Red Leaves

This is such a moving book, absolutely outstanding! It concerns three unrelated teens who are all experiencing some trauma in their lives and, separately, have run away. One is a Somali girl who has been living with the same foster Mum and loves being there only now a family want to meet her with a view to adopting her . . . . Another is a slightly older girl, a talented artist, who has run from her home in the Scottish Isles, naming herself after her home island . . . .The third is a boy, the son of a famous war correspondent and a leading History professor who are about to get divorced when his Mum disappears whilst on assignment and his Dad is an ocean away . . . Finding out about people and events from the past has a dramatic impact on the lives of these three.Other people in the community all have their roles to play in the story - from the local shop keepers, teachers, historical families and another homeless lady, Elder, with a tragic past...and don't forget Red, the dog, who also has an important role to play in their lives! The relationships between these teenagers and other members of their community are portrayed in an empathetic manner, helping the reader understand the multi-facetted, interwoven relationships and how these develop. It is a book where you may well need tissues at the ready!I really can't praise this book highly enough, definitely a must read for young adults and adults alike! Thank you so much to the author, publishers and NetGalley for letting me experience this superb book.

I have enjoyed this latest Sita Brahmachari book the most since Artichoke Hearts. It is quite a big undertaking ,weaving together the stories not only of Zak (whose journalist mother disappears in a war zone abroad) and Aisha the refugee from Somalia , and Elder (the probably wise woman in the wood ) but also of Iona a slightly older homeless girl and of Red her dog , who all find shelter in the wood ; but the author manages it well . As Sita says in the postscript "by bringing such different characters together I wanted to explore what is meant by 'community' ". Amnesty International says in a further piece at the end of the book " we are all born with the right ....to equality,a home to belong to, freedom of movement and the entitlement to seek sanctuary. The three young characters in Red Leaves explore all these issues, and so do we as readers." At the same time Sita explores the effects of their sleeping dreams on their daytime realities and the possibility that people from the past can appear in those dreams. Sita has all this flowing along and as usual with her books it is both easy to read and a pageturner.

5*

Very moving. Couldn't put it down . Beautifully written book for all ages . This is Sita's best so far in my opinion.

A beautiful book and a classic for our time. The magic of Hansel and Gretel in the multicultural London of today.