*Shortlisted

Review by Emily, Year 7, Thurston Community College
I think that this book was an amazing book at what life was like for queer teens during section 28. This book takes solace during these time periods- the present day and in the 80s the two time periods alternate every chapter, so it creates a great contrast between Jesse and Simron's life as queer teen and Lisa's life in the 80s when it became illegal to even talk about homosexuality in schools. I found the character Mathew Scott (Lisa's younger brother) very interesting as when we first learn about him is when Jesse is reading Lisa's diary, he is perceived as an annoying little brother who practically ruined Lisa’s life by showing his parents her diary. But, at the end of the book when Jesse gets in contact with some of Lisa's friends and relatives, we learn that Mathew has grown, and he has learned from his mistakes. All of the characters are written really well- even the bad characters like Jasmine, or Lisa’s mum. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out more about queer history or simply wants to find out about the LGBTQ+ community. It was an amazing book, and I would definitely read again. 

Review by Nehiv, Year 8, Ashcroft Technology Academy
I really enjoyed this book, and it made me think about attitudes towards LGBTQ+ in different time periods. The book is set in the 1980s when Lisa is growing up and the story unfolds through someone in modern times finding Lisa’s diary.  When I was reading the book I couldn’t put it down, I really felt like I was there in the story at the time. I found the character Lisa very interesting because lots of drama happens in her life over just a few days. I did not really like Lisa’s teacher because he is very judgemental.

It is clear that in the 1980s some people were against LGBTQ+ rights which is a big contrast to the way people think now. This contrast made the book’s story compelling and powerful. The plot was exciting, and I enjoyed the way that we found out about the story through a diary from the past. I would definitely recommend this book to others. This book would interest people of my age and for anyone who wants to know more about the history of LGBTQ+ rights over time.