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Stone Girl
I’m at the police station. There’s blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain . . . no one can ever forgive me for what I’ve done.
An unspeakable event changes everything. No more Mum, school or bed of her own. She’s made a ward of the state and grows up in a volatile world where kids make their own rules, adults don’t count and the only constant is change.
Until one day she meets Gwen, Matty and Spiral. Spiral is the most furious, beautiful boy Sophie has ever known. And as their bond tightens she finally begins to confront what happened in her past.
An unspeakable event changes everything. No more Mum, school or bed of her own. She’s made a ward of the state and grows up in a volatile world where kids make their own rules, adults don’t count and the only constant is change.
Until one day she meets Gwen, Matty and Spiral. Spiral is the most furious, beautiful boy Sophie has ever known. And as their bond tightens she finally begins to confront what happened in her past.
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2018
About the author
Eleni Hale
1 book59 followersEleni Hale's first novel Stone Girl was published by Penguin Random House May, 2018. She was previously a reporter at the Herald Sun, a communications strategist for the union movement and has written for many print and online news publications. Her short story 'Fig' was published as part of the ABC’s 'In their Branches' project and she has received three Varuna awards. She lives in Melbourne and is currently working on her second book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
September 20, 2018
Truthfully, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I saw the chance and grabbed it; I’m spontaneous like that because otherwise, I’m rather indecisive and will take forever and a day to make up my mind. I don’t think I even looked at the blurb at the back of the book and just started reading… boy, did I get the shock of my life!
The novel opens with a shocked twelve-year-old Sophie sitting at the police station. Her mother had died and it is all her fault. Her father is in Greece and she has no other family to care for her. She was placed in the care of social workers and hence begins her journey through the system. About 1/3 through the book, we skipped to 2 years later and Sophie’s life did not get any better… is it possible to even be worse than it already is? Her life is like a roller coaster and she’s about to hit rock bottom…
We only have each other
Stone Girl tells of brutal lives of teens who have been betrayed again and again. First by their parents who reversed the roles by having the children as carers then to disappoint them by leaving (or dying) and/or breaking promises again and again. No wonder these children do not and cannot place any kind of trust in adults. How can you when all they’ve learnt are betrayals and disappointments?
The homes have taught me some important life lessons: need no one, rely on no one, trust no one. Cry inside. Feel but don’t show. If you think you need someone to talk to about deep stuff? Don’t. Sort it out alone. Mask up and survive.
I can’t tell you just how heartbreaking this story is. And to read in the author’s note that she herself has lived through this system back in the 1990s made this book all the more heartbreaking and powerful in its inspiration of hope. It wasn’t an easy book to read and whilst it holds no trigger moments for me, it came quite close. I won’t say that it’s a must-read for anyone because not everyone could survive reading this but I do very much hope that the message it brings will reach those who need it.
It’s not too late…You can if you are tenacious, determined. Try, and never give up… You have a choice to make and pretending you don’t is a choice in itself.
Thanks to the author, Eleni Hale, for copy of book in exchange of honest review.
The novel opens with a shocked twelve-year-old Sophie sitting at the police station. Her mother had died and it is all her fault. Her father is in Greece and she has no other family to care for her. She was placed in the care of social workers and hence begins her journey through the system. About 1/3 through the book, we skipped to 2 years later and Sophie’s life did not get any better… is it possible to even be worse than it already is? Her life is like a roller coaster and she’s about to hit rock bottom…
We only have each other
Stone Girl tells of brutal lives of teens who have been betrayed again and again. First by their parents who reversed the roles by having the children as carers then to disappoint them by leaving (or dying) and/or breaking promises again and again. No wonder these children do not and cannot place any kind of trust in adults. How can you when all they’ve learnt are betrayals and disappointments?
The homes have taught me some important life lessons: need no one, rely on no one, trust no one. Cry inside. Feel but don’t show. If you think you need someone to talk to about deep stuff? Don’t. Sort it out alone. Mask up and survive.
I can’t tell you just how heartbreaking this story is. And to read in the author’s note that she herself has lived through this system back in the 1990s made this book all the more heartbreaking and powerful in its inspiration of hope. It wasn’t an easy book to read and whilst it holds no trigger moments for me, it came quite close. I won’t say that it’s a must-read for anyone because not everyone could survive reading this but I do very much hope that the message it brings will reach those who need it.
It’s not too late…You can if you are tenacious, determined. Try, and never give up… You have a choice to make and pretending you don’t is a choice in itself.
Thanks to the author, Eleni Hale, for copy of book in exchange of honest review.
October 20, 2018
There are currently over forty five thousand children within the foster care system within Australia. These are children without a primary caregiver, children who are casualties of family violence, substance abuse or children without a nurturing environment. Her story is harrowing and confrontational and although Sophie Soukaris is a fictional character, her narrative is indicative of many adolescents placed within the system.
Sophie Soukaris has been placed within temporary care after her mother passed away, child protection authorities attempting to contact her estranged father in Greece. As a young woman with a child, her mother returned to Australia after a dissolution of marriage, raising Sophie as a single parent and substance abuser, known to child protection authorities.
The quivering in my chest feels like frantic butterflies under my skin. They want to get out but can't, their colourful wings trapped in darkness.
Awaiting a permanent position with a foster family and accommodated with adolescents, Sophie begins to assimilate to her environment, susceptible to substance abuse, addiction, manipulation, sexual assault and misdemeanours as a minor. As her environment becomes increasingly treacherous, Family Assistance Services provides Sophie with a sequence of temporary housing, a vulnerable and perceptive young girl a consequence of her environment. Sophie is coerced, abducted and imprisoned by a paedophile. Attempted suicide, narcotics abuse, alcoholism, gender violence and engaging in destructive although consensual relationships.
The narrative is confrontational and controversial. Adolescents abandoned by protection services, ostracised by society without a sense of belonging. Debut author Eleni Hale has created a remarkable, captivating and courageous narrative. Imperative reading.
