Sophie Someone
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award.
A remarkable tale of confusion and betrayal - and a very special girl called Sophie.
'Some stories are hard to tell.
Even to your very best friend.
And some words are hard to get out of your mouth. Because they spell out secrets that are too huge to be spoken out loud.
But if you bottle them up, you might burst.
So here's my story. Told the only way I dare tell it.'
Sophie Nieuwenleven is sort of English and sort of Belgian. Sophie and her family came to live in Belgium when she was only four or five years old, but she's fourteen now and has never been quite sure why they left England in the first place. Then, one day, Sophie makes a startling discovery. Finally Sophie can unlock the mystery of who she really is. This is a story about identity and confusion - and feeling so utterly freaked out that you just can't put it into words. But it's also about hope. And the belief that, somehow, everything will work out OK.
SOPHIE SOMEONE is a tale of well-intentioned but stupid parenting, shock, acceptance and, ultimately, forgiveness, written in a brave, memorable and unique language all of its own.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
To help her unravel the mystery of her true identity, the narrator of this engrossing coming-of-age story ("Told the only way I dare tell it") creates her own language, substituting words and changing font size and typeset for dramatic emphasis. While this initially demands focused attention, readers will soon get a handle on translating what she's saying: "Lifting my phoenix to my eel, I crossed my flamingoes and waited," notes Sophie, describing making a phone call. In sections labeled "Sophie Shell-Shocked," "Sophie Nobody," "Sophie Sherlock," and "Sophie Pratt," the 14-year-old recounts several key childhood memories, including an escape from England to Brussels, the destruction of passports, gaining a new noodle (name), and discovering that she lacks a birth certificate. Long (Being a Girl) creates intrigue as she plays with themes of language and communication, as when Sophie's father denies he speaks English, Sophie makes surprising discoveries on Faxbucket (Facebook), and her mother channels her frustrations by blaring rap music. Readers who embrace Sophie's eccentric narrative will be rewarded with revelations about the cost of deceit and the healing power of honesty. Ages 12 up.