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How To Be More Hedgehog
Lily has a stammer. The signal between her brain and her mouth is all messed up - and it's getting worse. When a video of her practicing her class presentation is uploaded onto YouTube - head thrust forward, eyelids fluttering, lips stretched wide - Lily's nightmare begins. Cyberbullying, kids at school whispering, even best friend Mia laughing behind her back. Lily's confidence takes a nose-dive and she can only see one way run away to Dad in Scotland and start all over again. But Lily quickly realises that running away isn't the answer - that her stammer will follow her wherever she goes... HOW TO BE MORE HEDGEHOG is about friendship and family and finding the courage to speak out.
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2022
4 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Anne-Marie Conway
14 books40 followersAnne-Marie Conway is a primary school teacher specialising in drama, but also runs her own children’s theatre company, Full Circle. She lives in London with her husband, two young sons and two eccentric cats, Betty and Boo. Anne-Marie has written a number of humorous sketches which have been performed by her theatre company, but "Phoebe finds her voice", shortlisted for the inaugural Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition, is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 3, 2022
Every chapter begins with a lovely illustration and a Hedgehog fact. The story revolves around Lily (year 6) who has a stammer - words beginning with P and D are particularly tricky for her. Lily's parents have recently separated and her dad is living in Scotland with his newly pregnant partner and Lily lives with her mum and brother. Conway handles Lily's stammer and her family issues with empathy and understanding. Conway takes us through Lily's friendship struggles at school, trying to find her place within a new friendship dynamic., Lily's issues at home bleed into her school life once her brother sends Lily's video effort to rid herself of her stammer to his friend - which makes her so-called friends torment and name-call her further. Lily also has to navigate issues at home with her brother and his response to their father's new life - this is all sensitively handled by the author.
A recommended read.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book)
A recommended read.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book)
October 19, 2022
What a journey! I absolutely loved this book, and I'm so happy to see more main characters with disabilities where the point of the story is self acceptance and understanding over 'conquering'' or 'correcting'. Stories centring the disabled child rather than an inspirational story for their non-disabled friend or family member.
Whilst I do not have a stammer, I am autistic and have selective mutism as well as physical and verbal tics. Lily touched my heart far more than I had first expected. The very close representation of my own experiences with public speaking, mixed with Conway's simple yet morish writing style was a winner for me.
I found myself fully immersed in the battles Lily was facing; whether at home with her separated family, at school with the bullies and class projects, or her internal war of self-disgust. The narrative flowed so well that when I looked up for a drink I realised I'd devoured half of the book without noticing.
I also adored the chapter headers! Each chapter has a beautiful little illustration of a hedgehog as well as a fact about them that realates to Lily at that point of her story. Watching her grow and the facts fit her actions or thoughts - such a genius idea.
I will definitely adding this to my list of books for the school library. Another to the all time favourites pile!
Whilst I do not have a stammer, I am autistic and have selective mutism as well as physical and verbal tics. Lily touched my heart far more than I had first expected. The very close representation of my own experiences with public speaking, mixed with Conway's simple yet morish writing style was a winner for me.
I found myself fully immersed in the battles Lily was facing; whether at home with her separated family, at school with the bullies and class projects, or her internal war of self-disgust. The narrative flowed so well that when I looked up for a drink I realised I'd devoured half of the book without noticing.
I also adored the chapter headers! Each chapter has a beautiful little illustration of a hedgehog as well as a fact about them that realates to Lily at that point of her story. Watching her grow and the facts fit her actions or thoughts - such a genius idea.
I will definitely adding this to my list of books for the school library. Another to the all time favourites pile!
October 29, 2024
Wat een heerlijk kinderboek! We volgen Lily van onzeker, zichzelf verstoppend en gedrag tolereren dat haar zelfvertrouwen ondermijnt, tot een stuk zelfzekerder met echte vrienden. De dochter was fan! Kinderboeken als deze zijn als een pleister op een wonde van het gekwetste meisje in mij, ook al was stotteren niet wat me anders deed voelen. Hoe zalig zijn boeken waar kinderen tips krijgen om voor zichzelf op te komen?
