Layla Queen of Hearts by Glenda Millard
Before I begin, I will admit that I am not a fan of Glenda Millard. Other books of hers that I have read in the past are full of good ideas, that unfortunately go nowhere. This time the book is supposedly one of the best written in Australia for kids during 2006. So I gave it a chance. How bad can it be?
Layla is a sweet little girl. She is an only child, but is best friends with a family full of colourful children. We last encountered Layla in the book The Naming of Tishkin Silk, also shortlisted for the CBC book prize. Now she is a little older, and minus her beloved Nana. She thinks that she is managing here grief successfully until Senior Citizen’s day is announced at school. Enter Miss Amilie, an Senior Citizen with Alzheimers.
The book is a very gentle story about a growing friendship across generations. And on that level it is a very good read. However I do have a couple of problems. Firstly, I found Layla annoyingly false. Her favourite clothing is a dress covered in hearts. When is the last time you met a child who loved dressing up? Most kids I know don’t even own a skirt beyond a school uniform. And the loss of the grandparents troubles me. With the longer life expectancy now, most children know their grandparents well into adulthood, and even know their great-grandparents for most of their childhood. So why did Layla lose all of hers? To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, it smacks of carelessness. And then when Miss Amilie gets lost too… suddenly everything is beyond belief.
Sorry folks, but I have not changed my opinion about Glenda Millard with this offering. Maybe next time.
