The making of Martha Mayfield by Jo Dabrowski

If Martha Mayfield was represented as an animal, she would be a turtle or a snail - a quiet creature that lives inside its own shell, rarely making a headline of itself.  In this tender story we feel the torture of shyness and grow in respect for Martha who eventually raises her head (and her voice) so that others might see and hear her. With a very small pool of friends and a tendency at school (and at home) to keep her ideas to herself, she is always afraid of the reactions of others. Her battles with ‘What if ..?’ and her interior negative dialogue are a constant companion, and she is often overlooked. In this remarkably insightful story, we see Martha … a situation that is rare for her, and discover that she has much to offer, but it might look different to the standard ‘Class Captain’ or school leader. 

I absolutely loved this story, recognising my own former classmates, family members, and students that I have taught. Not everyone thrives on public speaking, publicly revealing their thoughts, or conversations with strangers, and Martha (and her mother) must find ways to succeed while being true to themselves. The striving to be more than the overlooked one is presented with great compassion in this school-based story. The story has moments of humour but is also a gently winsome journey into the emotional struggles of the shy child. This is a book that is an absolute delight - get it into the hands of the shy child as an expression of affirmation, but also into the reading journey of the loud and confident kid so they can learn empathy and perhaps will learn to listen more. Martha is a year 5, readying herself for the ‘senior’ year of Primary school and this would suit a target audience of 10–12 year-olds, but the inclusion of an older sister already in the land of dating and formal dresses will also enable readers up to age 14/15 to enjoy the story too. I loved this book as an adult reflecting on the challenges of overcoming fear and anxiety and the sensitive handling of the topic, but young readers will absolutely love the ‘remaking of Martha’.

Themes: Family, Anxiety (shyness), School, Personality, Expectations.

Carolyn Hull