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Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby: After Iris ISBN: 9780571278213
Farrant, Natasha
Published by 
The Gadsby family is in trouble. No one seems quite sure why, but mum has a job with a company that sells beauty products and travels all over the world, and dad is an academic with a job in Warwick that takes him away from London most of the time. Furthermore, they are constantly fighting when they are together. It is thirteen year old Bluebell who has an inkling of why things have been going so wrong. Through her diary and in the transcripts of the film clips which she takes with her new video camera, we learn a lot about her and all the family. Bluebell had a twin, Iris, and three years before the start of the story, Iris has been killed in an accident. No one talks about the tragedy, not older sister, Flora, nor the 'babies', ten year old Twig and eight year old Jasmine, and certainly not their parents. Bluebell has become very quiet, and at school she is a loner. Even her used-to-be best friend has deserted her. When she meets next door neighbour, Joss, an older and very confident lad, she comes to enjoy his company and to be able to talk with him - until he becomes involved romantically with Flora, and once again Bluebell feels alone - this time because she realises she has a crush on Joss and that he really isn't very reliable. In her diary, she is able to pour out many of her feelings about Iris and about the ways she misses her, her memories and her sadnesses and her beginning feelings about love. The young student, Zoran, from Sarajevo, who has become an au pair for the children because their parents are away so much is understanding as time goes on, but still Bluebell is alone. It is only when the children all begin to talk of Iris again and share their feelings that their parents and they themselves are able to start to come to terms with the situation, and there is hope at the end that all will come well. The tone is quite funny, and the things that happen within the family are certainly not grim. But the underlying sadness is potent and very important. This is a quite grown up book and certainly at the top of our age range, but it is spot on about the emotions, and Bluebell is a memorable heroine.
Age: 11+