ALLY'S WORLD Butterflies, Bullies and Bad, Bad Habits

Ally and her family continue to struggle as her runaway mother remains absent. Each family member copes in his or her own way, but sister Rowan seems most crushed by the loss of her mom. Narrator Daniela Denby-Ashe expertly portrays each character, child or adult, angry or accepting. When Rowan shoplifts, Denby-Ashe presents the painful emotions of a young girl trying to grow up under difficult conditions. When school bullies add to Rowan's woes, it's uplifting to hear how her sisters and friends respond. In a closing postscript, listeners hear the moral of the story spelled out: "If someone is bullying you, you must do something about it." S.G.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 07]