Lex is burning alive. At least that's how she feels inside. Her soon to be step-father, John, is a monster, but nobody else really sees it that way. Since being with John, Lex's mother has undergone what can only be described as a lobotomy, she's placid, meek and anxiety ridden. Lex's step-sister Iris is young and innocent and caught up in the angry whirl-wind that is John's behaviour. Sometimes he's sweet, sometimes he's not. When Lex's mother and John get into it and the swearing starts and things get thrown around, that's when Lex's monster comes out. She becomes the furious thing, trashing the house, damaging property, running away. John thinks Lex needs to be medicated, and he's got a doctor friend who can do just that. Desperate, Lex turns to the only person who has ever got her, Kass, her soon to be step brother, whom she also has had an undying crush on for years. Kass is in university in Manchester, he's also desperate not to become like his father, although sometimes his behaviour says otherwise. As the wedding looms, and the situation at home starts to collapse, Lex starts to do even more outrageous things to get her mother's attention to what she's become. Furious Thing is one of the best YA I've read in a while. Lex isn't just living with a monster, John is written as a complex character with sides that allow Lex to see why her mother loves him. Lex is also a deeply complicated, flawed person, someone I wish I knew when I went to high school. Someone who goes with her gut, is desperate to feel something in this life and to show others what it's like to love and hurt. I think this is a beautiful story about life and love and abuse and deciding you aren't going to take it any more. Highly recommend it for ages 14+.
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Trigger warning for sexual abuse. Amelie has just moved from Sheffield, UK to the southern part of the country, her dad has a new job and she's going to university. She's leaving behind her friends and most importantly Alfie, the boy she loves. Together they've made a pact, that they will give each other space but get back together in two years. Things seem to be going ok at first, Amelie meets Hannah, a nice girl who shows her around. When she performs and wins a local music talent show, she's introduced to Reese, a student and singer in a local band. It's love at first sight, but is it? What follows is a harrowing story of abuse. Reese tells Amelie he loves her over and over again, then casually insults her in front of his friends. He insists every mean thing he says is a joke, but his "mood swings" become more and more intense and Amelie finds herself obsessed with keeping him happy, walking a dangerous tightrope as she tries to keep him from flying into a rage at something trivial. Then, to keep him happy, to save what she thinks is a normal relationship, she begins to buckle to his pressure to do other things. This is a terrifying novel, Amelie's descent into this manipulative, toxic relationship is something that is tragically all too real. This novel is like an air raid siren for the soul, a warning shot that will undoubtedly help teens navigate what is essentially a confusing and scary time in their lives. Holly Bourne is a fantastic writer who slugs you to the gut in a matter of a few pages. She knows how to write about fear, relationships and the anxiety of life with an impressive skill. I really recommend this one to teens ages 15 and up! When she turned ten, Aniyah made a wish on a star for her mum. The wish was for her mother, but during that same day, she and her brother Noah are taken from her home and driven far away and made to live in a foster home. The only silver lining is that the foster home is run by Mrs. Iwuchukwu who is one of the best motherly fiction character from the past few years in my opinion. She is firm yet fair, loving and open. This is a character that helps restore the image of foster carers as caring, responsible people when the primary image we receive from the media are ones who prey on children's weaknesses. Throughout the novel, Mrs. Iwuchukwu becomes a character I wanted to spend more time with and I wanted to learn as much as I could about her. Aniyah is obsessed with star hunting, so when she finds out that the Royal Observatory at Greenwich is holding a contest to name a new star, she knows that the star is connected to her mother and that it must be named after her. This is when she recruits the help of some of the foster children to embark on an adventure to travel to the Observatory to tell the judges her mother's story and why the star belongs to her. A truly devastating story that will wreck you as a reader. As Aniyah's story slowly unravels, we see the true desperation behind her attempt to get to the Observatory. We see how children being sent to foster homes cope on a daily basis, how children are so, so resilient when it comes to traumatic events and how powerful kindness and empathy can be. Another blockbuster from Onjali, this will be another book I'll need several copies of to keep the students happy, don't