Chasing the Shy Town
This story takes readers along on Senan’s adventure as he chases the Shy Town, a mysterious place on a hill that he spots from his bedroom window. Along with his practical grandmother, his fearless neighbour Joshua Robyn, their new companion Paperboy and an extremely peculiar ladybug- like creature, Senan takes on a mission to find and rescue this strange little town with an amazing secret.
This magical tale allows young readers to explore ideas of identity in a world that displays images of what perfection should look like. We are introduced to Joshua Robyn, a young adventurer who is more than comfortable being a girl named Joshua. In contrast to Joshua Robyn’s contentment with who she is, we meet Pearl, an unusual creature also known as a kruckle, who has the remarkable ability to turn into absolutely anything. But Pearl is not happy with what she has been turning into, simply because she doesn’t think she is perfect. That’s the thing about the Shy Town: it is constantly trying to portray perfection. But as those in Shy Town soon learn, the more they try to reach absolute perfection, the clearer it is that it simply can’t be reached.
This wonderful imaginative tale examines themes of friendship, bravery, identity and perfection, helping the young reader to understand the complexities of being true to themselves in a world full of perfection standards.