Sophie Soukaris has been placed within temporary care after her mother passed away, child protection authorities attempting to contact her estranged father in Greece. As a young woman with a child, her mother returned to Australia after a dissolution of marriage, raising Sophie as a single parent and substance abuser, known to child protection authorities.
The quivering in my chest feels like frantic butterflies under my skin. They want to get out but can't, their colourful wings trapped in darkness.
Awaiting a permanent position with a foster family and accommodated with adolescents, Sophie begins to assimilate to her environment, susceptible to substance abuse, addiction, manipulation, sexual assault and misdemeanours as a minor. As her environment becomes increasingly treacherous, Family Assistance Services provides Sophie with a sequence of temporary housing, a vulnerable and perceptive young girl a consequence of her environment. Sophie is coerced, abducted and imprisoned by a paedophile. Attempted suicide, narcotics abuse, alcoholism, gender violence and engaging in destructive although consensual relationships.
The narrative is confrontational and controversial. Adolescents abandoned by protection services, ostracised by society without a sense of belonging. Debut author Eleni Hale has created a remarkable, captivating and courageous narrative. Imperative reading.
September 30, 2018
This was such an important story about a girl who has to live in the foster care system after her mother dies.
June 14, 2018
I loved this book for its raw authenticity and how it tells the story of such a broken system. I could not put it down.
However I certainly wouldn't be recommending this for a young audience. We won't be putting it on our high school Library shelves. There are very in depth descriptions of shooting up and very heavy drug references. Of course this makes the story all the more real, and unfortunately is the reality for many.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Drug Abuse, Physical abuse, emotional abuse, self harm, sexual abuse
EDIT - Please note, I am in no way suggesting this book does not belong on the shelves of ALL school libraries. Merely it should be read and a decision made in alignment with your own collection policy. Our decision is simply our own, and we respect that will not be the same for others.
However I certainly wouldn't be recommending this for a young audience. We won't be putting it on our high school Library shelves. There are very in depth descriptions of shooting up and very heavy drug references. Of course this makes the story all the more real, and unfortunately is the reality for many.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Drug Abuse, Physical abuse, emotional abuse, self harm, sexual abuse
EDIT - Please note, I am in no way suggesting this book does not belong on the shelves of ALL school libraries. Merely it should be read and a decision made in alignment with your own collection policy. Our decision is simply our own, and we respect that will not be the same for others.
October 25, 2018
Powerful and disturbing—’Stone Girl’ is a must-read for anyone who cares about Australia’s children.
‘Stone Girl’ tells the story of twelve-year old Sophie who finds herself completely alone when her mother dies unexpectedly. Sophie becomes a ward of the state and is shunted around accommodation options without ever having the opportunity to resume a ‘normal’ life; one with school and routine, and where people care about how you’re doing and what you’re achieving.
Eleni Hale tackles the subject of children in care with unflinching honesty in her debut young adult novel, ‘Stone Girl’. Hale mines her personal experiences as a ward of the state during her teen years to bring readers an authentic account of what life can be like for children in Victoria’s child welfare system.
My reading of ‘Stone Girl’ gave me the impression that Sophie fell between the gaps in the welfare system, but what if the gaps are great big chasms and we are failing some of our most vulnerable and voiceless children and youth?
Although the subject of ‘Stone Girl’ is confronting, Hale writes eloquently:
I’m at the police station. There’s blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain . . . no one can ever forgive me for what I’ve done.
‘Stone Girl’ is a well-paced, honest and devastating read with a surprising message of hope. Hale’s book is important because it sheds light on Australia’s forgotten children. Highly recommended reading.
‘Stone Girl’ tells the story of twelve-year old Sophie who finds herself completely alone when her mother dies unexpectedly. Sophie becomes a ward of the state and is shunted around accommodation options without ever having the opportunity to resume a ‘normal’ life; one with school and routine, and where people care about how you’re doing and what you’re achieving.
Eleni Hale tackles the subject of children in care with unflinching honesty in her debut young adult novel, ‘Stone Girl’. Hale mines her personal experiences as a ward of the state during her teen years to bring readers an authentic account of what life can be like for children in Victoria’s child welfare system.
My reading of ‘Stone Girl’ gave me the impression that Sophie fell between the gaps in the welfare system, but what if the gaps are great big chasms and we are failing some of our most vulnerable and voiceless children and youth?
Although the subject of ‘Stone Girl’ is confronting, Hale writes eloquently:
I’m at the police station. There’s blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain . . . no one can ever forgive me for what I’ve done.
‘Stone Girl’ is a well-paced, honest and devastating read with a surprising message of hope. Hale’s book is important because it sheds light on Australia’s forgotten children. Highly recommended reading.
April 21, 2018
THIS BOOK. Right here. It’s must-read #LoveOzYA. It cut me to pieces then stitched me back up ragged. I loved it.
Reading Eleni reminded me of when I was 11 or 12 and read Margaret Clark’s ‘Back on Track: Diary of a Street Kid’ and ‘Care Factor Zero’ for the first time - books about teens whose life was so different from my own, whose existence I’d never even considered or remotely understood until those stories came along. As an adult I wasn’t surprised to learn that Margaret Clark worked full time at an alcohol & drug centre, and mostly with at-risk youth and the homeless. Eleni’s book is telling an even more intimate, shattering story - inspired by her own time as a “homes kid”.
'Stone Girl’ is a confronting tale of teens who fall through the cracks. It’s raw and terrifying, electrifying and tender. And telling another side to #WeNeedDiverseBooks in Australia - a necessary story. Read it.
If there was Armageddon tomorrow? Well, then all those school-goers would be the unschooled and I’d be in my element. Survival is all about circumstances and who’s prepared for the current situation.
Reading Eleni reminded me of when I was 11 or 12 and read Margaret Clark’s ‘Back on Track: Diary of a Street Kid’ and ‘Care Factor Zero’ for the first time - books about teens whose life was so different from my own, whose existence I’d never even considered or remotely understood until those stories came along. As an adult I wasn’t surprised to learn that Margaret Clark worked full time at an alcohol & drug centre, and mostly with at-risk youth and the homeless. Eleni’s book is telling an even more intimate, shattering story - inspired by her own time as a “homes kid”.
