Toffee – sweet & hard

“I like the idea of being

sweet and hard

a girl with a name for people

to chew on.

 

A girl who could break teeth.” Toffee.

When Allison flees from home and seeks refuge in a shed (in what she thinks is an abandoned home) her life takes an unexpected turn. The home is where Marla lives – an elderly woman, lonely, confused and neglected by her family.

Written as a verse novel, ‘Toffee’ (by Sarah Crossan) is physically easy to read, but somewhat hard to deal with – it raises issues about family violence and elder abuse/neglect. However, each of these is slowly and softly revealed, as we learn about Allison’s family situation and her feelings about those she left behind. There are also parallel revelations about Marla’s family.

Gradually Allison becomes ‘Toffee’, gaining a feeling of safety. She is slowly accepted in Marla’s home, as Marla thinks she is her friend from the past. For Allison, a new identity and friendship are welcome; especially given the comforts of Marla’s home, where her father’s ways can be forgotten.

Along the way, Crossan shows the complications of life for both Allison and Marla…

Allison longs to have a normal family life, and can’t understand what tips her father’s moods. Is she to blame? Should she be a better daughter?

Marla also longs for a happy family life, and the life she remembers from long ago. At times, she is forgetful and confused, which Allison/Toffee learns to manage.

What does it mean to be ‘family’? What are real friends meant to be like? Who can you trust? These are some of the ideas explored in ‘Toffee’, as Sarah Crossan* shows that not all family situations are reliably the same.

In this video, Sarah outlines why she likes to write verse novels like Toffee – made up of a “series of snapshots” for the reader, rather than the “film” version of a prose book.

*Other books by Sarah Crossan include ‘Apple & Rain’ and ‘The Weight of Water’

** Sarah Crossan is currently the Irish Children’s Laureate for 2018-2020.

 

What does family mean to you?

Do money and wealth lead to happiness?  (consider Lucy’s situation)

What do you really value in life?

Recommended 13+

Stranger than fiction?

Imagine having your water supply turned off at home? How would you react? What would you do to cope with a limited water supply?

If you read Neal Shusterman’s novel, Dry, you might get a few ideas. You might also fear that such a thing might actually happen!

It is not unusual to read articles in the news lately discussing the use of scarce resources – water being one of them. Some Australian farmers currently have issues with water allocation, as a result of the drought. Those in political authority endeavour to meter out a scarce resource.

This premise is the basis of the story of Dry – leading to the extreme situation where parts of California simply have their water supply cut off. After a period of guided rationing, the taps simply run dry. This is an extreme level of the Tap-Out.

How people react to and adapt to this is told through the eyes of several young people – brought together as they try to survive the consequences of a community without water…

When their parents fail to return from a drive to get water supplies for the family, Alyssa and her brother Garrett look for them, accompanied by their neighbour, Kelton. This is even though Alyssa is not totally comfortable with Kelton.

Kelton’s family thinks they are not at risk. They have prepared for such times and are able to live off-the-grid, self sufficient in food, energy and water supplies. Because of their survival actions, they are considered ‘odd’ by their community. However, as the water crisis continues, the McCrackens become of greater interest to the locals, but not in a positive way.

Dry is told using various voices – mainly those of Alyssa, Kelton, Henry and Jacqui. These are interspersed with comments from others viewing the unfolding water crisis – reporters, rescue workers and others. The young people in the story are not super heroes who develop extraordinary power to bring life back to normal, but those who respond in a way to keep it real and authentic, with sometimes interesting results.

The Shustermans (father and son, Neal and Jarrod) give the reader lots to think about – when water management IS becoming difficult, towns ARE threatened with limited supplies, and even citizens of developed countries are CHALLENGED to seriously consider how they use natural resources. Living in California, they came up with the idea for Dry having seen and experienced the tragic consequences of local drought and bushfire, and other natural disasters across the globe:

“In California, we are constantly dealing with drought, and the possibility of the state running out of water has become frighteningly close. So that got us thinking about what could happen if so many millions of people were struggling to survive without water.” Source: Fiction Frighteningly Reflects Fact in ‘Dry’

Reflecting on the consequences of our taps being turned off – i.e. no running water supply, is an awkward place to be after reading Dry, but not one we should shirk. Recommended for all – read it before the movie comes out!

# What do you think you would need to do if your regular water supply was cut off?

## What would be the first thing you would do? 

### How might your local community change? be impacted? react? Is Dry realistic about this?

We See Everything

Two young men. Two families. Living in the chaotic, dysfunctional city that was once London. What hopes and aspirations can they have?

