A perfect middle grade book that any age reader can enjoy.
Melody Finch is a beautiful and wonderfully written story. It follows an adventure and a story that highlights the hardships of drought in Australia.
What this book does so well is educate the reader so they can gain a better understanding of nature and the important role that it plays. As a middle grade book this will help encourage younger readers to look into these issues for themselves in a way that is accessible.
Great characters though out the novel that are well constructed along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely book that touches on nature, family, friendship, and strength. I loved the humor in this, and I loved the poignant storytelling. Highly recommend!

The kids will enjoy this little adventure in Australia story. Not too many tales from down under on our shelves, but this might be a good fit as it also covers climate change and it's impact, not only humans, but on animals, plants, and the planet. It was an enjoyable read!

A very thought provoking book about what is happening to our world and how wildlife and humans are being affected by these changes. the author has managed to blend adventure with the lessons about what we need to do in order to protect our environment in the future.

Melody Finch is a wonderful tale of the bond between a girl, her grandmother and their connection with nature. From the onset we see the importance of nature during Melody's trip with her grandmother on the riverboat, we see the beauty surrounding them in the Australian flora and fauna. However as we move through the book we see that this has drastically changed with a serious drought that falls upon the land endangering both animal and human existence. For this reason Melody is picked to go on a special mission, one that takes her on an unforgettable journey where she meets some loyal, brave and absolute necessary friends to help her reach her grandmother and play out the mission. 'people only turn into animals when they need to know something really important' .This novel is exciting. I was in awe at all the animals that Melody met and the help she received. The animal spirit is well and truly alive. The animals brought this story to life. It is a fast paced read covering themes of friendship, courage, climate change and nature. I would recommend this book to all middle school children. I particularly enjoyed the animal drawings at the start of each chapter and the animal biography at the end of the book. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Melody Finch is a great story with a lesson wrapped inside. There are a lot of environmental issues facing the world today, and this is one great way for kids to learn about them. Filled with a great cast of characters and amazing animals, this is an enjoyable read for kids and adults alike.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Melody Finch is a delightful, lighthearted book about a girl called Melody who discovers a family secret and decides to go on an adventure to save her grandmother's boat and also to save the animal friends she makes when she transforms into her favourite bird - a finch!
This book is a light read with lots of hidden depth. Its educational and will draw the reader in! I loved it.

Melody Finch is an adorable tale that is perfect for middle grade readers and up.

I love a good nature tale, especially one that is lighthearted and fun. We meet Melody Klomp who learns about a family secret and decides to go on an epic adventure. Along the way, she appreciates nature and learns a lot about herself and wildlife. It's time to save her animal friends, but it might not be as easy as she thinks it is.

This is such a fun book! I was honestly shocked how attached I was to this book. What a great read! I'd like more books to pop up on my radar like this one since it was fun, educational and just down right lovely.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spirit of the Earth Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Melody Klomp lives with her family on a sheep station in Charleville, Queensland, Australia. She loves her home, but her favorite place in the world is Coorong. Melody’s Nanna Bell lives there and operates a small environmental touring boat, The Isabella. When the family visits Nanna Bell, Melody rides the boat, listens to her grandmother’s nature stories, and watches the colorful birds. When the story begins, Southern Australia is experiencing a severe drought. Nanna Bell’s eco-tourists have disappeared with the rain and she fears that she may have to sell her boat.

One morning, Melody wakes up to find that she has turned into a beautiful bird, a diamond firetail finch. Suddenly, she can understand all the other birds and animals around her. The other animals around her sense that rain is coming and the drought will be ending soon. Melody knows she must let Nanna Bell know that she should wait for the rains and not sell The Isabella. She faces a long and difficult journey to the Coorong. Will Melody reach her destination? How will she be able to communicate with her Nanna now that she is a bird? She and her new animal friends will certainly try.

Melody Finch will appeal to younger independent readers. The storyline is an engaging animal adventure story, but the book is also instructive. It introduces young readers to concepts like climate change, drought, and the interdependence between all living things. The book also includes educational tools including a map and encyclopedic entries for Australian animals introduced in the story. Melody Finch can be somewhat simplistic at times; things are either good or bad. There are very few shades of gray and it seems a bit preachy at times. Younger readers probably won’t notice this fact and the book is perfect for budding environmentalists.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A secret awaits in the wilds of Australia for those curious enough to uncover it…

Melody Klomp travels the waters of the Coorong aboard her grandmother’s boat, The Isabella. Nana Bell is devoted to sharing the wonder of wildlife with everyone she encounters, and Melody is no exception.

With every mile they travel, Melody is swept up in the Coorong’s beauty and filled with love for its creatures, but particularly the birds. But Melody’s admiration of nature will not be enough to save the Coorong from the dangers that threaten it.

In the most impossible of ways, Melody is immersed in the animals’ world, finding herself transformed into a Diamond Firetail Finch, and she quickly realizes that it is up to her and a group of unlikely friends to warn Nana Bell and save the Coorong.

Equal parts entertaining and educational, Melody Finch is an adventure that readers of all ages will be glad they went on. Ian Boyd and Gary Luck have deftly crafted a story that reminds us that nature and all its wonders are depending on our admiration to express itself through action.

No act is too small, and Melody Finch is the story to remind us of that truth.

A huge thanks to the author, publisher and to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to review this wonderful book. Apologies for taking a while to post it for I've been really busy with other things.

I love the story! I admire Melody's courage that made her grow and influence her friends to do good. It is also a good way to show people, not just kids, to be mindful of the things we do for it affects nature, There are also many exciting scenes where Melody's strength was challenged. For me, she's such a good role model. One of the best stories I've read from NetGalley.

