SuitabookApple and Rain
Sarah Crossan
- Reading
- Read alongside the child if family separation or unreliable caregiving feels personally close. Pause after major changes in Apple’s living situation, and discuss which adults offer dependable support without demanding a judgement about any family member.
- Themes
- Rebuilding family love: Apple has been raised by her grandmother after her mother’s long absence, then chooses to live with her returning mother. The reunion does not provide the simple security Apple expects. The story treats renewed love as emotionally difficult rather than automatic, while presenting several family members with compassion, though the mother is portrayed particularly negatively.
- Writing as expression: Apple writes poetry, including playful nonsense verse for Rain, and an English teacher encourages her to examine and express complicated feelings. Writing is presented as a meaningful route towards self-expression and insight, with a caring teacher recognising Apple’s ability.
- Growing responsibility: After moving towards her mother, Apple becomes involved in caring for Rain, a younger sister she did not know existed, while adult care appears unsettled. The situation is portrayed as a cost of the hoped-for freedom and as part of the story’s concern with parenting, rather than as an uncomplicated benefit of growing up.
- Worth knowing
- The book appears more emotionally intense than action-focused: maternal abandonment, unstable parenting, school distress, friendship betrayal and responsibility for Rain may merit a check-in with a sensitive reader.