The Carnegies

I enjoyed this book, as it portrays the struggles of moving to a completely different country, and having to make new friends, whilst learning a completely different language. It shows true friendship between Gala and Natalie, who both have different backgrounds, but have the same problem: they can't talk. It shows the importance of words, and the importance of welcoming people, and being nice and friendly.

Ziva
TPS Carnegie Collective

I enjoyed this book a lot as it talks about a lot of different ways to communicate while teaching about diverse friendships. It starts with Gala, who speaks no English, as well as Natalie that can't speak at all! An inclusive story about finding your voice. 9/10:)

Alice
WallyHall

I personally love this book . it shows a side of children from foreign countries who struggle to understand other languages and a journey of making friends after moving away . I loved reading this book and found it so interesting.

Freya
Lionheart24

This book is a wonderful yet confusing story. At first I struggled to understand the concept of "collecting words" but as I read further on in the story it really revealed itself and there was such strong emotion.

georgie
Waddesdon Shadowers

It has an eye opening storyline, it shows people how different people can be effected by stress.

Thea
Waddesdon Shadowers

I love this book because of the kind and understanding friendship between Gala and Natalie. The fact that they both find talking and interacting with other people really makes them have a caring and supportive relationship. It was a very heart warming read.

Aliza
Woodruffians

Away with words: away with words is a captivating story which explores how important words can be. This book is about a young protagonist and is a symbol of personal growth. Cameron's writing style is engaging and the plot is well-written, with me not being able to put down the book. This book explores themes such as identity and communication.

Laura
St Augustine’s Challenge

I like away with words. I like it because it has pride and it has a character called Mr Watson.

raew
VISTA Academy

I like how the author talks about how hard it is to move from one place to another because I've experienced this before and I'm also bilingual so I know how hard it is to adapt to a new language

Faith
Taverham High Shadowers

'Away with Words' is a great book with a clever plot and idea. There are many positives abut this book; it has a delicately carved storyline and general setting. The idea that people can see words is an interesting theme, and could have become quite boring if that was the only focus. However, the way that Sophie e Cameron intwines this with Natalie (who has selective mutism) was well planned and meant there was more to the book than just the idea. In addition, the ending was satisfactory and perhaps not what was expected! On the other hand, I believe that the repetition of explaining the words and their appearance became a little monotonous. To counter this, if the book was printed in colour it would heighten the descriptions of the words and you wouldn't need them so much. (Although that would cost a lot of printing money!) Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book (though I was dubious at first) as a different genre to what I would normally pick and thought it is a good idea cleverly written.

Hebe
Woodruffians

A very emotional book. My favourite character was probably Natalie because of her being the best friend that everyone needs.

Sonia
EJM Carnegie Crew

I loved Away With Words! It was relatively easy to read, but with a brilliant plot line. I found the alternate reality in which words physically came out of characters mouths extremely interesting. The characters themselves were also brilliant and full of emotion. I also loved the way in which words were arranged around some of the pages!

Emma
PHS Reading Ambassadors

Away with words was quite a unique book with creative ideas, the storyline of the book was quite interesting and the characters were quite descriptive. Their way of showing how each character speaks differently was really unique.

Phoebe
Tenbury Page Turners

'Away with words' is a really good novel that I enjoyed very much. Positives: One of the best thing was definitely the plot and background information. I really enjoyed the idea of writing a book about a middle school aged child/teen who moved from one country to another country who speaks a whole another different language. SPOILER: I also liked another idea of the story (the more inside plot) of how a mysterious person (Eideth) tries to frame Gala and Natalie for stuff that she did and also ruin the work and the effort that they made when Gala and Natalie were trying to do good and make everyone happy. The ending of the book was also good because unpredictable as most people wouldn't have thought that Eideth did it. It is also a good idea that the author chose to write the story in 1st person, throughout the book the author writes about the challenges and obstacles that Gala had faced when moving to a whole new country. Negatives: Although the book was really good some parts of the book became a bit boring and straight forward and other parts didn't make much sense. The thing that was weird in the story was how all the charecters could physically pick up words, like words were a physical thing. At first, I thought that picking up words was a metaphor but turns out I was not. The Author could have also put a bit more tension in the book. Natalie's baby sister was learning nusery rymes and was picking up new words whilst she was learning them. In the middle of the book Eideth mentions that the mysterious person likes nusery rymes (could have been Natalie's baby sister and therefore it would have created more drama). If the author explained all of these above in more detail, the book would have been better. Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot and would recommend it to others.

Kush
SCC Prolific Bookers

WT
The Dorothy Davies

Naz
The Dorothy Davies

When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be really childish and boring. But I got into it very quickly, and once I did, I was surprised by how much I wanted to keep reading. I genuinely really enjoyed this book, and I related to it as I remember how difficult it was for me to learn my second language when it was spoken all around me. I was unexpectedly hooked by this book, although I will humbly brag that I guessed who was writing the mean poems from the start.

Emilia
Bookiewookiedoodaas

I found Away with words an interesting but also a unique book. I was fascinated by the fact that people could collect words and that the words could been seen and that they could disappear. I also liked how Gala slowly but surely started to get used to the scottish life and be happy in Scotland and miss less Spain and Cadaques, her Catalan village in Spain. I liked this book and anybody who likes social realism will love this book

Pietro HG
4Shadowers

I quite liked this book. It was an interesting idea about the spoken words being seen that I didn't get at the beginning. The different fonts they were typed in was fun and the gradual change of her opinion of Scotland was clever throughout the book.

Rose
Tenbury Page Turners

Emilia
Bookiewookiedoodaas

I adored this book! In this book we follow a Spanish/Catalan girl named Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland with her dad so they could live with his boyfriend Ryan. Once Gala starts school she is quite confused at first because English isn’t her first language so the head teacher enlists the help of two kind, patient girls who are both called Elidith. Gala doesn’t like the fact she was forced to move and makes herself hate Scotland until she encounters Natalia; a girl with selective mutism. She is pleased to make friends with her due to the fact they don’t have to talk that much. I really enjoyed this short story! I feel the characters are extremely well written and the plot twist at the end really shook me to my core!

TJ
HHS

I loved the idea that words can be seen and lie around until they disappear. I think it's a very unique and interesting idea. I thought it presented the character of Gala very well and I was very happy when she finally managed to settle into her new home. It shows very well the challenges people face when thrust into an unfamiliar environment and having to learn a different language to communicate with others.

Robyn
WyRead

I really liked reading this book and thought it was a great read, it is about a girl called Gala who has moved to Scotland from Spain with her father. At first she struggles to communicate because of the language barrier but she makes friends with a girl with selective mutism called Natalie. Gala and Natalie become great friends and when they get in to trouble they have to prove it wasn’t them. In the end Gala starts to like living in Scotland. I liked this book because of the unusual concept where when you say a word it physically comes out of your mouth and different people have different fonts and depending on your emotions the colour and font of your words change. I really liked the book and was hooked from the first chapter, I would definitely recommend to others. I liked how you saw Gala and Natalie’s friendship grow throughout the book. Overall I thought it was a really good book.

Zoe
OLA Shadows

Away with words is an imaginative and creative book about a young girl named Gala, who moves to a town in Scotland called Fortrose. She’s had to leave her friends and home in Spain to live with her Dad’s boyfriend, Jordi. A homesick Gala, has had to face many obstacles in her move to this new place including having to learn a different language and make new friends. I found the Storyline really interesting and I have learnt a lot about selective mutism as one of the characters in the book has it. I have really enjoyed reading this book as it is about friendship, resilience and overcoming challenges and I would definitely recommend it to other readers as I thought it was a short and easy, read, and I found it really entertaining and captivating.

Florence
OLA Shadows

To me ‘Away With Words’ was a really heart-warming read. It is a story about a girl called Gala who moves to Scotland from Spain with her dad’s boyfriend. Her story is about finding her place in this new environment, learning new things and expressing who she is together with her new friend- Natalie. Through-out the book Gala slowly accepts her new life with all the joys and lows and makes memories even if she will miss Spain. The character grows in confidence as she learns the language more everyday and connects with her classmates, learning things about them. I liked this book because it displayed a message that you should embrace new experiences even when it’s difficult and scary which I think is really empowering as well as speaking up for yourself and your creativity. One of the main themes about the book was the idea of words being a tangible thing that you could physically hold in your hand and how that idea kind of flowed through book. I absolutely loved this, and I think it was really creative. Also, it implied the importance of being able to express yourselves with meaningful words that make a difference. No matter how small that difference is. Overall, I quite enjoyed this book, but I felt that it bored me a times because the text felt more for a younger audience and it wasn’t exciting enough to keep me constantly interested. I would personally give this book a 3/5.

Gabriela
OLA Shadows

Gala and her dad move to Scotland to live with her Dad’s boyfriend and Gala makes friends with a girl with selective mutism. Together they collect words and make poems but someone is making rude poems and ruining things for the two friends. I really enjoyed this book, I found it had a unique story that I have never seen before and i found the idea of Gala moving to a new country and struggling very relatable. I found the book made me feel really anticipated for the next chapter and worrying for the characters even though the stakes in the book were not life or death. The story kept me interested and I found myself non-stop reading the book throughout the week. I was surprised by the physical words and learning more about them throughout the book. My favourite character was Elidith (the nice one). I found them a fun supporting character and enjoyed whenever they were present. I would recommend this book to readers 10-11 + who are into mystery books. I didn't like how the book wasn't long enough, I felt like it could have been longer and that would have benefited the book to extend some parts of the story. Overall I found Away with Words to be an excellent book with lots of fun and sad moments and it is definitely one of my favourite Carnegie books this year.

Archie
OLA Shadows

Away with words is a book about a girl called Gala who lives in a place in Spain called Cadaques. She is forced to move to cold and dreary Scotland because her father’s partner lives there. She is horrified that she must leave her perfect life and all her friends, but when she gets to Scotland, she realizes that it is not as bad as she originally thought it was. She finds speaking another language hard. She loves communicating with her friends, so this is hard for her. She makes an extraordinarily strong bond with a girl called Natalie who has selective mutism and finds it hard to speak in certain situations. The book suggests a new way of communicating, picking up people’s said words and then pressing them onto paper to make them last forever. She starts writing poems for people in her school but then someone maliciously starts making horrible poems and framing Natalie and Gala for doing so, they are thrown into a world of bullying and hatred... The author has combined fiction with the struggles that children from foreign countries have or that children with communication disabilities have and it exposes how we are all trying to be loud and playful but some of us find it a lot harder than others. It also exposes how sometimes people jump to conclusions about others before giving them the chance to fully express themselves and without getting to know them. This book is a brilliant narrative of how children's lives can be thrown into disarray and how sometimes they have feelings that they are not conveying. This book is an extraordinary work of words and in my opinion the best book of the lot.

James
OLA Shadows

Away with words is a fantastic book which appears to be set in a parallel universe where, when words are spoken, they drop to the floor and appear in the colour and font of the word and how they were spoken. It is about a girl called gala who moves from Spain to a remote area of Scotland where she struggles to communicate. However, when she meets Natalie, a girl with selective mutism, she finds that she has a proper friend who teaches her to collect words to put in poems for people. although, when an anonymous person tries to stop them from writing the poems, by writing their own rude poems to people, they must prove their innocence. This was very exciting to read, and I would recommend this book to anyone.

Alex
OLA Shadows

Away With Words was a very interesting and unique book. I liked the fact that the plot and ideas were so original, however I struggled with the concept of "physical words" and found a lot of the book confusing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the journey and character development of many characters throughout the book, although this was definitely not one of my favourites.

Hidayah
KEVICHG

I loved this book because it showed the progression of the main characters and it was full of imagery that helps the reader to imagine all the different words around the characters. It had a beautiful message of acceptance and friendship that can resonate with anyone due to the fact that the book is relatable to the chaos of everyday life and how some people feel when they struggle with fitting in and being ‘normal’. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I couldn’t put it down.

Estelle
AKS Carnegie

Away with Words is a book about family, friendship, and communication. The colourful cover grabbed my interest, and I was eager to know more about the book. The main character, Gala, has just moved house and is struggling to communicate and express herself. It's especially difficult to find the right words to say, but things get easier when Gala meets Natalie, and they both collect words together. Throughout the book, it was thrilling to see the two girls use words to find their voices and positively impact the people around them. This book symbolises the great importance of words in our society. The fact that words can make people happy and can also easily hurt people. I am able to comprehend the characters in this book, as I know how difficult it can be to adjust to a new life and communicate with family members. This book covers so many problems that are faced in our society, including bullying. I would greatly recommend this book to children in school or people who find it hard to express themselves.

Hanifat
LC Best Books

“Away With Words” is a suspenseful novel that brings up many under-spoken topics. With its twisting plot line and moving relationships, this book will keep you on your toes as you embark on an exciting journey with the protagonist (Gala). When she arrives in Fortrose, Gala becomes extremely homesick for her town of Cadaques in Spain. She misses everything from her beloved grandmother to speaking her mother language : Catalan. Although she is happy her Dad and Ryan can finally be together, nothing is the same. When Gala and Natalie meet, they collect spoken words and create poems together to bring comfort to each other and their classmates. The friendship brings happiness and comfort to both girls, even though they have to find new ways to communicate. However, nasty messages start to be left in the same way as the nice poems, and the girls are blamed, earning them a bad rep. The book takes you through their journey as they try to regain respect and justice from their school mates. One character that I felt connected to was Gala’s grandmother. She values looking out for her family so helps Gala to become more positive, even though she’s empathetic to her granddaughter’s struggle. I really loved how her eccentric personality shone through the pages and the way she protected, supported and even abetted Gala with her mischievous tricks reflects that! I think she is a resilient, witty and feisty role-model we can all look up to. Before reading this book, I never knew the struggle many children face moving countries, learning new languages and overcoming selective mutism (a condition which Natalie has that stops the anxious victim from speaking). This book helped me learn about the frustrations, achievements and daily emotions that many under-recognized people face on a daily basis. Overall, this is an unquestionably fantastic book that I recommend everyone tries.

Hollie
The John Mason Shadowers

I absolutely loved every part of this book! Everything from the setting descriptions, to the portrayal of emotions was written and edited superbly! I must of spent about 3 hours straight sitting in bed, reading this gripping page - turner. If you haven't already, I implore you to try this fascinating book, and learn about the struggles and triumphs other people face on a day-to-day basis!

Jacob
DCGS1624

The girl named Gala and her dad have to move from Scotland to Spain because her dad has a boyfriend over there. She really struggles with making friends but soon she finds Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. As Gala's settling in her life, the actions of an anonymous classmate threaten to take it all away, her friend. In this book she basically tries to find out who she is. Away With Words has an interesting and unique story to read. It isn't something I would usually read, it was ok. There was a lot about understanding each other. It kind of reminded me about my own 'life' when I had to move from Ukraine to England, but I did not relate to the hard communication bit. 6/10

Anna
Pride and Paperbacks

"Away with Words" is a heartfelt and imaginative novel that is about a 12-year-old Gala, who has the unique ability to pull words out of the air. Set in a world where words literally come to life, the book explores themes of loss, friendship, and self-discovery. Cameron's writing is both lyrical and accessible, making it a captivating read for young audiences. The Gala's journey is touching and relatable, offering valuable lessons about the power of communication and the importance of understanding and empathy. Overall, "Away with Words" is a beautifully crafted story that will relate with readers of all ages.

Nastazja
St Augustine’s Challenge

My rating: 9/10 I really enjoyed reading Away with Words. I would recommend this book to younger readers, but I do think that people of any age can still enjoy it. The concept of spoken words being physical is quite unique, and the different fonts and described word colours make the reader understand the feelings behind the words. I also liked how on some pages, words would be scattered about - this layout reminds me of the "Clarice Bean" books I read when I was younger. The words which were scribbled out when Gala couldn't understand them helped put the reader in her shoes of not being able to understand the language, yet being able to fill out the blanks. I think that all the characters and their personalities were all distinct and refined, and as someone who loves books for amazing characters, this made me so happy! [Spoilers] I especially love Craig as a character, as in reality, he is just as misunderstood as Gala and Natalie. I think that his character development was a nice touch to the story, but I particularly liked that it was the characters around him who developed to see him differently. Gala being able to eventually settle into Scotland was a predictable ending, but one that was still heart warming as readers got to see how he opinions changed over time.

Vanessa
St Augustine’s Challenge

Away with words was an amazing read, and my favourite book on the Carnegie! I loved the idea of words being like objects that you can pick up and people using them to create something beautiful. Also, I think the fact that the main character is trying to actually learn a new language, and uses words to help her adds a nice element to the book, as you get to see how hard it must be! Overall I thought it was great and I would recommend it to anyone!

Lola
Bookiewookiedoodaas

Lucy
The Fitzharrys Shadows

‘Away with words’ by Sophie Cameron was a lovely book to read – despite the fact that I found the language quite simple and not particularly descriptive, emotion was conveyed well, between friends, family and ‘enemies’ alike. What I enjoyed most was how the author brings a more ‘hidden’ side of everyday life into the spotlight; words. I felt that the author represented meticulously how very dynamic words can be and the effect they can have, often without us realising, and how freely they come for some of us yet how precious they can be for others. It was really nice to see this addressed in a book, alongside the continuous mention of how much one can learn from just observing the world around them more; I do think it would be very eye-opening for people if they understood that fact. Usually in books like this, when the main character is a complaining, and slightly spoilt, child (like Gala), I find it difficult to understand their behaviour – their actions are often frustrating to me as it is annoying how little common sense and consideration for others they seem to have. However, although Gala was at first a homesick, defiant child not unlike the above description, the author wrote this book in a way that helped me understand Gala’s motivations and emotions, and I was able to sympathise with Gala and rarely ever get irritated at her. I don’t often find that in books of this style, so I did really enjoy it as I was able to enjoy the book much more due to the fact that the characters were ‘made more reasonable’ in such a way!

Lei
Perse Carnegians

"Away with words" by Sophie Cameron is a book about a girl called Gala who just move from Catalonia to Scotland and has some trouble in communication meets another girl called Natalie, with selective mutism. They found their own way to communicate to words 'abandoned' by others, but was blamed by others: will they prove that it's not them who left the poems? I think this story is very heart-warming and interesting to read. I really enjoyed how this book is formatted of creative shapes and fonts and positions of all the words, they really demonstrated the atmosphere and emotions of the plot. I also really liked the unique way of 'piecing together poems' by other words as well. I also found this book quite relatable to me as I have experienced this kind of moving-school scenario and it described it quite well. 8.5/10

Rachel
Perse Carnegians

I loved this book. It was so gripping that I got through it in four days . The book follows the life of gala. She moves from Scotland to Spain and in her new school she makes a friend called Natalie who has selective mutism. Gala struggles in school because she misses her old family and is learning a new language but after a few months she starts to get happier. This book is for sure a 10/10.

Meredith
Madras Carnegie Shadows

To me this book was very confusing but knowing what it was like to be selectively mute like Natalie must be extremely hard, but I think Gala understands her, so it makes for a wonderful concept which is also really original and creative. I think this book represents many people who if they read this, they would feel comforted and know that there are people out there who feel the same way about things. Moving away from your home to somewhere new and different must be a very scary, disorienting experience in which you might not feel safe or happy.

Sophie
Perse Carnegians

In a world where the words we say physically appear, Away With Words is set in a small village in Scotland - Fortrose - the novel follows Gala throughout the process of moving from her hometown in Spain - Cadaqués - to her new home with her Dad’s boyfriend. Gala finds this difficult, as she speaks very little English. Gradually, she does begin to settle in, befriending Natalie - a girl with selective mutism. They find their own ways to communicate and become very close (bonding over their love for collecting words) when suddenly an anonymous classmate frames them for sending horrible poems to everyone. After an exciting climax, it is revealed that the one sending all the nasty notes was Eilidh Chisholm - one of the two Eilidhs that helped to look after Gala during her first week during school. Some key themes in Away With Words are bullying, anxiety, and change. Cameron explores these in a confident way, weaving them carefully into the storyline. Bullying can be seen in two characters in this book - Craig (who is openly presented as a bully but is actually struggling with his self-esteem and he feels like he has to be unkind in order to impress his friends) and Eilidh Chisholm (who starts as Gala’s friend but soon turns into a jealous, unkind figure). Anxiety is experienced by multiple characters in the novel. For example, Natalie cannot speak when she feels anxious, or Gala, who suffers terribly from homesickness. Amongst the adults, both Ryan and Gala’s dad are distressed by Gala’s behaviour, and at one point consider her having to move back to Cadaqués. This novel could be considered as either a mystery or young adult novel. For example, the themes included in the story would suit the Young Adult genre, even if the characters are slightly on the younger side of age bracket typically found in these types of stories. On the other hand, the way in which the story is told fits the description of a mystery novel - Natalie and Gala undertake an intriguing investigation, attempting to catch the mysterious ‘poet’ / bully. In my opinion, it has a place in both of these genres. One important feature of the book is the rare use of speech. This is mainly due to the fact that neither Gala nor Natalie are especially confident speakers of English. Therefore, when speech is used, it can feel abrupt and also unconfident in a way. As the book is in the first person - from Gala’s perspective - we often see how it feels for her not to be able to speak a massive amount of English. This is represented by the squiggly lines that can often be found in the middle of people’s sentences, showing where there are words that she does not understand. This can induce the reader to feel empathy for her because it causes us to hear and see the language in the same way Gala does. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. As a language lover myself, I enjoyed the fact that there were small parts of Catalan and Spanish interjected into the English every now and then. Sophie Cameron has published a significant number of books and has previously been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2019, with her debut novel Out of the Blue. I can see myself reading more of her work in the future, as I found this book to be extremely enjoyable (in fact, it was rather difficult to put down). In conclusion, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who asked as it was a fun, exciting novel and yet it also dealt with important themes.

Flora
Ely College Reading Group

This was a good book because I liked the author's concept of words and emotions because you can see what people are feeling like instead of reading their facial expressions and it's like the main people in the story are showing a hidden meaning or moral to whoever is reading the book.

Juvanita
The John Mason Shadowers

I absolutely adored Away With Words!!! I loved the unique concept of words physically falling out of people's mouths, even though it did have me a little confused in the first few chapters. Being bilingual myself, I completely connected with Gala's story of her struggles to feel comfortable with a whole new language and country. Her friendship with Natalie, who didn't previously have any friends at school, moved me. That fact that both girls had trouble with speaking but still found ways to grow closer together was so beautiful and emotional that it gave a whole new meaning to friendship. Another thing I loved was noticing the steady decrease in blank gaps in the English Gala hears as her language skills improve throughout the book. It was incredible to see Gala learn how to embrace the different cultures and languages and make them both a part of her identity like I've had to. Thank you, Sophie Cameron, for this gem of a book!

Julia
Weald of Kent Tonbridge

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how when Gala and Natalie first met they instantly became friends and they kept this relationship throughout the book. My favourite part was when Gala and Natalie made the nice poems for people in their class. I also liked how Gala cared for Natalie especially when she was being made fun of for having selective mutism. Overall I thought this book was really thoughtful and well written.

Amara
Horsham BOok HUNTers

Away with Words is a book about words. The heroine Gala and her dad have moved to Scotland from Spain. She is struggling to adapt to the new environment and language. Gala meets a new friend, Natalie, who doesn’t speak. Together, the two girls use the words they collect to help people around them. When someone uses the collected words for bullying others, Gala and Natalie are blamed. How can they prove their innocence and show others the special meaning of words? This is an encouraging and positive story. It suggests many problems that teenagers may face during immigration from Gala’s perspective which also inspires them when solving these problems. It emphasizes the importance of listening and communication between people. It also suggests that words have a powerful influence within people’s relationship by their expression. I would recommend this book to teenagers aged between 13 to 15 years old and people who have immigrated. This book will smooth their emotions and make them feel understood. My favorite character is Natalie. She always noticed the needs of others around her and is still very kind to everyone even when they bully her. I think this book brings out the problems that most people do not notice as more and more people are immigrating to other countries. If you are a student who has just moved into a new place and you are struggling to adapt, I would strongly recommend you read this book and maybe you will find some useful methods by reading it!

Carrie
LC Best Books

This book was amazing! Despite the concept of 'words' being hard to grasp in the beginning, I found it to be exciting and gripping! The emotions of the characters made us feel happy, sympathetic and laugh! I would definitely recommend this book to young people in schools in particular!

Olivia
LC Best Books

I loved the fact that the book was all about words and different ways of interpreting them. I liked the contrast of colours to words. I also liked the character of Natalie and how she was kind of brought out of her shell by becoming friends with Gala. I also liked the character of Gala, and how she completely converted from an extroverted Spanish girl when she was in Spain, to a introverted, confused and definitely more angry girl after she moved. I liked the fact that she and Natalie became friends, since they both weren’t great at speaking words by mouth, but preferred it on paper. Overall, I would rate this book a 7.5/10

Tanvi
Perse Carnegians

This book was really nice, it shows the difficulty many people have, from moving from a different country when you can't speak that language. I never knew there was a thing called selective mutism, so I think the author wrote it in a lovely way. I also really liked how Gala and Natalie communicated at school, and the poems were lovely, well the nice ones anyway.

Kaitlyn
Ullswater Readers

I enjoyed this book however i wouldn't say it was particularly good. for me the main problem was the fact that words were objects. at first i was confused and though the girl may have had synaesthesia but after finding out everyone in that world could see words it left me confused, and the book never really explained it. other than that it was a really nice book with lgbtqia and mutism representation and a solid story line that i could follow along with. i would give this book 3.5/5 stars all together. because it had a solid plot but a few confusing and unexplained things in it

mae
Fortismere

Gala and her dad have just moved to Scotland from Spain, to live with Ryan, her dad’s boyfriend. Unable to talk to the people around her, Gala struggles to communicate. That is, until she befriends Natalie, who has selective mutism. But then just as Gala is beginning to get used to her new life, someone threatens to take it all away. When I read Away With Words, I found out a lot about selective mutism. I found the concept of being able to see and collect other people’s words, and be able to find out about the person who said them just by touching or looking at them. I would recommend Away With Words to younger readers, as the storyline was very predictable. Overall, I would rate this book 7.5/10

Maria
Larkmead

Its a great book with a cool gimmick of blanking out words the character doesn't know yet and it just has a compelling story with good characters. Its also cool to see Gala slowly understand more and more words until there are no more blanked out words

luke
Plumites

I loved this book and thought the idea of everyone’s words being physical objects was a crazy but great idea. I also haven’t read a book about someone moving to a country where they don’t speak the language before which is why I think this story was an important one that needed to be told as it helped me understand what it’s really like for people in this situation. I also think Natalie’s story was important as I hadn’t really heard about selective mutism before so it opened my eyes to this. The one problem I had with this book was the squiggles where some words were supposed to be as this annoyed me and affected the flow of the story.

Jess
Weald of Kent Tonbridge

“Away With Words” paints a picture of a heartfelt story about Gala and Natalie navigating through language barriers and friendship challenges. You can feel the emotions and the bonding between Gala and Natalie as they find unique ways to communicate and support each other and even other people! The mystery surrounding the nasty messages adds an intriguing twist to the plot, making you curious as to whether Gala and Natalie will be able overcome this challenge and prove their innocence. It is a story of resilience, friendship and the power of our words!

Philippa
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This book was not one of my favorites. I disliked the book a lot and found the plot a little dry with not much excitement. I would rate this 6.5 out of 10. However I loved the main character Gala as she showed how a small insignificant comment that you make might have the largest impact on people. I also feel like the front cover was well presented as it perfectly explains what the book is about.

Sana
Plashet School

Natalie – a character with selective mutism in Away with Words – is apparently quiet and reserved, but in truth her still waters run deep. She befriends Gala who has recently moved from Spain to Scotland, and who is herself having difficulties finding words because she speaks little English. The two develop a friendship by literally finding words together. This is possible because the book is set in a magical world where words appear materially as they are spoken. The girls communicate by finding other people's scrap words. Soon, they also use the words to write mysterious and compassionate poems for their classmates. However, when someone begins leaving toxic messages using the same method, the girls are blamed. I was attracted to this book’s theme of communication difficulties because I’ve seen first-hand the struggles of several of my extended family members who do not speak English well. They can often share only shadows of their personalities without access to the right words. However, I was not convinced by some of the cultural clichés used in the book, such as the lazy contrast of hot-tempered southern Europeans with chilly Scots.

Benjamin
Perse Carnegians

The book was okay and I didn't really like it but it was a nice story.

William
The John Mason Shadowers

Away With Words is an extraordinary book which I really enjoyed. Gala's experience at having drastic change was really impactful, since it was easy for me to sympathise and relate for her. Her character development in this book is great, and the many aspects of mental health, anxiety, and disabilities were portrayed very well. This book was very emotional and realistic, and the writing was easy to follow without problems. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to people looking for heartfelt and powerful books.

Seungah
Perse Carnegians

I thought that Away with Words by Sophie Cameron was an amazing book. I especially liked how you could see the words other people said. I also liked how everyone had a different style of words (no one's was the same) as one person would have red italic words for example and someone else would have yellow Calibri words. The plot was very good as Gala really felt like she fitted in at the end.

Imogen
HAEC Carnegie Shadowers

Away With Words was an extraordinary book full of excitement, laughter, and mystery. It was a story expressing that change can be a bad thing, but you can always find the light in the darkest of corners. Gala and her father Jordi moved from their hometown in Spain to live with Jordi's boyfriend Ryan. Gala must learn a language that she is new too, to fit in with the other kids in her new school, but she meets a girl named Natalie with selective mutism and they learn how to communicate with each other with people's words that stick together to make poems that they give to people in their classes but soon someone starts getting nasty poems and they are getting accused for it but they know what they are doing is right and they know what they have to do to show everyone that what they are doing is right.

Zano
Larkmead

The representation of selective mutism was heart-warming and well-portrayed, but it would've been nicer if more of the downsides of it (bullying) was shown. It's cleverly written with the characters being clear and understandable.

Rebeka
The Cleeve Readers

Theres this little girl called Gala she struggles with languages and she makes friends with this other girl called Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. This book is centred around a thoughtful, original concept which encourages readers to think about the importance of words, and the impact they can have, in new ways.

Ellie J
VISTA Academy

Wow. This book was amazing . So full of culture and acceptance . My favourite part was probably when Gala and Natalie wrote the nice poems for their friends. The only weak part was that, I didn't really understand what they meant with the whole physical words thing. Other than that it was a great read 10/10 and I will definitely be reading it again.

Holly H
VISTA Academy

I really enjoyed this book, I am glad I read it because it is a different genre to the books I normally read. I loved that some of the words were in different styles of writing to the others. It was a brilliant book and I would definitely read it again. It was a nice gentle read and I like how gala and Natalie's friendship grows throughout the book and understand what each other has to say.

Kathryn
Novel thinkers

I have a question! Have you ever moved house? maybe to a new town or city? Now imagine you moved to a whole new country where, plot twist, you don’t know the language and have moved away from everything you know and love. This is the fate of Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland with her dad and his boyfriend Ryan now stuck in a foreign place. Gala feels lost, confused and angry; why did her father do this to her! Enter Natalie a girl shunned by her peers for having selective mutism when these two meet they bond over their shared love of words and become fast friends but when their classmates start to feel terrible, and bullying increases the girls write poems to tell the others that they are not alone. This continues for some time, and it seems like nothing could go wrong, could it? I love this book and I reread it repeatedly I Love how the author really makes us think about what goes through peoples minds as they leave home, and I love Natalie's and Gala's relationship, its like they were meant to be friends I can’t find anything wrong with this book (though I tried) over all it was amazing 10/10

Isabel.S
Larkmead

Away With Words has an interesting and unique concept and it was easy to read. Overall, it isn't something I would usually choose to read but I thought it was a very creative idea and an enjoyable book.

Freya
St Kaths

I think that away with words was a very clever book in the sense that because Gala was from Spain and didn't understand much English at the beginning, there were words missing from sentences, maybe words she didn't understand or words that just made no sense. But as I read further into the book, I noticed that the missing words were becoming less and less frequent as if we were learning the language with her. I also really enjoyed the book because of the idea of words falling from peoples mouths when they talked and then Gala and Natalie making poems out of them. Overall I think it is a really great book that should definitely be put in the library at my school.

Esther
West Monmouth

Personally, I loved Away With Words. It is now among the best books I have ever read, and I'll tell you why: The story follows Gala, a young girl who moved from her home in Spain to a town in Scotland where her dad's boyfriend lives. She faces many difficulties when learning English but soon finds a new friend, Natalie, who struggles with selective mutism. The girls find poem-making as a way to bring joy to others. How will they figure out which classmate has framed them for bullying with poems? Something I like about this book is the fact that spoken words materialise. I like how this plays into the fact that everyone just ignores the words, brushing them away, but Gala and her friend Natalie find other uses for the words, such as making poems to make others happy. I also like how this book portrays difficulties people can face at a young age, such as Gala struggling with learning a new language in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. And Natalie, who suffers from selective mutism, and is isolated by her peers. I would give this book a 9.5/10 because I really enjoyed it and I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a heart-warming story with a little bit of investigation.

Afre
Larkmead

Away with words is built around a concept that I found really engaging and original, and it definitely stuck with me after I had finished the book. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the plot or the characters, as it all felt quite two-dimensional and predictable. It feels possible that the concept was developed first, and the plot afterwards, which I feel is the wrong way round for creating a good narrative. That said, I was invested enough in the plot to finish the book, and I certainly enjoyed some parts of the story - I thought that Alba's struggle to understand what was happening around her at the beginning was interesting and well executed.

Isobel
Bookiewookiedoodaas

This book was very nicely written, the different aspects of life and loneliness that it touched upon was amazing. I feel like even though I myself couldn't relate to it, many other teenagers probably could. The complete idea of the basis of this book was completely abstract and original, it was a brilliant read.

Swan
Denbigh Shadowing Group

This book wasn't so bad, it was about a girl who moved to Scotland from Spain with her dad. At school she was alone until she met a girl called Natalie and they created poems together. I liked the characters, but the story line was quite boring and I couldn't really focus on the plot. I rate it 5/10.

Rohana
Plashet School

Away with words the genre is zine and domestic fiction. Zine means: a small-batch, independently published work that circulates less than 1,000 copies. Domestic fiction: a type of novel popular with women readers. In this books it gave me a sense of suspense and excitement when Gala and Natilie race to find out who authored the unkind poems. The main plot of this revolves around a girl called Gala who moves from Spain to a remote part of Scotland with her dad and stepdad. Finding it hard to learn a completely different language. With homesickness she finds it hard to adjust and accept to this new world of hers, Gala becomes friends with Natalie, a girl with selective mutism by adding this character really helps the reader understand her as a character and the way how the mutism works Aswell - it isn’t her choice but a form of anxiety to be quite. The friends collect words and like to create poems using the words spoken by others as a different form of communication since they are not the best at that in English. They seek to lighten people’s lives with the poems made from captured words, but their idea twisted and used to cause pain and division. I really like the way Sophie formats her words changing the way they are written in a completely unique way this really bring life to the story. I feel like I really connected with the main character because I could understand her experience and really sympathize with her having had similar experiences in the past being moved to different schools and having to make new friends. I would recommend this book it is a pleasant one to read and I think it would be suitable for anyone as a quick but amazing story.

Imaani
TPS Carnegie Collective

Away With Words is a great story of how a girl that moved from Spain to Scotland struggles to fit in, but finds a friend. It also shows that people with selective mutism are not weird and that is good. 9.4/10.

Dylan
Somervale Carnegie Team 2024

This book was a really nice read. I thought that the characters were well thought out and you could really feel their emotions. The plot of the story was unique, and I don't think I have read a book with the idea of words being real before

Emily
Somervale Carnegie Team 2024

This book is an example of how people felt when they leave the place they love the most.

moeezA
Ermysted’s

Rachel
Watford Girls

This book was fun to read. It tells the story of a girl who leaves her home in Cadaqúes to live in Fortrose, a town in Scotland. It was interesting to read and contained an ususual concept, the ability to "pick up" words. I enjoyed this read and it has been my second favorite Carnegie book. This story was inspiring and I will remember it for a long time to come because of its interesting story idea!

Theo
Bookiewookiedoodaas

Away with words was an interesting book about a girl who learned how to deal with change. It is a relatable story that everyone can learn the lesson about. I liked it because it was a unique book about people being able to see and pick up words. Galla and Natalie had a unique and special friendship. I would recommend this book to 11 to 14 year old children.

Ashley
VISTA Academy

As I read more throughout the book I found it easier to assume the words that were replaced by lines. This helped to make parts of Gala's words your own and alter the story around your assumption, therefore leading to more plot twists and a more intriguing story.

Stanley D
Ermysted’s

I really enjoyed Away With Words by Sophie Cameron. I really like how it explores the challenges of adapting to new places and friendships. One of my favourite parts is how Gala and Natalie come up with creative ways to speak and communicate to each other such as poems. It is a cleverly written, thought-provoking tale about communication and connection. The book beautifully captures the vulnerability of being an outsider, emphasizing empathy and understanding. Young readers will appreciate the relatable characters and the power of words to bridge gaps between people. I would highly recommend it to my friends and I would read it again.

Joe
Perse Carnegians

I extremely enjoyed that concept of having friends that this book portrays. The cultures where also an enjoyable theme to read about. Like some of the other books, Away with Words shows a side to society that a lot of us do not know of. It brings out the history that is swept under the rug. I did appreciate how Gala wasn’t perfect- because as humans, we are all imperfect with flaws. I dislike books that depict the main character as always being in the right. Truly beautiful- 9.5/10. I recommend this a lot, probably to audiences around my age who are curious of the future.

Zoe
Perse Carnegians

I really love how on some of the pages the words were scattered around the page, it makes the book so much more creative. Some people don’t like this because it makes it hard to read. I have nothing bad to say about this book because the storyline is amazing. Natalie was my favourite character.

Julian
Bookwizards

I love the book 'Away with Words' because its very fascinating and I love the part where Gala made new friends and she moved to Scotland to live with her dads boyfriend.

Meryam
SMM Bibliophiles

Away with words was an interesting story. I thought it had a really good concept with words being scattered everywhere when you speak then fading. It made me have the idea of those words almost being forgotten or lost. I also thought it was a very good way to get across how people with selective mutism feel. I also loved the names celene and dion for the dogs. It was very well described which meant you could picture what was happening clearly in your head. I would recommend this for 8 plus as it could be a bit confusing for younger. I loved this book especially the front cover: five stars from me.

ruth
Euro Bookworms

I really liked this book. The unique concept of the words is so intresting to me. Being able to physically see the words you speak is so beond the imaginaition yet this book manages to portray this idea with such realism in a very effective way. I found the story unique and enjoyable. Something I would not find myself reading usually but I enjoyed it very much.

Leah
St Kaths

This book is the most creative piece I have ever read. I love how they were using words to create the most beautiful poems. This book also shows how words despite not being physical are the most felt thing in the world and the tiniest of comments can make the biggest of impacts.

Esther
Plashet School

This is a very meaningful book that portrays a message of the importance of language in society and culture. As an English speaking nation we are very lucky that the language we speak is so widely used across the world. However it also means that we don't really appreciate how hard it is for people from other countries moving to England to adapt. I think that this book shows this message in a good way and mixes it with the idea that life in school can be hard and that sometimes it can cause unexpected things to happen. I love the way this book mixes these points with a mysterious narrative to create a beautiful tale of discovering new ways of seeing life. I would highly recommend this for everyone to read.

Owen
Larkmead

I enjoyed this book as it was brilliant and very creative. I loved how whenever they spoke, words came out of their mouths and the way the author used squiggly lines for the words Gala didn't know, despite it being harder to read. I thought that this books ending was not as good as I anticipated because it was a bit dull and boring and I roughly knew what was going to happen before it did. However this overall is a very unique book which clearly expressed life for selective mutism people in a world like Natalie's.

Henry W-R
Ermysted’s

This was a very good book because it shows how people can't fit in but after that she starts to make friends and fits in. Also, the eilidhs were very hard to pronounce.

Zak Dad
Ermysted’s

I LOVED this novel. I did find it a bit confusing at the start because words coming out of peoples' mouths on paper is not something that I have ever read before. I was a bit surprised when there was a possibility of Gala going back to Spain however she wasn't very happy about it and wanted to stay in England. I think that there should be more books .

Issybel
Burford School

I really liked this book. I thought the idea of words being real objects was really interesting, although the narrator is not one I would have chosen, I thought it worked well as she had a different perspective on words that someone who spoke the language would. I think this book explores communication and friendship in a really original and special way. It talks a lot about the importance of words and how they can be used for good or for bad.

