Month: January 2020

‘That Asian Kid’ – Savita Kalhan

 

I felt slightly uncomfortable reading this in public, because I felt the title was definitely contentious, though it makes perfect sense in light of the story. This wasn’t a book that I would probably have picked up, but it’s made its way onto the long-list for the 2020 Carnegie Awards and I always try to read as many of these as I can in advance.

Our main character is fifteen-year-old Jeevan, a third-generation Asian boy who is predicted to perform well in his upcoming GCSEs – apart from in English Literature. No matter what he does, he doesn’t seem to do more than scrape by in this subject – and Jeevan is convinced that it is because his teacher is prejudiced against him because of his ethnicity.

We follow Jeevan one day as he takes a shortcut home through the woods. He is indulging in his one act of rebellion – a sneaky cigarette – when he hears noises. Most people would make their presence known, or leave, but Jeevan hides and what he sees then puts things in a very different position. What he sees is his much-disliked English teacher having sex with his History teacher. I’m not sure how credible this is, but Jeevan records the illicit encounter, then spends days feeling worried about what to do with it.

While Jeevan is sitting on this time-bomb, things go from bad to worse in school. This particular English teacher seems to look for opportunities to get Jeevan into trouble. She criticises him and punishes him but not others; she ‘loses’ his mock-exam paper and claims he threatens her. Jeevan ends up feeling increasingly alienated in school, and when he records the same teacher clearly making racist comments about him and other students he decides it’s time to get his own back. Jeevan is excluded, and reluctantly gets his parents involved in the battle to clear his name.

I’d love to think that behaviours described in this book don’t happen, and it’s very obvious that there is a breakdown in the relationship between these two that quickly escalates into something more serious.

What I found most infuriating in this book is that Jeevan and his friends are described as clever students, but they get themselves into an easily avoidable situation. While Jeevan’s behaviour is, at times, reprehensible we never really see him do anything other than find ways to try and justify his actions. Few of his friends try to do anything other than a token attempt to offer alternative actions, and the behaviour of the teacher herself was so unpleasant that it was difficult to find much sympathy for her.

Perhaps this won’t make it onto the short-list for Carnegie, but it’s certainly a book I’d encourage students to read and ask them to consider the portrayal of not just Jeevan but the issues raised.

‘Regretting You’ – Colleen Hoover

One of those books in which you can pretty accurately predict what’s going to happen, but it’s still quite good fun to read.

We first meet Morgan at seventeen, when she is essentially acting as mum to her younger sister, Jenny. She has dreams for the future, but when she learns she’s pregnant things head in a slightly different direction.

Sixteen years later we see Morgan still with her teenage boyfriend, now her husband, and their daughter is almost an adult. Everything seems pretty cosy. Her younger sister is back together with her boyfriend, Jonah, and they have a young son together. All seems great…which is why it’s no surprise to have a tragic accident that uncovers some very dark secrets.

What follows is a bit of a car-crash and all completely avoidable if people had just spoken to each other. There’s a number of episodes that could go into a ‘how not to deal with grief’ book and the rather inevitable issues that arise from Megan trying not to hurt her daughter are uncomfortable.

Naturally, there’s a series of issues but, deep down, it’s obvious that things are going to be resolved. They are, exactly as we expect. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there was a part of me that was hoping for something less obvious.

 

‘Skyward’ – Brandon Sanderson

‘Claim the Stars’ is what Spensa’s father tells her from early on. She recalls standing with him and seeing a gap in the clouds above them, and has always felt that she can hear things others can’t, but when he is shot down for deserting his squad life changes for Spensa and her family. Known as the daughter of a coward, Spensa has spent the last nine years facing people’s judgments of her.

Dreaming of becoming a pilot is the one thing that keeps Spensa focused.
In this futuristic world, humans live on a planet where they are regularly attacked by what they call Krell. Nobody knows what the Krell look like, or what they hope to achieve, but everyone fears their attacks. The heroes are the pilots who face them, and Spensa yearns to take on this role. However, because of her father’s actions Spensa seems to be destined to be cut off from this opportunity.

From the outset we see Spensa’s determination and stubbornness. She doesn’t back down, and her outspoken attitude is one of the things that seems destined to get her into trouble. However, these very traits also serve her in good stead.
For reasons that we come to see eventually, Spensa earns the opportunity to train as a pilot. She loves it, but with these new opportunities come the realisation that not everything is as clearcut as Spensa has always believed. Sometimes when you go rooting for answers to difficult questions you get them, and more than you were expecting.

While a substantial part of this book focuses on the day-to-day training of the pilots (which definitely had me reminiscing about Top Gun), there’s a lot of other things to keep you focused. I wanted to know what this ‘defect’ was that everyone kept talking about; I wanted to know more about the background to the people surrounding Spensa and their situation; I wanted to see Spensa grow as a character and I couldn’t wait to see just what was going on with M-Bot, the mysterious ship that Spensa finds and repairs. Some of these questions were answered, but not all.

