Monthly Archives: August 2022

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If You Read This

August 31, 2022 9:00 am ,

When Brie was younger, her mama used to surprise her with treasure hunts around their island town. After she died three years ago, these became Brie’s most cherished memories.

Now, on her twelfth birthday, her mama has another surprise: a series of letters leading Brie on one last treasure hunt.

The first letter guides Brie to a special place.

The next urges her to unlock a secret.

And the last letter will change her life forever.

Pushkin Press

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU MANGOES was one of my favourite books of last year, so I jumped at the chance to read IF YOU READ THIS. Always a worry, reading the follow-up to something brilliant, but I wasn’t disappointed and was very pleased to ask the author, Kereen Getten, a few questions!

What part of ‘If You Read This’ came to you first – the letters or the character of Brie?

I really liked the idea of a treasure hunt, and the character going on a journey of self discovery. The idea was very vague and so I started to think about Brie, who she was and why she would go on a treasure hunt so although the idea of the letters came first, Brie had to be developed before the letters were explored.

I love the Caribbean settings of both your novels, really evocative, are any of the scenes based on particular locations you know well?

When I was eleven years old, we returned to Jamaica for eighteen months. We moved into a gated community called Silver Sands and that’s where I loosely based where Brie lived. Also, Brim’s town is also loosely based on a small seaside town, on the western tip of Jamaica. The rugged, twisty road to Brim’s house is based on the actual road that leads into a rocky landscape overlooking the sea.

Have you thought about writing a story set in the UK?

I have! I actually wrote a short story for Happy Here anthology set in the UK it was called HOME. My historical novel Two Sisters is based in Jamaica and the UK and I’m definitely looking to do more UK based stories in the future. [CF: Oh, of course, I read and loved TWO SISTERS, a brilliant historical novel in the Scholastic VOICES series]

What kind of events do you like to do with readers?

As a pandemic author, I really am just beginning to do in person events, but I have enjoyed many virtual events where I have spoken to multiple schools at the same time. Nothing beats meeting readers face to face though, and some of my favourite moments are talking to readers about my books.

Have you had much feedback from young readers?

Yes! Sometimes I get social media messages from them or their parents after they’ve read my book, or after an event. With Mangoes there were a lot of conversations around the twist! Which I loved.

What are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?

I’ve just finished Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. A wonderful book about a young girl’s journey to mending her relationship with her mother while chasing a fox’s journey across the arctic.  I would recommend it to readers who love visual descriptions, stories about relationships, immigration and nature

What are you working on now?

I am currently editing a short fantasy book out next year titled Ada Rue and the Banished about a young girl who moves to a town where magical people are banished from society. I am also editing a detective series where a group of friends in the Caribbean form a detective agency to solve mysteries but they’re terrible at it!

Kereen Getten (photo credit Amy Spinks)

Thank you to Kereen for answering my questions, and Pushkin Press for sending me a review copy and organising the q&a. IF YOU READ THIS is out on 1st September 2022!

Posted in: BAME, Eight Questions With..., Interviews, MG, Reflecting Realities, The Third Degree

Something Certain, Maybe

August 18, 2022 8:00 am ,

Something Certain, Maybe is a powerful novel about first love, friendships and embracing the uncertainty of an unknowable future, from Sara Barnard, winner of the YA Book Prize.

Rosie is ready for her life to begin, because nothing says new life like going to university. After years of waiting and working hard, she’s finally on the road that will secure her future.

Except university turns out to be not what she hoped or imagined, and although she’s not exactly unhappy – really – she might be a little bit worried that she doesn’t really like her course much. Or her flatmates. Or, really . . . anything? But it’s normal to be homesick (right?) and everything will have settled in a month or two, and it’s totally fine that her friends seem so much happier than she is, and that the doctors don’t seem to know what’s wrong with her mother.

And then she meets Jade, and everything starts to look a little brighter. At least, it does if she’s only looking at Jade. But is first love enough when everything else is falling apart?

Macmillan

This is the 3rd outing with Rosie and her best friends Caddy and Suze. I thought Beautiful Broken Things was great, all those years ago before I put photos in tweets…

…adored Fierce Fragile Hearts…

…and Something Certain, Maybe was no disappointment…

…so I’m very pleased to be sharing a Q&A with Sara Barnard as part of her blog tour today, A-Level results day!

  • Rosie’s voice is so authentic, as are all your characters, do you eavesdrop on lots of teenagers?

