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When the Stammer Came to Stay
The author of Hamnet explores sisterly affection and what it means to rediscover your voice—and yourself—in this illustrated storybook.
This is the tale of two sisters . . .
who had no idea that everything was about to change.
Quiet Bea keeps her shoes polished, folds her clothes every night, and alphabetizes her books. Her rambunctious sister Min wears torn trousers and wades into ponds to collect frogspawn. Above all, Min is a storyteller who loves to chat with everyone. But one day she chokes, and the words forming in her mouth never make it out. Words suddenly feel dangerous, unwieldly. Min is no longer herself—not with some strange creature stealing her words, a creature not even her sister can see. But that doesn’t matter, because Bea sees Min. Award-winning author Maggie O’Farrell pulls from her own experiences with stammering to create a realistic portrait of shaken self-confidence and how sharing painful situations with a loved one can make all the difference. Featuring expressive and detailed illustrations from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, this book will speak to readers who have ever lost a part of themselves—and found something new in return.
This is the tale of two sisters . . .
who had no idea that everything was about to change.
Quiet Bea keeps her shoes polished, folds her clothes every night, and alphabetizes her books. Her rambunctious sister Min wears torn trousers and wades into ponds to collect frogspawn. Above all, Min is a storyteller who loves to chat with everyone. But one day she chokes, and the words forming in her mouth never make it out. Words suddenly feel dangerous, unwieldly. Min is no longer herself—not with some strange creature stealing her words, a creature not even her sister can see. But that doesn’t matter, because Bea sees Min. Award-winning author Maggie O’Farrell pulls from her own experiences with stammering to create a realistic portrait of shaken self-confidence and how sharing painful situations with a loved one can make all the difference. Featuring expressive and detailed illustrations from Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, this book will speak to readers who have ever lost a part of themselves—and found something new in return.
72 pages, Hardcover
Published December 10, 2024
2 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Maggie O'Farrell
42 books16k followersMaggie O'Farrell (born 1972, Coleraine Northern Ireland) is a British author of contemporary fiction, who features in Waterstones' 25 Authors for the Future. It is possible to identify several common themes in her novels - the relationship between sisters is one, another is loss and the psychological impact of those losses on the lives of her characters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 21, 2024
’This is a tale of two sisters…who had no idea that everything was about to change.’
Bea was a child who liked to keep herself neat and tidy, and she would fold her clothes each night. She liked everything kept neat and tidy, and she wanted everything to smell clean and fresh, but the thing she enjoyed most of all was arranging her books in alphabetical order.
Min, on the other hand, was a very different child from her sister. She could have cared less about keeping things neat and tidy. Her pants were torn at her knees, one of her favourite things to do was to wade in the frog pond, but her most favourite thing was to talk. Her sister Min was a bit of a wild child who loved to talk about pretty much anything and everything.
Bea had her routine which she enjoyed, but she was much better with listening than she was with talking. Which suited both just fine.
When people would comment on how different they were, they didn’t care, they already knew how much they cared for each other. After all, they were sisters, although their room was divided by a roll of tape, which, of course, was Bea’s doing.
One night the family and some lodgers were gathered together playing a game, and their mother’s turn was next, and Min, who was ready to continue sharing her story with her mother, could only manage to get out S-S-s-s.
That night, Min couldn’t sleep, trying to find a way to make another sound. She hoped that when morning came, all would be well, but it wasn’t. No one seemed to notice - until a friend asked her why she was being so quiet, and she tried to answer but what came out of her mouth weren’t so much words as noise, so she ran and hid. She was washing her hands when she looked in the mirror and saw a strange shape hovering over her. Sure that whatever it was, this shape shifting creature was responsible for her lack of speech, Min tried to tell her to leave her alone, but there was no response. The creature remained.
Bea takes her to the library, because, obviously, a library has all the answers. It’s there that she realizes that she isn’t alone.
A story with charm, of sisterhood, and an ode to libraries and the librarians.
