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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Read & reviewed for The Bookbag: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=My_Name_is_Leon_by_Kit_de_Waal
Everything that is precious to Leon gets taken away. His Action Man toys, his home, his mum, and his brother. The world seems utterly unfair, and so he sneaks 20p here, and 50p there, out of people's purses, whilst building up a rucksack full of all the things he's going to need when he finds his baby brother, and reunites his family. Through all his planning he still manages to find enjoyment in small things, like a Curly Wurly, or riding his bike, or planting seeds with his new friends on the allotments, but how will he cope when he finally faces the truth of his new life without his family.
I really, really enjoyed this book, although I'm not sure that 'enjoyed' is quite the right word to use since it was, at times, quite a harrowing, upsetting read. Leon is utterly believable as a character. He is a very natural little boy, and the writing lures you into his head, and his heart, until you find yourself feeling the pain of every perceived slight, every broken promise that he endures. The story doesn't throw the best light on 1980's social services, although everyone dealing with Leon always seems to have the best intentions. The book begins happily enough, with the birth of Leon's baby brother, Jake. Leon is mixed race, but Jack has a different father and is white. This means nothing to Leon, of course, but it impacts a great deal on their future. At first, everything seems fine and normal, and Leon plays the role of a helpful older brother. But slowly we see his family starting to fall apart, and we get a sense, behind Leon's apparent capabilities, that his mum is far from well. She tries, desperately, to entice Jack's father to be a part of his life, but he has a family of his own already and isn't interested. Leon's father, meanwhile, is in prison. Although Leon tries his hardest to take care of Jake himself, and protect his mum, there comes a day when he has no more money, and his mum hasn't left her bed in days and has wet herself, and there are dirty nappies everywhere and nothing left to eat. When he asks the lady upstairs for help, social services are called in, and he and his brother are put into foster care.
The book is written in an extremely readable style, and I found myself tearing through it, eager to see what would happen next to Leon. Leon is very likable as a character, and even when he's being naughty or demonstrating what seems to be terrible behaviour, we are always privy to his thoughts, and his history, and so understand where his anger and frustration is coming from. Everyone felt very real to me, thoughout the book, and as well as Leon himself I also really enjoyed the characters of Maureen and Sylvia (who take on Leon's foster care and different stages of the story). There seem to be many parts to the story, yet I read it quickly and with ease and it is well paced at each stage. I especially enjoyed when Leon discovers the allotments, and the various characters he meets there.
It's a very moving story. Set amongst the 1980's race riots and Charles & Diana's wedding it shows how the future of this abandoned mixed race child was balanced on a knife-edge, and just the slightest nudge either way, just one different encounter with a carer, could have sent Leon tumbling into an entirely different future. I felt very emotional reading it, seeing both Leon's difficulties, how very hard his life was and is, as well as the enormous difference that a good foster carer could make in his life. When Maureen, and then Sylvia, fight on his behalf I have to admit to wiping away a few tears. I felt utterly caught up in this little boy's story, and I was rooting for him all the way. It could have been incredibly bleak, dealing with his mum's mental illness and his grief at the loss of his baby brother, and yet although it is heart-breaking it does also, somehow, manage to lift your spirits too as you read. I think having the child's view allows for elements of humour, and that lifts the book from being too depressing.
So, this is one of those ones that is awkward to recommend, since I felt it was truly a beautifully written book and definitely worth a read, yet the subject matter is also desperately sad at times. Just take my word for it, grab yourself a few tissues, and when you've finished keep an eye out for whatever Kit de Waal may write next as she is definitely one to watch.
Everything that is precious to Leon gets taken away. His Action Man toys, his home, his mum, and his brother. The world seems utterly unfair, and so he sneaks 20p here, and 50p there, out of people's purses, whilst building up a rucksack full of all the things he's going to need when he finds his baby brother, and reunites his family. Through all his planning he still manages to find enjoyment in small things, like a Curly Wurly, or riding his bike, or planting seeds with his new friends on the allotments, but how will he cope when he finally faces the truth of his new life without his family.
I really, really enjoyed this book, although I'm not sure that 'enjoyed' is quite the right word to use since it was, at times, quite a harrowing, upsetting read. Leon is utterly believable as a character. He is a very natural little boy, and the writing lures you into his head, and his heart, until you find yourself feeling the pain of every perceived slight, every broken promise that he endures. The story doesn't throw the best light on 1980's social services, although everyone dealing with Leon always seems to have the best intentions. The book begins happily enough, with the birth of Leon's baby brother, Jake. Leon is mixed race, but Jack has a different father and is white. This means nothing to Leon, of course, but it impacts a great deal on their future. At first, everything seems fine and normal, and Leon plays the role of a helpful older brother. But slowly we see his family starting to fall apart, and we get a sense, behind Leon's apparent capabilities, that his mum is far from well. She tries, desperately, to entice Jack's father to be a part of his life, but he has a family of his own already and isn't interested. Leon's father, meanwhile, is in prison. Although Leon tries his hardest to take care of Jake himself, and protect his mum, there comes a day when he has no more money, and his mum hasn't left her bed in days and has wet herself, and there are dirty nappies everywhere and nothing left to eat. When he asks the lady upstairs for help, social services are called in, and he and his brother are put into foster care.
