Between the Flags by Rachel Fenton

That’s what memory is like for me. It’s a comic with all the frames taken out and the pictures washing over one another.  I need to draw the lines back in. -Mandy

At the midway point of Between the Flags we get a look at the comic book and character that 14-year-old Mandy Malham has been creating. This comic, also called Between the Flags, is an escape, a place where she can control her world. This comic, and her regular session with a counsellor, are how she manages to cope with the grief, trauma, school, family, friends, bullies, and her own mental health.

Between the Flags by Rachel Fenton is a thoroughly modern coming of age story that follows Mandy as she navigates the impact of a major family trauma and comes to terms with her place in the world.  The story is told from Mandy’s perspective and she is a believable 14 year old girl, full of doubts, excitement and creativity.  Fenton has done a really impressive job of capturing not only the voice of a teenager, but the complex emotions, relationships and world that they inhabit.  Being a teenage is tricky, now more so than ever.

Fenton has created a text that sits somewhere between a graphic novel and prose.  While only the short middle comic is visual, the writing has a ‘visual’ quality, as Mandy often uses the language of comics to make sense of her world.  The opening feels like a writing activity, using camera shots for descriptive writing.  Next frame, parents gathering around the end of the arena nearest the sea.  Mid-shot, six fourteen-year-old-girls, including me and Jen. From a teaching writing point of view, there is much to work with for a year 10 class.

This book won’t, however, be to everyone’s tastes for classroom study as it comes with a warning and will need a certain level of maturity.  Between the Flags is upfront with how it deals with bullying, grief, trauma, and PTSD and would require some careful teaching.  It would, however, lead to incredible discussions for the right classroom environment.  Fenton’s exploration of techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) are handled with sensitivity and care but may be triggering for some students.  For the right class, this text would be gold.