Beaumont Book Award by Karin Mayer-Khan

Magpie Society: One for Sorrow - Zoe Sugg

karinmayerkhan — 2023-11-27 19:03:24 UTC

I really enjoyed this book. There are many different plot twists, and the story all blends in together and creates a lovely thrilling book to read. Although it may seem a bit confusing at first, but later on it really starts to grip, and you will not want to stop reading the book. I highly recommend this book, and I believe that anybody would enjoy this amazingly written murder mystery story. Clayton K.

Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar

karinmayerkhan — 2023-11-27 19:18:53 UTC

I found 'the henna wars' an amazing, heart warming book. Filled with drama, intensity, mystery and love. However, I also found that at some points, the book was a bit too slow paced for my liking and quite repetitive. It also helps you understand a bit more about the LGBTQ+ community by the main character being a lesbian and other characters she meets along the journey of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and would highly recommend it. Tara A.

Black Brother Black Brother - Jewells Parker Rhodes

karinmayerkhan — 2023-11-27 19:20:44 UTC

I like this book because it tells you to do what you believe is right. I like Donte, who is the main character, because he learns to do fencing to show everyone he is capable of what they are doing even though he is a difference race to them. Also, he gets things blamed on him that he does not do. Also, his family supports him no matter what. George L.

This is an amazing book. I couldn't put it down. It's about finding your way in the world - especially against racism. It's about friendship, strength and acceptance. When Donte is arrested because of racism, he is determined to fight back. I really enjoyed this book because even when it was hard, friends and family had his back. It taught me that not always you win and that is good. Work hard and in the end it will be worth it. Cristina L.

When the world was ours by Liz Kessler

2023-11-28 16:19:10 UTC

I couldn't put this book down. A truly amazing storyline about WW2 from the perspective of one German child and two Jewish children. This book is emotional, affecting and heartwarming. It's about three friends and how wars separate everyone from the world. This book also consumes very sad and emotional parts for characters especially towards the end I wouldn't read it, if you don't like violence. It's nice to finally see a historical book that you can't put down, one that stands out from the others in the best way possible. Hayden C.

The Henna wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

2023-12-03 17:32:17 UTC

I was captivated from start to finish. This book beautifully describes a love story between two girlfriends who embarked on a journey of hard work and cooperation.The narrative unfolds elements of romance and the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community. It proved to be a truly compelling read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Isabel C

When the world was ours - Liz Kessler

2023-12-04 15:07:55 UTC

A truly amazing story on the German side of the world war 2, and how the war can split up so many people's lives, three children, used to be best friends, were separated because two of them were Jewish, and one of them were German. it really reminds us how wars can separate the best of friends and affect lives. It is an excellent read and I will highly recommend this book to any type of people.

People who like thrilling stories and war/ history books will truly enjoy this. Clayton K.

When the World was Ours - Liz Kessler

2023-12-04 15:09:45 UTC

This is absolutely one of my favourite history/war books, the book let us know how being German or Jewish can have two entirely different lives , and how people are treated depending on whether they are German or not.The book first started with three friends , 2 boys and 1 girl living in a small town in Germany. However after one of them said their family is moving because being Jewish is not safe anymore, they all got separated and eventually live a very different life. This really dives deep into people’s lives during the WW2 and I really recommend it to anyone that enjoys history and war books.

-Hayden C

Happy Head

2023-12-04 15:10:56 UTC

This book is an amazing dystopian story to read, as the setting really relates to our lives nowadays as young people. There are a lot of plot twists, and it will really make you become more interested in reading. It will be an amazing book to you if you are a fan of the hunger games, a survival series fan or a dystopian fan, as it covers a lot of thrilling topics that will make you want to know what will happen next, and you will not want to put this excellent book down. This is truly an extraordinary story to read, and a lot of people will enjoy this book.

Clayton Kwok 8N

Happy Head - Josh Silver

2023-12-04 15:14:35 UTC

This is the dystopian book with the most plot twists that I can ever imagine , It always surprise me when something I never expected happens while reading it . It also make you more interested while you are reading it because it makes us feel what will it be if that is our future world.This book is about a normal teenager called Sebastian ,but he was invited/selected to take part in an experimental project called HappyHead by Dr.Stones. There he met a lot of people that are the same age as him . But what he didn’t know was that there was a bigger plot behind what he could see…Overall, I really enjoyed the suspense and the sense of survival in this book !

