No Purchase Necessary by Maria Marianayagam

I got to the section with the Mercury bars and stared at the chocolate bar in front of me, my heart pounding so loud I was sure Scary Al could hear it from behind the till. I glanced up at the cash register. Scary Al was ringing up a customer. I should do it now, I told myself, but my hands trembled in my pockets. What on earth was I doing? This was not me. ... “Some people must steal to survive,” I whispered to myself. I needed to do this to survive Bridge Creek. I’d find a way to pay for it someday.

Ajay and his family (father, mother and younger sister) have come to America from Sri Lanka. Amma and Appa have very high expectations for their children. Ajay does not want to disappoint them, so it seems easier to tell them a lie about the grade for his poetry assignment. His father expects Ajay to always score over 90 but for this assignment, set by Ms Livingston, where students had to respond to the Robert Frost poem ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay', Ajay scored 79. This lie, telling his parents he scored 90, is the first of many. You could think of the term 'slippery slope'.

Ajay is a new student at Bridge Creek Middle School. Jacob is also fairly new too, but Jacob is a bully and has already acquired a couple of thuggish friends. Early in the story there is a terrible scene where Jacob sees Ajay eating a Sri Lankan Sandwich: 

"Just as I was about to take a bite of my sandwich, Jacob walked up with his goons. He stopped in front of me, blocking out the daylight, and my insides went as cold as my outside. He looked at my sandwich and scrunched up his face. “What’s this stinky sandwich, Uhh-jay?” That also wasn’t my name. ... “Swi Lunk what?” Jacob howled. “What kind of meat is that?” Brad and Eric snickered again. ... “Yeah, it’s gross,” I said, and immediately felt guilty. It was my favorite. “You should throw it out,” he said as he munched his chocolate bar mindlessly. I’d never tried a Mercury bar, and here he was chewing it like a piece of stale gum. He was testing me, and I was ready. I needed to prove to Jacob Underson that I could be cool. Carefree. I shrugged. “Okay.” I walked over to the trash can and threw out my uneaten sandwich. Jacob smirked, then turned around and walked away."

From that day on it broke my heart to read that Ajay always bought a simple ham and cheese sandwich to school. He also cleared his locker every day and carried every book home just in case he needed one for a school assignment. Ajay puts so much pressure on himself. Thank goodness he does excel at maths and karate. 

It's that chocolate bar that leads to the next problem and the incident that 'snowballs' into so many terrible lies and dilemmas for Ajay. Jacob tells Ajay to steal a Mercury Bar from Scary Al's store. Ajay is terrified but also desperate for approval so he takes the chocolate and stashes it in the waist band of his trousers. Jacob is 'mock' horrified and he tosses the treat away. When Ajay picks it up he finds he has won the prize. But how can he claim this million dollar prize when he didn't buy the chocolate; and how can he tell his parents; and what about Scary Al, the store owner - surely, he will contact the police; and then there is the complication of his new friend Mindy - the way all of this happened this chocolate bar should have been her purchase. Oh and what do the words "no purchase necessary" actually mean?

There is so much tension in this story which is driven by the complex moral dilemma of what to do if you win one million dollars but actually it seems impossible to claim the prize.

Here are a couple of text quotes:

My throat tightened. That was the thing about Appa and Amma. They could be one hundred percent scary and one hundred percent loving at the same time. And maybe we were all like that. Not a list of things, but a messy pile—jumbled, overlapping, and contradicting.

I wanted to tell them about the chocolate bar, but my heart started palpitating when I thought about it. I couldn’t. The right thing to do was to let it go, I decided. I’d paid Al back. I wasn’t redeeming the prize. It was time to move on and start over. But for some reason, it still felt like I had miles to go before I got some sleep.

I had all these rituals because I wanted my life to be perfect. Perfect student. Perfect son. Perfect everything. And what about my life was perfect anymore? Nothing. I was a thief. And now I’d nearly killed someone.

He cleared his throat. “We put high expectations on you because we don’t want you to ever struggle the way we have. We do it because we want you to have better lives than we’ve had.” He turned to Aarthi. “But maybe, somewhere along the way, we became too hard on you.”

For more plot details read this detailed plot summary by Ms Yingling - I love her final comment:

This made me SO anxious the whole time I was reading it, which just shows how good the writing was, but it was not a good feeling! I thought of a dozen different ways that Ajay would have been able to claim the prize, and it was frustrating when he didn't take any of my advice! 

