Meet Me at the Moon Tree by Shivaun Plozza is a real treasure, and it’s one that hit me harder than I expected. Known for A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic; The Boy, The Wolf and the Stars; and Frankie, Plozza’s latest middle grade novel is magical and entirely different to her previous works.

Ten-year-old Carina is obsessed with moon trees – trees that have been planted from seeds taken into space on the 1971 Apollo 14 mission. She believes the trees will be magical, and that she can find one in the forest surrounding her family’s new home in the Otway ranges. Everything’s changed for Carina’s family – her dad recently passed away after his leukaemia diagnosis.

This is a story about grief, change, friendships, nature, science and healing. But it’s so much more than that – it’s a moving story of Carina’s desperate need to communicate how much she misses her father and her fundamental belief in the magic of trees. Helped along by a cockatoo and a new friend in her small town, Carina finds the courage to talk with her family about their collective grief. It is a stunning book with laughter and tears guaranteed. For fans of Nova Weetman, Danielle Binks, Erin Entrada Kelly and Pip Harry aged 9+.