If This Were a Story
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- €12.99
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- €12.99
Publisher Description
“An imaginative debut.” —Booklist
“Hannah’s growth is organic and well earned.” —Publishers Weekly
In the tradition of Crenshaw and The Thing About Jellyfish, ten-year-old Hannah copes with the bullies at school and troubles at home through the power of stories in this sweet and sincere debut.
Tenacious. That means strong-willed. My mother calls me that.
I wish I felt the same way.
If this were a story, I would discover I was a direct descendent of a famous soldier who won countless battles and protected hundreds of people. This resilience running through my veins wouldn’t be damaged by the notes; it would fight off bullies and prevent my parents from yelling at each other.
But this is not a story. This is real life. My life as ten-year-old Hannah Geller, who is the only girl in fifth grade to have little red bumps on her face, is unable to let the sad thoughts escape her mind, and leaves heads-up pennies wherever she can to spread good luck.
And who also finds magic in the most unlikely of places.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hannah keeps her feelings bottled up tight, but after she finds a note saying "Nobody likes Hannah" in her fifth grade classroom, her stuffed elephant, Ambrose, starts speaking to her, and she begins a slow journey toward opening up. Hannah is sent to the school counselor, whose official write-ups of their meetings appear along with Ambrose's observations throughout the story (hints of a traumatic event in Hannah's family may hold the key to her emotional block). More bullying notes appear, causing a rift between Hannah and one of her best friends as well as escalating tension with the class bully, Kimmy. But all is not as it seems, and everyone has a story in this vibrant debut that leads to a twist readers won't see coming. Turley deftly conveys how much it costs Hannah to hide her feelings, walling her off from loved ones. The Kimmy subplot may conclude too easily, but Hannah's growth is organic and well earned. Ages 8 12.