Here in Australian you will need to wait to read this book. I read an ebook version. The print copy (256 pages) is only in hardcover so far and it is very expensive but hopefully a paperback edition is planned. This book will be devoured by readers aged 10+ and it fits that expression "windows and mirrors". For some this book will be a window into the life of a migrant family and the cultural expectations of parents and while others are sure to relate (mirrors) to the pressures placed on Ajay and his sister and the unfairness of the way Amma and Appa are treated in their new country. 

Maria Marianayagam lives in Alberta, Canada: "My stories call upon a childhood and adulthood of multiple identities. I am a Canadian who was born in India. I am a Catholic but also Tamil Sri Lankan. I love writing but have a degree in chemical engineering. We all contain multitudes–and I draw on our intersections to inspire, empower, and engage young readers."

The novel’s plot twists will especially entrance and surprise younger audiences and those able to suspend disbelief and go with the flow of this completely age-appropriate and appealing story. Utter fun. Kirkus Star review

No Purchase Necessary is a warmhearted coming-of-age story about figuring out who you want to be and standing up for what’s right. Marianayagam has crafted an enjoyable, humorous, and thoughtful story that sheds light on immigrant struggles and the pressure kids face to be like their peers. Reading Middle Grade

Bookseller blurb: Ajay Anthonipillai has a million-dollar problem. Ajay has lived his life dutifully following the rules set by his Tamil parents.

• Rule #3: Straight As only
• Rule #5: There is no such thing as a no-homework day.
• Rule #10: Never watch scary movies.

However, moving to a new school gives Ajay a new rule to follow: Get on seventh-grade all-star Jacob Underson's good side. When Jacob asks him to steal a Mercury bar from Scary Al's convenience store, Ajay feels this is his chance to finally "get cool" and stop eating alone. But Jacob rejects the stolen chocolate bar, leaving Ajay to unwrap it and discover that it contains Mercury's Twenty-fifth Anniversary Grand Prize...one million dollars. Faced with an extreme dilemma, Ajay will have to bear the weight of his actions and battle his morality in deciding whether to claim the prize that may change the life of his family forever.

There are some interesting book and poetry references in this story. Ajay loves The Hardy Boys book series. Mindy loves Nancy Drew. Ms Livingston sets assignments on famous poems by Robert Frost: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening; and The Road Not Taken.

Companion books:

Scar Town

The Eleventh Trade

These two are for younger readers:

Bored Book One: Milo finds $105

Mr Chickee's Funny Money

After by Padraig Kenny

"Tell me again how the world ended."

Jen and her father live in the world of 'our' future. All the cities have been destroyed following a huge flood and also, as Jen discovers later, a violent war. At the heart of this destruction is just one man. Edward Seacroft is a tech genius. He has developed a way to build powerful robots called Merks and then he has convinced humans to implant chips in their brains but when his plans went  badly wrong he then implemented his first contingency. 

"Seacroft was the man who invented the Hive, an artificial intelligence network that spanned the globe ... He created robots and machines that were connected via this Hive intelligence. Then he had the bright idea of also connecting humans via implants. ...  Soon the Hive became such an accepted part of life that people were given implants at birth. ... But for some reason the Hive turned on the human race ... The Meks rose up. They showed no mercy. The war was bitter and short. Then the Flood came, overloading everyone and anything connect to the Hive."

People who were too poor for the implants have survived and, as this story begins, Jen and her Father have stumbled onto a small colony. Their leader, Albert, is welcoming and Jen knows this could be a place that she will feel safe but it is vital that no one discovers the true identity of her 'father'. Also who is Albert? Is this really a utopian community? What is hidden behind that locked door? Are the people right to be suspicious of strangers? 

There are eight chilling words in chapter 18:

"Human beings are useful. Up to a point."

Jen is a character who will linger with you long after you finish this book. She is so wise and insightful but also at times witty and funny.  The idea of brain implants is explored in another very old dystopian book that I read and loved decades ago - Devil on my Back by Monica Hughes.

Okay, so I need to say I have had this book on my 'to read' pile for over six months. The cover reminded me of another book I read by Padraig Kenny and I wrongly assumed this one would be similar. I did enjoy Stitch but it was a somewhat harrowing book and so I kept waiting to feel 'in the right mood' to tackle After. 

YES as I said I was wrong. After is a gripping book with a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is not a horror story in the traditional sense such as another Padraig Kenny title - The Monsters of Rookhaven. This new book, After, has more in common with Tin published in 2018 because once again he explores the possibilities of robots and their role or interactions in our human world.