Lotta LI
4Shadowers

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron is set in the town of Fortrose in Scotland. The general story consists of a teenage girl named Gala who has been forced to move from her beloved home in Cadaqués in Spain. She and her father moved away from Spain to live with her father’s Scottish husband, Ryan, in Fortrose. At first she struggles as she is unfamiliar with the English language and does not have any friends. As she starts to settle in, she befriends a girl named Natalie who has a hobby of collecting spoken words. At the very beginning of the story, many of the words that other people say are shown as squiggly lines because of Gala’s lack of understanding of the English. For example, in Chapter 1, the teacher says “Welcome -_-_-_-_-, Gala”. However, as the story progresses, these lines are seen less often because she is learning more English. There is a peculiar theme of words that are spoken by characters falling out of their mouths – with colours and fonts based on the tone of their speech. Gala goes around collecting the words with her new friend Natalie and makes poems for people who may be suffering from something. I would recommend this book because of the unique ideas introduced by Sophie Cameron, including spoken words being visible objects. The book helps readers understand how hard it may be to move to another country where you don’t the language. It also shows how words can help and support people.

Alex
Bookwizards

"Away With Words" is an engaging and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of acceptance, friendship, and the power of language. At the center of the story is Gala, a young girl forced to relocate from Spain to Scotland after her father's relationship changes. As Gala struggles to adapt to her new home and school, she forms an unexpected bond with her classmate Natalie, who suffers from social anxiety. The novel's most captivating element is the unique way Gala and Natalie use language - the two girls become "word searchers," scouring their surroundings to collect discarded spoken words. They then carefully craft these found words into uplifting poems, which they secretly share with their classmates to brighten their days. This fantastical concept adds wonderful imagination and visuals to the story, while also serving as a metaphor for the transformative potential of self-expression. As Gala and Natalie navigate the challenges of their new friendship and the mystery of who is using cruel words to hurt their peers, the "word searching" becomes a touching way for them to find their own voices and connect with others. The emotive power of language is celebrated throughout, making this a richly meaningful read. As someone who has also experienced the challenges of moving from one country to another, I found Gala's emotional journey deeply relatable. Like Gala, I had to adapt to a new environment and culture after moving from Hong Kong to the UK, struggling with homesickness and feeling like an outsider. Gala's character felt richly empathetic and human, mirroring my own experiences in a way that made the story resonate powerfully. Ultimately, "Away With Words" is a heartwarming and thoughtful novel. With its accessible storytelling, important themes, and captivating language-focused premise, this book is a wonderful addition to any young reader's bookshelf.

Abby
LC Best Books

I haven’t read a book like this but I did really enjoy it. It really opened my eyes. I also liked the different fonts within the book and how they were presented. It was a great read.

Amy
Horsham BOok HUNTers

I particularly loved this book as it explored the meaning of language and how language does not have to be verbal. I found that this book’s concept of having physical words was beautiful, especially having them as tactile things that people could create. Having two girls, who in the world struggle to communicate for different reasons, learn to overcome this obstacle together through the bond of friendship was absolutely stunning. I also enjoyed how the girls were written suitably for their age, for example, Gala had a suitable drop of selfishness that you would expect for a child of her age, which I find isn’t always shown in books that follow children protagonists that often.

Jenny
Perse Carnegians

Away With Words presents a different take on the unbelievable power of words. In a world where words are physical things, each one with a different, unique aspect to it, a Spanish girl named Gala moves from Cadequés, a small town in Spain, to Fortrose, a town of similar size in Scotland. She faces difficulties understanding other students from her school and feels extremely out of place. This makes her even more determined to move back to her old town until she becomes friends with someone who introduces her to a new practice: collecting words. I am quite uncertain about my feelings towards this book. Although I thoroughly appreciated the page layout and the idea of words being associated with certain colours and fonts, I thought the novel’s plot was slightly weak, and I was able to guess the ending halfway through the book. Nevertheless, Away With Words remains a pleasant read, however it is not one I will be considering a favourite.

Marie-Anne CI
4Shadowers

I thought this book was great and I had a blast reading it. My favourite part of the book is when Natalie and Gala are trying to break into the headmaster's office trying to find who wrote the bad poems. Another great part is at the end when Gala decides she wants to live in Scotland. The book uses the physical words to help Natalie communicate which I think is very clever.

Leo
Fiction Addiction

I enjoyed the concept of words being physical objects, I think it gives a deeper meaning to the idea that everything you say can have an effect on someone. I did find the plot quite predictable and had a similar character arc to many other young adult books. Overall, I found this book relatively enjoyable but slightly more on the basic side.

Abi
Kingdown 24

I think that this book was nice because it represented a different perspective of a young girl in a foreign place, also the interesting, colourful words.

Meenma
Kingdown 24

I think its a beautiful book, it expresses people struggles in life and speaking to others. I love it. 10/10

Meredith
Kingdown 24

The story is about how Gala and her dad have moved countries and Gala starts to feel lonely. She meets a girl called Natalie and she learns how to communicate with her, as she has selective mutism. Overall, I enjoyed the ending and how detailed everything was, but I didn't understand some parts of the plot and I found some of the storyline to be quite boring in places - but perhaps this is because it was not the sort of book I would normally choose. (Two stars).

Romeesa
Rockwood Reads

I really enjoyed Away With Words. It was a shorter read but definitely made up for it with its plot. The way words were physical things in this book was a really interesting device and added a lot of depth and uniqueness to this world. The different fonts and placement of words on the pages also added how the story was read. There was really good character growth as Away With Words progressed and the friendship between Gala and Natalie develops really well. Many difficult topics were touched upon well, such as mental health . Away with words was an incredibly enjoyable read overall.

Amelie
Perse Carnegians

'Away With Words' is about a girl who moves from Spain to England and doesn’t speak much, so she befriends someone with selective mutism. This book displays friendship and that you don’t always need to speak to communicate. I like how it brings awareness from people with selective mutism. However, personally, I didn’t think it had much of a plot. Overall, this book was very positive and brought awareness to something not very commonly talked about, however, it didn’t have much plot to it.

Aisling
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

I have really enjoyed reading the book ”Away With Words “, as it is a powerful, unique book. The book is about a girl called Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland where she struggles with the new life and most importantly the new language. Gala then meets a new friend called Natalie who has selective mutism, together they make poems to leave for other people, and to make kindness . I really enjoyed this unique book as it gives a different take on the power of communication. Overall I would definitely recommend this book to friends and family.

Anna
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

Throughout this extraordinary novel we imagine a world in which the words we speak become real objects. These words have colour and font to match the tone of the person who spoke them. Within this setting we meet Gala, a Spanish girl forced to move to Scotland much to her disappointment. However eventually Scotland becomes her home. 'Away With Words' is a thrilling story with an exciting plot. I loved it and would definitely recommend reading it.

Holly
Carnegie Carnage

Amazing book, rate it 5/5. I love how it shows the diversity and how hard it is to be an immigrant. I think everyone can relate to this book somehow as things like this happens :)

Chizaram
St Angela’s Reading Angels

This book i didn't really like cause i thought it was a bit girly. This girl called Gala basically moves from Spain to Scotland and i feel bad cause she doesn't understand the language very well and i liked how in the book they made the words she didn't know have squiggly lines over them. i really liked that. I liked how they used the words to make poems for their classes as well . I would give this book a 6/10.

Callum
Madras Carnegie Shadows

I liked this book but I found it quite hard to read because of the different fonts. I would recommend this book, it has a good storyline and the structure is good.

Amaia
Horsham BOok HUNTers

It is such a inspirational book since it talks about the peoples words that they say. The girl Gala is from Cadaques the place she was born. She was told to move to Fortrose since her Dad's boyfriend lives there and is a PE teacher in the school she is moving to. She meets a girl called Natalie and she loves to write poems. The reason why i like this book is because i like the way they uses people words to make a story or showing a real life information.

Paveena
Royal Readers and Where To Find Them?

Izzy
BFS Umbra

I found this book so wholesome seeing Gala and Natalie using peoples names emotions to bring others joy is so sweet and to think that seeing words and selective mutism is actually a thing is so interesting! Awesome book give it a read

Liana
Ullswater Readers

I was really amused with this book because i loved how the authors rich imagination and her brilliantly descriptive use of language.The description of the flow of words was incredible; I felt as if I would look down at the floor and see a stream of words bunching around my feet .The friendship between some of the characters is beautiful .Both girls found it tricky to converse with one another, Gala because it was a tricky language and Natalie because it made her feel incredibly anxious, but they managed to communicate through actions and body language and facial expressions.

Ugne
St Angela’s Reading Angels

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron is a story based on Gala, a girl who settles into Scotland from Spain with her dad Jordi, to live with his boyfriend Ryan. The transfer has caused Gala to lose her own personality, feeling lonely and isolated. She meets a girl named Natalie, who has selective mutism (being unable to speak in certain social situations). Just as Gala is finally feeling safe and settled with her new friend as they communicate in their own way, her personality vanishes once again, from anonymous threats, making her trying to find her own words to show everyone her true self. I believe this story is a true one-of-a-kind as it contains lots of words in the storyline, as well as the book, using the word "noun" and "adjective" to create thoughts in Gala's mind and a whole atmosphere surrounding her. It really captures the title inside the book. Additionally, it brings the LGBTQ+ community closer together and being inclusive with them, by including a gay couple, and also make people with selective mutism feel less alone. Finally, I feel like this tale would have been nice for the author, Sophie Cameron, to share and express as it shows adaptation and life in Scotland, where she grew up. If you like stories about friendship, love and bonding, I am sure this tale will expand your imagination and really get you thinking. I would recommend this book for ages 13 and above as it might seem a bit insensitive for younger ages. Overall I would rate this book a 10/10. There is nothing I can think of to add or change about this story.

Krupa
Watford Girls

In a clever exploration of language and identity, Away with Words shows the power of what we say to linger, and be used either for good or ill. The very premise of it intrigued me, and I empathised with Gala all the way through her rocky journey.

Martha
Dallam Bookclub

I was overall disappointed after reading 'Away with Words'. The story of a girl moving to Scotland from Spain with her father is a good one and nicely handled early on. She explains how difficult she finds the language barrier. As the story is told from her narrative point of view she leaves a blank when reporting the speech of another person where she does not understand the word. This is a good idea. However, the whole story hangs on the idea of words being physical things that can be picked up and used or left lying around. This idea ties in with the character Natalie. They are also given colours or shapes. I had difficulty identifying with this concept. This theme becomes dominant when the plot wears very thin leading to a dwindling end.

Mr Hyde
Marshland Readers

A really unique concept, it's one of the most original ideas I've read in a while. That said, it makes it quite complex at first, as the idea is not set up for the reader in any way, you are just expected to work it out as the pages go on. For weaker readers, this may present a problem. For the more able reader though, it's a lovely little story, with plenty to say about family, friendship, and bullying - all real teen/tween issues. The idea of the little poems written using the words is adorable, and I particularly like the way that each person's words have their own font, and that the colours change depending on mood and intention.

Miss K
BUCS Library Book Club

Poppy
BUCS Library Book Club

Sophie
BUCS Library Book Club

Ivan
BUCS Library Book Club

Meghani
BUCS Library Book Club

I like how the words are physically there in their world and also the main character is interesting to read about.

Blanka
The Dorothy Davies

I quite liked this book due to how the story line was written. As well as it being really engaging and a joy to read.

Willow
The Dorothy Davies

I really enjoyed this book, I think it's really unique how words are essentially portrayed as colourful nouns, and how they fall out of people's mouths, having the ability to be reused again. It's nice to see the importance of relationships, family and friends portrayed in a book! Really powerful.

Dorotheea
Roaring Readers

Away with words is a book about a girl called Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland and the book is based in a world where when you say sentences physical words come out your mouth. At first Gala is really struggling to adapt to living in Scotland however after becoming friends with Natalie (a girl with selective mutism) they find new ways to communicate. The book also made me more aware of the struggles people who have to learn a new language in a new strange country must have to face. i also loved how i could see Galas character development throughout the book and how she became more confident and her English improved. Overall i loved this book and the characters and how it created vivid images in my head and i would rate it a 4/5.

Emma
BFS Umbra

It is one of the best books I've read so far. I loved the end and the use of words throughout the book. I could almost imagine this book, probably because it is a lot like my life.

Ishita
Roaring Readers

I really like how the book portrays diversity and the struggles of being an immigrant. The book shows us how change, no matter how difficult, can be good.

Lisa
St Bernards

I really like how the words appear physically when people speak and how the book highlights the power of words, language and communication. I liked how the characters came out of their shells throughout the book and I enjoyed seeing the way they express themselves together. The only negative thing about the book was that the story was slow at the beginning and took time to get into.

Afiya
St Bernards

My favourite character is Natalie because she is seen as a mystery. She is intelligent and kind. I would spend the day with Eilidh C because I like to talk a lot.

Anna
ST PAULS STARS

Gala is an adaptable person to her surroundings and is very intelligent and empathetic. A happy family reunion feeling.

Samuel
ST PAULS STARS

Away with words by sophie cameron is about a girl called gala who moves to scotland from Spain. At first, she is very upset and finds it very hard to communicate with other people because she can speak very little english, so the language barrier affects her ability to make friends in her new school. This is until she meets a girl called Natalie who has selective mutism which means she gets very anxious speaking and only speaks around her closest friends and family. Gala and Natalie become very close and cause all sorts of mischief together and in the end, gala decides that maybe scotland isn’t so bad after all. My favourite part about the book was that when you say a word it physically comes out of your mouth, I liked this because it is different to other books, and it was interesting how different words had different fonts and colours depending on how they were said and how the person speaking was feeling. Something I disliked about the book was that the storyline was slightly predictable and some of the characters were very cliché. In conclusion, I think that this book is a very good, light read and would be suitable for slightly younger readers like ages 9-12 but I thought the idea of words being physical was interesting and gave the book a fun twist in a way.

Sofia
BFS Umbra

Away with Words" by Sophie Cameron is a heartwarming tale that transcends language barriers and celebrates the power of friendship. Set in a whimsical world where spoken words materialize, we follow Gala, a young girl grappling with her move from Catalonia to Scotland, and her unique friendship with Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. Together, they navigate the challenges of communication and belonging, using discarded words to craft anonymous poems that uplift their peers. However, when negative messages appear, Gala and Natalie must clear their names and prove their true intentions. This middle-grade novel is a testament to the resilience of youth and the unspoken bonds that connect us. Cameron's storytelling is both imaginative and sensitive, making it a compelling read for young readers navigating their own life transitions.

Reina
Perse Carnegians

I loved the book but I especially loved the non -binary representation especially as right now it is pride month! Happy pride! But overall it is a very good book!

Emily S
Kesgrave Bookworms

Aijan
BIS Society of Dragon Readers

This book took me on a journey of discovery. I can honestly say I was hooked since the first chapter. The concept of words being physical objects is familiar yet new, being reimagined brilliantly by author Sophie Cameron, as they have a specific color and font to depict their tone and connotation. Reading the visual descriptions of kindness, sadness, or even malicious intent behind language was fascinating to say the least. I also truly enjoyed watching the developing relationship between Gala and Natalie as both find communication with language difficult. Gala’s struggle assimilating in a new country, which’s language she does not speak, is beautifully and tastefully depicted guiding the reader through an experience possibly foreign to them. Natalie’s selective mutism adds a fascinating dimension to the story, showcasing an experience most do not consider or discuss often. The connection both form regardless of language barriers is heartwarming, leading readers to reminisce about the ease with which friendships were formed in younger years. This book is a well rounded love letter to language and writing worth every second spent following along its pages. While not an especially short book one is left yearning for more once finished.

Sophia
BIS Society of Dragon Readers

The book “Away with words” is about Gala, a girl who was raised in Cadaques, Spain. She moved to Fortrose in Scotland with her dad and his boyfriend to live together, but she did not like the idea of moving away from her homeland. In Fortrose, it wasn't like her old place at all. She missed all of her friends and all the memories she made in Cadaques. Moving to Fortrose meant learning a new language. She has only ever been fluent in Spanish and Catalan, but now she has to learn English. She struggles learning English and finds it difficult to make friends though she has the support of the Eilidhs and Natalie, who has a rare condition called selective mutism. I think this is a very good book, as the author portrays the character as someone who is very relatable, and makes them more confident about themselves.

Kim 9C
The Lotus Readers

This book was an enjoyable story that covered selective mutism, an anxiety disorder which many children are not aware of, in an understandable way. The book also covered the struggles and frustration from moving from a country to another and how friendship can improve a hard situation . The message of kindness spread throughout the book and I thought the book was a very good read.

Pauline
KEVICHG

Away With Words introduces readers to a world where language takes on a physical form, creating a landscape where words not only matter but manifest. Set in Scotland, the story centres around a young girl called Gala, with the extraordinary ability to make her words materialise. I found this book intriguing due to the descriptions of words taking physical form, however, at times felt like these concepts were aimed more towards a younger audience. Despite this, Cameron effectively highlighted how words can both harm and heal. Overall, I felt like this book offered a fresh and whimsical take on the power of language, but not the type of book that I would usually read.

Yusra
KEVICHG

Away with words was a very enjoyable book for a number of reasons. First, I found the idea of spoken words manifesting into physical objects very interesting and the way they are used in the book is excellent. Furthermore, it works very well with the main characters inability to understand most English. By showing what word was spoken, the reader is able to understand what has been said even when she can't. Finally, I enjoyed the plot as it connects you to the characters very well and made me feel as if I was experiencing it first hand. My only real complaint is that the book was quite short however if anything that just shows that I wanted more. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a short but engrossing story and would rate it at least 8/10

Arthur
Open Book

I loved this book. The way it was written was very sweet and I loved the progression of the characters. To start with I was a little bit confused as to what was happening. The Words puzzled me a bit. I didn't know if they were just in Gala's head or if everyone could see them, however as the story progressed it was shown that everyone could see them. And then when Gala met Natalie and they started to make poems and booklets out of the words, I thought that this was such a clever idea from Sophie Cameron. I think that the idea of moving to somewhere you don't know is a scary concept, and I think that it is important to make this okay, and to try and make it less scary! And I think that this book helps to normalise that change and make it less scary.

Rosie
Novel thinkers

this book is not one of my favourites as the character in the book does not understand English and the speech doesn't help us understand. I find it harder to understand the story more than the character understands English 2/10

sami
TCOLC Perfictionists

I thought Away with words was a lovely book. I was slightly confused at the beginning of the book when the words were described as real life 3D objects. Later I found it fun to have this strange add inn and I thought it was a brilliant metaphor. I loved the adjectives, they really enabled me to take a step into the book. I thought the idea of a language barrier was interesting and I thought it was great to see this challenge recognised and displayed in such a meaningful way. I loved the conversations between the characters.

Hazel
Fortismere

I really loved this book and the diversity of the style and font of the words floating across the page. It was interesting to see that communication can be in many different forms and it was sad to see the protagonist Gala feeling out of place away from her home and struggling to settle in and accept this new place as her home. The one thing I would like to see changed is the concept of words being physical things that you can touch and see. It was intriguing but I wish it was elaborated on more rather than it just being a sub-topic. Overall, I loved the characters and languages and words used in this book :)

Zoë
The Latymer Literati

A really hard - hitting book with an interesting premise and plot. The execution is fairly good ( I love the way the words are formatted in comparison to the sound, and the way Gala talks about the English language, however the plot moves quite simply and slowly) but the character development is complex and relatable, and the dynamics between the characters are developed and highly realistic. Representation is diverse, and this book effectively covers issues of xenophobia and ableism without much prejudice. Overall a great book!

Penelope
The Latymer Literati

Amazing book with very interesting usage of formatting - beautiful exploration of communication and connection beyond words

Edmund
The Latymer Literati

I thought this book was full of great ideas that were underdeveloped. For example, the idea of words being visible is really unique, but it didn't feel entirely completed. I also liked the diverse representation that the author had decided to include, with the dad having boyfriend without this being the main topic of the book, or with homophobia being directed towards them. It also covers the issues of xenophobia, ableism and the difficulty of learning a new language, which is encouraging for children who may face these problems.

Esther
The Latymer Literati

I enjoyed the style of the writing and the format as it was very effective in visualising how words are visible and how Gala and Natalie see and use them. I would've liked more development on Eildih C's motivation, but other than that I found the book to be very interesting and compelling to read and I think it would be great in helping people understand selective mutism and bilingualism better.

Tilly
The Tiffin Girls’ Shadows

‘Away With Words’ is a really powerful book that will open readers eyes to the struggles of anybody having to learn a new language in a new country or to somebody who has to live with the hardship of selective mutism. It shows that sometimes a few words or actions can say a lot more than a speech and that as well as aiding communication, words can also be painful and harmful. I really liked the creativity of this book and the entirely new perspective that it shows. You really feel for the character as she struggles through her first days at a new school in a new country. As she finds it difficult to speak and say all the things she would like to, making friends is even more difficult. When she meets Natilie though who also cannot use speech to communicate at school they find a new way to communicate together. This really makes the reader feel hopeful and optimistic for the characters future. I would recommend this book to anybody who is looking for a different, creative kind of book told from a different kind of perspective. I think it would communicate with many people in many ways and would appeal to many readers.

Heidi
Glossopdale Readers

At some points this book was very confusing with words missing but as the story developed it made more sense and helped us see what it must be like learning a second language for everyday use. This story also was very visual and let your creativity imagine what words leaving peoples mouths would look like. Overall a great book.

Pippy
Y8 Readers

Helps give a view to foreign students perspective of starting a new school in a new country.

Bethan
Austin Book Club

A good book with a good topic. I am surprised that there are not more books with a similar story line.

angus
Chiswick Carnegie

I think this was a fascinating and gripping read. The book left you, particularly towards the mid-to-end section, in quite a lot of suspense to find out the culprit of a mystery. One of the things that was incredibly creative was the fictional twist to the world, where words are physical objects that can be interacted with as such. The book tackles the unheard stories of a child who has to adapt to very different, and often times scary, new environments. Settling in to new schools, living in a foreign culture all the while listening to an unknown language every day can pose some serious pressures on young people who move to the UK (or anywhere else, for that matter). This book addresses that with an optimism of some kind, making it very relatable for children afflicted by such circumstances. The dialogue that was held between characters felt very realistic, especially the rows Gala, the main character who moves to the UK from Spain, has with her father about the move. I also loved the, what a first seemed to be metaphorical, use of physical speech to convey another hidden message about a different group of people: those with selective mutism. It conveys the struggles of this disability and shows how a child, in this alternate world anyway, could communicate in other unique ways, apart from speech. Overall, the inclusivity, the plot, and the messages all tied together to create a really fascinating read that I would definitely recommend.

Muadh
Ermysted’s

The book 'Away with words' was quite interesting and enjoyable to read. I had never heard of the condition that Natalie has, but this book has informed me how to act and how to feel more empathy. I believe that both Gala and Natalie are inspirational as they as open-minded and have a great relationship although Natalie finds it difficult to communicate. The story was told in a creative way- I loved how the words spilled out on the pages, which made the book stand out from other books. I think that this book is suitable for ages 11+ as it wasn't too difficult to read, but the message is a very important one to spread to younger teen/tween audiences.

Tess
Perse Carnegians

I enjoyed this book a lot, and found the concept and importance of words very interesting both as a concept and as a plot point, although it did take a bit of getting used to. I liked seeing Gala and Natalie’s friendship as the book progressed, although I think I may have enjoyed it slightly more when I was a bit younger- the age of the main characters and starting high school and stuff all seemed like something I would have really enjoyed a couple of years ago when I was actually joining secondary school. However I still really enjoyed this book, and loved how it portrayed the power of words and speech both as a positive and negative.

Isla
TGGS Carnegie Readers

Away With Words was an engaging and captivating story which explores a deep and flourishing friendship between the two characters Gala and Natalie who although are very different, have a vocal barrier in common. Personally, this book is very well written and conveys messages of loneliness and isolation very cleverly, accompanied by exceptional editorial stylism. However, it wasn't particularly the style of writing that I really engage in so it was quite a slow read but it was still very enjoyable! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys coming of age stories with eye-opening representation and wonderful page designs.

Shayna
Holt Readers

“Away with Words” is a truly inspiring story that will stay with people for a long time to come. This book is a relatable and engaging story about friendship, family and how to deal with change. Gala is the main character of the story and finds a friend called Natalie, who is a girl with selective mutism and they all have a very special connection. They also both have another friend called Eilith O, and they have a very close relationship. Gala is a nice character and I enjoyed how she supported Natalie through her troubles. But ever since Gala has moved to Scotland from Spain, she seemed to feel lost, lonely and unable to find her usual funny self, which I found sad. My favourite part of the book is when Eilith O came out to be one of the ones passing mean poems to Gala and Natalie, because it takes a strong person to be honest and admit when they are wrong. If I had to rate this book out of 10, if would definitely be a 9!

Vinny
TTS Readers

I personally found this book quite hard to understand with all the missing words at the start but the more I read the more I began to understand it. Away with words is about a Spanish girl called Gala who moved to Scotland and she can’t speak much English, her poor English is portrayed through squiggly lines throughout the book. In the alternate reality that this book is set in words can be seen and touched which is something that I have never seen in a book before but I found it immensely diverse and very interesting to read. Quite quickly Gala began to fit in at her new school and has made a friend called Natalie a girl who has selective mutism. I feel the message Sophie Cameron is trying to portray throughout the novel is the struggles many children face when moving from another country and trying to fit in while in a new school place and environment. I also feel her including a character who has selective mutism can help raise awareness towards young people alongside adults who may not be aware of this.

bella
TTS Readers

This thoughtful and lyrical exploration of truth and the power of communication is a perfect read for anyone 10+. Gala is a young girl who has recently moved to Scotland. Gala finds it difficult to be her true self when surrounded with new faces and an unfamiliar language. When she befriends Natalie, they form a new bond of friendship and communicate using other people's discarded words. When their kind poems to their classmates are sabotaged, they are determined to stop the spread of nasty words. I highly enjoyed this read, although it is perhaps more appropriate for slightly younger readers.6/10.

Saachi
Perse Carnegians

‘Away with words’ is a beautifully written book about the struggles of leaving everything you know behind. Gala is an eleven year old girl who has moved from a small town in Spain to Scotland with her Dad and his boyfriend Ryan. She struggles to express her opinions and ideas as she has never spoken English in her life, but as the book progresses we can start to see her slowly becoming more fluent and be able to understand the language around her. When Gala starts school she befriends two girls but as she realises she can’t understand them, she turns to a girl with selective mutism called Natalie. Despite their differences, they both seem to confide in each other through the fact that they both don’t seem to talk. As the story moves on we can see Gala starting to write poems, finally learning how to express her emotions through language, but some people at her school recreate cruel copies pretending to be her and Natalie. The use of the colours of words in the book helps you grasp what everyone is feeling when they say them. I would say this book was hard to understand and enjoy to start with but after a few chapters it became a lot easier and something I could appreciate. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading or wants a challenge in reading it.

Eve
TTS Readers

In Away With Words, Gala moves from her home in Cadaques, Spain, to live in the very different Fortrose, Scotland. She has a tough start. She finds school difficult as she begins learning English. In a world where the words people speak are physical objects, Gala bonds with Natalie (a girl with selective mutism) and learns the power of words. I thought that the message of this book was great but that the fantasy element was underdeveloped. The idea of words being physical, tangible objects has some very interesting ramifications that weren’t explored and the concept itself was introduced without explanation and then leaned on heavily. This meant it felt unfinished and turned what was an incredible base idea into a forced feeling attempt to distinguish the book. In conclusion I think this plot device could have been amazing but ended up feeling unfinished and forced due to underdevelopment. However, if you are willing to overlook this you get a sweet and easy to read tale of family and growing up with amazing descriptions. I particularly liked the fact that dialogue being spoken to Gala has blank patches to demonstrate when she doesn’t understand the English. These slowly become farther between and eventually vanish completely as she learns more. This allows you to experience the world of the story from Gala’s perspective which I really enjoyed. I would recommend this book to children between the ages of 8-13.

Fiona
SCC Prolific Bookers

Away With Words is a book about taking control of your own narrative and finding your voice, whilst also navigating through dealing with change, language and friendship, in a world where spoken words are physical objects. I particularly liked how clever, page-turning and innovative this book was, and how it could open people's minds to how tough selective mutism and being uprooted can be. I think books like these are very important, understanding different perspectives is essential in making everyone feel happy and accepted. It was great that the concept of words being physical objects (although not at the beginning) was explained in a clear way; necessary so the message of the book was understood fully.

Hattie
HAEC Carnegie Shadowers

At first I didn't understand if the words coming out of of people's mouths were a metaphor or not but a few chapters in, I fully understood it. Other than that, the plot was very interesting and I liked the relationship between Gala and Natalie. This book was a really good read.

Bella
HAEC Carnegie Shadowers

I really enjoyed reading Away With Words. It follows a girl named Gala what has recently moved to Scotland with her dad from Spain. She doesn't speak much English at the start and feels uncomfortable. However she makes a friend who also struggles to talk to others and they can relate. They become good friends and throughout the story, help each other as there is a big incident involving them. Gala initially wanted to try to convince her dad to move back, how ever she realises that this is her new home and she is happy here. In total, I would definitely recommend this book to someone else.

Surya
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I love the concept of physical words and how Gala struggling to understand is shown in the book. The book was very relatable and very down to earth. The story was heartwarming and had a very conclusive happy ending.

Kloe
The West Grantham Mad Hatters

I really enjoyed the world when the words are physically spoken and I love the family relationships and people can feel how she feels about migrating somewhere new and not knowing the language.

Mina
The West Grantham Mad Hatters

It is an amazing book, I love how they address the words as physical objects, it was very interesting.

Caitlyn
The West Grantham Mad Hatters

I didn't like this book because it was really repetitive and boring and original . in my mind it was as if: " oh Eilidh O gets given a good poem, oh no frank gets given a bad poem" and I didn't like it for that reason

Noah
The Hinckley Shadowing Group

The book was was boring and had a lot of build up for nothing to really happen and it was quits obvious that Eilidh C wrote the bad poems by the way she was described throughout the book.

Hayden
The Hinckley Shadowing Group

I found this book difficult to read because I didn't sympathise with the main character. I thought she was a bit annoying, even though she was going through a lot and I did feel some sympathy for her. I found the magic system a bit confusing, but enjoyed the conversations about the power of language interesting.

Miss R
The Hinckley Shadowing Group

I enjoyed reading Away With Words as I thought it had a good backstory. It wasn't my favourite but I thought it was good.

Penny
Weald of Kent Tonbridge

Away with words was one of the books I really wanted to read, right from the get go; unfortunately it was the same for a lot of people and it was out of the library for a while. This meant it was actually one of the ones that I read last. However, after reading it I found it to be one of my favourites. Gala is an inspiring character who seems to be a lot more realistically flawed than many of today's characters. She has to deal with language barriers and a complete new social scene. The way she does this is amazing, and she makes the right choices in becoming friends with Natalie despite her not being popular. As well as this, Gala struggles with not being able to defend herself and use her voice. I thought she was a lovely character who grew so much throughout the book, and it was so great to see this. This book raises awareness really well for selective mutism, going past stereotypes and showing a kind, intelligent person who is misunderstood by most of the world. Overall, this was one of my favourite books thanks to a lovely cast of diverse characters who all develop throughout the course of the novel.

Susannah
SHSK Shadowers

Mabel
UoBS Bookworms

I loved this book from the start, I like the idea that the characters can see their words as they speak and that they change colour and font with their emotions. It's a great book I would definitely recommend it!!

Asia
Christ’s Book Society

I found this book, away with words, by Sophie Cameron, really interesting and exciting. It tells the story of two girls- one who is from Catalan who moves to Scotland, and a girl who has selective mutism. My favourite thing about this book is the way it is written because it is representing what it feels like to not understand the language with squiggly lines as if it is just all mumbled jumbled up words coming out because she is not English.

eloise
LGGS Shadow Questers

Daisy J
BFS Umbra

At first, this book was confusing as it described words as being objects, but as soon as I got into it, I started to understand a bit more. The idea about collecting words was interesting and it made you imagine what life would be like if your words were objects. Away with words made me see the world from the characters point of view. I would recommend this book.

Grace
St Augustine’s Challenge

'Away With Words' was a weird book to get my head around. At first, I thought it meant metaphorical words falling, but it meant words literally falling. After that, it started to become an amazing book, showing when she didn't understand words in such an interesting way. It had an great narrative, too! It explored the different types of problems that people can face at school. Truly, an amazing book!

Caitlin
Thorpe Hall Readers

Looking at this book i did not feel as if i would enjoy it due to its contrast of my usual reading style but i actually enjoyed it very much. The protagonist, Gala, is a character you can't help but feel sympathy for due to her situation but you are also made to admire her because of her resilience and determination when she decides to make the best of what she got. The book is also written well because you are put in the character's shoes in more ways then one. The author consistently skips words and leaves blank spaces in sentences in order to portray the difficulty Gala has understanding a different language. This makes the book harder but more interesting to read. Overall i liked the storyline but i found the ending slightly unrealistic due to the circumstances.

Jasmine
Novel thinkers

I enjoyed this book as it is engaging from the first page. It is about Gala who has just moved to the UK from Spain and her making friends and settling into secondary school. She struggles with her English which is displayed as squiggles in the text. The book felt quite realistic and I would recommend it.

JJ
Fortismere

‘Away With Words’ is a book written by Sophie Cameron which revolves around the theme of communication and friendship. In this book, there is a pinch of fiction in the story about words being objects that you can see or touch. This book has its special charm where sentences and words are jumbled up, rotated, floating across the page or even in different fonts and sizes. This is done to emphasise how words were a physical object in the story and how you could feel different emotions from someone’s tone, the way they speak, etc. Furthermore, selective mutism is mentioned in the book. Selective mutism is when a child can’t speak in certain settings, but can talk normally in others. The character Natalie has this disorder, which made her not speak in most situations. Then, Gala becomes her friend and she starts to feel comfortable around her, which then makes her open up to Gala and talk easily in front of her. This shows that selective mutism is still curable and that it can be fixed with good care and practice. Overall, this is an enjoyable and engaging book which I highly recommend reading.

Hanbi
The Lotus Readers

I really liked how you could see other people's perspective of life. I loved the fact that Gala could see the words as they appear as different emotions by having them be assorted colours and fonts. It had an incredibly creative plot with likeable characters that developed well throughout the story. This story that truly captures friendship and bravery in both characters and their differences, that make them stronger.

Kimika
SHSK Shadowers

I absolutely loved this book. It's about a girl called Gala who moves to Scotland from Spain. I love how the words are her way learning English and reading what everyone was saying. I also loved how the plot took unexpected turns and how Gala never gave up on asking if she could move back to Spain despite her dad saying no. I recommend this book to everyone who likes reading.

Freyja
Weald of Kent Sevenoaks

This book was decent but was very heart-warming as the friendship between the two girls was very close,and they are the perfect example of friends.It contrasts many perspectives of factors in many of our lives but overall was very well-written.

Ryan
Ermysted’s

Sophie Cameron’s novel, Away With Words, is written about a young Spanish girl named Gala who had recently moved to Scotland to begin her secondary school life. The reason for this was due to the fact that her father wanted to live with his boyfriend Ryan, to move the family closer together. However, this plan doesn’t suit Gala as she found much difficulty settling in, she barely knew any English and didn’t find it easy to make friends either. As a relief, she became friends with a girl called Natalie, who happens to have selective mutism, although for this reason everybody thought that she was ‘weird’. Life seemed to be gradually improving, until they are wrongly accused for actions they had never done. She and her friend Natalie have to work together to prove themselves innocent, despite it being the most difficult thing in the world to change the rumours of secondary school. Will they succeed or will they fall? This is a fictional story based on real life situations, which can enable the reader to relate in some ways, and allow them to sympathise with the main characters. There are also protected characteristics displayed, like people of a variety of races, people attracted to the same gender, or people with anxiety disorders. And it is made clearly to the reader, which isn’t quite common, but at the same time, this promotes a type of society which appreciates everyone no matter who they are. This book also addresses uncomfortable situations which a person might experience, for example, a person with selective mutism wouldn’t be able to talk to people in different situations, and would therefore be bullied constantly for that matter of being different. Gala is a bold and courageous girl who will fight for what is right no matter the consequences of speaking out. The story is told in her perspective which is a perfect way of representing her feelings and emotions toward the challenges of moving to a completely new country to begin a new life. With that being said, her determination shows when trying to prove herself right, even if it means talking in front of six hundred eyes in a whole new language. I admire that quality of her very much as it shows she is also brave and daring when it comes to fighting for a good cause. The style of writing is the type of language a twelve-year-old would use. It doesn’t use many complicated words, yet the description is vivid and its vocabulary is not limited. I found it clever to use a wavy line to indicate words not understood by Gala, therefore ignored, however, it did make the story much more difficult to understand which can be frustrating at times. That was probably to depict the way Gala would have felt when she couldn’t understand much English. The falling of words on the pages help the reader to understand the fact that words in this world are actually physical things- as it acts like a picture to show ideas. Without it, the reader may not have realised at all that the way words were described weren’t actually metaphors, they were real objects. But even with all these clues, I found it confusing at first whether the words were objects or just portrayed as metaphors. A better indication would be better to ensure that all readers are on the same page of understanding. In conclusion, I loved this novel and I do recommend it. It shows the challenges one would face when moving to a new country, and it proves that justice can always be proved, even when it comes to changing people’s minds about the rumours. It has a quite touching storyline, therefore I recommend reading Away With Words.

Christina
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I think 'Away with Words' had an authentic and unique storyline. It really shows that sometimes people face unseen internal or mental struggles that make it difficult for them to fit in. I think helping people and trying to understand them rather than forcing them to fit in is much more effective if you want to help someone in a new or unfamiliar place. The book also reminds us to choose friends wisely- definitely keep that in mind! Read this if you ever go to or you're at a new place where you don't know anyone.

Aarna
Mansell Library Reviewers

This book was great. Not many people liked it but from my perspective it is one of the best books I've ever read. I would definitely recommend this book especially if you LOVE to talk.

tahlia
Free School Readers

Review: 4.5/5 I loved this story! Gala and Natalie were both very relatable, and I loved their wordsearching! I also very much admired the way both of them handled their problems maturely. This story is especially close to my heart as, like Gala, I also came from my home to England. My favourite of all the Carnegie books!

Hazel
County Shadows

What a simple yet heart warming read! Away with words was not only a lovely relaxing experience but also book that enhanced my thought process. The friendship between Gala and Natalie was lovely to read about, I found it nice to see their bond strengthen. I found the idea of words being a physical thing and that you can see a strange concept to understand at first, but by the end of the book I found it enlightening in a way. The plot line was easy to follow, all the characters were likeable (my favourite being Eilidh O). It was really great.

Lily
THS Shadowing

This book beautifully depicts the struggles people face when moving to an unfamiliar area. It tells the story of a young girl named Gala moving to a new place and making new friends. As she settles in Gala creates poems with one of her new friends and giving them to others to share emotions, thoughts and feelings. The book is amazingly written with a good attention to the little details of the main characters story shown in a way that gives the reader a lovely feel of Galas emotions and experiences as she goes through a huge change in her life.

Lottie
Going Places

'Away With Words’ review: Liked about the book: 1) How it is centred around how important words are and how they can be both bad and good. 2) How it explores different types of communication barriers and how to overcome them. 3) Lots of character development and a unique plot. Dislikes about the book: 1) At times it was quite slow-paced. 2) It was confusing at first why people were able to see and pick up words. Perhaps there could have been some context earlier on in the book that could have clarified why that was. Overall rating: 3/5

Athena
St. George’s Dragon Readers

Away with Words is about a world where words are physical objects which can be picked up and collected. However, collecting words is frowned upon. Gala moves from Spain to Scotland and struggles to make friends due to the language barrier. She then meets a girl with selective mutism and makes friends with her, bonding with her around collecting words. This book was written on an interesting topic and allows the reader to discover what it's like to move to a new country with a different language. It also shows the power of friendship in overcoming societal challenges.

Isaac
Perse Carnegians

In away with words, I found it fascinating on how words drop when you speak them. There are also different colours of the words that reflect your emotion. For example, blue for sad words. I thought this was very creative and I was intrigued on the writing. Secondly, I loved how the book included poetry, my favourite line is ,’ Away with maps-there’s a compass in your heart,’ . Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it was very well-written.

Jacey
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I enjoyed every page of this book. The idea of words being spoken and becoming a physical thing is interesting on its own, but the development of this point really creates a wonderful read. This is a book suited best for younger readers but which tells an important tale which people of all ages can enjoy.

