The Stories Grandma Forgot was a fantastically moving read. It is all about Nyla and her friends Ray, Jess and Miss Haldi. The main theme for the story was a wonderfully age-appropriate explanation of Alzheimers and how it impacts on everyone within a family. I love the link to the button box of feelings as this is such a real experience for many people who have a family member who is impacted by Alzheimers. When Grandma's magic time-travelling brain reveals a piece of information to Nyla, it sets her off on a journey of discovery to learn more not only about her family but also herself. The style of this book is completely unique. Parts of it are written in verse, bits of the text are faded out just like Grandma's memories and I also loved the inclusion of the bits written on notebook paper.

I will certainly be looking out for more books by this author.

Incredibly moving! I was a bit hesitant about the format initially, but it grew on me very quickly. I also loved the little formatted bits like notes and ruled lines, which added a fun element to the book.

The way this book explains Alzheimer’s and grief through as child eyes was done so well.. even though this is aimed at children I do believe young adults and also adults should read it too.

One of my favourite things about this book was how the words would fade on the page to show us when Nyla was speaking about her grandmas memory

I loved the fact the author used her culture in the book to.

I cried a total of 3 times

Thanks for the ARC copy

What a book!

Written in prose, you’ll find yourself flying through this one. It will tug on your heartstrings and had me in tears on the train. The story itself is so moving and powerful, the use of prose only exacerbates this.

I read this in one sitting - I just couldn’t put it down.

It’s a beautiful story about finding yourself/knowing yourself, culture and standing up to bullies. There’s powerful friendships and empowered protagonists. Honestly, there’s so much to love about this one!

What an amazing story. Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this text. This story brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. I will definitely be purchasing a copy to donate to my school library.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review

This review probably won’t be coherent, I am an emotional mess right now. This book has all the feels and with tears streaming down my face I can say this book is beautiful.

This book is about Nyla, whose dad died when she was 4, but when her grandma who has Alzheimer’s says she sees him at a supermarket…. Nyla starts to wonder if he really died and what happened to him. She goes on an adventure to find out!

I have simplified the plot a bit but didn’t want to spoil anything. This book is written in verse, can we just have a cheer for every single book that makes it into my hands that is written in verse? I adore these style of books, they are great for emotional stories and add such a great way to play with language and ideas. The stories characters are so lovable and you really become invested in the characters and their journeys. I loved the role of the librarian, because we all know librarians and English teachers are the angels of this earth. I loved the building of new friendships too.

But I also loved how the book dealt with the topics. The discussion about who we are and what it means to be mixed, was such an important part of the story and I really liked how the author talked about the focus of giving space for voices but understanding that people aren’t there to be your guide or information to a different life. (I hope that makes sense). In Addition, the book looks at memory loss and Alzheimer’s. I loved how this was talked about and how the term time-travelling was used to describe it. As someone with personal experience of this, it was lovely to see the main character and supporting characters supporting grandma and showing her understanding and care.

This book is a great look at memory loss, friendship, trust, identity, love and family. A tender emotional tale that tugs on your little human heart!

I LOVE THIS!!!!
I love when the stories were told in poetry.

It revolved around family. Finding them, and treasuring what we have. And it doesn't stop there. It can be bigger with family of our own choosing. Including the ever so kind librarian next door. Or the friend u meet at the library. Or the long out of touch friend of your father.

I love the friendship dynamic. Nyla,.Jess, and Raymond!!! I love how Nyla is able to express her ups and downs feelings.

This coming of age 12yo Nyla story is powerful on how she handle her bully (bcs she's a poc, and only half white), trying to find her roots and able to explain "who am I" proudly.

If you're into contemporary middle grade book told in poetry, involving adventure and solving mystery, but still very much heartwarming, read this book!!!! 💖💖💖💖

Thanks Hachette Children's group and Netgalley for the ARC!!!😍

This was such an emotional and beautiful read. I loved the poetic style, and expressive nature of the book. Thank you so much to the publisher for this ARC.

