Time To Read

Wider World

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang

It's 1966, and twelve-year-old Ji-Li Jiang has everything a girl could want: brains, popularity, and a bright future in Communist China. But it's also the year that China's leader, Mao Ze-dong, launches the Cultural Revolution—and Ji-Li's world begins to fall apart. This is the incredible true story of one girl’s courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century. An ‘easy’ read and accessible start to learning about the history of the Chinese cultural revolution. Fans of this book who might enjoy a more in-depth account may want to seek out the biography, Wild Swans , by Jung Chang.

In Darkness by Nick Lake

In the aftermath of the 2010 Haitian earthquake, a boy, Shorty, is trapped beneath the rubble of a ruined hospital. Thirsty, terrified and alone, Shorty relives the journey that took him to the hospital, a bullet wound in his arm. In his visions and memories, he hopes to find the strength to survive. Author Nick Lake says: “This is a work of fiction. That said, much in it is true. If you were hoping that some of the more unpleasant things you have just read were made up, then I apologise.”

The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

As Kirabo enters her teens, questions begin to gnaw at her – questions which the adults in her life will do anything to ignore. Where is the mother she has never known? And why would she choose to leave her daughter behind? Inquisitive, headstrong, and unwilling to take no for an answer, Kirabo sets out to find the truth for herself. An intoxicating mix of Ugandan folklore and modern feminism that will linger in the memory long after the final page.