Two Hands Together

by Diana Kidd

When the Rileys move in next door, Lily and Ella become the best of friends. But Lily can't understand why her Dad doesn't like the Rileys. Why doesn't he want them to go over there? Why is he being so horrible and mean? Does something big have to happen to change his mind?

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Friendship

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Diana Kidd


Diana Kidd wrote all her life, and always dreamed that one day she would have a book published. She began writing for children when her first child was born and her dream came true when The Day Grandma Came to Stay was published in 1988.
Diana trained and worked as a primary school teacher in Melbourne. She left and worked her passage by ship to Greece, worked in England and Spain and travelled in Europe. She married her husband Simon in London and returned to Australia to bring up a family of three children.

Diana had a variety of occupations, but it was her experience teaching English to migrant children that most influenced the direction of her first three books. The idea that peoples' cultures and traditions are of great consequence and must be respected and nurtured is the underlying theme of The Day Grandma Came to Stay, and was the seed from which Onion Tears and The Fat and Juicy Place grew.

Onion Tears, shortlisted in the 1990 Children's Book of the Year awards and winner of the 1990 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Children's Literature, was inspired by stories written by Southeast Asian students at Richmond Girls High School in Melbourne, about their lives and journeys to Australia. 'Too often,' said Diana, 'people from other cultures are stereotyped and dehumanised'. She decided to write a story that would present a child from another culture whom the reader would get to know like a friend. While the culture and experiences of Nam-Huong may be very different from those of most readers of Onion Tears, her feelings of love, fear, happiness and loneliness which she shared, are common to us all.

The Fat and Juicy Place, which took two years to research and write, continues the theme of a child, this time a city Aboriginal boy, living between two cultures. Diana talked to Aboriginal students, teachers and families in Sydney and camped with Aboriginal families on the NSW coast and in Arnhem Land and they shared their stories with her. Shortlisted in the1992 Victorian Premiers Literary Awards and the 1993 Children's Book Council Book Awards Junior Readers Section and winner of the 1993 Australian Multicultural Award for Children's Literature (Junior Fiction Section).

In 1994 Diana had two books published: a novel for younger readers Spider and the King and a picturebook Paddymelon illustrated by Maxim Svetlanov.

I Love You, Jason Delaney was published in 1996 and was shortlisted in the Junior Readers Section of the 1997 Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards.

One of the things that Diana enjoyed was going to the theatre. Before she married, she acted in lots of plays and she believed that acting influenced her writing. Her actual words: 'I see each scene that I write as if it is taking place on a stage. The characters seem to take over. I watch them in my mind as they move from scene to scene, and as they say their lines, I write them down.'

Reviews

[Austin Stapleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that Diana Kidd did an awesome job with this book. It's very educational for young learners and it drawed you in the entire time. It would be for ages about 7+. It may take a while to read and I'll admit it's very slow but it's fun to read. The ghost stories hook you in and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Diana Kidd has created a masterpiece in her work. The storyline is great and it's like a tightrope, you just keep walking and going with the flow. This could have been one of the best books of 2000 well I mean except for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but I still enjoyed Two Hands together just the same. Once I started reading this book, I was a reading machine. Whenever I got the chance to read a book I would whip out this book and get right into it. I felt like I was siting down with Aunt Maisie the whole way through the book. I could feel Spikes fur brushing against me and I would have goosebumps whenever a scary story was told. I can just shut my eyes now and imagine the park and the rock and the cool water beneath them. I would give this to almost about everyone I know.

Austin

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ambitious and sensitive piece of writing and it seemed to me it did most of what it set out to do. I did not like Dad. Apart from being a racist (which in the book he is forced to start confronting and modifying) he has a bullying approach to his family which affects all of them. Within this Mum is too passive. She does nothing, she notices nothing, she asks nothing until after the plot twist she may as well not be there. She works in a cafe though which is nice. It's good to read about a working-class family for a change.

I don't know whether Ella and Danny's family are illustrated as awesome by comparison on purpose?

The sadness about Frankie is left unresolved which is realistic and the possum rug seems to symbolise tenacity and resilience. I found the relationship between Lily and Ella engaging and I loved Jake as a character. Danny was not as filled in as the other kids for some reason.

Aspects of this book might be a bit simplified, but carefully and sensitively to make it approachable for younger readers but not shallow. A worthwhile kids' book.

[Joeanne]

The book Two Hands Together is a Novel about Racism.
It tells you how a white skinned family lived in a house and they got new neighbours and their new neighbours happened to be moving in next door and the white skinned family didn’t mind at all until they saw the dark people moving in and their dad wet ballistic !
He thought there was going to be some serious trouble because the dark people moved in so what I think Diana Kidd is trying to tell us is that you should never judge anyone by their looks or skin colour especially if you have never spoken to them.
Also I think the white dad was very racist but he just didn’t know that they were good people until I read towards the middle of the book then he began thinking they weren't such bad people after all even if they had dark skin colour he even let his kids Lilly and Jake go over there and play with the dark skinned kids.
So never judge a book by its cover well in this case its skin colour.

[Tigerbritt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a normal white family living a normal life Then a new family moves into the house next to them. The new family is black, and the white dad doesn't like them because of their color. The white children and mom are happy that the black family moved in. The black and white children always have a lot of fun together. At the end of the book, the father learns to appreciate the new family and becomes their friend. So this book is about friendship and trust. I enjoyed reading this book and I hope others read it to.

[Rachel Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is legit one of the worst books I have ever read

[Carl Holmes · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. Not my kind of style. I prefer a more Si-Fi and Fantasy.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book two hands together is about a family of aboriginals who moves next door to a family of white Australians, with a dad who is not so happy about the new neighbours. The kids have lots of fun with each other and enjoys hearing the stories about the aboriginals and what there upbringing was like. This book tells the story of the what the aboriginal people went through and how very easily judged they are. I really enjoyed reading this book because shows that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's what's on inside that counts.

