The Girl with the Silver Eyes (Book)

Roberts, W. (1980). The girl with the silver eyes. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Genre: Science Fiction

Interest Level: Ages 9 to 12

Subjects/Themes: Gifted children; Telekinesis;

Plot: Ten year old Katie has just moved from the country to the city to live with her mother after her grandma’s death.  She hopes the city will be different and that maybe this time she can make some friends.  But it’s hard to make friends when everyone thinks that you’re peculiar.  It’s not Katie’s fault that she can move things with her mind.  It was something she was born knowing how to do.  Some people like to blame her for all the bad unexplainable things that happen when she’s around even when it’s not her fault.  And now there’s a new neighbor asking questions about Katie and about her grandma’s suspicious death. Just when Katie thinks she’s all alone, she finds out that she might not be the only silver eyed child around.  Katie races to find the three other silver eyed children hoping they’ll be able to help her from getting locked up.          

Personal Thoughts:  Gifted children will find a connection with Katie’s story of not being able to fit in.  Katie tends to be a serious child.  While she does at times use her powers for mischief, she is also a good kid who is trying to understand why the grownups in her life are so nervous around her.  She feels detachment from her busy divorced parents that other children from divorce families can understand.  When she finds out that there are other children like her, you see her need to find them stems from a need to feel less alone and more “normal” without changing who she is.  The book ends with the children and their families uniting to support the children’s future.    

Awards:

Mark Twain Readers Award Winner (1983)

California Young Reader Medal (1986)

Other Books by Author: Buddy is a stupid name for a girl (2001); The one left behind (2006)

Similar Materials:  A gift of magic (1999) by Lois Duncan; Hidden Talents (1999) by Dave Lubar

Note: A copy of this blog entry can also be found at https://tweenscifi.wordpress.com/ as part of my contributrion to a group collection of Notable Science Fiction titles for Tweens created for a LIBR 264 genre project.