Set in a world where words appear physically when people speak, AWAY WITH WORDS explores the importance of communication and being there for those we love.
Gala and her dad, Jordi, have just moved from home in Cataluña to a town in Scotland, to live with Jordi’s boyfriend Ryan. Gala doesn’t speak much English, and feels lost, lonely and unable to be her usual funny self. Until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. The two girls find their own ways to communicate, which includes collecting other people's discarded words. They use the words to write anonymous supportive poems for their classmates, but then someone begins leaving nasty messages using the same method – and the girls are blamed. Gala has finally started adapting to her new life in Scotland and is determined to find the culprit. Can she and Natalie show the school who they really are?
What a clever book! Sophie has used a speculative idea - this book is set in a world where, when people speak, their words appear as actual, physical things - and used it to highlight a very real problem - when people can't speak, for any reason, they are often treated as lesser than the people around them, less intelligent and less able. Sophie's two characters, one silent through anxiety and one because English is her third language and she's not very fluent yet - show this wonderfully.
It's such a fascinating world she's created, I really enjoyed thinking about it. I imagine it's harder for politicians to lie, for one thing! The detail that words come out different colours or fonts when the speaker is feeling different ways is amazing and the fact that despite this, people still have misunderstandings and make mistakes is wonderfully human.
Most kids who read this will probably have someone in their class for whom English is a second language, and I think this book should be on every classroom shelf, to teach them to be a little more patient and kind. I know I'll be thinking about it for a long time to come.
Away with Words publishes on the 11th of May, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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