Finding Cherokee Brown

Claire Weeks is being bullied. It is so bad that she feels sick every morning; she skips school when she can; and when she is there, she hides in the bathroom to avoid being beaten up. Her mum and step-dad are too busy playing perfect families with her twin baby brothers to notice, and her one friend has moved away so she has no-one to talk to.

Unsure where to turn Claire decides to write a book about her life. Just as she wonders who would want to read something with such a boring and depressing protagonist, amazing things start happening to her. Suddenly life is full of adventure and possibility as Claire discovers an inner strength she never knew she had.

This brilliant novel is written with such heartbreaking realism that readers will immediately identify with Claire and feel involved in her life. Siobhan Curham cleverly makes use of the novel/diary format, carrying the reader along with the lively first person narrative. The characters are believable, and the story combines sad, exciting and funny moments in turn. A thought-provoking, powerful and uplifting novel about the realities of bullying.