by Marcella Pixley
When I was little I loved to play all things make-believe.
I played Barbies, cops and robbers, house and school. At a certain age though, most of us stop playing make-believe. We stop believing in the magic of being someone or something else. But what happens when you don't stop believing? What if you grow up believing you have wings that help you fly or you become a seal in water?
In Without Tess, we discover that Tess, Lizzie's sister and best friend, is unable to grow out of her magic. Tess is gently shown as having a mental illness that the family seems unaware of until it's too late. The neighbor friends offer an honest voice, bringing the girls back to reality or showing the difference between realities.
At the beginning of the book I enjoyed the childhood make-believe, but found the sadness creeping in as I realized Tess was delusional. There are not many YA books written about mental illness from such a young age, but it is a reality that should be shared.
Always enjoying a happy ending (without spoiling it), I was pleased to see Tess let go and move on to the next phase of her teenage life.
No comments:
Post a Comment