'Stone Girl’ is a confronting tale of teens who fall through the cracks. It’s raw and terrifying, electrifying and tender. And telling another side to #WeNeedDiverseBooks in Australia - a necessary story. Read it.
If there was Armageddon tomorrow? Well, then all those school-goers would be the unschooled and I’d be in my element. Survival is all about circumstances and who’s prepared for the current situation.
July 22, 2018
Not for the faint-hearted, Stone Girl is an uncompromising look at what life was/is/can be like for wards of the state, at how a bureaucracy of 'safety' creates a state of loneliness and despair, of rudderless-ness, of deep, deep self-loathing. Of misunderstanding. On all sides.
This books is one of those for which there will be cries of 'not in our school', of 'not on our shelves', of 'we don't want our kids knowing about drugs/ sex/ death/ fear/ despair'. But how will they know it when they see it? How will the safe kids in schools be able to resist the pull of the forbidden if they have no understanding of the cost? Would you rather them read about it, or do it for real?
Heart-breaking. Hopeful. Worth reading.
This books is one of those for which there will be cries of 'not in our school', of 'not on our shelves', of 'we don't want our kids knowing about drugs/ sex/ death/ fear/ despair'. But how will they know it when they see it? How will the safe kids in schools be able to resist the pull of the forbidden if they have no understanding of the cost? Would you rather them read about it, or do it for real?
Heart-breaking. Hopeful. Worth reading.
July 7, 2018
This broke me. When I've picked up my pieces I have more to say.
April 19, 2018
Stone Girl blew me away! It's the best YA debut I've read in a long time. Utterly unforgettable.
Eleni Hale spills the blood of raw experience across the pages and drew me in from the first chapter. Launching her protagonist, Sophie, on a journey through an explosive opener, and destroying the old broken world she inhabited, with a new and darker one. Page by page, I was drawn into a world that was so visceral I could almost touch it. As Sophie is drawn deeper and deeper into a world that frightens her, that she wanted no part of, Hale hands us shocking realities in the one fist and compassion and understanding in the other. We follow Sophie on a journey, where we come to understand how kids reach a place where nobody cares and nothing matters.
Eleni Hale's prose is stunning, her analogies fresh, her writing raw and uncensored. This is an honest story that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities facing kids on the fringes. Very few writers are capable of telling this story, so I commend Eleni Hale for having the courage, the skill and the honesty to write it.
Stone Girl is a rare and unique insight into modern day orphans, but more importantly, it examines a government system that professes to protect and shelter these vulnerable kids, while failing dismally. Hale manages to show us the complexity of meeting the needs of vulnerable kids in a system where there is no permanence - of home, of family, of friendships, of possessions. It is a stark reminder of the need for stability, love and care for all of us - especially kids. But Hale has one final message to deliver in this book, and it's a message of which she is living proof. We all have choices. Even in the most dire of circumstances, we each have the choice to take charge of our lives and work to make them better.
This is an important book. It exposes a world few of us understand and teaches us about humanity along the way.
Eleni Hale spills the blood of raw experience across the pages and drew me in from the first chapter. Launching her protagonist, Sophie, on a journey through an explosive opener, and destroying the old broken world she inhabited, with a new and darker one. Page by page, I was drawn into a world that was so visceral I could almost touch it. As Sophie is drawn deeper and deeper into a world that frightens her, that she wanted no part of, Hale hands us shocking realities in the one fist and compassion and understanding in the other. We follow Sophie on a journey, where we come to understand how kids reach a place where nobody cares and nothing matters.
Eleni Hale's prose is stunning, her analogies fresh, her writing raw and uncensored. This is an honest story that doesn't shy away from the harsh realities facing kids on the fringes. Very few writers are capable of telling this story, so I commend Eleni Hale for having the courage, the skill and the honesty to write it.
Stone Girl is a rare and unique insight into modern day orphans, but more importantly, it examines a government system that professes to protect and shelter these vulnerable kids, while failing dismally. Hale manages to show us the complexity of meeting the needs of vulnerable kids in a system where there is no permanence - of home, of family, of friendships, of possessions. It is a stark reminder of the need for stability, love and care for all of us - especially kids. But Hale has one final message to deliver in this book, and it's a message of which she is living proof. We all have choices. Even in the most dire of circumstances, we each have the choice to take charge of our lives and work to make them better.
This is an important book. It exposes a world few of us understand and teaches us about humanity along the way.
Read
July 31, 2018This book was a really confronting read about the homeless youths that get left behind when looking for foster homes. It's a sad and realistic tale about a girl who falls into drugs, street crime, alcoholism and self harm after several case workers have given up on her. While it was definitely an eye-opening read, I don't think it was for me.
Due to the coarse language, sex and self harm scenes and excess of trigger warnings (highlighted below), I would firmly place this book in the adult category as it isn't appropriate for younger teens.
Trigger warnings: suicide, child abuse, drug use, alcoholism, self harm, sexual abuse, abduction, racist/derogatory language, abandonment, domestic violence.
Rating withheld for now.
Due to the coarse language, sex and self harm scenes and excess of trigger warnings (highlighted below), I would firmly place this book in the adult category as it isn't appropriate for younger teens.
Trigger warnings: suicide, child abuse, drug use, alcoholism, self harm, sexual abuse, abduction, racist/derogatory language, abandonment, domestic violence.
Rating withheld for now.
December 12, 2018
Australia, the Lucky Country. Not for 12 year old Sophie who finds herself a ward of the State after her alcoholic mother dies. Sophie quickly learns how to survive in a broken system and lives in various foster homes while spiralling into alcohol, drugs and crime.
This is a harrowing story, based on the author's own experiences. The voice of the narrator is honest, raw and rages with frustration, anger, confusion, hopelessness and loneliness.
The book left me feeling quite deflated and unsettled to read about the lives of those children with no parental or guardian support and love, living in the same city as I do.
