How to be Normal

How to Be Normal is a deeply engaging read about coercive control written by an author with personal experience of it, who never lets the narrative get too dark or confronting. I highly recommend this novel for readers aged 12+ who like contemporary stories. * Readings *

This beautiful, emotional, complex book was just unputdownable.Following Astrid, who is about to start her last year of high school, which is also her first. For the first time she is able to figure out who she is and what she wants, slightly outside the tightly controlled world her father has set for her and her mum.

* Farrells Bookshop *Ange Crawford’s debut novel, How to Be Normal, is a visceral and compelling read…How to Be Normal features a rich array of characters, with queerness integrated throughout. Diversity of sexuality, gender identity and gender expression are presented matter-of-factly, making for a pleasant normalisation of LGBTQIA+ representation. With the author’s sensitivity and skill in pacing and characterisation, it is clear why How to Be Normal won the inaugural (2023) Walker Books Manuscript Prize. How to Be Normal is best suited to readers aged 14+ and fans of contemporary YA that is both gritty and wholesome, such as the works of Helena Fox and Vikki Wakefield. * Books + Publishing *Powerful, interesting and believable characters, matched with superb dialogue keep the pages turning. In beautifully written emotive prose, Crawford has captured every nuance of this subtle type of persecution…Not to be missed! * Kids Book Review *