Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Source: www.goodreads.com

Looking for Alibrandi takes us through Josie's final year in high school. Being of Italian descent and from a middle-income home makes her a misfit in the elite private school she attends on scholarship. As if that is not challenging enough, her father whom she has never met suddenly appears in her life and they try to foster some kind of relationship. We also see her blossoming romance with Jacob Coote and how John Barton, whom she has had a crush on for a long time, confides in her during his dark and emotional moments. Throw in a rocky relationship and numerous conflicts with her grandmother and Josie certainly has her hands full.

This story has strong and well developed characters who are real and relatable. Told through a first person perspective through Josie, we get to see both Josie's interactions with the important people in her life as well as her musings and reflections. This gives the narration an authentic and candid voice. Melina Marchetta also manages to touch on a lot of social issues even within a short novel.

Most significantly, it explores the issues that migrant families face. Being of Italian descent, Josie faces racism in school where she is often called a "wog". Josie struggles with some confusion regarding her identity even though she was born in Australia, feeling that she is an "Italian in an Australian world" and we often see her frustrations as a result of this. As she observes, "thirty years on we're still trying to fit in as ethnics and we're still trying to fit the ethnics in as Australians." The difference in her culture and upbringing is also portrayed through her relationship with Jacob and the many issues they consequently face.

The difference in social status is also clearly depicted, especially how rich families will always remain privileged and part of the elite society. Although this issue has been touched on through several incidents in the story, Josie talks about it very succinctly in her characteristic cynical yet candid tone:

"If your father's a garbage collector, you're going to be a garbage collector, and if your father's filthy rich, you're going to be filthy rich because he'll introduce you to his rich friend's son. People breed with their own kind."

Josie also faces a lot of social stigma due to her illegitimacy. She got teased and bullied in school when she was younger and was even called names she did not yet understand. Even in high school, her schoolmates continue to make snide comments about her. To make matters worse, the Italian community is a conservative and unforgiving one who treat Josie and her mother with a sense of disapproval.

There are other coming-of-age themes that arise as the story progresses. Many of the teenage characters deal with family and parental expectations which is also part and parcel of being a teenager. Josie is pressured to conform to "Italian norms" or else, as her grandmother claims, "people will talk". Hence, she is worried about being seen on Jacob's motorbike and reluctant to tell her grandmother that she is dating Jacob. Being from an elite and high-profile family, John Barton also faces pressure to do well in school and become a lawyer and then a politician, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. This causes him to spiral into depression, leading him to suicide.

We also get to see how Josie matures over the year through the change in her relationship with her grandmother. In the beginning, they do not get along and argue a lot. However, after finding out more about her grandmother's past, Josie begins to understand her more and empathise with her, thus fostering a closer relationship. Being able to see the different challenges the women of different generations face and how they bravely cope with them also made reading this book a touching and heartwarming experience.

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

Source: http://vikkiwakefield.com

Mim, a teenage girl who is turning 17, has been brought up by a single mother and two brothers who are drug dealers. However, she has very firmly made up her mind that she will not turn out like her mother. Hence, she proceeds to set a list of rules for herself to live by. "I will finish school. I will not take drugs..." the list goes on and on. One day, her mother sends her on an errand to pick up a dubious package. Unfortunately, it gets stolen on her way home and consequently, her life starts to unravel and she starts breaking those rules one by one.

Although many teenagers would not have grown up in the same circumstances at Mim, the experiences and emotions she goes though are things that most teenagers would be able to relate to. Friendships, romance, peer pressure, dreams and aspirations are just a few issues Mim constantly contends with just like any other teenager anywhere else in the world.

Like many teenagers, Mim feels misunderstood and that she does not fit in. However, instead of succumbing to peer pressure, she strives to be "better" than her mother and her family by setting a list of rules for herself which she works hard to adhere to. This causes her to alienate herself from her family and friends and even to fall out with her best friend.

Teenagers also tend to feel that the world is against them. Mim is no different. She feels that her current situation that she has been forced into by being born into a dysfunctional family is holding her back from having a bright future. By the end of the book however, she realises that she has misjudged many of the people in her life, especially her mother. The package which her mothers asks her to pick up at the beginning of the story turns out to be documents for an exchange programme in France and not drugs like what Mim thinks it is. This shows that contrary to what Mim thinks, her mother actually understands her very well and knows how much she desires to get away from her hometown and to see the world.

With a heartwarming yet gritty and honest story and authentic characters, All I Ever Wanted is definitely a book which many teenagers will be able to relate to. It also encourages them not to be so quick to dismiss the care and concern from their family and friends just because they are under the impression that they do not understand them. This is undeniably a highly recommended coming of age book which will resonate with many teenagers.

Gone Case by Dave Chua

Source: www.goodreads.com

Gone Case is narrated by a 12-year-old boy named Yong. Being a typical Singaporean boy, he tells of his everyday experiences of growing up in a Housing Development Board (HDB) estate and the challenges he faces in school while preparing for his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). We also get a peek into his family life as he comes to terms with the death of his grandmother and how his parents' financial difficulties affect his family.

Growing up in Singapore in the 1990's, reading this book was like a trip down memory lane. Using vivid descriptions, Dave Chua provides an honest and real picture of what a typical HDB housing estate in Singapore was like. The heavy use of Singlish in the dialogues also adds to its authenticity. Many issues Yong deals with as a 12-year-old also resonates with many Singaporeans, especially those of the same generation. Preparing for his PSLE, being a prefect in school and the upgrading of the playground in his neighbourhood are just a few striking examples. What I related to the most was how many students viewed the education system then.

"I feel like a liar, a fraud, that all my knowledge is false and that I really do not know anything at all. But this is the way to study. If I do not understand something I read and read and do it until I could do the problem through a method, never really comprehending but able to look like I know, enough to get some marks on a question."

This very clearly echoes the thoughts of many students and educators then and was often a topic for discussion.

Besides issues that are distinctly Singaporean, Yong also experiences many things that are common to any adolescent regardless of country. He constantly struggles to strike a balance between peer pressure and his parents' expectations of him. He also nurses a crush on his best friend's sister. These are common concerns that are part and parcel of growing up and anyone would be able to relate to them.

While Gone Case is a very descriptive book with a very atmospheric and slightly melodramatic feel, it does not draw readers in with a strong and gripping plot. For the most part, we see the protagonist, Yong, merely recounting his experiences and observations. He seems largely disengaged and does not play a significant role in driving the plot. Hence, young readers who are after fast-paced and exciting plots may grow disinterested quickly.