I found After when I visited an independent bookstore in Balmain. Chatting to the shop owner I mentioned I enjoy middle grade novels with a dystopian setting - she checked her database and handed me After but months later I had forgotten this conversation and I let the cover guide me, so I kept skipping past this book with the wrong impression of the contents.

Yesterday I started and finished After. I was so engrossed reading this on a bus that I totally stepped away from the 'real world' for several minutes. I love that feeling of being so absorbed in a story. 

This is science-fiction, a dystopian future, but also a message about how we care for each other, and why we do so. Just Imagine

From the outset, the reader is encouraged to question the dynamic between Jen and Father, who are wandering along a path hoping to find a better place, hunting for food and avoiding gangs of scavengers. They have an unusual relationship: Jen is an independent and clever twelve-year-old girl who seems to make a lot of the decisions for the pair, while Father is quiet, protective and obsessed with a parenting book he has read. ...  this (is a) fast-paced and action-packed take on what could be a frightening dystopian topic, that is handled in a moving and thought-provoking manner for young readers. From its gripping first line – ‘Tell me again how the world ended’ – immediately setting the scene, to the final thrilling climax, this book will open young readers’ minds to some big philosophical questions about what it means to be human, whether machines can learn to have feelings and how we treat those who are different to us. Who are the real monsters here, machines or humans?  Children's Books Ireland

Here is a radio interview with the author.

Pádraig Kenny is an Irish writer from County Kildare, now living in Limerick. Previously an arts journalist, a teacher and a librarian's assistant, he now writes full-time. His first novel Tin and recent The Monsters of Rookhaven were both Waterstones Books of the Month. He has twice won the Children's Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction, has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards.

After is sure to make you think about similar issues to those raised in other robot books such as The Wild Robot. Jen's 'father' makes a sacrifice to save her life and the life of the people in this small community. How did the processors of a robot allow him to do this? If you are looking for other dystopian books and books about robots use the labels at the bottom of this post - this book covers lots of issues that should generate deeper discussions about technology, power, corruption, climate change, and even AI.

The wild Robot

This book also explores the issue of robots and emotions.

This book also reminded me of the pods that are found in this book:

The Raven's Song

The Magpie Riddle: A Goldfish Boy Mystery by Lisa Thompson

Melody and her mum live in a Chestnut Close. The houses form a semi circle and so naturally everyone knows everyone. Near the street there is a old graveyard and Melody likes to wander through with her dog Frankie. Melody has one friend in the street - a boy called Matthew. We met him in the first book. Jake also lives in Chestnut Close but he speaks very bluntly to Melody and he almost feels like a bully at times. He also seems to be taking Matthew away from Melody. Then Melody meets Hal. Hal is a boy with a strange story. He is living in an old abandoned house at the back of the graveyard. He tells Melody he works for a spy agency and that he is reporting on the activities of a jewelry thief. Some of his story seems quite impossible but Hal persuades Melody that he does work for MI8 and he enlists her help to decode mysterious riddles that are left in the graveyard.

Melody, herself, has her own life problems. Her father left the family some time ago in awful circumstances. Now mum is trying to sell their house. Melody misses Matthew too.

A neighbor decides everyone should help to clear up some weeds in the graveyard but Melody is worried the adults will find Hal. She needs to call on Matthew and also Jake to help her move Hal into an empty house in Chestnut Close. But Mr Charles has the only key and Mr Charles also seems to be holding onto a letter from Melody's dad. 

Blurb from author page: Melody Bird has discovered an old, abandoned house in the corner of the graveyard, and a mysterious boy called Hal who is hiding out there… Hal tells her that he’s a spy-in-training, using the house as a base for his undercover surveillance of a known local criminal. Her friends Matthew and Jake don’t believe that a teenager would be entrusted with this mission and turn the tables to spy on him, uncovering secrets and unravelling a mystery as they go.

In the US this book has a different cover and title:

Take a look at the Kirkus review

I confess I wrecked my own reading of this book by, early into the reading experience, jumping to the final pages to preview the ending. My reaction to this book is less positive than the first installment. There were a few too many 'issues' and the idea (spoiler alert) that a child could be totally hidden from the system seems a little too farfetched. If this was at all possible I needed Hal to be more confused about 'real life' and also I did worry that he was not getting enough food! My labels on this post will give you some idea of the 'issues' faced by the main characters.

