My Name is Rose by Sally Grindley (9 years +)

June 2011, Bloomsbury, 

240 pages, Paperback

Review copy 

Children's, 9 years + 

Themes: tragedy, family love and loss, separation, high expectation, cruelty, fake personality, discord, accusation, injustice, fear, happiness in music, hope, tissues are needed. 

Summary from Bloomsbury

Rose is a young Romany gypsy girl who travels around Romania and Europe in a caravan with her family. Playing music - on their own or with extended family and friends - her life is happy, until Rose suddenly finds herself an orphan after a dreadful car accident. 

This is the beginning of many changes for Rose as she is forced to adapt to another country and a new family, and she realises that she's not sure of her identity. 

Nayuleska's reasons for loving Rose...she is a sweetheart, shoved into a life which doesn't suit her and people who have their own agenda. I was mildly annoyed that I didn't get to learn what happened in her immediate future, but it looks to be a bright one. 

How nasty/evil is the enemy? Rose is stuck in a world mostly without true love and a sense of belonging. There are mean characters wanting to get rid of her. 

Are there plenty of plot twists and surprises? I loved the blend of Rose's memories about her family compared with the state of her current life. The unexpected kept happening in the Luca household. 

One of my favourite parts was...when Rose got to spend time pursuing hobbies she is passionate about even when she was taking great risks to do so. 

This slightly horrifying tale of what some people will do, evolving around a sweet girl who is trapped, gets 10/10 from me. The cover matches the feel of Rose's story perfectly. 

Suggested read

Follow the life of Nettie as she discovers all the secrets in her family in The Robber Baron's Daughter by Jamila Gavin