Sylvie The Second
Kaeli Baker
Submarine
2015

Sylvie is invisible. Or, she may as well be. After Sylvie’s mess of an older sister attempts to overdose for “the kabillionth time”, it sets Sylvie’s family off into an explosive cycle, which persistently wears away her tolerance. Sick of being overshadowed by Calamity-Cate and her desperate actions, Sylvie decides to make some changes to her life: clothing, hair, personality. An obvious plea for attention, she makes drastic changes to her appearance. And though this doesn’t grasp the attention of her distraught mother, nor her dramatic father, it does attract interest from some unknown characters: Chris, the stereotypical popular jock, and Adam Allegro, the pizza delivery guy with the electric eyes.  Read more

Sylvie the Second
Kaeli Baker
Mākaro Press
2015

Sylvie the Second is a young adult novel which explores self-esteem, pressures felt by teenage girls in modern New Zealand, and the impact of mental health on families. Kaeli Baker makes these heavy themes easier for teens to swallow through the relatable character, Sylvie.

Sylvie is a teenage girl struggling with all the normal teenage issues such as identity, friendships, and school. She also has to struggle with the added pressure of her sister Cate, who has paranoid schizophrenia. At the beginning of the novel, it is this mental illness that sees Cate admitted into the psychiatric ward at the hospital.  Read more