Rachel
Carnegie Carnage

At first I found this book quite strange because of how they kept talking about slugs which confused me. However as the story progressed it started to make sense that it is how the language sounds to the main character. I really liked this book because of how it showed how other kids feel having to move from their home country and not being able to express their personality. I recommend this book to someone who likes where the character develops over time and links back to the start of the story. In the end I really enjoyed this book.

imogen
TTS Readers

Away with words is a sweet book about a girl who moves to Britain from Spain with her father and she makes friends with a girl called Natalie who is selectively mute. I found the concept of being able to see and touch people's words really interesting.

Cara
Somervale Carnegie Team 2024

At times amusing, heartwarming and thrilling (occasionally simultaneously), this novel is indeed worthy of its place in the shortlist. Reading a work with words and language as its theme was, perhaps, further enriched by the fact that I have grown up in a bilingual household. This has enabled me to have a greater empathy with a protagonist struggling to learn English, and once she has achieved that, thinking in several languages at the same time (the bane of anybody multilingual!). The supernatural element of the plot is suitably subtle and not instantly noticeable, and fits into the setting of a village in the Scottish Highlands extremely well, although I found that the pages with words scattered across them somewhat detracted from the remainder of the (exceptionally accomplished) novel.

Isaac
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I enjoyed Away With Words as it has this wonderful way of depicting trouble fitting in.I found Natalie's selective mutism quite relatable and loved how it was depicted. The relationships in the book feel sincere and real.

Beth
Christ’s Book Society

Away with words was a great book. It was about a girl called Gala who had recently came from Spain to live in Scotland with her father’s boyfriend. Gala had difficulty with the language barriers because her English was not the greatest, then she met a girl called Natalie who had selective mutism. I really loved how Natalie and Gala bonded over the language difficulties, Natalie with her mutism and Gala with her new English. I also liked the diversity in the book with Gala and her dads and Natalie’s speech impediment because I think it really shone light on people who also have speech impediments and will help them feel better about it. I think out of all the Carnegie books this is one of the best. 10/10!

Elif
Fiction Addiction

I did enjoy this book partially but it was still good. I enjoyed how it focused on the tones, expression and pressure which word groups where pressed and how it associated with a certain colour. I loved the Author's idea of concentrating and paying critical detail to words which are usually not as expressive as this author makes it. I also quite liked how it summarises the experience of when people move to a new country. As a person who moved from my home country, I found this book relatable as I had to learn English and start fresh. This book really mirrors the experience of coming to a new place with each day learning more but also still missing the memories. Lastly, I found the adversities in this book realistic and how the main character went on trying to understand what people were saying based on expression and tones. I would recommend this book to people who move countries and just people interested in a thought-provoking story.

Janelle
TTS Readers

This is a magical book, and I felt very relatable to the idea of craving to go back to the place you felt a sense of belonging and you are comfortable with, but when you overcome it and take a step outside there are some good things you can experience. I found the concept of being able to see and touch people's words really interesting and I thought it was adding a good element to the story. I'll recommend this to the people who needs a quick read.

Anvita
Forest Reading Rebels

I absolutely loved Away With Words because it shows how moving to a new country and leaving all the things you love behind, can be a good thing in spite of all the difficulties. Even though you still love the things you've left behind, you can learn to embrace life in the new world. At first, all Gala wanted to do was move back to Spain, but over time, she found great things in Fortrose, like her family being together and having her new friend Natalie by her side and even her new furry friends Celine and Dion. This book was incredible, because of the idea that people could literally pick up words. I still don't know if this is meant to be metaphorical or real, but either way, it is such a good idea. I would really recommend this book to anyone, because it is quite short and a real page turner.

Erin
Bookiewookiedoodaas

I love the relationship between Natalie and Gala and I think they are great role models. Overall this book is so magical and shows others perspective of life.

Isla
Rebel Readers

This book was "out of this world." From the start, I was instantly engaged in the plot and the story. I loved the fact that Gala, one of the characters, could see the words as they, appear as emotions. Personally, I thought this was an extremely interesting narrative to have in a story, and I found it to be immensely unique. I found that it could correlate to the fact that words may speak louder than actions for many, such as Natalie, who steals words due to her selective mutism, she wants to communicate and these words are dear to her. In my opinion, this story is a must read, with its story that truly captures friendship and bravery in both characters and their differences, that make them stronger. Overall, this is an amazing story !

Grace
Rebel Readers

I really enjoyed the book, it helps you to understand how difficult it is for some people when they go to a new place. It also helps you see how hard it is for people with disabilities to cope with things.

Maryjane
St Anthony’s Sunderland

I really enjoyed this book. I found the concept of being able to see and touch people's words really interesting and I thought it was integrated really well into the story. I thought the way and the style in which it was written was really unique and told the story really well from Gala's perspective, and understanding as she tried to overcome the language barrier.

Cecelia
KES Bookworms

In my opinion Away With Words is one of my favourite books in the shortlist. I understood the frustration of learning a new language through the writing style and enjoyed the progression of Gala’s English. However sometimes the characters do things that don’t fit into their personality and it was quite irritating. I would recommend this book and read it again

Amy
BFS Umbra

I found ‘Away with words’ a great book and I think it was a really great read. This story is about an 11-year-old, who has just moved from Spain to Scotland with her dad to live with his boyfriend, and her difficulties with learning English and adapting to her new home. I would recommend this book to a younger audience as it has fun illustrations. Overall, I give this book a 7/10 because it was a great read but I have read better.

Grace
TTS Readers

I really enjoyed this book, for many different reasons. It was unique, both in writing and concept, and diverse. It explores selective mutism, which I've only read about once before. Another thing I liked was the way the characters aren't perfect, but still good people. I would rate this a 4.5/5 .

Ellie
Page Turners24

Orla
The Fitzharrys Shadows

I felt that ‘Away with Words’ had an incredibly creative plot with likeable characters that developed well throughout the story. The protagonist (Gala) had to move from Spain to England for her father’s boyfriend and found it difficult to communicate across the language barrier. Many of the words were represented as squiggles, which demonstrated Gala’s poor understanding of English and showed how difficult it was for her to fit in when she first joined her new school. For me, this really helped to form a connection with Gala and feel sympathy for her as she navigated her way through everyday life in a new country. The book represented many different social groups well, including LGBT characters. This made the book much more life-like. Overall, I really enjoyed reading it because of its creative storyline and relatable characters.

Isobella
LSST Library Shadowers

I liked the book 'Away With Words' as it was a simple plotline but still quite fun. As the book progressed, I could tell her English was getting better as the blanks were getting less and less. I found the concept of physically speaking words quite interesting and the phrase 'it's on the tip of my tongue' seem quite funny. I also liked how it shows you how hard it is to move house and beyond that, change country and language.

Edward M
Ermysted’s

This book was quite a slow read for me, I didn't enjoy it very much as it was quite slow paced. Additionally, I was quite confused as to why words fell-literally- out of people's mouths. I'm not sure if this was to be taken metaphorically, however it shown to be quite an important feature of the story, I think I would've understood this story better if I was given some context on some of the things that happened in this book. Overall, it was not a great read, I would give it a 1/5.

Bracha
St Angela’s Reading Angels

Away With Words. The title has a double meaning: A Way With Words which is perhaps Gala knowing Spanish, Catalan and English, and then Away With Words which could be Natalie's selective mutism. Either way, this book uses words in a unique style and covers so many topics and I absolutely loved it!! 8/10

Phoebe
Ousedale Shadow Chasers

It was really interesting and gave me an insight to mental health struggles some people can go through. I also liked that it was inclusive as Gala's two dad's are gay. It is a great book I would recommend to many people who enjoy learning, and who may be suffering from mental health difficulties.

Erin
WyRead

I think Away with Words is an excellent and interesting book about the chaotic world that is high school and the pain of not being able to communicate with other people. This book is a beautiful celebration of the English language using excellent and unique examples to communicate the beauty of words. It is a very inclusive book telling us about many different family structures and situations making sure that everyone could see themselves in at least one of the characters. I absolutely love this book.

Erin
Madras Carnegie Shadows

Tahlia
Free School Readers

I THINK I love then they speak the word go out of there mouth

Alexandra
RET 2024

i really enjoy the way that the Author writes it has a strong feeling to conecting to objects and its simmilar line of a school a school life

zuzanna
RET 2024

This book is very unique. It shows the difficulty of learning a new language from the perspective of someone who doesn't know full English. Gala has moved from Cadaques, Spain to Fortrose, Scotland with her father and has to learn a new language. She has spoken in Catalan her whole life and has to quickly learn English. All of the words she doesn't understand are replaced with a squiggly line. This is set in the present day where people can see words. I really enjoyed this book.

Lucian
Ermysted’s

I loved this book however at the start I did find it a bit difficult to follow and didn't understand the way in which she saw the words however after multiple chapters I was able to understand. Sophie Cameron portrayed the characters amazingly especially the way Gala at the beginning was homesick and her father never quite understood. Amazing book would always read it again and hope she has some other books like this

Ffion
St Mary’s RC High

I personally quite liked away with words, it was really unique and the concept of people using words to express feelings in letters and poems really kept it interesting and the characters were well built as well as being able to build an emotional attachment to the characters and their individual struggles and problems made it thoroughly enjoyable

Owen
Bookwizards

Away With Words by Sophie Cameron is about expressing your feelings and how the words that are spoken have different colours for the emotion they are said in. This is also about finding the right friends and how you can do many great things when you know you have the right friend. Gala is new to English and struggles speaking but she finds a girl called Natasha who has selective mutism and finds it hard to speak in front of certain people. They do great things together but someone is framing them in writing bad things.

Jaashni
Redcloaks

It was a good book about a girl who moved to Scotland struggling with her new language and family making new friends and enemies along the way my favourite part of the book was when the main character found out who was making the mean poems however I think that the ending was very predictable

Dexter
VISTA Academy

Away With Words is a heart-warming story about a girl called Gala, struggling to communicate after moving to Scotland from her sunny home in Spain. The story shows how she gets used to her new life with her father’s boyfriend and surroundings whilst struggling to make friends with her peers. However, she soon bonds with Natalie, a girl in her classes with selective mutism. Together, the friends collect spoken words and create beautiful poems for their classmates, until some nasty poems start travelling around the school. I particularly liked how the book represented how easily words can be used to tear someone down or build them back up and I found it creative how Sophie Cameron showed the words in different fonts and descriptions. However, the representation of Gala’s confusion whilst speaking the English language (the squiggles) became annoying throughout the text and occasionally breached the flow of my reading. I would probably recommend this book to anyone struggling to learn to communicate, whether it is because of a language barrier , social anxiety and more. Overall, I really enjoyed the representation of speech and communication and how you do not need words to reach out and speak to someone.

Ellie-Anna
Bookiewookiedoodaas

Temi
PL Page Turners

Eilidh
PL Page Turners

Rosie
PL Page Turners

Niamh
PL Page Turners

Lucy
PL Page Turners

away with words is a relatable and heartwarming story of which those who grew up with english as a second language will greatly understand. the loss of 'gala's extraversion' was depicted really realistically and her inner monologue was very similar to my own experiences. sophie cameron also researched all the diversities in this book really thoroughly especially the selective mutism, gala's catalan heritage and the representation of lgbtqia+ people. however, i did at times find it quite boring as i read for unpredictability and high-stakes entertainment and it was fairly obvious that craig was the clear red herring and the true culprit clearly who they were. if you're more in-tune with the emotional, relational side of life, you will definitely enjoy this book far more than i did provided you don't mind predictable endings. the concept of 'words' was rather vaguely presented though the metaphor was quite a unique idea. at times, i felt the excessive color and font descriptions weren't necessary, but a really nice touch.

lara
PGHS Shadowers

At first I thought that it was just Gala imagining that words are physical, but then when the headteacher banned people from collecting words then it sort of confirmed that Away With Words is set in an alternate reality which changes what kind of book genre it is which I really like . In my opinion this is a very nice book because nothing really bad happens so it is quite a relaxing read.

Alfie S
Ermysted’s

Away with words is a social realism book, talking about serious subjects like selective mutism, the trouble of moving to a new country and bullying. This story, set in a world where words can be seen and touched, is centered around Gala, a Spanish girl who just moved to Scotland barely speaking any English. There, she manages to fit in and make some new friends, like Nathalie, who has selective mutism. However, in a few days, the two girls become social pariahs, accused of a crime they did not do, requiring them to investigate. I have mixed feelings about this book: I really loved the idea of words physically calling from people’s mouths, but I thought the plot was quite slow, with everything happening all at once in the last few chapters. Overall, this book was not one of my favorites, but I would still recommend it to anybody who likes social realism and mystery novels.

Victoire CI
4Shadowers

'Away with words' is a wonderful and inspiring book about a girl called Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland because her dad's boyfriend lives in Scotland. Gala is trying to get used to the totally different environment and a whole new language, she starts school and lives in a new home which is very challenging for her. At school she finds a friend called Natalie who does not or refuses to talk and they together start to write poems for people who are having a hard time like them. But a downfall in the story occurs when someone sends out mean comments and messages in poem form , Gala and Natalie are to be blamed. Together they have no choice but to fight and find who this is. I really enjoyed reading this book as it is breathtaking to see what is going to happen throughout the next page, I really recommend this to readers who likes to read mystery genre and a book filled about friendship, kindness and acceptance.

Methaya
VISTA Academy

Away with words was a strange book, yet a brilliant one at that. Set in a parallel universe where words are physical things, there to touch and hold. It follows the story of Gala, a Spanish girl, recently moved just outside of Inverness, Scotland. Initially she despises the place where she now lives, and begs her dad to move back to Spain. Then she meets Natalie, one of her fellow pupils, who also has selective mutism. They set about setting words into paper to make poems to cheer up the classmates. It goes downhill from there. I loved this book and most of the things about, one exception would be the words piled up on the corner of a few pages, these distracted me from reading the actual story. but otherwise, great book, I would rate it 8/10

Rory
KES Bookworms

I love love love love this book. I love it because in my opinion, Away with words is the best book because it gives meaning to a lot of phrases or sayings like, ‘having a way with words’ or ‘drowning in a sea of words’. It sheds light on a different view of words. Words are not just things that we say. They are things full of meaning and emotion, some more than others. Away with words represents this and embodies the meaning of words. It is THE best book.

Ella
Waldegrave School

I loved this book. At first it was a bit confusing but I started to understand it better once I read further. It shows that words can hurt but they can also make you feel better. It also shows that no matter where you are as long as you are surrounded by people who love you it will be your home. It is a wonderful story and I would definitely recommend this book.

Daisy
Going Places

I really really liked this book. I love the way the characters were written and their interactions with each other perfectly mirrored ways I've seen in real life. I love the pride inclusion of her dad and Ryan and the dynamic the family shared felt real. The main character, Gala could definitely be a real person and I love the way she chose to spread love even when she was dealing with such conflicting emotions herself and was decently vocal about. Natalie I loved, and both her and Eilidah each brought something to the table.

Millie
Somervale Carnegie Team 2024

I really loved this book and the message that it shared with its readers. It sheds a light on different ways of communication through out the world and why each should be respected and praised. It was a wonderful read and made me think more about how people can each have their own struggles that may seem invisible to the outside world.

Hannah
SCD Pageturners

I enjoyed this book as it expresses how hard it can be to move school, let alone moving country and having to learn a new language altogether. Not only does this book express the feelings of having to move but also speaks about and is inclusive about LGBTQ+ people. I really liked this book and how I loved how Gala and Natalie found a way to communicate, even with Natalie's selective mutism.

Caitlin W
VISTA Academy

I like the book because it made words a physical thing and I love the story behind it

Izabela
RET 2024

This is a beautiful book, the best book I've ever read. The way she describes and shows the selective muteness is perfect. I honestly found her dad frustrating at the start because he wasn't understanding how she was feeling and was just getting mad at her.

cara
Bookies Book Group

CaseyS
Cathedral Crew

Iga
Cathedral Crew

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how uniquely it was set up. I loved how there were gaps in Gala's understanding that was portrayed through the dialogue, and that those gaps decreased throughout the novel as she understood more English. I also enjoyed how the physical words were scattered around the pages sometimes so the reader got an idea of what Gala and her friends were seeing on a daily basis. The main storyline about bullying is an important message for all young readers. The novel was easy to follow and well written.

Mrs Scard-Edwards
West Monmouth

the book was very interesting and it basically puts us in the shoes of someone who finds it stressful to not be able to speak their own language

Hope
Word Wonderland

Away with words expresses the struggles of a girl trying to fit in but finds a girl who trusts and believes in her. It is an amazing book this help you relate to people who struggle with English or other languages.

Phidelis
Word Wonderland

I liked this book because I thought the story line was really good and I liked how every time some one spoke the words fell out of their mouth. I really liked the ending as well.

Henry K
Ermysted’s

'Away with Words' was a nice book. From reading the blurb I was expecting great things, but I was left feeling a bit disappointed. It had many interesting themes about relationships, language and communication - and how words can be used to hurt or heal, but I don’t think the author explored them far enough. For example: the male bully in the story, Craig, didn’t do anything shocking when he was being really mean or extremely nice to Gala. I think the part where Gala and Natalie showed real courage is not celebrated enough by the headteacher or her friends and could have been developed to be really special. The bit I did like about the book was how Gala could look past a special need, like selective mutism, and create a strong friendship with Natalie, which also helped her realise what she had living in Scotland with her dad and his boyfriend Ryan and what she would miss if she returned to Spain. I will be interested to know what others thought of this book.

Mrs Lucas
Marshland Readers

4/5 stars. I thought that Away With words was an enjoyable book that provided an insight into how people who cannot speak our language or who have disabilities or who are different to others feel. I liked the character Natalie and thought she was inspiring. I also liked the Eilidhs, and thought they were interesting characters. I thought that it was a bit of a slow burner though. I did not like the start and thought it was very confusing. It took a long time before the plot developed. Overall, a decent book would not read again but would recommend it to others.

Sulayman
Perse Carnegians

I liked this book because of its message about words and language barriers. I think the friendship between Gala (a girl who just moved from Spain) and Natalie (a girl with selective mutism) was really interesting and it was nice to see how they crossed the language barrier. Also the idea that you could actually see words was interesting but also kind of cool. I would give this book a 4.8/5.

Jola
Beauchamp Champs 2024

Away with words in a book about Gala and her dad ( Jordi) who moved from Scotland to Spain to live with Jordi's boyfriend Ryan. at first, Gala doesn't like Ryan, feels lost in school, and misses Scotland. But soon she made friends and uncovered a mystery of the stolen 'words'. yes, in this case, words can be stolen and against the school's rules. It was blamed on Gala and her friend Natalie got consequences for sneaking after school to see who did it. Eventually, they found the anonymous classmate and found out to be the bully! (Eilidh c) but instead of shaming her, she made a new poem and used 'words' to express it. It put a smile on the faces of the audience and got her closer to the country making her love it there. ( but did get a week of detention following the clean-up of the 'words' on stage) but otherwise, she developed a better relationship with Ryan and enjoyed both the country and her friends settling into her new life.

shruti
Beauchamp Champs 2024

This book is about a girl called gala who moves from Spain to Scotland with her dad and stepdad.she originally speaks catalan and is struggling with a new language ,English. She becomes friends with Natalie who has and selective mutism they like collecting words and making poems with them and making people happy however someone steals their idea and starts to hurt people. I really loved this book .the way it was some spaces blank to show that gala couldn't understand. This was a very heartwarming and friendly book and I really recommend it not just for people learning new language but for everyone

Fatima
The Reading Queens

This book was not my favourite out of those I have read but definitely not my least favourite either. I like how they portrayed how hard it is for someone to start afresh in a new country. It was an interesting concept being able to see words coming out of people’s mouths. I also liked how the author portrayed selective mutism. It was something I knew nothing about before reading the book and is now something I know a lot more about.

Sachin
Ermysted’s

In my opinion Away With Words was a book that really left you thinking about bullying and unkindness in the real world. This book was all about a Catalan girl called Gala who moved to Scotland not knowing any English. She goes to school and makes a friend with Selective Mutism, Natalie. They write poems to people so that they can cheer them up, but someone frames them for writing mean poems. My favourite character was Eilidh O because she always stuck up for Gala and was always a cheery person. It is obvious that the author has really thought about this masterpiece as the plot is beautifully laid out. I would recommend this book to people above the age of eleven.

Husayn
Perse Carnegians

Ellie-Anna
Bookiewookiedoodaas

I really liked this book as it had a very unique format, which enjoyed reading. It is the story of Gala who moves from Spain to England for her dad’s boyfriend. It is about her making friends and helping people. I would recommend it to all ages as the importance of words is for everyone to read about.

Georgia W
LSST Library Shadowers

I really enjoyed this book as it shows the struggles people experience after trauma which is often overlooked and people do not understand reasons for selective mutism. Away with words is also considerate of the fact that although Gala is from Spain she speaks Catalan rather than Spanish s opposed to what people believe. I liked how Gala saw the words as literally falling out of her mouth and how when she couldn't understand the words neither could we.

Olivia
TDS Book Clubbers

Away with words was a wonderful book, I thought it was really important in the sense that it highlighted the difficulty in learning a new language and having to leave everything you know and love behind to start a new life in a new country, but also I thought that how selective mutism was shown helped me to understand more about mutism . but over all I thought it was written really beautifully.

Zara
TDS Book Clubbers

i found the book really interesting and unique with how the author portrays words and the idea of how when you speak everything you say literally comes out your mouth, it provides a new outlook on how you may see things, overall i'd say a 10/10

Xaviera
TDS Book Clubbers

I loved this book. This twist was awesome. I love how creative the author was thinking how when you talk the actual words come out loud. One of my favourite book. 5 stars

Ismail
TDS Book Clubbers

Leo
PL Page Turners

This book was very unique. It was laid out in a very strange way but i feel like it made you envision the book better. It also explained the different experences of the characters very well

melissa
Somervale Carnegie Team 2024

I think the story is wonderful. I really like Gala who is the Spanish girl because she has the similar experience to me. And also she has a very good friend, Natalie, who can't speak in public. And they write a poem use different words they are very creative and unique. That is a really good story.

Mandy
Malvern St James

I think this book is pretty good. It really gives the impression that Gala has been thrown into her school with only a little knowledge of the English language as lots of words are blanked out. I think if there was more action it would be more compelling to read but apart from that, I have no faults.

Olivia
Malvern St James

Away With Words is a very warm-hearted book about friendship and growing up. As the story progress, Gala meets Natalie who has selective mutism, and they became very good friends partly because they have the same experience of not being able to express themselves.

Mido
Malvern St James

I loved this book. It was a really good example of how powerful words are. I love the way that spoken words actually appear in real life and it really made me think about how many different words people speak every day.

Tim
St. George’s Dragon Readers

Melissa
Bookiewookiedoodaas

I really loved this book, I thought the concept was really amazing and had lots of meaning behind it. The characters were really well portrayed and I loved following the story.

Annie
Broadland Bookworms

I found the book very uplifting and I enjoyed the metaphor of words being able to be seen, I liked and could relate to most of the characters. I found learning about selective mutism was very interesting and I had not understood it before, and the book explained it well. I liked that each person's words were unique fonts and colour depending on them and their emotions.

Matilda
Broadland Bookworms

This book had me feeling lots of different emotions, I wasn’t too sure on my overall opinion, but it definitely improved as I read further into the book. At the start, the novel was very slow and didn’t make much sense which caused me to get quite bored, but I ploughed through, and it got much better! As Natalie was introduced properly and the main problem was involved (the bad letters) it made me question who wrote the letters and make me read on until I discovered who wrote them – and the plot twist was actually very good. My favourite part was near the end of the book, when Natalie and Gala stood up in assembly and explained how they only word searched to produce good, kind letters instead of mean ones. It was written wonderfully, and I envisioned a great scene in my head because of the detailed description. Overall, Away With Words was difficult to get into, but I loved the actual plot/idea, and I thought it was unique and refreshing.

Sophie
Bethany Shadows

Away with words This is a book for people who don't mind that some of the speech with missing words or phrases but I think of it as a bit of a puzzle to work out . I love the way that you see the words in the book instead of hearing them. It is where a girl from another country moves to the U.K and wants to go home but then she wants to stay. She dose a bit of wandering around the school which is interesting. I would recommend this book , since I like it . :-)

Aidan
More Reading at Rusthall

Away with words is about Gala who recently moved from Spain but everything anyone says is produced into solid words. She finds a friend and starts to write nice poems for people but suddenly someone else starts to write mean ones. This book is a great mystery which brings you on an emotional journey. Its design is brilliant and personally there is nothing bad about it. I highly recommend. 10/10 stars

Alexavier
More Reading at Rusthall

Very detailed book with morals. I really enjoyed reading it and I recommend it. It incorporates real life scenarios.

Cait
SLS Carnegie Shadowing Book Club 2024

This book is a perfect example of the struggle of learning English if you are not from England

connor r
Ermysted’s

I would rate Away With Words a 5/10 stars; it was ok but it was a bit bland especially at the beginning and middle- the ending saved the book with the small plot twist as Gala and Natalie find out who spread those unkind words.

Anonymous
TDA readers

A very creative story with a powerful message. This book was extremely fun to read. I highly recommend this book!

Martin
TBGS Readers

it was a sweet heart felt book all about friendship acceptance and doing what's right. However it was difficult to keep coming back to as there wasn't much action to suck me in :)

evelyn
Kesgrave Bookworms

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the way the words were physical in the world really showed the impact and struggle of learning a new language and how you have to re-listen and read words to understand them. I think this book gave a nice feeling of a family reuniting and people coming together after everything is put right. I think this is a well written thoughtful book.

Isla
AKS Carnegie

''Away with Words' is a book based around spoken words materialising into physical objects, but in actuality it is a story about friendship and struggling to fit into a world that is not made for you. I really loved the way the author showed Gala's struggles to understand English, blanking out the words led to a unique reading experience and the fact you as the reader also couldn’t understand along with Gala really made me appreciate what she has to go through. I also loved the representation in this book, I found Natalie to be a very warm and comforting character I loved learning more about selective mutism, and seeing it represented so well was amazing. The casual LGBTQIA+ representation was a really great surprise, the inclusion of Gala's dad having a boyfriend and the non-binary child was really cool to see! Aside from this I did find that the plot and mainly conflict was slightly lacking I would have preferred if there was just a little more to it as it felt slow at times. I loved learning about Gala's culture and seeing her slowly open up to Scotland as her home. It was done really well and was really enjoyable. Overall, I really liked this book it was heart-warming, frustrating and eye opening all at the same time. The one thing I would say is that at the start I found the physical words to be confusing and it wasn’t clear whether it was Gala's imagination or reality, apart from this I would give this book an 8/10

Josie
KES Bookworms

Away With Words was a very unusual book due to its rather unusual setting, which was half fantasy-because of the spoken words idea-and half real life-as everything else was the same. Apart from that everything about it was very solid with no real downsides, meaning it took second in my Carnegie ranking. If there was one thing I particularly enjoyed about Away With Words, it was the addition of the spoken words as I found this was a very nice idea which really gave this story its own uniquity and shine. Another benefit of the spoken words idea, would be how it gets you to visualise the words as I thought of them as being made of coloured paper in different fonts whereas others may have completely different interpretations and ideas. The plot here was not specifically special but held its own, in a classic mystery style which can't really go wrong when the writing is like that. The characters in Away With Words were exemplary in their simplicity and I particularly liked the way that two people who struggle to speak to others, meet and find a way to comfortably communicate. A campaign for people with selective mutism is brought up throughout the pages which I found was needed as I had never heard of selective mutism before so I doubt others would have either. Another impactful part of this book was when the snow globe story was told as this explained in an extremely simple manner what it feels like to have selective mutism or another similar condition like that. There are two things that did not make sense to me here, one of which was about the half fiction half real life setting which I have already mentioned and the other being why people had not used spoken words before Natalie and why collecting them or just picking up and inspecting them does not seem to happen anywhere. Overall, I found that this was a very solid book with no real downsides other than the slightly odd setting. There was also some exemplary parts mixed in as well however which boosted it up my rating list. Score: Plot:16/20 Characters:18/20 Inspiration:18/20 Total:52/60

Sevan
Ermysted’s

It took me a while to understand the fantasy realism aspect of this novel. Once I could picture the words physically being said, then this book came to life for me. Imagine a world where this actually happened! What a clever way of demonstrating the power of words but also how isolating it can be when you don’t have access to the words or don’t understand them. Beautifully written with a key moral message about friendship, tolerance and the importance of communication. 7/10 for me!

Mrs Eaton
Weavers Inklings

3.25/5.0 stars Not my favourite. I knew that it isn’t what I usually read and that I may be seriously disappointed. The main character was annoying and reminded me of an insolent child who couldn’t get their own way. The story was just kind of messed up and information that would’ve been useful to know at the start wasn’t mentioned until midway through. There was still some elements that I thought were okay, like how inclusive it was. The characters were very diverse but some of them lacked an overall personality and they felt almost robotic. Gala as a character is very annoying because she pretended to be dumber than she actually was and that seriously infuriated me.

May
Lionheart24

I am writing this review about a book called “Away with words” which was a very enjoyable book to read. I really liked it and I think that the story is very interesting and unique compared to any other book. It talks about a world where people’s words fall out of their mouth and at first, I didn’t quite get it, but as I continued reading, I liked it a lot. This book shows the readers all the difficulties that international students sometimes must face and it’s really important to understand how they feel. I would recommend it to all the people of any age who have moved from their home county to a completely different one or just any person who wants to know how it feels like to be like Gala from the story. My favourite parts of the story were when Gala just came and didn’t understand most of the things that teachers said because you can understand how strange it must have even for her there, and also the part where Gala and Natalie confidently interrupted the assembly and told their true stories, so people wouldn’t see them in a bad way anymore. This story was honestly very important to me as I also went through a time when I had to go to a completely different school in a different country as I came from Ukraine to the UK last year, and the book has described all of the things that could happen very well. I found it very well structured, as it was very surprising for me to find out that somebody is trying to stop Gala and Natalie by writing bad poems and it was even more surprising to see who did it. It was a total astonishment. It also showed me that you can’t just always think about the past but think about the present and the future because Gala kept wanting to go back to Spain and her old friends, but she completely forgot how that might make her new friends and Ryan, an important part of her family feel. It made me happy to see how she fought with her fears and started focusing on her present more. In general, I would give this book an honest 9/10 because it’s quite confusing at first but after you continue reading, you start really getting it. Even though it’s not really a type of book I would normally read, I enjoyed it a lot and would not regret reading it. I think that “Away with words” one of the best books that I have ever read and would probably be one of other readers’ favourite too.

Anna
Barny bookworms

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The concept of people being able to see your words as you speak was truly captivating. I particularly enjoyed witnessing Gala's relationships with the new people in her life and with the new country she had moved to, as they developed alongside her growing confidence in the language. Additionally, I appreciated how Gala's friendship with Natalie was not solely reliant on spoken words. The way Natalie and Gala found their voices through collecting other people's words demonstrated the value of each word to them and how easily words can be wasted by others. This book also effectively illustrates how words can be used to either uplift or harm and tear people down.

Aanya
Watford Girls

The story 'Away With Words' is a very heartfelt novel about a girl called Gala who just moved to Scotland with her dad and his boyfriend, Ryan from a town in Cataluña. At first, she doesn't speak much English but soon learns after becoming friends with a girl with selective mutism. She and her friend start writing poems to make their other friends feel better about what's going on in their lives .Someone else starts writing cruel versions of the poems and they have to fix it. The story really makes you think about the people who might have to deal with large and challenging changes in their lives. Overall, I enjoyed the novel and found it an entertaining read.

Edie
TTS Readers

‘Away with Words’ is a well written and interesting book. It centre's around 13-year-old Gala who has moved to Fortrose in Scotland from the town of Cadaqués in Spain. She has issues with English and eventually makes friend with a girl called Natalie who has Selective Mutism, she takes spoken words and makes poems out of them. I very much like how this book includes people with autism as well as LGBTQ+ as pretty much main characters. The way they explored the topics of social anxiety and selective mutism was very good as they can be sensitive subjects. I would 78% recommend to anyone, specifically those aged 13-18.Overall I would give this book a 6.85/10.

Vinshu
TDA readers

I really like the book because it is really clever and I like the idea of words coming out of peoples mouths and that you can keep them or pick them up and if you do not like the words you can put them in the bin. I like the character of Gala because she is bilingual. She is trying to get her dad back to Spain which is where she is from. Sometimes I feel bad for Gala because she is in a whole new country not knowing the language. She is so used to her native language. Luckily she becomes good friends with a girl called Natalie who has selective mutism. I REALLY recommend this book as it is fun and a little confusing but if you like riddles this book is for you. But if riddles or puzzles aren't your scenery then this book is not for you. Still, I say read it. It is great for those who like fantasy!

Moon-Star
SLS Carnegie Shadowing Book Club 2024

I really like 'Away with Words' as I can relate to it because I know exactly how Gala is feeling. My mum taught me her native language first. Then I went to nursery and it was hard for me because I couldn't understand other children. It makes me feel over the moon that someone understands how I felt. I also like the book because of the interesting and colourful cover. The book is clever, unique and unpredictable. I have never seen or read a book like this. I would definitely recommend it!

Iz
SLS Carnegie Shadowing Book Club 2024

The book Away with Words is an interesting book. I like how the author used imagery with his words. The book is about a Spanish girl who moves to Scotland with her dad , She can't speak English very well. She makes a new friend who has selective mutism. I would definitely suggest this book to someone who likes puzzles and adventure!

Greenie
SLS Carnegie Shadowing Book Club 2024

A great book to read if you can relate to it. This book is about a Spanish girl that has just moved to Scotland with her dad. She struggles with the new language and wishes she is still in Spain. She also makes friends with a selective mute girl, Natalie. This is a great book one of my favourite. I really think you should read it

Purple
SLS Carnegie Shadowing Book Club 2024

I found away with words to be an interesting and original book . the book is about a young girl called gala who moved from her home country so her father can be with his partner but gala finds it hard to settle with her new life in the highlands but discovers the power and significance of words gala and her friend natalie start collecting words and start helping others together Overall this book was a great read and I was excited to read every page the style of the pages adds lots to the book and adds a very unique sense of character to the book making every page interesting to read and the book addresses how words can be both beautiful and ugly having either a positive effect on a person or a negative effect on a person and the dynamic of gala and her family is very interesting overall my favourite part of this book is towards the end of the book with natalie and galas plan. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like an interesting and unique story

Finley
Glossopdale Readers

I love how well thought out and structured this is. I love the story and how they become friends and help each other out. It's a great book. I recommend. Score 9/10

Nina
Cake a Book Club

I thought it was an interesting read with the concept of being able to pick up words and put them on paper as well as including a character with selective mutism making parts more interesting when she (Natalie) cannot talk in certain situations. Score 8/10

CeCe
Cake a Book Club

I really like this book because even though she (Natalie) has selective mutism, Gala befriends her, whilst trying to learn English herself. It is a book of change and friendship. I loved reading this and would recommend it! Score 10/10

Annabel
Cake a Book Club

I really like this book. it is an unusual story about the power of words. I think it's very clever and very special as it is set in a world where words appear physically when people speak. Depending on what emotions people feel, the words come out in different colours, fonts, sizes or can even be almost invisible. In this fantasy world people can collect words and keep them forever as long as they are stuck in a book. If the words are hurtful they can bin them. We learn from 'Away with Words' that words are powerful and friendships are important.

Moon
SLS Carnegie Shadowing Book Club 2024

Away with words is a story about a girl (Gala) who moves from Spain to Scotland, and finds it difficult to adapt to the unknown language and different environment. She gradually befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism, and they start word collecting, and creating poems and giving them to their friends. However, another person starts sending rude and horrible poems to people, pretending to be them. Whilst they try find out who is sending the poems, Gala adapts more than she expected to, and once their name has been cleared and the person has been found, she finds her friendship with Natalie and her better English means she is now happy in Scotland and wants to stay. I think that the characters could have been more interesting and compelling, as they didn’t have much original thought or differentiate from each other. To make it more interesting I would make Gala more unique and show her different culture standing out from the people in her school, as their disposition don’t seem all that different, when in reality there cultural background would show more differences between each other. I think that the plot was probably meant for younger children, but it was a bit slow and no major things happened. It effectively showed that gradual way that Gala learnt Engilsh and adapted to living in Scotland, but I think the author was so concentrated on that that they neglected the rest of the storyline and it was quite dull to read. The authors style did effectively show how young children think and act around each other, but as she chose to write that way it was very undeveloped writing style and not very interesting vocabulary. I understand she chose to write this way to show that the main character didn’t know very good English, but it meant that it wasn’t very interesting to read and was a bit boring and not very varied.

caitlin
Sidcot Shadowers

It was a really good book and I enjoyed it, but I think in the blurb it should have explained that it was a fantasy. The book also did a good job at portraying how it feels for people to migrate to a new country.

Angelina
Norwich High School Bookworms

Away with words, is an amazing book! It is really well written and it tells the story of 2 girls that to communicate between themself need to create a new type of communication with words, and with that they can help other people feel better. I could not stop reading and I felt as if the words were really embracing me as I turned the pages. It taught me that words are more powerful than we think and that they can be kept/marked and last years, so we must be careful with what we say. It also taught me about selective mutism. I learned all of that with a engaging story that made it impossible to put the book down. I really could not stop and didn't want stop reading it. I really liked that one of the main characters had a disability, I think that was really inclusive and different from other books, and I think it helps reduce the prejudice and discrimination, and is even nicer that the author teaches that by a book. Overall, I would recommend it and I would give a grade of 10/10, I absolutely loved it!!!

Diana
Portland Readers

This book is very interesting to read about. I feel this book teaches you a very worthy life lesson, and it helps you understand how life is away as a foreigner in a different country and also how life is as a handicap. So far out of all the books I’ve read this should be the winner in my opinion. I do feel that a lot of other books have the same subject like someone moves to another country and has to start their kinda life all over again but this book definitely teaches you the most

Mattias
4Shadowers

Spoiler Alert!! Away With Words is a story that teaches you a moral. It teaches you that words have impact in different ways. The cover really explains what the story is about which is a girl called Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland with her dad, Jordi to stay with her stepdad. Gala is unable to fit in the environment at school until she meets a girl called Natalie, who has selective mutism and the two work together to use words and create poems that unite until someone seizes the chance to ruin this and creates division and separation between people. What do you think happens next? Find out by reading this book. I rate it a 8.5/10

Samarah
Plashet School

Away with words is about a girl called Gala, she was born in Spain and stayed for 11 years of her life, but her Dad got a boyfriend a while ago called Ryan who lived in Scotland at first they just visited each other, but it did not work out. So Gala and her Dad moved from Spain to Scotland, so they could live with Ryan. But Gala feels lost with no one else to really to talked to because of her language trouble. Eilidh O and Eilidh C help her feel a bit better, but she just wants to be home with her friends and the rest of her family.

Anna
Cathedral Crew

I really enjoyed reading Away with Words, it was a very interesting and unique idea with dialogue that made you see the world in the main character's eyes. You could understand the mental barrier the main character, Gala, had to fight over. It did get a bit slow sometimes but I liked reading as Gala adapted to a brand new environment and grew. She starts off very skeptical of Scotland but slowly warms up to it as she meets new people and suddenly, she doesn't miss Spain so much.

Melissa
Bookiewookiedoodaas

I really enjoyed reading this book as it was quite a moving story. I found that the angle used by the author was really inventive as some of the words the character couldn't understand were squiggled out so we couldn't understand what was being said too. this created an empathetic link between the reader and character which made the book even more enjoyable. It was also a really fun read as it had a puzzle side to it because you would try to figure out what was being said.

Liam
Bookwizards

Moon
SLS Carnegie Shadowing Book Club 2024

I read the book called Away with words by Sophie Cameron. It is a book about a young boy called Gala who is Spanish and speaks Catalan. At the start of the book, he and his father had just moved to Scotland to be with his dad's boyfriend called Ryan. When they first arrive in Scotland, Gala is quite unsure about leaving her friends in Spain behind and having to speak English. After a little while, Gala makes a friend-Natalie, and they begin to write poems-from spoken words-for people who are having a tough time. This was all going well until someone started writing negative poems to people and then went on to frame Natalie and Gala for it. At the end of the book, they stand up in assembly and act out a play to prove to people that they are innocent. I would recommend for people 10+ but for anyone if it is being read to you.

zack wf
Ermysted’s

I really enjoyed reading 'Away With Words' since it is an easy read with a deep meaning and it shows what life is like for young people who are adapting to new places and meeting new people. It teaches us to respect and be mindful of others. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read something interesting and light.

Ruby
LGGS Shadow Questers

8/10 I really enjoyed this book as it showcased things that happen to many children in the world. This happened as Gala could not understand what people were trying to say to her, and Natalie chose not to speak, so really I love these characters!

