Ten of the Best


Children’s Books written as Diaries Nikki Gamble does the New Year choosing.


10


One of the things I enjoy about the new year is the ritual of choosing a new diary. Not an appointments diary for which online scheduling works perfectly. No, I’m talking about that precious object, the personal diary for recording secret thoughts, recollections, bright... and sometimes not so bright, ideas. For this purpose, a physical journal, which ages over time, has always felt most apposite. Children and teenagers, who might be considering keeping a diary for the first time, can find inspiration in the many fictionalised diaries that have been published. This top ten selection exemplifies the variety in the genre; there’s almost certainly one to match the preferences of every reader.


Dandelion Clocks


Rebecca Westcott, Puffin, 978-0141348995, £6.99 Reading someone else’s diary


is


probably one of the most intimate ways to come to know that person. It’s one of the reasons that anyone who has read Anne Frank’s diary feels her tangible presence. In Dandelion Clocks, Olivia’s less than perfect life is thrown into turmoil when her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. After her death, she bequeaths Liv her childhood diaries. Initially,


Liv


dismisses them angrily, ‘She shouldn’t have left me alone with a box of old, rubbish diaries that are of no use to me at all.’ But gradually, realisation dawns, that the diaries are the best way for her to come to know and understand her mum. They support her grieving process and awaken a passion for a life well lived. She writes, ‘Everything she has written in here is funny and honest and embarrassing and real - they are Mum.’


Artichoke Hearts


Sita Brahmachari, Macmillan Children’s Books, 978- 0330517911, £6.99


The plot of Artichoke Hearts deals with similar circumstances to Dandelion Clocks. Eleven year old Mira is coming to terms with the imminent loss of her grandmother. Encouraged to keep a journal by a visiting author,


Miss Print, Moira’s


journal is a month long outpouring of emotion. Mira helps her eccentric, vibrant grandmother as she prepares for her own funeral, while at the same time experiencing the awakening of romantic love. Mira recognises that the diary is a way of carrying on an internal conversation, which helps her make sense of life and death: ‘It’s a weird thing, a diary, isn’t it? I mean who do you talk to? Yourself? I suppose... but that doesn’t feel right. The only way I can think of to do this diary thing is to imagine I’m talking to someone else.’ Beautifully written, emotionally authentic, there is nothing maudlin or gloomy about this life affirming novel..


12 Books for Keeps No.222 January 2017


Polly Price’s Totally Secret Diary


Dee Shulman, Red Fox, 978-1862304239, £7.99


The Polly Price diaries are a dream for hooking reluctant girl readers. They are cool, sparkly, and heavily illustrated in full colour. But to describe them as pink magnets would be a disservice to these witty, nuanced stories in which Polly has to deal with her very loud, embarrassing, and (to


Love that dog


Sharon Creech, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 978- 0747557494, £5.99


This short novel is a tiny masterpiece, a journal written in verse which celebrates


the cathartic power of


poetry and writing. In free verse, Jack chronicles his feelings about all sorts of things. We learn about his relationship with Miss Stretchberry, the inspirational teacher who encourages his writing. We learn about his initial resentment to the task; at the start Jack’s poems are brief and clipped. But gradually, they become longer, more sophisticated and less guarded. As his writing develops we learn about the tragedy of the lost dog and Jack’s pent up emotion, which is ultimately poured out on the page, and allows the healing process to begin.


Timmy Failure Mistakes were Made


Stephan Pastis, Walker Books, 978-1406347876, £6.99


Ever since Sue Townsend wrote


The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, there has been a strong tradition of funny diaries that turn the mundane into a source for laughter. Fans of funny,


confessional diaries might


be encouraged to try Stephan Pastis’ bitter sweet Timmy Failure series about self-deluding private investigator,


Timmy, his sidekick


polar bear companion, Total, and arch nemesis, Corina Corina. There’s a subtlety in the writing of Pastis’ books. An experienced reader quickly realises that Timmy is the unreliable narrator of his own story. And there are hints at back stories, which partially explain Timmy’s unusual behaviour. What is evident is Pastis’ fondness for the odd little character, who after every mishap picks himself up, dusts himself down and looks cheerily towards his next assignment.


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