You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was gifted this book by the lovely Mercedes for my birthday back in September and I finally found some time (during my ill days off) to read it. I actually read this whole thing in a day as it's a fairly short book and it's a story that I couldn't help but want to keep turning the pages for.
We follow a young boy called Leon and his baby brother Jake. Leon comes from a poor family with a single mother and he's always looked after her but when his new baby brother turns up his mother falls deeper and deeper into depression and it's all Leon can do to look after her, himself and baby Jake. Leon's life is turned upside down when social services get involved and his baby brother is taken away leaving him living alone, without his brother or mother, in foster care.
The thing I most liked about this is the references to prejudice and racial discrimination through Leon's eyes. Leon is only 8 when we first meet him, but we see the work from his POV and therefore he notices that things are different for him than they are for Jake. This is largely due to Leon being mixed-race, and Jake being white and although age is also a factor Jake ends up in a new family whilst Leon is left to deal with his own feelings and problems in care.
The time of this story is the time when rioting in America was beginning and various groups of people were looked down upon for being different (e.g queer, different race/religion etc.) Leon's adventures lead him to encounter nice and nasty people from all walks of life, and being a fairly isolated young boy with problems of his own he connects with and fears many of these people.
I think in the end I felt like this was a really true and accurate portrayal of what a real situation like Leon's may easily become. It was a heart-warming and rage-inducing story at various points and all the more so becuase of how true it could be for so many children both in the past and still today. Leon's story is sad and raw and also happy becuase not everyone is mean and not everyone wants to change him.
Overall a fascinating and wonderful look at what Leon's life might be, and a story I am very glad to have read. I ended up giving this a 3.5*s but I was very, very close to a 4* rating. It's a great little book and a story I think many people can emotionally invest in or relate to somehow.
We follow a young boy called Leon and his baby brother Jake. Leon comes from a poor family with a single mother and he's always looked after her but when his new baby brother turns up his mother falls deeper and deeper into depression and it's all Leon can do to look after her, himself and baby Jake. Leon's life is turned upside down when social services get involved and his baby brother is taken away leaving him living alone, without his brother or mother, in foster care.
The thing I most liked about this is the references to prejudice and racial discrimination through Leon's eyes. Leon is only 8 when we first meet him, but we see the work from his POV and therefore he notices that things are different for him than they are for Jake. This is largely due to Leon being mixed-race, and Jake being white and although age is also a factor Jake ends up in a new family whilst Leon is left to deal with his own feelings and problems in care.
The time of this story is the time when rioting in America was beginning and various groups of people were looked down upon for being different (e.g queer, different race/religion etc.) Leon's adventures lead him to encounter nice and nasty people from all walks of life, and being a fairly isolated young boy with problems of his own he connects with and fears many of these people.
I think in the end I felt like this was a really true and accurate portrayal of what a real situation like Leon's may easily become. It was a heart-warming and rage-inducing story at various points and all the more so becuase of how true it could be for so many children both in the past and still today. Leon's story is sad and raw and also happy becuase not everyone is mean and not everyone wants to change him.
Overall a fascinating and wonderful look at what Leon's life might be, and a story I am very glad to have read. I ended up giving this a 3.5*s but I was very, very close to a 4* rating. It's a great little book and a story I think many people can emotionally invest in or relate to somehow.
Koskettava tarina 1980-luvun alun Iso-Britanniasta, missä Leon-poika päätyy sijaisvanhemmalle. Pidin kovasti ja voisin lukea tämän joskus uudelleenkin. Leon kävi usein siirtolapuutarha-alueella ja tämä kirja aiheutti vakavaa "pitää päästä tunkemaan kädet multaan ja kasvattamaan asioita" -pakkomiellettä.
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My Name is Leon is a heart breaking story about race and foster care, seen through the eyes of a young black boy called Leon. He is being separated from his brother, who is white, and his mother, who is unable to take care of her children. Kit De Waal is fantastic at writing from the view point of a ten year old - all of Leon´s thoughts and actions felt truly convincing and his difficult experiences are an eye opening experience for the reader. Through them many problems, ones that you wish were history, that should be history, are dealt with. The plot is quite predictable I must admit and doesn´t offer any big surprises, but it doesn´t really need to. Because My Name is Leon is such a beautiful and important novel focusing on the characters instead of plot twists. It´s something that really makes you feel. And not just grief, hopefulness and happiness too.
