Selfie by Allayne L. Webster

Year 8 student Tully Sinclair has been picked by new girl Dene Walker to be her bestie. For Tully this is a dream come true as Dene Walker is a social media influencer with thousands of adoring followers. However, for Tully this newfound friendship and all it entails is not an easy one to navigate. Dene is not all that she appears to be and while she offers friendship to Tully she is also very manipulative.

Tully finds herself caught up in a rift with her loyal friend Kira, at loggerheads with her step mum Michelle and brother Luke, while her absent Dad is conveniently working interstate and has little time to be involved in the lives of his family. Running parallel to this is Tully’s angst and grief over her missing artist mother who walked out and left the family.

Throughout this sensitively written story, each character has an important role to play in the often-turbulent relationship developing between Tully and Dene. Tully’s family tries to protect her and encourage her look at other options. Dene exploits Tully’s adoration for her own misguided needs, but the reader will eventually come to realise that Dene is also struggling.

This is a book of complex relationships all beautifully explored by author Allayne L Webster. She shows a genuine understanding of the way social media influences the lives of young people and how so often it can have a devastating impact on relationships. The uplifting ending written for Tully and Dene provides a real sense of hope that relationships in life can be mended. A wonderful read. Teacher's notes are available from the publisher.

Themes: Friendship, Social Media, School, Relationships, Bullying, Family.

Kathryn Beilby