Recommended to Dystopian book fans or Sci-fi fans like me

Hayden C

The Henna wars

2023-12-04 18:34:59 UTC

The henna wars was so captivating. This is the story of a girl whose life isn't perfect and she's not the most popular girl in school, but still, she puts her head up high and stands through it all. Some might think it's a love story, but I think it's about the unbreakable bond between sisters and how even when everything else is crumbling before your eyes you will always have your sister to rely on.

I think it's an inspiring story and a must-read for all.

Sadie C

Happy Head - Josh Silver

2023-12-06 18:23:54 UTC

I thought this book was very good, definitely one of my new favourites. It is about a teen boy who is randomly selected to take part in project called Happyhead, for depressed teenagers to try and "improve" their mental health, but, as the book goes on, that just becomes further and further from the truth. This story is hard to put down and it did actually cancel my reading slump. It had so many plot twists that you'd never see coming. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of mystery, and a lot of dystopian. It's very Hunger Games-esque, so I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoyed that hit series as well. It's safe to say I'll be voting for this one.

Ava M

Blood Moon - Lucy Cuthew

2023-12-06 18:35:02 UTC

I thought this book was quite good. It's about an older teen girl, who gets her period during sex. She gets embarrassed but they both agreed that it's just blood... right? I liked this book because it spreads a bit of awareness about life as a teenager, whilst also touching on a few sensitive topics. A part that I wasn't a fan of was how (in my opinion) the story went a bit over the top near the end, but overall I was satisfied with the ending. I would recommend this book to anyone really, perhaps especially people who enjoy high school stories/dramas, and mainly for the older teens age group.

-Ava M

Black Brother Black brother - Jewell Parker Rhodes

2023-12-06 18:37:09 UTC

I really like this book because it teaches us that we just need to be ourselves and be what we are while not giving up our dreams , not getting affected by anyone else and their opinions us. Don't let people judge you on your skin colour and limit your potential on what you can do.This is a book that may give a lot of people courage when they want to give up because people laugh or put them down. This is an extraordinary book about racism and sports, well worth a read.

Recommend to Anyone that likes sports and typically good reads

-Hayden C

Rumaysa -Radiya Hafiza

2023-12-07 11:15:17 UTC

Rumaysa is one of the most memorable fairytales I have read for a long time. It's about a girl called Rumaysa who is based around Rapunzel (but with a hijab) helping other girls from different fairytales. The idea of three different stories keeps me wanting to read more and the characters feel original and diverse. This is a must-read for fantasy fans, or anyone in need of a happy ending.

-Estelle R

Magpie Society- One for Sorrow - Zoe Sugg and Amy McCulloch

2023-12-07 18:53:03 UTC

A very relaxing book to read and very easy to understand. It included a lot of interesting plot twists, so I didn't want to put this book down. Friendship issues were included, everyone was a suspect and I enjoyed how deep people’s emotions were shown and how unpredictable their actions were, telling you how little you know the people around you. Overall, it’s a very good read, recommended for someone who seeks for an exciting adventure that includes a lot of suspense.

Recommended to anyone that likes the suspension in books

-Hayden C

2023-12-11 13:39:25 UTC

This is a heartwarming story about Jewish Children when Adolf Hitler came to power before the Second World War. They are called Elsa and Leo. Another child, Max is loyal Nazi who is not Jewish but has a senior SS officer for a Father. Theo A.

Blood Moon

2023-12-12 13:36:24 UTC

I really liked this book. It is all about how a older teen called Frankie get her period during sex with Benjamin. They both agreed it was just blood right? Then a graphic meme goes viral and all the time Frankie is trying to figure out how someone knows who made it. i really liked this book because it shows what can happen when things get out of your control and how best friends can turn to enemies with a click of a finger. I thought the ending was really appropriate for the story. I would really recommended this book for teens who like dramas and real life.

-Erin Hayward 8T

The Magpie Society

2023-12-14 16:42:01 UTC

The Magpie Society is an excellent book that follows the stories of two girls, Ivy an academic girl and Audrey a new student from America. The book follows their private investigations in to their school and the sinister actions of the past. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery or school-life books.