This touching and endearing novel opens with the birth of Leon’s younger brother, whom he falls immediately in love with. It is a tender and heartwarming opening and as Leon leans in and whispers “I hope you’re having a nice dream, baby”, my heart melted for the young boy at the centre of this story. However, just moments later, their mother chooses to go out for a cigarette rather than feeding the newborn baby, and the scene is set.
This is a quietly moving book about what happens when a mother is not able to cope with her responsibilities. Leon is sent into foster care and, as Mark Haddon did so memorably in ‘Curious Incident’, Kit de Waal weaves a tragic tale from the bewildered perspective of a child. In this instance, Leon is a lovable nearly-nine year old who just wants to be with his family and doesn’t understand why he can’t. We follow Leon as he moves in with a kind foster woman but, after his baby brother is adopted, he is left distraught. Though the book is not an expose of the cruelties of the foster or care home system, which it so easily could have been, de Waal’s narrative is no less powerful. By focusing on the inner world of Leon, readers are invited into a compassionate and empathetic understanding of a naive form of resilience and determination.
Mixed-race himself, and left behind as his white brother gets taken in by a loving family, Leon’s journey is set against the backdrop of the race riots of 1981 and the upcoming royal wedding. Some of the book’s most memorable scenes happen in the local allotment where he befriends a colourful cast of supporting characters. Indeed, the characterisation is the strongest aspect of this book and there are some genuinely heartbreaking moments. However, having read Shuggie Bain recently, it is hard not to see this book as a much paler read by comparison.
This is a quietly moving book about what happens when a mother is not able to cope with her responsibilities. Leon is sent into foster care and, as Mark Haddon did so memorably in ‘Curious Incident’, Kit de Waal weaves a tragic tale from the bewildered perspective of a child. In this instance, Leon is a lovable nearly-nine year old who just wants to be with his family and doesn’t understand why he can’t. We follow Leon as he moves in with a kind foster woman but, after his baby brother is adopted, he is left distraught. Though the book is not an expose of the cruelties of the foster or care home system, which it so easily could have been, de Waal’s narrative is no less powerful. By focusing on the inner world of Leon, readers are invited into a compassionate and empathetic understanding of a naive form of resilience and determination.
Mixed-race himself, and left behind as his white brother gets taken in by a loving family, Leon’s journey is set against the backdrop of the race riots of 1981 and the upcoming royal wedding. Some of the book’s most memorable scenes happen in the local allotment where he befriends a colourful cast of supporting characters. Indeed, the characterisation is the strongest aspect of this book and there are some genuinely heartbreaking moments. However, having read Shuggie Bain recently, it is hard not to see this book as a much paler read by comparison.
The story begins when Leon's mother is pregnant with his brother, Jake. The baby comes home and after a while things aren't what they seem. Leon's mother is unable to cope with the breakdown of her relationship to Jake's father. Jake is left to care for his baby brother.
This is a heartbreaking story of what happens to the boys who are then taken away from their mother by social services when she has a mental breakdown.
Leon is mixed race, but his brother Jake is white. What follows is the most sad recollection of events as Leon begins to cope with the massive changes in his life. He is a loving, resilient boy. It's hard to explain much more of the story without giving it away.
This book is a classic and I've no doubt will be appearing on secondary school reading lists before long.
I have not read such an emotional and powerful book for some time and was sobbing to myself several evenings reading this book. I'll definitely be looking for other books by Waal in the future.
This is a heartbreaking story of what happens to the boys who are then taken away from their mother by social services when she has a mental breakdown.
Leon is mixed race, but his brother Jake is white. What follows is the most sad recollection of events as Leon begins to cope with the massive changes in his life. He is a loving, resilient boy. It's hard to explain much more of the story without giving it away.
This book is a classic and I've no doubt will be appearing on secondary school reading lists before long.
I have not read such an emotional and powerful book for some time and was sobbing to myself several evenings reading this book. I'll definitely be looking for other books by Waal in the future.