The book is written in an extremely readable style, and I found myself tearing through it, eager to see what would happen next to Leon. Leon is very likable as a character, and even when he's being naughty or demonstrating what seems to be terrible behaviour, we are always privy to his thoughts, and his history, and so understand where his anger and frustration is coming from. Everyone felt very real to me, thoughout the book, and as well as Leon himself I also really enjoyed the characters of Maureen and Sylvia (who take on Leon's foster care and different stages of the story). There seem to be many parts to the story, yet I read it quickly and with ease and it is well paced at each stage. I especially enjoyed when Leon discovers the allotments, and the various characters he meets there.
It's a very moving story. Set amongst the 1980's race riots and Charles & Diana's wedding it shows how the future of this abandoned mixed race child was balanced on a knife-edge, and just the slightest nudge either way, just one different encounter with a carer, could have sent Leon tumbling into an entirely different future. I felt very emotional reading it, seeing both Leon's difficulties, how very hard his life was and is, as well as the enormous difference that a good foster carer could make in his life. When Maureen, and then Sylvia, fight on his behalf I have to admit to wiping away a few tears. I felt utterly caught up in this little boy's story, and I was rooting for him all the way. It could have been incredibly bleak, dealing with his mum's mental illness and his grief at the loss of his baby brother, and yet although it is heart-breaking it does also, somehow, manage to lift your spirits too as you read. I think having the child's view allows for elements of humour, and that lifts the book from being too depressing.
So, this is one of those ones that is awkward to recommend, since I felt it was truly a beautifully written book and definitely worth a read, yet the subject matter is also desperately sad at times. Just take my word for it, grab yourself a few tissues, and when you've finished keep an eye out for whatever Kit de Waal may write next as she is definitely one to watch.
This is one of the saddest books I've read in a while. And that's likely due to some personal circumstances currently happening to me that mirror the book's plot. That being said, I think I didn't enjoy this as much as I would have had I read it during a different time.
I TORE through this book! Leon is a 9-year-old boy in London's foster care system in the 1980s. Kit de Waal does a great job of telling the story from a kid's perspective, in a way that made me laugh and broke my heart in equal measure. Leon learns about his racial identity and the meaning of family, and he also grows a garden. It's wholesome without shying away from the dark & gritty parts of life. My only complaint is that the ending felt too abrupt; still loved it overall.
About a quarter of the way into this story I didn't know if I could continue. I'm 25 weeks pregnant with my second son and I fell into a sobbing well of sorrow thinking how tragic Leon's situation is, and yet how many Leons in the world there are.... and how no child should experience what he does. But I continued because that was a miniscule ask compared to what such kids would have to face. Needless to say his plight and his love for his mother and brother pulled at all my heartstrings and made me go check on my sleeping three-year-old more times than I usually do at night. There were times when I really did want a bit more depth to all of the characters but maybe this was deliberately not the case because the story is told from Leon's perspective, but as hard as I think some of the conversations could be, I am adding this book to stories I will read to my sons when they're older... and I have less hormones flowing through my body.
Nine year old Leon's world is turned upside down the day his baby brother Jake enters his life. As their mother grows distant from her sons and her post-natal depression gets worse by the day, it is up to Leon to take care of the two. It's not long until social services become aware of their distressing situation and the brothers are taken into a temporary foster care. However, due to the boys having separate fathers, of different races, the tight-knit brothers are torn apart when Jake, a 5 month old white baby is given a second chance with a new family. With little explanation, Leon is left to wonder why he wasn't adopted, or if he'll every get his second chance.
You can't help but want the best for Leon right from the start, this kid whose been though hell and yet still loves his mum and wants nothing more than his family to reunite. De Waal tackles some very serious discrimination issues, which are unfortunately still a problem we face today, all tied together beautifully with strong character development and a compassionate storyline. It started to slow down about halfway through the book, but overall a great debut novel!
3.5 stars :)
You can't help but want the best for Leon right from the start, this kid whose been though hell and yet still loves his mum and wants nothing more than his family to reunite. De Waal tackles some very serious discrimination issues, which are unfortunately still a problem we face today, all tied together beautifully with strong character development and a compassionate storyline. It started to slow down about halfway through the book, but overall a great debut novel!
3.5 stars :)
i read this one while ago, and i believe i was too young for it. nevertheless it was very defining for me, and i thought about it positively for a long time
I rarely give 5 stars, preferring to save them for really outstanding books, and this is one such book. Beautifully written, perfectly tuned characters, it doesn't put a foot wrong in telling a beautiful story about a flawed, angry, but really rather special boy and the people in his life.
I was between three and four stars, but I am still on my "being more generous with my ratings" jag, so four stars it is. This was not a comfortable book to read, but I think it was an important read. You really got to see and experience exactly what Leon was feeling, it had kind of a Room vibe. It wasn't happy, but you know, it should not have been a happy book. This book addressed some real serious topics, and didn't give any easy answers.
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced