Sophia lives in a children's home and keeps a notebook
in which she introduces herself and tells us about her
life. As not all young people grow up in the same home
environment this kind of story is a good way to help young
people relate to the experiences of others. THE STORY OF
SOPHIA TURNER has some amusing aspects.
Sophia has a father who lives elsewhere and touchingly her
idea of a great day out would be going to a beach with her
dad. The adults around her seem kind but strict and she
is
tired of being the best-behaved girl. Just for a change,
Sophia decides to be naughty; then she plays a few tricks
and has to wait to see if anyone will notice. I found this
quite fun as Sophia clearly doesn't intend to hurt anyone
by her tricks, just to go outside of the rules. While this
story is set in England the location is hardly noticeable
so any kid could relate to the story.
THE STORY OF SOPHIA TURNER is more self-interested than
the
author Jonathan Rigole's other work Jessica's Dolphin and
there is only so much of crossed-out and re-spelt writing
that I want to read, though kids might find it funny. What
came across to me is that Sophia needs more to occupy her
than making pictures from pasta shells, in order to grow,
and even though her behaviour is attention-seeking, she is
not prepared to have the attention of the entire home
turned on her. I am sure she will grow into an admirable
young lady and I hope we meet her again in another story.
The book is a notebook given by the home. First we have a
"This is Me" series of pages where Sophia tells us about
her life, being well-behaved, her favorite books and
computer games, enjoyment of art and crafts, living at
Holy Family (as she calls the children's home), the
various girls who also live there, and about her father
and her love for him.
Then we go into the story properly. Sophia is annoyed
about being the best-behaved person at Holy Family and how
all the girls - Emma, Charlotte, Evelyn, Elizabeth and
Samantha (who are the same age as her) - are playing up.
She discusses this with her father. Because he is
separated from her he suggests that maybe Sophia should
just play up now and again. Sophia tries this in various
places but no one notices, maybe because she doesn't do a
good job about it. She wishes she was more like that other
girl on the telly, but can't remember who she is. She
bursts into tears for being ignored. One of the carers
cuddles her and says they're sorry for taking her for
granted. The home then holds a Sophia Turner Day. Sophia
is nervous about having to give a speech, then decides
it's her day and she can do what she wants, so she does a
funny dance instead. Everyone tucks into orange squash and
cake. A carer wants wine but he is told he can't. This is
all written in Sophia's point of view. The story includes
various letters and posters as part of the story.
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