September 25, 2024
This is a fantastic story and a must-read in my opinion. The author has absolutely nailed what it's like to be in year 6. The main character is so relatable, and I loved going on this journey with her.
May 10, 2024
This is a every 💔heartbreaking 💔 story, but it makes the ending way happier😁. It's one of those books📚 that you can't put the book📖 down until it's finished.
Lily ( the main character) has a very bad stammer, and when someone posts her talking online💻 things get complicated.
Lily ( the main character) has a very bad stammer, and when someone posts her talking online💻 things get complicated.
February 4, 2023
Lily is passionate about the environment. She knows so many amazing facts about wildlife! So when her class gets a new teacher and asks them to do a project on the environment Lily jumps at the chance to team up with her best friend, Mia, and prepare an amazing project about plastics in the ocean. The thing is, Lily has a stammer, but her teacher insists she take part in delivering the presentation too. Then a video of her practicing is released by her brother’s friend on YouTube without her consent and the comments are full of nasty and hurtful comments, Lily’s own brother, even Lily’s own best friend are caught laughing at her stammer. She doesn’t know who is on her side anymore and she’s more ashamed than ever of her stammer. As she travels to Loch Lomond to see her dad and his new wife, she is determined to stay in Scotland and never speak to her so-called friends again but instead spend her days in nature, helping her dad as a ranger on the national park. Will Lily ever find her voice? Is it really possible to die of embarrassment? Can she meld into the forest and become best friends with the bees? You’ll have to read it to find out!
This is an amazingly captivating little book aimed at the 9-12 age group and handles difference, disability and diversity really nicely. It has a very strong message of positivity, determination and diversity. There’s a good lesson in how to best help young people with stammers (don’t cut them off unless they ask you for help in another way, give them time to think about their sentences, don’t hurry/rush conversations, if you need a fast answer utilise text services etc)
Having representation in Lily, who by the way, isn’t magically ‘fixed’ by the end of the book, I think gives a great source of strength for the community @annemarieconwayauthor this is work of art and a great service to kids who struggle speaking. It should be in every school library. Thank you.
This is an amazingly captivating little book aimed at the 9-12 age group and handles difference, disability and diversity really nicely. It has a very strong message of positivity, determination and diversity. There’s a good lesson in how to best help young people with stammers (don’t cut them off unless they ask you for help in another way, give them time to think about their sentences, don’t hurry/rush conversations, if you need a fast answer utilise text services etc)
Having representation in Lily, who by the way, isn’t magically ‘fixed’ by the end of the book, I think gives a great source of strength for the community @annemarieconwayauthor this is work of art and a great service to kids who struggle speaking. It should be in every school library. Thank you.
November 13, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable middle-grade book all about 'finding your brave'!
Lily, the main character of 'How to be More Hedgehog', is a young girl suffering with a stammer and a less than perfect home life. Her older brother and his misbehaviour takes up all of her mother's attention, and her beloved dad has moved away to Scotland. On top of that, she has a new teacher in school who loves to get the class to speak aloud - which she very much struggles to do. But Lily finds comfort in learning about nature as well as researching how people, herself included, can help save the planet. This aspect of her is written so well that it's easy to imagine the thousands of kids who will read this book finding themselves with an interest in the environment.
The title of this book interweaves brilliantly with the plotline, and sends a great message about how kids (and adults!) can become happier and more confident, without necessarily changing what they perceive as their faults. Each chapter also links to the title with them all having their own hedgehog illustration and fact that relates to the plotline.
I fully recommend this book and can't wait to hear what other readers think of it. It's also made me desperate to read more of Anne-Marie Conway's books!
(Also, just to leave one final point, it was very refreshing to have a child protagonist react positively to the dad-has-a-new-girlfriend-who-is-pregnant plotline. Lily's relationship with both her dad and Abi is beautiful and their scenes were some of my favourites in the story!)
Lily, the main character of 'How to be More Hedgehog', is a young girl suffering with a stammer and a less than perfect home life. Her older brother and his misbehaviour takes up all of her mother's attention, and her beloved dad has moved away to Scotland. On top of that, she has a new teacher in school who loves to get the class to speak aloud - which she very much struggles to do. But Lily finds comfort in learning about nature as well as researching how people, herself included, can help save the planet. This aspect of her is written so well that it's easy to imagine the thousands of kids who will read this book finding themselves with an interest in the environment.
