I wish to begin a book club at the school I work at. I reached out to the person I know at Harper Collins to see if they had any galleys of appropriate books for 10 year olds. One of the books they sent me was Be My Love by Kit Pearson. When speaking to one of the girls interested in joining my book club, she mentioned that she loves Kit Pearson’s books. As a result, I chose this to be the first one I would pre-read for our book discussion.

Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade

Blurb:

For as long as she can remember, Maisie has spent her summers on Kingfisher Island. She and her beloved cousin Una run wild, and Maisie feels the warm embrace of her big, extended family.

This summer Maisie needs that escape more than ever. But now everything on Kingfisher has changed: Una has returned from her mainland school a sophisticated young woman too mature for childish games, and even worse, she has an all-consuming infatuation with David Meyer, both an old friend and an older man. Soon Maisie finds herself playing second fiddle—jealous of Una and David’s closeness, and unsure of what those feelings mean.

When Maisie’s greatest attempt to maintain the special magic of her friendship with Una goes up in smoke, it seems as though all is lost. But with an enormous revelation, and a heartrending intervention, Maisie may finally discover the strength she needs to find the same peace that the island has brought her within herself.

My thoughts:

Be My Love is a beautiful coming of age story written by an award winning Canadian children’s author. The story embraces the exploration of one’s own voice and identity – an exploration that would interest young girls who are beginning to realise who they are and what is important to them. In addition, the novel explores sexual identity – the excitement of it and the changes it brings about to a childhood friendship.

This novel will be a perfect read for the book club I am starting at our school. The girls (some of whom I have known when I taught them in grade 2) have matured and are thinking of other things besides their favourite game to play at recess, or the fun they have with their best friend. This novel will show them that it is okay to embrace their new feelings and experiences; and that as we grow older things do change. And yet, through all the changes our childhood friendships can stay strong. I look forward to hearing what my students think about this book.

I give this novel ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars

© Colline Kook-Chun, 2019

(This novel was the 19th in my book pledge for 2019)