Melanie and the Night Animal

Everyone thinks eight-year-old Melanie Wright is timid and shy, but she’s not really. It’s just that she likes to take her time over new things and new people. Moving to a new house means that she has too many things to do at once – start at a different school, meet the boys next door, and walk to school with Jasmine Hardcastle, who thinks she’s a baby – but Melanie meets her problems in her own time and in her own way.

This is a funny and perceptive book about facing fears and making friends.

Winner Children’s Book Council Book of the Year – Younger Readers, 1989

• Year of Publication: 1988
• Genre: Literature
• Audience: Children