Mireille Geus

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Lizzy (aka Dizzy) Bekell stands on the corner by a lamp post watching some local boys play ball. She's an outsider and goes to a special school. Other kids call her retarded, but her mother says she's special. She has autism and has to keep a certain order to her life to keep control of herself.

Enter Margaret (aka Piggy). Piggy spots Dizzy across the street standing on the corner. Over the next few days, Piggy works her way to where Dizzy stands. Finally, one day she offers Dizzy a muffin from the nearby bakery. It's the start of their tenuous friendship. Piggy goes to a different school, so the two have never met before. Piggy and her father have recently moved to town. Piggy tells Lizzy that her father is never home because he has a secret government job. In reality, the reason they move so often is much darker.

Dizzy has issues she is trying to learn to deal with through school, but Piggy immediately takes the reigns of the friendship. Piggy knows that she is able to manipulate Dizzy, and uses that knowledge to do what she wants. Dizzy tries to stand up for herself, but she has a hard time asserting her desires and wishes.

Eventually things escalate too far, and three local boys who have crossed paths with Piggy receive retribution. Dizzy finally has to fight for what is right, and struggling to retell the story to the police takes an emotional toll on her. While Dizzy is trying to do what is right, Piggy continues to wreak havoc on the community.

The story unfolds in flashbacks by Dizzy. Eventually the reader learns the issues that plague Piggy, as well as the inner turmoil that is Dizzy's disease. The story is short but moves quickly. Originally written in Dutch, the story has been translated into English without losing the momentum and flow of the story. It is easy to see why this story received the Golden Slate Pencil, the most prestigious award in children's literature in the Netherlands.… (mais)