This is a powerful and empathy laden story of an inter-generational family, a mixed heritage girl discovering racism and the hunt for truths.

Nyla lives with her Mum and Grandma. Grandma sometimes goes “time-travelling” with her Alzheimer’s and there are good and bad days. With mum working two jobs, much of the care falls to Nyla and she is carrying heavy weights on her shoulders.

Nyla knows her father died when she was 4 but with her grandmother’s magic memory, she begins to wonder if there is more to the story than she has been told. Piecing together hints and clues, Nyla starts to “time-travel” herself, finding her future within her past. What she discovers is emotional, wonderful and heartfelt. Her hunt for the truth will bring about a painful realisation but also a joyful reunion and the coming together of past, present and future.

The characters in this story are beautifully written and they leap off the page and into the heart of the reader. Their relationships are real- filled with promises, occasional let-downs but always love. I love the librarian and the role she plays in Nyla’s world, bringing hope, understanding, empathy and strength to her.

The format of this verse novel is wonderful. You can’t skim or skip words as each one is particular and necessary. The entire story is threaded with words that are as important as Nyla’s quest.
Empathy building, relatable and important- this is a must read!

Absolutely adored this children’s fiction novel all about understanding heritage and roots.

This was so fantastically written and I loved that it followed a child longing for answers! I found myself really rooting for the main character & hoping that she would complete her history project & get down to understand who she is.

This is just a beautiful read.

Beautiful and heartfelt capturing the most tender moments with such care and clarity. I loved the lyrical writing, the relationship between Nyla and her grandmother, Nyla's newfound friendship, and the mystery threaded throughout this gorgeous book.

When Mr Harkin asks each of his class to prepare a talk on a VIP in their family he littke knows the chain if events he sets off in the life of Nyla, the young narrator of this lovely book.
As Nyla follows a trail to find out about the father, Basim, whom she list as a small child we see her caring for and loving her Grandma, sadly slipping into dementia, but still able to recognise her "Sweetie" as she calls Nyla. This is such a touching relationship ,beautifully drawn in poetic word pictures by the author.
Nyla's friend, Jess is an exhilarating character who cuts across too much sentiment with her wonderful diva like ways...one chapter in the books is headed "No filter, or things Jess has said to mum that she shouldn't" Nyla tells us these things with such affection for her friend that we realise Jess is very special to Nyla's whole family.
Miss Haldi, the librarian who helps Nyla, I am delighted, as a fellow librarian,to say is a warm and wise character with a great deal of gumption! A welcome change from the usual stereotype.
This is a story of friendship, kindness, finding oneself and also, in some cases, loss, Ultimately and most importantly, it is about love, and love outlasts everything, even failing memories.
Nadine Jassat is a poet as well as an author and her book is written in blank verse style, with many quirks along the way and this gives the story a uniqueness which is so fresh and appealing.
The story and the characters, and indeed the book's style stayed with me long after I had finished the last page. Written for young teens, there is enough depth in this story for many adults to enjoy, and learn from.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Children's Group for an e arc of this title

Amazon tells me that the target audience for this book is 9-11, and yet it was perfectly lovely for someone 3x that age. The serious topics give it an edge for adults to ponder, but there's also an element of magic about it that's so often missing from adult books, and it was lovely to reclaim that feeling, if only for an hour or two.

My nan died from dementia in 2016, and watching her fade away in the preceding weeks and months was horrible, but in my opinion, it's not something that should be hidden from children. You don't want to scare them, so by all means only pick 'better' days. But I think it's important that young children are aware of it and how it can affect families (especially with how common it's becoming), and this book is a step in the right direction.

I loved how Nadine wrote about Alzheimer's being like time travel: someone's mind is journeying to another time or place. That is a beautiful way of seeing it, and it definitely felt as if she had some first-hand experience.

Whilst it is prose and not a poem, there is definitely a poetic feel to the way she has formed the sentences. When you're reading them, it feels like a little song in your head. Which I suppose shows her talent as a poet.

