Jack Sweettooth by Malorie Blackman

I decided to follow up "Tell Me No Lies" by reading some more Malorie Blackman. I thought I had read most of her titles in the school library, but managed to find another couple of books that I have started to read in the tube.

The first book, Jack Sweettooth, only took half the tube journey home to finish. It's a very short story, aimed at much younger children, and a nice tale about a little mouse, a family pet. There are three short chapters. Sweet.

Tell Me No Lies - Malorie Blackman

Yet another excellent book from Malorie Blackman. This time aimed at younger teens, I'd guess. An incredibly frustrating read, as well. Two young teenagers, Gemma and Mikey, meet at school. One has a secret, one works out what it is. They share something - neither lives with their mother, for different reasons - but what is so frustrating is the way they relate to each other. Half conversations, blurted phrases, frightened actions, all result in these two young people, who might have been friends, end up not understanding each other, resulting in bullying and other nasty consequences. I wanted to shake them both, to tell them to tell the other what they were really thinking, to give each other a second chance ... As my school librarian said, you can tell it's well written when it raises that emotion in you. So it must be good.