Never Thought I’d End Up Here by Ann Liang

 

Never Thought I’d End Up Here is an uplifting rom-com for teen / young adult readers. 

 

Leah makes a faux-pas at her cousin’s wedding because her mastery of her second language is not as it should be: she wishes the couple a disastrous marriage. Mother and aunt decide something must be done and she is sent on a trip that will not only deepen her knowledge of Chinese culture but will also improve her language skills.

 

And who should be on that trip but her nemesis, Cyrus.  

 

The story is told in first person and Leah teases us a little. We know that she has been expelled from one school but we only find out why about half way through the book. We know that she suddenly quits modelling but are only told why much later. It’s clear that she really dislikes Cyrus but again it is a long time before she actually tells us why. Also a mystery is why exactly she changed so much after she was expelled. All of this keeps us reading.

 

Ann Liang draws her characters well. We grow to love Leah even though we might be a little irritated that she insists on wearing high heels when trainers would have been a much better option. Leah is the main character but we may also become fond of Daisy, Leah’s timid roommate,  Cyrus who is quite complex, the handsome and flirtatious Oliver, Cyrus’s roommate, the strict and slightly stressed teacher, and Leah’s mother and aunt, both of whom are feisty but caring women.

 

There is plenty of plot and a plethora of sub-plots that hurtle towards a very satisfying end as relationships and attitudes change. 

 

Find your copy here   

Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing 

Keedie by Elle McNicholl

 

2024   

teen, lower secondary, upper primary   key Stage 2, Key Stage 3, ages 9-11, ages 10 -13, McNicoll Elle,

Keedie and her twin Nina become fourteen years old during the course of the story and are facing challenges that being that age brings.  They have grown apart. Keedie is a little different from most girls her age. And then there is their younger sister Adeline (Addie).

Both Keedie and Adeline are autistic. So is Keedie’s friend  Bonnie.

There are bullies at the Keedie’s school and she finds a way of dealing with them that is far more effective than anything the school faculty offers.  Keedie actually makes some money by offering her services to fellow students who are being bullied. She aims to do this in a none-violent way.    

Sadly the money is not enough to put down a deposit to send Addie to a very special private school.

She realises anyhow that even though the way she worked with the bullies was very effective, she shouldn’t have taken money for the service.

Keddie is also completely honest about the village’s ancestor, Duncan Juniper. She uncovers the truth about him in the public speaking competition. He was in involved in slavery, he had a negative attitude towards the poor and he called for the execution of any Scots who rebelled. He was, in fact, yet another bully.    

There is tension throughout between her and Nina. Nina’s new circle of friends don’t approve of Keedie.  Yet a strong bond remains between the siblings and both of them adore Addie.

Despite her social awkwardness, Keedie has some good friends, her family and a couple of the more enlightened teachers are on her side.  

There are notes about the author, the book cover illustrator and the publishing company at the end of the book.

The book is 207 pages long and uses a blocked text and an adult serif with difficult   ‘a’s and ‘g’s.   Some of Keedie’s own language is quite sophisticated. The text is double spaced. 

 

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Wilding by Isabella Tree and Angela Harding

 

2024 

I hesitated to put his book on this site even though it is marketed as a children’s book and indeed I purchased it as such. In fact, anyway, it wouldn’t be out of place in a primary or secondary school library though interest in it would be restricted to those who are passionate about the environment.   

Primarily, though, I would define this as a picture book for adults – a rather odd concept in the UK though this is a strong genre in France and Belgium and other French-speaking countries.  The voice here is of one adult speaking to another. But children can often understand adults.

Isabella Tree and her husband Charles decided to rewild their 3,500 acre farm in West Sussex over twenty years ago.

The book opens with a note form the illustrator about her experience of working at Knepp.  After a brief introduction by Isabella Tree we are given an outline history of the farm including the all import years form 2000 up to the present day.

There is a lot of information about what happened and all of this is illustrated in detail.  Pictures really give us more detail about processes and indeed what everything looks like.  So, as in a picture book for pre-schoolers the pictures add to the information in the text, expect that this is non-fiction. The last few pages contain ideas for what we can do in our own environment.

There is a useful glossary at the end and then a list of further resources. This would be very helpful for a student who is conducting a project about rewilding.   

The book, in hard back, and large format is 96 pages long.  It uses a serif font but the text is ragged right. Each section of text is short but packed with information.

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Totally Deceased by Sue H. Cunningham

 2023 

Jess wakes up to find she has had a heart transplant … and the ghost of Tilly, whose heart she has received, is haunting her.

Tilly needs to find out why she was murdered and to put a few things about her inheritance straight.  Jess, who is still recovering from major surgery, has to help her and puts her own life at risk in other ways as well.

The girls are totally different. Jess is ordinary and lives in Manchester. Tilly is very rich and has an expensive flat in London – and is also into Swiss bank accounts, posh shoes and boarding school.  

There are many surprises however. Tilly is very involved with a charity that supports disadvantaged children. Cousin Georgie is not the good friend she thought she was - and the rather boring headteacher of her school is much more of a friend than she imagined.     

Only Jess and Tilly’s granddad can see Tilly – so there are many hilarious scenes where Jess appears to be talking to herself. Ear buds are the answer; they make her look as if she is on her mobile.

More humour comes out in the contrast between the two girls. They gradually get to understand each other better.  

They manage to get Tilly’s money back to where is should be and Tilly makes sure that Jess will be all right.  Tilly is then able to move on. And Jess finally has her heart to herself and can complete her recovery.

How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino

 

2021 (first published 1937)

Copper, nicknamed thus after Copernicus, learns a lot from his uncle. Here we have the story of an ordinary school boy.  Bullying happens at school.

Copper lives with his mother. His father has died. His uncle is the male role model for him. His uncle helps him to rationalise everything.  He writes his notes in a special book and these cover science, philosophy, history and ethics. Copper has a lot of thinking to do.    

This resembles a fluent reader book in many ways and Copper is the right aged protagonist for this reader. However, some of the issues that are raised are quite complex and might be of interest to Years 7 and 8     

This is a thought-provoking book for the young reader.   

Find your copy here 

Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay, at no extra cost to you,  may go to Bridge House Publishing