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apple287's reviews
6 reviews
A Different Dog by Paul Jennings
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I have a son who is 4.5 years old and was diagnosed with Selective Mutism at age 3.
In an attempt to search for any books (non-fiction, fiction and reference) I typed in 'selective mutism' into my local library's database. A few options came up, no reference/text books, but mainly adult novels with traumatic mutism themes (traumatic mutism generally happens when a person experiences a significant event that is very distressing for them, such as a car accident, sudden death of a loved one, witnessing an event). My son has a different type of Selective Mutism; it is classified as an anxiety disorder whereby the body/mind 'selects' what environments, situations and circumstances he is mute. An outsider who doesn't know about this disorder in a person may decode their behaviour as shy, quiet, defiant, anti-social as some people with SM don't like to give eye contact, may turn away from the person as a 'safety' and protective mechanism.
So, I was joyful when I found a Paul Jennings book that was tagged as having 'selective mutism themes'. I read it first by myself and have decided that I'm not ready to read it to my 4 year old, mainly due to the explicit reference to the death of the dog and the car accident. At this point in his development, these are heavy topics that would probably bring on some nightmares and night terrors for him.
What I did really like about this book though, and will be beneficial (I hope) for my son in the future, is how the boy describes what he feels and experiences in the situations where he asked a question or talked to by others. It seems that he communicates that he wants to talk and verbalise, but his words are 'stuck'.
"You can't be what you can't see" and so my hope is that in the future, when I feel my son might be ready to deal with the other themes of the book, he can identify with the main character, the character's descriptions of his 'stuck' words / thoughts / feelings and frustrations of his body and mind not allowing him to communicate in a way that he wants to. I want my son to be ok with who he is, as I just know that certain aspects of his life are going to be challenging in the future (i.e. social situations) as he (and his parents) help him to navigate life with strategies to support him and encourage him to share his brilliance in a way that he feels great and contributes to his world.
In an attempt to search for any books (non-fiction, fiction and reference) I typed in 'selective mutism' into my local library's database. A few options came up, no reference/text books, but mainly adult novels with traumatic mutism themes (traumatic mutism generally happens when a person experiences a significant event that is very distressing for them, such as a car accident, sudden death of a loved one, witnessing an event). My son has a different type of Selective Mutism; it is classified as an anxiety disorder whereby the body/mind 'selects' what environments, situations and circumstances he is mute. An outsider who doesn't know about this disorder in a person may decode their behaviour as shy, quiet, defiant, anti-social as some people with SM don't like to give eye contact, may turn away from the person as a 'safety' and protective mechanism.
So, I was joyful when I found a Paul Jennings book that was tagged as having 'selective mutism themes'. I read it first by myself and have decided that I'm not ready to read it to my 4 year old, mainly due to the explicit reference to the death of the dog and the car accident. At this point in his development, these are heavy topics that would probably bring on some nightmares and night terrors for him.
What I did really like about this book though, and will be beneficial (I hope) for my son in the future, is how the boy describes what he feels and experiences in the situations where he asked a question or talked to by others. It seems that he communicates that he wants to talk and verbalise, but his words are 'stuck'.
"You can't be what you can't see" and so my hope is that in the future, when I feel my son might be ready to deal with the other themes of the book, he can identify with the main character, the character's descriptions of his 'stuck' words / thoughts / feelings and frustrations of his body and mind not allowing him to communicate in a way that he wants to. I want my son to be ok with who he is, as I just know that certain aspects of his life are going to be challenging in the future (i.e. social situations) as he (and his parents) help him to navigate life with strategies to support him and encourage him to share his brilliance in a way that he feels great and contributes to his world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Car accident
Burn by Melanie Saward
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Burn is a fantastic read.
I'm an ex-teacher and can see the value of including this as a text to explore in the senior school - Year 10 and older. However, I do appreciate other reviewer's comments about including this text in the school curriculum, whereby it may 'ruin' the ability for some readers to connect with the incredible messages when they don't choose to read this text themselves.
The very last part of the book brings in the indigenous perspectives, lore and cultural aspects. This includes Aunties, Uncles, the importance of connection to country and how intergenerational trauma affects many people today. I don't identify as indigenous, however I'm always curious and seek to have an appreciation of how their cultural, country and family systems and lores work. I always strive to do this with authenticity, respect and with the aim of appreciation, however, like many, I find it tricky as I am very aware of not disrespecting or bring sub-conscious bias to my questions.
I'm an ex-teacher and can see the value of including this as a text to explore in the senior school - Year 10 and older. However, I do appreciate other reviewer's comments about including this text in the school curriculum, whereby it may 'ruin' the ability for some readers to connect with the incredible messages when they don't choose to read this text themselves.
