This is the tale of two sisters...
who had no idea that everything was about to change...
***
The Blurb
Quiet Bea keeps her shoes polished, folds her clothes every night, and alphabetizes her books. Her rambunctious sister Min wears torn trousers and wades into ponds to collect frogspawn. Above all, Min is a storyteller who loves to chat with everyone. But one day she chokes, and the words forming in her mouth never make it out. Words suddenly feel dangerous, unwieldly. Min is no longer herself--not with some strange creature stealing her words, a creature not even her sister can see. But that doesn't matter, because Bea sees Min.
Award-winning author Maggie O'Farrell pulls from her own experiences with stammering to create a realistic portrait of shaken self-confidence and how sharing painful situations with a loved one can make all the difference. Featuring expressive and detailed illustrations from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, this book will speak to readers who have ever lost a part of themselves--and found something new in return.
My Review
I am a big fan of Maggie O'Farrell and so I was delighted when this book appeared on my doormat.
It is the story of two very different sisters. Bea is quiet and likes order in her life. Min is boisterous and leaves chaos in her wake. One day Min suddenly develops a stammer and struggles with speaking her words. Whilst looking in the mirror she detects a wispy shape over her shoulder which is actually stealing the words as she tries to speak them.
They are both lovely characters and children will be able to identify with one or other of the sisters. I could really feel Min's frustration flow from the page. I loved the way the two girls come together to try to find a solution. When Bea takes Min to the library to research it, they discover the cause might be a dibbuk and this helps Min feel less alone.
This is a charming book which has been beautifully illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. The wonderful pictures support the text extremely well which makes this accessible to a large age range. Whilst it is aimed at confident readers, I could well imagine younger children poring over the illustrations and taking away the gist of the story solely on that.
In my opinion this book should be in every primary school library. It would be a fantastic aid to discussing differences.
It is full of charm and I highly recommend it.
I have previously read several of Maggie O'Farrell's books, The Hand That First Held Mine, Hamnet, I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and After You'd Gone.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1536239102
Publisher: Walker Books
Formats: Hardback
No. of Pages: 72 (hardback)
Preorder Links
About the Author
Maggie O’Farrell, FRSOL, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU’D GONE, MY LOVER’S LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE and THIS MUST BE THE PLACE., and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. She is also the author of two books for children, WHERE SNOW ANGELS GO and THE BOY WHO LOST HIS SPARK. She lives in Edinburgh.
There is a very interesting article about Maggie and why she wrote this book at
About the Illustrator
Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini joined The Artworks in 2005 and has been going from strength to strength. She first studied Fine Art in Milan. Inspired and encouraged greatly by the accomplished painter Claudio Olivieri, Daniela’s technique portrays mixed media, collage and sometimes computer-generated design.
Daniela moved to London from Italy in 1999 to study photography at The London College of Printing. She has managed to split her illustration work into two distinctive and equally successful styles of detailed paintings and graphic surface patterns. Since beginning her career as an illustrator with The Artworks, Daniela has worked extensively in many areas. The contemporary take on classic style has allowed Daniela to take on some very challenging picture books. “The Seeing Stick” published by Running Press and “The Animals Marco Polo Saw” published by Chronicle have attracted much industry acclaim.
You can learn more about Daniela at
(book courtesy of Walker Books)
(author media courtesy of the publisher Hachette)
(illustrator media courtesy of The Art Works)
(all opinions are my own)
(bookshop.org affiliated)
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