Thornhill

Product Information

Near the start of British illustrator Smy’s harrowing debut novel, Ella Clarke and her father move to a house that overlooks a dilapidated former orphanage, the Thornhill Institute. Ella’s father is never home, so when the lonely teen spies a girl wandering Thornhill’s grounds, she decides to crawl through the gate and introduce herself. Thirty-five years earlier, in 1982, 13-year-old Thornhill resident Mary Baines is being tormented day and night by a fellow orphan. When the facility begins “rehoming” children and laying off staff as part of a planned closure, her bully’s persecution intensifies, and an increasingly miserable Mary contemplates revenge. Her actions will have ramifications for decades to come. The girls’ stories intertwine as they unfold in tandem; heartbreaking entries from Mary’s diary alternate with eerie b&w illustrated sequences, which silently follow Ella’s exploration of Thornhill and her interactions with Mary’s ghost (newspaper clippings and other bits of text provide context for these otherwise wordless sections). Smy uses this hybrid format to weave a chilling tale that highlights the importance of kindness and child advocacy while emphasizing the lasting damage wrought by abuse and neglect. Ages 10–14. (Aug.) Publishers Weekly as far as the story, i dunno. a lot of it is pretty standard slumber party stuff, but i appreciated how this one was more bittersweet than horror. it’s a story of bullying and loneliness and grief and why parental supervision is a thing that matters. but there’s still some stuff that’s unclear to me.

Foster homes are a place for abandoned children. Jacqueline Wilson famously referred to them as The Dumping Grounds in the Tracy Beaker series. And for the children put into Thornhill this is very much the case. The house is probably normal to the outward eye, but to their perceptions it reflects the mood of the place. Their carers are not as attentive as they should be; they miss the signs of bullying and their eventual responses to it help to facilitate such behaviour further. All in all, they do everything that foster homes shouldn't do. Woe to Mary and Ella, victim and perpetrator of a situation that could have been so easily resolved had it been recognised by responsible eyes. Porque esta historia esconde una trama terrorífica que te pilla desprevenido. Todos alguna vez nos hemos sentido fuera de lugar, encerrados en un mundo en el que no encajamos, refugiados en nuestro lugar seguro. Todos construimos una barra de espinas a nuestro alrededor para alejarnos de un daño que acecha con una sonrisa. La protagonista de esta historia es uno de nosotros y eso la convierte en una fuente explosiva de emociones que corre el riesgo de destruir nuestras propias minas de defensa. Parallel stories set in different times, one told in prose and one in pictures, converge as a girl unravels the mystery of the abandoned Thornhill Institute next door. Wow! Look at these new puppets! They're really fab, Mary! There are quite a few new ones since I was up here last."

My Book Notes

Mary chooses to be silent. The bullying is relentless and nothing she can say to the adults who manage the Institute for Children in which she lives, would enable them to see the cruelty of the shining, smiling, golden girl who torments her. So she says nothing. A chilling ghost story with a dual narrative told partly in diary entries and partly in atmospheric, wordless sepia illustrations. A chilling tale that highlights the importance of kindness and child advocacy while emphasizing the lasting damage wrought by abuse and neglect."— Publishers Weekly, starred review I have spent days and days in bed. I can’t face school. I don’t want to see anyone. I can’t even read.”

Jane and I sat and watched them all. She muttered something about this song being ages old and that her parents used to listen to it. Then she said the best night to join them was Saturday. They all loved watching Dallas. She wanted me to join them, and, as I watched the other girls yelping and leaping around the room and giggling with each other, I decided I would. This morning was much like yesterday. We all walked to school in one noisy gang of Thornhill girls. Before I tried to answer she was in already, easing herself onto the bed with a smile as if she was my best buddy. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is paid to do this. It's her job. I just sat and waited to hear what she had to say.

Pam Smy Press Reviews

Mi edición consta de más de quinientas páginas pero repletas de ilustraciones que devorarás en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. Through these topics, and the Gothic atmosphere the British author imbues her illustrations with, Thornhill is a deeply sad novel that transmits a crippling feeling of hopelessness, sadness, despair, and, above all, of loneliness. In a crescendo of emotions, Thornhill reaches its peak in an outburst of desperation, very reminiscent of Stephen King’s Carrie —even if Mary’s outburst is rather futile. In any case, in the end, when both timelines collide, Mary finds what she had missed throughout her entire life: a friend who loves her for who she is. The end transmits a crystal-clear metaphor: neglect has its consequences and even if the victim of it will not end up alone, it will scar their existence for life —and death. Thornhill is a very strong story, but the way in which it is told is eloquent and creative. It doesn't take very long to read, I got through it in less than two hours, but afterwards it lingered in my mind. I read it again and then again. I recommend this most highly for young readers and adults alike, though the Gaiman fans will undoubtedly love it especially those that have read Coraline or The Graveyard Book.