Friendship never ends by Alexandra Sheppard

At the end of year nine, four best friends face their first summer holidays away from each other. Coming from different ethnic backgrounds; Indian, Jamaican, Chinese and Scottish/Ghanaian, they have bonded over their feeling different at school, so promise to write postcards to keep in touch, as they embark on wildly different adventures.

Dawn is staying in London with her aunt and cousin so she can attend performing arts summer school, artistic Gifty goes to visit her grandparents in their small Scottish village, Sunita travels to France to stay in a chateau with her mother and posh boyfriend, while May stays at home in Kent, and helps out in the family take-away shop.

Each chapter is written from the perspective of one of the girls as they recount their exploits, whether it be a first crush or navigating family dynamics and expectations. Between the chapters are the postcards that they send to each other, as they comment on how they are achieving their shared goal of ‘growing up’.

Through their various holiday experiences, they realise that they can make their own decisions, and choose their own paths rather than trying to fit in or please others, whether this is parents, boys, or other girls. As they realise their own particular strengths, they come to recognise that ‘trying to not be yourself is hard work.’

This is a pleasant, easy-to-read story where the characters develop confidence and sustain friendships in every-day situations. The girls are likeable and realistically show the tricky stages of developing self-awareness and overcoming self-doubt, that young teens navigate. They encompass a variety of ethnic backgrounds and family structures, and several characters identify as gay or non-binary, without this being a big deal.

The girls seemed a little less mature than many present-day 14 year-olds, and there was no obvious difference between the four girls’ voices, but their journey towards independence, while still recognising the importance of friends and family, will be an engaging read for young people, particularly girls, aged 11+.

Themes: Friendship, Relationships, Family, Holidays, Coming of age.

Margaret Crohn