When I spotted this book I recognised the series - The Goldfish Boy. Here is my previous post:

The Goldfish Boy

Kirkus Star review

Here is the third book in the series and I think Lisa Thompson has a plan for a fourth title:

Blurb: When a skeleton is found buried in an elderly neighbour’s garden, Matthew, Melody and Jake are determined to discover its identity and who was responsible for its death. At the same time, the long-lost son of the neighbour arrives, with his young son in tow. But are the pair really who they are claiming to be – or are they imposters? As the kids investigate, they uncover incredible secrets and a plot to stash some priceless jewels on the Close…

Here is the webpage for Lisa Thompson. I do think this series have very appealing covers. 

Naeli and the Secret Song by Jasbinder Bilan

Blurb from Chicken House: Naeli longs to know her English father, who abandoned her when she was little. All she has is his name – and his precious violin. Her chance comes when a ticket to England arrives mysteriously. Leaving behind her beloved India, Naeli embarks on an adventure that will take her from the streets of Victorian London to the wilds of Northumberland to discover the truth of her musical inheritance.

This book contains plot details that act like perfect coincidences:

• On the ship, Naeli meets a boy called Jack who is also travelling to England. On the long three month voyage he is able to teach her English.
• Naeli is taken to work in a bakery when she arrives and her violin is stolen. Then, very mysteriously, she is taken to the house of a wealthy member of parliament - he is her Uncle Daniel and he has the violin. He seems friendly but only at first. But then he turns nasty and demands Naeli play every possible tune on the violin - but why?
• Jack is also in London at a boarding school near Westminster and Uncle Daniel lives close by so when Naeli escapes, she is able to find the school and by chance she finds herself in a laundry room so she can disguise herself as a boy from the school and then in the huge dining hall she is able to find Jack.
• Luckily Jack has money and so they set off by train to the remote country mansion, Swallowfield Hall, in Northumberland. The two servants seem like very shifty characters and clearly they are hiding something - then Naeli and Jack hear mysterious noises in the night and Naeli sees an extra breakfast tray in the kitchen. Who are they hiding? Is her father really dead? Can a tune from her violin help to reunite them? And how lucky to find a map of the estate in the Swallowfield Hall library - because also luckily Jack recognised the clue of 5,3 as a map coordinate. 

Adults reading this book might laugh over all the 'contrived' plot details but I am sure the story will intrigue young readers aged 10+ who have less experience with mystery stories and skullduggery by greedy family members who are desperate for money. 

This story does have overtones of The Secret Garden - there is a mystery; someone is lost; there needs to be healing by a young child; the story starts in India with the death of a parent; and best off all the kids find a key and a secret door!

Here is the scene with the key (spoiler alert the clues were in the pegs of the violin):

"The door was only small, like an opening to a cupboard. ... Naeli's throat was dry. She thought about how long the key had been hidden in the violin and how Uncle Daniel had been desperate to find it. If the key did fit this tiny lock, she was sure it would reveal something important ... "

Read a book extract here. Read more plot details in this post from the Historical Novel Society.

Jasbinder Bilan has created a wonderful fast-paced tale, a mix of adventure, mystery and historical fiction, as we leave behind the traditional Indian world and enter Victorian England, where women are treated very differently of course than they are today. Our heroine Naeli is strong and determined, facing a new life and the many obstacles in her path with determination and courage as the twists and turns of her story unfold. Books for Keeps

Here are four other books by Jasbinder Bilan:

Companion books:

Withering-by-Sea (and sequels)

The Fortune Maker

The Haunting of Charity Delafield

A Case of Grave Danger

The Truth about Verity Sparks

The Ghost of Gosswater

The Small Things by Lisa Thompson

At the end of this book I thought two things - wow that was a sad story and how far-fetched. Then I read the authors note Spoiler alert. Lisa Thompson visited a school and saw a robot on a seat. Lily-Bot was there because the real Lily was at home.

"These robots are created by a company called No Isolation, who produce them to help children who cannot be there for various reasons."

Anna's class have a new student - Ellie but Ellie is undergoing medical treatment and so she cannot come to school in person. A small robot sits in her chair acting like a camera. Ellie can see the classroom and she can control the robot to have several reactions such as asking a question, agreeing with a comment, and expressing confusion. All of this is controlled by Ellie at home from her tablet.

