In Toppling (Walker Books, 2010), Australian author Sally Murphy once again offers primary school-aged readers a thoughtful introduction to a difficult topic. In the same style as her debut novel Pearl Verses the World (Walker Books, 2009), Toppling offers readers aged 8+ an opportunity to think and talk about issues that adults often find difficult to raise with children.
Toppling – A Summary
Returning to school after two weeks of holidays, John is excited to be together with his friends, especially his best friend Dom. John, Dom, Christian, Joseph and Tran are in Year 6 and hanging out together at school makes the day bearable for John, who would prefer to be at home setting up domino topples rather than dealing with boring school work.
John thinks that his term assignment to give a three-minute speech and trying to ignore bully Ky Johnson will be the hardest things he has to deal with this term, but that is before Dom falls ill and stops coming to school. John and his friends are confused, angry and afraid when no-one will talk with them about Dom’s illness or let them see him. Dealing with boring schoolwork and annoying Ky is even harder than usual and John finds himself getting frustrated with his family, friends and teacher.
Eventually Dom is diagnosed with cancer, which brings another wave of fear and confusion. Dom and his friends deal with their feelings in different ways, but their friendship helps them to confront their fears and help each other and Dom deal with what is happening.
Discussing Serious Illness With Children
As with the excellent Pearl Verses the World, which raised the issues of senile dementia and social isolation, Toppling offers parents an excellent opportunity to discuss the feelings that serious illnesses can raise. John and his friends experience fear, anger, grief and the guilt for sharing moments of happiness and amusement when they momentarily forget what Dom is going through.
Murphy raises this confronting issue in a very positive and gentle story told with a humour and sensitivity. John’s spats with his sister, issues with Ky Johnson and shared anecdotes about his school friends will connect with readers and offer a familiar landscape in contrast to the more confronting issues of childhood cancer and, to a lesser extent, schoolyard bullying.
The importance of friendship is a strong theme within the novel and the value of good friends is highlighted as the boys help each other deal with their feelings. A supportive teacher and classmates also make a difference as the boys deal with Dom’s illness.
Australian Author Sally Murphy
Sally Murphy is an author, poet and book-reviewer based in Western Australia. A passionate reader and writer from an early age, Murphy currently has twenty-seven books in print and another eight accepted for publication. A full list of publications can be found at Sally Murphy’s website.
Muprhy is also the host of the Aussie Reviews website, where she reviews and promotes books by Australian authors.
A Warm Story about Friendship and Feelings
Told with sensitivity, humour and accompanied by excellent illustrations by Rhian Nest James that add meaning and depth to the story, Toppling is a wonderful novel for sensitive readers. It is also a wonderful resource for parents and teachers looking for ways to initiate discussions about issues related to friendship or serious childhood illness.
Review copy details:
Toppling (ISBN: 978-1-921529-42-9, 127 pages)
Join the Conversation