Another short and sweet read, one that I really enjoyed. 

I thought this book covered so many important topics; racism, no matter how casual and subtle; foster care and the system; the criminal system; grief; and the ability to say sorry, and how powerful that word is. Also, if I’m not mistaken, there might be a hint of autism in our Charlene, but I think it’s really good to have autistic characters in YA books, because the representation is so important for people growing up with autism! Makes everything a lot less lonely, I can’t lie. 

I love Charlene to pieces. I love her personality, her attitude, her way of thinking… it resonates a lot with me, I think. I’m quite protective of her. The other characters - most of them, I should say - I’m not a massive fan of, but I think that’s due to Lawrence’s beautiful writing. Everyone just seems really selfish, and I quite like how she’s captured the essence of humanity so well, and realistically. 

The only thing I would say is that this book is way too short! I like Charlene, I love that she’s true to herself and won’t ie, even if it does get her out of trouble. I love how much she values her relationship with Kandie, and I’d argue that she’s one of my favourite characters I’ve read about. She’s definitely the realest - I would have loved to have read a book bout Charlene as a kid. But I definitely think this story could have benefitted from a more concrete ending, but also, ending it on a feeling of hope is quite a nice touch too. 

I read this book in a day, and I would definitely recommend. So much is talked about, and it really enlightens you. Plus, Charlene is the most amazing character - definitely make the time to read it!! 

 

We follow Charlene, who is in the foster care of Annie. Charlene loves to knit, and has been knitting a dinosaur blanket/hoodie for her sister, Kadie. They were separated after their mum died, Kadie’s dad not having enough room to take her in. Charlene went into the foster system, whilst Kadie stayed with her favour. Eventually, Kadie became ‘too upset’ to have Chaz visit, and their visits got stopped altogether. 

Charlene has been dealing with a lot of different things. She’s been moved around from foster home to the next, to different schools, and she knows that, if anything happens, it’ll be off to the next home for her. Annie has a son, Blake, who isn’t really fond of her, as she has taken over his bedroom since he has moved to uni, but she doesn’t have to put up with him much. Annie says she’s in it for the long run if she is, and Charlene really likes her. 

Charlene doesn’t like to say sorry to people who don’t deserve it - whereas other people might just bite their tongue and get on with it, she doesn’t. Her friend smashes a makeup vial on the floor, and they run off before they can take the blame. The security guard, who has been staring at her since she walked in, as if willing her to do something (she’s a person of colour, and deals with casual racism), and he becomes intimidating. Annie comes and gets her, but that isn’t the only time she’s refused to say sorry. 

A few girls in her class are being racist in her favourite lesson, History, and acting up. They have a Black supply teacher, with a name that is quite difficult to pronounce, and they were taking the piss. Charlene stood up for her, and ended up getting excluded. 

Now, through everything, Charlene has one constant, and that is her knitting. She has her project for her sister, which she’s hoping she’ll be allowed to give her in person, and she guards it with her life. So, when Bake’s back from uni and decides to unravel her project, she sees red. She stabs him in the hand with her knitting needle. 

The police are called, and she spends time in a cell. She has her appropriate adult, vera, and a lawyer that isn’t very good, in that he moves onto the next case as quick as he can and tries to rush things. Charlene doesn’t know why she bothers, because Annie won’t want her back, and it’s even less likely she will be able to see her sister. 

She goes to see her. Kandie’s dad calls the police, so she breaks a window, but all she fells is shame. When they come to collect her, she kicks the car, and then the police. She’s taken back to the cell, with a different appropriate adult this time, someone who’s Black. She helps her, and tries to give her advice. 

When she is released, Annie wants to see her after a while. She has been in and out of homes, and truly misses Annie. All she wants is to see her sister. Annie promises to help her, but she must be willing to say sorry, and make amends for what she’s done. Charlene promises to try, because all she wants is her sister.