Read All the Pieces of Me free for 7 days. £7.99/month after - less than a paperback.
Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott's All the Pieces of Me is an honest, big-hearted story for 11 year olds about an autistic girl who's about to lose her best friend.
Tally is nearly thirteen and in Year 8. At lunchtime she sits on the edge of the popular group, and she's only there because her best friend Layla is. Then Layla announces she's moving to Florida. In less than two weeks.
Home isn't much calmer. Her big sister Nell has exams and gets all the fussing. Mum and Dad are arguing behind the kitchen door. And Tally is sure she's the reason why.
The book puts you right inside her head, and it's really quite something. Tally has a stress bucket that fills up drop by drop through the day. A sarcastic comment. A teacher who thinks she's lazy. Being called a baby. You watch every single drip land, so when the last one tips everything over, you understand exactly why.
She's very funny too. (Her David Attenborough commentary on the school field is a joy.)
Between chapters there are pages from Tally's own magazine, where she interviews herself about friends, school and family. She explains her PDA profile in her own words. There's even a list of ten things that help her empty her backpack of pain, from bubble baths to Taylor Swift.
The meltdowns are written very honestly. In one, Tally screams that she hates her family and her fists land on Dad as she tries to get out of the front door. Her parents' rows are tense too, and she overhears Mum saying she needs a break. A reader going through something similar at home might find those scenes close to the bone. Plenty of others will feel very seen.
Have you got a child who's ever stood on the edge of a group, wondering if it's worth the effort? This one will probably hit home. It's also a brilliant window into how a friend or classmate might experience the world.
If they'd like to meet Tally a bit younger, go back to Ways to Be Me. She's ten, her big sister is just as prickly and a family dinner goes very badly wrong.
A library hand-picked by an English teacher, delivered through a calm, ad-free app. If your child already loves reading, we keep up.
7-day free trial. Then £7.99/month.
