Growing up

This book is a lovely, funny and (at times) heartbreaking story. It tells the story of Lola and Evie, from Lola’s perspective. The two girls are commencing secondary school and have been best friends forever. They have grown up together, going to the same primary school and living very close to each other. With great anticipation, the two girls start in the new school and to Lola’s horror, they are not in the same class and, to make it even worse, Evie makes a new friend called Cleo.

Lowell and his family have moved to a new town and new school. Lowell is going through changes some people experience during adolescence; he is hairier and moody, but they are not the only changes he is experiencing ...

‘Although sometimes I think that people like us are always alone in this world. Hidden away and stuck inside our Treacle Towns. Unequal and unrecognised.’ Con O’Neill, the protagonist of this novel reflects on life in his community, a so called ‘Treacle Town,’ where nobody can ever seem to leave, stuck in the roles imposed upon them by the people around them.

This book deals with a lot of big topics in a very sensitive way. It touches on the themes of bereavement, unemployment, moving home and is ultimately a book about friendship, navigating making new friends under challenging circumstances and maintaining existing friendships through periods of change.

Meet Gigantic: the smallest whale in the big blue sea. He gets teased by his brother for not living up to his name, but Gigantic doesn’t let it get him down. Instead, he gets busy having fun and making friends with some unlikely, and altogether tinier, creatures.

This first foray into children’s writing by multi award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is a gentle story of little Chino’s love of her mother, shown through her love of the scarf Mama wears over her hair each night. When Mama has to go to work, the scarf stays behind, bringing Chino comfort until the pair is reunited each evening.

Frankie Finkleton’s world is a very busy one. She’s a typical eleven-year-old with a loving family and lots going on at school. Frankie also has a sideline as a very secret investigator and from time to time goes on adventures to an imaginary world called Thoughtopolis with her younger brother Fred and her dog Blue.

Hope is trying to find her place in the world since her mum died. It’s not easy, she misses her so much, especially because her dad has started dating someone else already and her older sisters only need each other. Taking on a worthy cause might help her to find a sense of purpose, but why will no one take her passion to avert climate change seriously?