By Candy Gourlay
Published in 2017
7+ years
Suggested age group
Realistic Fiction | Coming-of-Age |Teen Issues
Genre
What is Shine by Candy Gourlay about?
Shine is a powerful YA story exploring social pressure, identity, confidence in a deeply emotional teen coming-of-age story.
Discover our Review and Summary of Shine by Candy Gourlay
A quest in pursuit of truth to make peace with the past
Rosa loves her dad and Yaya, a girl who lives with their family in Mirasol. Rosa has the Calm, a rare condition that disables her ability to speak. When Rosa is not with Yaya she loves to chat with strangers on the internet and play games online. She can do anything she wants, but she cannot go out of the house.
When Rosa sees Ansel95’s photography on the internet, she finds herself mesmerised by the beauty captured in the pictures. She starts to follow him online, soon discovering that he’s also from Mirasol. They plan to meet each other on the beach. Rosa hasn’t met many people in real life, so she’s very excited to meet Ansel95. Although forbidden, Rosa is determined and sneaks out of her house. Would their meeting go as planned?
When she returns home, she finds a puzzling postcard, that she thinks is from her mother. It makes her question who she can trust anymore, leaving her completely oblivious to the truth.
My favourite character in this book is Rosa because she is kind and knows that her condition shouldn’t stop her from doing anything. She cares deeply for her family.
My favourite part of the books is when Rosa and Ansel95 finally meet and they realise how alike they are. They become good friends – the first real friend Rosa has.
Is Shine Worth Reading?
Overall, I think this is a good book to read, with different storylines that start to come together like a jigsaw puzzle. The story is narrated from the perspective of two different people in different times in the past, which makes it an interesting read.
This book would interest anyone who like books about body image and finding your voice.
If you enjoyed this, you may also like:
The Honest truth by Dan Gemeinhart, a realistic fiction with coming of age theme.
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, a historical fiction with coming of age theme.