LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Interest Age 11+ Reading Age 7
Pitch-perfect for 11+-year-olds who enjoy accessible stories rooted in real life struggles, Karen McCombie’s My Perfect Cousin makes impactful use of an ingenious tale-of-two-halves structure to tell an empathetic story of misplaced assumptions and a teenager’s journey to selfhood.
From Ruby’s perspective, her “perfect” cousin Yasmin has it all — beauty, brains and a lush lifeguard boyfriend, Max. As a result, Ruby always feels “small and helpless” around Yasmin, not least at family gatherings when Yasmin always seems to steal the show. Then, as Ruby’s best friend Kam goes cool on her for not turning up to support him at a local Pride parade, Max seems to have the hots for her…
Cleverly, at this point the story flips to tell the same chain of events from Yasmin’s point of view, with her journey to becoming her own person swiftly unfolding as a thing of joy.
Suitable for those with a reading age of seven and upwards, My Perfect Cousin packs a lot of punch into a pithy, pacey, relatable novella for readers on the cusp pf their teenage years.
Joanne Owen
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About
My Perfect Cousin Synopsis
Cousins Yasmin and Ruby have always been rivals, but both sides of the story are exposed in this cleverly composed clean-teen novella from Karen McCombie.
Ruby can't stand her "perfect" cousin Yasmin. Yasmin is pretty, popular and has a gorgeous boyfriend Max. She's set to get excellent grades in her GCSEs and her parents won't stop going on about how brilliant she is.
Ruby always feel small and hopeless around Yasmin, and whenever she gets any attention, Yasmin tries to make sure the spotlight turns back to her.
Or that's how Ruby feels anyway. But is there another side to the story?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 11+ with a reading age of 7.
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780008736736 |
Publication date: |
3rd July 2025 |
Author: |
Karen Mccombie |
Illustrator: |
Sofia Miller Salazar |
Publisher: |
Barrington Stoke an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
88 pages |
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Press Reviews
Karen Mccombie Press Reviews
“One of children’s fiction’s most accomplished authors” -- Waterstones
Author
About Karen Mccombie
Karen McCombie is the bestselling author of over 90 books for children and teenagers including the Carnegie Medal-nominated Little Bird Flies, How to be a Human, and series St Grizzle's School for Girls and Indie Kidd. Karen is also the author of the bestselling and much-loved series Ally's World.
Originally from Scotland, she now lives in London with her family who all give her inspiration for her books, whether they like it or not. Read more about the author here.
More About Karen Mccombie