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By Teek
© 2012 by Teek |
Summary:
At school, nine-year-old Daryl is treated like a non-person by his peers and has been bullied in this fashion for years. With no friends, he only finds happiness once a year, trick-or-treating as Princess Stephanie. No one saw Daryl on these evenings, and only his parents knew the truth. Every kid knows costumes are for Halloween, and the rest of the year you are not supposed to wear costumes. What happens when you decide the outfit you wear every day is a costume?
Stephanie decides she can no longer live only on Halloween. As Stephanie, she learns about friendship, but struggles to be accepted by peers and her parents. In the name of friendship and acceptance, Stephanie must stand up to the bullies. Will they force her back into the Halloween box where her costumes are kept, or will she find what she has always been looking for? A life where people see her for who she really is.
Admin Note: Originally published on BigCloset TopShelf on Sunday 11-04-2012 at 8:01:35 pm, this retro classic was pulled out of the closet, and re-presented for our newer readers. ~Sephrena
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Comments
A recommende read even for younger audiences
This story was pointed out as an example for the new October Contest. I just now got around to reading it. And I am sure glad that I did. The story is well writen, with age apropriate dialog. And it exposes the whole subtle bullying (and even mobing) that happens in schools the world over, that many adults do not seem to see happening.
Though there is a lot of conflict, the main characters learn and grow beyond themselfs, and reach a very satisfying closure of the main conflict. The very good use of cliffhangers as tension builders, are kind of lost on those of us who get to read the story now that it is completed. But they ensure that we will continue to read the next chapter, and (maybe) sacrificing our sleep.
I would actually consider having children as young as 8 or 9 read this story. Especially if they have friends who are being bullied. It could also help many teachers, parents and counselors help to understand that differences are no reason to discriminate, but actually make the world a more interesting place to live.
For the message and the way the message is transmited, I would like to give this story a rating of 7 out of 5.
With many greetings,
Jessica