Description
What happens when breaking the rules is the only way to find yourself?
Fifteen-year-old Charli is a girl under pressure. When Year 10 exams push her to breaking point, she rebels hard. But when a graffiti stunt goes too far and her friend, Nudge, is expelled, Charli is handed one last chance to turn things around: a week of community service at Rosevale Animal Rescue Centre. As Charli bonds with a wary stray cat, she realises that mistakes don't define a person, and that compassion, accountability and courage can exist side by side.
Stray is an emotionally-rewarding contemporary Australian story about pressure, mistakes and second chances.
Review
Charli is near the end of Year 10 and her ultra-successful parents have always made sure that she knows exactly what is expected of her - perfect daughter, perfect student, blah, blah, blah.
But Charli has reached a stage where she needs to rebel. First a detention, then an untouched exam, and finally she is caught doing graffiti at her school.
Luckily, she is only given a short suspension and two weeks voluntary work at the local animal shelter over the school holidays. Charli has never been allowed to have a pet, and she soon falls in love both with the work and with one particularly timid cat she names Ember. Could this be a life changing experience and a wake up call for both Charli and her parents to get things back on track?
A short story exploring themes of peer and parental pressure, animal rescue, how anxiety and burnout can lead to poor mental health, and ultimately finding a way forward. It is also about working through your problems with the support of counsellors, family and friends. An excellent secondary novel, and with the lower reading level and short length, it is perfect for both reluctant and time poor readers aged from 13 to 17 years.
Teacher notes prepared by the publisher are available on our website for this title.