Anna is chosen to sit beside Ellie-Bot and that should be fine but Anna lives under a shadow. Her family cannot afford to send her to the myriad of after school and weekend activities enjoyed by her class mates. Her three closest friends dance, play sport, ride horses and attend swimming competitions. When the girls talk about their weekend, Anna has nothing to say. Then Ellie (via Ellie-Bot) asks Anna about her weekend and she tells her first lie. Over the coming weeks the lies grow and grow - ice skating, bowling, and visits to the ice cream parlour for delicious sweet treats. Of course Anna's boasting will be discovered but does this have to mean no one will be her friend. 

Author blurb: Anna’s anxious when she’s picked to befriend the new girl in her class. For a start, Ellie is ill and can’t come to school herself. So Anna has to communicate with her through a new kind of robot. But Anna is also worried that her life’s too small and boring to be of interest to her new friend. Compared to the other girls, she doesn’t have anything exciting to talk about and so when Ellie asks her a question, a little white lie pops out. Then another and another. When Ellie finds out the truth, can their friendship survive…?

This is a book from the Barrington Stoke dyslexia-friendly series. It is a short book with 96 pages but it is a powerful story perfect for readers aged 9+. Here are two videos with Lisa Thompson. And one with Moon Lane TV. And a set of teaching notes. 

Lisa Thompson is the author of a book for younger children from the Little Gems series - Sidney Makes a wish. I have also talked about:

Goldfish Boy

Here are some other books by Lisa Thompson:

The Pumpkin Man and the Crafty Creeper by Margaret Mahy illustrated by Helen Craig

First off I do need to tell you this book was first published in 1990 so it is long OUT of Print!! If you are a publisher reading this book (I know that is unlikely) but can I BEG you to republish this gem and then consider publishing lots of other Margaret Mahy titles (so many are brilliant). If you are not a publisher then I do hope you can find this book in your local or school library. 

This book is a perfect book to read aloud. I dream one day of using this book with a group of teacher education students - reading it aloud - as a way to show them the magic of a perfect read aloud book! The library I visit each week had a copy of The Pumpkin Man and the Crafty Creeper on their shelves and I was thrilled to see it was the larger format hardcover edition. My old library copy (which very very sadly was tossed out by my unqualified replacement) was just a small, very flimsy, paperback.

Mr Parkin loves his pumpkins.  On his way back from the garden store, pushing his wheel barrow filled with the very best potting mix, he passes a small plant creeping out from under a metal gate. The gate belongs Lily Rose Willowherb. 

The plant had "trumpet-shaped flowers of such a pure and beautiful blue that they reminded Mr Parking of the sky on a midsummer's day. For a moment his loyalty to pumpkins wavered."

But Mr Parkin should not stop to talk to this plant - she is utterly treacherous. Of course Mr Parkin is not listening to me!  The plant tells Mr Parkin she is being abused by Lily Rose Willowherb. 

"She makes me stay out in all weathers. She never reads to me or helps me enjoy the finer things of life. Take me home with you, and I will be your humble little pot plant, though I am actually a rare and valuable species."

Mr Parkin is not sure this is a good idea but the little plant tells him this is not stealing. She is happy to creep, creep, creep into his wheelbarrow. 

At home Mr Parkin put her in a pot, but this is a huge mistake because now her demands begin - more water, but not too much. Turn on the television - alas for the creeper Mr Parkin does not own a television. She demands entertainment. Mr Parkin tries playing his banjo but she is not satisfied.

"I can't bear it ... I need music, poetry, light and laughter. Is that too much to ask?"

Mr Parkin phones up the 'Dial-an-Orchestra' people who are listed in the telephone book. Just to add an aside at this point it would be such fun to show your young readers a real telephone book and also, if you can find The Boy who was Followed Home (also my Margaret Mahy) you might compare this scene with the one where the parents look up witches in their telephone book and find Mrs Cathy Squinge. 

Now back to the book.

The orchestra agree to come to Mr Parkin's house and they will bring their own strawberries but they also want champagne and a piano. Of course Mr Parkin does not own a grand piano but the orchestra come anyway. They fill up the kitchen and even have to perch on top of the fridge.

"The orchestra played mightily, sustaining itself with strawberries and champagne in between minuets and mazurkas."

But the creeper is not satisfied. She demands Mr Parkin read her some poetry and at that moment Lily Rose Willowherb arrives. She has heard the orchestra and has guessed her naughty plant is causing havoc for her poor unsuspecting neighbour. 

