Ella on the Outside - Cath Howe

Publisher: Nosy Crow

Publication Date: May 3rd 2018

ISBN-13: 9781788000338

Age: 8-12

Synopsis

Ella is the new girl at school. She doesn’t know anyone and she doesn’t have any friends.

And she has a terrible secret.

Ella can’t believe her luck when Lydia, the most popular girl in school, decides to be her new best friend – but what does Lydia really want? And what does it all have to do with Molly, the quiet, shy girl who won’t talk to anyone?

Sometimes it is really hard being 10 years old, it is something I see daily in year 6, the falling outs, the precarious friendships and the prelude to adolescence. I loved how straight-forward the writing style of this book was. It was an authentic pre-teen voice and I really felt for Ella as a girl who is dealing with serious family issues, has noticeable eczema that she worries about and is new in school.

I always enjoy a flawed character because it helps children to realise it's fine to not be perfect and its normal to make mistakes. Ella realises she isn't doing the right thing but is desperate for the friendship of the popular girl, Lydia. We have probably all been there at some point in our lives. Cath Howe really draws out the empathy and challenges the reader to consider how they should treat other people and the consequences of our actions.

Another gorgeous and poignant feature are Ella's letters to her dad throughout. I don't want to spoil the story but there is the sense that she is coming to terms with things without always fully understanding the situation. 

Although it is easily accessible for the younger reader in terms of style, there are some pretty heavy themes in the novel: bullying, the loss of a parent (in different ways), e-safety and the need to be responsible with mobile phones as well as depression (this is never stated explicitly but it can be inferred as an adult having read the book).

The thing I struggled with was the lack of adult support. Ella and her brother, Jack have been dealing with a lot for children and their mum often shuts them down or doesn't want to talk about things. Sometimes this is what happens, I get that but neither Ella or Molly, who (without spoiling anything) has no adult at home to rely on, receive any support from their teachers. Perhaps it would be easy to overlook Ella, with her being new in school, but the circumstances of Molly's life are known to staff to an extent and still, she is just left with no-one really checking up on her, despite traits and behaviours that would be concerning. I am completely conscious I am coming at this from an adult point of view but for a child reader, it might have helped them to realise that there are many adults they can turn to and they don't have to suffer. That said, it is important that children are aware that adults are not perfect either, and that sometimes fears and flaws get the better of us too.

I read this in a night and I think it is a perfect addition to any year 5/6 book shelf. The values of friendship, compassion and empathy are some of the most important things a child can learn and I think Howe has produced a novel that is perfectly relevant to today's pre-teens. A well paced and thought provoking story that would work well in PSHE sessions.