Wendy Milton and one of her middle primary novels. Photo: Supplied.
It’s no secret that while many adults turned to books to pass the time during COVID-related lockdowns, children’s reading habits suffered when their schools were shut and, without their teachers’ encouragement, they lagged behind when it came to picking up books for pleasure.
Milton defines resilience as the ability to bounce back during or after difficult times, or the ability to keep thriving in spite of circumstances that cannot be changed. Resilient people, she says, learn from difficult situations. ‘Reading adventure books and taking part in exciting campaigns with captivating plot twists can strengthen a child’s ability to deal with setbacks.’
Thuy On is the former Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian.
She has three collections of poetry published by the University of Western Australian Press (UWAP): Turbulence (2020), Decadence (2022) and Essence (2025).
Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy
