For readers 8 to 80: A fable with teeth. Because everyone couldn't be wrong... or could they?

 

Barty is convinced she wants to grow inside a bottle. Everyone says it will make her worthy and protected. So she stops asking why "protection" looks like glass walls, and why kindness keeps a tally. As the seasons turn, Barty starts to notice what the bottle costs: the rain she can no longer feel, the friends who get blamed for things done to them, the ones who don't fit in and are thrown out. 
Still, everyone couldn't be wrong. Or could they?
 

Told with the simplicity of a children's story and the weight of a warning, Bottled is an allegory that reads like a children's story but grows with its reader. It is a tale about conformity, belonging, and the quiet cost of never asking why.
 

Pair it with the companion guide, Bottled: Unpacking the Allegory, and the questions go even deeper. For 8–10-year-olds, it is highly recommended to read with guidance from a parent or educator.