If you're looking for an insightful story for young readers, and perhaps for those who've been bullied, then consider The
Butterfly Shell. It's a warm story, written in first person.
One
of the worst kind of nerve-wracking days has arrived: that first day of
Secondary School. As we all remember, that's part scary, part exciting for any
girl (or boy too, of course, but this is a girls' school). It's an age when
you're anxious about making new friends and fitting in anyway, but at her new
school twelve-year-old Marie falls victim to a group of bullies. They call
themselves The Super Six which they think makes them look important. But Marie
privately renames them The Stupid Six.
Why
the bullying happens is a bit of a mystery to Marie but, of course, it often
begins for no obvious reason and is always totally unjust. She has other stuff
to deal with as well… like feeling her family is different because in her home
there is never enough noise or colour in the air, the discovery of
the secret that she once had an older sister (also called Marie, which she
feels is spooky) who died as a baby and the fact that, even now, her mum is
still affected by this. And then there's that fragment of butterfly- shaped
abalone shell…
Marie
is in huge emotional pain and begins cutting herself and having nightmares in
which she hears the ghost of her dead baby sister crying. And she has
absolutely no one to confide in. I felt really distraught for her. In fact I
couldn't put the book down because I didn't want to leave her in the middle of
her sadness and confusion. This torment is reality for bullied children who
fear the repercussions of telling, or who think they can't speak up because
they might sound silly or weak, or they can't burden parents with their
problems because the parents are already struggling with other things. So it
all becomes a heavy secret. This really comes across in the story and readers
will get that sense of what it's like for Marie stuck in her bad situation.
Marie
is such a likeable character too. Girls (or boys) reading the book will know
instinctively that she would be a true friend. Maybe, like me, they will feel
the urge to either reach into the story and rescue her or jump in and make
things better. This is the effect this insightful debut story will have on you.
Marie does have one good friend – Stella, who is a bit odd but
who doesn't care that she is.
The
difficulty with keeping problems a secret is that they tend to get worse. Then
they come to a head and this is exactly what happens in a very plausible and
realistic way. As in real life fate plays a part in how things pan out, but
it's a relief that it does. What a stressful journey Marie has to go on to get
to that point though. That saying what doesn't kill you makes you
stronger comes to mind and, well, this eventually really does apply to
Marie. She has such courage.
I
love books that are told from first person point of view with the main
character telling their very own story – they can really draw you in. This
works particularly well with books like this for young readers. It's
well-written and full of Marie's personality – the sadness, but also her
humour, her determination and her hopes. By the end of the book, which has a
positive and satisfying ending, I really knew her.
So
it's a story with preteen bullying and self-harm, yes, but it's also about
secrets, friendships, trust, understanding people, being brave and being
yourself and, well, about being nearly a teenager too. As a book aimed at older
children it would be enjoyed most by readers who are around Marie's age. Just
one more thing. When I first saw the cover of this book my initial reaction was
oh, how plain. But then I spotted it: the butterfly-shaped image. The words of
new beginnings, spoken by Marie at the start of the book before she looks back
and begins to tell us her story, have been shaped into a butterfly image – just
like the fragment of abalone shell found by her mother. So a fitting cover for
a very enjoyable story.
This
was my review of the book for The Book Bag Reviews.
Hilary
Hawkes
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