Siobhan Parkinson

For Jono and Julie life with their mother is no life at all. After an altercation with their ma Julie’s face is covered by a vicious looking bruise and Jono has had enough. She is only little after all.

There Ma just doesn't seem capable of looking after them anymore. Running away is the right thing to do, or is it? After Julie ends up in foster care and Jono in a house for delinquents, he meets Kate and with her guidance he learns that life is not always as we want it.

A powerful and show more touching tale of one boy's mission to protect his little sister, written by Irish Children's Laureate Siobhan Parkinson has written another page turner. show less

Life is noisy and hard but full of love for 12-year-old Kathleen Murphy and her family. Kathleen dreams of living with her favorite aunt, Polly, far from her crowded home and the strict nuns at the convent school. She's surprised to find that she has a talent for dancing--and a chance to win the dance competition! But Kathleen's family has no money for the costume she needs--until Aunt Polly comes to the rescue.

The main characters of this book, Mags and Gillian were both very quirky and odd. There were times when I found them frustrating, but they were more likeable than unlikeable. The narration of the book was mostly from Mags with Gillian interjection occasionally. In Mags, the author captured the voice of a twelve-year-old. Sure, the run-on sentences got annoying, but it felt the way a twelve-year-old would really write. Overall it was a good book.

The main characters of this book, Mags and Gillian were both very quirky and odd. There were times when I found them frustrating, but they were more likeable than unlikeable. The narration of the book was mostly from Mags with Gillian interjection occasionally. In Mags, the author captured the voice of a twelve-year-old. Sure, the run-on sentences got annoying, but it felt the way a twelve-year-old would really write. Overall it was a good book.