The title of this book interweaves brilliantly with the plotline, and sends a great message about how kids (and adults!) can become happier and more confident, without necessarily changing what they perceive as their faults. Each chapter also links to the title with them all having their own hedgehog illustration and fact that relates to the plotline.
I fully recommend this book and can't wait to hear what other readers think of it. It's also made me desperate to read more of Anne-Marie Conway's books!
(Also, just to leave one final point, it was very refreshing to have a child protagonist react positively to the dad-has-a-new-girlfriend-who-is-pregnant plotline. Lily's relationship with both her dad and Abi is beautiful and their scenes were some of my favourites in the story!)
October 3, 2024
How To Be More Hedgehog is Lily's story. Lily loves animals and nature; she wants to raise awareness about climate change and the environment. Lily loves lots of other things too, like baking, reading, vegetarian food, hedgehogs, her regular skype calls with her dad, staying with her dad and his girlfriend at their new house in Scotland, and her baby sibling (who hasn't arrived yet). Lily also has a stammer. There's a signal in her brain that gets stuck on certain letters and words, especially enemy letters like D and P and B. Things were okay last year, but now she's going into year 6 and she hasn't grown out of her stammer like her mum said she would. When her new teacher sets the class the task of designing and presenting a project about climate change, Lily is torn: she has so many ideas and issues she wants to share with her class, but presenting the project will mean speaking to a room full of people, all eyes and ears on her. So when Lily becomes the target of bullying and cruelty, she has a choice to make: run from her fears, or face them. Lily's story is about finding your brave, and learning to be more hedgehog!!
As my rating suggests, I absolutely loved this book!! Lily is such a lovely person and main character: she is kind, relatable, sensitive, strong, brave, and unapologetically passionate about the things she cares about. I know this book is about how to be more like a hedgehog, but I would also like to be more like Lily. Through her story, I was inspired, reminded of important lessons, and filled with hope. I recommend this beautiful book to adults and children alike, there is wisdom and value for everyone, regardless of age.
As my rating suggests, I absolutely loved this book!! Lily is such a lovely person and main character: she is kind, relatable, sensitive, strong, brave, and unapologetically passionate about the things she cares about. I know this book is about how to be more like a hedgehog, but I would also like to be more like Lily. Through her story, I was inspired, reminded of important lessons, and filled with hope. I recommend this beautiful book to adults and children alike, there is wisdom and value for everyone, regardless of age.
March 9, 2023
When Lily's new teacher asks the pupils to team up and create a presentation about conserving the environment, she is thrilled as she is very passionate about wildlife. But as Lily's supposed best-friend reminds her, she has a stammer and finds some letters particularly difficult to say - other people often talk over her as they don't have the patience to wait for Lily to get her words out. But she is determined to do the presentation and she videos herself practising to help with her preparation. But then someone shares the video online and the comments fill up with people making fun of Lily's stammer. Lily is sure that the only solution is to run away to live with her Dad in Scotland, change schools and start over where no one knows her. But perhaps Lily needs to learn to be more hedgehog...
Lily is a resilient and determined character and her experience of living with a stammer is sensitively and astutely explored. 'How to be More Hedgehog' is a warm, emotive and inspiring story about learning to face your fears and stand up for the things you are passionate about. Highly recommended.
Lily is a resilient and determined character and her experience of living with a stammer is sensitively and astutely explored. 'How to be More Hedgehog' is a warm, emotive and inspiring story about learning to face your fears and stand up for the things you are passionate about. Highly recommended.
February 13, 2025
I loved this story, it’s beautifully told and delves into themes of anxiety, bullying, friendship and the healing power of nature. I don’t have a stammer, but I strongly empathised with Lily’s story ( which centres on her stammer), and I think anyone who’s ever felt anxious about what other people think of them, or about facing something they’re scared of, will empathise.
