Magical middle grade book about family & friendship
By Aisha BushbyFinding out who you are, full of emotion and a secret fantasy world to discover. Perfect for 10 year olds and fans of Jacqueline Wilson...
The Book:
This place is magic . . . but it's not the sort of magic that comes from wands and spells . . .
Can piecing together the past help you change the present?
Safiya and her mum have never seen eye to eye. Her mum doesn’t understand Safiya’s love of gaming and Safiya doesn't think they have anything in common. As Safiya struggles to fit in at school she wonders if her mum wishes she was more like her confident best friend Elle.
But then her mum falls into a coma and, when Safiya waits by her bedside, she finds herself in a strange and magical world that looks a bit like one of her games. And there’s a rebellious teenage girl, with a secret, who looks suspiciously familiar . . .
‘Bushby's debut is poignant and atmospheric' Guardian
'A gorgeous story of friendship and growing up' Cathy Cassidy
'Moving and heartfelt', Anna James, author of Pages and Co
Aisha Bushby was selected as one of only four previously unpublished authors in the Stripes anthology for BAME writers, A Change is Gonna Come, alongside writers such as Patrice Lawrence, Tanya Byrne and Nikesh Shukla. The anthology was awarded a YA Book Prize Special Achievement Award. A Pocketful of Stars is her debut novel.
The Book Reviewed:
This moving beautifully told story introduces us to a distinctive central character with a very particular story to tell. Yet, as with all the best coming-of-age stories, it contains truths for everyone and insights for all readers.
The involvement changes Saff’s understanding of her mother and their relationship; certainly, she understands that: ‘If you cut Mum and me open we’d be filled with the very same fire, glowing red and orange and gold.’
flawlessly woven in is a backstory about changing relationships at school and we watch as Saff gains the strength to form new, better relationships and to stand up for what she knows is right.
Aisha Bushby preserves a balance between the dream world and the everyday one, keeping both alike, sincere and convincing. A remarkable debut and a clever insight of grief, love and growing-up.