Pub Date: 10 Dec 2024
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Candlewick Press/Walker Books US
March 21, 2025
When The Stammer Came To Stay is a book for young readers by award-winning, best-selling British author, Maggie O’Farrell. Sisters Bea and Min share the attic of their family’s home, which also houses a number of interesting lodgers. Bea is very tidy and organised; Min’s space is much more chaotic; Bea loves to sit quietly and read; Min never stops chatting.
Until, one day, Min’s words disappear before she can say them. When she wakes the next morning, her words aren’t back: she can’t get past the start of them. Even if she practices in her head, they get stuck when she tries to say them. This is scary: if she can’t chat, who is she? Not the Min everyone knows…
In the mirror, she catches sight of something, a creature which is stealing her words. Noisy Min is suddenly quiet, and it’s Bea who first notices, who comforts her, who suggests she write it down. It’s Bea who sees the creature, Bea who involves the grown-ups, even if their suggestions don’t help much.
Bea has another clever idea that helps, and finds clever people with interesting ideas that might help. And it’s Bea who generously points out her own faults, so that Min is not alone in facing a problem.
A delightful, moving tale about the bond between sisters, about kindness, and living with a stammer, that clearly comes from the author’s personal experience, and once again proves that Maggie O’Farrell has more than one string to her literary bow. Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini enhances the text with gorgeous, wonderfully detailed illustrations. Superb.
Until, one day, Min’s words disappear before she can say them. When she wakes the next morning, her words aren’t back: she can’t get past the start of them. Even if she practices in her head, they get stuck when she tries to say them. This is scary: if she can’t chat, who is she? Not the Min everyone knows…
In the mirror, she catches sight of something, a creature which is stealing her words. Noisy Min is suddenly quiet, and it’s Bea who first notices, who comforts her, who suggests she write it down. It’s Bea who sees the creature, Bea who involves the grown-ups, even if their suggestions don’t help much.
Bea has another clever idea that helps, and finds clever people with interesting ideas that might help. And it’s Bea who generously points out her own faults, so that Min is not alone in facing a problem.
A delightful, moving tale about the bond between sisters, about kindness, and living with a stammer, that clearly comes from the author’s personal experience, and once again proves that Maggie O’Farrell has more than one string to her literary bow. Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini enhances the text with gorgeous, wonderfully detailed illustrations. Superb.
March 31, 2025
This is actually O’Farrell’s third children’s book, after Where Snow Angels Go (2020) and The Boy Who Lost His Spark (2022). All are illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, who has a richly colourful and slightly old-fashioned style; she makes kids look as dignified as adults. The books are intended for slightly older children in that they’re on the longer side, have more words than pictures, and are more serious than average. They all weave in gentle magic as a way of understanding and coping with illness, a mental health challenge, or a disability.
For me, When the Stammer Came to Stay was a perfect follow-on to my reread of I Am, I Am, I Am because it, too, draws on O’Farrell’s personal struggles. It’s the fable-like story of two sisters, Bea and Min, who share an attic room. The one is perfectly tidy; the other is a messy tomboy. When the stammer, pictured as a blob of silver ectoplasm above the shoulder, starts stealing Min’s words, they gather advice from their parents and the lodgers about how she can accept her new reality instead of fighting it or closing herself off by not speaking at all. The mycologist’s symbiosis metaphor is perhaps a bit too neat, but it contrasts with the impish connotations of the dibbuk, another useful parallel the girls discover. With this I’ve now read O’Farrell’s complete published works!
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
For me, When the Stammer Came to Stay was a perfect follow-on to my reread of I Am, I Am, I Am because it, too, draws on O’Farrell’s personal struggles. It’s the fable-like story of two sisters, Bea and Min, who share an attic room. The one is perfectly tidy; the other is a messy tomboy. When the stammer, pictured as a blob of silver ectoplasm above the shoulder, starts stealing Min’s words, they gather advice from their parents and the lodgers about how she can accept her new reality instead of fighting it or closing herself off by not speaking at all. The mycologist’s symbiosis metaphor is perhaps a bit too neat, but it contrasts with the impish connotations of the dibbuk, another useful parallel the girls discover. With this I’ve now read O’Farrell’s complete published works!
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
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May 29, 2025This is beautifully illustrated and wonderfully personal—I think it could be a fantastic jumping off point for conversations about what’s helpful/unhelpful from adults and peers and imagining how one can personify their stutter in order to understand and even befriend it
January 22, 2025
This is a children's book about growing up with a speech disorder.
The story follows two sisters: Bea, who’s neat and organized, and Min, a total chatterbox. But then, out of nowhere, Min starts stammering. O’Farrell takes you right into Min’s head, and it’s so real and heartfelt. You can tell she’s writing from personal experience because everything feels so genuine.
However, this isn’t just a book about stammering. It’s about figuring out who you are when life changes and learning that sometimes it’s okay to take your time to find the right words. I also appreciated how the book emphasizes empathy and support.
The best part for me was Bea and Min’s relationship. Their bond is so sweet! Bea’s unwavering support for Min shows the importance of understanding and patience when a loved one is facing challenges. It’s a gentle reminder that, with love and support, we can navigate even the most unexpected hurdles.
One of the toughest things Min experiences in The Stammer Came to Stay is when people start trying to "help" her. Maggie O’Farrell highlights how these well-meaning interventions often don’t work and can even make things harder for someone navigating a speech disorder.
The story follows two sisters: Bea, who’s neat and organized, and Min, a total chatterbox. But then, out of nowhere, Min starts stammering. O’Farrell takes you right into Min’s head, and it’s so real and heartfelt. You can tell she’s writing from personal experience because everything feels so genuine.
However, this isn’t just a book about stammering. It’s about figuring out who you are when life changes and learning that sometimes it’s okay to take your time to find the right words. I also appreciated how the book emphasizes empathy and support.
The best part for me was Bea and Min’s relationship. Their bond is so sweet! Bea’s unwavering support for Min shows the importance of understanding and patience when a loved one is facing challenges. It’s a gentle reminder that, with love and support, we can navigate even the most unexpected hurdles.
One of the toughest things Min experiences in The Stammer Came to Stay is when people start trying to "help" her. Maggie O’Farrell highlights how these well-meaning interventions often don’t work and can even make things harder for someone navigating a speech disorder.
"If anyone’s listening and they have a stammerer in their life, please don’t try to finish their sentences, please don’t try to second guess what they are going to say or try and supply the words."
August 15, 2025
This a a decent story for a specific audience, but I don’t think it appeals to the broad public. This is a bedtime story told to include the listeners in the tale. Sweet, but not for every audience.
February 4, 2025
I didn’t know this author had written children’s books also. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful! A story told very well.
January 1, 2025
2.5 stars A sweet book for kids, especially those with a stammer or OCD
January 31, 2025
Bea and Min are two sisters who couldn't be more different. Bea loves everything to be organized and in order and her favorite activity is reading. Min thrives in a messy environment and prefers to tell her own stories than to read them. They grew up in the same house for so long, but one day, a new development changes everything. Min loses her ability to talk. It's like the words get stuck and a monster placed a curse on her. Instead of trying to get help, Min hides her stammer out of embarrassment, unsure what's going on with her. Eventually, it's Bea who shows her the light and helps her out of the dark place she stumbles into. Because unfortunately, the stammer is here to stay.
WHEN THE STAMMER CAME TO STAY is a children's book that's full of sibling love and brings awareness to disabilities, such as stammers. It addresses self-esteem and highlights the impact disabilities can place on children. The illustrations are gorgeous with the attention to detail and I love the vertical spread of the house they live in. My favorite part of the illustrations is the emphasis on the stammer and how the illustrator makes it come to life like it's a tangible thing. Because that's how Min sees it since it's the only thing that makes sense to her. I love how Bea is supportive of Min and gets right to the grind of reading to find any way to help her overcome the stammer.
Final Verdict: I would recommend this to children aged six and older who are in school settings. It's a great resource for those who may struggle with a disability because it's a way to see they aren't alone. It's also a great way to bring awareness to other children.
