Alma Talks Now

Alma can talk now. It took three years, and not one single person noticed it happening.

Three years after Alma Has Lots of Words. Alma is eleven and has been talking for two years. In that time she has been described as quiet by eleven different adults, including two who have never known her any other way. In group work she gets given the writing. When somebody asks her a question, someone nearby answers for her. And the worst part is that she has started doing it too — the little shrug that says ask someone else. Then comes the class debate, the point she has been thinking about for a week, and the friendly laugh that is the most humiliating moment of her life.

This is book 5 of six. The 5B Books pick up the six children from the 2B picture books three years on — same class, same six, eleven now. Each book is told in one child's own voice.

What is in the book

• Eight short chapters, written for readers aged 10–12
• Told in the first person — a child explaining herself, not an adult explaining a child
• A page for the grown-up on why reputations don't update, and why "well done for speaking" lands as a spotlight
• Three questions to talk about afterwards

How it works

Works on its own, and works better if you know the picture book. Selective mutism is named on the last page, for the adult — the story itself just tells you the difference between being the quiet one and being someone who is quiet.

Instant download. EPUB for e-readers and tablets, PDF for everything else. Both files included.