Everyone but Eve/Alla utom Allis

Kitty has left everyone a lovely invitation to her party. They’re all excited – everyone is going to go. The fun is due to commence at 2 o’clock on Saturday. But where is Allis’s invitation? Has it fallen on the floor or slipped down into her boot? It hasn’t of course, because she never got one. 

Allis finds herself being drawn to the party venue on Saturday like a magnet. The whole place is brimming with glitter and glamour. 

They’re probably all eating cake now and her tummy aches just at the thought of not being invited to eat it with them. 

In the park, Petrik asks her why she isn’t at the party. But Allis can’t answer that question. Petrik knows what it feels like anyway. Once he was the only one not picked for a football match. He doesn’t know why. And her neighbour Bogdan who is out for a run says that everyone at his workplace sits down to drink coffee together without inviting him to join them. He has no idea why either. An elderly person on the bench tells Allis that all those who are left out end up doing great things. 

When the party goers all come rushing outside they call over to Allis: “Did you build a den? We’ll be right over!” 

And then it’s Kitty left standing all by herself, looking down at her shoes. “Can I join you?” she asks quietly. Allis doesn’t hesitate. “Of course you can!” 

Books like this one enrich our lives. Allis helps us grow. At the end of the story, we are all Allis and her experiences are our own.