An enjoyable MG read but I couldn't really connect to any of the characters. A strong start but sadly does not build much on that.

I am more than a little in love with the concept of this book, but I found that ultimately I was disappointed that the representation I was hoping for did not truly develop. That is, the book features a character with Asperger's, and I have a special (personal) vested interest in seeing more representation of neurodivergent communities in junior and young adult fiction, but this book didn't quite go far enough. With a little more character development, this book would have truly shone. "How to Fly with Broken Wings" is, therefore, a fantastic idea with slightly less-than-fantastic execution. It has a heart of gold, though, and I credit author Jane Elson with a willingness to go after truly difficult, complex subjects. She is an author to watch, and I am eager to read her next book.

I absolutely recommend this for readers of all ages. It made me smile, cry and giggle, but mostly it made me feel as though I were a part of the friendships formed and bonds made by Willem. The characters in this story are people we can all relate to on different levels.

How to Fly with Broken Wings is a heartwarming middle-grade novel about a boy with Asperger's on a mission to find two friends and a girl who wants to fly. It's about love, friendship and forgiveness; it's about the strength of a community, the magic of kindness and the beauty of friendship.

At first, I wasn't sure about this novel but I can safely say that the more I read, the more it stole a piece of my heart. However, like I said, I didn't fall in love with this book from the start and I wasn't fully invested in it for a large portion of the novel. This was partially because of the language used and partially because of the characters.

The story is narrated by twelve-year-old Willem and Sasha and although I LOVED Willem's voice and he completely captured my heart, I took quite a while to warm up to Sasha. At first she was one of those characters that I don't like because she hangs out with the wrong crowd and she knows she's hanging out with the wrong crowd, she was disrespectful during her lessons and she wasn't someone I particularly liked and, as she was narrating the story frequently, it was imperative for me to like her and connect with her. The second reason I struggled to get into the book and what decreased my overall enjoyment is the repetitive language used in Sasha's chapters. There was one word repeated so much that I rolled my eyes every time she said it and that word was “proper”. For example (this isn't a quote taken directly from the book, by the way), “Finn was giving me that look that made my knees go proper weak. But this was Finn, I couldn't be feeling this way about him. Could I? The boy was proper annoying a lot of the time so how could I feel this way?”. It was used excessively and multiple times on certain pages. It got proper frustrating proper quick.

Another thing I didn't particularly like about the book was the gangs that were mentioned heavily throughout. How to Fly with Broken Wings takes place in an estate in London and there were two gangs that were at war on the estate. I don't like reading about gangs, just a personal preference, but it is something that I wasn't so keen on whilst reading this.

However, after I got past those three things, I found myself thoroughly enjoying myself and I was getting quite invested in the story. I loved that there was Asperger's representation as it's not something I've read about before. As I don't have the condition, I can't say if it was represented in an accurate, sensitive manner but I appreciated that it was mentioned at all.

There was a host of lovable characters in this book! Like I said, I absolutely adored Willem. The way he took things literally, his intelligence, his kindness, his love and his determination to make two friends. I absolutely adored him!

I didn't like Sasha for several chapters but by the end of the book, I loved her! Her character growth throughout the novel was incredibly well written. I saw her transform from a scared, disrespectful girl into a sensitive, brave, determined character. I loved the way she looked out for Willem and how she was such an incredible friend to him. YAY FOR FRIENDSHIP.

I absolutely ADORED Buster, Finn's Staffie. Dog's are just too precious.

Then there was Finn who I'm still not sure about. He was a complete jerk, very disrespectful and so unnecessarily cruel to Willem that I was convinced I was going to spend the entirety of the book disliking him. However, he redeemed himself several times throughout and I can kind of understand why he had turned into the bully he was because of the domestic abuse he was exposed to. By the end of the book, I still didn't trust him and I still think Sasha was silly for staying friends with him for so long, especially in light of what he did to Willem.

One great thing about this book is that there are active parents and guardians! I know, it's hard to believe but it's true. There's Willem's grandmother, Gracie, who takes care of him after his mom moved away because she couldn't cope with him anymore. I LOVED Gracie. She was actively involved in Willem's life and her love and care for him shone through the pages. There was “Magic Man Archie”, the elderly man who moved onto the estate, slowly transforming the lives of the troubled teen residents by allowing them to work on old cars he had bought and ignited an interest in mechanics in several of them. Another active parental figure was Sasha's dad who was initially disinterested and didn't feature heavily in his daughter's life but who became more of a present figure as the novel wore on. There were some great character arcs in this book!

I adored Archie. He was an excellent grandfatherly figure to Willem and Sasha and I admired all he did for the children on the estate. His stories of the Spitfires in World War 2, his mother and her tragic romance with another pilot made him such an intriguing character and I was as rapt as Willem and Sasha as he told the tales of his family's history.

One thing I love about middle-grade novels is how they deal with important topics in such a sensitive, light-hearted manner. There were important things discussed throughout the book such as Asperger syndrome, bullying, death and so forth, but it was done in a wonderfully sensitive and enlightening manner!

I enjoyed the plot, too. It was equal parts sad and heart-warming watching Willem traverse the rocky plains of friendship. I loved watching the slow recovery of the estate as it morphed from one of hate and violence into one of mutual respect and civility. There were several subplots woven throughout this novel such as the tales of the Spitfires Archie's mother used to fly. The stories of the Spitfires, Archie's mother's bravery and her short-lived romance with the love of her life coated the story with a unique, somewhat magical atmosphere!

An important thing to add is that I wasn't ever bored reading this. With the gang violence, Finn and Sasha's tumultuous relationship and the danger of Willem's naivety in such a toxic place provided for tension and suspense throughout. There were some incredibly intense parts in How to Fly with Broken Wings, moments where I wanted to cover my ears (I listened to the audiobook) because I didn't want to hear what happened next! I was also surprised that this book nearly made me cry, especially towards the end. I had become incredibly invested in the story and I genuinely cared for the characters, truly.

How to Fly with Broken Wings is a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking tale about a boy and a girl who want to spread their wings and fly. It's about finding friends that feel like family. It's about character growth and redemption, loyalty and acceptance. Charming and real, How to Fly with Broken Wings will steal your heart piece by piece and leave a feeling of warmth and contentment in its place!

I give it: 3.5/5 cupcakes

How to fly with broken wings covers lots of important issues for young readers - friendship, loyalty, consequences of choices, anti-social behaviour, family, fitting in and romance to name just a few.

It is also a quick/easy read, partly because the plot and characters are interesting; I was hooked right from the start and really wanted to know how it turned out.

However, there is a strange disconnect between the gritty portrayal of life on an inner city estate and some of the highly unrealistic plot twists. Also, while some of writing was fantastic, some of the narrative jarred a little in terms of narrative voice and pace.

Overall, an enjoyable read which I would probably recommend.