25th June, 2008
Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
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I would give ‘Does My Head Look Big In This?’ a rating of 7 out of 10. The whole story is told from Amal’s point of view. Amal is 16 and she considers herself as a young Australian-Palestinian-Muslim girl. A few days before the start of a new school term, she contemplates whether to don the hijab or not.
To help her decide, she compiles a ‘To Wear or Not To Wear’ list with 2 columns. The column on the left contains the names of people who will not treat her like an outsider whilst the names in the right column are bound to make her life a living hell if she wears the hijab. Well, so far, the list looks balanced but it’s still a huge decision. Wearing the hijab is not a small matter. In her new school, it’s probably social suicide if somebody wears that every single day.
Anyway, I think you know that she does wear it on her first day of school and got a lot of stares from her schoolmates. Luckily she has the support of two close friends, Simone and Eileen. However, she’s disappointed when her crush, Adam Keane, failed to strike up a conversation with her during the first week of school. Tia and her obnoxious friends, on the other hand, are not exactly kind to her.
Amal also turns to her other two best friends from her old Hidaya Islamic College, Leila and Yasmeen. Leila is extremely intelligent but her mother can’t wait to marry her off while she’s still young. Therefore, there’ll be eligible suitors coming to dinner every time. Yasmeen is the carefree one and simply adores shopping.
As the story goes on, Amal, Simone, Eileen, Adam, and another boy, Josh become fast friends in school. They’ll spend lunch time together, joking with one another, and of course, waiting to see how things will turn out. Simone likes Josh but isn’t sure if he feels the same way. Adam seems to be giving Amal the signals and she’s giving them back.
I enjoyed reading about Amal’s grumpy Greek neighbour, Mrs. Vaselli and how she accuses Amal of doing things like throwing empty cigarette packs in her garden. Amal insists that she doesn’t smoke but Mrs. Vaselli will only repeat what she said. But as Amal gets to know the old lady better, she sees that there’s sadness behind her grouchiness.
It’s impressive that the author has managed to write about a serious issue like wearing the hijab in a light-hearted way. There are hilarious moments at the beginning of the book but as it progresses, it becomes serious as we follow Amal through her trials and tribulations. In the place where Amal lives, the act of covering one’s head in the name of religion is frowned upon as it is not part of their culture. However, in Malaysia, it is normal to see tudung-clad (tudung = headscarf) Muslim women walking around and nobody bats an eyelid.
So, to sum it up, being different is a tough thing and being ridiculed for being different makes things even tougher. In Amal’s case, even her parents fear for her if she chooses to wear the hijab full time. This book tells the story of a gutsy young girl who is determined to stick with her own beliefs even though it’s in a place where not everyone approves of them. Well, we don’t need everyone’s approval, do we?
Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Culture Squad, KittyCat, Alessandra
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Posted in Australian, Authors A, Humour, School Stories, Titles D, Young Adult Fiction at 11:26 am | Comments (13)
10th June, 2008
P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
I stayed up until 2.30 a.m. last night to finish reading this book. I was eager to know the ending, so staying up late for it was no big deal!
There’s no doubt that this book has been a huge hit and so was the movie starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. No, I did not watch the movie yet though I’d really want to. It should be interesting to see Holly opening Gerry’s letters every month on screen and following her on her journey of self-recovery and doing some soul searching.
Holly’s husband and soul mate, Gerry, passed away due to brain tumour. She just can’t imagine life without him and thought she’d never be able to let him go. Then later, she receives a package from Gerry himself! He sent it just before he died. In the package are 10 sealed envelopes for Holly to open every month. She cannot cheat and open all of them at once, although she’d loved to do it!
And so Gerry’s letters help Holly move on in life without him. It’s hard but Holly is extremely lucky to have a supportive family and best friends to help her go through it. Her parents are a great help. Richard, the secretive and quiet oldest brother, surprises Holly in a number of ways. Jack, Holly’s favourite brother, has been quite distant, much to Holly’s disappointment. Then, there’s Ciara, the loud and noisy younger sister and Declan, who’s always holding a video camera nowadays.
Let’s not forget Holly’s best friends, Sharon and Denise. Both try their best to cheer Holly up as much as possible but sometimes they wonder if she’ll ever get better or if she’ll forever be depressing. However, it’s not easy on Holly’s part when she witnesses her friends’ moments of joy and happiness. Moments that she can never have with Gerry.
