Published by Barrington Stoke – specialists in books for reluctant readers – Needle tells the story of Charlene, a young black girl growing up in foster care after the death of her mum. Separated from her younger half-sister and bounced from home to home and school to school, she has little time to process her grief and isolation. Desperate to see her sister Kandi again, Charlene finds comfort only in her knitting and the support of her current foster mum, Annie.
But Annie’s son Blake is less supportive, and when one day he deliberately destroys the blanket she has been so lovingly creating for her sister, the emotions Charlene has been holding in for so long burst out, and she stabs him through the hand with her knitting needle.
While the dramatic image of the needle on the cover suggests violence and anger, the story itself is one of a young girl desperately trying to keep control in a world where nothing seems stable or reliable.
Charlene’s knitting is used as a clever motif, punctuating the action of the book as she uses it to try and stay calm in a life which seems determined to provoke her.
Lawrence cleverly ties together issues of racism, family displacement and institutional failings which lead a young teenager to be bound up in a system of unfair punishment – at home, in school and in the cells of a police station.
Aimed as it is at young adults who may struggle with reading, this is a fairly short story, but the characterization of Charlene is beautifully done and, as a teacher of 15 years, I recognised many of the issues she faces in lots of the students I have taught.
For young people who face discrimination or grow up in care, this book gives them a chance to see their story, and offers a glimpse of hope in the kindness Charlene receives from some of the adults she comes across. For those who have never experienced any of these, it will give them a chance to see the world from another point of view and question their own preconceptions.
A well written and thoughtful read, this is a definite contender for the Yoto Carnegie prize, and one I will certainly be recommending to students I teach.
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