I read and loved so many middle-grade books in 2022! While some of these are early middle-grade books (I've read four of them with my book club for ages nine and ten), others are for ages ten and above. When I review a book, I usually indicate what age-group I think it is suited to, but do remember that reading levels vary widely! Secret Friends Secret Friends is heartbreaking, and that's the only reason I haven't introduced it to my book club. I meet children just twice a week, and online at that, so it's tough to see how affected a child is by a book. With my regulars, I know I can introduce a book like this as long as I include a trigger-warning. With newcomers, not really.Secret Friends is about the need to fit in, and about how we are willing to go to any lengths to belong. The problem is - how far can a child go? Read a … [Read more...]
Secret Friends
I love Elizabeth Laird. And Secret Friends was another beautiful read, a heartbreaking story about wanting to fit in, but never quite managing it.Lucy is the first to tease Rafaella, and this is something she regrets right through her life. Rafaella has enormous ears, and Lucy, unthinkingly, coins the name 'Earwig', a name that sticks. When the coolest kids in school adopt the name, part of Lucy knows she should stop them. Why doesn't she? Why doesn't she stand up for Rafaella, who, she realises, is as fun and full of ideas as she is? Those are questions that Lucy finds she does not quite want to answer.So, the two girls remain secret friends. Lucy wants to fit in with the most popular girls, but she secretly likes Rafaella more. It's to Rafaella's house that she goes for tea, and with Rafaella that she does the most fun things. It's only when it's far too late that she … [Read more...]