Diamond

The success of this book is in part attributable to the uncomplicated boundaries of the community with which it deals. Jenny's family, temporarily moved during the modernisation of their council house to a high rise block on a sink estate, retain their ties with the close-knit East End community they have left. (Pause for children to make television links . . .) The small world within which Jenny moves - flat, school, market, local streets - gives the storyline an intensity heightened by the colourful descriptions of the mysterious old man who gives Jenny what appears to be a diamond. The stone distorts the vision and through it Jenny sees a beauty in her surroundings which makes her situation bearable and her responses to challenges more positive. Family life is convincingly and entertainingly portrayed and a range of issues are raised which ensure that the book never condescends to its 10-12 year old readership. Stock it in the library/book box; consider it as a class set.