In We See Everything, we experience the pangs of youth – needing acceptance, understanding and love. As Lex and Alan move about in different circles of life, they both look for these things – from their family or their work. But in some ways their lives are in-sync.

Though they will never meet, Alan has a perception of Lex’s life, lived on the edge on the Strip – “the overcrowded, bombed-shell of London.” He views Lex’s comings and goings incidentally, while surveilling the movements of Lex’s Dad, #K622 (through his work as a drone pilot).

Lex is aware of the surveillance drones which buzz the city streets, but seems to have become accepting of them, and tries his hand at testing the limits of his freedom – just to feel alive. Growing older, he begins to sense his father keeps secrets from him; but getting older, he takes on the challenges (duties?) his father begins to place before him. Will he meet these challenges? And what could the consequences be if he doesn’t?

We See Everything, told from 2 different points of view, is a thriller which will have you guessing, feeling the angst of the players, and considering the possibilities for those involved. Some twists and turns make it a thought-provoking read as you ponder the impact of technology and its role in depersonalising the tasks people are sometimes called on to perform.

Both Lex and Alan seek love and attention from their family. What conflicts exist? Do you feel they are resolved in the end?

Whose life would you choose to lead in this tale?

Short stories anyone? That Stubborn Seed of Hope

In the busyness of life, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to dedicate to a whole novel. With schoolwork, sport and other activities, time to read has fallen aside. And if you find reading hard, keeping track of a storyline can be difficult. Why not try a short story or two?

Always on the lookout for short stories to add to the library collection? This collection, ‘That Stubborn Seed of Hope’, will “take you on a nail-biting journey through your worst nightmares” – or so the blurb tells you. Indeed, it is a great collection, which you can dip in and out of, choose which ones you want to read, and then spend some time pondering how you are feeling afterwards…

  • What does it feel like to think you are a 17-year-old mistakenly trapped in an 80-year old’s body?
  • What if you lived in a world where physical contact was prohibited due to a virus (would you risk a kiss?)?
  • How do you cope with a brother’s vegetative existence after a major accident, for which you have some aspect of guilt?

These are a few of the issues which author, Brian Falkner, tackles in his collection of 10 short stories:

…stories of fear, heartbreak and tragedy, but also… stories of endurance, of coping and overcoming.

Brian Falkner also encourages the writer. At the end of this book, he includes a section outlining what inspired/directed each story. Thoughts for aspiring writers, if you wish to look beyond the stories. There is also advice for young writers on his website.

What other short story collections have you enjoyed? Any you would recommend?

Will well-written short stories help to engage time-poor readers?

Discovery: Letter to my Teenage Self

Subtitle: Outstanding Australians share the advice they wish they’d been given growing up. (2016)

This book was pulled together (i.e. edited and published) by Grace Halpen when she was 15 and in year 10 at a school in Melbourne. Having written her own ‘Letter to my Teenage Self’, she was then inspired to gather letters from well-known adult Australians in various fields of experience.

Writers include sportspeople, performers, writers, politicians, researchers, entrepreneurs and more.

Adam Gilchrist advises his younger self to learn a musical instrument; Josh Frydenberg sends the  message that persistence pays off; Layne Beachley warns against comparing yourself to others – “Always believe you are deserving of love and you are enough, just the way you are.”

Many of the contributors point out that we all make mistakes – but this is how we learn. Respect for others is also a common theme. Recognising the support you can get from parents and friends, who have your best interest at heart, is not always obvious to teenagers – another common idea expressed by many.

Some try to help their younger self understand and get through bullying episodes – reflecting back and now being able to raise their heads triumphantly in a successful career – and wondering how their bully fared in life. (e.g. Missy Higgins, Judith Lucy). Others suggest that teens not take themselves too seriously (“Guess what? No one is watching your every move” – James O’Loghlin), and “try to be a little less arrogant” (Sir Gustav Nossal).

As well as these sentiments, there is a lot of encouragement to ‘be yourself and be courageous in following your dreams’. This is in spite of the angst many remember – angst about fitting in, body changes and all that is involved in the journey through the teenage years.

Discovering who you are in the teenage years is a challenging time. Many of these letters will speak to the heart of both teenagers and adults alike. Thank you to Grace and her willing mentors – this is a fantastic collection well worth dipping into.

Read about Grace’s editorial journey here.

Other contributors include Guy Sebastian, Peter Alexander, Jackie French, Dannii Minogue, Shaun Tan, Stephanie Rice, Maggie Beer and many more. (I only wish there was an index or table of contents which listed the letters of the 53 prominent Australians!)

