7 reasons your girl will adore this summer adventure of a lifetime!

The Girl Who Sailed the Stars by Matilda Woods

Summertime is the perfect time to read an adventure story, out loud to your kids!
Who wouldn’t want to sail on a boat called The Plucky Leopard?
Oona doesn’t buy into the whole ‘get married to the guy your dad chose for you‘ thing.
Reading great stories teach your children how to craft their own writing.
Oona reaches for the stars against all odds, and finds her own way.
Who is not delighted by a self-taught, fiddle playing cat named Barnacle?
Face it, Penguin publishes the best books!

Great summer read for kids who love adventure: a girl, an ocean adventure and a cat

This is one of those stories that weaves a perfect balance between a fairy tale style, and modern adventure. Oona is the youngest child who was meant to be a boy. At least everyone in the village was expecting her to be one, most especially her father.

After years of wishing for adventure and to travel with her father on his long hunting and fishing trips, Oona sneaks on board the board. She hides below deck for five days until she is certain they can take her back home, and so begins the adventure of a lifetime for one young girl!

This book is perfect for girls aged 12 and up! My older teen loved it and I did too, so keep in mind that all your daughters might want to read it at the same time. In fact this would be a great read-aloud this summer!

So pick up this summer adventure story today and share it with your daughter!

Description from the publisher

When Oona Britt was born in the magical town of Nordlor, where all of the homes are built from wrecked ships, her parents never expected her to be a girl. Having listened to a faulty prediction from a washed-up soothsayer, they were promised a “bold and brave son,” so as the youngest of seven sisters, Oona’s birth became a disappointment — especially to her sea captain father, who doesn’t believe there’s a place for girls aboard ships.

But Oona is different from the rest of her family. She longs for adventure and knowledge. So she steals aboard her father’s ship just as he’s about to set sail for his annual winter whale hunt, and suddenly finds herself in the midst of a grand adventure! The ship has its own sea cat, Barnacles, and a navigator named Haroyld, who show Oona how to follow the stars. But for all that, Oona’s father is furious. Can she prove to him that she’s worth his love and pride, even though she’s not the bold and brave son he was promised?

This follow-up to The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker carries just as much heart and charm as Matilda Woods’s first novel. The characters, story, and illustrations will dazzle readers.

About the author

Matilda Woods (www.matildawoods.com) grew up in the small town of Southern Tablelands, Australia. She graduated from Monash University with a Masters of Social Work. Matilda splits her time between writing middle grade fiction and working as a youth social worker. She is the author of The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker, and she currently lives in the same small town where she grew up, with her four chickens, three dogs, two cats, and one bird.