miss this amazing story. It's 1984 & Jo Kwan has just moved with her family to Coventry, UK to start a new life. However, it's not the life Jo had imagined for herself. She's going to live above the Chinese takeaway that her family owns and operates. She hasn't seen her older brother Simon for a few years because he was sent to live with their grandparents for reasons that are unknown to Jo. She has a younger sister Bonny who has taken to smoking and stealing money from the cash register in the shop. Jo also takes money but only when she really, really needs it. Jo's mother speaks little to no English, her father speaks both English and Chinese but rarely speaks. Throw in the fact that Jo and her sister can't understand Chinese and it makes for a very interesting family dynamic. Chinglish is told through Jo's diary entries and doodles. The story track's Jo's attempts to fit in at school and how she experiences casual and not so casual racism from both children and adults in her neighbourhood. Jo starts her diary by saying she is only going to include the nice memories. As the diary continues, more and more of the "bad stuff" creeps in, and man oh man there is a lot of bad stuff. I wanted to jump into this novel on several occasions and take Jo and her sister as far away from her parents as possible, more on that later. There are some genuinely hilarious moments in this novel which are always tinged with sadness. Jo never receives Christmas or birthday presents from her family, yet she's convinced that she did receive a chair shaped like a teddy bear when she was six years old. There's no evidence of the chair existing and her parents don't acknowledge that the chair was ever purchased. It's one of those moments that slowly burns inside your brain, it's terribly sad but I had to laugh at it because Jo has to ask herself if she's going insane, why would her parents decide to lie to her about buying a teddy bear chair? Who does something like that? Then there are the animal stories, many of which can be considered animal cruelty, which Jo fully recognises. I won't spoil any of them but one of them involves goats and again, made me laugh out loud and then wonder if I should be laughing but it's so tragic and bizarre that I just couldn't help it. Jo becomes needed more and more in the takeaway, and she has to experience real problems in there. Racist customers, drunk customers, customers who demand refunds and many other issues. Her school work slips, she starts taking more and more time off because of her life is simply spiralling out of control. Her father becomes increasingly sullen, despondent and abusive. As we learn more and more about his past (the little that Jo can piece together) Jo begins her quest to remove herself from the family. With the help of her friend Tina, she starts to trust herself and have a little self confidence, especially when it comes to her only respite: art. Jo's love of art transcends the absolute madness that is her home life. I really loved this story, it's hilarious and really heart breaking at the same time. Jo's life is completely unique and fascinating, it's like watching a car crash over and over again. You will definitely feel for her and her family, it's a story of tragedy, abuse, neglect and hope. I think it's amazing and can't wait for it to come out in September. Amal lives a simple life with her family in Pakistan. She dreams of becoming a teacher in a culture that doesn't look kindly on girls trying to escape the traditional role of housewife. Still, Amal is unfazed and ensures she keeps up with her studies despite the fact that she is told by her father she must stay away from school in order to take care of her younger siblings. One day in a crowded market, Amal is hit by a car. She's relatively unhurt, but the person who hit her is a dangerous crime lord. After speaking back to this man, she is ordered to leave her home and become his mother's servant until her debt to him is paid off. Once in the compound, Amal finds others who are desperate to pay off their debt and get back to their families. It's a hard life, but the gangster's mother is kinder than most and they find common ground in the fact that they are from the same area. Without spoiling the novel, Amal hatches a plan to once and for all remove herself from the clutches of the crime lord. I loved this novel, Amal's steady, smart approach to every challenge was fascinating to read. I could not put this story down, I simply had to know if she made it out of the gangster's compound or if everything blows up in her face. Amal is a heart breaking character with guts of steel, an inspiration to children everywhere. I'd highly recommend this novel to ages 9+! Mo needs to escape. Her mum's new boyfriend, Lloyd, is an abusive brute who has a dark past, the boy she likes, Sam, has his heart set on a new girl and life in Crongton in general can be outright dangerous. When Lloyd goes too far and reveals a horrible secret her mum has been harbouring, Mo vows revenge. As she gets more and more involved in the criminal element of Crongton's toughest