Fabulous dance story
5 steloj
I don't often read young adult books but was drawn to give Live Like Your Head's On Fire a try because of its dance theme and for its intriguing title. As it turned out, once I started reading the first few pages I was completely hooked and didn't look up again until several hours later - feeling pretty steam rollered by Pen's story (and also a bit thirsty!) I loved how Sally-Anne Lomas captured not only Pen's emotional confusion, but also the way in which other people's actions impinged on her state of mind. I can still (just about) remember how bewildering being a teenager can be. Pen's experience is additionally complicated by needing to care for her young brother and navigate her mother's agoraphobia and shaky mental health.
Live Like Your Head's On Fire showed me just how vital access to arts subjects is school is, especially for young …
I don't often read young adult books but was drawn to give Live Like Your Head's On Fire a try because of its dance theme and for its intriguing title. As it turned out, once I started reading the first few pages I was completely hooked and didn't look up again until several hours later - feeling pretty steam rollered by Pen's story (and also a bit thirsty!) I loved how Sally-Anne Lomas captured not only Pen's emotional confusion, but also the way in which other people's actions impinged on her state of mind. I can still (just about) remember how bewildering being a teenager can be. Pen's experience is additionally complicated by needing to care for her young brother and navigate her mother's agoraphobia and shaky mental health.
Live Like Your Head's On Fire showed me just how vital access to arts subjects is school is, especially for young people needing an escape. Lomas understands perfectly how Pen is freed from her everyday concerns by her dancing talent and I was impressed by how she translated this to us readers. Pen's language when she talks about dancing is totally different so I could genuinely feel how fired up she became once she was lost in the music that inspired her. I frequently felt quite inspired myself!
Although different in their subjects and countries, Live Like Your Head's On Fire's themes of finding one's own passion and identity reminded me of two other young adult novels I've previously enjoyed. I would highly recommend this book to fans of The Diary of a Late Bloomer by L.M.L Gil and The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar.