The Stars at Oktober Bend

This book is beautifully written and has a unique style. The writing is very poetic and is something to be savoured when you have a quiet moment. The main character Alice has brain damage. It is thought that she will always remain with a mental age of 12 and she struggles with seizures and the spoken word. The author has chosen to write without using any capital letters and I'm assuming that she decided to omit these to reflect that Alice is somewhat broken. It is made clear from the beginning that Alice has suffered a great deal of tragedy in her childhood. She has lost both her mother and father, and her grandfather is in prison. Alice has a good bond with her brother Joey, who is kind and cares for her when she has a seizure. They are both looked after by their elderly grandmother. Alice finds her voice through writing poetry and her spirit is lifted when she sees a boy pick up one of her poems. Manny James is the boy that picks up her poem. A friendship blossoms between the two and we learn that Manny has fled war-torn Sierra Leone where he witnessed atrocities and was made to be a boy soldier. This book would suit an older teenager who is an able reader. I think that poetic style will be more difficult for some teenagers to appreciate but it would be well worth making the read. The book was nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2017. 266 pages / Ages 14 + / Reviewed by Clair Bossons, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 11+