HOW NOT TO DISAPPEAR – by CLAIRE FURNISS
Reviewer: Ashiana aged 13
‘How Not To Disappear’ by Clare Furniss is about Hattie, a pregnant teenager, who faces a huge decision. Her two best friends have left for the summer so she is alone with her twin siblings and her mum’s impending wedding to Carl. Reuben has gone to Europe for the summer while Kat is in Scotland. She later meets her great-aunt Gloria, who is in the early stages of dementia, but is still very independent and doesn’t let it stop her. At first they clash but they then go on a road trip of self-discovery when they make important life choices and reflect on their memories.
I liked how there were two narrators, Hattie and Gloria, because you can see the story from two different perspectives. My favourite character was Gloria because she seemed very real and she had a vibrant personality. I didn’t like the beginning of the book as I thought it was too slow. I think it took too long before the road trip started which made it slightly boring. Overall, it was a good book with interesting characters but was very slow at times.
Reviewer: Zahra aged 12
‘How Not to Disappear’, by Clare Furniss told the story of Hattie, a teenager who’s friends had left her during a holiday. As the book progresses you find out that Hattie is pregnant with a friend’s baby and hides it from her family. The only person she tells is a very, very distant relative who suffers from dementia.
I can’t say I enjoyed the book because I thought it was a little bit slow, to a point where I even skipped a few pages because I just wanted to read a more captivating and exciting bit. This was unusual because it was a genre that I usually really enjoy reading. I did like the characters though, my favourite was Reuben. When reading the book I actually looked forward to a part that Reuben is in and where he sends an email. It was one of the more interesting parts of the book for me. However, I did dislike Reuben’s personality (in a good way), but liked Gloria’s (the distant relative). I enjoyed reading her back stories and how she explained her past. As well as this, I like how independent and determined she is in general despite her age and I also like how she is a bit rebellious (even if it does come across annoying at times).
I thought the writing itself was quite good though. Unlike other books, it fitted the age group that it was written for a was not too simple or overly complicated. I also like the language used when Gloria thought of her past.e
Reviewer: Ellie aged 13
‘How Not to Disappear.’ is a very good book. I found it very interesting and very good. The grandmother’s sister Gloria who has dementia reminded me of my Grandad who had Alzheimers. My favourite character is Mattie because she always puts people before her. My least favourite character was Carl, the mum’s fiancé because he acted as if he was better than anybody else.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to my friends.
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