TRIGGER WARNING When Jay's father dies, he leaves her and her mother to pick up the pieces of his failed business. Destitute, they are forced to leave their meagre flat and move in with Jay's aunt and uncle, who demand Jay and her mother adhere to traditional Indian values. At fifteen, Jay finds being a teenager hard enough without the added stress of jumping to her aunt's every command. Her mother has also become something of a house servant rather than a loved family member. Confined to the basement where her room is, Jay's only respite is to text her friends Matt and Chloe and hang out with them whenever she can. When Jay's aunt demands that Jay and her mother prepare the house for Jay's uncle's birthday party, Jay's mother nearly buckles from the stress. Jay pleads with her mum to let them move out, being poor and living in a tiny flat is better than being treated like a dog, but Jay's mum doesn't listen. On the night of the party, Jay's cousin Deven comes home from university. Jay doesn't like the way he looks at her but decides not to worry too much about it. When Jay has too much to drink and finds herself at the mercy of Deven's friends in the basement long after the party has ended, Jay's life takes a plunge that will bring her to the brink of suicide. This is a powerful book, not only does it tackle the stress that young Indian teens feel to behave a certain way and to adhere to traditional Indian values, it also tackles rape in a way that doesn't hammer you over the head. This is because the book is about family and survival, forgiveness and love. It's a book I've chosen as part of the #ReadWokeUK Reading Challenge and one I'd like discuss more in school. It's a book not to be missed, I recommend it for ages 15 and up!
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D.J. and Gina are best friends and always have been since they were very young. D.J. comes from a big family of over-achievers and feels like he's always falling short. One day he witnesses what he thinks is a meteor falling to the Earth. When he approaches it, he finds a boy lying in a crater wearing nothing but silver underpants. He soon learns that the boy has special powers, he can read a stack of encyclopaedias in seconds, can fly and has balls of energy that shoot from his hands. The boy soon identifies himself as HiLo but his memory is fuzzy and he doesn't recall much more. It doesn't take long for a horde of inter galactic robot bugs to travel to Earth looking for HiLo, pitting D.J. and Gina into the middle of an epic battle to the finish! HiLo is beautifully illustrated and full of great comedic timing. It is great for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid or any super hero comic, loved it. Recommended for ages 8 and up! Leelu has just moved to London with her mother and her brother Tiber. Her father is thousands of miles away and Leelu doesn't understand why nobody will tell her why he can't come to be with them. At her new school, Leelu suddenly realises that she doesn't understand anything the teacher is telling her although all of her classmates seem to understand perfectly. Even stranger, someone is leaving strange objects at her house. Nut shells, trinkets and other things. Leelu becomes convinced that these items have magical powers. Things become even more confusing when she notices her brother sneaking out at night and a strange man from across the street watching her house. With her mum working late hours and the questions piling up, Leelu looks to her neighbour, a young girl named Betsy, for help. With the pressure mounting, Leelu becomes desperate to find some answers to these seemingly insurmountable questions. More importantly, she wants to try to find a way to get her father back. Leelu is a tremendously loveable character and her journey is an interesting one. I really recommend this to ages 9 and up! |
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