Books of the Month
Family
Life by Akhil Sharma
Published by Faber and Faber in 2014
Family Life is a story about the loneliness and despair of an Indian family whose American dream turns sour. Eight year old Ajay moves with his parents and brother, Birju, from Delhi to a new life in Queens, New York in 1978. Life is exciting for the two brothers as they adjust to prosperity, girls and 24-hour TV, until one hot, sultry day when everything falls apart.
Unbecoming by
Jenny Downham
Published by David Fickling, 2015
Katie’s mother, Caroline has had a tense relationship with her own
mother. But Katie is fascinated by her granny Mary. Katie meets her for
the first time when she becomes ill and as the onset of dementia is confirmed
it falls to Caroline to look after her, something she’s not pleased
about.
Unbecoming is the story of three women with three secrets. The book explores
the very real problem of living and dealing with someone who has Alzheimers.
Alongside this is the unfolding of Katie’s struggle with her sexuality
and the turmoil she experiences in keeping it secret.
Children's Book of the Month
The
Wordsmith by Patricia Forde
Published by Little Island Books, 2015.
Without words, our lives would be unimaginable. Why then are the people of Ark in danger of becoming wordless? In this dystopian novel for older children the ruler of Ark’s plan, is to rid the people of language altogether and to make them wordless. Letta is a young girl who has become a wordsmith in the wake of her adult carer, friend and mentor’s disappearance and death.
The book has an excellent plot and an array of well-developed
characters. Letta’s relationships are realistically portrayed and
the story is full of action, adventure and suspense.
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Children's Books of the Month