residents, she begins to wonder how she got so deep, and if she can ever get out. Straight Outta Crongton is a unique novel in that Wheatle has created his own rhythm and in some cases words that his characters use to describe their situations. It reminded me a lot of A Clockwork Orange in that respect. I never once felt like the language was shoe-horned in, it flows as natural as the concrete pillars in the tower blocks that line Crongton. I really loved Mo, she's a complex character that does some deeply wrong things yet I never once stopped rooting for her throughout the entire novel. She never once stops fighting for her right to be happy and to be respected by everyone around her. She demands that her mother provide a safe place for both of them and when that doesn't happen she storms out. Mo is a fighter and I really enjoyed following her through this journey. I would highly recommend this and the other books in Wheatles' South Crongton series, check them out! Brynn Haper only has one consistent thing in her life: Television presenter Rachel Maddow. Other than that, she's dealing with a recent breakup, an abusive stepfather and a preppy jerk destroying the democratic political process in her high school. As a homework assignment, she writes a few emails to Rachel Maddow and is thrilled when she receives a response. As a way to catalogue her struggles, fears and determination, Brynn writes dozens of unsent emails to Rachel Maddow, all describing a life in turmoil and pain but full of hope and grit and spirit. When Brynn's ex and the aforementioned preppy jerk get involved in a game of high school rigged elections, Brynn takes matters into her own hands to not only expose them for what they are but to get politically involved herself. Dear Rachel Maddow is one of the sharpest YA novels out there today. Hilarious, infuriating and lightning quick, Kisner captures the excruciating pain that the high school experience can be and that there's still plenty of hope to be found in the youth of today. I recommend it for ages 15 and up! 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! Muzna Saleem wants to be a novelist. Her parents want her to become a doctor and are oblivious to Muzna's actual dreams. When she moves to a new school, Muzna's low self esteem is thrown into overdrive. She feels she is too big, too ugly and will never become popular. However, when high school heartthrob Arif starts up a relationship with her, Muzna begins to think that all of her self doubt was for nought. Muzna becomes completely devoted to Arif, and when Arif's strange and serious brother becomes involved in their relationship, a tiny worm of doubt begins to wriggle into Muzna's brain. She's right, not only is Arif harbouring a very dark secret, his brother is hiding an even more sinister one. As Muzna finds herself tangled into a dangerous web of lies and deceit, she begins to wonder if she can make it out of this nightmare alive. I've never read a book like this, coming from rural Canada, this is not the perspective I grew up with or learned about. Working in a Library in South London, I have been fortunate to meet students and staff from all races and religions which is why I was very happy to see a book focusing on this topic. I'm being wary because I don't want to spoil anything. What I can say is that I learned a lot reading this novel, specifically the pressure that teen Muslims face on a daily basis. Not to mention the every day struggle of being a teen. Throw in casual racism, ignorance and societal and religious expectations and you have all the ingredients for a mental health catastrophe. I feel like this novel opened my eyes up to what many of the students I interact with may very well be going through. Reading makes you a more empathetic person, and I Am Thunder is evidence that this statement rings very true. If you'd like to learn more about the novel you can join us on Twitter on Thurs 26 April at 8pm GMT when the author, Muhammad Khan, will be discussing it with anyone who wants to join in. Just follow #OHYABOOKCLUB to take part! I'll be giving away 2 copies of the novel that evening as well, hope to see you there! Nick and Kenny are brothers, and they're also best friends. Their mum isn't around and their dad is doing his best to make up for being a pretty sloppy father. When the boys find an injured rook, Kenny is determined to nurse it back to health. Meanwhile, Nick has bigger problems to worry about. He's being bullied by a boy at school and to make matters worse, Nick's in love with the bully's sister. Desperate to find some courage to ask her out on a date or even speak to her in the hall, Nick decides to stand up to her brother once and for all. This is a decision that will change Nick's life drastically. Rook is a fast-paced and powerful read about family, willpower and standing up for yourself. I am really excited to find some students in the Library who tell me they "hate reading" because this is one that will change their minds. Don't miss it! I recommend it for ages 14 and up! |
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