This is a harrowing story, based on the author's own experiences. The voice of the narrator is honest, raw and rages with frustration, anger, confusion, hopelessness and loneliness.
The book left me feeling quite deflated and unsettled to read about the lives of those children with no parental or guardian support and love, living in the same city as I do.
June 6, 2018
Okay so this is one of those books that could possible send me into a reading slump because it was so depressing and real.
I hated how Sophie changed so much over the course of the book because of how the system was broken.
I hate how far she sunk at the end. I mean how can nobody care where she was when she was unconscious on the street?
I also really hate how Spiral changed. Like I don't think he was a good influence to begin with but he definitely got worse.
I kind of like her last worker. He at least seemed to genuinely care without all the bullshit. He was honest about what he was able to help with and kept boundaries unlike the first caseworker.
I was utterly disgusted with the system in this book. I realize it might have been exaggerated but not all of it. It was super depressing.
I hated how Sophie changed so much over the course of the book because of how the system was broken.
I hate how far she sunk at the end. I mean how can nobody care where she was when she was unconscious on the street?
I also really hate how Spiral changed. Like I don't think he was a good influence to begin with but he definitely got worse.
I kind of like her last worker. He at least seemed to genuinely care without all the bullshit. He was honest about what he was able to help with and kept boundaries unlike the first caseworker.
I was utterly disgusted with the system in this book. I realize it might have been exaggerated but not all of it. It was super depressing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2018
After reading the blurb for Stone Girl I knew I had to read this book.
Sophie grows up saddled with a missing dad and a highly unreliable drunk mother. At the tender age of 12 she finds her mother dead and blames herself. As there is no one to take care of her, Sophie is taken into the Victorian government child welfare system and so begins her journey of coping with moving homes constantly; living with older kids who introduce her to smoking, drinking and stealing; and virtually being alone in a very broken system. Sophie tries to go against everyone’s expectations, but the system swallows her whole.
The realism of Sophie’s decline from dedicated student and carer to truant drug addict in an abusive relationship makes you question the system that is charged with caring for our most vulnerable. Anyone who survives this system deserves our admiration and respect.
Eleni Hale has been through the system, and this resonates throughout the pages of Stone Girl. This is a book that gives a voice to the forgotten ones who are unlucky enough to get sucked into a bureaucratic and broken system that often fails to take care of our most vulnerable. Hale has written a novel that is so much more than just a fantastic book. Maybe nothing will change. Or maybe a child stuck in the system will read Stone Girl and feel hope. And maybe, just maybe some real change will occur.
This book is bloody brilliant and a massive credit to Eleni Hale. It's a definite MUST READ.
L-J
Three Four Knock on the Door
Independent Children's Bookshop
Sophie grows up saddled with a missing dad and a highly unreliable drunk mother. At the tender age of 12 she finds her mother dead and blames herself. As there is no one to take care of her, Sophie is taken into the Victorian government child welfare system and so begins her journey of coping with moving homes constantly; living with older kids who introduce her to smoking, drinking and stealing; and virtually being alone in a very broken system. Sophie tries to go against everyone’s expectations, but the system swallows her whole.
The realism of Sophie’s decline from dedicated student and carer to truant drug addict in an abusive relationship makes you question the system that is charged with caring for our most vulnerable. Anyone who survives this system deserves our admiration and respect.
Eleni Hale has been through the system, and this resonates throughout the pages of Stone Girl. This is a book that gives a voice to the forgotten ones who are unlucky enough to get sucked into a bureaucratic and broken system that often fails to take care of our most vulnerable. Hale has written a novel that is so much more than just a fantastic book. Maybe nothing will change. Or maybe a child stuck in the system will read Stone Girl and feel hope. And maybe, just maybe some real change will occur.
This book is bloody brilliant and a massive credit to Eleni Hale. It's a definite MUST READ.
L-J
Three Four Knock on the Door
Independent Children's Bookshop
March 13, 2018
Wow! But Caution! This book should only be read by teenagers 15 years and older, and if you are, it is a must read.
It took me back to my school days reading Go Ask Alice, which for me was totally confronting but also an educational and inspirational cautionary tale. Stone Girl is certainly that as it takes us on a downhill journey through the institutional care of a 12 to 16 year old ward of the state.
It is written with a real understanding and depth of character, as this is a true story experienced by our debut author and journalist Eleni Hale. So many dark topics are covered including death, poverty, heartbreak and substance dependence. But shining through was identity, survival, resilience and ultimately a coming of age empowerment.
I will not give the story away but suffice to say you cannot help but be swept along by the incredible Sophie, as the world continues serving up crap to her. She often stumbles and is so very nearly broken, but we continue to love and hope for her right throughout.
It will change the way many look at the homeless and hopefully enlighten young minds as to the plight of Wards of the State.
It took me back to my school days reading Go Ask Alice, which for me was totally confronting but also an educational and inspirational cautionary tale. Stone Girl is certainly that as it takes us on a downhill journey through the institutional care of a 12 to 16 year old ward of the state.
It is written with a real understanding and depth of character, as this is a true story experienced by our debut author and journalist Eleni Hale. So many dark topics are covered including death, poverty, heartbreak and substance dependence. But shining through was identity, survival, resilience and ultimately a coming of age empowerment.
I will not give the story away but suffice to say you cannot help but be swept along by the incredible Sophie, as the world continues serving up crap to her. She often stumbles and is so very nearly broken, but we continue to love and hope for her right throughout.
It will change the way many look at the homeless and hopefully enlighten young minds as to the plight of Wards of the State.
Read
August 7, 2018Most definitely trigger warnings in this book (strong language, sexual abuse, drug & alcohol abuse, physical abuse), and recommended for older teens. An absolutely honest yet harrowing read - this blew me away even while it was so tough. It's a story that needs to be told, and while I know there are successful foster families out there, the system is struggling to provide for all the damaged kids out there. It was hard to deal with Sophie's voice & decisions at times, but it really gives an insight into why kids' behaviour can become so destructive and so anti-authority.