The very last part of the book brings in the indigenous perspectives, lore and cultural aspects. This includes Aunties, Uncles, the importance of connection to country and how intergenerational trauma affects many people today. I don't identify as indigenous, however I'm always curious and seek to have an appreciation of how their cultural, country and family systems and lores work. I always strive to do this with authenticity, respect and with the aim of appreciation, however, like many, I find it tricky as I am very aware of not disrespecting or bring sub-conscious bias to my questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Alcohol, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Racism, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, and Drug use
Horrendo's Curse by Kim Gamble, Anna Fienberg
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I read this book to my young son, mainly as it's a pirate book which he is into at the moment, but also so he could hear what reading a chapter book sounds like (he is pre-prep).
I found it quite boring, however willing to give it another go when he's older
I found it quite boring, however willing to give it another go when he's older
My Brother's Name is Jessica by John Boyne
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Chapter 2 - WOW! Mum and Dad are completely in denial and their vocabulary and language just explodes from here. It's kind of like a car crash - you know you shouldn't look or watch but you can't help it.
For me, this book validates all of my thoughts and ideologies about the way I have already and want to in the future parent my child. To always be available, have open and honest conversations, guide him to discover things for himself and to truely be want he wants to be. Most of all, I want him to know that he is loved absolutely unconditionally.
Gender discrimination surrounding women, mothers, ideologies on parenting (approx. page 224 in my edition of the print book):
"Even those newspapers who were supportive of my brother Jason still found small ways to blame Mum, as if her being ambitious and having a career somehow meant that she should be held responsible." (...for the 'issues' experienced by her first-born child).
"The strange thing was that it didn't matter who wrote the column - a man or a woman - the line was always the same. That Mum was at fault and Dad was a weakling because he was Mum's private secretary. That if she'd stayed at home all these years and made a few shepherd's pies, then everything would have turned out differently."
Let's spearhead this stigma and allow women to live out their ambitious careers.
For me, this book validates all of my thoughts and ideologies about the way I have already and want to in the future parent my child. To always be available, have open and honest conversations, guide him to discover things for himself and to truely be want he wants to be. Most of all, I want him to know that he is loved absolutely unconditionally.
Gender discrimination surrounding women, mothers, ideologies on parenting (approx. page 224 in my edition of the print book):
"Even those newspapers who were supportive of my brother Jason still found small ways to blame Mum, as if her being ambitious and having a career somehow meant that she should be held responsible." (...for the 'issues' experienced by her first-born child).
"The strange thing was that it didn't matter who wrote the column - a man or a woman - the line was always the same. That Mum was at fault and Dad was a weakling because he was Mum's private secretary. That if she'd stayed at home all these years and made a few shepherd's pies, then everything would have turned out differently."
Let's spearhead this stigma and allow women to live out their ambitious careers.
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
I love Jon Klassen's illustrations. He's one of those author-illustrators who you look at and he's immediately identifiable.
Jon's stories for readers 10+ tend to be very quirky and a little scary. I am always intrigued by him. I wouldn't read this one to my 4 year old as he has a very active and imaginative mind at the moment, and I don't think I'm ready to deal with the possible nightmares he might experience. I will attempt this with him in a few years though, purely because I believe all humans should experience a wide range of literature and Jon has proven to be diverse from the mainstream.
Jon's stories for readers 10+ tend to be very quirky and a little scary. I am always intrigued by him. I wouldn't read this one to my 4 year old as he has a very active and imaginative mind at the moment, and I don't think I'm ready to deal with the possible nightmares he might experience. I will attempt this with him in a few years though, purely because I believe all humans should experience a wide range of literature and Jon has proven to be diverse from the mainstream.
Content Warnings
Minor: Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Stasiland by Anna Funder
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
I found this book fascinating for two main reasons:
1. It's an excellent way to learn how the whole East and West Berliners and German society operated when the wall was in tact, and also for the years immediately after the fall of the wall.
2. Anna Funder's writing kept me curious the entire way through. It wasn't until half way through the book that I realised that she is actually a 'real' journalist (this makes me sound ignorant, it's hard to articulate). Her style is such that I haven't experienced from other hard-core journos who write their memoirs. She has a softer, more personal approach. I think just read this book and hopefully you will appreciate what I'm trying to say. Overall, this is a great big thumbs up as I really enjoyed her tactful approach of scribing real peoples' experiences of this period.
1. It's an excellent way to learn how the whole East and West Berliners and German society operated when the wall was in tact, and also for the years immediately after the fall of the wall.
2. Anna Funder's writing kept me curious the entire way through. It wasn't until half way through the book that I realised that she is actually a 'real' journalist (this makes me sound ignorant, it's hard to articulate). Her style is such that I haven't experienced from other hard-core journos who write their memoirs. She has a softer, more personal approach. I think just read this book and hopefully you will appreciate what I'm trying to say. Overall, this is a great big thumbs up as I really enjoyed her tactful approach of scribing real peoples' experiences of this period.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Police brutality
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