One mom, one dad, and two kids who, if you look at them one by one, seem like completely different people at first glance. Then you see the house they live in and it clicks — of course they’re a family. How could it be any other way?
Perfectly mismatched.
There’s Mom, Iva, who believes every problem has a solution somewhere between the covers of a book. Dad, Ljuma, who is technically a grown-up but hasn’t fully accepted it yet. Their son Luka, who has already made a mental list of everything that could go wrong this weekend. And Sara, for whom a list like that is a completely foreign idea — and even if it existed, she’d ignore it. At first glance, chaos. Ljuma laughs before the joke is over. Sara has already run out of the room while Luka is still deciding whether it’s safe to go in. And Iva calmly watches it all from behind her round glasses and quietly asks, “Has anyone seen my book?” But in all that chaos there’s something no book can explain, not even Iva’s. Luka’s caution protects Sara’s boldness. Sara’s energy pushes Luka further than he would ever go on his own. Ljuma’s laughter holds everything together when things start falling apart. And Iva’s quiet is the glue no one sees, but everyone feels. Mismatched? Absolutely. Loud? No doubt. But at the end of every day, when the chaos settles and the lights go out, they belong together perfectly. The Novel family.
Luka
10 years old · A thoughtful dreamer who reads the stars
“Let’s think about it first, maybe there’s a safer way!”
Luka is a skinny boy with dark, almost black wavy hair that falls over his forehead in an unruly lock, just like his dad’s, only younger and wilder. His round black glasses keep sliding down his nose when he gets excited, and he pushes them back up with his index finger as if it’s part of his thinking process. Behind those lenses are warm brown eyes that always notice a little more than he says.
Luka is a boy who watches first and only then joins in. In every new situation, his mind automatically makes a list — what could go wrong, what’s the safest way, whether every detail is in place. That analytical side of him comes from caring deeply about others.
But Luka isn’t just cautious. There’s a bright, almost mysterious joy in him — the joy of discovery. When he comes across a new idea, his eyes light up behind his glasses. That side of him shines brightest when he gets to share what he knows with someone who wants to listen.
What makes him special
He dreams about the stars and believes each one has its own story. His love for his sister Sara makes him braver than he thinks — when it comes to her, the “what could go wrong” list takes a back seat.
Sara
5 years old · A fearless little rocket full of energy
“Let’s go RIGHT NOW. Why wait? Come on, come on!”
Sara is a chubby little girl with wild chestnut curls that are always bigger than her head, like a cloud that decided to live on her shoulders. She always wears a small white flower on the side of her hair, her lucky charm, which she gently touches whenever she’s upset or excited.
Sara doesn’t walk into a room — she appears in it. Loud, fast, and sure that her idea is the best idea in the world right now. No time for second thoughts, no patience for “maybe,” no understanding of the word “wait.”
What makes her special isn’t just that fiery energy. She doesn’t only chase adventure, she invites everyone around her to chase it with her. Her enthusiasm is a magnet. Even Luka ends up following her, because with Sara, everything seems possible.
What makes her special
Her hugs don’t last long, but you really feel them. That’s her secret superpower — in a second, she passes her courage on to someone else. Her heart is as big as the sky, and her feet never stay still.
Iva
Mom · The keeper of stories, with secret wisdom
“Every story has its own wisdom — you just have to find it.”
Iva is a slender woman with thick chestnut curls that fall past her chest and never stay still. Behind her big round rose-gold glasses are warm brown eyes that see right away when someone needs help — before that person even realizes it.
Iva doesn’t shout “Watch out!” — she quietly stands next to you until you figure it out yourself. Her patience comes from a deep trust in the people around her. She knows children learn through experience, not through warnings.
As a librarian, Iva doesn’t recommend books — she matches them with people. She believes every book is waiting for its reader, and that the right meeting happens at the right moment.
What makes her special
Her smile doesn’t say “everything’s fine.” Her smile says “I believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself.” And for Luka and Sara, that’s worth more than a thousand words.
Ljuma
Dad · A cheerful adventurer with a child’s heart
“Najbolje avanture su one koje delimo zajedno.”
“The best adventures are the ones we share.”
Ljuma is the tallest person in any room — tall, slim, with dark wavy hair and a neat beard. When he’s standing still, he seems calm and measured, almost studious. But when he laughs — and he laughs with his whole face, holding nothing back — the whole room feels it.
Inside Ljuma lives an honest, almost boyish joy that breaks through as soon as he relaxes. That’s when his warmest side comes out, and that’s when he becomes Sara’s number one ally in all her “crazy” ideas.
Ljuma knows what it’s like to be a child the grown-ups didn’t take seriously. That’s why he never belittles Luka when he shares a cautious idea, and never puts out Sara’s fire. He shows Luka that thinking things through isn’t a weakness — it’s a superpower.
What makes him special
His hugs are long bear hugs. His adventure stories always have a lesson — but the lesson never comes before the story.
PEER LEARNING · A TEACHING CHOICE
Peers, not heroes.
Most educational programs for children choose perfect heroes who always know what’s right. That backfires.
Developmental psychology shows that children learn best through identification, not admiration. Our characters aren’t perfect because we don’t let them be. Mistakes are part of the design, not the writer’s oversight.
When a child sees Luka make a list of everything that could go wrong and then go anyway, they don’t learn a lesson about courage. They experience courage.
Follow the Novel family through all nine modules.
Luka, Sara, Iva and Ljuma aren’t characters who show up in one story and then disappear. They’re a family that goes through the whole program together with your child. Six years, nine modules, more than two hundred stories.
A child who meets Luka at four is still following the same character at ten — just in more complex situations, facing more serious moral dilemmas. The characters grow up together with your child.