Holly makes a new friend too and his name is Daniel. He has recently broken up with his girlfriend and moved to Dublin while buying up a bar called Hogan’s at the same time. He’s good-looking and has been an understanding friend, but does he expect to be more than friends with Holly?
The ending was totally unexpected. Well, I didn’t expect the ending to be like that actually. All the same, ‘P.S. I Love You’ is definitely an enjoyable book, despite the sadness of it all. Ahern’s writing style is easy and funny, just like a chick lit book. Is this book considered as chick lit? Hmm, maybe not. If you’re the overly sensitive and emotional type, prepare a box of tissues when you read it! =)
Other Bloggers’ Reviews: Maria, nylusmilk, Kathleen, Melody
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Posted in Authors A, Contemporary, Girls/Women, Romance, Titles P at 4:02 am | Comments (12)
24th April, 2007
An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
Polly Milton visits her friend, Fanny Shaw who lives in the city. Polly is only a small town girl and is a little bit shocked when she was exposed to city life and its different ways. Her dresses are not so frilly or lacey like Fanny’s and initially, she was quite upset.
She could not get along with Fanny’s friends because all they ever talked about were fashion, boys, gossips, and other trivial matters. They think she’s merely a small girl and quite odd, so usually she was left alone by them. Polly, who was ever so happy and kind, had quite a hard time trying to adjust to her new surroundings.
However, she put aside all these small matters and concentrated on having fun as well as getting to know Fanny’s family. She’s made friends with Fanny’s grandma who appreciates Polly’s companionship when her own children and grandchildren did not pay much attention to her. Even the mischievous Tom, Fanny’s younger brother, thinks Polly a sensible girl who doesn’t mind getting her dress dirty.
When it was time for Polly to go home, everyone was naturally sad and asked her to visit again. They liked Polly very much and considered her as one of the family. They noticed the little kind things she did for them and she definitely brought some sunshine into their lives.
Six years later, Polly returns to the city to be a music teacher. Women working for a living were typically looked down on but Polly has to earn so that she could support her younger brother who was in college.
Then, there’s also Mr. Sydney who’s very nice and helpful to Polly. But, there’s someone else who’s a little bit jealous. On the other hand, Polly does not approve of Tom’s relationship with Trix, one of Fanny’s friends. She might be in love with him, that’s why. I was waiting to see if Tom and Polly would ever get together or not! You have to read the book to find out yourself because I sure ain’t telling you nothing about it!
It’s quite a good story where a town girl experiences life in the city. Sometimes, having lots of beautiful dresses, spending extravagantly, etc, do not really make a person happy and contented. The Shaw family may be well off but there’s something important that is lacking and Polly’s presence helped them realize it.
This is the first unabridged book by Louisa May Alcott that I’ve read.
Buy An Old-Fashioned Girl (Puffin Classics)
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Posted in Authors A, Classics, Titles A at 4:33 am | Comment (0)
9th December, 2006
The True Story of Lilli Stubeck by James Aldridge
I read this book twice and I can’t wait to read it again. It tells the story of Lilli Stubeck, who arrived at the peaceful town of St Helen with her intriguing but unlikeable family. The narrator in the book is Kit Quayle. He is one of the few people whom Lilli trusts. He is able to tell this story because Lilli had left him her black book in which she had written down the events of her life in St Helen.
To begin with, Lilli’s family is dirt poor and they survive by scavenging and begging. Then, there is the wealthy and powerful Miss Dalgleish. She encountered Lilli while waiting for someone and Lilli ended up doing small chores for Miss Dalgleish in exchange for a few shillings.
One day, Lilli’s family decided to leave St Helen. But, Miss Dalgleish refused to let them leave with Lilli. She wanted Lilli to stay with her and she promised she would see to her education. Thus, Lilli remained in St Helen and lived in Miss Dalgleish’s amazing but mysterious house surrounded by high wooden walls.
As time went by, Lilli emerged as a cultured young woman and one of the cleverest girls in school. There were also boys as well as men who showed interest in her but she simply brushed them off. Lilli continued living with Miss Dalgleish until one day, her mother and younger brother, Jackie returned unexpectedly.
This book is an absolutely good read and recommended to anyone who wants to know about the interesting and fascinating tale of a girl who does things her own way.
Buy The True Story of Lilli Stubeck
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Posted in Australian, Authors A, Titles T, Young Adult Fiction at 12:43 am | Comment (0)
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