Libby
Bishop Bookworms 2024

I found this book fun and interesting. However I did not fully understand how this book worked because I still don’t know when they talk about bits of paper with their words. It explored ideas that are not commonly talked about. I rate it 6/10 but it is one of the better books this year.

Ambrose
Chippy Chapters

Away with Words is an amazing book about struggles with speech and selective mutism, but also the importance of friendship. I really liked Natalie as a character but I could really related to Gala when I first moved to England. I liked how on some pages you could see the words at the bottom which represents the idea of words being physical. The author represented selective mutism very well and the story was very interesting for me.

Maria
UoBS Bookworms

Away with Words is written by Sophie Cameron. This book is about a girl called Gala who has moved from Spain to Scotland. She has trouble fitting in until she meets a girl with selective mutism called Natalie. This book includes friendship, resilience, determination and hope. I liked the reference to words and how Gala and Natalie collected words to make poems which I thought was very nice of them. Overall I would rate this book 9/10.

Isla
UoBS Bookworms

Away with Words in an amazing book about selective mutism. My favourite characters in the book were Gala and Natalie because they encourage other with anxiety, depression and fear by making poems. Despite Gala not understanding English and Natalie not being able to speak in certain situations they still had a way with words and expressed it to others. I love this book and will recommend it to all ages. The thing I dislike about it is that it doesn’t give a good sense of imagery.

Hannah
UoBS Bookworms

This book really resonated with me as I used to be selectively mute and I found the topics and the ways she communicated and her way with words while not being able to communicate through poetry and stories very effective. Overall, 10/10 it was my favourite book on the shortlist and I would recommend it to anyone who is after a book recommendation.

Oscar
UoBS Bookworms

When I read the first line of away with words, I was intrigued. This book made me realise the importance and power of words. It made me see how hard it is to leave home, but how home can become nearly anywhere and everywhere. It is simple but complicated, and the new way in which words are recognised in this fictional world is imaginative. This book made realise the struggles of the people around me, that in my mind I down played, how hard it really is to say what is on your mind.

Lola
Reading Without Limits (Lancaster)

On the whole, it is a really good book. The key messages of the story were communicated well and the general idea of this world where the words people speak are physical objects was very interesting - although it could have been developed further. Great book.

Divya
Watford Girls

Liana
Perse Carnegians

Away with words was a fun read, and the plot and concept were interesting and original. Seeing the English language in a new perspective was fascinating and overall I liked the book even though it was probably aimed at younger readers.

Rosanna
KEVICHG

I really enjoyed this book. It is my favourite out of all the books on the list. It was funny, touching, and shows how you can make people happy without speaking to them. I also liked it as some Spanish and Catalan words were used. It was nice to be able to understand the Spanish words.

H.K
Reader Leaders

Away with Words was full of clever metaphors of what it truly means to be thrown out of your depth and to learn something new. The characters were incredibly loveable and unique and although I enjoyed all characters Gala was my favourite-as she was full of quick wit and was resilient when faced with problem upon problem. In my opinion we should all strive to be a little more like her.

Elizabeth
Winchmore Carnegie Group 2024

This book was heartfelt and engaging. It effectively comments on the struggles faced by those who move countries and explores selective mutism, in a believable day to day setting. I found the use of lines in place of words effective because they help portray the confusion a language barrier provides. Sophie Cameron’s use of words as physical objects enhanced the book and made it unique. My favourite character was Natalie because she evolved throughout the story. Overall, I enjoyed reading Away With Words.

Isabelle
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

Away with words follows a young girl called Gala, who must deal with a new school environment after moving from abroad. She deals with an unfamiliar language, and to express the frustration and confusion Gala feels when interacting with others, the author purposefully omits words. As the audience we can follow Gala’s journey at the pace set by the author. We see her struggle to let go from the past, but slowly come out of her shell with the help of her new friends and start seeing a different side to the new environment. The book was very enjoyable, as it evoked a variety of emotions that allowed me to connect with Gala.

Manyan
Perse Carnegians

This book both annoyed and delighted me. It’s a heartwarming story with relatable characters and was cleverly written. For example when the main character ,who is from Spain and does not fully understand English, does not know a word it is not written. This makes the book different and also shows how the main character develops throughout. On the other hand I found the continued use of the words being real annoying and tiresome, sure it’s a metaphor but do you really need to change history and make the characters world unrelatable. But now the topics covered in the novel. I found that the book covered topics usually not covered, ok maybe girl move to different country has to learn language isn’t extraordinarily original, but other topics such as selective mutism are, maybe we need old ideas to introduce us to new things? Along with this there was a nice book about friendship (ok one with continuous annoying metaphors) and other topics such as Non binary identity (more of this could have been written about, although I am biased around this point) and now onwards to the plot. When Gala and her dad move away from Spain, Gala doesn’t speak much English, and feels lost, lonely and unable to be her usual funny self. Until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. And then be prepared for a whole trainload of metaphor. 7/10

Ben
KES Bookworms

Brilliant, beautiful, inspirational - these are the words that describe this book, I wonder what colour they would be in Gala’s world, pink? Orange? Gold? Well in case you’re not clear, in this book you can see millions of words falling out from people’s mouths one word after the other, each a different colour. It’s hard for Gala at first, trying to get all of this impossible English into her head, and hard for her new friend Natalie too, as a girl with selective mutism. Together they start a new hobby which later gets them into big trouble... I would really recommend this book to anyone really, especially those who like books about friendship and finding your voice (literally).

Elisa
Weald of Kent Sevenoaks

Away with words is one of my favourite books that I’ve read. I was attached to it for the whole book. It is perfect and suitable for any people. Overall this book is an amazing piece that I’d rate a 5 star!

Olivia
Beauchamps Bookbusters

The concept was interesting, and I appreciated the diversity shown throughout the book... but it did feel slightly forced at times. I thought the use of squiggly lines for when Gala couldn't understand words was clever, but it did make it less enjoyable to read. Overall, I liked the book, but I did have a few problems with it.

Eleanor
TMHS:PageTurners

The idea is very unique and original. Overall it was an enjoyable, short book. I would say it is definitely for younger ages; as a 14 year old, I felt as if it wasn't very relatable (however, I did enjoy the language aspect of it as a keen language learner!) For readers starting high school I would 100% recommend. I appreciated the story, but it sometimes felt a little unnatural and in a way forced... not my favourite book of the shortlist, but it had a lot of positive features and I did enjoy it overall.

Oliv
TMHS:PageTurners

It is a wonderful book about a girl who doesn't speak English and a girl who struggles to talk around people. In this book any word you say comes out your mouth as physical words which will fade over time and they find a unique way to communicate with spoken the spoken words of others. It is truly a original and amazing book.

Max
St Kaths

Away With Words is a book about a Spanish girl called Gala who has recently moved from Cadaqués, Spain to Fortrose, Scotland with her Dad to live with her Dad’s boyfriend Jordi. The book shows the struggle of Gala learning the English language as she only knows very little English and has spoken Spanish and Catalan her entire life. The book is written from Gala’s perspective and as she is just learning English, when other people are speaking to Gala, she sometimes misses a few words which the author represents by putting a squiggly line. This makes the reader try to fill in the missing words and wonder what someone was saying to Gala. As well as this, where Gala lives, people drop words as they speak and the author decorates the page with many words when Gala is in a busy environment. However, if people drop the words they speak, there would be billions of words dropped in a day and the world would be cluttered with words so I think the author should explain how all these words are managed. The author has also written a good ending which isn’t rushed like other books on the shortlist. Overall, I give this a book a solid 5 out of 5 stars and this book has been one of my favourite books on the shortlist and it could be a potential winner for the medal.

Manas
MTS Northwood

The book was really good and was so clever with the words in different patterns the book cover is also very enticing. I would definetly recommend this 😁😁

Jenna
The Carnegie Crew

Manas
MTS Northwood

I loved it! It shows the struggle of adapting to a whole new life and leaving your old one, which is honestly upsetting but at the end everything finally just gets sorted out! I loved this book ! Would definitely recommend it.

Salma
Bellerive Bookies and Cookies

‘Away with words’ is written by Sophie Cameron. Gala and her dad have just moved from Cadaqués, Spain to a small town in Scotland. Gala has to cope with a new home, new language and new school; all whilst being homesick. In Gala’s world, when someone says something, the words physically fall out of their mouth, but people’s words don’t always look the same. The font, colour and size all depend on how the person speaking feels and speaks. With all the struggling Gala trying to comprehend what everyone around her was saying, she met a girl named Natalie, who has selective mutism and doesn’t speak in school. Soon after, Gala and Natalie bonded and communicated by collecting, sharing, then writing poems with the physical words spoken by other people. They started writing nice, well thought-out poems for people in their year group who looked like they had been struggling or had a rough time, these poems became the hype of the school. This then died down when someone took their idea and used it as a tool of bullying. Gala and Natalie decide to go on a search to see who the mystery person was. Throughout her word collecting, it taught her many new English words and Scotland started to feel like home to her. I like this book because of Sophie Cameron’s descriptive use of language and how she showed Gala’s struggles moving to Scotland in a way where the reader felt empathy for her as well as a strong understanding of how Gala felt. I liked how at the beginning Gala couldn’t understand most of the words her friends were saying in English, but as it carries on she continues to learn and understand more.

Cognac
The Lotus Readers

Away with Words is a book about Gala, who is a girl that recently moved from Spain to Scotland. At school, she befriends a girl with selective mutism called Natalie, and they write nice poems for their classmates. They are then framed by someone who writes mean poems and blames it on Gala and Natalie. The plot was quite predictable for me as I was able to guess quite quickly who wrote the mean poems. However I did like how when Gala is not able to understand some of the words people say, they are represented by squiggly lines, and how words are described to be different colours and have different characters. Overall this was quite a good book, but not my favourite out of the ones I have read so far.

Liana
Perse Carnegians

This book was not for me. It seemed like quite a short read, however, I didn't really enjoy it as the missing words made it hard to understand. I also got confused when words were left out during conversations. I know that they said it was because Gala didn't understand, however, I would have liked if it was in italics or presented in a way to show that Gala couldn't understand it as it would make it easier to understand. I didn't like how I had to reread the pages again to understand the words completely. As I kept reading, though, I got used to it and thought of it as part of Gala's struggle with the new language, I just wish it was presented a bit differently to portray this. The story, however, was quite interesting and seems very relatable for those who move countries to a new school, place, etc. and helps us understand the struggles and difficulties they face understanding others and how they eventually become confident in the new language. Overall, I would give this a 6/10.

Sivithi
Plashet School

I really enjoyed this book! I really liked the idea of words being physical objects that could be collected and the story line.

Eliza
Eltham Hill Book Club

Away With Words used a very unique concept with the words that one says becoming paper as they leave your mouth. This was a very interesting concept that I had never seen before. It started off slowly but once you got to understand the story and ideas, it was much better. The best part of it was the way you connected with the characters as their personal lives, emotions and struggles was portrayed in detail. Ultimately, I enjoyed reading this book as I connected with the characters lots however I did feel the storyline fell a bit flat in places.

Amy
Page Turners24

This book is a great book that tells people how a girl called Gala experiences a change of country, friends and school, as well as dealing with new relationships. It is also about people dealing with problems like learning English and making new friends. For example, at first, Gala didn't know most of the things that people were saying, but near the end, she was much more capable of understanding English. I really liked this book, but I wouldn't call it my favourite book as I didn't understand the concept of "picking up words".

Hisham N
Ermysted’s

I wasn't a fan of the book, as it was confusing and hard to understand with the squiggles replacing words! I didn't finish it in the end because it wasn't sure what was going on. However, I thought it was an interesting concept about words and how they're conveyed.

Poppy
Page Turners24

'Away with Words' is one of the most special and unique books I have ever read, filled with so much emotion. It is exactly the kind of book I love to read so it was special, it now has a place in my heart forever. I loved how the words came in different fonts and colours and fell from people's mouths. It made me wish it was real life so you always know how someone feels. The storyline was original and very gripping as we read Gala being put in so many different kinds of situations, I loved reading about her journey of feelings throughout time getting to know and love all the characters. The story explores the themes of identity, friendship, communication and belonging, it is a very emotional story and I hope I can read more like it.

Mansuni
HAEC Carnegie Shadowers

"Away with Words" is a captivating and well-crafted book that follows the story of Gala, a 13-year-old who has recently moved to Fortrose, Scotland from Cadaques, Spain. Gala struggles with English but finds a friend in Natalie, who has Selective Mutism and turns spoken words into poems. Together, they create poems for classmates in need, but their joy is threatened when someone starts using the poems to insult others. To preserve their happiness, they must uncover the culprit behind the hurtful poems. The book features compelling writing, authentic friendships, and true-to-life family dynamics. Overall, it's an excellent read that I highly recommend.

Aanya
Watford Girls

Away With Words is a thought-provoking book highlighting real world issues such as selective mutism as well as the difficulties of being forced into a new place and forced to learn a new language.

Bill
Beechen Cliff

This book thought out of the box with words blanked out! I am Spanish but if you didn't speak spanish it would still be an amazing read. From the first to the last page you can feel all the emotions and how Gala is. It is a great book not only to show the transition of moving countries but to represent culture and diversity. The story is relatable in some ways with having to make friends and joining a new school. This book is perfectly written! :)

Ana Christina
Winchmore Carnegie Group 2024

‘Away with Words’ is a well written and interesting book. It centre's around 13-year-old Gala who has moved to Fortrose in Scotland from the town of Cadaques in Spain. She has issues with English and eventually makes friend with a girl called Natalie who has Selective Mutism, she takes spoken words and makes poems out of them. They start making poems for their classmates who need help and support. But, when someone starts making versions of the poems based of Nursery rhymes and it insults their classmates they must find out who is making these insult poems. Or their joy will end. It is really good and I enjoyed it. It has some good writing and well done friendships, it has realistic families and arguments. Overall it is a very good book and I would recomend

L
Chaos Gremlins

This book confused me as the speech was difficult to read with the squigly lines in place

Annabell
Weavers Inklings

Away with Words is a story about two girls communicating in new and abstract ways, in a world where words are spoken physically as well as audibly. Sophie Cameron’s story covers topics of social anxiety and language barriers, as well as changing friendships and family life. I really liked one of the main protagonists - Natalie, a character with selective mutism, as she discusses her experiences of school and home life with Gala. Her way of using the wasted physical words that she finds lying around during the book was an interesting dimension to the story, and I felt quite strongly about the injustice of being made to stop by teachers, after others parodied her and Gala’s messages. Although I didn’t connect so well with Gala’s character in the story, I could empathise on the difficulty many students from other countries have, when joining schools as an individual with limited English. All in all, I enjoyed reading Away with Words, but it wasn’t my favourite book, and I doubt I would read it again.

Mrs Sirrelle
BFS Umbra

This book is a good book to explain different disorders as well as having an entertaining book to read. I like how at the start it began with Gala not really hearing every word said to her and her dad. I learnt how some people with selective mutism might think and act. The way they explored the topics of social anxiety and selective mutism was very good as they can be sensitive subjects. Overall a good book for learning and reading.

Izzy
BFS Umbra

I very much like how this book includes people with autism as well as LGBTQ+ as pretty much main charactors.

adam
TGS Book Group

I have recently finished reading Away with words by Sophie Cameron. This is my favourite Carnegie book yet and I really enjoyed reading it. I really liked the format of the pages ; I think it was a really nice idea and touch to add the words in different fonts as the different people say them. This book was about a topic I'd never read before and I found it really interesting and gripping. I think Gala (the main character) was portrayed incredibly. The story contains an incredibly powerful message and I'm so glad Gala made friends in the end. I love the creativity in this book-collecting words is such a nice idea and is something I would love to do. I think it's really important to read books about lots of different things to spread the awareness. Overall, I would give this book a 5/5 stars.

Anabelle
Burford School

Away with words is a very fascinating book. It shows us how much a friendship can impact someone's life through Gala and Natalie. It makes people aware of how far one kind act can change someone's perspective on what might have made them insecure. At first I found the book very confusing as it didn't make sense why words were falling out of their mouths. Later I then realised they were trying to alter peoples opinions on non native speakers and people who are unable to talk due to certain mental health issues. To conclude, this book is not as interesting as the others but it has an overall bigger meaning.

Lilly
Riverside Readers

Lucy
Ousedale Olney

Alban
Bookiewookiedoodaas

This book was filled with heartwarming scenes from two girls, each with their own difficulties, coming together through poetry. I loved the imagery and how different emotions were displayed in words.

Lyra
CGA

'Away With Words' is a very heartfelt novel which really makes you think about the lives of those with a huge change and also a language barrier on top of that. The physical representation of the words really highlight the way words effect someone and the different colours/fonts are unusual but make so much sense. The character development of the protagonist is really inspirational. I believe that this book will help people going through the same situation of moving countries but also helps those who aren't understand it. I would 100% recommend to anyone, specifically those aged 13-18.

Holly
Consett Academy

I really enjoyed ‘Away With Words’ as I loved the storyline and the character development of Gala. The storyline was well thought through and clear. Gala’s character development was really interesting as she settled in to a new country. One thing to make ‘Away With Words’ better would be to make it clear from the beginning that Iaia is Gala’s grandmother. Overall a really good book and one of my favourites in the shortlist!

Polly
Mansell Library Reviewers

Away with words is a really good book. In it you can see words which was a bit confusing and I thought there would be an explanation but there wasn’t and you just had to except that as you were reading . I thought this was a really good book especially when the main character meets natelie

Saul
Ermysted’s

I thought A way with words was a very unique book. I liked the way they made words a thing you could see and interact with. I think Sophie Cameron nicely showed galas struggles from moving to Scotland in a way that the reader could feel empathy for her throughout the story. I also liked how they represented selective mutism in Natalie, it sheds it in a light that the we can understand even if you’ve never heard of it before. The book revolves quite heavily around poetry which is not my cup of tea but that’s just a personal opinion.

Ava
Fortismere

After that I read the book, "Away with words" by Sophie Cameron, I understood how important words are. The way the author put words with different style of writing when the emotion we use on the word was different seemed very interesting. I felt familiar with Gala, the main character, she also moved from Spain to England leaving her in a difficult position and giving her the difficulties with languages, friends and family. I had the same experiences when I was in Korea during the summer vacation and when I went to school in Korea giving me difficulties to adapt at school because of friends. Thank you, Donghui PMC in France

Donghui-PMC
4Shadowers

Away with Words is about two girls, one who has moved from Spain to live with her dad's boyfriend and she struggles to understand some English words especially with all the different accents and the another girl has selective mutism so many people bully her at school but Gala and Natalie form a friendship over collecting words to write poems for some of their school friends. Unfortunately this changes one day when someone uses their idea but writes horrible poems instead and things spiral out of control leading up with them both being blamed for this. This is a book about friendship and how stereotypes should be broken before they encourage other people to think like them. I really enjoyed this book but sometimes I didn't really feel engaged with the book as there was not much big action throughout. Overall I would give this book a 7.5/10.

Jemimah
KES Bookworms

I loved the book it was so good and really caught my interest. It was very unique and strange but at the same time it was absolutely amazing.

Jessica
KES Readers

In a fantasy world where words are physical objects, Gala moves from Spain to Scotland and befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. Personally, I quite liked this book, it was very interesting and unique and I enjoyed how the fantasy elements didn't make the storyline unrealistic. Although the opening was slow to start, the pace picked up as the story evolved and the characters were introduced. Overall, the topic of this book was fascinating as it gave an insight to the challenges of people with selective mutism and language barriers.

Frankie
No Shelf Control

Lovely book. Quite short but very interesting and well written.

Emily
St. George’s Dragon Readers

Imagine a world where, when people say words, they appear as matter. In this world, Gala moves from her home, a small town in Spain called Cadaquès to Scotland. She cannot understand or speak English very well, so she struggles to get used to her new life. At school, she meets a girl with selective mutism called Natalie and befriends her. As they spend time together, Gala discovers Natalie’s talent for writing poems from spoken words. They use this skill to cheer people up and spread happiness but do this anonymously. However, someone exploits their idea and begins to write rude and demeaning messages in the same way, with spoken words. Soon, the whole school suspects Gala and Natalie of writing the cruel notes. Tangled in these lies and suspicions, how will they prove their innocence? Overall, this book was amazing, and a great read! I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories about mystery, but it also represents themes like family and friendship. Thanks for reading my review and I hope you enjoy this book if you read it!

Trisha
Watford Girls

Away with Words creates a world where words literally come out of your mouth. This book follows the journey of Gala, a girl who has moved from Spain to Scotland, and the struggles she faces in learning a new language. She meets a girl, Natalie, who shares similar problems. Eventually, their friendship grows over collecting words, and using them to help others. I feel like this book explores different cultures and situations, problems that people may have that are common but perhaps unseen. However, I feel like the end of the story was a bit rushed, because lots of other characters were just pushed to the side-lines and not explored properly.

maryam
Walthamstow Reading Champions

At first I could not understand why or how people could see words but after a while I got used to it. I loved the way that Gala and Natalie secretly gave a lot of people really supportive poems made of others discarded words. I expected that Eilidh C would be the one doing it. Great book.

Benedict
Chippy Chapters

This book was very interesting and enjoyable, however i think it was a little bit confusing at the beggining of the book.

lottie
Brighton Shadows

Lexi
Book Busters

Two girls who struggle with words become unlikely friends at school, Gala from Spain and Natalie who has selective mutism. Gala is still reeling from being taken from her familiar Spanish town, school and friends to live in Scotland with her dad's remote partner. I loved the concept of people's spoken words flowing as physical things and landing in the air. It made me think about all the words we say everyday and how they would accumulate. If we could see what we say would we choose our words more carefully? Gala and Natalie gather up these words to use in anonymous messages of goodwill to fellow pupils who need to see them. The problem starts when someone else is also gathering and sharing words but not ones of goodwill!

Mrs. P
Cake a Book Club

This book was so relatable in every sense, from the difficulties to learning an entirely new language to trying to fit in. It was so well-written from the beginning, with the blank-spaces representing Gala not being able to communicate and listen in a new language. This represents a language barrier. Personally, I really enjoyed this book as it struck me as really relatable and I was engaged as to what happened to Gala, as I progressed throughout the book.

Elysia
Holt Readers

Polly
Mansell Library Reviewers

'Away with words' is a really nice book. It demonstrates the struggles of Gala and how she feels left out until she makes a friend. I really like the plot of this story because it sounds relatable. I also love the structure of the book and how it shows that she doesn't understand what they are saying in a variety of different ways. The book also described how people were saying things with colours which really helped me to understand the book well. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.

Blessing
TTS Readers

Grace
TTS Readers

‘Away With Words’ is a book written by Sophie Cameron. I found this book lovely to read. Every opportunity I had I was reading another chapter as I was so engaged with the book. The story is about a girl named Gala who moves from her home country with her Dad to live in Scotland. At the start of her journey of living there she feels as though she doesn’t fit in. As the book carries on, she finds a friend called Natalie who Gala thinks is weird and unusual at the start. This is because she is unusually quiet and Gala spotted her a few weeks before they became friends word searching through the words on the floor. I especially like this book since it demonstrates kindness and has the message not to judge people through how others perceive them to be.

Katie-Louise
AKS Carnegie

This book was one of the best books I have ever read and also quite relatable. I enjoyed that the words were written in different fonts on the pages. I also loved the concept of visible words and the way this book was written was absolutely beautiful and I would definitely read again.

Natalie
Denbigh Shadowing Group

Away With Words was a good book and has struggles many people may feel. I particularly didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted. It felt like a slow book but it was sweet.

Mila
Kesgrave Bookworms

Moving houses is a big deal, but moving countries is even more frightening. When Gala moves from her hometown of sunny Cadaques in Spain to the little village of Fortrose in Scotland, she struggles to communicate with the other children at her new school. Feeling trapped and alone, she is forced to navigate this brand new, intimidating world whilst battling her homesickness and the language barriers. However, when Gala befriends Natalie (a girl with selective mutism) she feels like someone finally understands how it feels to have no one listen. Together, the two embark on a mission to make the physical words that line the floors into poems to express themselves and to give comfort to others. However, their newfound joy is about to turn sour… In Away With Words, Cameron presents language as a beautiful, elaborate thing which, when taken away, silences people and makes them feel incredibly isolated. By creating a world in which speech falls from people’s mouths in mesmerising colours and fonts, the writer highlights how important being able to communicate is, as the world wouldn’t function without being able to express emotions or share ideas. Also, this book helps readers to understand exactly what it is like to go to a country in which you can’t process what people are saying to you, making us want to help those who cannot speak freely. Additionally, I felt that Cameron inspires readers to learn a second language, as it makes us think about how well we would be able to communicate if we were in Gala’s shoes. I really enjoyed this book as I could really feel the frustration Gala and Natalie felt at not being able to express themselves and not being able to have an opinion. Also, I loved that the author brought in other themes, such as the LGBTQ community, as it meant the story had something that everyone can relate to. It shows how different groups of people struggle to communicate their feelings everyday and makes us want to create a world in which everyone can be themselves without worrying what others think. I would recommend this book to young people as it explores themes that are common in our modern world. I would rate it 4 stars out of 5 and would absolutely read it again!

Emma
Glossopdale Readers

‘Away with Words’ is a book about a young girl called Gala who went from Spain to Scotland with her dad. Gala feels lost and lonely until she befriends Natalie,a girl with selective mutism. The friends find many different ways to communicate but just as she is nearly settled in, an anonymous classmate threatens to take it all away! I liked this book because it allows you to put yourself into someone else's shoes and to see their difficulties from moving from one country to another country. Also it shows how much effort and determination has to be put in when having to learn a new language and making new friends. This book also includes a lot of emotions that people feel when they have moved away from their home. And it can be very relatable for some people who have gone through the same things. Another thing that I liked about the book was that some of the words that Gala didn't understand came up blank and it made me wonder what they were saying and make me imagine what it would have been like not knowing what everyone is saying. I would recommend this book for someone who aged from 12-16 because it shows you the perspective of a young person moving and how they would find it and it can help you know how to make it easier for someone to adapt to

alicia
Glossopdale Readers

Away With Words follows the life of a girl in seventh grade, Gala, who moves from Spain to Scotland, however, she hates Scotland, doesn’t speak the language, and refuses to make it her home. This book tends towards realistic cition, because the descriptions of her emotions, and the people and world around her are realistic and indistinguishable from our world, except for one big aspect that makes it fantasy. That fantasy aspect is that words are tangible. When people speak, the words are literally there; they fall to the ground or get stuck on clothes, and because they are tangible they can be picked up and collected. They pool on the ground like puddles and are have to be cleaned up at the end of the day. The colors, fonts, and styles of the words vary based on the emotion of the speaker and how the word was said. Things are dicult for Gala, as she doesn’t speak English, but she is plunged into an English school, which is something children go through all over the world, every day. She meets Natalie, who has selective mutism. They are similar, because neither of them can communicate at school, and sometimes they get frustrated about it, but they nd new ways to communicate, writing kind poems made of words they collect. The dialogue can get a bit confusing, but it really reects not understanding a language that’s not your mother-tongue, and I like that about it.

Claire
BIS Society of Dragon Readers

The book is quite a nice book for people who like mystery. It is about a girl who moves to Scotland from Spain, and she is trying to settle in and make some friends. But just when she starts to settle in, something happens to ruin it for her. The book is not too long, so it is good for people who only have a little bit of time to read.

Joseph
Reader Leaders

Away with Words is a fantastic book that really shows the struggles of being in a new country when you don't speak the language. I absolutely loved the metaphor of the words being physical things that people can see, as I thought it was really interesting. I also really enjoyed how the 'bullies' in the story are portrayed, and how Gala and Natalie helped them overcome their challenges in life. I absolutely loved this book and I would definitely recommend it!

Kristina
Brooke Weston Book Busters

I really enjoyed this excellent book. The book tells the story of a girl named Gala who is from Spain but is forced to move to Scotland to live with her dad’s boyfriend. This turns Gala’s world upside down. I found the cover of the book very interesting. It displays lots of words in different colours and fonts and shows us how words are central to this story. I found the book a bit quirky in the way when people talk the words physically fall out of their mouths. Gala doesn’t know much English at the start of the book and I liked how I was put into her shoes when the words she didn’t understand were missing from the text and then, just like Gala, I couldn’t make sense of what was being said either. It was lovely to see how Gala progressed with the English language over the course of the book and I was really impressed with how she was such a good friend to Natalie who had selective mutism. It was good for me to learn about this condition also. My favourite character is Ryan, Gala’s dad’s boyfriend. He is very kind and has a positive mental attitude. I didn’t particularly like Eilidh C as she isn’t very patient with Gala. Overall it was a really enjoyable read and made me realise more about the difficulties people can face in communication. I will definitely recommend this book to my friends

Ruairi
Rebel Readers

"Away With Words" by Sophie Cameron is a captivating blend of prose and poetry, chronicling the journey of eleven-year-old Gala as she navigates the challenges of a new life in Scotland. Inspired by Gala's experiences of moving from Spain to Fortrose, the story unfolds with a tender exploration of friendship, resilience, and the power of words. Initially, I found the pacing of the story to be slow, and the early chapters seemed somewhat disconnected from the main plot. However, as Gala's bond with Natalie deepened and they embarked on their project of creating uplifting poems, I found myself increasingly drawn into the narrative. In particular, the portrayal of Gala and Natalie's determination to spread kindness and support to those in need resonated deeply with me. As the story progressed, I was struck by the authenticity of Gala's struggles with adapting to a new language and environment, as well as Natalie's challenges with selective mutism. The inclusion of these themes added depth to the narrative, highlighting the complexities of identity and communication. I appreciated the seamless integration of Spanish and English phrases, reflecting Gala's bilingual background and enhancing the richness of the storytelling. Additionally, the exploration of Scottish culture and the dynamics of Gala's new community added layers of depth to the narrative. Overall, "Away With Words" is an uplifting tale that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of friendship. While the pacing may be slow at times, the heartfelt exploration of themes such as empathy, courage, and the importance of standing up for others makes it a truly worthwhile read for those willing to invest in the journey.

Alistar
MCM Shell Readers

Away with words is a quite unusual story as in this story characters can see words when others speak and you can also touch and move the words (the words are all different coloured and can be dependent on the mood) The book is great as the characters develop to their lives adjusting to the changes and finding new ways around things like how Gala learns that it is okay to be different like her new friend Natalie.

Ryan
TTS Readers

I thought this was an incredibly heartwarming book about friendship. I felt privileged to watch Gala and Natalie's' friendship develop and hope to grind the characters again soon. I rate this book 8.5/10

Emma
High Storrs Carnegie Shadowing Group

The book Away with Words is a strongly written one with a good message. The plot consists of a girl called Gala moving to Scotland from Spain and struggled to find friends. She befriends Natalie and has to solve a mystery that she had been blamed for. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to my friends.

Harry
Bookwizards

'Away with words' is a story about a young girl (Gala) who moved from Spain to Scotland and is facing many difficulties in school like making friends, learning the language and how to communicate. It is very interesting in the way it describes words as something you can pick up and store safely to preserve them and how they are in different fonts, styles and colours to express different emotions. With these words the characters would make letters to send to other people. The first letters were from Gala and Natalie and were kind and thoughtful but someone didn't like them so Eilidh O started making different letters that were nasty.

Eva
TTS Readers

I think I would have enjoyed this book a few years ago but not so much now. However, I really liked the writing style and how at the start there was more squiggly lines and they got fewer and fewer as she learnt English the plot was just not for me:)

Sam
Sir Harry’s Shadowers

ˋAway With Words ´ is a novel about an eleven year old girl called Gala, who has recently moved from Spain to a town in Scotland . As Gala doesn’t speak English, she struggles a lot to adapt to her new home. One day, she befriends Natalie who shows her the technique of ˋword collecting ´. This astonishing, new way of communicating helps Gala to overcome the language barrier and understand people better. I think this book describes well how it feels when you are new somewhere or/and don’t speak the native language.

Eric
Beauchamp Champs 2024

This was a great read that expressed the multiple ways people are able to communicate. Such an inspiring story.

Kendra
Team CHSG

Away with Words book review: Away with Words, a book by Sophie Cameron describes the struggles of an immigrant who does not speak the language. Through the format of a novel, Cameron explores the highs and lows of what it's like to be an immigrant. She has chosen to write a book on a relatable text that readers can empathise with and understand the main character; Gala. 11-year-old Gala has recently moved from Scotland to Spain. Like many immigrants, LANGUAGE is one of the most common struggles that immigrants typically face. Cameron explores what many would think is not a massively huge issue, however it is for the foreigner. In addition to this, Cameron has chosen the “cute” format of added words scattered across the pages in sizes big and small, similar to the front cover of the book. To conclude, Away with Words is a good book for those who enjoy being put in others’ shoes and understanding and realising what they might not see in people, like emotions and struggles like in this book. It helps you see stories from other people’s point of view.

Amber
The Bentley Woodlanders

Away with words was such a good book!I loved how we could really understand what was going on inside her head when she didn't understand words so they were replaced with lines.I loved how she finds a way to communicate with Natalie and learns to accept Scotland.I did find it difficult to understand what they meant by stealing and picking up words but I just went along with it and still found it a super enjoyable book to read.It really annoyed me when there was a line on a word and I just wanted to know what it was, and when she can't be herself because of her language but I think that's Just how Sophie Cameron wants the reader to feel.I loved reading away with words,5/5!

Rani
EJM Carnegie Crew

I really enjoyed this book. It isn't like the others I read. I really liked the idea and plot. It was special and unique. The words would appear physically as they speak. This was a little confusing at first but once I knew what was happening it was very nice to read. Away With Words was about making friends, fitting in, and also about communication. I loved reading about the friendship between Gala and Natalie and how Natalie warmed to Gala and trusted her completely, never doubting her. The ending, although not a big plot twist, was touching and overall this book was very fun and lovely to read. I would recommend it to children aged 12+ or perhaps 11+.

Zoe
HAEC Carnegie Shadowers

This book was truly awesome. I loved the alternate world where we can see words we say and the idea of wordsearchers preserving words once spoken. I adored the story of a girl struggling with adapting to a new language and how the two girls connected through a love for words. I was truly amazed by the creativity and positioning of words; I was particularly surprised at the enlarged repeated words on the side of pages exaggerating the phrases. What a great book and I would strongly recommend.

Ava
Dallam Bookclub

I thought this book was a lovely read. At first it was really hard to get my head round the story. Then is suddenly fell into place that they lived in a world where as you spoke words came out, even then I was still a little confused. It was lovely to see the friendship between Natalie and Gala grow and I really loved and admired Gala's bravery

RK
EDA Book Legends

I liked the concept of the book. It was very interesting. I liked how the two main characters where from different places but where both sruggling with one thing

Esther
GreatB00ks

I thought the book was really good. I think this book was very interesting because it was about a a young girl feeling as if she could not talk. I did not relate to this book but I did find it very interesting to see what someone else was going through.

Tilly
Plumites

I liked the development of Gala as a character from the start, when she just wanted to go back home until she makes a friend with a selectively mute girl called Natalie who she sees collecting other peoples words for herself and she and Natalie see other people's struggles and write poems using other people's words to make them feel better until Emilia c started to use the same method to write cruel messages because she thought that she could not be heard in all I enjoy the character arcs of gala, Natalie and the bitter betrayal of Emilia C

Bethany
SuAS Shadows

This book is extremely addicting and I couldn't stop reading once I started. The plot is intriguing and the characters are unique, the fact that one of the character has selective mutism is really special. After reading this book, it got me thinking about how words can express someone's feeling and mean so much in life.

Linxi
MCM Shell Readers

I really like this book is very fun to read and also very interesting, this book is about a 11 years old girl called Gala and she just moved from Spain to Scotland and she went to school in Scotland, and it was very hard for her because she she was always the talkative girl and loud but in this school she struggled to understand the language and she was also not very flaunt in the language. Gala meets a girl called Natalie in her class who had selective mutism and she really loves words, so she collects them for a speech they both came friends. Gala and Natalie noticed that other kids are going through there difficulties, and they wanted to help so they used Natalies collection to send the children's poems to make them happy, but someone used them for bulling notes and there got blamed for it. I loved this book a lot and I like how the reader made the words fall out of the people's mouth who were talking and when the reader made the lines squiggly when Gala couldn't understand how to say the words.

Tawassal
Lionheart24

I found this book amazing. It had a lovely plot that I hope people can relate to and I loved the style of the writing, that words spoken fell out of the mouth. I would rate this book 4.5 stars.

Harriet
Faringdon Community College

It is a very unique book. I liked the idea of words coming out your mouth as well. I was really gripped to see if they would not be punished once they did the assembly. The way the author showed of Natalie not being able to speak in public spaces was really good because Natalie then picked up words instead. Overall a really good book

Sam
Horsham BOok HUNTers

Away With Words is a great book. It was engaging and moving to read. The story details the emotional journey of a girl who moved to England only to find that her English wasn't as up to par as she thought. While battling the language barrier, she meets a girl, Natalie who has selective mutism. They then become best friends and support each other along the way. The author used great sense of emotive language to get the message through. It was a good book that addressed the challenges moving countries and schools.

Arif
MCM Shell Readers

This was a very sweet book. Honestly it was really wholesome and I loved how not saying much can still lead to very visible words and actions. Basically communicating but without many words which I found really unique. The cover is stunning, I love the surrounding words around the hands which tells a lot about the book. I liked it! 6.9/10

Shara
Plashet School

Away with Words shows the importance of communication, friendship and the love we need to show people around us. Reading this book, I imagined a fantasy world where words of all meanings, colours and shapes, would fly around. Gala is a Spanish girl and she is uprooted and follows her dad to Scotland, for him to be with his boyfriend. There she meets a Scottish girl Natalie with selective mutism and they form a strong friendship. When they are accused of writing mean poems, they have a hard time to make people believe that they don't want to hurt people and are only trying to help. The book has a happy ending and Gala and Natalie are accepted by their classmates. Away with Words can teach people how to accept people who are different to them and don't speak the same language.

Sebastian H
Ermysted’s

I definitely liked Away with Words, by Sophie Cameron, it was such an emotive book and I liked the fact that at the start we cannot see many English words from Gala's point of view and then throughout the book we could progressively see more and more words in English showing her development in languages and how sometimes it can be tough moving to a new country with people who speak a different language to you. One of my favourite things though, had to be that Natalie had selective mutism as many people in the world don't know what it's like for someone who is shy and doesn't really know what to say and that overtime - because of Gala - she felt more confident to do things that she wouldn't thought do do before. And lastly, I personally love the fact that they have included a gay couple who are absolutely OK with who they are because some children might find confidence in that if they have worries that people may not except them for who they are.

Erika
Corsham Shadowers

I love this book because it shows that moving countries is hard but you can still make friends. I enjoy how she creates kind messages for people with a new friend to cheer people up. I liked how the story used different ideas of falling spoken words. I learnt a lot about selective mutism and how they struggle but can still find ways to communicate.

Grace
Going Places

What makes “Away with Words” so special is how some hints of fantasy have been added to the very realistic context of the story. When someone speaks, the words they say fall out of their mouth and can be picked on the floor. Gala, who just moved from Spain to Scotland and doesn’t speak English, starts collecting those words with her new friend Natalie, who has selective mutism. They write poems which they send to students in the school who need cheering up. However, when a mysterious person begins to send vicious messages pretending to be the girls, they have to find out who the author is before it’s too late! Many things have been done for a more inclusive society towards minorities and disabled people. Sophie Cameron boldly chooses two main characters who have difficulties socialising, or simply communicating. Most people refer to Wonder when talking about the acceptance of those with physical deformities. I hope this book will have the same fate for its message of tolerance towards those who feel different and for whom little is done.

Claire PMC
4Shadowers

I thought that the book was slow to start but nearing the end it started to get going. I loved the adventure with Gala and Natalie; writing poems for their friends and classmates, but my favourite part was when they discovered that Eilidh C had written those mean poems. Overall this book was amazing and I would probably read this again.

Joshua R
Ermysted’s

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found the concept of seeing words, and being able to physically touch feel them. I also enjoyed imagining what words would look like as an activity after. My favourite was the word "therefore" in a pearly pink colour. And I had no idea what Catalan was until I read it! The only bit I didn't like was when we found out the only reason Ailedh did it was because she felt left out, because it made me sad that she was the "bad guy". It made me feel guilty for hating her. But, I would definitely recommend this book. And besides, without the Aildeh bit it wouldn't work because there would be no crime.

Anna
Denbigh Shadowing Group

The story is about a girl named Gala, who moves to Scotland from Spain with her dad Jordi, to live with his boyfriend. Gala feels lost, but then meets a new friend - Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. They find their own way to communicate, until an anonymous classmate threatens to take it all away. I enjoyed how the author used emotive language to exaggerate the scenes to engage the reader more into the book, but I didn't really enjoy the storyline - but perhaps this is because it was not a genre that really appeals to me. Despite this, it was an okay book and I would recommend it, if it was a genre that appeals to you (three stars out of five).

