This bold, compelling and topical story about bullying is told from the perspective of the bully and the bullied. You won't be able put it down until you've reached the conclusion. Jess's life is difficult enough without Kez picking on her – it’s turning school from a safe place into a nightmare. Kez has plenty of problems too but she finds comfort in knowing she is better off than Jess - or so she thinks. A hard-hitting and even-handed look at bullying and the issues facing teenagers today.
My thoughts on this book
Seven days is a thoughtful and compelling read. The subject matter is gritty and it is highly relevant to the target audience. It looks at bullying from the differing perspectives of the bully and the bullied and gives a different perspectives on bullying as a whole.
I did think the way in which this book handled the bullying was good. Sometimes I find books on bullying can make the victim seem really pathetically powerless and the bully this all powerful entity and I liked how it approached the situation in a more measured way. It was interesting to see what led the bully to become the way she was and I did like how the story resolves in a more hopeful way for the future.
How me what didn't quite work with this book as well as I would have liked was the overlapping narrative. Each day told once from the bullied girls perspective and then from the bully. It sometimes meant the story had to rewind a few hours and I found it a bit repetitive and sometimes confusing in that regard. I would have preferred one to pick up exactly where the other left off.
All in all on balance a fabulous and thoughtful YA debut which I did enjoy.
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