Aria is the new boy at school. Hero (named after the Shakespearean character) and her friend Jaz are curious about Aria. He does not speak. No he is not just a quiet kid - he is mute. At first their friendship is more about curiosity, this no speaking seems like a mystery to solve, but very quickly all three become good friends which means they can unite against the school bully Rufus. Well Hero would like to challenge and even defeat Rufus but every time she witnesses dreadful things happening to Aria she just freezes - she seems unable to be a hero even though that is her name. Then the girls make another discovery about Aria and so perhaps Hero can be a hero after all.
At home things can be tough for Hero because her father suffers enormous mood swings - he can be UP and happy and engaged or way down and unable to leave the house or get out of bed.
Jaz is the third character and she is just a crazy girl. She is loud and has strong opinions and she is fearless even though she does obsess about her health.
Now that you have met Aria, Hero and Jaz you need to read this book to discover why Aria cannot talk, how Jaz and Hero help him, and hopefully find out how the issue of Rufus is resolved.
There are a lot of issues in this book which has just over 200 pages - bullies, mental health, refugees, courage, and the importance of friendship.
The strongest part of this writing comes from the way Maryam Master gives the reader fragments of Aria's story and his terrifying experience of fleeing Iran. These chapters are 'decorated' with fragments of the Arabic and English alphabet. This is a subtle but well designed way to show the change of voice. The short chapters ensure this book is a quick read and a true page turner.
Maryam Master talked to Joy Lawn at Paperbark Words:
It is my hope that anyone reading No Words will be uplifted. I hope they too will see that no matter what curveballs life throws at us (even a revolution!), hope and humour will see us through. Oh, and words.
My only small criticism of this book (and probably these parts will appeal to the target audience of 10+) are the references to poo, farts and snot. I am not the target audience but these felt like cheap, and perhaps unnecessary, jokes although I appreciate that Maryam wanted to add a touch of humour to her story. I also was unsure why the class teacher was depicted as such a crazy lady allocating hundreds of detention hours for tiny misdemeanours. On the other hand this book has a huge amount of heart and Aria's experiences are heart-wrenching and beautifully described. I also really enjoy books with multiple voices.
Parts of this book reminded me of a more sophisticated story Soraya the Storyteller by Rosanne Hawke.
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