Trouble Talk (edition 2008)

REVIEW: "Maya's friend Bailey loves to talk about everything and everyone. At first, Maya thinks Bailey is funny. But when Bailey's talk leads to harmful rumors and hurt feelings, Maya begins to think twice about their friendship."-www.amazon.com
SOURCE: Pierce College Library
AGE: 6-8

Trouble Talk is about two girls - Maya and Bailey. At first, Maya really likes her new friend Bailey. She's funny and likes to chatter. But Bailey doesn't know where to stop - she can't keep secrets and she tells people things that should be secrets - or that aren't even true! With help from adults, Maya confronts Bailey and repairs her relationships with her old friends. There's no easy solution - Bailey is still a gossip, and her "friends" still feel hurt. But Bailey isn't demonized; Maya admits she wishes they were still friends and hopes someday Bailey will learn how to be a friend. ( )

I don't normally read/review "issue" books. I just don't do the whole bibliotherapy thing. But I do think, sometimes, reading books about "issues" can help, if they are well-written. Trouble Talk is an excellent example of the type of materials I hope to include in our library's new "Tough Topics" collection - books that parents and children can read and discuss together. It's sometimes difficult to know where to start talking to a child about a problem, and this kind of book can help there.

Trouble Talk is about two girls - Maya and Bailey. At first, Maya really likes her new friend Bailey. She's funny and likes to chatter. But Bailey doesn't know where to stop - she can't keep secrets and she tells people things that should be secrets - or that aren't even true! With help from adults, Maya confronts Bailey and repairs her relationships with her old friends. There's no easy solution - Bailey is still a gossip, and her "friends" still feel hurt. But Bailey isn't demonized; Maya admits she wishes they were still friends and hopes someday Bailey will learn how to be a friend. The illustrations are realistic, especially in portraying the characters' faces, and add depth to the narrative.

There's an excellent introduction and afterword to explain the story, questions for discussion, and further resources. This is a good example of a story that teaches about difficult issues - gossip and bullying - without patronizing or over-generalizing.

Verdict: Recommended. It would be best in nonfiction or a special parenting type section, but could also go in picture books.

ISBN: 978-1582462400; Published May 2008 by Tricycle; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library

This is a good book about being bullied. I especially liked it because it deals with girls who gossip and does a nice job of showing how something that may seem so innocent actually hurts young people. A good mentor text for when the girls in your classroom start with the gossip. ( )