I loved the pacing of this and the gradual heightening of tension as Spensa draws closer to coming to understand a little more of who she is. There was a good range of characters, and some unexpected humour.

All in all, this was a read that kept me focused from the start. I am now eager to read book two and learn a little more of this situation. Sometimes trying new things pays off…this was one such occasion.

‘Amelia Westlake Was Never Here’ – Erin Gough

 

It seems this book was simply published as ‘Amelia Westlake’ everywhere but the US, but I have to say that I love my bright pink cover…it’s the kind of cover that jumps out at you and immediately screams ‘pick me up’…so when I read the summary I was so excited to try this.

Our story centres around two very different students at Rosemead School, Harriet Price (top grade student and all-rounder) and Will Everhart (trouble-causer), and the way they find themselves colluding in a potentially life-changing scheme. I was rather surprised to see this had an Australian setting as the depiction of the characters was quite generic.

The girls find themselves in trouble for making comments about the sexist behaviour of the swimming coach. Together they come up with a plan to raise awareness of this issue, without putting their names to it, by inventing a student who voices the views that many share but nobody has the courage to articulate.

Before they know it the mystery student – Amelia Westlake – has got herself involved in a number of incidents. The staff are desperate to out our erstwhile student, and the other girls are desperate to see what she’ll do next.

Harriet and Will were totally unprepared for the effects Amelia’s presence has on them. How far will they go to maintain this deception? How far can they push their attempts to change the status quo? And, perhaps the one thing readers will be most keen to find out, how long until they realise their feelings for each other are not quite as simple as they each believe?

‘Hitler’s Secret (Tom Wilde 4)’ – Rory Clements

When I requested this on NetGalley I was fascinated by the idea of the story, and had no idea this was part of a series. I was concerned that it would make little sense on its own – and I’m sure some of these characters and their relationships would be clearer if you knew the previous books – but I worried needlessly.

In this book, Tom Wilde is called upon to carry out what can best be described as a foolish mission: to travel to Germany and remove a package of extreme importance. What nobody tells him is that the package is actually a ten year old girl thought to be the secret daughter of Adolf Hitler.

From the outset we are witness to some unpleasant events. This is a regime built on terror, and some of the behaviours shown are chilling. There’s still good guys, and though we’re not always sure of the boundaries we have to place our trust in them.

The book takes us through a number of terrifying scenarios. It’s enough to make anyone applaud the bravery of those who risk their life for such situations, even if we’re also shaking our heads in sorrow at the brutality and callousness shown by some inherently selfish characters.

The backdrop to the story seemed plausible, and the blending of fact and fiction creates an interesting atmosphere. I was pleased that we were offered another viable reality for Klara at the end of the book, but I’m guessing there’ll be more to come from Wilde.

 

‘Full Disclosure’ – Camryn Garrett

Simone is, in so many ways, your typical teen. And in others, she’s not. In ‘Full Disclosure’ we get what is best describe as a ‘warts-and-all’ insight into her life.

Early on we’re told Simone has HIV. We get a lot of information about the practicalities of living with this, but we also get to look at the emotional support offered to teens in this situation. Simone is also a black girl, adopted by two gay men, who is exploring her sexuality. There’s a lot to take in.

Although raising awareness of our attitudes to HIV seems to be high on the agenda, the main story focuses us on Simone trying to work out how she feels about Miles and her directing a school production.

There’s a lot going on in this story. Simone and her friends are refreshingly frank in their discussions about sex and relationships, and the focus on her growing feelings for Miles is probably what many readers will empathise with. I felt the way the narrator showed Simone getting on with her life was such a positive message, and yet the prejudice shown by many of the characters highlights just how necessary this story is.

Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this in exchange for my thoughts.

 

‘All the Rage’ – Cara Hunter

A tightly plotted, fast-moving read that shows this series is getting better and better.

Our story begins with someone watching a young woman. Deliberately vague, I confess to still not being sure of the significance of this scene. We then switch to another young woman preparing for a night out. When we next see her she is being picked up by a taxi driver who fears she’s been attacked.

Having had a bag put over her head, her wrists tied and her knickers pulled down, there’s no doubt this was a premeditated attack. Her refusal to involve the police seems odd…and it’s not until some further digging has taken place that we realise just why Faith is reluctant to speak up. The police are not entirely sure who is responsible, or the motives for this attack, but they are on high alert.

Days later another young girl, Sasha Blake, goes missing. When her body is found there’s concern that the crimes may be linked. Alongside the general investigative stuff (which rattled along so well), we learn of a past crime that Fawley was involved in. There are unnerving similarities between the crimes and though there’s the suggestion of a copycat killer, the person imprisoned for these violent crimes has always sworn his innocence and these latest developments strongly suggest that the police may have got the wrong man.

I was completely consumed in trying to get to the bottom of this one. There were numerous plausible possibilities and each option seemed pretty unpleasant. The actual truth was heart-wrenchingly awful. And as for the closing scene with our ‘innocent’ man being released, it doesn’t bode well for what’s to come.

Scheduled for release later this month, a huge thank you to NetGalley for getting my 2020 reading off to such a good start!