Bassingbourn Readers

The Things We Leave Behind
I really enjoyed this book because of the way that Clare Furniss helps us connect to the characters in a way that when they fade away from Clem we really miss them. In that same respect, when Mischa is reunited with Clem at the very end; it feels very crushing and sorrowful when we hear about the plot twist which Clem had been keeping hidden. On another note, the world in which Clem, her dad, Billie and Claudia is scarily close to what reality could be in only a few years, which makes it such a captivating Dystopian world. With the excellent combination of characters and setting, I would highly recommend this story for all readers aged around 9-15.

Matilda

The Things We Leave Behind
The Things We Leave Behind is one of the best books I have ever read (and I read a lot of books). It is about a girl called Clem who is a refugee, and her younger sister, Billie. The story is separated into 3 parts, the past, the present, and a story that Clem made up. The ending of this book made me really sad because the author made me care. I would rate this book an 11 out of 10 because to me it was like a wake up call because every single terrible thing that happened in that book could happen to any of us in a number of days, weeks, years etc.

Esme

All That It Ever Meant
All That It Ever Meant is a brilliant book. It tells the story of a family travelling to Zimbabwe from London. The main character, Mati, has an older sister called Chichi. I find Chichi a very interesting character because even though she can be nice, she can also be quite mean. Even though this may be an unpopular choice, Chichi was definitely my favourite character because I found her the most interesting. Even though she could be horrible to her younger siblings, I think that she had to deal with a lot and there was a reason behind every one of her actions. One of my favourite things about this book was that the characters felt real to me. I liked the fact that it wasn't the perfect family, unlike many other books. I think that readers who like books about drama (the genre not the school subject) would like this book. I enjoyed the diversity in it because the sad thing about these days is that not many people write a book with a family with a different culture to british/american, and I really liked that. I would rate this book an 8/10.

Esme

All That It Ever Meant
I very much enjoyed reading 'All That It Ever Meant' by Blessing Musariri! I found that the main protagonist Mati's perspective on her family's story was quite funny and very observant. She also made some enlightening philosophical points in the background which helped to move the narrative along well. I liked the variety of characters within the book, from mysterious, quick-witted Meticais to headstrong, independent Chichi to innocent, inquisitive Tana. Although I found it confusing at first, the rapid transition between explaining the past and narrating the present had a nice effect. I also felt that while I could absolutely never have predicted the plot twist at the end, it made perfect sense in hindsight. On another note, I found it very interesting to learn more about the life and culture of people from Zimbabwe living in the United Kingdom. Overall, I think that the book was very entertaining and would highly recommend it!

Matilda