Release Date: 2 March 2000
No. 110 - The BIG Read
Dolphin adores her mother: she's got wonderful clothes, bright hair and vivid tattoos all over her body. She definitely lives a colourful life. Dolphin's older sister, Star, also loves her but is beginning to wonder if staying with a mum whose temper can be as flashy as her body-art is the best thing for the girls…
My Opinion 4 STARS
This is actually quite a dark book about Dolphin our ten year old narrater, her thirteen year old sister Star and their thirty-three year old mother Marigold.
Marigold is not your congenital mother, she is covered in tattoos that mean something to her and she is also a little nutty. I'm not sure if I would called her manic depressive or say that she is bi-polar. Both fit her personality type.
The book focuses on their struggles with coping with their mothers behaviour and the fact that they are looking after her. Marigold finds the man she pines for (Mickey) where he finds out her has a daughter. This is where Dolphin struggles with the green-eyed-monster as her mother has never told her much about her own father.
As Star and Dolphin star falling apart and Star goes off to be with her father, Dolphin is left holding the fort together, but tragedy strikes. With the help of her best friend Dolphin finds her father and other adults that start to help her out and her preconceived ideas on what life is like.
Although the book does end a bit abruptly, is nice to know that both girls find that they have other people that will help and care for them when things get harm, but the issues of where they are going to live are never actually solved.
This book is targeted at young teens I would guess and it does have some very gritty moments, but younger readers could well struggle with the content in the fact that its basically a broken home. The book also has bullying issues along with the fact that Marigold drinks a lot.
A grittier book than I thought it would be.
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