"He kidnapped me! He kidnapped me! ... He reached through the gate and dragged me into his wheel barrow. ... I'm too sensitive for this rough life ... I'm beginning to droop."

"You? Droop? You're as tough as old boots,' said Lily Rose Willowherb, whisking it out of its pot. 'You're so tough you're practically a weed!"

When I read this book aloud in my library I would always gather some ivy or other "creeping" plant so the children (Grade 2) could see the way creepers cling onto walls and fences. 

To those attuned, the satire here cuts with rapier precision, but Mahy's use of language is so deft and good-humoured that her tale will also be read as more lighthearted hyperbole. Illustrator Craig nicely extends the characterisations, adding plenty of amusing details Kirkus Star review

Margaret Mahy, as I have said in previous posts, was a superb storyteller. I do love the way each of her books has a different illustrator. This one is illustrated by the wonderful Helen Craig who also illustrated Jam. (And the Angelina Ballerina book series). 

Ajay and the Mumbai Sun by Varsha Shah

Ajay is an orphan who lives at a large railway station. People discard newspapers and Ajay has used these, firstly to learn how to read, but more importantly to set himself his life goal of becoming a newspaper reporter. His good friend Vinod works in a local restaurant. He tells Ajay the editor of the major newspaper will be dining in the restaurant. Ajay rushes away to write an impressive report in the hope he will get the job of his dreams but Mr Gupta, editor of The City Paper, explains people are no longer interested in printed papers - they are too distracted by their phones.

Ajay is not defeated. He decides to make is own newspaper - The Mumbai Sun. He has lucky timing because the newspaper office has tossed out an old printing machine and another good friend, Saif, is training to be a railway engineer. He can easily fix any machine. So now Ajay has equipment and determination. Another friend, Jasmine, has fabulous art skills and, he is able to scavenge old discarded pink paper from a packaging factory.

Now what will Ajay write about? The town mayor declares the slum buildings where many people live will be demolished and the people relocated to a much safer and better place - but is this really true. Young Jasmine works in a factory printing Tshirts but are the working conditions safe and is it right that very young children work in these poor conditions? Then there is a terrible accident and the factory manager is killed. Who is behind this factory fire? Ajay unravels layers and layers of corruption, lies and bribes. He can and does report on all of this but some of his words have consequences he could never have anticipated. 

Sport fans are sure to enjoy the final scenes in this book - a cricket match between the street kids and the students from a wealthy private school. 

I borrowed this book from the library at Westmead Children's Hospital. Chicken House always published terrific stories and this one absolutely did not disappoint. I almost read it in one sitting. Read an extract on the Chicken House site. I hope the cover appeals to you - I love it. There are also some poignant contemporary references in this book such as the Grenfell Tower fire in London of 2017.

Fast-paced and wonderfully descriptive, full of the noise and bustle, colour and life of an Indian city, this is an inspiring, uplifting and entertaining story of hope and possibilities. More about Books

The tone is one of hope and change; it acknowledges, but by no means lingers over, the children’s hardships. Just Imagine

This is a book to make you smile, laugh out loud, recoil in horror and then stand up, cheer and thump the air. Book Trust

If you are looking for a great read aloud book for a Grade 4, 5 or 6 class this book could be a good choice. 

"It was the rage of the people who have been bullied by the rich and the powerful their whole lives, of people seen as expendable statistics rather than human, of people who have suffered the consequences of arrogance and ruthlessness of those in power."

One review suggested this book is similar to Emil and the Detectives. 

another book about the power of the media to unearth corruption is Adam Canfield of the Slash.

In you want to read a book also set in a busy city in India try to find this one:

The Book Uncle and Me 

Older Readers (14+) should also look for this one:

A Cardboard Palace

The Middler by Kirsty Applebaum

This book is breathtaking and brilliant. I loved every page! 

Maggie is a middle child. In her small community people live their lives in great fear of the Quiet War. Every day the children sing songs and recite words reinforcing the only way to stay safe. 

Our eldest are heroes. Our eldest are special. Our eldest are brave.

Shame upon any who holds back an eldest and shame upon their kin. 

Most of all, shame upon the wanderers. 

Let peace settle over the Quiet War, truly and forever.

Every family must send their first born child to a special camp where they will be trained to assist with the war effort. In the town people put up black out curtains each evening and everyone follows the rule of staying inside the village which is surrounded by barriers. Outsiders are dangerous. They are called Wanderers. Every child knows these people are: Dirty. Dangerous. Deceitful.

