A Storm of Strawberries

by Jo Cotterill 

★★★

Review 

This is a unique story told from the perspective of Darby, a teenage girl with Down’s syndrome. The first thing that I loved about this book was the narration. Darby is a sweet, loving and honest young lady who shares her perspective of major events in her families life. Although Darby is very observant, she sometimes doesn’t fully understand the situations around her and takes things quite literally. Her way of narrating is very endearing and I think this is one of Jo’s greatest successes. 

While the main character is very sweet and I loved the opportunity to read from the perspective of an under-represented narrator, I found that the storyline took a while to get going, and once it was in full flow it was still a little beige. I am definitely a sucker for fast-paced, action packed stories which I suppose will have affected my personal opinion. 

The storyline itself is fairly simple - there is a storm brewing on the family strawberry farm and tensions are running high. We learn about  Darby and her life at home, getting insights into the ways in which a person with Down's syndrome may experience the world around them. 

The secondary (or some may argue the primary) storyline sees Darby’s sister unexpectedly coming out to her family. This was not something that I anticipated from either the title or the blurb and so took a few seconds to adjust to the story’s new direction. For the second half of the book we get to see how each family member processes the news, not all of which are as positive as the reader may hope. We see this play out through Darby’s eyes and witness how her family’s reactions drive Darby to defend her sister and her girlfriend.

This book is very open and honest and could be a great way to encourage several discussions with older children around important topics such as Downs Syndrome, relationships and financial challenges. 

Dive Deeper

key information

Author: Jo Cotterill 

Release Date: 29th June 2017

Book type: Chapter, 240 pages, paperback

Reader level: Growing reader (content 8+, see review)

Overview

Darby is twelve and has Down's syndrome. Her favourite things are music, chocolate, and her big sister Kaydee. It's nearly time for the annual chocolate hunt, the highlight of Darby's year, but Kaydee has brought a friend home for the weekend. Suddenly both the chocolate hunt and her favourite person are in danger of slipping away... and to make things worse, the family's strawberry farm is hit by a tornado.

When the storm clears, what will be left? And can Darby mend what's been broken when nobody will listen to her?

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