Lily’s plight was harrowing to read about at times as her stammer gets increasingly worse due to the behaviour of some of her friends, teachers and family. Her humiliation peaks when a video of her struggling to get a sentence out goes viral on YouTube. Lily’s instinct is to hide away and withdraw from the world, but she soon learns to ‘be more hedgehog’ (i.e., to be more resilient). It was a pleasure to follow Lily’s journey as she develops confidence and finds the courage to be herself, without trying to hide.
This is a must read for kids – it will help them to better understand their own worries and anxieties, and it encourages empathy, kindness and patience. As an adult I found it a cathartic read, reminding me of some of my own anxieties at school – oh how I wish I’d had this book back then!
Lily’s plight was harrowing to read about at times as her stammer gets increasingly worse due to the behaviour of some of her friends, teachers and family. Her humiliation peaks when a video of her struggling to get a sentence out goes viral on YouTube. Lily’s instinct is to hide away and withdraw from the world, but she soon learns to ‘be more hedgehog’ (i.e., to be more resilient). It was a pleasure to follow Lily’s journey as she develops confidence and finds the courage to be herself, without trying to hide.
This is a must read for kids – it will help them to better understand their own worries and anxieties, and it encourages empathy, kindness and patience. As an adult I found it a cathartic read, reminding me of some of my own anxieties at school – oh how I wish I’d had this book back then!
December 16, 2023
Even tho I'm not a child this book piqued my interest and I picked it up. This book was a roller-coaster of emotions. It was a very emotional story if u can't tell I like how Conway doesn't make her stammer magically removed but instead makes her feel better and confident in her stammer. I also like the family dynamic in the end how they all have a change for the better. On last thing I liked was how the book picked on the habits of the characters when they were anxious. Overall this was a really good book for me!
April 15, 2023
Middle grade story about Lily, a girl with a stammer and how she overcomes bullying, cyber bullying and the fact that her parents are divorced and she only sees her Dad for the holidays to be true to herself and be the eco-warrior that she wants to be, but is afraid to be due to her speech issues. Heart-warming and incredibly well crafted to deal with so many serious issues with such a light touch.
September 17, 2022
This is a great book for the 9-12 age group. It highlights lots of contemporary issues including plastic pollution but also delivers a powerful message about bullying through social media. It gives an excellent insight into the life of a child with a stammer. Will be using with my Y6 class this year.
October 28, 2022
4.5 stars rounded up.
I enjoyed this book. The plot is fast moving and the characters well developed especially Lily whose journey is wonderful.
A quick read that is sure to be popular with Y4-6 children.
I enjoyed this book. The plot is fast moving and the characters well developed especially Lily whose journey is wonderful.
A quick read that is sure to be popular with Y4-6 children.
April 1, 2023
I picked this book up by chance and OMG I’m so glad I did!!! I just loved it from start to finish. No matter what our voice is the best thing we have. This story just reminds us that no matter the circumstance we should always shout our truth!
November 20, 2023
I loved this book. From lilys development throughout the book, to showing how social media impacts both good and bad. This should be something for all schools to have on the curriculum, such an impactful read.
January 8, 2023
Loved this story.
June 2, 2024
What a sweet yet honest and heartfelt story about Lily, the girl passionate about nature and the environment who struggles with a stammer.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
July 19, 2024
It was really heartwarming and I got through it very quickly.wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated, I highly recommend reading this book!
August 31, 2025
Such a nice and heartwarming little story.
