It also choked me up (as usual) and that is only because, no matter what age one is at, the idea of losing a parent or being away from home (in my case) and thinking about Mom (this book is based on children-mother relationship) can get you all teary-eyed. All in all, “Dandelion Clocks” was a good read. The book could have been longer, according to me and that is only because I liked it and wanted to know more. The characters were well-etched (some of them though lacked some depth but I am sure, the author will take care of that in the sequel Violet Ink). Or maybe it is the times when they already know so much that this cannot hurt all that much or maybe I am just thinking too much about it?Īnyway, I read “Dandelion Clocks” by Rebecca Westcott on the fifth of July. I would rather be back in the time and place when literature for children and teens was simple and reality-free. Almost all young adult books have that element in them after “The Fault in Our Stars” and I am not surprised.

Powerful, memorable and accessible, the book also boasts a very positive depiction of a character with Asperger's Syndrome which reminds us that the autistic spectrum is indeed just that - a spectrum - and those on it may share similar characteristics but should not be pigeon-holed.The age of “sick-literature” is on. It is her journal, combined with Liv's passion for photography and the support of her father, brother and best friend, which will provide her with crucial solace and a sense of hope for the future. An effective parallel emerges between Liv's life and the experiences of her mother at the same age, reported through the diaries she passes on to her daughter. More unexpected is the clever way in which Westcott Smith succeeds in weaving substantial humour and optimism into the book. The result is (unsurprisingly) a very heart-rending read, as Liv goes through various stages of denial, anger and grief.

The book details the unthinkably difficult months leading up to her death and those which follow, all recounted by Liv herself. It soon becomes painfully clear to the reader that she is terminally ill and deteriorating fast. However, Liv is too immersed in her own perceptions, interests, friendships and crushes to realise it. Of course in fact it's a family which is as normal (or just as diverse) as the next, and her day-to-day worries are essentially no different from any other schoolgirl's. Her mother hasn't a clue what it's like to be young, her dad always takes her mum's side and her older brother (who has Asperger's Syndrome) struggles to cope when any of the family's agreed rules are broken which can result in embarrassing outbursts in public places. In her eyes, 11 year-old Olivia's family is a bit of a nightmare.

Dandelion Clocks by Rebecca Westcott