A haunting island setting brings together Rosa’s isolation, online friendship and longing for her dead mother. Ghost beliefs and questions about trust give the story a mysterious thread.
More about this book
Monsters are in the eye of the beholder. Rosa suffers from a rare condition that renders her mute. She lives on the strange island of Mirasol where the rain never seems to stop. In the gloom of the island, its superstitious population are haunted by all sorts of fears ... they shun people who suffer from Rosa's condition, believing them to be monsters. So Rosa must live hidden away in an isolated house with its back to the rest of the world, with only the internet for a social life. But Rosa has no desire to leave Mirasol. This is where her mother died and every night she lights a candle on the windowsill. The islanders believe this is the way to summon ghosts, and Rosa wants her mother back. One day she is befriended by a boy online who calls himself Ansel95 -- and she quickly realizes that this is one friendship that can take place in the real world. Can she really trust him? What does he want from her? And then Mother turns up at the front door.
SuperstitionThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.DifferenceThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.Social exclusionThe available evidence does not establish the book's treatment of this theme. See Confidence & Basis for the evidence gap.
Consider
Social conflictGrief and lossFear and suspense
Personalised Fit
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On Mirasol, people who share Rosa’s condition are shunned as monsters, and Rosa is kept hidden away.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: How does the story invite readers to understand the islanders’ treatment of Rosa?
Myths and ghosts in a modern setting
The novel combines island ghost beliefs and Rosa’s candle ritual with contemporary online friendship.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: The story weaves island ghost beliefs and a candle ritual together with contemporary online friendship.
Talk about: How does the island’s belief in ghosts shape the way Rosa understands her mother’s absence?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
Rosa’s experience invites thought about how fear and superstition can shape a community’s treatment of someone who is different, while her online friendship raises questions of trust.
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What Deserves Attention
Rosa is isolated because islanders shun people with her condition; her mother’s death and wish to bring her back add grief. Ghost beliefs and uncertainty about the online boy may also feel unsettling.
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A Conversation Worth Having
If Rosa and Ansel95’s friendship moves beyond the internet, what helps Rosa decide whether she can trust him?
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Reading Approach
Read together if useful, pausing when the story turns to Rosa’s isolation, her mother or the online friendship. Let the reader set the pace and say what feels mysterious or difficult.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Fear and exclusion: The plot outline does not establish how this conflict develops or resolves.
Myths and ghosts in a modern setting: The plot outline does not clarify whether supernatural events occur or how the story treats the island’s beliefs.
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