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Strawgirl
A beautiful, extraordinary, first novel for children from a unique storyteller. Growing up on a Highland farm in a totally white community, 11-year-old 'Maybe' MacPherson hates her mixed-race she is half Celtic and half Nigerian lbo. But everything changes when her beloved father is killed in a car accident. Faced with running the farm herself and coping with her grief-stricken mother, Maybe needs all her strength to fight the local bullies - and the farm's unscrupulous owners, who want to sell the farm to a supermarket chain. Suddenly, at harvest time, Strawgirl enters Maybe's life - an extraordinary, magical girl made from straw who will help Maybe not only to discover who she really is, but also the courage that lies within her.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 9, 2016
4.5 Stars
Molly 'Maybe' MacPhearson loves her life on her farm with her family and her cows, all who have names. But Maybe is starting to grow up and realising that with a Nigerian father and Irish mother, she's a bit different to the others around her in her Scottish village. As Maybe is trying to accept her family and differences, tragedy strikes and Maybe's father dies. As she tries to keep everything together, Strawgirl magically comes into Maybe's life and might just help her save the farm.
This was just the cutest book! I loved Maybe and how she thought. I loved her mind, her personality, her vivaciousness and just everything about her. The writing quality was beautiful with some really gorgeous descriptions. This is a middle-grade book so the villains in this book are very villainous but also to an almost comical extent and this made it very enjoyable. Maybe's friendship with Strawgirl reminded me a little bit of Pete and Elliot from Pete's Dragon (which I LOVED as a kid). I really loved the fact that there was a short chapter from Madam Bovary the cow in amidst all the drama and the fact that every single cow had a name as well.
The ending was great and I loved how Maybe came to love and accept her differences and where she came from on her father's side. She was Scottish but also Ibo and that was okay. I loved it - it made me tear up a little bit!
Definitely recommend this one.
Molly 'Maybe' MacPhearson loves her life on her farm with her family and her cows, all who have names. But Maybe is starting to grow up and realising that with a Nigerian father and Irish mother, she's a bit different to the others around her in her Scottish village. As Maybe is trying to accept her family and differences, tragedy strikes and Maybe's father dies. As she tries to keep everything together, Strawgirl magically comes into Maybe's life and might just help her save the farm.
This was just the cutest book! I loved Maybe and how she thought. I loved her mind, her personality, her vivaciousness and just everything about her. The writing quality was beautiful with some really gorgeous descriptions. This is a middle-grade book so the villains in this book are very villainous but also to an almost comical extent and this made it very enjoyable. Maybe's friendship with Strawgirl reminded me a little bit of Pete and Elliot from Pete's Dragon (which I LOVED as a kid). I really loved the fact that there was a short chapter from Madam Bovary the cow in amidst all the drama and the fact that every single cow had a name as well.
The ending was great and I loved how Maybe came to love and accept her differences and where she came from on her father's side. She was Scottish but also Ibo and that was okay. I loved it - it made me tear up a little bit!
Definitely recommend this one.
May 24, 2016
Overall, this was a very warm, adventurous, feel-good kind of story - I would have loved it as a kid and still enjoyed it now. There were lots of things I really liked about it: the authentic descriptions of farm life (I adored the cows and how much time and personality they were given!), the POC/Scots main character and all the issues that came with that, the realistic portrayal of grief, friendships, family, bullies old and young, and the importance of being yourself and standing up for what you love.
Kay's writing is lovely, with some beautiful, memorable poetic passages. (Trees! Cows! Did I mention the cows? Cows named after literary characters! I loved the cows!) It did come across as fairly obvious that this is not an author used to writing children's fiction, since the story seemed to struggle with how young it was or wanted to be throughout the first half - it started out as pretty much on a level with the 11-YO main character (who is spunky and fun but also realistically infuriating at times!), then suddenly seemed to drop to a much younger level while constantly having "older" sections strewn throughout (most of the bits that focused on the adult characters dealt with more complex emotions and situations than I'd expect in a children's book), although it seemed to find its footing in the second half. Unusually for me, I actually struggled with the fantastical elements of the story (); I actually found the reality-based parts more compelling.
Even with the nitpicks, I was definitely drawn in by Jackie Kay's writing, as I was by her short stories. Definitely time to pick up Trumpet next!
Kay's writing is lovely, with some beautiful, memorable poetic passages. (Trees! Cows! Did I mention the cows? Cows named after literary characters! I loved the cows!) It did come across as fairly obvious that this is not an author used to writing children's fiction, since the story seemed to struggle with how young it was or wanted to be throughout the first half - it started out as pretty much on a level with the 11-YO main character (who is spunky and fun but also realistically infuriating at times!), then suddenly seemed to drop to a much younger level while constantly having "older" sections strewn throughout (most of the bits that focused on the adult characters dealt with more complex emotions and situations than I'd expect in a children's book), although it seemed to find its footing in the second half. Unusually for me, I actually struggled with the fantastical elements of the story (); I actually found the reality-based parts more compelling.
Even with the nitpicks, I was definitely drawn in by Jackie Kay's writing, as I was by her short stories. Definitely time to pick up Trumpet next!
October 6, 2016
Magical, but not too fantastical.
Dealt with a lot of issues in a very readable, accessible way.
Dealt with a lot of issues in a very readable, accessible way.
May 24, 2013
This is quite a mixture of realistic fiction and fantasy. The product of a biracial marriage, 'Maybe', must wrestle with being bullied, the death of her father, and the possible loss of where she lives. For anyone who ever has an 'imaginary friend' or has a child who has/had one, this is a story to touch your heart strings.
March 8, 2012
This is a beautiful and well-written book. I was spellbound at the very beginning! The original plot is not really desirable but but the writer has done a really good job to make it out of the ordinary by adding bits of magic, sadness and humour in. It deserves a better rating.
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August 12, 2011Good, well written. Has a slightly odd tone, which I think is not being certain whether it's for children or adults. But out of the ordinary, for sure.
February 19, 2016
I was spellbound throughout the whole book! Very beautiful!
December 13, 2014
This was a beautiful and inventive story about how different people cope with grief. The characters were relateable, the villains realistic and the story and setting were very charming.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews