by Kereen Getten
Cover Design by Suzanne Lee
Cover Illustration by Erik Davila Published by Pushkin Press Pushkin Children's Books
A Sarah Odedina book
EVERYONE who has read & LOVED the brilliant debut novel When Life Gives you Mangoes will be so excited for this new book!
The wait is OVER! NOW jump in & enjoy every word.
Kereen Getten is officially one of those rare authors - you just know you're going to get a fantastic story, great characters & you'll be transported into their lives before you even realise it. PLUS there's the huge bonus of a gorgeous, inviting writing style.
By her 12th birthday (where we join this adventure) Brie had already had the unparalleled challenge of some birthdays without her mum.
Over the years she had a fun pre-birthday tradition: putting a slip of paper, listing her breakfast of choice, under her mum's door.
In the morning her requested, favourite breakfast was magically ready & a new dress would be hanging up, ready to wear on the special day.
The tradition continued for a couple of years with Nana but this birthday was different. There was no exciting smell of special food cooking but there was a dress!
Is Brie *over it*? Is she past the days of frilly birthday dresses now?
Brie isn't a fan of attention or fuss, so Nana's plan this year was a bit of a shocker. There was also one extra special present that would be better than anything Brie could ever imagine.
Treasure hunts are fun but what if the clues are tricky? Will Brie be able to solve her difficult, surprise puzzle? This birthday will be VERY unusual but it sparks a magical chapter that truly changes Brie's life.
Sometimes surprises can come from the least expected places or people.
You might not think a story that deals with grief, love & loss could possibly be a fantastic & uplifting read, but you'd be wrong.
This would be an excellent book for schools. It beautifully presents so many avenues for discussion & classroom projects. Children can truly relate to the emotions mentioned & would benefit from openly exploring several connected topics.
These characters are so real & any reader is going to care about & feel close to Brie (& her friends/family) even if they don't have similar circumstances.
In our reading MiniClub (for junior chaemo patients) one of the favourite things we plan is a book treasure hunt - for birthdays or other celebrations - so this is definitely going to be featured in the club as soon as possible! They'll love the treasure hunt element of the story.
I also know I'll be asked when there will be another book from Kereen Getten.
We hope it's on the way, but we also know things take time!
*Find your place where summer never ends*
Also: Find friends like Femi & Smiley
*****
This would be a great home library addition - all 3 titles by Kereen Getten
The middle book in this final photo is *Two Sisters* A Story of Freedom by Kereen Getten & Published by Scholastic UK.
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