Lily has a bad stutter, and this story, although only really aimed at a middle-grade audience, does a good job at diving deep into the challenges and problems that children with disabilities like speech impediments, especially stutters, can face. This includes stigma from even their own parents, with Lily's mother getting impatient with Lily's stutter and wanting to hide it from the world by not telling anyone about it, and her dad who also avoids addressing the problem with Lily, only talking about how awful it is behind her back. Fortunately though they both redeem themselves and have an increased understanding by the end of the book, which is good as I hated Lily's mum at first stigmatising Lily's stutter the way she did and getting impatient with her, but she does genuinely redeem herself. To be honest I felt more annoyed at the dad and the way he was portrayed as being a good parent and good guy yet he isn't even there for his daughter, only seeing her during holiday times, living in another country with his new partner and lets his new child with his new partner live with him but not Lily. Honestly as much as I hated Dylan I didn't blame him for being angry at the dad for leaving them and starting his own family in another country, only having time for them at the odd weekend and holiday time. And of course he talks about how bad Lily's stutter is behind her back to his new partner but just ignores it with Lily, making her feel worse when she overhears it. I understand people find new partners when they split up even when they've already had kids from their previous marriage but did he really have to go and live all the way in Scotland with this new partner and start a new family with her?! He said it might just be temporary but even so, when he has a child who is clearly in need with additional needs and is getting bullied both at school and at home, you'd think he would be there for her, but instead he just glosses things over with her while living in another country, even though she is clearly in need of additional support and compassion from a parent, with her single mum who has full custody of her clearly struggling with it and initially not doing a good job with it.
Still I didn't hate him anything like as much as I did Dillon's friend who so cruelly and horribly bullied Lily, first by mocking her stutter in her own home and then sharing a video of her practising her presentation while she was stuttering and mocking it, and refusing to take it down until his mum made him. I honestly felt so angry with this horrible kid the way he bullied Lily so ruthlessly and am annoyed that he was never shown to get comeuppance even though Lily's mum said both him and Dillon would face repercussions. I hated Dillon too who sends the video to his horrible friend all because he presumes that Lily "snitched" on him about having friends round when he was grounded, like he didn't think to confront her first or he couldn't have just done a prank that didn't involve going out his way as much. He was a horrible big brother bully and barely redeems himself, though is still not as bad as his vile, horrible, ruthless friend though who I hated with a passion and needed to see the comeuppance of. I also hated his sister who was in Lily's class and became best friends with her former, so-called friend Mia who also helped him share the video with loads of people and should have been punished as well, so this made me really angry, as to teach lessons and raise awareness about bullying it really should have shown the main bullies comeuppance. I'll admit, a good part of why I feel so angry about this is because it is far too close to home to me, having been relentlessly and ruthlessly bullied in this same kind of way before, having embarrassing videos of me sent around and laughed at, so that just resonated far too much and made me far too angry.
I did really like the message of being brave and friendship, as even though Lily discovered that her so-called best friend Mia wasn't a really true friend after all, and gets bullied by most of her peers, she still finds a true friend in Leanne and Patrick, who seem to be the only ones who show any real kindness to her. I didn't even like the teacher Mr Davies that much either, as while he may be well-intentioned, expressing concern to her mother that Lily isn't participating enough in class, almost like he was blaming it on her made it seem like he just didn't understand and was victim-blaming rather than sympathising. Leanne and Patrick were the only characters I really liked to be honest, along with Lily, being the only ones that were truly kind and loyal to her, and it was beautiful and heartwarming seeing that level of true friendship, understanding and loyalty between kids that young, teaching a valuable lesson about friendship to children.
It was a nice little read, though I just felt too angry with the level of bullying and how the vile bullies weren't shown getting their comeuppance, as Dillon's friend and his sister really needed to get punished big time, the horrible, vile, disgusting bullies!
Lily has a bad stutter, and this story, although only really aimed at a middle-grade audience, does a good job at diving deep into the challenges and problems that children with disabilities like speech impediments, especially stutters, can face. This includes stigma from even their own parents, with Lily's mother getting impatient with Lily's stutter and wanting to hide it from the world by not telling anyone about it, and her dad who also avoids addressing the problem with Lily, only talking about how awful it is behind her back. Fortunately though they both redeem themselves and have an increased understanding by the end of the book, which is good as I hated Lily's mum at first stigmatising Lily's stutter the way she did and getting impatient with her, but she does genuinely redeem herself. To be honest I felt more annoyed at the dad and the way he was portrayed as being a good parent and good guy yet he isn't even there for his daughter, only seeing her during holiday times, living in another country with his new partner and lets his new child with his new partner live with him but not Lily. Honestly as much as I hated Dylan I didn't blame him for being angry at the dad for leaving them and starting his own family in another country, only having time for them at the odd weekend and holiday time. And of course he talks about how bad Lily's stutter is behind her back to his new partner but just ignores it with Lily, making her feel worse when she overhears it. I understand people find new partners when they split up even when they've already had kids from their previous marriage but did he really have to go and live all the way in Scotland with this new partner and start a new family with her?! He said it might just be temporary but even so, when he has a child who is clearly in need with additional needs and is getting bullied both at school and at home, you'd think he would be there for her, but instead he just glosses things over with her while living in another country, even though she is clearly in need of additional support and compassion from a parent, with her single mum who has full custody of her clearly struggling with it and initially not doing a good job with it.