-Esther 9E

Happy Head

2023-12-14 17:04:29 UTC

At first, I was highly skeptical about this book. It is not the kind of thing I would usually read, but I found it incredibly compelling, and was glued to the pages from start to finish. It is a dystopian young adult book, about a world in which people believe that with an intense team project, happiness can be restored to those who have lost it. I found this interesting - and so topical given the amount we hear about mental health and wellbeing. In the beginning, I was sure I'd be able to predict the whole plot, but the whole story took a multitude of dark turns, which kept me guessing until the very last page! I would highly recommend it, even if it is not something you would normally pick up; this is book definitely thought-provoking, and well worth reading.

Pippa S

The Bridge

2023-12-14 21:25:08 UTC

At first I was worried that the format of this novel would be too repetitive to hold my interest, but I found that the author had handled this issue in a way that allowed interesting parallels between each scenario without merely repeating elements of the story not directly affected by who jumped on that occasion. I thought that the sensitive issues in this book were handled with appropriate care and attention, without feeling artificial, which I often find happens in modern YA novels. Although I didn’t particularly like the main characters, I thought the various side characters were interesting, well rounded and likeable, and my disinterest in the main characters did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. Isobel E 9E

The magpie society

2023-12-15 13:24:39 UTC

I loved this book and its amazing twists and turns. This book is about a girl called Audrey, who moves from america into a posh private school in England. There she meets Ivy an academic girl. They try and dig deeper in the death of one of the former head girls but someone does not want them to know what happened that night on the edge of the cliff. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a murder book.

-Anna orchard 9B

Happy Head

2023-12-15 13:31:55 UTC

This book is amazing. At first the book went really slow but as i got into it I could not put it down. It is about a young boy who is struggling with depression and he goes to a place called happy head. The story takes a dark turn near the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery dystopian. The book is a bit like the hunger games so anyone who likes them will love this.

Anna O

The Magpie Society

isabellagward20 — 2023-12-16 21:23:55 UTC

I really enjoyed the magpie society and liked all the twists and turns! It made me want to keep reading all the way to the end. It is about American Audrey, who has only just arrived in England to escape her home and is put in a room with studious Ivy who doesn't want any trouble. The Magpie Society is about how none of their plans go well. You would like this book if you like murder mysteries.

By Isabella Ward 9A

When the world was ours

2023-12-17 18:28:27 UTC

I loved this book even though it is very sad. It was set back in world war 2 and is about 3 best friends Max Leo and Elsa who all live in Vienna. I found it really interesting how they all turned against each other even though they had been friends for so long. It is quite a sad book with lots of twists and turns and it is full of surprises. I also love there character growth throughout the book. But it was honestly a page turner for me and I recommend it to anyone who likes war or history books.

When the world was ours

2023-12-17 20:07:42 UTC

This book was so unbelievably amazing. I really enjoyed reading it, normally historical fiction books are not my favourite but this book was a page-turner. The plot had twists linking everything together. It is set in the 1940s, during the second world war, beginning in Vienna. Three best friends, Max, Leo and Elsa, are torn apart and it shows that even with the strongest friendships, everything can change when they are turned against each other. I think that the author created great character development as each of them grew up and experienced different things. This book was so heartbreakingly sad but so interesting, I could not stop reading it. I would highly recommend to people who enjoy history or war stories. But overall, it is a story that should definitely be read by anyone.

Melissa S

When The World Was Ours by liz kessler

2023-12-17 21:18:36 UTC

A very gripping and saddening book i truly loved it and could not put it down story starts in pre war torn Vienna, 1936, where three young best friends, Leo, Elsa and Max (all unaware of the fact that jews and other germans will soon be enemies) spend a perfect day together,not knowing of the darkness of the war that will descend and grow and that soon they will be separated by the decisions of their parents. It's a very thought provoking heart breaking and powerful book of love despair hope and war and even though it's so sad. I really loved it even though it starts slow i feel that if you keep going it is very rewarding i really wished that i could speak to the character and help them as they were developed throughout the book it was an unbelievably well written book (this was my second time reading this and its still as good as the first time!)

Isabelle Williams 8S

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

2023-12-17 22:02:13 UTC

Smile is a really great easy read and I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I first thought that it was a bit weird that the main plot of the book was about a girls teeth but it was really good. It is about a girl called Raina who loses her to front teeth and has to get lots of treatment and braces but it is also about friends and drama. It is a quick easy read and still very good .