Having known someone who survived a similar situation (not the homes, but the addictions & bad relationships) and turned themselves around, I could really relate to the character wanting something better but not having the tools and stability until things came to a head.
Well done, Eleni, beautifully written. Thank you for being a voice for these kids.
Having known someone who survived a similar situation (not the homes, but the addictions & bad relationships) and turned themselves around, I could really relate to the character wanting something better but not having the tools and stability until things came to a head.
Well done, Eleni, beautifully written. Thank you for being a voice for these kids.
June 3, 2018
I don't want to give away any spoilers so instead I'll quote only the very opening because I feel like it gives you a very good idea what this novel is all about. It's gritty, it's raw and it is most definitely beautiful.
"It's 1989. I'm twelve years old. There's blood on my clothes and face, and vomit splatter on my shoes. It's cold in here. I'm at the police station, in a small room with walls the colour 9f winter sky."
"It's 1989. I'm twelve years old. There's blood on my clothes and face, and vomit splatter on my shoes. It's cold in here. I'm at the police station, in a small room with walls the colour 9f winter sky."
June 9, 2018
Loved this book. The descriptions make you feel things and I think the girl is relatable no matter who you are or where you came from. I ate this book up. Thanks to the author for sharing her story, I hope it reaches far and wide
May 14, 2018
I read Eleni Hale's Stone Girl in one sitting. From the first sentence, I was hooked: I couldn't put it down.
Stone Girl is the story of what happens to kids who don't have a parent or guardian who is able to care for them, and who end up in the 'care' of the state.
For the main character, Sophie, this happens when her Mum dies. Sophie is only twelve years old. As well as dealing with her own grief, guilt and confusion at her mother's death, Sophie also has to grapple with the new and unpredictable environment of state care.
Reading this book is a visceral, shocking, raw experience.
The instability and vulnerability kids experience at such a young age when bureaucracy governs their lives but doesn't offer them any safety or home is shocking. The sections that spoke the most strongly to me were when Sophie expressed her anger and outrage at how she was treated, how her life was weighed against the budget and administrative requirements of the State. This is a story about how the system fails to protect the kids who need it the most.
As the plot unfolds, over the course of years, it is so believable and understandable to see Sophie spiral from a young girl who hopes to find a home and return to school to someone who's life takes her into dark, dangerous places.
One of the best things about Stone Girl is that it humanises kids that can otherwise just be seen as 'a problem' - it's heartbreaking to understand the instability and inadequacy of care that the system provides, and what this does to young people's lives.
The story ends on note of hope - that even when you've hit the bottom, it's possible to find your way back out.
I absolutely loved Stone Girl, and I recommend it as an important and gripping read for young adults and older adults alike.
Stone Girl is the story of what happens to kids who don't have a parent or guardian who is able to care for them, and who end up in the 'care' of the state.
For the main character, Sophie, this happens when her Mum dies. Sophie is only twelve years old. As well as dealing with her own grief, guilt and confusion at her mother's death, Sophie also has to grapple with the new and unpredictable environment of state care.
Reading this book is a visceral, shocking, raw experience.
The instability and vulnerability kids experience at such a young age when bureaucracy governs their lives but doesn't offer them any safety or home is shocking. The sections that spoke the most strongly to me were when Sophie expressed her anger and outrage at how she was treated, how her life was weighed against the budget and administrative requirements of the State. This is a story about how the system fails to protect the kids who need it the most.
As the plot unfolds, over the course of years, it is so believable and understandable to see Sophie spiral from a young girl who hopes to find a home and return to school to someone who's life takes her into dark, dangerous places.
One of the best things about Stone Girl is that it humanises kids that can otherwise just be seen as 'a problem' - it's heartbreaking to understand the instability and inadequacy of care that the system provides, and what this does to young people's lives.
The story ends on note of hope - that even when you've hit the bottom, it's possible to find your way back out.
I absolutely loved Stone Girl, and I recommend it as an important and gripping read for young adults and older adults alike.
July 2, 2018
I'm at loss for words for this book. It's true when they say that you can never really know a person until you walk in their shoes. I may never really know how it feels like to be in Sophie's position but I know one thing, I am lucky and blessed to have a family.
Stone Girl showed me a world I never really understood. I had no idea of the inner workings of the Foster system or how it really impacts the children in it. I only knew what films shows. The story really gripped and tore my heart. The choices throughout were neither right or wrong given the situation but in the end wanting and choosing to change is what mattered.
4.5/5⭐
Stone Girl showed me a world I never really understood. I had no idea of the inner workings of the Foster system or how it really impacts the children in it. I only knew what films shows. The story really gripped and tore my heart. The choices throughout were neither right or wrong given the situation but in the end wanting and choosing to change is what mattered.
4.5/5⭐
June 26, 2018
4.5 stars.
It was crazy reading about areas in Melbourne that I know..
OMG the feels, this story broke my heart.
It was crazy reading about areas in Melbourne that I know..
OMG the feels, this story broke my heart.
June 25, 2018
Stone Girl moved me and made me think about marginalised youth in a more personal way. It tells the story of Sophie, made a ward of the state after a traumatic incident. She is suffering from low self-worth and grief at the same time as trying to navigate a world where no one appears to care about her plight.
Shifted from home to home, she hardens and learns survival skills as she drifts into the wrong company. Eleni Hale pulls no punches, as the reader watches Sophie lose the one advantage she has: control. No one can be trusted and she forms a hard shell of indifference.
It’s easy to understand how she clings to Spiral, even though he is clearly bad for her - she wants to feel protected and he is the only person who appears to have her back.
Stone Girl isn’t just about Sophie, but is a compassionate exploration of young people who fall through the cracks, who feel worthless and act out in an attempt to feel powerful in the face of helplessness and apathy. It is harrowing and gritty but with so much heart. For me, it opened my eyes to the process of disconnection and social isolation, and I’m sure it will do the same for many readers. Highly recommended.
Shifted from home to home, she hardens and learns survival skills as she drifts into the wrong company. Eleni Hale pulls no punches, as the reader watches Sophie lose the one advantage she has: control. No one can be trusted and she forms a hard shell of indifference.
