True Face - Siobhan Curham

The Blurb
We are living in the age of the image - the perfect image. From the constant bombardment of air-brushed photos, to the dubious lifestyle choices promoted by celebrities and the obsession with social media, young women are under pressure as never before to project a persona of perfection. And this is having a catastrophic effect, with girls as young as seven developing eating disorders and female self-loathing reaching epidemic proportions.

True Face shows you how to resist the pressure from the 'perfection police' and take off the masks you wear to proudly reveal your true self to the world. In chapters dealing with body image, bullying, social media, love, sex and more, Siobhan Curham encourages young women and girls to be honest, dream big, and create lives that are happy and fulfilling. Keep Calm and Carry On is replaced by a new mantra: Forget the Fake and Keep it Real. This book is a breath of fresh air. Perfect for ages 13+ - and for the Girls fan in her 20s/30s too!

The Review
I first heard about True Face in the summer of 2015.  I've spent my whole life feeling uncomfortable about my body and how I look, and a lovely blogger friend recommended that this book might be helpful.  Off the back of her recommendation, I asked for this for Christmas from my sister in law.

I have to admit that I was initially a bit sceptical.  I don't read a lot of self-help books, I'm not really in the target market for this teen book and my issues are so deeply ingrained that it was hard to think it might benefit me.  On that count, I've got to hold my hands up and say I was wrong.  It really made me consider what I could do to make myself as happy as I could be, in terms of changing and accepting my body and making time for the things that are important to me.

The strength of this book is Siobhan Curham's honesty.  Through sharing her own experiences she conveys how it is possible to take control and change your own life for the better - sometimes through small adjustments, sometimes through larger ones, but all through learning to accept and then love your true self. 

There are reflective activities throughout the book, such as thinking about the things that made you happy as a child - would those things still make you happy now?  Do you still do them?  If not, why not?  As someone who often says I've not changed much in terms of my hobbies and interests, it was a useful exercise and I've changed my routine to make time for more of what makes me happy. 

I'm never going to be an extrovert and I'm probably always going to be one of life's worriers, but taking time to consider what makes me who I am helped me develop a confidence and self-belief that enabled me to push myself in numerous aspects of my life - my work at pre-school, my writing, and yes, my weight loss. 

Recommended for anyone who needs reminding of their own self worth.

True Face is out now.

Mind Your Head - Juno Dawson

The Blurb

From the critically acclaimed author of THIS BOOK IS GAY, James Dawson, now writing as Juno Dawson. We all have a mind, so we all need to take care of our mental health as much as we need to take care of our physical health. And the first step is being able to talk about our mental health. Juno Dawson leads the way with this frank, factual and funny book, with added information and support from clinical psychologist Dr Olivia Hewitt. Covering topics from anxiety and depression to addiction, self-harm and personality disorders, Juno and Olivia talk clearly and supportively about a range of issues facing young people's mental health - whether fleeting or long-term - and how to manage them,with real-life stories from young people around the world. With witty illustrations from Gemma Correll.

The Review

There's a real need for more accessible, age appropriate non-fiction specifically for young adults.  After all, they're going through a lot of the same issues as their not-so-young adult counterparts and the self-help section in bookshops seems to be growing at a ridiculously fast rate.

In Mind Your Head, Juno Dawson talks frankly about mental health issues - including sharing her own experiences - and the result is an entertaining and informative guide to depression, anxiety, panic attacks, bullying, peer pressure and many more relevant-to-teen topics. It's almost like chatting with a straight-talking, no nonsense friend, as Juno brings a touch of humour to some sensitive subjects.  There were times where, as someone who suffers with anxiety and body confidence issues,  I personally would have preferred a gentler approach, but I'm aware hyper-sensitivity is part of my own mental health make up.  And of course, many people respond well to a frank message as opposed to the softy-softly pussyfooting I favour.

The illustrations from Gemma Correll add to the non-threatening package of Mind Your Head and I can imagine it'll appeal to the target audience - and anything that encourages taking responsibility for your own wellbeing (and this goes for all age groups) can only be a good thing.

I really hope this flies off the shelves - honestly, every school library should have a copy of this book.

Mind Your Head is out now, published by Hot Key Books.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Finding Audrey- Sophie Kinsella

 

The Blurb

 

Audrey can't leave the house. she can't even take off her dark glasses inside the house.

Then her brother's friend Linus stumbles into her life. With his friendly, orange-slice smile and his funny notes, he starts to entice Audrey out again - well, Starbucks is a start.And with Linus at her side, Audrey feels like she can do the things she'd thought were too scary. Suddenly, finding her way back to the real world seems achievable.

Be prepared to laugh, dream and hope with Audrey as she learns that even when you feel like you have lost yourself, love can still find you . . .

The Review

I really wanted to love this book.  Firstly, because it's a YA book about mental health, and the more of those that are out there, the better.  So many young people (and not so young people too) experience anxiety and depression and it's really, really important that protagonists also face these challenges, and overcome them.  The second reason I wanted to love this was because of Sophie Kinsella.  I've been a fan of her writing for many years and thought her fast-paced narrative and distinctive voice would translate well to the YA market.

Audrey is a likeable character.  She's definitely slightly kooky, and not purely because of how her experiences have affected her outlook.  She's part of a crazy family for one thing.  Her Mum lives her life by how the Daily Mail portrays 'normal' and her elder brother Frank believes he can make a living as a professional gamer on the international circuit. 

It's through Frank's love of gaming that Audrey begins to gain confidence.  Slowly and cautiously, she befriends Linus, one of Frank's 'team'.  He understands her, patiently giving her the time and space to reach out when she feels able.  It's touching to read their story and see how Audrey grows in her ability to communicate, trust and, ultimately, love.