Blood Moon - Lucy Cuthew

2023-12-18 07:40:40 UTC

I found this book interesting.The book is all about a girl who gets her period while having sex both the girl and the boy agreed that it’s just blood.Then a meme goes around the school and town the girl tries to find out who post it and ruined her life…It really shows how any friendship can be destroyed by just one thing.I think people who like teen drama in books should definitely read it.

Lea Mates Dilinski 9E

Black Brother, Black Brother

2023-12-18 15:15:49 UTC

This book is amazing to read, and talks about this character defending himself from racism, and how he later on learns this sport, and it truly changes his life, as he can finally show that he is equal in this world. It is so good to read, and how the way he defends himself, despite being framed, accused and abused. it teaches us to not be ashamed of what you are, how you look, your religion, race, and strive at what you are good at. I really enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to everyone.

Clayton K

Smile by Raina Telegmeier

2023-12-18 18:47:08 UTC

This Graphic Novel is about a girl called Raina, and follows her ups and downs as she transitions from Middle school to High school. One day, when coming back from girl scouts, Raina trips and both of her front teeth are knocked out. She proceeds to have multiple surgeries and procedures done, and has some issues with her friendship group, as well as getting a few crushes. This book is based of the experience that the author had when she was a child with braces, so it's very insightful. It's also good if you are a slow reader - I finished it in two days - and has a lot of pictures for visualising what is happening. I would recommend this book to people who like real life and graphic novels.

Emie D

When the world was ours-Liz Kessler

2023-12-18 20:04:46 UTC

This book is about the time when hitler was in charge. the book is about 3 friends who get split up one friends joins hitler youth, the others are both jews and have to leave their home country to some place else. The book has a sad ending because two of the three friends die.

2023-12-18 21:32:34 UTC

When the world was ours

This is a moving book about different perspectives and how war can completely change your life. There are 3 young children who all get separated and we see from each of their views what was happening in each persons lives. I personally loved that format of storytelling as I see different sides of the story and makes me question my view that Nazi Germany was entirely bad. Some people were just forced into this because didn’t want to be seen as different. The ending was very poignant and touching. I would recommend this book to people into history and war.

-Zurie S 8A

Happyhead josh silver

2023-12-18 23:16:03 UTC

I felt this was an amazing book and I loved reading it! I liked the fact that it had an lgbtq+ main character but it was set into the story and not made a big deal out of (unlike other books where it is the main point). It also has a few examples of homophobia which I thought was a good way to show that people still have these old-fashioned views, especially how the system in happyhead was meant only for boy-girl couples. I was also interested by the themes of corruption, and a system (meant for good) gone bad, and also the prediction of what the future might be like and how many more teenagers might be depressed and/or struggling in the future. Overall it was a great read, and the only criticism I have is how tense the cliffhanger at the end of the book left me!!! I can’t wait to read the next book.

Lola west 9A

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg

2023-12-19 16:56:17 UTC

This book follows two teenagers struggling with their mental health which meet on the Washington bridge both with the intention of taking their lives by jumping. I’ve never read a book in the same format as this one, it shows the 4 different outcomes varying in who jumps from the bridge. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was an eye opening book about the mental health of teenagers. This book was also inclusive and included a variation of different characters including some from the LGBT+ community. I think that the author presented this sensitive subject of suicide in a way where people can understand how people struggling with mental health issues think and feel. I think that most people would enjoy this book full of grief and comedy and highly recommend it.

-Piper Smith 8S

Out of the easy - Ruta Sepetys

2023-12-19 20:45:47 UTC

This book is very interesting and the at the middle of the book, I really feel bad for Jo ( Josie ) because of what happened to what she's been through. Her life is like being turned upside down and it required a large amount of bravery and resilience but also people to support her . At first I found it a bit hard to understand this book but after a while I felt more comfortable reading it as I got used to the writing style I thought the setting of the book was very intriguing - betrayal and murder happening in New Orleans, a very good read.

Recommended to Readers in year 8 or above , readers that are ready to read books in mature topics

Hayden Chan 8N

Black Brother, Black brother

2023-12-20 10:03:14 UTC

This book is about two brothers, Trey and Donte who have different colour skin. Donte is bullied at School for having black skin. This book brings to light the challenges that people face when they are discriminated against. Can Donte speciualise in sport (fencing) and overcome the school's top fencer and bully, Alan?