It’s easy to understand how she clings to Spiral, even though he is clearly bad for her - she wants to feel protected and he is the only person who appears to have her back.
Stone Girl isn’t just about Sophie, but is a compassionate exploration of young people who fall through the cracks, who feel worthless and act out in an attempt to feel powerful in the face of helplessness and apathy. It is harrowing and gritty but with so much heart. For me, it opened my eyes to the process of disconnection and social isolation, and I’m sure it will do the same for many readers. Highly recommended.
June 21, 2018
Fantastic! Yes, Stone Girl is both dark and confronting. Yes, it deals with parts of life people might want to pretend don’t happen, especially to young people, but it is also a story that needs to be heard. Stone Girl is beautifully written prose, that will leave you wanting to hear more about Sophie’s journey.
August 18, 2019
In June this year I attended an author event at the Sandringham branch of Bayside Library with my good friend and author Mairi Neil, and was introduced to a local writer I hadn't come across, Eleni Hale. Mairi blogged the event so I won't reproduce what's already been said except to say that the event was about 'turning your life into fiction'—and Eleni had mined her own life in state care to write what has now become an award-winning debut novel. Her story, as she told it on the night, was so impressive and her passion for lifting the profile of kids in out-of-home care was so compelling, that copies of Stone Girl sold out. So I reserved it at my library online as soon as I got home.
In July it was announced that Eleni had won the 2019 Readings Young Adult Prize for Stone Girl. The book is obviously very popular because it has taken ten weeks for my reserve to come through, and my library has multiple copies of it. It has the PRC (Premiers' Reading Challenge) sticker on it too, selected for the Years 9 & 10 list, but it is, IMO, very much a book for senior students or for those for whom it is deemed suitable by the judgement of a responsible adult. The book doesn't come with trigger warnings, but I assume that secondary school librarians have some process for shielding younger students from books with very detailed drug references and abuse of all kinds. I'm aware, of course, of the irony that a book that I wouldn't have wanted my 15 year-old to read until he was older, is about the terrible things that happened to a girl aged just 12.
By coincidence, Kate at Books are My Favourite and Best has just reviewed a memoir by an author who was also in state care. Rating the book highly, but concluding that it's not for the faint-hearted, she begins her review like this:
That's how I felt about Stone Girl. It is a superb evocation of all that's wrong with the way we provide for vulnerable children in State Care, but it is utterly heartbreaking, and more so because I know it is authentic. Hale said that night at the library that all the experiences were real, though she had also drawn on what happened to other kids she knew so they didn't all happen to her. Well, I don't want to criticise welfare workers because they have an unenviable task and all the ones I've ever met have been doing their very best to manage out-of-home care with inadequate resources. (And I've met plenty, from my very first school and thereafter.) But I don't think I could have continued reading had I not had the image before me of its adult author who had somehow survived and thrived despite personal experiences and witnessing trauma that would have broken most other people. I am glad Stone Girl wasn't available to read in the days when I was required by law to report abuse and neglect under Victoria's Mandatory Reporting laws, because I know I would have broken them rather than put any child at risk of what happens to the child in this book.
To read the rest of my review please visit In June this year I attended an author event at the Sandringham branch of Bayside Library with my good friend and author Mairi Neil, and was introduced to a local writer I hadn't come across, Eleni Hale. Mairi blogged the event so I won't reproduce what's already been said except to say that the event was about 'turning your life into fiction'—and Eleni had mined her own life in state care to write what has now become an award-winning debut novel. Her story, as she told it on the night, was so impressive and her passion for lifting the profile of kids in out-of-home care was so compelling, that copies of Stone Girl sold out. So I reserved it at my library online as soon as I got home.
In July it was announced that Eleni had won the 2019 Readings Young Adult Prize for Stone Girl. The book is obviously very popular because it has taken ten weeks for my reserve to come through, and my library has multiple copies of it. It has the PRC (Premiers' Reading Challenge) sticker on it too, selected for the Years 9 & 10 list, but it is, IMO, very much a book for senior students or for those for whom it is deemed suitable by the judgement of a responsible adult. The book doesn't come with trigger warnings, but I assume that secondary school librarians have some process for shielding younger students from books with very detailed drug references and abuse of all kinds. I'm aware, of course, of the irony that a book that I wouldn't have wanted my 15 year-old to read until he was older, is about the terrible things that happened to a girl aged just 12.
By coincidence, Kate at Books are My Favourite and Best has just reviewed a memoir by an author who was also in state care. Rating the book highly, but concluding that it's not for the faint-hearted, she begins her review like this:
That's how I felt about Stone Girl. It is a superb evocation of all that's wrong with the way we provide for vulnerable children in State Care, but it is utterly heartbreaking, and more so because I know it is authentic. Hale said that night at the library that all the experiences were real, though she had also drawn on what happened to other kids she knew so they didn't all happen to her. Well, I don't want to criticise welfare workers because they have an unenviable task and all the ones I've ever met have been doing their very best to manage out-of-home care with inadequate resources. (And I've met plenty, from my very first school and thereafter.) But I don't think I could have continued reading had I not had the image before me of its adult author who had somehow survived and thrived despite personal experiences and witnessing trauma that would have broken most other people. I am glad Stone Girl wasn't available to read in the days when I was required by law to report abuse and neglect under Victoria's Mandatory Reporting laws, because I know I would have broken them rather than put any child at risk of what happens to the child in this book.
To read the rest of my review please visit In June this year I attended an author event at the Sandringham branch of Bayside Library with my good friend and author Mairi Neil, and was introduced to a local writer I hadn't come across, Eleni Hale. Mairi blogged the event so I won't reproduce what's already been said except to say that the event was about 'turning your life into fiction'—and Eleni had mined her own life in state care to write what has now become an award-winning debut novel. Her story, as she told it on the night, was so impressive and her passion for lifting the profile of kids in out-of-home care was so compelling, that copies of Stone Girl sold out. So I reserved it at my library online as soon as I got home.