Still I didn't hate him anything like as much as I did Dillon's friend who so cruelly and horribly bullied Lily, first by mocking her stutter in her own home and then sharing a video of her practising her presentation while she was stuttering and mocking it, and refusing to take it down until his mum made him. I honestly felt so angry with this horrible kid the way he bullied Lily so ruthlessly and am annoyed that he was never shown to get comeuppance even though Lily's mum said both him and Dillon would face repercussions. I hated Dillon too who sends the video to his horrible friend all because he presumes that Lily "snitched" on him about having friends round when he was grounded, like he didn't think to confront her first or he couldn't have just done a prank that didn't involve going out his way as much. He was a horrible big brother bully and barely redeems himself, though is still not as bad as his vile, horrible, ruthless friend though who I hated with a passion and needed to see the comeuppance of. I also hated his sister who was in Lily's class and became best friends with her former, so-called friend Mia who also helped him share the video with loads of people and should have been punished as well, so this made me really angry, as to teach lessons and raise awareness about bullying it really should have shown the main bullies comeuppance. I'll admit, a good part of why I feel so angry about this is because it is far too close to home to me, having been relentlessly and ruthlessly bullied in this same kind of way before, having embarrassing videos of me sent around and laughed at, so that just resonated far too much and made me far too angry.
I did really like the message of being brave and friendship, as even though Lily discovered that her so-called best friend Mia wasn't a really true friend after all, and gets bullied by most of her peers, she still finds a true friend in Leanne and Patrick, who seem to be the only ones who show any real kindness to her. I didn't even like the teacher Mr Davies that much either, as while he may be well-intentioned, expressing concern to her mother that Lily isn't participating enough in class, almost like he was blaming it on her made it seem like he just didn't understand and was victim-blaming rather than sympathising. Leanne and Patrick were the only characters I really liked to be honest, along with Lily, being the only ones that were truly kind and loyal to her, and it was beautiful and heartwarming seeing that level of true friendship, understanding and loyalty between kids that young, teaching a valuable lesson about friendship to children.
It was a nice little read, though I just felt too angry with the level of bullying and how the vile bullies weren't shown getting their comeuppance, as Dillon's friend and his sister really needed to get punished big time, the horrible, vile, disgusting bullies!
September 3, 2024
Lovely book. My year 5/6 class really enjoyed this. Great for addressing difference and bullying.
September 17, 2024
I adored this book, I loved every bit of it. Heartwarming story about being yourself with excellent representation of living with a stammer. So many people will relate to this.
October 11, 2024
a touching book on difference and diversity for children 🥲🥲 plus the illustrations of hedgehogs on each new chapter page was so cute and so adorable !!
January 18, 2025
Serviceable. Very clearly On Message, so you can see the inner workings, but a nice little story for children
January 20, 2025
This should be included in the school syllabus.
March 31, 2025
aaaa keren bgt ceritanyaa. soon mau share quote yg ngena bgt
May 18, 2022
Usare una parola diversa proprio non funziona se qualcuno ti chiede quale frutta preferisci o se vai a fare la spesa con tua madre (il più grande incubo di sempre). Insomma, non va bene chiedere un LIMONE quando quello che vuoi davvero è una BANANA. Mi piacerebbe tanto inventare un nuovo alfabeto senza B, P e S, e di certo senza D.
E' stato leggendo queste riflessioni della protagonista di Lily e il bosco da difendere di Anne Marie Conway, che mi sono innamorata di lei. Lily è una ragazza di dieci anni, ama gli animali, ha a cuore questioni ambientali di cui i suoi coetanei non si curano affatto e coerentemente ai suoi principi è anche diventata vegetariana.
