She keeps her emotions locked away where no one can hurt her anymore. Sophie follows the paths of the older kids in the homes and finds relief in drugs, alcohol, cigarettes.

In these homes, most of the kids have histories of abuse, neglect and are regularly assigned a new social worker. Slowly, this reality seems unlikely as Sophie is shuffled from one unstable group home of 'homes kids' to another. Fitzroy Legal Service provides criminal, family, family violence, and generalist legal services to socially and economically disadvantaged clients with a particular focus on people stigmatised and criminalised due to poverty, homelessness, childhood abuse, family violence, trauma, drug-use, mental health, contact with the criminal legal system and incarceration.Inspired by true events, Eleni Hale's debut YA novel is a heartbreaking account of how 12-year-old Sophie's world disintegrates after she is left alone in the world and a ward of the state.įollowing the trauma she witnessed with her mum, and unwanted by her father, she is made a ward of the state with the assurance of a 'nice' permanent foster home. It was established in 1972 and is one of the oldest legal centres in Australia. This podcast is bought to you by Yarra Libraries, the Ewing Trust and Fitzroy Legal Service, as part of Fitzroy Writers Festival 2021.įitzroy Legal Service is a community legal centre covering the Cities of Yarra and Darebin. L J Lacey, owner of Three Four Knock on the Door Bookshop

And maybe, just maybe some real change will occur. This is a book that gives a voice to the forgotten ones, the kind of book a child stuck in the system might pick up and feel some hope after reading it. Hale has written a novel that is so much more than just a fantastic book. Very few writers are capable of telling this story. This is an honest story that doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities facing kids on the fringes. A stunning and unforgettable debut YA novel for mature readers.Įleni Hale’s prose is stunning, her analogies fresh, her writing raw and uncensored. Stone Girl is available at all good bookstores, as well as available to borrow via Yarra Libraries.Īnna Spargo-Ryan: The Suicide Gene (online)Ī heartbreaking novel of raw survival and hope, and the children society likes to forget. In 2016, Anna received the Horne prize, and award for long form non-fiction writing, for The Suicide Gene. Yarra Libraries, the Ewing Trust and Fitzroy Legal Service are pleased to present Eleni Hale, author of Stone Girl, a powerful and moving novel about a young girl who becomes a ward of the state.Įleni is joined in conversation by Anna Spargo-Ryan, author of novels The Gulf and The Paper House.

Stone Girl by Eleni Hale