Destiny is a little girl who has been victimized by a person described only as a Friend. The Friend has convinced Destiny to play Touching Games that are of an inappropriate nature. Destiny is continuously troubled by the feelings of confusion and fe... Read more

Destiny is a little girl who has been victimized by a person described only as a Friend. The Friend has convinced Destiny to play Touching Games that are of an inappropriate nature. Destiny is continuously troubled by the feelings of confusion and fear. After confiding her closely guarded Secret to her peers, they convince Destiny to tell a Grown Up about the Friend and the Touching Games. She is fearful that her Friend will become angry if she shares the Secret with someone else, and she fears that Grown Ups will not believe her. All of these emotions represent real life occurrences in sexually abused children. References are made in character dialogue that the Friend may need to be subjected to treatment or incarceration, which is another real life circumstance inherent in abusive situations. There are graphic symbolisms throughout the book. The tree is a regular meeting place of Destiny and her friends. This place is familiar and brings comfort. In the beginning of the story, there are graphical depictions of the tree and the surrounding area being vibrant with color and life. As the story unfolds, and Destiny reveals her Secret to her friends; the color graphics change showing the negative connotations as they are revealed. The tree, sky and grass lose their color, and the environment becomes gloomy and grey. As Destiny reveals her Secret, a red stick person manifests in the midst of the gloomy environment. As she continues to divulge her Secret with her peers, the more the red stick person comes out. When Destiny reveals the entire Secret, and begins to overcome the emotions that hinder her, the red stick figure flees from the scene and the vibrant color of the lifeless tree and surrounding are restored. Destiny is the main character in the story. Madelaine is Destiny s closest childhood friend. Jenny is a common friend of Destiny and Madelaine, as is Teddy. Teddy is a male child, and was introduced to the story to broaden the gender gap and dispute the fallacy that only sexual abuse can happen to girls or certain types of girls and not boys. A male child may not identify with a group of female children discussing this sensitive topic. By including the male child the story, it is hoped to capture the attention of the male reader and provide a source of knowledge, courage and identity. Because some children may associate hair color, skin color or gender with either a predator or a victim, imagery and symbolism are used instead of biological features to prevent the stereotyping. Red was used to symbolize danger and the stick person was utilized to avoid defining a gender in the perpetrator, as both male and female genders can offend. Destiny s friends are important to this story because they become the individuals she confides in about her problem. She reaches out to them and they respond appropriately. They sympathize with her, and encourage her to take action while giving guidance and advice. Together the four of them create healthy and strong bonds." Less