So, the story itself was fine.  And I found myself racing through the book, so it obviously had plenty of the trademark zippy dialogue, off-beat characters and slapstick humour for which Kinsella has made her name in the romcom market.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past one rather annoying feature- although Finding Audrey is set in Britain, it really does read as though it's American, particularly in the dialogue.  If it was only in some sections, I might have been able to look beyond it, but there were times where I really had to remind myself that this was UKYA.  Maybe it's deliberately been given an American feel to appeal to the US market, I don't know.   But it didn't sit right with me, and to some extent spoilt my enjoyment of Sophie Kinsella's otherwise successful journey into a new genre.

Overall, I'd probably still recommend this book, especially to teen readers.  However, I can't help but wish it had a strong British identity and a traditionally English voice to match the plot.  I didn't love this one...but I'm sure it'll do well.

Finding Audrey is released on June 4th, published by Doubleday.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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Can I Tell You About Anxiety?- Lucy Willetts and Polly Waite

I have worked with children for the past sixteen years and strongly believe that to empower children you have to talk to them openly and honestly.  However, this isn't always easy, especially when it comes to the 'difficult questions'-those about emotions, illness, bereavement.  Can I Tell you about Anxiety? is part of a series designed to encourage discussion between parents and professionals and young people.

We are introduced to Megan, a ten year old with anxiety issues.  She talks about how anxiety affects her every day life-her ability to socialise, the physical manifestations of panic attacks, how others perceive her anxiety.  This case study approach makes the book more relatable. Can I Tell you about Anxiety? gives plenty of facts about how anxiety is a very real illness, and far more common than many people realise, and that it can impact on confidence, self esteem and education.

I was surprised by how accessible this book was.  I could imagine using it with KS2 or KS3 pupils, and perhaps as a prompt or to dip in and out of with younger children (KS1).  As someone who has first hand experience of anxiety, there were times where I found this difficult to read.  However, it gives information in a sensitive, age appropriate way and I am sure that not only children will benefit from this book- parents, teachers and health care professionals will learn a lot about anxiety and the coping strategies sufferers use in every day situations.

The book closes with a helpful list of website and organisations to support young people with anxiety. 

This would be a useful resource for anyone wanting an introduction to anxiety, also touching on PTSD, OCD and depression.

Can I Tell You about Anxiety? is out now, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Fangirl- Rainbow Rowell RAINBOW ROWELL WEEK

 

There are some books that come into your life and sweep you off your feet.  You know they haven't been written just for you, but it feels like they have.  Fangirl is one of those books for me. I love it like asdfghjkl...or heart eye emoji...or squeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Here's why.

Fangirl is essentially a coming of age story, beginning as twins Cath and Wren leave for University.  Whereas they were once inseparable, the girls are forging their own identities, Wren more easily than Cath.  Cath seeks solace by writing fan fiction-  pages and pages of stories about Simon Snow (he's a bit of a Harry Potter type character).  Online she has an army of followers waiting for fan fiction updates, but in reality Cath is awkward- unsure about her room mate, adrift from her sister, worried about her Dad...and that is without the added issue of her Mum suddenly wanting to make contact after leaving on September 11th.  Yes, the September 11th.     

Admittedly, one of the reasons I love Fangirl so much is the subject matter.  I'm one of those weirdo geeks that writes fan fiction about their favourite band and posts it online, and I read all kinds of strange shit that other people post (like the one where Josh, the drummer and Dan, the guitarist are gay and they adopt baby One Direction.  That was just plain weird).  So although fan fiction and general all round obsession with a programme/band/book series might be difficult for some readers to relate to, I was super duper excited to find there was a book out there about 'us'.  The writers no one notices unless you're one of the big hitters who gets snapped up by a publisher, becomes a cult smash and gets their story made into a film (EL James, I hate you).

Like Rainbow Rowell's other novels, it is hugely character driven.  Cath is instantly likable.  She's quiet and withdrawn.  She seems inexperienced, both in relationships and life in general.  She's full of anxiety, too nervous to venture to the dinner hall for fear of making some kind of social faux pas.  She prefers the world in her head to the real world. All this made her so easy to warm to- I wanted to be her friend, write with her and watch Simon Snow films, hiding away from the big, bad world.

I also fell completely in love with Levi, the guy Cath meets through her roommate Reagan.  He's a bit of a strange one in that he blows hot and cold, but he strongly believes in the importance of family and that is exceptionally attractive.  He's caring, which he shows via meaningful gestures not just hollow words.  And he's clever.  Maybe not in a conventional way, but he is.  And he's hard working, and he has a scent all of his own, and, and, and....  He's not flawless by any stretch, but he's magnetic.  New book boyfriend alert....

I wasn't prepared to devote so many emotional feels (good fangirl word there!) into Cath, or Levi, or Wren, and certainly not her mentally ill Dad, and that was a mistake.  Because by the end I was a blubbering mess, physically wrung out.  Rainbow Rowell taps into the pain that is all around us-insecurity, anxiety, peer pressure, depression- and squeezes every little bit of emotion out of her readers, which is why she is so hugely popular.  People can relate to her characters, and want to believe they'll get a happy ending, or at least some kind of resolution or inner peace.

As Wren says to Cath-

“Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy,” Wren said. “It’s the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for.”

 

 

And I'm going to finish off with a few descriptions of being a fangirl which I think are really apt...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm a fangirl of Fangirl.  It is as close to perfect as humanly possible.

 

 

Rainbow Rowell, thank you for the words, the feels and the magic.

 

You rock.