Lucy's family launches into the cyber-world!: Cyber safety can be fun [Internet safety for kids] - Paperback

by Helena Newton (Editor), Fanny Wen (Illustrator), Nina Du Thaler (Author)

Getting a new device for the family is exciting. Knowing how to use it safely is another matter entirely.
From free apps that harvest personal data to downloads that aren't what they seem, the digital world moves faster than most family conversations about it. This book helps children - and the adults alongside them - build smart digital habits from day one, before the mistakes become serious ones.

The Story

A new tablet. A new computer. And a whole lot of cyber-safety lessons for the whole family.

Lucy's family just got two new gadgets - a family computer and a tablet - and the excitement is real. Lucy is using hers to prepare for a maths competition. Her older brother Kevin wants to download a free online game. And their parents are doing their best to make sure everyone stays safe while exploring the digital world together.

Told through Elle's charming and funny diary, this fourth book in the Diary of Elle series zooms out to show that cyber-safety isn't just for kids - it's a whole-family conversation. From internet filtering software to safe downloads, secure websites to the importance of parental guidance, Lucy's family navigates the cyber-world together, and Elle is there to take notes on everything she learns.

Warm, witty, and packed with practical knowledge, this book is perfect for children aged 7-12 and the adults who want to explore the digital world alongside them - safely.

What Children Will Learn

- How to identify safe and secure websites using the lock symbol and trusted sources
- Why free apps and games online can sometimes put your privacy at risk
- What internet filtering software does and why families use it
- The importance of asking a parent or trusted adult before downloading anything
- How whole families can share devices responsibly and set good digital habits together

Why Teachers and School Librarians Choose This Book

Teachers and school librarians choose this book because it broadens the cyber-safety conversation beyond the individual child to include family dynamics and shared responsibility - a perspective rarely covered in children's digital literacy fiction. The family setting makes it an excellent resource for family learning nights, parent engagement programs, and take-home reading that can spark conversations between children and their caregivers. It supports curriculum areas including digital technologies, personal safety, and health and wellbeing.

Perfect For

- Children aged 7-12 whose family has recently introduced new devices at home
- Parents and carers who want to explore digital safety rules and habits together as a family
- Primary school classrooms exploring shared digital responsibility and family online safety
- School libraries supporting whole-community digital literacy initiatives
- Children who enjoy family-centred stories full of warmth, sibling rivalry, and funny moments

Cyber safety can be fun - and it starts with one brave story.
Explore all 5 books in the Diary of Elle series.

Author Biography

Nina Du Thaler began working in the Information Technology (IT) industry long before authoring her first book. She started with hands-on jobs, making sure that the computers of her colleagues were working properly and managing the implementation of new systems. Twenty-odd years, many online hours and several promotions later, she now works as the Chief Information Officer (CIO), responsible for the IT environment within a large company in Australia. In her professional roles, Nina realised that the "experts" in the industry rather than the technology itself can make IT difficult, using buzz words like "cloud", "virtual" and "firewall". This challenged her to make IT more accessible - both for her fellow company executives and more recently for her daughter of 9 (almost double digits!) and her friends. She made an interesting observation that she can sometimes get away with providing incomplete or ambiguous answers as a professional, but it does not work in a kids' world. Children appear to be more straightforward: they understand or they don't, they question and analyse without boundaries. If they don't understand, it is generally due to a lack of clear explanation or describing concepts in adult ways, rather than the intellect of the child. Additionally, as a mother, she has experienced first hand the positive and negative impacts that technology can have on children's daily lives. It is pervasive and they use it easily and without hesitation, but they are unaware of potential consequences and we have not equipped our children to have the skills to deal with these challenges. This realisation made Nina decide to combine her knowledge and experience in IT and parenthood, into a unique combination of fun products (featuring Elle and her friends), so that children can learn from other children's experiences. Nina and Elle wish you fun reading, with some learning on the side!