In July it was announced that Eleni had won the 2019 Readings Young Adult Prize for Stone Girl. The book is obviously very popular because it has taken ten weeks for my reserve to come through, and my library has multiple copies of it. It has the PRC (Premiers' Reading Challenge) sticker on it too, selected for the Years 9 & 10 list, but it is, IMO, very much a book for senior students or for those for whom it is deemed suitable by the judgement of a responsible adult. The book doesn't come with trigger warnings, but I assume that secondary school librarians have some process for shielding younger students from books with very detailed drug references and abuse of all kinds. I'm aware, of course, of the irony that a book that I wouldn't have wanted my 15 year-old to read until he was older, is about the terrible things that happened to a girl aged just 12.
By coincidence, Kate at Books are My Favourite and Best has just reviewed a memoir by an author who was also in state care. Rating the book highly, but concluding that it's not for the faint-hearted, she begins her review like this:
That's how I felt about Stone Girl. It is a superb evocation of all that's wrong with the way we provide for vulnerable children in State Care, but it is utterly heartbreaking, and more so because I know it is authentic. Hale said that night at the library that all the experiences were real, though she had also drawn on what happened to other kids she knew so they didn't all happen to her. Well, I don't want to criticise welfare workers because they have an unenviable task and all the ones I've ever met have been doing their very best to manage out-of-home care with inadequate resources. (And I've met plenty, from my very first school and thereafter.) But I don't think I could have continued reading had I not had the image before me of its adult author who had somehow survived and thrived despite personal experiences and witnessing trauma that would have broken most other people. I am glad Stone Girl wasn't available to read in the days when I was required by law to report abuse and neglect under Victoria's Mandatory Reporting laws, because I know I would have broken them rather than put any child at risk of what happens to the child in this book.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/08/18/s...
In July it was announced that Eleni had won the 2019 Readings Young Adult Prize for Stone Girl. The book is obviously very popular because it has taken ten weeks for my reserve to come through, and my library has multiple copies of it. It has the PRC (Premiers' Reading Challenge) sticker on it too, selected for the Years 9 & 10 list, but it is, IMO, very much a book for senior students or for those for whom it is deemed suitable by the judgement of a responsible adult. The book doesn't come with trigger warnings, but I assume that secondary school librarians have some process for shielding younger students from books with very detailed drug references and abuse of all kinds. I'm aware, of course, of the irony that a book that I wouldn't have wanted my 15 year-old to read until he was older, is about the terrible things that happened to a girl aged just 12.
By coincidence, Kate at Books are My Favourite and Best has just reviewed a memoir by an author who was also in state care. Rating the book highly, but concluding that it's not for the faint-hearted, she begins her review like this:The current thinking in social work circles is that there are better long-term outcomes for children left with their family in an unstable home, than those removed and placed in foster care. This was in the back of my mind as I read comedian Corey White’s recently published memoir, The Prettiest Horse in the Glue Factory.
The details White shares of his childhood made me sick with fear from the first page.
That's how I felt about Stone Girl. It is a superb evocation of all that's wrong with the way we provide for vulnerable children in State Care, but it is utterly heartbreaking, and more so because I know it is authentic. Hale said that night at the library that all the experiences were real, though she had also drawn on what happened to other kids she knew so they didn't all happen to her. Well, I don't want to criticise welfare workers because they have an unenviable task and all the ones I've ever met have been doing their very best to manage out-of-home care with inadequate resources. (And I've met plenty, from my very first school and thereafter.) But I don't think I could have continued reading had I not had the image before me of its adult author who had somehow survived and thrived despite personal experiences and witnessing trauma that would have broken most other people. I am glad Stone Girl wasn't available to read in the days when I was required by law to report abuse and neglect under Victoria's Mandatory Reporting laws, because I know I would have broken them rather than put any child at risk of what happens to the child in this book.
To read the rest of my review please visit In June this year I attended an author event at the Sandringham branch of Bayside Library with my good friend and author Mairi Neil, and was introduced to a local writer I hadn't come across, Eleni Hale. Mairi blogged the event so I won't reproduce what's already been said except to say that the event was about 'turning your life into fiction'—and Eleni had mined her own life in state care to write what has now become an award-winning debut novel. Her story, as she told it on the night, was so impressive and her passion for lifting the profile of kids in out-of-home care was so compelling, that copies of Stone Girl sold out. So I reserved it at my library online as soon as I got home.
In July it was announced that Eleni had won the 2019 Readings Young Adult Prize for Stone Girl. The book is obviously very popular because it has taken ten weeks for my reserve to come through, and my library has multiple copies of it. It has the PRC (Premiers' Reading Challenge) sticker on it too, selected for the Years 9 & 10 list, but it is, IMO, very much a book for senior students or for those for whom it is deemed suitable by the judgement of a responsible adult. The book doesn't come with trigger warnings, but I assume that secondary school librarians have some process for shielding younger students from books with very detailed drug references and abuse of all kinds. I'm aware, of course, of the irony that a book that I wouldn't have wanted my 15 year-old to read until he was older, is about the terrible things that happened to a girl aged just 12.
By coincidence, Kate at Books are My Favourite and Best has just reviewed a memoir by an author who was also in state care. Rating the book highly, but concluding that it's not for the faint-hearted, she begins her review like this:The current thinking in social work circles is that there are better long-term outcomes for children left with their family in an unstable home, than those removed and placed in foster care. This was in the back of my mind as I read comedian Corey White’s recently published memoir, The Prettiest Horse in the Glue Factory.
The details White shares of his childhood made me sick with fear from the first page.
That's how I felt about Stone Girl. It is a superb evocation of all that's wrong with the way we provide for vulnerable children in State Care, but it is utterly heartbreaking, and more so because I know it is authentic. Hale said that night at the library that all the experiences were real, though she had also drawn on what happened to other kids she knew so they didn't all happen to her. Well, I don't want to criticise welfare workers because they have an unenviable task and all the ones I've ever met have been doing their very best to manage out-of-home care with inadequate resources. (And I've met plenty, from my very first school and thereafter.) But I don't think I could have continued reading had I not had the image before me of its adult author who had somehow survived and thrived despite personal experiences and witnessing trauma that would have broken most other people. I am glad Stone Girl wasn't available to read in the days when I was required by law to report abuse and neglect under Victoria's Mandatory Reporting laws, because I know I would have broken them rather than put any child at risk of what happens to the child in this book.
