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local culture middle-grade fiction

Music in the Clan Jetty

When Amelia finds an old music box in her grandmother’s attic, she discovers that its haunting melody can be heard only by her. The tune leads her and her friends through hidden washing steps, a wind-whistling bus shelter, and a bell that rings without a hand. Each clue reveals the unfinished dream of Amelia’s great-aunt Mira, who once promised to turn the fading Clan Jetty into a safe gathering place for the village children.
But the jetty is due to be closed after one final dangerous tide, and Amelia must bring the whole community together before the old structure gives way. Along the journey, she learns that listening is its own kind of bravery: listening to friends, to family, to forgotten stories, and to the places that hold them. With a storm rising and the jetty breaking beneath her feet, Amelia must decide whether the past should remain hidden—or become the foundation for something new.

The Girl Who Painted Monsoon Walls

After a devastating monsoon flood damages Air Itam, Anna cannot bear to see the neighbourhood’s beloved kingfisher mural left broken and blank. With help from Amelia, Hafiz, Jojo, and a determined group of neighbours, she sets out to repair the wall using donated paint, rescued colours, and the memories of people who refuse to let one terrible night define their home.

But when another storm threatens the unfinished mural, Anna must choose between protecting her artwork and helping protect the people around her. Through muddy lanes, spilled turquoise paint, crooked plaster, and one very proud orange cat, Anna discovers that healing is not about restoring everything exactly as it was—it is about joining hands, telling the truth, and finding the courage to fly forward together.