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Revision as of 10:52, 12 April 2017
, 10:52, 12 April 2017Created page with "{{infobox |title=The Harder They Fall |sort= |author=Bali Rai |reviewer=Jill Murphy |genre=Dyslexia Friendly |summary=Story of bullying and poverty and the power of friendshi..."
{{infobox
|title=The Harder They Fall
|sort=
|author=Bali Rai
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|summary=Story of bullying and poverty and the power of friendship, told with passion by Bookbag favourite, Bali Rai. Super-readable and dyslexia friendly.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=104
|publisher=Barrington Stoke
|website=http://www.balirai.co.uk/home
|date=May 2017
|isbn=1781126828
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781126828</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1781126828</amazonus>
|video=pUjOMGu1mko
}}
Cal loves comic books. He also dreams of being a superhero and saving the day while simultaneously winning the heart of the girl (Freya being the girl, hopefully). Batman is his favourite superhero. But Cal's world outside his daydreams is not particularly superhero-like. Because Cal is a bit of a geek and he is being bullied by mean girl Anu, who makes him complete homework assignments which she then sells on to lazy classmates. Still, it's not all bad. Cal's parents are lovely and the gorgeous Freya is making friendly overtures...
... and then Jacob arrives at school. As a newbie, he's a target for the school bullies Anu and Myles anyway, but it's not helped by his shabby clothes, standoffish ways, and aggressive manner. Cal wants to help Jacob fit in but Jacob, it seems, doesn't want anyone's help. Cal gets a clue as to why when he is helping his mother volunteer at a local food bank and spots Jacob come in with ''his'' mother.
After that, everything happens very quickly.
I loved this story. It's short and sharp and very, very passionate. Bali Rai, a favourite in these 'ere parts, has written an afterword talking about poverty and inequality in the UK and the shame and stigma associated with it. It's an angry afterword and I share Rai's anger. We must resist the slide into becoming a mean society whose most striking characteristic is a lack of empathy. But ''The Harder They Fall'' isn't a misery-fest. It's a story of the power of friendship and hope more than it is a story of degradation. The friendship between Cal, Freya and the initially unwilling Jacob is one of equals. As it should be. As both a powerful critique of inequality and a passionate defence of friendship as a unifying force, ''The Harder They Fall'' is successful on two levels.
And it feels very real. Cal might not need food banks but he does know what it feels like to be bullied. Most children will know what it's like to end up at the wrong end of a particular social pecking order at school and this part of the story was equally well-handled.
''The Harder They Fall'' is part of Barrington Stoke's ''super-readable'' range. This means it comes in with a low word count, carefully-selected font, double-spaced text, and is printed on thick, non-glare paper. This makes it suitable for both dyslexic and reluctant readers. But don't think this makes it in any way ''simple''. It has a complex thematic depth and fans of the current vogue for short, sharp fiction - even those who like the flash fiction format - will love it too. Barrington Stoke puts the reading age at 13+ but, a single, fairly chaste kiss and and an off-page encounter with a bully's violence aside, there's nothing in here that I'd be afraid to allow a younger child to read.
Recommended.
Other brilliant and super-readable stories published by Barrington Stoke include [[Desirable by Frank Cottrell Boyce]] and [[Robot Girl by Malorie Blackman]]. The [[Blade: Playing Dead by Tim Bowler|Blade series]] by Tim Bowler is a masterclass in gripping, short, sharp, episodic fiction.
{{amazontext|amazon=1781126828}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1781126828}}
{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Teens]]
[[Category:Confident Readers]]
|title=The Harder They Fall
|sort=
|author=Bali Rai
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Dyslexia Friendly
|summary=Story of bullying and poverty and the power of friendship, told with passion by Bookbag favourite, Bali Rai. Super-readable and dyslexia friendly.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=104
|publisher=Barrington Stoke
|website=http://www.balirai.co.uk/home
|date=May 2017
|isbn=1781126828
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1781126828</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1781126828</amazonus>
|video=pUjOMGu1mko
}}
Cal loves comic books. He also dreams of being a superhero and saving the day while simultaneously winning the heart of the girl (Freya being the girl, hopefully). Batman is his favourite superhero. But Cal's world outside his daydreams is not particularly superhero-like. Because Cal is a bit of a geek and he is being bullied by mean girl Anu, who makes him complete homework assignments which she then sells on to lazy classmates. Still, it's not all bad. Cal's parents are lovely and the gorgeous Freya is making friendly overtures...
... and then Jacob arrives at school. As a newbie, he's a target for the school bullies Anu and Myles anyway, but it's not helped by his shabby clothes, standoffish ways, and aggressive manner. Cal wants to help Jacob fit in but Jacob, it seems, doesn't want anyone's help. Cal gets a clue as to why when he is helping his mother volunteer at a local food bank and spots Jacob come in with ''his'' mother.
After that, everything happens very quickly.
I loved this story. It's short and sharp and very, very passionate. Bali Rai, a favourite in these 'ere parts, has written an afterword talking about poverty and inequality in the UK and the shame and stigma associated with it. It's an angry afterword and I share Rai's anger. We must resist the slide into becoming a mean society whose most striking characteristic is a lack of empathy. But ''The Harder They Fall'' isn't a misery-fest. It's a story of the power of friendship and hope more than it is a story of degradation. The friendship between Cal, Freya and the initially unwilling Jacob is one of equals. As it should be. As both a powerful critique of inequality and a passionate defence of friendship as a unifying force, ''The Harder They Fall'' is successful on two levels.
And it feels very real. Cal might not need food banks but he does know what it feels like to be bullied. Most children will know what it's like to end up at the wrong end of a particular social pecking order at school and this part of the story was equally well-handled.
''The Harder They Fall'' is part of Barrington Stoke's ''super-readable'' range. This means it comes in with a low word count, carefully-selected font, double-spaced text, and is printed on thick, non-glare paper. This makes it suitable for both dyslexic and reluctant readers. But don't think this makes it in any way ''simple''. It has a complex thematic depth and fans of the current vogue for short, sharp fiction - even those who like the flash fiction format - will love it too. Barrington Stoke puts the reading age at 13+ but, a single, fairly chaste kiss and and an off-page encounter with a bully's violence aside, there's nothing in here that I'd be afraid to allow a younger child to read.
Recommended.
Other brilliant and super-readable stories published by Barrington Stoke include [[Desirable by Frank Cottrell Boyce]] and [[Robot Girl by Malorie Blackman]]. The [[Blade: Playing Dead by Tim Bowler|Blade series]] by Tim Bowler is a masterclass in gripping, short, sharp, episodic fiction.
{{amazontext|amazon=1781126828}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1781126828}}
{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Teens]]
[[Category:Confident Readers]]
