The Faraway Truth by Janae Marks, review by Lynda Waterhouse

First things first; what a joy it was to walk into Foyles in the Royal Festival Hall, to browse and to select a book to review. [BTW Foyles also gives 15% discount to Society of Authors’ members.]

The Faraway Truth, originally published in the United States as From the Desk of Zoe Washington, is an amazing debut from Janae Marks. It hooked me from the first sentence,

The day I turned twelve, I was certain it’d be my favourite birthday yet, but then I got the letter.’

Zoe Washington is a Black girl who lives in Boston, USA, with her Mom, her white stepdad and her dog, Butternut. Her ex-best friend, Trevor, lives next door. Zoe’s passion is baking and her dream is to enter the Kid’s Bake Challenge on the Food Network. After having an amazing birthday party making cupcakes at Ari’s Cakes, she receives the letter.

The letter is from her father, Marcus Johnson, from Massachusetts State Penitentiary where he is serving a long sentence for murder. This is the first letter she has ever received. Zoe is confused, Marcus sounds so nice and is nothing like the bad person her Mom always made him out to be. Zoe, with the support of her Grandma, begins a secret correspondence with him.

This is a funny, exciting, heart-warming story that does not shy away from racism:

‘I had no idea where the idea of Black people as thieves came from, but it wasn’t the first time something like that had happened. In fourth grade, a girl told me that I wasn’t invited to her birthday party because her parents said Black people steal. I’d said her parents didn’t know what they were talking about. After I told my mom, she stopped herself from cursing out, and said she didn’t want me going to that racist family’s house anyway.’

And so begins Zoe’s journey to discover the faraway truths of life. Do innocent people really end up in prison particularly if they are Black? Her father, Marcus is a tall, strong, dark skinned man. Zoe only has one photograph of him. She learns that like her he is huge fan of Boston Celtics basketball team, that he loves Stevie Wonder and calls her Little Tomato. He also shares her interest in cooking. He tells her that he is innocent and that he has an alibi.

Zoe begins to do some research and discovers some hard truths about the justice system in America.  She and Trevor set out to find the truth and locate a possible alibi. Their breath-taking journey across Boston literally set my heart pounding.

The writing is sublime and the characters are so well drawn and human. Mom is stubborn and has hidden previous letters but she is also funny, smart and wise. Trevor has to learn the value of true friendship. There is a great playlist to accompany the story too. Although it is set in America the themes are equally relevant to the UK.

ISBN 978-1-912626-38-0

Chickenhousebooks.com

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Black Powder by Ally Sherrick review by Lynda Waterhouse

This is Ally Sherrick’s first novel and it is a sparkling debut. Black Powder is set in the year of 1605. There is a new king on the throne, King James, and English Catholics hope that he will be more tolerant towards them but there are also fears about what Robert Cecil and his ring of spies are up to. These are dangerous times to live in especially if you are, like twelve year old Tom Garnett, a Catholic. The opening paragraphs illustrate the real danger and dilemmas that Tom faces as he goes to fetch water,

The hangman stood hunched at the top of the wooden scaffold like a hungry black crow. A mob of screaming gulls wheeled above him, but his eyes stayed fixed on the noose as it swayed to and fro in the cold sea breeze. Tom’s heart jolted. He didn’t want to watch a man die, but if he ran away now everyone would know he was a Catholic for sure.

Trouble comes closer to home as his father helps a priest escape and Tom is forced to betray his whereabouts in order to save his mother and younger brother. He sets out on a journey to free his mother and rescue his father. He visits Cowdrey House, his mother’s family home – the seat of the powerful Montague Family where he meets the feisty Cressida.

Along the way he also teams up with a mysterious stranger called The Falcon who promises to help him save his father in exchange for help with his plot to destroy Robert Cecil. But nothing is what it seems. There are truth, lies, spies and compromises everywhere. Tom, aided by Cressida and his pet mouse, Jago, face danger as the plot thickens and we get closer to the fifth of November. Will sparks fly?

This is both a fresh retelling of a difficult period in history and its themes are also relevant for young people today. Is it possible to see clearly when you are surrounded by hatred? 

A cracking thriller with heart.

ISBN978-1910655-26-9

Chickenhousebooks.com

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Head Over Heart, by Colette Victor, reviewed by Pippa Goodhart

 

 

This story is about a teenage girl caught between cultures.  Should Zeyneb abide by the Muslim standards taught by her parents, meaning never developing a romantic relationship with a boy until she’s married?  Or should she go on the barbeque and funfair and cinema outings with school friends, knowing that Alex who fancies her will be there?  She’s just begun her periods, so there’s pressure from home to put on a hijab and play the part of an unmarried Muslim woman.  On the other hand, none of her friends wear headscarves, and some are wary of those who do.  And Alex isn’t just good looking; he’s kind and understanding too.  Zeyneb is torn between fitting in and pleasing those she loves on either side of that divide, as well as being her own individual person.

This is a very accessible read, told in the first person and full of dialogue.  It’s interesting and romantic and touching, and, goodness me, it’s a story about a teenage girl falling in love but has a beautiful cover that is NOT pink (well done, Chicken House)!  I would have liked to learn a bit more about quite what Zeyneb’s faith is when she decides that she ‘wants to show her faith’, but maybe that would have made for a heavier sort of read. 

There aren’t enough stories which tackle cultural issues of an everyday kind.  Here we have a very likeable girl and her funny nice Turkish background family (her relationship with her father is particularly touching), living the decisions that many of our girls have to face.  And the message is positive.  Choices you make don’t have to be forever.  Try one way, and then change if that doesn’t work happily.  And it’s possible to compromise.  Zeyneb decides that, after all, she will choose to wear the headscarf (for now), but she’s also very determined to become the first person in her family to go to university, to study botany, a passion shared with her allotment-loving gentle father. 

This is a book which should be in all secondary school libraries.

 

 

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