Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is a dystopian novel about a group of students who grow up in a chilling alternative reality. The story is narrated by a thirty-year-old Kathy who reflects on her time at Hailsham School and exposes the fate that awaits her, her close...
After serving in the war, Francis Cassavant returns to his town with one purpose: to take revenge for his friend Nicole Renard. As a young girl, Nicole had been a victim of sexual abuse. The incident has left her with life-long trauma. The book "Heroes" deals with...
Most of us grew up reading or hearing about fairy tales and happily ever after. Many of us may have dreamed of being a princess or prince at some point. But what no one talks about is the terrible treatment most the heroines endure to get to their so called happily...
Content Warning: Mental Health Challenges (Anxiety, Depression and Emotional Distress) Bullying (Verbal Abuse and Exclusion) Welcome to a world where the unshakable bond of two sisters, Pearl and Jodie, overcomes all odds. In Jacqueline Wilson's "My Sister Jodie," we...
Content warning: domestic abuse / sexual abuse mentioned ‘It Ends With Us’ is a story about a young girl named Lily Bloom who has recently graduated college and moved to Boston to start her new life. There, she pursues her dream of opening her own business – a flower...
It is a cold day in December 1933 when twelve-year-old Stella Saxby wakes up in her bed at the family estate wrapped in head to toe in bandages. Her Aunt Alberta emerges from the dark shadows to inform her that she has been in a coma and both her parents have died in...
I first read ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 and ¾’ when I was about 12 years old. I found it hilarious and relatable, especially Adrian’s crush on Pandora! However, the constant fighting and splitting-up between Adrian’s mum and dad stuck out as something...
A Thousand Splendid Suns was a tremendously enjoyable read. It is a book which depicts the courage and defiance that young people show when they are faced by overwhelming adversity. The story follows two different girls in 20th century Afghanistan. One is Mariam, who...
Wealth. Guilt. Shame. These are all themes that take place in J.B. Priestley’s ‘An Inspector Calls’; a play many students study for their GCSEs. Did you study this play, or did you study another text? Let me know in the comments below! This drama is centered around...
Oliver Twist, is a book by Charles Dickens, which tells the story of a boy’s childhood. Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse in 1830s England. His mother dies just after Oliver’s birth. After spending the first nine years in a badly run home for young orphans, Oliver...
Introduction and about the book! Have you read A Little Princess? I remember my sister got it for my birthday and it became (and still is!) my favourite book. It follows Sara Crewe, a wealthy beautiful girl with an extraordinary imagination, who is a brilliant...
Matilda, you might have heard of, a well-known book, film and musical (the newest one out recently) of Roald Dahl’s. To be honest, I’ve only ever seen the movie. This story is about a girl called Matilda Wormwood. However, Matilda isn’t treated like a typical child;...
No More Knives, by Christina Gabbitas is a new book which looks at five friends and how they become involved in county lines and knife crime. The story covers the harsh reality of the plight of young people involved in county lines, including what they were expected...
Night Owls by Jenn Bennett Jenn Bennett is an American author of novels for both teenagers and adults. One of her award-winning books, Night Owls, follows the adventures of two teenage artists, Bex and Jack. Bex is a student who aspires to become a medical...
Content warning: eating disorders Author Jacqueline Wilson’s books are well-known for tackling difficult subjects, are Girls Under Pressure is certainly no different. It’s written from the perspective of Ellie, a teenage girl who is struggling deeply with the way she...
Roald Dahl’s Matilda is a book loved by millions, and has been ranked number 30 among all time children’s novels by the School Library Journal! Have you read it? If you haven’t, you may have watched the movie or musical version. Any version is worth the time. It is a...
Have you ever wondered about the secret messages’ authors are trying to convey to us, even in our favourite children’s books? Well, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett focuses on the healing of children’s physical disabilities and mental health by focusing on...
TW: Suicide, depression Are you interested in an engaging story, with a realistic portrayal of mental health issues? Then you should read Orange! Orange is a Japanese manga, written, and illustrated by Ichigo Takano. The manga, set in Matsumoto, follows the current...
The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside tells the story of Jenny, a happy girl with a lovely mum and dad, a great brother, a dog named Loftus, best friends and a wonderful teacher at school. But just lately, Jenny has started worrying. She worries about her...