La sua situazione è un po' complicata da quado i suoi genitori si sono separati e il padre, che vive in un'altra città, si è rifatto una vita con una nuova compagna dalla quale aspetta un bambino.
Questi però non sono gli unici problemi di Lily. Al ritorno dalle vacanze di Natale, a scuola non troverà più la sua vecchia insegnante, ma il signor D. Ebbene sì, il nome del suo nuovo insegnante inizia con la lettera tanto odiata, quella che non riesce a pronunciare a causa della sua balbuzie.
Ancora peggio, agli occhi di Lily, è il comportamento del signor D. che la spinge a parlare facendo mille domande a una velocità supersonica e segnala alla madre la sua tendenza ad essere defilata in classe. Perchè tanti cambiamenti? Dov'è finita la sua vecchia insegnante e perchè nessuno comprende si sforza di aspettare che finisca una frase senza anticiparne la fine? Perchè la gente sente i bisogno di parlare per lei e sostituirsi ai suoi pensieri?
I dissapori con la compagna e amica Mia, nel corso di una ricerca sull'ambiente la spinge a stare un po'dal padre che lavora come guardiacaccia.
Tra i boschi di betulle della Scozia, Lily troverà la sua dimensione, ma scappare non significa risolvere i problemi. Anche se rimanere lì sarebbe bellissimo, tra il silenzio ed i suoi amati animali, la scuola, gli amici e la madre l'aspettano, così come l'aspettano la lotta per i suoi ideali e il coraggio di tirare fuori la voce, anche se questa suona incerta.
Lily è un po' come i ricci che ama tanto, è raggomitolata su se stessa, chiusa e protetta da aculei che non la rendono spigolosa, più che altro inaccessibile.
Sarà l'amore della sua famiglia, la solerzia del padre soprattutto a renderla più consapevole di se stessa a usare gli aculei anche per pungersi, per difendersi e far valere le proprie idee.
La nostra piccola protagonista ha un mondo enorme e bellissimo dentro che non riesce a tirar fuori a causa delle sue insicurezze, ma sarà solo quando sarà in grado di farsi avanti senza paura e mostrarsi a testa alta che tutti capiranno che ragazza fantastica è.
«Non puoi controllare quello che dicono gli altri, Lily. Ma tutti quei commenti meschini ti faranno del male soltanto se glielo permetti.»
Un dolcissimo libro che ci insegna come la letteratura per ragazzi si mostri tenera e piena di messaggi importanti. Lily è una figura esemplare, leale, sincera, fragile, appassionata e piena di paure come è giusto per la sua età. Vederla crescere e prendere consapevolezza delle proprie potenzialità, affrontare i suoi problemi è stato un toccasana per il cuore. Parallelamente a Lily, il cambiamento si manifesta anche nelle figure che la circondano, perchè si è parte di un sistema e proprio lei che ha tanto a cuore l'ambiente conosce l'importanza della catena di buoni comportamenti che portano influssi positivi a tento altri. Penso alla mamma di Lily che ho rivalutato nel corso della narrazione. Una donna che probabilmente soffre a causa della situazione familiare, per una separazione che l'ha ferita e tra i mille problemi da affrontare accettare di dare un nome alla problematica della figlia, sembra un'ulteriore zavorra.
Una storia di coraggio, solidarietà, cambiamento, lotta, tutta racchiusa in uno scricciolo di dieci anni capace di essere un esempio per grandi e piccini.
https://ariaswild.blogspot.com/2022/0...
E' stato leggendo queste riflessioni della protagonista di Lily e il bosco da difendere di Anne Marie Conway, che mi sono innamorata di lei. Lily è una ragazza di dieci anni, ama gli animali, ha a cuore questioni ambientali di cui i suoi coetanei non si curano affatto e coerentemente ai suoi principi è anche diventata vegetariana.
La sua situazione è un po' complicata da quado i suoi genitori si sono separati e il padre, che vive in un'altra città, si è rifatto una vita con una nuova compagna dalla quale aspetta un bambino.
