Luna’s World #1 Library Dreams

By Hayley Gannon
Illustrated by Michelle Conn
Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Hayley Gannon is a teacher librarian working in Canberra. She loves writing about real family and school life so that readers can see themselves in books. In her debut fiction  Luna’s World Library Dreams she is certainly writing about what she knows as the plot centres about a young girl’s quest to become a library monitor at her school.

Luna loves to read and is eagerly looking forward to starting Year 5 as she has high hopes of becoming the library monitor for her class. She is dismayed to find that another girl, Jade, not a close friend, is also eager to get the job. Helped by her friend Cody Luna tries her best to win the competition set by the teacher librarian to see who is the best choice.

Through Luna’s diary entries the reader gets a cosy look at a girls’s world. The emotions and situations are real but not overwhelming or traumatic. Family, friendship and kindness are emphasised throughout the reader friendly text. The story is an easy read with plenty of black line illustrations, words in large bold fonts, and the use of underlining for emphasis. The design is bright and cheerful and easy on the eye. It is certainly a great advertisement for school libraries.

The second instalment sees Luna and her former rival Jade becoming friends. This is a charming series for children aged 8+ who enjoy reading.

Affirm Press 2025

Michelle Conn