Seetha Dodd loves wordplay, humorous rhyme and lyrical prose. Drawing on her Malaysian–Indian heritage, and themes of family, identity and belonging, Seetha writes stories that empower children to challenge stereotypes and to celebrate uniqueness in all forms. She lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with her husband and three children. Today we’re chatting to Seetha about her junior fiction novel: Myra in the Middle, illustrated by Peter Cheong.
From the publisher:
Seven-year-old Myra likes maths, football and things staying the same. She lives with her mum, dad, Muthashi (grandma) and big sister, Anya. Her world flips upside down when her family welcomes a new baby. Myra is now a middle child – and everyone knows middle kids always get forgotten. On top of that, Myra tries out for the school’s soccer team, only to be put in the midfield. She can’t show off her skills when nothing exciting ever happens there! What will it take for Myra to feel marvellous in the middle?
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of this book.
With the arrival of a new baby brother, Myra finds she is now the middle child in her family. Did you have siblings growing up? Are you a middle child yourself?
I am a middle child! I have an older sister and a younger sister. Just like Myra, I was nervous about the arrival of a new baby into the family. But as time went on, I realised how lucky I was. When you’re in the middle, you can learn from your older sibling and then try to be a role model for your younger sibling. It’s a unique position that also teaches you how to be adaptable and to see things from other points of view.
The book highlights the importance of names – the naming of Myra’s baby brother, getting someone’s name right/mixed up, the meaning of people’s names, even the names of the soccer teams Myra plays for and against. How do you go about choosing names for your characters in your writing?
I spend a lot of time naming my characters! I chose the name Myra for a few reasons. I wanted the title to have alliteration, so her name had to start with the letter M. Myra is a name that exists in many cultures, but as an Indian name it means ‘beloved’ – isn’t that beautiful? Then it made sense to have her sister’s name start with the letter A, and her brother’s name start with the letter Z, so even with their names, Myra, with the letter M, is in the middle.
Naming her friends was fun – I try not to make any of my characters’ names too similar, as it might get confusing. For example, I wouldn’t use another M name like Mia or Mariam, to make sure Myra stands out. I love searching for the perfect name – baby naming books are great for ideas.
As Myra points out, ‘names are very important’ and I especially love the part in the book where Myra and Muthashi discuss the meaning of their names.
Myra loves maths and draws pie charts and Venn diagrams to help her to think more deeply about the things that matter to her right now. Her sister Anya loves words and wordplay. Are you more of a words person or a numbers person yourself? Or both?
I have always been a words person first. I like trying to arrange words into a beautiful sentence, or into a funny rhyme. I also love poetry and how the words can have many layers of meaning. But I do also like using logic and mathematics to put things in order and make sense of a problem or a feeling, just like Myra does. Maybe you have done this too – perhaps a list of pros and cons when you’re making a decision, or using probability to discuss whether something is certain or unlikely. Venn diagrams are my favourite – they are the perfect combination of mathematics and language.
Myra’s grandma (Muthashi) prepares special foods for the family, which Myra finds comforting and familiar when she’s feeling lost in the middle of all the recent change. We hear about murukku, coconut candy, omelette, chicken curry, the best way to eat jelly slice … and more! Did you put all your favourite foods into the book? Do you like to cook like Myra and Muthashi?
I love cooking (and eating!) tasty treats. Most of the food in this book is inspired by my grandmother (Muthashi), who had a wonderful appetite for food and for life. She always cooked with love in her heart. I think this was her secret ingredient that made everything taste better.
If you would like to make coconut candy like Myra and Muthashi, there is a recipe here.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I have a picture book about dogs and cats coming out in September. It’s a fun, rhyming story with a gentle message about accepting those who are different to us. I am also working on an idea for another junior fiction novel. Right now, it is just a spark (which I suppose is how all ideas start out) but I hope to turn it into a story. I do need to find the perfect name, though!
Myra in the Middle is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS
Read the first chapter of Myra in the Middle
If you live in NSW, go along to the book launch on April 26, 2026!
Visit Seetha Dodd’s website for more about her and her books
Visit Peter Cheong’s website for more about him and his books/illustrating
alphabetsoup.net.au 