Happy Head

2024-01-03 11:39:44 UTC

Happy Head is a dystopian Young Adult book about a future where an epidemic of depression takes hold of most of the teenage population. It follows the story of a teenage boy offered a place in a new program to help them get out of their depression, however something does not seem quite right...

I found this book to be compelling from very early on and found it interesting how it showed mental health and how it could effect the future. Although it seems like a book with an easy plot, I can assure you that reading the book was a nail-biting experience and the twists and turns kept me compelled to turn just one more page in hopes of finding out more about the two main characters and their situation. Although the book was incredible, I can only express my frustration about the ending.

I would likely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading dystopian novels or books with key messages about mental health. Overall, this book is really worth reading and is a book many people would enjoy even when it is not a genre they usually read.

Ellie-Anna Scholte 9E

Out Of The Easy - Ruta Sepetys

2024-01-04 13:04:35 UTC

Out of the Easy is a captivating and moving book set in the 1950s in New Orleans. It tells the tale of Josie, a girl used to the nastier parts of city life, who has dreams of college. However, many tragedies stand in her way and hard decisions have to be made. What does she value more, college or her current life?

I found this book very moving, the messages that Ruta Sepetys included are very powerful, and she managed to convey them in a way that allowed the book to be both enjoyable to read and inspirational. What made this book so great for me, was the clever way in which the plot developed: it had twists and turns, happy and sad moments, frustration and elation, and always a bit of mystery. The opening of the book is very slow, but it is definitely worth sticking with, as it picks up pace and interest later on.

This book's style and plot is nothing like Ruta Sepetys' other works; nonetheless, it is still an awesome read.

I would recommend this book to anyone who feels comfortable reading books with more adult themes, as some do feature in this book, but I'm sure anyone who reads this book will enjoy it.

Rosie B

When the world was ours

2024-01-08 15:20:00 UTC

This is a world war one story which when three friends,Leo,Elsa and max wasn't aware aware that the two of their friends were Jews ending up as two friends separated against the friend in the German army ruled by Hitler they all started in peace in Vienna 1936 as best friend and not knowing how the war is going to change their lives ho the war is going to effect their parents decisions and themselves how it will effect the life of one and another and at the end maybe a sacrifice will make one of them living i really recommend this heartwarming novel to people who likes WW2 ,the German army(Nazi) i would also recommend for people who likes history books

-Kinsley L

Smile - Raina Telgemeier

2024-01-15 15:11:42 UTC

I think this book is very interesting to read. It has many twists and it is very entertaining to read someone's experience of getting braces. Since other people might not want to share the full details of how their experience went, so I think it is very interesting to see how different people see the perspective of having dental treatment. It also explores this character, after getting her treatment, her friends decided to make fun of her. She then decided to find friends that are actually kind to her and respect her. The main character is going through lots of challenges, and it really makes you to keep reading on to find out what in the end happens. This book is an easy read to get through during free time. This book is full of adventure and is funny and I enjoyed it very much.

Clayton Kwok 8N

The Bridge - Bill Konigsberg

2024-01-15 15:23:08 UTC

This book is a really fast paced story to read. It talks about how teenagers struggle with their lives and want to end it. It tells us how hard it is to escape from depression, and how troubling it is for their families to try and help them overcome this illness and how helpless they feel. This book talks about two teenagers who both want to end their lives by jumping of the same bridge. They don't know each other initially, but become friends in one of the books stories about their life. This is such an emotional and gripping story to read because it really makes you feel bad to see that someone can hate their life so much, that they can't go on. You might think professional help will stop their depression, but although this is important, it still doesn't make the illness go away. We don't what is going on inside other people's minds and why they might not want to talk about what is making them depressed. It is an amazing book that makes you think about life in a different person's view and perspective.

Clayton K

Black brother black brother

2024-01-15 15:27:18 UTC

This book is about how two brother's different skin colours one white one black donte was treated horrible at school by his classmates,his teachers and even the head master of the school and suspending him for a week and sending him to prison just because the color of his skin is black he is determined for revenge on the biggest bully he ever faced Alan ( who only cared about fencing and using fencing to turn against him i recomend this book for people who like racist books

-kinsley

Blood Moon

2024-01-17 12:57:25 UTC

This book is an amazing book to read. It is very unique as the format is very different to other books. It explores the story of two best friends and shows how spreading misleading information online and offensive memes can rapidly spread around the school and the whole digital world and mess up a lot of people's lives and relationships. Even the two best friends fall out quickly, not talking to each other, and also taking revenge on each other, all happening in the snap of a finger. Online news spread very quickly. All this terrorising behaviour can only be stopped by talking to family and friends and bravely standing up to online bullies - a very gripping story.

