Turtle Girl
Publisher: Luitingh-Sijthoff
Marlies Slegers masters the art of writing serious themes in a lighthearted tone
A touching story about a girl with an alcoholic mother
Marlies’ previous book We Have Something to Tell You has been nominated for the White Ravens
Thirteen-year-old Elvis loves history, writing and collecting. She has a secret caravan in the woods, where she hides from her mother when she has had too much to drink. In the caravan, Elvis keeps old, discarded things she finds on the street, including a turtle she discovers at the dumpster. Then she meets Sid, the eccentric boy next door, who is the opposite of Elvis in everything, and who for some reason is making a lot of efforts to become friends with her. Slowly, Elvis crawls out of her shell, and when her mother is once again very drunk, Elvis makes a drastic decision.
Praise:
‘How I love writers who suddenly surprise you.’ – De Grote Vriendelijke Podcast
