Silence is Goldfish
Published on 1. October 2015
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-1-78062-000-8 (ISBN)
Description
The third YA novel from the bestselling and prize-winning author of MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE and KETCHUP CLOUDS, in which Tessie-T discovers she's a Pluto and her parents wanted a Mercury or Venus, at least.
My name is Tess Turner - at least, that's what I've always been told.
I have a voice but it isn't mine. It used to say things so I'd fit in, to please my parents, to please my teachers. It used to tell the universe I was something I wasn't. It lied.
It never occurred to me that everyone else was lying too. But the words that really hurt weren't the lies: it was six hundred and seventeen words of truth that turned my world upside down.
Words scare me, the lies and the truth, so I decided to stop using them.
I am Pluto. Silent. Inaccessible. Billions of miles away from everything I thought I knew.
Tessie-T has never really felt she fitted in and after what she read that night on her father's blog she knows for certain that she never will. How she deals with her discovery makes an entirely riveting, heart-breaking story told through Tess's eyes as she tries to find her place in the world.
My name is Tess Turner - at least, that's what I've always been told.
I have a voice but it isn't mine. It used to say things so I'd fit in, to please my parents, to please my teachers. It used to tell the universe I was something I wasn't. It lied.
It never occurred to me that everyone else was lying too. But the words that really hurt weren't the lies: it was six hundred and seventeen words of truth that turned my world upside down.
Words scare me, the lies and the truth, so I decided to stop using them.
I am Pluto. Silent. Inaccessible. Billions of miles away from everything I thought I knew.
Tessie-T has never really felt she fitted in and after what she read that night on her father's blog she knows for certain that she never will. How she deals with her discovery makes an entirely riveting, heart-breaking story told through Tess's eyes as she tries to find her place in the world.
Reviews / Votes
Exploring the importance of family, friends and being yourself, this is another standout book from an award-winning author. When Tess Turner accidentally looks at her dad's computer, she realises why she's never felt like she fits in. Her reaction is to stop speaking, except inside her own head, and what follows is a poignant and compelling story. * The Sun Online * Pitcher writes clearly and elegantly and the novel is full of her trademark wit * DAILY TELEGRAPH ONLINE * Pitcher excels at the emotional tangles of adolescence and never whitewashes Tess's own faults as she stumbles from one mistake to another ... Another winner from the author of the bestselling Ketchup Clouds * Daily Mail * Strong in substance and originality, Pitcher continues to bring boldness and uniqueness to YA * WE LOVE THIS BOOK * This novel is both heart-breaking and hilarious. Tess is a fabulous protagonist, a strong, outgoing girl who tries her hardest to please those around her, yet one who deals with daily bullying on account of her size and unconventional looks. Her journey of self-discovery is incredibly difficult and you cannot help but cheer her on every step of the way. It is exceptionally well written and an absolute joy to read. * BOOK TRUST * Pitcher delivers a story of betrayal and miscues among family and friends with a realistic blend of humor and gravity as Tess slides toward mental instability. An unflinchingly honest portrayal of anguish. * Kirkus * Witty, heart-warming ... a lovely story about overcoming convention and coming to accept yourself * DAILY TELEGRAPH * Silence is Goldfish is a rare gem of a book: it features the kind of protagonist we need more of. Not the feisty, popular heroines we wish we could be, but the grounded, empowered heroines we are. * GUARDIAN CHILDREN'S BOOKS * Pitcher brilliantly captures the elasticity of the teenage mind, its ability to apprehend reality in a multiplicity of angles, its tendency to see itself alternatively as a speck of dust in the universe or as an all-encompassing being. Picher's writing is intriguing, riveting, respectful, true and oh so funny. * Inis Reading Guide 2015-16 * The book immediately feels like a Pitcher novel and her beautiful writing style is what really makes it enjoyable. * GUARDIAN CHILDREN'S BOOKS * A beautiful, well-told tale * Telegraph & Argus *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Hachette Children's Group
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 12 to 15 years
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
532 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78062-000-8 (9781780620008)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Annabel Pitcher
Silence is Goldfish
E-Book
10/2015
Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
€4.49
Available for download
Person
Annabel graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Literature and an ambition to be a children's author. She had a variety of jobs before deciding to travel the world and focus on writing. Annabel now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and two young sons.
Her first book, MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE, won the Branford Boase and a Betty Trask Award in 2012 and KETCHUP CLOUDS won the 2014 Waterstones Children's Prize. Annabel's work has been shortlisted for numerous prestigious awards including the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Galaxy British Book Award and the Red House Children's Book Award and longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the 2012 CILIP Carnegie Medal.
Visit Annabel's website at www.annabelpitcher.com and follow her on Twitter @APitcherAuthor.
Her first book, MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE, won the Branford Boase and a Betty Trask Award in 2012 and KETCHUP CLOUDS won the 2014 Waterstones Children's Prize. Annabel's work has been shortlisted for numerous prestigious awards including the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Galaxy British Book Award and the Red House Children's Book Award and longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the 2012 CILIP Carnegie Medal.
Visit Annabel's website at www.annabelpitcher.com and follow her on Twitter @APitcherAuthor.