[ShigiGo1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book but it was a short read. I think it was a good theme. Two people with different cultures working together shows the what the real world should be like. I would recommend this book to 6-12 years old children but parents might like it to. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

[Wil Duffus · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Rileys move in next to Liy's family, Ella and Lily become best friends. But Lily's Dad is being horrible. Why? A dramitic story with friendships, sadness and a possum skin rug...

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star, very bad book that's incredibly boring and to educational.

[Georgia B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book Two Hands Together by Diana Kidd is strongly educational for children, and has a very deep meaning. It is about a white Australian family and an Aboriginal Australian family friendship that is on the line because of racism. Honestly this book isn’t the best for leisure time purposes, and I wrote annotations in my book to recall events as I did it for school purposes. This greatly helped me for references. One positive thing I found is that it was relatable to real life. The fact that the book is about racism effects readers’ opinions and strengthens their idea about the topic. I imagined how devastating it would be to deny a friendship that was meant to be. The Dad was a realistic character that depicts a typical Australian personality. There was simile’s and metaphor’s blended into the text that I didn’t notice until a re-read the book. I admit that the storyline could of improved and had a higher apex point. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about racism. There is an Australian family and when an Aboriginal family moves next door, the dad becomes angry as he thinks that they are bad people and will cause nothing but trouble. He forbids his children to play with them but they still do anyway. Later in the book, however, he starts to think they aren't so bad after all. I would rate it 4 stars as it is quite good and intriguing.

[Jesself Minuit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it as a school project to create a talk show book review, after the holidays we started being informed on this assessment more. I was one who had to read it overnight to donate to another student because we were short the copies. A very great book with a moral of unexpected consequences. Good read.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book called Two Hands Together was great because it had a sense of connection between the Aboriginal and Australians. The Dad wasn't happy due to the Aboriginals being raised differently. A incident in the river and a boy named Jake was saved by an Aboriginal girl and the Dad of the Australian family was happy. That connection is coming closer as you get deeper in the book.

[Guadalupe.V · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had, what seemed like a interesting concept. I didn't feel connected to the characters, neither to the author. Towards the end, the book felt a little rushed and not pleasant. Truly a book only to admire the errors. Not the type of book for creativity.

[Indiana Somerville · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book, I had to read it for English but it showed what racism can be like, even if it's not specifically saying 'hey I don't like this person because of their skin colour' but saying that they're different because of their skin colour

[Jubo]

BLARHH! It was boring, mostly.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* A story of friendship and prejudice.

[Billy]

This book for me is a good book because it tells you to not judge someone about the skin colour

[Mykala Macmillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like between the middle and end of the book it was boring and not very intriguing but the start was very funny and about family and love. which is great and educational. It tells people not to be racist,, instead, you should treat people how you want to be treated.

The novel is interesting, creative with good descriptive words. It is about racism. This book had a lot of metaphors and similes; I read some really, let's say, interesting comments, but all I would say is that the book is really good, even to read in a classroom or at home with your friends.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kidd Collective #1
Let's face it this is not subtle, but it is important - a book against racism and promoting friendship and harmony between people - focusing on what is on the inside and not what colour their skin is.
A book to be read and cherished by all.

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid tale told in short story style, of the friendship between two young girls and how friendship should triumph every time. Suitable for primary schools.

[Randomreviwer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This annoying lily girl can’t live a Milli second without Ella this book is soooooooooo annoying

[Mackenzie Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazing and very educational.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book put things into perspective of how people can change there views over a big situation.

[Emkoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diana Kidd's book Onion Tears was on the curriculum when I was in Year 1 (30 years ago, eek!), and so I picked this more recent novel up out of interest. It's a sweet and moving story about friendship that transcends perceived racial barriers, and Kidd worked incredibly hard to tell an authentic and well-informed tale based on the stories told to her by Aboriginal people, earning her an endorsement by the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. It's a lovely exploration of friendship and family, even if the father's racism was a bit shallow and, of course, overcome by the Indigenous family members proving themselves to be heroes, a simplistic solution if ever there were one. Overall though, a gentle and quick read. And I love how most of the reviews here were written by school students, bless!

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020 prompt: A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name

[Cecilia Cervell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a family with two children, a new family has moved next doors and they are excited to meet them. When the father finds out he is not very happy because these people have a darker skin colour and they are forbid to se them ever again. They don’t listen at all to their dad because they know that they are nice and they don’t see that they are different. It’s a very good book taking you through the their eyes trying to show that we are not different in any way even though we have a different skin colour.

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a family with two children, a new family has moved next doors and they are excited to meet them. When the father finds out he is not very happy because these people have a darker skin colour and they are forbid to se them ever again. They don’t listen at all to their dad because they know that they are nice and they don’t see that they are different. It’s a very good book taking you through the their eyes trying to show that we are not different in any way even though we have a different skin colour.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about Lily's family. Then suddenly, a new family moves in next door. They have dark skin, and they are aboriginal. These are the reasons that Lily's dad doesn't like them. But then Lily realises that the family has kids! Unfortunately, her dad forbids Lily and her brother to play with them. But Lily doesn't listen. She goes over to their house, and makes friends with the girl who lives there, Ella. When her dad finds out, he does something terrible. Will Lily and Ella ever be friends again?

I think this is an awesome book, and that everyone should read it.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

You learn really a lot in this book about the value and the character, for a long time before there actually is a problem that actually really is major. There are two families they are both so similar but their dad doesn't want both of them to go to the neighbors house when that's when there have such a great time.