This article explores the pedagogical potential of Harriet Muncaster’s Isadora Moon series for English as a Second Language (ESL) education in primary classrooms. Through a detailed literary and applied linguistic analysis, the paper demonstrates how the series supports language acquisition via narrative patterning, emotional engagement, and scaffolded repetition. It argues that Isadora Moon offers more than linguistic input; it fosters intercultural awareness, emotional literacy, and identity formation. The books’ consistent first-person narration and longitudinal narrative arc align with CEFR-level outcomes, enabling educators to integrate them meaningfully into curriculum design. Additionally, the article situates Isadora Moon within broader literary continuities, drawing links between children’s literature and young adult genres such as witch lit and hopepunk. This analysis challenges the divide between reading for language and reading for life, proposing a model of literature-based ESL instruction that cultivates both competence and care. When language learning begins with stories that affirm difference and emotional truth, it lays the foundation for lifelong, literate citizenship.
Patricia Muñoz Andrés (Fri,) studied this question.