Tender

Tender is such an emotive story and although it's a work of fiction, it touches on and raises the issues of friendship, family, mental health and the pressures that young carers have to face each day. The reader also gets an insight, through the narratives, of both the main characters, the barriers that social workers and counsellors have to face in getting these young carers to trust in them. The story revolves around Marty and Daisy, who are two young carers that go through each day pretending that everything is 'fine' when it's clearly not. Marty's mom has mental health issues that have been magnified by the death of his dad. Daisy's little brother, Harry, has muscular dystrophy, she silently watches how this illness is destroying his little body and the pressure it's putting on her parents' relationship. The book does carry hope for Marty and Daisy as the author has cleverly developed a romantic relationship for them, it's not full on and sloppy but quite the opposite, slow and at times challenging. It's just nice that they find each other as they understand the emotions that their lives carry. The story is told in alternating chapters between these two, making it a compelling and at times heartbreaking read. Although the book raises important issues and can give an insight to a young carer's life, I would still only recommend it for 13+ readers due to the upsetting nature of some of the events. The book does come with a warning on the back cover regarding this. Tender has 290 well written pages that are suitable for confident and slower readers. I would also recommend it for reading groups as there are lots of discussion points that could be raised. At the back of the book there is also a useful list of organisations if any readers need further information about issues raised. 290 pages / Ages 13+ / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 11+