Thank you! I don’t usually eavesdrop on real teenagers, no! The voices of my characters always just come through very clearly to me. My biggest piece of advice for writers writing teenage voices is to not actively try to make them sound like teenagers. Just trust their natural voice.

  • When you wrote ‘Fierce Fragile Things’ were you already planning ‘Something Certain, Maybe’?

Not at all! I wish I had been, because it would have made Something Certain, Maybe much easier to write! One of the most difficult parts of writing this book was making sure it fitted alongside FFH. There are a lot of things I would probably have done differently with FFH if I’d known there’d be another book set over the same period. So maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t know, because I love FFH a lot!

  • Which of the 3 girls came to you first, and who was the hardest to write?

Suzanne, and she came along quite a lot earlier than Caddy or Rosie. I wouldn’t say any one of them is particularly hard for me to write, because I could write all of them all day long and be very happy! But if I had to pick one out of the three, it would probably be Rosie, for reasons that are more to do with her book being the third one than her as a character.  

  • What kind of reaction have you had from teen readers?

Readers generally tend to respond to the friendship between the three girls, though I get the most messages about Suzanne! With Something Certain, Maybe in particular, I’ve been struck by how many people in their 20s and older who have got in touch to say how much the story of a disappointing university experience resonated with them, and how they wished they’d had the book when they were at university. I had hoped to put something on the page that doesn’t really get talked abou, so it means a lot that it has resonated with people in this way. 

  • What kind of reader engagement event, in schools or libraries or elsewhere, do you enjoy most?

YALC is always my favourite, but generally literary festivals are always a joy. There’s something about all those people choosing to be there out of a shared love of books. They’re such engaged audiences and there are usually some great questions. 

  • Have you finished writing about Caddy, Suze, & Rosie or do you think you could be tempted to write about them in their 20s?

I would love to write them in their 20s! I have written bits and pieces of them a little older. But I can’t imagine it would ever be something that would have a life outside of my laptop, sadly! 

  • What are you reading and who would you recommend it to? 

I am very late to the party, but I’m currently reading Life After Life. It is just as brilliant as everyone always said it was. I’d recommend it to everyone who likes reading.

  • What are you working on at the moment?

I’m editing my next YA book, Where the Light Goes, which will be out next year! 

Check out the rest of the tour. Thank you to Macmillan for organising!
Every single one of these books is brilliant.
Posted in: Books, Eight Questions With..., Interviews, Recommended by a Librarian, Reflecting Realities, YA

The Nicest Girl

August 10, 2022 10:08 am ,

Sixth-former Anna Campbell is the go-to girl when anyone needs anything. Teachers, friends, random strangers… It never occurred to her that she could say no. After all, Anna Campbell’s always been too ‘nice’ to say no. But Anna is sick of being that girl, the nice girl, and she’s going to do something about it. Only, is she prepared to risk losing everything she cares about – even herself – along the way…?

Sophie Jo

THE NICEST GIRL is Sophie Jo’s debut UKYA and it is brilliantly put together, I felt every page of it! I asked the author a few questions:

How much of yourself is in the book, were you a “nice girl”?

There’s definitely some of me in the book – I’m a bit of a recovering people-pleaser and have felt the pain of being “the nice girl” many a time over the years, especially in my teens and early twenties.

When I started writing the book, I was really keen to hear from friends and acquaintances about their own experiences. It was sad but oddly freeing to learn that people I’d previously viewed as very assertive and “sorted” were struggling to turn down work shifts or stand up to friends or set boundaries in their dating life. I think a lot of us – especially women – are battling against this deep-rooted need to be seen as likeable and easy-going.

Trying not to include spoilers…there are tensions that build up & come to a head in totally believable ways. Did earlier drafts have anything more over-the-top that you decided to tone down?

The tension explosion and resolution has actually stayed pretty much the same throughout the editing process! I did wonder at one point if Anna would decide to cut one particular character out of her life (again, no spoilers…), but I’m glad she doesn’t, and I hope I did a good job at illustrating both points of view when things do erupt.

What would you most like readers to take away from the book?

I’d really love for readers to consider the middle-ground-complexities of the whole topic. You don’t have to turn into an unkind person to set boundaries – it isn’t about forgetting to be respectful or that other points of view exist. It’s about remembering that your feelings are as valid as anyone else’s and there for a reason.

