LoveReading4Kids Says
Sixteen-year-old Steffi has been selectively mute since she was five. No-one really knows why, least of all her, but teenage readers will recognise the different pressures that she feels so acutely.
Her mutism heightens her loneliness, and the loss of her much-loved step-brother in an accident has added terribly to her isolation. We meet her as she’s starting sixth form, set on reaching university, the pressure to speak greater than it’s ever been. Things change when Steffi meets Rhys, who is deaf. Steffi can sign and as their relationship grows we realise that real communication takes many forms. This is very much a story of two individuals but it will resonate with readers, who will understand Steffi’s problems, and be reassured by its message that you don’t have to be noisy to have lots to say, or to be heard.
Readers will also enjoy Holly Bourne’s excellent Spinster Club books, or the Zelah Green books by Vanessa Curtis.
Andrea Reece
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A Quiet Kind of Thunder Synopsis
Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life - she's been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He's deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she's assigned to look after him. To Rhys it doesn't matter that Steffi doesn't talk and, as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she's falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781529037586 |
| Publication date: |
15th April 2021 |
| Author: |
Sara Barnard |
| Publisher: |
Macmillan Children's Books an imprint of Pan Macmillan |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
307 pages |
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Sara Barnard Press Reviews
'I felt like I was living this book Zoella on Beautiful Broken Things I don't know where to start. I'd give this book TEN stars if I could. I loved Beautiful Broken Things but I think I love this book even more. A brilliant depiction of social anxiety, a swoony subtle love story that creeps up on you, and meticulously researched, respectful and just beautifully written. This book is not only for the quiet ones, but by JOVE how the quiet ones will adore this book.' Holly Bourne, author of Am I Normal Yet?
'Beautiful, honest and compelling. Also, one of the best depictions of anxiety I have ever read.' Catherine Doyle, author of Vendetta
'I swallowed this in one delicious sitting, and I've been thinking about Steffi and Rhys ever since. Honestly, it's been weeks and I'm not over them. They're so well drawn that they feel really real for me in a way that makes me want to check in with them for the rest of their lives.' Lauren James, author of The Next Together
'I literally cannot wait for everyone to read this and obsess over how good it is!' Maddie (Heart Full Of Books)
Praise for Beautiful Broken Things:
‘Beautiful Broken Things is the book I’ve been waiting for. It made me want to go and rugby-tackle my best friends and give them a giant hug. It’s a beautiful tale of the power and complexities of female friendship’ Holly Bourne,
‘Beautiful Broken Things is a book that the YA world desperately needs – a book about the beauty, passion and extremities of female friendship’ Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire
‘Starkly realistic and ultimately uplifting, Beautiful Broken Things is a compelling tale of pain and redemption, growing up and growing together, and finding empowerment and strength in friendship’ Catherine Doyle, author of Vendetta
‘Stories about female friendships are hard to come by, especially ones with no romance, but Beautiful Broken Things fills that gap in an intensely compelling and passionate way’ Lauren James,
author of The Next Together
About Sara Barnard
Sara Barnard lives in Brighton and does all her best writing on trains. She loves books, book people and book things. She has been writing ever since she was too small to reach the on switch on the family Amstrad computer. She gets her love of words from her dad, who made sure she always had books to read and introduced her to the wonders of secondhand book shops at a young age. Sara is trying to visit every country in Europe, and has managed to reach 13 with her best friend. She has also lived in Canada and worked in India. Sara Barnard is the author of Beautiful Broken Things, A Quiet Kind of Thunder and Goodbye, Perfect
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