Maggie knows her brother Jed, who is about to turn fourteen, will soon be sent to camp. Maggie is an obedient girl and she does follow all the town rules but she cannot help feeling some resentment. Eldests get so many special privileges. 

"You eldests get everything - big parties, the best clothes, you win all the prizes, you get praise for stuff you didn't do, we even chant about you every day in assembly."

Then everything changes. Maggie meets Una Opal. Una is a Wanderer. Maggie sees an opportunity for glory, for recognition. If she can hand Una and Mr Opal over to Mayor Anderson then maybe someone will finally notice her. But over time she gets to know Una and slowly, one fragment at a time, the truth is revealed and everything Maggie has believed as true turns out to be the most dangerous of lies.

Kirsty Applebaum creates the most amazing world in this gripping story. Adults are sent to work in the fields, water is a commodity that has to be collected in a container called a Cleercan, every citizen is given a billy lamp. From the way these are described I think they might be solar lamps and it is very clear they are precious. Maggie finds a whole pile of them in a house where Jed and his friend Lindi are being held.

"A hole pile of billy lamps? Who has a whole pile of billy lamps behind their desk?  You only get one when you're born, and you jolly well have to look after it because there isn't another one coming your way any time soon."

Cars are also rare and electricity is unreliable. I loved the way each of these details is given as a tiny story fragment. 

This is a wonderfully conceived and slickly executed dystopian novel set in a seemingly idyllic town, but with an undercurrent of secrets to send a shiver down the spine. Book Trust

Careful, serious, indelible. Kirkus

This debut set in a dystopian near future is an absorbing story of boundaries tested, forbidden friendships made, propaganda and questioning, and developing the courage to find your own voice and speak the truth. Library Lady

My labels for this post may give you some further ideas about the themes of the story. I highly recommend The Middler for all readers aged 10+. Here are some companion reads:

Beautiful Blue World

Where the River runs Gold

Forest of Wonders

Chance of Safety

Mouseheart

The Girl who Drank the Moon

I also loved these books by Kirsty Applebaum. She is certainly an author who leaves you with lots of things to think about:

The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke

Troofriend

The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli

Cammie lives inside the Hancock County Prison. She is not a criminal - she is the daughter of the boss - the warden. The year is 1959. Cammie is eleven. Her mother's grave says Anne Victoria O'Reilly April 16, 1921 February 3, 1947. If you do the maths you can see Cammie's mother died when Cammie was a baby. It was a incident involving a milk truck.

"How do you be a child to a mother you never knew?"

Cammie is sad. Cammie is mad. Cammie makes a plan to find herself a mother. 

In the prison one of the inmates, called trustees, is assigned to work in the apartment of the warden. To cook, clean and take care of Cammie. There have been many women who have filled this role but none have been like Eloda Pupko. Eloda Pupko is now Cammie's project. She is determined that this women will act like a mother, offer love, kindness, wisdom and even reprimand Cammie.  Clearly Cammie is desperate for that love but her anger is raging white hot. Cammie does have friends at school but their lives are so very different from hers and at times it feels their friendship is motivated by curiosity about the prison and one notorious inmate accused of murder. Cammie also has friends among the prison inmates especially Boo Boo.

"The loudest and largest inmate of all was Boo Boo. Boo Boo was one of a half a dozen black women. Boo Boo was a shoplifter, but I always found this hard to figure, as she was anything but quiet and sneaky."

Over this amazing Summer Cammie will make important discoveries about herself and about her friends - inside and outside of the jail. Boo Boo for example may not be exactly the person you expect and her hope and dreams may surprise or perhaps even shock you. Click the review quotes below if you need more plot details.

When you read this book (and please do read it) you may be curious about scraple which is served in the prison - I found this definition: it  is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then pan-fried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste.

Listen to an audio sample from chapter one. I think readers aged 10+ will really enjoy this book which is set in a place and time sure to be very unlike their own reality. Cammie is not an easy girl to like but she does need a friend - perhaps you could be her friend - her true friend. 

Moving and memorable. Kirkus Star review

A buoyant yet powerfully emotional coming-of-age novel that reflects its prickly young protagonist's sense of entrapment in her own inarticulable sadness. Shelf Awareness

Take a look at my review of another book by master storyteller Jerry Spinelli - Loser. Here is an alternate cover for The Warden's daughter and other covers of Jerry Spinelli titles: