More great reads: the best books for 13 year olds
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award
March 2017 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: how to hope for the best even when you’ve been through the worst | Susin Nielsen puts her protagonists through the most terrible situations, but always manages to keep the tone of her novels light, positive and ultimately uplifting. Teenager Petula’s little sister died in tragic circumstances and the effect on the family has been shattering: her parents are both coping in their own way, but growing further apart, while Petula sees danger and threats in everything.
Because of her terrible anxiety she’s been signed up to a youth art therapy group which is where she meets Jacob. Jacob has his own tragedy to deal with, but his arrival changes the dynamics of the group and helps all the different members to move on in one way or another. He and Petula become a couple, but there’s a growing realisation for her and readers that he’s not been completely honest.
Readers will be gripped by Petula’s story and the way she tells it; Nielsen gives her a totally authentic teen voice, loaded with cynicism, sarcasm, humour and flashes of hope.
Recommended for readers who enjoy Nielsen’s poignant, sensitive novels is I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloane. ~ Andrea Reece
*** Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Take the quiz & find out! OptimistsQuiz.com
Petula has avoided friendship and happiness ever since tragedy struck her family and took her beloved younger sister Maxine. Worse, Petula blames herself. If only she'd kept an eye on her sister, if only she'd sewn the button Maxine choked on better, if only...Now her anxiety is getting out of control, she is forced to attend the world's most hopeless art therapy class.
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Petula has avoided friendship and happiness ever since tragedy struck her family and took her beloved younger sister Maxine. Worse, Petula blames herself.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Optimists Die First and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Optimists Die First features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Featured Books for Young Adults, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Romance / Relationship Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Stories about Family and Friends, PSHE: Bereavement and Grief, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), PSHE: Special educational needs and disability (SEND), Recommended Children's eBooks, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
Optimists Die First was written by Susin Nielsen and published by Andersen Press Ltd
Optimists Die First has 258 pages
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