stories to go with the pictures. They are kindred spirits with big creative dreams.

One day everyone in town – except Megan and Li – is immobilised by a strange glow coming from their phones. Megan and Li are initially frightened and alarmed, but when they realise they are somehow immune, they set out to seek help.

Soon a battle unfolds, a thrilling battle that pits all of their creative energies against the terrible monster that has ensnared everyone else around them.

My review of The Glow

This was such a fun and engaging story. I thought the protagonists were really relatable – I feel like Megan and Li being so into their respective crafts of drawing and writing will really speak to lots of young readers out there.

McBride’s illustrations really brought the story to life for me – I loved that we got to see images both of the action that was happening but also the drawings like Megan makes of the creatures that the girls create together.

Like I said above, the story itself was really engaging. I thought the pacing had the plot move along really well and the stakes were high enough to make me feel invested in how things would turn out. There were some moments of danger for the girls that were on the scary side, and I think it will be a great one for young readers looking for a bit of a thrill.

I hope Laguna and McBride team up again in the future – I would definitely check out any future titles from them.

Big thanks to Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy of The Glow for review.

xo Bron
***

The Glow by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Marc McBride
Out now from Allen & Unwin
Source: I received a free copy from Allen & Unwin (thank you!)
Category: Middle grade/upper primary, urban fantasy
Format: Paperback, 176 pages

The Glow on Goodreads.
You can find Sofie Laguna online here, and Marc McBride online here.
Want more spooky stories for young readers? Check out this post.