Fathers' guilty secrets, and the impact on their children, form the heart of two new novels reviewed by Children's Express.
| Berlie Doherty seems to have a great understanding about how teenagers really feel. |
Holly Starcross by Berlie Doherty
Puffin Books
Holly Starcross by Berlie Doherty is about a girl who was snatched from her father after her mum left him for another man when she was only six. Eight years on Holly starts asking questions about her real father, who she really is and where she belongs.
Holly is pretty much like any regular teenager. She sometimes feels that she doesn't really fit in with the rest of her family and pends a lot of time alone in her room confiding in her secret e-mail pal, Zed.
She then discovers that she has a stalker who is hanging around her school asking lots of questions about her. When her stalker turns out to be her birth father Holly has to make one of the biggest decisions of her life and decide who she wants to be with.
A former teacher, Berlie Doherty seems to have a great understanding about how teenagers really feel; I found it refreshing to read something written by an adult who appreciates what teenagers go through.
I would recommend this book would be good for young people aged between 12 and 15, and also as suitable material for group reading in schools.
Me and my Shadow by Joan Lingard
Puffin books
Me and my Shadow is a very moving and thought-provoking story of a teenage girl, Emily, who lives in Edinburgh. Her everyday life is turned upside down when a strange girl begins to stalk her. The events that follow see her struggling to come to terms with a secret from her father's past which she finds so shocking that she cannot even tell her friends. They misunderstand her preoccupation as a sign that she is bored with them. So on top of everything else she also has to cope with her loneliness and their hostility.
This is a well written, gentle book about relationships which evokes deep feelings in the reader. Although it is at times sad, Emily never loses her grip on reality, even if she does get very upset. She comes across as a likeable girl who has the same problems as any other teenager. She worries about getting better results at school and has friends who can be annoying. However, there's a down-to-earth grittiness about her that always gives you the feeling she'll keep going.
Joan Lingard seems to understand perfectly how a young person in such an isolated and difficult situation might feel. Although she is writing about profound emotions the book never loses any pace and continues to draw the reader on until the last page.
I think that a lot of teenagers would be able to relate to Emily's problems and Me and my Shadow would be a perfect book for people aged 12 or over. I'll be looking out for more books by Joan Lingard.
About the team
Holly Starcross reviewed by Keshia Harvey, 14; Me and My Shadow reviewed by Alexander Dowty, 13. These reviews were published in Young Minds magazine.
