I love that this has queer representation for the youth, but this just didn't vibe with me the way I wanted it to. I also think that the Moby Dick theme isn't massively of interest to my students, which I thought have thought of before requesting! That said, the writing is compelling and the characters are interesting.

At once mature, but also sensitive to younger readers, Becoming Dinah is a lovely book that captures the joy and misery of being different and trying to fit in. I observed the Moby Dick references more than related to them, not having ever read Melville’s novel, but that didn’t matter to me. Dinah grows up in a spiritual/alternative community which is, in many ways, wonderful, but doesn’t protect her from the pain of growing up or from the consequences of other people’s actions. I really enjoyed seeing an alternative lifestyle that was neither idealised nor vilified. The ending is hearteningly optimistic and I would have loved this as a twelve-fourteen year old, and in fact loved it as a much older reader.

A really unique take on Moby Dick, following seventeen-year-old Dinah as she runs away from her small commune, the only home she's ever known. Her plans quickly get derailed as she finds herself caught up in her fellow commune member's - a grumpy man with one leg- desperate search for his beloved campervan.
More of a mood piece, with a slowburn narrative - the kind in which nothing happens yet really everything does - it won't be for everyone. However, those who love it will *love* it.

This is an incredible and original retelling of Moby Dick - I never could have foreseen this adaptation of that story. It's fascinating and brilliantly constructed.

This was a rather strange novel I must admit, it doesn't really feel as if it had much story to it. There is a journey of self discovery and questioning bisexuality but the actual plot was so plain that it made the book boring.
The sentences read like informational text, there's no emotion pouring out of the pages, there was nothing to grab me and keep me reading.
I haven't read anything by Kit de Waal before so I was excited to read this novel but now I'm disappointed and probably won't bother to try anything else by this author. The writing style was just too plain.

Becoming Dinah begins with Dinah shaving all her hair off and getting ready to run away after doing something she really regrets. She is caught by her neighbour Ahab who ropes her into helping him find his stolen van. Becoming Dinah is the story of Dinah's journey, not only literally but metaphorically, as she comes to learn who she is, meeting new people along the way and finding her tribe.

As the story progresses, weaving together two timelines of past and present, we find out more about Dinah and her upbringing on a commune. When she eventually gets to go to school she's seen as an outsider and struggles to fit in. As the story unravels, we begin to find out exactly what it is that Dinah has done that made her run away.

Having previously read My Name Is Leon, I really love Kit de Waal's writing and this YA book also doesn't disappoint. It captures perfectly that age where everything is uncertain and you are trying to figure out who you are. Exploring themes of family, feminism, race and sexuality, Becoming Dinah is a coming-of-age modern retelling of Moby Dick. A refreshing piece of YA literature, I read it in one sitting.

Took me a little while to get into the story, but once you are hooked (around 25%) got quite fast and easy. Her write ring style is smooth for the most part just a little clumsy in the flash backs and the ending felt rushed as unravels in the last 10% of the book and the proper explanation is in the last chapter which I didn’t particularly like. But I understand is for YA readers.
I got to remember my own teens and how passionate all feelings are and sometimes quite irrational and extreme particularly when you have no guidance. So that was my main concern about the story, as Dinah’s mother seems like a good wholesome adult I got a confused how is that out heroine reacts like a spoiled child? If she was brought up to more connected to nature and her emotions.
Nevertheless I enjoyed it and I’d recommend for sure. Just don’t expect nothing too special. This is more of a road trip with a confused teen, than a coming out story.

Enjoyed this coming of age story. Beautiful prose written in a sympathetic style. With a nod to feminism...strong female characters who show themselves to be more resourceful than their men.

A great retelling of Moby Dick with a gripping narrative and a feminist twist!

This novel explores, issues which transcend time (perhaps showing why the inspiration text is considered to be a classic) while also addressing topics prevalent in modern YA literature: heritage, family, sexuality, trust and consequences.

A knowledge of Moby Dick isn’t needed to understand or enjoy this story - the characterisation is lovely and Dinah’s quest to find herself is a compelling read.

A coming of age book, targeted to young teens. I particularly enjoyed the retelling of Moby Dick. It has some current issues like identity, LGTB, divorce and it’s impact and character with mixed race background.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, not least for the descriptions of one of my favourite vehicles! Dinah is running away from home, having done something she thinks will make people dislike her even more than they do. Despite leaving behind her the only family she has known, she meets people on her journey that will become part of her new family, which she is making in her own terms. The completion of her journey brings Dinah the knowledge or at least the beginning of it, of which way she wants to go and who she wants to go forward with

We meet Dinah shaving her long locks with a grim determination to change everything and leave home. We don’t yet know why. Just that Dinah is mortified about a ‘mistake’ she has made. Slowly we get to know about Dinah and to feel her pain when her parents separate, her Father finding a new love, made more raw when this is the Mother of a boy for whom Dinah has feelings.
Dinah’s life in a commune was her Mother’s choice and at 17 Dinah has to beg to go to school. Although she stands out and is teased at first, another strong minded independent young woman befriends Dinah and she experiences many new feelings of fitting in, yet knowing she is different.
Dinah’s plans to leave home take a slight detour when she finds herself driving a one legged man in a camper van to retrieve his prosthetic leg! Along the way, Dinah meets a raven and another feisty female urging her to ‘find her tribe’. It is the raven who shows Dinah the way forward, to face her fears and do what she wants to do, not what is expected of her.
Dinah is growing up and experiencing feelings she can’t deal with. A typical teen, but with a different lifestyle from most teens. Kit de Waal has nailed these feelings expertly, and even though I am far from my teenage years I could fully appreciate Dinah’s state of mind. A brilliant read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

Kit de Waal has created a wonderful re-imagining of Moby Dick.

