Book Review - ARTICHOKE HEARTS by Sita Brahmachari

ARTICHOKE HEARTS

BY

Sita Brahmachari

Twelve-year-old Mira comes from a chaotic, artistic and outspoken family where it’s not always easy to be heard. As her beloved Nana Josie's health declines, Mira begins to discover the secrets of those around her, and also starts to keep some of her own. She is drawn to mysterious Jide, a boy who is clearly hiding a troubled past and has grown hardened layers - like those of an artichoke - around his heart. As Mira is experiencing grief for the first time, she is also discovering the wondrous and often mystical world around her.

An incredibly insightful, honest novel exploring the delicate balance, and often injustice, of life and death - but at its heart is a celebration of friendship, culture - and life.

Winner of the 2011 Waterstone's Children's Book Prize.

MY THOUGHTS…

I liked this book a lot. I think that it was very genuine in expressing the troubles of Mira's family as her Nana Josie fights her illness.

I believe that this book shows that everyone has their secrets and that some of those secrets have been bottled up inside of them for as long as they remember. Jidé is my absolute favourite character, along with Laila, which is such a sweet name.

The artichoke heart that Nana Josie gives Mira is the central concept of the book. It fits into everyone's lives. If something bad happens, you shed one of the leaves. I wonder if you do something splendid, you can get the leaf back?

I loved reading this heart warming story and Highly Recommend this book to all Young Adult readers.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK? 

Amazon

Book Review - TRAMP LIFE by Tony Telford

TRAMP LIFE

BY

Tony Telford

  

'There is another world, and it is in this one.' Pearly James is fed up with being lonely. She's fed up with her pointless, boring school life. And she's deeply fed up with the fake, numbing, conformist world of screen culture that seems to enslave all her schoolmates. She just knows there must be something more. Change is what she really wants, but who or what will make it happen? Enter Bernard O'Hare, the computer genius with his trademark black overcoat and green, staring eyes... Both an adventure and a cry against the new global conformity, Tramp Life is the story of how one girl discovers another world hidden behind humdrum existence. A world of danger and delight, music, madness... and maybe friendship, too.

MY THOUGHTS…

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*

Pearly ran away from home. It is not always the most sensible thing to do, but she was being stalked by Bernard O'Hare - who creeps me out to the maximum limit of creepiness.

I like the group that she meets, although some of the things that they do... well I wouldn't do a slow motion conga in public, or jump onto the bonnet of a strangers car, but that's just my opinion.

My favourite characters are:

Hooky - cause he just seems like a genuinely nice guy

Draemon - cause he doesn't care what other people think about him

Jean - cause she's crazy

Boo - cause she's sweet.

I loved this book and Highly recommend it to all young adult readers.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon

Book review - COURAGE IN PATIENCE by Beth Fehlbaum

COURAGE IN PATIENCE

BY

Beth Fehlbaum

Courage to endure.

Courage to survive.

Courage to overcome.

Tenacious 14-year-old Ashley Asher claws her way back to normalcy after enduring six years of an unimaginable Hell. Uprooted from her negligent and selfish mother, Ashley finds solace in the safety of her father's home. Building a relationship with her stepmother, she's finally able to open up and confront the past that haunts her.

With the help of her stepmom, therapist, and a group of troubled adolescents, Ashley battles her demons, struggling to find the normal teenage life she's always wanted. Can Ashley find the strength and courage to overcome the horrors of her past while fighting for the future she so deserves?

MY THOUGHTS…

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*

Ashley has had an awful life. She has been abused by her stepfather and hasn't seen her birth father since she was three months old.

When I started to read this book, I immediately began to feel sorry for Ashley, and I hated Charlie since almost the beginning. As the story progressed, I also started to hate Ashley's mother, as she didn't, or even want to, help her daughter in any way. If she knew what Charlie had been doing, she either didn't care or took Charlie's side through it all.

David, on the other hand, was a likeable character. I couldn't understand why he didn't bother to try to see Ashley before, but I guess that he didn't know what Charlie was doing and Ashley's mother was also probably stopping him from seeing her. I could tell that David cared deeply about Ashley before he even met her as a teen, because of how he reacted any time Charlie was brought up. I also liked Bev and Ben because of how they take Ashley in, no questions asked, except maybe a couple from twelve-year-old Ben!

I did really like this book, and I Highly Recommend this book to all young adult readers.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE
THIS BOOK?

Amazon