I did enjoy this novel. It gave real insight into a young trans person and how they were thinking and feeling and what for me really stuck out was jusI did enjoy this novel. It gave real insight into a young trans person and how they were thinking and feeling and what for me really stuck out was just how long it took the main character to come to terms with themselves, what they wanted to be and to be able to tell others around them to be able to live the life they wanted. It really struck me just how very hard this process must be especially in a society which is supposed to be tolerant but is anything but purely based on what I've seen over the last few years spewed out of the press....more
Just lovely. Such a brilliant read with a fantastic message about finding your people. I wish I'd had this book when I was 15.
Tabby moves to a new areJust lovely. Such a brilliant read with a fantastic message about finding your people. I wish I'd had this book when I was 15.
Tabby moves to a new area and whilst at the library sees a notice about a reading group. She decides to go along and meets the members of the group that shortly after becomes The Paper & Hearts Society.
I loved seeing Tabby met her new friends and slowly start to find her place within a group which is supportive of her unlike her previous friends who treated her terribly. I loved all the geeky bookish things the group get up to including the slightly mad cap Jane Austen road trip.
I cannot wait for the second book in the series...more
This was such a sweet read and really thoughtful. It had a lot to say about body image and issues around bullying. I loved how the main character grewThis was such a sweet read and really thoughtful. It had a lot to say about body image and issues around bullying. I loved how the main character grew over the course of the book and found herself as her confidence grew. Really lovely read for young teens....more
Ella on the outside is a beautiful MG title which really makes the reader think about the importance of friendship, picking good friends and being a gElla on the outside is a beautiful MG title which really makes the reader think about the importance of friendship, picking good friends and being a good friend to those around you. Ella is a bit lost at the start of the book. Her mother has relocated the family, her father is in prison and she's started a new school without her best friend beside her and finding it tough to break into existing friendhsip groups.
What I particularly loved about this book was through Ella you get to explore what it means to be a good friend. Ella initially is drawn to Lydia, the popular girl. We've all met a Lydia. She's the Queen Bee and manages to stay in that position through fear, picking and choosing who gets to be in the 'in gang' and who isn't cool enough. Lydia is nasty and a real bully whilst pretending to be Ella's friend and while it's obvious what she's doing from the outside, it takes Ella a while to catch on which I related to on so many levels having had a incredibly toxic best friend at high school.
Over the course of the story you see Ella start to realise this but not until after she has hurt another girl, Molly and has to make it right. This story really shows the value of good friendships and the importance of treating people well. I thoroughly enjoyed it....more
I enjoyed The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen. Henry is suffering after the incident. I won't say too much for fear of spoiling it for others but I enjoyed The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen. Henry is suffering after the incident. I won't say too much for fear of spoiling it for others but it really shows the impact events have on the wider family group and how people deal with the fallout. It also has a lot to say about the impact of bullying again not just on the individual but also on the wider family. I really liked Henry and very much enjoyed his story....more
This book is a really thoughtful little read which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am always excited when a review book arrives from David Fickling Books. AsiThis book is a really thoughtful little read which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am always excited when a review book arrives from David Fickling Books. Aside from the fact that they are always a delight to receive because they are the most beautiful proofs you I always know that the stories inside are going to be wonderful.
For me The Icarus Show is a book about strange imperfect friends and the toll that bullying has on young people.
The friendships in this book are really interesting. The main character Alex spends much of his high school existence below the radar. He survives by not reacting to anything so that the bullies don't pick on him. This leaves him somewhat isolated and as a result one of the most important relationships he has is he friendship with his elderly former neighbour. Seeing that cross generation friendship is something special in how you see the way in which the pair relate too one another probably better that Alex does with his parents and definitely with his peers.
I also really enjoyed the uneasy friendship Alex develops with his classmate and neighbour Bogsey. In that friendship you can really see the toll bullying has on both boys both directly in terms of Bogsey but indirectly via Alex and the isolation it has forced him into. He is a perfect example of what it means to be completely alone in a crowd and that makes you feel for him the more you learn about him.
The end of the book left me with a lump in my throat as you see the impact said isolation tolls on both boys. Thoroughly recommended....more
This book is really unsettling. It follows the story of a really lonely girl called Yasmin. Yasmin has it rough. At school she is bullied and has not This book is really unsettling. It follows the story of a really lonely girl called Yasmin. Yasmin has it rough. At school she is bullied and has not friends. She's overweight and on a strict diet plan which she can't bring herself to follow because the only comfort she has in her lonely world is food.
Yasmin is so desperate for a friend that she ends up in a really unsettling relationship. The way in which it develops is creepy but you can see how it comes about because of the isolation Yasmin deals with on a daily basis.
A really lovely little book that is full of heart. Perfect for the teenager in your life who is struggling to fit in because they are a little bit difA really lovely little book that is full of heart. Perfect for the teenager in your life who is struggling to fit in because they are a little bit different. I loved what it had to say about friendships and their value. Loved the main characters and loved how the story played out. A really fabulous read. ...more
I don't usually rate books I don't finish but I need to say things about this one.
I stopped for a variety of I don't think I can read anymore of this
I don't usually rate books I don't finish but I need to say things about this one.
I stopped for a variety of reasons
Firstly being a teacher this book and where it was going made me feel really uncomfortable and there was no way I could turn that teacher head off whilst reading it to be able to enjoy it.
Secondly I felt the girl came across as a lot younger than what she was supposed to be. Don't get me wrong it's not that the voice was a bad one but I just didn't buy it. She felt like one of my year 7s not my year 11s and it meant she wasn't believable for me.
Thirdly all the bullying stuff didn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong I am sympathetic to bullying and the toll it has but it again something with it felt forced and overdone.
So not the book for me. I'm stopping at about 80 pages and leaving it there....more
Too much for my brain to deal with. I'm going to be having nightmares about it for ages to come nowToo much for my brain to deal with. I'm going to be having nightmares about it for ages to come now...more
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