Shine

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Katy Handley, Formby Books. A thrilling and emotive read that weaves myths and superstition into the modern day virtual world of social networking. It ha everything: ghosts, star-crossed romance, jealousy and betrayal. Read the Review

The Bookbag. This is a story of hopes and dreams and a refusal to accept a life limited by others. It's about past mistakes threatening the present and the future. It's about the power of myths. The fear of ghosts. It's about loneliness and grief and prejudice. But it's more than that. Shine is a story of the redeeming power of love. It's about growing up. It's about setting yourself - and other people - free. It's about the right to choose your own path. And this makes it utterly life-affirming. We love Candy Gourlay in these here parts. And we love Shine too. Read the Review. Ann Giles, Bookwitch: It has you laughing and crying at the same time. You despair at people’s prejudice. But then there are people who make you believe in humanity again ... I can’t tell you what style Shine is written in. You just don’t notice. It just feels perfect. Read the review

When a contest centered around excellence is announced at her school, Piper wants to compete so she can have a plaque in the display case (next to her mom’s). Her dad often reminds her that people are more complex than they seem, and knowing who you are lets your light shine on. Piper is not sure how she feels about going to this new school, but she is eager to make her father happy. After she arrives, she learns that she not only has a bully in another student, but also a wonderful group of like-minded friends. When a teacher challenges them to think of who they want to be- now, not just when they grow up- Piper begins to think carefully about who she does or doesn't want to be. Survival horror novels work best with strong characterisation and the four main protagonists (three women and one man) play off each other beautifully, each dealing with varying degrees of trauma and loneliness. However, my favourite is without doubt the parrot which Mina is hired to transport in the opening stages and refuses to abandon (I love her for this) when her car breaks down. It would have broken my heart if anything happened to this lovely and expressive creature!

As pa rents, we should never underestimate the power and influence classmates have on our children’s wellbeing, and the power the actions of our own children have on their friends. ‘Always be kind’ is indeed a great lesson for our youngsters; sharing these books with your child is a great way to develop that ethos. Charlie (A Chimpanzee With ADHD) immediately became our favourite character – and one we could relate to! Charlie is a happy chimp, full of energy, initially misunderstood and labelled ‘naughty’. The book highlights the difficulty children with ADHD face in class, when sitting still and listening for any length of time is so difficult. We love the explanation the teacher gave to Charlie and his friends when he was diagnosed with ADHD – ‘he was a bit like a bottle of fizzy drink, and every now and again he just needed to take the lid off and let the bubbles out!‘ Charlie’s teacher and teaching assistant provide Charlie with some excellent coping and learning strategies which result in Charlie enjoying school, and making some great friends too. Piper only has her father left now that her mother has passed away, and she learns how to make a family out of him. She learns to enjoy his company, because after all, he is her father, and he will always be there for her.Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and I will honestly read anything she writes. I look forward to the release of a new book from her each year. I may like some more than others, but I always find something that I connect with in some way. It's obvious how much research goes into each of her novels and I appreciate it. Whether the book is about family, love, relationships, religion, cancer, medical emancipation, death, sexual assault, mental illness, addiction, even whales or elephants. I always learn something new, and I love that about her novels. Shine books introduce us to six character with SEN: Alice, an Aardvark with Autism; Charlie, a Chimpanzee with ADHD; Dylan, a Dog with Dyslexia; Emma, an Ele phant with Epilepsy; Ollie, an Otter with OCD; and Priya, a Panda with Dyspraxia. Ruth is nervous about starting her first day of third grade at Dalton, a prominent school on New York's Upper East Side. On the one hand will miss her old school in Harlem that she attended with her sister, but on the other hand she's excited that she'll be with her friend, Christina at the new school. Christina is also the daughter of Ruth's mother's long-time employer. However, it's not long before Ruth feels like everyone is treating her differently and she doesn't think it's just because she's new to the school... Ruth Jefferson's Mama has been a long standing maid for a rich family in NYC. The family secures an enrolment in a prominent Upper East Side School for Ruth. She will attend with their daughter Christina whom Ruth has grown up and become friends with.

Philip Ardagh, The Guardian: “ Gourlay has created something very special here; a precious and important novel that also explores exile from neighbours, family and country. The book is about reinvention and the faces we present to the world, whether it be in person, on a postcard or on the internet, all wrapped up in an exciting and perfectly paced story with a disturbing and dramatic climax.” View MAD HONEY, her new novel co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan, is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio on October 4, 2022. Throughout the book, we see Piper connect in small ways to her deceased mother. It’s heartwarming to watch Piper become the woman she wants to be, and the woman her mother would be proud she became.

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Jake Hope, Droplets of Ink: There is a deftness of touch in ‘Shine’, the writing is atmospheric and draws upon tropes of the ghost story but is elevated by modern fairy tale qualities which will feel familiar to readers of Gourlay’s debut, ‘Tall Story’. Woven from strands of science and mythology this is a moving story about family secrets and the importance of communication and connection. Read the review This story of supernatural and psychological horror is a beautifully simple one: Mina’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and her mobile phone is dead; after hearing a terrible screeching, she walks into the forest. As nightfall approaches she spots a cabin in a clearing, the woman in the doorway screams at Mina to run as she rushes inside and the door slams behind her, the building is battered by terrifying shrieks. After meeting the three other inhabitants of the cabin, Mina is ushered to a room with a wall of glass and an electric light that activates at nightfall. Why? There is something outside which likes to observe those who are in the cabin and if they are not there, these creatures get very angry. I may be incredibly naive, but the entire time I was reading, I just kept asking myself - are kids really this mean? Granted it’s been quite some time since I was in third grade and I don’t have any kids, but still. Are kids this young really spewing such hatred? There’s no way they understand the ramifications of their hurtful comments or even fully grasp what they’re saying, so how exactly are they learning to behave this way? It's scary to think about.

She learns early on (firsthand) she is in the middle of two universes. She does not want to be in Harlem as she does not fit in, as a light milky cream color and wants a better education. Nor does she fit in a white world at Dalton. Ruth is smart and wants to learn, unlike her sister, Rachel. She is even a much lighter color than her sister. This was an all around 5 star book, no question. Many of these quotes will make my FB personal profile over the next few weeks as inspiration to my friends and family to realize their full-potential is not in what they accomplish by awards, or what their financial status is, but instead in how they treat others and the value of their relationships. This is a lesson many adults still have yet to learn, and one that would change the world we live in if practiced by all.Auffällig ist hier wieder einmal, wie angenehm der Schreibstil von Jodi Picoult ist. Dieser liest sich nicht nur sehr leicht und flüssig, sondern besitzt auch eine gewisse Melancholie, die mir sehr gefällt. Die Dialoge sind gut ausgearbeitet und die Figuren sind gut ausgearbeitet, sodass man sie nicht nur ausreichend kennen lernt, sondern vor allem auch die kleine Ruth direkt ins Herz schließt. What if in the future they had a piece of the moment Ruth was living right now? It made her feel like yesterday and tomorrow weren’t all that far away from each other. What if there was a bigger world than her world- bigger than the boundaries of her imagination. SHINE is the enticing prequel to Jodi Picoult's new novel SMALL GREAT THINGS that has just moved up on my to-read list. The Grabensteins’ writing is warm and humorous. This gentle book offers a wonderful reminder that kindness, generosity, and love far outweigh the importance of money, awards, and prestige.”