Wild Girl, Wild Boy: A Play |
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David Almond
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Pages: 93 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0340854316
Pub: Hodder Children's Books
Pub date: 2002-03-14
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 305911
Reader Reviews:
A quick read - but so much in it! (4/4 people found this helpful)
I stumbled across this play when browsing through ‘teenage fiction', and having enjoyed 'Skellig' and 'Kit’s Wilderness' I decided to give it a whirl. It is wonderful! It tells the story of Elaine Grew, described in the blurb as ‘a brave and troubled young soul’. Her dad has died and Elaine finds it hard to cope. They always spent lots of time together on his allotment, crawling through the grass like snakes and working spells on spiders. Elaine’s dad also showed her how to grow fairies, but during his lifetime their spells were never successful. Now he’s gone though, Elaine is certain she can grow herself a playmate – and one day her magic starts to work.
The exploration of this young girl’s grief is incredibly moving, but sensitively dealt with by Almond. We see her relationship with her mother deteriorating but then witness how they both work to rebuild their trust in each other.
There are some wonderful moments when a ‘chorus of voices’ discuss Elaine’s behaviour. They range from gossips (‘She’s crackers of course’) to professionals (‘Elaine has not yet achieved a score in our current method of assessment’) and although the voices are not given identities, it is clear from their comments who they are, and why they are interested in this young girl.
There is also a very insightful ‘Afterword’ by Almond himself, which offers a valuable peek into the thought process of a playwright. He discusses the differences in writing a play, compared to a novel. He also offers reflections on his own childhood, and how they are incorporated into this play.
I would recommend this to almost anyone who is, or has been, a teenager. My teenage days are well and truly over, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's quick to read, but filled with laughter, anger, tears and fantasy. Well worth a look.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Ages 12-16 -> Authors -> Almond, David
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Fiction -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Young Adult -> General AAS
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
Books -> Refinements -> Condition (condition-type)