From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up--Leyla, 15, an aspiring drummer, wishes for a "really good drama" to spice up her life in the Manchester, England suburbs. She gets far more than she bargained for when her beloved cousin Emma, 16, is diagnosed with HIV, and Emma swears Leyla to uncomfortable secrecy. She begins to spend covert Saturdays by giving drumming lessons at an HIV outreach center to support Emma. When her parents find out through neighborhood gossip, they forbid her to go near "those people" again. The teen is upset but not surprised at her parents' attitudes; she is mortified at the response to her pleas for an AIDS-education program at school. Leyla's observations are thoughtful, witty, and levelheaded, and her heart and self-effacing heroism carry the book. No Pollyanna, however, she disobeys her parents, doesn't apologize for her sexuality, and soundly whoops a trash-talking classmate. The relationship between Leyla and Emma is richly drawn, with just enough uniquely British sarcasm underlying their mutual regard, love, and trust. Occasionally, the dialogue reads like the script for a public-service announcement, but only when Leyla rants about the ignorance of her parents and peers in conversation. Minchin's deft and cinematic plotting distinguishes this from a simple problem novel, though, as events and their consequences continue to build, inform, and surprise. The fast-paced plot, along with clear, sharp, and mostly unsentimental language, makes this a solid addition to the subject's heavily nonfiction canon, and an especially good starting point for reluctant readers. Leyla's believable earnestness and burgeoning activism show enough about the inescapably unsubtle subject matter to forgive Minchin her sometimes heavy-handed telling.
--Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Gr. 8-11. Fifteen-year-old Leyla must keep her cousin's secret: Emma is HIV positive, and only her mother and Leyla know. The secret becomes a burden, especially when Leyla must lie to her parents in order to work with Emma's support group on their special project--to teach other HIV-positive teens how to play the drums. In spite of its heavy Briticisms and a didactic tone, this is one of the better YA books about HIV. The facts of transmission and symptoms are clearly presented, as are Emma's struggles to lead a normal, healthy life. Leyla's very proper mother's holier-than-thou response and the grief Emma and her mother feel are authentic and painful. Leyla's sadness and initial unease at being physically near her cousin are also palpably genuine. Minchin educates young readers while telling a gripping story that will keep personal tragedy aficionados turning the pages to the hopeful yet realistic conclusion.
Frances BradburnCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