# The edition I read was a Dyslexia Friendly book – obtained from Blue Mountains Council Library. These books have a special font and layout to help alleviate some of the issues experienced by readers with dyslexia.

## It is also available as an ebook from various sources.

### Another bonus from this book, is the fact that all profits from the sale of the book go to the Reach Foundation, which works to “inspire young people to believe in themselves and get the most out of life.”

What would you like to tell your younger self?

Worse than school?

“There are lots of things worse than school.”

This comment, made by Charlotte, begins an argument between her and Luke’s best mate, Blake; on a day they decide to skip school. It later becomes something Luke ponders more deeply, as he gets to know Charlotte a little better.

In usual Steven Herrick style, ‘the Bogan Mondrian’ is told in a clear, waste-no-words fashion.

Luke and his friends are relatable characters – teens biding their time at school, but preferring to spend a more casual existence away from school. As regular visitors to the principal’s office for truanting and cheekiness, they are nonetheless likeable.

Luke is still coming to grips with life after his father’s premature death from cancer. Charlotte has recently enrolled in the local public high school he attends, though she is clearly from a wealthy background and could attend a costly private school. Even though they live in contrasting worlds of wealth, their friendship evolves as they work through their own personal issues, and occasionally gain support from each other.

That said, it is not always an easy relationship, with aggression and flareups often arising. Luke is uneasy about Charlotte’s homelife, and Charlotte is not very willing to be open and honest with everyone – under attack and often quite aggressive herself.

Other characters woven into the story provide interesting levels of support for Luke, in the absence of his father. Rodney, a petty local criminal, gives Luke a few pointers/things to think about at times, and later in the story, tools for action. Neighbour, Mr Rosetti, also provides advice and amusing banter each time they cross paths. Even Buster (the local mutt that Luke adopts for his walks) has a important place in grounding Luke’s emotions throughout the story.

For Blue Mountains readers, there will be places and names you may well enjoy recognising. On the other hand, you may have to allow poetic licence to Herrick as he tells his tale – with the cultural divide north and south of the highway a bit irksome, and the efforts of the Mr Pakula, the school principal, (seeking out truants himself) a bit questionable. But still the story must be told.

You will find that there are worse things than school; things sadly that some young people face daily. Herrick’s fictional youth tackle these the best way they can – though not always with glowing success. Lots of food for thought and highly recommended reading.

# Those who wonder about the title and cover design can find information on Mondrian here.

## More importantly, after you have finished ‘the Bogan Mondrian’, you can read here the reasons why Steven Herrick wrote this book.

### Shortlisted for CBCA Older Readers 2019.

Obsession or escape?

What do you know about dead things? How do they make you feel?

Charlotte (Lottie) seems oddly fixated on dead creatures – collecting them from her local neighbourhood in the hope of preserving them. Her interest extends to anything at school which alludes to preserving life, such as the embalming rituals of the Egyptian culture. Is there a reason for this?

Her Aunt Hilda (who cares for her, and her father, since the death of her mother) struggles to cope with Lottie’s obsession, calling it crazy and unhealthy. Thus she constantly tries to block Lottie’s collection and preservation attempts.

In his own grief, Lottie’s father also struggles. However, as a scientist, he supports her investigations – and encourages her scientific curiosity and interest in taxidermy.

In “The Art of Taxidermy”, death, grief and emotions are both raw and beautiful. Mix in a few elements from the past (an immigrant history) and cultural conflicts of the time (mid 60’s?) and you can understand the turmoil Charlotte/Lottie and her family experience.

As a verse novel, the reading flows easily. (If you haven’t tried a verse novel before, this is a good one to choose.) Australian readers will lap up the vivid and concise descriptions of all that Charlotte finds beautiful – dead or alive e.g.:

The corellas were grazing
with a scatter of galahs.
We sat on a fallen log
and watched them squabble and tussle,
beat their wings and waddle
like hook-nosed old men
with their arms tucked
behind their backs.

What some might struggle with is her fascination with ‘dead things’. But then, that may be the key to understanding the issues of dealing with premature death – from sickness, accidents and war – to intentionally make you uncomfortable. Through all these things, Sharon Kernot explores how we might feel in this wonderful, but heartbreaking verse novel. Don’t hesitate – read it – available from your school library – and in ebook version from other sources too!!

Have you read a verse novel in the past? Did you like it?

Don’t you love Kernot’s descriptions of the Australian countryside? Which part is your favourite?

Why do you think Aunt Hilda is so much against Lottie’s ”obsession”? Is it the right choice?

Note: this book is shortlisted for CBCA honours this year. Will it be a worthy winner?