Children's Book review

Pip: the story of Olive

By Kim Kane

Published by David Fickling Books

Olive is small, quiet and just different enough not to fit in with the other girls at school.

Olive has no father and a mother who is intelligent and successful but hardly ever at home. Having a best friend like Mathilda keeps Olive going and makes her happy but then Mathilda drops her and Olive's fragile world begins to crumble.

Enter Pip, Olive's long lost 'twin' sister. Although physically identical, the girls could not be more different and while Pip's direct and sometimes reckless manner worries Olive, it also excites her and eventually gives her the strength to express her own personality with courage and confidence.

A fascinating, original and spellbinding exploration of loneliness, bullying, self discovery and self assertion. Intelligent and sympathetic writing make this a compelling book which is hard to put down.

Reading age: 10+
Interest level: 11+