A fun, imaginative adventure, and a thoroughly enjoyable cast of characters. Sometimes the animal dialogue struck a bit of a contrived note, and the villains are irredeemably villainous, but this will be entertaining to younger readers. Overall loved the idea of the book and the coverage of Australian wildlife - and the cover is beautiful!

This book was set in Australia. I loved reading about the landscape and atmosphere of Australia. It felt as if I was actually on the journey myself. It's beautifully told through the eyes of Australia's animals. My heart went out to Australia with the recent wildfires. This would be a great book for a child to read to learn appreciation for Australia's wildlife, or wildlife in general. Beautifully written, and I enjoyed it very much!

I liked it, but it came off a bit preachy. I think you need to go with more understated theming if you are calling it fiction. Several times it read almost like a PSA.

Overall Impressions
Humanity’s impact on the environment has a staggering effect on the wildlife that also live on this planet. Melody, after being turned into a finch, learns about these impacts from various animals throughout her journey in Australia. The aim of this book is to teach children about the effects that humans are having on the environment and how we, as humans, have to speak out for those who cannot. While I enjoyed these themes, the text was often overtly educational about them, instead of interweaving these themes into the fictional tale.

Book Themes and Reading Level
Book themes: Environmentalism, climate change, and protecting our environments and ecosystems,
Reading Level: 3rd-5th Grade

Summary
Melody, a twelve-year-old girl, is magically turned into a finch after learning that a massive rainstorm is coming that will hopefully end a disastrous drought in Australia. She takes off to find her Nanna, who was about to close her business due to the draught and meets toads, fellow birds, and a platypus along the way. On this journey, she learns about the importance of balance in the ecosystem and the importance of humans speaking out for animals, since animals do not have voices to speak.

Review
I enjoyed how this book showcased the importance of caring for our environment. While I enjoyed reading about the wildlife, effects of humans on the climate, and Australian terrain, the educational themes were a bit strong. By this, I mean that the educational pieces did not always seem interwoven into the fiction; they were blatantly trying to teach the reader something. An example to look for when reading is when Melody was asked what lesson she learned at the end of the book and her answer. The way this situation, among others, was handled felt like sometimes overtly educational, even though I do realize that the book intends to bring awareness to this topic. While I criticize this blatant educational aspect, that is the only negative thing I can say about this book. It is full of adventure and unique characters that bring the Australian ecosystems to life. Melody Finch would be an excellent book to discuss environmental impacts or a general Australia unit.

*This review will be posted on my blog, Pizza Stained Pages, on October 10th.

Set in country Australia we are given a birds eye view of our rugged, beautiful, harsh landscape. The book brings all the problems facing our country to the forefront through the eyes of our native animals. Drought, introduced species and entitled humans are causing chaos for many parts of Australia and the authors do a wonderful job of educating and encouraging conversations.

I loved that every place in this book is real, you could go and visit it, the animals aren't the usual kangaroo or koala, we meet a platypus, pelicans, seagulls are heroes. The animals have such wonderful and distinct personalities that it makes you care for them. You will look at seagulls different after reading this book. We are shown the family dynamics of the different animals; Seals for example, won't leave an area until their entire group is together and ready to go. We are shown how important water is, how strong and resilient animals are. Frogs that dig themselves a hole and wait for the rain, how the all of the aspects of the ecosystem rely on each other, and when one part is taken away everything is out of whack.

This book delivers so much in a humorous way. It's fast paced, it's quirky and clever. There are spy frogs (the term infrognito is used often), a bee eating bird who becomes best friends with a bee and a sweet girl who embarks on a massive mission and makes friends along the way.

This book is an absolute gem and I can't wait to see it in schools all over Australia. It's a book I finished and straight away wanted to pass on to kids everywhere. It's an important, well written book, that I hope people all over the world will discover.

Melody Finch is a beautiful take on one of Australia’s most beloved and enduring genres - the Road Trip. The wacky escapades of protagonist Melody blend environmental awareness and endearing relationships to create a journey that is at once compelling and informative for children and young adults. The beautiful imagery of native landscapes and somewhat anthropomorphic friends blossom in a world that feels lush and lived in. The plot drives with the urgency of an emotional core, and engages the reader with humour, optimism and whimsy. The conservationist themes are educational, but never patronising, which makes it a perfect conversation starter for kids. Overall, this is a delightfully fun story with a fantastic message about the importance of courage, friendship and the environment we all live in.

Melody Finch is a very well-told story about a little girl who turns into a finch and finds she must travel from outback Queensland to the ocean in South Australia to take an important message to her grandmother. The story has important messages about drought in outback Australia, and particularly the plight of animals in this harsh landscape and climate. Melody makes some fabulous and memorable friends along the way (especially Ramon, the flamboyant bee-eater and his sidekick Buzza the bee), and is aided by the hilarious frog spies of Infrognito. She also meets and must battle some sinister enemies, both human and animal!
I found it very easy to visualise the characters and different landscapes Melody and her friends travel through. Melody is a very believable, every day girl who must do something extraordinary; the perfect basis for a good adventure.
This story made me both laugh and cry as Melody’s journey progressed. I found it hard to put down because right from the start, I wanted to know what would happen next. It’s a wonderful tale that carries an important message about how climate and environmental change affects all animals, great and small. Although this is a children’s book, as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed reading Melody Finch. It’s perfect for children in the 8-12 years (or so) age group, but a story that will be enjoyed by the whole family.

I loved this book! I’m Australian, so I honestly enjoyed learning about so many of our native animals that I had never found in a book before. As a student teacher who works with kids in the age group Melody Finch was written for, I can see them loving all the characters for their quirky humour, while the environmental themes are completely relevant without being too forced. After Melody turns into a bird, she travels through parts of central Australia that are rarely shown to the rest of the world. I definitely recommend that children from around the world could enjoy reading this book and learning about how hard drought is on animals that live along the rivers.