Loving April

‘Don’t mind her…Deaf and dumb, see.’ It doesn’t matter whether April Dean can speak or not: no one’s listening. She needs a friend. So does Tony. But it’s not easy to break through the barriers that isolate them. Their growing relationship triggers deep prejudices that threaten them both. Melvin Burgess is the best-selling author of Junk, winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Award ‘Tony seems to be very angry and upset with the world, but he seems to not have or want too many friends. This is where April comes into his life and they start a friendship. From here on their relationship seems to cause trouble in the village and it gets everyone talking about the lonely child and the deaf and dumb girl. The lack of sensitivity by the people in the village is unbelievable. It’s a good book and has left me with many questions as to why people have ugly thoughts about people who are “not normal”.’ Krystyna (aged 12-14)