The Kindness Project

The Kindness Project by Deborah Abela (Penguin Books)

Reviewed by Meg Rowe

 

Deborah Abela’s latest book, The Kindness Project, sends the message that kindness really is your biggest superpower. It is a vibrant story about unlikely friendships and a special teacher, Ms Skye, who has a knack for facilitating them. Throw in a Nanna Heist and The Kindness Project begins with fast paced action that keeps the story moving to a satisfying conclusion.

 

The story follows Nicolette, as she navigates fitting in and making friends at school, while at home she is worried about her beloved Nanna who has recently been placed in a nursing home. When Nicolette’s teacher, Ms Skye, decides to assign group members for a class Kindness Project, Nicolette is concerned that she has been put in a group with the most unlikely classmates – Leaf, Layla, and DJ. But as the story unfolds Nicolette discovers that not all is what it seems on the surface of her mis-matched Kindness Project team members.

 

Quirky and talented cartoonist Leaf is new to the school and initially Ms Skye encourages Nicolette to befriend him. Leaf doesn’t follow the unwritten rules about how to navigate bullies like DJ and popular kids like Layla. At first this alarms Nicolette, but it also gives her the confidence to imagine she is capable of being the fearless superhero, Ruby Flame, he depicts her as in his cartoons.

 

With the Kindness Project’s presentation night fast approaching, friendships are made as the group not only works on their project but tackle each team members personal challenges together. The back story tension between Nicolette’s mum and nanna also comes to a heartwarming conclusion with Nicolette’s perspective on this family dynamic providing a sensitive and vulnerable window for young readers to look through.

 

Written in verse with imaginative font styles and layout, Abela cleverly uses visual imagery throughout, such as bookending the story with the metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle initially looking like a mess before all the pieces find their perfect fit. This combined with relatable, age-appropriate themes, make The Kindness Project a great choice for keen and reluctant readers alike in the Middle to Upper Primary age group.

Teaching Resources https://cdn2.penguin.com.au/content/resources/tn-the-kindness-project.pdf