To read the rest of my review please visit In June this year I attended an author event at the Sandringham branch of Bayside Library with my good friend and author Mairi Neil, and was introduced to a local writer I hadn't come across, Eleni Hale. Mairi blogged the event so I won't reproduce what's already been said except to say that the event was about 'turning your life into fiction'—and Eleni had mined her own life in state care to write what has now become an award-winning debut novel. Her story, as she told it on the night, was so impressive and her passion for lifting the profile of kids in out-of-home care was so compelling, that copies of Stone Girl sold out. So I reserved it at my library online as soon as I got home.
In July it was announced that Eleni had won the 2019 Readings Young Adult Prize for Stone Girl. The book is obviously very popular because it has taken ten weeks for my reserve to come through, and my library has multiple copies of it. It has the PRC (Premiers' Reading Challenge) sticker on it too, selected for the Years 9 & 10 list, but it is, IMO, very much a book for senior students or for those for whom it is deemed suitable by the judgement of a responsible adult. The book doesn't come with trigger warnings, but I assume that secondary school librarians have some process for shielding younger students from books with very detailed drug references and abuse of all kinds. I'm aware, of course, of the irony that a book that I wouldn't have wanted my 15 year-old to read until he was older, is about the terrible things that happened to a girl aged just 12.
By coincidence, Kate at Books are My Favourite and Best has just reviewed a memoir by an author who was also in state care. Rating the book highly, but concluding that it's not for the faint-hearted, she begins her review like this:The current thinking in social work circles is that there are better long-term outcomes for children left with their family in an unstable home, than those removed and placed in foster care. This was in the back of my mind as I read comedian Corey White’s recently published memoir, The Prettiest Horse in the Glue Factory.
The details White shares of his childhood made me sick with fear from the first page.
That's how I felt about Stone Girl. It is a superb evocation of all that's wrong with the way we provide for vulnerable children in State Care, but it is utterly heartbreaking, and more so because I know it is authentic. Hale said that night at the library that all the experiences were real, though she had also drawn on what happened to other kids she knew so they didn't all happen to her. Well, I don't want to criticise welfare workers because they have an unenviable task and all the ones I've ever met have been doing their very best to manage out-of-home care with inadequate resources. (And I've met plenty, from my very first school and thereafter.) But I don't think I could have continued reading had I not had the image before me of its adult author who had somehow survived and thrived despite personal experiences and witnessing trauma that would have broken most other people. I am glad Stone Girl wasn't available to read in the days when I was required by law to report abuse and neglect under Victoria's Mandatory Reporting laws, because I know I would have broken them rather than put any child at risk of what happens to the child in this book.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/08/18/s...
July 16, 2018
I gave this book five stars "amazing" rather than four stars "I really liked it" because it is not the sort of story that you can really "like"... to witness the down hill spiral of 12 year old Sophie at the hands of an inept welfare system was gut wrenching - all the more so because it was utterly convincing! Sophie has lived with her needy drug/alcohol addicted mother for many years and has taken on the role of "caregiver". As the blurb indicates, Sophie's (dysfunctional) life is turned upside down and she becomes a ward of the state and the reader witnesses her slow devastating decline. I don't know whether it was the author's own experiences of being a homeless child that made the story so believable but I doubted nothing - which is unusual for the natural skeptic in me! The characters seemed so real and their circumstances were deftly and vividly conveyed. In my opinion this book is not really suitable for the younger reader mainly due to the swearing and drug use but it is a book that should be promoted as it has very important things to say. We are making it 15+at our school library.
August 4, 2018
Update. 050818 Stone Girl is in my library as a book available to senior students. I will take note of its borrowings. I am interested to see if readers will find it. It is beautifully written, but I am traumatised by it (trying to read it a second time).
I read this. I am one of those librarians Eleni was warned about. I do feel guilty about that.
I will consider it further and not rate it.
I read this. I am one of those librarians Eleni was warned about. I do feel guilty about that.
I will consider it further and not rate it.
May 9, 2018
The story of Sophie needs to be read by all of us who have had such a sheltered life with loving parents and siblings. This is such an important story about children who are not cared for and protected. Powerfully and beautifully crafted by Eleni Hale.
July 18, 2018
This book was incredible, raw and powerful and everyone should read it!
Read
June 1, 2018A heartbreaking story of raw survival and hope, and the children society likes to forget. A stunning and unforgettable debut YA.
An unspeakable event changes everything for twelve-year-old Sophie. No more Mum, school or bed of her own. She's made a ward of the state and grows up in a volatile world where kids make their own rules, adults don't count and the only constant is change.
Until one day she meets Gwen, Matty and Spiral. Spiral is the most furious, beautiful boy Sophie has ever known. And as their bond tightens she finally begins to confront what happened in her past.
I'm at the police station. There's blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain...no one can ever forgive me for what I've done.
An unspeakable event changes everything for twelve-year-old Sophie. No more Mum, school or bed of her own. She's made a ward of the state and grows up in a volatile world where kids make their own rules, adults don't count and the only constant is change.
Until one day she meets Gwen, Matty and Spiral. Spiral is the most furious, beautiful boy Sophie has ever known. And as their bond tightens she finally begins to confront what happened in her past.
I'm at the police station. There's blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain...no one can ever forgive me for what I've done.
April 2, 2018
Stone Girl gives a rare insight into a life most of us will never know. It holds nothing back, is raw, moving, and beautifully written. Each word earning its place. Most of all, it offers hope, when it seems all is lost.
May 9, 2018
I was hooked by Sophie’s story from the start. How could an innocent like Sophie so easily fall through the cracks and become lost to society?
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