I am so absolutely
thrilled to have the wonderful Savita Kalhan here with us today! Her newest book, The Girl in the Broken Mirror, is a powerful and moving book about such a difficult but important
topic. I am so very excited to be
helping get the word out there about this wonderful book and I really hope you
all go and grab a copy! But first, let
me just say thank you so much to Savita for including me in the tour and for
putting together this amazing list of books!
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Hi Megan! Thank so you much for inviting me on your blog
today.
The Girl in the Broken
Mirror came out on May 1st, and it’s
SO exciting seeing it out there and seeing people reading it! Yes, it’s a tough
subject matter, so keep a box of tissues handy, but it’s necessary that books
about rape and sexual assault are there for teens and young adults, for them to
know that they are not alone, and that there is help and light at the end of
the darkness.
So here’s my list of books that deal with sensitive issues
for teens and young adults.
All the books below have left an impression on me. Each of
them tackles a difficult or sensitive subject in teen/YA literature, subjects
that need to be written about and read, and discussed, voices that need to be
heard. All these books deserve a place on a bookshelf in a school library and a
bookshop.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – Subject: racism/class. Angie Thomas was inspired by the
Black Lives Matter movement to write this story of Starr who witnesses her
friend Khalil being shot at point blank range by a police officer. Khalil had
committed no crime. This is such an important book for the times we live in,
well-written, hard-hitting. Brilliant.
Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell – terminal illness/suicide. Set in Kyoto in Japan, the
story follows seventeen year old Sora, confined to a wheelchair at home with a
terminal illness ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease – he has months left to live. It is
a devastatingly moving story about loneliness, friendship, and death. This book
had me in tears!
No Virgin and No Shame by Anne Cassidy – Subject: rape/trial. Anne Cassidy gives voice to her teen
victim, Stacey Woods, raped by a privileged middle class white man who thinks
he did no wrong, much in the way that my own book explores this issue from the
Asian perspective. It is a powerful uncompromising book.
(Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai – Subject: arranged marriage/culture clash. This was Bali
Rai’s debut novel and it was based on a personal experience. It is set partly
in the UK and partly in an area in Punjab, and explores what it is to be a
British Asian who is expected to conform to his parent’s wishes – even when it
comes to who he should marry.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys – Subject: war. This subject of this book is a little known
but devastating tragedy of the Second World War – the German ship, the Wilhelm
Gustloff, was sunk in port in early 1945 and it had over 9000 civilian
refugees, including children, on board. Nearly all were drowned. Told from the
perspective of four different characters from four different backgrounds, it
follows them as they make their way across Europe to where refugee ships await.
It’s a heart-breaking story.
Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence – Subject:
drugs. This is more than a gripping urban thriller. It is about sixteen year
old Marlon who finds himself embroiled in a murder. The book explores themes of
family and loyalty and the lengths Marlon feels he has to go to in order to
protect those he loves. 
I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelsen – Subject: extreme disability. Fourteen year old Jemma is a
clever, engaging teenager with extreme cerebral palsy – she cannot communicate
at all and is reliant on others for everything. When her carer goes missing,
Jemma knows who has taken her, but she cannot voice her suspicions, until a new
trial technology is developed which might allow her to finally find her voice.
This is such a unique book. You will love Jemma and be rooting for her all the
way!
I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan – Subject: grooming/terrorism. Fifteen year old Muzna has
what she calls #BrownGirlProblems – her parents want her to be a doctor and she
wants to be writer. With super strict Pakistani and feeling stifled by them and
the traditional community, she falls for a boy in her class and ends up
embroiled in a terrorist cell. The book was inspired by the author’s shock at
the news that three Muslim girls had left the UK to join the Islamic State. 
Looking at the Stars by Jo Cotterill and Hidden by Miriam Halahmy –
Subject: refugees. Looking at the Stars
is set mainly in a refugee camp where Amina has ended up sheltering in after
her family were forced to leave their home. Their life is grim, the conditions
harsh, yet Amina finds a way to give some comfort to the kids of the camp with
her story-telling. It’s a story of keeping hope alive. In Hidden, a refugee is washed ashore on Hayling Island and rescued by
fourteen year old Alix and Samir. The book explores the issues of illegal
immigration, refugees, bullying and xenophobia. It is due to be republished
soon – and is being produced as a play, too.
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten – psychiatric disorders/OCD. Adam has extreme OCD, a
condition which makes every day things like opening a door difficult. He joins
a counselling group, who meet in Room 13b, and finds that other kids struggle
with similar problems and other conditions. He also falls in love for the first
time. I loved this book – it’s sad, it’s funny, and very poignant.
Thanks so much for inviting me here today, Megan. I hope
your readers look up all the books I’ve mentioned – they are all really great
reads.
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Previous Stop on The Girl in the Broken Mirror Blog Tour:
Tales of Yesterday
Next Stop on The Girl in the
Broken Mirror Blog Tour: The Teen Librarian
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Wow, thank you so much
for this list, Savita! I have a few new
books to add to my TBR now!
And, everyone, do check
out Savita’s website, follow her on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook, and add
The Girl in the Broken Mirror to your Goodreads TBR list ASAP!
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About Savita Kalhan:
I was born in my
grandparent’s home in a small village in the north of India. The family home
has been transformed into an amazing charity hospital, which is pretty cool. I
moved with my parents from that small village in India to a small town in
Buckinghamshire when I was 11 months old. No, I’ve never got used to the cold
or the damp or the rain
I went to uni in
Aberystwyth, where the winters were colder and the seas stormy, and got happily
stuck there for a few years before heading to London and life as an
impoverished batik artist, before taking the plunge and getting married in
Manila. Then I headed off to the desert heat of the Middle East where I lived
and taught English for several years, read like a demon, and started writing.
I’ve never stopped
writing. I hope I never do.
Now, I’m in North
London, with a view of the woods, a stone’s throw from my allotment where I
fight a daily battle against the onslaught of an army of slugs and wrestle with
plotlines, and the tennis club where I slug a few balls, and my writing shed at
the bottom of the garden where I write.
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The Rest of the Blog Tour:
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