Tag Elle McNicoll

Role Model

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Role Model
Elle McNicoll
Knights Of

Thirteen year old Aeriel Sharpe, the book’s narrator is neurodivergent. Recently her mother has been elected Prime Minister and the family has moved from Scotland where Aeriel loved the snow and wind and the way they made her feel; she’s now struggling to adapt to a very different way of life. At her new school, Aeriel is eager to fit in and is assigned a buddy, Ana, on her first day. Ana has two close friends and maybe Aeriel could become part of their group.

It’s not that simple though, and then Aeriel is put in an uncomfortable situation and faints during a school assembly. This has been secretly filmed and the video goes viral. The PM’s press team step in to ‘help’ and Aerial films a response but this results in her getting even more attention from the media and her being called an inspirational role model for young people. Anything but inspirational is how Aeriel feels though: she’s followed by paparazzi, asked to formal dinners with Royals and more but all she yearns for is an ordinary life and true friends. Eventually she finds everything too much.

One person who does understand Aeriel however, is her older sister, Fizz ,who is also neurodivergent. She does her best to encourage her sibling to find a way to embrace and love herself and in so doing to become the main character in her own life story. Along with some friends from her school SEND department, Aeriel begins to do just that.

Just as every neurotypical person is different, so too is every one who is autistic. As a protagonist, Aeriel does a terrific job of showing that far from being a cliched ‘superpower’, her neurodiversity is integral to the unique, powerful and very special girl that she is. Her story is one that should be read widely by parents, teachers and those around Aeriel’s age.

The Very Merry Murder Club

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The Very Merry Murder Club
edited by Serena Patel & Robin Stevens, illustrated by Harry Woodgate
Farshore

This bumper collection of wintry mysteries wasn’t quite the novel I originally anticipated.. Rather it brings together stories by thirteen authors: Elle McNicoll, Roopa Farooki, Annabelle Sami, Abiola Bello, Patrice Lawrence, Maisie Chan, Dominique Valente, Nizrana Farook, Benjamin Dean, Joanna Williams, Serena Patel, E.L. Norry, and Sharna Jackson.

Only some of the tales are of murders: the first, set in Inverness, tells of a ballerina’s death, which, main character Briar, an underestimated autistic girl, is determined to show was the result of foul play.
Another murder (also taking place in a hotel) is Nizrana Farook’s ‘Scrabble’ mystery narrated by young Saba, a member of the Hassan family who are on their way to spend the Christmas holiday with Grandma. However an impassible road results in an overnight stop in an isolated hotel an hour away from their destination, and that’s where another guest is discovered stone dead after a game of Scrabble.

Other Christmas tales involve theft, sabotage and a Christmas Eve visit to a very weird funhouse that really sends shivers down your spine.

However if you want to be really chilled, then turn to Dominique Valente’s The Frostwilds which is a fantasy set in an icy-cold world wherein children’s lives are under constant threat from the mysterious Gelidbeast.

It’s impossible in a short review to mention every story but suffice it to say that with a wealth of interesting and determined, often brave protagonists, settings modern and historic, as well as invented, there’s sure to be something for everyone to puzzle over and enjoy, especially snuggled up warm with a hot chocolate and a mince pie close at hand.

Harry Woodgate’s black and white illustrations (one per story) are splendid – full of detail and there’s also a clever ‘book cover’ that serves an a visual introduction to each one:

Be sure to look under the book’s dust jacket where a colourful surprise awaits.