In her upcoming middle-grade novel, My Brother Otto, award-winning author and educator Ingrid Laguna tells a deeply moving story about family, love, and loss. Quinn is the central character, and she is not at all excited about the arrival of her new baby brother. She’s perfectly happy with life just as it is, with her mum and her pet rabbit, as many older siblings can relate to. But when Otto is born three months early and must fight for his life in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, Quinn’s world is turned upside down. Surrounded by machines and uncertainty, she finds her feelings transforming, and she becomes her tiny brother’s most devoted protector. The narrative gently manages the heartbreaking realities of a premature birth and its impact on a family, focusing on Quinn’s emotional journey with warmth and sensitivity.
This book is an excellent choice for building reading confidence in students ready for mature themes but not yet for complex text. Laguna, drawing on her experience teaching English to migrant and refugee children, crafts a narrative with what is expected to be clear, direct prose. Quinn’s powerful emotions are related in simple and compound sentences. Any new medical vocabulary is introduced within a supportive context, making it a great tool for building subject-specific language skills. The high-stakes hospital setting and relatable family drama provide a compelling hook for a student who m ay be hesitant about reading. The combination of emotionally engaging content and accessible language makes My Brother Otto a powerful bridge, helping developing readers connect with a profound story of resilience and love.
