Description
running late
drop it off without me
I type drop what off? I don't know what Mish is talking about.
While I'm typing, another message appears. don't tell bella
But I am Bella.
Best friends Bella and Connie live on the outskirts of the city in an area that was once full of open fields and paddocks but is changing as the suburbs creep closer. And now there is Mish, Connie's cousin, who has to be included even though she is unfriendly and unpredictable. The pandemic lockdowns have lifted and the three teens are eager to explore their newfound independence. But with the world opening up, there has been a rise in surveillance, from apps that track their movements to voice recorders and hidden cameras. It feels like everyone is watching them. But when does 'watching' become 'watching over'?
Do we have a right to know everything about those we love? Look Me in the Eye is a gripping tale of young teens navigating freedom and trust-building, privacy and secrets, in an era of parental surveillance.
Review
Bella and Connie are best friends and have lived on the city fringe. But it is now not only their idyllic lifestyle changing through urban sprawl, but also their whole sense of who they are, as they navigate the world of starting high school, especially after the years of lockdowns that saw them lose their final years of primary school.
But it is Connie’s cousin, Mish, who is causing the most problems. She is brash, rude and a bully, and does things that the girls would never usually get caught up in. But they feel trapped.
Mish is under constant surveillance from her Dad, and she drags Connie and Bella into her world of deceit, as she tries to outsmart him. But how far will the girls go before they realise that they need to do something? That they need to stand up and be the good kids that they are?
It’s not just the trouble that Mish is causing that is making Bella question things. Bella has never known her Dad, and now that her Mum is about to have a new baby with her new partner, Pete, she starts to wonder where she will fit in the new family dynamic.
This is a wonderful story about navigating the world of friendship and trust, and in a world where we seem to always be watched, it is a timely reminder of how the world has changed, and the challenges of this new way of life.
It will be best suited to those in the younger secondary levels, however, there are strong messages for all secondary readers. It involves themes of shoplifting, and the consequences of this, eating disorders, parental overreach, and surveillance, but it is also a story of family, true friendship, love and connection.
Reviewed by Sam
