Description
All of us, both child and adult, have fears and apprehensions – things we prefer not to
encounter or experience, whether it be creepy-crawlies, yapping dogs or thunder.
Nine-year-old Romilly Esmeralda is no exception. Sensible in so many ways, she cannot
abide her feet leaving the ground. Swings, tightropes and zipwires are not for her.
Then one day, out of the blue, something extraordinary happens on the way home from
school, leading to five breathtaking adventures with a life-changing outcome, courtesy of a
uniquely special friend.
Edward Glover –
For me, this book was all about overcoming fear, something I know all too well as a neurodivergent person. I loved the light-heartedness, the imaginative travel between lands and sky-high vehicles, and the sense of movement beyond the ground because sometimes, that’s the very thing we fear most not being grounded.
The unicorn companion was a wonderful touch. It reminded me of the one on the UK passport, since Romilly travels across countries in this story. The unicorn felt like a symbol of the invisible support we neurodivergent people often need – quietness, kindness, patience. It spoke to her the way we wish the world would speak to us.
What moved me most was Romilly’s quiet courage not in being fearless, but in being willing. Willing to try. Willing to change.
I learnt a lot from this book: fear doesn’t always vanish, but it softens. That sometimes we just need a unicorn’s voice, a steady hand, a gentle nudge, a quiet ‘you can’. Words can really hold us back or propel us forward.
Riddhima – neurodivergent, past colleague of the author