June Reviews

In this welcome sequel to The Adventures of Na Willa, Indonesian author Reda Gaudiamo takes us back to vibrant Surabaya. Fans of Little Nicholas and Akissi will enjoy exploring the world through little Na Willa’s eyes in the 49 short chapters that invite readers into Na Willa’s daily life. We see her at school, playing with her friends in the alley, getting into all sorts of scrapes when she’s bored, and trying to help others, often with comical results. There are highs and lows (literally) as she swings from the big windows in church, for example, even though she knows she’s not allowed and needs rescuing when her finger gets trapped, or when she tries to help her friend Gato to stop stuttering by constantly slamming her fist on the desk only to learn that it might not be the kindest way to help him. The book ends with a big move to Jakarta, and as Na Willa describes her mother Mak in these final chapters, it becomes clear that Na Willa isn’t the only one who has mixed emotions about leaving Surabaya.