Eleni Hale’s Stone Girl is an incredibly powerful and honest story about the Australian foster care system. Drawing on elements of Hale’s own childhood, the novel is a confronting look into the troubling conditions faced by the children most in need of care. When twelve-year-old Sophie is moved to a foster home after the death of her mother, her life spirals as her old friends abandon her and she struggles to hold onto any form of consistency. As she becomes just another number in the system, she begins seeking attention by acting out and caving into peer pressure just to feel a part of something.
Stone Girl is written to challenge perspectives and push readers out of their comfort zone, so it is better suited to older readers. While the content is heavy, it is honest, and sends a powerful message about the truth of the matter. It sheds light on the ugly truths of the foster care system, a perspective that is not often given by someone who has experienced it first-hand. Hale’s novel provides a much-needed voice for kids in the same situation who might not have seen themselves reflected in a strong character like Sophie.
While Stone Girl gives insight into how the unfair amount of neglect in the foster system can make bad choices seem inevitable, Sophie is not a victim. She is a nuanced narrator in that her actions are almost justifiable once the reader considers the situation she’s in and the actions of others that have led to that decision. Being betrayed and disappointed by adults over and over again understandably makes her lost faith in authority, and she can’t be entirely blamed for making the wrong choices.
Stone Girl brings up the difficult dilemma of how to fix the foster care system when there are too many children and not enough beds, but its purpose isn’t to make the readers sympathise with the system. It’s supposed to be a voice for those whose childhood was affected in similar ways to Sophie’s, and to let them know that they’re not alone in this world. For those lucky enough to never be in that situation, it’s a powerful wake-up call that is guaranteed to change your point of view.
An exploration of both time-travel and identity, Allison Evans’ Ida is a beautifully diverse and emotional story that I feel I’ve been waiting to read long before I knew it existed. Time travel is usually a hit-or-miss for me, but the reader learns about Ida’s powers more or less at the same pace as she [...]
Cally Black’s In The Dark Spaces is an immersive sci-fi thriller that features some incredible aliens and insightful thoughts on human nature. While it’s full of action and danger, the heart of the story revolves around family, morality, communication, and love in all its forms. Exposition is scarce, but this works in the book’s favour. [...]
The penultimate novel from the world of the Magisterium series is set one year after the events of The Silver Mask. Callum Hunt has been framed and is now residing in prison. But, after being broken out, Callum is captured and detained on an island out in the sea, forced to continue his study on …
In 1984, one of modern literature’s most celebrated works, readers are introduced to Winston Smith, who lives in a dystopian society in which everything–from actions, movements, careers, and, even in some cases, thoughts–are monitored and recorded tirelessly. In this society, all individuals are governed by organisations who mandate conformity and allegiance, and who will cause …
Marcus Zusak’s captivating debut novel follows the story of Liesel, who witnesses the death of her younger brother while on a train through Germany. When she discovers a novel hidden in the snow while standing by her brother’s grave, Liesel pockets it, despite the fact that she has not acquired the ability to read. When …
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
Book Review – Stone Girl by Eleni Hale
Stone Girl is written to challenge perspectives and push readers out of their comfort zone, so it is better suited to older readers. While the content is heavy, it is honest, and sends a powerful message about the truth of the matter. It sheds light on the ugly truths of the foster care system, a perspective that is not often given by someone who has experienced it first-hand. Hale’s novel provides a much-needed voice for kids in the same situation who might not have seen
themselves reflected in a strong character like Sophie.
While Stone Girl gives insight into how the unfair amount of neglect in the foster system can make bad choices seem inevitable, Sophie is not a victim. She is a nuanced narrator in that her actions are almost justifiable once the reader considers the situation she’s in and the actions of others that have led to that decision. Being betrayed and disappointed by adults over and over again understandably makes her lost faith in authority, and she can’t be entirely blamed for
making the wrong choices.
Stone Girl brings up the difficult dilemma of how to fix the foster care system when there are too many children and not enough beds, but its purpose isn’t to make the readers sympathise with the system. It’s supposed to be a voice for those whose childhood was affected in similar ways to Sophie’s, and to let them know that they’re not alone in this world. For those lucky enough to never be in that situation, it’s a powerful wake-up call that is guaranteed to change your point of
view.
Related Posts
Book Review – Ida by Allison Evans
Book Review – In the Dark Spaces by Cally Black
Book Review – The Silver Mask by Cassandra Clare
The penultimate novel from the world of the Magisterium series is set one year after the events of The Silver Mask. Callum Hunt has been framed and is now residing in prison. But, after being broken out, Callum is captured and detained on an island out in the sea, forced to continue his study on …
Book Review – 1984 by George Orwell
In 1984, one of modern literature’s most celebrated works, readers are introduced to Winston Smith, who lives in a dystopian society in which everything–from actions, movements, careers, and, even in some cases, thoughts–are monitored and recorded tirelessly. In this society, all individuals are governed by organisations who mandate conformity and allegiance, and who will cause …
Book Review – The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Marcus Zusak’s captivating debut novel follows the story of Liesel, who witnesses the death of her younger brother while on a train through Germany. When she discovers a novel hidden in the snow while standing by her brother’s grave, Liesel pockets it, despite the fact that she has not acquired the ability to read. When …
Book Review – Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …