Ice Lolly by Jean Ure - Review

 

After I read Lemonade Sky by Jean Ure recently I was intrigued by what else she had written, because I hadn't even heard of her but I really liked the book. So I bought Ice Lolly on eBay for a few quid. I really liked it, too, so I've reserved a few more of Jean's books at the library. They're really cute middle grade books and I've found them really joyful to read. 

The hero of this book is Laurel. She is about twelve years old. Her mother has just died and we actually meet Laurel at her mum's funeral. She is with her mum's brother, Uncle Mark, and his wife, Auntie Ellen. She can't cry and in fact she has decided that she won't cry. She will become Ice Lolly. She has to go and live with Mark and Ellen and their children Michael and Holly. With her, she takes her mum's beloved books, and their cat, Mr Pooter. Ellen clearly hates cats and is resentful of the fact that Laurel has to live with them at all. 

Laurel tries to fit in but she just can't seem to get things right. She starts Michael's school and is actually in his class, but she struggles to find any friends. She becomes friendly with the librarin, Mrs Caton, and finds a home in the library. She has read a lot of books, including Diary of a Nobody, from where Mr Pooter's name comes. She wishes that she could have stayed with her and mum's neighbour, Stevie, who loves cats but hates people. Mr Pooter is old and keeps being sick in Laurel's bedroom, which she hides from Ellen. Holly is a proper brat, honestly she's a nightmare. Poor Laurel just gets more and more desperate.

Like Lemonade Sky, I feel like the ending came very quickly here which did kind of annoy me. But I did really like the book and loved Laurel so much. I'm giving this four out of five. 

Lemonade Sky by Jean Ure - Review

My friend Helen sent me this book a few months ago. She sent a little care package to me at some point, and it included this. She knows I like Young Adult and middle grade literature, and she thought I would like this. I picked it up when I finally finished The Book of Lost & Found, and I fortunately read it really quickly which was joyful because I had really slogged through that last book. 

This book is a perfect middle grade book, in my opinion. It deals with some really difficult themes, but in a gentle way - but also a really realistic way. This IS the life that some kids are living and I love that. 

So Ruby is twelve years old and in Year 8 at high school. She has two sisters - Tizz who is ten, and Sam, who is almost six. They live in a basement flat with their mum. She has bipolar disorder. She has pills to take and usually she's okay, but the family is in poverty and struggling at the best of times. Sometimes Mum falls into a huge depression and can't get out of bed, meaning Ruby has to look after her sisters. And then there was the time that she disappeared for ten days... 

And now she's done that again. Ruby wakes up and her mother is nowhere to be found. She knows that she has to get all of them to school, and they have to make sure that their upstairs neighbour, who dislikes the family at the best of times, doesn't find out that their mother isn't around. Because if she does, they'll end up split up and in care, and Ruby cannot let that happen.

They cobble together what money they have and go to Tesco to buy food for themselves. It's nearly Sam's birthday and Ruby can't bear the idea of her having no party food. Ruby only has a couple of friends at school and she can't tell them too much, but her friend Nina comes through for her. I loved their fledgling friendship and would love to see more of it. 

Tizz is certain that their mum will be back after ten days. They just have to keep going and keep themselves together. 

My only criticism is that I felt like the ending happened very quickly. I do kind of get that from a storytelling point of view, because the more interesting part is at the beginning, really, when the girls are struggling to look after themselves. But it did all happen quickly at the end and I would have appreciated just a little bit less of the beginning and a little bit more of the ending. 

I'm giving this four out of five and I liked it so much that I bought another book by the same author - who I've never even heard of before - from eBay, and am looking forward to reading that soon!