Aleena
Rockwood Reads

The plot of this book was really good and it really absorbed my interest instantly. I loved the friendships presented in this book, the magical realism elements were enticing and it kept me reading without being able to put it down.

Vic
Denbigh Shadowing Group

I really enjoyed the plotline of this book. I think the development of Gala and Natalie's friendship through their connection to words was very powerful, and shows that you do not have to speak to create a bond with someone. I especially liked the idea that words were a physical entity- the girls' creation of the poetry by using words that they picked up added a real sense of sentimentality.

Eliott-James
Denbigh Shadowing Group

It was a good book but it was a bit confusing at first so I would give it 4 stars out of 5.

Angelina
Norwich High School Bookworms

I really liked this book because it was relatable and you sort of become Gala and experience moving countries and making friends who dont speak your language. I also love how the pages are edited with words around them.

Poppy S
Norwich High School Bookworms

I really enjoyed this book for many reasons, firstly I liked the premise. a Catalan girl and her father moving from their home to a little coastal town with terrible weather that she hates a lot. I like how she slowly starts to like her new life and even though she and her friend can barely speak they are able to communicate. I didn't understand the physicality of words. like how she can see and feel them. but i like the twist at the end as to who was writing the mean poems. overall I think that this was a very good book and deserves its place on the shortlist

Dylan
Ermysted’s

Away With Words is a very heartfelt book about a young girl by the name of Gala who is forced to move away from her home in Cadaques, Spain so her father can live with his boyfriend in Fortrose, Scotland. When she first moves to Scotland, she has no friends and desperately wants to go back home to Spain. In the beginning, she struggles to adapt to her new life and tries everything to convince her dad that she’s not happy in Scotland and wants to move back to their little apartment in Cadaques. Since she is Spanish, the book follows her as she tries to learn English and make new friends in a completely foreign country. The school she is placed into in Scotland is the same one her dad’s boyfriend, Ryan, works at teaching PE. When she first joins the school, she is introduced to two students who help her find her way around, ‘Eilidh O’ and ‘Eilidh C’ (pronounced ah-lee). Whilst at this school, she meets a girl by the name of Natalie who, like her, doesn’t exactly fit in. She first sees her picking up words that other people have spoken and placing them in her blazer pocket. Once she gains the courage to talk to her, they become fast friends and spend more and more time together. Natalie reveals to Gala that she has selective mutism due to her anxiety which means that whilst in places where she doesn’t exactly feel very comfortable, like school, she doesn’t speak a word. She also reveals that she has a hobby of collecting words since she doesn’t speak often and writes a poem for Gala using the ones she has collected. Gala then decides to start collecting words too so they can do it together. One of her classmates confesses to Gala that she’s nervous about an operation she’s having soon and her and Natalie decide to make her a poem and give it to her anonymously to try and help her with her nerves. Soon, they started making poems for everyone in their class until someone started copying them. Someone in their class also started writing poems for classmates, but, instead of them being nice and supportive, they were popular nursery rhymes twisted to be incredibly hurtful towards the students. After everything gets sorted out and all the drama blows over, Gala realises that maybe Scotland isn’t so bad after all. The story is inspiring, especially to those moving to a completely different country who have to learn a completely new and foreign language, culture and social norms and have to make new friends. It’s a step into the shoes of what it’s like to be a foreign student and it teaches the lesson that maybe being yourself is better than fitting in.

Kai
To Read Or Not to Read

Arthur
Tractor

I didn’t enjoy it at all it wasn’t really my style of book. It never really grabbed my attention it didn’t really have any action. I think it was quite hard to follow at times as you don’t know if you need to read the words on the outside or bottom of the page. It had a good idea of almost showing what it’s like for others. Overall it wasn’t for me it took me a lot longer than normal to get through and I found it quite complicated if you get what I mean.

Lucie
Royal Readers

Sweet, creative and uniquely written. 'Away With Words' gives readers an approachable and impactful look on the experience of traversing through difficulties in new places and experience. My favourite part of this book was its interesting writing style and approach to themes of bullying and language. However, as an older reader I found myself not connecting as much with the protagonist compared to some of the other short-listed books, and at times this book had strange 'forced' diversity about it. Despite this, I still enjoyed the journey I was taken on in away with words.

Maddy
Carnegie Carnage

Away With Words' is a very good book. It talks about how a friendship grew without needing to speak all the time and how sitting in silence can bring beautiful things too.The story is intriguing due to the fantasy element of physically picking up words and how careless or incredible words can be. Another success in the book was Gala’s personal growth which is inspiring to all readers and makes for an entertaining read for all.Overall,I would rate this book 6.85/10...

Vinshu
TDA readers

When Gala moves to Scotland with her dad to stay with his boyfriend Ryan, she finds herself lost in a school where she understands very little. Her greatest wish is to go back home, to Cadaqués, until she meets Natalie, a girl who has selective mutism, and together they become friends and catch spoken words, putting them in poems and messages to cheer others up. However, when cruel messages, again using spoken words are circulated round the school, Natalie and Gala are framed. Will they ever catch this mysterious student? Away with Words is a heartwarming story, that really explores what it means to be lost and ignored, and how those around you are vital in supporting you in these times. Although I felt that the character of Gala had very little character development through the story, I enjoyed the way that she interacted with others, such as Natalie. I found Natalie’s character very interesting; I really liked the way they compared Natalie and Gala, both having many things to say but not being able to say them aloud, only to people who know them, or their language. I found the concept of spoken words being real, tangible things thought-provoking, as it portrayed how words have a lasting effect and at the same time enhanced the characters, as it gave Natalie and Gala ways to communicate without speaking, by using others’ words. In conclusion, I found Away with Words an enchanting heartfelt tale, with fascinating characters and I would recommend it to others.

Alexander
Perse Carnegians

Away with words a very interesting book with a new concept. I enjoyed the detail that words are physical things that when said become real. This emphasis the idea that all words have an impact big or small. This is particularly useful because the book also has a deeper meaning too. This adds to the entire story and plot which greatly enhances it. I also enjoyed how the protagonist, Gala, originally came from Spain so her first language wasn't English. This meant that you got more involved with the story and Gala's progression through the book. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book even if at the start I thought I wouldn't enjoy the concept the book soon convinced me otherwise.

Thomas
Perse Carnegians

I think the book was a great portrayal of mutism and what its like moving to a different country. It was a beautifully crafted book however at times it was a bit difficult to tell the difference between the people speaking, the words they were picking up and the actual words of the book. The book could also benefit with a prologue just to properly explain how the world works and stuff like that. The way that the book was written at the end and how they resolved the issue also felt a bit iffy to me. Overall the book was wonderful blend of sad and happy.

Aeola
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

Away with Words is a beautiful, well written story, that revolves around a world where words come out of your mouth as physical objects. I found this an interesting and imaginative concept which was perfect for the plot line of the story. One of the characters has selective mutism, which is a rarely covered topic in my opinion. It did take a while to get into, due to the fact that the words were physical objects, which readers weren't directly told. Overall it was a great book and I would recommend it to readers between 10-13.

Emily
HAEC Carnegie Shadowers

Words will never be the same again. A round of aplause is needed for sophie cameron, or rather a standing ovation. What a wonderfull novel. As you (if you are the judges) will be well aware, this is her second novel to be nominated for the carnegies, surely this alone is enough to show that she is adept at writing? The idea of words being physical objects captured me from the first word, Slugs, and ordinary speaking has been taken to a whole new level.

Taya
Book Squad

The book itself was interesting but I found that it took quite a while to read.

Ved
SCD Pageturners

The book was interesting and had a very unique way of writing, I found it really fun to read and found the concept really good, Definitely recommend!

Holly
SCD Pageturners

I thought this book was not for me, the reason being is because it felt very hard to get into and to carry on with this is because it is very confusing although I understand is is supposed to be confusing to show the protagonists point of view. I felt as though the book was very slow and was lots of describing the surroundings.

Hattie
Burford School

this has a very powerful story line shown about the difficulties in fitting in to a different place/culture also about acceptance when you're alone

ruby
LatLit

Personally, I'm not a big fan of realistic fiction or really short books but I really enjoyed Away With Words. I found it very creative how, when people spoke, there words were visible to everyone else. At first I Thought it was a bit boring, but when it reached the middle of the book when Gala met Natalie, I couldn't put it down. I also liked how It explored feeling like you have to choose between your best friend and your first friends. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quick, but enjoyable, read.

Violet
Portland Readers

Sophia
BFS Umbra

Maddie C
BFS Umbra

Jessica
BFS Umbra

Daisy P
BFS Umbra

Bethany
BFS Umbra

For me Away with Words wasn't a book that i would really read unless i had to. The weirdness of it was way too hard to follow and when i got to the end i waited for an answer but never got one. Why could she see words?

sam
Ermysted’s

Away with Words was a nice book, not really amazing, but not terrible. It was quite confusing at the start when it talked about words being physical things. After I got over that concept, I realised that everyone could see the words, not only Gala, contrary to my previous understanding that only Gala could see the word because she's special. Other than that, I liked the book, especially since the idea was original, albeit strange. The fact that Eilidh C was sending the letters was the big plot twist the book needed. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Aashaz
Ermysted’s

This book is about a girl called Gala who moved from Spain to Scotland with her father even though she didn't want to move. Gala feels lost and lonely in her new home. She found a friend at her new school called Natalie who has selective mutism. They both find words and make lovely poems with them. I like this verse novel and the poems in it because it teaches me that despite any situation I may face, I will always have friends to support me.

Tryphena
Lionheart24

I really loved 'Away with Words'. When I first started reading, I did find the main character insufferable; she didn’t see how lovely her new home was and only focused on the negative. However, because of her friendship with Natalie she really grew and I found that inspiring. The collected word poems were wonderfully insightful and overall I’d give it a 8.5/10.

Alice
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

I really enjoyed this book. It is set in a fictional world where you can see the words you speak and they literally just fall out of your mouth. The writer makes the world believable and it is a well-thought out concept - I especially like when characters interact with their words (such as crushing them so no one can read them) as it makes it more authentic and it's interesting to read about. Also, the varying fonts are a very creative way of helping the reader visualise the different meanings, colours and the tone of characters' voices. It is easy to put yourself in the main character's shoes and to empathise with her. Sometimes when the characters speak, there are blank spaces to show when Gala doesn't understand a word. It's fun to learn watch her journey through school, family, friendships and bullying and the book is also inclusive and has representation of cultures and disabilities. The only thing I didn't like was the last part of the book where the conflict was resolved. It was unrealistic (which is saying something compared to the fictional world it is set it) but only takes up a couple of pages and was genuinely the only thing I didn't like (apart from being a bit less eventful than the other books on the shortlist).

Bea
Novel thinkers

EXCITING(=

Khanyi
Carnegie Festival

I love this book and I adore how it represented how hard peoples lives can be whether they are a bully who is misunderstood; an extrovert who is lonely or a victim to bullying who is actually happy at home but can’t be themselves at school. In my opinion I think it was a brilliant idea to see how bullying can effect peoples lives or seeing how the bully is treated - I think it is a fundamental concept to know in life. I also love how the author described how hard it can be to go to a different country and feel like your world has changed. I know how this feels since I go to Poland every year to see my family. My cousin and I go to summer camp and since I am not fluent in Polish ,it is a difficult language to learn, I always feel like it is a different world. However, my cousin and I have our own way of communicating like Gala and Natalie so that part of the book really touched my heart. I also enjoyed how the pages were displayed so it was not just about the book, it was almost interactive as well. However, I think the story at the end of the book when Gala and Natalie speak to the assembly did not really fit in with the book (it was a lovely story but I think that Natalie should have shared her story to the school - about how hard her life has been being bullied because she was different).

Emilia
St Martin’s Bookworms

Away with words is a book filled with so much adventure. It's set in a world where words are seen physically and underlines the importance of understanding different ways of communicating and the importance of loving others. Gala has recently just moved to Scotland with her dad she faces troubles settling in, until she meets Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. Both friends find a unique and special way to communicate that impacts others around them in a positive way.

Beulah
Stockport Academy Book Club

A slim novel about a teenager unhappy at having to move home because her father wants to be near his boyfriend. It certainly expresses well, the difficulties of transitioning to a different country and learning a new language. It makes you realise how important it is to communicate and communicate well. Natalie seems to be so disillusioned with words that she has stopped speaking altogether. Luckily the two, both lonely and unhappy, find each other and other friendships flourish. I'm not sure that, in reality whispered words appearing physically would be a good idea! But it's an interesting concept.

Jacqui
Weavers Inklings

Away with words was a very motivating book, and increases the awareness of selective mutism and how hard it is to travel to different country and learn a new language. Away with words is about a girl called Gala who is from Spain and moves to Scotland with her dad (Jordi) because they want to be closer to her dads boyfriend. Away with words includes slight glimpses of LGBT. The book includes the fact that the people can see the words and they can touch them ,which I found can be confusing. Although ,I found the plot did not deliver the justice that the story needed

Lila
Broadland Bookworms

I really enjoy the idea of away with words. Using selective mutism in a world revolving around words and the way you speak them was an extremely clever idea. However, I don't feel as if the condition was given enough justice, as selective mutism can be a lot more severe, and tough to deal with. I felt as if the idea was too good for the plot, and therefore the book didn't truly connect with the reader.

Freya
Broadland Bookworms

Away With Words was a really good book, and helps to increase awareness about selective mutism, a subject I haven't heard much about. It is one of my favourite books so far, but I think it is aimed for younger readers rather than more advanced ones. I believe this book should be advertised in schools more often, both the older years of primary and secondary.

Eliza
Broadland Bookworms

I enjoyed reading Away With Words because the author used different fonts so you could understand how the characters were feeling in more detail. It also felt as if you were going on the journey of learning a different language and how to act in a completely different country with Gala. The author also covered some of the struggles that people go through especially when you're in a new school like bullying and trying to make new friends which would potentially relate to some people and make them want to read more. Overall I think Away With Words is a great book that is worth reading.

Eva
Camden School for Girls

This book was very interesting and really helped me understand how Gala' felt when she moved away from Spain to Scotland. The book was well written and I loved the Idea of when a person spoke in the book, the letters popped in front of Gala. Another element that I loved about the book was that she didn't understand English very well but when somebody spoke in the book, the author drew little lines every time Gala didn't understand a certian part of a sentence. Overall the story was very cliff hanging, gripping and fascinating. This book is my favourite so far!

Colette
Camden School for Girls

I thought this book was very creative, because often there are phrases such as 'words being on the tip of your tongue', however this book uses this quite literally - the words are everywhere! The idea of words being physically there interested me, and pushed me to continue reading this book. Main protagonist Gala finds it difficult moving from Spain to Scotland, especially as the two places are very different, and she needs to learn a completely new language and to fit in with the other children. She develops a strong friendship with Natalie - a girl who has selective mutism.

Lucy
Camden School for Girls

away with words had a very interesting theme to it as it was based on reality yet had a slight bit of fantasy to it. It has a good plot that you can follow easily and is quite creative. The characters stick with you and it has been my favourite Carnegie book so far.

reya
Camden School for Girls

I thought this book, "Away With Words", was very interesting and also very imaginative. I love the way the author made spoken words appear - it made the story much more engrossing and interesting. I also liked the style of writing and ,strangely, the variety of different colours of the words. I thought the characters were very interesting - especially Natalie and Eilidh C who had very different personalities. I also liked Gala's Iaia who was very caring and warm. Overall, I thought this book was very interesting and insightful as well as being a warm, funny but sometimes sad book. 9 and a half out of 10.

Rita
Camden School for Girls

I found this book a bit confusing at first but once you understand how the words work it quickly becomes interesting.It provides an interesting perspective on the difficulties of mastering a new language.The story was endearing as well.

Sayuru
Ermysted’s

Pip
Herts and Essex

This was a great book. I love how words were visible in the story and would look different depending on moods and personalities. I also liked how some pages had words around the edges.

Miguel
Killy Krew

'Away With Words' is a very sweet book. It talks about how a friendship grew without needing to speak all the time and how sitting in silence can bring beautiful things too. It is also very clever as the author describes how the words "fall out" of the characters' mouths and they can pick them up and hold them. I also found it interesting how the author describes how Natalie showed Gala how to save the words and preserve them.

Lucia
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

"Away With Words" by Sophie Cameron is a book about a young girl called Gala who has moved to Scotland from Spain. At first she feels left out at school until she makes a new friend. I really enjoyed this book as the main message was it is ok to feel different, as sometimes our differences can make us stronger. The book was really cleverly written with lots of different font styles and sizes, making me understand what each character was saying or how it was being seen by other characters.

Isla
Weald of Kent Sevenoaks

'Away With Words' tells the story of Gala struggling with starting a new life away from Spain and the social challenges that come with being restricted by speech. The story is intriguing due to the fantasy element of physically picking up words and how careless or incredible words can be. Another success in the book was Gala’s personal growth which is inspiring to all readers and makes for an entertaining read for all.

Jessica
Marshland Readers

Given that 'Away With Words' has a different concept compared to what we are used to, it was quite quick to warm up to. I loved how Sophie Camron made everything so realistic even though she added something completely different into the mix. Gala's language barrier really stuck out to me as being so relatable. There are two characters who I loved and that I think Sophie Camron really gave a lot of thought to and that is Ryan and Gala's Grandma. Overall, I loved it so much and I would probably give it a 9/10.

Violet
The John Mason Shadowers

I thought 'Away with Words' was a fantastic, thought provoking novel that provided an insightful view into mental health issues such as selective mutism and loneliness. It also had lovely characterisation, and showed wonderful friendships between two young girls. Overall, a very nice, thoughtful book that I would recommend to any book lover.

Zoe
Page Turners24

I really enjoyed this book because it made me think about the way we use words and how each word, depending on certain factors, can look or feel. Gala was an interesting character and I felt for her in how she had to uproot her life and start from scratch in learning a new language. The power of words is super important and ,as a teacher, made me think about this more!

Miss Dalby
Paulet Readers

Away with words is a beautiful book about how we communicate with or without using words. I find the aspect of Gala and Natalie bonding through the hobby of ‘Word Searching’, to be both charming and heartfelt. The book follows Gala who has moved from Spain to Scotland with her father and stepfather. Gala finds the English language hard to follow and is used to speaking in Catalan back at home. Throughout the book she meets Natalia who has selective mutism and together they set out to write positive poems for their classmates. The poems that the girls write are heartwarming. However, when a nasty poem is placed in someone's locker the girls have to discover who has written this negative poem, before it's too late! This book is a significant read and focuses on the power that words can have! One aspect of this book I find intriguing is the book's structure. This is because some words make up pictures on the pages or are in different fonts to make the words stand out. I thought the friendship between Natalie and Gala was touching as the girls form a friendship without using language. Overall I would recommend this book to any of my student because I think this book is an intriguing read with an important message.

Miss Spink
Glossopdale Readers

Imagine moving to a different country, away from all your friends, family, and everyone you’ve ever known. That’s a reality for Gala who’s moved with her dad from warm, delightful Spain to cold, rainy Scotland to live with her dad's boyfriend. Things seem to get better when Gala encounters Natalie, a girl with selective mutism and they become the best of friends. They find a relatable passion for making people smile by leaving joyful messages with other people's discarded words. However, after someone turns their joyful messages to spiteful ones to frame them for an appalling crime, they didn’t commit, the two girls are faced with a problem. Will they be able to finally be happy with their friends and continue with their lives or will this change the course of everything they have ever known... This book by Sophie Cameron was a roller coaster of emotions, from excitement at finally finding a friend to regret for ever starting their quest for positivity and kindness. I would rate this book very highly as it takes you away to a whole new world. This book is a must, and I couldn’t put it down.

Emily
Larkmead

Away with Words is one of the best books I’ve EVER read and definitely at the top of my recommendation list. What I particularly like about it is how the friendship between Natalie and Gala develops. It was also very sad to see how the other children treat Gala because she does not speak much English and to see her point of view when she landed in a foreign country and could not be herself because of the language barrier. At the beginning it is hard to get in to but apart from that AMAZING !!!!!!!!!!!

Chiara
Sandroyd Bookivores

Reading the book Away With Words, the character Gala reminded me of my experience of moving to England from China when I was three years old. I spent one year in a Kindergarten in London without knowing any English to start. It was horrible when I first got there, I shouted and cried so much. However, I soon realised that I do not need to know too much English to have fun in a Kindergarten as a three years old, but I understand that it is much harder for a teenager to ignore the language barrier. The author visualised the words people are saying in the book, they appeared in different colours and fonts to show the emotions of the speaker, which is very creative but takes a while to understand how it works.

Mido
Malvern St James

Book review In this story we see an insight into the lives of Gala and Natalie. They are both teenage girls in a Scottish high school, Gala (much against here will) moved to Scotland from Spain to go and live with her dads boyfriend, but finds herself missing her country and her family a lot more than she expected. She spends the first half of the book trying desperately to convince her dad to let her move back with her family in Spain, but she is not allowed. Her hatred for Scotland lessons somewhat about half way through the story when Gala really starts to notice her new friendship, a girl her age in her class that others find weird and don’t want to be friends with. Gala finds out that the reason Natalie is like this is because she suffers with selective mutism. They work on their friendship together and get over each others weaknesses, and in the final chapter of the book they perform a very heartfelt assembly to show their classmates and teachers what it is like to live a life like Natalie’s. I thought that the characters in this book were very interesting and unique. With Gala, you see her emotional change throughout the book as you slowly see her longing for home lessen, and you get to know about her and her life more and more as the book goes on, she is very caring and quite witty, but also has a strong sense of what is right and wrong. With Natalie, the author at first didn’t tell us much about her. She was just left as a mysterious, weird side character for about a quarter of the book before she even got close with gala at all. But by the way the author described her, you could tell she would be a huge part of the story. As the book went on, Natalie comes out of her shell, and shares more with gala about her struggles of living with selective mutism, and we really get to know her well. I think the plot was good, but it could’ve been executed better. At times it felt like the book moved a bit fast, and because of the authors writing style, (which I will talk about later) I found that the book was quite hard to focus on and to keep up with. Also the ending was a bit of a disappointment, as it felt the whole book was working up to the event at the end of the book, but when it happened it was just a bit underwhelming to be honest. It sort of was a let down as the ending could’ve been amazing, but the author just completely misjudged it. The authors writing style was very unique, she structured her book like a normal book, but with many words scribbled out or missing. I think this was to empathise what it might be like for Natalie, and how she would have missed many words when she spoke. The author also scattered extra words all around the page to imply the same thing. While I think that this is a very creative way of putting the reader in Natalie’s shoes, it was also not very easy to read and didn’t have very much flow to it. I felt like I had to figure out what I was reading like some sort of maths equation, not like a book. I think this could appeal for some but I struggled to enjoy it. I also think the author sometimes took to long to describe the most minute detail, like the plot moved way to fast but then it took 3 whole pages to describe opening a window or something silly like that. Overall, I think that the book was good but its very much an acquired taste.

Poppy mrs Egans class
Sidcot Shadowers

Away with Words is about a language, friendships , and also about the family. The story is very interesting. The lines are confusing and the words are mixed. It shows Gala is very nervous about the new environment. She can only speak Spanish and Catalan, but no one can understand only her father.

Mandy
Malvern St James

Away With Words is about a young girl called Gala who has to move from Spain to Scotland because her dad wants to live with his boyfriend. She only knows a couple words in English and struggles to understand more because of the accents and strange words, only adding to her hatred of her new home. This story isn’t an ordinary one - here, words are physical object, that fall from your mouth when you talk. Almost everyone brushes aside the words and cleans them up at the end of the day, so Gala is intrigued when she spots a girl who never speaks picking up words in school. She befriends the girl - Natalia - after a chance encounter at the park and finds out she has selective mutism: she can’t speak in stressful situations or people she isn’t comfortable with. They start collecting words together and Gala gets a bit less homesick. The character development was linear, although it was fun to observe: we only really get to see Natalia becoming a little more confident and Gala learning English. I enjoyed when Gala met Natalie and started learning more about her, like that Natalie makes poems out of words, the most. The main themes explored were settling in, coping with change, bullying and facing challenges. These themes were well-presented although I think it would’ve helped to see other characters’ perspectives more often and get to know some of the side characters. I rate this book 3.5-4/5. It had a unique and creative premise and interesting characters. The reveal near the end was very predictable though, and there is a lot of wasted potential with the characters. As someone who is from another country and had to learn English, I enjoyed the themes and how they were represented. I would recommend this story to anyone in a similar situation, slightly younger people like preteens and anyone struggling to go through changes.

Tatiana
Rebel Readers

In the beginning I wasn't very fond of this book due to how slow it is to get to the point but as the book went on I enjoyed it slightly more. This book was sort of comforting for someone like me who also transferred from another country (Italy) to the UK. It relates to me because in the beginning I was always confused on what people said and it was annoying and I hated the fact that we had to move but as time went on it wasn't so bad, just like how it ended up being the same case for the main character. It's a short book but a very slow read but I am not mad about the fact that I read it.

Maimuna
Plashet School

Away With Words is a highly alluring novel of adapting to unknown environments, the emergence of self-conviction, and, in this particular context, the overcoming of significant language and cultural barriers. Gala, the adolescent protagonist, is confronted with a voyage into unfamiliarity following her adjustment in residence from Cadaques, Spain, to Fortrose, Scotland. During which, she encounters Natalie, a girl within her year that has diagnosed selective mutism, and a flourishing bond between the two is formed. The author's usage of the metaphorical collection of physical words facilitates their personal self-expression and relationship, laying the foundational concept for the novel. Personally, I adored the hyphenated speech emblematic of Gala's character-development in her ability to interpret English phrases and the entirety of her social interactions. At times, though, this book was relatively difficult to read on further due to the slow-paced nature and predictable events, such as the identity of the negative poem writer.

Lily-Rose
Fortismere

I really loved "Away with Words". I really liked the way the author explores the power of friendship and the power of words when facing difficult situations. This might sound silly, but the way people collect words and can see them really captivated me. It goes very well with the storyline.

Arthur
EJM Carnegie Crew

When Gala is moved from her home country, Spain, not knowing a lot of English, she struggles to make friends and longs to go back home. This all changes when she meets her new best friend, Natalie, a girl with selective mutism who also struggles to make friends not being able to communicate with the people around her. In this novel, words are presented as physical objects and when these girls start to collect those words and create wholesome poems with them, things start to take a turn for the worst when words usually used to uplift are used to inflict pain and misery. I particularly liked how the author successfully captures the reality of secondary school life, the characters felt extremely real and their experiences relatable. This book falls under the fantasy genre but don’t let this put you off if you wouldn’t typically reach for it. Although the concept of physical words is fantastical, the stories and characters still feel very true to life. I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it.

Florence
HHS

This book was one of my favourite books so far. It included the LGBTQ+ community, as well as mental health awareness. The concept of physical words really interested me. When Gala tries to communicate in a new language, she relates to Natalie, who has selective mutism. My favourite part was the ending where she and Natalie made the snow globe presentation. The weak parts were explaining the physical words. I loved this book and the characters included in it, I would recommend this book to someone who wants to cheer up a bit.

Millie O
VISTA Academy

3.5/5 star read. This was probably one of the best books I’ve read in the competition. I loved the creativity of the characters being able to see words and how they used them to make people feel happier.

Olivia
Riverside Readers

I loved this book as it emphasises the struggles of someone who moves away from their home and enter a whole new world where they have to learn and adapt to survive, with which many people around the world and even people I know can relate to very strongly. This book really opened my eyes and helped me feel what it would be like to be in their shoes which I think is very important and helps us all to acknowledge the different people in our society.

Sania
Plashet School

"Away with words," is a fiction book recommended for readers age 13+. I really enjoyed the book, but I may not have picked it up in a library. Gala has moved to live with her stepdad Ryan in Scotland from Spain with her dad Jordi. Gala is having trouble with learning English, and desperately wants to go back home. Gala makes friends with a girl called Natalie, who has selective mutism. Natalie gets Gala into,"wordsearching," which Gala likes, until it all goes wrong. Gala is the main character, narrating the book in the first person. Gala is talkative in Spain, but isn't in Scotland. Natalie becomes Gala's best friend. It all works out in the end. The main reason that I liked the book was the concept that words could be seen and felt as well as heard. The other thing I enjoyed was the writing style that gave a perfect description of Gala's emotions at every stage of the book. My favourite character was Natalie because she is the perfect example of," Don't judge a book by its cover." There is much more to Natalie than what meets the eye. The cover might not be to everyone's taste because I wouldn't have thought to pick this up in a library, but it is one of the best books I have ever read. It could have been good to make the cover more distinctive to 13+ because it looks like an adult book. Overall, the book is simply brilliant throughout and I was really hooked! I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good book! I felt every emotion Cameron wanted me to feel, this is the definition of phenomenal, this deserves to win the Carnegie prize!

Merlin
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

I enjoyed this book the chapters were much longer and more fascinating because you were tempted to read on 3/5 stars for me I also loved how there were different fonts for different pieces of text / writing

Prieet
Beauchamp Champs 2024

Away With Words is a book about an 11-year-old girl named Gala who had to move from Spain to Scotland to live with her dad’s boyfriend (Ryan). In this book, when people talk you can see their words. I liked this book because, even though she had been taken away from everything she had once been used to, Gala still managed to make new friends like Natalie. I personally like the relationship between Natalie and Gala because, while Gala doesn’t really know much English at the start, Natalie has selective mutism, which means that they can communicate with words without feeling left out or alone. Although I quite enjoyed this book, I felt as if the ending was a bit boring, I expected more to happen. I would recommend this book to people aged 8 and older. Overall, I would give away with words a rating of 8/10 or 3/5.

Tilly
The Fitzharrys Shadows

“Away With Words” is a captivating novel set in a world where words physically appear when people speak. The story follows Gala and her father, Jordi, who move from Catalonia to Scotland to live with Jordi’s boyfriend, Ryan. Gala, struggling with her limited English, feels lost and unable to express herself. However, her life turns unexpectedly when she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. They find unique ways to communicate together, including collecting discarded words and writing anonymous poems for their classmates. As Gala adapts to her new life, she and Natalie face a challenge: someone begins leaving nasty messages using the same method they use for their poems, and the girls are blamed. Determined to uncover the truth, Gala sets out to find the culprit and prove their innocence. Sophie Cameron’s writing captures the struggles of friendship, family, and adapting to change. Gala and Natalie’s bond is heart-warming, and the concept of “spoken words” adds depth. Overall, “Away With Words” is a unique and uplifting read that is enjoyable for readers of all ages.

Nathan
Euro Bookworms

I really enjoyed Away With Words: I found the concept of words being solid, real objects fascinating and I learnt how truly challenging it can be for those moving to a different place or country. I thought the story line was simplistic yet it voiced how horrific bullying is, and gave an opportunity to learn and understand more about the protagonist, Gala, and her fellow pupils, particularly her friend Natalie. I had not known a lot about selective mutism before, so this book gave me a interesting perspective into the lives of those who have this. Overall, I believe the novel to be an incredible powerful stance against bullying, as well as being a learning curve for me, as a reader, about the challenges and joys around immigration. I highly recommend this book and rate it 4/5.

Verity
Norwich High School Bookworms

I think that the characters relationships with each other was really good and the two faces about people. One face you try to hide and the other which everyone else knows. The things you want people to know and the things you let on to strengthen friendships.

Hanna
BSG

This book is really good in my opinion. I didn't want to read it at first but as I got throughout the book it got better. I thought that the plotline was interesting. Sophie Cameron tries to spread awareness about selective mutism and language boundaries and how difficult it is to not be able to speak but want to. The idea with collecting people's words and making poems out of them was creative and flowed with the book really well. The book was well thought through and was really interesting. I would recommend this book.

Hanna
BSG

Shreya
Perse Carnegians

Away with Words showed me how challenging immersive language learning can be. It showed me the challenges of moving to an entirely different country and captivated me with every word. The characters were well thought out, and this book taught me that selective mutism is more than it seems. Gala and Natalie's friendship spoke wonders to me and was absolutely amazing. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. My only complaint would be that it was sometimes hard to understand the concept of the words in this world, but once I understood it, everything made more sense than I had even thought possible! All in all, it is an amazing read. Please do yourself a favour and read away with words.

Jhanvi
SHSK Shadowers

This book was interesting! Enthralled by the cover, I decided to read Away With Words. I loved the calligrams ( are they calligrams?!) throughout the book, and the abundance of unique fonts that certain words appeared in. I thought this was a really creative way to reflect the emotions and feeling behind words. The words being visible was also unusual: can everyone see the words? I was slightly confused at first, but as the story progressed I believe that everyone is able to see the words, but many wouldn't notice them. Gala speaks fluent Catalan, and some Spanish, and she's learning English. This was an interesting plot point, and the uncertainty around English and particular words was conveyed by squiggly lines in dialogue. This did initially confuse me, but I had enough context to 'fill in' the gaps, so it still made sense. She was an excellent narrator, exploring lots of understandable feelings like feeling homesick and frustration, but also delight and enthusiasm. Natalie was another enjoyable character to read about, and she was certainly dynamic throughout the story. The representation of Selective Mutism was easy-to-digest and offered a learning experience for me: whilst I've heard of this previously, I was unfamiliar with the specifics. Luckily the book presented clarity for me, and was very informative for readers. I really liked the representation within characters, and the allegories were portrayed beautifully. I appreciated the ending, and was glad for a resolution to the various storylines. 4 stars- not usually a book I would select, but enjoyable and nice for variety. P.S: The dogs sounded adorable, and they had the best names: Celine and Dion!

Lucy
Ousedale Shadow Chasers

Personally, I thought that 'Away with Words' was okay. It is set in a dystopian world where words are physical and they fall out of one's mouth. It follows a Year 7 girl called Gala who moved from Spain to Scotland so that her dad can be with his boyfriend. Gala doesn't speak English very well and struggles not being able to say everything that thinks of. Soon she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. They find ways of communicating and as their friendship grows and send kind poems to classmates who need encouragement .After a while, an anonymous peer sends poems of a similar style: but cruel and humiliating. Everyone blames them, so they decide to do something about it. I really liked the style of this book as there would be a squiggly line in dialogue when Gala couldn't understand, words all over some pages, and different fonts in some situations. I personally liked this, but the actual writing wasn't poetic or descriptive enough for my taste-- it lacked description (in my opinion)! I thought that the character building was nice as some characters were really likable (like Ryan, Natalie, 'A-Lee 'O etcetera). Some characters were very sweet and I really loved the relationship between Natalie and Gala, although, I found Gala really selfish at some times and it made it a little bit harder to enjoy from her point of view. I thought that the plot was a bit boring. I found that there wasn't really much risk and at the end, it was quite unrealistic. They did something in front of the entire school (I won't spoil it), but in real life, nothing would change and they would just got in trouble and been embarrassed. Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book, but I could see if one would. I found myself forcing myself to read it, and I think that the plot was just not engaging enough and the lack of description was disappointing.

Lucy
BSG

Away With Words was a very quick read but I savoured every word. It was a phenomenal book about settling in to a new place and trying to make your voice heard no matter the challenges that stand in your way. I could really relate to this book because I moved from Singapore to London, which was a huge change for me. I found it very difficult and was not making lots of friends. But then just like Gala I met someone and we became best friends. There were problems along the way, that Gala also experienced. Wrong friendships, bullies and other things. I thought this book was also really well written and I loved the idea of that when you speak your words appear in front of you. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the descriptions of Spain (where Gala lived before). It has made me want to go to Spain even more than before. In conclusion, I think this is an outstanding book and it is definitely my favourite of the Carnegie book collection so far.

Evelyn
Fortismere

Very unique idea and I liked the representation of selective mutism through Natalie’s character. I enjoyed the storyline and the ending was cute although I would only recommend this book to a younger audience

Samantha
I Forgot the Name of the Group

2/5 The first words of this novel marked it out as unique, when Cameron described the headmaster's words as 'slugs'. Personally, I found this metaphor (continued throughout) slightly jarring and confusing, but I understand that this might have been the intended effect - to help the reader empathise with Gala's struggle with the English language. I liked the idea of using squiggles instead of words because it clearly demonstrated how difficult it was for her to cope in a fast-paced environment (her school), where every other word is an unknown. The phasing out of this technique as she learnt more (especially thanks to her tutor - Ms Shah - who was a compassionate, well-written character) put the reader in her shoes. I also found the fusion of English and Catalan quite interesting. However, the other idea Cameron used - collecting words as physical items - was less effective, in my opinion. I think it needed to be explained from the start - is it inside Gala's head? Does everyone see words? Do they visibly have different colours and fonts, or is that specific to Gala? How can you touch them and pick them up? Why is it immediately seen as negative when Gala and Natalie collect them to use in their poems? A clever idea, but not successfully implemented. Finally, in regards to the plot, although it wasn't gripping or engaging (as well as recycling the 'moved to a new place and immediately hated it, and then adjusted to suddenly love it' storyline), it was sweet and the style was memorable. The final unveiling of the mysterious evil poet was predictable and Cameron's attempt to justify their nastiness seemed a bit rushed and cliché. In conclusion, a story still worth a read but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Alice
Book and Biscuit Club

I personally think that the book was written thoughtfully, and I feel like I understand Gala's view of just how hard learning a new language is. Gala moved to England with her father, leaving Spain and everyone she knew. She was terribly homesick, and wished that she was back on the sandy beach or chatting with her friends. In the world where the story takes place, whatever you speak will come out in words (that you can physically touch) and everyone has different fonts. Colours such as red suggest a different emotion. However, Gala's negative view on Scotland changes when she befriends a girl called Natalie (a girl with selective mutism meaning that she can only speak in an environment she's comfortable with). Together they collect words and realized that they could make people feel better by sending them anonymous poems made of different words from different people. This though, meant that not everyone received a poem and the friends were framed for sending poems that share negative information about people. The pair have to work out a clever plan to clear their name and find the culprit. I really love this book and would definitely recommend it to people who are interested in looking at the world in another person's view.

Mila
Beauchamp Champs 2024

Amazing book. Really well written and good ideas and storyline. Loved It

Noah
Holmfirth High Yoto Crew!

Gala is a girl from Spain, who has moved to a new school in Scotland. She lives in a world where words come out of your mouth as physical objects, in different colours and boldness, depending on what mood you are in and if you are lying or angry. She is finding it hard to fit in and wants to move back to her old home. Although she is finding it difficult to adapt to her new life, she finds some great friends including a girl called Natalie who doesn't like to speak in front of others. However, the two of them find a way to express themselves and make others happy. I find Natalie a great character because she tries to come out of her comfort zone and help others. She used never to speak but with Gala's help and encouragement she talks and develops a strong bond with Gala. I think this is a great challenge to overcome and takes great courage and bravery. This book inspires me to attempt things I may initally be uncomfortable doing and I would recommend it to others as it is such an inspiring book.

Artie
Going Places

This book was confusing at first,but in time I grew to love the authors writing.This book is all about two girls and how they have to face the world together. This book is fantasy, but its really well portrayed like its real.

Miley
Killy Krew

I loved the friendship between Gala and Natalie, but I found the style of writing pretty confusing. The thing I found the most confusing was when the writing was missing words, it was hard to make out what was actually going on. The ending was probably my favorite part because personally I feel like that made the most sense. I don't feel like it is the type of book I would usually go for though. But to be honest, overall it was a good book. I would rate this book a 5/10

Jasmin
Kingdown 24

Away with words was a nice steady book, however, at the beginning it seemed confusing, starting with “my teacher had slugs on his face”. However later on, once I had researched Galas universe (spoken words are visible) I began to understand how the book was unveiling. I absolutely adored how the words were described and all the colours made me feel the emotions of the words! It was a wonderful experience and I loved every bit of it!

Anastasia
Herts and Essex

This book was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I loved that even though Gala and Natalie were finding it hard to speak up they find a way around and become life long friends. This book made me realise that some people find it really hard to speak or communicate and so just be patient. I liked the concept of words being physical objects.

Helena A
Herts and Essex

I thought away with words was quite a good book because it was really well written and it kept me quite interested as it was another universe. I rate it a 4/5

Bella
Herts and Essex

At first, I didn’t really like it but when I got halfway through, IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD. My favourite bit was when gala and Natalie speaker in assembly clearing their names and telling a story of words. I definitely recommend to quiet people who are to shy to talk.

Naomi
Herts and Essex

This was an amazing and heartfelt book. I felt it was very touching and was written with such artistry.