WHEN THE STAMMER CAME TO STAY is a children's book that's full of sibling love and brings awareness to disabilities, such as stammers. It addresses self-esteem and highlights the impact disabilities can place on children. The illustrations are gorgeous with the attention to detail and I love the vertical spread of the house they live in. My favorite part of the illustrations is the emphasis on the stammer and how the illustrator makes it come to life like it's a tangible thing. Because that's how Min sees it since it's the only thing that makes sense to her. I love how Bea is supportive of Min and gets right to the grind of reading to find any way to help her overcome the stammer.
Final Verdict: I would recommend this to children aged six and older who are in school settings. It's a great resource for those who may struggle with a disability because it's a way to see they aren't alone. It's also a great way to bring awareness to other children.
January 27, 2025
When the stammer came to Stay, is extremely educational on something that no one talks about or has written about in a children’s fiction book. This educational novel, will help children to understand to be patient with someone who has a stammer or has a speaking problem. It will teach children listen to someone with a stammer, wait for them to finish what they are saying, never make them feel different, just treat them like you do to your family and friends. What children can learn from this story, that people don’t have labels on them with their disabilities, so being kind to others with a stammer will make them feel as ease, as have a stammer can affect anyone’s confidence, and some might even feel ashamed of it. This marvellous fiction novels should be in school libraries for children to learning about stammers. Min and Bea are sisters, with totally different personalities. Min is wild, chaotic and for ever chatting. Bea keeps her side of the bedroom they share organised and tidy. Heartbreakingly Min seems to talk one minute then her tongue locked and could only manage to stammer one single letter from the alphabet to answer anyone. Min believes that a monster on her shoulder is stealing her words. The only way to communicate better with her sister Bea is to write things down. And this is what Min writes. I can’t speak any more. There’s a thing that lives over my shoulder and it steals words from me. I highly recommend children and adults to read When The Stammer Came To Stay by the well loved children and adults author Maggie O’ Farrell.
November 28, 2024
Conocida por sus novelas con base histórica (“Hamnet”, “Retrato de Casada”), Maggie O’Farrell se encuentra experimentando con cuentos infantiles desde el año 2020. Este mes lanzó en Reino Unido “When the Stammer Came to Stay” (“Cuando el tartamudeo llegó para quedarse”), historia con tintes autobiográficos que por supuesto, tiene hermosas enseñanzas. Bea y Min son hermanas extremadamente distintas. Una tímida, la otra extrovertida. Una ordenada, la otra maestra del desorden. La vida de ambas era normal hasta que Min perdió la voz sin saber por qué. Cuestionándose si seguía siendo la misma persona, descubre una figura sobre sus hombros que la acompaña y le está robando sus palabras. Y acá la enseñanza. Este demonio invisible puede haber llegado para quedarse (si Min decide encerrarse y dejar de compartir), o podemos quitarle espacio si somos capaces de asumir nuestros problemas y a partir de ellos desarrollar nuevas habilidades y sentimientos.
“Maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe you should be open about it, claim it as your own. If you start to stammer with someone, don’t get embarrassed, but look them in the eye and say: I have a stammer. Don’t be ashamed of it. If you stop fighting it, you might find you can make peace with it. Be open about your stammer, on your creature, or your dibbuk, whatever you want to call it, and maybe you’ll find that it is something you can live alongside, after all”.
“Maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe you should be open about it, claim it as your own. If you start to stammer with someone, don’t get embarrassed, but look them in the eye and say: I have a stammer. Don’t be ashamed of it. If you stop fighting it, you might find you can make peace with it. Be open about your stammer, on your creature, or your dibbuk, whatever you want to call it, and maybe you’ll find that it is something you can live alongside, after all”.
January 31, 2025
Touching and helpful story about stammering.
Reading the afterword, the author herself has experienced a speech impediment and placed herself as the main character in this story. It's a really lovely look, sensitive and easy to access, at a stammer.
Two sisters share an attic room, one overly fussy and tidy, one devil-may-care and chatty. But Bea proves herself a good sister when Min begins to develop a stammer that takes over her life and changes her quickly from a lively chatterbox to a withdrawn girl afraid to open her mouth.
