Artichoke Hearts

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At the same time, Pat Print has arrived - an author who runs a writing group at school. And suddenly Mira is learning not only to write, but to show her true self and to laugh out loud without being embarrassed. Mira Levenson is a mixed-up mind-maze and she cannot let anyone in. But Pat Print, with her dog called Moses and her new way of looking at the world starts to change the way Mira feels about herself and the way she looks at other people. But can any of that make a difference when her Nana is still dying and her heart is about to break? No, I’m not. I think it’s because she’s not frightened and she’s got everyone around her who loves her.”

I will start off by saying I loved the audiobook for this. The narrator was Tania Rodrigues and she did such a great job with each character and she was really, really nice to listen to. She had the excited adolescent voice of Mira, the childish voice of Krish and then the gravelled, older voice of Mira's gran Josie down to a tee. She was great! This R and D phase is funded by Arts Council England & Wandsworth Borough Council and culminates in a sharing for school audiences of the work-in-progress, with a talk by Sita and Sudha at Wimbledon Theatre. This event is hosted by Wimbledon Bookfest. Only four of us turn up. I think Miss Poplar, our ‘there for us’ Year Seven tutor, is a bit embarrassed, because she’s the one who’s set up this whole thing. She keeps fussing on about how well she’s advertised the group, but the writer just smiles sweetly and says that we’re a ‘jewel-sized cluster’.I didn't really like this book; not that it wasn't well-written or anything, it's just...well, let me put it this way: I received it in December, read halfway through, got bored, put it down and have only just finished it. I think it was mainly because I didn't like Mira all that much (at least at first) and I get the feeling that had I read it when I was the same age as Mira it would be one of my favourite, most touching books. But I didn't and it wasn't, although I would strongly recommend it for girls Mira’s age – 10-13 year olds – as they will be going through the same experiences of starting secondary school, having their first period, experiencing their first love (though I really feel she was a bit too young to have a boyfriend and felt uncomfortable reading about snogging between two twelve year olds, even if they acted much older and you often forget that they are only in Year 7). I absolutely adored Mira. In real life she was so shy and bumbling and it was so endearing that my heart nearly broke every time she tried to say something in class but couldn’t find the words and/or confidence. BUT…. When she was writing her diary she was passionate. She was confident. She was funny. She was so sweet when it came to her crush on Jide (but more on that scamp later.) She was intelligent. She was full of sympathy. She wanted to understand what was happening to her grandma and she wasn’t afraid to ask questions that didn’t have simple actions. We have to say what we think of the piece we’ve been given. What I notice first is the tense it’s written in. When I read something in the present tense, I can disappear into it, like I do when I’m painting. It’s as if I don’t exist any more; I just get lost somewhere in there among the characters . . .

I loved the relationship between Mira and Nana Josie, who still dresses in a hippy style as it suits her and who has spent a lifetime protesting against injustice. Josie is so full of life, even as her days draw to an end, painting her own coffin in bright colours in preparation for her funeral. The whole concept of bereavement and loss is handled very sensitively, yes there is sadness but it’s offset by Josie’s positivity the ripples of which affect all her loved ones. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Kensington Aldridge Academy, Raynes Park High, Southfields Academy, Graveney, Ursuline High, Richards Lodge, St Marys Primary Wimbledon, Joseph Hood Primary and Fortismere schools.Actually there’s hardly anything to clear up, but teachers always do that when they want a private word with you. But he has a sense of vulnerability about him, especially when you learn more about him and his history. I thought what you said about the present tense was fascinating. That passage you read . . . first time round I wrote the whole thing as a memory . . . I got to the end and it just didn’t work. It took me ages to find out what was wrong, but it wouldn’t come alive until I rewrote it in the present tense.’

Told in a first person narrative, we join Mira just as she's about to start attending Literature Club. If that weren't enough to deal with, things are a bit awkward with her best friend, she's getting bullied at school, she's about to have her first period, and her beloved Nana is dying. It is, to put it simply, a fairly difficult time.But I love this song and if you ignore the verses, this song really conveys the message that Nana Josie has been trying to teach Mira at throughout the book. We do go on a 'journey' with Mira as she experiences new feelings and goes through a major life event, losing one of the most important people to her, her Nana Josie. We're introduced to a lot of different characters in this book and all of them seem authentic and likeable. I became truly immersed in Mira's world and found myself caring for everyone through their troubles, wishing I could give them a hug! I honestly felt as though I could read a separate book for each character - they all had such substance and history, especially the fantastically intriguing Nana Josie who we get to learn so much about. On one hand this is a book about death. Author Sita Brahmachari has created an honest portrayal of a family preparing for the death of a loved one. Because the reader is made aware early on that Nana Josie is dying and will die by the end of the book, her death is less traumatic. Kids with questions about death (or are grieving themselves) will get a lot out of this book, including how hospices work, the different ways people deal with death, and how to celebrate a life. This being said, readers who are just looking for a good story will be equally satisfied. The way she speaks you can really tell how much she loves words, as if she’s tasting them on her tongue. She pauses for a minute, waiting for a reply, but I blush up my usual attractive colour of crimson. I have no idea if that’s what my surname means, but she’s right about the Indian Jewish thing, so I just nod, because I can’t think of a single thing to say.