Maya
Herts and Essex

I think this book was very good. The idea of words dropping when people saying them is a cool idea. The poems that the main character make are metaphors. It is about using other peoples words to project your own and i think that is really nice and well messaged. Overall its a very good book and its based on a whole metaphor.

Ayyub
Beauchamp Champs 2024

A book with an interesting and unique concept revolving around words, of course. The concept itself makes the book memorable, and it also touches on topics of having to move to another country and the like! The title also stood out to me with multiple interpretations - at least in my eyes!

Leyla
KEVICHG

Choose love was a beautiful book. It explained how Gala and her dad, Jordi moved from Spain to Scotland to live with her dad's boyfriend, Ryan and how it dramatically changed her life. Not knowing any English made it incredibly difficult to communicate. Over the months, she got used to the Scottish life and knowing the different people at her new school. She made friends with Natalie a girl with selective mutism, and they made poems for people going through a hard time, someone started writing bad poems and making people really upset. Overall, I rate this book 5 stars as it was interesting getting to know how her life changed.

Amira
STCCG Shadowing

Away with words was an interesting novel, as I didn't hate it but I didn't love it, and although very well worded and written I found the concept of how words were physical things that could be stolen, or picked up from the ground, a little weird yet strangely appealing. Away with words follows Gala on her journey in a new country where she has to learn a different language and culture all the while trying to fit in and make friends, Gala’s first friends are the two Eilidh’s who show her around the school but the next person she meets ends up being a closer friendship with a girl called Natalie. The thing that struck out the most to me was how the friendship between the two girls didn't rely on their ability to speak with each other, showing that there are other forms of communication that suit others better. I would rate this book a 2.5/5.

Aoife
Euro Bookworms

This book is really interesting; a world where words are physical.I thought that it presented a wonderful range of characters who were all extremely relatable. However not my cup of tea.

Ming
Ermysted’s

"Away With Words" was a really enjoyable book for me, if a little confusing at first. When I first started reading it I didn't know if the words appearing were just a metaphor or if it was really happening, which confused me a bit though I think it made the story really unique and interesting. I also liked the development of Natalie and Gala’s friendship and Gala's relationship with her family throughout the book. However, I thought the plot of the story was a bit predictable, as I figured out who was writing the nasty poems nearly as soon as it started happening (but I still enjoyed it). I think the book could be improved by making it a bit longer and by having a foreword that explains that words physically appear out of people's mouths when they talk, as I would appreciate the extra worldbuilding and it would help me be less confused. Overall I'd probably say this this book is a solid 8.5/10

Jozefinka
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

"Away with words "is a very interesting book and its writing style is very unique. One of my favourite features was how the squiggly lines represented the words Gala did not understand as it helped me understand Gala's situation.This book put me through quite a range of emotions.My favourite part was when Gala and Natalie became friends as they had a very strong bond and supported each other through out the book. Overall this was a very clever and entertaining book . I would definitely give it a 10/10

Mia
The Bentley Woodlanders

A surprisingly powerful book overall, for the setting it's in of a child's mind. Overall, it plays extremely effectively on what is usually seen as a natural change in life, and represents how it's usually interpreted in a new perspective. The original setting is quite simple - words are visualised, and can be interacted with; they can be seen. What makes the book so unique is how the author manages to use this new idea in such an interesting way is because the two protagonists have their own difficulties with communication, and the new concept introduced in the book is played on throughout so well. The plot and storyline does follow quite a stereotypically predictable pattern, but I think that the way it's explored is what makes the story as powerful and enticing as it is. The issues that are faced may not be relatable for the most part of the readers, but it still manages to affect the audience's thoughts throughout. It summarises a general idea on change and a particular mindset that may be followed by many, and has a sense of awareness to a reader's own thoughts. Not only does the actual plot have some noticeably powerful emotions attached to it, but how it is written reflects similarly at the same time. For example, the main character has to adapt to a new country, and a new language - English, as opposed to Catalan or Spanish that she has been used to for her life so far. Words in English are written in such a way in dialogues that the readers can't entirely understand the conversation, almost as if empathising with the protagonist. Similarly, we find that as the story progresses, more and more English from conversations is revealed and legible. It almost brings the reader into the already clouded perspective, which already brings a sense of attachment to the plot. Believe it or not, the main messages of the book are about words. It's about the importance of words, yet how they are then viewed by society. However, such powerful views have been presented in what is a reliably accessible manner. As a whole, I think that the book is meant to be read with an open mind. Its entire focus is on the functions of the mind, and without that sense of awareness and openness, it'll definitely seem more like a children's book than a message about human mindsets. Definitely a greatly memorable book, and I'd recommend it wholeheartedly to almost anyone.

Samuel
LatLit

Away with words by Sophie Cameron is a really interesting book about a girl named Gala who travels with her dad from Spain to Scotland to live with her dad's boyfriend. She is very unhappy and homesick, until she meets a girl called Natalie. This book has a very interesting premise. When people speak, the words that they say fall out of their mouths and are visible, colourful and you can even touch them. To be honest, when I first looked at this book (the blurb and first page) I wasn't convinced. I thought it looked kind of weird, and I struggled to grasp the concept. Once I had actually read it, it made a lot more sense, and I actually really enjoyed it! I loved the characters and the plot was fun and interesting. One character, however, (Craig) has a redemption arc which I think was a bit too fast. He went from being a massive bully to supporting them real fast, which felt a bit unbelievable to me. All in all, it was a very enjoyable book to read, and I read it very fast. I would definitely recommend it. Be prepared for an interesting concept though!

Sophie
Euro Bookworms

It was okay at the start but later on it was really good. I’d definitely recommend it for people who are having troubles to speak with others. My favourite bit was when Natalie and Gala speaker in assembly about a story of what happened and spreading words everywhere. It’s also something to understand that people can always be fun to hang around and friendly, even if they have a funny accent. Overall, I’d give it a 8.5/10

Naomi
Herts and Essex

Lottie
Waldegrave School

Denise
Waldegrave School

Moving from Catalonia to Scotland is difficult for Gala. She misses her friends, her grandmother, and her old life. She also very much misses her own language, being able to chat quickly and easily, without struggling for words, and understand what is said to her. Gala forms a friendship with Natalie, who has selective mutism, and they share an understanding of the problems each of them has. They also notice the struggles of their classmates and find a unique way of making them feel valued but then have to rise and find a way to express themselves against a bully, who is twisting what they are doing. The book is written with a touch of magical realism, people being able to see and save words that people speak, and this forms an important part of the story. I really liked this aspect of the book. Spoken words are described as having different colours and shapes, some bright, some dull, some round, some spikey. Some of the text in the book is written in different fonts and words sometimes tumble down the page and cause drifts at the bottom, just as in the book words form piles on the carpets. The book made me think about the importance of the words we speak and the effect they can have on others. I would recommend this book to anyone who cares about friendships, home, and those around them. I would give it 5/5 stars.

James
Larkmead

A beautiful and sometimes heartfelt story with some intriguing content. I particularly liked the way that the author used dashes to convey the words that Gala didn't understand as when learning a new language that is exactly how it conveys. The idea of "collecting words", to be used in a positive way, is a gorgeous idea.

Miss Berrow
Appleton readers

It wasn't my kind of book, mainly because it was a bit boring and not the kind of book I like to read. It was about a girl named Gala and her dad Jordi moving from Spain to Scotland to live with her fathers boyfriend Ryan. She's feeling lonely until she meets Natalie a girl with selective mutism. They both find a way to communicate together until a classmate threatens to destroy their new found friendship.

Molly
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd

A Way with Words is a very unique writing style in such a way you need to figure out what is happening from the start of the book.

George
OLSB Shadowers

To begin, I'd like to mention that "Away with Words" is not the genre of story/did not include themes that I usually read. From the get-go, I thought the swirled lines and skipped words were far from what I think the author intended them to have the effect of. I found the lines quite confusing, actually. I mean, I got as far as understanding that she was blanking out, but at times the repetition of this became a bit boring, frankly. I think the backstories of each of the characters (particularly Gala) were rather bland, but, personally I think the (somewhat overused) immigrant-who-is yet-to-learn-the nuances-of-this-new-place concept could be promising if used well. However, this potential was combatted by the very clearly stereotypical and cliché themes, which I found quite plain and the somewhat 2 dimensional feel of the characters. Yes, the characters were lacking dimension, but I think that there were some nicely written extracts of emotive writing, especially involving the friendship between Natalie and Gala. You could also tell that the author had thought out the grand ending (which I think may have pleased most readers), so I credit her for that. Towards the end, the descriptive writing did meet its peak, and I enjoyed the visual description of the assembly speech. Hence why I personally rated "Away with Words" a 6/10 or 41/70.

Nikita
The Abbey Readers 2024

Away with Words is a slow book that doesn't have a lot of action and is not that gripping. However, the characters were understandable and you could sort of understand what they were going through. The way the author designed the page set up, the words being missed out and some word being bold, you could get the effect the author was trying to give the book. However, it could get annoying at times as the words were being missed out and it was hard to tell what was going on. However, this was not a book of the genres that I prefer to read so that might have caused me to not like the book as much as I could have possibly.

Aanya
The Abbey Readers 2024

This story plays with a very strange concept which are words floating around. As I read the book I can see different fonts , opacity and placement of words which make this such a cool book to read. This story talks about many things that aren’t talked about like moving away and selective mutism which is really good for people who want to find out more about these things or are experiencing this them self. I love this story because it is sweet and it is also intertwined with a thrilling mystery. When I picked this book up I couldn’t put it down.

Phoebe
Herts and Essex

I loved how the author shared the challenges of moving to another country and coping with the language and the culture differences. This really resonated with me from my exchanges to France and Spain and living abroad for a year. The gaps in the sentences will hopefully enable more people to appreciate how much can be missed in the early stages of language acquisition or if a young person feels they cannot speak words to communicate. The way Sophie brought the words to life in the novel an how they were printed falling or floating off the page felt innovative and highly engaging. Her portrayal of the bullying also is so topical when it is especially hard to stop when it is not clear who the perpetrator is. I would love our pupils to read this to appreciate how the pupils who arrive with little time to prepare in a new school might be feeling. Then they just might be a bit braver and feel they can say 'hi' and hope that they could connect with someone like Gala and Natalie did.

Ms McCaffrey
Carnegie Festival

At first I struggled to connect and enjoy the book. As I got into the book more I started to understand the feelings of Gala and her struggles with not knowing English. At the end when she felt happy with Scotland it showed a lot of our CREECK values including challenge and resilience.

Shelby
OSSMAORATORS

I liked about the book, how it goes with our CREECK values of confidence of learning a different language and a new country. Also with some words it was in bold or in different shapes

Chloe
OSSMAORATORS

I loved this book so much! I love how the story identified the struggles of people who move away from their home to a new place and how they try to learn. I also love how we see how she feels about her situation allowing me to feel empathy for the story. 4/5

Lylah
OSSMAORATORS

For this book, I found it very confusing as some of chapters in the book had left gaps and words everywhere. My favourite part of this book was when Gala had moved from Scotland to Spain as this was when Gala had changed from being a very funny and happy person to a sad and lonely girl. I liked this book but found found it hard to read.

An
Ermysted’s

It took me a few chapters to understand that the book was set in a world where words appear physically- that everyone can see them and it is a 'thing' for the context of the story. Once I understood this I really enjoyed the story and could see the importance of the words that appeared in different styles and sizes and how when a word was described in colour it highlighted the emotion. The book was about family, the ups and downs of relationships, school, friendship, culture and inclusion and how Gala finds a way to communicate. I quite enjoyed this book by the end, especially the relationships, characters and mystery.

Izzy
Ousedale Olney

'Away with Words' is set in a world where words actually appear and can be interacted with. The story begins with a girl named Gala, who has recently moved from her home town of sunny Cadaqués, Spain, to the cold and dreary Fortrose, Scotland, to live with her father’s boyfriend, Ryan. Gala is thrown into the deep end from the start of the book. The deep end is a new school, but here’s the real kicker: she doesn’t speak a lot of English. She struggles to navigate her way through her new life and all the troubles that come with it until she meets Natalie. Natalie is a girl in Gala’s year with selective mutism. The two eventually become friends through Gala’s broken English and Natalie giving nods and notes to Gala when in school. After the two have become close, Natalie invites Gala to her home after school, where she tells her about her hobby of collecting words. Natalie uses the words to create poems, and Gala becomes enamored with the concept of saving words and creating poems. The girls then start making poems for people in need of something to make them smile and encourage them. They then slip the poems into the bags of the people they are writing for anonymously, so no one traces the poems back to the pair. However, the good the poems do comes to a swift end as someone starts writing poems that are used to bully others. The girls then have to do some sleuthing to figure out who is writing the poems. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and felt that the touch of the words being able to be physically interacted with was an amazing idea. In my opinion, this book is an amazingly well-written one that covers themes that aren’t often explored, for example, selective mutism, anxiety, homesickness, and many others. I would recommend this book for children from years 5 to 9. Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. The ending was rather satisfying in my opinion, but I wish the repercussions of the writer of the poems used to bully were written about.

Amelie-Jude
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd

Away with Words, by Sophie Cameron, is a book about is about a young girl named Gala, who moves from Spain to Scotland with her dad, Jordi, to live with her dad’s boyfriend, Ryan. Gala can speak two other languages however she cannot speak English but is learning as she goes along. At first, she does not like her new life until she finds Natalie, who has selective mutism. This book is were language, emotions, and words becoming real things. It is a book recommended for younger readers due to it easy to understand writing and a good lesson to it. I wouldn’t recommend to older student however. Personally, I found it book had a good storyline but a lack of depth. I would rate it 5/10.

Shreya
Perse Carnegians

I think this book was really good though it is not a genre I would usually read. The first few 100 pages I was a bit confused when trying to understand what the author meant when she said that words were physically coming out of your mouth when you talk, but when you get further in the book, then I understood where the author was coming from and how the story would progress. Overall though, this is an amazing book. I really liked it!

liv
SHSK Shadowers

This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. I love the way the writer portrays words as falling out of people’s mouths. Another great aspect is its general themes of kindness but also the awareness of others. Truly wonderful, 5/5

Matthew
DCGS1624

Gala has moved to Scotland, from Spain, with her father, so they can build a new life with her father’s partner. Desperate to return to her native land, Gala gradually makes friends and starts to fit in to her new surroundings. She becomes close friends with Natalie, who teaches her about ‘collecting words’. Words are not just written down, every word that is spoken takes a physical form and as the words fall to the ground Natalie and Gala collect them and make up poems to help their fellow students feel better about themselves. Unfortunately, Gala and Natalie are accused of writing some nasty poems as well and as they seek to clear their names they find that friendship comes in many guises. Such a wonderful idea, words being physical entities, falling around us as we speak, different colours, sizes and shapes depending on their meaning and the way in which they have been used. Perhaps, if this were the case, we would all be much more careful with our words, and also ‘listen’ more intently to those around us. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Mrs B
TGS Book Group

I thought I was a very thoughtful and interesting book and not many books write about being mute. The universe in which the book is staged is extremely creative and interesting. The fact that every word you speak takes physical form is a very good concept and the way the use it in this book is fantastic. All in all this is one of the best books I’ve read.

Konnie
DCGS1624

At first, I found this book quite confusing as I didn't really understand the concept of the words. But, after I understood it, enjoyed the book a lot. 10/10

William B
Ermysted’s

I liked the story and the characters and I think it is a very uplifting book which gives a different perspective to that which people are used to hearing about. It is a book about Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland and how she makes friends with Natalie, who has selective mutism, and how they use words to help uplift other people's spirits. It was interesting to learn about selective mutism and think about how difficult it can be to move to a new country. I liked the way they represented Gala's struggle with new words by hiding them which helps the reader understand more deeply what it is like to be in her shoes.

Daisy
Wyedean School

I have rated this book a 4/5 because this book was amazing and very creative and unique. I loved how whenever they spoke, words came out of their mouths and the way the author used squiggly lines for Gala not knowing English well as she is from Spain. I thought that this books ending was not as good as I thought it would be but it was a bit dull and boring and I sort of knew it was going to happen in the end because the author gave it away before. However this overall is a special unique book which clearly expressed life for selective mutism people in a world like Natalie's.

Summaya
The Reading Queens

An Incredible read. The characters are very relatable, they feel worried, lonely as well as unsure in a new environment. The idea that words are actual things or could be held and touched is amazing and special. Collecting words could be seen as fun but also important for people who have selective mutism or anyone who feels either shy and is not that good at languages, just like the main characters Gala and Natalie in the book. Neither of them are really fitting in at school. They suddenly become friends as they are very similar. The concept that words have different colours, fonts and textures to show emotions and the person's personality is an idea I found very interesting. This book also showed that you have to be brave and face whatever challenges life throws you and you always have to try your best to overcome them. Also no matter what, your family and friends will always be there supporting you. This book is truly amazing and I'll recommend it to everyone.

Hayden
Bookiewookiedoodaas

Away With Words, by Sophie Cameron, is a wonderful book about friendship, language, emotions, and words becoming real things. This book is about a young girl named Gala, who moves from Spain to Scotland with her dad, Jordi, to live with her dad’s boyfriend, Ryan. Gala can speak Spanish and Catalan however she cannot speak English but is learning as she goes along. At first, she does not like her new life until she finds Natalie, who has selective mutism. They start collecting words and creating poems out of other people’s speech that they find lying around. They make poems for other people to help them get through situations that worry them, until one day they must stop as someone else has started to misuse them in a way that makes everyone turn against Gala and Natalie. My favourite character is Eilidh O because she was always supportive of Gala and kind to her and believed her when few others did. The characters felt real to me, and I could picture the scenes and events as they unfolded. I thought this book was a page turner and it kept me guessing because I wanted to find out what would happen next. I particularly liked the idea that words became real things. I really enjoyed this book and would rate it for the ages 10- 13. I would rate this book a 9.5/10.

Annabelle
The Fitzharrys Shadows

'Away With Words' has an incredibly creative concept with a beautifully unique writing style. Complicated concepts are wonderfully converted into topics easy for children to understand, while successfully covering the theme of communication, making it highly engaging.

Lara
Carnegie Carnage

I think that Away With Words is a very good book . It shows what some people think when in social situations when put in these circumstances. Overall, I would give it a 4/5

Grace
Faringdon Community College

Amaara
JAGS Carnegie Shadowers

Nanaki
JAGS Carnegie Shadowers

May
JAGS Carnegie Shadowers

Mingpei and Hannah
JAGS Carnegie Shadowers

M Gwendy
JAGS Carnegie Shadowers

A heartwarming story about a girl named Gala who just moved from her hometown in Spain, to Scotland. Everything is strange and new and she can only understand a few snippets of words. She can see all of the words though, they tumble out of people's mouths and onto their clothes, the floor, or anywhere else. No one seems to notice them. One day, she meets a girl named Natalie, who picks up words for a collection. They both have trouble with speaking, as Natalie has selective mutism and Gala is from another country. Together they form a close friendship, and start to collect words to create poems to help friends get through tough times. Soon everyone hears about the mysterious poems, and they want to get one. Everything is going great until someone starts writing nasty poems, and Gala and Natalie are blamed. This is a really beautiful book, and I can relate with bits of it, as I too was homesick for years after we moved here from Australia. I love how much it shows the struggle of trying to understand a new language in a country that speaks it constantly. I love the connection between Gala and Natalie, one being from another country, and one who is mute.an incredible book with a nice format of the words not being understood being squiggly lines. I would easily rate it a solid 8/10

Richie
Euro Bookworms

Imagine you are in a new place with new people. The only thing you have is your father who right now you see as a traitor. He’s brought you to this rainy grey country that you will now have to call home as well as his boyfriend who tries to make everything ok, when it is not. Your new school is not the same as home. People make fun of your accent. You find a friend. You and your friend make people happy with your inspiring poems which makes them feel confident. Then somebody starts sending nasty poems! Are you going to stop them before they ruin everything? This book is empowering and magical which makes you feel good; all around you!

Ivy
Larkmead

Away with Words is certainly a style of book that is completely new to me and explores a topic I hadn't really thought about much before, so I appreciate that. However, I do feel as though the plot is rather boring and the book overall is written for a much younger audience.

Sophie
Ely College Reading Group

An unusual story, but I like the way the author writes in a colourful way and illustrates her words outside the normal text. Gala and her father have moved to Scotland to be with Ryan (her father's boyfriend). The author covers selective mutism, a foreign person having to learn English and bullying.

Michelle
Shaftesbury School Shadowers

Bethany and Maddie
BFS Umbra

I really enjoyed this book. It is about a girl who is forced to move from Spain to Scotland, not really knowing the language. I think this book does a very good job of putting you in the place of the protagonist. This is because any word that the main character doesn't know is replaced with a little line. This makes you have to work to understand what is being said, just like you would have to if you were learning a new language.

Jack
The Marlingtonians

Away with words was an extremely wholesome and inspiring book which follows the story of a girl who has moved to Scotland from Spain. I enjoyed reading the story, it was a nice read for someone who wants a short, light-hearted book to read. The story was realistic without being boring, and the addition of the "words" which physically come out of people's mouths when they speak was a great idea. From an educational side of view, the book is great to teach people about those who struggle to speak/ struggle to speak English. It takes on the perspective of Gala, who struggles in English, and makes her situation and character relatable and understandable, even though I've never been in a situation like the one she was in, it was still effortless to sympathise with her. As for the storyline aspect, I wish there was more action, more plot twists, I know it was supposed to be realistic, but I think a bit more spicing up the story could have been nice, it was mildly dull at times. Overall, Away With Words is a good light-hearted read!

Delana
Perse Carnegians

Away with Words is about a young Catalan/Spanish girl who moves to Scotland to live with her father and his boyfriend. Although at first she is extremely homesick, she soon befriends a girl called Natalie (who has selective mutism) and together they start creating poems to bring joy into people's lives. Even though there are a few twists and turns along the way it eventually has a happy ending. I liked this book because it is very uplifting and quirky.

Nat
Larkmead

Away With Words is a very powerful read , trying to spread the message that words can be used to hurt or to heal people.This was a very touching book and I felt that it would be a favourite for most people. Away With Words is all about how everyone is different and accepting people for who they are. It is a very creative read. I loved how Natalie becomes really good friends with Gala as Natalie has selective mutism which means that she finds it hard to talk to other people. I never realised what selective mutism meant until I read this book. Away With Words has definitely helped me to understand that everyone is unique and special in their own way.

Lily
Larkmead

This book has clearly taken away my words and breath. The issues and struggles this book portrays are ones that don’t get enough thought in our world. Seeing the way we act, the people we are, through the eyes of Gala truly is one of the best ways I have ever seen to show so many ideas. I’m in love with the way so many words are left to be read between the lines with font changes. Because that’s what the book is about, taking control of the changes around us. Not to stop them, but to love them.

Greta
HAEC Carnegie Shadowers

This book is really interesting; a world where words are physical, and they are everywhere. It might seem quite weird or fantastical, but if you really think about it, it is true. Speech and words do stay significant, as living organisms do communicate with each other, and we do remember what people have said to us before. The author chooses a very unique way to represent words in our lives, and the importance to it. In the book, one of the main characters in the story has selective mutism. I can't even begin to think how difficult life must be, when you want to speak, but no words come out. But in a world where words are physical, people with selective mutism are able to communicate by picking up words and putting them together. Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. It is a really gripping story, bringing readers into a world full of imagination and emphasising the importance and power of words and speech.

Clayton
Bookiewookiedoodaas

In my opinion, I think that Away With Words by Sophie Cameron is a very good book. I started reading it and got into it really quickly. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop until the book had finished.

Isla
Carnegie Festival

The book Away With Words by Sophie Cameron is a wonderful and intriguing book about how a few words can change a lot. Gala is put into a school that speaks a language that she knows little of and yet she finds a friend: Natalie. Together they help people feel better about their worries and fears with a few chosen words. Overall the book is an intriguing book of kindness and curiosities that I would recommend.

Cadence
Plumites

My thoughts on the book Away With Words ( by Sophie Cameron ) is its an amazing book filled with ups and downs, family and friendships. This can be very relatable to the readers through the hardship of bullies or finding your people. This book is packed with adventure, hope and mystery. I love the relationship between Gala and Natalie and they're curious brave spirits. personally I love this book and think lots of others would too! My overall thoughts on this book is: very heart-warming, however no illustrations, would recommend. :)

Isla
Plumites

This book was good because it was about someone trying to find her place in the world. I'm happy that Gala managed to find a friend named Nathalie.

Willow
Plumites

I enjoyed reading this book because it is such an interesting outlook on a version of the world that people don't really think about, ( well that I don't think about.) it takes an aspect of the world as simple as the words from our lips and makes it interesting and I really like the kind of book that really opens your eyes. And that help you see things you would otherwise miss.

Galaxy
Burford School

I enjoyed reading this because of all of the the different fonts and colours that were described in this book . It introduces topics like selective mutism. It is almost like Gala is in her own word when seeing word and emotions being shown as colours.

Amelia
Burford School

Away With Words is nothing like what I expected it to be like. It explores different feelings, personalities and conditions. This isn't the usual type of book I'm used to, but overall it was a nice book.

Kaya
GreatB00ks

Such an interesting concept! I wish we really did have words spilling to the ground. Lovely focus on words and the power they can have - both good and bad. Worth a read.

Ms Best
Dallam Bookclub

Away With Words is a sweet story set in Scotland about change, acceptance and difference, and hosts a whole range of colourful characters and relationships that I found relatable and funny! Although it is not what I would usually pick up, due to the language seeming to be aimed at slightly younger readers, I enjoyed the novel concept, interesting narrative and especially the shocking plot twist, which had been deftly hinted at earlier. Throughout, I was reminded of the power of words and friendship.

Emilie
KEVICHG

Prabhnam
Lionheart24

In this book, I loved that the words weren't just used in one way as in other books. This gave an oral storytelling vibe. It explored the idea of how we can give words different meanings depending on the way we use them. It also helped me realise how some people take words for granted, and throw them around carelessly without a second thought. This book shows that the most important words are the ones that we struggle to say, but in the end, mean the most.

Zoë
High Storrs Carnegie Shadowing Group

In “Away With Words” Sophie Cameron takes a fairly common story – a girl who has just reluctantly moved to a new country and has to settle into a strange new school – and gives it a twist by setting it in a world where your words appear physically out of your mouth whenever you speak, and are scattered all around. These words are all different colours, sizes and fonts, depending on who is speaking and what they are feeling. “Love”, for example, is strawberry coloured, “breath” is cornflower blue, while “hopefully” is a delicate purple. It was this aspect of the story that I found the most interesting and imaginative. The idea of words being tangible is fascinating and thought-provoking, and this novel makes you think about the power of language and how words can bring people together but also cause a lot of pain if misused. I also felt Gala’s growing ease with a different language was interesting; wavy lines are used whenever she cannot understand a word or phrase in English, and as she becomes more fluent and confident, the lines decrease. Gala’s friendship with Natalie is quite sweetly portrayed as they bond over their struggle to communicate with others: Gala because she is trying to learn English, and Natalie because she has selective mutism. I enjoyed the passages where they collect words, and it made me really think about different words and their meaning, and what colour and typeface they might be if I could see my speech tumbling from my mouth. “Away With Words” is a quick pleasant read (although I felt the ending was a bit predictable, and I worked out the identity of the anonymous writer fairly quickly). Nevertheless, I would still recommend this book because the whole concept of being able to see and touch words is a fascinating and unusual idea.

Arthur
Tractor

I really enjoyed 'Away with Words'. In Gala's world, words are physical things that change shape, colour and size depending on how the speaker says it and how they are feeling. I thought that it presented a wonderful range of characters who were all extremely relatable, although the plot was a bit lacking as I would have preferred that the mystery that Gala and her friend Natalie have to solve was a bit more difficult. Natalie is a girl with selective mutism, which I had never heard of before I read this book. A very good book but could be improved.

Bee
KES Bookworms

I enjoyed away with words and felt that the unusual concept for a story was beautifully displayed by the author. I felt I could connect with the characters and understand what they going through to a deep level. I would highly recommend this book.

Niamh
Team CHSG

Set in a world where words seem physical when people speak, Gala and her dad, Jordi, have just moved from their home in Catalonia to a town in Scotland, to live with Jordi’s boyfriend Ryan. Gala doesn’t speak much English, and feels lost, lonely and unable to be her usual funny self until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. The two girls start "word searching" and together they make poems with the words they have collected to make people's day better. However, somebody steals their idea to write rude and hurtful comments, causing trouble and pain at school. This book was very touching, focusing on the difficulties of living through new experiences and finding your voice to communicate across boundaries.

Maëlys CI
4Shadowers

Away with Words tells the story of moving house to a new and unfamiliar country, friendships and the challenge of speaking. The novel is set in cold, wet, grey Scotland over the course of one Winter and Spring. The dark tones of the landscape contrast with the colourful sentences the characters magically produce. The unusual thing about the people of this story is how the words they speak become actual objects in the real world with form, colour and mass. The story centres around Gala who recently moved from Spain to Fortrose in Scotland. The move is not easy for her and she finds adapting to the new way of life difficult until she meets Natalie, who, despite her selective mutism, quickly befriends her and starts talking to Gala. Together, the new friends create uplifting poems out of other people’s words which they find and collect. Gala and Natalie leave their poetry for others to find to make them feel better. However, this idea quickly goes sour when someone uses this technique to create hurtful poems. The two girls must find out who is doing this before everyone receives a nasty poem and emotional harm is done. Finding the culprit helps Gala to settle in her new home and feel comfortable with the new language. Through their friendship, Natalie gains some confidence, especially with those closest to her. This book would be of interest to those facing similar issues in life around moving house and making new friends.

Gabriel
Euro Bookworms

"Away with words" is a story with kindness at its heart. When Gala is forced to move to Scotland from her home town in Spain, she feels lost and decides to try her best to not fit in so her father will take her back to Spain. This is until she meets Natalie, a girl with selective mutism in her class. Natalie also finds speaking and words a challenge and soon Gala doesn't feel so out of place in a foreign country. As the friends begin to be comfortable with each other, Natalie shares her passion for word searching. A game amongst the girls, of picking up words fallen out of mouths and collecting them to create poetry. Soon the harmless actions of poetry writing turn into something much worse and Gala's new life is threatened by the actions of others. I loved this story although at first I was confused with the fantasy element of "word searching". Ryan, Galas dad's boyfriend was my favourite character as he always had Gala's best interests in mind even when Gala often got angry at him. I love how brave Gala and Natalie were and even when classmates were mean to them they still managed to continue spreading kindness. Although this book is definitely for younger readers, it was still very heartwarming and had clear morals throughout. It would have been better if the "anonymous classmate" who was sending the mean poems was a little less obvious for the reader to figure out as it would have made the story more dramatic. I would rate this book 7/10 due to its sweet characters, and unique yet realistic story and I would suggest this book for ages 9+.

Lola
PGHS Shadowers

This has been my current favourite Yoto Carnegie read; it is a beautifully lyrical and poetic novel. It centered around friendship, the impact we can have on others and words and the power they have. The idea of words being physical was really hooking and enchanted me. This was not the most gripping story out of the shortlisted however the moral gained was gorgeous and the atmosphere was, if I were to talk as Gala, a soft lilac sunset ,calm and home. The journey of Gala as she learns to find home again and react to change is lovely and I found it truly wonderful how it focused on the challenge speaking can be to some, across languages and disorders. Overall this was a lovely book, and I would highly recommend it.

Zaynah
Bookiewookiedoodaas

'Away With Words' is a completely new style of writing. It vividly depicts a Spanish girl called Gala moving in with her dad's boyfriend and all the challenges she faces. After meeting Natalie, a girl with selective mutism, the duo shine some light on their schoolmates and write poems with others' words. Words in this narrative are seen as visible objects that can uplift but also scar. Soon after they begin their poems, nastier ones are produced by an anonymous classmate but the blame is still on the two girls. As the story goes on, Gala adjusts to her surroundings, accepting the cons and embracing the good things while Natalie gains confidence. Together, the pair confront the bully only to find that they have problems of their own. Eventually, they show the school who they really are. The description is like no other I have ever seen before and the emotion flows through the first-person story until you are the character, feeling what they feel. After reading the first two chapters, it started to make more sense and I think it is a great read.

Eleni
Going Places

Gala, an 11-year-old girl who just moved to Scotland from Spain, struggles with the language. Words in her world appear as material, and she and her friend want to write poems with words to cheer up students. Unfortunately, things go wrong by doing that. This book expresses the difficulty for some people to be integrated into groups of friends when moving to a brand-new country. I would give this book a solid 9/10 because the story was very interesting and captivating. The author underlines very small details that help the reader to understand better the plot and the situation the characters get involved in. It also allows the reader to visualize better the place in which the story is set. I recognized myself as reading the book, as I moved a lot during my childhood, but it also made me think about all the new students who arrived each year in my school, who we didn’t especially integrate into our groups, and who were left apart without any friends. I would of course recommend this book.

Méliane
4Shadowers

I thought that Away With Words was an ok book, but not very good overall. The idea was very good but I found the book very predictable and I guessed who was writing the mean poems almost straight away. I did find it cool that when people spoke, actual, physical words came out of their mouths that were able to be picked up. The bit I really didn't like was the ending, where the person who wrote the mean poems came and apologised to Gala, Natalie and Eilidh O, as it made the book quite boring and it would have been better if she admitted she had written the mean poems to the class, as it would have added more excitement to the book. Overall, it was ok, but quite dull.

Nikita
SHSK Shadowers

I just have to say that I definitely recommend this book. It's so interesting; the way Gala couldn't speak their language and then her friend Nathalie helped her sometimes, which was nice. But I think she became the quiet girl because of the fact she could not speak their language, but in Spain she could chat all day. Overall I loved this book and, like I said in the beginning, I would totally recommend it.

Vicky
Eltham Hill Book Club

This book was a really fun read. The author does a good job at portraying how Gala feels in a new environment and the way the words are set on the page really helps convey that. The writing is clever and funny. I enjoyed reading the book.

Daria
Riverside Readers

Away with words, by Sophie Cameron, is a staggering novel about a world where words that you say fall out of mouth and, depending on their importance or emotions behind them, disappear after a few days. The main character is a girl called Gala who is forced to abandon her hometown in Spain to go live with her dad's boyfriend, Ryan in a remote part of Scotland. On her first few days of school, she finds it difficult to integrate into this new world where she can not really speak as she only knows a few words in English. She finds this particarly hard as she can not always say what she wants to and is confined to the few words she knows. Even though two girls named Eilidh C and Eileidh O befriend her, she feels secluded, and wishes to be able to go home. However, after noticing a quiet girl called Nathalie being bullied and teased, she decides to befriend her and discovers two unusal qualities about this fascinating girl... Firstly, that she has Selective Mustism, an anxiety disorder, which makes her incapable of speaking in front of certain social situations, such as school, or new people and secondly, that she collects important, intriguing or pretty words and makes touching poems with them. Together, they decide to make some to people that might be having difficulty in their lives, or simply to make them happy. However, different types of poems suddenly start coming out... mean and mocking ones which no one appreciates, and makes everyone sad. After finding out that Gala and Nathalie were writing the nice ones, the headmaster ( Mr. Watson), convokes them to his office, and soon, the rumour spreads that they were the ones writing the kind ones, but also the nasty ones. Gala and Nathalie suddenly find themselves hated by everyone in their year. They decide to find the culprit and perform a moving play which will hopefully convince people about their innocence as well as it being a metamorphisis of the trapped feeling of not being able to speak freely. They also figure out that the one behind the mean letters was Eileidh C, who had been jealous that she had received no letters from Gala and Nathalie. In the end of this novel, everyone knows that it was not Gala and Nathalie giving those letters and she realises that she wants to stay in Scotland. I really liked this book because the plot was really well thought out and written and I loved the way Sophie used different fonts and colours to show the different and emotions behind words. This book also really made me thought of how I would have acted in this world and wether I would have been more careful with what I said, knowing the words wouldn't just disappear straight away. It also made me realise just how much words were important and how they could affect someone . The only thing I felt could have made this book better is maybe not only using different fonts but also different sizes.

Léonie
Euro Bookworms

Away With Words is a beautiful story that starts with a girl named Gala, who meets her new friend Natalie, who has Selective Mutism. Together, they gather words to write heart-warming poems that speak to others and help overcome their doubts and fears happening in their own worlds. I think this book is a one-of-a-kind. It has some sort of a touch feeling to me. When reading this book, it gave warm smiles as if it was happening in real life. Away with words is such a magical story that never ends with words of meanings and feelings. I give it a 10/10, I really recommend this book to anyone!

Afreen
Skipton Shadows

This book is an amazing book to read. I love that it also spreads awareness about Selective Mutism. I really recommend this book as it takes the reader on a journey of friendship, family and school life as well as a rollercoaster of emotions for Gala. Overall, I give this book a 4/5. Its a very interesting book but the only thing I don't like about it is how its written in first person, and since Gala is a different language she doesn't know some words meaning the reader has to guess them and fill in the gaps. However, overall its a really lovely book and I hundred percent recommend it.

Miya
Plumites

This book was amazing, it inspired me to respect those that are unable to speak or choose not to do so. This doesn’t mean they are not communicating their ideas, feelings or thoughts in other ways. It was great that these two girls started making poems for people that felt down, worried or scared. I wish I could see and hold words like people did in this book, it would be very helpful for daily tasks. It showed that even when trouble comes your way strong friendships are unbeatable. I hope whoever reads this book will love it like I did.

Isabel
Fortismere

Amelia
The John Mason Shadowers

The book is about a girl named Gala and her dad, Jordi, who have just moved to Scotland from Spain to live with her dad's new boyfriend, Ryan. However, Gala has been blackmailed. Will Gala be able to show everyone who she really is? I found this story really interesting, as it shows the trouble caused by blackmailing and how it affects people both mentally and emotionally, as well as exploring the theme of learning difficulties. Overall, I found the story interesting, I wasn't particularly hooked by the way it was written and became a little bored halfway through - I felt in needed a faster pace, as the way the story progressed made it feel rather long. (Three stars out of five).

Maryam
Rockwood Reads

This book was so beautiful and had some lovely ideas and messages. It was very well written (However I did notice a few minor errors such as spelling etc etc) and it was overall a very good book that makes you think about the way we communicate

Jenny
Chippy Chapters

away with words is a brilliant book had a good flow. It was an enjoyable to read

Sophie
OLSB Shadowers

This book really opened my eyes to the struggles that foreign pepole in England face everyday. My favorurite part of the book was when the main character realises that life might not be the same as Spain but that dose not mean it is bad. An amazing book that every child needs to read.

ottilie
Sandroyd Bookivores

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read anything like this before and thought the concept was really interesting. I liked that when Gala didn't understand English, the words she doesn't understand aren't written and instead are written with a line. I enjoyed the friendships in this book. I found the concept of collecting word (when you can't speak) from others very interesting and something I have never read about before. It was amazing!

Katie
SPS Book Clubbers

I enjoyed this novel, the words being physical was a interesting and fun choice, while i feel the novel lacked much suspense i found myself enjoying that feature. Natalie and Gala's friendship is really fasinating with neither of them needing english to fully communicate with each other.

isabella
Carnegie Festival

I enjoyed away with words, it was a very interesting book. I liked the idea behind it, as it is not a style I've read before. Another reason I liked it was that it highlights the difficulties people have with communication whether it is because of language barriers, mutism or anything else. So many people worldwide have to experience the challenges of moving to a new country, without knowing the language or the way of life. Overall, I would rate this book a 7.5/10, as I think it is probably better for younger readers.

Jairaj
Ermysted’s

I quite liked the book and the way the words were used throughout the book. I found Natalie's character quite interesting as I don't really know much about selective mutism, i also liked the way that she found the words and turned them into poetry. My only problem with the book is that I thought that it could have a bit more of a story-line as this one is a bit uneventful. Overall I thought that it was a very good book.

Robin
Ermysted’s

“Away With Words” by Sophie Cameron is a heartwarming book about a young Spanish girl, Gala moving to Scotland, where she has to overcome the challenge of learning a new language. It is a lovely story that really helped me gain a powerful insight into the struggles that people can face with languages. One of the characters “ Natalie” has selective mutism, I had heard of this disorder before but I found her role in the story really helped to raise awareness of how people with selective mutism feel. This book is full of wisdom and I really enjoyed it. Overall, I cannot think of anything negative to say about this inspiring story and I would totally recommend this book.

Eaden
Marshland Readers

Away with words is quite a nice book. This book explains how hard people have to fit in an area which everything is different to them and nor can speak that language in that place. This book is pretty relatable to most people who are finding it hard to connect all words together or understand . This books also explains that people also have feelings but cant project their feelings out like some of us can . Overall I enjoyed this book and would rate this 5 stars

Anushri
Team CHSG

Ada
Waldegrave School

Emily
Waldegrave School

I thought it was swell however the writing style got quite tangled and confusing

JESSICA
Kingdown 24

I quite liked the book. It was inspiring and understanding. The author did a good job writing this but i just feel like this book isn't really my type of book. Though it was nice to step out of my comfort zone for a bit. I'd love to read more books like this.

