Playing It Cool; A Daughter Like Me

Playing It Cool is an excellent story about a African-Caribbean girl who is left to live with her grandmother by her globe-trotting, opera singer mother. Her grandmother fits none of the usual stereotypes, but is a zany, eccentric, fun loving writer (and occasional agony aunt for a leading teen magazine) who causes Grace acute embarrassment by her outrageous taste in clothes and tendency to sing in public. Although the relationship between them accounts for much of the humour and appeal of the book, the story is essentially about bullying in the school context, and the peer pressure that can trap even sensitive children into the role of bully. The fact that Grace, the story's narrator, is herself one of the chief perpetrators and the victim her own, somewhat gawky, cousin, ensures that the reader is given an inside view of bullying. The fact that Grace is deliciously wicked and retains the reader's interest and sympathy throughout is a measure of the skill that has gone into the writing.

This novel portrays realistically the penchant for funky clothes and cool attitude that are an integral part of African-Caribbean teen style. It is a cracking good read which will enlighten as it entertains.

In A Daughter Like Me, Bess, the angry, rebellious 11-year-old main character, is also African-Caribbean but from a very different background from Grace. Bess has to come to terms with the recent death of her mother and the subsequent move with her father and two sisters from Leeds to a dilapidated house in London. To make matters worse her father is suffering from depression and cannot cope with the stress of unemployment and looking after three young children. When he disappears, Bess blames herself and her undisciplined tongue, and she and her sisters have to fend for themselves - fearing that if the authorities found out they would be put in care. Forced to be more independent and resourceful, Bess eventually has to reassess her behaviour and attitudes to her father and sisters, and in the end she comes through a steep learning curve, a better and more understanding person. This novel provides a convincing and highly readable insight into the minds of children on the brink of adolescence.