I also hope it shows readers the value of honest, kind communication in friendships and other relationships. Sometimes you see stuff online that’s like, “you don’t owe anybody anything! Set boundaries! Immediately ghost people who don’t treat you right!” and while I am very much on board with anything that teaches people to stand up for themselves, I also think there’s space for most of us to better express expectations/wants/needs so our nearest and dearest at least have a chance to respond to those. Anna means very well and her struggles are relatable, but because she’s quite good at picking up on the emotions of those around her, she often expects them to mind-read in return – and they can’t.

Have you had much opportunity for feedback from teen/YA readers?

I was able to meet some amazing teen and YA readers at this year’s YALC – they’d picked up proofs from my publisher UCLan’s stand and were really excited to read. That was such a lovely experience for me, especially as someone so new to all this. It’s also been cool seeing initial reviews on Goodreads and NetGalley from people who’ve related to Anna and rooted for her throughout.

What would your ideal school visit to promote the book involve?

I would LOVE to sit down with a group of teens and talk about the concept of ‘niceness’ vs assertive communication. Maybe a lil quiz: Nice or Too Nice? A poetry-writing session? I have a million ideas; I’m going to start writing them down.

What are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?

I’m enjoying THREE GIRLS by Katie Clapham, a fellow UCLan author. The voices she’s created for these characters are so strong, and there are these brilliant little drops of humour along the way. It’s quirky and interesting but never try-hard. Would recommend to: anyone who wants a really solid book about teen girl friendship.

I’ve also just finished a proof of GIRL FRIENDS by Holly Bourne, which is definitely one of my new favourites. She just gets women. Every time I read a Holly book I feel like she has crawled into the depths of my soul without judging me. Would recommend to: anyone who grew up reading 90s/00s Sugar magazine articles about How To Get Boys To Like You…

Have you any more stories bubbling away?

I’m currently writing draft one of book two. The main character is quite different to Anna – a lot more cynical and outspoken – so it’s been a real change to write, in a very fun way. I’m also trying out a dual narrative for the first time, which is a whole new challenge in itself. Hopefully we’ll be back talking about the finished book before too long!

THE NICEST GIRL was published by UCLan in August 2022. Thank you to Antonia Wilkinson for organising a review copy and the opportunity for a Q&A.

Posted in: Eight Questions With..., Interviews, YA

Ten Ways to Build a Brilliant Brain

August 4, 2022 10:54 pm ,

A fun and practical guide to making your brain brilliant, from well-being expert Nicola Morgan.

Build a brilliant brain with this fun and practical guide for young people from award-winning well-being expert Nicola Morgan. From the benefits of the right food, sleep and exercise, to how to be creative, curious and resilient, discover the incredible science and top advice to make your brain the best it can be. Packed with fascinating facts and brain boosting activities, this illustrated guide gives you the power to build your brilliant brain!

Walker Books

Ten ways your brain is different from the person’s sitting next to you

By Nicola Morgan

One of the most important things a human has to learn is that everyone else is both the same as and different from them. Our brains are wired the same as every human’s for hundreds of thousands of years but we have different psychologies and personalities, influences and experiences, different biology, and so we will not always think, feel, behave or react the same as another person in the same situations. Knowing that is the basis of empathy and of how we make our way through our world.

What are ten specific differences to be aware of as you think about the person sitting next to you?

1. Genes

Our genetic make-up makes each of us literally unique, including in the detail of our brain. We don’t know exactly what the genetic effect is in a given situation but we know it’s there and for some things more strongly than others. For example, we know that dyslexia often has some genetic link.

2. Age

Age makes a difference. Obviously, if the person sitting next to you is two, or 102, and you’re 42, their brain is not the same as yours. And there are biological stages of development that make a typical 12-year-old teenage brain different from both a typical two-year-old brain or a typical 19-year-old or 40-year-old brain. There are some things that older brains can do better than younger brains and vice versa. And we all age differently, too, depending on genes and lifestyle, amongst other things.

3. Past experiences

Everything that happens stamps its mark on our brain and changes us in ways big or small. A significant, perhaps memorable, experience can directly affect how we act later. Someone praising us or not praising us can make a difference to our confidence – we might not remember the original moment but it will leave its mark. No two people have identical experiences.

4. Neuro-divergence

The person sitting next to you might have a neuro-divergence. It could be dyslexia or dyspraxia, ADHD or colour-blindness. Whatever it is, it makes their brain different from yours – even if you also have the same neuro-divergence. No two are really the same even if they have the same name!

5. How time has been spent

The brain of a person who has spent a lot of time playing the violin is physically different from the brain of someone who spent the same amount of time reading books. What we spend time on changes our brain.