Questi però non sono gli unici problemi di Lily. Al ritorno dalle vacanze di Natale, a scuola non troverà più la sua vecchia insegnante, ma il signor D. Ebbene sì, il nome del suo nuovo insegnante inizia con la lettera tanto odiata, quella che non riesce a pronunciare a causa della sua balbuzie.
Ancora peggio, agli occhi di Lily, è il comportamento del signor D. che la spinge a parlare facendo mille domande a una velocità supersonica e segnala alla madre la sua tendenza ad essere defilata in classe. Perchè tanti cambiamenti? Dov'è finita la sua vecchia insegnante e perchè nessuno comprende si sforza di aspettare che finisca una frase senza anticiparne la fine? Perchè la gente sente i bisogno di parlare per lei e sostituirsi ai suoi pensieri?
I dissapori con la compagna e amica Mia, nel corso di una ricerca sull'ambiente la spinge a stare un po'dal padre che lavora come guardiacaccia.
Tra i boschi di betulle della Scozia, Lily troverà la sua dimensione, ma scappare non significa risolvere i problemi. Anche se rimanere lì sarebbe bellissimo, tra il silenzio ed i suoi amati animali, la scuola, gli amici e la madre l'aspettano, così come l'aspettano la lotta per i suoi ideali e il coraggio di tirare fuori la voce, anche se questa suona incerta.
Lily è un po' come i ricci che ama tanto, è raggomitolata su se stessa, chiusa e protetta da aculei che non la rendono spigolosa, più che altro inaccessibile.
Sarà l'amore della sua famiglia, la solerzia del padre soprattutto a renderla più consapevole di se stessa a usare gli aculei anche per pungersi, per difendersi e far valere le proprie idee.
La nostra piccola protagonista ha un mondo enorme e bellissimo dentro che non riesce a tirar fuori a causa delle sue insicurezze, ma sarà solo quando sarà in grado di farsi avanti senza paura e mostrarsi a testa alta che tutti capiranno che ragazza fantastica è.
«Non puoi controllare quello che dicono gli altri, Lily. Ma tutti quei commenti meschini ti faranno del male soltanto se glielo permetti.»
Un dolcissimo libro che ci insegna come la letteratura per ragazzi si mostri tenera e piena di messaggi importanti. Lily è una figura esemplare, leale, sincera, fragile, appassionata e piena di paure come è giusto per la sua età. Vederla crescere e prendere consapevolezza delle proprie potenzialità, affrontare i suoi problemi è stato un toccasana per il cuore. Parallelamente a Lily, il cambiamento si manifesta anche nelle figure che la circondano, perchè si è parte di un sistema e proprio lei che ha tanto a cuore l'ambiente conosce l'importanza della catena di buoni comportamenti che portano influssi positivi a tento altri. Penso alla mamma di Lily che ho rivalutato nel corso della narrazione. Una donna che probabilmente soffre a causa della situazione familiare, per una separazione che l'ha ferita e tra i mille problemi da affrontare accettare di dare un nome alla problematica della figlia, sembra un'ulteriore zavorra.
Una storia di coraggio, solidarietà, cambiamento, lotta, tutta racchiusa in uno scricciolo di dieci anni capace di essere un esempio per grandi e piccini.
https://ariaswild.blogspot.com/2022/0...
April 28, 2023
Lily ha dieci anni, ama la natura ed ha una particolarità che la rende speciale: la balbuzie. All'inizio del racconto la ragazzina prova disagio e la sua timidezza la porta ad isolarsi dal mondo e a rifugiarsi in se stessa. Poi, con il prosieguo, troverà il coraggio di cambiare e di utilizzare questa sua caratteristica come forza facendo sentire la sua voce soprattutto per ciò in cui crede di più: la tutela dell'ambiente e la salvaguardia delle specie in via di estinzione. È un libro che parla di coraggio, di determinazione, di famiglia, di amicizia, di natura e di diversità come risorsa, tematiche trattate con una scrittura semplice e scorrevole. Bellissimo. Suggerisco la lettura.
December 22, 2024
so wholesome. and definitely not only a great read for children / young adults <3
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