Clayton Kwok 8N

The Henna Wars

2024-01-25 16:59:48 UTC

I thought this book was incredible from the way the characters were carefully crafted by the author, Adiba Jaigirdar, making you instantly fall in love with them and their story. I really liked this book because I could relate to it as an Indian girl and I thought it was beautiful the way Jaigirdar raised awareness to so many issues present in one book. It was such a lovely book with a true message at its centre.

Siya Popat 10L

Blood Moon

2024-01-28 15:28:17 UTC

I liked this book since it's partly linked to what can happen in real life and shows that it doesn't matter what terrible things happen to you in your life as long as you have someone to help you. Therefore it can turn everything around.

I was also intrigued by how the book had been laid out since it's rather unique and therefore makes people think it's easier to read and it doesn't seem so long.

Lastly, I really liked how there were many twists on who did what and then it caused plenty of drama.

- Morgan Davies 8T

blood moon

2024-01-29 15:06:06 UTC

This amazing book is about how a girl and a boy who like each other work together to get revenge on the school's most annoying person who bullied her and destroyed her relationship with other people. It shows how online bullying using offensive language and phone hacking causes big distress and family and friends can only help to stop the events from getting worse. This is a very good book that illustrates well how cyber bullying and sexism can affect people's lives.

Kinsley L

The Bridge - Bill Konigsberg

2024-02-05 15:22:36 UTC

This is a brilliant book about teenager minds and mental health. At first it really confused me about the way the author sets up the whole story because he introduced a lot of characters and their own thoughts while the author also made me really like how he set out as 4 different story and chances so the readers can see how big of a change is jumping off a bridge or not. As a character, Aaron and Tillie are both trying their best to stay as strong they can be ,but with the some circumstances they are both suffering from depression and lack of confidence to themselves.This story also make me value life and my friends and family even more because death could happen anytime without anyone knowing why and how, you have to understand more on the people you love and like so you will be able to protect them.This book also taught me to be more confident with yourself because a large amount of time it is just your brain thinking negatively and making you feel weak.Overall I really enjoyed this book and it inspired me and taught me a lot of staying positive mentally, 5 stars.

Hayden C

Blood Moon - Lucy Cuthew

2024-02-05 15:26:12 UTC

This book is very interesting in its own unique way, although it's pretty short as in the text. This book represents a lot of thoughts of teenagers now and how cyber-bullying is really harmful, maybe equal to physical harm because many people are being cyber-bullied and many still are suffering. Although this book includes really sensitive topics and use of word/language I still enjoyed it because it told me the importance in safely using the internet while not hurting others. The mature and strong language may make some students uncomfortable. Also, this book tells us about having safe relationships and healthy relationships. While this book makes us learn not to be ashamed of what we've done in the past and to not care what others think about you. I'd recommend this to people who are in Year 8 or above and people who are mature enough to handle this topic.

Hayden C

Out Of The Easy - Ruta Sepetys

2024-02-05 15:26:40 UTC

This book is such an eventful book. The main character Josie really wants to go to a good college to be educated but doesn't have enough money to go, and instead, she is stuck at a book shop doing sales. Her mother always seem to make bad choices, meeting up with a criminal and escaping debts, creating a really horrible and hard life for Josie. But there are kind people that lend money to her, but the debts that her mother escapes from and her terrifying and threatening criminal partner are left to her and college fees were very expensive. This talks about the hard lives that less fortunate people were experiencing during the 1950s in America. Unknown murder, theft and much more. Although this book might be a bit slow paced for modern readers I still found it exciting and interesting to read. It really made me feel grateful and sympathy for how well and easy my life is compared to those living in that time. It also teaches us to beware not to trust everyone, as they might do really wicked things, even as your own parents or close people. I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it. Although the writing style might not fit you and is quite slow paced, you will gradually fall into this gripping and well written book.

Clayton K