Gypsy Girl – Rosie McKinley

Imagine being born into a world where communities are constantly on the move, but freedom is not a birthright.

Rosie grew up travelling all over England and Ireland in her family's caravan. She had an idyllic childhood roaming fields and meadows with her younger brothers and sisters - free from the trappings of modern life, but restricted by the expectations of her culture.

When Rosie was 14, the family's happiness was shattered when her grandfather - who was loved and respected by the whole community - was killed in a tragic accident.
Suddenly everything in Rosie's life unravelled and she was forced to abandon the traditional way of life she loved. Her family fell apart in grief and Rosie tried her best to take care of her younger siblings and hold the family together.

This is her story of finding a place to belong.

My Rating 5/5 Easy Read (Non-Fiction)

The Drowning Girl – Margaret Leroy

'She's my daughter, but in some weird way I feel she isn't really my child'.

Young single mum Grace is drowning. Her little girl Sylvie is distant, troubled and prone to violent tantrums which the child psychiatrists blame on Grace. But Grace knows there's something more to what's happening to Sylvie. 

There has to be. 

Travelling from the London suburbs to the west coast of Ireland, Grace and Sylvie embark on a journey of shocking discovery, forcing Grace to question everything she believes in and changing both their lives forever.

My Rating 5/5 Loved This Book (Fiction)

Not the sort of book that I would normally read had I known what it was about. (I only go by the front cover I never read the back as I find it spoils the book for me) It was the haunting image and the question on the cover  - ”What if there was something deeply wrong with your child, and nobody believed you?” That caught my eye.

I could not put this book down. I found it a fascinating read.