Spirals and Stars

Gr 3-7–It’s 1993 in Australia, and 11-year-old Beth is starting grade six. She’s worried about being bullied, losing her best friend Ashlee, and being clean enough. She’s also having a hard time connecting to her mom and has no friends outside of Ashlee. When she gets to school on the first day, Beth’s fears become real as Ashlee starts avoiding her and sits with the biggest bully instead. Beth gets labeled as weird, and to top it all off, oddball new girl Jools has latched onto her and is attempting to start a Nerd Club with Beth and a few other outcasts. Beth copes with her stress and intrusive thoughts by handwashing, while alluding to a dark secret that informs her compulsion. The book follows Beth and her friends as they navigate the trials and tribulations of being 11. Readers are introduced to different kinds of mental health struggles and how they impact each character differently. Gordon takes great care to reveal more about the main characters, and especially Beth, bit by bit as the story progresses. This keeps readers intrigued and takes this story from a typical coming-of-age romp to a genuine window into the mind of kids on the cusp of teenage life.