Dinah is a teenager, who was brought up in a commune run by Ahab, the now angry neighbour up the road. She has done something that she shouldn't have done, and Dinah has to escape.


Her complicated family relationships felt real, and so does Dinah's voice. Kit de Waal has done a great job of highlighting our alienation (created by ourselves and others), and need to fit in. Her coming of age journey was lovely to follow.

The blurb didn't truly reveal what this book was about. Revealed over the course of the book, we find out that Dinah/Ishamael was brought up on a commune which fell apart very suddenly.
While I wanted to know what happened between Dinah and Queenie, why she chose the drastic action of losing her lovely locks, I wasn't invested enough in her as a person and it was only the intrigue that kept me going, not the characters.
The writing is en pointe and manages the switches back and forth without disruption.

I really enjoyed this retelling based on Moby Dick.
The book addresses a lot of modern and current issues such as finding your identify when you have a mixed heritage, finding your sexual identity, dealing with a family split and trying to live with your decisions.
I really enjoyed the book and it felt like a short read with a lot packed in to think about.
Even if you haven’t read Moby Dick I would say this is a great stand alone story and would recommend it for anyone trying to find their own place and identity.

This is a really engaging, realistically written, coming of age story (contains Spoilers!).
Dinah has made a mistake. One that she needs to disappear from at all costs. Living in a commune, previously home-schooled, Dinah has tried so hard to fit in and be normal and make new friends. But it's all gone wrong. Complicated family arrangements only add to Dinah's troubles. Packing a bag and shaving her head, Dinah attempts to make a break for it, but makes the fatal error of pausing to engage with Ahab, a one-legged alcoholic who was formerly a key player in communal living. Together, they navigate an ancient camper van (with Dinah driving on a provisional licence) through the south of England to both escape and atone. This is a surprisingly amusing read in places, with genuine-sounding encounters and people. I have to admit that I needed to quickly google the plot of Moby Dick (I will read it one day!). It isn't essential to be aware of the original book in order to enjoy this, but it is useful to be able to identify themes and character parallells. The ultimate denouement of this story, the realisation that you can't run away from yourself and that sometimes things really aren't as bad as they seem, was a really satisfying ending. There were many elements to this book that could have appeared contrived, but that actually flowed really naturally - this was very refreshing. This is the second book that I've read in the Bellatrix Collection and am really keen for more - both have been just the right balance of YA- not to Y and not too A -and definitely great examples of strong female protagonists.

I really enjoyed this book reading it overnight. Dinah is escaping her old life with her over protective mum and isolated life. She is determined to make her own choices and find herself. Her road trip with Ahab gives her the space to confront some of her demons and come to her own decisions.

I have not read Moby Dick so was not aware of the parallels but I did enjoy her unconventionality and her desire to find herself and make her own adult choices.

A book I will be buying for my school library.

This novel is one of the first in a new series of books for young adults under the imprint of Bellatrix which will be feminist retellings of classic tales. Becoming Dinah is a retelling of Moby Dick. I have not read Moby Dick but was drawn to this novel by the promise of the series and also by the author Kit de Waal whose earlier book 'My Name is Leon' was a beautifully written story from the point of view of a 9 year old boy. I was not disappointed and believe Kit de Waal to have a superb way of capturing the voice of her young protagonists. Some of the character names and the central plot line (a hunt for a missing prosthetic leg!) are shared with Moby Dick. Dinah (also known as Ishmael, the name of the narrator in Moby Dick) was brought up in a commune which has recently fallen apart. She is grappling with her place in the world and her sexuality. An impulse leads her to decide to shave her head, run away from home and change her name to Ishmael, which is what she would have been called had she been born a boy. Her attempt is thwarted however when Ahab, owner of the commune land, convinces her to drive him in a hunt for his missing prosthetic which he had left in a camper van which has been stolen from him. Although she has only had four driving lessons, the promise of payment from Ahab convinces her to participate. The ensuing adventures are hilarious, scary and heart-warming as Dinah/Ishmael meets with Ahab's sister and her lover, with Pip the guitarist and a range of other interesting characters. En route she finds out more about herself, her extended family and the commune and reconciles herself with her identity. The characters were very well written and the tale well told. I look forward to more from Kit de Waal and to further books in the Bellatrix series. I would certainly recommend this one not only to others who enjoy contemporary literature but as a school novel for study.

I was very intrigued to read this book because the concept intrigued me and it didn't disappoint.

Dinah is a great character and her internal struggles will resonate with a lot of teenage readers. I enjoyed the allusions to Moby Dick and the characters were lightly but convincingly drawn. The dual timeline really added to the inrigue and pace of the story too.

I will be recommeding this book to my students and will defintely read more books by this author.

Despite having a clear moral message, this wasn't preachy at all. I really enjoy Kit de Waal's writing - great characters and real life difficult scenarios