6. Introversion/extroversion

Introversion/extroversion is widely regarded as a largely fixed personality trait. It’s a fascinating topic and when I give INSET talks in schools it’s usually the bit that teachers are most intrigued about as it impacts learning so much. It’s not about shyness but a biological level of sensitivity to stimuli, especially when people are the stimuli. Understanding the introverted nature of the people around you will really give you insight into their experience of the world.

7. Type A/B

Another personality aspect is to do with reaction to goals, ambition, success. Type A people are fiercely competitive and beat themselves up when they don’t come top; Type Bs are more laidback and are better at switching off. Their brains behave differently.

8. Support network and friendships

Our mental strength is very much affected and changed by support from the people around us. Do we have people who make us feel confident, people we can go to with a problem or doubt, who we can share success and excitement with? Each friend and connection is part of us and changes us – and therefore our brain.

9. Optimism

Optimism is not a fixed personality trait but more a mindset or learned behaviour. But how optimistic someone is (at the moment) will profoundly affect how they behave or react and whether they go for opportunities. And optimistic or pessimistic thoughts are formed in and by our brains. You can train your brain to think and behave more optimistically and in doing so change your neural pathways. Check out my ‘Pathways exercise’ on my website – or ask me to speak to your staff about building positive neural pathways.

10. Luck

There’s so much we can each control in our lives – and that’s what I focus on, teaching people of all ages that their brains can be ‘in their hands’. But there’s also a lot we can’t control. We should spend very little time thinking about that but it’s worth recognising that a lot that makes our brains how they are is down to luck. Knowing that helps us not be judgmental.

I don’t know who’s sitting next to you. I don’t know you. But I know that your two brains are different in fascinating ways. You could, if you wished and if it is appropriate, start to talk to them and get to know them. Then you’ll know a bit more about what is in their brains – you’ll find similarities and differences. You still won’t know exactly what is going on in their brain, but the endless quest to get closer and closer to the mind of another person is what connects us. It’s pretty much the whole meaning of life – not to feel alone but to be at peace with the brain inside our own head as well as the ones nearby.

Nicola Morgan, aka The Teenage Brain Woman, is an award-winning author and speaker on many areas of well-being and learning. Her best-selling examination of the teenage brain, Blame My Brain, was shortlisted for the Aventis Prize; the prize-winning Teenage Guide to Stress, along with The Teenage Guide to Friends, Positively Teenage, Life Online, Body Brilliant, The Awesome Power of Sleep and Be Resilient, underline Nicola’s unparalleled expertise. In 2018, she was awarded the SLA’s prestigious award for Outstanding Contribution to Information Books. She used to be a teenage novelist and one day will be again. Her new book is TEN WAYS TO BUILD A BRILLIANT BRAIN, published by Walker Books. www.nicolamorgan.com

Posted in: Advice, Education, non-fiction, Resources, YA

The English GI: a Yorkshire Schoolboy’s Adventures in the United States and Europe

August 3, 2022 6:56 pm ,

Jonathan Sandler chose to publish his grandfather’s personal memoir of his life from his schoolboy experiences in Yorkshire to life as a young ex-patriate in New York and being drafted into the US Army in the latter years of the Second World War as a graphic novel – this was a fantastic idea as it immediately opened up access of this work to a wider range of readers than a straightforward text memoir would have. Speaking personally I for one am glad that he did, it is rare to find first-hand stories of soldiers who served, as most (including my grandfather) did not enjoy talking about their experiences during the war.

Brian Bicknell’s art style melds perfectly with Bernard’s spare, unsentimental text, creating a work that is an enjoyable yet informative read allowing the reader a view into his experiences in a world that is now gone; from being footloose and fancy free in 1940’s New York, to basic training as a General Infantryman and his harrowing experiences as a member of the 26th Infantry in France. The vulnerability shown in Bernard’s words, specifically during the scenes in France are at odds with so many portrayals of soldiers today.

The copious notes in the afterword give a depth and context to many of Bernard’s experiences portrayed in the book, from life in New York, the fate of his Latvian family, to the stories of some of his friends he met during basic training as well as his post-war life (including a friendship with Roald Dahl that was cut short due to Dahl’s vile antisemitism).

The English GI was a joy to read and is a work that I will return to again to enjoy the company of Bernard and his adventures! It is highly recommended for all readers!

The English GI was published in April 2022 and is available now!

Posted in: Books, comics, Reviews