Little Light
As seen:
By Coral Rumble
avg rating
5 reviews
Ava is hiding – hiding from the small cramped room where she lives with her two little siblings and her mum, hiding from the taunts and hostility she gets at school, hiding from her sometimes lonely and joyless life. But there is love here too. Her best friend Roxy, her wise Trinidadian Nan and a stray dog she befriends. Can Ava be brave enough to allow some light to shine into the darkest part of her being? Moving, emotive and poignant, Coral Rumble’s poetic novel is a compellingly beautiful read.
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Beautifully created verse that flows of every page. Strong themes of bullying and resilience.
Second verse novel of the summer, second reread and it still made me gasp in places. What a great book for KS2. The verse format really adds to the story
This is the story of Ava, a young girl at the end of primary school, as she navigates the challenges of a life that has dramatically veered away from what it should be for a 12-year-old. It's a story told in poetry form, which somehow makes it more immediate, touching and vivid - paradoxically, it speaks louder with fewer words! You have to pause at times, as the themes of alienation, bullying, abuse spring out off the page and demand reflection and empathy. Through her difficulties, Ava will find kindness, nurture, friendship and hope, in the form of a grandmother, near-strangers, friends, members of the community, a stray dog. Most importantly, she finds her voice. The author writes about Ava with a sensitive but limpid touch and superbly succeeds in speaking from the inside of her character, giving Ava, and the young people like her, the chance to shine and amplify their little, bright light. A book to return to often and dwell on, so useful to support conversations about MH, community, anti-bullying and empathy in schools (ages 11+).
I must admit to not being a massive fan of poetry or verse but I wanted to read this as I know verse novels have increased in popularity over the last few years, and I follow Coral Rumble on Twitter. This book has converted me and I will be seeking out more novels in verse in the future. The book follows a young girl whose family have escaped DV and are living in temporary accommodation, and how she navigates a new school, transitioning to secondary, and the bullying she suffers from, as well as a lovely friendships with the shop keeper, her friend from her old school, her gran and a new friend at secondary school. At times I felt like the story moved too fast (particularly thinking about when she runs away early on in the book) but I loved the pace, the layout and the language. I really enjoyed this book and I particularly liked that it felt quite realistic in as much as the main character and the bullies don't all of a sudden become best buds.
An absolutely gorgeous read! I thoroughly enjoyed this verse novel. The character of Ava has been expertly crafted and her experiences are thought-provoking. The story has a huge emotional impact and the various themes which emerge are hard-hitting and important to explore. The verse style has allowed the author to capture lots of small but meaningful moments, using few words to leave a huge impression on the reader.
I would highly recommend.