Chiziteremiheoma
Beauchamp Champs 2024

I liked the storyline but this novel lacked excitement for me. Specifically, I enjoyed the imagery of the words collecting on the ground. I enjoyed the communication as Natalie collects words.

Anya
RGS Junior Book Club

Overall I found this an enjoyable read. Gala has just moved to Scotland with her Dad and is struggling with the language. Having been a chatty student in Spain she now struggles to communicate with others. The world in which it is set is unusual in that spoken works are also emitted as written words. As a scientist I was intrigued as to the ramifications of this (how do headphones work??!) and was slightly disappointed that this was not explored further as several ideas occurred to me in the first few chapters! However, I was able to empathise with Gala having lived in Africa for several years where I spoke a different language to everyone else in my village. The story revolved around her journey through the months after her move and the balance between the wants and needs of those around her and the struggles of being a teenager in school. I didn't find the way that the teachers behaved very realistic which slightly spoilt the story for me, but overall I'd recommend it.

Mr Jurd
Herts and Essex

I thought this book was very interesting, especially Natalie's character, as I've never really known much about selective mutism. The whole plot was beautifully thought out and the ideas and themes felt amazingly lyrical. I didn't really get absorbed in the storyline, but it was well worth reading, and showed a couple of unusual perspectives, from Gala and Natalie. Overall, this was a lovely book, and a powerful insight into something a lot of people are unaware of.

Rosie
Burford School

Away with words is a mesmerising artistic piece of writing, amazingly written descriptions and characters, bringing light to the very relatable girl Gala and her friend Natalie as they navigate the many hardships of secondary school and creating their own way of communication with their classmates. The many different fonts and lettering styles bring character and interest to the pages, reflecting the positivity and determination radiating from this book. Gala finds her way in a new and unfamiliar country bringing with her the echoes of the millions of immigrants with the same story.

Taira
Chiswick Carnegie

A really beautifully written story about Gala who has moved with her dad & his boyfriend from Spain to Scotland, fitting in, trying to make friends & feeling lost, lonely and unable to be her true self. Her friendship with Natalie is reassuring to read as you realise Gala is finally beginning to settle in. I really loved the idea of their communicating by means of found words. A truly uplifting story which teaches us to have empathy & understanding of others who are new.

Mrs H
Wycliffe Readers

I personally found this book very interesting because it really shows friendship and emotions when you move somewhere new. I got a bit confused as you could pick up words when you say them. I highly recommend this book to other readers.

Hamza
Ermysted’s

'Away with Words' by Sophie Cameron is a captivating novel which I loved reading. It highlights the difficulties people have with communication whether it is because of language barriers, mutism or anything else. Gala and Natalie faced challenges daily when trying to communicate. It was also interesting how the words people say can be physically seen. This book is great for pre-teens looking for an inspiring and elevating read.

Jessica
LGGS Shadow Questers

A majestic book full of wisdom and endurance, ‘Away With Words' really took me on an experience through to a place full of frustration, anger and trying to find peace, yet in moments of all chaos and despair, we find beauty and love at the heart of family. We start with our procrastinator Gala moving to Scotland ,from her homeland Spain, with her Dad so they could live with his boyfriend Ryan ,who is a P.E teacher at her new school. Fighting a difficult journey of homesickness and learning a new language, Gala learns the true meaning of patience and hardship. On her first day of school she meets a quiet girl called Natalie, who we find out suffers from selective muteness. Even though communication is difficult, they find a connection through word searching, a game that brings them much joy. One day, a classmate tells them she has to have surgery and she's very worried, so they decide to make kind, inspiring poems out of the collected words. Eventually mystery poems are the talk of the school. Everyone wants to know who the anonymous poet is. But when mean poems also start getting sent round the girls find themselves in a sticky situation. Will they ever prove they're innocent? Even when times seem hard, they join together and lift each other up. My favourite character is Laia because she is such a sweet, loving Grandma with lots of mischief and friendship. My favourite part is when Natalie and Gala go to the beautiful waterfall and sit on the huge rocks, it created such a gorgeous picture in my mind. I also loved the fact there were words floating around the page which made it feel so special and fun. I would give this book a 9/10 because it's a lovely story, however to give it a ten, I’d have liked them to visit Cadaques to truly understand the contrast of her two homes. I would 100% recommend this book, it's one of the best so far and I think Sophie should be very proud to have created such a wonderful, diverse book.

Amelia
The John Mason Shadowers

In this heartwarming story, a girl moves from her home in Spain to a small town in Scotland. "Away with words" follows resilient teen Gala as she navigates moving home, joining a new school and making friends, all while learning English anew. The book veers from the norm in that the characters' speech falls from their mouths as physical words, these letters are represented on the book pages as well as blanks, to symbolise Gala's confusion at the new language. These techniques really help readers to engage with the main character, and understand what she is going through. I also appreciate how the book deals with difficult to understand conditions such as selective mutism in a way that feels respectful and realistic. I would recommend this disarmingly sweet novel to anyone who wants a quick simple read to restore their faith in the power of friends and communication in this ever solitary world.

Abi
Wyedean School

Away with Words is a very touching book about a Spanish girl moving to Scotland and starting a new life. She cannot speak English and she learns by collecting words that are left around her. I enjoyed the book a lot although it was very emotional and the beginning of the story was definitely sad compared to the end which is mostly happy. This book also shows what it's like for people with selective mutism and together, the two main characters, Gala and Natalie, make a good team. I recommend this book to anyone 11 and above and the book was certainly a good read.

Joseph L
Bookwizards

I really enjoyed reading this book and got very immersed into the story. I felt the inclusion of the words in different fonts, sizes and positioning really emphasized the struggles that Gala was going through as she had to adapt to a new language. However I found that at the start of the book I didn't understand if the words she was seeing on the floor were there for everyone or just for her. This issue was explained later in the book but I just wish it could have been explained sooner. Overall, it is a good book that I would recommend to other readers.

Benjamin R.
Ermysted’s

I would definitely recommend this book! Whilst it took me a brief time to realise that the concept was literal not metaphorical, I found the idea very original and interesting. It also really gripped me and I found this book presented an interesting perspective of language and the use of it.

Eve
St Kaths

I quite enjoyed "Away with Words" and would recommend it. I particularly liked the brilliant illustrations as well as the exploration of friendship and communication. It's a very creative book compared to the many others I have read.

Shayan
Fiction Addiction

Away With Words is about a Spanish girl called Gala who moves to Scotland to live with her dad's boyfriend. At first, she doesn't like it there and wants to go back to her town in Spain. As she makes friends with a girl called Natalie who has selective mutism and they start making poems but someone lies and they get accused of something they didn't do. Gala grows to like her new life in Scotland and her new friends and her dads' boyfriends dogs.

Felicity
Brooke Weston Book Busters

I love we see the change in how Gala goes from hating her new home in Scotland to absolutely loving it and making a new friends

Ornella
Brooke Weston Book Busters

I really enjoyed this book since I had never read anything that included a character with selective mutism. The idea that words would literally drop out of people's mouths was very interesting to me, especially since the 2 main characters struggled with confidence in speaking and language. Away With Words is very easy to read and the structure of different words being written in different fonts and shades, as well as words being scattered over the pages, made it entertaining as well!

Tallulah
Team CHSG

'Away With Words' is a beautiful novel about a girl, Gala, who moved from Spain to Scotland. It is set in a world where words physically come out of your mouth when you speak. She struggles to fit in and wishes to go back to Spain. She meets a girl with selective mutism and befriends her. They come up with a plan to spread positivity with words but when it backfires, they must work together to explain themselves. It's a wonderful book that highlights the struggles of bilingual people and people with selective mutism.

Chloe
Brooke Weston Book Busters

I really enjoyed Away With Words. The book explored themes of selective mutism which I did not have knowledge of before reading. The way the book handled themes of bullying in a way that was easy to read but still delivered a message behind it. I think anyone of any age can enjoy this book, and the book was wholesome overall.

Savannah
Team CHSG

Away With Words was an interesting book because it taught me about the importance of friendships and how it is not easy to be different to others and try to adapt to a new surrounding and place that is not familiar, especially the way Gala was battling with everything.

Shreenithi
Team CHSG

I enjoyed reading away with words. | liked the relationship dynamic of Natalie and Gala and how someone who can't speak English fluently befriends somebody with selective mutism. Away with words is a book about resilience and belonging. Also, how things can turn out so differently than what you first imagine them to be.

Angelina
Team CHSG

Away With Words is a really enjoyable book and it gave a clear perspective on the lives of many people. It also shows the character development in many characters like Gala and Natalie, and yet it is also realistic when it comes to the idea of change.

Nidhi
Team CHSG

I really enjoyed reading away with words. I loved the creativeness the writer had to make it about a world where people can pick up the words that an individuals says. I quite enjoyed reading into Craig's character development, from being a bully to seeing a spec of kindness at the very end from him. Overall my favourite character had to be Ryan. Loved this book

Nicole
Team CHSG

I really enjoyed reading Away with Words. I feel that although the book was in the perspective of Gala, we could still see all the other characters developing as well, which gave us an insight as to what each character was thinking or going through. It really emphasized the importance of what a strong friendship holds and it is a great way of educating younger children about these values.

Zurnaina
Team CHSG

I think 'Away With Words' is a great book on how a girl from Spain manages to survive in a school environment and make friends, even with a huge language barrier.I also like the character Natalie as she manages to fight her selective mutism and at the same time brings Joy to people through her poems.

Scarlett
More Readers

This book taught be about something I've never even heard of before - selective mutism. It also puts a new spin on something we all take for granted - words. We can all speak with ease, but to be put into the shoes of people who can't speak with that ease, it's an exciting experience. Moved me nearly to tears - I couldn't put it down.

Lily
Page Turners24

Away with words is a beautiful story about communicating and connecting with others in ways unconventional with the norms of the world. It was very fascinating exploring the world of this book, as well as the development of Gala's feelings towards Scotland and her school. This book was well written and perfectly showed what it i like to be pushed into a new environment. I really enjoyed the characters in his book as well as the story line and unique universe!

Emilie
Euro Bookworms

I think this book is really fascinating as the author uses a creative idea. Like how we speak the words come out of their mouths in a typical font and colour showing their emotions. This book is about a girl who had to move to a different city because of her dads husband and she found it really difficult to speak in English. She gets blamed for doing something wrong. I would rate this book a 5 star.

Inaayah
Beauchamp Champs 2024

A really moving and enjoyable story with very important topics like Natalie's selective mutism and Gala's struggles with understanding English. I love how words were scattered all around the pages in different shapes and fonts; it really puts Gala's frustration and struggles into perspective. This book really makes people feel for Gala and Natalie, and to learn more about their problems and although I struggled at first to get into it, it had a lovely ending and was worth reading!

abbie
Waddesdon Shadowers

Away With Words This book showed the importance of friendship. I enjoyed it and recommend it to other readers.

Callum
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

An amazing book based on a Spanish girl who is trying to fit in a foreign school, away from all her friends. I particularly enjoyed this book because of the amazing friendships made and plot twists. Overall, ‘Away With Words’ was a stunning book to read.

Meira
Going Places

Away With Words is a great book. The poems included are also very good. Friends will always find a way to communicate, no matter what. I would not re read this book. I rate this book 5/10.

Ailise
Rebel Readers

A great book, with a clear plot and good character development. It has lots of representation, with LGBT characters normalised, and attention drawn towards the lesser-known disorder of selective mutism, raising awareness. I also loved that many words were represented as squiggles at the beginning of the book, which helped to represent Gala's poor understanding of the language, and how there were less squiggles as the book went on to show her growing vocabulary. I enjoyed seeing how Gala overcame issues with the help of her friends and family, and I hope to read more books like this.

Lydia
LSST Library Shadowers

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron depicts Gala who had moved from Spain with her dad, who befriends Natalie, who suffers from selective mutism. Throughout the book, they create poems from other people's words to help other classmates get through rough periods in their lives or make them feel better about themselves. I like how the book expressed words in which they can be used to uplift people but can also be used to diminish self esteem. I also like how it represented the LGBTQ+ community with the relationship between Gala's father and the PE teacher at her. I love how the front cover, specifically the title, had a play on words linking the main character's way with words in their poems, but also how the antagonist uses words to try and get away with saying bad things about others. Overall, I found the book thoroughly educational and I loved reading every second of it. I would definitely recommend it and would rate a 4 out of 5 stars.

Ella
Faringdon Community College

it showed how you can change a community with simple but effective words. this tough me how you can make a difference with something small. you can make someone day or help them feel better with a simple poem. this book was written in a very UNIQUE way. I love it I think it is incredible

ANASTASIA
OLSB Shadowers

This book is about a girl from Cadaqués, Spain who moves to Scotland with her father to live with his boyfriend Ryan who works at the local school. When she moves there, she is sure she will hate it but as she moves through the next few weeks it gets better in some ways and she learns that she will sometimes have to fix her own problems. This is a lovely book about getting used to new things and how hard it is to move away from all you know and have to learn a new language, make new friends and find new hobbies. I really liked the character of Gala because she is funny, and kind and I liked reading about the bond formed between her and Natalie and the pros and cons of staying in Fortrose going round her head. I loved the idea that you could see all the words people had said and the different fonts/colours depending on the mood they were in. I also liked what they used the words for. On the other hand, I got really confused about the fact that there were two Eilidh’s and found it a bit repetitive at times. Overall, I think this book is lovely to read and is a sort of mystery and investigation in a way. I would recommend it to 6+ and rate it a 7/10.

Holly
The Fitzharrys Shadows

it was well constructed and I love the word art on the page, it really brought the story together. I loved the ending, it was fantastic! I think this book should win!

Phoebe
KLB Books n Banter

Away with words is a great book. The idea of having words that you can pick up is fascinating and showing people speaking with sections missing out that the main character can't understand makes you relate to the main character well.

Ben
Fortismere

I really enjoyed this book and the ideas in it but I think it could be portrayed in a different manner. However it had really good ideas and the basic story was great. I love this book alot more over other books.

James
SHS On The Same Page

Away With Words is a nice book about moving to a new country and being taken away from everything you know - your friends, your school, your language. The concept of words being tangible objects is an interesting concept - at first I thought that she had synaesthesia, but then when other people interacted with them, I realised that that was just 'normal'. The story is very nice about friendship and learning a new language.

Huxley
Fortismere

I liked this book because the jellyfish looked really cool and at the end of the story they eventually spot the giant jellyfish! It made me feel happy reading this book because of the fantastic illustrations!

Nathan
BurlingtonBookReaders

I like this book as it shows how a letter can change everything, it also shows how people feel when they go somewhere new.

MuyangD
Ermysted’s

Terrific, amazing ,wonderful these Page's will transport you into the life of a girl Cala with a language barrier between her and everyone else until she meets her new friend jesica who struggles with social anxiety and uses spoken words to help her overcome her fears so they start writing poems with spoken words to help their friends ? That’s when everything went upside down and someone started to make poems that turned people against them

Mariama
CTA Book Club

Amazing book! I enjoyed the representation of different people's types of communication, liked how it showed people's different perspectives and why they would do things. The idea of spoken words being real is really smart.

Esme
Aldridge School Readers

This book is about two girls who are still trying to find their voice as one of them has selective mutism, and the other has just moved to England from Spain to live with her Dad's boyfriend. The story follows the second girl (Gala)'s journey to make friends and settle in to England. The two girls decide to write nice poems for people who are struggling at school. Eventually, someone else starts writing rude and insulting pems. Overall, I would recommend this book.

Estlin K
Ermysted’s

I really enjoyed Away with Words by Sophie Cameron as it shows how friendship could be anything, like how Gala struggled to speak English but still managed to communicate and build a connection with Natalie, a girl with selective mutism.

Tarja
GreatB00ks

Away with words is a beautiful and moving story about difference and acceptance. It has plot twists and inspiring characters which make it fun and enjoyable to read. I found it easy to empathise with the characters and it felt like I was in the story with them! My favourite part is when Natalie shows Gala how to preserve the words in paper because Sophie Cameron uses so much detail.

Rebecca
GreatB00ks

Away with words is a very moving story about accepting and differences. It has many plot twists and inspiring characters that make it a beautiful book. It was easy to empathise with the characters that made you connect with the book so it felt like I was in the story!🙂

Jennifer
GreatB00ks

Away with words was a bit confusing at the beginning but once you get through the confusing bit it is an enjoyable read and written well. It is about accepting differences and how you don't always need to speak with words to be understood.

Ellie
GreatB00ks

I really liked this book but it took a bit of time to get used to the whole words falling out your mouth thing i also think that the way they showed natalie with selective mustism was brilliant because it shows what is going on for her . This book really inspired me to do some scrapbooking. I really advise reading it ❤️

Emme
GreatB00ks

This book was unlike any other I have read! I really enjoyed the concept of words flowing from the page and found it very interesting to read. Having said that, I did find it a little bit hard to get into it but I advise keeping going- you'll miss out on a great book otherwise! I was inspired by the courage and determination shown by Gala and Natalie too! I really recommend!

Elouise
GreatB00ks

This book was NOT for my liking. However it did provide a good discription of what the main character had gone through. I feel that his book could have been better if it did not 'drag on' as much and avoided all the description of some of the things that happened. E.g when she was in detention. This book would be good for someone who likes a book that describes what happenes and makes you feel like you are there with the characters in the story.

Phoebe
GreatB00ks

Its a great descriptive book which helps me understand what the main character is going through. Unfortunately this book was NOT for my liking as I found it kind of dragged on and could of got to the main point quicker.

Olivia
GreatB00ks

It was good but it was a bit boring sometimes as nothing really happened for long stretches of the story.

Sophia
GreatB00ks

We loved Away With Words. It was touching and heart-warming. The friendship between Natalie and Gala was endearing and the book was sweet while educational. We learnt about selective mutism and the experiences of young people living in a new country and learning a new language. The mix of genre made the book even more interesting and the ending was very moving.

Laura and Lucy
Barts Bookworms

Great book and story line of how Gala was new to Scotland and her English was bad and made friends with Natalie and set about making everyone's view of Natalie change

chay
KES Readers

I found this book very interesting but I would have liked it if there was more of an explanation of what the words are but otherwise this book was very interesting .I would give this an 8/10.

Ben P
Ermysted’s

I really enjoyed 'Away with words'. It had a really interesting concept, the words where seen in different shapes, forms, colours and fonts. At first I was confused how it worked, but then got the hang of it. I think that Sophie Cameron showed how hard it is going to a new country that you don't speak much of the language. She got us to really feel the character, Gala, and how she was coping when she did not understand a word or sentence, by making us not know what it was either! Overall I think I really got into this book, and its quite different to any others that I have read before; and that is what interested me from the beginning.

Evelyn
SHSK Shadowers

This is a wonderful book, I loved how the words were bouncing around the page as well as the different fonts for the words. The meaning of the story was sweet and overall a brilliant book.

Amelia
Reepham Readers

This book was a sweet read, set in a world where words are physical things. However, it was a bit predictable and not especially page-turning. I would give it a 6/10, but would recommend it to younger readers (9-11 perhaps)

Florence
Wyedean School

I think that “Away with Words” was an amazing book and it was definitely an eye opener. I think one of the main reasons it was such an eye opener was how the main character saw words and how they came out of people mouths. I also think it was a very inclusive book as it included not only a girl who had just come from Spain but also a girl with mutism who turned out to become the main character's best friend. It also was the kind of book that I couldn’t put down and that’s what I loved about this book. In addition to this, I would never have known what mutism is if I hadn’t read this book.

Anya
Winchmore Carnegie Group 2024

I think this novel was fantastically written. It tells the story of a young girl called Gala who has to move from Spain and discover a whole new home and language. I like how words can be seen by the characters and the compelling plot. I believe this book is an amazing read and I would recommend it to anyone with a love of reading.

Harriet
Weald of Kent Sevenoaks

I thought this book was alright but it is really not the type of book I would read.

Vanessa
Eltham Hill Book Club

Personally, I thought that the book was decent as it had good descriptions but the plot wasn't as interesting.

Climent
Carnegie Dragons

I think that away with words has a great story, which resonates with many children and adults, who are struggling with language. The writing style helps us understand the feelings of the character better and adds character to the writing as well. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as i did when i first picked it up, but it has thoroughly surprised me and I would recommend i to anyone who would like a short read. Overall, great book.

Zimo
Carnegie Dragons

Away With Words is a creative and unique book about the power of words. I enjoyed reading this book as it has an interesting concept and quite engaging plot- Gala moves to Scotland from Spain, and is lonely and misses her old home, but she makes a kind friend who teaches her about the potential of words, and make use of the words into good-hearted messages for people who need it- until something goes wrong. The two friends must find out the truth and to justify themselves. This is a wholesome story about friendship, trust, and kindness.

Florence
SHSK Shadowers

I really enjoyed this book. The thing which I liked most about this book is that the words which are being spoken actually come out in real life. Away with words is an excellent book written by Sophie Cameron, a super star author. This is a book about a girl called Gala , an 11 year old who moves in Scotland from Spain. But she doesn't like there as she struggles to speak English. Then she gets friends with a girl called Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. They both find their own way of communicating. Gala then finds out that her friend collects words which fall out from people's mouth while talking. After Gala thinks that they can write some short poems with these words to make people feel happy if they have any worries or if they are sad. At the beginning everything goes good and people get overjoyed by receiving the poems as they give them hope. But no one knows who is sending these letters as Natalie and Gala decided to keep it a secret. The worst thing happens when someone starts writing mean and discouraging poems and everyone thinks that it's coming from the same person. This worries Gala and Natalie. And this person secretly goes to the head teacher and says that it's Natalie and Gala who are writing these rude poems and they both receive detentions for this. Now everyone starts being extremely mean and horrible to them. Now Gala wants to prove that it's not them writing the horrible letters but they are the who are writing the good ones. Now she does an assembly with Natalie in front of everyone to prove it. They play a short story which makes people believe that its not them. Then they found out who wrote the mean ones and that person says sorry and goes and tell the head teacher that its not them two and tells the truth. At the end Gala likes there and doesn't want to go back to Scotland. I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Mariyah
Lionheart24

It was an astonishing book. The ending was very interesting .

Humera
Winchmore Carnegie Group 2024

I really liked 'Away With Words'. I think the way that Sophie Cameron subtly improved Gala's range of language provided a connection between the reader and Gala. It is a really good book that shows the impact that words or even actions have on people. Gala and Natalie are likeable characters who have imperfections but show us how to overcome them. Overall, it is a really good book that I would like to read again.

Kitty
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

I really liked it! I thought it was beautifully written and love the concept of words being physical things you can touch. The characters are all interesting and make you root for them. The story and how they show the spoken words is very compelling and immersive. The book is very 'Show Not Tell' and represents friendships building up over time really well throughout the book. I think the characters changing over time is portrayed well, especially Gala and Natalie.

Jessica
Eltham Hill Book Club

I find the book Away with words to be a very relatable read as I myself relate to Gala`s struggle to communicate with people as I often struggle to get my point across, I also find it a nice story with a realistic aspect as many people who do not speak the language of their peers can feel divided when they are unable to communicate. I found joy in reading about Gala settling in and adapting in a way to her circumstances eventually slowly becoming more open and making friends like Natalie. another thing I really liked was the plot. I found it interesting and compelling (if that`s the right word) and overall I would recommend the book for everyone but even more so to people who struggle to communicate. Summary: I loved the book and I have so much I want to share but I don`t want to make this too long. (Also sorry its long)

Presley
OSSMAORATORS

This book is in a world where words are physical things that you can pick up and see after they are spoken. It is bout language barriers and includes somone who has selective mutism and someone from spain tryng to learn english. i think this book was very good like most of the carnegie books this year 9/10

IsaacJ
Ermysted’s

It’s about a girl who is in Year 7 and she has moved from Catalonia in Spain to Scotland. She already speaks Catalan and Spanish. The dad moves them to Scotland so they can be with his partner who is a teacher at Gala’s school. On Gala’s first day of school, she is faced with the Scottish accent and she clams up. In this world when you speak, people can visually see your words as they come out of your mouth and they drop onto the floor – it’s very visual. They come out in different colours to reflect people’s moods. It’s very clever visually as Gala only partly understands the sentences. Gala makes a friend who has selective mutism ad she watches her pick up these words from the floor to make poems. The book is about acceptance. It's written so realistically, I thought I had missed something! That there are people with a condition who can visually see words. I quite liked this one because it is unusual.

Pauline
Avril and Aldham

This is a beautiful book and it definitely deserved to get shortlisted. Gala is a loud girl in Cadaques but when she and her dad moved to Scotland she becomes quiet because she doesn't know English very well. It is an incredible story as she learns to speak English. She meets a friend along the way who has selective mutism and struggles to speak - Natalie. Gala and Natalie face problems along the way but they eventually manage to sort them out. If I could rate this book it would be a 9/10.

Amelia
Skipton Shadows

This was a very enjoyable read - an engaging story about the struggles of selective mutism and moving to an unfamiliar place. I loved reading about the unconventional presentation of words and speech, the way that they were physical objects.

Polly
Eltham Hill Book Club

I think this book could have been better if it had more of a plot to it and was written a little bit better. I think it also could have ben better if the author had focussed a little more on the friendships of Gala and how they progressed. i think it might have been written to bring the attention to something but there were a few things that i think the book was supposed to help bring the attention to but i don't think they fit in with the book and only a few lines were spared for each problem. some of the views were controversial and almost all the characters agreed to what i think the authors point of view was on these problems and so it became unrealistic. i think the book quickly became rushed and asn't thought through properly as i didn't really see anything progress, it was more of a quick start to finish rather than a build up towards the end

Isobel
Sidmouth Insiders

Away With Words is set in a world where spoken words appear as physical objects. The colour, font and size of the words change depending on the speakers mood and feelings. These words can be picked up. In this world, Gala, who has just moved to England from a Spanish town, misses her friends and her old house. In her new school, she struggles to speak English and is made fun of for it. She is finding it hard - thankfully, she makes an excellent friend. Together, they find a unique way of cheering people up. However, in a dark twist, someone uses their way of cheering people up. Their mysterious classmate threatens to ruin everything but they pull through in the end.

Sebby
Going Places

This book was ok as there is a strong message of friends, family and home. It also shows the power of words. However, I was a bit confused to why words were physical things. Also, it was a bit boring as the climax wasn't really that exciting. The book was a heart warming story about friends and family. A tale of two young girls fighting to be heard and on a journey to find their place, confidence and prove their innocence.

Lily
Chiswick Carnegie

Away with words was a very interesting and emotive book. In this book, Sophie Cameron told the story of a girl who couldn’t seem to find her way in an unfamiliar country, but was helped by her new best friend in the hope of a better future for both of them, but then someone spoils it for them both. This book evoked emotion when the two girls sacrificed their reputation in order to help each other. It was very touching when they both became more confident in themselves and the world around them. Sophie’s authorial intent was to show how much we can learn about the world and the people around us by simply watching and listening; and how easily people mistake this for something else. Although I enjoyed this book, I got a bit confused because I could not relate to all the “Words falling out of people’s mouths and onto the ground” vision that the author wanted us to imagine. But overall, a really enjoyable book.

Grace
Chiswick Carnegie

I really enjoyed away with words as it is a fantasy story but with realistic elements. I like how when words are spoken they appear in the real world and how Natalie makes a hobby out of them. Gala is a very strong character who clearly has been really thought out and the book tells a lovely story of Gala finding her way in a different country. Overall, I loved the book.

Chloe
SCD Pageturners

I picked up Away with words because i thought that it looked interesting, i never thought that i would enjoy the book this much. I thought that it was a brilliant book that made me have a different view of how some people live.

Bethany
Bibliomaniacs

I think Away With Words is a very interesting book. It showed the struggles of immigrants moving to countries which don't speak their native language. I liked how it didn't show the words that Gala couldn't read as squiggly lines, because it gave an insight on what it's like not understanding the language. I would say that the story was probably suited more to younger readers (I'm thirteen). Overall, I would recommend this book to 9-11 year olds, but it still a good book nonetheless,

Jairaj
Ermysted’s

I enjoyed this heart-warming novella, I feel it addressed the idea of communication and language beautifully. I personally loved the way the main characters portrayed the children as kind people who were just trying to figure out how the world worked and where they fit in it. Using the main character to explore the a new, foreign world that they had never really been exposed to before, made for a very pretty story. To then give her friend who had complex backstories and having them also explore the ideas of emotion through each other and their words and communication methods .

Jenny
Perse Carnegians

Tara
Bookiewookiedoodaas

Away with words by Sophie Cameron is a touching story of friendship, language and understanding. It follows Gala, a girl who has just moved from Spain to Scotland and struggles to speak with her classmates in English. She becomes friends with Natalie, a girl with selective mutism and the pair set out to bring joy to their school by collecting the words that fall from people’s mouths and composing poetry. At first, the concept of these floating words seems unusual, but it works well to illustrate how what we say to others matters and that best friends don’t always need to speak aloud to have a genuine connection. The friendship between the two main characters is endearing and there is something comforting about the way in which the perceptive author acknowledges ignoring people as a form of bullying- which usually goes unnoticed. The parts where characters are picked on for being quiet at school was unnervingly realistic. Gala’s gradual acceptance of her new home is satisfying to see unfold and the exploration of her loneliness and homesickness being replaced by love for her new home and her friends was sweet. Furthermore, the story’s moral messages were strong: it clearly showed that all bullying is wrong, no matter the bully’s life circumstances. The ending was a wonderfully positive conclusion to the characters’ development- the bullied children chose to show maturity and empathy; the bullies learned from their mistakes. Instead of blaming others for mistreating them, Gala and Natalie bravely educated their peers about selective mutism, showing them that being different is never something to be ashamed of.

Holly
St. Bede’s 2024 Shadowers

I really enjoyed this book because it opened my eyes to what people who move to different countries have to deal with and how difficult it can be to leave your loved ones and friends. The first chapter confused me a bit because I wasn't sure if the words falling out of peoples mouths were just in the main characters head or a real thing but as I advanced through the book I understood what was going on more. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who asks but in particular I would say 11-16 year olds because of the way it is written.

Elise
Bramcote College Bookclub

It took me the first half of the book to figure out what was going on and the plot was very dragged out. I though it did a good job at representing people who have immigrated and people with selective mutism.

Jonah
Bramcote College Bookclub

A clever book written in a cool world. It really nicely shows the impact words can have on people and how we can make sure those impacts are positive. The plot is paced really well and it is 100 percent a book I will recommend.

Diya
Bramcote College Bookclub

Away with Words was different from what I normally read. I felt that it represented the struggles of kids who have immigrated to England quite well but I didn't find it particularly page turning. I also think that this book would be more appropriate for someone younger than me (13).

May
Bramcote College Bookclub

I found Away with Words enjoyable and if you wanted a quick read than I would recommend this book. I enjoyed the plot concept but in my opinion it was dragged out a bit.

Kayleigh
Bramcote College Bookclub

The book emphasises the power of words, language, and communication through visible examples. The author cleverly portrays Gala's struggle with understanding spoken English by using squiggly lines to represent the gaps in her comprehension. As a dyslexic reader I can also empathise with this and I believe that any child who has experienced frustration in communication, whether due to a new environment or innate shyness, can relate to Gala's challenges. Additionally, the book addresses themes such as bullying and social anxiety disorders, illustrating how these issues can affect even seemingly happy families. Natalie's selective mutism leads to thought-provoking moments in the narrative, highlighting the complexities of communication barriers. The story also explores how children may feel overwhelmed and powerless when faced with adult decisions, highlighting the importance of support and encouragement during times of change. Furthermore, the book delves into the challenges and advantages of being bilingual or multilingual. It is great to see this subject given a platform to be considered. I appreciated the inclusive depiction of LGBTQ relationships in the book. The author also provides a backstory for the bully character, fostering empathy and encouraging readers to consider their own moral compass.

Kerry
OSSMAORATORS

This book was a very enjoyable read. I was expecting a story about a girl, relocated, and gradually coming to terms with the move. And that was part of the story. The author has been very clever with her concept of collecting discarded words and how the characters were able to use those words. This is a very interesting interpretation of how people, who have difficulty in communicating for various reasons, can overcome those barriers.

MrsMidge
Balcony Bibliofans 2024

I enjoyed this book as was quite different, but still related to real life. I would recommend this book to Y7 & 8 as I think younger readers would enjoy this book more.

Rebecca
GreatB00ks

After reading this book, I was left in amazement of the imagination and descriptive language of Sophie Cameron. The unique and inventive use of different fonts, colours, and sizes for words added an extra layer of depth to the story. It was amazing to see how Gala's world was so similar to ours, yet also dystopian. The friendship between some characters in the story was not only beautiful, but inspiring, showing how two people with communication barriers could still find a way to connect. The book also provided a glimpse into the experiences of someone with selective mutism, offering new perspectives and insights. But in my opinion, the book could’ve easily contained more depth into characters and languages even with the unique way of writing, the most of it did explain how different Gala sees the world but it was hard to uncover her emotions. Overall, I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thea
Horsham BOok HUNTers

I really liked this book and the story as well. The only thing that I didn't understand was the words flying out the peoples mouths.

hasan i
Ermysted’s

When Gala moves to Scotland to live with her dad’s boyfriend everything is different. One day at school she makes a friend called Natalie, who has select mutism. Right away I like this book, it is all about friendship and change, I would give it 5 stars! During some parts of the book it made me feel anxious about the characters, but others made me feel full of joy. So, I would definitely recommend this book for people who like heart warming tales or people who are struggling due to change. Also, if you are lacking courage then this book shall inspire you to brave!

Sophia
The Fitzharrys Shadows

This book contained wonderful imagery and metaphorical words, loved the haikus. Will definitely be creating more since reading this book. Raises lots of awareness about selective mutism which was nice to see. Overall, it was a nice short story, and I enjoyed it so much.

Holly
Herts and Essex

I really enjoyed this book and I thought the plot was quite original. I liked the concept of words being seen and being able to be picked up and looked at, and that they were all different colours and lettering depending on who said it in what tone. I would definitely recommend this book to ages at 11 plus. Overall it was a very enjoyable read despite the slightly confusing way it was written that I found quite hard to pick up in the beginning.

Isabella
Bookiewookiedoodaas

An amazing book! It has been beautifully written with an incredible storyline. It explores friendship in an amazing way with interactions not always being vocal. It also has a unique layout where some words have squiggles which makes you want to figure out what word is supposed to be there.

Lola
Weald of Kent Tonbridge

In my personal opinion, I found this book boring in terms of plot as it is not my preferred genre, but there were a few things I enjoyed about it. Plot: The plot of this book is interesting and a unique concept. I enjoyed its execution despite my feelings towards the book. Characterisation: From my perspective, the characterisation of this book is its greatest aspect. The dynamics between the characters are developed and intriguing, and the characters themselves are likeable. Style: I did not like the style this book was written in. Whilst I am sure it is appealing to other people, the way the words are placed on the page and the many different fonts made it hard to read. Overall: Good book with great characters and dynamics, an interesting plot, a very unique style of worldbuilding and, in my opinion, a poor usage of fonts.

Victor
Horsham BOok HUNTers

The book “ Away with Words” tells the story of 11 year old Gala who has just moved to Scotland. Originally from Spain, she finds it hard to adapt to her new life, especially because her usual fun and exciting self can’t be expressed in words. She is devastated because all the words flying around are hard to understand for her. Eventually, she finds a girl with selective mutism, and the two quickly become friends. Gala and the girl called Natalie make poems out of peoples spoken words, which are usually discarded, to make people feel better. But when someone copies their Ideas and writes nasty poems, the girls are suspected to be behind it. When they decide to prove it wasn't them, an adventurous time begins which will bring the girls closer together. Even though the book was quite hard for me to get into at first, I ended up really enjoying it. I found the relationship of Natalia and Gala to be very interesting, as the 2 have found a way to communicate through the words of other people and with that help people in their own way. The author also mixes the book really well, adding different bits of excitement and comedy to create a good and sometimes relatable perspective of Gala. The title “Away with words” fits well to the story, because it symbolizes the way that the characters of the book use words to express themselves in their own way.

Elsa
Euro Bookworms

"Away With Words" was an engaging read, and I found it enjoyable due to the clarity of its narrative. The author's use of detailed descriptions and the incorporation of different fonts to convey the emotions of various characters was particularly effective. It also employs a variety of descriptive language and personification, which adds depth to the narrative. The underlying message of the book is that words can have a powerful impact on individuals, either positively or negatively.

Talya
Fortismere

The book ‘Away with Words’ written by Sophie Cameron was an interesting read because all the characters were people you could either relate to or similar to someone you know. The book is set in a small village on the coast of Scotland. The main character is a girl called Gala who moved there from Spain but she couldn’t speak English very well so it took a while to get the hang of it. Together with her friend Natalie (who had selective mutism) they found a way to tell the rest of the school what they wanted to say but then someone used their method of communication to make something nasty out of what once brought smiles to peoples faces. I enjoyed reading the journey of this girl as she battled the language barrier and the unfortunate events that follow later on in the book. The book demonstrates a unique aspect of our world. I thought it was creative how every word someone spoke would be visible in different colours and fonts showing the emotions we all feel. I would give this book a 5/5 star rating because their world is a little different to ours and they had a variety of characters. They also taught me about selective mutism which I think is important to know about before I might meet someone with this disability.

Clara
Euro Bookworms

Away with Words was a great read for me. I really enjoyed the way that words are physical objects and the way that they are portrayed in the book; fonts are unique to every person; the colours of these words reflect the emotions when saying them; and their size indicates how loudly someone says it. Altogether this book combines heartwarming characters and important sub-themes (like how there is often more to a person than what you think you know). Overall, I found Away with Words to be an amazing read for anyone, even if this isn’t your normal genre.

Dylan
Horsham BOok HUNTers

This book was the first book I read from challenge This book was a good start for me as I loved the theme of it. Gala's lack of English understanding of English was shown well through the gaps in sentences leaving you to guess the words yourself kept me guessing. Natalie's selective mutism and Gala's lack of English was a very good pair as it shows that you don't need words to communicate with one and other. The poems they made with words spoken by other people was a kind action towards others and Eilidh C was the person I least expected at the end and it gave me a shock. The way the rumour was sent around very fast shows quite well how high school drama can spread. I do have one question though which made me quite upset. Why didn't they fall in love?

LAYLA
OSSMAORATORS

in my opinion i personally loved the book and the ending! being able to see how the story unfolded and going through all of the characters problems throughout the chapters. The book really showed how relatable a book could be through the characters shown. i only wish the book could of been a bit longer. i also really liked the main character but i really wished the two got together in the end loved both Gala and Natalie were such a good pair! but honestly i really enjoyed the book and think it was a good read would definitely would recommend to others and cant wait for others in this project to read it too see if they enjoyed it as much as i did. Overall i will say again this was such a good book and i enjoyed the ins and outs of this book. thank you. Nevaeh from OSSMA :)

Nevaeh
OSSMAORATORS

I really enjoyed this book and love how gala got brave / more fluent in speaking that language as I can really relate to this when I first came to England .

Delia
OSSMAORATORS

I really like the book and it explains the troubles people face from moving from one country to another and the difficulties people experience. Personally I would rate it and 8/10 and the only negative is I think that Gala and the mute girl should've got together.

Dylan
OSSMAORATORS

I thought that this book was very powerful. It used the idea of words in a creative way, and I like how it was inclusive of both people with selective mutism and people from different cultures. It gives you perspective from different people's points of view. It shows words as something permanent and physical.

Lily
Fortismere

I enjoyed this book very much as I found it quite an easy read and I also liked how it was a very inclusive book and I also liked the idea of people seeing other peoples words.

lara
Fortismere

I really enjoyed this book, the way Sophie Cameron wrote it and how she skipped words out to give it a view from Gala’s perspective. This book really showed what it was like for someone who had to go through the change that the main character Gala did. It was really nice how Gala made friends with someone with selective mutism and the idea of words flowing out of peoples mouths and how she learnt to word collect with her new friend Natalie. I liked how in the book she used different fonts and sizes to show what it would of looked like. I was quite surprised about the age rating as I thought that there was nothing harmful inside of it. But overall this book was great!

