Keedie

Teenagers Keedie and Nina are twins. But that doesn't mean they are alike – in fact, right now, it feels like they've never had less in common.

With their 14th birthdays approaching, Nina is more interested in fitting in, vlogging and her first boyfriend. Whilst for neurodivergent Keedie, it's a time of powerful realisation. She's tired of having to try to conform, and of witnessing injustice and hypocrisy. Above all, she's had enough of seeing people who are different getting picked on. 

It's time to fight back against a bully-infested school and the narrow-minded attitudes of their small town of Juniper. So Keedie sets up an anti-bullying agency, resolving to stand up for all those who need it – none more so than her beloved little sister Addie. 

This middle grade novel embraces universal themes of family, friendship, love and acceptance, with pitch-perfect nuance and sensitivity. It's a powerful but accessible book about what it really means to be brave and kind. We are reminded that bullying doesn't just involve physical punches – also culpable are those who follow, snigger, whisper or ignore.

It's all very well for a school to declare that it doesn't allow bullying and to urge every pupil to 'be yourself' but this heroine calls for actions as well as words, and reminds us of the uncomfortable truth that adults can be guilty of bias too.

This is a prequel to A Kind of Spark, but also works as a stand-alone novel. Touching and lyrical but never sentimental, this is storytelling at its best – authentic and compelling.