With the Stammer itself anthropomorphised into a grey little shoulder-dweller, this helps other children to relate and to understand what this might feel like. And despite all the adult attempts to help, it might not be any of them that really help. Having Bea open up about her own little demons and obsessions also helps Min. And through her other readers.
The illustrations are beautiful, very Helen Oxenbury-like in their gorgeous and nostalgic detail.
The story is very straightforward and isn't particularly 'girly' making this a good read for boys as well as girls. The fact it has basis in real experience also makes you confident as a parent or teacher that the author understands how to relay this content to listeners.
Very much enjoyed this, as well as the ending, looking into the sisters' futures. Lovely.
For schools and bedrooms, ages 6-11.
With thanks to Walker Books for providing a sample reading copy.
Reading the afterword, the author herself has experienced a speech impediment and placed herself as the main character in this story. It's a really lovely look, sensitive and easy to access, at a stammer.
Two sisters share an attic room, one overly fussy and tidy, one devil-may-care and chatty. But Bea proves herself a good sister when Min begins to develop a stammer that takes over her life and changes her quickly from a lively chatterbox to a withdrawn girl afraid to open her mouth.
With the Stammer itself anthropomorphised into a grey little shoulder-dweller, this helps other children to relate and to understand what this might feel like. And despite all the adult attempts to help, it might not be any of them that really help. Having Bea open up about her own little demons and obsessions also helps Min. And through her other readers.
The illustrations are beautiful, very Helen Oxenbury-like in their gorgeous and nostalgic detail.
The story is very straightforward and isn't particularly 'girly' making this a good read for boys as well as girls. The fact it has basis in real experience also makes you confident as a parent or teacher that the author understands how to relay this content to listeners.
Very much enjoyed this, as well as the ending, looking into the sisters' futures. Lovely.
For schools and bedrooms, ages 6-11.
With thanks to Walker Books for providing a sample reading copy.
May 12, 2025
This beautifully illustrated story tells the tale of two sisters who appear to be so very different, in fact the differences have further reaching impact than the tape line they have used to divide their shared bedroom. When the outgoing Min develops a stutter, it changes her ability to interact with the world. In order to help herself, Min must first take that first step of letting her sister help her identify ways to work with her stutter and not against it.
The depth of storytelling and the extended length has landed this picture book in our jfiction collection instead of the picture books, but this a good thing. I find the story perfect for middle grade readers ages 8-12 and also a wonderful read aloud to classes ages 6-10. Through the author's note we discover that she has lived with a stutter and this personal connection to the character(s) is supremely evident in the development of both character and story. Illustrations are done with ink and watercolor and they provide a wonderful addition to the movement in the story.
I would recommend this book for purchase for elementary/middle school and public library collections.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
The depth of storytelling and the extended length has landed this picture book in our jfiction collection instead of the picture books, but this a good thing. I find the story perfect for middle grade readers ages 8-12 and also a wonderful read aloud to classes ages 6-10. Through the author's note we discover that she has lived with a stutter and this personal connection to the character(s) is supremely evident in the development of both character and story. Illustrations are done with ink and watercolor and they provide a wonderful addition to the movement in the story.
I would recommend this book for purchase for elementary/middle school and public library collections.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
January 4, 2025
There is something a little bit perfect about a little girl developing a stammer in the audio format although I would certainly like to see the illustrations. There are so many lovely turns of phrase in this book about two sisters who are opposite - one is tidy and organized and observant and the other is messy and spontaneous and chatty. The chatty one gets the stammer and the organized one sees the change and the two girls work together along with the lodgers in their house to learn how to cope with the stammer. Bea gives Min a snow white sheet of paper and a perfectly sharpened pencil so she can write her words and Min's writing is messy and not on the lines. Bea likes to put her books in alphabetical order and lines up the things on her side of the room. It's all adorable. And I love the idea of a dibbick which is seen by the mycologist who lives in their house as "everyone having something". He notes that Min has learned empathy from having a stammer while the librarian (another lodger) notes that Min can now come up with lots of different words for the same thing. And Bea realizes that she's a bit too buttoned up. So the sisters help each other. It's all adorable.
