SuitabookThe Yearbook
Holly Bourne
- Reading
- Consider reading alongside the young person rather than assuming the difficult family material will be easy. Pause after major revelations, ask what support Paige receives, and check whether they want to discuss or continue.
- Themes
- Finding a voice: Paige begins as someone who avoids notice, then confronts lies in the yearbook and starts speaking up with help from others. The narrative treats her movement towards self-expression and truth as an important form of personal growth.
- Bullying and public stories: Popular pupils shape the yearbook around flattering claims about themselves and hurtful or false portrayals of others. The bullying and manipulation are presented as harmful, while the yearbook becomes a possible means of exposing what has happened.
- Home, fear and support: Paige receives little attention at home and is afraid of her father, while Aunt Polly and other adults provide forms of care or encouragement. The harmful family atmosphere is contrasted with relationships that help Paige feel supported and less invisible.
- Worth knowing
- Prepare for emotionally serious material involving bullying, emotional abuse, neglect and domestic violence.