Goodreads Synopsis:
"When 13-year-old Tab Baird starts at a new school, she's determined to be the coolest, most popular girl there - whatever it takes. She adjusts her school skirt so it's just the right length. She has enough attitude to make it into the in-crowd. She even gets the attention of the hottest guys. But it's not easy being uber-cool. No one must find out that her mum, brother and her have moved into her Gran's house, so she tries to persuade Gran to pose as a house-keeper. And if anyone discovers her mum's blog - about her teenage daughter - it'll be the ultimate in social death."
5*****
Hello Elementareaders!
‘The Rise and Rise of Tabitha Baird’ by Arabella Weir is a
middle-grade novel about a thirteen year old girl starting a new school. This is the first in a new series about this character. I won
a copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program to review.
Tabitha Baird, known as Tab to her friends, is a teenager
from a broken home. The story starts on her first day at her new school. Tab’s
father is an alcoholic who has lost all their money and her parents have split
up. Tabitha, her mum and her ten year old brother Luke, have moved in with her
Gran in London.
Tabitha is nervous about starting her new school. She was
previously at Greyfriars, a posh private school, but is now forced into a local
comprehensive Heathside Academy (HAC). Tab is determined to fit in, make
friends and be popular. She thinks the only way she will get friends is to be
daring and wind up the teachers.
From not fitting in at Greyfriars, Tab soon becomes the most
popular girl at HAC and has two great friends, Emz and A’isha. She also meets a
dreamy older boy while she is walking her Gran’s dog. But soon her pranks and cheek
get her into big trouble and Tab is threatened with moving in with her dad,
which would mean going back to Greyfriars…
This was such a fun read! The chapters are set out like the
pages of a diary and the book is written in the first person from Tabitha’s
point of view. It really feels like it has been written by a thirteen year old
girl. The language is simple (great for younger readers!) and the author uses
abbreviations like ‘obvs’ for ‘obviously’ and ‘geddit’ for ‘get it’. The way Tab acts with her family is spot on
for a lot of teenage girls. She’s sulky, stroppy, moans about her mum and
thinks her brother is disgusting, but by the end of the book she learns that
she really loves her family, which I think is a really nice moral.
The diary format also leaves space for little illustrations
and fun fonts on the chapter headings.
I thought this was such a great book for both children and
adults. I would recommend it to people of the younger generation looking for a
quick, fun read.
I would give this book 5 stars :)
Let me know in the comments if you're read this book and what you thought of it!
Places to buy:
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