January 5, 2025
This story is perfectly supportive, kind and encouraging of children (and just generally people) and what makes us different. Harnessing those differences and championing them as super powers seems a fantastic way to empower little people who might have big challenges to navigate.
I loved it. Two sisters - one perfectionist and one chatterbox - live in a very busy house with very different personalities. Bea is ordered and calm, Min is everything but! But when Min develops a stammer she needs help rebuilding her confidence and accepting her new normal, and Bea steps in to help.
I loved the storytelling, the relationships and the message. Hated the boring illustrations, but you can’t win them all!
ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
I loved it. Two sisters - one perfectionist and one chatterbox - live in a very busy house with very different personalities. Bea is ordered and calm, Min is everything but! But when Min develops a stammer she needs help rebuilding her confidence and accepting her new normal, and Bea steps in to help.
I loved the storytelling, the relationships and the message. Hated the boring illustrations, but you can’t win them all!
ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2024
This appealing book provides an unusual but extremely adaptable way for kids to think about the issue of stammering while nudging all readers to pay closer attention to the people around them.
A bit longer than the usual picture book this one will do well with slightly older readers who can read on their own but it is also excellent as a book to read to beginning readers. The story is engaging and imaginative and the lovely illustration by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini will pull kids in even more.
It is a charming tale that offers youngsters a door into understanding a difficult issue.
A bit longer than the usual picture book this one will do well with slightly older readers who can read on their own but it is also excellent as a book to read to beginning readers. The story is engaging and imaginative and the lovely illustration by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini will pull kids in even more.
It is a charming tale that offers youngsters a door into understanding a difficult issue.
March 8, 2025
This is a wonderful children’s book by my favorite author Maggie O’Farrell. The story of two sisters who are very different but very close. Min develops a stammer and Bea helps her cope with this. Shows how all of us have something to deal with and empathy and understanding can help. Great for kids and adults. The author had a stammer when she was young. I listened to this but hope to find a copy because the illustrations are said to be wonderful.
December 8, 2024
Thank you Libro.FM for this ALC. Maggie O'Farrell is such a talented writer and I'm so impressed by this story. It is perfect for middle grade reader and will help them better understand their own stammer and/or the stammers of others. I thoroughly enjoyed the audio and was so impressed by the narration. Overall a delightful listen!
December 13, 2024
Maggie O’Farrell is one of my favorite adult fiction authors but she also writes very thoughtful, touching children’s books. This one is beautifully illustrated and has the appearance of a picture book but the writing and subject matter are more suited to middle grade children.
January 8, 2025
Short and sweet.
This book is perfect for anyone...child, adult, someone with a stammer, someone who wants to help a person with a stammer, or anyone who cares about anyone who is challenged in any way.
Excellent.
This book is perfect for anyone...child, adult, someone with a stammer, someone who wants to help a person with a stammer, or anyone who cares about anyone who is challenged in any way.
Excellent.
December 14, 2024
This unique book should be helpful to many children. Lovely illustrations.
December 16, 2024
Gorgeous book. It’s so easy to get lost in the illustrations. The message of dybbuk is so sweet and meaningful.
December 20, 2024
I came for the author but stayed for the pictures.
December 25, 2024
4 stars
Happy REading!
Happy REading!
January 11, 2025
So beautifully illustrated!
February 13, 2025
Min and Bea are sisters. Bea is quiet and tidy and Min is messy, chaotic--and loud. Until, that is, the Stammer comes. A wonderful story about turning problems into strengths.
March 22, 2025
This children’s book is a heartwarming story, suitable for all ages! The illustrations are also fabulous!
May 23, 2025
Libby Audio
June 1, 2025
I only review children's books on here when I think it may benefit anyone who could be looking for a book to purchase a child. This was wholesome and O'Farrell's writing is always a joy.
July 4, 2025
A wonderful book. Beautifully drawn and beautifully told. And great disability representation!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews