"If I tell you what's really wrong, will you promise not to tell anybody? Not your mother, or Mr. O'Brien, or anyone?" Daphne looked at me solemnly.
I nodded. "You can trust me," I whispered, hoping she really could.
Daphne's Book is a 1983 children's novel by Mary Downing Hahn.
Bookish seventh-grader Jessica balks when her English teacher pairs her up with Daphne, the quietest and most picked-on girl in her class, to create a picture book for a local contest. As they work together, Jessica and Daphne—plus Hope, Daphne's little sister—forge a strong bond, enough to withstand the teasing of the popular kids. But it doesn't take long for Jessica to discover a terrible secret that Daphne is keeping from everyone at school. As Daphne and Hope's home life grows worse and worse, Jessica grapples with the choice of keeping her friend's confidence or telling someone the truth.
This book contains examples of:
- Adults Are Useless: Subverted. Josh convinces Jessica to tell their mother about Daphne's plight. He says that this is too big a problem to keep a secret because the girls could get hurt or killed with such a terrible guardian. Her mother actually makes the first sensible decision: call social services when Mrs. Woodleigh chases them away with a broom. It turns out Mrs. Woodleigh was dying of pneumonia, meaning that Jessica's mother got help for Daphne and Hope with weeks to spare.
- All Just a Dream: Michelle and Tracy's story, "The Nightmare Slumber Party," ends this way.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Daphne
- Alpha Bitch/Beta Bitch: Michelle and Sherry, respectively.
- Big Eater:
- Jessica's older brother, Josh, is almost never seen doing anything but stuffing his face.
- Played for Drama with Hope: She'll eat as much as she can keep down when she can come by food, because there's barely anything to eat at home.
- Big Fancy House: The Woodleighs' Victorian farmhouse was once this, with a tower, dormers, stained-glass windows, and elaborate trim. Years of neglect have put it in a pitiable state.
- Big Brother Instinct: The only time that Josh is serious is when he learns about what happened at the grocery store, that bullies mocked Daphne and made Jessica cry. When he finds out about Daphne and Hope's home situation, he tells her that she needs to go to their mother because this is too big a problem for kids to keep a secret. In fact, Jessica notes he's never been serious and this convinces her to come clean to their mother.
- Big Sister Instinct: Daphne is very protective of Hope and does whatever she can to make their situation as positive as possible.
- Bittersweet Ending:
- Josh convinces Jessica to tell their mother about Daphne's home situation. She does so, but the guilt of breaking Daphne's trust makes her sick for a few days. Social workers track down some distant relations of Daphne and Hope who are willing to take them in and give them a stable life. Unfortunately this means they must move several states away. Daphne reassures Jessica that she's not mad at her, having realized in hindsight that it was the right decision to make. Jessica in turn tells Daphne that she's not a terrible person for being relieved that her grandmother is dead. The girls promise that they will stay in touch and Jessica can't wait to visit her.
- Also the ending to Jessica and Daphne's picture book: The mice have not found Sir Benjamin, but Princess Heatherfern vows to keep looking.
- Bookworm: Jessica and Daphne.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Tony is always the first to mouth off in class.
- The Bully: Several students in the class, but most notably Tony and Michelle.
- Bully Magnet: Jessica is this, being smaller and more bookish than most of her class.
- Cats Are Mean: Jessica's cat, Snuff. Averted with Raven, the Cute Kitten she receives from Hope.
- Cheerful Child: Hope, in spite of everything.
- Civilized Animal: The mice in Jessica and Daphne's story act like typical fantasy characters: the Knight in Shining Armor, the Princess Classic, the Wizard Classic, the Witch Classic, and The Baby of the Bunch. Ultimately they're still mice, however, since their greatest enemy is a cat.
- Class Trip: Mr. O'Brien takes his class to the public library so they can get inspired to write their own picture books.
- Cool Teacher: Mr. O'Brien, the girls' English teacher. He can be a Stern Teacher when the kids get mouthy, but he's ultimately kind and understanding.
- Covers Always Lie: Actually, Jessica and Daphne's appearances on the covers of most editions line up with their descriptions in the book. A notable exception is the 2008 re-release, which depicts them both as more trendily dressed and coiffed, and by 2008 standards.
- Crazy Cat Lady: Mrs. Woodleigh keeps an interminable number of cats.
- Dark Secret: Daphne and Hope live in abject poverty with their senile grandmother.
- The Defroster: Mr. O'Brien hopes Jessica can be this for Daphne.
- Disappeared Dad:
- Daphne and Hope's father was killed in Vietnam.
- Jessica and Josh's father moved to California following his divorce from their mother.
- Dying Declaration of Hate: Mrs. Woodleigh uses her final moments to blame Daphne and Hope for keeping her son away.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Tony gets almost the entire class to refer to Daphne as "Daffy."
- Everyone Has Standards: Tracy tells off Michelle and Sherry for laughing at Mrs. Woodleigh causing a scene in front of them while Daphne tries to calm her grandmother down.
- Fancy Dinner: Josh isn't pleased to find his mother preparing chicken cacciatore for her boyfriend.
- Forgot to Pay the Bill: The Woodleighs lose their gas and electricity for this reason. Presumably this is also why they don't have a home phone.
- A Friend in Need: The central theme of the story.
- Goal in Life: Jessica and Daphne dream of becoming a professional writer-illustrator team.
- Growing Up Sucks:
- Daphne is forced to be the adult of the house as a middle schooler.
- How Jessica feels about her increasingly distant friendship with Tracy.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Daphne imagines herself and Jessica being these in adulthood.
- Hidden Depths: Besides Mr. O'Brien, Jessica is the first to discover Daphne's talent for drawing.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Jessica doesn't much care for Tracy's new crowd, but she tries to stay on their good side just to keep her best friend.
- I'm Not Hungry: Daphne hates to accept food from other people. This may be out of pride or a desire to avoid hinting at how hungry she really is.
- Innocent Beta Bitch: Tracy, to Michelle and Sherry. She's never outright mean to anyone, but she doesn't do much to defend their targets until they all get a glimpse into Daphne's situation.
- I See Dead People: Mrs. Woodleigh believes she can see and speak to her dead son. Hope is starting to believe she can see him as well.
- It's All My Fault: Jessica blames herself for Daphne and Hope being taken from their home by Social Services.
- I Wished You Were Dead: Daphne admits to feeling this way about her grandmother. She feels guilty for not being guilty.
- Junior High: Where most of the first half of the book takes place.
- Keeping Secrets Sucks: Jessica's dilemma throughout the second half of the story.
- Kick the Dog: Michelle and Sherry keep right on mocking Daphne behind her back after they witness Mrs. Woodleigh's behavior at the supermarket. Jessica finally yells at them to shut up, shocking them into silence and Tracy actually stands up for Jessica, walking her to a quiet place where she can cry.
- Local Hangout: The popular kids spend Friday nights at Skateland, a local roller rink. Jessica hates it there and never goes.
- Lost Food Grievance: Mrs. Woodleigh has one in the middle of the supermarket when Daphne refuses to let her buy a jar of olives, which they can't afford.
- Mama Bear: Upon learning the truth about their lives, Jessica's mom is determined to help Daphne and Hope.
- Meaningful Name: Hope, who despite her grim circumstances remains optimistic.
- Missing Mom: Daphne and Hope's mother was killed in a car accident.
- Mistaken for Thief: Jessica suspects that a saleswoman keeping a close eye on her and the other girls expects them to be shoplifters.
- Nerd Glasses: Jessica wears these in the story and on the covers of most editions of the book.
- Not Afraid of You Anymore: Daphne silently sends this message to her bullies by ignoring them. Most of them get bored of teasing her, since she never reacts.
- Orphanage of Fear: Downplayed: The staff at the orphanage where Daphne and Hope are taken following their grandmother's death are more apathetic than scary, but the place looks plenty grim. All the kids get regular meals, however, and visits with relatives.
- Parent with New Paramour: Jessica and Josh's mother has a serious boyfriend, Ed, about whom they have mixed feelings.
- Playing Sick: Daphne claims she has mononucleosis and may not be able to return to school for weeks until she is well. In reality she's skipping school to care for Hope and their grandmother.
- Puppy Love: Tracy is excited about skating couples with Scott and the possibility that he'll ask her to "go with him."
- The Quiet One: Daphne never says a word to anyone in school.
- Rage Breaking Point: Daphne survives an entire school year of constant bullying without so much as a shiver. The straw that finally breaks the camel's back is when Jessica hides in a bathroom to avoid Michelle and Tracy seeing them together.
- Rain, Rain, Go Away: The story takes place throughout a gray and rainy Maryland winter.
- Sanity Slippage: Mrs. Woodleigh is senile enough to believe her son is still alive and being forced by the military to remain in Vietnam indefinitely. By her final days, she can barely remember who Daphne and Hope are.
- School Forced Us Together: The catalyst behind Jessica and Daphne's friendship.
- School Is for Losers: Mrs. Woodleigh has led Hope, who already knows how to read, to believe that she and Daphne are too smart to bother with school.
- Seriously Scruffy: Daphne's ill-fitting and haphazard outfits are considered bizarre in a room full of girls wearing sweaters and blue jeans. The truth is that she probably hasn't had new clothes in years and she's just wearing whatever happens to be on hand.
- She Was Quite a Looker: Old photographs of Mrs. Woodleigh show her as a happy and beautiful young woman.
- Shout-Out: To a number of classic picture books and novels:
- Great Expectations
- Green Mansions
- In the Night Kitchen
- Make Way for Ducklings
- The Story About Ping
- The Snowy Day
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Story Within a Story: "The Mysterious Disappearance of Sir Benjamin Mouse," written by Jessica and illustrated by Daphne.
- Teens Love Shopping: Jessica laments that Tracy is spending more of her time at the mall with Michelle and Sherry.
- That Cloud Looks Like...: Hope imagines a small cloud as a lost lamb.
- Vocal Evolution: Jessica can't bear to hear her teenage brother's "horrible half-changed voice."
- Wham Line: From Josh to Jessica after she blurts out Daphne's secret:Who are you thinking about, Jess? Yourself or Daphne? If you want things to go on getting worse and worse for Daphne, just keep it all a secret. But don't blame me if the old lady dies or the kids get sick or the house burns down when a candle falls over.