There are seven books in the Harry Potter series, do you have a favourite? I think they’re all great, but I love hippogriffs, so mine is the third book. If you liked the last book, Harry potter and the Deathly Hallows, you can read about the law in relation to it...
Do not let her fantastic title fool you! Diamond IS an acrobatic child wonder with an extraordinary gift for acrobatics. However, the story of her life is not all that glamorous. She is the fifth child born to penniless parents who would have preferred that she'd been...
Dear Martin by Nic Stone tells the story of Justyce McAllister, a strong minded seventeen-year-old black man who lives a challenging life, both in his poor neighbourhood, constantly threatened by local criminals, and at the overwhelmingly white prep school he attends....
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams is a brilliant book. Following the life of Dennis, a young boy who likes football and daytime TV, who after a series of events discovers that he likes wearing dresses! Bravely, his friend convinces him to wear one to school, but...
Hi everyone! Hope you are all well and are enjoying your summers to the best of your ability given the difficulties of recent times. I firstly would like to thank you for taking the time to read this blog post I’ve written. It is written about several issues which are...
I have read a book called The Best Possible Answer by Katherine Kottaras which is a young adult fiction book. Despite it being fictional, the main character Viviana finds herself in a very real, modern and scary situation. Between the ages of 13 – 17 as a teenager /...
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is one of the most successful book series of all time and is the 21st highest-grossing film franchise. It follows the story of Katniss Everdeen, who nominates herself as Tribute when her sister, Prim, was selected to compete in...
The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a book that follows the journey of 15 year old Christopher, who has autism. When he finds his neighbour’s dog dead, Christopher sets off to unravel the mystery of who was responsible, whilst writing...
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr, follows the story of 17 year old Flora Banks who has no short-term memory due to anterograde amnesia. Until one party and one boy changes everything, Flora cannot even remember her name but for some reason she remembers...
The idea of taking responsibility for a younger sibling isn’t far fetched, in fact for most young people this is a regular responsibility. For some children making breakfast so a parent can sleep in, helping a sibling with homework, cleaning up their mess or walking...
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ written by JK Rowling, is the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter is a boy who finds out on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard and will be going to school at Hogwarts. The books see Harry Potter...
Now, I’m sure that we are all familiar with fairy tales. “Once upon a time”, “happily ever after”; does that ring a bell? I thought it would. Whilst these stories tend to end with true love and happiness for our beloved protagonists, we cannot ignore their journey to...
The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D. Salinger follows the tale of Holden, a 16-year-old boy, through his transition from adolescence to adulthood. This novel echoed feelings from my childhood as it may have with most teenagers. Holden is a lost and confused boy who...
Friendships. New schools. Anxiety. Heavy topics. Silver linings. If I had to summarise ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ in a few, simple words that’s how I would do it. This is a book which raises awareness of difficult but important issues which must be talked...
By Amber Wassall ‘Oliver Twist’ by Charles Dickens is a story about a nine-year-old orphan boy who runs away from his life in a workhouse and as an apprentice to an undertaker to London. In London, he meets Jack Dawkins also known as the ‘Artful Dodger’ and joins a...
By Rhiannon Smith Journey to the River Sea, written by Eva Ibbotson, was one of my favourite books growing up. It won the Smarties Book Prize Gold Award and was a runner-up for two other major awards. My own copy is so worn now that the corners are curling over!...
What’s your favourite Roald Dahl book? I love them all but one of my absolute favourites is Matilda. If you haven’t read it (or seen the film, or the musical), it’s about a brilliant little girl whose family treat her like dirt – and it’s only when she meets Miss...
By Alex Davies The latest book that we’re covering in the Children’s Legal Centre ‘Reading your rights’ series is called ‘Lies we Tell Ourselves’ written by Robin Talley. The book itself was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and has been described as “A moving young...
By Nikita Austin 'The Story of Tracy Beaker’ written by Jacqueline Wilson follows the life of Tracy Beaker who is ten years old and is one of many children in care - She lives in a children's care home which she calls' the dumping ground. Tracy is always in trouble...
By Istarin McVicar We are always told that we should listen to adults as they’re older than us and know best. This is normally the case and most children are lucky enough to have parents that look after them and tell them what to do because they love them and wish to...
Stories can help us make sense of the world. They can take us to different places and times. They offer escape when we need to leave our own place and time behind for an hour or two. Stories can also make us think about situations we might experience ourselves, and...