Wednesday, 23 November 2016

Hannah in the Spotlight by Natasha Mac a'Bhaird (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 September 2016, The O'Brien Press, 192 pages, Paperback, Review copy 

Summary from The O'Brien Press
The summer holidays are here, and Hannah is wishing she could have gone to drama camp. Then she meets Meg, who has just moved in next door, and together with her friends Ruby and Laura they decide to form Star Club – a drama club of their own.

Nayu's thoughts
This is exactly the fun read I thought it would be, with plenty of family drama, secrets and usual sporadic life events. Despite not having younger siblings, or a big family it was easy to relate to Hannah's frustration at being the responsible one. With her father working abroad she definitely has to take an active role in the family, which isn't that easy when she's distracted and 'things' happen, adding the wrong kind of drama for her. I loved how mental Hannah's family life is, with such younger siblings who are highly active (and opinionated), as they made me laugh and sigh in equal measure for the extra work Hannah has to do. Maisie was a firm favourite, she is hilarious, unpredictable amd occasionally older than her age. 

I  understood Hannah's reservations about getting to know Meg, but they soon become friends. Meg's mysteriousness is intriguing. My theory about her was wilder than one of Hannah's friends was, but the dots don't get fully joined by the end. It was brilliant how Hannah understood Meg needed space regarding that side of her life, and manages to get her friends to understand that too. 

Hannah seems to be the one who helps her friends gel togeher, making sure ballet mad Rosy doesn't get in a huff when ballet gets insulted, and being the one to take Laura out of her writing bubble. It was fun getting to know the girls outside a school environment-I love school stories but summer holidays are fun because they get a bit of time to relax and do different activiies, which helps Hannah and her friends bond more and most importantly have some fun. I'm eager for book 2 and whateer revelations that will bring! 


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