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Opal Moonbaby by Maudie Smith (view source)
Revision as of 08:45, 18 September 2020
, 08:45, 18 September 2020no edit summary
{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=Opal Moonbaby
|author=Maudie Smith
|isbn=978-1444004786
|website=http://www.maudiesmith.co.uk/
|videocover=1444004786|amazonukaznuk=<amazonuk>1444004786</amazonuk>|amazonusaznus=<amazonus>1444004786</amazonus>
}}
Martha has decided that she will never have a friend again. She and Chloe used to be very close, but then Colette came along and suddenly Martha was out in the cold. If she doesn't ''do'' friendship than then there is no way that she can be hurt again. Life isn't easy at home - it's just her, her mother and her younger brother, Robbie - as money is tight. Her mother has gone back to hairdressing (or ''head refurbishments'' as her employer calls it) and would like Martha to spend time with Chloe during the day. Martha has other calls on her time though. She's met an alien.
Yes an alien. Opal Moonbaby arrived in an egg-shaped craft and caused the local milk float to crash. Since then she's been living wild with Garnet, her mingle and is on earth to complete her planet's independence award. She's mastered the English language quickly, if somewhat idiosyncratically and has a few other rather disturbing traits. If Martha thinks of something then Opal will answer her. There's just one snag in all this: for her independence award Opal has to make a friend - and Martha has been chosen as the 'target'. Of course, that's not going to happen, is it?
And Maudie Smith gives us a great story too. She's pitch-perfect on the way that girls in this age group act. I was talking to someone recently who said that she would hate to go back to her teens because of the angst and the exams. I wouldn't want to go back to the tweens because of the friendships which could dissolve in an instant and the casual cruelty handed out to people who were your friends only a short while ago. The females in the book are stronger than the males (who're just a little shadowy) but there are some great personalities across all age ranges. Definitely recommended - and a writer to look out for in the future.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag. We also have a review of [[Opal Moonbaby Forever by Maudie Smith]].
Older tweens will enjoy [[Out of the Depths by Cathy MacPhail]]. We can also recommend [[Lily by Holly Webb]].