Let's make one thing clear first: I love, absolutely, totally, utterly love this book. I love it for how gritty and bleak it reads at times, but I am also struggling to recommend it to my students (even the older ones) for exactly the same reason. Every line in the story sounds real, painfully real, but I am not sure how the parents of my students will take this. There are bits that some parents might see as putting ideas into young heads who are already a bit stressed out. There are bits where the language is a bit too real for some EAL students.

But I absolutely, totally, utterly love it because the characters think, act and talk like real teenagers. Nothing is sugar-coated in this book. It is written with a kind of poetic feel that I struggle to describe. Maybe a grunge poetic form? (Is there such a form or have I just created a phrase here?)

It is a wonder how this book leaves me with such contrasting feelings, a bit like the emotions experienced by the characters. I really could not possibly praise this book enough but I am also struggling to recommend it to my students.

I am going to buy the children's books from the same author as I am so moved by this book. Actually not just moved, but shaken seismically.