Elsie
TPS Carnegie Collective

I thought it was a very brilliant, well-written book. I loved the structure of the book and the way it was written. I thought the idea of picking up words and collecting them was incredible and well-thought. I loved how inclusive this book was as it included characters coming from different countries and cultures. It also helped me learn a lot more about selective mutism. I would definitely recommend this book

Juna
Fortismere

My Review of Away With Words - By Sophie Cameron I really enjoyed reading this heart – warming book, learning how two people befriended each other and became best friends. The book is about a girl called Gala. She and her dad, Jordi, are moving from Spain to Scotland to live with her dad’s boyfriend, Ryan. Although Gala struggles to settle in and wants to move back, she meets a girl called Natalie, who has selective mutism, who changes her mind. Because Natalie has selective mutism, she and Gala figure out ways to communicate with each other and when Natalie started talking to Gala that showed how close she had become with Gala – and really made me pleased. I really liked the way Sophie Cameron had words floating in the book and that when people spoke, words came out that showed how they were feeling by the words being different colours and different sizes. I learnt while change is hard, you do not have to overcome it alone and that there is always something positive that comes out of change – like how Gala made new friends in Scotland and her dad and his boyfriend were always there for support, even when Gala thought she didn’t need it. I would definitely recommend this book to ages 12+ because it is a lovely mystery book, packed with inclusivity, change and friendship.

Sakeena
TPS Carnegie Collective

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it was really interesting how in their world you can physically see the words coming out of people's mouths. I think it's really nice that if somebody told you a compliment you could keep it forever. Gala moving really resonated with me and the feelings she felt once she moved. I think a lot of people will really relate to Gala and Natalie. I felt sorry for Natalie and was angered by the injustice she faced. All the characters had a meaning behind them and were facing real life problems. I think this was a great book.

Emily
Kingdown 24

Paisley
Free School Readers

This book has a very interesting concept that adds a sense of whimsy in an otherwise ordinary setting. It gives a thought provoking insight into the mind of someone who is learning English for the first time and feels really alone. The main character, Gala, has to move from her home in Catalan and start a new life in Scotland with her dad and his partner. She doesn't speak English and spends most of her time missing her old life. The book uses the idea that words are physical things that you can pick up and read as someone says them. Gala meets a girl at her school who has selective mutism and uses other peoples physical words to convey how she feels when she can' t speak. She and Gala bond over their shared feelings of not being understood. They find a way of using their love of words to help others. I think that the metaphor of words being physical things represents how important they are to people who feel alone and overwhelmed. I really enjoyed this book and found myself connecting with the characters on a personal level. I will say that, as i was reading it, the book took quite a long time to get to the main problem of the plot and at some points I found myself getting a bit bored. Finally, I thought it was a lovely touch that at some points, the book is printed so that the words look like they're moving around or falling down. It showed how some people see the world.

Saskia
Fortismere

this book was very interesting and unique because when the characters speak, the words fall out of their mouths. A girl called gala from Spain has come to live in Scotland. she found it difficult to speak english but then meets a girl called Natalie who has selective mutism. Overall, i enjoyed reading this book and would read more of this author’s stories.

yusuf
Ermysted’s

Away With Words is a beautifully written book based around a girl called Gala. Gala, who has just moved from Spain, does not feel like she’s fitting in with her new life in Scotland. However, her new friend Natalie, a girl with selective mutism, changes that perspective entirely. Yet as life in this new country is starting to improve someone threatens to take it away. What can she possibly do? I found this a page turning read. I loved the plot and especially liked all the different fonts that expressed how people were feeling. Additionally, I loved how this book showcased words in our life. I think it showed that they are an essential factor and can hurt, support and inspire the people around you. Adding on, it showed that words are stronger than actions as what people said really influenced the storyline. My favourite character in this book was Ryan, Galas dad’s boyfriend. He was always really supportive of Gala even if she wasn’t the nicest person at times. I think this represented how parents are and should be loving, caring and kind. The only thing I disliked about this book was that some words were replaced with a squiggle. As a result, I found it harder to understand what people were saying. I would rate this book 9/10 and recommend it to readers aged 10+.

Orla
The Fitzharrys Shadows

Away with words was a very different book than what I have read. It has lots of hidden meanings behind the words that were written and the way it is written will make you see how meaningful words actually are. It includes this fantasy where the main character and the people in this book can pick up words they say and actually see the words on the floor and everywhere. This concept, I think, is so simple but when you think about it, it is such an interesting thing. There are so many details like how the words are shaped, the font of the words and the colour so that you can see what emotion these words were spoken in. Gala and her friend (the main characters) made poems with them which is a great idea from the writer because it gives the emotions from different people's words. Since Gala can't speak English well and her best friend cannot speak when she is with new people makes this idea of poetry a way to express themselves and show what they feel. As I have said, this book is very different but in a good way and teaches us many lessons like the power of words and how words can affect people deeper than you think. I highly recommend this book and by the end, you will see words differently!

Akashnil
TBGS Readers

This book is a funny ,dramatic book about; this girl who at the start can barely read English but than towards the end she starts to excel and makes some friends along the way.

Jonathan
Macaulay Book Club

This book is about a girl called Gala who moves to Scotland from Spain so her dad can live with his boyfriend. In her world she can see and feel words as well as hearing them. At school she meets a peculiar girl with selective mutism. When they try and cheer up classmates anonymously, someone takes and abuses their idea. I thought it was a perfect example of what foreign people have to experience when they move somewhere new. I enjoyed this book because I loved the way the author created a book of diversity where people from different backgrounds, nationalities, and disabilities. My favourite character was Natalie because of the way she word-searched in order to communicate with the world even with her mutism. I would give this book a 10/10 and would recommend this book to anyone aged 9 or above.

Eloise
The Fitzharrys Shadows

I liked the idea with the words being physical objects other people have to read to "hear". The story was alright but pretty predictable, Natalie was my favourite character because she found a creative solution to her problems.

Claudia
Orpington Library Younger Teens Group

I didn't feel enthusiastic to read this book as the concept was a bit confusing for me. Altogether I wasn't thrilled when reading this but since it was a fairly quick read it didn't feel like it dragged.

Caitlin
St Kaths

I like this book because it showed the life of a girl coming to Scotland from Spain and she sees words and she doesnt like it at first but she doesnt want to leave at the end because she is with family

samuel
Ermysted’s

I liked this book because it brought awareness to struggles that aren't really talked about like selective mutism. It also shows the struggles of moving to a new place and having to learn the language. At first, it was a bit difficult to understand because the blank spaces for the words Gala didn't understand confused me but once I understood it, it was fun to create my own fillers for the gaps. I also liked the idea of words being a physical matter and unique to each person because it isn't an idea you commonly see in books.

Aleena
Fiction Addiction

I enjoyed this book, at the start it was very bewildering but as it gradually went on it was easier to understand.

Emily
Macaulay Book Club

Overall a very good book it made me think about how difficult it is to move to a new country and just because you are young to be able to pick up things straight away I loved the way that the author made the book flow and when she didn't understand a word the audience didn't know either I feel like it helps us relate more to the character although I didn't get engrossed in it I think if you enjoy realistic stories that this would be a no brainer.

Catherine
Wyedean School

There is a Spanish girl called Gala who lives with her dad Jordi. They move from Spain to Scotland to move in with Jordi's boyfriend, Ryan. Gala finds it hard to fit in with the new language and people at her school but over time she meets a girl called Natalie (with selective mutism) who likes to collect words. With these words, the 2 girls make poems for their classmates when they are in tough times. Disaster strikes though, as there is another person writing poems anonymously but these poems are nasty and mean. Everyone thinks that Gala and Natalie wrote them as the head teacher called them to his office but slowly they found out that it was one of their friends who wrote them. They eventually write a play that they perform in assembly that proves their innocence. Then EC turns herself in and they live happily ever after. I thought it was very good and had some very real-world scenarios that I know some people could relate to.

Oscar
Ermysted’s

I recently finished this book, Away with Words by Sophie Cameron. The story follows a 12-year-old girl named Gala who has started secondary school. She has just moved from Cadaqués, her hometown in Spain to Fortrose in Scotland with her father to join his boyfriend who lives there. The protagonist, Gala, is a shining example of resilience as she had settled in so well into her new life and although she had to overcome the language barriers between her peers, she managed to make friends and have positive with most of her teachers. Additionally, her best friend, Natalie, is an inspiring role model throughout the course of the book as she copes so well with her bullies even whilst she is dealing with the struggles of her disability, selective mutism, which stops her from talking with others in certain situations, for her this mainly happens at school and with new people. This story reminds me of the importance of communication in our daily lives and how we musn't take it for granted. Also, it has made me aware of a disability that I hadn't heard of before. Overall, I found this to be a heartwarming novel about love, hope and change.

Sara
The Bentley Woodlanders

The story is a heart-warming tale of a struggling girl and it is perfectly executed. I love the inclusivity, LQBTQIA+; hidden disability and some-one struggling with English. I love Natalie and Gala.

Alice
Lionheart24

This book was full of surprises! I loved the mystery of who wrote all the bad poems. I really enjoyed this book and I couldn’t put the book down. I loved all the different types of font s in the book it just made it more interesting to read .

Eleni
Macaulay Book Club

In this book, Gala and Jordi have just moved to Scotland from Spain, to live with Jordi's boyfriend Ryan. Gala feels lost and alone and unable to be herself, until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. One of the strengths of this books was that it demonstrated that no matter what happens or where you are, you can always find hope and move forward. Although, at times, I did find the book repetitive, particularly in the way that it used some of the same words multiple times. Overall, I would recommend this book and give this book 3 stars out of 5.

Isha
Rockwood Reads

In a Scottish town two girls meet, Gala a Spanish immigrant and Natalie, a local with selective mutism. Together they find their own way to communicate in a world that they don't understand and doesn't understand them. This book is very engaging and touching due to the reader seeing everything through Gala's eyes. The well-written storyline keeps the reader on their toes trying to second-guess the book. Overall I think this book was incredible and would give it 9/10.

Simon
The Fitzharrys Shadows

'Away with Words' is a creative book set in a world where people's words take on physical form and come out of their mouths. The story follows the tale of Gala who moves from Spain to Scotland and her struggle of making friends, learning the language, and settling in. Cameron has created realistic characters and places with flaws, nuances, and individualities that immerse the reader into the world of Gala and her friends. The book explores themes of friendship, growth, and hope through the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Sophie Cameron also uses a distinct style of writing and oftentimes, forms shapes and pictures out of the words which makes the book more playful and interactive. My personal favourite part of the books is the poems created by Natalie (Gala's best friend,) as they are beautiful and provide an insight into the world of the book, also all the words have different fonts to represent that they are by different people which exemplifies the individuality and realness of the story.

Archit
MTS Northwood

This is an uplifting story about a girl named Gala who was forced to move from Cadaques (Spain) to Fortrose (Scotland). The main theme of the story is communication. Gala has limited English and struggles to show her personality. She makes friends with a girl called Natalie, who has selective mutism. Together, they find a way to make themselves heard. I was confused at first, because Gala sees words coming out of people’s mouths and I thought it was just in her imagination. It turned out that it was real, and Gala and Natalie could collect words. I liked the different colours of the words depending on people’s emotions. I think this is a very original idea and it kept me interested. I would rate this book a 7/10 and found it an enjoyable read!

esme
The Fitzharrys Shadows

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron is totally awesome! It's all about this girl who discovers she has this cool power: she can make poems that make people feel better. But when she starts using her power, things get crazy! The story is super fun and exciting, with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing. She is a relatable character, and I loved following her journey. Plus, there's a great message about the importance of words and how they can change the world. If you love adventure and a bit of magic, you'll love "Away with Words"

kieran
Fiction Addiction

This book is possibly my favourite Carnegie book this year! The way it visualizes Gala's struggles with words is so creative, and makes the book so more engaging and understanding than if it was just described! Gala is such a well-done character, and the development in the story is really well done, and doesn't feel forced. The plot works really well, and I was really exited to find out what happens next. Overall, this is a really enjoyable book!

Edward L
Ermysted’s

This heartwarming book about travel and friendship is touching until the last sentence. I loved the inclusion of other cultures and even languages! All in all this was an amazing book with an amazing storyline.

Elijah
VISTA Academy

A heart warming story about a young girl trying to fit into a new life in a new country after moving from Spain to Scotland with her father. The most interesting part of the book was the idea that everyone can see their 'spoken' words - how they are physically seen and collected depends on how they are spoken. This leads Gala and her new friend to collect and use the words to make poems for others in her school which eventually leads to someone else using the idea to be unkind to others. I enjoyed the book but thought that several of the themes and plot could have been developed a little more. However I liked the characters and the style of writing and think it would be an enjoyable read for ages 9 to 13.

Mrs C
PGHS Shadowers

I thought that this book was very well written and it treated the subject of bullying in a sympathetic way. However, I found the idea that words could physically fall out of people's mouths onto the ground was a bit strange and the way that the text sometimes leaves out words made it harder to follow. I really liked the character of Natalie because she didn't say very much as she had selective mutism and thought about what she said before saying it. I quite liked the character of Gala and was pleased that Natalie made friends with her as they both had trouble communicating with others. I loved the kind poems they made , especially the one about home. My favourite part of the book was when they fought back to prove their innocence when they were accused of bullying without harming the bully as well. I really enjoyed the fact that this book has a happy ending and I would recommend it to others.

Florence
Fiction Addiction

This was quite a good book. At first when you read it you might feel a bit confused when trying to wrap your head around words physically coming out of your mouth when you talk, but when you continue reading, then you will understand where the author is coming from and how the story will progress. Overall though, this is an amazing book. I really like it!

adebowale
Macaulay Book Club

Quite a unique book, not a genre I would usually read, and even though it is short and relatively simple it portrays very important topics. This type of book would be a great way to show and educate children - perhaps aged 8-12 - about these certain topics.

Irem
KEVICHG

This intriguing book caught my eye from the start and I'ts mystical values caught my attention immediately. Gala is a great character to think of and how she handles situations are incredibly described to the fullest. Overall I rate this book a 7 or 8/10.

Oliver S
Ermysted’s

I think this was a good book about people over coming boundaries and sharing kindness. I also like their resilience to prove everyone that they are good people and that they stand up to bullying. I also think that it is full of betrayal both small and large by friends and family.

Tomasz
Ermysted’s

What a brilliant story about communication, love and friendship. Gala and her dad , Jordi have moved from Spain to Scotland to be with her dad's boyfriend. Gala struggles to speak English and can't communicate with her peers. Along comes Natalie, a girl with selective mutism and the two team up to show their true selves and to find a way to express themselves. I loved this book and really didn't want it to end.

Mrs Parr
Appleton readers

Away with Words is a very good book. It made my think I was the girl in the book :) :) I like the way the words were like pictures. I would give this 9/10.

Emilie
Rebel Readers

Away With Words is a book about a 12 year old girl called Gala. Gala and her dad Jordi are from Spain and have moved to Scotland to live with Jordi’s boyfriend. Gala struggles to settle into her very different new life and find anything that she enjoys in it until she meets Natalie who has selective mutism. My favourite character in this book was Eilidh O because from the day that Gala starts at her new school she has made her feel welcome. I enjoyed this book because it shows how difficult it is for somebody who doesn’t know much of the language to move to another country. I also think that this book shows how important words are and how much of an impact they can make.

Jyoti
HHS

I quite enjoyed this book as it had a heartfelt meaning to it. I liked how when other people would talk, Gala would see the words all around her. This made it a very interesting read. I found this to be quite good although it takes a while to get into it. I give it an 8/10.

Elliott
Ermysted’s

Scarlet
The Sherbies

Away with Words, by Sophie Cameron, is about a girl called Gala who wants to return back to her native Spain, but her dad Jordi has moved in with his boyfriend Ryan. Gala finds it hard to settle in to her new school (where Ryan teaches), but then she befriends a girl with an anxiety disorder called selective mutism. They figure out how to communicate with each other. However, an unknown classmate starts to make Gala’s life progressively worse. I love how Cameron describes Gala so well, and how she can make every word click with another. This book is very interesting - I recommend it to absolutely anyone!

Zachary
MTS Northwood

'Away with Words' is a somewhat captivating book that highlights the importance of language as a fundamental way of communication and expression, but also as a device with potential to inflict great damage. The book utilized interesting ideas of visualizing and 'collecting' words, and focussed largely around the ploy of an unlikely but convenient friendship. While the book flourished in vocabulary and language tools, it was all in all written in quite a simple structure and for that reason not 100% engaging. I would Recommend this book to younger pupils

Daniel E
Ermysted’s

The book Away With Words is a very heartfelt and enjoyable book to read and the theme is to do with adapting to a different place and finding the joys in new things. This is what the main character Gala experiences, when she moves over from Cadaques in Spain, to the quiet town of Fortrose in Scotland. I really enjoyed reading Away With Words, as it created an emotional but warm atmosphere in every chapter, and the characters' lives were interesting to read about, and the fact that they live in a world where you can actually see words that people have said is an amazing feature. The ending was superb too as the story was brought to a good conclusion that made sense. To be honest, I don't think I would change anything about this book - the characters and their journeys and stories are portrayed perfectly. I would highly recommend Away With Words, it is a great book.

Olivia
Skipton Shadows

Away with Words is such a beautiful book, I really enjoyed it, you should take a look. When Gala moves to Scotland from Spain, She feels like nothing will ever be the same. She befriends a girl with selective mutism, Natalie, And she starts to look on her new life a bit more happily. In their world, a word is treated as a physical object, And Natalie and Gala bond as they create verse and find words to collect. As they go out and do their wordsearching, You can really start to see their connection emerging. They slowly develop their own way to communicate, But when classmates interfere, they begin to hesitate. Away With Words was outstanding and left me speechless, Sometimes emotional, and other times filled me with happiness. I think it is lovely to see Gala grow, From being distraught and at an all time low, And thinking nothing will compare to her beloved home country, To going back to being happy and sunny. It’s a joy to read as Gala comes to terms with her new home, And writes poetry with Natalie, instead of feeling alone. Even though it took me a while to come around, I became gripped and couldn’t put it down. The end of the novel left me completely surprised, When they discovered who stole their idea and was anonymized. My favourite characters are Iaia and Eilidh O, Because they always supported Gala through highs and lows. I liked how the colours of the words matched the speaker’s feelings, As it felt like behind all of the words were several meanings. In summary, I thought it was a wonderful and innovative book, It was beautifully written and had me captivated and hooked. It demonstrates that everybody is unique and different, Through a heart-warming and uplifting tale that is magnificent. I strongly recommend that you read this book, You won't be disappointed so go have a look!

Lucy
The Fitzharrys Shadows

"Away With Words" follows the path of Gala, an 11-year-old migrant, and her struggle with feeling belonged in a country where language is a barrier. She soon meets another girl who also views communication as difficult due to selective mutism, and together, they discover the power of words. I loved this book and the very perceptive way in which words are portrayed to have both good and bad consequences depending on how they are used. It evokes empathy for those which come from backrounds such as Gala and Natalie, which is why I would recommend it to younger readers as it may develop an understanding of the world and the difficulties faced by people around us in an easy to understand way.

Hannah
SHS On The Same Page

I really enjoyed this book, I think it is a nice shorter book with some relatable characters like Gala's occurring selfishness. I like how it includes things that people can't change like disability and gender etc. I enjoy the way she manages to communicate with colors and other ways. I recommend this book to people who want to discover diversity and changes as you get older. I enjoyed this book.

Emilia
Paulet Readers

'Away With Words' was a very enjoyable read. I liked the originality of the idea of words as physical objects, with different colours and shapes. However, I thought the motive to undermine/shun Gala (the main character) was a bit lacklustre.

Laurie
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

This book is about a girl called Gala who had just moved to Scotland due to family suituations. Gala felt that she had left her friends and home behind. She felt lost in this new environment--- she made friends, but she could not express herself properly nor confidently because she did not speak English well. It took her a very long time to find someone who truly understood her. The author expresses Gala's feelings by describing her mental progress successfully. I can find myself in Gala's position and empathise with her feelings because I have been in her position for multiple times. Overall, 'Away With Words' is a very interesting book to read.

Hanming (Sophia)
PGHS Shadowers

This book is quite good, but it’s not amazing for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are lots of wiggly lines in place of words, especially at the start of the story. However, as you read on, there become less wiggly lines and more words and you realise that the main character (Gala) is learning more English words and you are reading what she can hear. It really makes you think about how people who have limited knowledge of a language understand things in that language and how confusing it is to live in a place where you can’t properly understand the language spoken there. It really does make you think “what would I be like in this situation”. There are many topics covered in this book, including moving countries and missing them, missing relatives that you don’t live near, bullying, and more. This book is very inclusive as there are characters of all ages and different nationalities are represented. There are LQBTQ people and people who have anxiety and other issues, and more. However, this book can be quite hard to understand at first as the storyline, and what is happening, is not made very clear for the first few chapters. I finished this book within a few days-it was short but enough and more story would have felt unneeded. Would rate this book 8/10 and would recommend it to anyone over the age of 11.

Beatrice
LSST Library Shadowers

I really enjoyed reading this book as it was more light-hearted than some of the others. The character of Gala is great, she seems fun but also quite normal. I really loved the idea of words falling from mouths and it made my imagination go wild! I loved the fact that the way you say something changes its font, colour and size. Natalie was also a fun character and I loved how she developed. At the start Gala was good but not great at English and it was almost satisfying seeing the squiggly lines get fewer and fewer. The culprit was hard to spot but I had an unanswered question about it. Overall, one of the best books I've read yet.

Aidan M
Ermysted’s

When Gala and her dad move from Spain to Scotland, Gala feels homesick and lost. Soon, she meets a girl named Natalie with selective mutism and befriends her and her world is flipped from awful to OK. Gala and Natalie began using words to lift people up and make people better. However, someone clearly enjoys their work so much that they decide to copy it but use it to bring people down and Gala and Natalie get the blame. Will they able to prove their innocence or will Gala once again feel lost? My favourite character was Natalie as even though she couldn’t communicate through speaking, she gave out her love to others through poems and even gave them to people who said horrible things about her. This book made me want to keep reading as it was very interesting and I wanted to find out what was going to happen. However, at the start I was a bit confused about the words physically falling out of people’s mouths in different fonts and colours but when I got the swing of it, it was quite interesting about how it was different to just sounds coming out of out of our mouths. I would recommended this book for ten to thirteen year olds who are fans of different things in the world. I would rate this book seven out of ten because I enjoyed it but I found some things a little hard to understand.

Flo
The Fitzharrys Shadows

I thoroughly enjoyed the story with its intriguing mystery element and the unique concept of visualizing words.

Jesslyn
Winchmore Carnegie Group 2024

This book was quite good. It follows the story of Gala who has moved from an quiet flat in Spain the a house in crazy England. In this world the words that are spoken come out of you mouth, they have a feel and texture. Galaxy and her new friend Natalie make nice poems from words to people in need but soon someone , makes some horrid poems about others and THEY are being given the blame, can they unmask the poem maker before it all crumbles?

Mahiba
The Reading Queens

In "Away With Words", Sophie Cameron highlights the importance of every single word we utter whilst also exploring the difficulties of adapting to a new language and country. The enthralling story takes the reader on a journey with Gala as she befriends Natalia and the pair step up in the face of adversity in order to show everyone what the words truly mean. "Away With Words" is such a beautiful book, and even the way that it is written allows the reader to understand how Gala struggles to learn English. I honestly can't think of anything to criticise about this amazing book. It brings up so many issues that many of us face every day and gives young people hope that they're not ever alone.

Emelia
Marshland Readers

Away with words is a book about a foreign girl trying to learn English and settle somewhere she doesn't call home, written in her point of view. The book is set in modern day, but is written in a way that means it isn't awkwardly modern, if that makes sense. The world in the book has a strange interaction with words and how they're spoken (a key part of the book), which is interpreted in a much more literal way than I expected from reading the book summaries, but the magical aspect does not detract from the believability of the characters or their situation. The characters are easy to empathise with - realistically likeable as well as flawed. This is a fun, short read with a satisfying ending and a reasonably simple plot that I enjoyed reading and would recommend.

Oren
Norwich School Carnegie Shadowers

This book was okay for me. I have some negative and positive reasons as to why; the wiggly lines were quite confusing and it didn't really make sense as to what word was meant to go in the gap. However the way the structure worked really made this book come together. I enjoyed the use of descriptive and efficient language.

Isabella
SPS Shadowers

I think That This book was very intriguing and excellent because I loved how the author used amazing use of descriptive language and how she made the words really come to life with personification. I also very liked the use of multiple different fonts and styles of writing for all of the different characters and moments, this enabled me to really get a grasp of them. the way that Gala was struggling with having English as a second language. I think this was an extremely good book

Mattia
Fortismere

I really enjoyed this book. Away With Words is about a girl who moves to Scotland without knowing the language. She meets another girl who is mute and they become friends. Together they make poems out of spoken words to help people who are struggling (I think that this is an excellent idea). Unfortunately, someone else is mean to people through the same system. This book really makes you think about the value of words. It makes you think about what would happen if you couldn't speak. This is a heart-warming novel about hope, words and change.

Scarlet
The Sherbies

Away with words ---------- was a truly eye-opening ---- read to the struggles people -------------moving to the UK face. When Gala moves from her home in Spain ----- she struggles to understand ------------- the native tongue and customs. She is heartbroken ---- and wants to go home. ----- Until she meets Natalie a girl with selective mutism and the pair become ---------- inseparable. This heartwarming read ------- really made me aware of struggle I often hadn't considered ---------. I found it a unique and original plot that really highlighted differences I previously ------------- had little knowledge about. Although -------------- I'm not like the characters I found them easy to identify ------- with and extremely--- likable. Finally ----------- it was an amazing read that captivated me definitely one of the best books I have read. 10/10

Isla
The Fitzharrys Shadows

I think that Away with words is an excellent book with a heart-warming storyline about finding your voice with the help of friends. I love the concept of the words you say falling out your mouth and the way the author spread words around some of the pages to show Gala's emotions. I also liked the use of the squiggly lines to show the difficulty in communication between the characters and how Gala learns and understands more English. The use of different fonts to show emotions could have been used more throughout the book to add on to the feeling of the book but apart from that it was a lovely book with a great storyline.

Tamsin
Kingdown 24

I like the detailed descriptions and the character development as well as the plot. The characters were realistic but I think the portrayal of school life was not as realistic, for example the punishment for the bully and the allowance of Gala and Natalie's performance. The description of emotion was interesting and I liked the subtle twist in reality.

Olivia
Kingdown 24

Away with words is an incredible book about the difficulties of communication, Natalie( a girl with selective mutism) and gala( a girl who is learning english as a third language) both struggle with communication so when Natalie lets gala in on her secret of collecting words, it seems like a solution. Or is it… I think that this is a very good book that has a very interesting story line, my favourite character is Ryan because I love his positive outlook on everything. I also really like Sophie's inventive idea of using different fonts for the words when the words had different emotions.

Caiden o
VISTA Academy

Away with words is a book with a very interesting concept, the idea of physical words being seen with colours and fonts, and I think this is very clever. The themes of friendship, homes and family are nicely fitted in with a simple but effective plot, and the characters are very relatable and engaging. I would give this book 4/5.

Mabel
High Storrs Carnegie Shadowing Group

Didn't enjoy it for two main reasons: 1: The concept with the words was really cool but wasn't explored enough, so it felt a bit flat 2: The whole bit where the bully basically has no consequences and never owns up just felt wrong. Like imagine if you got one of those poems and then never found out who sent them and all you knew was that someone in your class hated you.

Isobel
Eltham Hill Book Club

I really liked this book because of the way the words were arranged on the page in different fonts and sizes. It was a heart-warming story of friendship and bravery.

Rori
Reepham Readers

This is a beautiful story with a unique and different style.

MJ
OLSB Shadowers

I really liked the feeling of the wordsearching being like a metaphor that is actually real, I enjoyed the story and liked the subplot of Natalie having selective mutism. It was a grat book that I really enjoyed

Amber
Fortismere

I really loved this book. I liked the idea of a reality where you can see words as people say them. Also I found Gala and Natalie's story of settling in and finding their voices really endearing. Would definitely recommend for some feel good/light reading.

rebecca
Wolfpack

This book was a good book, but probably not for me. I really liked the way that the author used wiggly lines for the selective mutism. I also liked how Gala's friends use the words that everyone says to create a poem.

Hayaam
The Reading Queens

Away with words was a captivating novel with a great plot. I liked how around the pages there were words in different fonts, indicating that people could see speech.The novel explored themes of communication,empathy and the power of words. Overall i enjoyed reading this book.

Raya
Fiction Addiction

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron is a captivating tale that delves into the magic of language and the power of self-expression. Set in a world where words are tangible entities, Cameron weaves a mesmerizing narrative filled with wonder and discovery. The protagonist, embarks on a journey confronting personal challenges and societal expectations along the way. Cameron's lyrical prose and richly drawn characters invite readers into a world where words hold the key to understanding oneself and others. Away with Words is a thought-provoking and enchanting read that celebrates the beauty and complexity of language.

kieran
Fiction Addiction

So far I'm enjoying this book even though it's a bit confusing

Sam
Sir Harry’s Shadowers

I really enjoyed reading this book in which it shows the struggles of moving into a country where you do not know the language well. I really liked this book because of the brilliant idea that words appear when spoken. At first I did not realise that the words were real, I thought that it was just metamorphically spoken as if she had to pick up words in the English language. As soon as I realised what the concept of the book was, I could understand it on a whole other level and appreciate the book properly.

James W-B
Ermysted’s

I loved the concept and really wanted this to be 5* but it can only be 4* because it just doesn't make sense why the other people don't comment on all these loose words everywhere... And surely there would be more fuss about picking up and hiding words you didn't want others to see and read...

Mrs W
VISTA Academy

This is a good book, although hard to understand at points as words are missing. The book has very strong characters

Juliette
GreatB00ks

I personally didn't enjoy this book as i felt as though the plot was non existent. Also I found the idea of " collecting words" and putting on a show about it was stupid

Amelia
GreatB00ks

I didn't really enjoy this book because I found it quite boring and I thought that it didn't have a very interesting storyline. Although I did think that is was well written and I thought that some people would highly enjoy it.

Ellie
GreatB00ks

This is a great read about communication and friendship with magical realism added to the mix. Imagine a world where when you speak the words also appear visibly in different colours to reflect emotions. An amazing story that touches on bullying, friendship and moving house.

Ruth
Oxted Carnegie Group

I really enjoyed reading Away with words, i liked how the characters were just like any other person it gave them a sense of reality. I also like how Gala is always thinking about her past that's how you can tell she misses Spain. And how Natalie and Gala have they way of communicating it helps you tell that they are just meant to be friends. When I was reading this book I couldn't put it down I just kept wanting to know what would happen next I really liked that about the book. I like how in the end everything sorta goes back to place and it has such a good ending also and I feel like without the ending it had it wouldn't be complete. And it really shows what its like moving and you could just imagine how hard it would be moving somewhere you dint agree on and trying to learn a whole other language. Over all I think it was a really good book and you could really fell Galas emotions through out the book.

Nora
Bredon Readers

Away With Words is a beautiful book that is about a girl named Gala who moves from Spain to a small town is Scotland. She’s a word-searcher, she looks for already spoken words in the world around her. Even surrounded by people, she’s never felt more alone. She has friends, she has her dad but nothing can compare to Spain- right? Until she meets Natalie who has selective mutism. They make poems in an attempt to cheer up their classmates until someone copies their idea with the opposite intention. This book is one of those books that you just can’t put down. It made me cry and laugh and everything in between. The only thing I would change would be to make it longer. It ended too quickly! It is a fantasy based roughly on reality. I think it is perfect for ages 9+ but any age could read and enjoy it. I would rate it 10/10.

Hannah
The Fitzharrys Shadows

"Away With Words" was a book that changed a lot over the course of the book, going from barely understandable to feel-good situations. The beginning of the book wasn't the best, but the development of the plot and literary devices over the time of the book is astronomical. Also I am very relieved to see that for once there is modern literature that is very different and "back to normal" (no verse) having read "The Door of No Return" and "Crossing The Line"

Yuvan
CRGS Book Society

Away With Words is a captivating story about a girl named Gala who had moved to Scotland from Spain with her dad Jordi to live with his boyfriend Ryan. During her time in Scotland, she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. As they find ways to communicate an anonymous student has decided to defame Gala’s reputation. What I really like about the books is how the words come in different forms depending on how you say something. Like if you were mad the word might come out a bright bold red or if you were surprised it might come out a shiny yellow. I also really like the fact that Natalie and Gala always find a way to communicate no matter where they are. Despite one having issues with English and one having issues with talking depending on where they are, which is realistic and tells you no matter the persons struggle you can always find a way to communicate. There wasn’t anything I disliked about the book however the ending seemed a bit rushed and quick but other than that the book was really inspiring, and I would recommend to young readers who like poetry. I would rate this book an 8.5/10.

Esi
The Fitzharrys Shadows

Probably the worst book I have ever read. The concept doesn't really make any sense, I mean, how do you see words? It doesn't work as a plot. The book is quite well written but I could not stand the characters or the plot, so I would rate this book 2/10.

Dylan
TBGS Readers

A great story about people who struggle in different ways and their daily struggle when for us the day is a breeze. This isa great book and a fantastic piece of writing.

Rowan
TBGS Readers

I liked this book. It had an interesting insight into language via its materialization of speech as a physical object. Its expansion on an otherwise dull immigrant story is ascertained by its emotive and relatable characters and positioning of family bonding. Personally the use of a selectively mute character as a method of reinforcing the plot of poem writing with others words as a novel, ingenious ideation.

TheoU
VISTA Academy

This book was thoughtful, interesting and uplifting. The book is focused around a girl named gala who has moved from Spain to live with her dad's boyfriend. She struggles with making friends and learning English and feels disconnected with the chatty, friendly girl she used to be back in Spain. But then she meets Natalie - a girl with selective mutism and together they collect words, making poems to try cheer her classmates up. However, when someone starts copying the idea, things start to go horribly wrong. I found the idea of words materialising when they're said to be interesting and unique, and the way they were used as a part of the plot rather than just a background for the story.

Eleni
VISTA Academy

I think that this book was pretty good. It shows how someone from a different country trying to fit in. There was also some parallels between Gala and Natalie and that they both become more confident in speaking. I also liked how there is less of the squiggly lines on each page towards the end. However I did think that the book was a bit cliché. It did take a while for me to get the fact that they are in a different world where they can pick up words. I originally thought that it was all in Galas mind. Overall the book was good but not the best.

Yusuf K
Ermysted’s

I thought the concept was very unique and could have potential as an amazing read; it was just a little difficult to develop interest in the book.

Emily
St Kaths

A wonderful book about a girl getting over bullying and taking control of her life. 4 stars

Artie
Macaulay Book Club

My favourite thing about the book is the character development from Gala. She went from trying her hardest to make her dad let them move back, to begging him to let them stay. I also like that instead of lashing out at Natalie for leaving her to deal with the problems at school, she understood and helped her deal with them.

Victoria
SHS On The Same Page

I enjoyed the way Gala changed from trying her hardest to Fortrose, to begging to stay. My favourite character, however, was Iaia, her grandma, because her personality was very fun and interesting. I also enjoyed guessing who actually made the rude poems.

Victoria
SHS On The Same Page

It is an interesting book about a girl and her dad who moved to Scotland from Spain. This book is really good and I really like it!

Ivaylo
FPHS Reading Crew

I really liked this book because it reminded me of the power words have. I think that 'Away with Word's is one of the best books I have read and I will definitely read it again.

Hannah
Killy Krew

I really enjoyed reading Away with Words. I think the book could have ended a little bit better. I feel like the book should have been longer. I would recommend this book to my friends and family, I would also reread this book in a few years time when I have forgotten the story. I rate this book 9.5/10.

Jennifer
Rebel Readers

Away with words is a book about a young girl named Gala, whose father has moved from their home in Spain to Scotland to be with his husband Ryan. The book follows Gala's journey and her hurdles settling into a new place: learning English, making friends and coming to like her new home. I enjoyed this book most of the way through, but the ending felt a little bit rushed and aimed at a younger reader. The ending was unrealistic as well as being less emotionally mature than the rest of the book. The fact that they were able to see spoken words was an excellent addition, whilst not taking away from the realism of the story. It showed how words can be harmful, but also the healing power of words, in a clever way. Overall, the book was good and I would recommend it. I would give it 8/10

Toby
SGS Book Club 2024

A moving story that shows how being compassionate always wins out on staying quiet and not speaking out against people who are doing the wrong thing.

Sam S
Ermysted’s

This was a wonderful heart touching book about a girl who sees words differently as she thought she was the only one she meets a girl with a similarly different issue. It was amazing to see their friendship bloom!

Zahra
Fiction Addiction

I loved the idea of words being physical things representing the tone and feelings of the speaker and the fact they could be preserved. This was mirrored by the creativity of the words appearing on the page. The characters develop well and the reader follows their journey as the girls face their anxieties and new situations. A sensitive story that stays with you.

Mrs T
Ernulf readers

this book is about haw words can really change someone. Either by helping or hurting them.

Rajanp
Ermysted’s

I found this book OK. People being able to collect words seemed kind of strange at first but I eventually got used to it. Jordi and her friend Natalie started writing poems for their friends when an anonymous person starts writing insulting poems. They both have to work together to find out who. I would rate this book a 6.5/10 and recommend it to 12 year olds.

Baasit
Ermysted’s

Beautifully written and very moving. A lovely story about friendship. bullying, language, communication, family and so much more! This is the first book I have read from the Carnegie shortlist.

Nicola
The Sherbies

I really enjoyed this book and the messages in it even though it was slightly confusing at the start as I didn’t really understand the concept of the words being visible and physical objects. However, once I got it, everything made much more sense and I loved the idea of words having different fonts and colours depending on how and by whom they were said. I think it was a really interesting viewpoint to write from and it taught me a lot; I had scarcely heard of selective mutism, let alone known anything about it. The characters were well developed but the plot felt a bit brief and predictable although considering the target audience, this is probably a good choice. Overall, an original and well thought-out book that highlights the importance and emphasis placed on language, especially spoken language, in our society.

Rosie
Bookiewookiedoodaas

I really love the idea of being able to see people’s words. The story was interesting, with a bit of who done it. Overall a very enjoyable read.

Sara
FPHS Reading Crew

Away With Words by Sophie Cameron is a down to earth, quick read with believable characters and a storyline that is easy to navigate. The book is centred around Gala, a teenage girl who has recently moved from her beloved Spanish home to a town in Scotland so her Dad, Jordi, can be with his boyfriend Ryan. As Gala begins to reluctantly settle into her new home, she meets Natalie, a beautifully written character with selective mutism. The two quickly become firm friends and embark on several personal journeys together. I found this book very believable and realistic in many ways although sometimes a little difficult to get into. I think the author did especially well at seeing inside Gala’s mind and the reader is able to witness her change in mindset as she adapts to her new life in the UK. I particularly liked the moments of realisation as Gala sympathises with various characters, however I think the book could’ve benefited from a more complex narrative to keep the reader fully engaged. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book as it contains some stunning descriptions, and characters so perfectly imperfect that they feel as real as anyone else. I believe this book can be read at any age although I think it would be more enjoyable from around 10+ years old.

Bethan
The Fitzharrys Shadows

I liked this book because it shows the meaning of words and how words can hurt or help someone. what I don't like is how this book isn't original, like the words being visible is original but the fact that some kids do something and face a challenge then overcome the challenge isn’t. For this reason i give this book a 6/10

baasim
Ermysted’s

It was an engaging read, yet simple in structure, and could definitely be enjoyed by younger readers. The plot was clear and easy to understand, following the life of Gala and the friends she makes in her new home. The book also tackles the idea of the value and impact of words, especially in a school environment, using words as physical objects that can be 'swept up' or collected. The use of these words highlights the progression of Gala, our antagonist, and her new friend Natalie, and how words can be crafted, but also manipulated into hurtful comments. The book is based in the real world, so physical words did need some justification, which Sophie Cameron did admirably, although the reader does have to just go along with it at points. Over all, 'Away With Words' proved to be an enjoyable YA read, and its wholesome story of the progression of Gala and Natalie, who both sometimes struggled to find their words, was truly uplifting.

Theo
The St. Bede’s Literary Critics

Check out the videos by the shortlisted writers!

Dr Stewart
Macaulay Book Club

Away with words is a decent book however I think the ending wasn't as good as the rest of the book unless a sequel is going to be released. The words sometimes go to near the spine when they are printed up the page which detracts from them.

Edmund
Ermysted’s

I enjoyed this nice book set in a variant of our world where spoken words are visible and can be used to collect, create things or preserve memories. Gala and her friend Natalie use them to create individually tailored supportive notes for people in their class, however then mean messages start appearing, so they have to prove it wasn’t them as they can’t collect words anymore

Aaron
Ermysted’s

Away With Words

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