Having an early digital copy meant that the formatting was slightly off as any illustrations were missing. Generally it didn't affect the reading of it, and I could fill in the blanks. However, there were some instances that things were so badly formatted that I couldn't understand any of the words at all. The main bit was, there was a letter in a cream envelope - the contents of which I will not spoil - but in my digital copy something had gone wrong and it was like I was reading hieroglyphics, I couldn't make out any of it. Luckily, the contents of said letter are mentioned in passing later on in the book and so I didn't feel like I missed out, but I just wanted to point that out as I cannot obviously comment on whether the images had a positive effect on the story as a whole. I am looking forward to seeing the finished physical product.

It is a very sweet book. Yes it's sad and thrilling and adventurous, but overall it's terribly sweet and cosy and caring and loving, nostalgic, sympathetic, honest and beautiful, heartfelt, heart-warming and heart-breaking. I admit it made me cry. Out of happiness and sadness, out of missing my grandparents, out of everything going through this. It was just so very good.

It really touches on some quite serious issues. Not only the Alzheimer's and memory loss, but racism, the idea of belonging or not belonging, keeping secrets, friendship, loneliness etc. But it is wrapped up in this loving, caring family that makes it feel like a great big warm hug.

This was an emotional read for me as my mum has dementia.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Written in a poetic style, this novel by Nadine Aisha Jassat focuses on the love between a Grandma and her Granddaughter and how their love is bigger than all the problems out there. Nyla’s best friend is Grandma, but she is also Grandma’s cater, because Grandma has Alzheimer’s. Nyla’s Dad had died when she was little, and in a quest to know more about him and to answer a question in a school project, she searches for more information about her Dad and to uncover all the stories that Grandma forgot. This is a heart wrenching tale at times and unravels how feeble the human mind is, but how wonderful the bond is between friends and family. Definitely a wonderful read with a poignant message.

The Stories Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) follows 12-year-old Nyla who lives in a multi-generational family and is best friends with her paternal grandmother, Farida. Nyla cares for her as she “time travels”, a term given for her Alzheimer’s. During a trip to the local supermarket, Farida is convinced she has seen her son and Nyla’s dad who passed away when Nyla was 4 years old. Honouring the promise made to Farida to find him, Nyla pieces together the clues with the help from her best friend, Jess, to find her dad.

Nadine Aisha Jassat’s debut verse novel is a sublime and studious examination of identity through the intersection of storytelling, memory and language. This a necessary story that the world needs more than ever, if only for its infectious empathy and understanding which seeps through each and every page. This helped the characters feel fully realised with a level of heartfelt sincerity that enabled them to jump straight off of the page into my heart. This will be an especially poignant read for those who have or had a close relationship with their grandparents who inspired them in ways that might continue to feel difficult to articulate. In Nyla searching for her place in the world, she finds her family bound by love in its most honest and tender form.

The Stories Grandma Forgot (And How I Found Them) is out May 25th by Hachette’s Children’s Group. Thank you for giving me an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A moving verse novel for 11+, with a bright main character very mature for her age.

Nyla has to deal with the death of her father and her grandmother fading away, while being bullied at school - and her mum working double shifts to make ends meet. Despite this, she's a sensible happy kid who still believes in friendship and schoolwork.

Follow her on a trip down memory lane to better understand her family, her background and eventually herself.

I was completely absorbed from start to finish. The plot was not as lighthearted and cute as the book cover suggested, but it was quite profound. Aside from that, it addressed race through the eyes of Nyla, who isn't white.

The mystery surrounding Nyla's life, whether her father is still alive or has passed away, is also very intriguing, and how she solves it is my favourite. I admire Nyla's bravery, as well as the way she eventually discovered her true self through snippets of her life stories.

I can say that all of my assumptions about Nyla's father were incorrect, and the twist caught me off guard. Thanks to Netgalley, and Hachette Children's Group for sending the ARC; I give it 4.1 stars

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

I was expecting it to be typical rhymes but it turned out to be a solid and emotional story that touches so many sensitive topics. Really liked the entire idea.