Brave New Girl

Talk about piling on the pressure. Poor Seren takes it upon herself to solve the problems of so many people around her – from her sister’s lack of boyfriend to her dad’s failing restaurant business – and is convinced that with so many schemes and ideas, surely one of them will work.  As if that didn’t keep her busy enough, she also looks after her two younger brothers when their mum is working or trying to relax, and feels it keenly now that her big sister is riding the waves of teenagedom and leaving her behind.

Following The Incident that split Seren from her best friend at school she has felt isolated. Thank goodness she’s got Keith, a dependable friend and fellow social outcast. When he wants her to star in his film project – an urban version of ‘The Tempest’ – it begins to cause trouble neither of them expected, and brings the issues Seren has been struggling to keep locked inside her to the surface.

British Turkish Seren’s world is a quick slice of subtly complicated family life, full of cringe-worthy moments. It gradually becomes clear that taking a lot of time for other people and not enough for yourself is not a great strategy. This is breezy reading for family-orientated younger readers.