Review: Mia Megastar

Mia and her family live above their fruit shop. Their extended family are always around with lots of Greek food at the centre of their gatherings. 

Mia loves to sing, dance, and entertain at every opportunity.

She is excited because her stylish, beloved aunty - theia Athina who lives in Paris, is coming to visit. (Mia is her theia’s ‘one’ and ‘only’. That’s what her name means in Greek).

The family is preparing a party to welcome her, with lots of traditional food.

Cyprus haloumi is at the top of the list.

At school, Mia’s drama teacher takes the class to see a play starring her favourite actor in the leading role. Mia decides it is an actor that she wants to become, as perfoming in front of an audience is exactly what she is best at.

With this end in mind, she starts organizing the creation of a drama club with her closest friends.

Enthused by this new idea, frenzied preparations come into play.  Brainstorming leads to lists; posters, a room to practice, arranging auditions, and finding students to join.

One thing is missing from the list. Someone who can write well. That is Seb in Mia’s class. But they are not on good terms with one-another.

Can a simple act of kindness change the situation and make her plans come full circle?

Fans of TV's, Home and Away, will be delighted with Ada Nicodemou’s new middle grade fiction series. Created in collaboration with the brilliant Meredith Costain, Mia Megastar opens the trilogy.

Fabulous illustrations by Serena Geddes beautifully complement the clever prose.

Commonly used Greek words appear throughout the story. Readers get an intimate and humorous look into Greek culture, traditions, customs, and habits. Red eggs at Easter, special cookies, tsourekia, and a gift of two recipes as well (which of course, include haloumi).

Written in a light-hearted, friendly tone, with experiences obviously taken from Ada’s own childhood, this interesting series will be loved and reread.

At the end there is an About the Author and a Q&A section where readers can learn a lot about Ada.

Inspiring, and filled with encouragement to follow one’s dream, I can’t wait to read the next book, Mia Megastar: The Juggling Act.

Title: Mia Megastar
Author: Ada Nicodemou
Illustrator: Meredith Costain & Serena Geddes
Publisher: Penguin, $14.99
Publication Date: 3 April 2024
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761342158
For ages: 6+
Type: Junior Fiction